Avengers: Damnation

Hell Hound

Author's note:

First I want to thank all of you for being so patient with me. A lot of things have taken place recently and I've been so busy. I went to London alone- my first time traveling internationally. It was exhilarating and fun but also stressful. I watched the ABBA concert, which was incredible. I also started bodybuilding and am in the process of bulking up with hopes of competing in a men's physique show next year. Also, dating has been a continued source of annoyance, but that is an entirely different story and really doesn't deserve an ounce of my energy.

In this chapter I'm introducing a new friend for the heroes. You'll probably notice that his origin story is different from the comics but I hope you'll enjoy my take on him.

"We have been walking for what feels like hours," Power Princess muttered as she power walked through the hedge maze, her sword gripped tightly in her right hand. "And we seem to be no closer to finding a sign of anyone else. I am frustrated and need something to destroy."

Clint wanted to chuckle at the humor in the Utopian warrior's words and tone but thought better of it. He didn't quite feel he was on that level yet. And her frustration was shared by everyone present. The longer they went without finding hair or hide of anyone, the more likely it was that Nelvannu would be successful in his goals. And if there was one thing Clint wasn't about to allow, it was the corruption of the Dean and Thor's boys. He thought of his own children back on earth and shivered at the thought of them being in this predicament. "We just need to keep calm," he said in a steady voice.

"Calm?" Valkyrie asked with a scowl. "We have been thrown into a maze of a world with no clear way out and no way of contacting the others. Meanwhile, the Thorsons' lives hang in the balance."

"Hawkeye is correct- need to keep calm," Snowbird affirmed. "My...uncle...is a devious being and he thrives on fabricating confusion. Be frustrated but stay vigilant. These worlds he has thrown us all into must have some place where they intersect."

Valkyrie watched the demigoddess as she moved ahead of the group, her blue cape and white-blond hair fanning out behind her. Hawkeye lifted an eyebrow and Valkyrie shrugged. "What? I like blondes."

"Quiet," Power Princess snapped. "I hear something."

Snowbird cocked her head and listened to the silence around them. Everything, even the branches overhead, seemed to be holding its breath. Then a low and feral growl began to resonate from nearby. Hawkeye strung an arrow, Valkyrie and Power Princess readied their weapons. Snowbird's body slowly began to shift, gathering mass through mystical means until she became a towering polar bear.

Then silence settled in.

"We're being hunted," Hawkeye whispered under his breath. Then, because his luck would be the worst, powerful and muscular body ripped through the nearby shrubs and slammed into him from the side. The wind knocked out of him, he went flying across the stone pathway and landed on his back. The base of his skull smacked stone and he saw stars momentarily before he felt the heat from an opening maw. Instinctively, he lifted his hands and attempted to push his attacker off. He took two handfuls of fur and stared up into the face of a canine. A very large canine.

"Off of him!" Power Princess cried as she threw herself at the dog's side. The  beast was knocked off of Hawkeye but it didn't exactly roll over at the attack. Instead it backed onto its hind legs and pushed forward, attempting to match Power Princess's might. "The beast is strong!" she called out with a smile in her voice.

"Hold it!" Valkyrie commanded. She ran forward, her sword poised to strike the massive dog in its chest.

With a snarl, the dog dug its teeth into the invisible shield and shook its head, tossing Power Princess aside before lunging for Hawkeye's leg and quickly running off. While thankful that the dog wasn't completely severing his leg from his body, Hawkeye thrashed about and attempted to get free. As the dog raced away, he had a fleeting thought that this powerful canine could tear him apart if it wanted to. And yet it wasn't.