Honestly, Merrick doesn't think about the future much at all. He has to force himself to live in the present, lest he stray into the past and lose himself there. That, and he's always been impulsive, acting according to the ebb and flow of his emotions.

He isn't stupid; he knows where his place in the clan is, and that's far away from it.

Releasing his hold on Beleth, he takes a few more finishing bites of his apple then chucks the core down to the grounds below. Then he leans back on his hands, eyes drifting up to the stars above.

"I don't want both," he replies at last.