Noctisardor Bypass is the rise of an eastern sun going to be good for everyone?

Their flight to Noctisardor Bypass was marked by nightmares and flashbacks. The snarling sounds of battle filled Ramsay's ears in his dreams, and the sight of every wound on his pack mates brought memories to the fore of his mind. He had felt no tooth or blow upon his young hide, but the mental and emotional trauma was enough to keep him up most nights. Two weeks later, in the relative safety of Noctisardor Bypass, Ramsay was dead tired on his paws and unmotivated to do anything, though by then the nightmares were fewer in frequency and their severity was diminished.

With bags under his deep eyes, the young mercenary heeded the call of his pack leader. Vaati had done well in bringing them away from Blackfeather Woods in mostly one piece, though Cicero's absence and a seeming lack of concern weren't missed. Ramsay felt more forlorn than usual without his father present. There was nothing much to be done about it. Cicero could be dead, or gone away somewhere else, and they were far away now. Still, he wished there was an effort to find him.

He arrived as Vaati began speaking, and settled in to listen to what he thought was a declaration on what would happen next. In the time since the start of the war, Ramsay's poor attitude toward authority had begun to improve. Though he still looked to Cicero as his true leader, he began to obey the occasional command from the pack's actual leaders. That was perhaps the only reason he was in Noctisardor Bypass and not dead in the jaws of their enemies. He had even found respect in him for Vaati as a leader that hadn't been there before, and sat with high expectations and hope as his brother addressed the pack.

Expectations that crashed to earth just as quickly.

You see, Ramsay was a thinker. Though much of what he did seemed spur-of-the-moment, the young boy was beginning to calculate before taking actions. What seemed to be growing up and learning his place was simply a side effect. His freedom was still paramount to him, and he had come to recognize a lot of things that Blackfeather Woods did that had led them to this point, to losing as they had. They were a secret guild of assassins and spies, but broadcasted themselves loudly to the world with their border displays. Their lack of subtlety was the reason war came to them, their gaudy displays were how their enemies found them. Ramsay had come to learn how dangerous flaunting was by witnessing firsthand the effects of it, and he saw now the horrific effect that same thing could have on someone's person.

Vaati had ever been arrogant, but it wasn't something his younger brother had ever witnessed. Vaati had seemed perfectly reasonable, concerned with the pack's safety and with his family. This wolf was someone else entirely, proclaiming that they would smash themselves again and again against their victorious enemies until, Ramsay thought, Blackfeather Woods was inevitably shattered. They had lost once already. What would prevent that from simply happening again? Their enemies were stronger than they were. Ramsay felt something black and oily curl into his belly, and his ears drifted back against his shoulders as a frown crossed his face.

Arrogance had gone and made his brother mad.

The boy's eyes drifted to Iliksis to watch the reaction. He knew he had no reason to trust this man; he was an outsider who had come in and was a volatile wild card. Ordinarily he would stand by Vaati's side without a second thought against such a creature. But as Vaati began to threaten the wolf in more violent terms than Ramsay thought should ever come against a pack mate, the black oil in his stomach curled tighter and expanded, and he was left wondering who he really wanted to win: the bold outsider or his brother, so insanely mad with power and ego that he would let it destroy them all. He knew the answer, and it warped his gums into a sickened expression as he watched.