Chapter 9
Dean walked over to the stream and washed the plates out with sand rinsing them good. He stood up shaking off the excess water and started back at the fire and Sam minus one pixie.
"Sam." Dean said slowly walking back toward him. "Where's the kid?"
"He ri..." Sam started looking to the side and not seeing him sitting there. "He was just here." he whined getting to his feet to look around the clearing.
"Kid, where are you?" Dean called sitting the plates down on his pack and walking toward the edge of the trees looking out between them for the red hat.
"Kalen you need to come back." Sam called from the other side of the clearing. He walked further down the stream's bank looking around the bigger rocks for him.
"Find him?"
"No, he couldn't have gone far." Sam said an edge of panic in his voice.
"Wait, quiet." Dean sushed him as he strained to hear the world move around him. He picked up the soft buzzing of the dragon flies across the water, the crickets chirping the songs on the forest floor, the flapping of bat wings as they searched for dinner, the scurry of beetles through the leaves and the very soft humming of a pixie floating on the breeze. "This way."
Sam followed Dean across the clearing and into the forest trying to hear what he had heard. They didn't have to go far to find the pixie sitting cross legged in a smaller clearing with his eyes closed and humming. Both brothers stopped behind him not wanting to disturb his peace.
Sam nudged Dean and pointed to the circle of rocks that surrounded Kalen. Dean arched his eyebrows as Sam began to brush leaves from rocks that formed a circle around the pixie. Kalen had found the rock mound for them. He stopped humming and looked up into their faces as a smile broke out on his face.
"Vaia a casa." he chirped patting the ground he was sitting on.
"Good work kid."
"Yes, we're going to try and get you home." Sam told him reaching down to pick him up. "Let's go get the bag Bobby gave us and see what we need to do."
"I'll finish brushing the leaves out of the way."
Dean picked up a broken branch with leaves and swept it across the mound sending leaves out of the circle. He continued to sweep the area until it was clear of twigs and dried leaves. As he looked closer, he noticed there seemed to be symbols chiseled into every other stone.
"Ok, looks like Bobby sent some instructions to open the portal." Sam said pulling out several sheets of paper and looking in to see what else was in there. "And there's ingredients in here too."
"So what ya waiting on? An invitation?"
"Says we need to do this when the moon is out and that won't be for a while longer."
"Well go over the papers so ya know what to do. Anything else we need?"
"We need a stone bowl, wanna handle that?"
"Alright."
Dean began to walk around looking at rocks trying to find one that was concave enough to be used as a bowl. He wandered down to the stream and started looking at the litter of rocks piled in the curve and began to kick the stones around before picking a couple up and then tossing them down. He spotted a rock that looked like it might work wedged into several others about two feet into the stream. He tried to reach out over the water and keep his balance at the same time. Deciding it was better to get one foot wet than all of him, he unlaced his boot and took his sock off so he could step into the ice cold water and pull the stone lose.
"Me! Me!" Kalen cried seeing Dean in the water. He plopped down and started taking off his shoes.
"Don't think 'bout it kid, the water's like ice. Just needed this rock." he said as shivers ran through him from the icy water.
"Kalen, no wading." Sam cautioned him as he grabbed him before he got his socks off.
The pixie whined unhappily, but didn't get upset enough to throw off magic. He allowed Sam to carry him back to the fire while Dean hurried behind them wanting to put his foot near the fire to warm it up.
"Here, this work?" he asked tossing the rock to Sam.
Sam caught the rock one handed and looked at it with a critical eye. He sat Kalen down beside Dean before answering.
"Think so. We only have to wait another hour or so and the moon will be overhead." he said looking up.
"In that case." Dean started stirring the fire and adding some more wood. "I say it's time for dessert."
Kalen watched him carefully as Dean took three branches and used a knife to clean them and cut them to length. He rummaged around in his pack and pulled out a bag of marshmallows. He stuck one on a stick and held it in the fire to brown and melt.
"Don't let him get burned." Sam cautioned once he saw what he was doing.
"Dude, I'm not stupid."
"Just saying."
"Be careful kid." Dean told Kalen after he blew on the white glob checking to be sure it wasn't too hot.
Kalen looked at the glob and up at Sam to be sure it was ok. Sam nodded and smiled as Kalen pulled the marshmallow off the stick and took a bite. His face suddenly lit up with joy as the sweetness assaulted his taste buds.
"Good, right?" Dean chuckled putting another marshmallow on the stick and letting Kalen hold it in the fire. He did the same to his stick and turned his letting the marshmallow brown and darken.
"You're burning it Kalen, blow the fire out." Sam instructed him helping with the stick.
"Want one?" Dean offered Sam the last stick with two on it.
"Remember the last time we did this?"
"Yeah, in that rundown motel that had a gas stove. I had to sneak outside to find a couple of sticks to use. Had to give you another bath after you got through eating yours."
"They were the best." Sam sighed checking his marshmallow to see if it was done.
"M'e." Kalen mumbled between bites trying to chew the sticky glob of sugar and swallow.
"Easy there, swallow what's in your mouth and drink somethin'"
"Yeah kid, don't need wild magic bouncing around out here or you bouncing off the tree with a sugar high."
"One more and that's it. You too Dean, you know what happened last time you pigged out on that whole pie."
"Ok, spoil sport." Dean complained putting the bag away and helping Kalen with his last one.
"Guess we need to move camp to the other clearing so we'll know if anything happens."
"Probably right. I'll put the fire out when the kid's done here."
"I'm going to take the packs on over there."
"We'll be there in a sec. Might wanna grab some water on your way?"
"Right."
"Ok kid, you've burned it enough, need to put the fire out before we move." Dean said sitting him back so he could throw dirt on the fire. He used a stick to stir it letting the flames die down. "Go on to Sam." Once Kalen walked away, Dean looked around and unzipped his pants relieving himself on the fire to finish putting it out. He kicked a little more dirt on it and waited to be sure it was out before following Kalen to the other clearing.
"Could of washed his hands and face." Sam fussed as he tried to wipe Kalen's sticky hands with a wet bandana.
"Thought he could lick them clean."
Sam huffed and continued to clean the pixie as best he could. Kalen grunted and tried to push the bandana away and get away from Sam, but Sam kept a hold with one hand as he wiped with the other one.
"You're torturing the kid Sam, let him go."
"Fine, 'bout as good as I can do anyway."
"Hey, I see the edge of the moon over here."
"Alright, I'll get started." Sam said taking the stone and putting it in the middle of the rock ring. He began to remove items from the bag and sit them by it. Kalen stepped into the circle so he could watch Sam as he began to place herbs and spices into the bowl. He put a gold coin into the bowl and poured holy oil over it.
"S'm." Kalen interrupted tugging on his shirt.
"What Kalen?"
Kalen made the motion of sticking his finger and holding it over the stone, trying to get him to understand.
"You want to put your blood in there?"
Kalen shook his head yes and held a finger out. Sam took out a pen knife and pricked his finger to allow a few drops of blood to drip into the blow. Kalen pointed at his finger and the bowl letting Sam know he should do the same with his finger. Sam repeated the process and dripped his blood in too.
"Dean, need some blood." Sam told him.
"No." Kalen said shaking his head. "Especial."
"Never mind." Sam shrugged. He pulled out some matches and lit one, tossing it in the stone bowl.
They stood back as the dark blue flames shot up and died back, turning a soft red and rose colored smoke billowed out filling the circle but not venturing further than the rock circle. The smoke swirled and twisted in on itself almost like it was alive before slowly settling on the ground.
Both hunters waited a few minutes to see if anything was going to happen.
"What now?"
"I guess we wait." Sam said settling on the ground using his backpack for support. Kalen waited for Sam to get settled before crawling into his lap and making himself comfortable.
Dean followed suit and tried to get comfortable on the hard ground grumbling how much he hated camping and the outdoors and damn gnats as he slapped his neck. Sam chuckled as he took off Kalen's red hat and brushed his hair down around his face.
Both brothers listened to the sounds of the night surrounding them, never realizing how noisy it could be. Even with the symphony around them, their eyes became heavy with sleep and both fell asleep to the music of the night.
A/N: Thank you to all you wonderful readers who are reading this story. Thank you to all who have favored, followed and have left me reviews. All your support is appreciated and I hope if you haven't left me a review, you will. Please review.
NC
