It had taken a good bit of time, making him work through the remainder of the night with the help of a few others, but they managed to clean up the front grounds of the castle after the attack from the group of monstrous dire wolves. He and Ezra had managed to haul away their remains and he gave the task of rinsing away at least most of the blood from the grass to a few of the other pack members though it would take a good few rains to really clear away the signs of the violent and bloody fight that had taken place here. Gwynevere brought out a large piece of fabric to cover Resin's body once he and Artorias moved her over to a lay under a cluster of birch trees that took up a corner of the courtyard. Once she managed to calm down a bit, Tamsyn was able to tell him that Resin had only wanted to be buried so that's what he intended to do.

He pulled in Sirius to help him dig the grave under the birch trees and by the time all the preparations were done it was early morning. He was grateful that the Warlord happened to be here when it happened. Having to go and deliver this news was not something he wanted to do. He sat back onto his haunches once everything was in place with a heavy sigh, the brown of the dirt nearly hidden in his brown fur where it coated most of his legs. He was exhausted had had shoved all of his own pain and mourning to the very far reaches of his mind. He could address his own loss later. For now he wanted to make space for Resin's family to have their time to mourn. He lifted his head to let out a howl, calling any remaining family that wasn't here already. He knew that Resin wouldn't want a huge fuss over her so he limited who he called for. Just Tamsyn, her children, as well as any of the Fatalis' that called her family if they wished to join them. He wasn't sure if Sirius had sent word to the Armada or not already so he certainly wouldn't stop them from entering the castle if they wished.

Ulric Adravendi

She wished she could manage to get herself to her paws to help Ulric and the others as they prepared to bury Resin, but she couldn't do it. She followed beside Resin's body as they moved her broken from aside and sat by her dutifully, watching the others move around her like some kind of morbid movie. The bodies of the massive dire wolves went away, the signs of the struggle began to disappear, her sweet daughter brought something to cover Resin's body to hide the massive wounds that had finally been her undoing. And she sat next to Resin, sometimes crying, sometimes staring off into space. If anyone came to speak with her she wouldn't know it. Her ears were ringing and her chest felt hollow, completely unresponsive to the rest of the world.

She flinched a little at Ulric's howl, the sound pulling her out of her stupor enough to glance up at the Aegis before looking down at Resin's shrouded form again with a trembling sigh. She knew it had to be done, but she wasn't ready. She didn't think she'd ever be ready. She glanced up at Sirius, at her children, at all the wolves that would begin to gather around to say goodbye and she swallowed back more tears. It was too much for her to process, too much for her to think about. It all hurt. Everything hurt. All of the pain she had felt when Resin first began to slip, when she was bitten, when Resin locked herself away - it all returned ten fold and created an awful emptiness in her chest that she couldn't escape.

Tamsyn Carpathius

He hadn’t been there. He wanted so badly to be released from his wounds to help in the battle outside but Indigo had been barred in his room, by the only wolf that could have kept him in here. Indigo begged and pleaded but Iolaire had put her foot down and the wounded boy could not go outside. His father was here, he’d been there in Indigo’s stead and even still the massive violet boy felt he had failed his grandmother for not being at her side in the end. That’s why he was here, to help defend the Hallows and instead he was kept inside. A result of another of his own decisions. He felt frustrated that he couldn’t place any blame when that was all he wanted to do to ease the ache in his chest.

To rub salt in his wound he couldn’t help afterwards either, which soured and darkened his mood even further. For the first time ever Indigo slept apart from the wolves in his suites. Not that he slept at all. Indigo couldn’t go very far on his own so he had laid brooding in the main hall all night. His form still, his chest aching, and his heart long broken.

When Ulric called for them Indigo struggled to his feet, his sown flesh was tight but not overly warm to the touch. Iolaire, as always, did a perfect job putting him back together. There was a long way to go before he was fully healed and his slow shuffle towards the courtyard was proof enough of that. Indigo lingered in the outskirts, wanting anything but to be social as his blue eyes fell on Resin’s shrouded form. His heart dropped again as he looked over the gathered wolves and Tamsyn. He swallowed lightly and lowered his gaze to the bright green grass at his paws, and silently he prepared his farewell to alpha, mentor, and grandmother.

Artorias felt nothing but dead numbness inside his heart. He had eviscerated that dire wolf and not felt a scrap of emotion. He had collapsed beside his mother's dead body and felt hollowness in his chest. The pain that had been gnawing away at him from the moment Resin had begun to slip from the world had finally finished its meal, and now nothing but emptiness lingered in him. He felt hardened, cold, detached from the rest of the world. When Ulric had come to remove the body, Artorias had sat unmoving, not acknowledging the alpha's approach while he kept watch over his mother. He helped Ulric lift and carry Resin's body off of the battlefield and over to a shady grove of birch trees, then sat beside her and Tamsyn, staring blankly into space while the world moved around him like a blur, an echo in time, simultaneously happening and not happening all at once. He wasn't sure when, but at some point someone had tended to the bleeding wounds on his shoulder, and although the blood no longer dampened his fur, the aching throb was a constant reminder of what had occurred.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed with him just sitting guard like that before Ulric's howl snapped him out of his brooding trance, and suddenly it was early morning. He had kept watch over Resin all night long. The Aegis had called for the Carpathius and Fatalis lines to come say their last goodbyes to Resin. He glanced over at his mother's corpse, which had now been covered by a cloth. When had that happened? It didn't matter, he was grateful for the shreds of dignity they were able to leave her with. She deserved better. So, so much better... He was still covered in blood, both his and his enemy's, a gristly reminder of the battle they had won at a terrible cost. There was no time to get cleaned up or changed out of his armor. As the others began to gather for Resin's small service, Artorias moved to seat himself at Tamsyn's side, standing sentinel for his grieving mother. She was all he had left now that Resin was dead and their father was still an unknown figure somewhere in the world. He would do everything in his power to protect her and keep her safe, as Baron and future Aegis, and as her son. Nothing would ever happen to her.


"Artorias" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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Rudy had been there for the fight, had watched his mom battle with the fierceness he had remembered her for.  He felt a wash of emotions from fear for his mom, pride of his mom, and relief to see his mom again.  Sure, he had seen her in the cell but for the fight, he had seen his real mom.  Thinner and sick but fighting with that fierceness he had known her for.  That memory would also be stained by the memory of her attacking Artorias and of course her mangled body.  The fight had come and gone before he knew it and now there was nothing.

When he realized Ulric and Sirius were digging a grave Rudy had silently gone over, glancing at the two of them before silently starting to help dig out the grave.  He didn’t want to speak, doubted they wanted to speak and what words would really be needed anyway?  The motley grey wolf needed to do something and if digging a grave was the last thing he could do for mom then that’s what would be done.

Eventually, the grave was dug and Ulric called for others of his family.  Rudy looked about the area and moved towards Art and his mom.  Art got a glance of concern but the boy moved to sit on the opposite side of mom.  Tamsyn’s face would be an eternal memory of how Resin had died.  Rudy kept his own pain in a tiny box in the back of his mind to be poked at later.  For now, he just pressed his shoulder against mom’s, his head lightly touching her neck.  Word’s weren’t needed here but, this was his way of a silent reminder he was there.

His focus centered back on the covered form of his mom, stomach twisting so that he felt sick but stubbornly refusing to acknowledge emotions.  Later he could acknowledge his emotions but right now the grey wolf needed to hold himself together.  Thus it was best not to talk as words might weaken his stability.  Rudyard Carpathius would not dishonor his mom by acting weak and crying in public.  He would care for the one mom he had left.

Rudyard Carpathius