The small girl couldn’t shake the feeling of uselessness that held tightly to her, especially with how mopey she had been while her father was away. She tried to make excuses, and in reality the fear of losing him was crippling and that revelation alone kept her secluded more than normal. She played absently with the leopard armor turned scarf that morning, uncertainty gripping her. The coat was supposed to protect her in a fight, but much like her life had become more of a decoration than useful. Lilith dropped her paw and looked away, ashamed of herself for all the wasted time. For not being strong enough to get better sooner and even more for the time she had to spend resting.

Instead of wallowing the girl stood up, she wasn’t feeling well today but it didn’t matter. She was sick and tired of being sick and tired. She stood at her full height, which was the least impressive of her immediate family, straightened her cape, and began to march towards the training grounds. She ignored her aching joints and protesting stomach along with the fatigue that often accompanied her day to day life. She moved with a purpose and made her way to one of the sparring rings, she lifted her silver features ot the air and called for an opponent to meet her. Frustration and restlessness mixed and mingled within her, and surely a spar would rid her of the nervous energy. She would be learning, and doing something with herself instead of being a drain.

When he returned from his diplomatic tour with Ulric, Artorias had immediately launched himself into the full duties of the Baron role. Getting to meet all of the other alphas of the packs and see what they were like, how they operated, and even meet some of the other heirs he might be ruling in conjunction with one day was an eye opening experience. He was more driven than ever to make himself worthy of one day taking over the pack. But in order to do that, first he would have to excel at his current position—and that included making sure all of his Knights were up to his standards and ready to protect and defend the Hallows. If there had been one thing that the raid with Ashen and the multiple animal attacks had taught him over the past seasons, it was that the Hallows had room for improvement.

He had been down at the beach filling a few training dummies full of sand to give them more weight and resistance, then slowly lugging each one back to the training grounds just outside the castle walls. The work was slow and arduous, but it was also a good workout for the young man's body. He had been pulling one of the dummies up to the grounds when he heard the howl from one of the Adravendis come from the sparring arena, black ears perking on his head. So someone was looking for a challenge, huh? It made him proud to see someone taking the initiative with their training.

Lugging the dummy up to the grounds, Artorias tossed the sand-filled burlap target to the ground just beside the sparring ring, looking over the small white and gray dappled girl in the arena. He recognized her only from the pack meeting, but he knew who it was simply from his unfamiliarity with her. This was Ulric's daughter, the one who had been sick for so long. Lillith, was it? Lily? Something like that. "Always good to see someone keeping up with their training," Artorias commented as he began to erect the dummy at the edge of the ring, driving the stake it was mounted on into the soft dirt. "I don't know how many wolves you'll find free right now to fight though. My brother took yours out on a hunt just a bit ago, and my sister is probably out on patrol."

Artorias stepped back to inspect the newly placed training dummy, nodding to himself as he approved his own work. He straightened out his armor and the sword across his back, then turned to face Lillith. She looked positively fragile, the poor dear still in the lengthy road to recovery. He didn't say anything about it though; if that were him, he wouldn't want anyone to look at him with sympathy or think he was lesser than anybody else. He would give her the same dignity. "It's Lillith, isn't it?" Artorias gave her a half smile. "Are you training to be a Knight, like Ezra, or just needing to blow off some steam?"

"Artorias Carpathius"

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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Garnet gaze found Artorias as he made his way towards her, having obviously been working on the training grounds himself before hearing her. She knew him, but had only really seen him at the meeting. Not that the heir of the pack should have been wasting his time visiting sick puppies anyway. He continued his work, his attention half on her but mostly with the dummy he was setting up across from her. He answered her almost absently, their siblings were all off being busy, living their lives, while she was here. Lucky if she would even get a spar at all.

Lilith looked away, again feeling the shame in herself for not being strong enough. For letting the sickness rule her life. Her head was already swimming and no one had even really stepped forward yet. Artorias was here, busying himself with repairing and improving the training grounds. He looked like he could knock her over with a well placed swipe of his paw. She had never been quite as big or as strong as her siblings. Not to mention the Hallows heir himself. She guessed they were of similar age, but she was still a small child comparatively.

He straightened and turned back towards her, and lilith’s ruby red eyes lifted to search his face as he guessed her name and her motives. She wasn’t sure what she wanted. It felt so good standing next to Ezra and scaring away that saber cat, but what if that was all she could ever do? Trying to look scary next to her massive brother? ”Yes, sir. I’m Lillith.” She returned with a little bow of her head. She wasn’t very good at it but she tried to hide how upset she let herself become while she was sitting in her room. ”I don’t know. I’ve just felt so useless up in my room while everything…” She tried not to relive the memory of Ulric’s appearance in her room the other night after Aranea had died.

”I thought I wanted to fight someone.” A minute ago she had been rearing to go, but when she’d seen him meander up so easily, clad in impressive armor and looking far more intimidating than she could ever hope to be… She felt discouraged by reality again and again.

Lillith looked so disappointed when he told her where all the other yearlings that had followed the Knight's path were. Clearly she had her heart set on a spar, and seeing her deflate in on herself made his heart ache for her. She was trying so hard to find her place in the pack after having been so unjustly forced into solitude. When she spoke, addressing him as "sir" and dipping her head in a bow to him, Artorias scrunched up his nose and waved a paw to her. "You don't need to do that. I'm no better than you. Just call me Artorias. Or Art, a lot of wolves don't like saying my full name. 'Sir' makes me feel old," he said with a soft chuckle and small grin.

His smile softened when Lillith spoke of how useless she felt quarantined in her room, how she had only wanted to fight someone. Breathing in a slow, deep breath, Artorias peered around the empty grasslands, then up at the castle walls to make sure Ulric was nowhere in sight. "Your father would 100% kill me if he saw me doing this..." he started, slipping his sword off and propping it up against the dummy. "How about I spar with you? One on one, first one to submit or be pushed out the ring. Feel up to it?" He stepped into the sparring arena with Lillith, fiery amber eyes finding ruby red with a crooked smile.

While he knew Ulric would tan his hide if he knew he was sparring with the daughter he was most protective over, Artorias knew Lillith needed a distraction and wanted to feel like she was doing something. He'd helped train Ezra, and if she wanted it too, he'd help train Lillith as well. "Or if you'd rather, we can practice on some of the dummies. They feel pretty lifelike now, and we can go at your pace." Lillith would know best how she felt; she could decide what she was up for. Artorias, ever the enabler, would help her and make sure she didn't burn herself out.

"Artorias Carpathius"

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.
____________________

”Yes, ss… Artorias.” She corrected herself softly as he assured her that sir was not an appropriate honorific. He really wasn’t any older than she was but then again her growth had been stunted. She didn’t have near the social interaction of the yearling before her, nor the training. Everything told her he deserved her respect as much or more than many adults. She was far from being equal to him, but the silver she wolf wouldn’t argue.

Her garnet gaze was brought back up to him as his eyes shifted from plains to castle and then explained why. He was looking for Ulric, who wouldn’t approve of him suggesting they spar together. Lilith liked the thought of a bit more danger, but in reality she was a tiny wisp. Hardly an annoying gnat in comparison to Artorias, but what good was she doing holding back anyway. She thought about the excitement and aftermath of just barking at the saber cat. Could she take on the pack’s heir on her own? ”I do but...”

Lilith tilted her head and looked him up and down. He was huge, well trained, and all he had to do was flick his toe and she would be out of the ring. She sighed as he offered a bout with the practice dummies instead. Her ruby eyes returned to the newly refurbished training tool and again she felt herself inadequate. ”No, I want to spar with you.” She decided determinedly. She should have been able to do everything Ezra could do, if she didn’t have this stupid illness… Lillith grit her teeth, no she had to work through it, she had to get over it soon and she would if she just worked harder.

Lillith seemed uncertain of his offer at first, looking him over from head to toe. Artorias was well aware of how the scene would look to her. He had a foot of height on her easy, much more developed muscles due to his intense and relentless training, garbed in black leather armor with a sword and the look of a warrior. Anyone placing bets on the two of them would have made that decision in a matter of seconds, but Artorias knew that the true measure of a warrior wasn't just in the strength of their body, but in the sharpness of their mind and reflexes as well as the fire in their heart. He could see the drive blazing in the girl's garnet gaze and it inspired him. It was the same fire he felt in his heart all the time, and that was why he had no doubt Lillith would give him a good fight. He was reminded of the story Sirius Fatalis had told him long ago, about the fight against an untrained healer that he had lost, simply because the healer had outsmarted him. The moral of the story: never underestimate your opponent and never count someone out.

She spoke again, more adamant in her desire to fight him, and Artorias gave her a warm, approving smile in return. That was what he had wanted to hear. "All right, Lillith, take position. Remember, first to submit or get knocked out of the ring." He stepped into the center of the ring, running his paws across the sandy dirt and waiting for Lillith to join him. He had left Embershard against the dummy and had opted not to take a training sword in to fight her. The odds were already skewed in his favor, and the best way for the Adravendi girl to learn to fight would be starting with fang and claw, so he would fight on even terms with her. He left his armor on though since he saw she had her leopard-skin cape tied around her neck.

"As soon as you're ready, come and get me!" he said with a challenging, playful grin and focused amber eyes. Artorias lowered himself into his fighting stance, feet planted and nerves tensed, ready to respond to Lillith. "Don't hold back on me now, Lil!"

"Artorias Carpathius"

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.
____________________

She truly was up against insurmountable odds but was that really so far from what she did every day. Fight against a world that didn’t even want her in it. If she hadn’t been such a fighter from the start she wouldn’t have even been here right now. There was no chance of victory in a fight like this, but that wasn’t what she was going for was it. She needed to blow off steam, release the pent up energy within, and feel the thrill of sparring. Gaining experience. Even if he didn’t want to be called sir, Artorias was swiftly winning Lillith’s respect.

He grinned at her answer, but Lillith didn’t return the expression. She wasn’t upset towards him, not at all, but there was little that could bring a smile to her features. Lil nodded as he explained his rules again, and she was silently thankful the sword was left, supported far away from the ring. He took his place in the middle looking quite confident, as he should. Lilith stepped up, her paws small and dainty in comparison as she carefully stepped into the ring. She kept to the edge as she looked the heir over once more, gaining her bearings and steeling herself.

Artorias lowered himself into a fighting stance, and warned her not to hold back. She took in a deep breath in response, if she didn’t give everything but her all, he wouldn’t even feel it. While her physical strength and stature were underdeveloped her mind was not and it was easy enough to figure out some kind of physical assault to get him out of the ring wasn’t going to work, nor was she likely to land and kind of blow that was going to get him to submit. She was going to have to use his own size against him, somehow. Not that she would win even if she did perform perfectly.

Lilith stepped forward gracefully, her expression determined. Getting in close was a bad idea, staying at the edge was a bad idea, so she just started to circle around. Lil would try and come at him from the side suddenly, aiming to slide underneath his belly and confuse him as she raced out the other side and tried to get him to come after her.

Lillith vs Artorias for Spar
Round 1 of 2?
Age: 1+
Size: Medium
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Jaguar fur coat
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Healer

Lillith Adravendi

Regardless of what outcome might occur, Artorias felt proud of his fellow Hallowed yearling as she stepped up to him without a trace of hesitation or trepidation. It took a lot of courage to do something unfamiliar, but it took a great deal more to do it in spite of the odds stacked against her. He didn't care for any of that though; as far as Artorias was concerned, Lillith had already won her own victory by stepping into the ring. Whether she was able to physically take him down or not didn't matter, she had proven she had the heart and the determination to do whatever she wanted to do, and that was what he wanted to see in his fellow pack mates.

Lillith looked him over, seeming to consider her options while he simply waited for the fight to start. The Adravendi girl kicked off their spar, circling around him, probably trying to find an opening. Artorias held his ground, his head moving fractions of a degree at a time to keep her within his sight at all times. He body remained tense, nerves poised and ready to react at a moment's notice. Then suddenly Lil was a gray blur coming at him from the side. Predictable, but even knowing it was coming, the girl was quick, her smaller size affording her a wider range of agility. Artorias sprung, lunging with a twist to come at the girl with open jaws snapping down on—nothing.

Artorias blinked in surprise. Lillith had used the sand to slide underneath him when he had turned for her, going completely beneath him and sprinting away from behind him. He turned, finding her with fiery amber eyes and a grin. She was a wily one! With a playful growl, Artorias kicked off after her, pursuing his retreating opponent. If she wanted a chase, he'd give her a chase. He used his superior speed to gain on her, moving to intercept the girl and leap for her, paws outstretched in an attempt to grab her around her midsection as they ran. He had no desire to harm her, but he would definitely entertain her with a bit of wrestling in the dirt of he managed to bring her down.

Artorias Sirius Carpathius vs Lillith Adravendi for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: 1+
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather cuirass
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator

"Artorias" | Thoughts

Brave or foolish Lillith stepped forward to face Artorias, win or lose she needed to do this. Mostly for herself, there wouldn’t be much that Artorias could get out of a fight with her and as it was Lillith wasn’t doing a very good job of fighting. Avoiding getting hit was good so far. Art tried to close his jaws around her but the sand made her smaller body slide as she ducked and rode her momentum out from underneath him. She leapt up and began to run, but he was hot on her heels, wasting no time and resisting any hesitation.

She raced for the boundary of the circle, not that she was going to make it there, Artorias was right behind her. She only hoped that she had been able to get close enough. As he aimed to grasp hold of her her Lillith aimed to stop herself all together and duck. Of course she would slide, but if she was lucky Artorias’s higher speed would keep him from being able to stop or pivot in time before he went over the border and her one shot at victory might come through.

Lillith vs Artorias for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: 1+
Size: Medium
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Jaguar fur coat
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Beginner Healer
Lillith Adravendi

Despite her outwardly frail appearance Lillith was surprisingly light and fleet on her feet! The smaller yearling made for the edge of the arena, just barely keeping out of his reach until he had gotten close enough to dive for the pounce. Unfortunately for him, Artorias ended up overshooting the small girl as she slid to a halt and ducked just below his flying tackle. Again Artorias sailed over her, except this time he saw himself approaching the edge of the arena. Oh no! Abort, abort! The panicked thoughts came too late that, and Artorias' paws made contact with the ground, kicking and scrabbling against the sand to try and stop himself before he careened out of the arena. His momentum was being used against him, and this spar would all come down to this. Could he stop himself and leap back at her in time to snag the win, or would he go toppling out of the arena?

Artorias Sirius Carpathius vs Lillith Adravendi for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: 1+
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather cuirass
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator

"Artorias" | Thoughts

And the winner is...

Artorias

Lillith must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Lillith : Rolls: 9, 96, 48, 8 Adjusted rolls: 9.9, 105.6, 48, 8 Total: 171.50 Artorias : Rolls: 10, 98, 76, 91 Adjusted rolls: 10.5, 112.7, 95, 91 Total: 386.50

Lillith ducked and let Artorias sail right over her and head towards the boundary of the ring. The young girl held her breath as she watched him careen towards the her victory, but to her disappointment he managed to gather his feet beneath him and he was able to stop right before he went over. Lil closed her eyes in defeat as she realized her best efforts weren’t enough. Not that she really had any hope of winning to begin with but she had gone and gotten her hopes up and now that they were dashed she felt the effects ten fold.

Opening her ruby gaze back to Artorias she found her feet and bowed her head in humble defeat. She took in a deep breath, feeling the effects of her efforts now. Her sides rose and fell heavily as she struggled to get enough oxygen. Her garnet gaze was staring at the ground as her head began to swim, her focus grew a bit hazy but she stayed on her paws. ”You win… Artorias.” She breathed her concession as her body began to shake with effort just to remain upright.

Lillith Adravendi

Paws skittered and kicked up sand and dust as he scrabbled to remain inside the arena. As luck would have it, Artorias managed to get his footing just before he went out of bounds, his toes just barely missing the perimeter of the arena. As his momentum died and he shifted his weight to spring back after her, Artorias noticed that Lillith had stopped trying to run away. The smaller girl was locked in place, breathing hard while her body trembled. She'd pushed herself too hard in their spar, or maybe he'd pushed her too much. Concern crossed his face while Lil spoke between heavy breaths like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs, conceding defeat.

"Hey, it's not about winning. You did a hell of a job keeping me on my toes and dodging my attacks," he said with a small smile, though his concerns were still mainly focused on making sure she was okay. "Here, have a seat and catch your breath." Artorias came up alongside Lil, gently ushering her hind end down to sit and breathe. He didn't want to coddle her or treat her like she had a handicap, but he also had to make sure she was okay. To be ignorant of the fact that she was still recovering from a debilitating sickness and did need special considerations would be reckless and dangerous of him.

"How do you feel?" he asked, sitting down beside her so she could lean and rest against him if she wished. Did she need water? Some time to catch her breath? Someone to help her back to bed? Whatever she needed, Artorias would try to provide for his accomplished little warrior. She'd earned it.

"Artorias Carpathius"

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.
____________________

Lilith was about to cry, her emotions were high as she struggled for breath and allowed frustration to enter her heart. She wanted to cry out in protest at the unfairness of it all. She wasn’t so upset about losing to Artorias, she had tried so hard to pull out a victory and all she was rewarded with was this… Her body working against her as it bent and swayed beneath the strain she forced it through. Artorias really tried to encourage her, but it was easy to say when you were speaking from the winning perspective.

She lowered herself to her haunches as he gently guided her, not even taking care at this point that there was someone worrying over her. Art was much less a mother hen than many other wolves, but she could still feel it hanging over her head menacingly. She blinked back her emotions and leaned against his massive form while she took in a few steadying breaths.

”Light headed.” She told him honestly, but managed to speak without sounding like she was gasping. ”Disappointed.” She continued, revealing herself even more truthfully. She knew what the outcome of a spar like that would be, and yet here she was. Mostly, she thought a spar would help her feel less useless, and now she felt more so.

Lillith Adravendi

Artorias offered her support, both physically and emotionally, while Lillith caught her breath and let her frustrations out. He didn't know the kind of struggle and strain she had gone through and was continuing to go through. He didn't know the self-doubts in her head or the lack of confidence in her heart. But he did know the look of frustration and defeat on her face. He had seen it on the faces of the wolves he trained with. He had seen it reflected back in his own mirror when his mother had been dying and he had been unable to save her. Never before had he felt so utterly useless and powerless. It was why he had vowed to never let another wolf feel that way again. He did this by training warriors, fighters to bite and claw and rage against their opposition. He might not be able to fight Lillith's demons for her, but he could at least give her the weapons to do it herself.

"I don't know why you'd be disappointed. You went toe to toe with a wolf with far more experience than you, and yet you did it without fear and you didn't get taken down." He shrugged his shoulders and glanced down at Lillith with a small, crooked smile. "Would you have felt better if you'd won? Sure. But would you be accusing me of going easy on you if you did? Maybe. You did well for a first time spar and you should take this as a learning opportunity and not a loss." Artorias placed a gentle paw on Lillith's back and rubbed her shoulders reassuringly. He didn't like to see any of his mentees beating themselves up for a lack of skill. Skill could be taught. Heart could not, and Lil had shown so much of that today.

"You've got a lot of spirit, Lil. That's what's gonna make you a great fighter," he said after a moment. Gentle amber eyes peered down to find her ruby ones again, flashing his teeth in a smile. "We've just gotta work your body up for longer fights. Maybe some light physical training, boost your stamina. Would you like that?" Artorias was trying his best to give Lillith a plan of action, something to help give her a routine and stability and a method of helping her get better. He would be more than happy to train her the same way he was training her brother. Lillith might need some work, but she would be worth all the time it took.

"Artorias Carpathius"

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.
____________________

Artorias tried to assuage the frustration and disappointment she felt. It wasn’t his fault that she was weak and not even useful. Lillith felt like she was a much bigger drain than she was an asset. The Hallows heir had much more confidence in her than Lillith felt like she had. A soft figh fell from her silvery lips as he encouraged her, she knew she couldn’t be so hard on herself but it was so frustrating how far she was held back. She hated that she had ever gotten sick, and that loathing soaked into much of her life.

The only way to go was forward and even though it felt like Artorias was explaining himself to a child Lillith knew what he meant and appreciated that he was trying to put so much effort into her when she felt so worthless. She always knew she would have to work harder to amount to anything, and that fact was drilled home everytime she lost a fight or lost her breath. ”I would,” she said softly, still remaining mostly quiet as she caught her breath and digested the events that played out before them. Artorias had faith in her and that was enough right? Even if it seemed like she wasn’t ever going to get anywhere shen she was so far behind.

”I have to do something.” She couldn’t live with herself if this would be her life from now on. Always a step behind, never able to get the upper paw. Art seemed impressed with what she had been able to manage but Lil had trouble seeing it in herself.

Lillith Adravendi

Artorias gave a gentle nod of his head while Lillith accepted his offer of building a training program for her, seeing the utter frustration and deprecation in her eyes. Life had not been fair to the Adravendi girl, of that there was no doubt, but he'd be damned if he let her struggle with her own body by herself. He knew it would be a lot of work, dedication, and patience, but he never left a wolf behind. He'd see Lillith become a great fighter, brimming with confidence. They would just have to walk that road at her pace, and this was the first step. "Then we'll do something. We'll get you there, I promise." He would need to try and find a partner for her, a training buddy who could work with her, where both wolves could hold each other to their training and boost the other up. He'd have to begin looking around the Hallows and see who was best suited for the position. If possible, he wanted to avoid using Ezra. Her brother would mean well, but he didn't want those familial ties to cause Ezra to hold back with her.

"Artorias Carpathius"

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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