It was difficult for frost jotuns to kill each other with ice, which simply melted and molded into their body, healing it's own wounds, whether in the heart or brain. Unfortunately for Sigyn, depending on the severity, the healing process could be painstakingly slow. Healing a severed spinal cord would require more time than she had. So Sigyn army crawled through the snow as the storm barreled down atop her, knowing deep down that she would never reach safety.

When she could no longer drag her body weight, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the swirling dark sky, wondering how badly it would hurt to be blown into a million tiny pieces. The thunder was a constant, like a giant war drum in the sky. She could not hear the approaching footsteps.

"Sigyn!" Angie, Jess, and Kark appeared beside her. Angie grabbed her arm to pull her to her feet before realizing she couldn't move her legs.

"I'm done," Sigyn said. "You two need to get back to the portal. And Jess, you should be at home!"

Angie knelt beside her. "I'm not leaving you here to die alone!"

"If you don't you'll die with me!"

Angie pulled her into a tight hug, and Sigyn understood nothing was going to send her away. Though she never wanted her best friend to die with her, she was glad to not be alone.

"Kark!" Sigyn commanded. "Get Jess out of here!"

"I don't think so!" Jess argued, stepping away from Kark.

Sigyn's tone sharpened. "You can't do anything beyond saving yourself. Get back to the lodge now!"

Again, Jess found herself staring into the eyes of something inhuman. Wide and focused with a glint of something feral. Like the white eyes of a dangerous animal forced into a corner, staring down the aggressor. Sigyn had become a force of nature Jess could not argue with.

Kark wanted to be gentle, but Jess' struggling forced his iron grip to drag her back into the woods. A clap of thunder echoed directly overhead, close enough to shake the snow off branches. It was the last warning Jess needed to submit to Kark's insistence to run.

The humid air of the storm made Sigyn gag. The snow melted quickly around them. The two jotuns held on to each other tightly through the wind threatening to rip them apart. Lightning flashed one bolt after the other, a wicked strobe light beneath the rumbling thunder.

The lightning flashed brighter than ever before, and he appeared. A short man with long red hair that hung over his face and a full beard complimented with braids. What he lacked in height he made up for in brawn. Pure muscle bulged under his leather armor. Around his waist was a belt, and in his hand was a war hammer with a handle so short, it could only be wielded in one hand.

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The jotuns growled, trying in vain to threaten the thunder itself. If it intimidated Thor, he gave no indication. He didn't even flinch at the circle of lightning cracking around him. The wind blew the hair out of his eyes, revealing a fiery red rage. He swung the hammer in his hand and let out a long battle cry as he charged forward. Sigyn and Angie recoiled into each other.

Sigyn braced herself for the blow of steal, but it never came.

Daring to open her eyes, she saw a small figure had planted herself between them and Thor. The Asgardian huffed and puffed, slowly lowering the hammer, his bushy eyebrows pinched together as he looked at the tiny mortal in front of him.

"Wait!" Jess said, lowering her hands. "Please."

"Jess," Sigyn whispered. "You need to go."

"No! You did nothing wrong." She raised her chin at the god in front of her. "It's not right."

Thor knew the girl was no Jotun, but he could not understand why she defended them. When the Aesir spoke, his voice sounded like it was made of thunder itself. Low and booming, reverberating through the air. "Child, stand aside." He pointed his hammer towards the Jotuns. "They are no allies of yours."

"Really? Then why did one of them sacrifice herself to save my town? By the way, where were you in all this? Mister Protector-of-Earth?"

The mountain went quiet. Both Thor and the Jotuns had the same dumbfounded expression at this little Midgardian girl's reckless display of bravery. Or was it foolishness? Sigyn was certain Jess was about to be smited.

"This blizzard has been going on for nearly a week, and you just now show up?"

It was a good effort, but Sigyn doubted it would spare lives. Thor had - as the humans would say - one brain cell. He could be tricked easily, but not reasoned with.

But Thor didn't raise his hammer. He just looked between Jess and the Jotuns and paced back and forth, until addressing Jess again.

"Never have I witnessed a human stand with Jotuns." He leaned closer to Jess, who struggled to not shrink from his ale-stained breath. "I will leave them. Once. They will not feel my mercy twice."

"Understood."

Thor huffed, throwing one last glare at the Jotuns before stomping up the mountain. In a flash of lightning and one last rumble of thunder, he vanished. Jess swore she heard hooves and goats braying.

The sky calms as the storm clouds disintegrated. Sigyn and Angie loosened their grip on each other.

"I can't believe it," Sigyn said in a breathy voice.

The shock of the moment finally struck Jess, and she fell back into the snow next to the others, her eyes glazed over. "I don't know what happened."

"You saved our asses is what." Sigyn wrapped an arm around Jess' shoulder to pull her closer.

Jess barely acknowledged her. "I just told Thor off."

"You amazed him with your bravery so much, he gave us a pass." Angie threw a pointed look Sigyn's way. "As long as we don't cause any more problems. Can you stand yet?"

Taking Angie and Jess' hands, Sigyn pulled herself up. She had regained a little feeling in her legs but lacked the coordination to walk. Angie scooped her up in her arms bridal-style and carried her back towards the lodge.

"Will the other Jotuns will come back?" Jess asked.

Sigyn shrugged. "Not anytime soon. Maybe in a few years they'll get brave enough to check again."

"Which we should prepare for," Angie warned.

Sigyn waved her off. "But that's a problem for another day. Tonight, we should celebrate!"

"What were you thinking?"

"Move night?" Jess suggestion.

"Anything but Marvel," Sigyn answered.