"That's it, come on." Clint cheered as the two figures crossed the street.
Wind licked their skin but the two people didn't seem to care, Steve noted. The weather seemed to be completely against them entering the Avenger's Tower. Tony and Clint fought with the doors. Finally, Steve and Joe entered and the wind closed the way as soon as the two Avengers released their grasp.
Bruce knelt down in front of the dogs. "You made it all the way here? You were both seen on the other side of town yesterday." He scratched Joe's face softly. "My gosh, you're freezing."
"Here." Natasha handed him a blanket and she knelt next to Steve.
"Your team is very friendly." Joe woofed as a blanket was thrown over him.
"Watch that one." Bruce warned. "He is really beat up."
The woman nodded and carefully covered the pup.
"Yeah, they are." Steve agreed.
Clint and Tony came to surround them. Warmth surrounded the two dogs.
"Well he got hit by a truck." Tony commented touching the smaller dog's ear lightly so he wouldn't hurt him. "We all saw you little guy, I'm glad you survived."
"If only you knew who you were talking about." Steve yapped.
Then he jerked up in realization.
Tony pulled his hand away and Natasha grabbed the blanket. "Sorry pup, did we hurt you?"
"The vial!" Steve yipped, standing up on his hind legs to look.
"There." Joe gestured with his nose.
The pup leapt over Natasha's arm.
"Hey!" Clint yelled.
Steve ignored them and ignored the pain in his broken leg. Where? Where? There! He picked up the syringe in his small mouth.
"No!" Tony yelled, standing first. He took one step and Joe leapt up. The huge German Shepard and grabbed the man's sleeve in his maw.
"Let go!" Tony snarled, shoving his hand on the dog's face.
Steve twisted, trying to reach his side to put the injection in. A hand grabbed his scruff and lifted.
"Drop that!" Clint hollered.
The puppy jerked releasing the vial to cry in pain. It fell through space twisting. Clint nearly dropped Steve trying to catch it. He snatched at the glass as it slipped through his fingers. The archer let out a heartbreaking moan covered by the sound of shattering glass.
He shook the little dog viciously. "Why did you do that you stupid dog!"
Steve struggled weakly. "Clint! Clint! Come on it's me!" He howled.
Joe growled still holding Tony's coat.
"Get him off!" The inventor nearly shrieked beating at the German Shepard.
A hammer flew through the area crashing into the older dog's side. Joe yowled in pain and smashed into the wall releasing the fabric. Mjolnir returned to Thor's hand as he ran in the doorway. The Asgardian put himself between Joe and the Avengers.
"Are you alright Man of Iron?" He questioned furiously.
Tony swallowed shakily, examining his wrist. "Yeah. Just tore my coat."
Thor nodded and snarled, mimicking Joe. "Foul beast! I never thought to lay eyes on thy filthy hide again!"
Joe turned and showed the terrifying face that had saved Steve from the puppy-eaters before. His ears pinned back and teeth shone white. He looked no older than a dog in his prime. Steve jerked in Clint's hand as words, human words, poured from Joe's muzzle.
"And I never thought to see you again." The German Shepard growled. "Thor son of Odin. After your treatment of my Father, and mine and mine sibling's escape!"
"Nought matters now." Thor said swinging his hammer threateningly. "You have threatened my friends and for that you shall pay. I will banish you farther than Odin possible could!"
Sorry Clint. Steve apologized mentally. The pup twisted biting the wrist that held him.
"Ouch!" The archer cried dropping Steve.
The pup yipped on impact. Joe's scary face dropped for half a second to concern but rose quickly back to its defense. Steve scrambled up, forcing pain down. He madly dashed between the two combatants.
"Stop." He cried.
Thor just frowned. "And now you put before me one so young that you have corrupted? Will your tyranny never end?"
"My tyranny?" Joe snarled. "I had none to begin with."
"You murdered your own brother!" The Asgardian roared.
"As if I had a choice!" Joe leapt at him.
Steve mustered up every bit of strength he had and pushed off colliding with the vastly larger beast. He screamed in pain. Joe scrambled off him.
"Cub?" He nosed the little pup.
"Ouch." Steve murmured. He pushed up until he was sitting. "Stop, please stop. Why didn't you have a choice? Makes us understand."
"What is there to understand?" The blond Avenger knelt down looking at the pup. "Young Midgard Canine, this dog, Vali, tore his brother apart in cold blood in the presence of their own Father, my brother, Loki."
"I didn't know he had kids." Natasha muttered.
Tony shrugged not taking his eyes off the scene. Clint studied the little dog. There was something very familiar about him.
Thor ignored them trying to convince the youngling to move. "My Father, Odin All-Father, punished him by turning him into a wolf and banishing him from the kingdom."
"You've got it wrong." Joe groaned. His street accent returned with weariness and he returned to the old looking police dog. "Your precious All-Father turned me into this. He set a spell of rage upon me to kill poor Nari." He was shaking with pained memories. "Can you imagine the pain of tearing your own baby brother apart without being able to stop it? He bound Father to a with Nari's entrails to keep him silent. Then All-Father banished me and sent me spinning out to the stars."
Joe or Vali, whoever he was, bowed him head. His dim brown eyes closed. Tony looked sick. Even Natasha had paled at the story.
The dog looked up. "I was reborn here as this canine. I've done the best I could."
"Done a darn good job to." Tony muttered.
"What do you speak of?" Thor questioned setting his hammer down finally.
"Huh?" The inventor looked up. "Oh. Well. Um, Jarv? Can you show 'em?"
A screen flicked to life showing a store of data files. The first picture showed a hardened female police officer kneeling with a happy looking dog.
"Jessica." Joe keened lowly.
"Yep." Tony nodded. "Your old partner. Thor buddy, these are police dogs. Specifically," He tilted his head toward the German Shepard, "A hostage rescue team. Over a hundred lives are accounted to that team."
"How do you know your magical screens do not lie?" Thor asked halfheartedly.
The big dog turned his sad eyes to the Asgardian. "You are different from what I remember."
"Thor." Steve spoke up. "I don't think he's lying."
Blue eyes studied the ragged looking puppy. "Vali you have yourself a very bright student."
"It's no student." The Shepard said remembering the original mission. "This cub isn't even a dog."
"Steve?"
The pup jerked his head around to where Clint was kneeling on the floor.
"Yeah. It's me." He said sitting tiredly on his haunches.
"Brother of the Shield? Is it truly you?" Thor boomed loudly.
"Yes Thor." He answered. "Remember, we just had Thanksgiving dinner a few days ago and you thought it was Natasha and Clint's wedding feast?"
"Steven!" The Asgardian cried. "It is you!"
Clint glanced around frantically. "Where's the rest of the solution?"
Bruce jerked and fumbled with his pocket. "Here!" He showed open handedly.
"Needle?" Tony asked taking the glass tube.
Natasha silently handed him one.
"I don't know where to be thankful of fearful that carry a hypodermic needle around." He muttered as he drew in the blue liquid.
Steve limped over to Clint and Tony handed the steady handed archer the potion. He lightly parted the golden-white fur and seeped the new serum into the tiny body. He stepped back quickly as the puppy convulsed. Steve howled in pain as the new kind of poison tore through his system. The thin howled turned into a full-throated cry. The pup fell to its side and the blonde fur rippled and warped. The dog expanded dramatically as his skin was coated in something other than fur. He stopped yelling and everyone just stared as Steve Rogers coughed slightly.
"St-Steve?" Tony's voice wavered.
The blonde captain rolled to his knees and weight hit him like a ton of bricks. There were five different people clinging to him.
"Ah! Gentle." He gasped. "Still sore."
They all jumped back looking guilty and concerned.
"It's okay." Steve smiled. "I did get hit by a car earlier though." He chuckled.
"Are you okay?" Clint fussed, looking over his arm. "Your back's all torn up too. What the hell did you do?"
Steve chuckled. "Long story."
"Don't you 'long story' us." Clint chastised sternly.
Steve leant over and gave the mother hen a tight hug with his unbroken arm. Clint gripped his shoulder tightly and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before sitting back.
Tony tapped his foot with his expression halfway between crying and laughter. "You were a puppy?"
"Yeah." Steve answered then he looked over. "Joe? Or, ah, Vali?"
"Just Joe." The old German Shepard looked so different now as he padded over. Even older than before.
"Thank you. So much." The Captain murmured softly.
"Don't sweat it pup." The dog woofed, nuzzling his hand.
"Vali Lokison." Thor said solemnly. "My Nephew, I owe you an apology."
The Shepard shrugged. "No sweat. Now if you'll excuse me," He cocked his comically, "I have other pups to save."
"No way in hell!" Tony objected and started a convincing debate with the canine to stay overnight.
"How's your …." Natasha looked him over. "…Everything?"
Steve smiled. "On the mend. It has three days of healing to catch up on. It's actually moving really quickly." Then he yawned. "Gosh I'm so tired."
"Yeah, the rest of us too." Tony complained rolling to his side. "It's been kind of high tension around here without you, Cap."
Steve laughed tiredly. "So are we having a sleep-over here or what?"
"Are you staying?" Bruce asked the dog, scratching the pointed ear gently.
Joe moaned deeply. "If you do that I won't have a choice."
"We would gladly accept you here." Thor said.
The dog chuckled. "I'll stay the night but I am needed on the street."
"Then we're getting a puppy tomorrow." Tony said fiercely, half asleep.
"When was that decided?" Steve asked.
"While you were gone." Natasha informed, pulling a blanket over herself.
Clint tossed a blanket lightly over the soldier and tied off the blood flow from some of Steve's newly opened wounds. The soldier didn't complain at all, just laid there tiredly.
The archer paused. "If we get a dog, is Thor going to be talking to it constantly?" Clint asked dumbstruck.
They all laughed silently and Steve – once again - just took a second to admire his team. Clint was stuck right by his side, probably until he regained full rotation in his arm. Tony was falling asleep already and Natasha looked to be far ahead of them all. Bruce was still petting Joe.
Thor left to remove his heavy armor before returning to bed down with the rest of them.
"Go to sleep, Cap." Tony yawned. "We're hauling everyone down to the shelter in the morning so we need your perky eyes bright and shiny blue."
Steve chuckled as Joe curled up comfortably next to him he drifted off to sleep.
It would be fun to have a dog around.
I have to give a huge thank you to the world's most magnificent Beta ever. The End's Envoy, please step up and take a bow. You got this done fast and neatly, helping me where I really needed help without changing my style and for that you have my eternal gratitude.
Cultural note: In Norse Mythology the son of Loki, Vali is actual transformed into a wolf by Odin and set to kill his brother as Loki's punishment. The entrails (guts) of Nari were used to tie Loki to a rock to suffer for millions of years. Quite a tragic story.
