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The transportation she'd acquired near the friendly blue, red, and white human had been shot down. It'd been fun for at least a couple of minutes before she was caught by a stray energy bolt from one of the alien crafts. She'd gone down hard, her transportation abandoned since the entire back half of it kind of just… exploded.
At least long falls didn't hurt her. She'd bounced off the road at least four times before coming to a stop. Unfortunately, bouncing into a trio of alien soldiers and ruining their day was a little more painful and stabby of a stop, at least in theory.
They hadn't lived long enough to try.
The wolfess staggered, chest heaving as she stumbled around an overturned car. On three legs she managed to hobble her way into a shaded alley, decently sheltered from the main stretches of road. She needed a moment to rest—to recover her energy, and her magic.
With a great sigh, she leaned up against the brick wall and slid herself downward to the cool concrete below. Heavy eyelids slipped closed, and deep breaths of smokey, iron-scented air flooded her lungs.
She was exhausted.
Her powers had diminished greatly since she'd last been… Present? Aware? Alive? Physical? Whatever the fancy word for having an actual body instead of just existing was. At the height of her power she'd been a force of nature, a true divine being that shifted the world around her. She could manipulate nature to help others, clear out toxins and impurities infesting the world. She could summon lightning bolts, conjure tornadoes, make bombs, create stars, and move entire galaxies!
Now? She was weak; frail. It was a struggle just to keep up with creatures that existed only in the physical realm. The creatures she used to fight without any effort; they'd throw her around like some fluffy sack of meat. She was barely a threat.
As she calmed, the adrenaline flooding her system started to ease back. The feeling in her paws returned, and her body ached as if she'd been forced to ride a log down a particularly turbulent river.
And then over a massive waterfall—one with spikes at the bottom, for a little dramatic flair.
The sharp, stinging sensation in her leg drew her attention, an annoyed huff escaping her. Right, the reason she'd limped her way to recover in the first place. Among several other reasons, like nearly collapsing from physical strain, that is.
That was a lot of blood. The hole in her leg was rather sizeable, and if she squinted, she swore she could see little bits of white through the meat that was left. So, in her professional diagnosis as a not-doctor and no-longer-deity, the wound was pretty unhealthy. As far as being a living, breathing creature goes, anyway. This was not where a living creature should have a hole in its body.
She focused, and reality itself ground to a halt, the explosions and shouting and gunfire and roars silenced. With her Celestial Brush—it was really just her tail, but somehow more 'spiritual'—she painted ink over the gash in her leg. If this worked the way she hoped it would…
Her grip on reality relaxed, and the world around her continued. Shouts and cries, explosions, and various other uncomfortably loud noises echoed down the alley. A thrill of pain ran up her leg as flesh knitted itself back together, nerves regrew, and fur sprouted from her skin, leaving nothing to even hint at a previous injury. Back to how it was before she'd been shot.
It didn't do much for the blood though.
Another series of explosions sounded out near her, but she couldn't do much about it. She had to rest. If she went back out there, legs barely working, how was she going to help anyone? She'd need to be saved, and as things were proving, everyone was nearly on their own for the moment. There were too many of them, and not enough of her, nor the humans (and angry green man) who tried to fend them off.
Gradually, she felt her energy recovering. Not enough to Power Slash her way through a dozen aliens, but enough that she could at least soothe the strain on her body. It was trivial to stop the world around her again, no effort on her part, and used her tail-brush to draw a circle over herself.
Drawing ink on herself from outside of her three-dimensional view of the world was weird, but no weirder than waking up in a new world with aliens coming out of a hole in the sky. Idly, she wondered if she could close the hole that wasn't supposed to be there. Logic won over, insisting that if something was making the hole, even if she fixed it, it would come back.
Reality lurched once again, and she felt a surge of energy coursing through her. Not magic energy, that was used and still concerningly low. The muscles in her body went from a fiery burning feeling to an almost soothed state. She couldn't exactly restore something she couldn't see, so accelerated natural healing seemed to do the trick.
She also now had a rather serious case of what felt like the Zoomies. Like a build-up of energy that she needed to burn off by going for a run. Or by digging up someone's garden of all their turnips. Or-
Another explosion jolted the wolf from her thoughts, and she clambered to all fours. She shook herself off, the blood in her fur wicking away, and surveyed the area.
The street was too low, and she was too exposed to alien gunfire. The alleyway was cramped, tight, and there was little she could really do from here unless the entire army miraculously decided to march single-file into this tiny street. The roof, however…
She crouched and sprang from the asphalt, all four paws contacting the side of the building. With another firm push, she leapt away, turning to bound off the other side, brick beneath her paws. Back and forth she went, climbing higher and higher, jumping from wall to wall, each touch leaving little flower petals behind that fluttered to the ground below.
It took a few seconds, but finally, she'd climbed high enough. With one final leap she sprang over the edge of the roof, performed a front flip (for style, of course), and landed on the roof. Gravel scattered beneath her paws, and she turned her attention to the mess that was the city.
It didn't look good. Fires; buildings crumbling; aliens happily shooting wherever they pleased; the defenders slowly being overwhelmed by the numbers that continued to pour through the rift in the sky.
As she pondered what she should focus on, a shrill scream from nearby made the decision for her. She whirled around and raced to the edge of the roof, leaping off without any hesitation.
There were people to save, and she didn't have time to think, only act.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
"Stupid aliens and their stupid giant sky assholes…"
Clint Barton had not been having the best week. Sure, when working for SHIELD some came better than others. But this week? The worst by far. Getting mind-controlled with a magic stick by an alien with daddy issues had to be the pinnacle of poor workplace safety, and topped his list of 'Things I'd Like to Never Repeat Again Thank You Very Much.'
His second worst week involved a trip to Tahiti, a dumpster, and a three-way gang war. He'd been on vacation too. Apparently, so had the other gang leaders.
"Little shit couldn't have been happy unleashing an army in the middle of Nevada or something. Nooo, Loki has to show off. Annoying little shit," Clint grumbled.
With another arrow notched he pulled the string and took aim. He took a breath, waited, and fired. The arrow flew true, whistling through the air, skimming the edge of another Chitauri vehicle, impaling one of the soldiers through the face-plate. The creature fell just as he expected it to with the force of the arrow, tilting back and to the side, wrenching on the controls of its vehicle.
Clint was already in the process of firing another arrow, ignoring the previous victim piloting itself into five of its allies, causing catastrophic damage. The group of Chitauri fell to the streets below in a shower of limbs, metal, and various screams that had to be some kind of alien swearing.
Or they could have been screaming well wishes to their fellow soldiers as they plummeted to their demise. Who knows? Aliens are weird—it's not like sane and rational people attacked strangers for no reason.
"Nice shot, Legolas." Stark's voice came through his earpiece. "Might wanna pick up the pace. Sky's getting a little crowded."
The Iron Man suit whizzed by Clint's position, followed closely by several Chitauri hot on his trail. Stark flared his thrusters and took an impossibly sharp turn into another street, causing the pursuing Chitauri to slam into the side of an office building. The various explosions of fire and metal were cathartic if nothing else.
"Hey, I've just got arrows, I need to make 'em count. Watch your six, by the way." Clint huffed and released another shot, watching the arrow sever the wrist of one alien, causing it to spin out of control and slam into the side of a Leviathan. The arrow continued, hitting another Chitauri in the back, pinning the side of the Chrysler Building.
"You need to expand your arsenal. You ever try slingshots? Maybe we'll get you a boomerang. How's your Aussie accent?"
"Keep the line clear." Steve's voice followed Stark's. "What's your status?"
"Old Man doesn't like boomerangs, noted," Stark huffed.
"Running out of arrows fast, Cap," Clint admitted. "Lemme know if you find a full quiver lying around. We might want-"
The sound of a Chitauri assault vehicle grew louder behind him. Normally this meant they were flying by, unconcerned with the lone human on the roof. This was too high though, and it was coming fast.
Clint dropped and pressed himself flat to the ground. A Chitauri vehicle glanced off the ledge of the building and clipped the concrete around the door on the roof, showering Clint with dust and debris. He leapt to his feet, and notched another arrow, pulling back to-
He paused. The tension on the string relaxed, and it took several vocal prods from his earpiece to snap him out of his stunned silence.
"- Barton? Barton, respond! Someone check on Clint!"
A pair of fingers went to his ear before he even realized he was doing it, activating the communicator. "No, no, I'm… fine. I think. Might be hallucinating." He rubbed his eyes, just in case. "Hey, uh, Cap? You mentioned something about a big white wolf-dog, right?"
"I did. Why, what happened?"
"Well…" Barton trailed off as he watched absolute chaos unfold before his very eyes.
The wolf had somehow commandeered a Chitauri vehicle and was flying it. Not very gracefully, but that almost appeared to be on purpose. The wobbly, uncontrolled flight somehow managed to weave around dozens of shots from the pursuing aliens. Though it nearly led to about four near-misses with unmoving buildings. It looked entirely uncontrolled and completely unintentional.
But it was working.
"It's flying better than Stark ever has-"
"Hey!"
"-and other than almost turning me into a smear, Wolfy seems to be on our side?"
Clint dropped the call and notched another arrow, eyes falling upon a squadron of Chitauri soldiers weaving through the buildings, aiming for the wolf. He'd be in the line of fire as well, considering he was a city block from the action. Just as he pulled back and aimed for the one at the front of their formation, something weird happened.
The air distorted, and a straight line of destruction carved itself through nine of the twelve invaders. There was no warning, no indication that an attack had even occurred. Two heads rolled, several were cut in half, and a few of the Chitauri craft just sheared in two.
The rest of the squadron fell victim to falling body parts and hunks of metal, the poor suckers never standing a chance against what looked to be a random act of God. Meanwhile, the wolf sailed on by without a care in the world, its tail wagging absurdly fast.
"Er, scratch that, Wolfy is definitely on our side. Took out a squadron… I think. I've got no idea what just happened," Clint admitted. He watched as the wolf flew off, missing whatever the Captain or Stark had to say, too distracted by… that.
Even as it flew the alien vehicle, the dog-wolf-thing had its front paws on the controls, and arched its back, looking backward and straining as far as it physically could. With its head upside down, the wolf stared right at Clint and gave him the biggest, goofiest dog grin he'd ever seen. Teeth showing, tongue out, the works. That tail was a blur as well, the wolf not at all concerned that smoke started to pour out the back of the Chitauri vehicle.
Clint turned his attention away from the strange animal and raised a hand to his earpiece. Even as he activated the comms, he returned his focus to the battle around the city.
"Hey, Nat? Can I keep it?"
"Absolutely not."
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
She huffed, turning from the odd archer on the roof and focused her attention forward. That large strike on the alien squadron had really sapped her, and she was going to be more careful and precise with her actions.
"Grrff…" she huffed to herself.
Despite the situation, and all the chaos and explosions and gunfire and angry aliens that had called her every name under the sun (and stars)… she was starting to enjoy herself. She didn't enjoy the danger to the humans of course, that part was awful. But, pushing herself, using her gifts and powers to keep people safe and to stop the aliens… she felt right. Every person rescued gave her more thanks and praise, causing their belief in her to grow. That only reinvigorated her, leading her to push herself further, and save more people, over and over again.
It was like a slowly growing feedback loop that barely gave her enough to keep going. The balancing act was terrifying, because she wanted to do more but knew she had to limit herself.
The wolf perked her ears and snapped out of her thoughts when another few screams caught her attention. Ahead of her was a decently sized park filled with greenery (such a nice change from the rest of the city) and what had to be a couple dozen humans. A trio of soldiers were approaching from one side of the park, while another four seemed to be trying to box them in from the other side.
She was too far to Power Strike them down with what scraps of magic she had left. Glancing down, the wolf quickly came to a new solution.
Hitting things really hard usually seemed to solve most of her problems. Granted, normally she'd headbutt the things in her way, or cut them in half. She'd never used an alien vehicle like a battering ram though!
New world, new experiences!
Using the alien craft's natural desire to vigorously make out with the earth below, the wolf let gravity take over and allowed the two forces of nature to tango. She plummeted fast, nearly thrown off the craft by the sudden dip. She quickly corrected herself, keeping the two eager forces of nature to a slower greeting. Gradually, she hovered lower and lower, the damaged vehicle skirting over the ground before she finally let go.
Alien craft and Mother Earth kissed, but it wasn't a delicate smooch. No, this was a violent love affair. The ground caught the transport and immediately wrenched it off balance. The front sank in and flipped it end over end, the momentum transferring into a rather unprepared wolf.
With a flail of limbs the great wolf was hurtled through the air, like a squirrel punted by a toddler, but with none of the grace. The alien craft bounced and rolled and tumbled, tearing up the ground below.
Mid-air, she was able to get a good look at the trio of aliens turning around to see the massive hunk of sparking metal shrapnel. They were a touch too slow, unable to react in time to prevent turning into a meaty mush. The alien vehicle happily bounced along, uncaring about its new paint coat of alien insides.
The wolf hit the ground and tumbled, rolling past the group of humans she was trying to protect, the aliens that had been advancing on the humans, and a stunned opossum. Dizzy, she pushed herself to all fours and whirled around to face the aliens, hackles raised, teeth bared, eyes-
She let out a yelp and flattened herself to the grass, a bolt of energy whizzing by and singeing the fur between her ears. With a low growl, she shoved herself to her paws and prowled forward, circling the four Chitauri soldiers and drawing their attention away from the humans.
Unfortunately, it worked.
A firm shove against the ground threw her to the side, out of the path of another energy bolt. The ground she'd been standing on exploded, and the wolf rolled to all fours, regaining her bearings. She wasn't going to just stand around while they took shots at her.
Her claws sank into the grass and she lunged forward, racing toward the invaders with a deep snarl. They appeared to panic, the next couple shots falling wide as they retreated. She ducked under one energy blast and leapt over another. She realized her mistake a moment too late.
Ahead of her was a glowing Chitauri spear aimed straight at her, tracking her movement through the air. She wrenched herself into a spin in mid-air just as the weapon fired. Searing hot plasma raced by, brushing against her ribs, burning her fur, and punching a rather round hole into the fluff on her tail.
She landed hard and whirled around, keeping up her momentum and turned to face the alien that nearly killed her. With a burst of energy and a grunt of effort, she pushed the scraps of magic she had into her body and moved, launching toward the stunned alien with a growl.
All four of her paws hit the Chitauri's chest with a wet crunch, and she pushed with all four legs, her momentum sending the alien rocketing away. It tumbled in a flail of limbs, rolling bodily across the ground, end over end, letting out a panicked screech. The sound quickly came to an end as its body hit a metal park bench with an audible crunch, wrapping around the structure.
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Upon landing the wolf twisted herself to the side, shifting away from a spear jab at her. The energized blade grazed her fur as she darted in closer, and clamped her jaws around the wrist of the soldier who tried to impale her. It dropped its weapon as her jaws utterly crushed the creature's bones. With a huff of effort, dug her claws into the ground and she heaved, throwing herself to one side and performing a rather violent roll, hurling the Chitauri she was holding into another.
The two aliens collided, the one she threw impaling itself upon the spear of its fellow soldier, the two falling to the ground in a pile of limbs. Without hesitation, she clamped her jaws around the dropped metal spear and leapt at the struggling alien. She landed hard atop the two, driving the alien weapon downward with a violent shove, piercing the dead soldier and the one still struggling to escape.
The brief burst of magic wore off as if someone had just snuffed out a candle. She staggered off the two, dropping to the grass on shaky legs, the sudden loss of strength and energy leaving her breathless.
Her eyes flicked up just as a shadow passed over her, and with nothing but a reflexive twitch, the world lurched to a halt around her. Frozen as she was, unable to move from her new perspective of frozen time, all she could do was stare in horror at the sight before her.
Just inches from her head was one of the Chitauri spears, the alien in the middle of slamming it down on her. It'd taken advantage of her distraction, and intended to finish her off. Cautiously, she tried to draw on her powers again, to Power Strike the weapon and guide it to the side, or figure out if there was enough time for her to shift out of the way.
There wasn't. She was drained. In an act of desperation, she used her Celestial Brush to flick ink into the Chitauri's eyes, attempting to blind it. She readied herself for searing pain, and prepared to throw herself to the side.
She let out a breath.
Time resumed.
The spear fell upon her. A sickening squelch sounded out, meaty and wet, followed by a body hitting the ground with a thump.
The wolf blinked, and slowly turned her head to look at the spear humming in the ground just inches from her side, quivering from the impact. The glow and hum slowly faded as there was no longer anyone powering it. Her gaze flicked to the former alien, who now had more in common with a crude piece of modern art.
Its body was contorted in an uncomfortable-looking arch that made even the wolf's back feel sore. An arrow was embedded in its head, and seemed to have wrenched it to the ground. As the dead soldier continued to twitch, she turned her gaze to where the arrow had come from.
High up on the buildings, there was a person with a hand raised. It was almost impossible to see them from this angle, but that building looked familiar. That was the human archer she'd almost smushed! He had to be an incredibly skilled archer too, considering he was so far away that he looked small enough to sit on her nose.
Being the polite deity she was, the wolf replied with a rather loud bark, the sound echoing off buildings. Hopefully, the human had heard it.
Her duty done, aliens dead, and humans saved, she turned her gaze to the weapon still buried in the ground, the one that had been about to impale her. If she'd had her own weapon to wield, she would have been able to counter the attack or kill the aliens faster.
Well… It's not like they really needed this spear anymore, right? She leaned forward and opened her jaws to grab the spear, wondering if she would be able to wield it like the divine weaponry she no longer had.
It was worth a shot, at least. She tugged the spear from the ground and held it in her jaws, the unfamiliar shape uncomfortable. Closing her eyes, she thought back to her past life—how she'd swap weapons and use them without needing to touch them. Being able to pull them from the ether and use them to cut through her enemies.
There was a tug on her core, and the weight in her jaws vanished. She could still feel the spear present, able to be called on in a moment. It was connected to her, her magic imprinting upon it, rewiring it, binding it to her through intricate layers of magic that she wielded easily.
She got a new stick! Very exciting.
"Puppy!"
The wolf's thoughts were broken by the excited shout of a young boy who appeared to have broken free from the group of people she'd saved. His mother was chasing after him, tripping over herself, other people, the shadows, and thin air in her attempts to reach him.
The wolf staggered and sat down as she was tackled by the young boy, who decided that hugging a massive wolf more than three times his size was a good idea. Not that she blamed him. A large 'puppy' was far more normal and reassuring than aliens trying to kill everyone.
She tilted her head down and nuzzled into the child's hair, allowing the kid to plant his tear-streaked face into her neck fluff. The contrast from what had to have been pure terror to utter joy at seeing her would have likely given anyone else whiplash.
Despite the situation, she couldn't stop her tail from wagging, the heavy limb giving a heavy whap, whap, whap against the ground at the loving contact. She raised a single paw and did her best to half-hug the boy, holding him close.
"Alex… get back here, please." The mother had come to a stop just a few feet away, visibly nervous. "Let's leave the nice wolf alone…"
After a moment of the child refusing to move, the wolf placed a large paw on his chest and urged him back. Alex giggled and backed away, beaming brightly, completely at odds with the tear tracks cutting through the dirt on his face.
"Thank you, puppy!" Alex beamed at her. With the limitless energy of a child, he whirled around and raced back toward his mother, who scooped him into her arms. After several cautious steps back, the mother whirled around and quickly made her way back toward the group of people still in the park.
They were all watching her warily, except for Alex, who peeked out over his mother's shoulder and waved goodbye to her. The wolf dipped her head in a little bow, acknowledging them. They clearly hadn't expected a response like that, several people looking absolutely stunned. Alex merely smiled wider.
Happy with a job well done, and the humans (relatively) safe, she turned her attention back to the city. Minor win aside, she still had a lot of work to do, and getting pet and receiving praise wasn't going to end the invasion.
A thrill ran up her spine, and the wolf shivered. For just a split second the universe around her froze, before returning to normal. It wasn't like her natural ability to stop time, this was different. Time was shifted back just a second, and then resumed, manipulated by something. There was an odd feeling of energy radiating from a specific section of the city. Golden streaks of light lanced into the sky, slicing through the Chitauri soldiers with precision, sending the alien vehicles to the ground in halves.
The wolf narrowed her eyes, focusing on the odd mixture of energies flowing from the area. There was something that was reminiscent of the abilities she and the other Brush Gods wielded there, as well as something… else. Something darker. A magic that reminded her of the demonic enemies she battled in her previous life. It was faint, but it was definitely there, smothered under layers of pure energy.
Before she could even act on this new information, a violent explosion caught her attention. A cloud of dust, rubble, and flame rose up from the top of one of the tall buildings. The same building the archer had been on! Her heart dropped, and she scanned the site for a moment, trying to see if there was any way he could have-
There! A length of rope was falling from site of the explosion, attached to an arrow. She followed the path up, scanning the building, and spotted it. A window was broken inward, and if her math was right, it was roughly the length of the rope from the roof.
The wolf sprang to her feet and lunged for the arrow, tugging it from the alien corpse. She huffed through her nose, taking in the scents as she turned and started running for the city. The smell of alien insides was strongly present, and beneath that, odd synthetic materials and a chemical small. Under all of that? Something human—she could use that if the Archer was buried under rubble.
She picked up speed as she ran forward, paws leaving behind flowers as she raced through the grass, feeling the wind breaking around her. It didn't feel like enough though, and if that human needed help then she was going far too slow.
Her magic in this new world was malleable, flexible, and able to do things she never could before. A perfect example was that little boost of speed when fighting the aliens minutes ago.
… What would happen if she pushed more into it? She wasn't anywhere near completely recovered, but the slowly building pool of energy inside her felt like more than enough for her little experiment.
With a little huff of effort, she gripped her magic firmly, and pushed it into her body, focusing on her legs, paws, and muscles all over with the sole idea of going faster.
The world around her blurred, and the wolf rocketed forward. Her paws pounded the pavement and her legs blurred beneath her, burning through magic as she raced down the street. Several city blocks passed by in seconds, passing by burning cars and piles of rubble as nothing more than a streak of white fur.
Unfortunately, the pure energy fueling her body came to an end, as did the automatic balance and high speed that came with it. The wolf staggered and stumbled as she slowed herself down to a steady lope, trying to catch her breath after the brief full-out sprint. Using magic and exerting herself was many times more exhausting than just one or the other.
The building she was running toward was finally in front of her, the insides dark, metal door locked, and glass windows-
Wait… Glass windows…
There was no hesitation. She crouched and launched herself at the window, crashing through it and sending glass skittering across the concrete floor. Her nose twitched as she scented the air, catching something high above, barely detectable.
A powerful leap landed her on the nearest balcony, and she began her climb, loping her way up the stairs. Floor after floor she rose, taking corners hard by pushing off the walls and shooting up the stairs. Multiple groups of people screamed in fright as she raced past them, the humans taking shelter in the stairs during the invasion.
She thought the reactions were a tad much. Fluffy and elegant was definitely not something people should be screaming over. Silly humans, she wasn't that kind of deity. If they could understand her, they wouldn't have heard barks. 'Be not afraid,' was a fun line to use, both to make fun of the other heavenly beings and to encourage people to calm down just a teeny tiny little bit. But no, she just received screams.
She rolled her eyes. Humans.
The scent she was tracking grew stronger and she came to a stop outside of a wooden door. It seemed like it might be high enough to be where the Archer—hopefully—crashed into. A soft breeze seemed to seep from the gaps around the door, and, with another heavy huff, she smelled her target.
Without a second thought, she tensed and shoved herself forward, slamming headfirst into the door. The wood exploded outward in thick chunks, scattering across the empty office floor. Blinking the stars from her vision, the wolf stepped onto the floor, the breeze and scents much stronger, as were the sounds of battle from outside.
A low, pained groan caught her attention, as did the smell of blood. She snapped her head to the back of the office floor and loped forward, following the sounds and smells, a ball of worry forming in her core. Her ears swivelled to catch the echoes of sound, nose flaring to follow the scent on the breeze, guiding her through the maze-like office floor.
Rounding one final corner, she stumbled upon her target. The Archer was lying on the floor, bleeding from several cuts and gashes, surrounded by large shards of glass. A little whine slipped from the wolf, and she padded forward, broken glass cracking under her paws.
The Archer's eyes snapped open and he sat up, body tense, reaching for his bow. Despite his injuries, he looked more than ready to fight, muscles wound, eyes sharp. It took several seconds for him to realize that she wasn't a Chitauri soldier, and a moment longer to realize that he was face-to-face with a rather large wolf.
She padded forward, her perked ears catching his breathing increase, and his heart rate jump slightly. That is, until she opened her jaws and allowed the arrow she brought to clatter to the floor right in front of him.
…
The wolf blinked and sat down with a rather heavy motion, looking at the Archer expectantly. She tilted her head, and, after a moment, used a paw to push the arrow closer to the human. A peace offering, and a sign of friendship, or at least an apology for almost turning him into a meat pancake.
"… You came all the way up here to play fetch?" He let out a chuckle, only to hiss through his teeth and grimace. A shift to the side pushed more weight on his arm and away from his side. "Ow… I'm gonna be feeling that tomorrow." Glass cracked and another groan slipped from the man as he shifted himself to his knees, facing the wolf.
Despite the pain, he reached a hand out toward her, offering his palm for her to smell. Of course, she didn't do anything in small measures and returned the motion with a long lick right up his forearm. Her tail was wagging hard, enough so that the glass on the floor rattled with every smack of her tail.
The thumps of her tail only grew stronger when the Archer reached forward further and started to scritch at her neck floof. One of her back legs started to twitch, and the wolf leaned into the scratches with a little grunt and tilt of her head. The Archer let out another laugh, which cut off rather quickly, replaced with a hiss of pain through his teeth.
Oh, right, she should probably deal with that, shouldn't she?
Time froze around her, and she stopped to look at the man in front of her. The poor guy had several red stains on his clothing, complete with gashes, a few light abrasions on his skin, and looked like a proper mess.
Nothing a little magic goddess ink couldn't fix! She worked her Celestial Brush over the blatant holes and gashes on his body, filling them in, restoring them to a state before they'd been broken and split. It also worked to fix his clothing too—just a little bonus. When the visible damage was gone, she turned her attention inward. A large circle of ink was drawn over the Archer, the same thing that encouraged plants to flourish and helped people feel energetic. Her mind focused on healing, recovery, and life.
She released her grip on the universe, and her magic took effect. Flesh knit together, fabric mended, and a surge of energy was forced through the man before her, working on any bruising and internal injuries she couldn't see. Evidently, he wasn't expecting this, not if the way he reeled back meant anything.
"What the f-" He patted himself down, looking at the spots where he clearly had been injured before. Curious hands poked and prodded at his skin, pulled at his clothing and armour, and squeezed at his side. The Archer shifted himself side to side, brows furrowed, and took a deep, experimental breath. He was completely healed.
The wolf merely sat there with a somewhat smug look, her tail lazily swaying side to side. She tilted her head slightly when he looked back at her, acting the part of an innocent—if large—dog. No magic to be seen here!
"… What just happened?" His eyes narrowed and he pointed at the wolf, his finger booping her nose. "You did something, didn't you? You look too smug to be innocent."
Her smile grew wider, her tail swishing back and forth a little bit faster. Golden eyes vanished behind an innocent squint, and she blepped her tongue out. No, no, she was definitely innocent. Nothing mischievous or magic happening here.
"Yeah, you can't fool me, you big furball." The Archer reached forward and grabbed the wolf's cheeks in his hands, squishing them together, smooshing her face with all that extra fur and floof he grabbed. "I know you're more than you're letting on, Wolfy." He laughed and ruffled up her face, messing up all of her fur in a horrific fashion.
An indignant huff and a snort escaped her. She pulled back, out of the man's hands, and shook herself off with a low grumble. One of her paws worked at guiding her fur back into place and smoothing it out. Goddesses weren't supposed to be smooshed like that!
She fixed her eyes on the archer, then turned her gaze toward the open window, gesturing with her head. There was still a city to save, and as nice as this short break was to recover, they needed to get back out there.
"Yeah, let's get out of here, Wolfy. There's still an invasion to stop." He grabbed the arrow from the floor and put it into the quiver on his back in a smooth motion. His strides carried him past the wolf, heading toward the staircase. "I think we should-" He stopped.
The wolf stepped closer, watching as the Archer froze, eyes narrowed, listening to that little machine in his ear. Then, he grinned and let out a little relieved laugh, that quickly turned into an excited cheer, the Archer punching the air in elation.
"We did it! It's over! You hear that, Wolfy?"
She did. To clarify, it was what she didn't hear. There was no sound coming from the city through the shattered window. No explosions, no screaming, no gunshots or the cries of aliens. Things were oddly silent, and other than the sound of some alarms going off, there was nothing else.
"We won!" he cheered.
Her excitement spiked, and she let out a happy bark, her tail wagging wildly. She let out a startled yelp as the Archer leaned down and scooped up her front half into his arms. Not one to let an opportunity pass, she dragged her tongue across his face in a big slobbery wolf lick, causing him to reel back and drop her with a soft thump.
"Blagh! In my mouth? Really!?" He spluttered and wiped at his face.
She didn't care for his reaction, and padded her way to the open window, peeking out over the city, verifying that everything was indeed quiet. Nothing was flying around in the air, and every sound of shifting rubble was heard echoing off the tall buildings. The only motion visible was a few people peeking from buildings, or making their way down the streets.
"Careful, Wolfy, don't fall."
…
She rolled her eyes and turned around, fixing the man with a look. It was nice that he was concerned about her. She was also far from stupid, and there was no way she would just fall out of a window.
That didn't mean she wouldn't jump, though. Her eyes locked on his, and she gave him the biggest, goofiest, most tongue-filled open-mouthed smile she could.
And then she jumped.
The wolf sprang backward, arching her back, performing a—in her clearly correct opinion—very cool backflip, and plummeted toward the streets below. She could hear the man's startled shout as she fell and let out a huff of laughter. Floor after floor of skyscraper rose up in front of her, the ground very rapidly approaching.
All four paws hit the ground and her fall ended in an instant, leaving her standing on the road. It was a rather convenient shortcut for non-mortals. She didn't pancake, unlike the rest of the rather mortal beings that lived in this world. Negating gravity and falls was rather unfair and she was all for it.
She tilted her head back and looked up at the Archer watching her from the open window. A bark of greeting left her, followed by the smallest blep of her tongue, before she turned her back on him and trotted to the front of the building to check things out for herself.
True to his words, it seemed that things were over. The giant portal in the sky was long gone, the massive creatures flying through the air were all grounded, and the Chitauri soldiers were limp on the streets, not even twitching. Her ears swivelled and eyes scanned the city for anything that could be a threat.
There was nothing.
She felt her heart soar and gave a soft huff, releasing tension she didn't realize she'd been carrying from the moment she woke up. There was something therapeutic about victory, and winning against impossible odds. No matter how many times she'd done it before, it was always worth a celebration.
A low, guttural growl built up in her throat, pushing all of her confusion and frustration and relief and joy and anything else that could remotely fuel the motion into it. She crouched low to the ground, building up the sound, and then threw her head back. The wolf stood tall and proud, head pointed to the sky, and cried out a howl of victory that overwhelmed everything else in the city. It carried with it victory, warmth, and hope, spurring anyone who heard it onward, letting them know that things would be okay. Windows rattled, soundwaves bouncing along the buildings, rolling through the streets like thunder.
After several long seconds, she let the howl fade, the sound still rolling long after she stopped. She stood proud, her tail swishing happily, glancing around at all the humans down the streets who'd turned to look at her.
"You're just a show-off, aren't you?" The Archer stepped up behind her, likely having taken the stairs considering how long it took him to get down to the street. "Cheeky dog, it wasn't enough to scare me, you had to backflip too?"
The wolf poked out her tongue and let out a playful 'wurf'. The Archer plucked his earpiece out and messed with the controls, allowing her to hear what was being said as well.
"Roll call, is everyone alright?" The voice of the red-white-and blue human came from the small device. "Did anyone else hear that howl?"
The Archer pressed a button and spoke. "Copy, Captain, it's Barton. I'm okay, but things got a little hairy at the end there. Literally." Barton nudged the wolf with a knee, prompting an offended huff from her. "Wolfy here got a little excited about winning and decided to announce it to the city." He turned and gave her a look, as if she should be embarrassed for celebrating.
She blinked, and rolled her eyes at him, poking her tongue out at Barton for added insult.
A woman's voice followed a moment later, winded and exasperated. "Wolfy? Clint, tell me you didn't-"
"Hey, the dog found me, don't start pointing any fingers, Nat," Clint defended. "I was being all professional, and someone decided to play fetch."
"Well, tell the dog to fetch your ass upstairs, Robinhood." A red and gold blur flew overhead, landing on the balcony of the Stark Tower. "We still need to restrain Daddy Issues here."
"Hulk and I encountered this dog-wolf creature. She is remarkably soft, and magical in nature." A different voice, deeper, came through the communicator. "She did not speak her name before she vanished, but she is an ally, of that I am certain."
What was this other person talking about? She'd never encountered this person before, nor this 'Hulk', whom she assumed was the rather large green smashy man. Few others really fit the name that well. She'd need to ask about their encounter. Looks like she was going to be following this group of people for a short while.
Three more individuals soared overhead, one after the other. Hulk leaped up onto the balcony of the tower, the metal audibly rattling from the impact. The hammer-wielding lightning-man followed shortly, holding the wrist of Captain America, pulling him up onto the balcony as well.
"You know I can't fly, right?" Clint spoke into the communicator.
"Then you better start running." Natasha replied. "And leave the dog in the lobby until we can get down there, I don't know how many 'magic' things Fury can take."
The wolf turned to look up at Clint again, and quirked an eyebrow up. They were telling him to leave her behind? Ha! Not going to happen. She needed answers after fighting off an alien invasion, and she was going to damn well get them.
"Er… This is awkward, sorry, Wolfy." Clint winced and laughed nervously. "Why don't you- wait, hang on, what are you doing?"
She was doing as the quippy one on the communicator said: fetching him! He needed to get upstairs quickly, she needed answers, and both of their goals were at the top of that tower.
Sharp teeth clamped around Clint's belt and she yanked on it, throwing the man completely off balance. Her tail swung around and smacked the back of his legs, causing them to buckle. Perfectly timed and accurate, she merely had to step to the side and allowed Barton to sprawl across her back. She didn't let him get settled, instead starting to lope forward while a spluttering and confused Clint struggled to sit up.
"Shit," Clint cursed. He pressed the communicator a moment later. "Hey, Nat, Wolfy is bringing herself up instead. With me. I have absolutely no say in this whatsoever."
"Really, Clint? Did you fall for the puppy eyes? Men are too easy, I swear." Natasha huffed through the communicator, a laugh trailing her words.
"Don't worry Romanoff, Barton is just compensating for his pea shooter. I mean, have you seen his bow? Men usually get big dogs if they're insecure about—"
"Stark…" Cap interrupted. Stark descended into a fit of cackles at his teammates' expense.
Clint had now more-or-less properly seated himself atop the large wolf's back, his hands grasping at her fur to keep himself upright. He seemed to have accepted his fate, being kidnapped by a giant wolf and dragged to the place he needed to go anyway.
Thus, the pair entered Stark Tower like two normal people would. It definitely wasn't weird at all that an archer fending off an alien invasion was riding on the back of a wolf, and Clint refused to acknowledge it at all. There was nothing odd about a super spy being kidnapped by a reincarnated goddess—not that he would know that.
The duo entered the elevator, as normal people do, and the wolf booped her nose against the button Clint had gestured toward. The doors closed with a soft ding and the elevator started to rise, bringing them to their shared destination atop the tower.