Dharis woke up with a jump in the middle of the night, feeling his hands trembling, his body shaking underneath the thin blanket in his room. He had that dream again. He rubbed his face with a hand as he sat up, propping himself on his lower pair of arms. He gave a quick glance over to Riiks, his baby brother.
The Dreg's light snores were the only sound in the room. Dharis watched in the dark as his chest slowly rose and fell, the fractures in his chest plating spider-webbing up and down his torso. A constant reminder of their Captain's punishment. He could still hear the sickening crunch as he had stomped down on Riiks' chest. It made him shudder just to think of it. He let out a soft groan, not wanting to remember the moment. When he threw himself onto the captain and opened up his throat, cradling Riiks and screaming for a medic. He lost himself in that moment, the struggle was a blur to him. He had felt nothing aside from the intense instinct to protect his family and the intense rage he felt towards the Captain for harming them.
He never enjoyed violence, something that set himself apart from many Wolves at the time, all desperate for fighting, for glory. It made him feel uneasy. As if all the death and killing and vengeance would make things right. Nothing much mattered to him aside from his family, and in that moment. He realized exactly how much he would do for Family. He was smeared with Ether, the Captain's lifeblood coming up off him like a fog. The rest of the Crew looking on, partially in shock, partially in awe. He imagined he looked like a ghoul, a monster.
But as he watched his baby brother mumble in his sleep and clutch his pillow gently, he knew that he would do so much more to keep him safe, keep them all safe.