Loki's boot crunched over a leaf with a sickening sound that made him cringe, watching as the deer he was hunting looked wide eyed at him and fled the clearing. He cursed under his breath, nearly throwing down his bow in frustration. For days, he and his brother, Thor, had been on a hunt in Midgard. Already, they had caught plenty of prey, but Thor seemed determined to stay a while longer. And Loki, well, he wasn't complaining as he got to be out of the confines of Asgard that much longer. But now, he was almost pining for the golden walls of home.
He was just dismantling his bow again when he heard the trees rustling behind him. He rolled his eyes. "Thor, if you are trying to scare me-" A low growl echoed through the clearing and Loki spun around to see a black bear that had somehow managed to creep up on him. In a moment, his arrow was cocked in the bow again and he aimed for the beast, the point targeted at his eye.
Before he could loose it, the bear was charging him and he was knocked to the forest floor. As his hands came up to instinctively defend himself, he felt an odd surge of magic already thrumming through the bear's fur. A glamor...? He barely had time to think on it before the thing was swiping at him, catching his cheek and leaving an ugly gash. Luckily, as a god, he was stronger than the Midgardian bear, but it could still cause him damage and so he pressed his fingers to its chest and sent a jolt through it to let it collapse onto the leaves below.
The prince quickly picked himself up, wiping at his cheek with a look of distaste as he gazed down at the bear. His green eyes narrowed and he waved his hand, unwinding the enchantment on the beast in a bright green light. Taking the bear's place, sat a young man, naked as the day he was born and looking utterly confused. In the center of the man's chest, a blue light emitted and Loki was instantly curious as to what it was. Magic, undeniably. But he did not seem to be the one who cast the spell, seeing as he looked relived to be out of the form of a bear.
"Well, you certainly have terrible manners," Loki muttered, raising a brow as he inspected the man curiously, crouching near him now that he was incapable of hurting him in the slightest. A mortal man disguised as a bear. It was something he never thought he would see. He hadn't even known the mortals had harnessed the ability of magic yet.
It took a moment for the man to speak, clearing his throat a few times as if trying to remember how to talk, his hands running over himself to make certain that it was no dream. "Who..." he cleared his throat again, "who are you?" he asked, his voice sounding hoarse.
"Your savior, apparently," he answered before turning a tad more serious. "I am Loki."
The blood drained from the short man's face.
"Loki? I- my lord," the words obviously held difficulty for him, and he realized he must not be used to being in the position below anyone, "I did not know it was you whom I attacked. What must I do to earn your grace?"
Loki waved a hand dismissively. "If you were to quiet, it would be payment enough." The man shut his mouth with a slight disdainful look. He probably was not the god of his house. But, he would not know, unless... "I think I would more like to know who you are."
"I thought you wanted me silent," he grumbled, his arms coming to wrap protectively around his exposed body as he sat up, free from the binding spell. Oh, he had a bit of an attitude, a fact that was much appreciated by the god of mischief. "I am Lord Anthony Stark." Certainly not one of his, then.
"Anthony..." Loki tested the word on his tongue before standing again and extending his hand. Begrudgingly, Anthony took it, probably still hoping not to face a severe punishment from the gods. The young god decided he had found his prize after all. "I am curious about you, Stark. Rather curious indeed..."
