Chapter 6

Loki Jr. and Lilli crouched close together and watched as Iron Man flew overhead. Seconds later there was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning, followed by the large figure of Thor streaking across the sky. There was the sound of boots scraping against concrete, heading the other way, and fading fast. Captain America must have been running. Now, all the Avengers had left. Well, except for that Bruce fellow, but Loki Jr. wasn't too threatened by him. But the little boy still wondered why the spectacled man in the lab had gone so batty in the face of stress. He shrugged off the thought. Loki Jr. probably could have gathered his courage and sister and vamoose to the farthest alley, away from those dastardly Avengers. However, exhaustion took him over rapidly as if it had bided until this very moment. Besides, the heroes wouldn't think to search for them in the alley adjacent to their own headquarters! Normal children and simple-minded villains would run to the farthest ends of the city, hoping that the Avengers were slower. Not this child though. He would fight power and strength with wit. The little Lokison smiled at his cleverness as his heavy eyelids began to hide the world from him.

Loki Jr's Point of View

I stood still as a stone. I was all alone in the darkness of some kind of forest where the trees had no tops or leaves. Only the very dim moonlight lit my path, but how was I to know that it was moonlight? The sky was missing as well, the light having no source. There was no wind but it was still chilling, the tingle of freezing temperature creeping up my skin, causing my whole body to tremble and my jaws shake loose, turning the silence into chatter. This bitter world was breathtaking as well as frightening. I wondered if this was what Thor's heart was like, frigid and unforgiving. No, that was what he thought of my father. Him and his good-for-nothing allies. They said it was for the good of the universe. For everyone's safety. The Chitauri were his army. I kept shaking my head. It's not true. It's not true. It's not…

My legs began to move, propelling me into an involuntary march. There wasn't really anything else I could do in this wasteland. Stargaze? Of course not, it would just be gazing into a black hole of crushed dreams and darkness. I stared at the path ahead that I was making for myself. Or at least, my mind was anyway. I could no longer take grasp of my volition. I just kept walking and walking. I suppose my limbs just wanted to move or something.

It seemed like hours. I trekked much beyond my usual endurance would ordinarily allow. As I stepped forward, I found that I wasn't losing breath, nor breaking into a sweat. At the same time I thought only of my sister, Lilli, who would be lost in life without me. I mean, sure, she was intelligent and I couldn't make it by without her as well, but she seemed to be in need of companionship more than me. Finally, the peculiar phenomena of my moving came to a halt when I reached an empty clearing. It was bordered by the tree trunks and bushes and wild-growing shrubs. Not that there was a difference between the plants. The only distinctive thing about each one was the width of the stem or trunk. The branches reached out like many dry, shriveled claws.

There was a sudden, blinding flash that knocked me backwards, followed by the almost never ending rolling growl of thunder. I crawled on my hands and knees to the safety of the bush that rustled at my touch and dissipated into thin air like the sun evaporating water from a puddle. Bark-brown sparkles that rose and danced into the non-existent sky were all that were left. I then tried to scuttle up a tree, but to no avail. It disappeared as well and I fell to the round with a thud. I was completely numb, the pain daring not to enter my body. I lay there, sprawled out in the dust that knew no rain or precipitation at any point. No wonder the trees and other plants weren't doing so well. There was nowhere to hide! I pushed myself up and turned, finding the culprit of the abnormal weather pattern. Thor.

My blonde uncle smiled down at me, but it was crooked and sickening. His blue eyes didn't assure safety, only hatred for me because I was the son of a "murderer". Because I belonged to his brother. No, his adopted brother. The hottest of fire engulfed his gaze into a flame of vengeance, a glare of complete rage. The thunder summoner snickered as I attempted feebly to flee, my bare feet pounding the dirt furiously. My escape efforts only brought more laughter that seemed to echo off of the dead trees and unseen walls. I looked behind me. More Avengers had grouped together with my evil uncle, all smirking. A shield was tossed at me and missed by only an inch as well as a bright blue light. The Bruce fellow threw a beaker filled with a toxic substance my way, and I avoided it by lunging left. By now I had stopped and faced the adversaries. They were right there. A few feet away. Running had accomplished nothing. When I tried to yell for help, my jaws parted but no sound came out. Thor threw his mighty hammer, Moljnir, to the ground.

A small crevice opened up in the earth with no bottom in sight. The crack in the ground grew longer and longer as Thor withdrew his weapon to his hand. Soon the pit was under me and the dirt gave way. I plummeted. I fell, engulfed in darkness, listening to the horrid laughter of my deranged uncle. All I knew I could do was scream however the sound still wouldn't come.

No Point of View

"Loki? Loki!" Lilli cried to her brother through the thick fabric of his dream.

Loki Jr. snapped to attention and his heart pounded wildly in his chest, as if trying to escape the prison that was his ribcage. Beads of sweat hung on the nape of his neck. He swallowed in hopes of dampening his dry throat and flushing the dark nightmare away. Loki Jr. glanced at his little sister. Lilli's normally vibrant green eyes were now clouded with worry. Worry over him. He debated in his mind telling her of his bad dream. He shook his head. No, it would only burden her with insomnia as well. He didn't want to take that chance.

"Loki, are you all right? It sounded as though you had a fright." Lilli said.

Loki Jr. put his hand on her shoulder on the opposite side of him. He grinned reassuringly, flawlessly masking his true doubts. He was definitely related to his father, who could bend the truth as out of proportion as he wanted, and it would still make perfect sense.

"I am okay, Sister." Loki Jr. lifted his head. There was the soft pitter patter of rain above them, however he was dry. Now that the numbness had left, his fingers felt a soggy piece of material clad around his dear sister's shoulder. He looked to her again. Her face was wet and shiny. Her hair and clothes clung to her like leeches and her trench coat was missing. It was over his head. She smiled. "Lilli, you are wet." he stated.

Lilli glanced at herself as if she was oblivious and returned her bright smile to her brother. Her expression was one of pure innocence.

"Humph, so I am."

"You need to get out of the rain." He began to slip his arms out of the sleeves. "You'll be sick. Here, take my coat, I-"

"No, thank you." she cut him off rudely, but at the same time the interruption seemed so polite. Lilli still grinned sweetly.

"Lilli, you have to or-"

"I said 'no, thank you', Loki." she pressed a little firmly.

Loki sat flabbergasted. His shy sister was acting very strange.

"What?"

"I shall make a deal with you," Lilli was slyly confident. This scared Loki Jr., but he nodded to show that he was listening. "If you promise to tell me about your dream, I will use your coat" she pulled it to her chest with the waterproof side up, "as my shelter."

Lilli stuck out her hand for a shake. Loki Jr. reluctantly accepted.

"Deal." he agreed. Although he hated giving his little sister new things to fret about, he would still do anything to keep her well. So, he explained to her his terrible dream and how Thor and the other "good guys" chased him and she propped the coat over her head, much to her brother's relief. He told her of the terror of having nowhere to hide from their present enemies. She hugged him afterwards, seeking comfort in his touch. Now, her outgoingness had worn off and she was her old, only-socializing-with-family self. Loki Jr. patted her on the back, whispering reassuring things in her ear. He rested his chin on the top of her head and rocked back and forth with her in his arms. Soon enough, she fell asleep, and he leaned her against the wall so that she could rest peacefully. Afraid to fall into slumber and not daring to leave his sister, the little Lokison twiddled his thumbs and plotted ways to venture to their father inconspicuously.

The next morning, the streets and sidewalks were soaked and every dip and pothole had turned into a puddle. Water splashed onto those who stood on the sidewalk when cars whirred by, leaving cursing people all around, shaking their fists. Loki Jr. peeked out from the alley to watch the less fortunate people trampling upon rotten luck all around. There was a man with a newspaper strolling down the sidewalk when he slipped on an abandoned paper lunch bag and landed flat on his back. The older man writhed on the ground and yelped about his hip being broken. A few shouts and cries later a large truck arrived to carry the man away on a gurney, and screeched and blinked lights into the fog of early morning.

Loki Jr. cringed and slipped back into the alley, wary of his foot placement in front of him. A creature let out a short and soft moan and Loki started, jumping back a few feet. He was face to face with a mangy looking creature, but at the same time it was one of the most endearing thing he'd ever seen. Loki reached out and the little creature embraced his palm with its forehead. It was soft to the touch. The animal growled but continued to smile and smother him. It abruptly turned and hissed, its eyes turning to slits and arching its back, spitting its disapproval of whatever it was behind it. Sharp, sheathed claws came out of its eight fingers and toes. It leaped to the danger and swung one of its arms and the second creature, a duplicate of the first, returned the gesture. They spat at one another, tails swishing back and forth as they sized each other up. The first tackled and the second fled up a fire escape ladder. The triumphant creature basked in glory for a spilt second before pursuing.

Loki watched the creatures disappear up the metal staircase and his thoughts clicked together. Gears grinded in his head furiously. Of course! They would shape shift into the likeness of those creatures. Seemingly harmless, but with deadly claws and sharp teeth in their arsenal. Loki Jr. speed-walked across the alley to his slumbering sister. Upon hearing footsteps, Lilli's eyes fluttered open and she stared up at the boy before her.

"L-Loki?" she asked, he voice wavering.

"Yes, Lilli, t'is me. I have an idea on how to get to Papa without those 'Avengers' knowing." Loki informed her and helped her up. "How is your shape shifting power?"

Lilli eyed him curiously. "Fine, thank you."

He only grinned wider. "Can you turn into" he searched the alley for a creature, and finally there was another on the trashcan, devouring prey. "that? Please?"

Lilly watched the creature as it polished off its breakfast and began licking the lifeblood from its claws and whiskers.

"Yeah," she yawned and in a plume of light green musk she disappeared with only a short, black, furry creature in her place. "Mrow?"

Loki translated the strange statement into, "Like this?"

He nodded. "Exactly. Now hold your form."

The strange animal that was Lilli rolled its eyes and waited. Loki repeated Lilli's actions and soon was replaced by a taller creature just like her. He watched the world grow, the outside wall of Avengers' Tower extended higher into the sky. It was almost frightening how the already monstrous buildings loomed over them both like evil beasts ready to eat them in one gulp.

"So, what do we do now?" Lilli meowed, the whiskers on the adopted form of the creature twitching in amusement. She had turned into a little black kitten with dazzling green eyes. There was an overabundance of fur on her. Her cozy green T-shirt had transformed into a collar of the same color.

Loki Jr. looked around. He looked quite the same, only his whiskers were white and his eyes were a paler color. Loki found the exit of the alley and saw the other animal of the same type slink along the wall and around the corner.

"This way!" he declared his plans in the cat-speak. "We shall search the city for Father! Follow me!"

The two kittens scampered down the sidewalk, dodging feet and rolling suitcases. There were a mess of dogs on the street that day, and the poor little animals padded past them, careful to keep a good distance. Loki did a double take to make sure that his sister was still following before proceeding. Noon had turned to dusk, the sun beginning to lose its grip on the building and allowing shadows to engulf the city beyond the horizon. There was the quiet humming from the sky of a pair of rocket boots and the tip-tapping of boots on concrete. Two different ways of travel.

Loki flattened his ears against his head and lowered his belly to the ground. His fur was buffeted in the wind as Iron Man closed in on the concrete. He landed with a click and his facemask lifted like a veil into the helmet of his suit. Captain America ceased his sprinting and faced Iron Man solemnly. Another man landed, too. Thor twirled his hammer until his toes elegantly touched the ground. The two kittens were surrounded by the triangle of men.

"Did you guys find them?" Steve asked.

"Nay," replied Thor sadly.

"No. If we did, don't you think we would've brought them with us? I mean, who would be stupid enough to drop 'em off with Bruce?" Tony griped.

Thor nervously and slowly raised his hand.

Tony face-palmed. "Just…never mind!" he rolled his eyes.

Loki Jr. and Lilly flanked each other and entwined tails. Loki unsheathed his claws and bared his fangs protectively. Tony looked down and smiled at the snarling cat.

"Aww…! Kitties!" he swooned over them like a Kindergartener. Tony reached down, but Loki was swifter, leaping away from the outstretched arms. Tony scowled in frustration. "C'mere you little…"

Loki pulled his sister out of the way as well.

"Tony, stop!" Steve commanded.

Tony stared up at the Captain. "Why?"

"I be scared, too, if there were some metal moron chasing me everywhere I went like he was trying to squash me." Steve explained bluntly.

Tony pouted and folded his arms over his chest. "Well, if you put it that way…"

Tony lurched to Steve, knocking the patriotic man onto the pavement. Screeches of defiance and pain cut through the air, hurting even the deafest of peoples' ears. Thor was saddened by the fighting, but not because his friends were pitted against each other.

"Hey! I want to squabble weakly, too!" Thor yelled from the sidelines, feeling excluded. He hopped into the fray and threw punches at half-strength.

Loki Jr. and Lilli took this opportunity to sneak away. About ten blocks down they found a street that was mostly abandoned with the exception of a human walking into a shed-like building. When the mortal didn't come back out, the two became curious. They snuck inside with ease, seeing as the door was left ajar in the first place. After a few paces they found the body of the man who had walked in earlier. Loki Jr. pulled his sister along behind him, trying to avert his eyes. Beyond mountains of crates, there was a green clad man and a couple hanging upside down, their faces red with anger. After seeing the man who was upright, Lilli let go of the cat form and ran up to him with arms wide open.

"Daddy!" she screamed, tears leaking from her eyes.

Please review, and thank you for the last ones!