OOC: He's in and out - figured I'd set up the conflict now so it's not all WTF WUT. WC: 475
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Every moment, he felt himself decline further into the grasp of madness. Columbine wasn't sure whether or not he liked it.
It was safe there - dark and empty of everything besides the hatred and resentment that fueled him. The Hastati had been scarce in the pack since the fight with Helotes, flitting in and out of the borders like a red-eyed demon. He hadn't eaten much, and it showed on his withering physique. Where there was once health and vitality now lay a slightly unwell look: while the man was still stronger than most, he was but a whisp of what he could have been. Instead, the creature spent his days plotting and calculating, desperately trying to figure out the best way to exact revenge on his wayward, ignorant, good-for-nothing brother and family. How could they have deserted him? How could he have been treated like this his entire life? Columbine was so goddamn elite - how could they not have noticed this? How was he in this position?
He knew something had to be done, and something drastic. The dark man had no interest in remaining a Hastati any longer. So Helotes wanted to throw in his face that he was but a foot soldier while he brother was an exalted Hydra? Well, la-dee-fricking-dah: Columbine had always been the stronger one, the one protecting the family from the dangers of Kerberos. Helotes could say what he wanted about them being a pair, but they both knew how utterly untrue that was. He'd never expected to be in this position mentally, though, in a place where he couldn't tell the right from the wrong and the black from the white. Everything was boiled together in a sea of red, and the Lykoi thought that perhaps acid, dangerous and potent, pumped through his veins instead of blood.
Truthfully, he hadn't even heard the summoning call. It'd been a stroke of chance that Columbine stumbled upon a meeting, half way through Ezekiel's speech. The creature lurked in the background, visible but silent: he would not be obtrusive in his entrance. So Halo was stepping down? Of course. She was beautiful, but weak. The female had tried so desperately to maintain an air of quiet dominance and terror, and yet she was struck down by the mere notion of respect. It proved her unworthy, and he felt no pity for her. And then the bitch Vesper spoke - who promoted her to a position of power? Ezekiel was an idiot - and Columbine disregarded the entire affair.
He snorted loudly and shook his head before turning his back on the Clan. He had no loyalties to these pathetic creatures, these things that could not see greatness for what it was. It stood behind them, dark and lurking in the shadows with eyes like red fire and hell.