Moonspear i'm a georgia warhorse, and i ain't easy to kill

aw<3 just a putting a thread up to reference HE IS IN ADULT RANKS!!!!!!!!

some children went through early life insistent they measured up to adults; they were implacable in their mindset that they not be treated like kids, and fierce when any adult approached them as such. arcturus, who had never given much thought to his age in relation to others (and certainly had never whined or wailed to be treated as a grown up), was 'suddenly' ranked among the adults.

he knew enough of hierarchy to know that puppies were bottom rung in the totem pole; they were catered to and doted upon, of course, but they occupied the lowest tier. but now he was not the denizen of moonspear, but the iota of it. it caused a swell of dutiful pride in the boy, who upon hearing his mother and father's ranking howl, had set industrially to work along the borders.

no one explained to him that the induction into adulthood ranks was not irrevocable - and even though he was an adult in terms of ranking, arcturus very much still thought like a child. worried that his parents might realize they had made some grave error, or perhaps had overestimated their son's "maturity", arcturus set to work with a madman's desperate worry, prowling along thick reeds of winterfern that interspersed moonspear's anterior.

Much like Arcturus, his brother Revui had also been vaulted in to the adult ranks; however his mental acuity wasn't quite on-par with the shadow and so, he took the news without fully comprehending it, and lacked the same level of care. For all he knew, he was now the resident guardian of the borders and his parents had merely made note of it — he was often sulking along the alpine level of their claim, and occasionally lurking in the foothills if he grew bored enough in his task. Otherwise, nothing changed for Revui.

He thought of himself as an extension of the Cerberus because of his lesson from Hydra, as their one-on-one conversation had cemented such a concept in his mind. He still felt like the prince of the mountain, he still wanted to maim anyone who came too close (and had yet to be given the go-ahead, insert teenage groan here), and had grown accustomed to a certain daily routine. That routine no longer hinged upon his brother's presence, which was a shift (perhaps in the wrong direction). Ever since Yami had gone missing the brothers had been scouring the mountainside and adjacent territories for signs of them, and the absence caused a small rift to form — both brothers suffering from the loss in their own way, and taking it out on one another at some point. This resulted in the rift widening, and Revui choosing to work rather than socialize (in his limited manner) as of late.

But today, as he took to pacing his usual route, he thought he spied a dark shape among the ferns of the wood and took off after it. Even after realizing it was Arcturus on a patrol, he did not let up; if anything, he became stealthier, child-like, as he began to stalk his brother in a game of cat-and-mouse like when they were cubs. They were bigger now, adults, but the eagerness with which Revui sought out his brother for a little rough-housing would not abate. It wasn't until he was so close he could've easily overtaken his brother's position, that he stopped cold. He watched from the criss-crossing shadows, slinking through the snow until he felt its chill seep through his bones and in to the pit of his stomach.

He remembered trying this before, charging at Arcturus and being set upon by teeth and rage, and that stopped him. The game slipped from his mind, then. Revui watched his brother bent over the ferns, creeping along soundlessly like one of the Cerberus (truly, for he was closer to them than Revui ever could be), but he did not emerge to meet him. He watched, and then he turned and began to depart — only to set his paw down in a particularly crunchy patch of snow which buckled easily beneath his substantial weight, and he let out a small huff of frustration upon realizing he'd be found out.

the rift between the brothers had caused arcturus some torment; he still was ashamed of his actions, yet somehow, could not bring himself to throw his pride away and beg his brother's forgiveness. it was likely that revui would have expected little begging at all, but arcturus was nothing if he wasn't a child, and like a child, had certain immature viewpoints about conceding his own fault.

all the same he wanted reconciliation -- needed it, even -- and the last spot he would have looked for redemption was in that particular spot, nosing through brush and fern like an overeager pup. he was too absorbed in his work to notice the stealthy, panther-like tracking of his brother --up until a particularly loud crunch of snow shattered the wintry air.

he jerked upright and his ears flew forward in assertive alarm, his tail already climbing. INTRUDER! his body screamed, his blood pumping as he bullrushed stupidly towards the perceived threat, who as it turned out, was not an intruder at all.

arcturus pulled back as if struck, his bared teeth quickly sheathing -- for a moment guilt flashed over his features, until he noticed the set of footprints in the snow that betrayed revui's intentions. the path followed his own, and then turned back. he cut his brother an accusatory stare, his eyes clearly conveying the silent allegation in his mind. were you stalking me?

Their fight hadn't even been a fight, it had been a collision, a misunderstanding, but also a turning point. It was appropriate that they would crack heads as a sign of their maturation — better yet if they cracked the heads of Moonspear's enemies rather than one another, but there was no avoiding what had happened. Ever since that moment they had split apart; a boy without his shadow. There were other obligations now, with both boys entering the adult ranks and all that potential they were born with being ready to sculpt; and Revui wasn't losing any time on that front. He had been so busy protecting his older brothers and sisters, even the wolves that did not carry his blood - their blood - except for Arcturus.

They were cut from the same stubborn cloth. Revui learned the best through physicality and the last thought he had whenever he thought of Arcturus, lately anyway, was their miscommunication. The shape of the scar across the bridge of his nose. The all-out aggression that brother had leveled against brother. Except now Revui was standing among the pines and his brother was here, and they were just - standing. The look that Arcturus passed to the silver youth didn't earn much of a response but that was also their way.

Revui exhaled sharply through his nose; a small huff, perhaps to draw attention to the dark stripe across his snout — or maybe he was just saying, no, of course not, in relation to the assumption he had been trailing his brother for nefarious reasons. It was a little bit awkward. More awkward than most moments, awkward enough for Revui to take notice to the stale air and the uncertainty between the two of them. Finally, to break that moment, the gargoyle finally shifted his weight and drew a large limb in to a slow step, and another, and another, until he was slipping around his brother and taking the role of guide or guardian again; he inspected the earth where Arcturus had been standing before, and grew bored within moments.

He didn't know what to do to fix things. Keeping busy usually worked for Revui, but his gestures were empty ones. He finally stops and draws away from the area, lifting his head and glancing at Arcturus for a long moment, then he murmured — I can go. If you want me to leave, I'll leave.

a prickle of defensive annoyance riled arcturus' hair, pressing it on black quill-like ends. he had seen the mark he had endowed revui with -- he hated it -- god, would it just heal already so they could forget?

he didn't even want to look at it, but as revui huffed and a cloudburst of mist expelled from his muzzle into the icy air, arcturus once more found his gaze drifting to the rough ridges unfairly inflicted to his brother's pewter muzzle. he had been the demon to cause that - he had lost control.

guilt ebbed in him, replaced by waves of indignation, and then waves of shame, over and over. arcturus felt pulled at the seams, but when his brother's words fell into that wintry air, he felt defeated all over again. no. he half-mumbled, half-growled -- if revui left, it would just make the chasm bigger, wouldn't it?