The Prey and the Predator
The sun was gone but the land still glimmered in twilight, as the light reflected off the surface of the two planets. Everything had a purple and gold touch to it, the colors of the two cosmic colossi. It created a strange magical atmosphere, beautiful and peaceful.
The two princes paid no heed to it, too lost in each other to notice their surroundings. Before they stopped kissing and opened their eyes again, the planets hid in shadows and the light was gone, abandoning the world in darkness.
They stayed embracing for a while after their lips parted, breathing the same air, enjoying the same warm feeling in their chest.
Thor didn't want to move. Some part of him fiercely believed that if he let this moment go, if he allowed Loki to slip from his grasp, it would never return. It felt too good to be true and he never wanted to wake up from this dream.
Loki let Thor support some of his weight, feeling tired after the whole emotional frenzy. He didn't even have the control to be subtle about it. "We should probably settle for the night," he suggested.
That reminded Thor that even though he refused to acknowledge it just a moment ago, there really was a world around them.
"Here?" he asked, looking around the meadow, though in the dark he could recognize only outlines.
"No, we are not lying down in the grass again," said Loki.
"Right. You might want to enlighten me about what happened earlier."
"Alright," Loki had no problem with leaving the moment behind. He had no intention of hiding his feelings now and was going to go with it all the way, despite anything his mind had to say about it. He let go of Thor and waited for him to do the same.
"Oh, but don't think I'm done with you," said Thor in his usual teasing tones as he let him go.
"Even if you were, I'm still not done with you," responded Loki immediately, in similarly bright tones.
"You better not be."
"Have no plans on it."
They grinned at each other and then set off in the direction of the forest. The edge of it was still a short distance away. Meanwhile Loki explained what happened and how he managed to cure the poison. He didn't mention anything about how he had felt. Thor saw the state he had been in.
And the kiss spoke louder than words anyway.
The fact how easily Loki had fallen asleep indicated that he really was tired. Thor was having a much harder time relaxing.
They were lying on the forest ground, with no fireplace because it was already too dark to go searching for branches and stones to build one. They kept their clothes on, putting down only their armor like they were used to.
They had spent some time teasing each other. Loki's fingers found their way even under Thor's clothes but eventually they agreed they won't go there just yet. Naturally Loki had some comments about it, pretending to be upset about going to sleep without 'a bedtime story'. When Thor bit his neck in response the moan Loki gave him was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
Thor felt so happy, he believed he would burst. Loki was his. The perfect pale skin, the soft elegant body, the shy affection hidden in the depths of the emerald eyes. It was all his to explore and adore. Thor never felt this ecstatic over anything and it made him feel lightheaded and wonderful.
He told himself he wasn't going to rush this. He wanted Loki to see that this was much more than physical attraction.
Thor's fingers lightly brushed over Loki's skin, gently, so he wouldn't wake him up. He felt content with simply lying there and marveling at the beauty in front of him.
A wind softly whispered through the leaves, branches occasionally clashed against each other, but otherwise the forest was quiet. A twig cracked somewhere nearby. Thor didn't pay any attention to it, thinking about dreams and reality.
Then a rustling sound interrupted his thoughts. There was something moving somewhere very close to them. He remembered the fire meant for keeping away wild beasts and their lack of it and his peaceful resting was at once over as adrenaline rushed in his veins.
He sat up, bending his legs under him, so he could spring up into upright position if needed, and carefully scanned their surroundings. For a moment, the sounds stopped, as if in response to his sudden movement. A few second later they returned, discreet snaps and shuffles, moving through the forest just beyond what Thor could see.
The darkness was too deep. Thor could hardly see Mjölnir when he straightened up and called it to his hand. His eyes snapped from tree trunks to bushes to ground, but he couldn't see anything. For a moment it almost seemed as if the sounds had no origin because there simply wasn't anything in the direction where they came from. He considered that he would simply go and look, most probably scaring the animal away.
Then his eyes slipped down to sleeping Loki. Some part of him immediately objected to the prospect of moving even just a few steps away and leaving Loki behind, alone in the dark.
A distant howl rose over the woods, echoing between the trees. The mysterious beast stopped moving. The forest fell completely silent, as if every living creature in it startled at the wail. Loki softly murmured something and rolled over to his other side, not awoken by the howl.
Then Thor heard a frantic sound of something rushing though the undergrowth away from them. Soon enough the forest regained its calm quietness. Thor stayed on his guard for a while, waiting and watching the forest patiently. It felt right to be the one to keep watch while Loki rested.
The warm feeling in his chest kept him awake for another half an hour, but nothing strange or suspicious happened and he started feeling rather tired then. He shot one last searching glare to the surrounding forest and then put Mjölnir down.
Loki was smiling softly in his sleep. That meant he wasn't having nightmares. Thor smiled at the sight and once again lied down next to him, hugging him lightly from one side. He finally allowed his eyes shut, though he stayed listening intently for a while before sleep finally claimed him.
Loki woke up feeling warm and safe. He was curled up to Thor's side, his face bored in the curve of his neck. He didn't move, simply enjoying the comfort for a while. The rest of the universe seemed so distant when he had everything he needed right in front of him. For a few seconds he ever dared dream that they would never need to get up. They could lie here for eternity, until Jotunheim crumbled to dust and golden halls of Asgard rusted.
Then Thor woke up. He tilted his head slightly, to peer at Loki. His younger brother gave him a lazy smile.
"Good morning," said Thor.
"There, now you've done it," murmured Loki in response and shifted to support his weight on his elbows. "You've woken me up."
"But-" Any more words about how Loki had already been awake and Thor didn't do anything and this didn't make any sense were silenced when Loki's lips closed upon Thor's, putting his tongue to a much better use.
Loki didn't move away after the kiss, nibbling softly at Thor's lips, lost in thoughts and the wonderful feeling in his chest. How wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, lazing around, letting their thought wander, but then he noticed that Thor stopped responding, his expression turning startled and guilty.
"What is it?" asked Loki, immediately turning serious. For a moment, he wondered if he did something wrong. He withdrew and sat back on his haunches, watching Thor.
Thor also got himself up to a sitting position. He seemed reluctant to answer, obviously ashamed. "I just thought... Err, do you think Heimdal can see us?"
Loki laughed. Thor's expression immediately relaxed, even though the uncomfortable feeling that seized him when the thought occurred to him didn't go away.
"Is loving me such a shame to you?" asked Loki. In the end of the day, this was the miserable little him being loved by the wonderful and glorious Thor, though his tone didn't betray his thoughts.
"No, of course not," said Thor slightly frantically. The least thing he wanted was for Loki to somehow take this the wrong way. "It just... The idea that he's watching us, you know..."
Loki laughed again, when he saw how lost for words Thor was, trying to explain something Loki could understand perfectly fine without any words at all. He was probably being mean, but teasing Thor was so much fun, he couldn't stop himself. "There are so many things Heimdal has already seen you do. I think I can safely leave the worst of them to your imagination. And yet you seem to draw the line at kissing me. How exactly am I supposed to not take this personally?" He grinned evilly, while Thor grew even more frantic.
"It's not because it's you! It's just that when we're the Princes of Asgard and... brothers. I- I mean not that I have any problem with that, but other people... I just thought what if he told mother and father, because really, I haven't thought about them at all... I- I mean not that that's any problem, it wouldn't really change anything if they disapproved but..."
He stopped only when Loki pressed a finger to his lips. He looked up to his younger brother with uncertain eyes.
"You make an excellent point," said Loki courtly, his eyes shining with laughter even as he put on a serious face. "What other people think and say about you, about us, is indeed very important and should be regulated. There are simply things that should never reach the public, yes?"
Thor pushed away his hand, to free his mouth, frowning. "That's not precisely what I meant..."
He never really thought about whether or not he would be ready to stand in front of the world and admit that he's in love with his brother. He knew for sure that he wasn't going to let other people's opinions mess with his own, but when it came to confessing things, maybe it would be better if there weren't any opinions to begin with. Only when it was said like that it just sounded... wrong.
"Pity. I was about to congratulate you that you may grow up into a politician after all."
Yes, definitely wrong.
"Don't make that face. There's nothing wrong with that," the amusement was clear in Loki's voice now.
Thor shook his head. The message was clear. The thought of Heimdal watching over them shouldn't have made him feel uncomfortable. Heimdal at least wasn't one to gossip and their parents would have to find out eventually anyway...
Loki watched him intently for a few moments. Finally it seemed he was done with the teasing. His voice turned kind: "Thor?"
He waited until Thor looked up at him, still frowning slightly, but obviously trying his best to hide it.
"Heimdal didn't see us."
At that moment, there were no other words that Thor wished to hear more. He immediately felt a wave of relief. He hated the prospect that the whole Asgard would frown at them in their absence. When there was someone who disapproved of his actions, Thor preferred to look the person in the eye. He hated being judged behind his back and thus unable to fight back.
"How?" he asked, because even as he allowed the relief to sweep over him, he wondered. He was ready to believe Loki without hesitation, but there was still everything he knew about Heimdal against this statement that sounded very much like wishful thinking.
Loki put on his best winning smile: "Magic."
Thor snorted. "You don't say. But how? Did you create an illusion or something?"
Loki let himself feel pleased that Thor was curious about how magic works, something he rarely bothered with before. But then again he most probably asked only to see if Loki can give a satisfactory explanation that would prove his statement trustworthy.
"No, it would be too difficult to set up an illusion like that. We are talking about a being that can see everything at once at all times. If I was casting an illusion Heimdal would still see us – the version of us which I would choose to project for him. To keep up the illusion with all its details for so long would be extremely bothersome." He knew he shouldn't give out spare information. Answer the question and move on was generally the rule he followed in most conversations, but it was hard to not get excited about telepathy because works of the mind were always one of his favourite subjects. "Instead I simply created a mental shield to hide us from his gaze. Heimdal generally sees by tapping into the consciousness of every living being in the realms. At once. I'm not completely sure how he does that, but I understand the principle. Anyway, there are different types of mental protection, naturally. Most of them would be useless in this case, because they can still be seen - the person trying to get to your mind would still be aware of you, even if they couldn't reach your thoughts. This one hides not only thoughts, but the mind itself. It makes him unable to reach us, leaving him completely blind as to our location and actions."
It added to his credit that Thor actually appeared to think about it and didn't wave it immediately off as a good enough explanation. Meanwhile Loki looked up to the sky. The sun was way above horizon now. They weren't in danger of coming late anywhere, but he still felt an impulse to continue moving. Maybe it was because he preferred when they talked while they were walking, so it made sense to move while they had something to talk about.
He caught Thor's eyes, moved his head slightly and the agreement was reached. They both got up, put on their armor and finally set off.
"So you just choose the moments when you don't want him to see us?" asked Thor then. "Wouldn't it seem a bit suspicious to him that we completely dropped off the face of the world only to randomly reappear later?" He paused, then quickly added: "Heimdal can't hear us now, can he?"
"Good thinking," allowed Loki. "Of course I wouldn't do that sort of mistake. It would scream at him to try and find out what am I trying to hide. No, I hid us for the whole duration of this journey."
Thor frowned. "You did?"
Loki shot him a questioning look at that. "Anything wrong?"
"Well," Thor couldn't even begin to understand the consequences of such a notion. "How could you possibly know from the start that there will be something that you'd like to hide from Heimdal?" Was this all part of some plan? Was Loki playing him somehow? It was absurd, he didn't believe it, but at the same time it was the logical conclusion...
And the calculating look Loki shot him wasn't exactly reassuring.
Loki originally cast the shielding spell purely out of spite. When he realized that Heimdal intentionally altered their destination out of his loyalty to Odin it came to him as a natural reaction. If Asgard wanted to be rid of them so badly, they could just as well stop prying.
If he wanted to tell Thor that though, he would have to explain why was it that their presence wasn't wanted in Asgard, which would lead to a second round of making Thor choose between him and Odin. He wasn't in the mood for such things.
"It wasn't intentional. I set up the barrier because I had just recently learned how to do it and I wanted to try it out. We are lucky that it just happened to serve our purpose."
Thor exhaled audibly. He stayed quiet for a while, his eyes searching the forest around them. Then he said offhandedly: "Right. So, how do you know it works if you didn't talk about it with Heimdal?"
Loki smirked. When he really tried, Thor actually could argue with him using logical arguments. "The future King of Asgard was bitten by a poisonous snake and the whole kingdom entrusted his useless younger brother, not a healing professional, to save his life," he said. "Or did they simply not know that their Prince was in danger? Which one is more likely?"
When he thought about it, the prospect of being rid of Heimdal's gaze forever appeared promising but it had its downsides. Once they returned to Asgard, he would have to remove it. He couldn't be so selfish as to withhold the safety it provided for Thor. It really was his fault that Thor ever was in any danger at all. He hadn't remembered to remove the spell then and he wasn't going to do it now, but after this was over... Thor could always use someone watching over him.
"The younger brother isn't useless," was Thor's conclusion.
"That's irrelevant," said Loki, smirking, though his heart immediately warmed up at the show of care.
"No, it isn't," argued Thor, frowning disapprovingly. He couldn't remember a time when Loki would degrade himself so readily without talking about his Frost Giant blood. Usually he appeared so confident, even cocky.
"The point that I was trying to make, but which you chose to disregard, was that if Heimdal could see you dying from blood poisoning, he wouldn't just idly sit by -" Before Loki could finish, Thor suddenly reached out for him, grabbing him by his shoulders and pressing him against a trunk of the nearest tree. Loki only had enough time to yelp in surprise before Thor claimed his mouth, kissing him in that wild passionate way of his that was completely irresistible.
When he could finally speak, Loki tried to make his voice stern and disapproving, but somehow he just couldn't stop smiling: "And what was that all about?"
Thor still held him with his back firmly pressed against the tree. "That," he empathized, "was a kiss for a younger brother who isn't useless."
Loki stared at him in astonishment.
"Say it," Thor's voice lowered into deep threatening growl. Loki's blood nearly boiled in his veins at the sound of it; it was so enchanting, like the most beautiful sound he has ever heard. He would do anything this voice would ask him to do. Even lie.
"Alright, the younger brother isn't completely useless. He just isn't the sort of professional one would prefer to have present in case of emergency."
"Mm," Thor leaned in and Loki prepared to accept his kiss. But then the older brother halted and stayed, teasing Loki softly around one corner of his mouth with his tongue. "You're getting there."
Loki made an impatient sound, his whole body aching to respond to the touch. "What do you want me to say?"
"The younger brother is incredibly talented and smart and he managed to save the older brother's life just like any professional healer would."
Loki gave a small laugh. He so wasn't going to say that. "Well," he said softly instead, "it's not like he had a choice. The world you be an awful place without the older brother."
The simple words swayed Thor's heart and he felt an immediate desire to kiss Loki. Any rules he previously tried to set up didn't seem to matter anymore, overruled by the simple acknowledgement that he loved Loki and Loki loved him.
When the tips of their tongues met, Loki marked himself the winner of the game.
Any meaningful conversation was long lost on them, abandoned for the simple pleasure of kissing and petting each other. They were in no hurry.
They probably wouldn't have moved anywhere for long minutes if it wasn't for the smell of blood that filled the air and soft whimpering sounds that reached their ears. That pulled them out of their sweet oblivion and made them focus their attention to the surrounding forest. There was something moving though the undergrowth, mewling softly.
Thor recognized the footfall. It was very similar to the one he heard that night, when he was keeping guard. The memory evoked feeling of protection over Loki, and holding Loki like he did now, locked in his arms and backed against a tree trunk, only strengthened it. If it turned out this animal was dangerous, he was more than ready to protect what he held dear.
Only the cries the animal made didn't indicate that it was a vicious beast. It actually sounded pitiful, like a lost kitten. They caught a glimpse of something black between the trees, but then the animal gave one last desperate howl and collapsed down in the grass, disappearing from their sight once more.
Thor's arms let go of Loki and he turned to go and see what it was. Loki's voice stopped him.
"Wait, where are you going?"
He turned to see Loki with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning onto the tree and looking at him quizzically.
"You aren't curious about what that was?" said Thor.
"It was an injured animal. Since it paid no attention to where it was going, we can safely assume it didn't expect to live much longer. Why would I be curious about that?"
"Maybe it needs our help," suggested Thor and turned away, moving in the direction where he assumed he would find the animal.
Loki shook his head in disbelief, but then he reluctantly followed after Thor.
The grass all around it was covered in blood that poured from wounds on its chest and back of its neck. Its eyes barely moved to regard them. It was breathing in short gasps, trembling all over. It had canine features, very similar to a wolf. If it were standing, it would reach their tights. It had short, black fur that wetly glittered and long soft ears lying across its neck ruining the wolf-like appearance.
Thor stayed a few steps away, so as to not frighten it. It looked so miserable and hopeless...
"Any idea what it is?" he asked, when Loki stopped by his side a few seconds later and frowned at the creature.
"None. But if you hadn't-"
"If I hadn't invaded Muspelheim, you would know. Yes, I'm aware."
Loki smirked. "Good, you're catching on."
The animal looked so innocent, as it lay there unmoving, looking up at them. Its fur looked so soft and something about the way the long ears framed its face made it look adorable to Thor's eyes.
"Can you heal him?" he asked.
"Is my being professional healer canon now?" laughed Loki.
Thor looked at him expectantly.
"Wait, you are serious?" Loki once again shook his head in disbelief.
"Of course," Thor gave him a strange look.
"Why would you want to heal a random wounded animal you found in the woods?" It just didn't make sense.
"He is obviously in pain and looks like he could use our help. You do have enough magic to help him without problems, don't you?" Thor didn't see what it was that Loki was so reluctant about. It couldn't be simpler to help since this wouldn't even limit them in any way.
"I do," said Loki stubbornly. "So?"
"So it makes sense for us to help him."
"No, it doesn't. It's hardly our business that this thing got itself killed."
Thor had to do a double take to make sure Loki was serious, but the frown he wore left no doubts. "You don't feel sorry for him?"
Miserable little thing, obviously not even strong enough to survive on its own or fight for its flickering life. All Loki felt was contempt. "You want to help him because you pity him?"
"Well, yes. Because I see he needs help."
"How do you know it won't attack us once it has its strength back?"
"He wouldn't attack the people who helped him."
"But who does that? Walking around, searching for those who need help and helping them? What would even be the point?"
Thor was now looking at him, as if he saw him for the first time and Loki suddenly wanted to take the words back, even though he meant them.
"Good people do that," said Thor. "It's the right thing to do."
Loki simply stared at him for a few moments. Then he slowly moved towards the animal and his fingers lit up with magical energy. The animal didn't move, didn't even acknowledge his presence, still breathing heavily.
Of course it was the right thing to do. Of course it was. Only Loki never though about the right thing to do. It wasn't because he had any problems with doing the right thing; it just wasn't something he did. The thought simply never occurred to him, it never came. It didn't make sense, not really, not in the way he understood the world. Loki did things to help himself or those he cared about. Surely that was the way everyone else did it. He didn't care about a random animal that happened to cross their path and couldn't imagine why Thor would. There wasn't anything remarkable about it. It wouldn't even be useful to them. It was pathetic, unable to care for itself, thus born to die.
Thor kneeled down next to the creature and carefully reached out towards it. When it didn't react in any way other any look at him, he softly touched it, petting its head. It made another whimpering sound. Its breathing slowly calmed down, as the wound on its neck closed and disappeared.
Loki felt like he was suffocating, when the wolf lifted its head and licked Thor's hand affectionately. Before the injury on its chest was completely gone, it already tried to stand up, showing open fondness towards Thor, who never stopped petting it.
Loki was born to die. Odin saved him, because he wanted to use him.
Thor would save him, because he cared.
Loki wanted to scream. There were no words to express the way he way feeling. It was so clear, so easy to see how heartless he was compared to Thor. Odin would never help anybody if he didn't have any benefit from it and nor would Loki. And as he watched Thor, he felt like crying. He suddenly realized that no matter how hard he tries, he could never completely grasp just how strong and beautiful and perfect Thor was for caring and loving where others only sought to abuse and gain advantage.
All reason insisted that this attitude should have destroyed Thor long ago. If you were being kind to ruthless monsters, you got torn to pieces. When you were naive, you got manipulated. When you offered help, others used you. That was what was happening between Thor and Odin, only Thor didn't know about it. And Loki himself sometimes used Thor's naiveté to control him, without any bad intentions. It simply came naturally, since Thor made himself a target. It made sense.
What didn't make sense was the scene right in front of him. Loki couldn't believe it even as he watched it, but here it was, clear as day. Giving love meant getting love, however improbable it seemed. The wolf didn't attack them after they helped it and Thor chose to help it, because he believed he should.
Thor noticed how silent and still Loki was and his face immediately showed concern. "Anything wrong? Did the healing exhaust you after all?"
Doesn't the caring exhaust you? How come you never run out of benevolence if you are willing to throw it around like this? thought Loki in response. But out loud he said only: "I'm fine."
Thor's eyes carefully studied him, in a futile attempt to guess if he's telling the truth, but couldn't come anywhere near to grasping the situation. "If you're sure, then I say we should go on. There's no need to linger here."
Loki complied, not meeting Thor's eyes. He always knew that Thor was this way. He always admired it about him. And yet all he needed was to think about it again and it completely amazed him.
"Good boy," said Thor to the wolf kindly, when he patted his head one last time. "Now go and stay out of trouble." But when he turned and started walking away, the dark wolf immediately followed after him, with silly happy expression that was somehow amplified by the long dark ears that hung at the sides of its face.
Once you've showed him a spark of light, he refuses to return to the darkness, thought Loki, watching the scene quietly with keen interest. What was the right thing to do when others started clinging to your kindness?
"Don't you have a pack to return to?" offered Thor gently, lifting his eyes away from the wolf only to search for a way between trees as he walked, Loki steadily at his one side and the animal at the other one. "Maybe a family? Friends? Some place you call home?"
The longer Loki watched on, the surer he was that while being kind was undoubtedly the right thing to do, it definitely wasn't the smartest thing to do. It was still endearing and in certain way admirable, but Loki wasn't going to follow Thor's example.
Teasing Thor was so much more fun. "You expect him to answer?"
Thor didn't react to the remark. He kept talking to the animal. "We were happy to help you, but now it's time for us to be on our way. You can't come with us. We are on an important mission and it could be dangerous."
"We mostly walk all day."
"Yes, that's right." Thor didn't even lose a beat and his tone didn't waver, when he abruptly changed his words. "You would be terribly bored with us. You should probably run and hunt or do something that you usually do."
"Like getting yourself killed."
"I said usually," objected Thor incredulously.
"I know you did." If the animal was incompetent enough to let it happen to it once, then one could be sure it wouldn't be able to prevent it from happening again.
Thor groaned and looked at Loki, frustration clear on his face now. "You want him to come with us or what?"
"No, that would be unacceptable. We don't want an audience. I only enjoy watching your persuasion skills in action."
"You've been ruining all of my best attempts!"
"That's what makes it so enjoyable."
Their canine acquaintance meanwhile skipped happily around them, completely oblivious to their conversation, as if it didn't concern him at all.
Thor was quiet for a moment, frowning in thought. Then his face lit up. "Maybe he could come with us after all. I always wanted to have a hound."
"What for?"
"Hunting, mostly." Thor reached out towards the animal and gently rubbed one of its long soft ears in his hand. "And cuddling." He shot Loki a knowing smile.
"Why would you need a dog for that?"
"That's right. I've got you for that, don't I?"
"Yeah, I imagine you drag me around all the time only to have me hunt for you."
Thor chuckled and pulled Loki in for a quick kiss. "I meant the cuddling, you smartarse."
The black wolf ran a few paces ahead of them, but when they stopped, he returned, watching them with expression one could interpret as disapproval. Thor's eyes fell down towards him.
"What do you say? Do you want to be our hunter?" he asked cheerfully.
"Stop talking to him like he can answer you," murmured Loki under his breath, but he was in too good a mood to feel annoyed.
Instead of answering, the animal once again ran a few steps away and then returned. It only seemed pleased when they once again started walking.
"I'm going to call him Hemmerli," said Thor.
Loki snorted. "Right. Little hammer. Very original. I don't know what I expected."
Thor smiled at him. "I think it sounds cute, don't you?"
"Where's the striking fear in the hearts of your enemies part?"
"That's for weapons. He's our hunter."
"I bet he can't hunt."
"Oh, don't be so pessimistic. I think he's following a scent right now."
Thor was right about that. Their animal companion stopped a few yards ahead and bent down to smell the ground. He searched for a few moments and then lifted his head to look back at them. When he made sure they were following him, he ran about a yard further and sniffed again.
Loki had to admit to being surprised. He refused to believe that they could ever make wild animal work for them simply by asking nicely, but there seemed to be little explanation to what the wolf was doing other than tracking prey. Or maybe it just so happened that they were talking about hunting at the same time when he decided he was hungry and wanted to catch something.
Hemmerli lead them through the forest, disappearing between the trees and reappearing again moment later with impatient expression, running ahead and returning, making little whining noises when it took them too long to make their way through thorny bushes that he had only jumped over. They sped up their pace. They weren't running, but it wasn't a stroll anymore either.
Some time later Thor spoke up again, his overly thoughtful tone indicating that he was joking. "Who knew that wolfs make for such wonderful sleuthhounds?"
Loki snorted. "He's not a wolf, remember? We don't know anything about his species. For all we know, this is their customary hunting method." Though he had been wondering as well. How far and long was this animal willing to pursue before finally catching something?
As they continued, they noticed something between the trees ahead. It was a stone wall, overgrown with vines and bushes. As they neared, they recognized more walls and even some passages. There were trees growing all around and even inside the walls because there was no roof. It was probably a ruin of some fort or castle. The forest had long ago retaken its territory, but there was nothing and no one to take down the walls.
It seemed highly unlikely that they would find their prey in there. Any ordinary animal would avoid the place, instinctively expecting to find dead end between the walls.
"I believe I won a bet," said Loki.
Hemmerli ran straight towards it. He stopped at one entrance and looked back at them expectantly. When he saw that they had stopped, he immediately ran back to cuddle Thor's leg and then returned to the chosen entrance, whining all the time, as if he was begging them to go in with him.
"He wants to show us something," observed Thor.
"What could it be? Maybe the enemy who nearly killed him before, in hopes that we will take care of it for him?"
Thor smiled confidently. "I hope so!"
Loki was entirely sure that he was making the wrong decision, even as he moved forward to follow the dark animal between the thick stone walls. He was too curious to turn away and powerless to turn Thor away.
Hemmerli rewarded their decision with more cuddling and soft whimpering. They entered what used to be a room, now with trampled ground in place of floor, occasional trees and the open sky as a roof. They crossed it and stepped though a hole in the wall. It led to a corridor that divided into two, but their canine guide never hesitated in choosing one of the directions. They followed along a pathway that he had chosen.
When he disappeared behind a corner, they obediently followed after him. Then they stopped abruptly. The path in front of then disappeared underground. The stone walls ended here, making way for a natural cave that opened here to the world on the surface. They could see only a short distance inside, enough only to recognize the cave walls and ground leading downhill from then into complete darkness.
Hemmerli's dark coat made him nearly invisible in the dark and they recognized him only when he returned to ensure they would continue following.
"I feel that we are getting sidetracked here," said Loki when he skeptically looked over the cave entrance and the dark wolf that waited with expectant expression at the brink of the light. "We are getting no closer to Swafd while we chase after mad animals and their evil nemeses."
"This way it's more exciting," Thor pointed out.
"Not really. All I see is a dark cave. Nothing exciting about this."
"It will get exciting once we find out what it is he wants to show us so badly," said Thor and followed in after the wolf, making sure not to slip on the uneven ground.
Loki feigned a sigh, but there would be no use in stopping now. An animal was leading them with surprising certainty to some old castle's underground vault and he knew he could never rest if he didn't find out what it was all supposed to mean.
As he descended into darkness, he lifted his left hand and created a steady glow of golden light, while his right hand reached for Sannindi's handle. He made sure that he saw both sides of the cave, so no shadows could move out of his field of vision and only then he proceeded down the tunnel after Thor, who praised him for the light.
They continued for some time though the darkness, every few yards of so encouraged by Hemmerli, who kept shooting them pleased glances and nuzzle their legs.
After a few turns the tunnel expanded into a room, too big for Loki's light to reach the edges of. He considered coming up with a spell that would allow him to illuminate the whole place, but his thoughts were interrupted when Hemmerli suddenly stopped and howled.
His wail was rejoined by others that echoed throughout the cave, more than one could count. They found themselves surrounded by about a dozen of dark animals, with tick muscles under their skin, battle scars all over their bodies and sharp fangs meant for tearing at flesh. The soft long ears that hung at both sides of their faces failed to make them look any less menacing. They circled around the field of light, only shadows at the brink of their vision, but Loki had a feeling that there were more of them than they could see, just beyond the edge of darkness.
"Hemmerli?" called Thor in a dark tone, one that promised a world of pain to whoever would dare disobey him. "If we are still friends, I suggest you call off your family. We wouldn't want something happening to them now, would we?"
Their former ally only bristled and growled in response, showing off his fangs. His whole posture screamed open hostility. There were no signs for the whiny and friendly personality he had shown them before.
Loki didn't need to see more to know what it meant, even as he faltered to believe it. "We've been manipulated by an animal."
Then the shadows attacked them.