Chapter 2
They had only had chance to rest for a few moments before they were joined by none other than Loki himself. Natasha growled and threw Tony's dagger straight at his forehead, where it stopped and spun gently in mid-air. Loki took a step back and looked vaguely alarmed. “Hey! What did I ever do to you?”
“Oh, I don't know,” she snarled, “tried to take over the world? Took Clint? Whisked us here and nearly got us all killed?”
“Wait, what? I acknowledge the last point, but I haven't tried for world domination since cuttle-fish were the dominant species!”
“Stop lying Loki,” Steve cut in with a long-suffering sigh, “tell us what you want and send us home.”
“Ah, I think I see the problem. See, I'm not actually Loki. I'm just borrowing his body for a while. You may find this hard to believe, but I'm actually the arch-angel Gabriel. And I need your help.”
“You're right, we do find this hard to believe. Thor, is there any way we can test that this is or isn't your brother?” this was Natasha again, her earlier rage transformed into calm practicality in the face of an enemy that she currently could not kill.
“Well, unless he has gained much more power, my Loki could never have transported us to another dimension as this one did. Also, he does not sound like my brother. Still, there are many ways for someone devious to gain power, and this could be some new kind of cunning. I will not be blind to my brother's deception again.”
“Wait, what?!” That seemed to be the catch phrase of the day. This time, it was coming from Tony. “We're in another freaking dimension? Seriously? How can you tell?”
“One as used to interdimensional travel as I am can tell when the planes shift, especially when one is shifted with them. This is not a realm I have travelled before, and so it is unfamiliar to me. Our legends do not tell of these man-beasts.”
“So, do you believe me yet?” Loki/Gabriel piped up. “Tall, strong and handsome over there has told you that interdimensional travel is impossible for a mere demi-god. And we're running out of time, so listen up. Consider this a kind of training course. Something bad is coming for your world, and some friends of mine are going to need some help sorting it out. These are bad guys like you've never faced before. Silver works on most of them, beheading works on the rest. If it bleeds black, bury the head a distance from the body. There is a portal, bout three days walk that-a-way. Get out alive, and you've passed the test. Oh, angry girl, have this,” and he threw a sword at her, jet black on one side and silver on the other, “one side is silver, the other kills Leviathans. Bone of Righteous Mortal washed in the blood of three Fallen. Very hard to come by. Don't break it. Now, you guys best get moving. Staying in one place too long here can be dangerous. Monsters lurve the smell of human. Caio!” and then the dagger fell to the floor. Tony walked forward slowly to pick it up.
Steve seemed out of it, possibly due to the revelation that he had been visited by an arch-angel and he was nothing like the press made out. Natasha, who had no such illusions any more, took charge. “Tony, keep your knife out. Thor, Clint, Bruce, grab a tree branch of some kind. I'll take point, I want Clint and Bruce bracketed by Tony and Steve, Thor take the rear. Don't argue with me Clint, you're unarmed and more vulnerable than Steve. Lets go!” Tony and Steve nodded and moved to bracket the weaker members of the party, and Thor rumbled “Aye, fair Widow” and moved to the back, wielding almost an entire tree trunk.
They walked like this for a while. Tony grew complacent, confident that the eyes in the darkness around them would not dare attack. He began throwing his knife in the air and catching it, humming Star Spangled Banner. Natasha and Clint shared an eyeroll but didn't say anything when it caused Steve to emerge from his stupor and growl at him. He seemed mildly surprised to find himself walking, and Nat shot him a reassuring glance which he returned, slightly pathetically. Nat always thought of Steve as a bit of a bewildered child, even though he could carry her three miles through enemy territory without breaking a sweat. His belief was adorable and in some way comforting, and she felt that she had to protect it. Clint had given her something to believe in, and she was a big believer in paying it forward. That's why when he looked as if he was going to switch with her, she shook her head no and held up her blade as an explanation. He may look slightly more alert, but she wanted to give him more time to process. Her scrutiny of Steve did not stop her noticing Tony putting the dagger away with a slight smirk, and she realised she was not the only one who felt better with their fearless leader on the ball. She was just less annoying about getting him there. Still, a good tussle with the Captain was good for Tony's ego, and if he got too irritating, she could always get Clint to disarm him.
They had been walking for about two hours, and Natasha was amazed at how well Tony had borne up. After irritating Steve back into action, he had been alert, almost wary. He saw the stash of goods nestled in the base of the tree only seconds after she did, and so they pointed it out together. Tony of course wanted to investigate it, and so he was the one who received the electric shock from the pair of gauntlets labelled 'wendigo = fire'. He also found six bottles of water, and six packed lunches, complete with PB&J sandwiches in brown paper bags. “Thor, dude, I think these are for you. They gave me a shock. Also, I found lunch if anyone is interested. By the way, what's a wendigo?”
Surprisingly, it was Bruce who replied. “Wendigos are immortal spirits of people who resorted to cannibalism in life and liked it. They are said to possess superhuman speed and strength, the ability to imitate human voices, and control the weather. They like hiding in trees. Oh, and they're about fifteen feet tall with claws and fangs. I ...kind of studied American and European mythology as a hobby when I was at college.”
Thor tested his new gauntlets and accidentally set a tree on fire while everyone else absorbed this news.
“So,” Clint said slowly, “we got a silver dagger before taking on the werewolves, and then afterwards Nat got her sword. If this follows the same pattern, we're gonna be seeing a wendigo pretty soon I'd say. And then maybe another one of us will get armed? I wonder if silver can harm a wendigo as well...” he trailed off into silence, leaving the Cap and Nat to get into a silent, intense argument over who was going to organise the battle strategy. Nat gracefully ceded defeat, on the grounds that if Steve was either stupid or chivalrous she would kick his ass. “Guys, we're going to take twenty to eat lunch, then we're going to move out. If we are going to have to fight a wendigo, I want plenty of open ground around us so it can't drop down on us. Thor, keep your eyes on the trees and if you see anything that looks suspicious, set it on fire. Also, if when we get to a clearing you could make us some burning torches, that would be brilliant. Tony, Nat, we don't know yet if silver can hurt this thing so don't do anything stupid, but feel free to use what you've got in order to drive towards Thor. Everyone clear?”
“Yes.”
“Sure, Cap.”
Aye, Captain.”
“Yeah.”
“What do I need to do, Steve?”
“Die.”
“Wait, what?”
And then the wendigo attacked.