"There are a lot of Nargles around you."

Loki whirled around sinuously, a dagger in his hand in order to defend himself. He eyed the girl standing a few feet from him with suspicion, after all not many could sneak up on him, and the fact he was in a foreign place was also a factor in his wariness.

She was short with long dirty blonde hair that had green leaves sticking out of it in some places. She was wearing a bright orange dress and hidden behind her ear was what Loki recognized as a wand. Her large pale eyes held a dreamy glaze which gave the impression she was odd. She wasn't wearing any shoes, a fact that didn't seem to bother her. Despite the oddness that surrounded her, she seemed quite serene.

Loki raised an eyebrow and vaguely wondered if he would always encounter mortals in Midgard who seemed to think it was perfectly acceptable and safe to approach the God of Mischief and Chaos. "And you would be?"

"Luna Lovegood." She said, voice as distant as her disposition. "But some people call me Loony."

"I wonder why." Loki's voice was sarcastic with a hint of cruelty in it.

She wasn't fazed by it. "You really do have a lot of Nargles around you. It's quite odd."

Loki didn't show it, but he was curious as to what Nargles were, but he was not going ask. "Really?" He inquired, instead.

Her eyes met his, almost as if she had just realized she wasn't alone and then she nodded, leaning forward as if she was whispering a secret. "They're mischievous."

That made Loki raise another eyebrow. He wasn't a complete expert on Midgard, and he didn't care to be one, but he was fairly sure that there was no such thing as Nargles. The girl was just crazy.

Well, she was quite amusing, Loki would give her that. "And where can one find these Nargles?"

"They're usually in mistletoe but they can get attached to people. They're thieves." She said, quite seriously, before looking down at her feet. "They stole my shoes." She then grew pensive. "I think they're distant relatives of Wrackspurts." This time he figured he was better off not knowing what Wrackspurts were.

Loki figured that Luna would be someone easy to mock, however, he had quickly banished that idea when he realized the girl probably wouldn't care. But he found amusement in what she said.

"Could you tell me where I am?" Loki asked. He knew he was in Midgard but he was also aware that there were many parts of Midgard.

Luna nodded. "You're in the Forbidden Forest by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry somewhere in Scotland."

"Forbidden?" Loki inquired, letting his green eyes survey the area. It was heavily populated with trees which blocked most light from passing through. He could feel the energy and magic that radiated the place. Dark and mysterious, very alluring.

"The Dark Forest holds many secrets." This time she didn't sound her usual dreamy self. Her voice was morose and her eyes lacking that dotty gleam they usually had.

Loki furrowed his eyebrows. To him that sounded like a challenge more than a warning. He had the urge to explore every crevice of the woods, but he did have self-preservation and wasn't one to rush into things without as much information as he could gather. He wasn't Thor. "What else does it hold?"

Luna's dreaminess came back. "Acromantulas, centaurs, hippogriffs, werewolves, and plenty of other creatures." She gave him a lopsided smile. "The thestrals are my favorite." She then pointed to a pile of raw meat. "They like the smell of blood."

Loki's frown deepened. He was about to ask about the creatures when he heard what sounded like horses approaching. However, what he saw were not horses.

They were more like eerie horses in Loki's opinion. They had big, bony figures that lacked flesh and their skin was too thin making it easy to define their sleek bones. They had black leathery wings that matched their skin and dragon-like faces. Their eyes were quite sinister being white and glittery with no pupils and quite expressionless. Loki watched as their sharp fangs pierced through the bloody meat with a bit of morbid fascination. He vaguely realized that aside from their anatomy being similar to a horses, their long dark mane and black tail also resembled those of a horse.

"They're beautiful in their own way." Luna said, absentmindedly. "But not everyone can see them and those that do find them omens of evil." She shook her head. "They're very rare."

"Why can't everyone see them?" Loki asked, most of his attention consumed with studying the new creatures.

"They can only be seen by those that have witnessed death and have accepted the concept."

Ah, Loki had witnessed death plenty of times before. It was hard not to when all of Asgard was obsessed with the glory of battles and war. Accepting the concept hadn't been an issue either. Loki hadn't been attached to any of those he had seen die. He, himself, had killed before.

"I've been able to see them since I was nine years old." Luna continued. "My mum died in a magical experiment gone wrong. They're quite clever and can be used for transportation."

Loki was only vaguely paying attention to Luna. He was curiously watching the way the communicated with each other, in shrill shrieks that resembled a strange monstrous bird. He had the overwhelming urge to touch one just to see how they felt.

He moved slowly towards the large one standing not so far from him but paused when those unnatural pale eyes turned to stare at him. The thestral moved towards him in what appeared to be curiosity before stopping until it was at arm's reach. He looked over Loki's shoulder at Luna, who smiled serenely at the creature, before looking back at the God before him. He then moved forward and let out a shriek to which Loki translated as an okay to pet it.

"You're their friend." Luna commented, humming a bit to herself. "They can tell if you're a friend or foe. They're quite loyal."

Loki made a noncommittal sound as his attention focused on what appeared to be a newborn foal who was still trying to get used to walking. He couldn't stop the soft smile that appeared on his face. The foal reminded him of Sleipnir except more bony, black, and with only four legs.

He spent a few minutes feeding the young one raw meat, doing it carefully so it's mother wouldn't get violently defensive. He had almost forgotten he had company until Luna spoke again.

"There are less Nargles around you. Maybe the thestrals ate them."

Loki rolled his eyes, his attention not straying far from the beasts. As entertaining as she proved to be, the thestrals were much more interesting.

"I should go. There'll be pudding tonight." Luna said. "I'm sure I'll see you again Loki." She patted every thestral goodbye before walking out of the forest, leaving Loki alone.

It was a few seconds later that Loki stiffened as he realized he hadn't told Luna who he was.

May 9, 2015 - This story is now a one-shot. I lost the inspiration for this story, which I'm very sorry about. Maybe one day I'll be able to return to it. I make no promises though.

I am working on a Harry Potter story. It's not a cross-over. The first chapter should be out some time this month.

Again, very sorry about leaving this story.