The Nine Realms

The Calm Before the Storm- Part Two

Loki strode through Asgard, a simple glam hiding his flamboyant red hair and his characteristically crooked smile. He weaved through the crowd, headed toward the gate and the sparkling, shining bridge beyond. All around him were beings of every kind; frost giants and giantess, dark elves, Æsir, Vanir, dwarves, and even talking animals. It was to the last that he was headed.  He saw a towering mass of fur stand head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd. It was engaged in frantic conversation with a frost giant.

Loki drew closer to hear what it was saying. "- and I told Nidhogg, Gulamendis says 'May you freeze on the plains of Jotunhiem', and Nidhogg rumbles, spits a little fire at me- but I'm very fast, so he didn't get me, but anyway, Nidhogg, after trying to burn me, 'cause he has to try anyway, you know, and he said 'tell Gulamendis that he can rot in the Well of Urd, for all I care. He's a grubby as a dwarf anyway, and twice as dumb to boot.' And you know, dwarves are stupid." The being finished breathlessly.

Loki grinned in exuberance. The massive pile of fur was indeed the World Squirrel, Ratatosk. No other being in all the Nine realms was so talkative. It'd be interesting to see how the frost giant reacted. They didn't talk much.

The frost giant harrumphed. It sneezed, which turned to snow that blasted all over the place. It then said "Ha," and slapped the table, as its blue lips lifted upward. The table shattered.

Ratatosk's beady eyes bugged out as he laughed. "I know, right! It's so funny! Now, all I have to do is go to Gulamendis and tell him what Nidghogg said. He'll insult Nidhogg, and then I'll go back down to Nidhogg and hear what he has to say!"

And with that, Ratatosk leapt through the open door, leaping over Loki, and knocking him down. Loki cursed, got up, and tore after him.

The squirrel raced along, jumping over people, and once even scurrying up a building an over it. Loki tried to keep up, but once Ratatosk got near the gates, Loki got worried. Heimdall would stop him, but the gates were almost a mile away, and he needed Ratatosk in order to get where he wanted. 

Loki sprinted after him, using a little glam to speed himself up. He raced along, lungs burning, strangely exhilarated as the world whizzed by him. He jumped over a wagon, and then over an Vanir, and even a dark elf.

At the gates, a large, golden- armored figure stood. He held a polearm out in front of him, preventing Ratatosk from leaving. He was speaking sternly to him when Loki came up, breathing hard. "Ratatosk," Heimdall said, "slow down. You move too fast. Here in Asgard, to all speedy defense of the city, you know the rules. According to the Allfather's rule of law section ten, subsection seventeen; 'In order to aid in the proper and particularly the speedy defense of Asgard, none within the city but the Æsir shall a) assume flight form nor shall b) any but the Æsir exceed the speed of a horse-pulled wagon. It was this, micro section b of subsection seventeen of section ten of the Allfather's law. Please make every endeavor to obey." Heimdall then lowered the polearm.

Ratatosk grinned. "Is there a law that the Allfather has created to keep me from talking fast? 'Cause that would be horrible, I mean, truly horrible. Why don't you check, Heimdall of the Gates?" Heimdal took a step back, pondering it. While he stood, Ratatosk took off.

Loki cursed again, and ran after him. He passed Heimdall, who was still trying to remember the law. Loki laughed, and then used even more glam, shooting across the rainbow bridge to Ratatosk. He shouted "Ratatosk, slow down! I need to- ooopmh!"

Ratatosk spun around fast (like everything he did) and spoke. "Alright, whaddya need?"

Loki lay on his back, trying to get his wind back. "I..." He wheezed. "I need transport to Midgard."