Ratatoskr

I had a dream. Not of my mother or brother. Not of my uncle and aunt. But of something else.

I dreamt of an enormous white oak tree. It's branches reached into the clouds as though pushing up against the sky. Some of the branches seemed to sway lightly in an unseen breeze. The oaks branches spread far and wide in a great canopy over me. Not by just a little either. It blotted out most the sky in defiance. Like it should be there instead of the clouds. It's leaves were filled with rainbows and it's branches held what seemed to be large multicolored fruits.

I stared in shock at the thing before me. It was beautiful and majestic as any tree I had ever seen. No. More-so. I stared at the broad roots that wove over and through each other at its base before they broke into the dense green earth.

I couldn't help but reach down and touch one. I expected a hard and unyielding surface with such a barky texture. But what met my hand was a warm, pulsating, feeling. Like a vein pumping blood through it. Like it was attached to a great heart.

I pulled my hand away in shock and awe at this tree and suddenly felt the urge to climb it. Not like a boy. But like I wanted to make a home out of it. Like it was something I wanted for my own. I suddenly heard a twig snap and a blur of movement before a large being stood before me. It's body was covered in leather plating with an iron helmet. Two great beady eyes stared down at me from the biggest squirrel I have ever seen.

And behind it was a massive horned creature. It's scales were dark and emitted a dense black fog.

To any looking at it they would call it a dragon. Enormous and scaled. Teeth of ivory color showcased a purple tongue lashing hungrily between them.

The squirrel looked back at the creature and let out a whistle making one of the dragons eyes twitch before it turned around and marched toward to tree. Large heavy footprints smashed into the ground making me wonder why I didn't hear it approach before. But that was halted as I heard a grunt from the squirrel.

I looked back at the creature before me. And as I stared into its eyes and it into mine I felt something. A kinship of sorts.

"You are late Boy." I heard a grunt. It's voice was deep in nature and held a rumble like thunder to it as it reached out and grabbed my arm.

I didn't resist as I meekly followed the thing.

"I have been waiting some time for you to come here. Fulfil a duty of mine you could say. But that damned Heimdal always gets in the way of things." He muttered as we walked. His steps were heavy and he seemed almost... human. If I was to properly describe him I would almost call him a...

"If you think Were-squirrel I'll throw you to Nidhogg at Yggdrasil's roots." He rumbled glaring at me and my thoughts stopped dead. "I'm sorry." I muttered out as I bowed my head.

We continued walking for some time before apparently reaching our destination.

It was a large hall with what looked to be bones making up its large doors.

The Squirrel walked up and thumped three times on the door. "Hel! Helly! I need to talk to you about a mistake with one of your Einherjars!" (pronounced Ain- Hair- Rear) He boomed loudly.

After a few moments I heard a light tapping come from behind the door before a heavy think of a lock and it slowly opened. "Ratty. I thought I told you not to come today due to hangovers." A slurred voice of a woman echoed out.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm a mistake? And what's an Einherjar?" I asked and he grunted at me like he wanted me to be quiet.

Soon the door opened all the way to reveal a half dressed woman in what would be a beautiful dress if it wasn't half falling off. But the dress wasn't what caught my eye. It was her body. Half very much alive. Beautiful, clear, and unblemished skin. Curvy and alluring in all the right ways. And the other half? Dry, Reedy, and looking like a corpse left in a cold place. Her face wasn't effected by it. But the rest of her was.

"Ratty" stood in front of me suddenly blocking my view of the woman. "One of your Valkyries made a mistake of shoving a human soul into an animal. A squirrel of all things too. That doesn't sit well with me especially since he should be in your battle halls not in my descendants body." He growled.

The woman looked over the squirrels shoulder at me. "But he looks the part. Just look at that fur and the ears are perfect. He looks just like you when you were younger Ratty. You sure he's not one of yours?" She slurred out a little.

He facepalmed at her statement. "He's like this because he's gotten accustomed to that squirrel body. Now I need to take out his soul and put the one that supposed to be there back. Any suggestions?" He groaned out.

I puzzled for a moment before I turned to look at a bird bath off to the side. And I admit that I was really shocked.

My human ears were gone and replaced by long furry squirrel ones. Silver fur covered my now elongated face. But my eyes remained blue like they had in the past. An echo of the life I lived before. I was a mix of emotions at my new look. Heartache at the life I could no longer have. And a dislike for the human faces I had viewed as my oppressors.

I suddenly felt my vision shake and a feeling of light headedness came over me as I was forced to kneel gripping the bird bath so I didn't fall over.

"No can do I'm afraid. My girls don't make mistakes. And if they do it rarely means anything bad. Just let him live. We'll take him when it's time. No issue and no questions asked."

She leaned in close to "Ratty".

"And you might want to get him back else he'll be stuck here and become food for Nidhogg. And then not only will I have to deal with fighting off the half starved bastard you'll have to deal with a unnecessarily dead descendant." She said as she closed the door quickly before I heard footsteps echoing away from it.

Ratatoskr let out a deep sigh as he reached down and single handedly picked me up off the ground and started carrying me like an unwanted bag of garbage. Holding me away from himself with a grimace as though I stank of sewage.

"Damned Valkyries." He muttered before turning my head to face him. "I'll give you a chance Boy. Prove yourself worthy of the power my lineage bestows and you'll live. If not I'll be sending Nidhogg to collect your corpse when you fail." He said as he heaved me high over his head and hurled me forward.

As I flew away from him I realized the tree was standing on its own part of ground. Nothing below or around it. Just the tree on a large conical mass of earth. Roots sticking out below it reaching into the abyss.

I screamed as I flew into the dark and suddenly found myself awake and still screaming. I had sat up still holding my mother's soft tail. It's silver fur cushioning my grip nicely. I frowned and a growl escaped my throat as I roared at the heavens.

"Ratty! You bastard!" I screamed as my muddled, confused, and grief stricken mind clawed at itself. But it didn't last long. I felt a crackling tingle through my fur. Like rubbing a balloon on your head and feeling the static build up. I felt the energy crackling through my fur and across my skin.

I held up a paw-hand and stared at the blue crackling static dancing between my fingers.

And suddenly "Rats" words came to mind.

"Prove yourself worthy." His voice seemed to echo through my head. I could still feel a pulsing power from the static building. Where it was coming from I didn't know. But I could feel it in my bones like a hum that vibrated through me. Every muscle filled with the energy dancing across my fur. And I felt alive.

I clenched my fist and crouched feeling the static building up in my body even as I felt even more agitated. Furious could even describe it.

I had already struggled. I had already proven myself capable. I had even done things to provide freedom to beings I considered to be my own. So how did I prove myself? By making him go Fuck himself and live life the way I want to. Is my thought.

I looked up and jumped with my full power. The static seemed to build up not only on my fur but inside my muscles. Making them jittery and twitchy. Almost like an itch that's in the skin instead of on it.

And I released it.

My muscles roared out explosively as I jumped. The large hole in the ceiling was a great place to leap through. My sparking blue body shot from the hole like a bullet towards the nearest tree. Any onlooker would see this squirrel wasn't ordinary. It was as though it was made of lightning. Fur blitzing with energy it shouldn't have as a pitiful creature. But this one did. And I would make anything that got in my way understand one thing.

Don't Fuck with this Squirrel.