gleaming in the firelight after their lovemaking. And her eyes, glowing with gold fire as she looked at him, bathing him in her light.
Thor smiled as he trudged over another rocky hill. Sif would be waiting for him, even now. As soon as he finished this final journey to learn what he could about the Lions and Eve, he could return to her. It had been more than two centuries, now. Far too long for any god to remain celibate. Sif would be very pleased to see him, and he had no intention of stirring from her bed for the next year, if he could get away with it. Odin owed him that much for his service.
“Meh!”
The noise startled him from his thoughts, followed by soft scuffling. A nanny goat stood on the slope, beside a crevasse in the rock. The scuffling noise came again from behind the nanny, followed by a pathetic bleat.
“Meh-ehh!”
The nanny was fat, its coarse brown fur shining, with a tattered piece of twine tied around its neck. The animal was heavy with milk. Heavy enough that it should have found its way home to be milked. When he stepped forward the goat didn’t start, but stared at him with narrow eyes.
“Lost your baby, have you?” He crouched down, letting the goat catch his scent and reaching out to scratch between its horns. The scuffling sound came from the pit again, and he leaned over to look. The nanny stiffened, but he stroked her soft ears and kept scratching, murmuring reassurance.
“Meh!”
As he had thought, her baby was caught in the crevasse. The kid’s front leg was stuck straight out, though at its mother’s call it tried to shift and rise. The leg gave, and the kid fell back to the dirt with the goat equivalent of a whimper.
Thor grunted and lay down against the stone on his stomach, reaching down to grab the kid. It was a long fall, and he could only just reach the animal himself from the rock above. He caught it by the hind leg, and it bleated anxiously, exciting the nanny which promptly bit his ear.
He growled, and the mama left off with a shudder. The kid stopped squirming at once, and he pulled it up, setting it down in the scrub. “There. You ungrateful geit .”
The nanny scrambled toward its young as soon as Thor rose. The kid tried to climb to its feet to suckle, but it didn’t put any weight on its front leg, holding it off the ground oddly. Thor rubbed at his ear, but it had been more nuisance than anything else, and he didn’t think the nanny would try anything similar a second time.
There was little sign of the rest of the herd. The area had been picked over, most of the green stripped from the branches of what plants had grown, but if there had been other goats here, they’d moved on. Judging by the nanny’s bag, it couldn’t have been more than a day. The animal might have been left behind this morning when the rest of the herd left, unwilling to leave its young.
The kid wouldn’t be able to walk very far in this landscape with a broken leg. If he left it, they were both more likely to be eaten by a lion or wolf than to find their way home. But he was close to where Ra had told him he was likely to find Eve’s people. He sighed. When the kid had finished suckling, he picked it up and nodded to the nanny. “Go on. I’ll follow.”
The nanny’s eyes narrowed to slits again, but it shook itself and started off down the hill, pausing every few steps to be sure that he followed. They hadn’t gone very far when he heard a voice calling, and the nanny goat picked up her speed and called back, recognizing its keeper.
Thor pushed through a line of brush and the nanny led him around a small stand of trees into a meadow. A young girl stood, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand, watching for them. Or at least watching for the goat.
When she saw him she reached for a staff, abandoned on the ground, and whistled sharply. A large white dog lumbered to its feet amidst the goats and barked. Thor gave it a look and it whined, its hackles raised along its back.
Thor smiled as he trudged over another rocky hill. Sif would be waiting for him, even now. As soon as he finished this final journey to learn what he could about the Lions and Eve, he could return to her. It had been more than two centuries, now. Far too long for any god to remain celibate. Sif would be very pleased to see him, and he had no intention of stirring from her bed for the next year, if he could get away with it. Odin owed him that much for his service.
“Meh!”
The noise startled him from his thoughts, followed by soft scuffling. A nanny goat stood on the slope, beside a crevasse in the rock. The scuffling noise came again from behind the nanny, followed by a pathetic bleat.
“Meh-ehh!”
The nanny was fat, its coarse brown fur shining, with a tattered piece of twine tied around its neck. The animal was heavy with milk. Heavy enough that it should have found its way home to be milked. When he stepped forward the goat didn’t start, but stared at him with narrow eyes.
“Lost your baby, have you?” He crouched down, letting the goat catch his scent and reaching out to scratch between its horns. The scuffling sound came from the pit again, and he leaned over to look. The nanny stiffened, but he stroked her soft ears and kept scratching, murmuring reassurance.
“Meh!”
As he had thought, her baby was caught in the crevasse. The kid’s front leg was stuck straight out, though at its mother’s call it tried to shift and rise. The leg gave, and the kid fell back to the dirt with the goat equivalent of a whimper.
Thor grunted and lay down against the stone on his stomach, reaching down to grab the kid. It was a long fall, and he could only just reach the animal himself from the rock above. He caught it by the hind leg, and it bleated anxiously, exciting the nanny which promptly bit his ear.
He growled, and the mama left off with a shudder. The kid stopped squirming at once, and he pulled it up, setting it down in the scrub. “There. You ungrateful geit .”
The nanny scrambled toward its young as soon as Thor rose. The kid tried to climb to its feet to suckle, but it didn’t put any weight on its front leg, holding it off the ground oddly. Thor rubbed at his ear, but it had been more nuisance than anything else, and he didn’t think the nanny would try anything similar a second time.
There was little sign of the rest of the herd. The area had been picked over, most of the green stripped from the branches of what plants had grown, but if there had been other goats here, they’d moved on. Judging by the nanny’s bag, it couldn’t have been more than a day. The animal might have been left behind this morning when the rest of the herd left, unwilling to leave its young.
The kid wouldn’t be able to walk very far in this landscape with a broken leg. If he left it, they were both more likely to be eaten by a lion or wolf than to find their way home. But he was close to where Ra had told him he was likely to find Eve’s people. He sighed. When the kid had finished suckling, he picked it up and nodded to the nanny. “Go on. I’ll follow.”
The nanny’s eyes narrowed to slits again, but it shook itself and started off down the hill, pausing every few steps to be sure that he followed. They hadn’t gone very far when he heard a voice calling, and the nanny goat picked up her speed and called back, recognizing its keeper.
Thor pushed through a line of brush and the nanny led him around a small stand of trees into a meadow. A young girl stood, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand, watching for them. Or at least watching for the goat.
When she saw him she reached for a staff, abandoned on the ground, and whistled sharply. A large white dog lumbered to its feet amidst the goats and barked. Thor gave it a look and it whined, its hackles raised along its back.
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