Hey guys! Thanks again for taking the time to comment! I luuurve you. A few more little chapters, where I'm going to put in some key things you need to know before things start to KICK OFF! Oooooh! Excitement! SuzukiLi x
...
"She is a shapeshifter, mother!" Thor declared, his arm linked with his mother as he watched his brother frolic in the grass with a small wolf pup. Frigga smiled her golden smile and patted her sons arm gently.
"It appears so!" she sighed softly, her crystal gaze watching her youngest son with joy. Loki allowed the pup too chew his finger as she rolled on her back, tail wagging so fast it was a blur of brown fur. "She is like Loki in everyway."
The pup let out a tiny howl as she bounded after Loki, who was running through the grass, Hela nipping at his heels. He turned suddenly and scooped her up into his arms before she could run away and cradled her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. The pup yipped and planted a drooly lick on his nose, panting happily and batting at his face with her paws.
"Tis rare for a youngling that small to show such skills," Thor observed and Frigga just gave him a playful nudge.
"Because she is the precious of all gifts. Although, admittedly, I was rather alarmed this morn to peer into her crib and see a rather large snake blinking back at me..."
Thor raised an eyebrow and returned his gaze to his brother, who was now throwing a giggling child into the air.
"Truly a precious gift."
...
Thor felt the scene in front of him was rather familiar, as he watched his brother wrestle with a rather large black and brown wolf. The wolf growled and snarled, but there was no malice in her green eyes. Loki's entire arm was held gently between her jaws and he had a hand on a giant paw that rested on his shoulder. Loki wriggled his arm, the wolf's giant head shaking with it and her eyes narrowed with her snarl and she bit down a little harder.
"Ok, ok... you got me," Loki sighed, raising his free hand in the air in defeat.
"That is... that's pretty neat," Steve said, who had been stood with Thor in the gardens, watching Loki play with his daughter.
"They would wrestle often when she was small, she is much more agile in this form," Thor said with a small grin, watching as Hela released Loki's arm and bounced excitedly on her paws, waiting for Loki to tackle her once more.
"I never saw Loki as a playful type," Steve admitted, taking a sip of his iced lemonade and shading his eyes from the sun. Thor let out a hearty chuckle and turned to the captain.
"Loki is a younger brother! All he ever did was demand to play! Many a time, when I was intending to study, Loki would drag me from my rooms with a wooden sword. He is a far more inept fighter because of it. We are brothers! We enjoy a good fight," Thor said happily, turning back to his brother who had pushed his daughter onto her back and was digging his fingers into her thick fur to tickle her belly. The wolf howled and swatted at his face playfully, tail wagging frantically. Loki was giggling, actually giggling, and it relaxed Steve. Loki had a nice giggle. It was light, and soft and it seemed to encompass all the emotions that he was feeling right now. Care free and totally in love.
"They remind me a little of how me and my friend Bucky would play when we were young boys," Steve said, taking another sip of his lemonade.
"Loki flipped me straight out his bedroom window once. By accident of course," Thor reminisced, remembering his luck being able to grab onto the ledge and heave himself back inside to meet a wide, teary green stare.
"Haha, I remember Bucky flying straight over my shoulder and knocking out his two front teeth on my mothers plant pot. My mother was more mad about the chipped plant pot than the teeth!"
They shared a laugh, and returned their stares to Loki who was now wrestling with his humanoid daughter. If it was possible to be more lithe and bendy than the black widow, then Hela was it. She flipped and twisted in unimaginable ways and finally managed to flick Loki over her shoulder, so that he landed on his back with a small grunt. She then sat cross legged on his chest, refusing to move and grinning down at him in triumph, eyebrow cocked in a "you wanna go again?" manner.
"I give up! Again..." Loki sighed, raising his hands in the air, although his face remained in a wide smile.
"Ill give you a go," Steve said innocently, stepping forward. Hela cast him a grin that would make even Fury blush. "I mean uh... you know..." Loki stood up, flinging his daughter over his shoulder in one quick movement as he did, and turned to face Steve.
"You would not stand a chance, Captain," he said bluntly, placing a giggling Hela onto her feet.
"Tis only a spar," she said, giving Loki a small nudge and beckoning for Steve to join her on the floor. Steve removed his jacket, flexing his super enhanced muscles beneath his shirt and stepped froward, pacing slowly as Hela circled him. Loki had gone to stand with Thor, both sharing a small smirk as they watched the events before them. Steve angled a right hook at her, which she easily brushed away, as if he was no more than a fly.
"Do not hold back, Captain, you can not hurt me."
Steve again, faked a left hook but went to catch her in the rib with his right, but once more was easily brushed away. This time he aimed straight for her face with a jab, which she caught in her palm, holding his fist merely inches form her face. Her strength was incredible. She held his hand, and began to slowly squeeze his fist. He could feel his bones begin shift in his hands as she squeezed harder and harder until;
"Ok! Stop!" Steve begged as he felt his knuckles crack between her fingers.
"Childs play," she laughed, pushing his hand away with such force that he stumbled backwards. "And I didn't even need to move." Steve just rubbed his hand gingerly and thought for a moment.
"But who on this planet would be a worthy opponent for you?"
"I wish to fight the beast."
"No." This time it was Loki who spoke, who stood with a hand outstretched, shaking his head. "You will not go near the beast."
"I'm all grown up now, daddy."
"In Asgard you are but a babe."
"But we're not in Asgard."
"You will not argue with me," Loki said, in a voice that was very final. Hela sighed and nodded, casting him an apologetic look.
"I'd pay good money to watch you fight Natasha," came the smooth tones of Tony, who had suddenly appeared beside them. He gave Hela his most filthy grin, but dropped it when he felt the weight of Loki's glare.
"You keep your vulgar thoughts away from my child, Stark," Loki warned and this time it was Hela's turn to give him a filthy grin.
"Well, I'm not fighting you again. You've destroyed three of my suits already," Tony said, hoping a quick change of subject would get Loki to stop glaring at him.
"Hmmm," Hela agreed, changing from her black training clothes into a white summer dress with a flick of her wrist.
"I am bored of this now, I wish to rest," she announced, pinning her long hair up into a bun. "Adda, would you read to me again? That book, with the snowflakes?"
Loki smiled and took his daughters arm, turning to lead her away from the gardens.
"Of course, I know the story well."
