The Daughter

It was later that night, and Amdis had already gone to bed. Kysa and Aaric were in her room, catching up and planning what they could do to get their parents to take them to see as much of this new city as possible.

 “Aaric?”

 “Yes cousin?” He asked, looking up at her.

 “What would you say if I wasn’t your cousin by birth?”

 “It would not matter to me. You are still my family. Have we not known each other since I was born?” He shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

 “Well, yesterday dad… he told me I am blood adopted.”

 Aaric’s eyes widened. “Is that why…?”

 “He stopped us reading the book? Yes, it was.” She nodded, before falling silent and waiting for his response.

 Aaric smiled reassuringly at her. “I do not care. Even if you had simply been adopted I would not care. We are cousins- family. And that is final.”

 Kysa grinned at her cousin and hugged him.

 “Now, what do you say about going out and exploring this city ourselves?”

 “At this time? Our parents would never allow it.” She grinned, before they both looked at the window. “But, yet again, what they don’t know, can’t hurt them, right?”       

 Aaric opened the window and they climbed out onto the fire escape, and slipped down, unseen, into the street below as the sun began to set.

 The werewolf growled when it scented its prey. The two weren’t human, so might actually make a better hunt than his usual kills. The girl stepped into the silvery light of the near full moon, and her companion stepped up beside her, both looking round, lost. The werewolf prowled forward on its haunches, waiting for just the right moment. The boy, the larger of the two in build, and obviously the biggest threat, looked in the opposite direction and the wolf pounced.

 Kysa nibbled her lower lip nervously. “We are going to be in so much trouble. How did we get lost? Oh no. They will have noticed we have gone by now. Our parents are going to be so mad.”

 “I know cousin. Do not worry; we will get back to the hotel.” Aaric assured her, looking down the street, for some sort of a sign. Before either of them knew what was going on, a blur ran forwards and rammed into them, sending them both flying. Kysa’s head struck a wall, and she collapsed, her vision blurring greatly and a wound opening on her forehead.

 Aaric saw Kysa lying prone on the floor and climbed to his feet, ignoring the pain in his back. The werewolf loomed over him and howled. It was not the type that fully transformed, but the one that kept most of its human shape, but became coated in a fine layer of fur, grew sharp canines and incisors, and the eyes became that of a wolf, while all of its senses and its strength was increased dramatically. “You will only harm Kysa again when I am dead, wolf. And I assure you that it will be you who is dead before the moon sets this night.” He said. Had anyone else been watching who had known who the child was, they would have been reminded of his father greatly in that moment.

 Aaric, however, did not get his moment of honour and triumph, as a figure leapt out of the darkness and landed on the wolf’s back, driving a gleaming sword through the wolf’s heart. The werewolf let out a pained howl as he fell to the ground, arms giving out beneath him, and the fur retracting, and the wolf reverting back to his full human form- stone dead. The figure pulled their sword out of the werewolf’s chest, and Aaric saw the glint of silver. He scrutinised the figure carefully.

 She was perhaps the same height as his mother, and clothed in a form fitting short leather jacket, with black skinny jeans, combat boots, and a dark coloured head scarf covering her head.

 “Who are you? Are you one of Midgard’s warriors?” He asked.

 “Actually, I’m more of a freelancer.” She replied. “Perhaps we should check on your friend.”

 “Kysa.” Aaric said, startled. He ran around the woman, and to his unconscious cousin. “Kysa, wake up, please, cousin.”

 “Let me see.” The woman crouched down beside him and began checking her over. “She should be fine. My flat isn’t far. She can sleep in the spare room and I can properly treat her wound.”

 “I would know your name, first, mercenary.”

 The woman laughed. “Merc’s get paid for what they do. My name is Caia. What about you?”

 “Aaric.”

 “Well then Aaric; let’s get you and your cousin inside. Before any other werewolves come sniffing around.”

 “His pack is here?” Aaric easily picked his slight cousin up. The woman looked briefly surprised, before she shook her head.

 “I don’t think he had one. But, better be safe than sorry.” She led him away, and to a large apartment block, before heading up the fire escape.

 “How did you find us in time?”

 “I’ve been tracking that wolf for some time. He’s been killing and eating the hearts of innocents for several months now. Someone had to stop him. I sort of made it my job to hunt the things that go bump in the night. Ah, here we are.” It was a fourth story window, which was open just enough to slide her hands under, and push it up. She slipped inside, and helped Aaric get Kysa into the flat. She hit the light switch, and Aaric saw a rundown living room that had books on many things that he knew most ordinary mortals didn’t believe in.

 He put Kysa on the single bed in the spare room and Caia grabbed a first aid kit. She examined Kysa’s wound and cleaned it, before stitching it up.

 “Good thing she’s out of it. Most people aren’t fond of getting stitches.” Caia said as she placed a bandage over the now sewn up wound. “What were you doing out this late, kid?”

 “I’m not a kid.”

 “How old are you? Eleven?”

 “Almost ten.”

 She raised an eyebrow at him and now Aaric could see that she had startling violet eyes and blonde hair under the dark green head scarf. “Nine? Jeez, where are your parents?”

 “We wanted to explore- Kysa and I. We snuck out of the hotel window and climbed down the fire escape. We got lost.” He huffed in indignation.

 “Well- you are a kid. No nine year old is an adult. Is your cousin nine too?”

 “She’s eleven.”

 “She’s still a kid too then. Now, perhaps you will think twice about going out this late without an adult? That werewolf would have eaten you alive.”

 “I am the son of Thor- never would such a fate befall me.”

 “Pride leads to the downfall of all the best warriors. Remember that.” Caia said. Then paused. “Did you just say you were the son of Thor?”

 “I did.”

 “And she is the daughter of…”

 “My Uncle Loki.”

 “I’m dealing with two children of Asgard. I am definitely getting you back to your parents the moment she wakes up. I do not want to be seen as some sort of kidnapper by gods with tempers.” Caia sighed, shaking her head.

 They both sat back to wait, sometimes talking to pass the time, before Aaric began to drift off to sleep. Caia threw a blanket over him and then left the room, to sleep on her own bed, in her own room, knowing he wouldn’t move from his cousin’s side. Well, it saved her from sleeping on the sofa.

 Kysa groaned as she began to come round. Her head was throbbing. She blinked and the small run down room she was in came into focus. Aaric was by her side in a heartbeat.

 “Aaric, where are we? What happened?”

 “We were attacked by a werewolf. A freelance warrior by the name of Caia killed him, before he could do any more damage.”

 “I prefer the term Hunter, actually.” A voice said. They both looked up to see Caia. She was now dressed in a leather jacket with a long black skirt that went to her ankles, black boots and the same green head scarf as last night. “How are you feeling?” She asked Kysa.

 “I have a splitting headache.”

 “Well, I’m not sure that I have any pain killers suitable for a young Asgardian, so we had better get you to someone who might. Your parents, perhaps? Where were you staying, I’ll drive you there.”

 That saw them bundled into a small black car and heading along the busy London streets towards the hotel. They had to park a street away, as Caia insisted on seeing them all the way to safety and there were no parking spaces nearby. The two cousins got out of the car when it was parked, nervousness beginning to grip them. They knew that they were going to be in so much trouble.

 “Where could they be?” Jane asked worriedly as they all met up back out front of the hotel. It was mid-afternoon, and there was no sign of the two missing kids.

 “I do not know.” Loki ground out. “What could have possessed them to leave the hotel? Why did they sneak out like that?”

 “Do you honestly believe they snuck out?” Thor asked.

 “There was no sign of a struggle- and we would have heard if an intruder had entered. Besides, in a new place for the first time, what would we have done at their age?” Loki pointed out to him. Thor nodded in agreement.

 “Alright then, if it were you, where would you have gone?” Bruce asked.

 “I don’t think we need to keep on looking.” Pepper said, pointing.

 The group followed her finger to see a woman weaving her way through the people who walked along the pavement, leading the two missing children behind her.

 “Thank the Norns!” Thor exclaimed. The three concerned parents all but ran forward to catch their respective children in hugs, before examining them.

 “What happened?” Loki asked Kysa, looking at the bandage. 

 “A werewolf knocked me out. Caia stepped in before anything else could happen though.”

 He looked up from where he was crouching to the woman who looked like she was contemplating running off. He stood. “Then I owe you my thanks. You saved the life of my daughter, and probably that of my nephew also.”

 “My brother is correct. We owe you a debt.”

 She shook her head. “No one owes me anything. I was hunting the thing anyway.”

 “Yes we do.” Jane insisted. “If you hadn’t been there, who knows what could have happened?” 

 Aaric mumbled something about being able to fight, only to be silenced by a glare from both his parents.

 “We will be having a long talk of this later.” Thor rumbled. “Do not think you have gotten out of trouble just yet.”

 “And we will be having our own talk, Kysa.” Loki said.

 Both Kysa and Aaric hung their heads, knowing the trouble they were in.

 “I’ll just go then.”

 “We don’t even know your full name.” Jane said.

 “It’s Caia Blair. Keep the kids indoors for the rest of the week in the evening, yeah? Until the full moon has passed at least. Just in case wolfy had a pack.”

 “You must have some drinks with us!” Thor insisted. “It is the least we could do.”

 “Point breaks right. Come in and have a few drinks. The bar is great.”  Tony said as the others joined them.   

 “I couldn’t. I really do have to go.”

 “Please, just a few drinks.” Jane insisted.

 Caia groaned. “You’re twisting my arm… alright, just a few drinks.” She said, nodding.

 “Great, the bar is this way.” Tony turned and led the way inside.

 “Do not think because we are not going straight back to the suite that you are getting out of this.” Loki said as he guided Kysa into the building as well.

 “Yes dad.” Kysa mumbled.

 Tony had claimed a large round table for them, and the moment she saw them, Amdis launched herself at her brother and hugged him, before doing the same for Kysa.

 “Where did you go?” She asked.

 “We got lost.” Kysa answered.

 “How did you get hurt?”

 “We were attacked by a werewolf.” Aaric told his little sister. “Lady Caia killed the beast before it could harm anyone else any further though.”

 “So, how were you hunting this big bad wolf?” Tony asked, smirking as they all had a drink in-front of them, with Kysa, Aaric and Amdis having soft drinks instead of alcoholic.

 “It’s what I do. It’s not just the werewolves that like to kill people. I just hunt what people don’t believe in that will hurt anyone they can. I just try to stop as many as I can, before too many people get hurt.” Caia told them. “Well, I’m going to hazard a guess that, seeing as there are a couple of Asgardians and Iron Man sitting at this table, that I’m sitting with at least half, if not all of the Avengers.”

 “The second one.” Clint said. “Plus friends and family.”

 “How do you get into the whole superhero thing?”

 “Looking to sign up?”

 “Oh hell no. I’m a hunter, not a hero.”

 “Well, if you were not a hunter, we may never have seen Kysa and Aaric again.” Loki said. “So I for one am glad at your different career choice.”

 The group talked for several hours, and they managed to convince Caia to stay for dinner as well. Kysa kept shooting the older woman a smile. She really liked her. She was always what she had imagined her mother would be like if she had one. She was a fighter, but she was kind and she was funny too. She wanted a mother like Caia. With that, they young goddess began to come up with plans to try and get her dad and Caia alone together. She had to see if it would work, right?