revelations revelations, 21:8 21:8

"I have not forgotten, Malleus, I simply think that perhaps you are unworthy," Archon spat. If it was not a faction, then what about the loose Abraxas? Did those listen to him? No. And surely Archon was among them. The free Abraxas. His father had kept tabs on them, but wouldn't have corralled them into a singular pack. They had two at one point, with claim over Abaven, but Archon had left Abaven. He had never received the support from the empire. Perhaps Ashiel felt the same when his pack crumbled. Perhaps those failures coming in the time of Malleus' ascent to the throne was a voice of his displeasure with the current leadership. Then Malleus comes not when Archon was making these supposed mistakes, but seasons later, fitting of the half-connected, lazy king.

Malleus said he would come back, but no, Archon would not return to that land to be brainwashed into believing in some grand raid that their children could host on their own. True growth would have been to take a pack and breed the strongest members of those. Malleus could talk about their period of growth all he wanted, but it was just his excuse to not go out and risk his neck. No, Archon would have no part of that. He could raise the Abraxas back on his own if he had to. Perhaps even his child heir could do better than him.

Malleus lunged. Maybe he expected Archon to submit, but such would not be the case. The mountain was not a good place to fight. His brother was foolish indeed, but Archon would make him see that. Archon reared, Malleus's swipe flipping past Archon's paws, although his bite still got the left side of Archon's neck. Archon attempted to get a bite over the back left of Malleus's neck hoping to use the leverage and the angle of the mountain to trip his brother up and force him down the mountain some.