Chapter Text
Chapter 1
“Amora is well-known in Asgard as the Enchantress. She is oft called worse than my brother in her tricks due to their malicious nature. We can only hold hope that Loki is able to reverse her curse,” Thor explained, angry and befuddled at what had happened to him and his friends. He was angry that Amora was free from her imprisonment and had dared to bespell his friends. He was befuddled because the Soldier of Winter and Bucky had been split into two different bodies.
“Point Break, Reindeer Games had better be able to reverse this. I can’t be forced into going to board meetings while stuck as a fucking Clydesdale-sized wolf. Even if I am a gorgeous copper-colored wolf,” Tony said, tone becoming a little smug at the end. Clint snorted and shook his massive ‘blue’-colored wolf head.
“Loki might claim to be reformed, but I doubt he could and would reverse what Amora did to us. We’ll be stuck like this until we can find her again.”
“Stop being a pessimist, Clint. You know the Mind Stone was controlling him, just like it controlled you. Also, Loki is called the ‘God of Magic’ for a reason. Maybe he might not be able to reverse it, but he might be able to alter it in a way to where we can live our lives somewhat normally,” Sam snapped, tired of Clint’s constant distrust of Loki. It had been six years since the events surrounding the Chitauri Invasion. Sam thought Clint would have been able to work and live with Loki without being snide about it, but no such luck. Clint was unusually cold and standoffish whenever Loki was in a room with him. He also ignored him in the field, except when Loki got in his way or took down the villain before he could. Clint snarled before launching himself at Sam. Sam dodged while using a massive chocolate brown-furred paw to smack Clint in the head. Clint went sprawling over the Piazza del Campidoglio, dazed from the hit.
Steve growled, blonde-furred form stalking over to Clint’s prone form. Steve lowered his head so he could look Clint in the eyes and stated, “I have no idea why you still don’t trust Loki, but this has gone on long enough. It has repeatedly affected team dynamics in the field and back at the Compound. Until you get your shit together and can tell us why you don’t like Loki, you’re benched indefinitely.” Steve barely moved his head in time to avoid Clint’s as he shot up off the ground.
“Oh, I see now. With Bucky and the Winter Soldier being separated, there’s no more need for little old Hawkeye. I knew from the beginning that if there was ever an opportunity to get rid of me, I’d be gone. I shouldn’t have let myself be deluded for this long. Have fun without me, traitors,” Clint yelled before twisting around and running off. Natasha made to run after him but Vision stopped her.
“It would do us no good to go after him without a way to reverse whatever the Enchantress has done to us. This change has clearly affected him more than any of us. Though, I wonder what happened to Clint while he was under Loki’s control to cause him to hate Loki so much.”
Natasha snarled low in her throat, wanting to ignore the sandy colored android-turned-living-wolf, but shook her massive red-furred head. She knew Vision was right in thinking that Clint would want to be immediately turned back when found, but she didn’t want to let Clint think she was ignoring him and proving his insecurities right. She turned to look at the stormcloud colored wolf that was Thor and said, “You’re sure Loki can turn us back? I don’t want to have to put off more time in looking for Clint while waiting to be changed back.”
“Aye, I believe so. I do not understand the intricacies of magic like my brother does and therefore cannot make a guess as to what spell Amora used, but Loki should be able to at least alter it if it cannot be reversed. At the worst, we are stuck as wolves for good. At best, we are back to normal. The middleground is being like those shapeshifters from that Hel-awful book series by that Meyers woman. Though, what happened to the Soldier of Winter and Bucky perplexes me. Why were his two personalities split into two bodies? If it was what Amora intended, why not also do it to Bruce and the Hulk? Was it because the Soldier was hit while Amora was under the effects of the lightning I summoned? I do not know. Loki will be able to tell us more, but be prepared for the possibility that Bucky and the Soldier are permanently separated.”
A high whining sound rent the air as Thor finished speaking. All eyes turned to a pair of wolves huddled on the ground trying to hide behind Tony, who was beside the Quinjet. The wolf on the left was midnight black with a metal left forelimb. He was silent and staring wide-eyed at the wolf on his left side. This wolf was a gorgeous snow white and also had a metal left forelimb. He was also the source of the whining sound. Tony, seeing the white wolf’s pupils almost covering the iris of his eyes, dropped down to his belly and crawled over to him. The white wolf, seeing Tony getting closer and laying on his side, launched himself at Tony and tried to become the little spoon.
Tony felt the breath leave him when the white wolf smacked into his ribcage. As he caught his breath, he could feel the tremors working their way through the white wolf. Turning his gaze from the white wolf for a moment, Tony’s eyes caught the black wolf’s eyes. The black wolf spoke, “I don’t think Winter is handling that possibility all too well. He has always told me that he would only come out for missions because he’d be overwhelmed with everything otherwise. Missions gave him focus so he could ignore the things that overwhelmed him.” Tony tilted his head in confusion and asked, “What do you mean, Bucky?” Bucky sighed and explained, “He isn’t used to the world. While you and I might not freak out at the sound of a car honking its horn, he does. While we might not be freaked out by skyscrapers and congested streets, he is. The sound of a jet plane engine scares him. He might know about the world and how to operate in it, but he wasn’t allowed to live in it. For him, time was spent on missions and cryofreeze. Every experience not related to a mission is scary for him.”
Tony turned his gaze back to the still-trembling wolf cuddled against his side. “It is the reason why Bucky is in control more often. I can hide from the world in the back of his mind. Only needing to be let out for missions. I want this to be fixed. I don’t want my own body. I want to be back in Bucky’s head,” the white wolf pleaded. Tony lowered his head to rest over the white wolf’s, tugging his trembling form closer to his body. Bucky crawled over and curled around the white wolf’s other side, sandwiching him between Bucky and Tony. The white wolf relaxed and stopped trembling, feeling safe between his lover and other self.
“I have good news and bad news. Which would you all prefer to hear first?” Loki told the Avengers-turned-wolves. Wanda got up from where she was laying on the living room floor and walked over to the kitchen. She used her powers to open the fridge, grab the multiple jars of queso, and shut the fridge. She also used her powers to grab the multiple massive tortilla chip bags and the eleven giant bowls needed for each Avenger to eat out of. After setting everything on the kitchen island, she turned her light brown-furred head to the startled Avengers and Loki. “What? I’m hungry. I also know you guys. You are going to want what I have as well. I’m saving time by going ahead and making you all a bowl. Loki, I know you don’t like chips and queso which is why there’s a bowl of fruit salad in the fridge for you.”
Loki dashed to the fridge to pull out his snack. Wanda’s fruit salad was the stuff wars were fought over so whoever wanted some had to act fast. The Avengers laughed as Loki held the fruit salad bowl, looking for all the world like a dragon hoarding its treasure. Rhodey laughed, massive steel grey-furred chest shaking. As he stopped laughing, Rhodey said, “Bad news first. That way, the good news will sound better.”
Loki froze, a strawberry halfway to his mouth. He set it back in the bowl, strode back into the living room, and sat on the couch. He sighed, “The bad news is that Thor is right. The spell Amora used can only be altered. It can’t be fully reversed.” Tony interrupted, “So we are going to be like those wolves from Twilight?” “Aye, that was the good news. That isn’t the end of the bad news, though. Bucky and the Soldier of Winter are permanently separated.”
A sharp cry left the white wolf’s muzzle as he burrowed further into Tony’s side where they were laying by the windows. “What do you mean? The Hulk and I weren’t separated by the spell,” Bruce asked, black-tipped ears swiveling on his now silver-furred head.
“Thor was also right in that the reaction from Amora being hit by his summoned lightning as she was casting the spell on Bucky and the Soldier caused the split. With the spell not being reversible, so to is the reaction caused by the spell being cast in conjunction with Thor’s lightning. The most I can do for him is what I can do for you all: give the ability to shift between man and wolf.”
The white wolf froze against Tony’s side, then spoke in a small voice, “I’m scared. What do I do now?”
Vision smiled softly and said, “Explore the world. Learn about it. Conquer your fears. Find love.”