(Author Note: Sorry if you like Volstagg. *The events of this chapter take place well before the first Thor movie.)

Chapter 2: Volstagg is Dumb as a Cavern of Rocks

As Lilith clambered out of the narrow passage, she turned to gape at the sight before her. She stood at the bottom of a huge cavern that opened up to the sky above them, depicting a scene the belonged back in the astronomy tower. The walls and floor of the cavern were curved and furrowed, as if the cavern had been dug into the earth by a gigantic beast. As Thor's company started forward their footsteps echoed on the hard surface. Littering the ground around them were rounded stones wider than she was tall. As she edged closer to one of the stones she noticed that the surface had flecks that glittered as if it they were made of gold.

Slowly they crept towards the center of the cavern as the followed Volstagg to where the nest of wyvern awaited. As they neared the nest the furrows in the ground steadily deepened until they became the walls of a maize. After a few wrong turns and dead ends, courtesy of Volstagg's faulty memory, finally arriving at the entrance to the wyvern's nest. The small, jagged opening revealed a bowl like room with an open view of the sky. At the center were four scaly beasts curled in a heap, asleep like a brood of puppies.

As the group stalked forward to move in to strike, Lilith hung back to observe. Something did not feel right. It wasn't that their enemies were sleeping peacefully. Oh no, she could quite easily take advantage of any weakness she could strike at. It was that they were sleeping at night. Wyvern were supposed to be nocturnal creatures.

Suddenly Volstagg surged forward with a warriors battle cry, making all their sneaking a wasted effort. The others only hesitated for a moment before joining in with their own shouts, charging into the fray. Four sets of reptilian eyes turned toward the Asgardians. The beast closest to the front rose on hind legs and unfurled wings far too large for its body and sent forth a gust so strong it sent them all sliding back several paces, and causing Fandral sprawling on his backside.

They surged forward again with Thor in the lead. Thor struck at the first monster hitting it on its wing to disarm its wind attack. Lilith edged in closer to assist Thor in his battle. The wyvern wiped its head towards her snapping its jaws a mere inch from her face, but Thor leapt at the wyvern's thick neck and clung like a burr as it lifted him in the air, whipping its head back and forth. She rushed forward to attack the sensitive membranes of the wyvern's wings, but in the back of her mind she wondered about the contradictions.

From what she had read wyvern were supposed to be graceful two legged and two winged creatures, not these gawky, unsteady beasts. Their main weapons were supposed to be their thin, dexterous tails that could be used to pull fruit from thorns or used as whips to defend themselves, and their long poisonous fangs. Two fangs, not thirty needle sharp incisors. Distractedly, she ducked the wyvern's thick trunk like tail as it attempted to sweep her aside. She dove, with her dagger, to sever the tendon behind its right front claw. Yes front claw, because the wyvern had four, not two, massive talons that were far too large for its body. Just like its wings.

With a mighty roar Thor, still clinging to the monster's neck, unbalanced the creature sending it crashing to the ground. Lilith quickly dodged to the side to avoid being crushed by the wyvern's great weight and took the opportunity to assess the battle ground. Fandral and Hogun were working as a team on the wyvern closes to them, while Volstagg and Sif seemed to be holding their own against each of the other beasts. Although, Volstagg seemed to be a little worse for wear, probably do to his rash attacks that were getting less and less cautious.

She returned her gaze to her own battle where Thor had now decided to actually use the weapon he had plundered from the armory. The battle axe he wielded was far superior to anything the others had managed to abscond with. But as she stepped in to assist, the beast let forth an ear splitting scratch that sent her tumbling back into one of the round rocks. She hit hard knocking the air out of her lungs, and to add to her confusion the rock gave way beneath her back. Dazed she shook her head and looked at her surroundings. What she had at first taken for a rock was actually an eggshell! It was cracked and open at the bottom to the hard earth, but that was not the most extraordinary thing about this "rock". The inside was lined in pure gold that reflected her likeness back at her in varying shades of amber.

She froze in utter horror, thinking back on all the things these wyvern should be, but were not. The tails that were too thick and clumsy. The mouths filled with teeth meant for ripping and tearing, instead of striking to inflict poison on their enemies. The nest perched high on a cliff and open to the sky, instead of close to vegetation and protected. Finally, the wings and claws that were disproportionately large for their bodies. When combined with the gold laced eggshell they could be only one thing, and it ravaged whole continents to pillage and devour tons of gold in order to fertilize its eggs.

Dragons. Dragon hatchlings to be specific, and what were dragons most known for? Oh, yes. Guarding their golden eggs to the death and smiting anyone dumb enough to come close with fearsome fire breath. Speaking of dumb people, how was she going to get Thor and company out of here? As far as she knew Thor had never retreated from a fight in his life, which was going to be very short unless she thought of something fast.

As she returned her attention to the battle between the mighty god of thunder and the dragon hatchling, a battle which Thor was decidedly losing. She could just see the faint glow beginning in the hatchlings nostrils. Using every ounce of speed in her body she rushed forward and tackled Thor to the ground just as a raging torrent of flames shot above their heads. Thor, not willing to give up his game, rose to his feet and struck with his axe, severing the hatchling's toe. It let out another almighty screech, which was quickly echoed by the other three hatchlings. The cacophony was enough to drive all of the Asgardians to their knees.

The silence that followed was almost as defining as their cries until the silence was broken by a roar so deep and powerful the earth shook below them. Lilith's thoughts swirled, desperately as she searched for an idea. Finally, as her eyes fell on Thor, her plan began to form. It wasn't a brilliant plan, but it was a plan nonetheless.

Using her magic she masked her voice to imitate Thor's and bellowed, "Retreat!"

Thor's companions, still stunned by the roar, reacted reflexively to "Thor's" command and began heading for the crack in the nest wall. Thor stared in confusion as his friends ran past him, but he turned to follow. He walked a few paces before he hesitated and turned back to look at the hatchlings. Lilith, rolling her eyes in frustration, ran over and shoved him towards the exit, just as a huge shadow blotted out the stars from the sky.

(Author Note: Always be yourself… unless you can be a dragon. Then always be a dragon!

P.S. Sorry for cliffhanger.)