//------------------------------//
// Putting a Pup in the Corner 
// Story: A Pup Named Fenrir 
// by MisterEdd 
//------------------------------//

I was back on Vigrid, thrust once more into the chaos of battle, the stench of gore pervading the air. I could practically taste the fresh corpses that lay scattered over the great plains of the arena, big fat flies buzzing around slack-jawed faces frozen in fear and shock. I prowled the battlefield, the confident and powerful predator in his element. The land shook with every step that I took, my paws creating holes in the dirt big enough to make jotunns weep with envy and men cower in awe-inspired fear. Here, on this desolate field of carnage, I, Fenrir Lokisson, was king above all and no one would even come close to being my equal.   

Over the near-deafening din of clashing swords and frenzied screaming, I could detect a series of panting squeaks and I soon realized that they were coming from me. I looked down and found myself inside of a massive paw-print but now I was standing on my tiny puppy paws. No, I was a pup once again! Looking back up, I found the combatants had all ceased their fighting and were now staring at me before launching into fits of hysterical laughter. Everyone, even the dead, were seized by fits of mad cackling.     

"Stop it!" I snarled in a pathetic, high-pitched tone.

A narrow-faced woman strode forward, her dark hair nearly reaching her waist.

"Stop pretending, my son."

"M-mother?"  

Hel stepped out from behind Angrboða and stood on her left side, the Death Goddess' gaunt half-face trapped between an expression of derision and pity. 

"Deep down, you know the truth, don't you?" 

"What truth?!"

Jörmungandr slithered onto Angrboða's right side, his expression more spitefully angry than amused. 

"That you are what you've always been," Jormungandr hissed. "Just a scared, weak little pup."

"No, no I'm not!" I snapped but this just created more laughter from the amused onlookers.

I backed away from the trio, only to bump into the knee of an average-sized man with short, choppy chestnut-brown hair and a beard streaked with gray. His right hand had been replaced by an iron prosthesis, the hand positioned with the fingers splayed open. It was Tyr, who was staring down at me sympathetically, his left hand resting on the pommel of his sword. 

"You can lie to us but you can't lie to yourself. Your great size, your ferocious appetite, they were just covering up what you truly felt and still do." 

"And what is that?" 

Something struggled and kicked at the inside of my throat, sending me into an agonizing series of whooping coughing and hacking. After several attempts, I finally emptied my stomach and a torrent of bile exited my mouth to form a pile of foul-smelling sludge on the grass. The sludge began to shake and pulsate until a helmed head peaked out of the ooze, revealing itself to be that of a partially-digested Odin, the flesh of his skin missing in some areas to show the bone beneath. The Allfather's right check, lip, and left brow had been burned away, those areas sizzling like meat over an open fire. His one eye, formerly a bright blue but now reduced to a cloudy whitish-blue color, peered into my very soul.   

"You're afraid, Fenrir," Odin stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "Of pain, of rejection, that you'll be helpless all your life."

"Will you just shut the Hel up?!"

I soon found myself in a patch of darkness, the source of which was the shadow of a pale-faced youth with gray eyes and curly dark hair. Silent Vidar, the avenging son, towered over me, arms folded across his chest. I urged my body to move but it remained still, every muscle frozen in fear before the god. He bent over and seized a hold of my jaws, stretching them to their utmost limit until a horrible cracking sound invaded my ears, followed by a sharp, tear-wrenching pain. The bitter taste of copper filled my mouth and poured over my lips, the flavor so sickening that I thought I was going to choke on vomit. 

Vidar dropped me to the ground, his calm, oddly soothing words echoing in my brain.

"Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep..."

"Fen! Wake up!" 

Something, or rather, somepony was shaking me. My eyes flew open in alarm and I found Fluttershy standing over me, her face full of terror. Heavy breaths forced air back into my lungs, my chest heaving so hard that it hurt. My tongue lolled out of my mouth, moistening my lower lip and throat with saliva. If I had sweat glands, I'm sure I'd be drenched from head to toe in perspiration.     

"Are you alright, Fen? You were whimpering and shaking in your sleep."

I gulped and peered up at her. She looked ready to keel over and all because I was in distress. For a moment, I was unable to meet her gaze, a strange feeling of unworthiness bubbling to the surface. Of all of the creatures in this godforsaken land, why did I have to wind up with one so compassionate and selfless? She didn't deserve to have a monster like me in her life. 

"I had a nightmare," I admitted, my voice unintentionally cracking as tears welled up in my eyes. 

"Oh, sweetheart, come here."

Gently, Fluttershy pressed me against her fluffy chest in the warmest, tightest embrace I'd ever felt. Was I wrong in deceiving her and her friends into thinking that I was a harmless pup? Like every other attachment I'd made, I was only going to end up hurting her. Love was a foreign emotion to me, a kind of ache in my chest that made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. If this was what it was, then I wanted no part of it. 

Nevertheless, the pegasus' warmth beckoned me and I nuzzled into her fur, a soft whimper emitting from my lips. A soft hoof caressed my back and Fluttershy began to rock back and forth in a motion that reminded me of my mother. The only difference was that she knew what I really was and Fluttershy didn't, and that was possibly the worst of the two situations. The tears continued to fall, this time, however, for the equine holding me against her barrel. Unless I did something now, it was only a matter of time before I did something to break her heart or worse.

I pretended to drift back to sleep and waited until I was certain that Fluttershy was unconscious as well. Her soft snoring echoed in my ears and I took this as the signal to enact my plan. It was still dark out, possibly the middle of the night or the early morning hours. Slowly, I rose on the mattress and gradually made my way to the edge, stopping every now and then to watch the steady rising and falling of her chest beneath the covers. Grabbing a hold of the blanket, I sank my nails into the fabric and bit down into it, using the blanket to shimmy down to the floor. 

The funny thing was that I could've sworn that the drop was higher up than that.    

Thankfully, Fluttershy left the door slightly ajar in case I needed to go to the bathroom and I used my muzzle to open it. Carefully, with my heart beating in my ears, I traversed the wooden floor, navigating my way around the squeaky floorboards. Eventually, I made it to the ground-floor and crept towards the doggy door, which had been installed long before my arrival. Apparently, it had been built for the various critters that Fluttershy gave shelter to, primarily squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, and the like. Well, she may be broken up about my disappearance but I'm sure she'll find some other adorable animal to replace me with and my existence would become just a fond memory.     

"What are you doing?"

Angel stood off in the shadows with his arms folded against his chest.

I narrowed my gaze. "What's it look like I'm doing? I'm leaving."

He hopped forward, a stern expression plastered on his face. "Just like that, huh?"

"What do you care? You've hated me since day one."

Angel frowned. "I don't hate you, I just...well, 'strong dislike' is a better description, I think. You're incredibly suspicious and up to something. But I can't let you go."

"And why not?"

"Because it would break Fluttershy's heart!" The rabbit hissed at me. "Do you really want to do that to her?"

I groaned and slapped a paw to my forehead. "Look, rodent, it'd take way too long to explain but it'd be better that I leave. I'm only going to end up hurting Fluttershy so if you really care about her, then shut up and let me pass."

Angel looked me over. "Okay, look, I may not trust you but that mare sleeping upstairs does. And since she's the Element of Kindness, that means that she sees something in you. Fluttershy cares about you, and if I had to guess, you feel the same way. Otherwise, you wouldn't be trying to 'save her' by running away."

"I am saving her! You have no idea who or what I am, nor what I've done."

Planting himself in between me and the door, Angel sat with his arms folded and his brow furrowed.

"Try me."

Sucking in a deep breath, I began: "I'm originally from a world called Jotunnheim, one of the children of the God of Mischief and a giantess-slash-witch. I was prophesied to one day grow larger than a mountain, become a harbinger of death and destruction, and help to bring about the end of all of creation, which I did before I was slain by a vengeance-god. I then awoke to find myself here alive and regressed to puphood."   

For the longest time, Angel silently studied me.

"Okay then."

I blinked. "'Okay then'? You believe me?"

He shrugged. "I've heard crazier things that Fluttershy and her friends have gotten up to. So you were some kind of gigantic killing machine?"

"In a word...yes."

"And you're afraid that the same thing might happen here."

"Correct."

"That you'll end up hurting the one individual that's given you shelter and loved you?"

"Nail on the head."

Angel considered this and sighed, "Alright, I'll keep your secret but you have to go back upstairs right this instant and forget about any future plans of running away."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Angel nodded. "You may've been some kind of doom-bringer in your world but here, you've so far done nothing wrong. Well, aside from acting like an ass towards me but I'll let that slide. The fact is, you make Fluttershy happy and that makes me happy. Keep doing that and everything will be copacetic."

He raised a paw and held it out to me. "So, do we have a deal?"

I stared at him doubtfully. I didn't trust this little pain-in-my-rump, but he did bring up some good points. Besides, he'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't trust me either and that had to account for something. Still, should I risk Fluttershy's safety by remaining here? Or was it better that I continued to play housepet? 

"Fine." I placed my paw in his and shook. "You stay quiet, and I stay good." 

"Oh, and you have to give me rides on your back whenever I want and you can't throw me off."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, whatever."

Angel withdrew his paw and nodded, a great big smirk on his face. His grin then dropped suddenly.

"Say, is it my imagination or did you grow a couple of inches?"

So it wasn't just me. Here I thought I was now just an ordinary wolf but could it be that I'd somehow retained my jotunn heritage? Perhaps some of that magic from my world lingered on me in this one. My knowledge on seidr was limited, so it was a lot of guesswork on my part. There was still so much to learn in Equestria and, if my longevity was still intact, a long time in which to learn it in. 

"It's...complicated," I sighed. 

"Whatever. Good night, Fen." 

He then hopped away, bounded up the stairs, and out of sight.


~*~


The next morning, I made my way to the kitchen where Fluttershy was preparing breakfast, merrily humming to herself, apparently unaware of my failed runaway attempt. I briefly locked eyes with Angel, who stared at me as if to say, "Don't forget our agreement." I nodded somewhat stiffly and he returned to his bowl of salad, eyes continuing to watch me as the rabbit munched loudly on some lettuce. Being the dutiful pup that I was, I sauntered up to Fluttershy and nuzzled her hindleg, cutely panting and yipping as I did so. Yes, I looked and felt ridiculous but I was obligated to repay her for her generosity, which included acting like an infantile buffoon. 

Bite me.

"Good morning, Fen!"

Lowering herself down to eye-level, Fluttershy gave me an ear scratch that caused my left hindleg to kick like a limb possessed by a draugr. Yep, she knew what spots to hit and that was a dangerous sort of knowledge for one to hold. Ear and back scratches were nonexistent in Asgard, as well as any sort of physical displays of affection, with the exception of Tyr giving me the occasional head-pat. Which was ironically done with the very same hand I later chomped off. The Norns, the trio of women responsible for crafting fate, have a rather sick sort of humor, don't they? 

"Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked softly, locking eyes with me. "You were pretty scared last night."

Ah, yes, the nightmare. It wasn't something that I wanted to relive but the soul-gaze that my hostess was giving me made me swallow my pride. 

"I'll be fine. Thank you."

"Are you sure? You can tell me."

I nodded and added in a quick cheek-lick for good measure. This elicited a short squeal from Fluttershy, a sound that I'd become enamored with and sought to replicate. I continued my licking, sending Fluttershy sprawling onto her back akin to a turtle on its shell, her giggling becoming louder and more shrill. As I was in a merciful mood, I ended my assault on her cheeks and allowed her to stand back up. I found Angel coyly smirking at me and I shot him a glare, which did little except to cause him to shrug and return to his meal. 

Maybe I'd been enjoying myself a little as well. 

"So," Fluttershy started as her laughter subsided. "My friends and I have a friendship problem to solve, so I'm going to have to leave for a day. I'm so very sorry, Fen." 

"It's no issue," I replied. "Go figure out your friendship problem and have a good time."

"Thanks, Fen." Fluttershy turned, then peered back at me inquisitively. "Did you get taller?"

I cocked my head to the side. "I...don't know?"

Playing dumb seemed easier than I thought. 

Shut up. 

A doggie-dish was placed before me, containing some mixture of red and brown, diamond- and square-shaped objects. I sniffed at it and took a bite, the food being very crunchy and tasting of meat and grain. As far as meals went, it was satisfactory. Fluttershy kissed my head and went about constructing her own meal, some kind of porridge with a glass of a dark yellow liquid that smelled kind of fruity. The three of us ate in relative silence and that was fine by me. 

I once heard Tyr tell his stable-boy: "Let the wary stranger who seeks refreshment keep silent with sharpened hearing; with his ears let him listen, and look with his eyes; thus each wise man spies out the way." That was a tidbit he himself received from Odin. At the very least, Frost-Beard had good sense about him. I wish I could say the same about Thor, who, although bold and confident, was rather brash and short-tempered. Of course, who was I to talk?   

After breakfast, Fluttershy washed the dishes and left, though not before giving Angel and I hugs and kisses. It seems that both of us felt both touched and embarrassed by this, possibly as a condition of our gender. We shared a glance of acknowledgment but said nothing, wishing to please our mistress. She promised to be back as soon as possible and that someone called 'Derpy' would be stopping by to check up on us. Angel performed a quick eye-roll and that told me that he wasn't particularly fond of this individual Fluttershy entrusted us to.

Then again, was Angel fond of anyone?

Once the front door shut, Angel went off to do...whatever it was that rabbits do. Meanwhile, I decided that it'd be in my best interest to learn more of this world and that started with something that'd eluded me for ages: literacy. Selecting a thin tome from the lowest shelf of the bookshelf, I gently grasped it between my teeth, taking extra care to ensure that my teeth didn't puncture the covers, and laid it down on the floor. I used my nose to flip it open, curled down on the floor, and stared at the squiggly lines on the sheets of paper. I was going to do this until the words made sense to me and not before.   

At least ten minutes had passed before I gave up and, checking for and finding no bite-marks, placed the book exactly as I found it. Who knew reading would be so difficult? I wondered how bipeds and Equestrian ponies made it look so easy and decided not to dwell on it as my head was already hurting enough. Slipping through the doggie door, I strode across the front yard and made my way in the direction of Ponyville. Perhaps observing the locals would be a more successful endeavor. 

A thousand different scents swirled through my nostrils, dozens of voices overlapping one another within the town's marketplace. All of the ponies, the unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies, smiled and greeted one another, stopping to inquire about relatives or to share local gossip. Stalls and shops were set up to sell everything from food to flowers. There was even one shop that apparently catered to the acquisition of both writing utensils and furniture. How odd. 

No one really paid me much attention, aside from the occasional greeting and head-pat. The baby-talk from some of the mares I could do less of but I enjoyed the affection. Back on Midgard, any time I was seen in public, there were screams of terror followed by the trampling of fleeing people. To be fair, I was usually charging towards said people with literally smoking eyes and bloodthirsty snarling but I digress. This was a nice change of pace and I was loving every minute of it. 

I soon arrived at what appeared to be a building constructed in a way as to resemble a giant pastry of some kind, the scent of sugary baked goods wafting through the air. Throwing caution to the wind, I entered through the swinging doors and arrived in a public dining area of some kind, where ponies talked, laughed, and stuffed their faces with sweet-smelling delicacies not seen anywhere in Asgard or Midgard. Truly, whoever was responsible for such creations was an artist in need of enshrinement. My stomach was gurgling at the thought of sampling such tasty treats, my tongue hanging straight out of my mouth with a thin trail of saliva dripping down it. By Freya's massive breasts, I was going to sample those delectables!  

Picking up one smell, I turned to follow it when a pair of blue eyes entered my field of vision.

"Hiya there, Fen!"

It was Pinkie Pie, the oddball of Fluttershy's social group. 

"H-hello there," I answered, despite knowing full-well that she couldn't understand me. 

"Aw, did you come here to see your Auntie Pinkie?"

"'Auntie Pinkie'? No, I want what he's having. And she's having. And they're having."

Pinkie lifted me up and pressed her against her chest so that she peered down at me. 

"Do you want something scrumptious from Auntie Pinkie's kitchen? Huh, boy?"

I barked excitedly and she evidently received the message, carrying me past the register and into what I presumed to be the kitchen. Two ponies, one male, one female, one pounding dough and the other placing a pie into a lit oven. The male was orange, thin and sickly-looking while the female was blue and on the fat side. Apparently, she'd been sampling her own wares and was depriving the male of the same luxuries. Both quickly caught sight of Pinkie, or rather, me.   

"Pinkie, dear, is that a dog?" The female asked in a motherly, slightly condescending tone.

"Of course not, Mrs. Cake! This is a wolf!"

"Why is there a wolf in the kitchen?" The male inquired in a somewhat feminine manner. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake, this is Fluttershy's new pup Fen!"

So they were married. That makes a whole lot more sense. Clearly the female was in charge.    

"Oh, right, I remember hearing about this," Mrs. Cake said as she wiped off her hooves. "Now Pinkie, you know the rules about letting in animals-..."

"'Absolutely no animals in the kitchen.' But Fen here just wanted to try some of our yummy snacks."

"Pinkie, no. Rules are there for a reason."

"Yeah, clearly the rule about stuffing your face has been broken many times," I glibly replied.

I was slightly bummed out that they couldn't hear me. Which was a pity as that was a good joke. 

"Okay. Let's go, Fen."

No, my treats! Curse you, Mrs. Cake! 

"Arr-arr!" 

A tiny pair of pony infants were pawing, er, hoofing at Pinkie's legs, one a pegasus colt and the other a unicorn filly. The colt had a yellowish gray coat and a brown mane while his sister was a light yellow, an orange mane with a blue bow atop her head. They stared up at me with giant, almost awestruck eyes, their tiny hooves reaching up towards me with anticipation. I'd never even encountered children before my escape from Lyngvi and knew nothing about them, except how succulent they were raw and screaming. I'm only joking, of course.

I'm not a complete monster. 

"Arr-arr!" The filly repeated once again. 

Pinkie's grin widened. "Awww, do you want to play with the puppy?"

"No, no they do not!" I protested to no avail. 

Lifting all three of us up, Pinkie shepherded the foals and I into some kind of wooden playpen in the corner of the restaurant and set us down on the floor. Curse it all, I just wanted something to eat! Now I'm stuck here with some snot-nosed little runts, their grimy little hooves touching me. Unfortunately, the walls of the playpen were too high up for me to climb out of, leaving me trapped with these two babbling infants. What did I do to deserve this?! 

"This is Pound and Pumpkin," Pinkie beamed, gesturing to each foal. "Now play nice and I'll be back in a few minutes, 'kay?" 

The hyperactive mare then zipped away into the kitchen with the speed of Gullinbursti, abandoning me to my fate.  

Pumpkin, the filly, began to crawl towards me.

"Uh, no, you stay back."

She ignored me and advanced, one foreleg held out.

"I'm warning you, I will bite." 

She steadily picked up speed, her large blue eyes flashing with eagerness.

"Get ready..."

I winced as her hoof made contact with the top of my head. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I'd thought. She moved her hoof up and down in little arcs, and I actually began leaning into her touch. Witnessing his sister, Pound also began petting me, stroking the fur on my left side. A happy panting sound exited my mouth, much to my internal chagrin. 

"Okay, this isn't that bad," I admitted, to which the foals responded with a shared giggle. 

I was just thankful Angel wasn't here to gloat.