Disclaimer: Kripke is God. I am not.
On The Night
By: Capella Auriga
Rating: T (Language, Violence)
A/N: This is my first foray into the Supernatural fandom, and my first fanfic. This is set in season one, sometime between Faith and Shadows. The story is centered around Shamanism, as I was watching a documentary on the History channel about it. Then I watched something on PBS about Hyenas. This is what happened. Beta is the lovely Michelle.
Summary: Sam and Dean are enroute to a hunt when they run over a hyena that's escaped from a wildlife refuge. Instead of hunting ghosts they end up hunting a dangerous cult that practices Shamanism. Set in Season One, between Scarecrow and Faith.
Chapter One: Your Latest Trick
"I don't know how it happened
It was faster than the eye could flick
But not all I can do is hand it to you
And your latest trick." –Dire Straits
Lightning flashed across the night sky, illuminating the cacti scattered throughout the desert. Fat raindrops pelted the windshield of the Impala and the wipers worked furiously to keep up as water cascaded down the glass. Dean Winchester carefully navigated the deserted stretch of highway that ran through southern Arizona, vowing to stop at the next available motel. Driving in a monsoon was never a good idea, but he had wanted to make it to Red Hill tonight. Coordinates from Dad always meant that there was an important hunt on the horizon. The coordinates had arrived while he was having breakfast with Sam. Of course, his baby brother was reluctant to go.
He spared a quick glance over, only to discover Sam was still asleep. Dean gripped the steering wheel tighter. He hated the fact that his brother had only agreed to come with him because their hunt in Memphis turned out to be a bust. He insisted on coming to Arizona, but neglected to tell Sam why he wanted to go. Dad might be there this time. Dean felt his heart skip a little then, pushed his wishful thinking to the back of his mind. His Father hadn't come when he'd called him in Lawrence. While he would never admit it to Sam, that had hurt. Even more then being sent to New Orleans for a hunt, only to find his Dad had ditched him. He couldn't let himself hope that his father would be in Red Hill. Instead he was determined to focus on the hunt.
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as a dark shape darted into the road. The Impala swerved as he slammed his foot on the brake.
"Fuck!" he swore. The car swung wildly for a moment and finally came to a complete stop in a patch of prickly pears. Sam let out a string of curses at the rude awakening.
"What the hell, Dean?" he rubbed the side of his head as he glared at him.
"Did you see that?" Dean queried, peering into the desert.
"I didn't see anything, Dude. I was asleep." Sam groused.
Rolling his eyes, he shoved the door open.
"What are you doing?"
"I think I hit a coyote. I'm gonna make sure it didn't do any damage to my baby."
Dean slid off the seat, pulling his leather jacket further over his head in an attempt to shield himself from the rain. He shut the car door behind him and carefully negotiated his way around the sharp needles protruding from the cacti, grimacing as he spotted the blood. There were paw prints scattered around the Impala. A high-pitched shriek sliced through the night, disturbing the steady rhythm of the rain. Dean spun on his heels to find a pair of yellow eyes staring back at him. They leapt at him from the darkness. No time to react. For a moment, there was a burning pain. Then nothing.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
Running his hands along the heaters for warmth, Sam sighed in annoyance. Leave it to Dean to run over the local wildlife and then insist on checking out his precious car during a fucking rainstorm. The headlights cut through the gloomy night and he watched as his older brother made his way around the Impala. He glared at his back, still pissed that Dean had acquiesced to their Father's command to come to Arizona. Their hunt in Memphis might have turned out to be a group of teenagers playing a hoax on unwitting tourists, but that didn't mean they should have to just drop everything so they could follow Dad's orders. Shaking his head in contempt, Sam knew things would never change with their Dad. He said jump, and Dean asked how high. Dad's perfect little soldier. Sam was working on that. Trying to make his brother understand that it was all right to think for himself once in a while.
Looking up again, Sam frowned when he didn't see Dean standing in the headlights anymore. He leaned forward; thinking perhaps his brother was attempting to scrape coyote off the fender. A few seconds passed and there was still no sign of Dean. Annoyance turned to worry, wondering if Dean possibly could have slipped on the wet road. Grabbing a 9mm from the glove department, Sam shoved open the door with mild frustration and softly hissed as cold raindrops hit his face.
"Dean!"
Another flash of lightening danced across the sky, briefly giving him a glimpse of the Sonoran Desert. The distinct sound of laughter filled the air, making the hair on the back of his neck rise. Silently he walked around to the front of the Impala. Dean was unconscious, sprawled out on the cold sand. Blood ran down his face. Sam gasped in shock when he saw what was standing on his brother's chest--a hyena. Yellow eyes turned to stare at him. Without hesitation he took aim and pulled the trigger. The beast yelped, leapt off his brother and fled into the desert, leaving a trail of blood behind it.
"Dean!" he called.
He dropped down to the ground, wincing as he began to assess his brother's injury. There were several deep gashes on the left side of his face. Dean's right arm lay at an odd angle, a sure sign that it was broken. Pressing his fingers into the side of his older brother's neck, he found a pulse that was slow but steady.
"Dean, wake up." Sam ground out, gently shaking him. There was no response.
Sam brought Dean into an upright position, cradling him against his chest. He needed to get his brother out of the rain, and drive to the nearest hospital. With a lot of effort, he managed to drag Dean back to the Impala. Sam propped him up against the door and suddenly realized that he had no idea where the nearest hospital even was. Knowing that Dean was probably going to kill him for it, he brought out his cell phone and flipped it open. His fingers hovered over the keypad for a moment.
"What in hell is a hyena doing in fucking Arizona?" he asked, suddenly wishing for some smart-ass rejoinder from Dean. Letting out a sigh of resignation, he dialed 9-1-1.