Some are born great
Some achieve greatness
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They all ran together, one after another, egging each other on. They needed to return to their parents' den - or rather Vladimir and Castiel's parents. The storm was running quickly on their heels, and already their pelts were being rained with droplets, large an heavy. Each was felt as it worked its way through their hairs. And it was cold, deathly cold. The hell hounds -born of hell fire and what not - were not hot but frigid on them. It did not make entire sense, not at all. But that hardly mattered to the pups, for they were having too much fun frolicking across the grounds as quickly as their tiny feet would allow. Little did they know how terrible this storm would be - for the summer had been hot and dry, and the lands had become dehydrated with the drought. And though they were in late fall, this much rain would certainly be overwhelming. Flash floods would wreck havoc on the pack, especially with them being so near to the lake. But the pups were ignorant of this, lost as they were in their game. They were nearly back now, and Vladimir laughed as he ran, not quite able to hear an specific words spoken by his comrades - instead he heard only mumbled vocals, for thunder reigned king over them - the desperate calls of the hounds above them, hungry for their flesh, thirsty for their blood.
Yes, as Vladimir's eyes saw the river coming up before them, he knew that surely they were in the clear. Their den was laid atop the hill just beyond - there was just a small bit of ground and water left to clear. And so Vladimir went full ahead along with Castiel and Seraphina, all of them leaping from rock to rock to make their way across the stream. That is, until a scream rang out. Vladimir nearly didn't stop, for he thought ride fly that the call was within his imagination, that it was just a trick being used by the agents of hell to get him to slow down, just so that they could catch him, or a lingering remnant from a dream the night before, a dream that recurred every night but which he could never remember. But along with the hint of a scream came a flicker of movement in his mind's eye, and instinctually he glanced to the left and rose, horrified as Seraphina slipped - as if in slow motion - into the river.
Just as within the cavern the pup's overactive imagination took over, and the river - vicious as it was - became a part of the game. And this river that they were so precariously crossing was no longer just a river. It was the River Styxx and if Seraphina lingered too long in its deadly waters, the boatman would claim her forever. And, surely, he was running out of time - with this current, the boatman would be here before too long. A yell of his own escaped from between his lips and he frantically scrambled at rocks and at stones, leaping toward where she had fallen in. He was careful enough - barely - to not fall in himself, his eyes upon the water, searching for wherever she was going to surface instead of where his own feet were landed. Suddenly, he too slipped, but he clenched his belly and managed to stay on the stepping stone.... And suddenly there she was, drenching wet and being pulled by the current. "Seraphina!" Vladimir laid down and used his stifles to lock himself around the stepping stone and reached out quickly, grabbing her scruff. Almost immediately, he felt the pull of the river and was nearly yanked into the frigid waters himself. But somehow, he held on, growling and straining for all he was worth. "Cas! Cas help!" He growled the words, hoping that his brother would hear him... For though he had saved Sera from being swept downstream, he was not strong enough to pull her to shore.
How unique, how fateful it was that he and Seraphina were in this position - the water nearly stealing her life and him trying to save her. He and Castiel had never before been told the story of how their parents had met, but after tonight, they would. Time was funny, in that way, for it often found a way to repeat itself. The strong undertow of Leisure Lake had hungrily tried to drag Sebring out into its bowels, to give her a watery grave, but Kalgalath had dragged her it. Wolves were used to pulling their own body weight, often dragging prey of their size or larger, but normally it was working with one another in a pack. He had fought for all he was worth - using every bit of strength that he had to drag a fully soaked, dead weight Sebring to the dry shore. And that - that - was where Vladimir now was stuck.
Over the roar of thunder, Vladimir thought it was hours, but it was only seconds that he held onto Seraphina. And then something hit his body that he could only describe as an angel's touch - he knew nothing of body mechanics or the way that hormones worked. Adrenaline had finally been released into his system, flowing freely into his veins, for with all the fun and games, for the deep dark cave and the danger of being lost, it was only now that Vladimir was truly and completely frightened. A myriad of the hormone swept through him, filling him with extra strength, straining his muscles for all that they were worth. Some ripped with the effort, and he would be sore and stiff for days to come. But somehow, Vladimir managed to drag Seraphina up out of the water and onto the stepping stone. The two of them hardly fit on it, but he held onto her tightly, shivering from the cold.
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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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