The Black Forest.
Scene Writer: Blue Peanut M and M.
Responder: darksupernatural.
A/N: Peanut came up with the challenge scene for this one. One so awesome that I ran with it. She only had one request, something special about the baddie. So here's my contribution to round two of what has shaped up to be an awesome chance for me to work with a wonderful group of writers and friends. Thanks to all the readers for the great response to this. Please keep reviewing for us. We love to know what you think!
"What the hell?!" Sam cried as they stopped dead in their tracks, twin trails of breath fogging the early morning air around two astonished looking faces. Before them on the trail stood a small form, gray-green skin nearly blending into it's surroundings. It snarled at them, exposing jagged yellow teeth. Moving quickly, it lashed out, discolored nails lengthening into thick vines as they grew rapidly and shot into the ground. The forest floor rippled as if an earthquake was following the path of the roots underground. Sam side stepped the bulge that shot at him, fighting to keep his feet as the shockwave rocked him. Dean fell hard, with a pained grunt, as the burrowing roots took his boots out from under him. He stilled, his head at a slight odd angle as blood decorated the rock he rested against that was now exposed, its previous leaf cover sliding away. The burrowing roots stopped, the ground leveling out as they disappeared.
"Dean!" Sam cried, taking in his brother's prone form as he pulled his gun and turned to the creature. It moved quickly and disappeared, its body color changing to match the forest floor. Sam lost sight of it. He turned to his brother and knelt, ghosting Dean for injuries and seeing the blood on his head and the rock beneath it. Sam felt pain blossom as a large branch came down against the side of his head. He fell forward, landing beside Dean on another small tree branch. Blood welled from his shoulder and his head, being sucked into the ground as the desert soaks up the all too rare rains.
***
The smell of musty earth traumatized his nostrils as consciousness returned. The dirty, gritty, damp soil and vegetation, dotted here and there with the last vestiges of icy thaw, pressed against his cheek, the chill seeping through his pores, draining away at the last of his body's warmth. Moving his arms underneath his body he attempted to rise, stilling briefly as his stomach sloshed and rolled, his head not helping as it drummed to a staccato rhythm. His fingers dug into the softening, saturated terrain; muddy, coarse granules grinding beneath the nail beds, as he pushed his way into a seated position and leaned heavily against the rigid bark of a colossus Douglas fir. He groaned.
His breath misted before his face as he breathed heavily through his mouth. Bringing a hand up he pawed at the blood that slowly leaked and trickled down his cheek, before touching the tear that rent across his brow, not thinking of the consequences his filthy hand's contact would create, wincing as he pressed too hard on the duck egg-Nope, not a goose egg. Not yet anyway- that was gradually growing beneath the gash. He listened intently for any sign of movement, any signal that the beast that had struck mercilessly, and without warning, was still lurking; but all he could hear was the occasional twitter of a bird, and the whisper of branches brushing together in the slight morning breeze.
Panic seized him as he realized he was alone. Scanning around he searched for clues as to the whereabouts of his brother, knowing instinctively that something must be wrong if he wasn't there with him, but he could see nothing. Opening his mouth, he yelled. "SAMMY?!" Dean cringed as the rough sound of his own voice made his brain rebel.
***
He sagged against the tree, swallowing hard to keep the rising bile at bay. "Oh yeah, this is just freakin' awesome. First Bobby, then Sammy, and now a freakin' concussion. Awesome." He reached a hand above his head and grasped a craggy knot in the rough bark of the tree, pulling himself upright with a groan. He stilled and spit bile into the leaves at his feet before he staggered just slightly away from the tree, trying to get his bearings. He waited until his eyes cleared further and focused on the leaf littered forest floor, trying to find what now had his brother.
It watched the hunter stagger away from its territory, lichen covered skin and vines for hair making it blend seamlessly with the tree it rested against, an ancient oak. Its home. Not far away from the hunter that it would soon kill. It spoke as Dean called out for his brother again, it's words easily drowned out by the hunter's cry as it cursed the one who desecrated it's home. "Ego mos iugulo qui pervasor meus domus quod meus domus mos nutritor ex suum cruo." Its eyes slid to where the leather jacket clad hunter disappeared into the brush. It pulled away from the tree and jumped silently to the leaves below, its small body adopting the camouflage of the ground. It disappeared and took off at a sprint, leaves rustling in its wake as if from a spring morning breeze.
***
Bobby stirred on the floor of the cavern, coming to as he felt the moisture seeping through the back of his vest and into his jeans. His eyes opened and he looked around, squinting into the darkness. "Aw hell." Bobby groaned, his head falling back against the moldy smelling, rotting leaves that he rested in. He moved his hands, then his legs, feeling the vines wrapped taught around his limbs. He heard something in the confines of the cavern, a whispering of breath nearby. He stilled and held his own, listening for the movement of the creature-or whatever-was lurking in the darkness. He heard nothing besides the whisper of breath again. Feeling threatened, he began the banishing incantation. Better safe than sorry. "Ego dico en exaresco solitudo estus, puteus sursum quod expello vita ex nemus. Ego dico in uda quietus profundus puteus sursum quod absentes, denego. Ego dico in phasmatis of silva, iacio quod intereo esculentus ut ventus."
Bobby jumped as he felt the vines around his wrists tighten spasmodically before releasing him, rough bark sloughing off the now dry surface. "Well, hot damn!" He hastily pulled free of the withered vines and sat up, wincing at the pain in the back of his head. He felt the bump beneath the back of his hat and dropped his hand back to his lap after feeling the leaves that clung to the sticky, half dry blood that had saturated his hair. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out the tiny pen light he managed to hang on to. Bobby twisted the lens of the small light to turn it on, shining it the two foot span that it covered before becoming too diffuse. He startled when the light bounced off the shadows surrounding a limp form nearby. Bobby eased onto his protesting knees, keeping his head low beneath the roots of the ancient tree that formed the roof of the cavern. He crawled to the side of the form he now recognized.
"Sam?" Bobby leaned down, quickly flicking out a hunting knife and slicing through the bindings holding Sam prisoner and turned Sam over gently in his arms. Sam's head lolled back over the arm Bobby held under his shoulders. Sam's face was caked with dirt and blood from a small gash just above his ear. "C'mon, kid. Wake up." Bobby brushed dirt from Sam's jacket and stopped dead when his hand came away sticky, fingers brushing off something lodged high in Sam's shoulder.
"Aw, damn." Bobby tapped Sam's cheek gently, finally eliciting a groan from the youngest Winchester.
"Hey ya kid."
"B-Bobby?" Sam whispered, his head lifting briefly before it fell back against its resting place on Bobby's forearm. "Found ya…"
"Yeah kid. Ya found me." Bobby chuckled, his smile quickly fading as Sam's eyes slipped closed. "Hey Sam…Sam, stay awake."
"Bobby?"
"Yeah, kid. Take it easy. You're bleedin'. Need to see what's stickin' outta yer shoulder."
"We-" Sam swallowed hard. "We were, uh, lookin'ferya…" Sam slurred. "Somethin'…in the woods. Ambush…I think?" Sam said, his brow wrinkling in confusion. His eyes drifted closed again. Bobby, racking his brain for a way to keep Sam awake, quickly but gently poked Sam's shoulder about an inch below the protrusion.
"GAAHhh!" Sam cried, his eyes flying open. "Sonuvabitch Bobby!"
"Sorry kid. You need ta stay the hell awake! Gotta figger out how bad your shoulder is, boy."
***
Dean gradually got his bearings, his eyesight sharpening as the pain in his head receded to a dull throb. He reached a dirty finger up towards his head, his eyes finally focusing on the clay and bits of forest rot that was embedded under his short nails and yanked his hand back down, mentally berating himself for touching an open wound with filthy hands. "That's all Sammy needs, damnit, a big freakin' brother too out of his damn head with fever to find the kid. Dean, you're one dumb sonuva…" Dean stopped the murmured tongue lashing when he felt the breeze rise slightly around and behind him. He froze, a hand sliding inside his jacket for his gun. Not that it'll do much good against some bat shit crazy forest sprite. Dean pulled the gun and turned, seeing it. A four foot tall green and gray skinned creature that appeared to be covered in moss and lichen, with warts resembling small pebbles. It had long hair, ivy leaves sprouting from what resembled wooden dreadlocks. "Sonuvabitch." Dean murmured again, seeing the creature's two inch long talons and teeth to match. "You are one ugly piece of…" The creature began to pace around Dean in a tightening circle. As it did, it gained speed, it's skin gradually camouflaging itself to resemble a fallen, yet moving pile of leaves. It stilled completely as the rising wind made Dean blink to shield his eyes from debris. Dean lost sight of the sprite.
"Damnit." He snarled, raising the pistol and looking over his surroundings closely, trying to see the sprite amongst the forest litter. "Great. I walked in a friggin circle too. Nice. Note to self; tell freakin' Sam, no more camping! Especially while concussed."
"Corruo." Dean heard the thing's voice, like wind through a hollow log as it spoke. Dean's mind worked to decipher the language. Then it clicked.
"Destroyer?" Dean shook his head in disbelief. "Freakin' Latin? The sprite speaks Latin?"
"Not all, Hunter." The reedy voice spoke again from the forest, from an indiscernible direction. Dean flinched and spun a circle as the sounds appeared to come from behind him. "Not a Sprite, Corruo." It appeared in front of Dean then, materializing out of it's camouflage. "Elemental!" it growled, flinging taloned hands at him, the brown, grainy nails quickly elongating into vines with thorns that shot out of it's hands, slithering quickly along the ground to wrap around Dean's legs before he could move to stop them. They tightened painfully, spines ripping through denim and pulling harshly against boot leather, before wrapping Dean's ankles together in a tight embrace and jerking his feet out from under him. Dean fell with a pained grunt, the vines quickly working their way up his legs to his hips, thorns tearing into his flesh painfully. The creature laughed maniacally, the sound coming to Dean from all directions, carried on the spring breeze. The vines changed, becoming thicker, and gaining more thorns as they traveled further up his body, pinning his arms to his sides, one wrestling the pistol from the grip he'd managed to keep on it. The vine wrapped the gun up in a cocoon of wood and leaves, curling around the cold chromed steel as a python would curl around its prey. The Elemental hissed, its voice carried on the wind, accented by the snapping of branches and the rustle of leaves that had just begun to appear under the warming spring sun. It disappeared in a swirl of leaves as the vines settled into a suffocating blanket over Dean's head.
***
"Gah! Shit!" Sam cried as Bobby worked the half inch diameter twig out of his flesh. Sam's eyes screwed shut as Bobby clamped down on the wound, a semi clean handkerchief between the flowing blood and his dirty hand.
"Sorry kid. Had to come out."
"Yeah." Sam panted. "I know." He caught his breath, leaning his head back against the cool dirt wall of the cavern. He opened his eyes and looked around. "Where the hell are we?"
"Near as I can guess, a forest Elemental's lair. I was huntin' the bastard. Woke up here."
"We got a call from someone who found your cell in the woods. Came to check it out. We were worried." Sam said quietly. "How the hell are we gonna get outta here?" Sam asked, eyeing the thick tangle of roots that formed a sort of cell around them, coming from over their heads to penetrate the ground beneath them. One wall of the cavern, the one Sam leaned against was solid, hard packed earth.
"C'mon Sam, let's getcha on yer feet." Bobby said, hauling Sam upright. Sam fought the pain and dizziness to catch his breath. He groaned and leaned heavily on Bobby while the older hunter held a hand to his heaving chest. Sam's nostrils flared briefly and he nodded, signaling Bobby that he was okay.
"Bobby, we gotta get the hell outta here and find Dean. Somethin' bad could be happening to m'brother." Sam said, his voice breaking as a worried scowl settled over his features.
"I have an idea, kid. It worked for the vines." Bobby again recited the banishing rite. The roots of the tree shuddered but didn't die.
"What the hell?"
"The elemental controls his realm. It's a place of magic. We're in the bastard's lair, right? The most magical place in the whole damn forest." Bobby said the rite once more, and again the roots shuddered but did nothing. "Sonuvabitch."
"What Bobby?"
"Either it's magically shielded like the elemental itself or…" Bobby cringed and trailed off as a chilly spring breeze blew through the cavern.
"He's here!" Sam finished, shouting as the wind in the cavern rose, drowning out his voice and raising the debris from the ground. The elemental appeared, walking through the curtain of roots like a wraith, his body taking on the deeper color of his surroundings like a chameleon. It lunged, sweeping Sam's feet out from under him. Sam landed hard, the breath knocked from his body as his shoulder flared with white hot pain. Bobby stepped in to help Sam, only to be stopped by vines surging up from the ground to wrap tightly around his legs like a horde of snakes. One of the vines crept up his leg and released the hunting knife from his sheath, unseen and unfelt as Bobby struggled to pull free. Ignoring the elemental's screech he freed himself and dove for Sam.
"SAM!" Bobby shouted as roots and briars sprung up from the ground to quickly envelop Sam in a smothering shroud of greenery and thorns. Bobby rushed to the heap of tangled weeds that encompassed Sam. He fell to his knees, hands scrabbling into the vines, pulling, ignoring the bite of thorns piercing his flesh, embedding deep. "No kid! Hang on Sam, hang on!"
The elemental hissed, laughing as it disappeared once more into its surroundings. Bobby cast a glance back over his shoulder as part of him braced for another ambush. When none came, he concentrated once more on freeing the youngest of the boys he considered sons from his prison beneath tightly woven greenery. Blood seeped from multiple scratches and puncture wounds on Bobby's hands, large scratches weeping the crimson liquid. Drops of blood fell on the leaves of the vines to be greedily sucked deeply into the stems. Bobby cursed as he watched the thorns grow on the vines, watched the vines themselves thicken and become stronger. Bobby reached for his knife only to find it gone.
"Sonuvabitch!" Bobby cursed once more, fighting to free Sam now with just his beaten, bloody hands. He pulled at the vines, tearing through them. A reedy cry rang out throughout the cavern as Bobby did damage to the elemental through his lair. Sam's face peeked through a gap in the vines, his closed eyes, lax, slightly open mouth and pale face scaring Bobby. The older hunter gathered his energy and continued to break the vines.
He tore the last of the vines from Sam's chest and legs, clearing the greenery away so that it lay in tattered heaps all round himself and Sam. Sam's shoulder was bleeding again, his face ghostly white. Bobby lifted his head and positioned it in his lap, checking for and finding a pulse. Sam's eyes moved rapidly behind their closed lids and he moaned slightly. "Come on Sammy, wake up." Bobby said softly, using the familiar nickname in hopes of reaching Sam. Sam's eyes snapped open and he pulled in a ragged breath, droplets of blood running down his face from several small scratches, a broken off thorn protruded from the side of his neck which Bobby gingerly pulled, garnering a wince from Sam.
"Ya alright kid?"
"Peachy." Sam groaned, sitting up and holding a hand across his tight feeling chest. He could still feel the sensation of being suffocated and didn't like the vivid feeling. "Where the hell'd that thing go?"
"No clue. We gotta get outta here Sam."
"Yeah." Sam allowed Bobby to pull him to his feet, stifling a groan of pain as his shoulder protested loudly and his chest tightened. "God."
"What Sam?"
"Can't….I can't breathe…Bobby." Bobby stepped up and gripped Sam's arms as his knees buckled, one of Sam's scratched hands shooting to his temple to squeeze hard, fingers twisting in his hair. Bobby curled protectively around Sam as his breathing became labored and his eyes lost focus, his last sight being the concerned face of the older hunter before his vision went white.
Sam felt last year's leaves under his feet, the moisture of spring thaw muffling the crackle of brown oak leaves. He felt the breeze on his face and an odd tightness in his chest. Walking forward, his worried gaze searching the area around him, Sam came to an ancient looking oak tree, it's gnarled, rough barked branches reaching for the sky as new leaf buds began peaking out at the warming spring sunshine. The forest floor teemed with greenery, seeming out of place for the beginning of April, even in Ohio. Sam studied the forest floor a little more closely, seeing the vines clustered at the base of the old tree in a heap, as if covering a mound of earth.
He walked closer to the mound of ivy, hesitant. It was moving, coiling slowly in around itself. Sam felt his chest tighten, breath coming in short, painful bursts. He looked at the pile of greenery that seemed just too green for so early in the spring. Sam shifted his stance slightly, spring sun shining over his shoulder and onto the plants. The rays caught on something shiny and bounced back at him from something mostly concealed beneath dark green leaves. It reflected a bright silver light at his eyes painfully. He looked closer.
"Oh, no. No, no, no!" Sam dropped to his knees, pulling on the smaller vines, snapping the flexible twigs. A small silver object came into view, wrapped around an unmoving finger.
"DEAN!"
***
"SAM! Come on kid, snap the hell outta it!" Bobby cried as he held Sam, listening as Sam's breathing became hitched and ragged. Bobby shook him, rewarded when Sam flinched and gasped as his eyes cleared.
"Oh god, Bobby we've got to get to Dean. NOW!"
"Kid, what didja see?"
"No time. Dean needs us Bobby."
"Sam, we…"
"Bobby!" Sam cried, standing and glaring down at the older hunter. Sam's head lowered. "Bobby, he's suffocating. The elemental has him…"
Bobby nodded and stood, "Okay kid, we'll get to him."
"We need to get the hell outta here."
Bobby nodded and focused on the tangle of roots that completely obscured the opening to the cavern. He spoke the incantation, his voice strong as he bade nature to starve the tree and open a way. That damn kid better be alright. Just be alright Dean. Sam an' I, we need ya.
Sam stepped up to the roots, his strong voice joining Bobby's and adding power to the rite. His words were flawlessly spoken, in perfect sync with Bobby's. "Ego dico in uda quietus profundus puteus sursum quod absentes. Denago. Ego dico in phasmatis of silva, iacio quod intereo esculentus ut ventus!" Bobby and Sam covered their eyes and mouths as the roots of the tree shuddered, dirt and stone raining down on them from the room of the cavern. The curtain of roots parted with a groan and Sam darted through the opening and into the harsh afternoon light. Sam blinked harshly at the spike of pain in his head and the tightening of his chest.
"No!" Sam said, his hand drifting to his chest as the awful-too familiar- pain assaulted him. He knew he was feeling Dean's pain, Dean's lack of breath. He took off running. Sam stilled after about fifty yards. He breathed, noticing that the pain had lessoned. "Dean." Sam knew, with a sinking feeling that he had moved further away from his brother. Sam turned when he heard Bobby's footsteps thundering behind him.
"Sam?"
"He's not here, Bobby. He's fadin', and I can't find him!"
"Sam!" Bobby said, gripping his biceps and turning the youngest Winchester roughly to face him. "Tell me what you saw. We. Gotta. Work. Together."
"I saw Dean. He-he was pinned down by the vines, like I was. They closed over his head, it was so dark, too hard to breathe. I felt it Bobby, he was suffocating. He could be right now. That thing had him!"
"Sam?" Bobby shook him. "Sam! What didja see around Dean?"
"There was a ton of greenery, like way too green for this time of year." Sam trailed off, thinking back to his vision. "There was a massive tree, huge, looked…Oh hell!" Sam side stepped Bobby and took off in the direction of the huge oak tree, the Elemental's lair, the place where he and Bobby were held captive.
"Damnit Sam!" Bobby cried, taking off after the long legged Winchester. Sam soon found himself standing at the base of the tree from his vision. Around it clustered vibrant green ivy, briars and tangled weeds, way too many for the beginning of April. Sam's eyes scanned the ground for the heap of greenery that he knew without a doubt was killing his brother. Sam's chest tightened once more and he fought to drag a breath in past his parted lips. Bobby skidded to a stop behind him.
"He's here Bobby. I can feel him. It hurts." Sam said, his body nearly doubling over as he fought to breathe. His eyes lit on the mound of vines off in the distance and half concealed by the huge tree. "DEAN!" Sam said, sprinting around to the mound as he slid to his knees beside it, his legs being ripped into by the thorns on the briars. Sam saw the familiar glint of silver peeking out through the leaves. Sam dug into the vines, tearing as quickly as his quickly bloodied fingers would allow, his digits slipping on blood against the smooth leaves and prickly vines. Bobby quickly knelt down and began the arduous task of freeing the oldest Winchester along side his little brother.
"Come on man, please keep breathing. Dean, please." Sam whispered, his own breath rasping through his throat. "Please man." Sam pulled the vines away from Dean's face, exposing flesh that was so pale his freckles appeared like deep chocolate speckles across his nose. His lips were blue tinged, parted and still. Bobby cleared the vines from Dean's torso and Sam picked him up, holding his head elevated. "C'mon Dean." Sam whimpered. Sam ran a hand back through Dean's sweaty hair, feeling the heat even though his skin was clammy. Dean's face was dotted with blood, dozens of small punctures and scratches littering his flesh. Bobby felt tentatively for a pulse. The older hunter smiled, his beard not disguising the joy that crossed his features.
"He's got a pulse Sam. He's alive."
"Thank god." Sam said as he saw Dean's parted lips move, felt his brother's chest expand. Sam released his own held breath when his brother exhaled on a shudder. Dean's green eyes opened to slits and he swallowed hard, tipping his head into his brother's hand. Sam curved his fingers around his brother's angular jaw and lowered his head to nearly rest on Dean's forehead.
"Smmy?" Dean slurred, his voice a rough whisper.
"Yeah, 'M here man."
Bobby felt a slight chilly breeze stir around him and his boys. He lifted his head and looked around; not seeing what his hunter instinct told him was there. "Sam, we gotta move you two."
Sam nodded. "Dean, can ya walk?"
"Th-think so?" Dean said.
"Dude, was that a question?" Sam asked, the corners of his lips tipping up slightly.
"Yeah?" Dean asked again.
"You have a concussion." Sam stated. "Come on, let's get you outta here."
"'K Sammy." Dean said, groaning as Sam hauled him to his feet and looped an arm around his shoulders. Sam caught his breath on a hiss of pain and Dean reacted, pulling away from Sam. "Y'hurt?"
"'S nothin'."
"Not nothin'. Y-your shoulder." Dean pulled away from Sam, staggering a couple steps before he collapsed to his knees.
"Dean!" Dean waved a hand and pulled in a ragged breath, forcing his way to his feet. "I'm okay Sammy." Dean said. "We need to move. Need better weapons. What the hell kills a sprite?"
"It's not a sprite Dean. It's a forest elemental."
"So it wasn't lyin'." Dean said.
"You talked to it?" Sam asked.
"More like it taunted me," Dean said, a bitter look crossing his features, "before it kicked my ass."
"Whatever, or wherever doesn't matter. We need ta git the hell outta here before the little bastard comes back." Bobby said, the wind ruffling his hair beneath his ball cap once more.
"Wait." Dean said.
"What?" Bobby asked.
"We have to kill this sonuvabitch."
"Now hold on just a damn minute, ya boys both've been beat ta hell. Ya ain't in no shape to be takin' on a whole damn forest!"
"Dean's right. Doesn't matter, we have to stop this thing before someone else gets killed."
The wind whipped up then, a spring chill bringing a quickly developing flush to Sam's pale face. "Looks like ya might git yer chance!" Bobby said, doing his best to move between both boys and the Elemental.
The wind swirled leaves around, the surroundings darkening as heavy clouds began to encroach on the edges of the blue spring sky. It carried the kind the kind of rain that early April always did. Cold enough to chill but harboring the promise of warm nights and blooming flowers.
"Corruo." A reedy voice reached the ears of the hunters on the stirring wind.
"Destroyer?" Sam asked incredulously. "The thing speaks Latin?" He said as he turned to Dean.
"Yeah. Talks like freakin' Yoda too." Dean turned slightly, something catching his eyes to the left and near the huge tree. "It's here."
The wind kicked up last year's leaves, stirring dirt and rot into the air. The hunters lifted their arms to shield their faces from the stinging twigs and curled oak leaves. Sam felt an impact around the area of his knees as the elemental moved out of its camouflage to tackle him. Pain flared in his shoulder and head as he grunted. Bobby's feet were taken out from under him when the ground split, a small tree shuddering and falling, the four inch thick trunk pinning him to the ground painfully. "BOBBY! SAM!" Dean cried, moving his way. The ground around Sam rippled and Dean fought to keep his feet over the churning forest floor. Vines erupted from the leaf litter, green stemmed with long yellowed thorns to slither quickly along the ground towards him. More broke through to pin Sam to the ground, wrapping painfully around his wrists and ankles as he tried to buck the elemental off of him, finally curling around his shoulders to hold him down. They looped around his neck and tightened, choking him.
"I don't freakin' think so!" Dean said, stepping quickly down on the approaching shoots and pinning it to the ground. The elemental raised his head and snarled, long dingy teeth resembling the thorns on the vines. The vines peaked through the ground again shooting up into the air, and racing towards Dean. They hit him in the chest, the force knocking him backwards as the ground gave a violent lurch under his feet. Dean staggered backwards, his back pushed into the bark of the huge oak tree. He felt the bite of the rough surface through his jacket and gasped in pain as his head connected once more. The vines reached around him and the tree as they held him tightly to the bark, effectively tying him fast to the tree. More sprung up from the ground and tried unsuccessfully to pin Dean's hands to his sides. Dean reached quickly into his jacket pocket and pulled his lighter. The elemental, now standing in front of him, released it's camouflage and attacked him, clawing with wooden talons. The lighter flew from his hand and blood welled from slashes on Dean's chest and he cried out as the vines slithered across him, soaking themselves in his blood and pulling it in like the nourishing rains. Thorns bit into the wounds.
Bobby pushed himself up, forcing his way from beneath the small fallen tree, feeling the pain of a gash across the back of his neck. He had seen Dean's silver Zippo sail past him and had watched it land, his eyes glued to the spot. He heard Dean's cries of pain and rushed for the lighter, flicking the lid open. He grabbed a dry branch that held some brown, curling oak leaves and flicked the lighter. The leaves caught and the crackle of fire could be heard. "Dean, cover yer eyes!" Bobby snarled as Dean lifted his jacket one handed and shoved hard at the elemental with the other. The distance between Dean and the elemental grew as Bobby smacked it with the flaming branch. It snarled, crying out in agony as it's wooden skin began to blacken, it's vine like hair caught fire and it shrieked. Shying away from Dean, the elemental fell to the leaf strewn ground, sparks catching the leaves around it as it's hair broke like a log that burned through and fell in a fireplace. The fire grew around it, consuming it as it screamed. Dean felt the tree he was against shudder, the vines shaking as they began to recede, disappearing back into the ground. He pushed himself away from the tree as he saw the elemental rolling on the ground in a circle of flames, trying to put out the fire as it began to fade into it's surroundings.
"Oh, no. No way in freakin' hell!" Dean picked up a fallen branch, his arms straining under the weight. He dropped the branch on top of the elemental, pinning him to the ground. The flames began to lick at the dry wood and soon a conflagration had built.
"Sam!" Dean turned to his brother who still lay on the ground. Sinking to his knees he saw Sam's pale face. Blood welled from deep scratches on his now unrestrained wrists and neck. His shirt around his shoulders was in tatters and blood peaked at Dean from the gouge marks in the skin beneath. Sam was still, silent. His face pale. "Sammy!" Dean said again, reaching for Sam. He quickly picked up one of Sam's wrists and could see blood pumping from the scratch on the underside. "Damnit!" Dean growled, his words drowned out by the gradually lowering cries of the burning elemental, quickly pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to wrap around Sam's wrist. "Bobby I need something else. He's bleedin'. Sammy come on. Wake up dude." Dean implored, tapping Sam's arm lightly between scratches after wrapping an offered handkerchief around his other wrist. Sam's eyes moved beneath their lids and finally opened. He pulled in a choked breath as Dean helped him sit up.
"Ya okay?"
Sam pulled in another breath and nodded, shifting his eyes to the rapidly growing fire. "Uh, guys?"
Bobby quickly scuffed the dry leaves away from the circle of flame, exposing bare, winter sodden ground. The fire was soon contained and the howls of pain diminished to gurgles and then finally silence as the wood turned to ash, taking the elemental with it.
Dean looked at Sam. "Dude, we are never camping again!"
Sam smiled tiredly. "This wasn't camping, Dean."
"Don't care." Dean looked at Bobby, a grin, albeit an exhausted one, crossed his features. "Dude, next time you get jacked by a gremlin that's been drinkin' Miracle Gro, you're on your own."
"Sure I am." Bobby said. "You two alright to make the walk back to the car?"
"Yeah. We'll be at the first motel we come to."
"It's the Black Forest Inn. I got a room there for the hunt." Bobby said, cracking a smile. "Hey Dean, the rooms?"
"What about 'em?"
"Wallpapered to look like a forest."
"Oh Hell NO!"
"Good, there's a Super 8 just outside o' town. I'll meet you boys there."
***
Sam opened the door at Bobby's knock, his bandaged wrists glaring white under the light from the entry way table. "Sam, ya boys alright?" Bobby asked as he walked inside the room to see Dean asleep on the bed nearest the door, his bare legs poking out from under a tangled sheet and covered in scabbed over scratches. Sam was wearing a tee shirt, his wrapped wrists and a few punctures and scratches visible along his arms. A square of gauze decorated his neck from beneath his collar to tuck just up under the ends of his long hair. A scab and bruise framed his face just above his ear near his temple and he favored his right shoulder, holding his arm close to his body.
"Yeah. We're alright."
"So. That was a vision huh?" Bobby asked quietly. Sam looked up from the floor, terrified. He nodded towards the front door of the room and Bobby followed him out. Standing on the sidewalk that fronted the room, Bobby watched as Sam shifted uneasily.
"Dean doesn't know I had another one about him." Sam said quietly.
"Another one?"
"Yeah. There was one last year. I've seen him die twice now. In my head. I felt it too."
"They scare ya don't they, boy?"
"They freakin' terrify me Bobby. I can't stop 'em can't control 'em…"
"All you can do is beat whatever it is to the punch."
"I'm so afraid I'll be too late…" Sam said, blinking back tears from his blue green eyes.
"If there's one thing I know about you kid, it's that no matter what, you will protect Dean. You'll protect him with everything ya have. That's who ya are Sam. Just like Dean does for you. Just remember, you ever need help… I'm around." Bobby said as he put a hand gently on Sam's good shoulder, squeezing in reassurance. "Just gotta talk to me."
"Thanks Bobby."
"See you boys around. Why doncha drop by the Salvage yard in a couple weeks?"
"We'll do that. See ya soon." Sam said as Bobby dropped his hand and walked towards his old blue truck. Sam waved as the rumbling engine fired up and Bobby pulled out. Sam turned and walked back into the motel room, smiling as he saw Dean sprawled out across the bed in a tangle of limbs and rumpled sheets.
end notes: The latin came from a translator on the internet, so it probably makes no sense to anyone out there that can actually read and speak it. That's the beauty of fiction. Look for more stories and more rounds from all the team behind Winchester Single Shots. Please Review!