Some are born great
Some achieve greatness
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If there was one defining fault to Vladimir, it was his temper. To be fair, it was not entirely his due to his own choices. He was, after all, descended from the Drysthdig, the clan of wolves from the Arcus Irae’s and Tempest’s homeland that was known for their rage. It fueled them and gave them strength and courage beyond that of a normal wolf, but it also often got them into situations that far surpassed what they were capable of dealing with. This was one of those situations. Vladimir assumed, naturally, that the stranger would want to join Dierne Hrof, considering he was sitting upon its borders and had called for someone within. But Vladimir should not have approached as he did, even if that had been the case. An Alpha was expected to be cold and untrusting strangers, but everyone else who was in the pack was expected to be courteous, at least by Aindreas‘s rule. Far too often, Vladimir ignored the rules of his older brother, based off of the belief that he was going to be king soon anyhow, and would set his own rules. Of course, it was times like that when his young age and immaturity shone through brightest. And the stranger, he saw it clear as day. The brute had stood and laughed Vladimir off, dismissing his words with some of his own.
‘I am Riuk, a returning alpha of these lands.’
Vladimir should have seen the warning signs - Riuk’s menacing posture, the growling timbre, but instead, he got even more ruffled and responded in kind with a growl of his own. If only he knew how befuddled his luck was, facing off against this one. But it seemed that the stranger was not done speaking yet…
‘Vladimir, I have no interest in speaking to the next ruler of this pack. Bring me your king, boy. I have little time and less patience for the games of pups who have grown too big for their dens.’
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, as if the taunt wasn’t already apparent, the opposing titan had smirked at Vladimir. The prince strode across the boundary, snarling. If his temper was his defining feature, then his pride was second only to that, and in some ways was made worse because of it. And in his current position, he did not think that he could let Riuk‘s words be left with no response. He would not be talked to in that fashion, especially not when he had two litters of puppies within who needed to be protected. And so gone was any memory of the months that he had gone without training, gone was the tiredness he felt from the trek from his den to this point. With his sudden surge of magical rage from his tempest blood, he was refreshed entirely. There would be consequences later, with him needing to rest for days on end, but it would serve him well enough now. If anything, he would only be behind Riuk’s prowess now because of his lack of experience… His strength and speed would be strengthened by his energy that nature was providing him… Somewhat unnaturally.
“It has been a long time passed since I have lived in my parent‘s den, a long time have I spent living independently of them. I have no need to rely on them, nor do I have need to listen to your accursed words. And I am no boy, but a man nearly grown. If it were based upon my virility alone, there would have no question of my worth, but seeing as you speak only of age, I will not fault you entirely for that one. You have years on me, yes, but I have something which you are lacking and can never have…”
Vladimir left it at that - though he was quite nearly to his stage of blind rage, he was holding the reins back just enough to not let it slip about his tempest background, nor to let much slip about his family, huddled safely with in the bowels of the pack. But it would be impossible to miss the eerie shimmer and shine of his glowing arctics… There was no hiding that. If however, the prince was right in his hunch, this brute would not know what to make of his eyes, nor would he have understood what a tempest was should Vladimir have spoken of it. After all, he was a self-proclaimed old king of one of the packs here in Blossom Forest… But he truly must be old and ancient and nearly forgotten, for Vladimir had never heard of him.
The warmth of his magic was nearly done spreading now, Vladimir could feel its tingling effect rippling through him. His muscles were relaxed, ready to dexterously avoid whatever attack the intruder would try to lay upon him first, and yet also ready to tense, attacking when the other had their guard down. And finally, it reached his heart, and calmed it down enough so that it could more officially beat, pushing refreshing oxygen to all of him, and broke down the lactic acid that had built up in his muscles. His sight entered a heightened state, he saw in remarkable detail everything around him, including the soul of this stranger -there was no evil there, and there was no lie about him being a previous alpha. Perhaps under different circumstance, these two could have been friends… But for at least now, they would come together in opposition as enemies, brought about by a young naďve fool‘s inability to control himself.
“Say one more offensive thing, sir, and you shall in essence he starting a war with this pack. Wherever you go from here, once I rule, I and my warriors will follow. If that is the fate you choose, then insult me… One… More… Time.”
Vladimir‘s jaw was ground together tightly, his rage demanding payment and the source of blood. It called for a complete release of his natural self up to his magical inner being, and it called for the very war he spoke of...”
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Some have greatness thrust upon them
~ Soulmate of Seraphina ~ Brother of Castiel ~ Warden of Scamander ~ Heir of Aurora Borealis ~ Sire of Ziva, Qiturah, Cassius.:.Maui, Liora, Ikuseghan, Roan~
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