Some are born great
Some achieve greatness
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Winter was right around the corner, but Vladimir could not imagine a more perfect time to have their wedding. After all, the winter was Seraphina‘s least favorite part of the year, given her thin hair coat, and she did not deal well with the cold. It led to her being less active during the snowy months, staying inside the cave, their den, for most of the time and she was adventuring less. By Vladimir‘s way of thinking, if he could get her out, if he could find a way to make this winter less depressing for her, it would make it all the more special. And besides, the winter would be beautiful in the forest - there would be some trees that lost their leaves, yes, but even those barren branches would be decorated with sparkling crystals of ice. It would be their own version of wedding toole, and in the middle the day, say at noon? All of those individual crystals would sparkle like diamonds, and would radiate the beauty of his mate all the more. Of course, he had yet to discuss this timeline with her, he wanted her to be able to relax, to have all of it come together without Seraphina having to lift so much as a paw. He wanted her to be able to relax… And as for him… He needed to start being able to plan and work and be a father all the same time. This day was going to be the best day of his life as before all of his loved ones, he was bound to his soulmate – but he wanted it also to be the day that he proved to the pack that he could and would be fully committed to them. That they would be his family as much as he would be theirs.
For that was what this pack had always been, or at least as long as Vladimir remembered it. Back when it had been dear old Aurora Borealis instead of Dierne Hrof, it had been a place of comfort, a place of belonging, a place where everyone pitched in and made the pack stronger. Everyone was encouraged to find their strengths, and to lessen their weaknesses, but in a way that was supportive and caring. And eventually, with time this would become their home, and Vladimir their family. And vice versa. Aindreas had already told Vladimir that he needed to make a choice soon - to take the throne or to abdicate it. Vlad’s half sibling had no intention of keeping the throne, but if need be he would find someone to take it over. Aindreas had never been meant to be a permanent leader, only an interim king, meant to be a placeholder until Vladimir was of age. Vladimir originally had been upset about that fact and had resented it – at the time his thought process had been along the lines of - ’couldn’t his father see that he was ready to take the throne’? Even thinking about it now, Vladimir now chuckled. How ignorant he had been then, how naïve to think that he was ready for the throne. His anger, his temper had been running free since the day he was born without any constraints to rein it in. The leader could not and should not be like that. Anger was good. At times, it could strengthen the strong… But it could also weaken the weak. It could make brave men foolhearty and others cowardly. It had taken Vlad a long time to learn this, but he finally had. What really had taught him a lesson though, had been having a family of his own. He could not be angry, not when Seraphina and the pups were around. He was meant to be strong for them, he was meant to be a protector, a teacher, a role model. And finally, that was exactly what he had become. His temper, still enhanced by the blood of the tempest, was always right beneath the surface, and often broke out. But it was not like a wildfire any longer, it was focused, a fireball, something of meaning and of purpose.
After his little rendezvous with his mate on the beach, he realized that he needed more help if he was going to plan this perfectly, if he was going to put pull it all off. If he wanted the day to be flawless. And while some of the members had helped him by getting plants for him, or showing him where to get them so that he could have them for his wedding gift for Sera, Vlad realized that in order to make this go smoother, he would need a woman’s touch. He needed to know how it should all go, if there should be decorations, for what decorations could be used in the dead of winter? It was with this that Vladimir needed the most amount of help… and after so long of his life passing, his pride had finally been pushed into the belly of his stomach - he finally was not afraid to help to ask for help. Tilting his head back, almost howled, calling for any members of the pack, calling for aid. But then he heard his brother, for Aindreas had called a pack meeting. Vladimir could only hope that he would have time to discuss the wedding with everyone before Seraphina or any of his pups showed up. Elsewise, he would have to hunt everyone down one by one and ask for help the slow way. Vladimir changed his course and went toward the clearing where Aindreas had always used as his space for pack meeting, the same clearing that Kalgalath had always used as well… and, by the stories that Kalgalath had told Vladimir, the tree at the northwest corner of the clearing was the tree that the previous Alphess had died beneath. This pack was rich with history, with family… and Vladimir was both excited and anxious to take it over. And as he neared his half-brother, he dipped his head in respect and sat to his right side, where he belonged.
“Before Sera shows up, I’d like to bring something up to the pack, if that is alright with you.”
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Some have greatness thrust upon them
~ Soulmate of Seraphina ~ Brother of Castiel ~ Warden of Scamander ~ Heir of Dierne Hrof ~ Sire of Ziva, Qiturah, Asmund.:.Maui, Liora, Ikuseghan, Roan~
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