Redtail Rise End of passion play, crumbling away

Hope it’s cool that I went with Option A&A! :D

Atreus walked up to his brother, looming in ominous silence. He looked constipated.

I saw you with her.

Perhaps he should extend his brother the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was keeping his friends close and his enemies closer. But @Ancelin had made it pretty clear he didn’t share Atreus’s hatred for Masquerade. He wanted to punish someone else in her stead. Atreus couldn’t even argue with the logic of it.

What are you doing, sneaking off with her? Atreus demanded to know, lip curling.

ofc!

ancelin braced himself, shoulders taut as atreus approached him. 
"if the others see us together then we can leave sooner," he said simply, alluding to the respect he thought was sure to come from their dad. aventus needed to see that they could integrate.
"besides. she's not bad. she even talks."
and ancelin knew where she slept. he sat down carefully, wondering if atreus would come to blows over this.

The tight clench of his jaw slackened somewhat at Ancelin’s explanation, though it took Atreus a moment to work out just what his brother meant. He seemed to think that being seen with Masquerade would build the pack’s trust in the boys. He begrudgingly agreed.

But before he could nod his acknowledgement, Ancelin said something else. Atreus’s scowl returned. It wasn’t just about appearances then. He truly enjoyed her company. Atreus felt hot all of a sudden. His tail began to writhe like a rattlesnake’s.

How many times do I have to tell you? She tried to kill me, Atreus hissed, his anger getting the best of him and prompting him to spit, I’m not going anywhere with you! And you know what? I don’t want to hurt anybody else, either. I just want to kill her like she tried to kill me! And you know what else? I’m gonna.

ancelin growled as atreus began to go off on him, but his eyes widened at the direct threat to masquerade. he knew his brother hated her and always had. but this was different.
the boy thought of the dead elk, its mouth spread in a final anguished bellow, flies picking over the blood on its jaw. he shuddered, bile rising into his throat. "no," he said hoarsely, then harder: "no. we're gonna do my plan. it was an accident!" he growled. "she didn't mean to do it. go talk to her if you don't believe me."
his breath came harder and then the fight sagged out of ancelin. "i don't want you to hurt her," he mumbled, "because i don't know what dad will do to you if you try it."

No we’re not! Atreus seethed in reply. I don’t care! I’d rather eat shit than talk to her!

He flushed with heat, crowding in particular under his jaw and along his neck. He knew he was being spiteful, letting the anger get the better of him. But Atreus felt betrayed, as if Ancelin was choosing Masquerade over him.

Clearly wanting to simmer down the argument, Ancelin said he just didn’t want them to get into trouble. Atreus sneered, even though he knew his brother had a point there. It was the proverbial thorn in his side.

He was too vexed to speak for a moment. Atreus breathed hard, fighting back the retorts he wanted to hurl at Ancelin. He needed to get control of himself, stop letting his emotions rule him. He needed to be more pragmatic, like his brother.

That was easier said than done as Atreus found himself feeling cornered and ejaculated, Maybe I’ll just leave then! You an’ dad an’ Masque-stupid-fuckin’-rade can be best friends, and dance and sing and eat each other’s butts!

"fine!"
please don't
"maybe you do that. maybe you just — maybe you can be just like mom!"
please don't go please don't leave me too
his voice was a shout. his teeth were sharp. his eyes were hard. in the same conversation atreus had threatened to kill their cousin and then to abandon the pack. the bearn was shaken, trembling with shock and anger and glowering hotly at his sibling, who he had meant to hurt with his words just as badly.
everything he did was for atreus. but that wasn't even recognized and he didn't have the words to call his brother out.

Fine! Atreus echoed Ancelin’s shout.

The mention of their mother was meant to be a barb, he knew. But it made his eyes sparkle in a strange way. He barely remembered Arielle and truthfully knew nothing about her. She was just an apparition in his memories, comforting until she wasn’t.

She probably left ‘cause everyone here sucks assholes, Atreus said in a much lower, surlier voice.

Now he should probably make good on his threat and stomp away, right? But Atreus had been talking out of his own asshole and just stood there stupidly, not entirely sure what to do with himself.

fine!
that hurt too; maybe even the fact that atreus did not move to strike him or defend their mother. it left ancelin feeling isolated in his sensation of displacement, his constant awareness that she was gone, that someone was missing.
"you suck assholes!" ancelin snarled, before turning around and tearing in the opposite direction. his throat hurt; his eyes stung, and before long he was crying. he holed up in a dark, tight hollow and did not intend to be found, small sobs ekeing from his throat despite his best attempts to stifle them.

Ancelin throwing his own words back at him struck Atreus as so absurd, a laugh bubbled up in his throat. It came out utterly sardonic, doing nothing to ease the tension between brothers.

Before Atreus could think of what the hell to do or say next, the other Bearn stole his thunder and ran away. Even before Ancelin disappeared into the distance, he knew he should go after him. Atreus hadn’t even meant most of the things he’d said.

But the whole thing still rankled. Grumpily, he turned and stalked off in the opposite direction.