Summary: A routine hunt ends badly when a witch casts a spell that turns Sam into a wild animal. Now Dean races to find his brother before he ends up stuffed on a trophy hunter's wall. Semi-crack I think. Just some weird idea that came to me in the middle of the night.

Rated T for some violence and language (what is Supernatural without it?)

Disclaimer: I can pray all I want and the boys will never be mine. But I guess a girl can dream… Supernatural and its characters belong to Eric Kripke and the CW. I lay claim to all other characters in this story (and any and all spelling mistakes).

AN:The last lengthy story I tried posting on FF failed miserably due to crappy writing, infrequent updates, and stupid plots. Hopefully, this one will be better. I think I've done better, but this has been laying around for like ages now (and my best friend thought it was good enough to post)..... Well, enough of my rambling. Enjoy!

Also, this is more or less a short story that I've divided up into parts, so bear in mind that the chapters are short for a reason.

Heart of the Wild

Chapter 1. Witchcraft

"You should have left well enough alone," the old crone spat at the two Winchester boys. "I have stayed hidden all these years, being a good citizen and keeping my peace with the people of this town, yet still you hunt me."

"You call giving people pointy ears and a bushy tail peace?" Dean retorted, taking a step forward and pulling out his .45. "You sure are one crazy hag."

The witch's black eyes shone dangerously from under her stringy white hair. "They stuck their noses where they didn't belong, always sniffing around like animals. That's all they are-filthy, mindless animals. I simply showed them to be what they really are." She raised a bony, liver-spotted finger towards them. "And now it's your turn."

"We've been told that before," Sam stated from where he stood behind his brother. They had the witch cornered; Dean was going to shoot her-another untimely end for a monster of the supernatural.

"You'll come to regret this," she hissed, and began muttering low under her breath.

Dean raised his weapon. "The only thing I regret," he said, "is not having killed you sooner."

The witch flashed him a crooked smile as his finger tightened on the trigger.

BANG!

The gunshot boomed through the small, dilapidated house, but the witch was no longer within the bullet's trajectory. Though she had the appearance of a ninety year old woman, she moved with the speed of a person less than half that age, side-stepping the flying projectile that would've signaled her demise and suddenly appearing beside the elder Winchester. Dean's mind went blank for a moment at the occurrence, and the next thing he knew, he was flying across the room, thrown by a force humanly impossible. He slammed forcibly into the far wall, jolting the shabby shelves above him free from their loose bolts and sending miscellaneous items tumbling down on top of him.

In the midst of this, Sam threw himself at the witch as she reached into the folds of her tattered gray dress and pulled out a leather pouch. The young hunter reached for Ruby's knife, which was tucked into his belt, ready to plunge it into the witch's heart.

He didn't get that far.

The witch tore the bag open and Sam's vision exploded in a cloud of yellow dust, the fine powder filling his lungs and burning his eyes. He choked on it, and unable to keep his balance, fell over, blindly grabbing out at the witch on his way down.

There was a sickening crack and the witch's body stilled, her neck at an unnatural angle. She was dead.

Sam rolled away from her and struggled to get up, coughing, unable to see through the yellow haze that had settled over his eyes. "Dean..."

The older man groaned from where he slumped against the wall, his eyelids fluttering as he regained consciousness.

"D-ean…"

Sam's voice sounded strained, even to the dazed hunter. Dean shifted under the junk that lay on top of him, then forced open his eyes. The first thing he saw was his sibling hunched over on all fours, sides heaving as though he had difficulty breathing. "Sam?" He shoved the mess aside and quickly moved to his brother's side. "Sam, what's wrong?"

"Don't…threw…som'thin….pain…." Sam wrapped an arm around his stomach. "Oh God…"

Ah crap. Dean's brow knit in worry. "Hold on, Sam, just hold on." What had the bitch done to his baby brother? His head swiveled around the room, which looked as though a tornado had gone through it. What to use, what to use…Another pained gasp brought his attention back to Sam. "Hang in there, buddy, I'll-" Do something…But what? They had never had this problem with witches before. Hex bags sure, but powder? That was a new one to him. In all his years as a hunter, they had run into problems of all sorts, but in the end they had been able to figure it out, kill the big bad monster they happened to be hunting at the time, and move on. But now that wasn't the case. Now he was unsure of what to do, unsure of how to help alleviate the pain his brother was feeling, and it made him feel…helpless.

"D-de…n….I- ahhh!" Sam broke off with a blood-curling scream.

"Sam!"

Sam's back arched, cracking horribly, and for a second Dean thought it would snap under the visible strain. It didn't, but that was just the beginning. Dean grabbed at his brother when he fell onto his side and began writhing around on the floor. "Sam? Come on, Sammy, stay with me!"

Sam didn't respond. His face was scrunched up tight, his molars grinding together as he tried to hold back his screams, coming out as breathless, agonized gasps instead. The struggles grew more intense, more violent, and Dean could not keep a tight hold on his sibling. Sam twisted onto his stomach and out of Dean's grasp, digging his fingers into the grimy carpet as he struggled to get away from the blinding, white-hot pain that threatened to overtake him and send him into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness. Dean? Where was Dean?! He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, there was only the pain. His body, his very
soul, felt as if it had been dipped into the fiery pits of Hell, drowning in a seemingly everlasting pool of agony, suffering, and fear. And his mind, dear God, his mind! Dean, help me! Dean! De-n…! He-help…mmm…eeee…… He was losing his grip on himself, his thoughts swirling into nothingness, leaving him only with the most primal of instincts.

Horrified, Dean watched as his brother changed before his very eyes, becoming something less than human. Sam's nails darkened, curling into claws and shredding the carpeting beneath him; splintering cracks sounded through the small building, causing Dean to wince when he realized it was bones, his brother's bones, as they realigned themselves within his body. Sam let out another piercing scream as his spine curved again, tearing through his clothes, while his ears grew pointed and his long, chestnut hair spread like wildfire across his form. His mouth jutted out from his face with a terrible crunch, his teeth elongating to sharpened points, ending his cry in an animalistic howl. A series of pops and cracks followed as the joints set into their new position, then everything went silent and still.

"Sam?" Dean cautiously approached the dark mound that lay where his brother had been naught moments before and reached out tentatively. His eyes widened at the feel of fur.

Fur?

Dean tried to make sense of it.

The furry mound shifted and he fell back on his rear, staring at it.

And the wolf stared back.

Continue? Reviews keep me going! :)