[ P ] i would die for you

Perhaps it was poetic that it was raining once more, the drops pounding in time with the rapid thumping of his adrenaline buzzed pulse Thump. Thump. Thump. Like the ticking of a clock it counted down the time remaining of Reuben Karsia’s freedom. Time that had been bought at the expense of a brother left to rot in a dungeon. The descent to hell began, one paw at a time, down the steps leading to the bowels of the Imperial Barracks. He held his breath, nose stinging at the sour scent of decay and misery. This was his future and Sulliven's life for over a year. Nausea roiled in his gut and twisted up his insides. He was scared.

The plan had taken far too long to set into motion, spending each day earning his fellow soldiers and prison guards trust so that he could gain entry. They were a suspicious bunch, Imperials, and as a new recruit they hadn't wanted to waste time on him. Buying them drinks, taking their shifts and covering for them when needed had slowly gotten them to warm to him. One of the guards that he had become friendly with let him through without hesitation when he expressed curiosity about exploring the dungeon and seeing its inhabitants. Five minutes, she’d warned him and he’d assured her that he’d be no trouble.

Peering through the bars and witnessing for himself how life was in the dungeon made his stomach churn again. Green eyes found their other pair and he rushed towards the bars, pushing his nose through and letting out a soft whine at seeing his brother's poor condition. “Sul! Psst! Hey, it's me,” he hissed in a whisper, moving over to the locked door and working the lock mechanism with his nose. It sprang open and the loud clang of metal made him flinch.

we're both heading for a crash

code // art

i keep dreaming this won't last

Reuben Karsia, the crime you have committed is vile and unforgivable. The jury has reached a verdict: Guilty for murder. You are hereby sentenced to death.


There was no need to look around the courtroom—Sulliven felt the hatred emanating from all around him. He accepted it, resolutely silent, his features carefully neutral, despite how his nervous energy had grown into a full-blown panic. I don't want to die. I must. This is for Reuben. He'll be safer when I'm gone. Would his brother hear of his fate? One half of his heart hoped so, then Reuben would know that the debt Sulliven owed him had been repaid; the other half wanted to spare him the heartbreak.

In the end it wouldn't matter because he wouldn't be there to see it. He would be free, finally, from a life that never should have been lived in the first place.

Only once he'd been dragged back into hell did Sulliven allow his walls to fall. He had always hated being alone, but isolation had become his sanctuary, far removed from reality. Tears cascaded freely down his hollow cheeks, falling to join the stagnant water upon the stony ground. He wasn't ready to die, not without—

Sul! Psst! Hey, it's me!

His navy visage whipped around towards the harsh whisper, jumping back when the lock released with an agonized groan. He was trembling uncontrollably, hardly willing to believe that it was Reuben's voice he was hearing and not someone hostile, like the savage soldiers he'd met or the malicious mirage of his mother that hissed vile things in his ear. Try as he might, whether he tried squinting or opening his eyes wider, all he could see was a blurred and faded figment approaching him, but those bright green lanterns were like a lighthouse guiding him towards them.

Sulliven reached a paw out when he drew close, brushing it along Reuben's cheek. The contact confirmed what his mind was trying to deny: His brother was here. He had come. He cried out in surprise, relief, and terror before pulling his currently fraternal twin into a tight embrace. Pulling away only once his sobbing subsided, he asked in a trembling whisper, "Reu? Y-y-you? Here? H-how..?"

code // art

A verdict had been finally given after all this time, surprised it was ever made at the rate it had been going, so used to judges being quick to chuck down the gavel to end the life of those that may or may not deserve it. His tail thrashed, moving away from his home and toward the place that seemed even more so, there more than he was having a personal life. It was easier that way than dealing with emotions, they were complex barriers and with the current situation the bit of a life he did have was melting away in the rain. The happy expression of a woman drowned out by his own inability to believe that the verdict was real, that his childhood friend was at all the monster the rest of his comrades believed him to be. There was a different name that held truth on his tongue he saw as far more capable that had the same face.

As he neared the prisons first before the barracks, he let out a sigh, deciding maybe he should pay the boy one last visit before his doom could be finalized. He had been lucky to have avoided it for this long. There was a scent that caught his attention as he saw another wolf enter the facility ahead of him and it caused his eyes to sharpen, his tail offering a thrash of suspicion as he stalked forward once the other had vanished within. Not long after, he would follow suit and enter the building with little question from the guard at post.

Trailing down the case, he found very few paw prints though his own would be left until the moisture between was fully removed with each step. He knew exactly where to go from his last visit, his ear twitching as he followed paths known. He was about to turn the corner when he heard metal being fooled with, stopping to listen for a moment before peeking around the bend to seek out the cause. That figure from before was now at the entrance of Sullivan’s pen, taking in those unusual set of color that didn’t match the scent that came with it. Unless Reuben had been caught recently without his knowledge, it made no sense being down here.

The sound of a snapping lock would make him move forward, catching the sight of pale paw scraping and reaching for the figure as if it was all too knowing of who the other might be. If his own hunch was correct, well he didn’t wait to be proven right as he stalked forward quietly, not interrupting their little interaction right away until paws were released from the figure. Then he would pounce, attempting to snare his fangs sharply into the scruff of what was viewed as an officer and slamming a skull roughly into the bars of the cage then down to the ground if he was lucky.

Art By Raven, Code by Ashon

The warmth of his brother's paw touched his cheek and tears beaded in his solemn green eyes. Life in prison had ravaged the once hopeful and bright eyed brother that he’d known all his life. It was the figure from his nightmares, gaunt cheeked, sunken eyed, hopeless and broken. Reuben saw the damage he had done and how much Sulliven had suffered for him. “Sully… I’m so sorry… I-” he sniffed, bringing a paw to his face to muffle a sob. The big brother was supposed to protect the younger. All he had done was put him in danger ever since they were little. He wanted to know why he loved him? Why would he give up his life like this for someone so worthless? Sulliven was smart. He could have gone to college, become a professor and left behind their family legacy.

Their twin bond had become a noose around Sulliven's neck rather than a lifeline to save him when he fell. “I’m here to save you, little brother,” he said, touching his nose to his. He would finally do right by his brother and take his place in the gallows where he belonged. Without him Sulliven would finally be free to flourish.

He nudged his cell door open and tried to reach out for Sulliven when suddenly he was yanked away and his face crashed into a wall of steel. Blood pooled in his mouth and one of his upper canines cracked and broke off in his mouth. “Sully, run!” He managed to choke out through a mouth full of blood while he was wrestled to the ground.

we're both heading for a crash

code // art