Long ago, when the earth was still in its infancy, chaos ruled the world. Tribes of men and women fought each other for what little the land had to offer them, and the animals were thin and skittish, making them near impossible to catch. For the longest time, it looked like the earth's presence in the universe would be short and violent.

The Old Gods, the Titans, watched this from afar and felt great fear and agony over the dark fate of the human race. Surely, such a race as brilliant as they could make a brilliant run of it in the end, if they were simply given a chance? For the longest time they fretted over a solution. And, in the end, it was a far simpler than they ever thought. What they needed was a guide, a group to help them through their rough existence.

Emberon, Tamer of the Wild Flames, drew forth lava from the deepest pits of the earth and from his hand sprang forth a mighty bird of flame and heat, screeching defiance and life to the sky. "My creation, and all who come after it, shall bring new life into the world. May their powers bring great joy to all those who witness them."

Frovaust, Shaper of the Icy Winds, drew a deep breath and, from his exhale came a dragon made of crystalline ice. "This creature, and all who come after, shall guide those who have died to a peaceful after life. May they perform their duties with solemnity."

Auqavereon, Gentler of the Screaming Rapids, carefully shaped the clear water of a spring, and from it brought forth a massive feline shape, maned and striped gorgeously and regally. "My guardian, and all who should follow after, will bring the necessary darkness into the world, so that those who reside in it may be strong enough to handle hardships. May they use their powers judiciously."

Lastly, Dustraevon, Treader of the Silent Paths, crushed one of the great boulders of a mountain between her hands, and from the dust was born a gorgeous wolf, solid and steady and massive, an implacable sentry. "My guardian, and all who come after, shall bring light and happiness into the world, to temper the darkness that is so required. May they take great joy in their work and may all those who bask in their hard work enjoy it as well."

And with that the Guardians left, and began their duties to the world, hardly ever crossing each others paths. And slowly, though the legends are vague, the number of Guardians grew, as the population did, until there were Clans of Guardians, all protecting the world, performing the tasks set before them centuries ago.

These were the stories Loki and Thor grew up, and stories they would share with their teammates on cold and dark nights. But they were naught but fairy tales, stories for young children, and most certainly unreal.

Until they weren't.

"You'll have to tell them eventually, you know that, right?" Tony turned around to see the familiar dark tawny shape of his mentor, Brackentail, creeping out of the mansion, paws silent on the sand near the deck. Tony sighed heavily, but nodded.

It had been a year since the Avengers had assembled to save the world, and a lot, and at the same time, almost nothing, had changed. The team had come together swimmingly and, with the addition of mind-control-free Loki, were a force to be reckoned with. They resided in the Tower in Manhattan, ready to save the city at a moment's notice. But Tony had been keeping from them his true heritage.

His pack, which made their home to the north, in the unpopulated frozen wastes of far northern Canada, was called by the others the Nor'Frost Pack, for their northern home and their love of the cold and snow. Tony had left the back some forty years ago for his Progress, his coming-of-age journey, and had decided to maintain a post in the human society. But now, with his close proximity to a group of super-humans, his secret was at risk.

"I know I do. I just...what if they think I'm some kind of monster? We look like werewolves to pop culture nuts. What if they think I'm going to go on a rampage and eat small children? What if they kick me off of the team? What if they hurt me?" His voice was dangerously close to a wail and Brackentail slipped forward, slinging his arm around Tony's slim shoulders.

Tony had always been smaller than the other apprentices his age, faster than he was stronger, but viciously smart. His deep russet pelt, thick and soft with his northern heritage and his citrine eyes made him a sought after mate, but so far he'd yet to find the one, and, thankfully, those who had courted him before understood that.

Guardians mated for life, their pair-bonds not constrained by gender. Tony had only recently turned one hundred, his minority, and he knew with some satisfaction that other, slightly older, wolves would begin looking at him as a prospect now. Tony just wanted a mate who would share his nest and his prey, nothing extraordinary or over-the-top.

"We would never let them hurt you. You know that." Brackentail spoke with fierce protectiveness and Tony sighed. He knew his mentor would do everything in his considerable power from physically harming him. But nothing and no one would be able to stop the emotional pain he'd have to endure if they turned against him. Finally Brackentail sighed.

"Look, there's no way I'll ever be able to reassure you that everything will be alright. Be both know what might happen. And, while I can protect you from the physical harm that may befall you, I can only promise to be there for the emotional hurt, if it happens. Your pack will be there." Tony sighed and Brackentail rose.

"Now. Come back inside. The nest is cold without you."

When Tony finally decided to tell the Avengers, he called them into a large sparring gym, which was lined with thick mats. Thor and Loki were off-world for the day, and the rest of the team, plus Pepper, Coulson and Fury, sat in a semi-circle.

Tony knew that Brackentail, Lilypaw, Sharpclaw and his adoptive uncle Ivystar were waiting just one floor up for Jarvis to give them the all clear or the distress signal, ready to jump to his aid if need be. Tony took a deep breath and turned to the team, breathing a little shallow are he tried to clamp down on his nerves.

"I-I have something to tell you." He said haltingly and Clint made a vague "hurry up" motion with his hand. Tony was slightly annoyed by that, but took a deep breath anyway, the words rushing out of him before he could stop.

"I'm not human." The team was silent for a minute before Steve stood up, looking confused and unsure.

"You're not human? What do you mean? Like a mutant?" He asked. Tony knew Steve had spent a lot of time with the Fantastic Four and the X-men recently, trying to figure out how to best defend the city against attacks. Tony shook his head and Steve's face creased with confusion. "What do you mean then?"

Sensing no other way out, Tony concentrated hard, trying desperately to find the spark that made him a Guardian. When he found it he grabbed it and there was a flash of light that had the team reeling back and when the light receded, he flinched at their gasps. He was tall, despite his slim, fast build, and stood almost five feet at the ear-tips. There was silence, and then he spoke.

"I am a Guardian." Was all he said. And then the room was in chaos. Bruce was looking at him with sharp, scientist's eyes, while Natasha was gazing at him up and down, obviously assessing his threat level. Clint was shouting about Werewolves and Twilight and Steve just looked betrayed, staring at Tony's true form like he was some kind of specter, a shade of a friend past.

"What are you?!" Clint said and Tony tensed when he noticed they were all slipping into combat stances, like he would lash out and slice them at the slightest word. Tony felt the fur along his back rising despite himself, dread and his own betrayal seeping in.

"You can't actually think I would hurt you!" He shouted and moved to take a step forward, paw the size of a dinner plate just clearing the ground when Natasha pulled out one of her secret weapons, a knife, and lunged for him. Tony shot back, legs carrying him easily back a few yards from the rest of the team, citrine eyes wide. She would have gotten him clean in the face, possibly in the eye.

"You're not Tony." Pepper hissed and Tony's eyes widened some more. "Our Tony would never lie about something like this. You're an imposter. A freak of nature. A monster! What have you done with him?!" They were advancing on him slowly and Tony stepped back, trying to protect himself from the onslaught.

Before they could reach him Tony was overly relieved to hear the doors bang open on their hinges and the familiar sound of paws filled the air. Tony found himself ringed by a protective wall of muscle and fur, another sleek shape pressed into his side, murmuring quietly to him.

"All of you cease and desist this nonsense at once!" He recognized the deep timbre of Ivystar, accented from centuries of traveling the world, and he sighed in relief. The room, amazingly, fell silent at his command and Tony looked up when he felt eyes on him. Sharpclaw, a massive smoky colored brute was staring at him with concerned eyes.

"Are you alright, Rainpaw?" He asked and Tony nodded. He was crushed inside that his own team and Pepper, Pepper who had been at his side through thick and thin and almost dying, were turning on him. Tony could feel apart of himself hardening inside and he let go of the magic, allowing his human form to return. He strode forward, walls built up around him again and squeezed himself between Ivystar and Brackentail.

"Get out." He hissed, voice dripping venom. He didn't want them anywhere near him any more if they couldn't accept who he was.

"Get out!" He snarled when they didn't move. "Get out of this room. Get out of my tower. Get out of my life and never return. I thought I could trust you, I thought you were my friends. I was told humans were better than this, that they were befriending." He was breathing hard, the Arc Reactor working hard to keep up with it.

"I was told a lie." His voice cracked on the final word. Lilypaw and Sharpclaw moved forward once, fangs bared in warning and the team, and Fury and Coulson and Pepper dispersed, silent as ghosts. Tony was shaking hard and Lilypaw was back, trying to sooth him.

There was a silent span of a few minutes and when Jarvis told them that the team had left, Tony sucked in a deep breath. "Jarvis, activate protocol 67-FG-9." There was a quiet response and Brackentail nodded in understanding. The protocol was a last resort, shutting and locking down Tony's labs and homes and accounts, making them untouchable to anyone save himself the world over. Tony had programmed Jarvis to activate it only at his command or the command of Brackentail himself, in the event of Tony's incapacitation or death. The rest of the patrol turned around and Tony took a few more minutes before he spoke, his voice was thick with unshed tears.

"Rockfoot was right. I should have listened to him. He told not to get attached to them. He was right." He said, wearily. Tony flinched as his breath snagged harshly in his chest, once, twice, and then darkness overcame him, and he was unconscious.