Chapter 4: When Dreams Bite Back

Castiel was having no luck finding anything in John Winchester's journal. The man had seen a lot in his time as a hunter, but not so much of the otherworldly planes. Even Castiel had little experience with this kind of creature, as angels didn't dream.

He jerked to attention at a choked sound coming from the bed. Dean's chin was slumped against his chest, facial muscles twitching in agitation. Castiel surged to his feet. He should have been paying more attention. He'd thought since Dean had rested the night before, he would stay awake throughout the day.

Sam looked up sharply, then over at Dean. He bolted from his chair. "What? Is it back?"

"Yes," Castiel said, jaw clenching as he probed with his senses. And apparently it hadn't waited for Dean to fall asleep naturally, but had pulled him under.

Sam reached Dean's bedside and began slapping his brother's cheek. "Dean, wake up!"

Dean's head lolled back to thunk against the headboard. Tremors ran through his limbs, and he tried to turn away with a desperate moan.

Sam grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard. "Dean!" He shot Cas a frantic look. "Can you chase it off again?"

Castiel closed his eyes in response. In the next second, he had entered the hunter's mind. The forest he now stood in was the same from the djinn's induced dream, except the trees seemed to be pressed closer together, crooked branches stretching out like bony fingers to claw and snare. A hellhound barked in the distance.

"Dean!" Castiel turned in a circle. There was something wrong here; the edges of the dream construct weren't wispy with fluctuations of a subconscious mind. They were firm. Entrapping.

A gurgling sound came from behind and Castiel spun. The creature he'd only glimpsed before was in the open now, a mutant conflagration of various species. It had a feline frame with stripes down its muscular legs and brawny tail, but a reptilian head with sharp tusks protruding from its zygomatic arches. The body was covered in a mane of quills that swished like aluminum feathers as it moved. It stood around three feet tall, and looked to weigh about eighty pounds.

Castiel narrowed his eyes. The beast was goring its tusks into the ground and churning up a patch of blood-soaked soil. Dean's blood? Then with the snap of its jaws, the creature began gobbling up the dirt. At first it chewed, and then the beast started making a sucking sound, causing pieces of the earth to peel up like paper. A nearby tree bent and wobbled as though flattened. The monster tipped its head back, inhaling a huge chunk of rock and grass, and even the entire tree whooshed into its maw as it stripped the dream.

Castiel flared his grace, igniting the gray woods in white light. The chimera jerked back and let out a spitting hiss. Its mouthful of earth puddled on the ground at its feet, slowly solidifying again. Castiel pushed a little more grace, though it wasn't as bright as the initial burst. A chittering sound vibrated in the creature's throat, and it didn't turn tail and flee. It'd seen his bluff.

Castiel dropped his angel blade from his sleeve into his hand and sidestepped to circle the beast. With a low growl, it mirrored his movements. Castiel lunged, slicing his sword in a horizontal arc. The creature dodged and danced away, but circled back around. Castiel adjusted his grip on the blade.

This time the creature struck, lashing out with the speed of a cobra. Castiel held his ground and thrust. The beast wrenched its head back at the last moment, and the tip of the blade only grazed its cheek under the eye. With a roar of rage, the creature cracked its tail like a whip, catching Cas's legs and knocking them out from under him.

He twisted mid-fall to land on his back and keep his sword angled up in defense. Jaws snapped close to his head and he jabbed instinctively. He felt a slight squish as metal penetrated soft tissue, and the beast howled. Jerking back, it finally whipped around and ran off, melting into gray fog.

Castiel pushed himself off the ground. With the creature's influence removed, the walls of Dean's mind began to bend and refract as he was called to wakefulness. Castiel gave a feeble push and returned to the real world. His eyes opened to find Sam leaning over his brother, still slapping Dean's cheek.

"Dammit, Dean, come on!"

Dean let out a low moan, but at last his eyelids fluttered open. "Sam?" Blinking blearily, he sat up straighter. "Crap, guess I fell asleep?"

"Yeah, and I couldn't wake you." Sam looked at Cas. "Did you see it this time?"

"Yes," he replied. "It's a dream eater."


"A dream eater?" Sam repeated. "What is that?" Aside from what the name implied, was it evil? And what did they do about it?

Castiel took a step, and paused to brace one hand against the wall. Sam frowned.

"It feeds on dreams." The angel's brows furrowed. "This one is strong. It was able to trap Dean in his sleep, which was why you couldn't wake him."

Dean cleared his throat nervously. "But you chased it off again, right? I'm not still in some crazy dream…" He glanced around the room as though a hellhound might jump out of the closet.

"You're awake," Sam reassured, but Dean didn't seem convinced. "Want me to pinch you?"

Dean snorted. "That wouldn't actually mean anything. I got pretty sliced up in the dream…" His eyes darkened with some haunted memory, and he rubbed his arm. "Damn, it hurt like a bitch. Even felt real…" He looked down as though to make sure he was in one piece, and, seemingly satisfied, launched off the bed.

Sam backed up to sit on the opposite mattress, stomach tightening with worry as Dean paced in agitation. "Cas, is this thing dangerous? I mean, can it hurt Dean in a dream?"

Cas stared at the window in thought. "I'm not sure. Its power was remarkably strong for its kind."

"Think it was working with the djinn? Teaming up or something?" Maybe it was coming after them for revenge.

"Nah, I don't think so," Dean put in, finally coming to a standstill. "Before the bitch dosed me, she was spouting some crazy talk about how she couldn't get enough to eat, like she was starving."

"Huh." Sam crossed his arms. "Okay, so maybe this thing was eating the nightmares before the djinn could, stealing her food source right out from under her." That explained why the case had caught their attention—a starving djinn would've been forced to kill more frequently, and wouldn't have had the presence of mind to cover her tracks. Sam thought back to the crematory setup in the old hospital, now understanding why the djinn had stopped using it. She'd been half out of her mind when he'd confronted her.

"If that's the case," Castiel said gravely. "The creature may have developed an insatiable thirst for such nightmares. And it learned from the djinn that it no longer had to search out a meal, it could create one." His eyes crinkled. "Dean's dreams seem to entice it."

Dean snorted. "Awesome. And by the way, I faced my fear this time, but it didn't break the illusion."

"That was for a djinn," Sam said.

His brother grunted. "Can't the monsters get together and decide on one set of rules to play by?"

Sam gave him an eye roll as he walked back to his laptop and typed in a search for dream eater. "Okay, here's something called a 'baku.' It's from Japanese mythology and is said to devour dreams." Only part of the description matched the cat-like features Cas had described, but there were never one hundred percent accuracies in the lore. Sam read further, and then quirked a brow in confusion. "According to legend, this thing is supposed to consume nightmares to give people a restful sleep."

"Wait," Dean said. "If this thing's going to eat up all my dreams, that can be a good thing, right?" He cleared his throat. "I mean, no more nightmares of Hell."

Sam pursed his lips sympathetically. "I suppose…"

Cas turned to look at Dean, mouth set in a pensive line. "I know you'd rather live without the nightmares, Dean, and I would let the creature take them from you if I thought it would do you no harm. But this baku is obviously gluttonous, and it won't stop once it's consumed your nightmares. It will continue on to devour your good dreams as well, your hopes and ambitions, until you are nothing but a hollow shell."

Sam stiffened. Shit.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"Find a way to ward against it, or banish it," Castiel replied.

"Can Dean even go to sleep, or does he have to stay awake until we fix this?"

Castiel glanced away again. "I can guard his dreams until we find a resolution."

Dean raised a hand. "Uh, that's not gonna happen. No offense, Cas, but I don't need two bodies poking around in my head."

Sam smirked. "You just don't want him witnessing your other dreams." Like the "den of iniquity" his brother no doubt fantasized about sometimes.

Cas alternated a perplexed look between them. "I've visited your dreams before, Dean."

"Yeah, still, we're gonna gank this thing before bed. So get on that research, Sammy." Dean walked over to put on a fresh pot of coffee.

Sam turned back to his computer and refined the search terms for how to get rid of a baku. Unfortunately, most of the lore detailed how to summon it. How were they supposed to banish an incorporeal monster? It wasn't like a ghost; there was no physical counterpart to salt and burn.

They spent the rest of the day researching. Dean even tried teaching Cas how to use the computer, which was an entertaining distraction. But as the hours wore on, the baku's pull seemed to be getting stronger. Dean talked less, and started leaning back in his chair and yawning every ten minutes. He'd already gone through four cups of coffee.

Sam got up to grab his wallet and pulled out one of the credit cards, which he handed to Cas. The angel gave it his customary head tilt.

"There's a market five blocks south from here. Buy a couple packs of Red Bull."

Cas cocked a brow in confusion. "You want to keep Dean awake with raw beef?"

Sam almost laughed. "They're energy drinks, Cas."

"Oh." He glanced at the credit card again.

"Just pick up two six-packs." That should get Dean through the night…and hopefully not give him tachycardia.

Cas wavered for a moment, but then disappeared with a swish of wings. Dean had started nodding off during the exchange, and Sam kicked his leg. He jerked up with a garbled snort.

"I'm awake."

"Yeah, right. I sent Cas for some energy drinks."

Dean blinked and swept his gaze around the room. "Alone?"

Sam sat back down in front of his laptop. "Well, I need to continue researching, and I don't trust you not to fall asleep along the way, so, yeah." It was a simple errand, which hopefully Cas could handle. Plus, his ability to pop in and out would make the trip quicker, which they needed since Dean seemed to be fading fast. His eyelids were drooping again, dammit.

"Hey." Sam kicked him again.

Dean glowered and stood up. "I'm not falling asleep." He began to pace, and Sam tried to focus on the web results, but he kept glancing up to make sure Dean hadn't gone to sit on the bed. His brother was walking the length of the room, rubbing his face with both hands and shaking his head.

"Try jumping jacks," Sam said.

Dean scowled, but after a minute, a staccato thumping started up.

Cas returned a few minutes later, plastic shopping bag in hand. He frowned at Dean's slagging exercise.

"About time," Dean panted, and snatched the bag. He dug out a can of Red Bull, popped the lid with a fizzle, and chugged it down.

Cas eyed him worriedly. "Does that help?"

Dean clapped his shoulder. "Yep, hits the spot. Thanks."

The three of them returned to research, but by the time midnight rolled around, they still hadn't found anything.

Sam's cheeks stretched tautly with a massive yawn. He blinked several times; the words on his computer screen were getting blurry.

"Sam, go to bed," Dean said.

"No, I'm okay."

Dean snorted. "You yawning every two minutes is making me more tired. Just get some sleep."

Sam frowned. "Are you sure?"

Dean shrugged and took a sip from his third can of Red Bull. "Hey, one of us might as well."

"Okay," he said reluctantly, and made eye contact with Cas. You'll watch over him?

Castiel gave a subtle nod.

With a sigh, Sam went over and climbed on top of the bed. He felt guilty that he could get some sleep when Dean couldn't, but he had to acknowledge that at least one of them needed to be functioning on full strength if they were going to solve this. In less than five minutes, he was out like a light.


Castiel glanced up from the laptop screen as Dean rubbed his face vigorously. "You're tired."

"Mr. Obvious," Dean grumbled, and then shook his head. "Sorry. I'm just pissed that this thing's got its hooks in me, and I can't even see it to fight it."

Castiel dropped his gaze to the floor. He could understand Dean's position all too well—and it irked him. Angels shouldn't feel helpless. Castiel should have been able to banish the creature, or at the very least strike the fear of God into it so it would never return, yet he couldn't. He couldn't even offer the Winchesters guidance on how best to deal with a rogue baku. The only thing he'd been able to do successfully that day was go grocery shopping and learn how to use a computer. Hardly useful things that Sam or Dean couldn't easily do for themselves.

"What about you, man, you tired?"

Castiel looked up sharply. "Angels don't need sleep, Dean."

The hunter rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but I asked if you were tired. No offense, Cas, but you're looking a little worn these days."

Castiel gritted his teeth. Yes, he seemed to be falling just a smidgen faster every day. And now Sam and Dean had noticed. First he couldn't smite the djinn, and now he was tired. Not enough to need human sleep, but his shoulders slouched forward more than normal, and he didn't move with lightning reflexes anymore. He honestly didn't know how much of himself he could still call an angel. Angels weren't thwarted by a lowly djinn; angels didn't have to resort to physical punches when a touch and flare of grace would do…angels were mighty soldiers of God.

"Cas?" Dean asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"I'm fine," he replied, perhaps a little too gruffly.

Dean sighed in exasperation. "Okay, I'm about to collapse here, so we'll shelve the 'you're not fine' talk until this current problem is fixed."

Castiel frowned, but set aside Dean's assumption that they needed to talk at all, and focused on what was important—the baku. "Shall I get you another red cow?"

Dean let out a stifled chortle. "Red Bull. And no. They're not helping anymore." He hesitated. "I feel like something's trying to tug me under." He glanced over at Sam's sleeping form, distress tightening his features. "I don't think I can hold out much longer."

Cas's brows knit together. The baku's pull must have been getting quite strong. "I understand. You can sleep, Dean. I won't let the baku harm you."

"Guess I don't have much of a choice." He stood and stretched, popping several vertebrae. "So all you have to do is chase it off and I can get some shut-eye, then start the cycle all over again tomorrow, huh?"

Castiel didn't answer. The creature had not scared easily the last time. But he had managed to wound it, so perhaps he could kill the baku when it came for Dean's dream tonight. He might not have the power of full grace at his call, but he was still a warrior.

Dean seemed too tired to even notice Castiel hadn't answered him, and had already started shuffling toward the bed. "Night, Cas. See you…in my head, I guess." The last words came out mumbled as Dean collapsed, and less than a minute later, Castiel heard the hunter's steady breathing.

He stood and walked over to gaze down at the sleeping man. Whispers of malignant intent susurrated over his senses. Castiel's jaw clenched, and in the blink of closing and opening his eyes, he found himself standing in the woods again. Dean was nowhere in sight. He summoned his angel blade and cast his senses out for the baku. It was close; Castiel could feel its gluttonous appetite as it attempted to gorge itself on the hunter's nightmares. Well, not tonight. And not ever again.

Castiel strode through the thicket until he came upon the spiked creature. It paused in its munching to glower at him. A bright red scar carved a shallow fissure down one side of its face, and its slitted pupils dilated slightly as it sniffed the air.

Castiel squared his shoulders. "You're not taking him."

The baku's eyes narrowed, and quills along its back began to shiver as a chittering sound warbled in its throat. Castiel lifted his blade, but was distracted by a rustle of bushes to his right. A hellhound leaped out of nowhere, and Castiel slashed instinctively. His blade sliced the beast's throat in one clean arc, and it fell with a strangled yelp to thud and gurgle on the ground.

Castiel whirled back around toward the baku, and jolted in surprise as he found it directly in front of him. Before he could brandish his blade, the chimera reared up on its hindquarters and clapped its forelegs around his shoulders. The pointed tusks protruded past his face, hemming him in as the tail snapped like a whip around his legs.

A concussive force hit Castiel in the center of his chest, and his head rocked from the whoomp. The scenery of the dream contorted at ninety-degree angles as though Dean's mind were imploding in on itself, sending a spike of terror through Castiel. He tried to stretch his grace, to put the images back together, but darkness crashed down on him. A vicious hiss slithered in his ear before everything was snuffed out.


A/N: Traditionally, the baku is a chimera type creature with the legs of a tiger, body of a bear, rhinoceros eyes, and an elephant's nose. But the trunk makes it less creepy for me, so I changed it. ;)