The ground shook and dead leaves fell as Fergus was tossed to the other side of the clearing.

Again.

The ground that earlier had been covered in brown, prickly and lifeless grass had now been torn up. Large pieces of wood, bushes and tuffs of grass littered the ground. The bruised trees groaned heavily as the two beasts rammed headfirst towards each other, making Fenrir slide back due to the slippery ground as Jörmi flapped his wings, using the altitude to gain upper hand. With his powerful tail, Jörmungandr pushed the wolf away, making sure he wasn't too rough.

With a loud crack, Fergus collided with an old birch tree that broke into half. But neither of them even noticed as Fergus pushed himself up and with a mighty kick of his back feet soared towards Jörmi who was all too eager to meet in the middle.

The wolf snapped its jaws, aiming for one of his ear tuffs but was roughly met with Jörmungandrs wide face as the serpent tossed him aside merrily, Fergus' teeth only barely nicking his ear.

As the two collided again, the harsh sound that resembled thunder echoed once again. Fergus snapped his jaws as he tried to tear into the serpents wing joint to cripple it at least a little. Jörmi dove town, towards the wolf whose fur bristled and eyes burned with fury. Fergus had grown larger, nearly the size of a truck he was as Jörmi dodged his snapping teeth with ease and coiled his tail around the muscular wolf with red eyes.

Fergus' breathing grew irregular as the soft scales tightened around him, bringing the wolf down against the soft underbelly of the enormous serpent. He tried to use his claws, but it was just like nails against iron wall, impossible to cut through. His growling was nearly ear splitting as his panic intensified.

Jörmungandr tried to hum to ease the anxiety filled wolf.

He had seen all he wanted to see, it was time for the kid to calm down now.

All Fergus saw were the scales, white and blue and glistening as light hit them from different sides, like glass. His throat was closing in and he felt although he was looking down a dark tunnel as darkness slithered into his vision.

It didn't take long for the angry snapping of his jaws and threatening growls to turn into a plea of help.

He knew no one would answer his calls for help. Though his instincts demanded him to call for help. The sound nearly made Jörmungandr cry as he tried to purr harder. Fergus' vision turned hazy, he didn't even realize he was shrinking before he felt the scales against his sensitive skin. He only heard the irregular thumping of his heart as he tried to wriggle out of the grip that seemed deadly only in his own mind.

And suddenly it was just a row after row of flashbacks that seemed to be released from their cages. There was a flash of a belt that had been lashed into his skin as a young boy, there was hours of nagging from the headmaster of his previous school, there was the echo of mockery over orphans and their faded clothes, the smell of blood that he had poured the first time he had changed, the metallic shine of a hammer as it soared down against his shaking fingers and the sound of bombs that traumatized civilians just because he wasn't a man enough to tell them to scatter. The dead eyes of his best friend because Fergus wouldn't just listen.

"Shh, it's alright brother, everyone loses at one point." Jörmi cooed, his burly hands around Fergus as he swayed them gently. Trying to calm him down had only released the feelings and thoughts Fergus had tried to bury deep deep down.

Fergus didn't hear Jörmi's gentle rumble or feel his calloused hands as he tried to calm him down.

He was numb, except the burning he felt in his heart and the phantom voices and sounds that kept him hostage. When he came to consciousness again, he realized with burning embarrassment that his cheeks were wet with cold tears and his back was pressed against Jörmi as they sat in the middle of the messed up clearing and torn out trees.

Fergus crying and Jörmi trying to soothe him in his own weird way.

His cheeks turned red as he swatted his hands away, pushing himself up as though Jörmi had burned him. "What the fuck, go to hell asshole." he growled, turning around to face the taller man who slowly stood up. It was obvious Fergus needed a change of clothes with how dirty and teared they were, unlike Jörmi's, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Even his hair was just in its natural wavy style.

"Are you alright?" he decided to ignore the profanities, Jörmi could tell emotions were running quite high with this one. He had been alive long enough to gain control of his own emotions.

"Of course I am." Fergus huffed, rubbing his nose as he tried to look everywhere but the weird dragon-man in front of him. How embarrassing, one hug and he had turned into a crying mess.

"I wish to apologize." he stared up, feeling tense all over as Jörmi looked at him carefully, almost as if he was afraid that saying one wrong word would make him bolt again. Before Fergus could spit something venomous at him, he continued.

"I have been searching for you for a long time, when word got to me that you have been found, alive and well, I admit, I could not believe it at first, I had to see you for myself. I understand that you cannot remember our past, or what all has happened. But please, I beg of you, brother. Give me a chance." his blue eyes were desperate, and his face was kind.

Fergus could not remember when was the last time someone had lowered their walls for him, had looked him with such gentleness he wanted to burst out crying again.

But men don't cry, so he settled with a glare.

"On one condition." he said, whispering through gritted teeth. He didn't like that, not one bit. This random stranger comes up to him, drags him down, fights him, hugs him, begs for him to let him stay and on top of it, claims to be his brother. In a weird different reality or dimension or a whole other planet altogether. It was a lot.

"Anything." he smiled, looking taller than he had just a mere minute ago.

"You tell me everything you know. Right now." he was tired of being in the dark.

"As you wish. May I hug you?"

"No." Fergus answered, walking around him to head towards the river in the distance. Jörmi shrugged, expecting the rejection before he had even asked. But he was a persistent man.

"Walk and talk." Fergus demanded, refusing to glance at the other man as he made his way up the slippery hill. He couldn't believe he had torn the ground up like that, it looked brutal.

"Well, it was a reverse spell." He had no idea what Jörmi was talking about, so he remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"We grew up in Jötunheim, you and I. We share the same mother. For centuries we managed to get by on our own, Mother was always off in battles or trying to woo another God to stab later on. A mad seer then told the prophecy about us and everyone started searching." Jörmi stopped tucking to avoid some branches as he followed Fergus down a narrow path.

He didn't quite understand anything, Jörmis story was like a story from childrens book. Realising Fergus wasn't going to give him a reaction, Jörmi kept speaking.

"We hid, in different realms. You were quite expert at magic, I suppose something your father passed down to you. But when the God of the Gods found you, there was nothing to do. You were taken somewhere... I could not find you, and I am sorry. I searched centuries for you, but nothing. The rumours were that Odin had chained you to prevent you from ending their reign. Had chained you down and kept you weak. But as much as I have gathered, I was not the only one searching. I believe it was your father that had finally found you, he had taken you to Midgard, used a reverse spell and what happened after, I do not know. I only know the consequences are brutal. There is no way to get your memories back. I wish to apologize, brother. I should have looked harder, recruited more beasts..." his voice had become quiet once they had made it to the river.

Fergus refused to look over his shoulder as he sat down near the river bank, dipping his hands in the freezing water to wash off the dirt.

"Alright." He will ponder over what was said later on. For a few seconds, there was just the sound of running water before Jörmi shuffled closer, slowly sitting down next to Fergus, looking at him curiously, almost waiting for him to bark at him to fuck off. But the green eyed man remained quiet.

They sat there in silence, Fergus washing his hands aggressively and doing his best to ignore the man. Though he felt slightly calmer when he felt the wolves curiously shuffling on the other side of the river, making sure no one would sneak up on the two.

Jörmi squirmed, as if sitting still wasn't something he was used to. A few seconds later he cleared his throat, but remained quiet. Fergus huffed and stopped cleaning his hands.

"What?"

"Can I hug you now?"

"No."

"Okay."

And something shifted between them, and ancient feeling of brotherhood that tied the two men together. And as much as Fergus denied it, the feeling of Jörmi next to him felt as if he was home.  

*****

Ew what is this 😃😃😃

It's been sitting in my drafts for ages, trying to fix it up but after all this time, its time for an update.