Chapter 10: Home Sweet Home
Dean walked towards the wooden lodge that he and Sam were going to be staying at for their time when they were in this world. He hoped that he was not for too long. The lodge was in between two other lodges. In front of the lodge was a good sized garden. The lodge had been built to go alongside nature rather than going against it like many places in their world. The garden did show that was being maintained by man's hands but not to the point that it was too manicured like many gardens that Dean had seen over the years.
Dean stopped at the gate of the lodge. The lodge that he had the key to in his hands. The lodge that he didn't want to stay to long in. Already his hunting mind was already putting different plans together. First he needed to return to their world with Sam. Secondly he needed to find a way to turn Sam back to a human. He couldn't have his brother being an extinct reptile. An extinct reptile that provided good resolutions for problems along with bringing about problems that would be hard to near impossible for them to resolve with Sam being a raptor.
Dean didn't know how their world would react to a raptor being alive. He was sure that the scientist would be able to answer the questions that they had about raptors. Maybe if they are ever running out of money he could take Sam to a museum and ask for payment for them to have a look at Sam. He knew he could get the museums on his side but he was afraid of the private collectors who would get a good pay for having a living raptor in their collections. Dean didn't know much about private collections with dinosaur bones, but he had a feeling that they got a good amount of money for the bones. Dean wouldn't allow that to happen to Sam. He would not allow his brother to be sold and misplaced by some rich idiot who didn't know what they were doing, but just liked the pretty things in the world.
He was going to get Sam back to being his pain in the arse human brother. He was going to go through all the spells in the spell book that they been given by Pastor Jim after the first time they had crossed a witch on their own. They had both been in their teens. Since then Sam had made it a point of keeping the Spell Book close at hand like their Dad's journal when he had left it behind for them to find it.
Dean let a smile split his face as he thought of all the spells that were in that book. The book that he knew would help him and Sam break the transformation curse that the Voodoo Queen had put on Sam. Then as quick as lightning the smile dropped off form his face as he remembered that the book was in his duffle bag. The duffle bag that had all his clothes in it and was still in their hotel room.
They were stuck!
The feeling of dread, the same feeling that he had when he first woke up in the bayou where he came face to face with the Raptor before he knew it was Sam was back. That feeling of dread had come back when he found out that Sam had been turned into Velocriaptor. It came back with such a force that it stunned him for a good moment without knowing that both Sabrina and Sam who was on his shoulder were watching him with worried eyes. At the moment he was not worried about that. He was more worried that Sam might be a dinosaur for the rest of his life. He was also worried that Sam was getting to use to having a tail which at the moment was wrapped around his neck and the feathers that covered his head, neck and tail. He knew that he was getting to use to feeling the soft touch the feathers had when they rubbed against his neck, and Dean was sure that it was not going to last like that for the rest of their lives.
A sharp nip was felt on the side of his neck making Dean hiss and reach for his neck to find a scaly head beside him. He felt Sam shift on his shoulder. His sharp claws digging through his leather jacket and just touching his skin as Sam moved closer to Dean's head. His tail wrapped tighter around his neck to help him balance without using his claws too much. Sam was so close that Dean could fell him breathing.
With Sam on his shoulder like the way he was he couldn't help but think he looked like a black parrot. With that idea in his head, Dean couldn't help but fell like he was a pirate. He knew it was best not to say anything to Sam about this if he didn't want to have his ear bitten off with an annoyed raptor brother.
"Dean did you hear anything that I just said?" Sabrina spoke up. She had waited until she knew that Sam had gotten his older brothers attention back before she spoke up. She had been talking away without noticing that Dean was not listening to her. She would have kept talking if Sam hadn't spoken up when he had noticed that Dean was not paying attention at all to them after a moment of silence, something that Sam knew was not a good thing when it came to his brother. Sabrina had tried to speak to Dean again, but all those attempts had been shot down when he kept staring into space.
She knew the look that Dean was given. It was the very same look that she had on her face for the first few months when she and Salem had found themselves in their new lives. At first they had been alone trying to find their way before they had been found wondering lost by an Enforcer Spinosaurus who took them to the Outpost where they were at the moment. She had feared so many things as she listened to all the Council Members argue with one and other before the new Senator Tyron Rex spoke like a father. He had taken her and Salem in and had been a father to them since they had first meet him. That was something that she would never be able to repay him for. He had done so much to help her and Salem navigate and find their place.
Since she had arrived she had strengthened her magic, still in hopes of turning Salem back to human and to get them back home. Her magic was also used to help with cases that she and Salem were called into. There were a few Enforcers who had magic like she did.
Dean shock his head and rubbed his hand that was not being weighed down by Sam's weight as he sat perched on his shoulder. He had been worried about so many things in the past few hours that he had not been able to allow himself to really think about what had nearly happened and what the Council of the Outpost wanted them to do. He was still worried that they would go against their word and still take Sam away from him. That was something that he didn't want to happen. He knew that he needed to keep in the Councils favours for them to stay together when they were in this world.
Then another thought smashed into his mind one that made him look at Sabrina so fast that Sam almost toppled off of his shoulder. He could feel his brothers claws once again dig into his skin and his tail wrap tighter around his neck. The movement was enough to calm Dean to know that his baby brother was still with him. He didn't care that Sam was nibbling at his ear. His sharp teeth were not doing any damage at all to it but it was something that Sam had stated to do when he found out that it annoyed Dean. At the moment though it was something that Dean was using to keep him grounded.
"Sorry Sabrina! I was overthinking about everything that has happened in the past few hours that I didn't hear what you were saying just there!" Dean explained to Sabrina. "Sabrina, before you continue and repeat what you were saying can you answer a question for me?" he asked.
He hoped that she could answer this and they could get going to being just the pair of them. He and Sam needed to talk to each other about a few things. They needed a plan and he knew that Sam was the geeky brother and he would no doubt have come up with something that could help them get his thumbs back or find away to get back to their dimension. A dimension where no doubt an angry Werewolf was waiting for them for leaving him behind. He was not looking forward to seeing Julian angry with them jumping head first into a hunt.
Sabrina smiled kindly. It was a sister smile that only an older sister could manage when trying to calm a younger sibling. Dean and Sabrina were about the same age but both of them had been put through so many things in their lives that had made them older than other people the same age as them. "Of course, Dean? What is on your mind?" she asked.
Dean breathed in fresh clean air. It was something that he had not really thought about as he in all of his life, but here in what he could only call Dinotopia it was so clean and fresh. There was no cars or any other technological mode of transport that he could see in this world. Everyone seemed fine to use Dinosaurs to get from point A to point B, well that depended on the size of the Dinosaur that they were partnered with.
"Does Salem ever forget that he is your brother and not just an Allosaurus that you are partnered with?" he asked. He hoped that Sabrina said that he remembered everything. He really hoped that Sam wont start thinking he was only a Velocriaptor partnered with him because he just was. If that happened he feared what his little brother would do if he was once again transformed back into his human self with missing memories. Would he seek them out and built them back up or would he lash out wanting to be raptor again. That was something that Dean really didn't want. He didn't want Sam to forget everything that had been happening to them. All the good and the bad that had happened had made them what they were today.
Sabrina looked shocked at the question that Dean through her. She looked to see Sam looked just as confused as she did along with a hint of fear in those human hazel eyes of his.
"Dean why do you ask that?" Sam asked speaking for the first time in a while. He looked at his brother who was trying to soothe him Growling to himself, Sam bite the finger that had been petting the feathers on the top of his head. He then turned his head and attention towards Sabrina so fast that it felt like his brain was spinning in his skull.
"What is going to happen to me, Sabrina? Please tell me!" he pleaded. His hazel eyes in a matter of second had become big and pleading. It reminded Sabrina of the sad eyes that puppies through in hopes of getting their way. From a young age, Sam had mastered the puppy dog eyes to get what he wanted. It worked on anyone who came across it and Dean was always the sucker who fell for it. Now they had a new victim, Sabrina.
Sabrina sighed and looked at the two brothers. Their bond was just like the bond that she and Salem had. "A few weeks since we came to this world, Salem began to forget a few things that had happened to him when he was a child. I panicked at first and just sat down and talked to him to see what he remembered and what he was forgetting! He had a few blank spots in his memories, but that was quickly sorted out. I think it was just his mind getting used to being an Allosaurus! Salem knows how to live as an Allosaurus and he is still my little brother!" Sabrina explained.
She didn't want to tell them that Salem had forgotten who he really was for a day, but he knew that he was partnered with her. She had been so scared of that that she still had nightmares but Tyron had taught her a little trick that she and Salem still used to this day. Something that she hoped the brothers would be able to do it rather than being to manly for it. She knew a good talk was all that Salem had needed in those moments when his memory went blank and the Allosaurus that he had become became the dominant character.
She hoped that Dean would talk to Sam, but what she had seen from the brothers she knew that Dean was really protective of Sam that he wouldn't allow him to forget where he had come from. He didn't like anyone getting to close to him without him given them the go ahead. Dean was always talking to Sam. He was always making sure that Sam was in the loop of what was happening. With Dean always talking with Sam, she knew it would be easy for them to talk things out. The things that she really didn't want to explain to both brothers, but she knew that she needed to get them ready in case it comes.
She may not have wanted to them of that fearful moment when she woke up to see a full grown Allosaurus looking at with confused eyes as to what was happening and how he came to be partnered with her. The next time the memory blanks had come about was when Salem had forgotten that he had been turned into a dinosaur. The panic had been one that she still had nightmares about. She remembered how clumsy Salem had gotten and how many times he had almost fell on top of her. He had also became very clingy, something that he couldn't do with the size that he had become over night.
"Salem had a few points in the first few months that he had blanks in his memories! Sometimes these lasted for a couple of moments or a few days! But we always got through those moments! It was always easy to talk to him and he remembered but after that he had a killer headache that we just rested for a few days until he felt himself again!" she explained to the two brothers. She knew that she was supposed to be calming them down but she needed to let them know what had happened to Salem and what was the best way to fix it.
Dean felt Sam shift on his shoulder. He could feel the shivers that worked down Sam's body as he feared that he was going to forget that he was Sam Winchester brother of Dean Winchester and he only remembered that he was partnered with Dean and was a raptor.
"But Salem remembers being human and your brother? Right?" Dean asked. He ran a finger down Sam's back and he felt Sam moving closer to his head.
Sabrina nodded her head in response to Dean's question. "Yeah he remembers everything without difficulty! And that only makes his pranks all the more worse!" she replied. She clasped her hands together before Dean could say anything else. "Now we better get inside so I can show you the rest of the lodge that you and Sam are going to be staying in!" she said.
Dean looked back at wooden lodge that he and Sam were to be moving into in their time that they were staying in. It hadn't changed and it wasn't a dream like he had hoped it was. He really hoped that this was all a dream or some new reality that Gabriel had flung them into as a new prank. But that was not what it was. They were in this world for real and there was no going back for the foreseeable future. He just needed to knuckle down and deal with this like any other Winchester.
He followed Sabrina into the lodge. The hinges creaked when the door was pushed open. Dean looked into the room that he found himself in. It was just like any other hunting lodge that he and Sam had been to over the years. There was a sofa in the middle of the room with something that he thought he wouldn't see in this world. A flat screen TV. The last time he had seen a TV like that was in the hotel room that they were staying at next to Julian's room. There was a kitchen that was joined to the living room. He also noticed free doors that lead to different parts of the lodge that was going to be his and Sam's.
He was still trying to wrap his mind around that for the first time in their lives they would have a place for their own. True Sam had got student accommodation on campus along with Jess, but that had been what felt like a lifetime ago. Sam on so many times had closed up about it when Dean had tried to start a conversation. He had every right to do so. It had been when they had started the whole Angle and Demon war that they had been planning for so long before even their great grandparents had been born.
When they had been joined by Julian after the whole thing had been put to a stop, Dean had asked the Werewolf why the Guardians had not stepped up sooner to put an end of the war and to save Jessica. Julian had made sure that he had replied when Michael and Castiel were present with a smug look in his eyes when he simple said that Nightshade had hoped that the Angles had grown up and were seeing that if they carried on with their plan then all races would be whipped out. Julian had left and Castiel had tried to speak to Dean and Sam only to have the younger brother walk away from the Angle. Dean had been spending more time with Julian. The two liked the same thing that they were able to talk about things that Dean and Castiel couldn't manage.
Dean had noticed that there was a few times that Cas tried to talk to Julian, or for Julian to talk to him when he found himself trapped in a circle of salt. Much to the Shadow Man's dismay, after that the two got on quite well. Julian would prank Castiel with the Angle confused at his actions and only ask him why he had done such an action. That would lead Julian to take Castiel under his wing and teach him a few tricks in pranking, something that he was really proud of. Julian had proclaimed a Prank War against Gabriel with Castiel on his side and Black Horn on Gabriel's side. Dean remembered all to well the look of despair when that had been declared.
The Prank War that was between Julian and Gabriel was something that Dean wanted to see. So far it had been a few small pranks that had a few older Hunters rolling their eyes at the childish actions that the Werewolf and the Archangel were following. He hoped that Gabriel wouldn't trap Julian in some alternative reality like he did with them with the whole TV Land that he had flung them into.
Dean was brought out of his thoughts when he released that he had walked into one of the bedrooms of the lodge. There was two beds in the bedroom. Both of them positioned at opposite sides of the room and in-between them was the window. Under the window there was a long table that connected the two beds together with a lamp in the middle of it. Looking out the window he could see a few of the larger dinosaurs walking from one place to another. Their huge feet stomping into the ground sending miniature earthquakes through the ground. Their tails almost dragging on the ground as they finished their work either helping with farming, construction or worked as part of a team within the Enforcers.
"Dean?" came Sabrina's voice from the living room brought Dean out of his thoughts again.
Rubbing his face with his hand that was not being weighed down by Sam's weight he walked out of the bedroom. He was getting lost in his thoughts way to easy now. It needed to stop if he was going to find a way to turn Sam back to being a human and to get them out of Dinotopia as quickly as possible. He came back into the living room to see Sabrina placing a few items on the table that was between the living room and kitchen.
"Okay Dean! I will leave you and Sam to get settled in for the night! I have left you five hundred blood rubies which is the main currency here as it is so common that we use it as currency. It's also easy for many of the Dinosaurs to use without having to worry about ripping paper money! Something that you will learn when you start the private schooling that you are enrolled in. There is also the latest mobile phone with all the contacts that you will need in your time here! I have included mine so you can call me when you are settled in and if you need any other help with anything else!" Sabrina told Dean as he walked towards the table to see what was on the desk.
Dean brought up one of the blood rubies that he would need to pay for things and looked at the small stone that was no bigger than his fingernail. He placed the blood ruby back into the bag with the others and picked up the phone that Sabrina had left for him. It was like the latest iPhone back in their world with touch screen and a password protected. The iPhone was something that he didn't think he was going to have in this world that was filled with dinosaurs that should have gone extinct 65 million years ago.
"Thanks Sabrina!" he said as he walked the Enforcer to the door. He could just make out Salem's outline as the large Allosaurus walked towards the lodges. He felt Sam shift on his shoulders as his brother curled up as best as he could on one shoulder. His tail wrapping tighter around his neck tighter. Dean took a quick glance at Sam to see that his brother was closing his eyes as sleep demanded his attention. Soon Sam would need to be fed and that was something that both of them were not looking forward to. He didn't know if Sam would learn how to hunt and would not need to rely on Dean buying him meat.
"Not a problem at all Dean!" Sabrina said as she climbed onto the saddle on Salem's scaly back. "Remember if you need anything don't hesitate to call!" she shouted down at Dean from where she was perched on Salem's back. With that Salem marched off. His huge legs making short work of the distance he needed to walk before he got to wherever it was that he needed to go.
Dean stepped back into the lodge and closed the door behind him. He walked towards the sofa in the living room where he picked up one of the cushions that was on it. He felt Sam shift on his shoulders and was glad that his brother had decided that he wanted to play parrot and pirate. Once again he was glad for the thick leather jacket that he was wearing. He didn't want to find any more cuts and scraps that Sam was causing with his claws. He knew that Sam didn't mean for it to happen as it was them that was keeping him on Dean shoulders rather than falling flat on his back.
Placing the cushion that he had picked up on the table that separated the kitchen and the living room. Looking at his brother he could see the confused look that was in his hazel eyes which were too much like puppies rather than a prehistoric bird like reptile. Smirking to see more of his brother in the last couple of days he felt like he was one step closer to getting a human Sam back. "Sam can you sit in the cushion?" he asked.
Sam looked at Dean with more confusion. Tilting his head to the side he silently questioned Dean before he spoke up, "Why?" he asked. Since becoming a baby raptor Dean had been carrying Sam all over the place like he was some highly valued Chihuahua that shouldn't touch the floor no matter what. In the meeting room he had wanted to explore and test his legs, but Dean had kept him trapped. He was wondering if Dean was allowing him to walk on his own rather than being carried everywhere. The cushion could just be the place where Dean was going to drop him off and allow him to explore.
"I want to have a look about and I want you to stick your claws somewhere else!" Dean responded with a grunt as he lifted up both his arms over his head.
Sam before he knew what was happening was being plucked off of Dean's shoulders. His white claws couldn't keep a grip on the leather jacket that Dean was wearing. He was deposited onto the cushion with his tail trapped under his legs. Wiggling about until he freed his tail before he glared at Dean. His hazel eyes didn't blink at all as he watched Dean walk around the table and towards the kitchen.
Sam rose to his feet. He kept his sickle claws on both his feet raised up so not to damage the cushion that came with the house. The claws of his other toes only rested on top of the cushion but they were not big enough and his feet where not strong enough yet to pierce through the strong material that had been used for the cushion.
With small steps he walked towards the table that the cushion had been placed on. He froze when he felt a pair of eyes on him. "Sam stay on that cushion! I mean it! I want to know where you are at all time!" Dean ordered when Sam looked right at him. He grumbled something when Sam through him a puppy dog look. "I mean it Sammy! Your to small for my liking and I don't want you to get hurt if you decide to jump on the ground!" Dean ordered Sam.
Sam dropped back onto his knees. His sickle claws were still raised as his body lowered down onto the cushion. Moving his arms to be under his chest he glared at Dean as his tail twitched with a mind of its own. "Happy?" he asked Dean as he once again walked towards the fridge in the kitchen.
Dean looked over at his shoulder to look at his brother who was sitting on the cushion. "Very!" he responded with a smug look on his face. He turned back to having his attention on the fridge as he opened it. There he saw a whole lot meat for both him and Sam. There was enough food to keep him happy and enough food for Sam to grow without any problems. He didn't want his brother to get hungry and have a midnight snack with him being the snack.
"I think everything is sorted!" Dean stated as he walked back to Sam. He was happy to see that Sam had stayed on the cushion like he had told him to do. He watched as Sam yawned showing all of his teeth. "And I think you need to go to bed!" he stated as he picked up his brother whose legs and tail dangled lifelessly as Sam lost a battle in staying awake.
Sam's eyelids became heavy and already his head was dropping. Dean watched as the sickle claw on both of Sam's feet twitched as he slowly succumbed to sleep. Something that he had not been doing at in the day. Dean couldn't blame his brother. He didn't want to fall asleep and wake up with a stranger rather than Dean if the Council had decided that they should go their separate ways. His forelimbs were clinging onto Dean's leather jacket. Dean knew it was because Sam was afraid that he would be dropped. Something that Dean would not do with his little brother.
Walking into the bed room with the two beds in. Walking towards the bed that was furthest away from the door he placed a sleeping Sam on the pillows on the bed. Moving the cover up so that it covered Sam who kept sleeping on with no sign of him waking up.
Dean made sure that Sam was not going to fall as he curled himself into a ball. His tail whipped around and covered his snout. Smiling at how cute Sam made himself when he slept he walked out of the bedroom. There was still checks that he needed to check before he to could go to bed. Placing salt along the doors and windows he also placed ruins and symbols onto the inside of the door. He didn't know if there was any supernatural creatures in this world that would want to get in kill them, but old habits that their dad had taught them since childhood was hard to kill.
Coming back into the bedroom. He took a quick glance over at Sam to see that he was still asleep and had not moved at all. He had curled into a ball with his tail covering his snout. Dean walked over to Sam and ran a finger down the feathers on his neck. Sam curled even tighter into the ball that he was curled up in and a sigh escaped from his throat.
It didn't take long for Dean to fall asleep in his bed. The second day in this new world had gone in their favour. They were to remain together but at a cost, something that Dean knew would happen. They were to join the Enforcers but that was after they had learned the basics of this world.
000ooo000oooo000
The silver glow from the moon annoyed Sam's closed eyes. He shifted his head and tried to get away from the glow but it still annoyed his eyes. Groaning in his sleep rose up to his feet. His tail got in his way and he fell with a quite squawked onto his snout. Groaning he opened his eyes and remembered everything that had happened to him. Moving his tail away from his legs he got up onto his two feet. The sickle toes on either feet dug into the material of the pillows.
A loud snorting snore brought his attention towards Dean. Dean was lying on his back with his foot dangling off the side of the bed. Another snore escaped from his brother's throat. Trying his best to smile Sam looked down at the ground. To his eyes it looked a far distance down, but Sam knew it was just how it looked to his raptor eyes. The eyes that were so much better than his humans eyes. He looked back towards the window and saw the table that was long enough that it was from bed side to bed side. He looked back at the floor and decided that the table was the better option out of the two that he had been given.
Walking as quite as he could over the bed and to the table. He froze when he heard a spring groan under his weight. Ever time that happened he took a quick glance over to Dean to see that his brother was still fast asleep. Every time a noise was made under his feet and claws, Sam would stop dead in his tracks to see what his brother was doing to see that he was still snoring. Going across the table was easy and it was also easy to get onto Dean's bed.
Dean snorted and rolled onto his back. He made another loud snore that vibrated up Sam's legs as he made his way to Dean's chest. Dean snorted when Sam was on his chest but didn't make any motion on getting up even with a baby raptor making its way to the centre of his chest above his heart.
Once there Sam curled up into a ball above Dean's heart. He closed his eyes and began to purr when he felt safe when Dean's hand rested on his back.
He was safe. He was with his brother. At the moment that was all that he needed to fell like himself.