"First Dragons, now Griffens? This Eve has really pulled out all the stocks, I didn't even know Griffens were real!"
Dean said grimly. He and his brother were crouched behind a forklift truck, guns in hands. The sound of screeching, clanging chains and destruction echoed around the otherwise empty construction site. Sam peered around the cabin of the truck, a frown upon his face.
"Well, clearly they are real" He responded to his brother. "You don't happen to know the lore on them do you?"
Dean shot him a whithering look. "Do I look like someone who will have nerded out on Griffen Lore for fun?"
The sarcastic tone in his voice made Sam's brow furrow even deeper.
"Ok, well just aim for the wings then. Once we get it out of the sky, our job should be somewhat easier" Sam said, before darting out from behind the forklift and to the left. Dean straightened and moved around the forklift to the right.
"Hey!" Sam shouted. The Griffen let out a shriek and turned in Sam's general direction, but a second shout caused it to whirl around and face Dean. Beating its wings in frustration, it lashed out with its taloned forpaws. Dean rolled to the side as the wings brushed his face. The griffen span around in midair - head casting from side to side as if trying to see where either of the brothers had gone.
"Sammy, I think it's blind!" Dean called to his brother, this however, told the Griffen where he was and it descended upon him in a whirl of feathers and beak.
Two gunshots rang out and the griffens wings crumpled mid-dive. It crashed to the floor a few inches from Dean, snapping its beak angrily. Within seconds, Dean was straddling the neck of the creature - preventing it from rising to all fours again. The griffen bucked, powerful muscles contracting as it fought to get up and away from the Hunter upon its back.
Whilst Dean was occupied with holding the creature down, Sam leveled his own gun. His finger descended towards the trigger - it would be a shot to kill. Completely accurate. No mess. No fuss.
A sudden burst of wind picked up and Castiel appeared in front of Sam's gun, making the giant jump.
"Cass!" Sam started, but he was interrupted by the raised hand of the angel. Castiel turned to Dean.
"Dean, she is of no harm to you"
Dean frowned, but hastily removed himself from the beast. The griffen lay panting on the ground, back legs splayed and clearly exhausted. Castiel moved to its side and unwound a chain from the creatures neck - with this gone, the griffen seemed to fold in on itself. Its features morphing into that of a young girl. A young, completely naked girl.
Sam and Dean both quickly looked away whilst Castiel helped her to her feet - the angel removed his trench coat and draped it across her shoulders, giving her at least a small bit of modesty. She was a slender girl, bare footed too, and she was soon shivering in the cold midwinter sun.
Her eyes were a pale blue-green colour, but they seemed unfocused, reminding the brothers of her blindness.
"Where is my master?" She said softly "He said he wouldn't be gone long, where is he?"
The brothers exchanged a look with Castiel, he hesitated before speaking.
"There are lesser angels in heaven - some of which are nothing more than ethereal spirits until they are bound to an angel such as myself. Most of them are little more than a source of power, but there are some that higher ranking angels use to carry them into battle" The angel replied. "It seems that maybe she is a stead"
"A stead? You mean like some Dicks' ride?" Dean asked. Castiel frowned, but nodded.
"Yes"
"And she says her 'master' or whoever told her he wouldn't be long. Dude, which angels have these 'steads'" Dean said. Castiel noticed the tone in Dean's voice - depending on which angel she belonged to, they could all be about to face a fight of some sort.
"Her master is dead" Castiel said quickly and quietly - but she still heard him.
"Gabriel is dead?" She said softly, voice wavering slightly. "How did he die... i-"
She broke off and let out a gasp of pain. He legs gave way and were it not for Sam's quick reaction she would've hit the floor. As it was, the younger brother managed to catch her before she could hit the ground. Castiel watched this in silence - a slightly haunted look upon his face. Once the lesser angel was secure in Sam's arms, he spoke.
"Take her back to Bobbies. Keep her safe. I will return when I can" He leant forwards and touched the brothers forheads before they could even reply and in the blink of an eye, they found themselves at Bobbies house. The old grump himself was not at home for some reason, but this didn't trouble the brothers. Bobby tended to disappear for days at a time on a supplies run - or even a hunt with Rufus... well, not the latter any more but he was often out of the house for a while.
Sam put the unconcious girl down on the old couch in the main room of the house and pulled an old blanket over her. When he straightened up he saw Dean stood in the doorway, a frown upon his face.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Dean gestured with his head to the girl on the couch.
"I don't trust her" He responded. It was Sam's turn to frown at this statement.
"Dude, how can you trust someone that you have only just met? Besides, how can you not trust someone who right now is unconscious?" Sam pointed out. Dean sighed softly.
"It's not that we don't know here. It's the fact that all of a sudden there is this whole other branch of lesser angels that no one thought to mention before. And now we have one dead to the world in our front room. Does nothing seem strange about that to you Sam?" The old brother said.
Sam, however, did not respond. The younger brother was so used to Dean ranting and raving about different things, that he tended to just zone out and ignore it when his brother started. He was watching the girl now, a slight frown upon his face.
"Dean, do you ever think about how much stuff out there, we have never seen - let alone heard of?" He said after a few moments of silence. "There could be whole other worlds just sitting there, and we wouldn't even know. There might even be ones that the angels have never heard of"
Dean frowned slightly but nodded. "I'm with you" He said
"We should speak to Cass when he comes back. This girl - lesser angel - whatever, cannot stay here. I'm assuming angels can track her kind as well as they can each other and that will..."
"Lead us right to you" The low voice of Raphael sounded from behind Dean - the brother had a split second to think and then an invisible force slammed him against the wall. Sam whirled around, but found himself frozen in place by the blade that rested on his throat. The angel holding it glared at him, a look of disgust within his eyes.
Raphael strode forwards from where he had appeared.
"Well well, the little lost stead. We've found her at last. Thanks to you boys we can reclaim our property"
"She isn't yours to own"
Castiel had appeared suddenly before the couch, blade in hand. It was he who had issued this words.
"Ah! Castiel! Back from one of your little escapades I see" Raphael said dryly. "Step away from the stead, brother. She is ours to dispose of"
"She isn't yours to own" Castiel said again, his voice so low it was verging on a growl. He took a step forwards. "She belonged to Gabriel, and now -"
He reached back and laid a hand upon her forehead. A light blue glow erupted from the still girl and encircled Castiel's hand. For a moment the pair stayed this way. The room fell silent, all transfixed by the light and what was occurring. Then suddenly it was gone. The girl opened her eyes and got to her feet.
"I am his" She said firmly, finishing Castiel's sentence. Her eyes rose to Cass and she smiled slightly, then she looked back to the archangel. Her eyes were alert with a light that spoke of the warrior blood than sang in her veins.
Raphael took a small step backwards in surprise at this sudden change, but then he stepped forwards and raised his own blade. Castiel made to move forwards, but the girl exploded forwards. She shifted as she leaped - turning into the grey Griffen they had first encountered her as. Raphael staggered backwards as she crashed into him, wings beating to give her more power.
Breaking away from the Griffen, Raphael called to his soldier and the pair disappeared. The girl whirled around, panting slightly. After a few seconds, she relaxed and became human once more.
"Thank you" She said, turning to Castiel. The angel nodded in return then turned to Sam and Dean.
"We need to move" He told them, then handed Dean a scrap of paper with an address written on it. "Meet us there"
Without waiting for the brothers to reply, he held out his hand to the lesser angel and the pair disappeared.