Choices

Chapter 78
Loki walked quietly behind his son. Fenrir led the way toward the mountain pass. There were signs of where the large cat had come from and there were signs of something more.
They'd found one other mountain cat, but it was dead, and dead for awhile. Not many things could take down a wildcat. They were too large. Skilled, seasoned hunters tracked them down for their coats, and sometimes they lost men to the cats.
Their numbers were large higher up in the mountains. Even the Valkyrie had trouble with them outside their walls. They'd prowl close to the path in search for a fresh kill.
"We shall asked to speak to Brunhilda at the stronghold." Thor suggested. "They may know something."
"They will not be pleased by our presence." Loki insisted.
"They will not be pleased by yours, I've done nothing to them." Thor scoffed.
"I sure many of those women once graced your bedchambers back when bragging was cool and taking tabs was the thing," Loki said cooly.
"Noted," Thor nearly chuckled. "We'll tread carefully then."
"Who are the Valkyrie?" Fenrir asked.
"They are a group of warrior women who protect the mountains and the villages on the other side who are too far from the palace to receive quick assistance."
"Warrior women, like Seraphina and mama?" Fenrir asked excitedly.
"Sort of like that." Loki replied smirking. Seraphina for sure could fit right in with the Valkyrie, but Cephera didn't have enough drive to fight all the time. Loki liked that, he enjoyed knowing that she knew how to protect herself, but she didn't spend all her time at training like Sif did.
They reached the doors to the stronghold and where stopped by an arrow at their feet. Fenrir growled and they all looked up to see a woman dressed in full armor looking down at them.
"State your business." She demanded.
"We wish to speak to Brunhilda." Thor replied.
"Men are not permitted within the stronghold." The woman announced as if it were a new rule.
"We are aware. We can wait here for her to come to us." Thor sounded as though he was refraining from getting snappy.
The woman considered his words. "It's in regards to the wild cats and their migration into the forests." Loki added. The woman sighed and nodded. She sent word to someone they couldn't see.
Moments later Brunhilda was at the gates, closing them behind her. She stalled as she stared at Fenrir. As large as he was, Loki was surprised she hadn't pulled her sword out.
"The rumors of your brood are true?" She asked eyeing the wolf.
"My children, yes, though I'm sure not all the rumors are true." Loki replied. Brunhilda looked Fenrir over once more with suspicion and then looked to Thor.
"You have news of the wild cats," she said.
"Indeed. We came across one on a hunt not 10 miles from the city borders." Thor informed her.
"10 miles?" The surprise was clear in her voice. "We've had recent movement of activity, but not that far. We tracked one yesterday to the bottom of the path and slayed it." She replied.
Once a cat leaves its home and ventures that far, they tend to make home there and killing it is usually the only option or else have your face eaten off.
"What causes them to flee the hills?" Thor asked.
"We've been tracking strange tracks lately. It's either tracks of many or a few, they are all on top of one another and drag the soil and leaves. We've been unable to catch sight if it or them." She replied.
"My son has an excellent sense of smell, if you would send word to the palace of our continued hunt, we would be glad to help use Fenrir's nose to help track these new tracks." Loki offered.
Brunhilda seemed to consider it. "We have been concerned with this new movements, and figuring it out may save lives. I will send a messenger but we must leave now. The longer the tracks are left, the trail will be swept away."
"Excellent." Thor grinned.
***
Brunhilda rallied together a group of 10 warrior women, including herself. "I take no chances." She told them when Thor gave her a questioning look.
They'd waited outside the entire time.
They wander off deep into the hills where bones of animals lay littered throughout the ground. "This is how it's been lately," a brown haired woman told them. "Bones scattered everywhere. No skeleton remains whole."
"We've never seen anything like it before. Everything from small animals to large, there is nothing that is left unharmed by whatever is leaving the drag trails." A blue eyed woman added.
"A mystery indeed." Thor agreed.
They reached these so-called drag trails and indeed there were some sort of marks all slewed together. It was hard to say if it was many things or one.
Fenrir inhaled the tracks. Everyone followed his lead as he followed them as far as he could. When they reached a tiny trickle of water the scent was gone.
Fenrir lifted his head, Loki watched his nose twitch and he began following the water upward. Soon the trickle became a river, the trickle escaping between the end where a damn covered it.
"He is taking us the right way?" Brunhilda questioned looking up the steep ravine cliff they now found themselves in.
"Have you searched here?" Loki asked.
"Only from above, this ravine gets narrow and dangerous further in. Soon it will become a cave and there is no light to see inside." She frowned.
"I have magic to light up the cave." Loki flashed the mentioned light in his hand. A simple spell.
"Stay together, there are known creatures inside that could kill you in a single blow." Brunhilda told her troops and the boys.
"The fear is thick here." Fenrir told them. "The animals are too afraid to come out."
"You can sense that?" The brown haired woman asked.
"I can, I can also smell death and decay. It covers this place like perfume." Loki sniffed the air. There was a hint of something rotting.
"Foul." Thor muttered as they got further in and the stench became apparent to everyone. Fenrir seemed to suffer for it. He whimpered from time to time turning his face away from the draft of wind.
"I'm not sure I can continue...," Fenrir began to say but they all stopped. Just ahead, curled along the rocks, half in the water was a long brown cluster of what looked like shell.
They stepped up to it, Brunhilda inspecting it.
"It's a shed skin, but not reptilian, a husk" She sounded puzzled punching the touch exterior.
"I'm more worried about the size." Loki noted tracing the length until his eyes could no longer see anything. The cave swallowed up the rest. The part he could see stretched a good 15 feet.
"It stinks." Fenrir groaned, nose pressed to the sand as if it might mask the odour.
"We should have brought more people," a tall blocky woman said.
Loki inched forward to follow the skin as far as he would dare before he lit his hand with light and cast it toward the cave. The light burst against the wall, illuminating everything in the entrance and waking the sleeping creature inside as the wall turned out to not be a wall at all.
It's squeal was high pitched and it reared up, bending to stop it from touching the roof. It's long body was curled around and around. Long and slim, this creature was like your everyday centipede only bigger, much, much bigger and with a lot more legs.
It's legs were short and its belly touched the ground when it moved, hence the drag marks. Loki recoiled, everyone did.
"Wow, that's bigger than Jör." Fenrir remarked, mystified for a moment before also retreating.
"What is it!" One Valkyrie cried.
"A mutated centipede..., who cares." Another replied.
"Hold your ground warriors." Snapped Brunhilda.
Thor jumped forward crushing the ground as the large insect raced forward, it was surprisingly fast on its stumpy legs. The hammer hit the ground but not quite in time. The creature was thrown back but so was Thor.
"Fenrir, stay." Loki commanded just as the pup made to rush in.
"I can take it." He insisted. Loki worried for the pups sudden burst of confidence. He didn't want him trying to show off and getting himself seriously injured or worse.
"Stay back I said," loki repeated his tone rising. With a howl of childlike anger Fenrir did as he was told.
"We work together." Brunhilda pulled a bow from her back and the rest mimicked her. Together they shot a cascade of arrows which bounced off the shell as it rolled upon itself.
"It protects its belly, aim for the belly. Someone needs to make it uncoil." Brunhilda shouted.
Loki tried his ice daggers and they met with resistance. Thor slammed his hammer on any part he could reached and the shell split, but nothing more. Even his lightning did nothing but bounce off, nearly hitting themselves.
Against his wishes, Fenrir came in and bulldozed the creature, tucking his head under its belly and partially flipping it. It wriggled that half of its body, stuck it would seem.
Fenrir had used his weight to hold it down while he bit at the soft flesh underneath. The creature hissed, it's body secreted an ooze that sizzled when it touched the ground.
"Fenrir!" Loki shouter, frightened that this acidic substance would burn Fenrir's mouth or worse, kill him. His son didn't listen, he tore viciously against the creatures skin until at last the creature managed to throw him off and return to its feet.
The ooze had managed to melt away the fur around Fenrir's muzzle, but otherwise he seemed fine. However, there was no time to stop and wonder. The centipede lunged at Fenrir.
He stood his ground, the creature using his legs to grip Fenrir's body and a large mouth opened up. Inside were at least seven rows of sharp teeth and the gap was wide enough to swallow his son whole.
A barrage of arrows came flying from behind him. Striking it along its open jaws. It hissed and flayed, the skin soft and the arrows driving deep.
"Again!" Brunhilda commanded.
Thor had stayed back, Fenrir had been in their way, but now Thor came up from the side and swung Mjolnir upward, cracking the things teeth and jaw on one side.
It began a retreat. Pulling back and curling up on itself, creating a barrier with its husk. Loki cast an ice spell, making the ground below it turn icy and slick. It's movements were hindered and it slide on its tiny legs as it struggled to regain footing.
Fenrir lurched at it once more, his powerful mouth clamping down on what Loki hoped was the throat..., it was hard to tell. The centipedes screams echoed off the narrow ravine walls.
Blood and ooze sputtering everywhere. Fenrir showed no mercy, he held on tight. Thor kept the tail from moving the best he could without being thrown off himself. Loki kept the ice down for as long as his channeled spell would allow.
When it stopped squirming, Thor let go and Loki stopped his spell, moaning from the continuous effort. The Valkyrie stayed back, arrows still raised and Fenrir kept his teeth locked down until he was sure it was dead.
***
"That beast was nothing I'd ever seen nor heard of before," Brunhilda said to them. They'd searched the cave after inspecting the beasts carcass. Inside, they found left overs of its meals but no sign of more.
"Indeed," Thor replied.
"I didn't sense any magic involved. Whatever it was, it may have migrated from somewhere else." Loki told her.
"Whatever it was I hope we never see it again. It's husk will make good armor though. I look forward to harvesting it." She smiled. The smile was almost awkward.
She then turned to Fenrir "We could use someone like you to help defend the forests, mountains, and villages." Brunhilda told him.
"My son is not a simple dog to be bartered." Loki scowled at the thought, interjecting before his son could make any rash decisions.
"I didn't mean offense, we would take care of him of course. He'd be a great help protecting the people outside of Asgard and even those inside from forces outside. A fine job for the princes son." She lifted an eyebrow.
"I don't want to leave mama and papa." Fenrir backed up his ears down.
"Perhaps then, when you're older we can revisit the offer." She suggested.
"We shall see." Loki replied. "I'll not have my son brainwashed into thinking he is not wanted by his family." He added. Brunhilda's face reddened.
"You would be welcome to see your son." She growled. "We are not harpies trying to rip families apart. We have a purpose here."
"You do, but should my son ever come to aide you, I just want to make sure we are clear on that." Brunhilda's eyes burned into Loki.
"Understandable, a worried parent, it's a nice look on you." She smirked then. "Until we see what the future may bring," she said as way of saying goodbye and disappeared inside the stronghold doors with her troops.

Notes