A/N: Thank you all for the response to the story so far! Thank you to the three people (It Was the Jawas, RabumAlal31, and WriteReadReviewDie) that have followed the story, the one reviewer (sonic), and the person that fav'd the story. The support is very much appreciated. A big thank you to all of you that have the read the story.

Alright, onward with chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Wolfspear

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"

Perturabo sighed in annoyance, mimicking the identical response of his brother Corvus whilst Horus winced. When Magnus instructed Corvus and Horus to persuade the other two brothers partaking in the Akum-Sothos Campaign, nobody expected Perturabo to believe them as easily as he had. The Hammer of Olympia, however, had no problem believing his trust in their father had been betrayed; it'd never existed in the first place. Perturabo wasn't used to the very idea of trust yet, and even if he had been, a man as powerful as the Emperor? Perturabo had learned to question all authority. Though, he trusted Magnus well. After all, they'd become best of friends on Terra after his reunification with the Imperium, studying lore and forbidden knowledge together. Truly it was an interest they shared. So his lack of trust in the Emperor, combined with his friendship with Magnus, made him rather easy to buy over.

The Wolf King of Fenris, however-

"YOU DARE ACCUSE OUR FATHER OF SUCH TREASON?! YOU UNGRATEFUL, DISHONORABLE, TRAITOROUS HERETI-,"

Perturabo cuts off his feral tirade by yelling over him.

"Oh would you stifle yourself Russ! Would you even dedicate a mere moment to taking our words into consideration, you'd see it's not that far fetched! Our father is clearly in a position to sabotage the ideals of the Great Crusade, and we all know there is much He hides from us! Is it not questionable that we, His Generals, are kept in the dark for most if not all His greater plans!?," he barks out, physically remaining relaxed despite the intensity of his words and maintaining his famed outwardly calm demeanor which rivals that of Rogal Dorn.

Russ growls, a lupine sound that echoes throughout his private quarters.

"You should hold your tongue, before I personally tell father of your conspiracy and beg Him to loose the Wolves on you and your legions, heretics!" Russ retorts, assuming an offensive stance. Horus sighs, facepalming while Perturabo's eye twitches.

"That's under the assumption your rabid dogs would compare to my sons. Your savage pups would be put down by the sheer strategic superiority of my legion, which I have instilled in them. Just like the Emperor would put us all down if it suited his agenda. He's done it twice. And he's used you to do it." Russ' eyes go wider than ever before, and he slams his hand down on a table, nearly breaking it.

"YOU DARE CALL ME A TOOL!?," he howls, sliding the table out of his way as he speedwalks towards Perturabo.

Said brother closes his eyes and prepares for the inevitable brawl when he hears a loud thump. Russ grunts, and Perturabo opens his eyes as a metallic clang resonates in his ears. Russ is unconscious, on the ground and bleeding at the mouth. Horus is standing over him, arm still outstretched, with a look of disappointment and impatience on his face.

"Sometimes, I pity our most uncivilized of brothers… A man driven by bloodshed and a primitive sense of honour… I only pray that by our efforts and those of Magnus, we can convince him…" Horus says, in a tone of annoyance.

Perturabo laughs and proclaims "Shame, I was almost looking forward to putting him on the floor myself!", in response to which Horus rubs the bridge of his nose.

Corvus smiles in amusement before returning to his default expression, one of worry and deep thought.

"Yes, that is funny, but… how are we getting off the Space Wolves' fleet… with their unconscious Primarch, who was obviously knocked out with brute force?"

A crowd of VI Legion Astartes gathered around their Primarch's private meeting space, confused. On his broken, moved table lay a note on a datapad, saying "I have gone to confer with the Warmaster, and I know not when I shall return. Do not come to retrieve me, or you shall be stripped of all rank and sent as far from the front as possible."

One of the Marines hums in befuddlement, and looks at his nearest battle brother.

"I never saw him leave, did you?"

To which his comrade responds "Nay, me either brother. Do you know if that's Lord Russ' handwriting?"

The Marine laughs, and snorts out "My friend, I wasn't even aware he could write!"

Leman Russ jolts awake, on the verge of screaming due to the nightmare he'd just experienced. He is tied to a table in the chambers of the Vengeful Spirit.

"That was no nightmare, brother. That was what our brothers had been trying to tell you about. Now you've seen the vision too, and I know that you are well aware it is authentic."

Russ blinks, and instantly recognizes the voice.

"Magnus! You sorcerer! You and your treachery will-," he hears Magnus sigh, followed by his vision being sent into complete darkness. He growls, before seeing Magnus, or rather, likely his astral projection.

"You! You traitor! Heretic! You'd accuse father of betraying all of us! He created us all, and His wisdom is beyond us! You dare question His intentions!? I will ensure you are put down for this!," he bellows, rushing towards the projection, which disappears in front of him and reappears behind him.

"Leman, please… if I were knowingly lying, do you really think I'd go to you of all people? You've never trusted me, or even liked me, so why would I trust you with this?"

This causes a brief pause in Russ' devotion-inspired rampage. His brother brings up a valid point. Never had they been close enough to trust one-another with secrets such as this, true or false. However, his brother is a sorcerer, a foul, tainted creature. He knows it's a valid point, exactly why he'd say it! Such a devious fiend would certainly be able to predict how Russ would respond!

"Foul beast, haha! You daemonic fool, do you truly think you'll ever convince me that our father would betray His own beliefs!? His own creations!?"

Russ then spins around, facing Magnus' projection, screaming "You are dead to me, dead to the Imperium!"

Magnus sighs again, and his eyes seem to be… sad…?... Russ is taken aback by the sight, blinking and stepping backwards. He cocks his head to the side. His mind is overtaken with grief, desperation, sadness and a distinct lack of hope. Magnus' emotions…

"Y-you're just fooling my mind, playing tricks on me, trying to fool me! It won't work! It can't work! It will never work!" he shrieks in desperation, trying to shed the influx of feelings from his heart and head.

"You know it's true Russ… The connection is two-way, you can feel all I can… You'd know if I was lying, and you know as well as I do that you can tell I'm not…" Magnus quietly says, too quiet to not be genuine, even for a master of mind games such as the sorcerer.

Russ' mind is then assaulted with images of a golden fleet passing through the void of deep space. The ships are manned by Custodians and members of the elite Solar Auxilia, whose forces buzz about the fleet like insects at work.

"They're coming for us Russ… Father knows that we've discovered His truest of intentions… He's going to put us down, you and your sons included… a cruel irony, is it not? The loyal executioner, his most hated brother, and the favoured son, the Warmaster… to be killed like rabid dogs… or dogs who aren't easy enough to control… Please Leman… help us or we'll all die… I'm begging you, honour be damned!"

Russ slowly wakes up from his Psyker-induced sleep seeing his brothers gathered around him. Horus at their head, he speaks.

"Well Russ?"

The Wolf ponders, indecision and anger gripping his face. He then spits on the ground and mutters, barely audible to the Warmaster.

"Where do we start?"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter :) Once again, feel free to leave a review, fav, or follow.