A Ride Home
By Rey
"Thor, if you can wrestle that ice beast down and hold it there until we can subdue it more permanently, I will give you a battalion to lead. But if you lose, I want your brother to do whatever he can to tame it and ride it for the Victory Day, and you must acknowledge that order as coming from you. He can do with more confidence in himself," Týr said. And Thor lost the wager.
Story notes:
1. inspired by a prompt from Trickster32, although not sadly too closely. (Thank you! Hope you'll like it despite the adjustments!) Everyone's welcome to put forth ideas that my muse might write about, really!
2. In this story, Thor is 900 years old while Loki is 700 years old. In æsir standard, they are respectively comparable to 12-year-old and 10-year-old humans. Meanwhile, in jötnar standard, they are comparable to 8-ish-year-old and 7-year-old humans. Furthermore, while Asgardian culture is a warrior culture, hence far quicker maturity and skill levels that are also helped by the quicker physical and mental growth of the æsir as a race, Jötunheimi culture is pretty close to the human modern culture here on earth in the big cities of the world.
3. The ice beast (nest guard, here) and its role as a family pet/guardian is a nod to CorvusDraconis' HP/Thor fics on , chiefly Castaways. The POV is also actually from that ice beast, not from Thor and neither from Loki. Beware of casual thoughts of eating a sentient being, and otherwise rather limited point of view.
Author's note: Sorry for the wrong upload, folks! And thank you very much to Brievel for alerting me to the mistake!
Shortened names as used in the story:
Anga: Angrboða, Laufey's elder sibling's spouse
Bé: Bestla, Laufey's elder sibling
Elyé: Bergelmir, Laufey's mother
Fié: Laufey, Loki's mother
Úti: Farbauti, Laufey's spouse
Prompt (SPOILER ALERT):
Thor lost a bet – surprise – and the winner demands that Loki had to ride on an ice beast, before winter solstice is coming up – as always Thor didn't think twice about possible consequences - and the ice beast are loyal to the King of Jotunheim. Noticing that his young rider is not a Asgardian, but a Jotun, the beast flees and brings Loki to his master…
Started on: 28th October 2019 at 08:22 PM
Finished on: 5th March 2020 at 09:56 PM
Núnú is a nest guard; a good nest guard, at least Núnú thinks so. Little blue two-leggeds are kind and gentle to Núnú since birth, so Núnú is kind and gentle to them – them and their tiny offspring, later on – in turn.
Núnú is old, very old, but age impacts Núnú's kind little, similar to the little blue two-leggeds and a few other kinds dwelling in the roaming fields. In fact, Núnú has been with Núnú's little blue two-legged clan for quite a while now. Four generations, as the little blue two-leggeds call it… or maybe five, if Elyé's mother who helped Núnú come into the world is to be counted. Núnú knows them all, knows them well: their scents, their shapes, their tracks, their voices, their touches, their minds, their names, and their individual selves.
Núnú has always been smart, curious, spirited and willful. Elyé always said so, when they were still among the living, even as both grew up together. Elyé's mother repeated it often enough, that is why, until they had to go away and never come back. Núnú never bothers with those words, regardless. Núnú is Núnú, and words cannot explain Núnú well.
Still, Núnú does like to explore, and often at that, with or without the little blue two-leggeds company, acknowledgement or even knowledge. Núnú likes to see new sights, smell new scents, feel new minds and powers, touch new shapes and beings, and so many other new things. Some of the new experiences hurt or make trouble for Núnú or Núnú's little blue two-leggeds, but such experiences are never a deterrent for Núnú for long. They do not happen that often, anyway, and Núnú can always come home, can always find Núnú's little blue two-leggeds even in a huge clamouring crowd of little blue two-leggeds, to both seek shelter and offer help.
Núnú proved that amply during the war where kin hurt kin and other, not-blue, littler two-legged beings did much more hurt and death to all little blue two-leggeds, as one, than the little blue two-leggeds could achieve in hurting each other.
One of the not-blue, littler two-leggeds even hurt Fié, one of Núnú's nest clan, Elyé's second offspring. The offender hit Fié's offspring-heavy belly hard with a thorny stick, causing them to lose the offspring they had so hoped for, albeit not directly. Núnú bit off the offender's arm off for that, but it was not enough.
It is not enough, still. Fié is no longer the cuddly, inquisitive, gentle tiny one Núnú guarded and went roaming with that long ago, but not because Fié has grown up. Fié is hard and thorny, now, like the thorny stick that ruined their belly, because their nest is empty of the offspring they should have raised and let play with Núnú.
And because Fié still believes that one of their offspring yet lives, too, which has prevented them from mourning the loss fully, unlike other mothers and clans, throughout the while after the war.
Fié rarely acknowledges Núnú and the other little blue two-leggeds in any way after the war, never visits the nest they used to share with Úti their mate and Úti's offspring and Núnú, and Núnú misses both terribly. Núnú wants the whole clan's protection and gentle touches back, even as Núnú protects them and gives them care.
And this will not happen until Fié gets their missing offspring back, as far as Núnú can understand the problem, and Núnú can understand a lot.
So here Núnú is, sneaking after the residues left by the belly-basher, who yet lives, to a waterless, colourful land which is so very hot and so very bright. The other, not-blue, littler two-leggeds here are more varied than the ones that hurt the roaming fields and the little blue two-leggeds during the war, and they are all so interesting, not to mention not all hurtful.
Still, Núnú can neither forget nor forsake the self-assigned mission. So, after a while playing with a gaggle of half-afraid, half-awed tiny ones of the not-blue, littler two-leggeds, Núnú continues to a larger area, where more of the not-blue, littler two-leggeds are swinging sharp, hard or sharp and hard things, or their own limbs, at each other or other targets.
The belly-basher is here, seeming to be instructing younger ones in fighting techniques, like Anga – and formerly, Úti – with the littler blue two-leggeds back home. The belly-basher smells pretty old, now, but no less sharp.
The belly-basher's body will be Núnú's food. But not now. Not until Núnú has found the missing offspring for Fié. Not until the offspring is secure with their mother.
Núnú hunkers down at the edge of the little field, conserving energy and chill in this hot, waterless, iceless place. Núnú's senses, however muted by this unfriendly environment, are trained on the belly-basher, but it does not mean that Núnú is not aware of other things, other beings and how a combination of the two might play out.
Other things such as how, when the field is almost empty, and the younger not-blue, littler two-leggeds are no longer paying attention to the belly-basher, the latter talks to one of the formerly practising horde and gestures at Núnú.
The younger not-blue, littler two-legged smells faintly like Bé, Elyé's elder offspring who was kidnapped and brought to this place, who died during the last war, before they could be reunited with the rest of the clan.
The clan was so broken-hearted, then.
Well, maybe, given the blood-scent of the young one, Bé left something more than bad memories here.
Núnú does not seek to hurt the odd-looking, odd-behaving young one, therefore, although they disrupt Núnú's rest quite rudely and even try to subdue Núnú for some reason. – Do they not know that Núnú will follow them to wherever they nest or carry them home if only they ask? Núnú is a good nest guard and the clan's nest guard, after all!
And now, many not-blue, littler two-leggeds are gathering and clamouring, armed with pointy things as well, and Núnú is becoming pretty irritated.
Núnú pins the young one under one inner forepaw, then, to both protect them from the violence of the other not-blue, littler two-leggeds and prevent them from irritating Núnú further. – They behave rather like a sulky Bé when the latter was tinier than this! And Núnú tells them so, mind to mind, in Núnú's own way of sharing images.
They do not seem to understand. They do not like being compared to their mother's mother, either. Just that. It is not even about the latter's behaviour, which Núnú would understand, being also small once. – What is wrong with being related to a little blue two-legged?
But they do order the other, older not-blue, littler two-leggeds to go away, so Núnú dismisses the wondering from mind.
Núnú is not about to free the young one, however. Núnú's mission to fetch Fié's offspring remains, but this young one is an unexpected gift that must be appreciated. The clan will love this!
Núnú cuddles the young one while waiting, regardless of how much the latter behaves like an eel, trying to get free. Núnús body is riddled with wounds, and Núnú can feel numerous scales chipped or broken, and the overly hot weather saps Núnú's strength and concentration away, but the impatient-Bé-like behaviour of the young one gives Núnú the much needed coolness and peace of mind. Núnú loves them already.
And then, joy of all joys, a tiny one who strongly bears Fié's blood-scent although not Fié's natural looks comes streaking out of the boldly shiny building near the field, moments after the belly-basher vanished into it.
Well, maybe, Núnú will not eat the belly-basher, if they give Fié's offspring back to Núnú like this. – Just a little nibble. Maybe the other arm….
And off comes the arm, after the tiny one is safe and secure and relatively comfy, cradled in the other inner forepaw. Núnú does not spend any other moment lingering in the hot, hostile, alien place, afterwards.
With all the wounds and all the heat and all the wriggling of the two precious little ones, however, the return is an endeavour that Núnú has to really, really, really work towards. Worse, apparently these not-blue, littler two-leggeds do not wish to relinquish the little ones who do not belong to them without a big, big fight.
But Núnú comes home, anyway, with the two precious little ones still safe and sound in the inner forepaws.
And fié is there, seated in the uncomfy chair in the big room in the big building, as they regretably always are these centuries.
Núnú plops the two little ones gently at Fié's feet. – Well, the Bé-smelling one at Fié's feet, and the missing offspring on Fié's lap, as is proper. – And then, Núnú folds all legs and rests completely on the slick ground before Fié, watching Fié cradle the missing offspring through ever-drooping eyes and a haze of contentment.
Everything goes black and silent and numb, soon enough, carried in the tide of Bé's and Fié's blood-scents, once more strong in the air, as is proper.
Núnú will not accept otherwise. Núnú is a nest guard, after all; a good nest guard.