Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

From the moment he arrived, they knew something was wrong. He was much too small, much too pale. Both Laufey and Fárbauti agreed, he must be sent away. In a land where snow, ice, and war pillaged the land, no child, Jötunn or not, could survive that small in a world so vicious. The babe would have be taken to the temple and placed on the large steps. His fate would've be given to a being much mightier than himself. Laufey had only decided against this very action because of the royal blood running through the child's blood. No child of his would end up a mere servant, runt or not. The child would be sent to live with the nomadic Jötunn currently residing in the area. Their child would not know of his true family for his heritage marks were incredible light, almost unnoticeable. Then again, with the young one's size, there was very little chance that he would survive more than just a few more years.

Thor, however, had different plans. Even then he was racing through the palace halls, aiming for his Dam's room. He had heard that Fárbauti had gone into labor and was excited to see his new sibling. Past soldiers and past servant he ran, bumping into quite a few, barely refraining from toppling others. His cheeks shone purple as he halted in from of his Dam's door. He took in a deep breath and desperately tried to straighten out his appearance. He tugged his fingers through his white hair and worked to untangle it from his two, small, slightly curved golden horns. He fought to unknot the strings of crimson jewels strung throughout his hair. Some were tugged free and dropped to the floor. He reached down for the and stuffed them in the pouch hung along side his loin cloth. This and a pair of leather moccasins were the only clothing he wore for the Jotunheim weather did not harm to his thick skin air in the palace, where no windows littered the halls or the rooms.

He gently rapped on the door, waited for a moment before doing it again. When neither his Dam nor his Sire answered the door, he let himself in. Expecting to see his new younger sibling, he was surprised to see the room empty. He stood there for a second, looking for any sign that his parents had been in the room. He had thought that perhaps they had already moved the babe and moved to leave the room once more. As he reached for the door knob, he heard harsh whispering coming from the conjoining room. He stepped away from the door and slowly walked towards the sounds. As he came closer, the whispering grew louder. He caught bits and pieces, " too small..." " what will we do?" Thor took another step closer, willing his ears to hear the words spoken. "Send him away."

"No!" Thor burst into the room yelling at the top of his lungs. Both Laufey and Fárbauti looked at their third child surprised. Laufey stepped towards Thor and said angrily, "Leave immediately. You have no place in this conversation." Thor looked at his Sire, scrunched up his face and began to cry. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he hiccupped as he sobs, "You can't send my little brother away!" Laufey sighed and bent down on one knee, wiping the tears from Thor's cheeks. "Thor," he began in a calm voice, "your new little brother is very different from the rest of your brothers." He placed his other hand on Thor's shoulder, beckoning him to rise. "He is only about half the size of a healthy Jötunn babe. He is what we call," He paused for a moment and moved over to the large crib against the wall. "He is what we would generally refer to as a 'runt', Thor" Laufey bent down and lifted up the babe, holding him close against his chest.

Thor looked thoughtful for a moment then looked up at his Sire and asked, "Why have I never heard or seen any 'runts' before then?" Laufey gave his son a gentle smile and replied, "Normally they are sent to the temple, where they will live out their short lives in servitude to the realm." Thor looked up at his sire holding his new little brother. He could not quite understand why his sire wanted to send him away. He loved his new brother. He reached out and grabbed a hold of his father's black cloak and gave it a tug. His sire looked down at him questioningly. Thor swallowed and after a moment, asked, "May I hold him, sire? Please?" After a second of hesitation, Laufey leaned down enough for Thor to reach and take his brother from his arms. Gently Thor cradled him, staring down into the light pink eyes twinkling back up at him. As his brother aged, his eyes would gradually darken to a crimson but for now, they would remain a soft pink. Thor shuffled him into one of his elbows, freeing his right arm. He reached down and gently caressed his brother's cheek. Small nubby fingers reached out and grabbed one of Thor's fingers. In comparison, his fingers could barely grip the complete width of Thor's finger. His arms tightened around him and he clenched his jaw. Staring up at his Sire, he spoke up, "I want to go with him."
"No!", his Dam screeched from where he was reclining against the wall. "My son, you cannot!" He had stood to his complete height, about two feet shorter than his spouse. He walked up to Thor and looked down at him, "Your place is here while that thing," he said with a sneer, "belongs elsewhere." Thor cowered, his brother held tight against his chest. From the bundle he had clenched came a loud cry. Fárbauti seemed to jump, surprised from the loud sound. He looked as if he had thought the babe had been some weak little thing incapable of any sound, loud or not.

"F-fine! Take him then!" Fárbauti said, anger in his voice, "But know that the moment you leave with that babe, you are no longer a part of us." He ended his words with a deep glare at Thor, or perhaps instead at the bundle wiggling against him, still crying. Thor reached down and hushed and cooed at the babe till he settled down. He looked up at him Dam and replied, "I understand. For I cannot just leave him alone in a world pitted against him." And so he left the room, and within the day, the palace, leaving behind any form of family he had known. But it only took one look from the babe wrapped in fur in his arms to melt his heart. About half an hour after leaving the palace did he realize his grave error. They had not yet told him his brother's name. He looked back at the palace in the distance. He could not go back or he would not be able to leave again. No, instead he reached and cupped the babe's cheek. "Loki," he whispered. Loki giggled and rubbed his cheek against Thor's hands. He smiled and kept walking.

Chapter Text

He stalked through the trees, his leather clothed feet making little sound in the snow. In front of him stood a white dire wolf, larger breed of its kind. It stood still, letting the wind bring the scents of prey to it. But he was downwind of the giant creature and it would not smell him in time.. Stealthily he crept up, pulling a large ice dagger from his waist. He stopped about a foot away as the wolf tensed. He tightened his hand around the blade and took a step back.

The wolf whipped around, taking an aggressive stance, baring its fangs. He took a stance similar to the desert scorpion, his dagger held above his head, aimed at the creature. It lunged, kicking up snow with its back legs. He dodged to the right, slicing his knife along the wolf's side. It came away, blood matting it once pristine fur, but still standing none the less. It ran at him, its speed incredible for a creature so large. He grabbed at it when it was close and slammed it into a nearby tree. He heard a crack of bone upon impact with the tree ad the dire wolf fell limp to the ground.

He took a step towards it and nudged it with his foot. Blood had begun seeping from under the creature, coating the surrounding snow in thick crimson. He grabbed the large, once white wolf and slung it over his shoulder. He would worry about skinning it when he was back at camp. He placed the ice blade back in its sheath. First he'll check some traps he had laid out for snow rabbits and then he'd head back.

A scream echoed throughout the forest, silencing any sounds that had been before. His blood chilled at the sound and he dropped the trap he had been holding. It broke on impact with the ground, the rabbit scurrying away into the brush. He started walking in the direction the scream had come, gradually turning into a run, his body desperately going as fast as he could. He stopped suddenly, his heart rapidly beating in his throat. In front of him was a long streak of red in the snow, leading behind a bush.

He swallowed, nervous about what he might find should he take the remaining steps it took to see beyond the bush. But he was unable to stop himself from taking one step, then another until he only needed one more. Before he could take the remaining step, a small body pounced out and attached itself to his leg. "Thor! You'll never guess what happened!" Loki exclaimed, his face purple with excitement. He reached up and grabbed Thor's hand, dragging him beyond the bush. And there they were, two dire wolf pups, nearly as large as Loki was himself.

"Loki," he began questioningly, " what was the mess before?" Loki had run over and sat down with the pups, each trying to climb into his small lap. Thor caught bits of black hair and gold horns, perhaps a glimpse of blue skin in all of the white of their fur. He managed to get settled with both pups partially on top of him. "They were hungry and their mother wasn't around so I gave them the berries you picked for me earlier." At this Loki finally noticed the large wolf over Thor's shoulder, the white and red standing out against his brother's blue skin. Bits of its blood had dripped behind Thor, mixing in with his hair. His long braid was now sprinkled with bits of blood, looking nearly like it once did years ago when he lived the luscious life of a palace prince. But those days were over and Loki looked like he was about to cry, his red eyes shiny and reflective.

He sat the wolf down on the snow, its pups instantly leaving Loki to scurry over to their mother. They nudged its body and upon receiving no reaction, curled up beside it and began to whine softly. Thor sighed. He didn't usually kill animals that showed obvious sign of having young offspring. It was cruel to leave children of any species without a form of family. He left the body there and walked over to Loki who still sat in the snow, staring at the pups as they nuzzle against their mother's cold corpse. He kneeled down and laid a hair on Loki's shoulder. Loki looked up at him, determination in his eyes, "We have to keep them." Thor sighed and prepared to reprimand his little brother, but Loki beat him to the punch, "We have to, brother. " He grabbed Thor's cloak, tugging on it, before looking down at his lap. "We took their mother away from them," he muttered before swallowing as if he was about to cry, sharing the experience of not having a mother with the recently orphaned pups. He squared his shoulders and looked back up into Thor's eyes, "Without us, they'll die!" Thor frowned down at his little raven haired brother and sighed. He raised his hand off of Loki's shoulder and placed it on his face, kneading the place between his eyes. "Fine," he said. Loki's face broke into a giant grin. He reached up and grabbed Thor's face, squishing it in a hug.

Thor laughed and watched as he jumoed up and ran over to the pups. Loki rubbed both, his small hands becoming lost in their thick baby fur. Thor looked towards the sky. Although it was uncommon to see any form of their sun in the sky unblocked by snow filled clouds, the surroundings were darkening. He stood up and walked over to the corpse of the female dire wolf. They would not waste her. He fur would become protection from the hazardious snow storms. Her bones would be the foundation of weapons used for their survival. He meat would sustain their life for weeks. No, her sacrifice would not be for naught. He lifted the corpse once more over his shoulder. Loki popped up along with the pups and ran to catch up with his brother.

As they walked, Loki could not seem to stop talking. He talked of what it would be like raising the two pups and of how everyone would be so surprised when they get back. He talked of possible names for the wolves, both female. After considering many names, he settled for Snær and Hljóð. While Snær was completely white like her mother, Hljóð's front right paw was a light grey, barely noticible but still there. Unlike her hyper sister, she did not bark or make any form of sound. They stuck to Loki, repeatedly rubbing against his legs if he began to fall too far behind. Thor sometimes forgot the difference in his size and his brothers. He slowed down, waiting till Loki caught up with him before looking back ahead. He had no doubt that the pups would do Loki good. There were not many children his age in the village. There were not many people Thor's age either, but as a child of his size Loki was a completely different story. All the warriors and their spouses took care of themselves, although a few of the elders gave Loki a bit of special treatment.

They arrived at the clearing covered in tents and makeshift fires. The people are bustling around: trading, conversing, cooking for the final meal of the day. There were pit fires everywhere. It was an unspoken rule that each family unit must provide and cook for their own. However, as a whole, they would care for any young and elderly and protect those of the group that required it. As they walked past tent after tent, heads poked out, examining the duo and their catch. They stopped at a small tent, barely large enough for one. "Stay out here," Thor tells Loki before he pushes aside the front of the tent and steps inside, the mother wolf still upon his shoulder. Inside, sitting on a large auburn fur pelt was Angrboða, his skin hardened and nearly white with age. His hair reached the floor as he sits, spread out among the furs. Although his age is unknown, and thought to have been well past any other in their village, his hair remained a fiery red, seemingly a combination of fire and blood.

Thor sets down the mother wolf near the entrance and continues forward. He sits on his knees on the same fur pelt as Angrboða. He begins the age old ritual softly, "I have taken a life today. I ask for forgiveness and the knowledge that any insult I have lain on the soul I have deprived from be unintentional. Let them know that I only do so for the survival of myself and my kin." He stops and lets the eerie silence in the tent wash over him. He looks at Angrboða who has remained silent. For a second his eyes seemed to go black but all too soon, they were once again the same deep red. Angrboða reached for the pot steaming nearby and grabs two small cups. He fills them and hands one to Thor. "All will be forgiven in this act of faith," he says before motioning towards the cups in each of their hands. Thor replies, "May all be forgiven," before downing the entire cup of scalding liquid. It burns his throat like Hel itself but he keeps a blank face until it is merely a dull ache. Angrboða sips his until it is gone and says in a soft voice, "All is forgiven." Thor rose to leave but looked down when his arm was grabbed. Angrboða's eyes were once again black, "You are forgiven for the life you took but you must maintain the lives that were left behind." Thor nodded to the old man and his arm was released. He slung the wolf corpse over his shoulder and exited the tent. At the edge of the tent was Loki, desperately trying to hold Snær's mouth shut. As he saw Thor leaving the tent, Loki immediately let go to instead grab at Thor's leather pants. "So what happened? Did you talk to their mother? Did she forgive you?" His mouth instantly when down and his eyes widened, "Did she curse you?" When Thor didn't answer, Loki threw his arms up in exasperation and gasped, "She did! Oh Thor, how am I supposed to hang out with a brother whose cursed?" Instantly another thought came upon his mind. "I'm not cursed from association am I?" He begin to pace back and forth, both Snær and Hljóð close on his heels.

Thor chuckled lightly and asked, "Would it truly be so bad, little brother?" Loki looked at him, surprise and something else plane on his face. "Bad? Bad?! It would be terrible! I wouldn't be able to touch you and I'd have to say goodbye forever!" He paused from his pacing for a second and looked at Thor, "Do you realize how long forever is? It is really long? Like super duper long. I can't do that!" He resumed his pacing. Thor steps towards and grabs at Loki's head, stopping his pacing. "Now brother, are you trying to scar the ground below the snow?" Looking at the deep imprints in the snow from where he's paced, Loki frowns and mutters a small "oops." He lets go off Loki's head only to lift him up completely and lifting him up to his free shoulder. He sits there as they walk towards their tent, which is a bit farther away from the others. Thor preferred a bit of privacy from the others so their tent was in a place in the trees. He stopped at their fire pit and dropped the wolf. While Loki and the pups played later on, he would skin the animal. He would not do such a task in front of her children. Loki leaned his head against Thor's and asked in a small voice, 'We're not cursed are we?" Thor raised a hand and ruffled the top of Loki's hair. Although it was long enough to braid, for now he let it free, much like Loki's spirit. He smiled softly, "Of course not brother. Now go and play." he lifted Loki down to ground and watched as he ran off towards the crowd of older Jötunns outside their own tents.

For the most part, after 8 years, the village accepted Loki and Thor as their own. They were the youngest and considered children. None of them would hurt Loki but there were some who regarded him in distaste. The elders especially favored him however and Loki did not hide the fact that he frequently visited their tents so as to hear of tales of the old times in which Jotunheim still had possession of the Casket of Winters. He heard of all the great warrior and all the animals that once frequented their world. Thor did the dirty work while Loki was gone. He skinned the mother and placed the fur outside their tent to dry out. He cut off the good meat, salting some for transportation and preparing a bit for their supper. He set the bones aside for now. He would begin to carve and sharpen them on their way to the next location. they would be leaving soon. They had already stayed for nearly a month, which was much too long. He imagined that they would leave in the next couple of days, some first, others later. Thor and Loki would be one of the last to leave, being nearly the last family unit to join the village.

Soon Loki and his new wolf friends joined him again and they sat down to eat. While Loki and Thor feasted on the wolf meat, the wolves were given a bit of the fried boar meat they had left from the last hunt. It would be cruel to feed them meat from their mother. Afterwards, he put out their fire and went inside their tent. Inside was a large black deer pelt, covered in a soft grey wool blanket. He laid down underneath, waiting for Loki to join him. When he did, he laid his head on Thor's large arm, cuddling close to him on his side. Soon the pups joined them, Snær curled up next to Thor while Hljóð took the opposite side of Loki. Thor looked down at his little brother, remembering the moment years ago when he was born. He had felt a deep connection with his brother and that had only grown over the years. He swore he would protect his brother, his little raven but he did not yet realize what that meant. He would soon face an enemy desperate to take Loki away from him. But he did not know this and instead fell asleep to the gentle sounds his family made while they slept.