The Warlord had only a dim memory of his last visit to the Hallows, but the Warlord knew he had made an embarrassment of himself. He had let regret and pain boil inside of him until it had broken free. He knew he had some amends to make, so had gone to Halo to see if she could space anything she had made as a gift - and upon hearing he was going to the Hallows, had requests to come with. Basilisk had voiced his opinion moments later, leaving the Warlord with a small entourage as he made his way to the Hallows.

Basilisk filled most of the silence with excited ramblings as they journeyed further than the pup had ever gone before. When the Warlord saw the pup lagging, he had them stop, and provided lunch for the two of them. Resting under the shadows of tall trees, the three wolves shared a meal, and when Basilisk ate his bodyweight in food, the Warlord teasingly poked him and called him a blackhole, only for Halo to manifest some snacks that vanished down the pups gullet with equal speed.

After their food had settled, they finished their journey, arriving at the Hallows border and the Warlord announced themselves with a howl of greeting at the starlit plains.

"Sirius"

When the Warlord had come by to ask if there was anything that could be brought to the Hallows as a gift, she'd been more than happy to hand over some of the bundles of sweet-smelling dried herbs that she'd been building, along with pulling out some things to bring to the Hallows healers-- really, Halo was fond of both Lia and Audra. Lia... it was with thoughts of Lia in her head that Halo had asked (albeit sheepishly) if she could accompany the party that was heading south. Grateful that the Warlord would allow her to intrude, Halo had quickly packed Mr. Raccoon down with their usual basket. Into it she squirrelled snacks for the journey, along with bundles of white willow bark and horsetail, as well as a clay dish with a soothing mixture of beeswax and herbs that she'd been perfecting. It was good for dried out noses and paw pads, which would hopefully prevent cracking and further damage. Oh, right! Halo couldn't forget what the Warlord had come for initially, and any extra space was filled with bundles of lavender, sage, and mint. Okay, one more thing, a jar of honey from her bees as well. They'd done well this season, and she had high hopes of keeping the hive alive and well through their winter dormancy.

The walk wasn't too far, and it was a nice day for it. Halo hadn't been this far south before... or really, this far away from the Armada, since her arrival. They stopped for lunch, Halo a bit quieter than usual. There was a bit of unease in her system... anxiety creeping in. Should she be this far from home? Should she be this far away? What if someone in the Armada needed her? Shoot. No, these were all things that Sirius would have considered before saying yes. Still, anxiety is... not the most fun.

Right, the border of the Hallows. They waited at the boundary of the Starlit Plains, and Sirius made his call. At once, Halo was overly aware of... well, of herself. Of the bedraggled raccoon by her side, holding their basket. Of the way she was standing, sitting, what have you. "Sirius how do I..." she started to speak, a hushed tone to the Warlord, but the words died on her lips. At once, Halo was acutely aware she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.

"Halo"

Life had become notably more hectic with the turn of the season. Artorias found himself in the midst of wedding planning with Briar almost constantly—who knew there was so much planning that went into one event?—as well as his general duties managing the Hallows. Top that off with the pack's latest addition in the form of the large tottering bird he'd rescued in his own tower now treating him as his father, and the Aegis had quite a lot to handle. Suddenly he was beginning to understand the pressures of leadership and responsibility his mother handled almost effortlessly. Artorias had been out training with Fern in some swordplay in the gardens when the call for him rang out in a familiar voice. His expression lit up at the unexpected surprise, and after instructing his pupil to continue practice, he slid his sword into its scabbard and hurried across the lush plains to greet his family.

It didn't take the alpha long to clear the distance from the castle to the northern border, spotting the small entourage waiting for him. He recognized Sirius immediately, and as he drew closer, he recognized the tall young man at the Warlord's side. That had been the pup he'd fought the lion with in the Armada. Holy hell, had he gotten big fast! The other wolf he didn't recognize, but she bore the scent of the Armada with her, and Art rationalized she was a member of the pack. He strode up to his guests with a welcoming smile, heading straight for Sirius to throw the older man into a warm hug.

"Welcome back, Seer! This is a pleasant surprise!" He drew back after a moment to regard Basilisk with a look of surprise. "Gods, you've gotten big fast! Bet you're mauling tigers all on your own now, huh?" he said with a chuckle, then tipped his head in greeting to the smaller pallid fae. "Welcome to the Hallows. I'm Artorias Carpathius, Aegis of the pack. To what do I owe this surprise visit?"

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

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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The Warlord grinned at the blue figure moving quickly towards them. He grunted as Art drew him into a warm hug, and wrapped a paw around the other Alpha. It was always good to see Artorias. It would be good to see Briar, as well. He glanced at Art and Basilisk as the other Alpha spoke of mauling tigers. Was there a story there that would get Basilisk in trouble? He’d have to try and pry it from the pup later.

“I reckon he’s going to be taller than me when he’s done. It helps that he eats his body weight ten times a day in meat…” he teased. Turning to Halo when Artorias did. “This is Halo, my healer. She’s prepared some dried herbs as a gift for you on my behalf.” he explained. He grinned at Halo then. “Don’t let the titles intimidate you, this is my godson Artorias Seer Carpathius” he winked at Halo and gave Art a warm pat on the shoulder. “Do you mind if Basilisk has a wonder around? I want the future Armada leaders to know their family” he explained to Artorias.

"Sirius"

Artorias appeared, a man that Halo had seen in passing during the birthday party earlier in the summer. It took everything that the tenderhearted girl could muster not to hide directly behind Sirius in moments like this, but she mustered a meek smile as he spoke. He said something about a tiger? As far as Halo could recall, there had been an incident with a lion, but a tiger too? It really was more dangerous out here than she could have ever even considered. Subconsciously, Halo stuck a bit closer to the Warlord's side, feeling incredibly small amongst the men who stood before her.

She was grateful for Seer's introduction, feeling her heart beating anxiously in her chest. "It's um, it's nice to meet you." She peered up at the Aegis with wide eyes, feeling not unlike a child in this particular situation. The politics of this place were so different than what she was accustomed to, and now to be in the presence of not one alpha but two? Shoot. "Some herbs and some honey," no she wouldn't launch into a tangent, as would be typical of Halo when she's nervous. Instead, just a meek smile offered to the Aegis as she sticks close to the Warlord's side.

"I um, I brought some things for Lia and Audra too," the words are soft, and Halo is unsure where to put them really. Things had gotten pretty overwhelming pretty quickly, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. In all, the tenderhearted creature feels smaller than usual.

"Halo"

Embracing Sirius had all the warmth and security that hugging a parent felt. Artorias would never tire of the Warlord’s presence; a de facto father figure in the form of his godfather. The older man seemed in much better spirits this visit than he had when he showed up intoxicated at the border not too long ago. After their manly greeting, Seer introduced Basilisk and made a comment of the lad eating more than his own weight in meat every day. Artorias gave an impressed whistle at the prospect of anyone being taller than himself or the Armadan alpha. "Definitely gonna be chasing off predators. Can’t wait to see him in an actual fight!" The Aegis chuckled, then turned to regard Halo as Seer introduced her. One of the Armada’s healers. She looked vaguely familiar, but he didn’t believe he’d ever met her. Art tipped his head curiously. Why had Sirius brought a healer along with him?

That curiosity was swiftly sated when Seer declared the gifts they had brought with them. Artorias smiled and bowed his head graciously while Halo presented him with the assortment of herbs and honey. "It’s a pleasure to meet you also, Halo," the alpha greeted her in turn, warm smile and bright eyes given to the meek girl. He could see he nervousness in her body language, it was understandable, though unwarranted around him. The Aegis was the protector of all wolves, and the only ones who saw the wrath behind his fangs were those who meant harm to others.

When Halo mentioned bringing things for Lia and Audra, Art’s expression visibly brightened and he nodded to her. "Of course, miss Halo. They should both be somewhere within the castle. I’ll call for them to meet you at the gates." The  lifted his head and howled for Audra and Lia; they had a visitor. Dismissing Halo to freely enter the Hallows, Art nodded emphatically to Seer’s request. "Of course! The Fatalis family is always welcome in the Hallows. Explore to your heart’s content, Basilisk. Just be mindful of our laws: no violence or spilling of blood." He dismissed Bas to go explore then, leaving the two alphas to their business.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

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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