With dispirited hearts, Sam and Dean were forced to keep moving forwards without Cas. They decided to name the thing that took him a "harpy", since it bared a resemblance to the mythological monster. (Though they were in agreement that "bitch" was also suitable.)
"We're going to find him," Sam reassured his brother. But he was trying to reassure himself just as much.
Dean seemed to stew silently, uttering a curse once every so often. "That bitch is gonna pay!" he growled into his scarf. If only he'd picked a different case... one much further away...
"Dean..." A sigh came from the tall man. "Look... this isn't your fault."
Dean should have anticipated Sam's attempt to hearten the situation. But now was not the time for it. Too many mixed emotions. Too many confusing options for who or what was to blame. So he gave no response.
Sam took a deep breath, there was another main concern that plagued him. But he didn't even dare ask. How were they going to find the tree now without Cas?
The storm even made it near-impossible to think. Sam blinked, trying to clear his vision, but the storm was so disorientating, that the trees started swimming around him and even changing their shapes. It made him feel tired, and he had a compelling urge to lie down, but he knew that would be a very bad idea.
Dean must have noticed something was wrong with him, because Sam felt his hand on his shoulder, and could hear him yelling "Hey, Sam! You okay?" The weird thing was, that when he tried to look at Dean, he couldn't even see him. He saw nothing but trees, ever moving, growing and shrinking in a tornado around him. Sam buried his face in his gloved hands and screamed.
"Sam!" Dean was shouting at the top of his lungs at his brother, who seemed to be having a mental breakdown of some sort, hunched over and burying his head.
Then, as if by miracle, there was something up ahead. The view of open sky, and finally, less trees. Dean had to double-take in case he was just going crazy, but it was still there, and this gave him a spark of hope. So he yanked Sam towards what finally looked like a way out of the forest.
As they got closer, Dean realised that they were indeed at the edge of the trees now. And that they were also out of the blizzard. Dean looked back, to see that behind them, the blizzard was still raging on in the trees in the distance. "Weird."
But the ground here seemed to be cut off to a vast, dark chasm. Dean couldn't see any way across, except for a single fallen tree. On the other side, appeared to be more trees and a rock face, but the sky looked clear. And the rock face wasn't too high and appeared climbable. "Well, this looks promising," Dean sighed.
"Sam?" Dean shook his brother. "You can open your eyes now, we're safe for now, I think... Sam?"
Sam murmured something and uncurled himself slightly, but he was still acting really weird and out of it, so Dean sat him down against a nearby rock. "Hey, what's going on with you?" Dean was getting more worried. He cupped Sam's face in his hands. He appeared to be losing consciousness. Damnit, Sam... Dean thought, as Sam slumped against the rock, drifting off to sleep.
Letting Sam sleep, Dean looked over to the tree bridge, contemplating what to do next. In his head, he came up with three options.
Option one was to take a nap with Sam; (and that one was truly tempting, because he was seriously tired!)
Option two was to go across the tree bridge without Sam and hopefully find help, or a road, or a way out or something.
And the third option was to stay awake and guard Sam, making sure that no more creepy feathery-assed bitches got them.
And there was no option four, because according to Dean, going into that forest was definitely not an option.
So, the third option seemed like the most sensible. Stay awake and keep a lookout for monsters. But what if something was seriously wrong with Sam? What if he needed a doctor? Dean knew a few things about first aid, and he knew that passing out was generally not a good thing.
Hmm. Option one was a bit risky. Taking a nap, when there are creatures out there. And with no one to watch out for them?
So again, it came back to going across the tree. But then Dean would be worried about Sam. Then again, maybe if he didn't find help, he'd end up with much more to worry about... It was a tricky situation.
Dean was crouched next to Sam, continually checking on him. He was till stuck on his decision on what to do, when he heard a loud, raw scream, over in the distance across the rock face.
Startled, he jumped to his feet, gun in check.
But at the same time his heart sank. There was no doubt who the scream had belonged to; "Cas..." he said under his breath.
Feeling torn seemed to be a running theme with Dean. But he needed to make a decision, fast. And that scream seemed to settle it for him. He was going to save Cas.
Sam and Cas would have both told Dean that this was a reckless and foolish decision, and Dean knew it, but there was an impulsive streak in Dean that kicked in whenever it came to somebody close to him in danger. And had there been anyone conscious around who could persuade him to change his mind, it wouldn't have worked anyway. So Dean prepared to make his way across the haphazardly fallen tree.
Dean focused on trying to get to Cas, but admittedly, his heart raced as he climbed onto the end of the tree. Once on top, he got to his feet very slowly. The tree was wide enough to walk on if he minded his balance well. He walked the length of the tree, which was at least twice his height, and was thankful when he made it safety on the other side. He peered back down into the endless chasm as his heart regained its rhythm. He took one last look across to Sam's tiny sleeping form on the other side, and then turned toward the rock face.
Using the gaps for footing and heaving himself up by his arms, Dean had finally made it up the forty foot rock wall. Catching his breath back, Dean rolled behind a nearby tree, in case there were enemies around. After a minute, he sat up and peeked behind the tree, drawing his gun as a precaution.
Dean wasn't really sure what he was looking at. He assumed he was by the edge of another forest, but something was very wrong with the plants and trees. He was even forced to quickly recoil from the tree he was leaning on, when he realised there was faint movement to it. The barks on the trees everywhere were plagued by writhing flesh, and there were various decomposing flesh-like textures in the environment. He looked down below the rocks he was on, and noticed some sort of a clearing. There were frightening expanses of fleshy organisms growing all around it. Or was it all one organism? Dean didn't know. But he tried to contain the bile rising up in his stomach, and tried to find a path down to the clearing.
Stepping onto the path, Dean was met with the sight of several rotting carcasses on the ground, and scattered among the rocks. As he got closer to the clearing, there was an eerie red glow, and he couldn't place where it was coming from. The disgusting trees here were morphed together at the crowns to create a repulsive ceiling of flesh, which dripped blood in places. One of the trees had a fleshy bundle attached to it. Dean crept towards it cautiously. The bundle was moving sluggishly as though it was breathing. A head of dark hair was protruding from the top of it, hanging limply.
"Oh god, please don't let it be..." Dean worried. But when he got right up to the body attached to the tree, his heart skipped a beat as he found out his suspicions were correct.
"Cas?" Dean whimpered, and he held his friend's face in his hands. His face was still streaked with blood from the harpy attack. He didn't wake up. And Dean couldn't even tell whether he was still breathing. He checked his neck for a pulse, and to his relief there was a very feint rhythm. Dean then began by taking his knife and stabbing at the fleshy tendril-like things that were securing Cas to the tree. The things slid around, trying to avoid the blade, making Cas' unconscious body look like it was wriggling. Dean managed to make some of them bleed as he cut them, and they made quiet shrieking noises. They were freakishly tough however, and every time Dean thought he'd managed to hack a good section free, it was quickly replaced by new growth. Soon with all the slashing, there was blood pouring onto the ground and soaking his own skin and clothes. He didn't seem to be getting anywhere.
"Damnit!" The hunter cursed, furiously.
There was a feint rustling behind him. Dean turned on his heels, aiming his gun and guarding Cas. He saw a dark figure. Dean fired a shot, but the gun in his hands disintegrated like dust. The shadow figure approached him. Then everything went black.
Sam was falling deeper with every exhale. Soothed as though under a spell by a distant lullaby. Until slowly, every sound melted into a peaceful silence.
When he opened his eyes, his face was cushioned by soft earth and leaves. He felt much warmer and all was quiet, save for a faint blustering sound, like a storm that was far away. As Sam regained more awareness, he realised he was on the forest floor, and he sat up slowly, staring in disbelief at his surroundings.
He called for his brother, but there was no answer. He seemed to be alone.
He had been lying at the bottom of a huge tree. And as he looked around, he noticed that beyond the tree, the blizzard still raged on, the noise of the wind almost muted out. It appeared that there was an invisible spherical field surrounding this tree where Sam stood, blocking out the storm like a reverse snow globe.
Sam poked his arm through the 'globe', and it was instantly exposed to the cold blizzard, so he retrieved it, staring in amazement and shaking off the snow.
Sam also discovered he had in fact been lying in a dried up river bed, and it was quite peculiar the way it narrowed and disappeared underneath the tree, between its outstretched roots.
Sam's eyes followed the trunk of the tree upwards, and what he found next astounded him even more.
The bark was inscribed with some runic-looking symbols. But centring these writings was a crudely chipped eye. The carvings were oozing with a thick red liquid, which oozed from the eye like bloody tears.
This must be it... It was the weirdest tree he'd seen in his whole life. And now that he thought about it, it was even an odd species for its location. All around it were trees that were characteristic of Colorado; such as Pine, Spruce and Fir. But this tree, which apparently bled, looked like some sort of an Oak, and not even a species of Oak he recognised.
Sam tried to remember what Cas had said about the Dryad. The whole reason of finding the tree was to kill the creature. So he pulled the knife out from inside his jacket.
"C'mon! Show yourself!" Sam screamed.
He took the demon knife and jabbed it in into one of the cuts on the bark.
"Don't!" Sam turned in surprise at the faint female voice. There stood a woman whose body was mostly composed of greenery and branches. What little bare skin was showing, was pale, with green veins faintly visible beneath it. She appeared to float through the air and her face showed little expression.
"Are you the dryad?" Sam asked, holding the knife before himself, defensively. She slowly nodded. "I'm Madeina."
Sam couldn't help but feel angry for all that had happened because of her. He didn't quite know where to begin with her. "Why are you killing people?" he growled. But the dryad Madeina stared solemnly at Sam, and didn't respond.
The hunter pointed the knife at her. "Answer me!" he threatened. Although he guessed that this knife wouldn't work on her, he hoped that she didn't know that.
When she finally spoke again, her voice was very soft. "I haven't done anything wrong. I'm a hamadryad; I protect nature."
"Is that why you possessed those innocent people?" Sam spat, his anger rising.
The tree spirit didn't seem to be afraid of Sam, but as yet, she hadn't tried to attack. "My tree was inflicted with evil," she said, he voice close to a whisper. As she said this, her eyes motioned towards the markings on the tree.
"This spell allowed him to cast me away..."
Sam knotted his eyebrows. There was someone else involved? Was she lying? "Who cast you away?" he questioned.
But the dryad ignored Sam's question. "I was lost, disconnected from my tree," she explained. "The tainting of the sacred water made me lose control and I found myself possessing people and punishing others."
"Sacred water?" Sam asked, puzzled. Maybe that was what was once flowing in the riverbed... "Wait... who caused all of this?" Again, the dryad wouldn't name any names, and fell silent. Sam tried a different perspective. "Do you know how to stop this?"
"If I can get the remaining water back," Madeina whispered, "then I may be able to break the spell."
The remaining water... Sam thought. He took a step closer to the dryad, hoping to get more answers out of her. "Look, something took my friend. Do you know where it could've taken him?"
"There is a lair, on the other side of those rocks," came her quiet reply. Sam looked around to find any indication of what she was talking about, but outside of the little bubble he was in, there was nothing but the same blizzard and trees. Sam turned back towards her, about to question her again, but she was already gone.
Sam's eyes snapped open, and he looked about himself, realising he'd fallen asleep somewhere. He wondered whether what he'd just seen had been real, or just some very vivid dream. The sacred tree from the dream wasn't there any more. Was this even the same place?
He suddenly remembered his injured arm and instinctively nursed it, expecting the same pain from before, only to be taken back by surprise. There was no pain at all. And he checked it to find it was completely unscathed. Even the sleeve was good as new.
Sam got up, investigating the edge of the clearing, and noting where the blizzard stopped at the edge of the forest. He had no recollection of how he'd got here.
And worryingly, there was also no sign of Dean.
Soon, he found where the land just stopped and there was a tree bridge across the chasm. He took note of the rocks on the other side, and wondered if that was what the dryad had meant. If so, then that was the place he needed to get to.
The determined hunter was across the bridge in no time, taking large but carefully-aimed strides. After that he began scaling the rock wall. At the final heave to the top, Sam drew his gun, almost shooting the fleshy looking tree, thinking it was going to attack him. But the only thing it threatened to do was to make him want to vomit. Unfortunately for him, he soon found out the things were thriving here.
Trying to ignore it at much as possible, he wandered on through the mysterious surroundings. The sky was dark and grey, yet there was an eerie reddish glow, allowing him to see where he was.
Finding a clear path was becoming difficult, as there was a thick mist enveloping the part he was in now. And he soon found he was walking among several decaying carcasses, lying forgotten below it.
Sam kept walking along the high outcrop of rocks, until he came across an odd clearing in the fog below him. It was the closest thing to a "lair" he'd come across so far. He carefully crept closer to it, reluctantly having to keep close to the revolting trees in order to stay hidden.
Somewhere below, he could hear the familiar squawking of a harpy. No, several at once this time. All cawing down from the trees like vultures. Hearing them made him nervous.
He crouched in further behind some strange shrub, which had a thin, veiny skin stretching between its branches, and hoped that this would be enough to hide him from view.
Being very careful, Sam spied down into the trees. The harpies were perching in the intestinal-looking branches surrounding the overhanging clearing. They seemed to be waiting for something.
Inside the circle of trees, it was cleared of snow. And attached to two of the trees at the edge, appeared to be two forms, cocooned tightly by some weird fleshy, living growths. Only the heads of these poor souls were free. Inching as close as he dared, Sam could see now, within one of them was definitely Dean, his head flopping down. Just unconscious, he hoped. He looked at the second, also unmoving figure, a few feet further away; and could only assume it was Castiel.
Sam could once again feel bile rising in his stomach. He'd seen some disturbing things in his time, but he was definitely going to be losing some sleep over this one.
After a moment, the harpies started cawing, as a figure emerged from the bushes. It seemed the harpies were welcoming whoever this person was.
Sam kept watching, as a bearded man emerged from the fog. He was dressed in a sharp suit and tie, with brown hair tied back into a ponytail. An insane contrast to his distasteful surroundings. His face held an eerie blank gaze.
Luckily, the man didn't seem to notice Sam, as he made his way slowly towards Cas and Dean's unmoving forms inside their horrible fleshy prisons.
The man approached Cas first. Sam strained to get a clear view, and he could have sworn he saw something glimmering around the man's neck. A necklace maybe?
The man peered at Cas' limply-hanging head with a strange curiosity, like he was looking at some captured alien. He reached out with his hands, cupping Cas' bloodied face, his fingers canvassing his features like a blind man would learn a person's face.
Cas picked that moment to start regaining consciousness, meeting the strange man's cold gaze. Sam sighed with relief at the knowledge that Cas was at least alive.
The man examining Cas must have been sightless, Sam guessed, as he was still gazing deadly ahead, not meeting the angel's eyes.
Reaching full awareness now, Cas started to struggle in his bonds, and then noticing Dean, he called out to him, but to no avail, before turning furiously at the newcomer. "What is this? Who are you?"
The man was silent as he took the strange object around his neck, holding it in his fingers.
He spoke very distantly. "Is this what you were looking for?" he said. He was wearing a glass vial, filled with a clear liquid. But Cas said nothing.
Behind the bush, Sam put a hand over his mouth. Was this the vial of sacred water the dryad was talking about?
The blind man huffed out a quiet laugh. "By the way, you may call me Hod," he added.
Cas gave up struggling, but twitched and winced from time to time, as though the binds were hurting him, keeping him in check.
"Hod..." Cas rasped out. "As in 'Hodur', the god of darkness and winter."
The blind god... thought Sam. Well, that could also explain the blizzard...
The trapped angel started taking in his surroundings as much as his restrictive position would allow. He then spotted the horrid birds up in the branches. "You're working together with the harpies?" he said angrily.
"They have a great eye for prey," Hod said, still intensely palming at the angel, now moving his hands all over his torso. "And after the sacrifices are over, they get to eat what's left. It's a great partnership."
Cas flinched sharply again and spoke though his teeth. "No! You've corrupted this whole forest. And you had those innocent people possessed!"
At that, Hod simply chuckled, and his head seemed to slowly lean to the side. It looked very creepy from where Sam was sitting. And the man pressed his palms down to Cas' bound chest, as though trying to detect something.
Cas swallowed, glancing at Dean. "What do you want from us?"
"Nothing... from you..." Hod answered, quietly. "You're not human..." He paused, his words trailing off. The fleshy binds quivering beneath his palms. "This place doesn't want you."
Cas shifted nervously, suddenly worried. "What are you talking about?"
Just then Dean stirred and made a grunting sound, but didn't wake.
Hod rose to his feet and stepped back from Cas, who could feel something happening to the thing enveloping him. It started stretching its tendons and ligaments and very slowly began receding from his body.
Hod made no expression as he addressed the looming harpies, perched up in the branches. "At first I would have disapproved of you for bringing me a soulless seraph," he lectured. "But now I see that this being was a lure for this human." He motioned towards Dean. "Good work." He praised his subordinates. The harpies seemed to squawk back in thanks.
The living binds that held Cas were still slipping free and receding back into the earth and various foggy, shadowy corners of the forest. Cas had managed to free one arm, when Hod spoke to him again.
"You should run," he said with no emotion. "You can't fight them."
Cas somehow got to his feet, faster than Hod could predict, and he grabbed Hod's necklace. Hod growled as the vial broke free of his neck, and he furiously pawed at Cas, trying to retrieve it.
But Hod soon gave up, when a scream sounded from somewhere in the trees. The noise was a blend of anguished male and female voices. And for the first time since he'd met him, the god looked frightened. And then he vanished.
Even the harpies cawed loudly and scattered like startled crows.
Cas pocketed the vial, and eyed the trees before rushing to Dean. The angel hastily tore at the fleshy tendons enveloping his friend, but they were too strong. He needed to use his blade, but he found himself without it. Then he heard that horrendous groan again from the trees. It was getting closer.
Cas almost jumped out of his skin, as a figure leaped in through the fog. But he sighed with relief when he saw a familiar face.
"It's just me!" Sam reassured, as he tried to help Cas free Dean, using the knife he carried.
But their efforts were futile, as the pulsating, living mass only seemed to be sucking the unconscious hunter in even deeper.
"No!" Cas shouted. He was exhausted from this whole ordeal, but he still wouldn't give up trying to save Dean.
It was then, that Sam realised that one of Cas' feet was still caught on something. And he turned to try and help him, but the fleshy tendril had itself wrapped around the angel's ankle so tightly, that they both struggled to pull him free.
A screaming sound was heard again, but this time it sounded like it was coming from above their heads.
Sam gave up on Cas for the moment, to continue trying to free his brother. His forehead was covered in beads of sweat, as the horrid roar elicited from somewhere above him. He turned and looked upwards to see a large grey-skinned, hunchback-like creature. It had a twisted up face, and tiny eyes, and it was moving upside down along the grotesque roots in the ceiling. It was headed straight towards them.
Before Sam could react, Cas crammed something into his hand, and at the same time, snatching from him his iron knife. "Go!" the angel screamed at him. Sam hesitated and looked at the object in his hand. It was the vial. The angel shoved Sam back, causing him to almost trip over. The monster had now detached itself from the ceiling and was swinging its massive arms at them, trying to pack a punch with its giant fists.
Cas took a swing and managed to nip it with his blade. It retreated back onto the ceiling with a child-like wail, buying them a bit of time.
"Go!" Cas repeated.
"I can't!" Sam already felt his eyes prickle with the onset of tears.
Cas looked at Sam in the eyes and said "Yes, you can. Go."
Sam took one deep inhale, turned, and ran. A part of him hoping, as he swept through the trees, that the creature was chasing after him, rather than feasting on Dean or Cas.
Finally Sam arrived back at the rock wall, trying not to imagine how many corpses he might have stepped on in the fog. He pocketed the vial before he began scaling the rocks in a hurry.
Once on top of the outcrop, Sam dared a last look behind him. Cas seemed to be holding the creature off well, stabbing it each time it approached him. Sam froze for a moment, various thoughts were rushing through his head. He knew he somehow needed to get to the dryad. But how will he find her? He remembered managing to get her attention last time by stabbing at the sacred tree. But how am I going to find the tree? The last time he'd encountered it, he was in a dream of some sort. So what should he do?
"Dryad!" Sam screamed, between erratic breaths.
He took the sacred vial and presented it out in front of him, hoping that this would summon her to him, and remembering her name, he yelled "Madeina!"
Every noise in this place was carried abnormally far, and the distorted sounds of distant fighting still reached his ears. He had absolutely no clue what else to do, and he was panicking as his friend was now screaming, apparently losing the battle. Then, in a rash decision, Sam opened up the vial, and tossed the contents of it down his throat.
Sam closed his eyes and hoped. His stomach lurched briefly as though he'd just jumped dimensions. All of the discomforting sounds around him were instantly muted. He opened his eyes and was met by the familiar sight and feel of the sacred grove. He quickly noticed he was lying in flowing water and got to his feet. He stepped out of the water and gazed up at the great tree. The mutilations on the bark were gone and so was all the blood.
Sam turned to see the dryad smiling simply at him. The green foliage growing on her appeared healthier than before. It must have worked, Sam thought, she must have been reconnected to her source.
Sam looked around him. The blizzard outside of the bubble he was in had died down, the snow still seeping into the ground. He even heard a muster of crows as they sailed across the sky
He looked to the dryad again, "Help me save my friends!" he pleaded.
But the smiling dryad simply vanished, leaving the request to hang in the air.
...
