Amaterasu was rather excited—as excited as a wolf could physically display anyway. That may or may not have involved knocking several Asgardian children off their feet due to the near lethal speeds her tail was wagging. And no, she wasn't tippy-tapping on the ground like some kind of hyperactive house pet, she just was rather antsy to get things underway. Definitely.
No, Ammy was excited because she was going home! Well, that part didn't excite her too much, as lovely as her new home was. It was the fact that she got to show another one of her kind-of-friends the place she'd been living in and working on! Thor was definitely a kind-of-friend. He was jovial and caring, so that was enough for Amaterasu.
Still, Steve, Tony, and the Ancient One were maybe a little higher on her list... But Thor! Thor was great too! And that didn't even include dragging Sif along for the adventure. Or the Asgardian children who were coming too.
Somehow, Amaterasu managed to convince Frigga to allow the children to come with her on a short 'cultural exchange'—Odin was too hungover to do much more than grumble and shoo Ammy away. When learning of Amaterasu's idea, however, the Queen of Asgard agreed wholeheartedly. The children would be perfectly safe under the watchful eye of Heimdall.
And of course, Thor and Sif, two of the greatest warriors Asgard has ever known.
And Elder, the massive Asgardian Battle Wolf.
And Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun.
Really, at this point, the children would be in more danger if they returned to Asgard than remain beside the near-gods (and one actual Goddess). Oh, and the giant wolf the entire group of children were riding.
Amaterasu raised a paw in farewell toward Heimdall and Frigga, the latter replying with a small smile and no small amount of amusement. The former had a slight smirk on his face, Heimdall's grip firm on the sword sinking into the floor. Thor and Sif were far less amused with the situation, and tugged at the collar of their outfits, shifting about uncomfortably.
"Lady Amaterasu, are you-" Thor's attempt at talking was quickly interrupted by over two dozen Asgardian children shouting at him.
"You said it wrong!" a girl exclaimed.
"You have to say Gah-dess!" another boy announced, clinging to Elder's ear without fear.
"No cheating!"
"It's the rules mister Thor!"
...
Thor winced, and sighed hard enough that on Earth it likely would have registered as a category one storm. The God of Thunder forced a calm smile, his cheeks red from embarrassment, and pulled at the neckline of his new outfit again.
The one Amaterasu specifically and deliberately picked out for the two of the finest warriors in all of Asgard. Really fluffy, soft, jackalope pyjamas, in a bright teal colour, just so no one would be able to miss the sight of supreme and complete comfort. That, or near-fatal embarrassment to Thor and Sif alike.
Ammy was rather fond of how the antlers flopped about whenever the two walked or turned their heads.
"Oh, Lady Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun," Thor drawled, bowing his head toward the wolf, "are you sure this is the, erm, punishment you and Elder desire? I'm not sure-"
"Boof," Ammy interrupted.
"... The entire time?" Thor winced, keeping his head bowed. His question was met with a small chuff from Ammy, and a soft laugh from Frigga who was watching the entire thing.
"You and Sif have made your beds," Frigga said, "now you must lie in them. Go on now, the children must be back home before sunset. I do not believe Amaterasu will allow the sun to set on time if you continue stalling."
Thor seemed to pale at that, glancing between Amaterasu and his mother several times over. "That... That's not something she can do, is it? Extend the length of the day?"
"Arf!" Amaterasu confirmed both Frigga's comment and Thor's question. A simple 'yes' does wonders sometimes.
It was Sif who made the first move to really get things underway. She rolled her eyes and walked passed Thor, grabbing the hood of his jackalope pyjamas and started to drag him against his will. The staggering attempt to stand from Thor just caused him to topple forward again, off balance as he was dragged to the entrance of the Bifrost.
The children, of course, loved it—the giggling and shameless laughter was a decent indicator. Elder huffed a laugh through his nose, his tail swishing lazily.
Amaterasu watched it all with a smug expression. There was something satisfying about watching someone dealing with the consequences of their actions. Especially if said consequences would embarrass him for the next thousand years or so. She fully expected the humans to start taking photos when they returned.
Revenge was best served warm and fuzzy, in a cute set of pyjamas.
"Come on," Sif groused "The sooner we start, the less we have to suffer his whining." She released Thor's hood with a 'gentle' toss forward, causing the God of Thunder to sputter as he stood.
"What!? I am not whining! I am merely, um, expressing my feelings on the matter. That is all." Thor turned from Sif and crossed his arms, pouting. "Whining... I cannot believe... I do not whine," he whined.
Amaterasu didn't believe Thor. Not one bit. Still, it wasn't her place to point out the blatantly obvious whining, especially when Sif elbowed him in the ribs, drawing a grumble from the God of Thunder. No, Amaterasu was much more interested in catching Heimdall's gaze, a sly smirk growing across her muzzle once the keeper of the Bifrost winked at Ammy.
Heimdall turned the giant blade in the dais, rotating the structure, causing all sorts of mechanical rings and gears and other fancy nick-knacks to start twirling and whirling around them. Sure, given enough time Amaterasu could probably figure out the name of each bit and bob and figure out their exact function.
But, today was about causing Thor and Sif misery, and giving the children joy! No time for that fancy stuff, thank you!
"Bork!" Amaterasu announced, turning to face the swirling rainbow tunnel of the Bifrost. She glanced over her shoulder and gestured forward with her nose, encouraging Thor onward.
"Wait," Thor protested. "I believe that, uh, for a proper educational experience, we should, maybe, outline what we're doing?" He flashed a wide smile, beaming at the Goddess of the Sun. "You know, something really in depth so we don't miss anything. It'll take a few hours at least." Thor's smile fell at the flat look from Amaterasu. "You know, for the children!"
...
Amaterasu huffed dismissively and turned away from Thor, ignoring his slighted 'hey!' of offence. Instead, she crouched down and coiled her muscles, preparing to spring into the swirling tunnel of the Bifrost.
Then, she leapt, soaring toward the Bifrost, about to enter the magical transportation to Earth...
And with a slight tug in her core, she popped out of existence, reappearing mid-air behind Thor with a burst of displaced air. All of her paws contacted Thor, leaving four very visible paw-prints on his back as she shoved him forward.
There was no time for Thor to react, or even prevent himself from entering the Bifrost. One moment he was a proud-ish warrior in pyjamas, and the next he was essentially a (comfy) flailing ball of limbs tumbling into the Bifrost.
And then Thor was gone.
Amaterasu landed gracefully on all fours, her tail lazily swishing side to side in satisfaction. Her gaze slowly shifted to land on Sif, the warrior meeting her gaze with a raised brow.
"What?" Sif challenged. "I am not arguing, so do not push me." Her gaze narrowed and her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword as Amaterasu took a single, slow, playful step toward Sif. "Goddess or not, I will turn you into a rug."
Amaterasu reeled back, as if struck. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. Quickly, the wolf wheeled around, spinning in circles as she tried to get a good look at her body—which may or may not have resembled a dog chasing her tail.
A rug!? That was preposterous. The rugs that royalty had back in Nippon were positively massive, taking up large sections of rooms.
... She wasn't that fat, was she?
Sure, she'd maybe been having a few too many hot-dogs from the nice vendor. And maybe she stole some food off Thor's plate when he wasn't looking. And so what if she'd eaten until her physical form ached and threatened to pop. It was a feast! That's what they were for! What was she going to do, not celebrate the massive party thrown across three different worlds? They were celebrating her, and Asgard's victory, it would have been rude not to join in!
Amidst her panicked self-inspection—which definitely didn't stress her out at all, not one bit—the floor beneath her paws shook and rumbled as the massive russet wolf began to move. Elder, the giant Battle Wolf, wheeled himself around, causing the children riding his back (and clinging to his ears, legs, tail, and neck) to cry out with glee. The sound was barely enough warning for Sif, who just managed to look up.
Right at the massive tail swinging straight for her face.
A muffled shout was all that she could let out before Sif was sent into the Bifrost as well, vanishing into the rainbow bridge with a rather furious cry.
Elder merely chuffed a laugh, and shook his head, turning back around to face the portal once again. He would follow everyone after, like they'd planned, just to make sure that the area was clear and the children were safe.
Amaterasu, having finished her inspection and determined that no, she was not fat, she was just floofy, turned to face Frigga and Heimdall. She gave the two a firm nod, and a quiet 'yip!' of assurance. The kids would be safe with her, she swore it on the sun. And yes, that's a thing she could absolutely do, and what bigger promise was there than the sun? It was huge!
... Was that why Sif called her fat?
"Take care," Frigga said, raising a hand in a small wave. "Do not let my son escape his punishment. Make him squirm a little." She laughed at that, a smile gracing her lips.
"I will be watching," Heimdall added, nodding toward Ammy.
Amaterasu turned from the duo and glanced at Elder. Apparently the children seemed to be growing restless or antsy about going, because they had started to braid the massive wolf's fur, while others took turns climbing over his head or swinging around on his tail.
Poor Elder already looked like he was ready to go home, and they hadn't even left.
Being the caring goddess that she was, Ammy figured there was no need to torment Elder any longer—not when they had fun plans for the day! She wheeled around, tensed, and sprang backwards, arcing through the air, performing a smooth back-flip as she dropped into the Bifrost.
Immediately her senses were assailed by colour. Sound was colour, smell was colour, taste was colour, and, surprisingly, colour was still colour. It battered her sensitive wolf senses and left her reeling, the universe shifting and racing past just beyond the walls of the hyper-velocity tunnel.
Thump!
Amaterasu finally landed, somehow managing to maintain her upright stance on a rather soft and pliable surface. Her entire being was still being assailed by rainbows smacking her upside the head and trying to shake her out for lunch money.
"... Amaterasu, please, get off of my spine." Sif's voice groaned up from somewhere below.
The ground beneath her paws shifted and suddenly went vertical, causing Amaterasu to tumble forward, rolling several times before coming to a stop on some rather soft and familiar grass. Amaterasu closed her eyes and shook her head, rattling her brain back into place, and opened her eyes.
Directly in front of her were smooth stone walls, almost unnaturally perfect in their texture, and impossible cleanliness. Vines crept along the surface of some of them, and flowers bloomed in full force in the grass outside the walls. Amaterasu could count nearly two dozen species in just the small patch of grass in front of her.
The air was fresh, the life vibrant, and the whole structure radiated a warmth that seeped into her being.
She was home.
As Amaterasu lay there, taking in the world around her, she just started to realize just how much this place grounded her—filled her with energy and calm and a sense of belonging and-
Another bright light formed around them, the Bifrost once again activating. A shadow quickly grew over her, as well as Thor and Sif, blocking out some of the light.
...
Elder!
Her claws sank into the dirt and Amaterasu blurred forward, racing around the edge of her shrine and out of the soon-to-be crater. She ducked down and covered her ears with her paws, preparing for the impact.
She wasn't disappointed.
Amaterasu was nearly thrown off her paws. The ground beneath her rattled hard enough for the trees around her to shake and creak, leaves dropping in the thousands to the ground, adding a new layer of foliage to the Central Park floor. Birds took off in the hundreds, filling the sky with panicked feathered forms colliding into one another. Squirrels, raccoons, dogs, cats, coyotes, and anything else within this half of central park bolted.
Slowly, cautiously, Amaterasu peeked her head around the corner of her shrine. She blinked through the dust and debris, watching the cloud slowly settle, revealing the massive form of Elder laying on the ground, and the children atop him. They were giggling and laughing shamelessly, not at all fazed by the multi-tonne wolf shaking the earth around them by simply landing.
Asgardians were a whole other breed of crazy.
A pair of muffled shouts and groans sounded out, barely audible through the laughter of the children, or the sound of the forest settling around them. Just sticking out from beneath the fur of Elder, was Thor's hammer Mjolnir, and a pair of legs courtesy of Sif. Several more muffled curses and expletives sounded out, none at all properly audible through the fur mountain laying on the duo, which caused the children even more joy.
After several seconds Elder pushed himself to all fours, standing up well over the tree line, sending several children tumbling off of him and to the floor of Central Park. Sif and Thor gasped for breath and groaned, laying on the ground in little imprints of their bodies, their backs almost level with the dirt.
Ammy quickly padded her way over to the two warriors, who seemed very reluctant to stand up. Good thing she was here to help them out! Her jaws clamped down on the hood of Thor's pyjamas, giving him a sharp tug, quickly yanking him to his feet. Amaterasu then turned and did the same to Sif, who was a bit lighter than Thor, and wound up gaining a little air time as a result of the tug.
While Sif managed to land rather gracefully, the Asgardian children clambering off or springing from Elder's back were not quite at their level. Several wound up with mouths full of grass, and a couple more tumbled their way through a few somersaults.
Amaterasu barked once to gain everyone's attention, and waited patiently for a moment while the children settled. Finally, she was going to be able to show off her shrine! Oh, how exciting!
... Amaterasu glanced up, and narrowed her eyes. The universe lurched to a stop around her, and she casually swiped her tail upwards at the sky, brushing away the clouds that would dare block the sun from landing on her shrine.
The white wolf wheeled around, her tail swishing, and gestured with her head to the stone walls and red accents of the perimeter of her home. Several gasps and surprised sounds came from behind Ammy, likely those of the children. She could hear the footsteps of Thor come up behind her, and felt a rather heavy hand land on her shoulder, lightly patting her.
The children stepped passed her and walked to the entrance, looking up at the walls with curiosity. Most of the kids gathered around the painting on the outside of it, the one that she and Steve made, and traced their fingers over the art.
The ground shook as Elder turned around as well, one of his massive paws settling down beside Amaterasu. He remained silent, though stood beside her, clearly looking over the walls and into the shrine proper. Ammy could imagine he was admiring the trees and the lovely layout within. She worked hard to-
"Why is it so small?" one of the children asked.
Amaterasu reeled back, surprise etched across her face. Small!? That wasn't exactly the response she was looking for. Majestic maybe. Or warm feeling. Perhaps pretty, or serene, or quirky. Not-
"Yeah, it's tiny!" another child exclaimed. A number of the asgardian children had no issues jumping several times their height, grabbing onto the ledge of her shrine and pulling themselves up.
Amaterasu's tail fell and her jaw dropped as well, stunned by the complete lack of respect. Her shrine was not a playground! Not that she needed them in awe over her shrine, but a little appreciation would go a long way. You know, "lovely flowers", or "I love the colours", heck, even a "this is cozy" would have done it. Not this... this-
"I think my house is bigger!" a third Asgardian child announced to the amazement of his peers.
...
Amaterasu huffed, and her eye twitched.
"There there," Thor murmured, his patting migrating up to her head. "A wise man once told me that it is not the size that is important, but what you do with it." He paused, and furrowed his brow. "... Though, I do not think he was referring to a minuscule shrine."
...
Thor staggered back, celestial ink splattered across his face. The God of Thunder—in teal jackalope pyjamas with cute floppy horns—spluttered and huffed, trying in vain to wipe the ink away. All it did was smear over his face and make more of a mess.
Amaterasu glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. Another swish of her tail formed a sheet of ice directly beneath Thor's foot mid-step, catching the Asgardian completely off guard. He fell as if his feet had been yanked out from beneath him, winding up in the grass once more.
Now slightly more amused and in higher spirits, Amaterasu glanced over her shrine, the outer walls by the entrance immaculate as always. In fact, the painting sitting there by itself looked rather lonely. Maybe she should encourage the children to add another painting to the wall.
Something was off as Ammy entered her shrine. Something felt different, as if it had been taken without being obvious. Like if someone moved a book on a shelf, or tilted a picture frame the wrong way.
The stone pathway felt fine, as did the gravel beneath her paws. The pink and continuously falling petals were normal too, coating the ground, dissolving, and feeding the trees to continue the loop indefinitely. The air was warm; the breeze was soft; the smell clean.
It was the claw marks that she saw first—a set of large and deep grooves in the grass of her shrine. As she walked forward more was discovered. The claws had shredded the rock walking path in several spots, creating jagged and rough edges. Next was the large pieces of wood scattered about the area, previously hidden by the tunnel of trees and the angle of entering the shrine.
Amaterasu froze for a moment, looking at the damage to her home. A large hole was knocked out of the front wall, and based on the debris, it wasn't from someone breaking in. Something broke out. Her eyes narrowed as she followed the lines of the building, noticing a thin line carved into the walls, which somehow made its way up along and through the roof.
A glance over her shoulder revealed the children still clambering over the walls, laughing at Thor, or requesting to be picked up by Elder. At this moment she was thankful that these kids were used to the massive Asgardian palaces, because they weren't at all impressed by her structure.
With a little flex of power, Amaterasu threw an illusion up and around the building, disguising the damages and returning it to its normal look. No one noticed at all. None other than Elder, who was watching Ammy over the walls, and a frowning Sif, who was leaned up against the entrance, caught the little change in the building. From her angle she shouldn't have been able to see much with the trees in the way.
Amaterasu ascended the steps to the building and shoved open the doors with a shoulder, causing the heavy wood to bang against the inner walls, the sound echoing out of the building, and muffled by the illusion. Darkness greeted her, the normally lit inside of the building being drowned by shadows that seemed too dark, too long, and far too tangible.
With nothing more than a swish of her tail Amaterasu began to clear out the corruption that had soaked into the wood, the disease vanishing in a fine mist. Her tail lashed side to side as she purged the darkness within her own home, causing the interior of the building to gradually brighten.
Who would dare to do such a thing? What person would decide to invade her home and attempt to corrupt it. What human-
It was then that Amaterasu saw something that caused her heart to drop. She looked up and peered at the slash that carved straight through a portion of the wall, and then the roof. But it wasn't that cut that worried her. It was the one she could see through the damaged walls.
There were cuts on the outer walls too, the ones surrounding the shrine. They were placed far too distant for a conventional weapon to hit it. Even if it was, the cuts would be smaller and proportional to her perspective. But from where she was standing, they were the exact same size, which means the gash was larger on the walls than where it started in here.
Either Stephen Strange had been practicing his perspective-based magic inside her own home, or... Something from her old home came with her to this world. The corruption she'd just purged spoke to the latter. She hadn't sensed this kind of magic beyond anything other than those dark, awful pages in the library. The corrupting energies, the draining sensation of just being around it...
Ammy quickly restored the building to its former state, the extensive damages fixed in seconds with just a few swipes of her tail. She allowed the illusion to drop around the building, and stepped forward, glancing around the interior of her shrine for anything at all that would explain what had happened.
But there was nothing.
Amaterasu shook her head. Right now she was in charge of keeping the children safe, occupied, and out of trouble. They needed something to do. Something to keep them engaged, and entertained—to feel like they're getting something out of this trip, and giving something in turn.
As Ammy padded out through the front gates, her eyes fell onto the painting that she and Steve had made. It looked clean and fresh as ever, almost life-like in an off and natural sort of way. The paint was crisp, lines smooth, and everything about it imperfect, and with that, perfection.
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It looked... lonely. There was a lot of wall left...
Her gaze fell upon the kids, and her tail started to swish side to side again. An idea came to mind. It might be tricky, but it would definitely be doable. Especially with children from a culture where battle and arts go hand in hand.
... She was going to need a lot more paint and brushes.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Being the owner of a simple little hobby shop, Leonardo didn't expect much out of the day. His normal customers were quiet, in an odd "this looks like one of those eccentric people on the verge of insanity" kind of way. Just your normal type or artsy folk. In his fifteen years of running the business after the previous owners—his parents—passed, he hadn't really run into any situations he found particularly memorable.
Sure, there was that whole alien invasion thing, that was really scary. But, not many people were really hurt, and compared to the whole surprise of superheroes being real, the shock faded pretty quickly. After all, he couldn't afford to be stressing about the universe trying to kill him. He had bills to pay!
Though, there was that one young fellow. Tall, well-muscled, and looked kinda like that Captain America guy from the news. He was polite, and had the friendliest furball with him too! The similarities were uncanny, but, it's not like some big-time hero would just wander into his store! That was laughable.
… Or so he thought. His opinion didn't initially change–it's not like it's weird for someone to walk into his store in a blue bunny suit. After all, it was New York. But, two people like that tends to make someone pause for a second. Additionally so when one of those people had a sword at their side, and the other a very familiar-looking hammer.
Then of course the whole idea that he was being robbed flew out the window when a very familiar dog raced around the duo and ran up to his counter. Said dog was followed by a couple dozen children pouring into the store, looking around at everything as if they'd never seen retail shelving before.
The large dog jumped up and planted her paws on the counter, giving a friendly bark. It sounded vaguely like a greeting, so Leonardo responded in kind.
"Hey, fluffball, it's been a few weeks. Hope you've been behaving." He reached forward and ruffled up her head, much to the shock of the Thor-lookalike in pyjamas. The dog didn't seem to mind though–not the way her tail sped up and caused things to wobble on the shelves from the airspeed alone.
A series of happy barks and yips was her reply, and Leonardo smiled, pulling back to look at his other customers. All two adults, and twenty-something children. One of the pyjama-clad adults suddenly seemed very interested in something on a lower shelf and directly out of sight, much to the amusement of the children.
"So, what can I do for you all?" As the owner of the store, he had to ask. It's not like he had the time to just entertain an entire elementary class in his building.
Everyone seemed to freeze at that. Slowly, everyone's gaze shifted to the large dog in front of him, who cocked her head to the side, as if thinking. There was a tense silence, the children watching carefully. It's not like this was their first time seeing a financial interaction or anything, that would be absurd. The two adults seemed to be waiting as well, but for what, he had no idea.
…
The answer to his question was a single happy bark from the large dog. She beamed at him, a large doggy smile visible, accented by the lazy swaying of her tail. Leonardo just laughed and pat the canine several times, which she seemed to happily accept.
"Psst!" one of the children 'whispered' to the man still half-hiding by the shelving. "Mister Thor, why isn't he answering her?"
"Shh, I am not here!" 'Thor' hissed. "Ask Sif!"
The children looked absolutely baffled, and this Sif person sighed rather audibly. The biggest reaction was from the big floofy dog, however. A sharp, commanding bark rolled from her jaws, and the sound echoed around the store, causing the metal shelves to rattle.
"Of course!" Thor shot upright, banging his head on a shelf on the way up. "My apologies, Lady Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun." He turned to the child who'd asked the initial question, and gestured toward Leonardo. "Most mortals-" A sharp growl from 'Amaterasu' interrupted Thor. "Ahem, midgardians, are unable to see or understand the spiritual. This means that Lady Amaterasu should appear to be a large dog to most," Thor explained.
The children seemed in absolute disbelief. Leonardo was just confused, however.
The man certainly sounded like Thor, at least from the brief couple television appearances he'd made right after the battle. Though, just to be sure…
"Sorry, are you the Thor?" the store owner asked. "Like, thunder, lightning, all that stuff? You sound like him, but uh…" Leonardo gestured toward his rather questionable choice of outfit.
"Trust me, it is not my first choice," Thor mumbled. His demeanour very quickly perked up at the huff from Amaterasu, and he flashed Leonardo a wide smile. "Indeed, I am Thor, Son of Odin. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
It was hard to believe. Why his shop? Why him? Didn't Thor go back to Asgard with his crazy brother? But, the moment Thor held out his hand and the hammer at his hip flew into his palm, Leonardo fully believed him. It was hard not too, not with that ethereal hum of the space-metal swishing through the air.
"Uh, y-yeah," Leonardo laughed nervously, "nice to meet you too. Wait, so, that means…" he turned his gaze from the God of Thunder in front of him to the wolf. The wolf who suddenly had some very clear red markings across her body, and radiated a mystical kind of warmth that seeped into his very bones.
And he still had his hand on her head! Leonardo pulled his hand back as if burned, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.
"Wurf!" Amaterasu 'said' once again. "Bork!"
Thor seemed to perk up a little, now that he could be useful. "Allow me to translate," he began. "Lady Amaterasu-"
"No, uh… I-I heard." Leonardo couldn't quite believe that he did indeed hear what she said. It wasn't like she said anything, just that he could understand what she meant. "I have all that, I'll need to get it from the back."
It was then that his entrepreneurial spirit came back to the forefront of his mind, battering all other things to the side. He didn't have time to be stunned or shocked, or even to entertain that what had to be two, maybe three gods had just walked in through his front door. No, he had a business to run, and one hell of an opportunity before him. Sure, it was a gamble. But his grandparents opening a store in New York was a gamble. His parents keeping it opening and running was a gamble. Him inheriting it and deciding to keep it going while everything started to shift to digital was a gamble.
But this? It was worth the risk.
"I have a bit of an offer for you." Leonardo turned toward Amaterasu, who was clearly the person in charge of this whole operation. "How would you like all that for free? Every last bit. Heck, I'll throw in a permanent discount to the store."
"Arr?" Amaterasu asked. She tilted her head to the side, ears flopping with the motion. She was hooked, now he just had to reel her in.
"Mhm, honest." Leonardo nodded his head. "The only condition is," he turned and pointed to both Thor and the wolf, "I want a photo with both of you. And," he interrupted Thor's panicked noises, "I would like to share it. That's all."
These two were some of the most popular names in the world right now. Literal celebrities on the global scale–they fought off an alien invasion, there was no getting bigger than that. Even just a photo of the two with him would likely skyrocket his business. If he managed this situation well, he'd never have to struggle to pay rent another day in his life.
Surprisingly, it wasn't Amaterasu who spoke first–she seemed to be weighing the options. Nor was it Thor, who had paled immensely, and was opening and closing his mouth like some sort of possessed goldfish. No, it was Sif. She snorted, and laughed loud enough for Amaterasu's ears to flick. The children responded favourably and cheered soon after, the shop filled with laughter and excited babbling.
"What- I don't-" Thor sputtered. "Lady Amaterasu, surely you cannot be considering this offer!"
There were no words. No verbal confirmations of any sort. Instead, Amaterasu grinned. She slowly turned her gaze to Thor, a smug aura growing around her. How a wolf could be smug, Leonardo didn't know, but smug she was.
Thor paled.
Leonardo went into the back to grab his camera.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Steve ran through the streets once again. Always running. Never just a slow walk, or a casual jog. Everything these days was fast and immediate and no one seemed to have the kind of patience that was necessary when he was growing up.
Then again, this kind of situation warranted a quick response. Steve had been in the training room when he got the message from Coulson—the Bifrost had once again struck the Earth. Or, at least, something resembling the Bifrost. Coulson had gone on about 'electromagnetic waves' and 'radiation signatures'.
Really, did SHIELD know of anyone besides the Asgardians that travelled by giant rainbow sky pillars?
Still, he was the closest Avenger—other than Banner, but SHIELD was still wary of sending him alone—to the scene, and the most capable to deal with a Loki kind of scenario. Especially now that Amaterasu was off with Thor somewhere out there in the universe.
How ironic that the scene of the Bifrost impact was exactly where Amaterasu's shrine was. He hoped that the commotion was just Thor returning the chaotic wolf-god-thing home, and not another Asgardian set on enslaving humanity.
Once was enough, thank you very much.
Thankfully, as he approached the area, there was no screaming. No gunshots, no terror, no aliens flying overhead. There was nothing to suggest anything particularly horrible and awful was happening. Nothing at all, save for the few bystanders who stood a healthy distance back, looking ready to bolt at any second.
Steve, with his shield held high, darted between the bystanders, and ran into the scene. More specifically, the scene ran into him with the force of a semi-truck. A massive wall of fur swept him off his feet, sending him straight onto his back. It bashed against Steve a couple more times, sending him rolling across the grass, before it finally stopped.
The world spun for several seconds, and just as Steve tensed to jump to his feet, a familiar bark made him pause.
"... Ammy?" Steve asked.
A white wolf snout appeared above him, taking up a decent portion of the sky, golden eyes peering down at him. Amaterasu's breath washed over his face, and Steve did his best to avoid cringing at the awful dog-breath.
Several sets of footsteps and voices sounded around him, and multiple children leaned into view, looking down as well. One of them even climbed onto Amaterasu and stood on her back, watching him closely. There was something off about them, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The ground itself shook, the trees shuddering once, twice, thrice, before a massive shadow blocked out the sun. Steve blinked, locking eyes with one of the largest living things he'd ever seen. The giant wolf looked down at him, so high that it had to really tilt its head downward to look at the group, causing its jowls to lift and expose its large teeth.
Such a large creature shouldn't look so hilarious, but dogs looking down would never not be funny.
"So, I take it we're not under attack?" Steve asked. "Unless Asgardian kids- sorry, mighty Asgardian warriors are taking over, that is."
Several of the children giggled at that and reached down to help him up. Steve accepted their help, not quite expecting the strength of the kids. He knew Asgardians were stronger than normal people, but almost being thrown by a few twelve-year-old kids was not something he expected.
Or, they looked roughly twelve, that is. Based on his research and SHIELD's information, they might be three-hundred and the 'god' of winter, or something.
When Amaterasu jumped up, planted her paws on his shoulders, and dragged her tongue across his face, Steve figured they were actually just kids. They were far too amused about his deadpan expression and the very expressive wolf wagging to be anything else.
"That will never not be disgusting," he huffed, wiping away the wolf slobber and nudging Amaterasu away. The wolf dropped to all fours with an indignant huff, and narrowed her eyes, before whirling around and flicking her tail at Steve. Once more, he found his face wet, now spattered with black ink that quickly evaporated, leaving a cold and uncomfortable sensation behind.
"Boof," Amaterasu said over her shoulder. She quickly trotted away, leading most of the children toward the rest of the group huddled near the walls of her shrine. Toward the children, a woman in a teal outfit of some sort, and... Was that Thor hiding behind the kids?
A tug on his sleeve gained Steve's attention. He looked down to find a young asgardian girl staring back up at him.
"Miss Ammy said she should make you wear jackalope pyjamas too."
Steve blinked.
"What's a jackalope?" he asked. The only response he got was another tug on his sleeve, this time forward, being led along by the young asgardian. He fell into line behind her, easily keeping up, approaching the rest of the group.
Thor peeked up over the hoard of children, spotted Steve, and ducked back down, much to the amusement of the kids.
"Quick, hide me!" Thor whisper-yelled. "I cannot be seen like this!"
Of course, being kids, they did the exact opposite. They stepped aside for Amaterasu and Steve, displaying Thor in all his kneeling-on-the-grass-in-bright-teal-pyjama glory. He immediately dropped Mjolnir on the ground, and then reached for it, standing up straight and giving it a little flip in his hand.
"Ah, there you are. Sneaky little-" Thor paused and looked up, feigning shock. "Oh, Steve Rogers! What a surprise! I did not see you there. I was just looking for Mjolnir. It-"
"Arf?" Amaterasu interrupted.
"... Yes," Thor sighed, "Mjolnir returns to my hand whenever I call." The God of Thunder crouched down to meet Amaterasu's eyes at her level, whisper-yelling toward the wolf, "Odin's beard, do not make this worse. I am dressed as a fuzzy creature in public, you have no need to embarrass me further!" He cleared his throat and stood up, rolling his shoulders, ignoring the smug look from Amaterasu, the giggles of the children, and the soft smile from Steve.
"Do not be a child, Thor," Sif groused. She stepped away from a bare patch on the shrine wall and crossed her arms. "Accept your punishment with honour. Be grateful it is not worse."
"Mortals have already taken photos…" Thor grumbled.
In an attempt to save the tattered remains of Thor's pride, Steve turned his gaze away from the pouting God of Thunder, and to the walls of the shrine instead. At the very base were what had to be a dozen different paint buckets, and tens of brushes. Multiple children had paint on their hands, arms, and a couple wore it on their face like war-paint.
"Adding to the wall?" Steve asked. There was a significant gap between where the kids were painting what looked to be a battle between wolves, and a giant arch overtop some sort of battlefield. Thor was in the image too, as well as Sif, mighty warriors in their formal battle armour.
Some child added antlers to their heads, however.
"Wurf!" Ammy nodded, and wagged her tail, nosing at the shrine walls.
The children immediately whirled around and returned to work with a ferocity that would have been terrifying if it weren't so adorable. Brushes flew overhead, splatters of paint working over stone walls and somehow miraculously staying on despite it being for the wrong material.
It was difficult to see, but Steve swore be could see flashes of light and colour on the walls before anything was even put there. It was eerily similar to the illusion projection that Amaterasu used for their first piece of art—the mural of what had to be her old home. The paint there was as fresh as the day it was made, and just as vibrant. But the flashes of light are what dragged Steve's gaze back to the other section of wall.
It looked... almost like a dance. Something would appear, and one of the children would dart out to paint it, as if chasing the illusions. But, it wasn't taking over their art. It merely enhanced it. Little accents on a flicker of flame, or a shadow to add depth to the images being made. It all fell together like some sort of puzzle, meshing the individual pieces of art into a single cohesive unit.
And the puzzle was definitely something Steve wasn't expecting. To the left was the giant arch, and to the right, what looked to be a sprawling city made of gold, beneath the slowly forming night sky. Fires flickered across the painting, each finished section almost appearing to glow and dance with the flame. People sprawled far into the distance, and each child made sure to apply their own families and touches to the mural, providing detail and perspective that the last couldn't possibly have.
It was then that Steve properly noticed something. There was a massive paw print encompassing the entirety of the scene, large enough to hold what he assumed to be the city of Asgard within it. A quick glance at the large Asgardian wolf revealed the red fur around its paw stained with black paint. Surrounding the black outline was various shades of purple, blending from bright shades to darkness, and then back again, a smooth transition of day into night. All orchestrated by Amaterasu, who pranced back and forth around, between, and behind the children, obtaining her fair share of paint battle scars. How she managed to look elegant while being a literal finger-painting was anyone's guess.
Now that Thor was no longer mortified by his state of dress, and was entertaining the children by wielding his paintbrush like a sword, Steve made his way toward what was possibly the only normal person in the group. Hopefully. As normal as someone from across space, born in a warrior culture, wearing teal pyjamas with antlers could be...
Leaning up against the side of a wolf the twice the size of a city bus.
Really, at this point, Steve wasn't surprised.
"Well met," Sif greeted, inclining her head toward him. "I am Lady Sif. You must be Captain Steve Rogers."
"That's me. Please, just call me Steve." He, of course, knew who Sif was. He did his research into all his teammates, including known contacts—Sif was one of Thor's. "Can I ask what all... this is about?" Steve gestured around himself, unable to really pick something specific to focus on. Fury would want details, and Steve really didn't want to have to explain that he just allowed space-children to invade.
"We lost a wager." Sif pursed her lips and sighed, shaking her head. "Your friend is quite the devious and formidable opponent."
"What happened?" Steve asked. He turned and pressed a hand into the fur of the massive Asgardian wolf, sinking in to his wrist before actually reaching a solid surface to scratch at.
"Entirely too much," Sif laughed. "To keep it short, from what I have gathered, Lady Amaterasu broke into Odin's weapon vault, consumed two ancient magics of cataclysmic potential, and scared off an army from multiple worlds at once." Sif smiled at Steve's stunned expression. "She then worked with Elder here," she turned to pat the russet wolf, "to force Thor and I into losing a wager between one another. That is why we are dressed as jackalopes."
Steve just sort of stood there for a moment, unable to really get out the words he wanted to express. None of that made sense, and yet it made perfect sense. It was such a sudden and wildly expansive concept to go from fighting aliens a little while back, to learning about Asgardians. Now he was being told the fluffy wolf that slept on a pile of blankets in his apartment ate magic, scared off space armies, and could physically match with a creature many times her size.
He nodded his head and frowned slightly, turning away from Sif to look upon Thor and Amaterasu. "... Yeah, that sounds like her," he admitted.
The two stood in silence for a minute, Steve gradually scritching his way through Elder's fur, working up and down wherever he could reach. Suddenly, the wall of fur behind him shifted, and the muscle beneath his fingers tensed up. He knew exactly what this was, and focused on that one spot. Soon, a repetitive, ground shaking thump thump thump sounded out, and a low growl vibrated Steve's chest.
"Your friends speak highly of you," Sif said. She looked from Steve and up at the large form of Elder, who was currently kicking his leg and enjoying getting that fierce itch scratched.
"Oh?" Steve raised an eyebrow, but continued scratching at Elder, shifting to use both hands and really work the large wolf. The response was immediate, and the ground shook as the asgardian battle wolf flopped over, squirming against the grass.
"All good things, I assure you," Sif added. "Thor was impressed by your fighting techniques, and your bravery in battle. Once drunk, he went on about you blocking and redirecting Mjolnir's blow—he could not believe someone from midgard could do so. Both of them mentioned your unique fighting style using your shield and were impressed."
"That's just a little bit of training, nothing special," Steve brushed it off. He did appreciate the compliments even if he didn't need them. It was nice to know that the people—'gods'—he fought alongside were genuinely kind. "I'm sure you all go through quite rigorous training yourselves."
"Lady Amaterasu did say you were honest..." Sif mused. "She mentioned several other things, but she was also several kegs deep into Asgardian mead. I would rather not suffer divine punishment beyond some rather comfortable sleepwear." Sif grabbed at the side of her clothing and gave the fabric a tug, making a curious little hum. "I think I might keep these."
"It looks good on you," Steve said, glancing at Sif. He stepped away from the now scratch-comatose monster wolf, and paused. He blinked, and turned to Sif, who raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean- I just meant to say that you still look every bit the warrior you do in the photos." His cheeks grew red, and stammered when Sif's other eyebrow lifted as well. "Wait, that came out wrong. I was researching Thor when the whole Loki thing happened, and you were one of Thor's known associates, so I read up on everything and this all just sounds awful I swear it isn't like that."
Steve, at this point, had given up trying to save face. Great, now he sounded like some sort of weird stalker to this battle-hardened warrior from another planet that he literally just met for the first time! This is exactly why Steve didn't do politics or make speeches—he was going to say one thing wrong, and then it would spiral out of control. This is why he had scripts on stage way back when!
And Sif just... smirked? She smiled, and it looked like she was doing her best not to laugh. That failed miserably when she tossed her head back, laughing quite audibly at Steve, much to his combined relief and confusion. It became worse when Amaterasu turned to look at the commotion, as well as several children, and Thor, suddenly making Steve the center of attention.
Honestly, not his best moment.
Thankfully, after a few seconds Sif calmed, still chuckling, and flashed Steve a smile. "No offense taken. I appreciate the compliment."
It took Steve nearly a minute to return to normal, his embarrassment fading when Sif did not take out the sword at her hip and try to run him through. That was a good sign. Probably. Instead, she crossed her arms and turned away, leaning against Elder again, the large wolf still laying down. Steve followed her lead and stood nearby, turning his attention toward Amaterasu and the rest of the group.
Ammy trotted up toward the wall, and looked over the collaborative painting with a critical eye. She dabbed her tail at a few spots, adding shadows—and somehow highlights—to the scene. It seemed as if she was satisfied, because she pressed her nose against the wall, and pulled back. A hazy, shimmering barrier raced across the surface, and Steve watched once again as art was sealed and made permanent with magic. The children gasped and made various noises of excitement and approval as the scene almost took on a life of its own, faint movements and tricks of light making it look just as real as the first city Steve and Ammy painted.
His gaze fell upon the finished mural on the wall, a pretty significant distance from the small town and tree they made. A battlefield stood beneath a massive arch, and above that, a rising sun, clouds parting for it. Slowly moving to the right, the bright sky steadily faded into night, revealing a slowly growing mass of lights and buildings. A grand party stood before a golden city, the entire scene encompassed in a black paw print.
While Steve was focused on the more cultural aspects of the scene, Sif seemed to be looking at the earlier portions of the painting. At least, that's what he assumed, because he wound up asking her a question at the exact same time she did him.
"What's Asgard like?" he asked.
"Would you care to spar?" she asked.
The two paused for a moment, looked at each other, and chuckled.
"Sorry, go ahead." Steve nodded to Sif.
"Would you care to spar?" Sif asked again. "Not today, of course—the children are my top priority." She nodded her head toward the group, who seemed to have settled down and were in the process of cleaning up. "Odin may be more agreeable to travel due to Lady Amaterasu's contributions, and as a warrior of Asgard, educating oneself in combat is important."
"That's kind of... unexpected," Steve admitted. "I don't think I'm going to stack up to whatever Ammy or Thor can do." Once again, Steve was suddenly finding himself in over his head. There was a certain kind of whiplash to being outclassed by actual people from space, or deities that could, allegedly, control aspects of the world. "... Still, I'm willing to try," he added.
"That's the spirit of a warrior." Sif smiled and nodded. "When we spar, you may ask your questions about Asgard, and I shall answer them to the best of my ability. Is this acceptable?"
"You have a deal," Steve replied. He stuck out his hand, which Sif clasped.
Her grip was surprisingly strong, as expected from a battle-hardened asgardian warrior, and they shook on it. Steve was... oddly excited about it. He was having a bit of a lull in his training, and felt like he'd peaked with what he could learn technique wise. He needed someone to go up against, to test things out.
Maybe this would be the push he was looking for.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
For a country that just recently underwent a violent insurrection and forceful takeover, Latveria was relatively calm and peaceful. In comparison to other small European countries that have been shoved under a new dictator with an iron fist, that is. At least, it seemed to be peaceful, according to what limited information Natasha could pull from the CIA spy networks that remained. Almost all of them had been purged and shredded, entire systems erased and flooded with extremely malicious viruses. The only thing that prevented Natasha's tech from being fried was SHIELD's pestering of Stark to start working on security upgrades after the AIM breach.
Still, all she had to go off of was outdated information, and she wasn't willing to connect to just any local network inside of a country with an information bubble keeping track of everyone and everything.
Natasha unplugged her laptop from the Ethernet cord in one of the few remaining CIA spy-houses left over from the previous king. Evidently, they'd had an agreement with the CIA in exchange for being left alone. Clearly the new leadership didn't respect corrupt verbal agreements with previous despots. How unethical and moderately bothersome.
Looks like she'd need to be doing some leg work. That should be easy though. How hard would it be to find someone supposedly in a metal suit of armour and able to wield lightning powerful enough to be detected from space? It's not like she came with negative intentions anyway. She just wanted to talk.
… And maybe manipulate the man into revealing all the information she wanted to know.
She just had to find this Victor Von Doom fellow now.
Natasha rose to her feet and pulled on a sweater she had 'borrowed' from one of the locals, throwing the hood up. Her plan was simple: wander around the capital city for a while to gather information, maybe chat with some locals, and grab a bite to eat before returning.
However, her plan hit a bit of a snag as she opened the door. A rather big snag. One that towered over her, his entire frame blocking the door, his metal suit glimmering from the afternoon sunlight. His green hood hid his eyes well behind the mask, giving Natasha almost nothing to read as far as body language went.
"Natalia Alianovna Romanoff," Victor Von Doom began. "You did not request permission before entering the borders of Latveria."
"Natasha is fine," she replied. "I was actually looking for you. Thank you for saving me the trip."
"Doctor Doom formally invites you to dinner at his palace in the capital city of Doomstadt," came the emotionless reply.
"Hang on," Natasha interrupted. "I thought this was the capital."
"It is."
"Isn't this Fortunovstadt?" she asked.
"It was."
This man was starting to get on her nerves. He was unreadable, and spoke of things that made little sense. It irked Natasha. She felt as if she were talking to a brick wall, and was trying to get the emotionless masonry to smile.
She had no time to ponder this further. Doom stepped away from the door and to the side, gesturing out into the street with one arm. Clearly, she wasn't being given an option.
"Can I at least get my keys?" Natasha asked. "I'd like to lock up before going out with a hunk of metal like you." Hopefully he'd be dumb enough to let her out of his sight. She'd be able to make a quick escape, and blend into the crowds without-
"The keys to this house are in your left pocket," Doom stated. "You need not be concerned about theft—criminals fear the good people of Latveria."
... Shit. Natasha had half a mind to use her Widow Bites—those wonderful little electric charges—on the mans metal suit. But, for all she knew, it would just destroy any patience and good will that this man was giving her.
"Alright, you've got me," Natasha sighed. She stepped past Victor Von Doom and closed the door behind her with a solid thud, the sound of European wood design pleasing to the ears. "I'm ready for our date, Doctor," she purred. She didn't let the fact that there was zero response from the man get to her.
Heck, for all she knew, the guy was into men—she was hardly going to be upset. She'd just need to rework her interrogation tactics a bit. Natasha was nothing if not adaptable, and more than willing to rise up to the challenge of pulling the information from Doom piece by piece.
Though, she had to admit, the name was a little overkill.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Somewhere, far from Earth, lay a survivor. A small yet fierce warrior, freed from the shackles of slavery, and spared from the horrors performed in the name of progress. Someone who had suffered through countless trials and lived to become stronger for it. His battle had been fierce, and though the enemy had nearly done him in, he had come out victorious.
Thus, he had taken a long rest amidst the strewn corpses of his foes. Curled into a corner, holding his tail in one paw, safe and sheltered as he recovered from the perilous battle that had lasted for days. He dreamt of his saviour—of his future. Of what he could do to repay his hero tenfold for her kindness. What she had freed him from was worth his undying allegiance.
But, as he finally woke up, the bonfires around him blazing bright, he realized something was amiss. He looked around, ears perked, looking for the being who'd unshackled his mind, body, and soul.
She was gone.
Frantically, he leapt atop the pile of corpses and scaled the very peak, clambering over the arms of felled giants, avoiding their horrendous breath. They wouldn't wake, not after their battle.
Upon reaching the top, he turned, red eyes peering through the night.
She was nowhere to be seen.
He called her name, softly at first.
Nothing.
He called for her again, louder, hoping to reach her ears beyond the sleeping giants and the crackling of fire.
Nothing.
He screamed her name, his voice echoing off the battlefield around him.
... Nothing.
The warrior slid down the slope of felled enemies, landing on all fours, and took off into the night. He needed to find her. To serve her, and make sure that he fulfilled his purpose. To keep her from harm, like she did him.
His shouts and calls faded into the night as he ran, intent on finding her.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Amaterasu yawned, curled up in her shrine once again. It was good to be home.
Idly, she scratched at her neck, back leg kicking and claws working at that itchy spot in all that fluff. She settled back down once more, and buried her nose under her paws.
As she drifted off, she sleepily noticed that her little rodent friend was nowhere to be seen today. It's not like she owned him, and he was free to make his own choices.
A sharp yawn left her, and she sighed, her eyes slipping closed.
...
...
...
Wait, did she leave him on Asgard?