Note: Some headcanons ahead, hope you don't mind.

Also there seem to be no information about what lives in Vanaheim except for the Vanir gods. So I'm going to make stuff up. Counts as a part of the various headcanons, I guess.

A Forest Walk

They left Asgard in the middle of the day, but it turned out that the Vanir sun had a system of its own so it was night here. It made them wish they had studied the map when they still had the light to see it. Vanaheim didn't have a moon (or three) like Asgard to give at least a minimum illumination, so they were in a pitch black aside from the distant stars, too small to be of any significant help.

But then again, there wasn't really that much to read from the map either. They were in a forest and Vanaheim was covered in forests.

"Alright, I suggest we find a river," said Loki at last. "If we find it, it will means that we are somewhere around the right edge of the map. If we don't, we are anywhere else."

This was ridiculous. Who knows what huge plans Odin needs to put in motion that he wants to be rid of them for so long.

Thor expressed his agreement with an annoyed grunt and they set off.

They didn't find a river.

The sky above turned from deep blue into light grey and then orange, as the sun rose up on the horizon. Its light reflected of the surface of two planets in the same solar system, so the Vanir sky was decorated with an enormous purple gas-giant and a smaller golden planet with countless rings around it. To Thor and Loki it might have as well been empty. Not only the forest around them didn't offer a good view of the sky, they would also never bother to look at something so ordinary.

They found something much more interesting instead.

The low hanging branches didn't allow them to see it until they were only a few steps away from it. The forest ended abruptly and they entered a clearing covered in hastily arranged rocks and trunks. A keen eye could recognize ruins of a village. The residents were long gone, as was any trace of civilization. There were no buildings here. All walls have fallen.

They slowly walked pass the debris and Thor once again drew out the map. While his brother was occupied, Loki carefully scanned the scene around them. Something about this place made him fell uneasy, but he wasn't entirely sure what.

"Looks like we're here," announced Thor, pointing with his finger at some place towards the left edge of the map.

For one, why were all the houses torn to pieces? The only thing that suggested that there ever were any houses at all was the placement of the rocks and the shape of the trunks, that wasn't in any way natural. The place could have been abandoned; it could have been put to the torch, but instead it was torn down.

What was this place?

"It was called Hettr while it still stood. How old is this map, anyway?" said Thor.

How old was this place? That was another thing that felt wrong. No matter how ancient and abandoned it seemed, there was one important detail missing. There were no trees here. The forest would have expanded between the stones long ago if it got the chance. The fact that it didn't suggested two options: either the place was cursed or it was destroyed only recently.

Or both. It was hard to decide which one was more likely.

"Do you think there could be something worth while here? Hidden basements with treasure?"

Hardly. If someone took so much time to bring down every single wall, you could be sure they didn't neglect the looting. Unless they were raging bilgesnipes. But it made sense to assume this was done by raiders since no destruction caused by a beast would be so systematic. Assuming that raised the question of reason though. Why would anyone bother doing something like this?

"Loki?"

There was Thor's hand on his shoulder now, though he was sure it wasn't there a second ago. Loki looked at it and assumed the most quizzical expression he could manage.

"You can let go of me. I'm not going to run away."

"No, but your thoughts did."

Loki didn't get a chance to answer because at that moment a shadow fell over them and they heard a shriek. They looked up immediately and at the next moment, they both jumped to the side to avoid a huge winged beast that fell upon them from the sky.

It landed on all fours, wings spread wide. It was twice their height and the clearing bathed in its shadow, as the huge wings covered the sun. The body had feline features to it, slim and elegant, while the wings were similar to bats', all bones and skinny fur. It never stopped shrieking, making it hard to hear or even think, as the sound tore at their ears.

A second after it touched down, it struck. Its paws turned out to be hiding sleek claws, sharp as needles and long as an average sword. It made a move towards Thor.

It was immediately thrown back by Mjölnir that hit it squarely in the jaw. It wavered momentarily, while the hammer bounced right back into Thor's hand.

Loki swiftly made his way though the garnish to Thor's side, deciding at once that his daggers won't be of much use unless he gets to a soft spot. Thor opened his mouth to say something to him, but by that time the beast already collected itself and one of its paws came crashing down on them.

Thor didn't have enough time to throw Mjölnir this time, so he only covered from the blow. For a short moment they stayed that way, the creature pushing down and Thor holding the paw from crushing them with his hands crossed over his head. Then Loki sprung up and pierced the soft skin between the toes with his dagger. The cat wailed and flapped its wings a few times, to lift itself and back away a few steps.

"I don't think we need to fight it," said Loki, raising his voice to be heard over the sounds the beast never ceased to make. "Maybe we should just move along."

"It won't let us pass," objected Thor. He didn't waste any more time and in the next moment, his hammer once again left his hand to hit the creature's chest. But the cat had no plans of suffering it any longer. One blow of its paw send Mjölnir flying to the ground, as Thor's control over it flickered. The hammer disappeared from their sight somewhere amongst the rubble. Thor immediately lifted his hand to call it back, but their enemy was quicker.

This time the cat didn't use claws. It plunged down on them, ready to tear them to pieces with its fangs, glittering in the sun like diamonds. There wasn't enough time to run or jump away.

Loki knew he can teleport a short distance away. The problem was that he couldn't teleport Thor. Naturally that ruled out the course of saving himself. He had no intention to watch Thor being chewed on by this monster. So the next logical step was to stop the attack, saving them both. There wasn't much time to think and only a few choices to make. He vanished.

Only to rematerialize less than a second later high up on the creature's head. The cat moved fasted than him, so he was falling even as he drew his dagger and buried it in the soft skin near the beast's eye. In the next second he was literally catapulted backwards, as the cat reared and shrieked in pain, its skull making a hard contact with Loki's body. He was sent flying though the air, his consciousness flickering out, as his vision swam in red dots of pain.

The beast shook its head from side to side in a futile attempt to get rid of the pain and then, with its wings half-spread and its paws beating uselessly on the ground, it was struck down by Mjölnir, the hammer obediently returning to Thor's waiting hand. The cat fell on one side, some trunks snapping under the weight. For a few seconds it just lay there, stunned. Then it roared again and attacked again, its claws raining down on the remaining warrior.

Thor had just enough time to swing Mjölnir around and parry all the assaults, occasionally managing to shatter one of the claws to the great fury of the beast, but his mind was elsewhere. He didn't see what Loki did but he could easily assume what his younger brother's plan was. The beast's movements suggested a wound on its head. So where was Loki? Why wouldn't he teleport back? Did he decide to wait somewhere in safety until Thor wins the fight? He hoped so, but a certain protectiveness he felt towards Loki filled him with doubt. He wanted to be sure.

His patience was drawing to an end. The cat wouldn't leave him alone, it wouldn't tire. And despite how long the fight seemed, it only lasted about few minutes and all they managed to do so far were all light injuries, just bruises and scratches. This way he would exhaust himself long before he would defeat the beast.

He lifted Mjölnir and allowed it to drag him, pulling him up into the air. He had to quickly sway to one side to avoid a set of claws raised by the cat to bring him back down. Mjölnir guided him through the air, out of reach.

The wings unfolded, flapping swiftly, lifting the cat easily of the ground. Thor swirled in the air, his cape flapping in the wind. It was less of a flight and more of a jump for the beast as it reached his level, not wasting any time and immediately attempting to catch him again. Thor made sure that he's hovering right above the monster, and when its claws soared up to meet him, he rushed down towards them.

The beast panicked and tried to avoid him, overlapping in the air on its back, its wings suddenly useless and clumsy. He hit it hard, tearing it from the sky and sending them both crushing to the ground, Mjölnir making an impact with its chest, stronger then before thanks to the additional speed.

The rocks shattered when they hit them, dust filling the air. The shrieks finally silenced and the beast didn't move anymore.

Thor jumped off the huge body with ease, landing on a path between two separate ruins mostly clear of the debris. The monster was defeated, now he only needed to find his brother.

Loki's eyes opened slowly and he registered he's not falling anymore. Which, now that he thought about it, was rather strange considering that he never hit the ground...

He shook in a rush panic and he immediately started falling again, as the braches that held him up until now gave way. He crashed to the ground and stayed lying there, hurting too much to move. The sun glared at him though the trees and for a short while he couldn't remember where he is and why he's there.

Then he heard the shriek and remembered. He pulled himself up and looked around, trying to guess which direction are the sounds coming from. They echoed though the forest, indefinable and untraceable.

Then the ground shook as something huge crashed into it and the impact was so loud he knew immediately where to go. He only hoped it wasn't the sound of the beast crushing Thor under its paws... He quickened his steps without even realizing it, rushing to the battle side to make sure his brother was alright, despite the fact that he probably wouldn't be able to help if Thor needed him.

The trees finally allowed him a view of the ruins. He saw the cat lying on its back, one of the wings crooked under the body in an unnatural angle. That meant Thor won. Loki allowed himself to relax and leaned on a nearest tree to catch his breath. His body was quickly recovering from the blow he received and there seemed to be no harm done.

Thor found him a moment later.

"Enjoying the view?" he said, but his teasing tone gave away a trace of relief. He was obviously just as glad to see Loki as Loki was to see him.

"Of course, your handiwork is magnificent to behold."

Thor quickly measured him: "Were you injured?"

"No," answered Loki. He didn't see any injuries on Thor, but he supposed it was something of a custom to ask anyway: "Are you?"

"I'm not. But I was surprised when you didn't return. Did the fight bore you?" Ah, there it was, the worry Thor's tone hinted at before, once again trying to hide behind light teasing.

"Never," Loki smiled. "A swift return unfortunately wasn't a matter of choice on my part."

"So you were injured."

Loki's smile faded away as quickly as it appeared and he snapped: "No need to babysit me."

It wasn't always like this. It had never been like this. But the discovery he made recently had influence on more than just Loki's views of Odin. For one, it made Thor way more attentive. Watching your younger brother cry his heart out probably does that to you. Loki hated it. He didn't want to be treated like a glass princess.

Thor almost looked hurt, but he had the decency to stop pushing it. He simply sighed and then they continued their journey, neither meeting the other's eyes.

Now that Loki had time to think about it again, he realized he still doesn't understand. Who destroyed the village? Why did the beast attack them in the first place? Was there a connection between the two?

They left the clearing behind and set out though the forest in their intended direction. Loki didn't lose much time with useless deliberation. After a half-hour of silence he had to admit that he simply doesn't know and there was no way to reason it out.

"I suppose it was some sort of chimera. The village was torn down by it and it attacked us because we invaded its territory, maybe even its nest. But I will never know, because you decided to invade Muspelheim a few centuries ago."

"Are you still blaming me for that?" Thor looked at him with an expression of amused annoyance.

Because the fire giants returned the attack and when they started putting Asgard on fire, nearly half of the ancient archives had burned down before the flames were put out. A lot of knowledge was lost on that day including, as it turned out, detailed information about flora and fauna of the nine realms. The basic education they had simply wasn't enough. Asgard's education system focused on producing knights not scientists.

"I'm not sorry," mumbled Thor under his breath.

Actually, scratch that. Asgard focused on producing berserkers, not knights.

Silence overtook them as they walked on. Occasionally they heard birds chirping somewhere in the woods or small felines crossed their path, fleeing at the sight of them. The sun moved though the sky up above them. Trees around them hummed with the wind. The whole world seemed calm and peaceful, the battle long forgotten.

It was about three hours later when one of them decided to break the silence.

"The Bifrost could have saved us all this walking, couldn't it?" asked Thor in a casual tone, probably only to try and chase away boredom. "Feels like we're wasting our time." He addressed the sky, likely thinking of Heimdal.

If Loki didn't know what he knew now, he would make a joke here, perhaps teasing Thor that he thinks any time spend not beating up anything is wasted and the conversation would end, both knowing that they're wasting time but neither bothering to find out why. They wouldn't suspect that their absence may have its reasons. Why would they? It wasn't as if they had many other ways of constructively spending their time, so if a trip took more than a few hours it was only welcome.

"Why would anyone want us to waste our time?" he responded, just as casually, but his thoughts were nowhere near as calm. He suddenly wasn't sure whether he should or shouldn't tell Thor about what was going on.

They crossed a stream that glittered in the sun like liquid silver. The water burbled between stones, clear and cheerful. Thor shook his head and gave Loki a helpless smile.

"Someone thinks we could use the exercise?"

That was the official version, no doubt. It was strange, how fake it seemed now, even though he would believe it just fine a year ago.

He never told Thor what he really thinks about Odin, because he was used to keeping secrets. The world was safer that way. He wouldn't have to worry that Thor will spread the word to unwanted ears. In the very least he spared himself feelings of hurt and betrayal if Thor refused to believe him. It made sense to keep quiet, like he always did.

"I guess so," he answered and just like that, the chance at talk passed.

But the need to speak didn't pass with it. It stayed, burning deep inside him, as Loki realized he wants to trust his brother and wants to share his secrets with him. He only needed to wait for the right time to tell him.

As they walked, the forest around them slowly grew ticker, the trees closer together, the undergrowth wilder. The sun was lost to them long ago, hidden behind the many branches clinging over their heads. It created strange grim atmosphere, darkness during a day. Soon enough the various plants and trees closed on them in such a way that it was like creeping through a tunnel. Low hanging branches made them bow their heads and various bushes made every step hard, some of them catching their clothes with thorns and not letting go until they reached for them and tore them away.

Thor was in the lead, not hesitating to break any branches that stood in his way. Loki followed in his steps taking the advantage of having the way cleared for him. They progressed slowly, despite Thor's best attempts and Loki lazily wondered if he could find this place on the map.

Then they stopped progressing completely. For the last few steps was Thor literally fighting with the forest to let them pass and it looked like the forest finally won. Brightly green vines that covered the trees for the last few miles tangled here with the bushes and created an impassable green web. Thor tried to break through by hitting it with Mjölnir, but the vines were soft and flexible, so they didn't shatter at the impact like branches did.

Thor tried it a few more times, but the plants stubbornly stood their ground, Mjölnir harmlessly bouncing off of them. Loki quietly watched this for a little while and then unsheathed his dagger.

"Allow me." Thor looked at him, the doubt present in his gaze clearing away only at the sight of the weapon. Then he stepped back and let Loki slip past him. There wasn't much space to move, but they paid it no heed, neither of them minding how close to each other they are standing.

The dagger effectively cut the vines and slowly a way opened in front of them, allowing them to start moving. Sometimes, Loki cut though the plants and Thor dealt a blow that made the disrupted web fall to pieces. This way they worked side by side, making their way slowly on and on.

"What's its name?" asked Thor suddenly, as he watched Loki work.

"How should I know? I didn't study Vanir flora and if you think hard enough you might even remember why," answered Loki in his usual way.

Thor snorted at being once again reminded of that old incident. "I didn't mean the plant. I meant your weapon."

Loki stopped to shoot a quick glance at his dagger. This one was his main weapon, different from all the little ones he carried hidden away on various places like sleeves and boots. And it was definitely something else than his throwing knives. It was carved with runes around the handle similar to Mjölnir. Loki looked at it, then at Thor and then returned to work.

"You don't know?"

The second the words passed Loki's lips, Thor's eyes fell to the ground, his expression shameful. "It just- It slipped my mind. You so rarely use it when you speak about your weapon..."

There it was again. Loki almost regretted the question now. Thor was scared that he will hurt Loki's oh-so-fragile feelings if he openly admits he doesn't pay close attention to every little detail about his younger brother. It seemed that no matter what Loki does, Thor will forever see a porcelain doll in him. How could he ever hope to be seen as equal!

"You're right. I rarely use it. It's called Sannindi."

Thor's expression suggested that he never heard of it before. "You call your weapon 'Truth'?"

"Not every name can be as poetic as 'Crusher'."

"Mjölnir is a fine name!" Luckily it seemed that Thor quickly found his way back into their usual banter, his protectiveness no longer holding him back. "A weapon's name should strike fear in the hearts of your enemies. Why would you name your weapon 'truth'?"

The vines fell as Sannindi sliced though them and Loki wouldn't meet Thor's eyes when he responded. "Truth is a terrifying thing. It doesn't just cut you or crush you. It devours you. It can reach the deepest depths of you, of who you think is you, and it destroy them. It doesn't crush your bones or make you bleed; it ruins your heart and mind in a way that can never heal. It's poisonous so even the smallest cut will eventually infect your whole body. There's no escape from it. You can try avoiding it, running from it, but in the end it will always catch up to you. Nothing has as much power over life as truth does."

Thor was silent and Loki didn't dare to look and see his expression.

"How's that for striking fear in the hearts of my enemies?" he added in a bright, teasing tone. When he felt Thor's arms enveloping him from behind, he froze, letting his arms droop to his sides.

"Loki," spoke Thor gently to his ear. "Does it still bother you so much? We will always be brothers, no matter what you call the truth." He pressed him closer to his chest in an attempt to comfort him. Loki avoided his searching gaze, staring blindly on the ground.

It felt good to be comforted. But some part of him screamed that he should be insulted and move away. He didn't want to be the weak little sibling.

Or so he told himself. The weak ones die. He was thrown away at his birth because he wasn't strong enough. He wasn't going to admit that he isn't as strong as he should be. It didn't matter how much he yearned for the safety of Thor's arms. He was still trying to dance away, to deny it, because that was what he did. He was a liar. The more he understood the truth, the more it terrified him and made him want to run away from it.

"And by the way I know you just made that up," said Thor not unkindly. "Your dagger wasn't always named Sannindi."

But all lies and illusions were eventually seen through.

Loki finally turned to him, grinning impishly. "Maybe. But if you don't immediately let go of me, I'll stab you with it and it's not going to be a lie."

Thor reluctantly loosened his arms and Loki pushed them away, returning to his work without a second glance. Thor watched him, not daring to speak, to voice his thoughts.

He felt helpless. There was nothing he could do to help Loki, no matter what he did. His words were clumsy whenever he tried to be supportive and comforting. All he could do was repeat old words, phrases he already said too many times to have any effect. As Loki had said, the truth infected the deepest parts of his heart. Thor was convinced that he could never reach there. Loki would never let him, after all. And even if he would, what then? The fact that Thor wanted to protect him didn't change anything. It couldn't save Loki. The truth would always hurt him whether Thor was there or not. Or so it seemed, judging from Loki's reaction. He seemed to scream with every glare and movement that that all Thor's best attempts are useless in helping to heal his wounds.

But there didn't seem to be any other way and Thor refused to let his brother be devoured, whether it would be by truth or plain self-loathing. He would never give up on Loki, no matter what it took. So he was going to keep trying, to whatever end.

The vines were finally gone and they could continue. The darkness around them slowly gave way to the usual dimmed light under the trees as they left the tick part of the forest behind and the way between the trees once again opened up before them. They went on side by side and after a while they even managed to find something to talk about, abandoning the hurtful silence.