Moonspear so i waited many years, held back the pain behind my tears

hydra was not where she often denned. arcturus' swift stride carried him higher. past stone and rock, past granite and gneiss, shale and blasted basalt.. until at last he was upon a precipice, and there on that promontory shelf a shadow lurked -- the shadow of his sister.

arcturus drew to her warily. they had not spoken since the demise of their idols, and before that, he had made pains to avoid her. there was little to be said for his lying; he had done it at the cost of obeying his father, who he would have obeyed even until death... not that hydra did not already know it, and likely, had already turned that around in her mind.

she was far too clever for him; he knew this, and he was terrified of it... but he had learned things too.

he had learned pride could be your downfall, and when you fell you often pulled the fabric of other people's lives with you.

he had learned that people lied for love.

he had learned that loyalty was the highest gift to give, and to give it indiscriminately was to sign your own back as a target.

he had learned that good things did not happen to good people; that there was no roster in some other realm keeping tally. bad things happened indiscriminately, and good things too -- but to sit and wait for fate to smile upon those that did well was folly, and he would follow that goal no longer.

he had learned that family was not everything; blood united, but it also dispersed -- revui had gone and this time, the third time of his brother's absence, arcturus did not seek him. he had learned by now his brother was inconstant; would leave and would return, same as the cycles of the moon.

he looked upon hydra, gravid on a stone -- her gaze trailing the endless skies where a streak of a star shot past. arcturus watched its arc silently and took in a deep breath, stepping forward.

"hydra."