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…

…

…

Emptiness…

Nothingness…

A vast expanse of space, devoid of both light and darkness. Nothing to touch, taste, smell, hear, or feel. A complete separation of self from what experiences and sensations made life.

She floated along in this nothingness and tried to remember—tried to think, to understand.

Who was she?

There had been friends once. Family. Loved ones. She was so sure of it and enjoyed that spark of joy at the thought of them. But that emptiness pulled at her—that place inside her mind where all those she loved should be was... blank. Barren. There was supposed to be something there, she was sure of it! Something was lingering inside, just out of reach, unable to see those that brought her joy. There were no faces or names to the sensation, her memories lost to the ether.

It was crushing. The realization tore at her, clawed her insides, and threatened to drag her back down into the nothingness. She fought against the despair and pushed it down, allowing herself to rise above the void once more.

She just couldn't remember who they were… Or who she was. What was she? How did she end up wherever here was? She could feel herself to an extent. She was there, above the rest of the nothing around her. A feeling of self started to pour in and formed a vague outline in her mind of who she might be.

Familiar thoughts came to her: the colour green and splashes of pink accenting them. Dark, inky blackness that dripped into reality, then evaporated just as fast. It tickled at the empty space where her memories should have been.

Then, she felt a tug on her core. The space around her seemed to shift and stretch, guiding her toward something she could not perceive. It was warm, comforting, and familiar.

It felt like home.

It warmed her, the heat seeping through her fur and tickling her skin. Her whole being was enveloped in this warm blanket, dragging her down, deeper and deeper.

Wait, this was too far. It was too hot. That wasn't familiar, it was new. Strange. She fought against it, her paws scrabbling at the surface, gradually sinking farther into it. She fought, thrashed, and kicked, her being growing hot. Too hot. It was too much!

She was burning. It was agonizing, her entire being set alight and forced to endure this pain. She struggled, her mind scrambling to find solutions, searching for some way out through all this agony. The super-heated material ate away at her, the dense plasma digging through her fur, flesh, muscle and bones, her very being. She could feel herself dissolving, her very essence diffusing, spreading into this thing that was actively consuming her.

In an act of desperation, she lashed out, her existence exploding outward in an agonizing move that shredded her senses. She would have screamed if she could. She forced herself to continue, pulling on her last dredges of energy to fight against this-

It stopped.

She twitched in residual pain and slowly settled back down. She shuddered and sighed, exhaustion washing over her. A sensation of completion filled her—a weird satisfaction at having subdued an opponent, and finding herself once more. She laid down and huffed.

…

She gave a deep sigh and shifted on the impossibly soft grass. It was cool beneath her, attempting to lull her further into a deep sleep. Sunlight filtered in through the leaves of the massive tree above her, causing little sunbeams to dance across her form. A breeze hummed through the air, rustling the leaves, and carrying a wonderful sensation with it. The wind ghosted through her fur, brushing along her like fingers, encouraging her to drift away.

The light glanced over her eyelids, much to her annoyance, those little sunbeams flicking across her face relentlessly. A sharp scent of the ocean carried on the breeze, causing her to huff, doing her best to ignore the strong smell. The ground beneath prodded at her sides, grinding painfully under her fur and against her skin, the blades of grass like actual knives.

Her eyes snapped open, golden orbs wide, taking in everything at once.

The Guardian Tree towered over her, its pink foliage tinting the sunlight that shone through it. The sky beyond was light blue with clouds speckled across it.

She rolled to her side and pushed herself up to all fours. Her legs buckled under the force for a moment, before she clenched her jaw and steadied herself. There was no way she was going to falter to the simple task of standing.

A glance around revealed she was in a field of some kind. A river burbled to her left, and tall cliffs surrounded the area like a bowl. Horses, rabbits, birds, and deer all littered the field, staying in their collective groups.

The area was familiar. It tugged at a spot in her mind where the memory should sit, stirring up feelings of comfort and warmth without any cause. She narrowed her eyes, and looked around, trying to sort out the confusing feelings.

Lost mentally, physically, and emotionally, she did the only thing that any reasonable person would do in this scenario.

She followed the path.

She kept her eyes up and padded forward, all four paws smacking the ground as she wandered her way through the field. The rocks, trees, buildings, and cliffs all seemed extremely familiar. Everything she saw sent a jolt of emotion through her, but she was unable to place exactly why.

Maybe she'd hit her head.

The path led her toward the cliffs and she picked up the pace—something was pulling her forward. A feeling in her core that felt right, as if something was waiting there for her. She sped up again, going from a trot, to a run, to a full sprint.

Her paws pounded the ground beneath her. A glance behind her showed a familiar trail of flowers and grass that sprouted under her paws. She barked with joy and ran faster still. The wind broke around her, seeming to part and allow her to slip through unopposed. Energy thrummed through her body, and she shot forward, racing down the path and between the cliffs on both sides of her.

Faster and faster. She wanted to go faster still!

She faltered for a moment, eyes falling upon a massive boulder that had fallen from the cliffs above and blocked the path. Muscle memory jolted to the forefront, her body moving without thought. She bounded forward, faster, harder, and felt energy welling up inside her.

She leapt toward the cliff face, planting all four paws on the wall, and then sprang forward, soaring through the air, heading straight for the massive rock. There was a sensation within her. A pull. A shift. The world around her froze, and she directed that power toward the boulder with a single swipe.

Crack!

The universe jolted and resumed as if nothing had happened. She was still heading forward, careening toward the boulder. A grin split her face, much like the power she wielded split the massive stone. She tucked her paws to her body and twisted, slipping between the two halves of the boulder in her arc through the air.

She landed on the other side, paws digging into the dirt beneath her, allowing her to come to a swift halt. The rock had a massive gash straight down the middle, wide enough for people to walk through.

That pesky boulder wouldn't be bothering anyone again!

The rock continued to crumble and break behind her, falling into smaller and smaller pieces. She was more worried about what was before her though.

The village was… empty. The buildings and trees all looked pristine. Every statue was immaculate, and the water was crystal clear. A massive tree loomed in the distance atop a small mountain, hanging over the village like some sort of protector.

But… There was no one to protect. There wasn't anyone in the area at all. No one was tending to the farms. No children playing with their dogs. The clothesline swayed in the breeze, empty. A chilling silence filled the air, muting the sound of waves lapping at the shore, and drowning out the waterfall in muffled nothingness.

Something was very wrong.

"Where do you think they went, Ammy?" a familiar voice asked.

Her heart lurched to a stop. She froze, every muscle locking in place. Her eyes crossed to focus on the bridge of her muzzle, locking onto the tiny individual balancing on her snoot. She gave a happy whine and lowered her head down to the grass, brushing the Poncle off with a gentle paw.

"Hey, what's the big idea— ack!"

Issun, the ever-faithful Poncle companion of Amaterasu, was very quickly silenced by a big wolf tongue slapping his face with an excited series of licks and nuzzles. She tried to remain gentle, but the sheer difference in size still caused the small man to be sent sprawling across the grass much to his displeasure.

"What are you- bleh! Just because I called you 'No-Bath-Ammy' doesn't mean you need to give me one!" He spluttered and raised his arms to shield his face from the affection.

She had missed him! Surely he would understand and accept a light assault of wolf love in return! She hadn't seen him since… Well, she couldn't remember, but it had been a long time. Decades, probably.

Eventually, she let up on the attack and allowed Issun to get to his feet. He muttered several unpleasant things under his breath that she had no desire to reply to, only deigning him with a side-eye to acknowledge that she'd indeed heard him.

The tiny man bounced, then leaped onto her head. He stood tall for a moment before he settled back into her fur.

"For the record, you need to brush your teeth—you're gross. Let's go, wolf-butt."

The two hunted throughout town for what felt like hours. They checked in every single house; visited each little island and hidden cave; she even checked behind the waterfall, hoping that this time there was something hidden behind it. Maybe there would be secrets that led to where everyone went, or if not, some tasty treats.

No secret tunnel. No snacks to have either.

The town was barren—not a soul to be seen. Even the animals seemed to avoid this place, but she had no idea why.

Eventually, the duo decided to take a break and moved to the lake to take a moment to rest. She closed her eyes and drank from the fresh water at the base of the waterfall, not realizing just how thirsty she was.

She opened her eyes once she was finished, and looked down at her reflection. Then, she blinked, narrowing her eyes at the sight before her.

Her reflection was weird. Muddied. Distorted and wavering harshly, as if it couldn't quite decide what to reflect. It looked like it wasn't her, but it was pretending to be her. She focused, concentrating on the edges of her reflection, watching them ripple and distort.

It grew darker, if such a thing were possible, her reflection shifting and changing and warping. She growled, an unease building within her. This wasn't right.

Her reflection stilled. Then, its muzzle split into a wide grin, sharp teeth filling the reflection's mouth. The water wavered and grew dark, spreading outward and upward in multiple streams of shadows. Each one lanced out through the water and grew tall, curling out of the water and climbing the stone walls around the village. There were nine of them in total, hovering menacingly around her.

She looked down again and growled. Her reflection was no wolf, but a fox.

Dark energy lanced out of the reflection and struck her chest, sending her sprawling onto her back. The world shook, an earthquake rattling the ground beneath her, making it impossible to stand. She struggled but the strike sapped her strength and made it difficult to move.

"Are you okay? What was that?" Issun asked, the concerned Poncle stood on the bridge of her muzzle. Had he seen nothing?

She cast her gaze to the side only to find that there was nothing there. No shadows, no fox, no waterfall, no village, and no guardian tree. There was nothing at all. They existed alone, on a stretch of sand, beneath a blank and empty sky.

A yawn slipped from her jaws and her eyes closed against her will. That strike sapped at her further, dragging her into exhaustion. She did her best to fight it, but her eyelids were so heavy. Just a moment of rest, that's all she needed.

"C'mon, Ammy, this isn't the time for a nap, we've still got a world to save."

She would, just… give her a second.

"Ammy? C'mon wolf-butt, wake up!"

Just a nap…

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Wake up! We can't keep everyone waiting."

Just…

"Ammy!?"

…

"Wake up!"

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

Golden eyes snapped open.

She leapt to all fours, her heart drumming an erratic rhythm in her chest. Fur bristled and powerful claws sank into the earth below, ready to react in an instant.

Her eyes darted around, taking in everything: the greenish grass beneath her paws; the paved path leading off into the unnaturally spaced trees; a worn-down structure not far from her location, crumbling, empty and abandoned—it was entirely out of place.

Surrounding her was a ring of flowers, those blues, pinks, and yellows standing out. Tall, thick grass grew above the flowers, almost like a natural barrier that had been sheltering her. What looked like roots lay scattered around her, broken from whatever tree they'd been part of.

Now that she'd confirmed she wasn't in danger, she took in the area with a more inquisitive look to it all. The placement of the trees seemed unnatural and planned out—she was in some sort of human-designed area. That, and the paved path was a dead giveaway. The area was too clean to be abandoned like the crumbling building implied.

Her gaze shifted higher still, and she paused, needing a moment to process what she was looking at.

Tall, square-shaped, reflective buildings clawed their way into the sky, shattering the natural beauty of the world around her with a staggering difference of industrialism and unnatural appearances. This was a far cry from the two, maybe three-story buildings she was used to. The sense of scale threw her off and made her dizzy, so she shifted her focus to her other senses.

The wind felt… wrong. The air was thick, heavy, like something had just muffled all life and left the world in a stale emptiness. It smelled wrong too, the nature surrounding her was tinged with scents of humans, but the larger smell of stone, metal, smoke, and blood wafted in from all around, setting her on edge all over again.

She listened closely. The echo of a roar and terrified screams faded away as the sound bounced off the buildings and trees. Alarms blared, and the sound of stone structures crumbling down echoed around her, filtering through the forest.

An explosion rocked the sky above her, startling her. A metallic object billowing smoke and flames came careening toward her.

She took action and sprang from her spot, performing a graceful backflip that allowed her to soar over and away from the flaming object. It hit the ground with a thunderous crash, sending a spray of dirt and grass outward, digging a trench into the ground.

She landed on her paws, and squinted, shielding her eyes from the smoke and debris as best she could. A few steps forward brought her to the side of the crater, showing her what had almost ended her life.

It was a transport of some kind, all metal, with a massive hole in the side. Smoke obscured the rest, but it was enough to remind her of that great stone ship she had flown on in another life.

Where was she? Why was she here? What was going on?

There was no time to ponder her situation. Another explosion sounded off in the distance, followed by more terrified screams.

People needed help!

She could worry about her situation later, she had to deal with whatever was happening right now. Her legs tensed and she took off, paws impacting the ground hard. The movement felt familiar, and she pushed herself harder. Paws pounded the ground beneath as she raced forward and-

A sharp, searing pain lanced down her side. The bolt of energy continued forward, just grazing her shoulder, and screamed through the air. It hit a tree in front of her and exploded, shattering the bark. She stumbled and fell to the ground in a sprawl, rolling across the grass in a painful tumble. Pain shot through her, but she clenched her jaws and forced herself upright, whirling around to face whatever had shot her.

It was not human, that much was obvious.

It stood like a human, and had the general shape of any other person—it was far from being a creature she was familiar with. It stood at the edge of the trench carved into the ground, likely pulling itself from the wreckage. A spear-like object was in its hands, glowing a dull purple. The creature shook it around and smacked the device a few times as if trying to get it to work again.

She didn't give it the chance.

A growl ripped from her jaws and she launched herself forward, bounding across the ground toward her opponent. The creature shifted something on the weapon back into place, and that purple glow at the end returned. It hefted up the spear and aimed it at her, ready to finish her off.

It was far too late.

Sharp teeth clamped down on its shoulder and she wrenched her head to the side, hauling the alien off its feet. It shrieked in agony and dropped its weapon. It tumbled across the ground, clawing itself to a stop and pushed itself upright, ready to fight.

She didn't give it the chance to retaliate. Her legs tensed and she sprang forward, planting all four paws on the creature's chest. She pushed hard and sent it tumbling across the ground once again. It hit a tree with a sickening crack and lay motionless at the base. With what could possibly be a local knocked out, she shook herself out and wheeled back around to face the city.

There was a tug on her core, a familiar feeling of magic and energy radiating from somewhere in the city. Before she could ponder on that, another explosion rang out, drawing her focus back to the task at hand.

She had people to save.

With a firm push, she was off, running full tilt through the park. She leapt over benches, darted around trees, and ran far faster than any wolf her size had any right to. Her fur rippled in the wind as she moved closer to the sound of chaos and destruction. The scent of smoke grew stronger, as did the smell of blood.

A shrill scream caught her attention, much closer this time. Her eyes snapped to the side, locking onto what appeared to be a family backed up against a wall. Two alien creatures stalked toward them, weapons pointed at the humans. They looked identical to the creature she'd knocked out—possibly killed—in the park.

The parents had their children behind them, shielding the kids with their bodies. Those spear-like weapons were aimed at the family, the ends glowing a bright purple. They were moments from firing!

With a flex of her will, the universe around her screeched to a halt. She pulled upon her divine powers, natural gifts brought to the forefront, able to influence reality. She flicked her tail forward, and the ink flowed freely. From her perspective she drew a line across the two spears, intending to knock them askew.

She relaxed and the world lurched, time resuming.

The spears were hit with a supernatural force, cutting into the metal and wrenching the weaponry off to the side. The shots went wide, punching holes into the brick wall and raining rubble upon the family who screamed in terror. The aliens staggered, the weapons wrenched from their grip and sent to the ground with a clatter of metal on pavement.

The enemy whipped around to the sound of her paws. She barreled toward them, teeth bared, a growl tearing itself from her lips. The two creatures faced her and charged, ready to combat the new threat.

They didn't stand a chance.

The wolf launched herself toward the two and wheeled herself around in mid-air, back leg snapping out. Her leg connected with the skull of the first alien, and sent it backward, its body rag-dolling across the pavement from the powerful strike. With the first one temporarily down, she continued her spin, jaws latching onto the upraised arm of the second.

Her momentum wrenched the alien off its feet and she dragged it to the ground, landing atop it with a snarl. She adjusted her grip on the alien's arm and bit down hard. The creature screeched in pain, raising its other arm to strike her.

She jumped away, her grip on its arm firm as ever. It was wrenched off the ground and hauled into the air with the wolf. There was no time for it to fight back. She twisted hard, rotating herself around in a sudden twist. The rotational force whipped the alien around her body, and she released her grip on her opponent.

The alien slammed face-first into the ground from the throw. Its neck snapped with a sickening crunch and immediately went slack, falling into a pile of limbs on the pavement.

The wolf landed on all fours and padded forward. She had to be sure the creature was dead. A not-so-gentle smack to its head confirmed it was down.

An alien groan and the sound of metal scraping the ground alerted her—the other alien was getting to its feet. It didn't have time to do much more than try to raise a single arm in self-defense before she was upon it.

Her jaws clamped down around its neck. With a sharp twist and a sickening snap, the creature went limp, falling to the ground lifeless.

She huffed and released her grip, trying to get the acrid taste of alien blood from her mouth. She gagged and stuck her tongue out, shaking her head and flinging her tongue around wildly.

The wolf froze and looked up at the family that remained against the wall.

The four humans stared at the wolf in a mix of fear and confusion, as if expecting her to attack as well. Well, the parents were. The children on the other hand…

"I wanna see the doggy!"

A firm grip on their children was the only thing preventing them from racing around their parents and running toward 'the doggy'. The parents held their kids behind them and began edging their way toward a door along the side of the building.

She watched them retreat with her tongue still out, eyeing them as they retreated.

The father blindly grabbed for the door handle. After several misses, he finally managed to pull the door open. He shoved his first child in, then the second, before he allowed his wife to slip in behind him. The husband and wife peeked around the door frame, staring at the wolf while the door slowly closed.

"Did… did that dog just do martial arts?" the woman asked.

"Love, I think that's the most normal thing we've seen all day," the husband replied with a nervous laugh.

The door shut with a thud, and the click of a lock, leaving her alone outside once more. She wiped at her tongue and shook herself off, cleaning all that gross alien blood from her fur. In moments she was clean again, her fur a pristine white, and her tail as floofy as ever.

With that family safe, she turned around to continue her trip. She loped forward, turning it into a jog, then a run, paws pounding down the streets. There was more chaos just around the corner! Her claws sank into the asphalt as she wheeled around the edge of a building, running full tilt toward the next area she was needed.

She looked up.

Her paws got all mixed up in her distraction, tangling on one another, causing her to trip. She tumbled across the road, rolling end-over-end in a tight ball, before finally hitting the roof of an overturned car. The wolf sprawled on her back and stared straight up into the sky.

There was a massive blue portal above the city. Hundreds of those aliens were pouring out of it, only to get caught with repetitive blasts from what looked to be a man made of metal. Arrows peppered the flying swarm from somewhere out of sight, sending them careening into one another with skilled shots.

A massive, green-hued man soared overhead a moment later, latching onto a building and then launching off of it, barreling himself face-first through a group of alien invaders.

Someone else flew by, dragged along by a hammer and shooting lightning. She poofed up a bit from the residual electricity and the shock of the sight. No pun intended.

She untangled the pretzel of limbs she found herself in and got to her paws. A glance up at the unfamiliar, unnatural landscape just caused her mind to reel further. She shook her head, and ran forward, bounding into the middle of the chaos.

What in the world had she gotten herself into?

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

Steve Rogers was not having a good day. Or a good week. Heck, the month had been kind of shi- sorry, kind of unpleasant. It had only been a few weeks since he had woken up. Apparently, he had been frozen under the ice for over sixty years.

That realization had left him sprawling. Here he was, in an alien world, far too advanced to compare to what he left behind. Sure, some buildings may be the same, but the people changed, the technology changed, and the entire culture he was used to had shifted dramatically.

He had no one to help guide him through this new world, or at least, no one he trusted. All his friends were dead, or ancient. And Peggy…

Well, he just wished he could have had that one last dance with her before he left. He didn't regret what he'd done and would sacrifice himself all over again to save everyone. But… that didn't lessen the hurt at all. He had missed what could have been his whole life and had to start all over again.

He'd only had a few weeks to acclimatize to everything, and now he had to deal with all this. Super spies; flying boats; a narcissistic billionaire in a metal suit; some big green monster with anger management issues that that sprouted out of a level-headed scientist. Then 'gods' started falling from the sky.

The alien invasion just topped it all off.

Sure, why not, throw aliens into the mess too. It's not like things could get any weirder.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Footsteps alerted him to an enemy and the building whine of a Chitauri gun-spear. He whirled around and wound his arm back, prepared to brain the alien soldier with this shield.

He wouldn't need to.

A massive dog fell from the sky instead. Directly onto the alien.

Steve closed his eyes and lifted his shield as the weight of the white canine caused the alien to splatter across the pavement, sending a disgusting splash of alien insides toward him. Luckily, he was able to catch most of it on his shield, save for a smear on his boot, and a speck on his cheek.

He blinked twice, then glanced upward, prepared for some kind of cat to come hurtling toward him. The expression 'it's raining cats and dogs' was supposed to be an exaggeration. Apparently, in this modern world, it is a very serious phenomenon.

As if things couldn't get weirder.

"Awoof!" the dog barked in greeting.

Steve looked back down and found the dog within arm's reach of him. It was surprisingly clean for just splattering a Chitauri across the pavement. He looked it over once, from the excited swishing tail, to the massive paws, all the way up to its face, and the big, dopey open-mouthed grin. It panted happily while it watched him, its golden eyes focused on his face.

"Uh, thanks." Captain America was stunned. He blinked once, twice, then added. "Good dog."

A happy "wurf" escaped the dog in response, and the wagging of its tail just got faster. Steve held still as the large dog padded forward, and let it bump into him. He wasn't expecting the force of the push and had to brace himself against the strength of the canine to keep from falling over. He dropped a hand and pet the happy dog, causing its tail to kick into overdrive with its excited wagging, stirring up dust from the road.

That was a very happy dog.

Steve didn't have any time to rationalize a massive friendly dog falling from the sky. An explosion sounded off down the road, the sound echoing between the buildings. They both whirled around, turning to face the sound.

A Chitauri soldier was rapidly approaching on another one of those transports, what was essentially a motorcycle for the sky. Several shots were fired at the duo on the street, all of them going wide, almost as if it was shooting just to cause more destruction and chaos.

Steve pulled out the pistol at his side and took aim, lining up the target with the-

A white form raced by Steve, knocking him off balance and throwing off his aim. He watched the path of the canine as it ran toward a building, likely in fear.

Then the wolf jumped.

It launched itself into the air, aiming straight for the wall of the closest building. He watched in stunned silence as it planted its paws almost two stories high. Then, it was off again, a powerful leap sending the canine straight toward the incoming Chitauri soldier.

Captain America was stunned, completely useless as he watched the dog whip around in mid-air. It dropped one leg, and twisted itself violently, its other leg snapping out to catch the alien on the jaw in a move that would look at home in a martial arts tournament. The alien warrior gave a shriek of pain and fear as it was launched from the vehicle, and fell to the ground below with a wet splat.

Steve's boots were covered in just a little more alien goop. He kicked its body to the side—his boots were already ruined, no point in avoiding it.

The white dog stood on top of the alien transport while the vehicle started to lose control. The dog leaned over the side of the vehicle and gave a friendly little 'bork!' to Steve. The dog turned and jumped up, placing its forepaws on the handles of the vehicle.

The alien ship suddenly shot forward, careening into the sky in a wild spiral. Steve stared, watching the vehicle zip about the sky chaotically.

…

He raised a hand to the side of his helmet and pressed the communications button.

"Hey, Thor?" Steve began. "You, uh, didn't happen to bring a big white dog from Asgard, did you? Maybe a wolf mix? Very friendly, gold eyes, and can roundhouse kick targets off a moving vehicle?"

An uncomfortable silence followed his question. Despite the fighting, and the brief pauses, it seemed as if everyone was waiting for an answer from Thor. Who knew what the God of Thunder could have brought with him.

"Nay, we do not have these 'dogs' as they are called on Midgard. We do have wolves, however! Father owns two, and they are quite soft," Thor answered. "They cannot perform kicks in combat, they only bite and occasionally use swords."

"Wait, swords?" Clint asked. "How? They don't have hands."

"I've encountered hell-hounds that breathe fire, but they are not at all friendly," Thor continued, completely ignoring Clint's question. "I have also heard legend of a wolf that stood taller than three men, and could-"

"Thanks for the cynology lesson, big guy," Stark interrupted. "I'll be sure to come bother you when I need answers on magic wolves."

Thor hummed in satisfaction, not at all realizing that Tony was being completely sarcastic.

"You good, Rogers? Hit your head a little too hard?" Tony asked, flying overhead. He shot several Chitauri soldiers and took off once more. "I think your helmet might be a bit too tight—you're getting too much Freedom to the brain."

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just…" Steve paused, and thought for a moment, his mind racing. "If you see that dog I talked about, it's friendly. It was to me at least, not the Chitauri it kicked in the face, or the one it turned into paste."

Steve rolled his shoulders and started to run toward the next fight. It was difficult figuring out where he was needed most on the ground, but Clint managed to come through, keeping an eye on the situation and relaying information. He glanced upward to see if he could spot the archer, only to stumble mid-step.

The dog zipped across the skyline, shooting out from behind one building and disappearing behind another, completely out of control. A loud, echoing bark sounded out, followed by several loud explosions and the angry screams of the Chitauri.

Steve blinked.

"... What the heck?"