Many tales have reached Thrúd and other inhabitants of Asgard as she grew up. While she had never been there herself, she had an idea of what it consisted of; gorgeous plants, exotic animals, and sights and sounds that words could never do justice to.

One thing she was not aware of, however, was how literally everything and anything could kill her if she wasn't on her guard.

Thrúd hadn't even taken five full steps in the new, humid realm, and already the petals of a plant half as big as she was shot a salvo of needles at her. Using Mjolnir to deflect them, she pressed ever deeper into the fauna, doing her best to not be deterred by the exploding bulbs that sprayed acid, more flowers that launched corrosive projectiles her way and the occasional slimy reptile that slithered by her ankles.

She kept going until she reached a clearing, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Shit," she panted. "Is it always like this here?"

Hugin's wings fluttered by as he kept pace with the goddess. "Here specifically, yes. Other places, not really. They have different things that want to kill you."

"Hey, gotta have some variety to spice it up. Sure as Hel make living here interesting at least."

Thrúd hadn't meant to bring up the prospect of living here. But now that she had, a torrential downpour of thoughts bombarded her with gale-like force. Most of these thoughts involved her mother and the amount of pain they had caused each other. Thrúd was also grappling with the anxiety of the unlikely (but still not impossible) likelihood of the two of them running into each other, an anxiety that twisted her insides since the moment Sindri sent her here.

Most of the anxiety left her when she arrived, however. Once she saw how expansive this realm was, she could feel the odds of their premature reunion plummet. With a small sense of relief washing over her, Thrúd was since then able to come up with a plan:

Find the Draugr hole, get the coal, get out.

Not the most descriptive plan, but at least she had some semblance of direction.

That direction continued to make itself clearer as another idea popped into her head.

"You know," she started, "there are two of us. Why don't we split up? You could get a way better view from up high anyway."

"And deprive myself of your company? I'd never dream of it!" Hugin said with as much sarcasm as he could muster as he landed on the stump of what appeared to have been a tree of massive proportions. "Besides, you've never been here before. What if you get attacked by something and you need an escape route?"

Thrúd placed a hand on her chest in semi-mock offense. "Do you really think so little of me? I think I can handle myself." She swayed her hips so that Mjolnir was facing him for emphasis.

"Which brings me to my next question," Hugin started again. "You finally have a handle for that thing now. Why not stretch your wings and take to the skies yourself?"

Thrúd's eyes widened. "I only just learned how to do that! I'm soooo not ready to do anything that extravagant."

This was a complete lie. Nothing would make her happier right now than to see what she could finally accomplish with Mjolnir finally obeying her. The thought of zipping around the sky as quick as a bolt of lightning like her dad used to was way too enticing to simply ignore.

But then there was her mother, who would more than likely see her performing her acrobatics and tricks while airborne and track her down for another guilt trip session.

Thrúd was fully aware of the inevitable conversation she was going to have with her mom and was willing to go through with it. Now wasn't the time for it, though.

"Look," she said, "I'm honestly touched that you're concerned about me, but I can handle being on my own in this realm for a little while. And you heard what Sindri said. The longer we wait, the more likely we'll miss our chance on this thing. You have to agree that splitting up makes the most sense."

Hugin's head twitched back and forth, visibly considering what Thrúd had said. "I'm not concerned about you, you know."

"Pfft, you totally are."

"We meet back here in this. Exact. Spot." He emphasized each word with a peck of his beak on the stump he rested on. "In two hours. No more, no less. We meet here, exchange notes, and come up with a gameplan from there. You hear me?"

"It's hard not to when your voice goes directly into my head. You really think you won't find it within that amount of time?"

Hugin's head twitched again, letting out a loud croak. "This place is big. Much bigger than what you're thinking. It's not impossible to navigate, but within the hour, you'll be wishing I was still with you. I'll bet my left wing on that."

Another thought dawned on Thrúd. "Hang on, what if you were to find the hole first? Couldn't you just bring the coal over?"

The raven looked at her as if she had just grown another head next to her original one. He held up one of his feet and clicked his talons together. "Lady, I'm bigger than your average raven, but no way can I bring one of those over here myself. That, I'm afraid, will be your job."

"What about teleporting it over here with your . . . I don't know, flock?"

Hugin's head twitched again. "Sindri was right. You do ask stupid questions."

With that, the raven flapped his wings and disappeared before he even reached the top of the tree line. "Asshole," Thrúd muttered under her breath before starting off on her own, already thankful for the solitude.

Thrúd ran, hopped, skipped and jumped over every obstacle that came her way, whether it was a rock, a stump, or overturned tree and did so with a huge smile on her face. She hadn't felt this free since she was a kid. With each stride, she could feel Mjolnir bumping against her side, reminding her of its presence.

The sky may be temporarily off limits, but mom won't be able to see anything ground level . . .

Her excitement getting the best of her, Thrúd summoned the hammer to her hand and found a good opportunity to use it on. A ten-foot wall appeared before her, blocking her path forward. Smirking, Thrúd lobbed the hammer to the top of the small cliff face and snapped her fingers, zipping her way up the wall and onto the next level, scooping up the hammer and continuing her run in one fluid motion.

"Haha!"

She didn't bother holding in her whoops and hollers of delight. She could see why her dad had constantly used Mjolnir as a legitimate mode of transportation: it was convenient and fun as Hel.

No other obstacles appeared before her, just tree after tree accompanied with the occasional rock and glowing plant that was too slow to launch a corrosive projectile at her, but that didn't stop her from using the hammer anyway.

ZIP!

ZIP!

ZIP!

Thrúd zigzagged her way through the trees in small streaks of lightning, startling the smaller creatures from their homes and birds from their trees. She couldn't find the energy to care too much about that, however, as she continued to throw the hammer in front of her time after time again and letting it bring her forward.

For a few minutes, she completely forgot about her mission to find an active Draugr hole and lost herself in the fun she was having. At least she was having fun until her ankle got caught on a root sticking out of the ground.

"WHOA!"

Before she could grab hold of Mjolnir, Thrúd crashed and tumbled on the jungle floor, end over end and side over side, kicking up dirt and leaves as she went. Just as she felt herself slowing down, she was still unable to prevent herself from rolling down a hill. Her momentum kicked back in and didn't stop until she reached the bottom in a battered and bruised heap.

Thrúd rubbed her forehead and groaned as she pushed herself up to her knees, hissing in pain at the new cuts and bruises.

"Well, ain't that a contender for entrance of the year!"

Thrúd blinked in surprise at the familiar voice.

Looking to the side, Thrúd found a very large tree that was partially hollowed out at its bottom. Inside, a makeshift shop was set up with a table, portable shelves, and a large supply of tools. Handling said tools was-

"Lúnda?"

The dwarf smiled sweetly. "Guilty as charged! You alright, there? That was a doozy of a tumble."

Thrúd dusted herself off and rose to her feet. "Yeah, yeah, I'm alright," she dismissed the dwarf's concern. "I've had worse falls." Raising her hand, Thrúd snapped her fingers and felt Mjolnir make its way back to her. She caught it with zero effort and put it back on her hip.

Lúnda's eyes widened in delighted surprise. "Well, hey, hey now! Somebody's gettin' the hang of that there trinket!" Her eyes went down to something on the table. Thrúd wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed it earlier, but as she got closer to Lúnda's new spot, she noticed it was bright purple and transparent with the air shimmering around it. "I knew she'd get it eventually."

"Th-that you did, Miss Lúnda!" The purple blob said with what seemed to be nervous excitement. Its tiny yellow eyes looked at Thrúd. "Congratulations! Now, p-please don't use that thing on me."

Thrúd blinked down at the creature before looking back at Lúnda. "This grape is talking to me," she observed. The grape in question seemed to let out an offended gasp before falling into a fit of uncontrollable shaking and self-conscious muttering.

"Nah, he's just Anxious."

"I can tell."

"No, I mean that's this lil critter's name! Anxious, meet Thrúd. She ain't gonna hurtcha."

Thrúd scrunched her face. "His name is Anxious?"

The dwarf leaned an elbow on the table. "See, there's this squirrel that takes care of Yggdrasil."

Thrúd nodded. "We met."

"He's a bit busy with his duties and all that he can't get out and see the realms. So, he sends projections of his emotions out and about to see them for him!" Lúnda's eyes suddenly went wide as if she had just cracked a difficult code. "I should actually thank you! Cuz of you sending me to Sindri's I was able to cut out a deal that let me get to know this lil fella, and I've sure enjoyed the company!"

A bark came from behind her. "Well, I appreciate it at least."

"The dog tried to eat me."

Lúnda let out a tiny laugh. "Why don't ya stop by later, lil guy? Me and the lady need to do some catchin' up."

The astral squirrel flickered for a moment. "Oh no. I knew it. I'm a distraction to you, aren't I? Should've seen it coming. This girl looks way more important than I'll ever be."

Lúnda set her mouth in a firm line. "Now bud, what was it we talked about?" Anxious pondered for a moment before whispering something that went unheard. "What was that?" Lúnda cupped her hand behind her ear and leaned closer to the squirrel, prompting him to raise his timid voice.

"That friends are never a distraction."

"There ya go! Drop by anytime you feel like!"

"Okay. Bye, Miss Lúnda! And, uh, b-bye to you t-t-too. Oh dear."

With another flicker, the purple squirrel disappeared. Lúnda shook her head in fondness. "Oh, that lil critter, I tell ya what. Got my work cut out for me there. But never mind him for now. Didja talk to Sindri?"

Thrúd let out a breath through her nose. "Yeah, I talked with him."

Lúnda looked almost hesitant to ask her next question. "How, uh, how was he?" Her face gave away that she already knew the answer but needed to hear it from someone else.

"Bitter, distant, not thrilled to have visitors."

Lúnda nodded, clearly expecting that as the answer.

"It took a lot of arm twisting, but he agreed to help with Mjolnir. Fuck, he almost dismantled it himself the moment he saw it. Gotta give him some credit though, he's the reason I am able to call Mjolnir back to me now."

"Oh?" Lúnda asked. "How'd he do that?"

"He threw me into a deep pit of countless rings and wouldn't let me out until I learned how."

The dwarf blinked. "Oh."

"Seriously, what the Hel is he doing with that many rings? Who needs that many in the first place?"

"Well, what else happened?" Lúnda asked, trying to get Thrúd back on track.

"So, after I got out of there, he tells me he knows exactly what it is he needs, but I need to do his fucking grocery shopping for him. Thankfully it's not that much, but like, he knows for a fact this would all go much faster with him just getting the materials he needs himself, but he's making me do it anyway."

Lúnda wagged a finger. "That's one thing ya'll need to understand about Dwarves. We're a stubborn folk."

Thrúd snorted. "Found that out back in Svartalfheim."

"And if nothin' else," Lúnda continued, "I'd say that your visit was a complete success. I'll admit I had my doubts sendin' you his way on account of what happened and all that. Wasn't sure he'd be willing to lend a hand. The fact he's helping you at all is great! I dunno what you did, but ya did good. And I'd like to thank ya for keeping my confidence. I'll tell Sindri myself when the time is right."

The goddess cleared her throat, thinking it wise not to tell the dwarf that her tactics involved cussing him out until he saw reason, and the fact that Sindri had deduced Lúnda's involvement all on his own.

"Well," Lúnda kept going. "Don't keep me in suspense, girl! What's he got ya lookin' for?"

"He only told me the first thing, a lump of sovereign coal. Said he'll tell me the other thing he needs once I'm back with it."

"Sovereign coal, eh?" Lúnda tapped her knuckles on the tabletop. "That's gonna be hard to come by. Specially after Kratos and Freya busted their cute cabooses bringing this realm back to life. Lemme tell ya they've done enough work round this realm to make Hrimthur himself slack jawed!"

Thrúd felt herself teetering on the verge of a panic attack. "Wait, are you saying they already sealed up the draugr holes?"

"S'far as I know."

Upon hearing this answer, Thrúd felt herself stumble backwards, her legs suddenly unable to support her. "Are- are you positive that there aren't any left? There has to be one somewhere. There has to be!"

Overhead, dark clouds were just barely visible from the gaps in the leaves. They began forming and swirling around one another. A huge crack of thunder was heard, making the dwarf flinch and her dog bark in retaliation.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, lil lady," Lúnda stepped out from behind the table and held her arms in front of her, trying to calm the goddess down. "Didn't mean to startle ya. Why don't ya just take some deep breaths with me?" Lúnda took in a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth, gesturing for Thrúd to follow suit.

Reluctantly, Thrúd obliged. She breathed in and out at the same pace as Lúnda until rays of sun poked their way through the leaves once again, her composure and features now completely relaxed.

Just to be safe, Thrúd took in one more breath and let it out slowly. She hadn't realized she had closed her eyes until she opened them back up. "Sorry."

"Ain't nothin' to be sorry about," Lunda assured. "I should have mentioned that they closed up the holes not too long ago, so you've still got time before they cool off permanently."

Thrúd nodded, feeling reassured by her words.

"All that's left is where to find em. And I'm assuming that's why your birdy friend ain't here?"

Thrúd nodded again. "He's off looking for them. Better to look for them with an aerial view, right?"

"Smart girl!" Lúnda beamed before gasping, placing a gloved hand over her mouth. "And ya know what?" She removed her hand. "It's mighty impressive that the only bit of damage you've taken is from that little stumble from before, but believe you me when I say that you'll need a lil somethin' else to protect ya out there."

"Like what?"

In lieu of an answer, Lúnda turned around and walked back behind the table. Making her way inside the hollowed-out section of the tree, Lúnda reemerged with what appeared to be a golden arm band about half as long as Thrúd's forearm. "Try this bad boy on," Lúnda all but hummed.

Shrugging, Thrúd did as she was told. The golden armband fit her as if it was made for her, but was heavier than what she was expecting due to the size.

Out of curiosity, Thrúd twisted her wrist and stumbled back in surprise as a shield sprang out of it faster than she could blink. The shield was in the shape of a diamond and had ornate workings in the center of it. Despite being surprised at how heavy the armband was, Thrúd was equally surprised at how light the shield itself was.

"Had that one in stock. Kratos has one that works well for him. This'll help with all the plant life and whatnot round here that's tryin' to kill ya." She added that last bit with a smile.

With another twist of her wrist, the shield retracted back inside the armband. Thrúd gave the dwarf a smile. "Thank you. But . . . I've never actually used a shield before."

"It'll come to ya," Lúnda reassured her. "Now, you're gonna wanna be gettin' on your way, I'll bet. Can't let those coals wait for too long." She pointed a finger to a path at the side of the tree that went deeper into the jungle. "Now, they came on over not long before you got here with some of that coal for themselves. So I'd say your best bet is to head that way."

Thrúd nodded and gave the dwarf a salute. "That way it is, then. Thanks again Lúnda. For everything."

"Ah, ya'll are gonna make me blush! Get outta here and don't come back till you find that coal!"

Raising Mjolnir in a cheers motion, Thrúd placed it back in its spot before taking off in the direction Lúnda had pointed. Before she knew it, Thrúd was surrounded on all sides by the jungle once again.

Her smile returned. The wind rushed by her ears and her hair fanned out behind her, blocking out the sounds of the jungle effectively . . .

Now that she thought of it, the sounds were being blocked out too well.

Digging her heels into the dirt, Thrúd slowed herself to a stop and spun in a slow circle, observing the environment. When she arrived in a realm that was famous for its wildlife, Thrúd was expecting a bit more of it. She thought she was imagining things, but now that she thought back to it, Thrúd couldn't recall hearing a single thing back at Lúnda's shop.

Aside from the occasional bird calls, there were no other signs of life around here.

Blinking and shaking her head clear, Thrúd chalked it up to her never having visited the realm before.

It's not like I know what's normal around here and what isn't. Get your head back in the game.

Before she could so much as take out Mjolnir to speed up her search, a new sound reached her ears, one she was definite that wasn't natural to this environment.

Voices. Voices that didn't belong to Lúnda or that purple squirrel.

Sucking in a breath of alarm, Thrúd squatted low enough to conceal herself behind a bush. Poking her arms through the bush, she parted it enough for her to see through.

On the other side, there was a small lake with water so clear, it rivaled the waters of Asgard. Above the lake were huts whose supports were submerged in the water. They were all connected to each other with a system of catwalks and bridges. From here, she was able to see people inside the huts and walking along the catwalks, greeting each other as they passed.

Even farther out on the other side of the above water settlement, there were more huts. Most of the huts seemed incomplete, as most of them had no roofs or were missing a wall or two. Thrúd wasn't an expert craftsman, but she assumed it wasn't storm damage. They were still being built.

A child's playful scream caused her to shrink deeper into the bush. Once she felt safe, she poked her head back through and took a closer look. Her eyes went wide once she recognized one of the inhabitants. Then another. And then another.

In a realm this large, this vast, this full of thick jungle, Thrúd of course just had to stumble on the one spot her mom and the others had colonized.

Despite not having lived here for too long, the former refugees seemed to be adjusting fairly well as far as Thrúd was concerned. Men and women walked in every direction, carrying everything from baskets of dirty laundry, crates full of personal belongings waiting to be unpacked, or the occasional tool or two. Children were running about and playing as well, tagging each other and having make believe sword fights with whatever sticks they found on the ground.

It all just seemed so . . . normal.

And in a time when Thrúd's life consisted of being hunted down by a sword swinging lunatic who wants to marry her hammer, hunting for lumps of coal, or being tossed into a pit with nothing but tacky jewelry at the bottom, she almost envied it.

Only almost though. She did choose this journey she was on, she reminded herself. Her mother gave her the option to-

The moment her mother so much as crossed her mind, Thrúd spotted her.

There she was, regal as ever with her hands clasped together as she walked through the masses, bowing her head in greeting to those she passed on the beach. Thrúd sank lower into the bush. She knew there was no way her mother could see her from this distance, but she decided to take no chances.

As if finding her mother wasn't already bad enough, Thrúd discovered another problem.

The path to her right took her to the catwalk that would lead her to the settlement, with the path to her left being the one she had just arrived from.

If she wanted to continue moving forward, Thrúd concluded that she had no choice but to cut through town.

Naturally, Thrúd wasn't a fan of this option. She replayed a hypothetical scenario in her head on a brief loop of herself strolling onto the catwalk as if she owned the place, followed by the residents alerting her mother which would then lead to another lecture about how unfair she was being in Midgard.

Well, I have my own feelings too on that matter, she thought to herself.

After shaking her head clear of those thoughts, she began coming up with ideas to avoid town.

Could I use Mjolnir and just zip around so low that they don't see me? No. That blue streak would give me away in an instant. What if I bribed the first person I met to keep their mouth shut? Wait, with what money? Shit. Maybe I should've kept that coin Skjoldr found.

Fucking Hugin. If he were here, he could teleport me to the other side.

Cursing her lack of options, Thrúd steeled herself for the inevitable trek through the settlement.

Keeping low, Thrúd quietly walked the brief length of shore to the bridge that would take her to the first available hut. So far so good. No one was on this bridge yet. Still hunched low to remain as small as possible, Thrúd crossed the bridge and pressed herself against the wall of the hut next to the open doorway.

Leaning over, Thrúd peaked inside and wasn't surprised to see that it was occupied at the moment. An Asgardian woman was humming to herself as she spread her clothes out on the bed, meticulously making certain that they were laid out flat before placing them in her wardrobe.

Thinking quickly, Thrúd ran the length of the bridge to where she had come from and snatched up a pebble from a shallow part of the lake. Making her way back to the entrance, she pressed herself up against the wall again and waited a few moments to make sure she was not spotted. Once she was positive she was in the clear, Thrúd leaned back over the entryway and tossed the pebble.

The Asgardian woman turned back in surprise at the sound of a small thud on her wall. Once her back was turned to investigate, Thrúd took her chance and tiptoed through the hut as fast and quietly as she could, only allowing herself to breathe once she was out the other side.

Internally praising herself for her small victory, Thrúd reminded herself she wasn't clear just yet. From here, she could see at least two other huts she needed to pass until she was back in the jungle to continue her search.

Not wasting any more time, Thrúd hunched low again and continued forward, wincing at the creaking and groaning from the wood beneath her feet. As she came up to the next hut, her blood turned to ice as she saw the man inside turning quickly towards her.

Without thinking, Thrúd grabbed hold of the railing and swung herself underneath the bridge. Hanging above the water like an ape, Thrúd heard the man's footsteps pass by above her, oblivious to her presence.

She didn't bother to let herself feel any relief. Instead, she swung her arm to another root underneath the bridge, then she swung to another and another like a child at a playground. Her arms were almost in as much pain as her midsection was at the effort it took to hold her feet above the water to avoid making any suspicious splashing noises.

After a few moments of swinging, Thrúd allowed herself a moment to catch her breath before continuing. Her arms were still on fire, but she was used to that sensation from Valkyrie training.

More footsteps above her caused a small dust cloud to fall into her hair and sprinkle over her nose. Her eyes watered instantly, and she scrunched her nose in a futile attempt to halt the oncoming sneeze. Letting go with one arm, she covered her nose with it to muffle the sneeze as well as she could. The next moments of her swaying back and forth awkwardly lasted forever for her, but she finally deduced that she was still incognito.

With a quiet huff of determination, she raised her arm above her and prepared to keep swinging until a familiar voice stopped her.

"Milady."

Thrúd nearly let go of the underside in shock but managed to hang on as her blood turned to ice. She looked left and right, but found no one else underneath the hut. The voice had come from above her. Thrúd recognized the commanding and formal voice almost instantly. Hildisvíni had entered the hut and addressed someone as 'milady' in greeting.

It didn't take Thrúd long to put together who he was speaking to.

"Hildisvíni," Lady Sif returned the greeting. Their voices were muffled with the floor separating them, but she could make out their voices as if she were in the room with them. "How did it go?"

Thrúd wasn't sure what her mom was referring to, but whatever it was, the Vanir god didn't seem keen on it.

"It was . . . alarming," he informed her. "Every watering hole, every reservation we had set up, there are no wildlife. Granted, Kratos and Lady Freya and, urgh, Mimir," he said the god's name as if it was rancid tasting, "have done their part in restoring balance to the chaotic wilderness to the west, meaning they had no choice but to incapacitate the more hostile animals. That doesn't explain the disappearance of the more local ones, however."

Sif pondered his words. "Could there be another predator out there? Or even close by?"

"I wish I knew." Thrúd assumed Hildisvíni shrugged. "Ragnarok was a strange time for all the realms. It makes sense that a few things are misplaced."

"Are we," Sif froze, as if afraid to think of what she wanted to say. "Are we in danger? Do we need to evacuate?" Both Hildisvíni and Thrúd could hear the fear creeping into her voice. Not only the fear of a hypothetical creature terrorizing the nearby animals, but rather having to deal with the headache that would come with telling a massive group of Asgardians and Midgardians to leave everything behind right when they had just gotten done unpacking.

Given the temperament of some of these refugees, Thrúd could hardly blame her.

"At the moment, I don't believe so. But to be safe, we'll schedule a few more patrols. Have them rotate routinely until further notice. Do you know of anyone else who would be willing to step up to this growing responsibility?"

"I'll find some," Sif promised. "In the meantime, a few more arguments have broken out that need quelling. And there are some children who keep wandering off. We'll have to find a way to keep them in our sights."

As her mother sank more and more into the current events of this new settlement, Thrúd found this as her cue to move on. She didn't make it as far as three swings until she came to another full halt.

"I just wish Thrúd were here."

Thrúd's body continued swinging from the unused momentum, her feet almost splashing in the water beneath her.

When her mom went into full bureaucrat mode, there was no snapping her out of it until she was back at home or at the very least until whatever business was being discussed had been resolved. Sif never spoke of her personal life to a fellow politician so candidly. If she ever spoke of her home life at all, it had some relevance to the subject at hand.

And above all else, her mother refused to show weakness in front of anybody else other than her closest family. The fact that she had just divulged such a confession to a foreign god, a Vanir god no less, told Thrúd all she needed to know about how true that statement was.

Guilt clawed at her heart for a few moments, knowing that she could have saved her mother this pain had she just come along. But with the constant threat of Grámtrist chasing her and the time limit on Sindri's shopping list, she knew this wish was impossible to grant.

Thrúd could hear Hildisvíni uncomfortably shuffling his feet, unsure of what to say.

"Sif," he started. "I . . . may not be a parent, so I can never fully understand what you're going through. But I do know that Thrúd is a capable young woman who-"

"I know what you're going to say," Thrúd could tell her mom had just held her hand up to silence him. "But that's not what I'm worried about. Ever since her dad . . . since Thor . . . well, something just-"

This was another first for Thrúd. Lady Sif never stumbled over her words like this. More guilt gnawed at her insides, and she wanted nothing more than to swing herself back up and clear things up. But her mission wasn't going to put itself on hold for her to settle a family squabble.

Thrúd kept swinging forward and could hear her mom's voice become more and more muffled as she went. "I want her to be happy. With friends of her own and people she can rely on. But . . . I just wished that she could do that here."

With that, the rest of their conversation was quieted by distance. Once she reached the end of the bridge, Thrúd swung herself back to the top and didn't dare look back as she made her way into the jungle once again.

As soon as she felt it was safe, Thrúd picked up her pace until she was sprinting deeper inside. The sprint turned into a full-blown run before she knew it. She was running and panting as if she were trying to escape Ragnarok itself.

Thoroughly out of breath, Thrúd came to a halt with her hands on her knees, gasping for air. As soon as her lungs were full, Thrúd tilted her head back until it was lolling behind her and let out a pained groan, running her fingers down her face with nearly enough force to rip it off like a mask.

"Fuck!" She shouted. "Don't you think I want to be a family?" She yelled at the air as if her mother were standing in front of her. "Don't you think that maybe, just maybe, what I'm doing is as important to me as yours is to you? You're the one who's making things. So! Weird!"

As her voice rose in volume, so did her frustration. It built and built inside of her until it was released in the form of her swinging Mjolnir uncontrollably, slamming into tree trunks and snapping off twigs. She didn't much care about the possibility of her mom hearing this. If there's one thing she learned from her dad, it was to let it all out whenever she was able.

Her energy spent and her anger reduced to a puddle rather than the ocean it was threatening to become, she found herself back where she started; taking in large gulps of air to catch her breath with her brain rattling itself to figure out which way she should go next.

To her side, Thrúd found a wall of rock and soil stretching up beyond the trees.

Well, getting a better view is a pretty good way to start, she thought to herself.

Thrúd reached down and unhooked Mjolnir from her side but couldn't so much as raise her arm over her head before she felt her feet get tied together and swept out from beneath her.

With an undignified oof, Thrúd found herself lying face down on the jungle floor, relieved to see that she still had Mjolnir in her grasp. She propped herself up on her elbows and peeked over her shoulder to see that her ankles had gotten lassoed together by some kind of vine. Thrúd didn't have time to follow the vine to who or whatever the owner was before it dragged her on the ground away from the wall she was about to climb.

Before she knew it, she found herself on the most painful ride of her life. Not a single thorn, twig or stone missed their mark on her skin as she flew past them. She was being dragged with such speed, the air rushing past her almost blocked out any other noise, save for her grunts and cries of surprise as she felt new scratches decorate her arms.

What she could hear though and feel through the vibrations of the vine at her feet, was galloping. Whoever was doing this was riding on horseback. Thrúd made a mental note of that for when she was free and poised to defend herself.

She tried to raise Mjolnir and zip herself to a different spot, but her concentration was constantly broken by the sudden twists and turns and jolts the horseback rider felt the need to pepper her with. Before long, the ground vanished beneath her, and she found herself in a brief freefall and landing hard on the dirt below. Mjolnir was jarred loose from her grip and tumbled end over end away from her line of sight.

With the location of Mjolnir the least of her worries, Thrúd groaned and rubbed her sore spots in an attempt to alleviate the pains scattered across her body.

For a moment, Thrúd had no clue that her eyes were closed. When she opened them, she wished they had stayed closed for a bit longer.

Because now she was staring down the shafts of two arrows aiming directly at her face.