Moonspear Kings fight for empires, madmen for applause.

driven by tunnel vision, arcturus ripped the leviathan from out of under hydra.  any satisfaction he felt for plucking his sibling from his protector was swiftly vanquished as suddenly, hydra changed tacks and turned upon revui.

all arcturus had wanted was to face revui’s boastful call alone. to answer his challenge one for one. mano a mano. to prove both of their mettle, there on the desolate mountain that bound their flesh together.

once again, that opportunity had been stolen from him.

once again hydra had taken what was his, by her inability to not be in control — this time, going so far as to outright deny arcturus his chance of  redemption.

now, arcturus was a leader unable to defend his rank on his own. now, his sister came to his aid, and fought his battles for him.  hydra’s actions caused a ripple effect in the fabric of arcturus’ conscience — none of them too pleasant.

arcturus did not see the loyalty, or love, or the reasoning hydra had turned — he only saw in that moment all the wrong that could not be made right.

he was even denied that sick wave of satisfaction as he watched hydra turn against revui. there was no vindication, no joy.

only a coal-red sense of burning injustice as she struck down the brother she had only just seconds before protected against his onslaught.

would she turn on him like that, someday? was she so controlling, that she could not allow a rank challenge unless it was on her terms?

arcturus felt disgust well in his heart, and despair too. he loved his sister more than anything — but in this moment her deeds were tallied and he was come to a cold and uncompromising realization. the ugliness he had just witnessed had no name, no narrative to adequately describe it. his butchered brother, thrown aside so the queen could take command of some other situation..

hydra tore away — after what, arcturus did not know. he did not care. he crouched down by his brother, the last of his wrath flickering out like doused flames, replaced now by a burning remorse. sorrow welled in his heart, and anger too — for he had never wanted to kill revui. only knock him down a peg or two. only to prove to him in the way only brothers could, how much he had grown — and how much he deserved.

in the end, revui hadn’t gotten what he deserved either. in the end, arcturus could not summon the blood back into his brother’s veins, or undo the gouges in his fur. in the end, arcturus was helpless — a feeling so alien and inhospitable that the beta  felt overwhelming existential anxiety set in.

like a soldier concussed and insensate to the explosions of war around him, arcturus rose slowly and navigated away from the minefield that had been revui’s end.  his bloodied grimace was  replaced by a thousand yard stare — eyes which were open, but blind to the world that carried on around them.