"This has to be a joke," Stephen Strange spoke softly to himself. He was following behind the woman in robes and the large white wolf, the odd trio stepping into a little side room within the New York Sanctum.
"You're quite right, Mr. Strange," the Ancient One replied, "the Sorcerer Supreme, the Goddess of the Sun, and a neurosurgeon arrive at a tea party." The hundreds years old woman chuckled softly to herself, glancing down at the wolf padding alongside her. "I do wonder how the joke will end…"
"It's Doctor Strange, thank you," the neurosurgeon ground out.
"You're quite welcome, Stephen. Please, take a seat," the Sorcerer Supreme gestured toward the center of the room, unable to hide the mirth in her voice.
Amaterasu was the first one to the table at the center of the room, the large wolf circling around the table and wagging happily. She padded around to pull the trio of chairs out from around the small circular table and began trying to figure out how to seat herself properly.
"I've avoided the mistake of using those mats after the last time you stopped by for tea…" the Sorcerer Supreme commented, raising an eyebrow at the wolf.
The Ancient One sat down gingerly, already reaching for the tea kettle in the center of the table, steam rising from the spout. Stephen was the next to seat himself, his hands gripping the chair firmly in equal parts frustration and confusion, trying to ground himself to reality. Magic wasn't real.
The duo glanced over to the wolf, who was attempting to sit on the chair by placing her back feet on the chair first. With her paws relatively stable, she pushed up with her front, scrunching herself up as she attempted to balance herself on the chair. The wolf wobbled a little, all four paws almost touching as she struggled to remain upright, her tail flopped over the back of the chair.
"Would you like assistance, Amaterasu?" The Ancient One asked, pausing in her pouring of the tea to watch the wolf.
Ammy merely glanced up at the woman and shook her head with a soft chuff. She was a grown wolf, she didn't need help sitting down in a chair!
The Sorcerer Supreme couldn't quite keep the smile from her face as she watched the lupine shift and wobble in place. Finally, Ammy lost her balance, giving a soft croon of frustration and acceptance as she fell forward, clunking her head on the edge of the table. The cups on the little tea plates rattled from the impact, and Ammy gave a little whine of frustration from the floor.
Stephen tapped his foot on the floor in frustration. He had wasted his whole day for this, drove around and likely obtained quite a few speeding tickets on his way around the city. He needed answers hours ago and he was still waiting because of the damn dog!
Amaterasu huffed and got to all fours and shook herself off. She padded forward to grip the chair legs in her jaws and turned it around so the back of the chair was facing the table. Just as she jumped up and set her front paws on it, intending on climbing up, she glanced over to the Ancient One.
"Well, that's hardly the proper way for a Goddess to be seated at a table," the woman remarked, finishing pouring the three cups of tea.
Ammy stared at the woman for a long moment, gold eyes just looking intently at the Sorcerer Supreme. The wolf huffed and rolled her eyes, before backing off the chair. She nudged it to the side with her nose in an attempt to push it back, only for the foot of the chair to catch on the floor and tip over, falling with a clatter.
…
Amaterasu merely gripped the chair in her jaws and hurled the offending object across the room, letting it bounce off the wall and fall to the floor with a crash. The wolf wheeled around and used her brush to form an ice platform for her to sit on. She wolf grumbled before hopping onto it and sitting herself down at the table. She huffed and leaned down to dunk her nose into the offered teacup, only to meet the raised brow of the Sorcerer Supreme.
"Awuff…" Ammy grumbled into her cup, much to the amusement of the Ancient One.
"Are you done wasting my time? This is absurd," Stephen huffed.
"Whatever do you mean? You wanted magic, and Amaterasu just showed you some. She threw that fairly expensive and antique chair across the room and is now seated on large ice cube of her own making. I fail to see how this isn't magical," the Ancient One replied, taking a sip of her tea.
"Congratulations, you trained a dog and used mirrors and fishing line. I'm certain whatever organization you're a part of made up a whole social media storm for money and news coverage at this point," the neurosurgeon growled out. He made to stand up, cursing under his breath, "…can't believe I let myself believe this bullshit, and that Christine was in on it…"
"Stephen," the Ancient One called out, "I think you're looking at this from the wrong perspective. If I may…"
Stephen forced himself to a halt, clenching his teeth as he turned back to face the shorter woman approaching him, her robes ghosting across the stone floor. He allowed her to approach, maybe she would try to admit it was all a hoax and set his mind at ease.
"I believe you're still confusing reality as being set in science and fundamental laws. That's not at all the case. You're seeing the world through a single point of view, and not allowing yourself to believe what could be."
"Oh, am I? And what exactly am I missing then? Do you have some fairy dust kicking around somewhere? Maybe a 'magic potion' to—"
Amaterasu snorted in amusement while still muzzle-deep in her cup of tea. The laugh made the tea splash out of the cup, splattering her white fur and covering the surrounding area of the table in the drink. The wolf reared her head back and blinked in surprise, before shaking her head off, sending more tea across the table and floor. The duo paused for a moment, watching the wolf wipe off her face with a paw.
"…I believe the best way to get this across to you is through something you can relate to," the robed woman continued, unphased. "Take for example a CT scan. You should be familiar with the procedure, I'm sure."
"I am… Where are you going with this?"
"You need a multitude of images at different angles to form a picture. Now, throw acupuncture into the mix. Imagine one's Chakras play a vital role in forming that image. Imagine—"
"Chakras? Now I know you're full of sh—"
"Mr. Strange. Interrupt me again and I won't hesitate to cast you out. You wanted to know, so I am explaining to you now. Silence your ego, else you are more than free to leave."
Stephen glared at the shorter woman but kept quiet. He had come this far. There was the slightest amount of doubt in the back of his mind, and he wouldn't be able to sleep unless he knew for certain they were making everything up. Magic wasn't real. It couldn't be. If it was… all those years he spent learning, working, and casting aside connections would have been for nothing.
"…what I'm trying to say, is that you need to look at the world from another perspective," the Ancient One moved closer toward the neurosurgeon, directing his gaze. The duo focused on the chair that Amaterasu had thrown earlier, the object laying sideways on the floor.
"You see the chair at the back of the room, yes? What if I were to tell you that it wasn't?" The Sorcerer Supreme raised her hand up to align it with Stephen's vision and used her thumb and forefinger in front of his eyes to make it look as if she were grabbing the chair. Similar to the way one would pretend to squish someone far away with two digits.
From Strange's point of view, it looked as if the digits in front of his face had actually grabbed the chair, and watched it turn upright, braced between her fingers. She pulled her hand closer, making the image of the chair grow larger in Stephen's vision.
"What if I told you that the chair wasn't far away, but it was actually currently standing from floor to ceiling right this instant? It's not in front of your face, but in fact halfway across the room." The Ancient One spread her index finger and thumb, and an earth-shaking thud rattled the room.
Stephen reeled back in shock as the once normal-sized chair had been shifted into a ten-foot-tall monolith of wood. The structure was identical to the chair that Ammy had thrown, just much larger.
"It's all about perspective, Stephen," the Ancient One spoke.
The neurosurgeon blinked and struggled to form words, moving from side to side, trying to get another look at the suddenly massive chair before him. He approached the object and reached out, working his hand along the intricate carvings of the ancient piece of furniture. The Sorcerer Supreme had quite literally shown him a new perspective of the chair and then made it reality.
Amaterasu watched the proceedings with her jaw dropped, head tilted to the side in awe of the magic prowess being displayed. She shook her head and hopped off her little ice platform, padding up to the ten-foot-tall chair. She crouched down and leaped up to settle on the much larger seat, looking down at the object with interest.
"Wuff!" The wolf proclaimed, padding her front paws on the seat.
"Oh yes, it's quite real, my friend," the Sorcerer Supreme laughed softly.
"…I… you… What?" Stephen managed to ask, his mind reeling from the display. He looked up at the wolf who sat above him on the chair, and then looked over to the ancient woman once more. "I'm sorry, could you explain what—"
"Magic~" the Ancient One teased, giving the man a grin. "Hm… You look a little pale. Why don't we step outside for some air?"
Without a moment to prepare himself, Stephen, Amaterasu, and the Sorcerer Supreme were swept through a sparking orange portal, finding themselves on the roof of the New York Sanctum. Amaterasu was unfortunately still positioned in the air, and fell to the roof in a flail of limbs, much to her embarrassment. Strange, for his part, stumbled and nearly fell over while the Ancient One merely stepped forward, looking up at the night sky with a click of her tongue.
"The city lights always drown out the night sky, what a shame."
Ammy huffed and got to her feet again, shaking herself off violently. With that shake, she subtly shifted herself to angle her tail toward the Sorcerer Supreme, flicking a few flecks of ink at the woman. Ammy grinned in satisfaction at the little splotches of black ink peppering the woman's face, who merely blinked at the wolf, and sighed.
A snap of her fingers left the woman looking pristine and flawless once more. Ammy watched the Ancient One reach with both her hands and spread them apart while looking at the sky. Ammy and Stephen watched, transfixed, as the light pollution from the city quite literally split apart, revealing a bright, glittering night sky of stars.
"Hmm… I think our friend needs a little more convincing, don't you?" The Sorcerer Supreme asked, looking down at the magical wolf that made her way beside the robed woman.
Amaterasu barked an affirmative, giving a lopsided grin at the stupefied Doctor Strange. The duo glanced at one another again, and then at the surgeon. Ammy raised a paw in a farewell gesture, while the Ancient one stepped closer toward Strange.
"Enjoy the trip up to the ground floor," she spoke cheerily. Before Stephen could get a word out, the Sorcerer Supreme pressed a fingertip to his forehead and flicked upward.
Amaterasu watched, transfixed, as the neurosurgeon was sent flying upward at an impossible rate, far into the night sky, his screams fading quickly as he was shot out of view. The wolf gave a little "aroo?" of curiosity, tilting her head as she glanced toward the Ancient One.
"Oh, he'll be fine. I would have done this in a few years anyways if you hadn't brought him here sooner," the woman explained. "Though… I'm enjoying watching his ego shatter, it is quite amusing. I suppose this is the entertainment I had wanted tonight, hmm?"
The wolf chuffed a laugh in response, getting to all fours and stepping through another portal, finding herself with the Ancient One outside of the New York Sanctum, on the sidewalk. The duo stood for a moment before the Sorcerer Supreme stuck out a hand, holding it there.
"I do this with new students who feel they're superior and are arrogant to the ways of the world. They usually learn after having seen new realities and beings far beyond their comprehension. Though there was that one... Convinced we slipped him some hallucinogens and left in a huff," the Ancient One explained, laughing softly.
The wolf merely looked at the Sorcerer Supreme in a combination of concern and trepidation, mentally making a note to really not piss her off. Instead of saying anything though, she decided to wait with the robed woman.
The duo didn't have to wait long as Stephen erupted from the concrete in a shower of rubble, completely unharmed but covered in dust and debris. The ages-old woman caught him in her grip, helping hold him upright. He was quivering, body shaking and breathing quickly. He looked terrified, and the wide-eyed expression didn't quite convey just what he had gone through in that brief flight through something.
"Hmm… I think that's quite enough for one night, don't you agree?"
The wolf barked an affirmative, watching the Sorcerer Supreme set the rattled Doctor Strange to the newly repaired concrete, the man on his knees, looking between the pair in a combination of awe and terror. He collapsed forward, using his hands to support himself as he took a moment to catch his breath, fingers curling up against the asphalt.
"…c-can you teach me?" The doctor asked softly, his breath barely a whisper as he sat up, looking at the two.
"Hmm… I think not. You were quite rude, I don't think I want to subject my other students to that kind of narcissistic behaviour," the Ancient One replied. She turned toward the door, leaving a stunned Amaterasu and an equally silent Strange on the sidewalk.
"W-wait! Please! Let me make it up to you! I can't go back after learning about all this!" Stephen pleaded.
The Ancient One hummed softly as she turned around in the now-open doorway of the New York Sanctum, gazing down at the prostrated man in apathy. She raised a brow when Amaterasu barked softly at her and pursed her lips in thought for a moment as if making a decision she didn't particularly like.
"…very well. At Amaterasu's request, I will consider taking you as a student," the woman stated. "However… ah yes, that will do. You will spend the next week with Amaterasu. If you cannot understand her by the week's end, you will have displayed no magical comprehension or understanding and I will refuse you. Have a wonderful night!"
The door to the sanctum closed with a solid thud, leaving the ruffled-up Doctor Strange alone on the sidewalk with a stunned Amaterasu. Neither of them had been expecting that.
"…ruff…" Ammy swore, grumbling to herself as she shook her head, facing the door of the Sanctum and turning her nose up in a huff.
"You… She's kidding, right?" Stephen asked.
Amaterasu turned on the sidewalk and stepped closer to the doctor, bumping his shoulder with her own as they were at the same height. She used her body to urge him upright, helping the staggered neurosurgeon to his feet.
"Arf." Ammy spoke, looking at the man, and then turning tail to cross the street, padding her way back toward her shrine.
"What? This is crazy. I can't… Wait! Where are you going?" Stephen cried out. He stumbled after her, tripping over his feet for a moment as he jogged forward to catch up to the wolf. He looked down at her and gave a heavy sigh, raising a hand to rub at his face. "This… this is going to be really weird, isn't it?"
"Awoof!" Ammy barked in agreement, nodding her head and giving a little flick of her tail.
The duo walked back with one another toward her shrine, looking up at the now cloud-covered sky once more, one wondering just what he saw up there, while the other knew he'd never be able to forget this night. Regardless of what would happen at the end of this week, Stephen Strange was going to pursue answers.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Amaterasu huffed as she sat at the top of the steps to her shrine, the morning light bringing with it a number of people that had found about the area, and had begun to show up in earnest. She had already recognized some faces, people she had encountered in the hospitals, but most were unfamiliar, holding cameras, being annoying and loud.
She really needed a sign, something against cameras or obnoxiously loud people. Maybe both. She supposed she could just… Collect them all. Maybe put a little table in the entrance to set belongings before entering the shrine properly.
As of right now though, people were being moderately respectful. They slipped around her, not wanting to disturb what they believed to be an actual Goddess. Occasionally someone approached and offer her food, which she happily accepted. Early in the morning, some people brought bacon, which she absolutely loved.
She supposed another reason people were being moderately kind is that she had launched no less than five cellphones over the walls of her shrine when they had been recording themselves, or harassing the other people who were quiet. She rather enjoyed the surprise and shock while watching people scramble for their devices.
For now, she was waiting for that Mr. Strange to appear. Was it an odd name? Yes. She wasn't one to judge, though. They had agreed to meet up roughly an hour after sunrise, mostly Stephen's decision as he said he had things he needed to think about.
Ammy got to all fours and stretched herself out, arching her back and looking upwards, letting out a low groan as she kicked her legs back. She returned to her normal position and shook herself off, her tail flicking and sending a splatter of ink to the ground, which quickly evaporated.
Ammy padded down the front steps and moved beneath the trees, approaching an older-looking woman cradling a flower in her hands. She barked a soft greeting so as to not startle the woman, who turned around, greeting the wolf with a bow.
"Oh! Hello, Amaterasu! I wasn't expecting to see you in person. I brought you something because the flower beds looked bare, dearie." The older woman lifted her shaky hands, showing off a small pot with an equally small plant inside of it. "These are Azaleas, my daughter brought me some on her last visit. I haven't seen her in a while, but thought I might be able to spread her love a little farther."
Amaterasu wagged her tail in response, giving a big goofy doggy grin to the old woman. The woman gingerly set the pot down in the dirt. Ammy leaned in to press herself against the older woman gently, accepting some light scritches and head pats in return before she leaped into the flower bed.
Multiple people watched the claimed Goddess of the Sun start digging in the flower beds like any common canine, much to their confusion. Ammy didn't care, she was having fun! The wolf really started getting into her groove, paws and claws sinking into the earth and flinging it back against the wall.
She continued to dig, deeper and deeper, enjoying the simple act of moving the earth with her bare paws, every shovel of dirt giving the lupine a small sense of satisfaction. It felt right!
"Er, miss Amaterasu…"
Ammy ignored it. She was digging! This was fun!
"…do you think she can hear us?"
What was she doing before this again? Something about a plant? Right, she needed to dig a hole for the nice old lady's plant. Deeper it is!
"Amaterasu!" A familiar voice shouted.
Ammy huffed and looked up. When had it gotten so dark outside?
The wolf paused for a moment and then realized she had dug herself a hole so deep she couldn't see out of the top of it. She blinked for a moment, and then jumped, bounding her way off the walls and getting dirt all over her fur.
…
Stephen Strange was leaning over the hole where multiple people had gathered around, looking at one another curiously. Stephen leaned a little further over, taking a breath to call out to the lupine once again, feeling absolutely ridiculous already.
Stephen made a rather undignified noise as Ammy's head and forepaws poked out over the edge of the hole. He pulled himself back quickly, trying to disguise his surprise, while also attempting to brush off the rather unnecessary shower of dirt and mud that specked his formerly clean suit.
"Wuff!" Ammy barked happily, tongue lolling out and tail wagging hard enough to cause dirt to fling out of the hole she had just made.
"Er… Yes, good morning, Amaterasu," Stephen began, adjusting his tie. "I arrived as per our agreed-upon time, and… Ugh, I feel like an idiot, this is ridiculous."
Amaterasu clambered out of the hole, nearly falling back in after she shook herself off hard enough to stumble, sending dirt and mud flying everywhere. She glanced over and used her brush to drag over the massive pile of dirt, and then worked it over the hole. She was pleasantly surprised to see the dirt being filtered back into the hole.
Interesting… She'd need to play with that later!
With the hole mostly filled in and the area back to normal, Ammy helped the older woman plant the Azalea at the front corner of the border garden, packing in the dirt gently with her paws. Ammy gave a happy little "wurf" of appreciation and gave the woman a light lick on the cheek in thanks.
"I'll see you tomorrow, dearie. Why, I feel younger already," the old woman remarked, hobbling herself out of the shrine at a far faster pace than she had entered with. For all of the magic and insanity the wolf brought, the woman may very well be younger.
Ammy huffed at a job well done, wagging her tail as she looked at the brilliant red plant in the garden. The first of many, she hoped! The wolf crooned happily and wagged for a moment, just glancing around at her shrine.
It was nice, it felt comfortable and welcoming. There was an odd warmth and energy that radiated through the place, causing even the most reluctant of people that entered under the arch of her shrine to reluctantly relax, a soft smile appearing on their faces.
Yes. This felt right.
"Amaterasu," Stephen interrupted, looking down at the wolf, unsure of where to begin, "I… Would like to apologize for my actions yesterday. I was unprofessional and I— mmmf?"
Amaterasu shushed the tall doctor by rearing back and planting a paw directly on his mouth, muffling the man. Stephen glared at the canine, who merely looked back at him with a knowing gaze, gold eyes twinkling mischievously. Ammy dropped back down to all fours and glanced around, before nudging Stephen's hip and walking forward, her tail swaying softly behind her as she walked.
"Where are we going?" The doctor asked, to which Ammy merely glanced back at him and tilted her head, doing the canine equivalent of a shrug. "Right, I'm supposed to follow you around like a dog—er, no offence."
Amaterasu ignored the unintentional slight, her tail flicking against his leg just slightly harder than would be normal. With a brief thought, the wolf realized she wouldn't be able to race around and help people as she could normally. Not with the slow human following her around, even with his fancy silver vehicle.
She stopped for a moment and huffed lightly. Now that she was reduced to teaching and babysitting, her options were severely limited….
"Right, so what's the plan. How are we going to do this in one week?" Stephen asked, crossing his arms and looking down at the canine.
Ammy thought for a moment. How would she best help a stubborn narcissist change his perspective on reality and gain enough magical comprehension to understand a Goddess?
…
She had no idea.
Well, Steve had drawn her with markings. Maybe the image combined with an illusion would help.
Amaterasu did just that, pulling the paper from whatever little sub-dimension it was kept in and pushed it into the doctor's hand. She padded to the side a little and used her magic to make her markings visible with an illusion. She sat down and posed, mimicking the image as best as she could. Stephen looked at the paper, and then at the wolf, glancing between the two with narrowed eyes.
"…Yes, very nice drawing." He said after a moment, confusion lacing his tone. "Sorry, what exactly are you trying to show me?"
The wolf narrowed her eyes and dropped the illusion, giving a little growl of frustration. She tucked the paper away once again and gave a huff. This was going to be more annoying than she thought.
Wait… Drawing… Steve… She had forgotten she was supposed to check in at the Avengers Tower! Something about Tony! The wolf widened her eyes and looked at the doctor intently for a moment as if trying to figure out what the best course of action should be.
Ammy darted forward, catching the neurosurgeon off guard as she ducked behind him and then shoved forward between his legs, taking the man off his feet and depositing him on her back. Stephen gave a startled cry and frantically grabbed at her fur and neck, wherever he could get a handhold.
"Wait wait wait, what are you doing!?" Strange asked, attempting to dismount the canine. A firm push with her tail dissuaded that idea though, keeping the man seated on her back.
With nothing more than a bark of excitement, the wolf started forward, slowly at first, her jog turning into a run, then a sprint, her legs flying faster and faster beneath her. She grinned wide as she raced forward through the streets her paws making the slightest contact with the pavement as she ran forward.
Stephen Strange's terrified screams trailed behind the wolf as she raced through the city, unable to keep the excitement from her tone as she let out an excited bark, limiting herself to speeds that wouldn't fling the poor man off her back.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Stephen's hands were shaking from pure adrenaline as he stumbled his way into the Avengers Tower behind the large white wolf, his mind reeling. That had been too fast. Way too fast. No animal should be able to move like that. Nothing on land, anyways.
Yet, she did anyways, seeming not to care about the laws of physics or how nature limited how fast her species could run. She just did it, turning her nose up at reality and physics in favour of just going.
What had he gotten himself into?
"Ey, no no. No dogs allowed. Shoo, we don't have any cookies for you."
Stephen looked up from the wolf he was following, coming to a stop right in front of what seemed to be a security guard. Or maybe not, he wasn't dressed like a security guard. More like private security, or bouncers, if his memory from fancy cocktail parties was accurate, which it always was. The nametag on his chest read 'Happy' though he seemed anything but.
"Oi, this your dog? C'mon, this is an active construction area, you and your pooch need to evacuate the premises," Happy spoke directly to Stephen this time, pointing at the large wolf, and then at the door.
"Oh, she's not mine, I'm—" Stephen narrowed his eyes as he was interrupted.
"What, are you her dog then? C'mon, I need you two to leave." Happy walked forward toward the pair, rather fearlessly. He reached down and grabbed Amaterasu's collar in a firm grip, fully intending on hauling the canine through the doors.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Stephen warned. He was kind of looking forward to seeing what would happen though, this guard was getting on his nerves.
"Why, are you gonna bite me? I don't— ack!" Happy had attempted to pull the wolf through the doors, walking forward without stopping. Unfortunately, he hadn't been expecting the 200 pounds of wolf to remain seated on the ground, her claws digging into the floor to further assist her grip, on top of all the other magic at her disposal.
Happy tumbled to the floor backwards, his fingers still curled around the black collar around the canine's neck. He looked bewildered, staring up at the roof in confusion. Fortunately, the scene was interrupted by the loud clacking of heels approaching their location.
"Happy, what on Earth are you doing?" A red-headed woman asked, holding a clipboard in one hand, her other hand reaching down toward Happy, "I'm so sorry, are you okay?"
"Oh, hey Pepper, don't worry, I'm fine, just gotta deal with these—" Happy was cut off as Pepper slapped his hand away from the wolf's collar, much to the man's surprise.
"I'm terribly sorry about that, that was very rude, Happy." Pepper scolded, while she turned her attention to the wolf sitting there completely unphased. She gently rubbed at the wolf's neck, and then up behind her ears, causing Ammy to wag just a little.
"What—Pepper, why are you… Oh, no, you can't be serious. That's not—"
"Say 'hello' to Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun… Or so I've been told," Stephen couldn't help the grin that crossed his face. Maybe this week would be more entertaining than he realized.
"Honestly, Happy, did you even read the email I sent you? There were even photos attached!"
"Well, I did, I take my job as Head of Security—" A cleared throat and a raised eyebrow from Pepper stopped Happy in his tracks. "…my job as Head of Security in training, very seriously. Besides, I couldn't figure out how to download the photos… But that's okay! Those videos said to never click links or download things from emails, so you know, technically—"
"Happy, I sent them! I even told you when I did, you can see the dates of the email…" Pepper shook her head, glancing over at the two guests. Ever the professional, she didn't bat an eye as she stuck out a hand for Amaterasu to shake. "It's very nice to meet you, I'm Pepper. Phil told me a lot about you."
Ammy was absolutely delighted by this greeting, wagging her tail and giving a happy little bark to the woman. She slapped her weighty paw down into the woman's hand, very eagerly attempting to shake. Pepper then turned her gaze toward Stephen, offering him her hand as well, which he gladly shook.
"Doctor Strange," the neurosurgeon started, only to glance down at the raised eyebrow of the wolf. "Er, Stephen. Call me Stephen." He was growing a little more used to this now. Maybe he wasn't crazy after all, if this is how normal people were greeting the magical lupine he was tasked to follow.
As Stephen and Pepper began to talk, Ammy decided she should go properly greet this Happy person that had tried to haul her away. The large wolf padded up to the still-downed Head of Security in training and flopped herself across his lap as he was attempting to stand up. Happy grunted and was forced back to the floor when the 200 pounds of fluff decided he would make a good pillow. The wolf shifted around and dug her elbows into his thighs, maybe being slightly vindictive about the whole situation from before. It was totally deserved though!
"Er, hello, sorry about the misunder—Pepper are you sure this is the right one? When you said 'wolf' I thought you meant like how you can call some ladies 'foxy' as another way to—Oh, you're getting close." Happy glanced back at the redhead, and then at the wolf once more.
Ammy leaned in closer toward Happy, gold eyes glittering mischievously as her large head loomed closer and closer to the man's face, obviously making him nervous. The wolf gazed straight into his eyes, a low rumbling growl escaping her jaws as she crept closer, and closer.
"Uh… Nice doggy? Pepper, a little help? I don't— ack!"
Ammy lunged. She licked the man clear across the face, from chin to forehead, before pushing off of the man and darting away.
"Ah! Oh God I had my mouth open and everything! Ack!" Happy moved to his knees and started dragging his hand across his tongue, making disgusted retching noises in an attempt to clean himself. "I'm going to the hospital, I might have rabies!"
"You don't have rabies, Happy," Pepper sighed.
"You don't know that! I could! Maybe she's good at hiding it," Happy accused, much to everyone's amusement. He got to his feet and wiped his mouth and face off on his sleeve, making his way toward the door. "I'm going to the hospital to get a rabies shot, hopefully it's not too late."
The three watched the rather unhappy Happy stumble his way out the door. Amaterasu wagged her tail gleefully, content at having caused another scenario to de-escalate. She truly was a people person, and putting her natural charm to great use!
"Is… is this normal?" Stephen asked.
"Yes, unfortunately," Pepper sighed, referring to Happy.
Ammy barked an affirmative as well. The wolf caused all sorts of situations, that much Stephen could understand.
Stephen followed along behind Pepper and the Goddess of the Sun as the redhead lead them on a tour of the under-construction facility.
"This is going to be weird…" He mumbled.
A glance over the shoulder from the wolf in front of him was all the confirmation he needed.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Amaterasu sat in a clearing in Central Park, looking up at the sky with a happy sigh. She wagged her tail and closed her eyes, feeling the gentle breeze ruffling through her fur, and the sounds and scents being carried to her.
This area was nice. She wasn't a fan of the massive buildings blocking her view, but for all intents and purposes, this little area of the city was her favourite. Well, of what she had explored so far. Maybe there were groups of people out there looking to pet and feed her!
Oh! Or paintings! She had heard about an "art gallery" from an individual she had healed in the hospital, and very much wanted to go. If she could figure out where one would be, that is. Most people weren't exactly receptive to barks and huffs.
She was pulled from her musings as Stephen stumbled through the illusion Amaterasu had set up, giving the man a happy bark in greeting. The man was dressed more casually today, wearing a long sleeve shirt and some slacks. Semi-formal. Ammy wasn't sure if the man owned anything more casual, but she doubted it.
"Good morning, Amaterasu. What are we—" Stephen was interrupted almost as soon as he got close to the canine, having a thin paintbrush shoved in his face. He took it with a moderately confused expression.
"Woof!" Ammy replied, wagging her tail.
The wolf turned around and dotted the ground with her tail at several different spots, leaving behind a black inky substance. Stephen looked down as the wolf came to sit beside him, and watched the spot. Almost immediately, sprouts of green started to form, quickly growing larger and longer. Stephen watched in awe (and Ammy in satisfaction) as multiple shoots of bamboo rocketed out of the ground and grew at a rapid rate.
"Could you always do that?" Stephen asked, squinting at the freshly grown plant life. The only response he got was a gaze from the wolf, who tilted her head slightly and gave a little huff.
He had no idea.
Before he could go further with his questioning, he looked up and watched as the wolf approached the bamboo shoots. She looked at them for a moment, contemplating, before jumping up and spinning around, dragging her tail across the bamboo shoots and leaving a large smear of black ink across them.
"We're… painting? I hardly see how that—"
Amaterasu snapped her jaws shut with a click. In that moment, a force slashed across the bamboo where the ink had been, causing the top half of the plant to slip down from the bottom half, falling to the ground in a loud clatter.
"Are those even real?"
Amaterasu rolled her eyes and leaned down to grab one of the fallen bamboo shoots in her jaws, and twisted her head, bonking the sorcerer-in-training over the head with it, and then letting it clatter to the ground.
"Ow! Okay, fine, very real."
A quick use of magic later had more bamboo shoots growing in front of the duo. Amaterasu brought her tail up to the neurosurgeon and brushed it across the tip of the paintbrush. She gave a light "yip" and turned her head to the bamboo, and then back to Stephen.
Once again, she cut down the bamboo, but this time without moving from her spot, allowing Stephen to catch just the slightest glimpse of ink across the stalks from ten feet away, before the bamboo fell to the ground.
"Hang on, are you— I can't—"
Amaterasu narrowed her eyes at Stephen and grew more bamboo for the neurosurgeon. She made a barrier of clear ice in front of the man, and used her tail to guide his arm, dragging the ink covered brush across the ice. The ink stroke disappeared rapidly, and Ammy gave a happy little bark, encouraging him on.
"I feel ridiculous…" Stephen grumbled.
Despite his protest, he raised his hand and swiped the brush through the air, dragging it along the surface of the barrier, making it look for all intents and purposes that he had drawn across the bamboo.
"This is silly. I'm clearly not—wait… perspective…" He seemed a little more hopeful, as if something clicked. "Can I try again?"
Ammy's gold eyes glittered in approval, and she gave a huff and a nod, using her tail to coat the brush in more ink. She kept the barrier up and watched the man draw a line across the ice, but he was focusing intently on the bamboo shoots.
…
Nothing.
He turned to look at the wolf, who was facing the bamboo instead.
"Look, I don't think—"
A loud clatter filled the clearing, and Stephen watched as the bamboo shoots fell to the ground, the tall plants falling around the duo.
"Wait, what? D-did I do that?"
He didn't. Ammy gave a happy bark and a nod in affirmative though, causing the man to look down at the brush in wonder. He gazed back up as Amaterasu used her magic to bring the shoots back to full height, and urged him onward.
At this point, Ammy felt a pull on her magic, on her being. Just a minor one, almost indistinguishable from the soft breeze ruffling through her fur, but it was there. Someone was using her magic, her celestial brush powers.
The wolf watched as Stephen focused and drew a line across the empty air, no ice barrier in place this time. Ammy felt a tug, and froze time for a brief moment, looking intently at the bamboo shoots.
There, just barely noticeable, was a small nick on the stalks.
Amaterasu smirked and slashed her tail across the bamboo, cutting it at the same time Stephen had drawn his line. This time he had done it, she just helped a little.
"I… I can't believe this. What… how—" He paused as he looked down at the canine, who was happily wagging her tail, looking up at the man with a dopey dog grin. "Right, magic wolf. Magic powers. Magic…"
The neurosurgeon hummed in thought for a moment and reached into his pocket, a grin gracing his lips. He pulled out his phone and started typing on it. Ammy didn't understand what he was doing until sound started to come from the small device in his hands. It was pretty fast-paced, building up to solid beats and brought a feeling of excitement to the air.
"Eye of the Tiger, by Survivor. You can't do training without it," Stephen grinned, and set the device down, setting himself in a stance as he breathed deep and focused.
The pair continued on, through song after song, brush stroke after brush stroke. Ammy had to help him each time, the doctor unable to even cut one stalk of bamboo down.
But, as they progressed, she had to put just a little less effort into it.
And Stephen was genuinely smiling all the while.