Dog of War (for Shinyhappyfitsofrage)

[Ecnalab]

Asgard, the realm of Odin, the all father. It is a place of unparalleled splendor, where the whims of the gods, and monsters that call it home are tended to by their eternal servants, where the honored dead feast and fight daily, where death is but an inconvenience. Above all, though, it is a place where Odin rules, and the wise curry his favor.
So it was that Gwyllgi faced a choice; answer the summons to meet Odin upon the bifrost, or risk angering the All Father.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi's understanding of the nature of Asgardian culture was... lacking. The stories that drove her fertile imagination regarding the mythology of the aesir, and to a far lesser extent the vanir, was word of mouth from poorly educated peasant folk, and the occasional priest. Valkyrie's were at once honored maidens of the shield, and horrifying effigies, creatures that stole warriors from their families in the prime of their youth, leaving loved ones to suffer alone, and often starve. Creatures that bestowed the ultimate honor of glorious death.

Gwyllgi did not come with a valkyrie escort, but she did come. Through Muspelheim, where she found she was quite the powerhouse, embattling her way up and down the volcano's and magma flows against the fire giants. She liked them... they'd been respectful, even accommodating, and as eager as her for combat. She hoped to find asgard, home of the gods of warriors, to be of a similar disposition, though the worlds told widely divergent tales, painted many colors, of the aesir.

She stood upon a rainbow, high above the mortal realms, paws thankfully finding traction upon the magical substance of the bridge. Heimdal should be here as well, she imagined. She knew the basics of the lore... though, again. What she had heard and what she knew were two possibly painfully different things. She kept that in the back of her mind.

She'd walked a long ways to get here. The bifrost spanned a very long path. Black dog ears twitched, but heard little more than the wind, which flattened her fur on one side and dragged her tail aside, to flap pitifully. The flames that leaked from her eyes were dragged by the wind as well, though they didn't inconvenience Gwyllgi, flickering over her nose. She dragged a hand through her hair, scooting a bang caught on her cheek back with the rest of it, and crossed her arms over her chest. She was clad openly in the chains of Brisingr, said to be of Freya's own necklace, used to chain Garm down to the gates of Hel to await the summonings of Ragnarok. Well, her mother didn't need to be chained down anymore, and the chains had been passed along to her.

Frankly, it was her thought was most likely, this call was to reclaim the necklace. If so... she'd be very upset. They'd have to fight her for the chains. She came, growly and with the posture of a hackles raised heckpup, perturbed and angry that she'd been 'summoned' in such a manner. She wasn't a god... but she was powerful. Her mother's power was recognized, and if the Gods weren't careful, they'd end up being forced to recognize her power, as well.

 

[Ecnalab]

As she walked the Bifrost, Gwyllgi did indeed pass Heimdal. The ever-vigilant god looked out over the rainbow bridge, still ever watchful for the coming horde of chaos that would one day bring Ragnorok to pass. Fortunately, little Gwyllgi seemed beneath his notice, as he offered neither word nor any other acknowledgement of her presence. After passing the guardian, it was still some way to the gates of Asgard, which made it even more surprising when she came upon when she came upon the All-Father himself upon the Bifrost. Odin stood at the edge of the bridge, his great cloak billowing in the harsh wind, and his great spear, Gungnir, held firmly in hand. He seemed to be looking for something down there amongst the other worlds of Yggdrasil. As she approached, though, he looked up. "There you are, I was beginning to wonder if I would have to send Balder to collect you, child."

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi found him, waiting upon the bifrost. He'd come himself. Somehow, it was not comforting. She watched him, checked his body language, checked his expression, trying to gauge his intentions. Was he here for the chains? Did he intend to launch a campaign against the fire giants of Muspelheim, now? She knew her father was a fire giant. It probably had much to do with her warm reception from them. She narrowed her eyes, hackles raised, as she paced along the bridge. She was wound, and it showed.

"Tell me what you are after, Odin." She wasn't here for pleasantries, and she didn't care to mince words. To her mind, a good fight would be less nerve wracking than an unexpected social situation. She hated uncertainty, especially where people were involved. "I find the realm of Muspelheim is far more to my liking than the other realms." The chains on her rattled with her movements, ominous in their own right. Brisingr was a living thing, and a powerful artifact. It had been well selected to hold down Garmr long ago, even if it had failed to restrain Fenrir, of whom only Gleipnir had succeeded in restraining.

 

[Ecnalab]

Odin chuckled, a deep, rumbling, sound that seemed to make the very air around them shudder. "As always, I seek wisdom in all my dealings; that is why I've called you here." He turned and beckoned Gwyllgi to stand with him at the edge of the Bifrost. "Look there, child, and tell me what you see." Odin gestured out to the other realms far below. All could be seen from this vantage point, from the shining peaks of Niflheim, to the burning depths of Muspelheim, and everything between and below.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi didn't like his laughter. It was... off putting. Odin portrayed himself as a paternal figure, and Gwyllgi had never really experienced such a thing. It chafed in a very personal way. As for his quest for wisdom, she didn't have a thought in the world on that. She sought experiences, thrills, connections. She sought opportunities to prove herself, in her own eyes, and she sought a place that felt... comfortable. She didn't truly understand that she was looking for a home, one that she'd likely never find.

Gwyllgi looked out over the lands with her arms folded, her face pursed in a pout. "I see realms at odds with one another, by dint of their very natures. Helheim and Niflheim can't seem to be agreed upon by most, as well, which I find tedious. The names are interchangeable to some simply because both places are cold. Svartalfheim is the only region with really good beer and drinking buddies, and Alfheim waxes pretentious at the best of times. One day, the sages of the dark elves are going to surprise everyone.

"That said, the greatest danger in all the regions, or so I believe, stems from Vanenheim. There is... something there. Something that raises my hackles, even more than you and yours. I can't even find the place from the bloody bifrost, and it's supposed to be a land of endless spring, and yet..." She scrunched up her nose. "But, I suppose you would know of this best of all. Njord, Freya and Frey are all your 'guests'. They might even know what that ominous presence is." She snickered. "I met Gullenbursti, once. He speaks fondly of Freya, but fears she's lost her identity to your Aesir. I wonder if they treat her like family... or like a pet." Hostage exchanges were always messy, and their mere presence in Asgard was admission of the Vanir's might.

She sighed, realizing she was well off topic, her running mouth getting the better of her. "Any who. I see conflict, waiting to escalate. I see a world at war with its self, immature and unable to come to the realization that it holds its self back in a stupor, letting whatever else might be out there shoot far ahead as it struggles like a sickly man merely to regain its feet. The worlds rot, instead of grow, under perpetual conflict. Nine worlds could be more than just nine, but by the end of our wars, I doubt there'll even be nine left." Her expression was a somber one now, her eyes heavy with complicated emotions. Her crimson gaze shifted back to Odin, and she hugged herself tighter with her folded arms, some enmity in her gaze. She'd grown at the knee of Garmr, and she had learned hatred for the Aesir.

 

[Ecnalab]

"Still a child," Odin smirked. "All the worlds splayed in front of you, and you fixate on the woes and the eventual endings. But, I see something different. I see... opportunities." At one the All-Father raised his spear and took aim. As Gwyllgi watched, Gungnir pierced the void between the realms, sailing past one after another before coming to rest in Midgard; the churning lower realm that mortals called home. "There!" demanded Odin in a thunderous bellow. "What do you see there, child?"

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi narrowed her gaze, then rolled her eyes. That was the way Gods were... they lived the majority of their existences literally in a panic about their foretold demises, then accused others of cowardice and obsession. She wanted to kick the dumb, fat hypocritical fuck right in the nuts, and lost whatever shred of respect she might have reserved for him in that moment. "This, from the 'all mighty' who had the dwarves and dark elves forge Gleipnir to chain down Fenrir in fear of his foretold demise? Where has Tyr's hand vanished to, I wonder?" She all but spit at his feet.

Still, she looked down, upon the mortal realm. "The most boring and rife striven of the worlds. There's little power there, but what scraps exist are fought for endlessly. The land will die before the mortals do, and that probably won't be long, if any of the other realms ever set their sights upon it. Or Ragnarok is actually coming. Wouldn't happen to have any wise comments on that one, wouldja 'all father'?"

 

[Ecnalab]

"Only that it seems the perfect place to get answers to many of the questions that I have." Odin paused, giving Gwyllgi an appreciative smile. "Well, fetch, pup." Odin's hand connected with Gwyllgi's ass with a thunderous clap that lifted her clean off her feet and into the either. Then she was falling, and as she did, she heard him call after her. "Answer my questions on your way back up!"

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Slapped on the ass, and sent off to the mortal plane. Gwyllgi couldn't contain her fury. That jackass! Flying off of the bifrost, there wasn't much she could do about it, unless she figured out how to sprout wings. When she got back, she'd tear his head from his shoulders!

The descent to the mortal plane was one full of fury and sound, as the planet summoned her to it with inexorable pressure. The landing was going to be rough from this height, but she'd manage. The land rose before her, green and blue and white and all around an eyesore, as she felt the burn of falling through the atmosphere. It grew larger and larger, until she could start to make out where she thought she'd impact. She managed to twist and get her feet under her, but her impact left a crater, and the world went dark, as she sank into the earth and spun, slamming her head on a rock. It'd take a little while for her to awaken from that impact.

 

[Ecnalab]

Gwyllgi's head hurt. That was to be expected after falling from another world. The cold wetness was a bit more of a surprise. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself at the bottom of a deep pit, maybe ten feet down and twice as wide. The earth around her was sodden, and water was pooling around her, leaving her half buried in mud. To top it all off, a quick glance down reveled that the only thing she had that had survived the fall were her precious chains, leaving her completely exposed to the elements, as well as any onlookers who might happen by. All in all, she was about as close to rock bottom as most people could imagine; the climb back to the top was going to be a long one.

(Sorry if starting you off like seems harsh, but don't worry it won't last long. I just needed an excuse for you to give me a description of Gwyllgi naked, so I know what what I'm working with going forward.)

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Cold. Wetness. The cold wasn't much of an issue. Her body burned with her ire, steam rising, and her hands groped, then heaved, pulling her free from the earth with impossible strength. She heaved herself up out of the churned earth, and onto solid ground, snarling and spitting all the way. Once she'd bodily hauled herself out of the earth, she took a moment to gain her feet. She was covered in mud, but that was just another temporary issue. She started 'dusting' herself off, removing the most offensive of the mud. Her skin was ebon, her fur jet black, and they contrasted strongly with the wet, glossy browns of the earth. Her chains rattled with every movement, barely concealing her form, clasps on her crotch covering a decidedly masculine endowment, and clasps on her breasts only doing the bare minimum to prevent their modesty. There was a choker around her neck from which they emerged, her guarantee that they didn't get away from her. Her form was womanly on the whole, toned, but set in an hourglass figure with motherly hips and voluptuous breasts, capped in small, pert nipples. Her ears twitched and her tail swiveled, the thing almost the length of her body flailing behind her in her ire. She clenched her fists and groaned, flames leaking from her eyes steaming off the moisture immediately around them.

Once she'd clawed herself clear of the hole, she snarled, then coughed. There was mud in her lungs too, it seemed, and she retched it up, growling at the state she'd been reduced to. The aesir were disgusting beings... and she would have her revenge, one day. Both extremities ended in paws, furred sleeves with claws and padded digits beneath them that began roughly at the joint, elbow and knee alike. Her hair reached down to her ass, and was a sodden mess holding a lot of water and dripping, right now. All in all, she was feeling like shit, and was as uncomfortable as she had ever been.

 

[Ecnalab]

"By the gods, are you okay?" The voice came from behind her, and Gwyllgi turned to see a young human woman staring at her. The girl looked about twenty, with thick golden hair tied in twin braids that hung to her shoulders, and sparkling blue eyes. She wore a simple green blouse and brown skirt that, while loose-fitting, couldn't hide the soft curves of her hips, or the generous bust hiding beneath them. She held the curved cane of a shepherd, and several sheep were picking at the grass nearby.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

There was a voice. Gwyllgi blinked, looking around until she spotted the girl. She looked to just be a human, and that's what Gwyllgi would guess she was. She stared at her for a moment. "Are you touched in the head, girl?" She coughed again, violently. She should have made sure her mouth was shut. "You see something fall out of the sky and leave a crater, walk up to it. You see a hound of Hel with fire leaking from its face, you ask if it's alright. Didn't anyone ever teach you to protect yourself against shit that can obviously kill you with ease and might want to *eat* you?" She noticed the shephards crook, and the sheep, keeping a healthier distance. "Look at them, they're smarter than you are! Could go for a rack o' lamb, actually." She made no move against the girl or the sheep though, just crawling out of the pit to sit on her butt, taking a breather. Now that she looked, the blonde had a pretty decent rack, too. It was Gwyllgi's that was more or less on display, though.

 

[Ecnalab]

"Riiight," the young woman said, raising an eyebrow at Gwyllgi. "You sound like you've had a pretty rough night, why don't we get you cleaned up, there's a stream right over yonder?" If the girl was intimidated by Gwyllgi, she did a fine job of hiding it. She looked more confused than anything.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi couldn't believe the girl. Seriously, she had no self preservation instincts at all! Gwyllgi was surprised her hands weren't burnt off from repeatedly sticking them in fires. She scratched the back of her head, sighing dismally. "Yeah, yeah. I guess I should, huh?" She'd lazily get up, walking a bit crooked towards the conveniently placed stream, and dropping down into it. Water boiled around her, and steamed. She was just so mad! This was a really shitty situation. She didn't take long to scrub herself off, dislodging the worst of the mud and rising up out of the stream wearing nothing more than chains. Steaming the way she was, she probably wouldn't take long to dry, either. Surprisingly, she cooled off out of the water. Grass didn't blaze and wither in her wake or anything. "Can you believe that prick?! Odin just slapped my ass, tossed me right off the Bifrost! Some bullshit about finding him 'answer's'. Like I give a shit about his little social experiment! What a *dick*." She didn't really expect the girl to understand what she was talking about. The affairs of Asgard likely didn't mean much to the mortal realms. Asgardians were just the tyrants above all, after all.

 

[Ecnalab]

"I'm sure he did," replied the young woman, as she fished around in a satchel at her side. She pulled out a wool blanket and offered it to Gwyllgi with a smile. "Here, you're liable to catch your death wandering around naked. Why don't you come back to my place, and we'll get you some clothes?"
The woman's behavior was definitely odd; she showed no signs of fear, and the tone of her voice was somewhere between dismissive and comforting, almost as if she was speaking to a child.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi blinked, stunned by the tone of the woman. She really wasn't phased at all. She had half a mind to assume she was one of Odin's plants, or even a Vanir. She accepted the blanket, still staring for a moment after before using it. She wiped off her face, then started working on her body. "Clothes? Never had terribly much use for 'em. Doubt they'll make me stand out less, too." She'd follow, though, if the woman led the way.

Still, she had to ask. "So, why aren't you afraid of me, lady? I'm a lost cause from Muspelheim and Nifelheim. There's fire leakin' out of my face. You're human, yeah? All delicate like? Bones break when somethin' slightly bigger n' you hits ya?"

 

[Ecnalab]

"Yep, that's me, human as the day I was born," replied the woman, as she lead Gwyllgi over several rock-strewn hills before a rather quaint little house came into view. "Ah, there it is, home sweet home," the woman said. She stopped to let the trio of sheep that she'd been leading into a small pen beside the house before showing Gwyllgi inside. The interior was fairly simple, with a central hearth surrounded by a sofa, a padded chair, and dining table. A set of stairs lead up to what Gwyllgi assumed would be the bedroom. "Come on, let's get you dressed," said the woman, as she headed up the stairs.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi watched the blonde as she led her trio of sheep into the gate. That was another thing, the lack of sheep. Why so few? She got the feeling they were just there for the look... this woman did not rely on those sheep in an economic sense. The mystery thickened... and more and more she suspected that statement of being human. "Uh huh..." human as the day she was born. Well, such a reply left an open note for interpretation... "And just how human were you on that day, I wonder?" She muttered it under her breath, rolling her eyes. She didn't buy the act. The woman headed upstairs, beckoning Gwyllgi with the offer of getting her dressed. "I still don't see the point in doing so, lady. And I doubt I'd be willing to wear a bunch of cotton or linen or wool or whatever, anyway. It'll just end up on fire, anyway." She looked around at the sparse decor on her way up, wondering at the wealth that allowed the lone woman her furniture, and a two story home. It definitely didn't come from herding three sheep.

 

[Ecnalab]

Upstairs was indeed a bedroom, complete with a large bed piled with furs and blankets. There were also several chests and dressers, as well as a tall mirror standing in the corner. It was the mirror that caught her attention; or rather, what she saw in it. When Gwyllgi stood before the glass, she didn't see herself; at least, not her normal self. Gone were the coal black fur and flaming eyes, to be replaced with smooth creamy skin, and sparkling blue orbs. Her tail was also missing, and as she turned around to look for it she spotted something else. Stamped on her left butt cheek was a rune... a rune of concealment, right were Odin has smacked her. Sure enough, looking down at her body, Gwyllgi saw herself as she truly was, but it seemed that to all the rest of the world she looked like just another human.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

The revelation left Gwyllgi fuming. She stood gaping at the mirror. "Oye, oye... this ain't even funny..." She had exactly how much hope of dispelling a god's rune? Sneaky bastard... she'd have to find a very powerful wizard to get that removed. All her eldritch invocations wouldn't do shit to that thing. "Uggh... that's gonna bother me more than even being here..." She crossed her arms, looking away from the mirror. She didn't even want to see the damnable illusion. Now, the woman's reactions made a bit more sense. She was probably assuming Gwyllgi just hit her head really hard. Still, that didn't explain why the woman wasn't asking questions about the crater. Well, who knew? Maybe Odin was actively interfering in that, too. With that rune on her, she couldn't make any sweeping assumptions about the human's perceptions anymore. The little curly haired sheepherder might be seeing anything.

"You must think I'm mental, huh..." Not that she had a real chance of explaining who and what she was now, without massive property destruction. She did have some minor magics available to her, still. That could be useful, given the right circumstances, but it'd hardly break this guise.

 

[Ecnalab]

"Now, let's see here, I'm sure I have something that will fit you," said the girl, as she rummaged through an old chest. "Hmm, how about this?" she asked, pulling out a simple woolen dress and sweater. "These were mine when I was younger, but they should fit a little cutie like you."

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

At the very least, Gwyllgi could establish that she was useful with her powers in some capacity. She had magic at her fingertips, super strength, agility, durability, stamina. Hell, she could jump buildings easily. If push came to shove, she'd be able to prove she was more than a lost mentally disabled human girl. Assuming that, again, the crater was somehow ignored due to magical interference as well, she still had all of that.

She looked at the woolen dress and sweater, and quirked a brow. "Not so much a dress person. Tunic and breeches would be better. More practical. I need to be able to move my legs. If ya got any that're kinda raggedy, I can fix 'em up myself." If she had to play this part, she might as well make sure she could actually do so. She'd just shred a dress nigh instantly. She didn't much care about the customs that separated males and females among humans, either. If men gave her flak for wearing pants, she'd emasculate them viciously, until they regretted their bullying and many of their other life choices.

Gwyllgi scratched her chin. "Also, got anything to drink? Water's fine. I can make it interesting myself." The realization, while she was considering all these things, hit Gwyllgi that the woman had called her a 'cutie'. She wondered about that, blinking at her. Perhaps she was simply being polite? She didn't know what courtesy was like among humans, or where the separation between courtesy and flirting might be.

It sounded flirtatious, though.

 

[Ecnalab]

"I might have something," she replied, as she went back to digging. As she dug deeper, and deeper, into the old cedar chest, the woman's dress began to ride rather high, and her generous butt began to bob up and down as she searched. "By the way, what's your name anyway?" she asked, apparently oblivious to the fact that she was showing off her backside to a stranger.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi quirked a brow at the sight before her. "Gwyllgi. No surname, that I'm aware of." Did humans use surnames? She believed they did. She peered about, looking to see if there wasn't any water available. Maybe a pail, and some cups. She still didn't know if the woman was operating with intent, or even a fully functioning brain, yet. Her responses to some of the oddities of this situation were still oddly lukewarm.

 

[Ecnalab]

"I'm Iona, and if you're thirsty there's a pitcher of water on the table next to the bed," she replied, before pulling a small set of clothes out of the chest; a set of brown breeches, and red shirt.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi smiled, noticing the pitcher right after she said it. She wiggled her fingers over the pitcher, and spoke the words to polypurpose panacea. She turned the water into wine, basically. Not that it'd taste any different from normal water, or look any different, but now she could get nice and drunk and all of this would be far, far more tolerable. She poured her cup, and took a seat on the bed, looking at the clothes Iona pulled forth while she drank. It would hit much sooner than real alcohol would. "Iona. Pretty name." Brown and red clashed a bit, but Gwyllgi wasn't choosy. She crossed her legs, drinking deeply, and felt the effects swim over her. Ahhh, that was good stuff. She could already feel the buzz.

 

[Ecnalab]

"These used to be my little brothers, so they may be a bit tight," she said, as she helped herself to a mug of 'water'.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Gwyllgi was already tipsy, but managed not to look too terribly much like it as she took hold of the clothes. Used to be her little brothers? She wondered at that. She pulled on the clothes, which were a little tight on her hips and chest, but otherwise fit well enough. Her fur was going to itch under those woolen pants, she bet. "Thank you, Iona." She only noticed Iona grabbing a cup of water after she pulled on the clothes. "Ah, I cast a spell on that. It'll get you drunk, so you'll want to drink slow."

If Iona thought she was mentally handicapped still, the woman had a chance to deepen the enigma of her newest visitor literally in the palms of her hands.