The wolf ended her howl and looked up, the bright green glow fading from her body as she looked up at the sky, the world looking almost identical to where she had been just a moment before. Did the Time Stone actually work? She cocked an ear and listened, straining to listen to the sounds of the city behind her, but it was too difficult to tell. Humans are so noisy, and all those sirens going off made it difficult to tell if this was a normal thing or a post-invasion event.
The air didn't carry the scent of smoke, blood, or rubble on it though, and the light breeze rolling off the coastline and through the city toward her would have surely contained some of that scent. She decided to trust her instincts and run along the roads in the night, bounding along far faster than a normal wolf could, but conserving her magic for now.
She ran along the roads, focusing on the discussion of the map and the events of the previous day, or, would it be future events of today now? Regardless, she knew where she needed to go… sort of.
So, she spent hours running along the road and occasionally dipping off to the side to avoid being spotted by anyone driving along. If her math was right, Loki should be in the custody of SHIELD, and the "big flying boat" as Steve had called it, should be somewhere over the 'Atlantic Ocean' at the moment, whatever that was. However, there should be another method of transport she should be able to reach just as the sun started rising.
As the hours passed and she took in the sights, huffing softly as she loped along the road just under highway speeds, she finally spotted what she was looking for. Something the red-headed Russian had called a Quinjet swooped overhead, the great metallic bird hovering over the ground for a moment and taking off north. It slowly descended on the outskirts of a small town, disguising its presence by landing behind a small hill.
This remote location would be one of the many spots that had been checked for traces of the Tesseract, that annoyingly spicey blue cube. Unfortunately, these wouldn't be the proper locations to find the cube. They weren't too sure where Loki's original base had been when discussing the events of the day prior… or was it tomorrow? The previous day she experienced that came after the current day?
Time travel was weird, and she decided to just put the semantics out of her head. Worrying about technicalities and rules of reality didn't really apply to her, so why bother worrying about it anyways?
The wolf pumped magic into her legs to cross the empty field leading up to the metallic flying object in what seemed like seconds. She huffed as she cancelled the magic and dug her claws into the grass and dirt, sliding herself to a stop and kicking up a plume of dry earth into the air, luckily the cloud mixing with the dirt already kicked up by the Quinjet.
She crept around the edge of the transport, slinking low to the ground and shuffling forward, working along the edge, and poking her head over the ramp that lead up into the flying metallic vehicle. She ducked back down as she saw two of the soldiers in SHIELD gear tromping their way down the ramp, heavy boots making an awful lot of racket for people who were trying to find some secret hideout.
She rolled her eyes and watched as they walked toward the town in the early morning, a device in their hands as they scanned the small town. So brutish and noisy, she was sure the people hiding could hear them coming from a mile away at this point.
The wolf watched them depart, and then when they crested the hill leading to the town, she turned and clambered her way up the ramp and into the jet, looking closely at the cabin.
There wasn't much room to hide, unfortunately. The flying vehicle was mostly just a big empty space with chairs along both walls and the front consisting of the controls and two pilot seats. If both of those individuals were to sit in the front, she supposed she could hide in the back. As long as they didn't turn around…
The wolf nodded to herself, nosing around in the compartment a little more, unable to find anything interesting. It just smelled of people that needed a bath, and metal. She snorked lightly at the scent and pulled away, padding back to the open ramp at the back of the jet, and ducked around the side.
So, she waited, mentally planning out her strategy based on the events she had been told about. It would be difficult, but she was sure she could do it now. All she had to do was not get caught, not be seen, not die, and make sure to not drastically change the events of the future! Easy!
…She hoped.
She perked up her ears as she heard footsteps, the two agents from before making their way back to the Quinjet. She ducked down behind the landing wheels and pushed herself to the ground, holding her breath as she waited for the agents to pass. What she wouldn't give to be able to turn invisible…
She attempted to use her magic to do so, screwing her eyes shut, poking her tongue out in concentration…
Nope, nothing.
The ramp started to work its way upwards, the great metal slab sealing and sitting flush with the Quinjet. The wolf huffed and crouched, waiting for the vehicle to start moving. She dug her claws into the ground and tensed up, waiting as it started lifting off, wind and hot air billowing against her.
The wolf pushed off the ground hard, leaping into the air and toward the base of the vehicle. She reached and let her fur graze the hull of the ship, before teleporting herself a small distance upward, reappearing inside the cabin of the Quinjet.
She crouched as she landed and muffled the sound her paws made hitting the metal. She slunk to the side and quickly glanced around, eyes locking forward to the front of the flying vehicle. She relaxed her body, seeing the two people sitting up front facing forward, one piloting the plane while the other seemed to be talking with someone on a device.
"-tive, there is no sign of the Tesseract, Agent Barton, or Professor Selvig. We have two more locations to check." The agent spoke into the device, and paused to listen once more, glancing at his co-pilot and then nodding to himself. "Affirmative, we will continue the scans while airborne."
The co-pilot hung up the device and looked to his left, while the main pilot gave him a glance and raised her eyebrow.
"So, what's the news?" She asked, turning her attention back to the instrument panel in front of her, poking at a button on the panel. The co-pilot turned his attention back to the front, flicking a switch that activated a screen.
"They've caught Loki, and they're bringing him back to the US. Hill said they ran into a snag but everything is fine, and they're several hours out. We'll be returning to the Helicarrier after we finish our run looking for Loki's base." The man spoke, turning his attention back to the screen. He narrowed his eyes and grumbled, smacking the side of the screen once or twice.
"Why are you hitting the absurdly expensive piece of technology?" The pilot asked, glancing over to what the co-pilot was looking at.
"I think this thing is broken; it's saying there's a reading almost identical to the tesseract following us. No, wait, with us?"
The wolf widened her eyes and hunkered down into the corner, trying to reduce her presence as much as possible, clamping down on her magic and withdrawing deep inside herself.
"…and now it's gone?" The man spoke, a confused lilt to his voice.
"Hey, don't mess with it. Just let it do its thing. We can get someone to inspect it when we're back at base." The woman spoke. The two then returned to their jobs, flying around and scanning.
The wolf kept her magic clamped down closely, retraining her power causing her to ache slightly from the effort. She kept patient and quiet though, waiting for her time.
Whenever the Quinjet descended in order for the agents to leave the vehicle and inspect the area, she'd teleport herself out of the vehicle before ducking herself down behind the wheels or on top of the roof where they couldn't see her. The wolf then teleported back inside when the vehicle began to take off again, continuing to keep her magic held close.
It had been a frustrating few hours but was worth it as they finally returned to the Helicarrier in the sky. The wolf's jaw dropped in amazement at the large flying structure as she watched through the front window of the Quinjet.
She shook her head and refocused, mentally reminding herself to be amazed later, as right now she had a job to do. She couldn't afford distractions. She had to get this right. This would require immense precision, focus, willpower, and-
They landed and the pilots were turning around in their seats! The wolf flexed her magic and teleported directly underneath the Quinjet, crouched down and shuffled herself behind one of the wheels. She huffed and watched closely, the ramp descending and the two agents departing the vehicle.
The wolf glanced to her side, looking around the deck of the Helicarrier from underneath the vehicle, gazing around, waiting for the delay on her magic to wear off. Finally, she teleported herself back inside the vehicle, huffing in relief at not having been caught yet. She sat down and shook herself off, giving a big stretch and letting out a yawn, getting herself ready for the tricky part.
She flexed her will on reality and used her Veil of Mist brush magic, feeling time around her slowing to a crawl. She crouched down and growled, amping herself up for the incoming sprint. She pushed her magic into her legs once more, gritting her teeth.
She launched herself forward, teleporting herself through the hull of the Quinjet and out onto the Helicarrier runways. Her momentum carried through the teleport, sending the canine flying through the air. She landed on the deck in the middle of everything, watching people slowly shift and move around, turning their heads at a fraction of the speed they normally could. She wasn't going to wait for them though, bounding across the runway and ducking underneath a wing of a Quinjet racing down the runway.
She crouched and launched herself up, leaping up onto the second runway and twisting herself midair. She could feel the flow of time returning to normal and used her Celestial Brush once more, time crawling again. She continued her run, spotting an open door someone was walking into at the base of the Helicarrier tower. She planted her feet and lunged forward, paws digging into the floor as she launched herself upward, twisting herself in an arch around the person's shoulder and through the doorway, her tail just grazing the solid metal doorframe.
To anyone else watching, with the wolf's high speed being accented by the fuzzy feeling of her Celesial Brush technique, a normal person would have seen nothing more than a white blur zip by, before disappearing once again, leaving one or two people rubbing their eyes as the slight dizzy spell washed over them.
The great white canine bounced off of walls and turned corners, using her ability to push off the air to halt her in place and shove off through tight turns, eventually darting down an empty hallway. She was running out of magic quickly, that brief sprint over and through the large flying fortress having almost completely drained her magic. With moments to spare, she jumped and teleported herself through a small door, relaxing her grip on her magic as she slid to a stop, slamming her body hard into a solid metal wall.
The wolf staggered to her feet, legs shaky and body absolutely drained. She gave a heavy exhale, steam wafting out of her mouth and into the air in the average temperature room, her body worn and exhausted from the sprint.
She glanced at her magic and gave a little wolfish grin, having only scant amounts left. She glanced around the room while she thought, ensuring she was alone in what looked like a small storage room. She had managed to burn through more than her entire magic pool in those brief dozen seconds she had sprinted.
The canine stepped forward and shook herself off, feeling rather proud of herself. She looked up to the balcony on the second level of this massive storage room and sighed, crouching down and leaping upward to the next level. She padded around to settle in the corner, laying down while she caught her breath and relaxed.
She glanced upward, not really seeing through the roof, but feeling where the position of the sun was. As a celestial being, she could instinctively feel where the sun was positioned, it was her domain after all. She gave a hard yawn that ended in a shrill whine and huffed.
Thinking about it, the canine recalled the last day and a bit she had gone through, from appearing in the middle of a war, helping rescue people, and repairing parts of the city. She had run all night long and then kept awake while holding tight to her magic for hours.
She was exhausted and hadn't slept at all. She tilted her head to the side and thought, going over her plan and what should happen in the coming hours, and weighing the position of the sun into her thoughts.
She could afford an hour or two to sleep and recover.
So nap she did, curling up into a ball in the corner, using her tail to cover her paws and then moving to rest her head on top of her black and white tail, the large white canine gave a soft huff as she closed her eyes, keeping her ears perked and listening for anyone that might stumble their way into her amazing hiding spot.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Loki stood patiently in his cell, suppressing the urge to smirk. His plan was all coming together. He had intended to get captured and let the enemy and those moronic 'protectors' bring him right into the middle of their flying fortress. Those idiots certainly wouldn't be expecting him to take them down from the inside.
He paced a little, hands behind his back, walking in slow, lazy circles around his cell. He just had to wait. That archer would cause a distraction and sabotage their flying airship, while other mortals he had brought over to his side with the help of the Staff would free him from his cell and cause chaos on the ship.
Even now, that intelligent (for a mortal) scientist with the Tesseract was on his way to that gaudy tower in the middle of that city. Invading from their own stronghold would be a great blow to their morale. Their great cities turned to rubble, with the tall beacon of their technological prowess being used as their own downfall. Oh, he was looking forward to it all.
He could see it now, those mortals on their knees, begging for their lives, carrying out his orders as the Tesseract brought through legions more of his troops, his army conquering the globe. This world was rich in resources and potential slaves. He would carve out a bloody place in the galaxy and prove his worth. His brother wouldn't stand a chance against him. Thor would be nothing but a side-note in the history books, just an accent to the grand rise of Loki, Enslaver of the Nine Realms-
"Woof!"
Loki definitely did not let out a startled squeak at the sound of a large canine suddenly appearing behind him. He also absolutely didn't trip over his feet and fall to the floor, the hit winding him and driving the breath from his lungs. No, he was much too collected and calm for that to ever happen. No, he merely… decided he'd be more comfortable laying on the cold metallic floor, and he just happened to smash his face against it to prove he was tougher than mortal constructs. Definitely.
Loki groaned and raised his head up, pushing himself off the ground into a kneeling position and flipping his hair back in a single motion, glaring daggers at the large white canine inside the death trap with him. He gazed at the wolf, eyes following along the red markings and all the way down to its paws, noticing what looked like little flower petals resting under its feet.
This was clearly some sort of divine creature. The magic presence it had was noticeable. Not nearly as powerful as his own, of course. So he decided to have a little fun, using an illusion to cloak himself, moving himself to his full height and stalking around the canine, while his illusion stood up in front of the wolf. Keeping in character, his illusion brushed himself off and stood tall, glowering down at the large canine.
"What, have you come to free me? Maybe pledge your allegiance to the soon-to-be ruler of the Nine Realms? Why have you come, Beast?" He gloated a little, enjoying the fool he was making of the wolf as he stood behind it.
"Arf," the canine spoke, and Loki's eye twitched, his real and illusion hand clenching slightly. He faltered briefly, his mental connection to the Staff flickering as he was caught off guard, his attempts at getting his captors to turn on one another with the Staff dying for a moment.
"This cage will not hold me for long, Beast. As we speak my plans and pawns are coming together. I will be this planet's ruler. I will be a God to the Nine Realms, and—"
"Boof!" The wolf taunted, her tongue lolling out as she looked at his illusion. Loki's control slipped further, and he growled under his breath, a flare of magic slipping out under his illusion, but he quickly gained control. He missed the wolf's ear twitching slightly though, rotating to face his actual position. He was much too focused on keeping his slipping control and connection to the Staff to notice.
"Insolent mutt! You know not of what you speak. Thor may be strong but he is an oaf, a great lumbering buffoon. He doesn't hold a candle to my abilities!" Loki was growing tired of this conversation. Magical creature or not, nothing could insult him to his face and get away with it.
He summoned a knife into his hand, stepping closer behind the canine and raising his hand, ready to drive the knife into the creature's throat. He lunged forward, his illusion flickering for a brief moment in his rage as he slashed at the canine. Mid-swing, he felt a slight dizzy feeling wash over him and then watched as the canine blurred away from the edge of his blade. He didn't even have a moment to retaliate or adjust as a heavy force slammed into the back of his legs, causing him to crumple backwards, his knife falling from his hand and vanishing once more.
Loki threw his hands back to catch himself, growling under his breath as he steadied himself and got to his feet once again, throwing another illusion over himself. He tightened his grip on his magic, illusion hiding his presence from sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and any magically attuned creatures. He whirled around and stepped closer to the canine that was taunting him, while his illusion circled the opposite way, a knife appearing in both his and the illusion's hands.
"Awuff…" The wolf huffed, and Loki stopped, gritting his teeth for a moment.
"You lie. Love and personal attachments are for the weak. Father, Mother, and Thor are all examples of this. I could slaughter them in their sleep and wouldn't feel any remorse," Loki spoke, creeping closer toward the canine. For good measure, he flexed his magic and created another two illusions and showed himself as well, surrounding the canine on all sides as he stalked closer. "They are weak. I've already surpassed them all. I conquer worlds while they laze about!"
Loki lunged, knives outstretched. He felt reality shift for a flicker of a moment and then a force slammed into his chest, digging into his armour and cutting it almost to his skin. All three of his illusions shattered and dispersed while he was sent staggering back.
He looked down in confusion, spotting a dark black fluid – ink – evaporating quickly off his clothing and armour. He glanced up just to catch the wolf lunging toward him far faster than he could avoid, the canine clamping down firmly on his wrist and forcing him to drop his knife once more. He planted his feet and raised his other hand, knife reappearing, plunging it down toward the canine's head. The wolf jumped at the same moment, twisted, and then pushed off the air again, rolling to the side wrenching Loki's arm, pulling the trickster god off his feet and rotating in mid-air.
The canine growled, planted her rear paws on the metal floor, and yanked on his wrist, sending the god into an accelerating arch straight into the metal floor.
Loki gasped and arched his back, the wind driven from his lungs after that powerful blow. He rolled himself quickly to the side, summoning his knife into his hand and hurling it straight at the wolf, the canine standing right in front of the glass, having nowhere to run or dodge the incoming projectile.
Loki grinned. He had her now. The blade was racing toward her, sharp point a hair's breadth away from her eye. He could see the fear and surprise in her eyes. She was done for.
The blade struck the glass behind the wolf, leaving a scratch on the glass and clattering to the floor, the blade quickly disappearing from reality once more. Loki seethed, glaring as he stood up, gritting his teeth in fury at the sight of the wolf standing on the other side of the glass, the wolf somehow moving through the solid material and standing on the platform leading to his cell.
Loki raged, forgetting all about his desire to use the Staff to corrupt and turn the defenders of Midgard against each other, instead racing forward and slamming his closed fist into the glass, his breath fogging up the see-through barrier. He stared at the wolf, hatred filling his being, wishing to skewer the animal and wear her fur like a cloak. He would make an example out of her.
"Aroo…" The wolf sounded out softly, her eyes looking up into Loki's own, those pools of gold peering straight into his, filling his mind with a brief warmth, his desires and goals faltering for the briefest second. He shook his head and returned his glare once more, backing away from the glass and turning away from the canine, taking a breath and folding his hands behind his back, pacing in the cell once more.
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"No. No, it's far too late for that. I'm going to follow through with this. I will become the ruler of the Nine Realms, starting with this pitiful planet. Nothing you say will sway my decision." He spoke softly.
An explosion rattled the ship, Loki's plan in the background finally taking effect. He glanced over to the side, catching the barest glimpse of a white tail disappearing around the corner and down the stairs.
He stood in his cell silently, listening to the sounds of chaos starting up about the ship. The shouting, the alarms, the gunfire. The haunting roar of the green beast rattled through the fortress. His plan was executed perfectly. He would be out of here in no time, and leading the battle for this planet.
Yet… even amongst the chaos and the sounds of his plans approaching their grandiose close… He frowned slightly. He summoned his blade into his hand and tilted it, raising it to his face as he peered back at his own reflection. He blinked, using his magic, his eyes shifting to that warm gold of the wolf's as he thought, gazing back at himself.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
The white wolf berated herself and grumbled under her breath as she ran through the helicarrier. She was racing her way down the halls and launching herself over the people running around, scrambling and moving while listening to orders from their communicators. They yelped as she ducked overhead but she paid them no mind, as she was gone in a moment anyways, leaping forward and then pushing off the air, taking off toward the sound of the explosion.
She heard the sound of gunshots and used her magic to run faster, careening forward and coming upon a scene with people on both sides unloading weaponry. She turned her gaze and looked at the people ducking underneath and behind desks returning fire to the people barrelling into the room from the doorway. She used her brush and slowed time, before leaping forward and slamming a hind paw into the head of one of the controlled soldiers, sending his face against the metal walls.
From what she remembered from what Natasha had said, hitting people really hard in the head seemed to work. So, hit away she did. She pulled the alien energy spear from wherever she kept it (she hadn't figured out exactly where it was) and launched her way between two soldiers, turning the spear sideways like a metal bar and catching them both across the face with it, clotheslining them at the forehead. She planted her feet and jumped, arching up, twisting around and jumping again, firing herself to a higher level and taking off once more.
She did her best to remember which areas the Avengers had been in during their fights and attempted to avoid them as much as possible, running at normal speeds again to recover her energy and magic. She did see a squad of soldiers making their way toward the destroyed rotor of the Helicarrier, however. Recalling the dangerous situation Tony Stark and Steve Rogers had been in, the wolf casually leapt into the fray, slowing time with her brush technique once again. She swept the legs out from under the soldiers and twirled the alien spear around, cranking the squad over the heads with the blunt end of the spear.
The wolf ran down the halls again, dropping down a layer and working her way down into storage, hearing a terrifying roar of rage from the belly of the airship. She huffed and rolled her eyes at the absolute chaos, and ran forward, dropping to slide her way under a large metal cooling pipe, and then leap to her feet again.
The wolf turned the corner and darted forward, her eyes catching sight of Natasha Romanoff sprinting for her life through a tight tunnel, the large green rage machine crashing through every layer with a shatter of glass and a screech of metal. The wolf crouched and raced forward, launching herself and snatching the Russian super spy by the belt just as she cleared the last section. The wolf mentally recoiled when she realized that she didn't have the magic power to activate her time-slowing technique again, and opted for freezing time for a moment, using her brush to slash the incoming arm of the Hulk.
The usage did nothing however, just slightly shifting the arm lower down, the powerful limb catching the wolf in the back of her legs and sending her spinning, her limbs creaking dangerously as pain shot through her. She yelped, releasing the belt of the Russian super spy and sending the woman upward from the angle of the hit, launching Natasha up onto the catwalk above.
The wolf impacted the wall hard, a sharp jolt in her ribs causing her to announce her pain in a sharp yelp. She writhed in pain for a moment, before focusing her attention on her legs, one of her limbs bent at an awkward angle. She coughed and shook her head, blood flecking her white fur as she used her remaining magic to Rejuvenate her broken leg, her magic power dropping to zero.
She staggered to all fours and huffed, looking up at the large green beast stepping toward her, tilting his head for a brief moment in confusion, and raising a hand, as if about to hit the wolf head-on. The wolf's ears folded back and she tensed, preparing to leap over the swing. The Hulk lunged for her, big hands coming together to clasp at the wolf, only to catch empty air as the white canine launched herself away in a backflip, all four paws contacting the wall, and then shoving forward again, her mind racing as the green giant stumbled just under her. She leapt off the wall, paws hitting the Hulk's face as she launched herself at him, and then jumped upward while pushing off of the Hulk, aiming for the catwalk. She pushed off the air, just missing the enraged swipe from the powerful green monster below her.
The wolf glanced back, preparing to use another Power Slash to potentially disorient the powerful creature, only to witness the outstretched beast get tackled in the middle by Thor of all people, sending the duo through multiple walls and away from the canine.
The wolf scrambled as her paws caught the edge of the catwalk, pulling herself up with a grimace, her ribs catching on the edge as she pulled herself up. A groan caught her attention and she glanced back at the Russian spy she had stopped from catching the brunt of the attack.
She couldn't be seen by people that hadn't met her until tomorrow. She forgot in the middle of the chaos.
Gritting her teeth, the wolf sprinted away, launching herself out of view just before the spy could see her, beginning her running lope through the Helicarrier once more, pushing herself to move faster. Her previously prepared plans were coming apart. She had a specific route she wanted to hit, saving as many as she could. Now, she had to race past several people, swinging the alien spear when running by, catching one or two off guard before they could turn on her and fill her with lead.
She yelped and ducked as a shot nicked her ear, taking a chunk out of it right in the middle. She kept running, leaping forward and using her double jump to turn the corner and get out of range.
This was a mess. What was she thinking? She wasn't nearly prepared enough for this. She could feel stress clouding her mind, and grit her teeth, letting out a powerful growl as she shook it off. She would deal with the consequences later. She still had to help people. Magic or not, she knew she would be able to make some difference and save a few people.
Her confidence waned as the massive airship lurched suddenly. She staggered into the wall, slamming her side against it and sending another rush of pain through her body. The canine gritted her teeth and flexed her will on reality once more, using her Rejuvenation technique on her legs once more, huffing as her magic dropped again.
She had made a royal mess of things, hadn't she? She shouldn't have bothered helping. The canine staggered to the side again, tripping and falling to the floor for a moment as the aircraft carrier lurched again, steadily straightening itself out. That hadn't been long. Moments where the massive vehicle had been falling, but it was over now.
"I have the scepter, going for Loki," a male voice said into a communications device behind her. The canine perked up and turned, pushing herself to her feet as she looked at the figure in body armour rushing in her direction. She lowered her stance and prepared to jump the man, unable to draw upon her magic quite yet, and made a move to lunge forward.
The canine yelped and crumpled to her side, the man swinging the scepter and catching her mid-air with the powerful swing, the blade digging into her side and cutting deep. The canine quivered on the floor, planting her paws on the floor, flexing her will on reality to freeze the world again, if only for a moment, using the last dregs of her magic to Rejuvenate her side, at least partially. Once time resumed, she was caught off guard by a boot being swung at her face, the powerful kick catching her jaw and sending her head crashing back against the solid metal wall.
Her head was ringing, vision going dark around the edges. She could hear the retreating sounds of those heavy, steel-toed boots as she lay there, clenching her eyes shut in an effort to keep the room from spinning.
She heard another pair of boots approaching, these ones lighter and heard a voice that sounded familiar, if briefly. She cracked her eyes open, huffing softly as the great white wolf forced herself to sit up, struggling to lift her upper half, and then sliding back down against the wall.
"Sir, we found it," Coulson spoke, in one hand a massive gun, and his other hand up at the communicator in his ear. The agent came to a stop in front of the canine and stared down at her. The wolf gave a soft whine and looked back up at the man, her tail giving a little flick as she laid her head down. Hopefully, he would leave her be. She had to recover. This was too much.
The wolf rested her head on the floor, listening to the blurry sounds of chaos around her and in the distance, her eyes locked onto the agent before her. She watched as Coulson knelt down on the ground in front of her, the knee of his pants getting stained with her blood.
Oh right, she was bleeding out. That wasn't good. She folded her ears back and flexed her will on reality again, having difficulty focusing as she worked her powers over the gash in her side, sealing the wound to at least stop the bleeding, but she still ached and could feel the broken ribs shifting inside her with every breath.
"You know… You tried really hard to stay hidden, but you kinda missed all the cameras," Phil chuckled, laying his hand on the wolf's head and gently brushing her, his fingers going to rub along the base of her ears. She could feel the tension leaving her body. She was safe for the moment.
Another series of gunshots echoed down the halls. She was kind of safe. The canine flicked her ears up and gave a little lopsided wolf grin. She then winced and used her magic to heal herself again, feeling some of her bones shift back into place. She didn't miss Coulson's eyes watching her side magically restore itself bit by bit.
"I need to go. Stay there. We'll have a team look over you when we can," with that, Coulson stood up, giving her a little pat on the shoulder, and started jogging down the hallway again.
The great white wolf gave a sharp huff and shook her head, gritting her teeth and giving a heave upward, shoving herself to all fours once more. She shook herself off, flinging blood onto the walls and streaking her fur, but ignored it. That kind man, Coulson, wouldn't stand a chance against Loki. She had to go after him.
The canine once again worked her magic on her wounds, feeling her bones finally settle, though once again left her devoid of magic and completely drained. She was exhausted on multiple levels and had to force herself to concentrate.
She started loping after Coulson, watching him turn a corner up ahead. She growled to herself, she just needed to push herself more. She needed just a little more.
The red-stained white wolf huffed and focused her thoughts. She imagined what could happen in the next few minutes. Battle with Loki? Likely. Fighting for longer against the troops Loki had brought on board? Unlikely. Surviving after this to fight against the invading Chitauri? Well… Highly likely, if she survived the next encounter.
She double-checked every little factor she could about herself, shook her head, and broke free of her frozen time. She loped forward with a bit of a limp but gradually picked up speed as she healed, every now and then using some magic to use Bloom on herself, giving her insides a kickstart to healing and numbing the soreness. Soon enough, she was bolting forward, her magic still low but feeling more confident than she had in a while.
The great white canine loped her way forward, bounding along the hallways, turning corners as she raced her way back up to Loki's prison cell. She made it to the foot of the stairs and looked up through the catwalk floor, taking in the situation with her enhanced senses.
There was an agent on the ground, knocked out, a little blood dripping from his head. Coulson had Loki in front of him, the large weapon charged up and glowing orange as he painted it at the Trickster. The wolf huffed softly in relief, maybe she had been worried over nothing.
She paused, focusing a little more, and her heart dropped. There was no magic presence coming from the Loki in front of Coulson. However, there was a large feeling of magic from behind. The canine had no way to undo any attacks or slow time. She crouched, pumped magic into her legs, and bounded upward, bouncing off the wall, leaping under the catwalk, planting all four paws onto the glass walls of the prison cell Thor was now trapped in, and sprang forward. She saw the flash of metal plunging forward, the tip digging into the back of Coulson's jacket and sinking into his back.
The canine flexed her will on reality, using her Power Slash with as much remaining magic she could, resuming time and watching the metal scepter jerk back and upward, only having just dug into Coulson's back. Loki didn't even have time to question as the moment the scepter jerked back, he was tackled by 200 pounds of wolf at high speeds. The "god" and the canine deity slammed into the metal railing, warping the material as they both plunged over the edge.
The wolf had just enough time to turn her head and look up, seeing Coulson stumble to the side and catch himself on the bent portion of the railing, before making his way toward the stairs, moving a hand up to his ear while grimacing in pain.
"I'm hit! Loki is free of containment, Thor is trapped, and we have Frosty injured and taking on Loki," the wolf could hear Coulson say before she was brought back to her situation with Loki.
The Trickster hit the ground with a thud and bounced, rolling several feet to the side, before immediately shoving himself up, crouched and lifting up the scepter with his hand. The wolf landed a moment later, pushing off the wall and dropping to the floor, landing in a low crouch in front of the Asgardian.
"Foul creature, learn your place!" Loki growled out, raising the scepter and angling it at the wolf, a powerful burst of energy shooting at the canine. The wolf jumped and twisted, rolling to the side to evade the attack, and then push off the air, lunging toward Loki with a snarl.
She was done. People had died. People were still going to die. If he wanted her dead, she was going to make him work for it.
Loki swung the scepter down with speed, the blade humming as it sliced through the air, only to get caught in a violent clash of sparks as a Chitauri spear came into existence over the large wolf's back, the spear and scepter shrieking against one another. The canine grit her teeth and pushed, forcing the Asgardian back a slight amount, before stumbling as a blade flashed into existence in Loki's other hand, being thrown at her and nicking her leg.
The wolf shifted and rolled to the side, letting Loki's scepter hit the floor, allowing the blood-soaked canine to push herself up and twist in the air, her back paw catching Loki in the chin, followed by the spear flashing after her a moment later, the sharp point digging into the Asgardian's breastplate.
Loki shoved himself back with a growl almost as feral as the wolf's and shimmered out of existence. The wolf glanced around and flexed her will on reality, using her technique to just slash at the empty air around her in a large arc, the draw of the magic nearly draining her reserves once again. It had the desired effect though, catching Loki off guard and shattering his illusion, allowing the canine to lunge at the Trickster.
Loki swung at the wolf, his eyes widening as the wolf angled herself, letting her Chitauri spear guide the attack downward, just missing the wolf's flank. Loki roared in pain and rage as that powerful set of jaws clamped down on his leg, biting through the light armour he wore and digging into his flesh, drawing blood. He was quick to retaliate, knife flashing in his hand and plunging down toward the wolf's skull.
Another jolt of reality as the wolf used her brush technique and Loki found his hand shifting just to the left. The blade cut some fur off the wolf's cheek but gave the canine enough time to plant herself, dig her claws into the floor and heave.
Loki found himself being ripped off his feet, caught in midair again as he watched the white and red canine leap into the air to follow him, still gripping tight to his calf with her jaws, and then twist. Her body pushed off of the air, wrenching his leg painfully as he was brought around far too fast, his body hitting the metallic ground hard enough to bounce. Caught in the pain of the impact, Loki was unable to prevent the next hit, the wolf dropping beside him, that floating Chitauri spear slamming itself against his head, the metal of the weapon giving a dangerous groan and denting his helmet.
Loki growled and pushed out a burst of magic, catching the wolf in the blast and sending her across the room, bouncing off of a wall and landing clumsily on all fours. The canine snorted hard and a wad of blood was spat to the floor, while Loki grinned as he leapt to his feet, his own split lip oozing blood down his face.
The sounds of a struggle above caught the wolf's attention, prompting her to glance up briefly, and then focus on Loki. Coulson was struggling with another brainwashed agent, his injury slowing him down. His backup hadn't arrived yet, and it was going to be a race against time to see whose help arrived in full force first.
Loki, capitalizing on this brief distraction, hurled a pair of knives toward the wolf with one hand, intentionally missing and aiming for one side, while using his illusions to mask the building glow of the scepter as he aimed it, tracking the path of the wolf. He grunted as he felt his illusion shatter with another one of those reality-rending cuts, but fired his weapon all the same, the powerful bolt of energy hurtling toward the canine.
The wolf used her own spear, the glow building at the end and meeting Loki's scepter blast head-on, destabilizing them both. Unfortunately, it was closer to the canine, who was sent skipping across the floor and wrapping her side around one of the support pillars for the level above.
"You're out of your league, Beast. I'm going to rule this planet and enslave Humanity. I will create the greatest empire in the Nine Realms!" Loki gloated, stalking toward the downed wolf with a laugh. He raised his scepter to fire at the canine again, just missing as the wolf shoved to her feet. The blast warped the metal and left hot, glowing remains behind.
The wolf pumped magic into her legs, blurring herself away from the blast, leaping off the wall, and launching herself angrily toward the Asgardian. She couldn't abuse the slowing time tricks, or make use of tiny spaces to fight. Add the constant brush technique use to her already strained magic pool in this fight, and it was a struggle to keep up.
Loki attempted to dive out of the way of the speeding missile of wolf, only to get clipped in the legs and sent spinning out of control, his head hitting another one of the metal pillars and denting it, breaking a horn off of his helmet.
The Asgardian got to his feet slowly, tightening his grip on the Scepter as it glowed. A low hum filled the air as it started glowing brighter and brighter, before Loki raised the weapon and fired, a beam of pure energy lancing forward and shredding through metal as he aimed it at the wolf. The canine leaped to the side, the beam catching the end of her tail and burning it, before she found all four paws planted on the floor and she raced forward.
The wolf flexed her will on reality again, aiming for another Power Slash to hopefully interrupt the beam, but her attack was vaporized by the pure energy output of the weapon. The humming of the weapon was growing higher and higher, the beam growing hotter, and the canine darted to the left, slipping under the beam.
She had to do this right. Sliding under the beam, she then launched herself upward, twisting herself midair and planting all four paws on the underside of the catwalk, before shoving herself to the right, angling herself away from Loki.
The trickster god aimed to follow, only to realize it was a ruse, the wolf shifting and bounding off the air, darting across to the left with a burst of speed. She caught his arm holding the scepter with her jaws, and her alien metal spear caught him in the legs. Loki fell forward from the hit, his legs kicking up behind him while the arm holding the still-firing Scepter was gripped tight, his bones creaking from the sheer force of the canine clamping down on his forearm.
The wolf snarled and heaved, using her body weight to roll the Asgardian and whip him around, slamming his back into the metallic flooring. The scepter continued to fire through the motion, the roll causing the powerful beam to shoot across the room, the energy melting portions of the catwalk above and then searing straight through some of the glass and the hydraulic supports of Thor's cell.
Thor's cage plummeted as the floor opened up under the pod, keeping the God of Thunder trapped as he was sent falling out of the Helicarrier and to the ground in the death trap.
Loki was unable to catch all of this as the moment he hit the ground, he had the breath driven from his lungs. He opened his eyes as the powerful beam of energy died down, catching the whirling form of the wolf slamming into his chest, disorienting him further. The Asgardian gasped, breath caught in his throat as he was struck by a sudden wave of nausea, and the wolf blurred forward.
The canine had finally recovered enough magic to use her Veil of Mist, slowing time around her and dizzying her opponents. She gripped Loki's wrist holding the scepter again and slammed him into the wall, bouncing the Asgardian off the metal and then driving him into the floor with a powerful twist of her head, her body rotating with him as his head bounced off the metal and releasing his wrist. She was above him, using her ability to push off the air and backflip into him, her rear paws both planting themselves onto the back of his head and driving him harder into the metal floor, a sickening crunch sounding out as his nose shattered.
Loki cried out in pain and confusion. How was she faster now? How was she getting stronger? He was feeling more tired as the battle carried on, but the wolf just did not stop. He felt her grip his ankle and he found himself flying across the room again, back arching in agony as he was launched into another one of those metal support pillars.
The entire catwalk above them creaked dangerously, and Loki got to his feet, diving to the side as the metallic structure collapsed where he had been standing.
A startled yell of pain sounded out from the collapse, and the canine jerked her head to the side, finding Coulson with his leg trapped under a beam of metal. The canine loped over, sending another brush stroke at the back of Loki's legs just as he was attempting to stand up, driving the God back to his knees with a cry of fury and pain.
The wolf growled and attempted to shift the metal, jaws clamping down on the metal hard enough to start denting the thin sections as she heaved, muscles straining as she shifted it over enough for Coulson to tug his leg free, the mangled limb bleeding onto the floor.
The wolf turned herself to keep an eye on Loki, the Trickster still on his knees, staggering to his feet. He turned to raise his spear and aimed it at the white wolf, and she prepared herself, watching the weapon charge up and prepare to fire. She flexed her will on reality, using a Power Slash to knock aside the scepter, her magic dwindling again after those attacks.
The illusion shattered, the attack carving into the metal behind where Loki should have been. There was only a moment to catch a glimpse of the metal flying toward her before she felt it hit.
The large metal blade drove through her body. Through her heart. The thick scepter dug deep and caused blood to pour from her body as Loki pulled the scepter free, watching the canine slump to the ground.
Loki breathed, spitting out a little blood, and gave a soft laugh. Which turned into a chuckle. Turning into a roar of laughter, watching the blood ooze from the limp canine and off of his blade. The god grinned, gloating as he looked down at the lifeless body of the wolf, and the equally frozen and stunned agent she was laying in front of.
"Wretched beast," Loki spat, gritting his teeth as he wobbled a little in place, the adrenaline from the fight starting to ebb. He raised his Scepter, the end of it glowing as he pointed it at Coulson, the agent gripping the large gun in his hands tight, watching the orange glow steadily intensify. But it would be much too late.
Loki braced himself for the blast, grinning. It had been a struggle, but he had won. He won.
…
The wolf kept her eyes closed, flickering on the brink of death and tried to use her abilities. She started healing herself, and cracked an eye open, watching Loki's Scepter glowing brighter and brighter. She only had one shot. She had to make it count.
Just as Loki was about to fire, the wolf flexed her will on reality, time coming to a standstill, an instant before Loki could vaporize them both. She drew upon her remaining magic and used her Celestial Brush to slash the end of the scepter, knocking the weapon upward, and causing the blast to launch up over the duo.
"What!? NO—" Loki was cut off by the loud, low thrum of Coulson's energy weapon discharging, the sheer heat being put out made even the canine uncomfortable as Loki was hit directly in the chest, launching the Trickster god away violently, blasted through a wall and buried in rubble.
"Huh… So that's what that does," Phil remarked, moving one hand to rest on the back of the bloody canine draped on the ground beside him. He watched as the wolf's breathing gradually evened out, the frantic shallow panting replaced by deep, powerful breaths. Her wounds gradually closed up, and Phil watched, transfixed as she canine glanced at him. She then forced herself to her paws, standing on all fours as she staggered forward, putting herself between Phil and Loki once more.
Loki growled in rage, tearing the materials off of his body as he pulled himself out of the hole he had been blasted through, his scepter sparking dangerously as he staggered forward. His armour was melted and filled with holes, his body ached and his pride battered and bruised. He ripped his helmet off, throwing it at the floor as he stood tall once more, whirling his weapon to aim at the duo he just couldn't fucking kill.
Loki faltered.
He froze.
A low, deep growl echoed through the room.
Golden eyes blazing with fury.
Red marking glowed with magic energy.
Standing in front of Loki was no mere wolf. No stupid beast, or magical canine.
Standing in front of Loki, with all of the rage of the heavens, was Amaterasu.
Goddess of the sun. A sheer force of nature. The blood flecking her fur evaporated as she prowled forward, the weight of her magic causing Loki to back up half a step.
She stepped forward.
He retreated further.
Her golden pools locked onto his own eyes, and Loki knew now that he wouldn't win alone. He needed his army. Now.
Loki shifted between indecision, rage, and fear, tempted to give up. Steeling his nerves, Loki took another step back, and vanished, his presence disappearing entirely.
Amaterasu stood tall, scanning the room, eyes flicking around, taking in the sights, the sounds, the magical energy, and found all was quiet. It was over.
She looked back at the stunned Coulson, and gave a huff, padding over to sit beside him, leaning in to give his cheek a lick. He blinked and laughed, moving a hand to rest on top of her head and rub the base of her ears.
Amaterasu hummed lowly and lowered herself down to the ground, listening to the incoming sounds of boots, and hearing no other sounds through the airship. Friends were coming now. All would be well.
So, with a great yawn, she lowered her head on top of her paws, closed her eyes, and took a nap. Let the Humans sort this one out. She deserved a break.