"Hello?" He picked up his personal encrypted phone.

"Mr. Vice President, I hope I didn't call at a bad time." The aggravatingly smooth voice of Aldrich Killian rolled through the phone speaker. He cringed but kept his tone neutral.

"No, not at all, just give me one second to step inside." The Vice President covered up the microphone on his cell. "Hey, hun, I'm just going to step inside really quick! Daddy needs to take this call, I'll just be a couple minutes!"

A door opened, then thudded shut. Some curses were muttered, none of which were able to be heard through the phone as the Vice President walked through his house. He came to a stop in the living room and pulled the curtains to the side, keeping an eye on his wheelchair-bound daughter.

"Killian, I wasn't expecting a call for a while," he sighed. "Please don't tell me someone else blew up, or that you've got some agency breathing down your neck. I can only cause so many distractions before things become obvious."

"I need Amaterasu," Killian replied. "None of my employees can get into contact with her directly. She's constantly surrounded by people or she's moving too fast to catch up to her."

"Why her?" The Vice President paused for a moment. "Why me?" He glanced out the window again, checking on his daughter. The Secret Service agents stood guard like always, while his daughter and some of her friends chattered and played.

"I'm sure you've seen, or at least heard, of her abilities. Healing injuries in an instant. No scars! It's quite impressive really. I need to see if we can replicate that and integrate it with Extremis. If we can, it should be done far sooner. As for you…" Killian gave a chuckle as if the answer were obvious. "Well, she doesn't exactly have an email address. I know you have contacts. I'm not going to be the only person you've got little deals with, I'm sure."

"Killian, she's too public. I can't—"

"Some father you are." The CEO scoffed. "You won't even try to reach out so that I can finish this project. The president and his ban on 'unethical' experiments lead you to me, didn't it? So, when I ask for something that could push the completion of this to next week, you won't even try?" Killian sighed. "I thought this was for your little girl. She could have her leg back and be walking in days, and you refuse to take that step to help. How shameful."

"You… Don't you fucking…" The Vice President took a breath and gazed out at his daughter again. She looked happy, but she couldn't run around. Couldn't chase her friends, or play tag. Her childhood was passing by in front of her, and she was stuck in that chair. In quiet little moments they had together, spending time with one another, she would admit that she was sad. She'd tell him how she missed going on walks with him, and that it wasn't the same in the chair. He was one of the most powerful men in the world, and he wasn't able to do a thing about it. He couldn't make things better for his little girl.

Until now, that is.

"…If I get into contact with someone, and it all goes south, that's it for both of us. I hope you realize that." The Vice President sighed. "You'd better have thought long and hard about bringing Amaterasu into the mix. If anything goes wrong—"

"If anything goes wrong, we'll stick her full of Extremis, throw her in public, and film it. When she goes poof, people aren't going to trust the Avengers nearly as much. They'll want military aid. More security and control over those loose canons. If you play your cards right, this could be a fantastic opportunity for everyone." Killian reasoned. The Vice President hated how tempting that sounded. "Don't worry, the mutt won't be a problem for us. And hey, if she is, I know you've probably got people for that too."

"When and where do you want to meet her?"

"Noon tomorrow. There's a little restaurant in Little Tokyo called Beronberon, I'll have my associate Maya Hansen be there." There was a brief pause. "Oh, right. Try and get someone to go along with Amaterasu, someone just talking to a dog draws attention. Be inconspicuous." Killian's tone was commanding. He knew he had the Vice President in his grasp; he'd do anything for his daughter.

"Very well, I'll make a call or two and see what I can do." There were no goodbyes from either party. The call ended and left the Vice President alone in the living room, thoughts spinning. His mind fixated on someone he'd dealt with in the past.

Alexander Pierce. Calling him wouldn't be too odd, the man was the Secretary of the World Security Council. He had managed to climb ranks within SHIELD and had solidified his grasp on the organization. He was invaluable to them. Unfortunately, he was also one of the heads of Hydra. The Vice President loathed working with them, but with the way things seemed to be trending in the world, their victory seemed all but assured. It wouldn't be much time now. To keep himself and his own safe he might as well get in their good graces.

He went through his phone once more, his finger hovering over the final digit on the screen. Should he? Could he? A glance outside to his daughter answered that question, and he pushed the final number into his phone. He would do it for her.

"This is Pierce," answered the voice on the other line.

"Hello, Pierce. It's me again. Look, I need a favour. Someone needs to get into contact with Amaterasu, and I know you've got someone that can do that."

"Ah, Mr. Vice President. One second." There was a pause, walking, a door closing, before Alexander Pierce started talking again. "So, why does someone need to speak with the mutt?" The tone was dismissive.

"They'd like her abilities to try and progress their project. It's…" The Vice President sighed. "I know your organization has been looking into recreating the Super Soldier serum with little luck. If you do this, you might be able to get your hands on something equally as useful, if not more so."

There was silence for a brief moment.

"…I'm listening," Alexander Pierce, the Hydra head, sounded interested.

…

A short call later found the Vice President on his lawn again, approaching his wheelchair-bound daughter. He needed to distract himself, and honestly, the weather was holding up well. A stroll with his daughter, her friends, and the "disguised" Secret Service agents was in order. Maybe some ice cream? Whatever they did, as long as his daughter smiled, it would be well worth the day off.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

It was nearing nine in the morning and Amaterasu still hadn't left her shrine. Her sleep had been awful. Nightmares of hundreds of faces plagued her. Thousands of hands reached out for her, grabbed at her paws and dragged her down. Tens of thousands of voices crying out for her help, begging for her attention, trying so desperately to get the deity to look at them and solve all their problems.

No, sleep had not come easily. Drifting in and out of consciousness, startling awake, shifting around to get comfy, and then attempting it all over again. Nothing changed over the numerous hours laying in her bed, on the floor, or along one of the walls.

Finally, the sun had risen once more. Amaterasu huffed and trudged her way forward through the small building, flopping herself down in one of the sunbeams on the floor. She shifted side to side and rolled to her ribs with a grumble, pushing herself against the wall. Her tail flicked as she stretched herself out and then lay still on the floor, her fur already warming up from the light hitting her.

The wolf sighed and gave another tired yawn, tongue curling, and ended the sound with a shrill whine. She closed her eyes and shuffled over slightly on the floor, the wood warm below her and the sun hot above her. This was more like it. Comfy, warm, and relaxing. Her eyes slipped closed, and she took a deep, filling breath, letting it out with a sigh. Exhaustion began to overtake her once more. Comfort and peace took over her mind, allowing her to drift off into a cozy sleep.

…

"Hello? Amaterasu?" A voice crackled to life directly beside her, startling her out of her sleep.

She yelped and jolted hard, smashing her head back against the wall. The wood wall shattered, sending a shower of splinters out into the shrine. Immediately, a torrent of noise hit her, people commenting on the sudden appearance of the wolf's head through the wall. Pictures were taken while Ammy reeled in her exhaustion, head angled at a sharp right angle, the world in her vision tilted sideways. She snorted once and ducked her head back into the shrine, leaving a gaping hole in the wood.

Ammy growled and muttered several un-deity-like words to herself while she repaired the hole in the shrine. She huffed in embarrassment and pushed herself to all fours, glancing around for the source of the voice. There was no one in the shrine, however.

"Oh good, sounds like it worked," the voice came from directly below her. She glanced down but saw nothing. "My name is Agent Rumlow. I'm one of the field commanders with SHIELD."

Ammy blinked. She brought a paw up and hooked it around her collar, giving it a tug. Oh, right! The man with the eyepatch had told her it was a tracker and a communicator! Amaterasu found the fact that someone was talking to her through the collar fascinating and gave an excited bark. She would really need to figure out what new wonders this world really held.

"Yeah, no. Sorry, Poochy, I heard that Thor could understand ya, but I've got nothing," Rumlow spoke. Ammy grumbled in reply. "No idea where he is. Probably went back to 'ass-guard' or whatever. Anyways! I'm contacting you for a reason. There's someone SHIELD is interested in that wants to talk to you. I've been told they want to work on benefiting all of humanity through their work. You know, help everyone and all that jazz."

Ammy faltered at that. Helping everyone seemed like an incredibly noble goal. She wanted to help everyone she could as well, but after last night, that goal seemed much too far away to reach. Though, maybe this new group would be able to help her out? Talking to them and learning what they were doing certainly wouldn't hurt. It was an exciting prospect. Maybe she wouldn't have to help everyone. If she could get assistance doing so, things would be so much easier!

"Anyways, I'd like to speak with you in person if possible. Just in case someone else is listening in. Classified information and all that," Rumlow continued. "I'm currently near the lake here in Central Park. If ya could come by in disguise or something, that would be great."

Ammy barked an affirmative, her tone loud and excited.

"…Yeah, sorry, Poochy, didn't catch that one either."

Amaterasu gave a huff and shook herself off. She wheeled herself around in the direction of the lake and stepped forward. In a flash of blue, she teleported through the wall and landed on the grass within her shrine, her form invisible to the people inside. She approached the outer wall and did the same thing, doing her best to walk through the throngs of people that were just… waiting there. Watching. Like vultures, staring at the entrance to her shrine, waiting for her to come out.

It was unnerving, and her heart dropped a little further. She shook her head and steeled herself once more. This was no time to be sad! Agent Rumlow wanted to meet up with her and talk about helping people with her! She couldn't keep him waiting now, could she?

The wolf weaved her way around and through the people around the shrine, her footsteps soft in an attempt to keep her presence hidden. She ducked around one person and leaped over another. Finally, she was free, breaking out into a sprint. Once she was a sufficient distance away, she threw on her standard German Shepherd illusion. Ammy rushed by someone walking along the path with what smelled like breakfast.

Ammy continued in a sprint through the grass and onto the path, racing toward where Rumlow said he was waiting.

Unbeknownst to her, that person with breakfast was none other than Steve Rogers. The super soldier had stopped to get food for the two of them after learning that Ammy hadn't left her shrine at dawn like she usually did. He watched the familiar canine race past and looked down at its paws. Growing underneath each paw with every step were grass and wildflowers.

The disguised Steve glanced toward the shrine and the crowd around it, then abruptly turned. He began his slow jog down the path after the wolf.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

"So, that's the situation, Poochy. The restaurant at noon, and I'll be acting as a stand-in with you in disguise," Agent Brock Rumlow explained. The Hydra agent looked over the hidden wolf, impressed by the realistic look of the illusion before him. "I'll be asking questions that seem important to anything SHIELD needs to know, and what might be of interest to ya. Obviously, I can't figure out what you're saying, but get my attention if there's a topic we're discussing that needs some more answers. Sound good?"

An affirmative bark and a wag of her tail were all that the illusion gave him. He couldn't even tell if the wolf was actually paying attention; that didn't matter though, this wasn't really for her. Pierce, and the Hydra leaders in general, seemed extremely interested in something that could be on par with the Super Soldier Serum. Healing at an impossible rate sounded like an immensely useful tool for all Hydra agents to possess.

"Perfect, sounds like we've got a plan. We've got about two hours to kill, have anything pressing to deal with?" Rumlow asked. A shake of her head was the only response the canine gave.

It seemed absurd, speaking to a dog like this. With how interested both Sitwell and Pierce were in this project though, Rumlow had no room to argue. This was important, excessively so. Hydra had an interest in Amaterasu's abilities. She was fast, strong, could use what seemed to be magic, and was impossible to contain. Throwing a potential super serum into the mix led to a volatile situation that not many could touch without drawing suspicion. Luckily, investigating a company that had a history of working on unethical experiments and manufacturing weapons fit the role of a counter-terrorism unit well.

"Ya know…" Rumlow began. "I saw what happened on the news last night. To you, I mean."

A confused whine and a tilt of her head had the disguised wolf looking at him once again. Her tail gave a little flick across the grass, stirring up some flowers. Rumlow was once again amazed by how real the illusion was. Fur rippling in the wind, eyes flickering to focus on him or other things that caught their attention, the movements of her breathing in time with the sound. What he wouldn't give for an ability like that; it would make his job so much easier.

"You know, all those people. Those cameras, all crowding around ya. It was messed up. They just can't leave people that want to do good alone. You should be able to do whatever ya want without them bugging you." Rumlow continued. While waiting to accomplish his primary goal, he might as well start working on his secondary one: feeling out Amaterasu for her character, flaws, and, if possible, convincing her into Hydra. Baby steps; one could never be too careful with this.

A little huff from the canine let him know he was on the mark. She was frustrated by the attention. Maybe even upset or overwhelmed? The way her paws kneaded at the ground clued him into her indecision and anxiety. Her tail wasn't moving either, laying still on the grass while she stared at the ground in thought. Perfect.

"It's silly if you think about it," Rumlow continued, "they have all the time and freedom in the world, and they spend it harassing you. They could be doing so much good. Ya know, like you've been. Caring for the sick and injured, or… contributing to society in some way. Instead, they're spending their time hounding you for attention. Heh, sorry, dog joke, couldn't help it."

Amaterasu gave a little snort at his joke, her tail twitching a little on the ground. She looked back up at him, presumably looking at his face. The height difference between the wolf and her illusion had the canine's eyes pointed at his chest, however. He had her attention.

"Harassing ya would be the better way to describe it. It's kind of frustrating. I deal with similar stuff all the time, just on a different level. The people you're dealing with are causing trouble for you so they can get attention. It's incredibly selfish." He took a moment and ensured she was paying attention. "The people I have to deal with are a similar sort, only they hurt people for attention. They go the extra step, all to get eyes on them. They could be doing so much good with all their talents, but they waste them being a danger to society…"

The duo sat in silence for a moment while Rumlow stared off into the distance. He sat quietly for a long moment as if reminiscing in memories. He blinked, shook his head, and gave a sheepish grin to the not-German Shepherd by his feet.

"Sorry, got a little lost in thought there. You're a great listener, anyone ever tell ya that?"

A little bark and a wag of her tail had Rumlow grinning. He reached forward and aimed a little higher than where the canine's head should be, and met resistance in the form of those big floofy wolf ears. He ruffled up her head a little, earning a happy little growl back from Amaterasu. She leaned into his touch and gave a happy little "arrr" at the petting.

"Ya know, if you ever wanna chat more, you should head down to Washington DC. It's basically straight south of here. SHIELD's headquarters are there, and I'm based out of there more often than not. Could chat about some mission stories with ya, or introduce you to the team. I bet—"

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The duo were interrupted by the sound of someone walking up behind them and clearing their throat. Rumlow turned around, ready to tell the person off, only to freeze. He bit back a curse and kept his voice smooth, looking unphased.

"Oh, heya, Cap," he greeted. Rumlow pulled away from the illusion of the German Shepherd. He was just in time too, because the wolf immediately dropped her disguise and launched herself at the super soldier with a happy bark.

Steve set the paper bag down behind the bench and took a step back. He pivoted, held out his arms, and braced himself, the entirety of Amaterasu crashing into his arms and against his chest. He stumbled from the impact, and couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. He turned his face away as Ammy leaned up and attempted to lick him the best she could, craning herself around, her tail wagging wildly.

"Ack! You're, uh— hey, don't lick my ear!" Steve grimaced and tried to lean away from the excited wolf. "You're Rumlow, right? From the tower— pfft, really? My mouth was open!"

The Hydra agent sitting on the bench watched the scene in disbelief. Not only was Rogers holding up a monster of a wolf without effort, but he was also being bathed in affection by the lupine. Clearly, there were already friendships being formed that Hydra wasn't aware of. This could cause problems…

"Yeah, that's me. Nice to see ya again, Cap." Rumlow stood up, walking around the bench to stand near Steve and Amaterasu. The Hydra soldier cleared his throat and nodded toward both Ammy and Rogers when they looked at him. "Thanks for meeting with me, Poochy. Just remember they wanna meet ya at noon. I'll see ya in a few hours. I've gotta go make some calls and organize an upcoming mission with my team."

Agent Brock Rumlow turned from Steve Rogers and Amaterasu. His strides were measured, calm, and collected. He made his way along the sidewalk and out of sight of the duo, waiting for a little bit to ensure no one was watching him. A quick glance around confirmed he was indeed relatively alone, as much as one could be in New York anyways. He pulled out his phone, muttering some curses under his breath.

"This is Sitwell," came the greeting.

"Jasper, we have a bit of a fuckin' problem," the Hydra agent ground out. "Cap's back early. He's snooping around the mutt."

"Captain Rogers wasn't supposed to be back for another 3 days from his mission to Europe…" Jasper Sitwell, clearance level seven Hydra agent, paused for a moment. The tapping of computer keys could be heard briefly. "Black Widow was reassigned to that mission. Roger's currently assigned mission is at level eight. I can't see anything about it, Fury must have done something. I can let Pierce know, but there's nothing we can do about it at the moment."

"Shit… I'll figure it out. Priority one is still a go. Priority two will be put on hold until we get more space from Fury's pet project."

"Keep me updated." Sitwell hung up a moment later.

Rumlow cursed under his breath again and stuffed his phone into his pocket. He began his walk toward the SHIELD HQ in New York. Unfortunately, despite being a level five agent within SHIELD and the head of an anti-terrorism squad… he still had paperwork he needed to fill out.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

After Agent Rumlow had walked away, Ammy immediately tried assaulting Steve with more licks. The man grimaced and set the wolf down, wiping his face off with the sleeve of his sweater.

"That was mildly disgusting," Steve sighed, looking down at the wagging wolf with a raised eyebrow. "You might wanna throw your illusion back up, before anyone sees you."

The super soldier gave a chuckle as the wolf's eyes grew large, and pulled the illusion over herself once more. Now a German Shepherd sat before Steve once more, looking up at him and wagging her tail. He still couldn't get over how quickly she had grown into that ability. It was startling but still impressive. He briefly wondered how well Loki would take the news that the wolf who had the ability for less than a month was seemingly better at it than he was.

"So…" Steve squatted before the canine and reached to pull his sunglasses down. "I don't want to pry, but… I did see what happened on the news last night. Then this morning, you didn't move even after the sun came up. Are you okay?"

Ammy gave a little huff and crooned in response. Her tail gave a little flick and stirred up the grass, causing several flowers to sprout up. Steve reached forward and offered his open hand to the disguised wolf, allowing her to pull away or protest. When she didn't, he reached up and rubbed at her neck floof in slow, soft strokes. The sensation was odd, as his fingers were feeling her neck a little higher than where it visually was. That would take some getting used to. Still, Steve sighed a little when Ammy leaned into his touch as he tried to comfort the wolf.

"Yeah, I kind of figured it was like that. I'm not sure if it was your first time being swarmed like that, but it can be pretty scary and awkward." Amaterasu gave a little rumble in the back of her throat in response. He worked his hand higher up, rubbing behind her ears. "I managed to grow into it with help, luckily enough. I'm not too sure what you know of me, but I used to be this skinny little kid, a nobody in this big world. Suddenly I found myself surrounded by fans that knew who I was and pushing for my signature. Or… they said the most outlandish things to get a reaction out of me. It was hard adjusting at first."

Steve stood up, much to the dismay of the wolf. The sad little whine just caused Steve to smile at Amaterasu, giving her a reassuring look. He took a few steps and reached over to pick up the paper bag he had set down earlier.

"Since you hadn't gone anywhere, I figured you didn't have breakfast. Sorry if you did, but, I did bring some—"

Steve was interrupted as the dog blurred in front of him, a gust of wind washing over his form from the sudden stop. Furrows were carved into the ground from how quickly had shot forward three feet, grass and dirt bunched up under her paws from sliding to a stop. Ammy's tail was a blur of activity, flicking back and forth so hard the grass behind her was flattened. She was staring intently at the bag in his hands, and he swore if she stared any harder it would burst into flames.

"No, you aren't food motivated at all, are you?" Steve teased, giving the wolf a smile when she nodded her head. "So… seeing as you aren't exactly a normal wolf, I'm not really all too sure what you eat. So, I kinda got a little bit of everything. I have bagels, breakfast sausage, garden salad with some eggs, as well as some random fruits that were… You, uh… You're drooling."

Amaterasu was in fact drooling. Not that she cared in the slightest. The contents of the bag were what held her attention, and she happily ignored the strings of saliva hanging from her jaws if it meant food. She shuffled forward a little closer to Steve, another whine escaping from her as she looked up at the soldier, then back down to the bag.

"Okay, okay," Steve laughed, "let me grab my stuff and I'll lay everything else out on the bench in their containers, alright?" He walked around and started pulling food from the bag, opening up those little cardboard containers and laying them out. He grabbed his own breakfast, just a cream cheese bagel, and sat down at one end of the bench.

Steve looked out over the pond and took a breath of the fresh air afforded to him within Central Park. All the greenery was nice in comparison to the grey bland mess of buildings that reached into the sky. It was good to take a break from everything for a little while, to just take in the world around you.

He looked to his left and faltered. Ammy was sitting on the bench, looking at him and wagging happily. All the food was gone. Even the containers. That was… mildly concerning. He glanced down to his own bagel with a single bite out of it.

"No, you had all that, let me eat." Rogers turned himself to the side a little, putting his back toward the wolf and shielding his bagel with his body. He took another bite, then paused when he felt a weight on his shoulder.

Steve glanced to his right, while Amaterasu shifted her eyes to the left. They both looked at one another, Steve staring into her eyes as he took another bite. Ammy merely shuffled forward a little more, her head resting on Steve's shoulder. She wasn't drooling now, thank goodness, but she was far too close for comfort.

"…fine. A small piece."

The super soldier broke off a piece of the bagel and fed it to the wolf, who took it with a happy little croon. She immediately turned and dragged her tongue across his cheek, leaving a shiny trail of wolf slobber as thanks.

"That's still as gross as the last few times. Some day someone's gonna lick you back and you're not gonna know what to do." Steve chuckled and finished his breakfast with relatively little interruption after that, the duo looking out at the water.

The relative silence in their little area of the park was serene. Peaceful. The water was calm, reflecting the opposite side of the park with amazing clarity. The greenery around the duo was in full bloom, though Steve wasn't sure if that had anything to do with the wolf beside him or not. Lately, the park had been feeling clean. Fresh in a way that some big central city attraction just shouldn't feel. For all intents and purposes, Central Park felt as real and natural as any other wilderness he had visited.

The birds flitting overhead were bright and colourful. Squirrels leapt from branch to branch, skittering around with recklessness that only a small animal could afford. The stagnant air of the city didn't seem to quite penetrate the bubble of life and purity that Central Park exuded. The two glanced down at what appeared to be a raccoon shuffling its way up toward the pair. The masked bandit came to a halt right before Ammy and sat down, reaching its little paws up toward the disguised lupine.

One of the bagels that Steve had set out for the wolf popped into existence in the raccoon's little hands. He had no idea how it happened. The raccoon though, gave a happy little chitter and waddled away with his prize, nibbling on the snack given to him by the wolf.

Amaterasu looked at peace. Her tail lay still, and her posture unchanging, but she seemed relaxed. Content. The way she breathed slowly, deeply, had her chest rising and falling in smooth motions. Her illusion gradually faded away, but no one was paying them any attention.

There was a certain warmth radiating out from the lupine, who stared out across the lake. Every breath carried weight with it. She inhaled, and the wind shifted. Grass angled toward them, and leaves danced their way around the duo in slow, steady patterns. Then she would exhale, and the breeze changed again. A warm, soft gust worked through their hair and fur, causing the grass to push away, and the leaves dancing near the duo to flutter into the distance.

Every breath was like this. Nature seemed to be shifting in time with the lupine beside him. The birds flitting overhead quickly grew silent, coming to a halt on the branches of the trees near the two. Squirrels and chipmunks alike made their way down the trees, settling at the bases without a sound. The ducks and other waterfowl turned their heads, looking in their direction, making their way toward the shore.

The raccoon from earlier trundled out of the bushes again, followed this time by five babies, each holding onto a little bit of the bagel Ammy had given to them, nibbling away. A coyote emerged from the bushes immediately beside the raccoon family. Then, behind it stumbled two little baby coyotes from the bushes. The two adults glanced at one another and then turned their attention back toward the wolf.

The air grew calm again. The sun beating down on the duo almost paled in comparison to the soft warmth radiating from the wolf. An odd peace settled around the region for a moment as the lupine gazed out across the waters, thoughts on faraway lands and long-gone peoples. Slow, deep breaths had the world shifting closer, and then pushing away once more. Nature responded to her being, while the wildlife watched on, a strange tranquillity in the air.

Amaterasu blinked. The quiet was broken. The warmth flooding the area vanished with a snap. The breeze kicked back up, rustling through their hair and fur. The animals all seemed to collectively realize where they were and retreated back to their homes without a single fight breaking out. Birds flitted away, and suddenly the duo found themselves alone once more.

Steve wasn't really sure what he should say. What could he say in response to that? Nature itself seemed to gravitate toward the lupine for a moment. He knew he wasn't imagining things and it wasn't an illusion. There was a different quality to the air. Some feeling that was hard to place.

Amaterasu jumped when Steve set his hand on her shoulder, the wolf quickly throwing up an illusion once more. She glanced over at the soldier and tilted her head, her tail giving a little wriggle on the bench.

"I'm moving into an apartment today."

…

The duo looked at one another for a moment, Amaterasu blinking, while Steve frowned.

"That was weird. Sorry, let me try that again. I'm moving into the city. Brooklyn, near the area I grew up. I know you probably don't need help, but, if things get as crazy as they did outside your home the night before, you're more than free to stop by. I can't promise I'll be there all the time or anything, but when I'm not doing any SHIELD work, I'll be living there." Steve found himself rambling and took a moment to collect himself. "I think I need to get reacquainted with the world, and living in a secret base for super spies isn't going to help me do that."

Ammy gave a soft rumble in response, her tail giving a light flick. She thought hard momentarily, gazing out onto the water again. Should she have another place to sleep? People knew where to find her; honestly, she adored her shrine. But it wasn't exactly private, not with people constantly trying to get her attention. The Ancient One had also offered her a place to rest and stay within if the wolf found herself wanting. Had she seen ahead to this moment in time, realizing what was happening to her?

She would have to go visit her soon anyways, if for nothing else then just to harass Stephen a little and see how his training was going. The goddess was certain that with the proper instruction, Stephen would be a force to be reckoned with. That, or a sarcastic narcissist who could make magic sparkles and grow bamboo. She was leaning toward the first one though, she had some faith in the Strange doctor.

Amaterasu huffed and looked over at the super soldier sitting beside her, who had been sitting quietly. She glanced down and paused. When had he pulled out that little notebook? The man was doodling on the lined paper with a pencil, his fingers moving in precise little movements. He was sketching the lake before them, in fair high detail too considering the size of the page. The wolf was stunned, however, when he started scribbling across the page, filling in a section of it. What was he doing?

Her inquisitive little "aroo" caught Steve's attention, who just glanced over at her, and then shifted himself a little to angle the notebook toward her. He gave her a glance and a knowing smile before he took a finger and began rubbing it across the page. It seemed like he was working on part of the lake portion, but Ammy couldn't understand what he was doing.

Then he removed his finger from the page, and she gave an excited yip. He was shading the lake with the pencil smudges from his finger! The Goddess of the Sun was wagging excitedly, leaning in toward the paper and inspecting it closely.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The little speaker box on her collar crackled to life and the voice of Agent Rumlow gained both of their attention. The lovely peace and quiet of the late morning had been shattered.

"Hey, Poochy. Just a heads up, you've got about 45 minutes until ya have to be there. I'm not too worried, you're pretty quick. Just wanted to give you a warning, I'm already on my way. I'll meet you there. Rumlow out." Just like that, he was gone.

Amaterasu gave an annoyed little huff. She had been enjoying her time hanging out with Steve and wanted it to continue. Unfortunately, she did agree to a meeting with the people that wanted to talk to her. The thought of assisting with a project that could benefit the whole world? It was too great of an opportunity to pass on.

"Well, I suppose that means our morning is up," Steve sighed, tucking his notebook away. He got to his feet and glanced down at the disguised Amaterasu when she landed on the grass alongside him. "You gonna be okay? Don't need me to come with you or anything?"

Amaterasu rolled her eyes and flashed him a toothy smile, all her sharp canines were on display for the soldier while she sat pretty. She even had the audacity to lift a paw and shoo him off! Steve raised both his hands in surrender, giving a little chuckle.

"Oh, is that how it is? Fine, fine, I'll leave you be." He laughed and crossed his arms, looking down at the canine illusion.

The look was broken when Ammy dropped her disguise and jumped at the super soldier, forcing Steve to duck his head and wrap his arms around her middle, cradling his face into her neck floof. He kept his head down as Amaterasu struggled, her head flailing back and forth as she tried to dart in and lick Steve's face, only to be thwarted as he hid in her fluff! He was truly devious, a crafty tactician of the highest order!

"Alright, alright, go on now you goofball, don't wanna keep Rumlow waiting." Steve set the large wolf down and ruffled up the fur on her head. Ammy gave a happy "rurr" in response, her tongue lolling out.

Steve stepped away and Ammy took the chance to cloak herself with an illusion, vanishing in front of the soldier. Amaterasu crouched down and sank her claws into the dirt below. She tensed her legs, magic flooding through her system, her whole body tingling with an energy that caused the grass around the wolf to flatten.

Suddenly, there was a lurch, and the ground exploded. Chunks of dirt and grass pelted the bench and shot into the air, flying far enough to pepper the water of the lake. Amaterasu rocketed forward, her initial movement so fast she was trailing dirt behind her in the vortex her body generated. Her feet were light on the ground as she weaved between trees, jumped over people, and shot out into the streets of New York once again.

Steve blinked and brushed some of the grass and dirt off his chest. He looked in the direction the wolf sprinted, then back to the hole in the ground from the force of her take-off. He couldn't help the little chuckle that bubbled forth, a grin splitting his lips.

"…Yeah, she'll be fine."

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

Amaterasu huffed as she settled into the pile of blankets Steve had laid out for her. The large wolf stretched herself out and flopped onto her side with a yawn, getting comfy on the big mess in the middle of the living room. It wasn't any big plush bed that Coulson had bought her, but it was comfy enough.

Ammy cast her gaze around the apartment she found herself in. It was a small, homely sort. The walls were bare, the furniture lacklustre, and there was little in the way of food—something that distressed the wolf greatly. Thankfully, when Amaterasu came to visit Steve, he had the good graces to walk with her to go get some pizza! That had been an interesting experience. The wolf had been stunned when she learned that there were dozens of different options. Steve balked as well, before just going with four of the most basic options.

But the two had dinner and settled in. Amaterasu couldn't return to her shrine yet. She had checked and noticed the people sitting outside of it, waiting for her to appear. She… really didn't want to deal with that. Didn't even want to think of it. Of all the people that were standing there, looking to gain her attention. Sure, she missed the shrine and the feeling of home it brought, but this little apartment was nice and cozy. Additionally, she got to spend some time reading, finally able to tuck into that book that Steve had rented out for her a while ago.

…She should probably return that soon.

As she lay here in the dark of the living room, sprawled across the blankets, she thought to the events earlier in the day. The meeting with Maya Henson—she was a nice woman—had gone well! She had explained her project to Ammy and Agent Rumlow, and answered questions that the man had asked. She was professional and friendly, and even gave Ammy a business card!

However, the lupine still hadn't made up her mind on if she should go or not. There was a private jet that was set to leave at about six in the morning tomorrow, if Amaterasu decided to join. They would be flying down to Florida, where there would be a team of scientists to analyze her abilities and see if they could implement that into their Extremis project. The goddess wasn't exactly sure how they would do that, but it seemed promising.

The way Maya had explained Extremis enthralled the wolf. She was so passionate about it, and Ammy swore she could see how giddy the woman was about her project. Amaterasu could see why, too. An injection of sorts that would help the body heal at an explosive rate—Maya had coughed when she mentioned that—and regrow lost limbs. The project could heal physical disabilities and even cure disease! It was truly a miracle of medical science, Rumlow had even said so! He seemed all on board for the project, and asked questions about how it could help people.

Apparently, even her boss and/or business partner had benefited from it as well, so they did have living examples of it working. They had war veterans volunteering for the project as well, who had been injured in battles. Apparently, they were moving just fine now and able to perform at exceptional levels once again.

Ammy huffed, mulling it over. She didn't really know these people. It seemed a little convenient, all things considered, that a solution to healing people was dropped in her lap. Something that would ease her concerns over not being able to help everyone, just as she had started stressing over it.

It would be wonderful if it did work though. Being able to heal any injury in seconds. Permanent healing abilities for everyone in the world sounded fantastic. Ammy wouldn't have to worry about healing people and could focus on more conventional ways of helping others if the project was successful.

She hummed to herself, thinking it over. If she went… she didn't have to contribute if things seemed fishy. She could always walk away. Besides, if they were using it for less-than-ideal reasons, she could always stop them! It's not like they'd be able to keep up with her or trap her, after all. Dismantle the project if things went wrong, use the button on her collar to call in SHIELD agents, and save the day!

Amaterasu willed the business card she had been giving into existence once more. She looked at the paper on the floor before her. Advanced Idea Mechanics – AIM. Maya Henson was written directly below that, followed by a phone number. That was all the information given. No address or additional contacts were shown.

The wolf huffed, and batted at the card with a paw, sending it fluttering out of reach. Meh, she'll get that in the morning. She didn't want to get up.

Feeling mildly sleepy and conflicted, Amaterasu settled in with her plan. She'd go with Maya tomorrow morning and check things out. If things seemed good, she'd help, and that way she'd be indirectly helping a lot more people. If things seemed bad, she'd just tear it all apart and have Fury take care of it! Simple plan, really!

The wolf gave a little huff and closed her eyes, settling in for the night. The stress on her mind over not being able to help everyone grew just a little lighter.

Peaceful dreams came for the goddess of the sun that night.