Instincts (A Loki Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty Three

(A/N: Sorry, short-ish chapter. Warning: Slight mentions of gore(violence). Thanks for reading!)

(Kit's Pov)

Running down the corridors of the mall, Kit thought that she made it far enough away from the fight to take a breather. Or to at least try and process what to do now. She didn't know her way back to the tower- nor how to help them fight. Or even how to call the other Avengers to come help.

She was useless.

And terrified.

"K-17." A gruff voice surprised her, as she spun around to face her follower. Apparently the panic still hadn't worn off enough to notice someone walking up behind her. "We found you."

A hand grabbed her arm, forcing her forward. She tried to plant her feet, despite it being futile. He simply dragged her along towards the nearest exit.

No. She wouldn't be doing this. She wouldn't go without a fight. She preferred the Avengers over Hydra any day.

"Let me go!" Kit shouted, twisting her arm to escape his grasp. He stopped short for a second, most likely unaware of her new speech abilities. Before he, or any possible agents that may come running, could regain their bearings, she transformed herself into her largest feline form.

And snarled at her opponent, baring her teeth with a deep growl. One that could not be mistaken for anything other than 'I am not going with you'. Her tail swiped behind her, as she calculated the chances of injury. For either her or her opponent. Because she really didn't want to fight.

But when he advanced, she found herself having no choice. With the wall of shops behind her, and no feasible way to escape, Kit lunged at the agent, knocking him over onto the concrete tiled floors. One paw on his throat, another pushing into his lungs, the other two keeping her balanced.

Kit roared. A truly deafening, full of anger, wild roar. One that Simba would envy, even at the end of his movie. A roar that scared the living daylight out of him.

He had tried to take her. Drag her along back to Hydra- to a life where there was nothing but pain. Nothing but hurt, and pain, and torture, and-

Blood.

The smell of blood hit her nose, remembrance threading its way through her mind. The way it accompanied the stings and cuts. The way it would appear when her face was bashed, or hair pulled a tad too hard.

"Kit?" Tony's voice broke through her thoughts, shaking her back to the reality she found herself in. Stepping on top of a now bleeding man.

She had outstretched her claws. The paw on his throat- It cut him. Blood spilled out the side, creating a puddle she stepped in. The foot on his chest was no longer moving up and down, in short desperate breaths.

She killed him.

She killed him.

Kit looked from Tony to the body, having no words to explain the guilt suddenly drowning her.

Yes he had tried to kidnap her.

Yes he was part of the people who attacked the others- and have killed or hurt millions.

But he was living.

And she took that away.

"Kit, hey. Don't do anything rash, kid." He held his hands out, approaching her slowly. By now she had stepped off the body, every pace back leaving giant red footprints in her stead. Red. Why did it always have to be red? Pain- Hydra- Blood- All bad things were red.

He was going to punish her, surely. The team would imprison her again, in case she made another mistake. Another fatal mistake. They'd lock her away just like Hydra would. There's no other way to deal with such an animal. A wild thing that can't control herself.

Her eyes met Tony's. Eyes of guilt, and shame, and regret. Eyes that wanted nothing more than to run away, to never look back. She saw how he recognised her feelings, knowing exactly what she was about to do.

Kit started to transform into her smallest cat form, ready to run away. Get lost in the crowds leaving the building- or at least hide until the Avengers passed.

"Kit! Wait!" Tony shouted, chances of losing her skyrocketing. She would leave and never return. She couldn't face them. They'd hate her. And Loki-

Loki couldn't know. He- Well, she didn't know what he would do. He would think she was a terrible, wild animal. There was no way around it. She couldn't go back and face them. They would-

A sharp pain pierced her side, as Kit hissed from the force of it. She tried to keep her smallest form, sprinting as quick as she could away. But the thing stuck in her shoulder not only started to prohibit her movement, but a wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over her. Until Kit had no choice but to collapse, unable to keep going.

"I'm sorry, Kit." A voice faded through the haze, one she could only barely recognise as the billionaire. "Let's just get you back home."

Home?

Home should be a place of comfort. That accepted you.

Not a terror that she'd be trapped in.

After today, home... might not be the tower anymore.