Moonspear i will take the sun in my mouth & leap into the ripe air

isilme was only scantly registered; arcturus' gaze slid to her briefly, before coming back horrified on the woman he had inadvertently cut down.

shit.

he withered to see her quail. it had not been his intention to hurt her feelings, and he did not feel it was right her self-worth suffer based on his poor handling of the situation. it was not her fault he was juvenile, and not used to masterfully handling situations in which he had unwittingly gotten caught in the crossfire. he could not deny kukutux her appeal - she was surely everything she promised and more.

but he was young -- too young to be strapped down by choices not his own. too young to anchor down someone else to him when his heart was wild and not ready.

he was young and he was stupid, yes -- but he was not impulsive. not since towhee.

could he speak freely? truly? he read the room, and knew the answer was no.

arcturus looked to the ground to sum up his thoughts, a string of guilt tied around the budding frustration he felt. when hydra spoke his name he looked upon her, eyes clear and ears perked. and he thought to himself if this was right -- he could not help the way his back went up, as if he were an animal being cornered.

and in a way, he was - certainly, they had flipped the spotlight on him and put him poorly on the spot. the way hydra had spoken to him slowly, as if he were to commit some great folly if he wasn't wise, caused his fur to rise further. he was his own wolf --certainly, she would never allow herself to be married off like chattel. she had gone against her father's wishes in selecting dirge -- and no one had told her she was to be betrothed to some strange arrangement. the hypocrisy of it stung arcturus. his gaze hardened, and for the first time he felt raw rebellion for the alpha streak across his heart.

he knew what to say, but his tongue was heavy and his breath one of a young wolf just beginning to understand diplomacy. "you are not one of those furs or scraps of meat to be bartered over." arcturus started slowly - painfully - meeting kukutux's gaze with something akin to compassion. "if it is your wish to become wife and mother, so be it. but i would not take away your choice. there are other wolves -- eligible wolves -- here, that you may meet before you tie your life to another. you have a month to make your decision." his gaze slipped to hydra -- for he wondered if his bold agency might be challenged, or if it would be encouraged.