Ghost Lion Crag darling remember, when you come to me

dragomir endured arcturus' long-winded explanation patiently -- far more patiently than arcturus would have. for that, arcturus was impressed -- perhaps dragomir was tallying the little details, categorizing the minutia, just as he had done. perhaps, he might come to a very different conclusion the once-beta had -- or perhaps their paths would not be so separate after all.

he winced under the outcry in dragomir's voice. it was deserved - he had turned, and quite quickly too. he tried to helplessly point out he had little choice -- but that was a feeble man's excuse.

there was always choice.

always two ways out.

arcturus didn't know what to make of the news dragomir broke about hydra's claim. he had not heard her howls, and had taken her claims at face-value. it was simply another notch to the stick that was his doubts about hydra, and it caused his heart to do a strange flip low into his gut.

"praimfaya is missing?" his ears cut forward, a wrinkle along his brow as he tried to work why she would disappear, too. as he was trying to put the pieces together, he remembered what hydra had said to him as his back was turned. "is it true dacio is dead?" he bit his lip, dread spreading its hungering fingers across every one of his nerves.

what was he going to do now?

be transparent. simply be. no more subterfuge, no more manipulation, no more secrets. "i'm staying at the firebirds." arcturus didn't add a for now to the end of that sentence, for reason. "i guess, make a name for myself on some other mountain." he smiled ruefully, a bitterness settling in the back of his tongue. "but -- if praimfaya is missing, someone needs to look for her. we need to look for her."

whether or not he was still moonspearian, praimfaya had been one of their own. arcturus may have turned his back on his queen, but part of him still ran quite true.