Intuition. That sense that something is going to happen in the near future. Whether it is fortune or foreboding, you can almost smell it like the dampening of the air before a sudden down pour of rain. Midsummer in Vanirheim was notorious for this weather; Narvi thought such an event might occur as he turned his blue eyes upwards to the scattered clouds drifting in and out of the sunshine. The vibrant hillside on which he sat lit up as the stiff breeze lifted a particularly dense puff of cloud from the star like a veil. It should have cheered him; the weather hadn't been this good in weeks, always too hot for his liking. Rather, he felt apprehensive as he lowered his gaze to the field below. Vali was practicing his archery against the wooden targets Narvi had unceremoniously pinned against the tall, rectangular, stone pillars that stood arbitrarily in the knee-high grass. They were randomly set into the ground all over this side of Vanirheim castle, a good source of shade during this time of year and excellent for many childish games.

He was getting better, Narvi thought, as he leaned back against one of the smaller pillars. He watched Vali's small face screw up in concentration as the wind made one of the targets sway. When he released his arrow, his aim was true and he hit it right in the center. Whooping with victory, he jumped in the air with his bow raised above his head. He turned to Narvi, grinning from ear to ear and raced up the hill to tell him of his success.

"Did you see that?! I've never hit a moving target before!" Vali exclaimed, eyes alight, cheeks rosy and breathless with excitement. Narvi couldn't help but smile brightly at his baby brother.

"Yes I did! That was very good; soon you'll be joining me on hunts."

If possible, Vali's blue eyes brightened further, "You really think so?" He asked, hopefully.

"Without a doubt, you have real talent with a bow and we already know you're a good rider." Narvi wasn't lying, archery came naturally to the raven-haired boy, and it was amazing how quickly he picked up the skill. Narvi stood up, reaching out to smooth Vali's windblown locks tenderly.

Vali shrugged, "I had a good teacher."

Narvi smirked, preening at the compliment, "That you did and a handsome one too." He tossed back his shoulder-length red hair, dramatically, sticking his nose in the air.

"Well I wouldn't go that far," Vali joked.

"Cheeky brat!" Narvi darted forward to grab him but the small boy dropped his bow and leapt out of his reach. Laughing he dashed to the side as Narvi tried to catch him again, sprinting away with his brother hot on his heels. Vali was only half his size, the top of his head barely reaching his shoulder but he was quick, throwing him off by changing direction and scurrying behind the pillars. Narvi let him think he was winning then waited until he ducked around one such pillar and shifted tactics, catching his little brother around the waist as he ran around the other side.

"Aha!" He exclaimed triumphantly, "Thought you could escape me, did you?! Wretched whelp!"

Vali giggled helplessly, struggling to throw off Narvi's strong grip. He wriggled out of his grasp and was about to race off again when Narvi grabbed his arm, bent down and tossed him over his right shoulder, arm wrapped around the back of his knees.

Vali gripped the back of his green tunic as he straightened, "Nooooo, put me down, evil villain!" He tried to kick but Narvi used his other arm to pin his ankles.

"Do you surrender?"

"Never!"

Narvi sighed, "Then I shall have to throw you in the dungeons and eat your share of pudding at supper."

"No don't eat my pudding! I surrender! I surrender!"

"Are you certain?"

"Yes!"

"Damn…Well all right then." He pushed Vali's legs up and over and he rolled head over heels, down Narvi's back and landed on his feet behind him. "Victory is mine!"

"I shall have vengeance, fiend!" The smaller boy claimed loudly.

Narvi chuckled, throwing his arm around Vali's thin shoulders. "Let's go home, brother." Vali grinned and wrapped his own arm around Narvi's back. Glancing to the left he noticed a group of about half a dozen people was coming towards them. Narvi frowned; this clearing was usually deserted, most people preferring the expansive gardens on the far side of the city limits. Choosing not to over-analyze it but still a bit nervous, he steered Vali quicker to the outer wall gates. They had almost reached them when they were caught in a sudden down pour. Narvi scowled as his hair got plastered to his forehead. Vali just looked up thoughtfully and said, "There's a hole in the heavens." It was over by the time they passed through the gates and the sun graced them with its presence once more.

Vali stopped abruptly as the rain, "I forgot my bow!"

Narvi grimaced, "Can't you get it tomorrow? I'm sure no one will take it."

"I'll only be a moment. You can wait here for me, right?"

Narvi shifted from foot to foot, he really didn't want to let Vali out of his sight right now that an ominous feeling presided in his gut.

"Please, Nari?" Vali implored when he didn't answer. As a babe he had trouble pronouncing the "v" sound, no one tried to correct him as he grew older and so he still said it wrong on occasion. Unfortunately, it was a direct line into Narvi's heart.

He shook his head, deciding it was ridiculous to be worried, "Make haste, then." He watched Vali run back to the field; he swiftly disappeared over the hilltop, leaving his brother waiting impatiently for him to reappear. A couple minutes had passed and he kept his eyes to the spot he vanished. He rationalized that Vali must have stopped to fire at a target or something. He was so easily distracted after all. A few minutes more and anxiety had officially settled itself into Narvi's chest. He called out to him, hoping he was close and just dawdling.

Dampening of the air before the rain.

Narvi took off, sprinting up the hill as fast as he could manage. Just before he passed over the crest a desperate cry reached his ears.

"Nari!" Vali screamed, "Nari, help me!"

His heart leapt into his throat, fear bubbling up through his veins and into his mind. There, situated below him where Vali had been practicing minutes earlier, were two large aesir men, one of which had Vali pinned to his chest, hands bound with a dagger pressed beneath the soft flesh of his chin. A thin line of blood trickled from the blade down the fair skin of his throat. His own throat clenched in horror. A surge of fierce overprotective rage consumed him at this point and he started forward, preparing to do whatever it took to extricate Vali from his attackers.

Wait…there were at least six of them. Where-

"Not so fast, son of Loki!"

Narvi whirled around, in his frantic rush he forgot to check his surroundings, four- no five- more aesir walked out from behind the stone pillars, circling in. He was trapped.

He took a deep breath and tried to push back the fear, he had to remain levelheaded to get them out of this. "What do you want from us? I have no quarrel with you." At this moment he wished he had inherited his father's "silvertongue".

"The quarrel is with your father. We want justice."

Or maybe not. Narvi turned back around to the one who had spoken, the one who stood next to the man holding his brother hostage. He was clearly in charge. He spoke again, "He must pay for his crimes."

"Crimes?" Narvi echoed. As far as he knew, Loki was in still in Asgard. The rainbow bridge had been destroyed, that much was obvious. Very little news from the other realm had travelled to Vanirheim since then. Whatever mischief or mayhem his father had caused this time had nothing to do with them and he told their captures as much. They didn't seem to care. In fact, they moved in closer.

"Wait!" Narvi extended his arms in a non-threatening motion and attempted to negotiate, "Just tell me what I can do to compensate for my father's actions. I'll do it."

"Yes. You will. Seize him!"

Narvi drew his dagger from his boot and moved into a fighting stance. One took a swing at him with the butt end of an axe and he ducked underneath the incoming blow, coming back up to the side to slide his blade between the axe wielder's ribs. He tumbled into a woman who tried to tackle him from behind and they fell together. Another charged towards, he twisted around him and sunk his dagger into his opponent's spine. The remaining two used this distraction to seize his arms, twisting the blade from his grip, the one on the right punched him and his head whipped to this side, he could taste metal as blood pooled between his teeth. The one on the left wrapped his arm around his head and put him in chokehold.

"Nari!" He heard Vali shout. Snarling he wrenched his arm free, grasped the brute's leg and pulled it out from beneath him. Unfortunately, he went down with him so he kicked out at the other man, hitting him in the shin. Now free, he made to grab his dagger when the leader bellowed angrily.

"Enough! Drop it! I will perform a blood eagle on the boy myself!" He snatched Vali by his hair, yanking him forward, his knife pressing against his back. Vali whimpered, he trembled and squeezed his eyes shut to stave off the incoming tears, clenching his little fists in his binds. Narvi clenched his teeth, nostrils flaring and eased his hand away from the dagger, letting the three recovered aesirs pull him up and pin his arms back. The group pushed in close to each other.

Narvi tried reasoning with them again, desperate to save Vali. "Let my brother go! You can have me, I won't fight you I promise just let him go! Don't hurt him!"

"What good is the word of the son of the Liesmith!" The one on the left snarled in his ear, shaking him roughly.

"I didn't want to this here. " The leader growled, "I wanted Loki to watch. This'll have to do." He nodded to the woman. She began to chant passionately, glaring at Vali with pure, undisguised hatred. The leader shoved Vali away and he fell to his knees with a cry of pain. Narvi watched as his face distorted with agony.

"Vali…" He whispered in breathless horror. What was happening to his precious brother? "Vali!" He called out to him louder this time.

"Nari,"He answered, his voice strained with pain and fear. "Nari, what's happening to me, it hurts!" He turned his big, tear filled blue eyes to the woman chanting, "Please stop! Please it hurts! It hurts! Please!" She hesitated for a moment, but then determination filled her face and she continued words stronger than ever.

Vali screamed with anguish as his bones began to break and grow, twisting beneath his skin, tearing at his clothes.

"VALI!" Narvi yelled, struggled, hollered in frustration, straining frantically against his captors. One of them slammed a fist into his gut, he was winded but he didn't stop fighting. It took all of them to hold him back now. He watched, gripped with pure terror as black fur sprang along his brother's disfigured form. His skull crumpled and his screams had turned into a sound so unnatural it made Narvi's head swim. A long black muzzle now protruded from his once beautiful face. He grew in size as his bones reformed, knitting back together, his fingernails fell off as claws came through, his ears moved to the top of his head, long and pointed and teeth as long as Narvi's smallest finger worked their way into his large mouth. Finally he collapsed and the transformation completed itself.

It laid there, this thing…this behemoth that had taken over his beloved little brother. A wolf the size of a large horse, panting heavily, the grass shook with its every breath. The great sides heaving as if the very sunshine on his fur was pressing in on him…

"It is done." The women said.

The eyes of the beast flew open and it jumped to its feet with a bloodcurdling howl.

She never felt the snap of her spine.