CHAPTER 2 –

Asgard

Fenrir didn't even notice the moment he left Jotunheim and entered Asgard. He only concentrated on following his father's trail and was aware that they were going through a long stretch of woodland. For all he knew, they could be walking in circles in Jotunheim. If this was Asgard, his father hadn't been lying when he'd said it was uninterestingly like the land of giants. Even after he left the woods and crossed a river, all he could see were deserted, vast open fields and a few steep mountains.

He had no idea how long they had been travelling, as the sun seemed never to move in the sky, but Fenrir was certain it had been at the very least a couple of hours. Yet, it felt like they had covered a very long distance that, by all means, should have taken them days.

Eventually, though, he saw a great, solid wall and a gate ahead of him. It looked like the entrance to some kind of fortress, inside which he could already see a huge, looming building. Guarding the gate was a single young man, though Fenrir couldn't see his features from this far.

He was sure his father had gone to that place, whatever it was. The guard at the gate worried him, though. Would he let a lone, innocent-looking puppy pass? Fenrir studied the gate and the wall, looking for a breach, but it was hopeless. The only way in was through the gate.

Well, he might as well give it a try. All he knew was that he couldn't just stand here all day. It was a waste of time, and he might end up losing his father's trail. Trying to look as harmless and adorable as possible, Fenrir sauntered over to the gate.

Now that he was close enough, he could see the young guard watching him with one narrowed, hawk-like eye from behind a thin curtain of dark hair – his other eye was completely obscured. The guard stood completely still, his arms folded, but Fenrir could tell he was alert and watching the wolf's every movement. Unnerved, Fenrir stopped before the man, sat down, and stared back at him with puppy eyes. This was his trump card. No one resisted his puppy eyes.

The guard hesitated for a moment, but held his ground. Determined not to get discouraged, Fenrir wagged his tail and rolled on the ground playfully. The stupid guard looked more perplexed than anything, but still didn't budge from his position. Fenrir inconspicuously glanced at the gate, wondering if he should try biting the guard's leg and make a run for it through the gate's bars.

Before he could put his plan into action, both he and the guard were distracted by the arrival of a chariot – a chariot that was drawn by a pair of cats, at that. Having quickly jumped out of the way to avoid being run over, Fenrir stared, flabbergasted. The rider was a very pretty blonde woman – she was almost as pretty as his mother. Next to her were two restless puppy wolves.

"Heimdall!" exclaimed the woman as she brought the chariot to an abrupt halt in front of the gate.

"Hey, Freyja," said the guard – Heimdall? – in a monotone.

"I need to see Lord Odin! Come on, let me enter, quickly!"

"What's the hurry?" Heimdall asked, although he sounded very uninterested in the answer.

"I just can't wait to get rid of these beasts!" The woman, Freyja, managed to look pretty even when she was snarling angrily and sneering. "This is the last time I agree to take care of them! All they do is eat, make a mess out of my hall, and harass my poor cats!"

"I did tell him it was a bad idea to leave them with you, but he wouldn't listen to me," muttered Heimdall as he began to open the gate. A little more loudly, he said, "It was all Loki's idea, mind you. No surprise there."

Fenrir jerked his head up, surprised by the sudden mention of his father's name.

The same name also had an interesting effect on Freyja. Her anger dissipated and she looked flustered and, oddly enough, flattered. A smile of satisfaction slowly broke across her face.

"Was it?" she asked, her tone hopeful and coy, sounding very much like Hel when she was praised. "Well, then... That must mean Loki thinks of me as a very reliable, trustworthy person, right? Of course it does! Why else would he have recommended me to Lord Odin?" She was visibly preening now. Fenrir was just thankful she didn't start giggling. "Oh, Loki..." she sighed dreamily.

Heimdall, on the other hand, was looking very aggravated and a little flustered, as if Freyja's reaction were just the opposite of what he had been expecting. He opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut and gritted his teeth. He seemed to be just barely refraining from saying something very unkind.

By now the gate was already half-open, and since both the guard and Freyja were distracted, Fenrir took this opportunity to make a dash past them and towards the open gate. Unfortunately, this less than subtle move startled Freyja's cats, which cried out, hissed, and began to chase him. They were so quick and abrupt that Freyja nearly fell off the chariot, and then was almost hit in the head by the gate when the cats rushed through the relatively small opening, seeming to forget that there was a whole chariot behind them. Freyja screamed shrilly and did her best to try and regain control of the cats, while at the same trying to keep the two puppy wolves next to her from jumping or falling off as well.

For his part, Fenrir kept running as fast as his small legs would allow, barely paying attention to his surroundings. He was vaguely aware that there were people around and they were probably staring at the spectacular scene Freyja and the animals were making, but Fenrir focused on losing the cats and finding a hideout.

"Hey, Freyjaaaa!" someone shouted. Next thing Fenrir knew, there was a grinning man riding a boar which was running full speed in their direction. It was so fast that Fenrir didn't even try changing his course so they wouldn't crash and barely had time to duck, bracing himself. At the last minute, however, the boar leapt into the air, harmlessly flying right over Fenrir. "Long time no seee—ee—eeek! No! Stop! Watch out!"

"Get out of the way, Bro—" Freyja's scream was cut off by a painful-sounding thud.

Fenrir risked a glance back and saw that the boar had flown right into the woman, dragging her off the chariot. She hung on for dear life until the boar gingerly touched the ground again.

"Freyja, my dear sister, are you all right?" shouted the man on the boar frantically.

"That's it!" yelled Freyja, struggling to her feet. "STOP!" she howled, her shrill voice reverberating powerfully all around. Bystanders froze, the cats ceased their pursuing and meekly looked back at their master, and even Fenrir slowed down almost to a halt. Then, shaking himself, he hurried to a corner nearby and kept himself well out of sight, ignoring his ringing ears.

Only two beings were unfazed, and those were the two puppy wolves that had been in the chariot with Freyja. Now that it had stopped and Freyja was no longer there to keep them in their place, they happily got off the chariot and started running around.

While Freyja scolded the man with the boar for always showing up at the most inconvenient times and getting in the way and the man tried to appease her, Fenrir walked off in the opposite direction, brooding. What a mess! If it had been any other time, this might have been an entertaining episode, but Fenrir had more important things to think about at the moment. This place, which seemed to be some sort of town, was larger than he had imagined, and he could no longer smell his father's scent at all. It would take him ages to find his father!

He had been wandering for a few minutes when that same man's happy-go-lucky voice was heard again. "Whoa, there, boy! Where do you think you're going?" Two gloved hands held the little wolf and gently picked him up. Fenrir struggled and growled at the man. What was up with this guy, anyway?

Unperturbed by Fenrir's reaction, the man ran back to where the chariot had been left. Freyja, looking a little harried and dishevelled (though still pretty), was also holding a puppy wolf and putting it back on the chariot, her cats subdued.

"I found him, Freyja!" shouted the man.

"Oh, good," the woman sighed. "Lord Odin would kill me if I lost his wolves. Put him here, on the right." She got back on the chariot, sat between Fenrir and the other wolf, and took the reins in her hands. "All right, I'm ready now. And don't you dare follow me, Brother!" she hissed at the man.

"Well, if you promise to come and pay me a visit later..."

Without giving her brother a reply, Freyja set off.

Fenrir was restless. He should be looking for his father, not being caught in a case of mistaken identity. This was such a waste of time... He tried to get off the chariot, but Freyja held him in place, so used to the motion that she didn't even glance at him. The other puppy also tried to escape, to no avail.

Fenrir soon realised where he was being taken. It was the monumental building he had seen even from outside the gate. The building looked like a castle and also had a huge gate, which was much bigger than a house. It looked very impressive and intimidating.

Now, Fenrir might not be as smart as his father, but he wasn't stupid. Everyone in all the nine worlds knew about this palace, and there was no doubt that this was it.

Valhalla.

The home of Odin, the Allfather, the king of the gods.

Dread filled Fenrir's being as realisation dawned on him. He was being taken to Odin's hall. Would he meet the Allfather? What would happen to him if and when Odin realised that Fenrir wasn't one of his pet wolves? Would he be mad? Would he want to take care of him? Would he let him go in peace? Should Fenrir risk speaking, or should he keep quiet like his father had ordered?

While he dithered, they went through the gates, which opened like magic when the chariot approached, and they slowly made their way to what seemed to be a courtyard. It was deserted, save for a few birds, but Fenrir could hear movement from behind a wooden door nearby. He looked at it, noticing it was opened a crack.

Freyja stopped the chariot right there and got off. "Geri, Freki, come with me," she said, although she didn't look back to make sure they would obey. The other wolf followed her, but Fenrir sat rooted to the spot. He couldn't get in there! He had to find a way out of this place quickly.

He couldn't stay here, either, though. If Freyja noticed he wasn't following her, she might come back for him. He needed to hide.

He looked around and his gaze fell on the wooden door again. Quickly but cautiously, he ran to it and peeked inside. It was some sort of stable, and there was only one horse to be seen, wandering around freely. Figuring the horse couldn't possibly do any harm, Fenrir crept into the stable, keeping close to the darker corners. He made no noise at all, but didn't have time to dive for cover before the horse turned around and spotted him.

"Hello there!" it said, with a youthful, male voice. Fenrir froze, his eyes widening. A talking horse? That couldn't be an ordinary horse! Oh, he was in trouble...

The horse approached slowly, watching the apprehensive wolf curiously. Now that they were closer, Fenrir could see he had not four legs, as any normal horse was supposed to, but eight legs. Eight!

"I don't think we've met," the horse remarked. "Are you new here?"

"Er... Yeah," said Fenrir without thinking. He was still staring at the horse's extra legs in wonder.

"Oh, so you can speak!" said the horse, sounding pleasantly surprised. "That's great! I was getting so tired of having one-sided conversations with the other wolves!"

"Ah... Er..." Fenrir tilted his head, eyeing the horse appraisingly.

Seeming glad that Fenrir hadn't bolted out of the stable despite his obvious nervousness, the horse stepped closer. "My name is Sleipnir. What's yours?"

Fenrir hesitated, then mentally shrugged. The horse seemed friendly enough, at least. What was the harm in telling him his name?

"Fenrir."

"Hello, Fenrir! Nice to meet you. So, what brings you here to the stable? Did you get lost?"

"Yes, I did," answered Fenrir truthfully. "I was brought here by accident. You see, I was looking for my father, but I lost him."

"Oh, that's too bad," said Sleipnir sympathetically. "Does your father live around here?"

"Here in Asgard, yeah."

"Maybe I can help you! I know almost everyone who lives in Asgard."

"Really?" asked Fenrir, his curiosity piqued. "How can you? No offence, but I wouldn't think you'd get to know many people when you live in a stable."

Sleipnir laughed good-naturedly. "Actually, I spend most of my time outside. You could say today is my day off. And I get around a lot, so I know almost everyone both by name and appearance."

"Hmm, right," mused Fenrir, narrowing his eyes.

"Even if I don't know your father, I can still help you look for him. You can count on me!" Sleipnir lowered his head in order to take a closer look at Fenrir. "So, what's your father's name?"

Fenrir hesitated again. Should he tell the truth? His father had refused to let the god Thor know that they were related... Then again, what difference would it make to a horse, even a talking one? Besides, Fenrir felt he could trust him, somehow.

"Loki," he answered at length.

"Huh! What a coincidence! My mother is called Loki, too!"

"Really?" Fenrir blinked and frowned. "How come she has a male name?"

"I dunno. I figured it was one of those names that can be given to girls as well as boys. Or maybe it's your father who has a female name?"

"No, no, I'm pretty sure that's a male name."

"Oh, well. I do know of more than one Loki. What does your father look like?"

Fenrir described his father's appearance in detail, noting how Sleipnir's eyes widened a fraction more every couple of seconds.

"That's funny!" said the horse brightly. "From what you say, your father looks just like my mother!"

"Except my father is a man," Fenrir pointed out, feeling peeved. He was beginning to think that this horse was either not very bright or pulling his leg.

"Mother is a shape-shifter," said Sleipnir, pride colouring his voice. "She can take the shape of any creature she wishes and choose to be female or male. At least, that's what she once told me."

"But my father never – er..." Fenrir trailed off when a recently told story came to his mind. "Actually, my father has the same ability. Just yesterday he was telling me about the time when he turned into a mare in order to distract a – er – to distract... Oh, crap." Fenrir sank to the ground, mortified.

"What?" came Sleipnir's concerned voice. "What is it?"

"Sleipnir, do you know your father's name?"

"Why, yes, of course. It's Svadilfari. Why do you ask?"

"Oh. Nothing." Fenrir pulled himself together and frowned sternly at the horse, who just looked puzzled.

His father had told him and his siblings that he had taken his true form before the stallion Svadilfari could catch him up. Surely Sleipnir was mistaken! He must have been a lost, orphaned baby whom his father had found and taken in, and Sleipnir had instinctively begun to think of him as his mother. Yes, that made a lot more sense than his father literally being an eight-legged horse's mother.

Besides, how could his father even have had a baby? Even if he could take the shape of a female, it was just an illusion, so he was still really male, right? And only females could have babies, right? He remembered his mother once mentioned something like that...

How did one have babies, anyway?

"Hey, you all right?" Sleipnir's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Er, yeah, yeah. I was just thinking..." mumbled Fenrir.

"Look, why don't you go and see for yourself if Mother isn't the person you're looking for? I'll show you where she lives."

"You can show me? But how do we get out of here?"

"Through the back door, of course!"

"... There is a back door in Valhalla?"

oOo

"There. That's Mother's hall."

"That? You must be kidding me!"

Fenrir gaped in disbelief at the building that was his father's hall, according to Sleipnir. It was very big and beautiful – not as much as Valhalla, of course, but it was the second best hall he had seen in Asgard so far. The oddest thing, however, was that it was a very bright, sickeningly cheery place, in a sort of feminine way, so completely different from his own home and his father's disposition that Fenrir just couldn't believe it was his hall.

"This can't be it," said Fenrir, sniffing the air. "I can't smell him!"

"Well, Mother's rarely home. She travels a lot, and when she's around, she usually hangs out at Thor's hall, or with Master Odin in Valhalla," explained Sleipnir. "Well, you can wait here for her to come back. I'd love to stay and keep you company, but I'm not supposed to leave Valhalla without Master Odin's permission, so I should go back before anyone notices I'm gone. But if Mother's not the Loki you're looking for, you know where to find me. I'll do my best to help you!"

"Thanks," said Fenrir grudgingly. Before he could say anything else, an excited voice was heard and Fenrir found himself being picked up yet again. He looked up at the bright face of a blonde woman, who was grinning and cooing at him. She wasn't as pretty as Freyja, but she looked a lot nicer. Somehow, she reminded him of his own mother.

"Aww, aren't you the cutest thing ever!" she was saying, tickling his belly. Fenrir squirmed. "Are you lost, little puppy? You look so tired and hungry! Aww, poor thing! Come, I'll give you something to eat."

Fenrir immediately stopped struggling to escape the woman's embrace at that last sentence, his mouth already beginning to water. He was very hungry.

"Why, hello, Sleipnir!" the woman greeted the horse and petted his mane and muzzle affectionately. Sleipnir made a pleased sound and nuzzled her hand in return, but didn't speak a word. After a while, Sleipnir stepped back and hurried away. The nice woman waved and bade him goodbye before returning her attention to the wolf in her arms. "Let's get you inside, little one."

oOo

Night was slowly falling, as the sun finally decided to move out of its comfortable spot in the sky, when Loki and Thor were practically thrown out by Thor's wife, Sif, under accusations of being lazy leeches who only ate her food and never did anything to help – Loki assumed she was mostly referring only to Thor, of course. The poor woman must have been so stressed out from taking care of her newborn children that she couldn't really be blamed for losing her temper and throwing such outrageous accusations at her respectable guests.

Since that happened before Sif was done making dinner, they were both quite hungry, so they headed to Loki's hall. His wife's culinary skills might not be as good as Sif's, but she was always glad to make them dinner. That was one thing Loki liked about her; she was such a dedicated wife. She had never, ever demanded that he help her take care of the children, either, for which Loki was tremendously grateful. He pitied Thor, he really did.

"Sigyn!" he called out when he entered his hall, Thor trailing after him eagerly. "I'm home! Is dinner ready yet?"

"It isn't, sorry!" she shouted from the kitchen. She didn't sound very sorry, Loki thought. "I got a little distracted by the new arrival!"

"What new arrival?"

"This cute baby!"

"What?!" Loki nearly had a heart attack. Were they going to have yet another child? He began to back away and reach out for the door, but the sound of barking made him freeze. The next minute, Sigyn came out from the kitchen, grinning ear to ear, to greet him and Thor, a small, black creature in tow. Loki almost died on the spot when he recognised it.

"Hey, isn't that the puppy wolf you found today in Jotunheim?" asked Thor in astonishment. "It is, isn't it? It is, I can tell! What's it doing here?"

"Err, it must have followed me home," said Loki.

"Is that so, Loki?" Sigyn asked in wonder. She picked the puppy up and giggled, her eyes twinkling. "Aww, he must think you're his mummy! To think he came all the way here from Jotunheim! What a brave little puppy you are!" she cooed. For some reason, Fenrir looked like he had just swallowed something very bitter.

Loki just covered his face helplessly.

"He's so cute, isn't he?" Sigyn went on. "Can we keep him, Loki?"

"No, absolutely not!" he snapped. His vehemence surprised both Sigyn and Thor. More softly, he added, "I mean, his place is in Jotunheim, with his family. He should be with his mother."

"But, Loki, what if his mother is dead? Maybe that's why he's come after you! He has no one else in the world!"

"Somehow, I doubt that," he said dryly, giving Fenrir a meaningful look until the wolf averted his gaze in shame.

"But you can't know for sure," his wife argued. "Please, can't we keep him? It'd make me and the children so happy!"

For a moment, Loki wasn't even sure what children she was referring to. Then, he remembered. Vali and Nari, his and Sigyn's children. Right. It probably said something about his parenting skills that he hadn't even made the connection right away.

"All right," he sighed, defeated. "He can stay."

"Ooh, Loki, thank you so much!"

"Yes, yes, you're welcome. Can we have dinner now?" he asked sullenly. Sigyn smiled and said she would start preparing it right away. Unfortunately, she took Fenrir with her, preventing Loki from snatching him for a chat.

oOo

Throughout dinner, Loki was the only one whose attention was not on Fenrir. Even Thor, who barely paused to take a breath between each bite, would glance at the puppy and make muffled remarks about how it would definitely become a sturdy, mighty wolf when it grew up. Considering Fenrir's giant lineage, Thor was probably a lot closer to the truth than he might think. As for Loki's wife and children, most of their food went to Fenrir and they laughed and cooed at any little thing he did. There was also talk about giving him a name, and many ridiculous suggestions were given. It was all getting a little annoying, actually. Loki did his best to block out their voices and focused on his reading.

"Loki, you shouldn't read while you're eating," Sigyn admonished him, but he ignored her completely. Eventually, she began to ignore him as well, which irritated him above anything. Sigyn had never completely ignored him before!

When dinner was thankfully over and Thor left, Loki was finally able to inconspicuously take Fenrir aside for a private talk.

"What in the nine worlds are you doing here?" he hissed at the wolf. "Didn't I tell you not to come to Asgard?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Fenrir whimpered pitifully. "I just wanted to be with you and make sure you were okay."

Loki sighed and shifted uncomfortably. "I understand, Fenrir, and I appreciate the sentiment, but you shouldn't have come. I did promise you I'd go back, didn't I? Did you think I was lying?"

"No, Daddy! I believe you! Really, I do! But I was worried about you."

"Why worry about me? I'm in no danger. It's yourself you should be worried about. This place is just too dangerous for you."

"Why? I don't think it's dangerous. I've been here for hours, and nothing's happened to me," said Fenrir truthfully. There was the mishap with Freyja's high-strung cats, but he believed that had been more a misunderstanding than actual danger.

"You're going back first thing in the morning tomorrow," said Loki firmly. His son looked forlorn, but dared not protest.

"Can I sleep with you, Daddy?" he asked plaintively. Loki tried to avoid the puppy eyes, but it was hopeless; he gave in. Looking a little more cheerful, Fenrir stared at him in a curious manner.

"What is it?" Loki prompted.

"Daddy, have you ever been a mummy?"

"Of course I've had a mothe—Wait, what?" Loki did a double-take, thinking he must heave misheard the question once it finally registered.

"I meant, are you a mother as well as a father? I met a horse called Sleipnir and he told me you were his mother. I thought he must be mad, until I remembered the story you told us last night. He even said his father's name was Svadilfari. That's the name of that stallion that was chasing you, isn't it?"

Fighting the impulse to crawl under a rock and die, Loki abruptly picked his son up. "That's it! I'm taking you back to Jotunheim right now!"

"But, Daddyyyy!" Fenrir whined.

"Shhh! Someone will hear you!"

"Father?" said a third, boyish voice. Loki stopped and turned to look at one of his and Sigyn's children, who was standing at the doorway.

"Oh, hi, er... Vali," said Loki.

"I'm Nari."

"Right. Er, I knew that. I was just teasing you. Can you move aside, now? You're blocking the doorway."

"Where are you going, Father?" Nari asked innocently.

"I'm going to take him out for a walk," said Loki, indicating Fenrir.

"In the middle of the night?"

"Wolves are nocturnal, aren't they? So it'd make more sense to take him for a walk at night."

"I understand, Father," said Nari, stepping out of Loki's way. "Can I come, too?"

"No, you go to bed. You're not a wolf, so there's no excuse for you to stay up till late. Tell your mother I'll be back soon." Without waiting for a reply, Loki hurried out of the hall. Really, these children would be the death of him someday...

"Daddy, you never answered my question," said Fenrir. "Is it even possible for you to be a mummy? I was wondering, what do you have to do to have a baby? Where does it come from, Daddy?"

"Why don't you ask your mother, Fenrir?" muttered Loki, picking up his pace.

"I did, and she didn't give me an answer. She got kind of nervous, come to think of it. So?"

"So what?"

"Where do babies come from, Daddy?"

At a loss, Loki said the first thing that came to his mind, hoping it would put an end to this abominable subject. "Magic," he said lamely.

"Aaah!" was the satisfying reaction. A pause, then, "So, is it true that you're Sleipnir's mother?"

"Do be quiet, Fenrir."

Luckily for Loki, they were nearing the gate where Heimdall still stood guard. Loki gave him a mildly annoyed look. Great, if he saw the both of them together and sneaking out of Asgard in the middle of the night, he'd get suspicious – he might even tell Odin about it. How inconvenient! Why couldn't Heimdall get a life and do something other than stand there day and night on end?

"Now listen to me, Fenrir," Loki whispered as he put his son down. "While I distract Heimdall, you go through the gate bars without being seen, understood? Then you go back home as quickly as possible. And be careful!"

"Yes, Daddy," Fenrir whispered back, subdued. "You promise you'll come to visit us soon, won't you?"

"Yes, yes, as soon as I can. I'll see what I can do. Now get ready." Straightening up and approaching the gate, Loki called out, "Hey, Heimdall! You're still there? Don't you ever get tired of playing our gatekeeper? Don't you need to sleep?"

The guard remained silent and motionless as ever.

"You are sleeping now, aren't you? I don't know why you even bother, then; if you're going to be such a lousy gatekeeper, you might as well quit and go home. I bet even Freyr or Thor could do a better job." Loki was satisfied to see Heimdall tense himself, his gloved hands tightening around his arms like a hawk's claws. "You know, what you really need is a hobby – or to get laid. When was the last time you had some fun? Do you even know the meaning of that word? Honestly, you are such a—"

"Shut – up!" Heimdall finally snapped and whipped around, grabbing the bars tightly. "Have you nothing better to do than stand there goading me? It's bad enough I have to see your face on a regular basis and open this gate for you, now I have to put up with your taunts as well?"

"What?" said Loki innocently. "I was just trying to make you realise what a loser you are." Even as Loki spoke, he was already backing away while a fuming Heimdall opened the gate and began advancing with murder in his eye.

"I'm going to kill you, Loki," whispered the gatekeeper poisonously. Loki smiled and held up his hands, still stepping back.

"Easy, easy, now, Heimdall! Remember, Odin won't be pleased if you try to kill his blood brother..."

Unnoticed by Heimdall, Fenrir simply walked through the open gate.

oOo

Back in Ironwood, the giantess Angrboda was getting more and more worried about her children. Night had already fallen, it was getting late, and none of them had returned yet. She tried to calm down by reminding herself that as long as Loki was with them, they would be safe. She trusted him. She knew he would never allow his children to be harmed in any way.

They had probably lost track of time because they were enjoying themselves so much. The children must have wanted to make up for the time of his absence. They had missed him so much, after all. Hopefully, this lateness meant that Loki had got over his misgivings and begun to warm to them. They all really were in dire need of some father-children bonding.

Nevertheless, she wished and hoped they would come home soon.