Some are born great
Some achieve greatness
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Brutal words had been spewed from his maw and they were swords that sliced his brother deep. Hurt vocals tripped out of his brother's mouth, stuttering quietly. 'Vlad… I...' Vladimir shook his head hard - no, he would not be listening to his brother's excuses now. He was too mad... Or at least he was until his loneliness and shame overruled his anger. His proud posture drooped until all of him was slumped, and he stuttered himself, an apology pulling itself from between his teeth, guilt adding to his emotions as he felt bad about hurting his brother's feelings. A soft thump sounded out as Castiel collided with him, albeit gently, pushing against his scruff with his head as he tried to comfort him before caressing him with his nares. 'I couldn't have asked for a better partner in crime.' Vladimir managed a smile and nodded, sniffling to keep his nose from running and to keep his tears at bay. He was too proud to cry, too proud to completely fall apart. Castiel moved ahead at a trot and Vlad followed him, quickly passing his paused brother, planning their game time with a plot of daring escape from the very depths of hell. Castiel caught on quickly and joined his brother, dashing away from their enemies before urging him on faster, true fear of being caught by their imaginary seeping into their veins. 'We mustn’t look back brother! Then for sure they will catch us!' Vladimir snapped his head to the front, searching for a place to escape.
Castiel took point and found their escape route swiftly, pointing it out. 'The brush Vladimir! Through the hole! It ought to hold them back for at least a few minutes.' Vladimir nodded and followed his brother, the shrubbery doors snapping shut behind them. The wind shook the brush though, which turned into the demons banging on the door, trying to break down the gate, the only thing keeping the pups safe from their teeth and their claws. Vladimir was still staring at the door when his brother cried out. 'What’ll we do now, Vladimir!?' The bruteling spun, seeing the immense expanse of water before them, surely they were done for. Arctics spiraled downward, focusing on the ground as he tried to think of an escape route. That was when he remember just who they were - Angels! Pools swept up and saw that the Styx River was broken up by islands - boulders that broke the surface of the water just barely, but it would be enough. "Castiel, we are angels, and angels have wings! You mustn't touch the water or we shall never be allowed to leave the underworld, but we must try!" Tensing his abdominal muscles, he focused on the first rock, and ran toward the shore, pushing off the earth. It was different than when he tried to tackle his brother before, for now stumbling could end his life! As soon as all four feet left the earth, he felt as if he was true flying. Surprisingly, he landed gracefully and turned back to his brother, laughing, but then he saw the skeletal hand reaching through the gate. "Hurry, Castiel, follow me!" He leapt from island to island, soaring as did pegasus' with his wings sprouted from his spine, until he reached the other side, where he promptly collapsed, lungs heaving from the effort. Looking back, he waited for his brother to reach him. "We are safe now, Cas. The Styx will keep demons in the underworld. Let's keep exploring!" Though exhausted, he was too excited about his freedom and their success to care.
Tiny paws pulled himself up the other side of the ravine, not knowing just how far they were straying from their parents den, but they had not encountered the border yet, so it did not much matter... But then a howl rang out, calling to the pack and Vladimir nearly jumped - the vocals were so loud, so close... Was the boundary so near? How long had they been playing, how far had they traveled? The two pups had no notion of time or distance as their entire lives up to this point had been spent within their parents' grove, but they now had some degree of freedom. He paused and turned back toward his brother. "Castiel let's greet them! We can do what Father does!"
Without waiting for his brother's reply, Vladimir took off running again, exhaustion forgotten, for this adventure was real, and it was here that he would be able to redeem himself. Nares flared trying to pick up the stranger's scent, but all of the scents were strange and there was no way for him to distinguish what was what - that would come with time and experience, but he made a good show of it, pretending as if he knew where he was going. Luck, as it would be, was on his side, and when he broke the grove of trees that lined the territory, he saw before him a dual image, two wolves that mirrored each other in form and coloring, though not exactly with the same shapes. His plume curled over his back and he widened his stance, attempting to look tough and important - when of course he instead looked ridiculous and adorable - and moved toward them, being very careful indeed to not cross a single paw over the border. " I am Vladimir, Prince of Aurora Borealis. Who are you and what do you want with our pack." Puffing out his chest, he stared them down, arctics ruined in sunlight staring at whoever answered first. At this point in life, he was not interested in females, rather searching out adventure, but he would come to see the beauty that the young of the two possessed... But for now he was instead curious. Just how many different types of wolves were there!?
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Some have greatness thrust upon them
~ Vladimir ~ Brother to Castiel ~ Kalgalath x Sebring ~ Heir of Aurora Borealis ~ Azura ~
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