Moonspear i shall exist until the last stars fall from the night

Seeing what the news did to Flóki only hardened Charon's resolve not to show the pain that he felt. Dhole had been in his top three. She'd been such an integral part of his life that it was hard to really realise that she was gone — and he had, more or less, chased her off himself. He'd seen her leave. He'd tried to stop her. Yet even for him it was hard to believe. Imagine how Flóki had to feel, for it was his (ex-)mate. Charon found it hard to sever the ties he felt to Dhole entirely, but he felt he should for the sake of his own sanity, for the sake of his own heart.

And so he replaced all of the hurt with anger. "She's not worth it," Charon murmured. "But we'll make it, Flóks, together." Whatever would happen, they would always have each other, if no one else. They would rue the day that they had turned their backs upon Moonspear's emperor some day, all of them, Dhole included. He was the chosen child of the stars and Flóki and Amekaze would be rewarded for their support where others like Dhole and Jorunn had faltered. Ultimately they were only cutting their own fingers by leaving him, for some day he would rule everything as he was destined to and he would not relent then.

Amekaze joined by their side and wordlessly moved to comfort him. Charon melted briefly into her touch before she settled down by his side. He looked at Ame, not sure what she had caught of their conversation, and shared, "Dhole took off, the ungrateful bitch. I tried to stop her, but I didn't manage. I can't believe—" Charon's voice cracked up, showing the hurt that he was hiding beneath his stony, dark mask of anger. "Can't believe that she would abandon us after all we have done for her." The friendship, the safety and food through winter, and the personal role that each of them had taken upon themselves in her revenge plan against Goober... Everything.

While Goober was ultimately the culprit and Charon would enjoy ripping him apart regardless, the revenge would be a sour one as it had been intended for Dhole. Goober had ruined everything, but Dhole herself had had enough part in this, had hurt his feelings enough, for Charon to think his former friend a traitor all the same, as his heart would not allow him to process his hurt in any other way.