Following the strange events that came after encountering that trio of bizarre wolves in the grove, Artorias had emerged from his adventure more confused than enlightened, but with a tale to tell all the same. He had found a strange frozen world in a cave system somewhere, untouched and undiscovered until his guide had taken him down there to slay the dreaded ice worm Edward. Upon returning home, Artorias knew the first thing he would have to do (after making sure he was still alive and this wasn't some strange purgatory of sorts) was go tell his wife. The dire brute sprinted all the way back to the castle and in a hurry, he regaled Briar with the tales of the ice caves and the ruins underground. Being the intrepid explorer he was, Art wanted nothing more than to go back to those caves to explore them in earnest and place his name on them as the first wolves to successfully navigate and set paws down there.

It had taken a few days, but after some scouting, Artorias' ravens had returned a report that revealed a new cave opening out in the God's Garden that hadn't been there before. Artorias was sure this had to be connected, and after calling for Briar, he led the charge out to the neighboring gardens. The cave wasn't easy to find unless you had airborne assistance, but once they did, it was a few squeezes and shimmies down until Art emerged inside a familiar looking cave system somewhere below the surface of the earth. Rock slowly began to give way to crystalline ice, the temperature gradually dropped, and the sound of flowing water could be heard nearby. "Keep close, love! I think we're getting close!" he called back to Briar as he squeezed his way through a crevasse, following the sounds of the water until he emerged in a giant underground chamber, carved away from centuries of eroded sediment. Artorias gawked at the sight, gazing up at the giant ice stalagmite that rose from the middle of the arctic water. "Briar, come look! Have you ever seen anything like this?!" gushed Artorias in awe. He was like a pup with a new toy, the wanderlusting adventurer in him absolutely loving this new discovery!

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

The events of the odd slate wolf leading her through the icy cave and the encounter with the giant worm Beauregard had all felt like some sort of strange dream as she found her way back to the castle. The only reason she had to doubt that it had been a figment of her imagination was the fact that she had no other explanation for how she had ended up where she was–at least until her husband returned home shortly after with an incredibly similar story. The only real difference was their different approaches to the challenge that had been put in front of them and the names of the worms they had faced. It was all too much of a coincidence for them to have had such similar dreams, but if that was the case then who was that wolf? Where did she disappear to? Were their more giant worms somewhere beneath the surface? There were far more questions than answers, but unsurprisingly her adventurer of a husband was only really concerned with finding that icy cavern once more to truly explore it. Even though the idea of going back to where they had seen those worms wasn't exactly a thrilling concept, she wasn't going to let him go alone so once he tracked down the cave opening she set off with him to go see it.

She followed closely behind Artorias as they began to follow the slim crevasse deeper into the earth while trying not to think too deeply about the feeling of deja vu she had from squeezing through the ice and having to be pushed through by her guide just a few days prior. It was a bit claustrophobic, but at least she had Art with her this time around. "Oh don't you worry, I'm sticking very close to you," she assured him with a chuckle as he told her to stay close. She still wasn't entirely convinced they weren't just walking back into the den of another worm so there wasn't a chance in hell that she was venturing off on her own down here. Eventually the air began to chill and the sound of water grew louder and louder the further they went, telling her they were heading in the right direction. The second they were able to step out of the slim path they had followed and into a larger chamber she let out a relieved sigh, giving her fur a quick shake. When she lifted her gaze to Artorias that was standing in front of her, he was already taking in the space around them and gushing about their find. An amused grin pulled at her lips as she came to stand beside him, her turquoise gaze slowly sweeping across the beautiful chamber in front of them. This certainly wasn't the exact same space she had found with the slate wolf before, but she had a feeling they weren't all that far off from it.

"It's beautiful," she agreed, leaning her shoulder into his while they took in their discovery. She took it all in from the ceiling full of glittering stalagmites to the bridges that crossed over the flowing water below. "I wonder who built these..." she mused thoughtfully, gesturing toward the bridges in front of them that seemed to lead to other parts of the cave. "We definitely aren't the first ones to find this place, but maybe the first to see it in a long time." There wasn't any signs that she could immediately pick up on that showed that anyone else had been here recently, but someone or something had to have built this at some point in the distant history of this place.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Briar agreed that the ice cavern was indeed beautiful as she came to lean into his side, earning her an affectionate smile from her husband. Artorias loved exploring the world and discovering magnificent new locations that defied all logic of existence, but that love was only a fraction as much as he harbored for his Briar. Adventuring was fun and all, but the true joy he got from the experience was adventuring with her, his wife and best friend. Artorias gently leaned his bulk back against Briar’s side, letting her use him as a support while they admired the ice cave together.

As Briar mused aloud about the origins of the caves, Art followed her gaze around the room to the bridges that had clearly been manufactured by someone. "I don’t know. Someone with far greater dexterity than me," he joked back with a wry grin. The ice caves reminded him a bit of some of the other manmade locations he had been to, like the Stone Steppes and the cellars beneath them. "Yeah, nobody’s been down here for a long time." Gently shifting away from Briar’s side, Art slowly wandered his way across the old bridges, the wood creaking beneath his paws. He gawked at the ice formations and tunnels, the intricate carvings etched into the ice walls around them. Looking back at Briar and flashing her a playful grin, he tipped his head down one of the side tunnels. "Wanna see what else this place is hiding?"

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar nodded with agreement when Art mentioned how whoever had built all of these must have had better dexterity than they did. She had seen some bridges and other structures that wolves had built–like the green house they had by the castle or the ferry that connected mainland Auster to the island Chimera's pack used to lay claim to–and while all of those things were impressive none of them seemed to have this kind of detail. It made her think of the primates that Nelu and Gwyn kept with them for tasks that required a more dexterous touch, but who knew what kind of creatures existed way back in the past. After seeing the massive worm she knew that pretty much anything was possible.

She blinked and pulled herself out of her own thoughts as Art shifted away from her side and moved toward the bridge ahead of them. The mother in her wanted to tell him to be careful, but she stopped herself with a little smile. It was hard sometimes to not look out for everyone the way she looked out for their pups. She knew Art wasn't reckless, but she still relaxed some once he stepped onto the wood planks of the bridge and they creaked but held firm under his weight. When he looked back at her with a grin and asked if she wanted to see what else was hiding here, Briar chuckled and stepped forward to follow him with a nod. "Absolutely, handsome."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Artorias' daredevil grin widened when Briar agreed to continue exploring the newfound ice caves with him. Although it was a simple pleasure, adventuring and exploration had always been his passion, even as a little pup, and getting to indulge in that hobby made him feel like a young wolf again. It reminded him of the times he and Briar would venture off just to see what they could find. Crossing the aged wood bridge and veering down the side tunnel, Artorias ducked his head to avoid hitting it on the lower ceiling of ice as he moved forward. Sometimes being a huge dire wolf did have its drawbacks... Thankfully this tunnel was wide enough to accommodate his size, so maneuvering his way down the slick ice paths, he eventually came out the other end in a smaller circular chamber built entirely into the ice.

Artorias gasped and marveled at the beauty of the crystalline ice glistening all around them. A thin shaft of light shone down from a hole in the ceiling, illuminating the ice cave like they were inside a giant crystal prism. "Whoa...!" he breathed in awe, looking around at every faceted surface of ice that shone in the light. Besides the sounds of their claws clicking on the ice, there was no sound, no other signs of life around. They were in their own little world down here. "This is incredible...! I wonder how long this has been hidden down here, right below our paws and we've never noticed!" It felt like they were treading new ground for the first time in probably centuries!

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar chuckled at Artorias' excited grin and followed him as he began to walk across one of the wooden bridges to take them further into the icy caves. Where Artorias had to duck to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling of these tunnels, Briar passed through them fairly easily with just a bit of consideration to make sure she wasn't scraping her antlers against the ceiling or walls of these tunnels as they went. Her smaller stature actually became a benefit for once! She had to extend her claws at times to give her enough traction to keep from slipping on the ice, but otherwise their passage through the tunnel was a fairly easy one–a far sight more easy than when she had been trying to find her way through with the unusual guide at least. It didn't take long for them to emerge out into another chamber, this one completely carved out of ice.

She made a soft sound of awe as she slowly stepped into the space and looked around them at the glistening, carved ice. The light shining in from the middle of the room made everything sparkle with rainbows as it reflected back at them off of the polished surfaces. It felt like they had stepped into the center of a massive gemstone rather than a cave of ice. It was completely silent in a way that could have been eerie if it wasn't for the fact that their surroundings were so breathtakingly beautiful. "Gods only knows... Far longer than I could possibly imagine, that's for sure," she replied as he mused about how long this place could have been down here right under their paws without them knowing. "It makes you wonder what else is hidden away where someone may never find it." How many other hidden caverns or valleys or peaks have simply never been found because the path to them has been closed off or the only way to reach them is simply impossible for them to manage? The world around them was a wild, mysterious place.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Briar marveled at the natural beauty that encapsulated them in this ice chamber hidden far below the surface of Auster with him, commenting on how there could be many other secret caves and tunnels like this one that they simply didn’t know existed. "Yeah… it really makes you wonder how much more there is to the world." Briar had always been his number one adventuring partner ever since they were yearlings. She was his best friend, his support, and there was no one else he’d rather share these discoveries and adventures with than her.

Artorias’ gaze wandered around the glistening ice chamber slowly, taking in the detail of the intricately carved ice formations to create the prisms casting rainbows all around the world. Then his gaze settled on Briar. His Briar, beautiful in her own rights, looked absolutely radiant illuminated by the spectrum of light dancing across her body. Her feminine features more accentuated with the sparkling luster, the smooth planes and supple curves of her body highlighted in a dazzling array of rainbow hues. Even her turquoise eyes seemed to stand out, emphasized by the brilliant light show. She looked absolutely breathtaking in this moment.

Unable to help himself, a little grin crossed Artorias’ lips as he stepped closer to Briar, gently pressing his broad chest against hers to get her attention. When she looked up at him, Art took the moment to close the space between their muzzles, pressing his lips with a slow smoldering passion to his wife’s. The Lord of Cinder kissed his Lady with all the heat and passion his love for her burned with, lips gently parting hers to taste her on his tongue, letting himself get lost in the romance of this moment in a beautiful newly discovered with the wolf he loved with all his heart and soul. After a few blissful moments of making out, Art slowly parted their mouths and looked at Briar with abject love and desire, a roguish grin on his face. "I couldn’t help myself. You make this light look beautiful," he teased her with a playful chuckle, his tail wagging a mile a minute behind him.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar wore a little smile as she looked around this chamber they were standing in, admiring the glimmering walls of ice and the rainbows that danced across and from them as if they were faceted crystal. They had been to a whole number of beautiful, memorable locations through their years together and this was certainly no exception. She didn't know how Artorias always managed to find these places, but she was very glad that he had some kind of incredible navigator's intuition about these things. She was about to point out a part of the cave that almost looked like it was shaped into a rough sculpture of some sort, but before she could she suddenly realized Art had moved closer to her, making her blink with surprise and turn her gaze up to meet his as his chest met hers.

A little hum of surprise escaped her and her eyes widened as his lips came down to catch hers, but she quickly that surprise faded and she melted into his kiss with her eyes fluttering closed. She wasn't sure what had brought this on, but she certainly wasn't complaining nor was she really that shocked by her husband's sudden affection. He had never really been able to keep his paws off of her and she wasn't much better toward him so having him suddenly making out with her in this ice cave was hardly a stretch for him. She hummed with delight as she pressed her lips back into his, one of her paws lifting up to his cheek and slipping behind his neck as she fed back into the heat and passion he was giving her, the world around them falling away easily as Artorias easily and willingly dominated all of her attention.

She wasn't sure how long their kiss went on for till he finally pulled away, making her gasp softly and blink her eyes open to look up at him again with a grin. "Since when have you ever been able to help yourself?" she teased with a chuckle, her paw trailing down from his neck to trace down his chest. "Don't blame the pretty lights for your inability to control yourself, my horny blue boy." She peered up at him with the same deep, fathomless love and a bright amusement that he gave her so effortlessly. In truth she never wanted him to stop being ravenous for her no matter how much she teased him for his constant affections. "So are you going to just stop at a kiss?" she added with a little purr to her voice as she gave him a sly grin, tipping her muzzle up to swipe a playful kiss over his chin.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"