Chapter 4

Sam felt his body begin to tremble in the icy waves and knew he didn't have much time left to finally get them warm and dry. The thought of losing his brother after just finding him gave him new power and he pushed back his own exhaustion, switching into hunter-mode and letting his instincts take over. With a quick look around he decided that swimming back to beach wasn't an option considering the exhaustion he felt and the time it would take to get his brother there.

With his free arm he took hold of one of the wooden poles keeping the construction over the surface, ignoring the feeling of seemingly a million splinters embedding themselves into his palm, and pushed his foot against a small protrusion, lifting his body just enough to grab a plank that was sticking out above him. Somehow he managed to drag the dead weight of his brother up with him, and just as he was about to shove them over the edge a sudden wave took him in the back, making him gasp and almost lose his grip. The wind sped up, making the mist splash into his face and through his squinted eyes he got a glimpse at a wavering figure standing over them just as a hot pain spiked through his outstretched arm, making him gasp in the salty water. Another wave of agony went through his body and a scream ripped itself from his throat while he felt his fingers begin to slip. Desperately he tried to hold on, but the pain from his hand threated to overwhelm him, and together with his exhaustion and the constantly raising waves he felt himself slip into darkness. Just when he was about to close his eyes and give in, the clear scream of a bird cut through the air and he ripped his eyes open just in time to see the ghostly figure stop in the middle of her violent abusing, turning around with an inhuman growl while the waves seemed to freeze and the unmercifully whipping wind stopped to complete silence.

Suddenly, as quick as it came, the moment was over and with a high pitched scream the creature threw itself at who- or whatever produced the bird-like sound. Sam's fogged mind absently informed him that the now even louder scream was clearly a raven, and he almost smiled at how absolutely useless this information was at this point. Slowly he felt himself drift away as the burning pain in his hand and the exhaustion from his fight to save his brother finally took their toll and the last thing he felt was a hard tuck on his injured wrist, the following wave of agony seemingly too much as it sent him under completely.

Dean sluggishly opened his eyes, blinking blankly at the light-yellow colored ceiling, letting his mind wander and absently wondering what happened. Slowly, the fog in his brain lifted, and with the burning sensation in his chest the memories returned, even though patchy and incomplete: He remembered talking to a pretty girl in a bar and ordering one shot after another, even after feeling the alcohol slowing his thoughts and movements.

After that, everything disappeared into a blurry mess of pictures and sensations, and the only thing left was the nagging sensation that he missed something important and the picture of his brother's pained and concerned face, looking down onto him. His whole body hurt and he was about to drift away again when a pained sound he would recognize everywhere got him sitting upright in a second, looking around frantically for the one that always came before his own misery - Sam. As soon as he had spotted him, lying back on a sofa, his arm cradled to his chest and his eyes pinched closed, he was up and by his side in an instant, positioning himself in between his brother and the strange old man that knelt in front of him. He shot a glare in his direction and then turned around, laying one hand at Sam's elbow "Hey, Sammy, look at me." He said softly, and his brother's eyes flew open, staring at him, just before he threw himself at Dean, hugging him tightly "Dean" he whispered, ignoring the tears that threatened to spill "I thought… you were…" "Shhh" Dean said, feeling Sam's shoulders hitch, and then pulled back to get a better look on the hand his brother still held tightly to his body. He hissed a sharp breath as he took in the swelling and the blue color of the fingers "What the hell happened?" he demanded, sweeping the hair back from Sam's forehead affectionate and turning around to look at the man that now sat on the couch Dean was laying on a minute ago. He had black hair with silver strands spiked up and a dark skin, Dean though he must a Native. Now, deep furrows creased his face and when he spoke up, his voice was deep and sorrowful: "You were taken by the sea, but freed by your brother. You were almost lost, but I managed to banish the beast and took you to my house." "What?" Dean snapped and was about to let his temper take over when he felt a hand on his shoulder "Dean, stop it. He saved us." Sam's soft voice sounded from behind, and Dean turned around "Saved us from what?" he asked "The creature. It tried to drown you. I got after you but it wouldn't let us leave. He arrived just in time to chase it away. How did you do that, by the way?" Sam asked and glanced curiously at the man who had watched them quietly through their explanation. Now, he got up and turned around to the table to pick something up "That is a long story. Maybe you should fix your hand before I start." He suggested and put the fresh bandage in Dean's outstretched hand. "I will go prepare some tea for you. You look like you could need it." And with that, he disappeared into another room.

"Hold still" Dean commanded and began wrapping the cloth around Sam's wrist, slowly making his way up. He ignored his brother's concerned stare when he had to stop half way to cough hard before continuing. Sam was just about to open his mouth when Dean interrupted "Dude, I'm fine" he snapped and smirked up at Sam. "Dean, you almost drowned out there! You are not fine!" Sam stated angrily, seeing the lines of tension in his brothers face. "I can see it, you should-"he stopped suddenly, hissing in a breath through his teeth when pain shot up through his arm as Dean tightened the bandage around his fingers. "Calm down, Samantha! I will lie down, but only if you let me finish your hand. And the more you squirm, the longer it will take." Dean stated, stopping for a moment to let Sam take a breath and then winding the last layer around the damaged hand before giving it a last tug and securing it. "Okay, all done" he announced and let himself fall onto the couch next to Sam, closing his eyes and absently rubbing his still sore chest.

The sound of porcelain being set on the table made him open his eyes in time to see the old man filling two big cups with a slightly yellow liquid. "This will ease the pain. It's an old recipe my grandfather taught me." He explained while he handed the cups to the two young men. Sam inconspicuously sniffed at his cup and then, after deciding it didn't smell too bad, took a careful sip. His eyes widened when the sweet, honey like taste filled his mouth. "This is good" he stated surprised, and Dean grunted in agreement, gulping down the hot liquid that smothered his raw throat.

After drowning the last drop, they set their mugs aside and turned their attention to the Native man sitting across from them. "Okay, so what was that creature? I read some lore in the library earlier, but I'm not sure. I think I read something about some kind of ghost of the sea, but…" Sam stopped, shrugging his shoulders and looking questioning at the man.

"You are right" he answered "But let's start at the beginning:

So, once there was a young woman named Sedna. She lived in the Arctic with her father. He was a fisherman so they didn't have much money, but they were happy, and so Sedna didn't want to marry and go away, even with plenty of young man advertising her. One day, her father said 'The next man that visits, you will marry him', and so the next day it came that a young, good looking man came and promised her plenty of food and a luxurious life if she married him. To fulfill her father's wish she agreed, and so he took her over the sea to a lonely island. As soon as they reached it and were alone, he revealed his true form: he was a so called birdman, a bird dressed as a man."

The old man stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing "So from that day on she lived under the merciless hand of the birdman, till one day, her father came to visit. When he saw how unhappy his daughter was, he took her into his boat and they set off for home. By that the Birdman was so enraged that he sent his friends, and they flew above their kayak and flapped there wings so hard they created a huge storm and the boat threatened to sink. The father was so frightened to drown in the cold water; he threw Sedna overboard, hoping they would let him pass. Sedna tried to hold onto the edge of the boat and wouldn't let go, so her father took a paddle and cut off her fingers, one by one, and after that she sank to the bottom of the ocean where she became a powerful spirit, controlling the sea and its animals. The fishermen still follow a few traditions to maintain a good relationship with her so she allows her animals to be caught by them and to appease her."

After the man finished his story, there was a beat of silence when everybody was lost in his thoughts, trying to process the new information. After a few moments Dean cleared his throat and broke the silence "Well, that explains a lot" he stated with a quick look at Sam's damaged hand and then shuddered at the thought of how close it must have been. "But why is that happening now? I mean, yeah, there are things like, I don't know, overfishing and stuff, but it's nothing new." He said, wondering. "That's a good question" the man agreed "But there are a few sources that say with the right spell she can be summoned and bound to a human," "Great" Dean groaned "So it's not only an enraged, powerful water spirit we have to deal with but also some fanatic nature protection freaks." He complained. The Native gave an amused chuckle before getting up again, walking over to a big and old looking cabinet. He took two thin, black ribbons out of a box before coming back and handing them to the brothers.

Sam took the offered gift out of the old mans hand and let it slide carefully through his fingers, feeling the leathery texture before looking up questioning. "What are those?" He asked curiously. "They are protection charms." The Native explained, "They should prevent you from falling under Sedna's spell again." Sam's eyebrows rose and he examined his bracelet with new interest, turning it around and trying to figure out how it was made. "It's just leather band, drenched in specific herbs and lotions" the man answered his unasked question and smiled at Sam's surprised face.

"That's great," Dean spoke up "But why do you know all that stuff? And why are you even helping us?" he demanded suspiciously, ignoring his brothers annoyed glare and focusing on the Native man who looked offended for one moment but then caught himself and answered. "My name is Nanuq. My father was the shaman of the Inuit that live here, and he passed his legacy to me. Also, I lived here all my live, and you aren't the first hunters that cross my path." He stated and chuckled at their stunned expressions before adding "Believe me, there is very few I don't know about this place, so before you run straight out that door, think about the advantage I would bring".

Dean, already inconspicuous edging his fingers closer to his pocket where he knew his Desert Eagle was, stopped in the movement and considered Nanuq's words: After all, he had saved them, and he gave them those protection charms… Before Dean could come to a conclusion, Sam had already made his decision and now smiled at the man. "Thank you very much for your help. We would really appreciate to be able to come back to you if we need more information." He said while nudging Dean who still looked unsure. "I suggest you don't know how to kill her?" Sam added. Nanuq's brows furrowed "No, I'm sorry." He answered "The only thing I can tell you is that apparently she is scared of birds, even of their cries". "Not surprising judging by her history," Dean interjected "Maybe we can stop her when we find the people summoning her?" Sam nodded. "It's worth a try," he agreed and then tried to hide a yawn behind his hand. Dean glanced at him and then pushed himself upright a little, feeling his own exhaustion seep into his mind. "We will go and have a look around tomorrow. Now, Samantha here needs her beauty sleep" He said while getting up fully. Sam glared at him but gratefully accepted the hand that grabbed his arm, pulling him up and steadying him while he cradled his arm to his chest "Thank you for, you know… everything." He said and tried to get his sleep- fogged eyes focused on the man that saved them. Dean snorted at his concentrated expression and gave Nanuq a grateful smile when he opened the door for them so he could maneuver Sam through it into the cold night. He turned around and opened his mouth to thank the man for his help but was cut off before he could even say the first word "You don't have to thank me," The Native said fiercely "You will save my people, I owe you." "We will try" Dean answered serious. "And you will succeed," Nanuq told him without even a hint of doubt before he suddenly turned around and disappeared back into his house.

For one moment Dean just stood there and stared at the closed door, confused, till Sam, whose mind seemed to be cleared a little by the fresh air, tugged at his sleeve. Together they stepped onto the empty street and made their way back to their motel in silence; both too tired and too caught up in their own thoughts to discuss the happenings of this eventful night.