Wings
"So, we're looking for a rock that looks like a jaguar?" Dean scanned the surrounding vegetation with a scowl. He didn't like the great outdoors much. Never had. He liked a motel room with magic fingers. He liked to know there was a fast-food joint just around the corner. He liked road signs that clearly pointed the way, and maps that were labeled in English.
"No, it was a tree that looks like a flower." Gwen leaned over Sam's arm to look at the map. "Or has a flower carved into it?"
"How about a nice big arrow that says, 'angel wings this way!" Mary smacked at a mosquito, dug into her bag, and blew a cloud of bug spray across her arms and legs. Again. She agreed with Dean about the great indoors.
" You know how these old maps are. It's all cryptic riddles and landmarks. I can't just put coordinates into the GPS." Even Sam was sounding irritated. "It's the jaguar head first, that's the first turn off. Then we find the flower carving."
"Sounds more like a scavenger hunt than a map. " Gwen scanned the trees, which rose high above them and obscured the sky.
"Right? I mean, if they want to be able to find the place again, which is the whole point of making a map, why not make the directions a little clearer?"
"Well, landscapes change over time." Cass had gotten better and regocnizng sarcasm and rhetorical questions, but today he was too excited to noitce. "Erosion changes rock. Plants grow. Rivers change course. After a thousand years, things can look very different."
Dean's only reply was to grunt and whack at the vegetation with his machete. Not that he needed to. They were on a trail that had been designed to keep tourists from getting lost. "Why is this ancient grove of magical flowers so close to a tourist trap, anyway?"
"Well, it probably wasn't a tourist trap when they planted it," Gwen offered.
"Stop!" Sam held up his hand pointed to a large rock obscured by vines and hanging flowers. It was set back from the trail, cloaked in shadow. Except for two points of light that glowed white. "What does that look like to you?"
Castiel cocked his head to one side and took step closer. The glow grew brighter. "I sense-something."
"I think it's responding to you," Mary said. She stepped off the trail and picked her way to the giant stone. Sam and Dean followed and helped her peel back the vines to reveal a large gray stone shaped like a cat. The features were soft and indistinct, faded away by years of erosion. But the twin eyes glowed and the nose pointed to a space between two trees that stood side by side, like sentinels guarding a doorway.
"Ohhhh. That's cool." Gwen's voice was hushed in awe.
"It could be a trap," Dean said.
"But Maritza, Inez, and Beatriz were so nice!" Gwen said.
"Yeah, they were fattening us up for whatever friends of theirs are living out here," Dean muttered.
"I did not sense that they were lying," Cass said.
"They looked awfully dissapointed we didn't let them come along," Mary said, her tone wary. "If we get lost in there, can we find our way back?"
Sam held up his compass. "Sure we can. Bobby Singer taught us how to find our way in the woods."
"That was a different kind of woods," Dean muttered. But Castiel was already ahead of them, walking toward the doorway between the trees as if he hadn't heard a word the others said.
Sam looked down at Gwen. "Maybe you should go back to the boat. Mom can take you. You guys can wait with Las Vegetarianas."
Gwen pressed her lips firmly together. "No. I'll stay."
"It might not be safe," Sam said.
Gwen nodded. "I know."
Sam looked to Mary. "Last chance to stay out of this. Cass is our friend, we have to help him. But you don't need to be here."
"He's my friend now too," Mary said. "Let's go."
o0o
The world was dark; deep twilight had fallen. Nighttime insects began their singing, while the creatures of the day folded themselves up in their dens to sleep. A soft glow could be glimpsed between the trees, growing stronger as the darkness deepend.
"Moonlight glows at noon." Sam looked up from the map and consulted his watch. "Yep. It's 3 pm. Nowhere near late enough to be this dark. That's the last sign."
"Was there supposed to be some kind of guardian?" Dean's eyes searched the shadows, his finger never leaving the trigger.
"A shaman or a jaguar god, the texts don't agree," Sam said.
"I don't see anything." Mary's eyes travled from the trees to the ground. "There's nothing moving up there at all. It's too quiet."
Lightning crackled through the sky. The light illuminated the sillouhette of a woman wearing a jaguar skin. She stood on a gaint boulder, long claws protruding from her fingers.
"Who dares enter the sacred domain of the jaguar?!" Her voice was deep and it boomed across the clearing as if carried by a well-hidden sound system. "It is forbidden to enter here! Any who try to take the sacred flower will die."
"Look, I don't want to kill you." Dean said, his tone friendly. "You're just doing your job, and I bet this jaguar god of yours isn't the best boss. But we're here for that flower, and we can't leave without it."
"Speak! What is your name?" Behind the shaman, drums rattled.
"Just like Jumanji," Gwen muttered. She latched onto Sam's elbow. "Drums aren't good."
"If she asks 'what is your quest' next.." Dean muttered. Gwen giggled, and Dean gave her a wink.
"I am Sam Winchester."
"Sam Winchester, it is forbidden to enter-wait, Winchester?" The shaman held up her hand, and the drums stopped. She peered down at the company of travelers in front of her. "But there are five of you."
Di-doo-doo. An elecronic beeping rang out over the sudden awkard silence.
"Yes, and we aren't leaving here with a sacred flower!" Dean said. "We didn't come here for a fight-"
"That's why you brought your guns, of course," the shaman said.
Ddi-di-dood-doo. The music grew louder, the eletronic sound jarringly out of place in the errie semi-darkness of the ancient, sacred gove.
Sam rolled his eyes and put his hand out to push Dean's gun down. "Can we talk about this? We're here to help a friend..."
"Wait." Dean cocked his head, listening to the strange music. "Is that Mario brothers?"
The shaman straightened. "No!" But she cast a glance behind her shoulders, and then dropped her forehead into her palm. "Father! What are you doing? We have intruders!"
At the bottom of the boulder, a wizened old man wearing a white jaguar skin that matched his white hair sat hunched over a handheld video game, eyes intent on the screen. "Nobody touches a flower until I beat my high score!" He didn't even spare a glance for Mary and Dean, who were trying to sidle around the other side of the boulder. "That means you! Stop!"
Dididi-oo-oo0ooo. The cheery music fell flat as Mario plunged to his fiery death.
"Look what you made me do!" The elder shaman finally looked up at the visitors. "Didn't someone warn you not to come here? We can't just give out magic to anyone who asks."
"Not even if we say please?" Gwen asked. "Dad, show him your laptop!"
Sam's head snapped down to stare at Gwen, betrayed. "No!"
"Laptop?" The elder shaman stepped closer, eyes bright. "What is this laptop of which you speak?"
Dean grinned. "Well, they've made a few improvements to video games." He squinted at the Gameboy in the elder's hand. "That thing must be twenty years old. How do you get batteries?"
"I took it off the last white people who were stupid enough to try to come here. And I don't need batteries." The shaman smiled, showing teeth that had been filed to points. "Now begone! The treasure we guard is not for you."
"And I don't want it for me. I want it for a friend," Dean said.
"Father, he claims to be a Winchester!" The younger shaman pointed at Sam.
"Nonsense. Who are the extras?" The elder waved a hand at Gwen and Mary.
"Grandfather, he's wearing a trenchcoat!" This voice was younger and came from the trees above. Five Winchesters looked up to see branches filled with jaguars, and one young boy in a loincloth. He pointed at Castiel.
"Yes I wear a trenchcoat," Castiel said.
"You are the angel," the boy said.
"Yes."
A hush fell over the forest. The elder shaman rose to his feet and came to stand nose-to-nose with Castiel. "Angel? Show me your wings."
Castiel straightened his shoulders and began to glow, chasing away the artificial twilight. Sun cut through the rainforst canopy again, highlighting the shadow of his brunt wings.
"Ah!" The elder shaman gasped and clapped a hand over his mouth. Then he stepped aside with a flourish, opening the way to the angel. "Please. Take whatever you need."
"That's it?" Dean asked.
The shaman shrugged. "The sacred flower is for angels. Not humans."
o0o
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, KS...
"Form ranks!" The fire chief popped a whistle in his mouth and blew a shrill blast. The young men and women of Lebanon, Kansas scrambled to form straight lines. Or something that resembled straight lines. The half who had been in marching band in high school managed it just fine. The others formed a half-hearted squiggle behind them.
Archie Mayhew, who had just returned from a stint in the military, hung his head in shame. Oh, well. It wasn't really important. The entire town seemed intent on humoring the few elders who insisted that something bad would come out of the old, abandoned bunker some day. But everyone knew that the giant in the woods had been a hoax. It was the Stay Puft Marhsmallow Man from Ghostbsuters, for goodness sake!
Someone had probably made up a giant balloon, like they used for parades in big cities.
Yet here they were, doing salt drills. Every able-bodied person between the ages of fifteen and thirty had been equipped with a giant bin of salt. Which they were to launch at anything 'out of the ordinary' that they saw around town.
Apparently, somebody had set aside the leftovers after every winter for the past fifty years. There was plenty to go around.
Across the street, police chief was busy showing off the weapons stockpile to the strangers. The ones who had walked out of the woods covered in sticky goo. Marhsmallow goo. Apparnetly Jacey Holmes, aged five, had sampled it and confirmed this fact to the entire town.
"Now we've got your standard iron tools. Crow bars. Old farm equipment. Fire irons." The chief ran his hands over the collection. "Then there's the silver. That's harder to come by, but every time there's an estate sale we get something good. Candlesticks, tableware." He tapped at a tarnished spoon.
"Do Sam and Dean know about all this?" Garth asked.
The chief shook his head. "No, never metioned it. We'd prefer if they kept their business to themselves, ya' know?"
Jody snorted. "I know the feeling."
"So, what are we up against?" the chief asked. "Giants? Bigfoot? Gozer? What do we need?"
"As far as I can tell, they are evil British people. I called a friend at the FBI," Jody said. She looked down the road that led out of town, as if expecting to see an army of black sedans pull up at any moment. "They should be along soon."
The chief gestured to the trees in the distance, which still dripped with the remnants of marshmallow fluff. "But-what about all that?"
"Well, if you have a flamethrower, that might help," Garth offered.
"That won't happen again. At least, I hope it won't happen again," Jody said.
"With Winchesters, you never know," Eileen said.
"Gah!" The police chief jumped half a foot into the air as a sharp draft blasted the three hunters from behind. They turned to see a trench-coated angel looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"Is everyone alright?" He cocked his head slightly as the chief of police snatched up a corwbar and candelabra and held them aloft like twin swords.
"What are you? Stay back! SALT PATROL!"
Across the street, twenty heads turned in unison. The impromptu militia let out a yell. The fire chief blew his whistle until his cheeks turned red. Castiel's eyes widened. Twenty bags of salt emptied over the angel's head.
Salt scattered across the pavement as the angel vanished in a puff of air and feathers.
Eileen clamped a hand over her mouth to hide her laugh. Garth's mouth dropped open, and Jody just shook her head.
Castiel re-appeared behind the hunters, a wide smile on his face. He placed a hand on Jody's shoulder, and the town of Lebanon vanished.
o0o
"Where are we?" Jody's face was a little green as she landed. She blinked and stared at the motel room. A gust of air indicated that Castiel had vanished again, and a moment later he was back with a a wide-eyed Garth.
"La Aldea de la Selva Lodge. " Gwen smiled and slurped on her Sonic limeade.
The Winchesters were all there, and three women Jody didn't recognize, surrounded by an assortment of food from every corner of the continental US, and every corner of the world.
Mary munched on a dumping, frowned, and passed it to Sam. "Nope. You're right. The dumplings from Xiahe, Gansu are better. Want to try, Dean?"
Dean shook his head. He had a mouth full of cheesy chili fries. "No."
"Do you want something?" Sam asked, using sign as Eileen had now arrived.
"Anything. From anywhere," Castiel said.
"Try to think of a place he can't go," Gwen challenged.
"I can go anywhere now," Castiel said.
"I would love an Irish leek and potato soup," Eileen said.
Castiel vanished.
"Don't worry, you can put your orders in when he gets back," Dean assured Garth and Jody.
"Um-shouldn't we be-getting weapons together? Making a strategy? There is some nasty British secret society trying to get in your front door," Jody said.
Dean cleaned off his hands and his face grew serious. "I know. I'm sorry about that. I never guessed they would come after you."
"You'll be safe here until we get a strategy together," Sam assured.
"What was that thing?" Garth pointed over his shoulder, even though he wasn't sure which direction Kansas was from here.
Dean grinned. "Pure genius, that's what it was!"
Castiel reappeared with a bowl of steaming hot soup, which he set in Eileen's hands, before he vanished again.
"How long is he going to keep that up?" Mary asked.
"No idea," Sam said.
"How is he paying for it all?" Gwen asked.
Dean frowned and checked his wallet. "My credit card."
Sam grinned and stuffed another dumpling in his mouth. "You're the one who said you were hungry after he brought us here."
"So, do we jut sit around and eat all night? Or do we have a plan to stop these guy?" Eileen asked. She settled next to Sam with her soup and claimed a dumpling.
Dean grinned and gestured for everyone to sit. "Oh, this is a war council. We've made a few friends, and they all want in."
There was a flushing sound, and a woman in a jaguar skin walked out of the bathroom. She sat down crosss-legged next to Mary and helped herself to some Moo-shoo pork.
"What have you been up to?" Eileen asked.
Sam grinned. "It's a long story. It ends with Dean giving away my laptop. For no good reason."
"We had to trade it for Cass's wings!"
"He had already fixed Cass's wings!"
"Heartbreak! Danger! Redemption! I love a good story!" Huey and Tlaloc had landed on the sill of the open window. Huey's eyes alighted on the feast, and he beamed. "And good food!" He snapped his figners and a giant disco-ball appeared on the ceiling, casting colored lights across the walls.
Maria crashed into the window with a grunt and glared at Tlaloc. "I am never travelling by thundercloud again."
"You could have waited for me. " Castiel stood in the center of the group with a bag of take-out in his hand. "I can take you anywhere you want to go."
Maria just shook her head and headed toward the bathroom with a mutter of, "Winchesters. Everyone says crazy things happen to people who get mixed up with Winchesters."
Tlaloc beamed at the Castiel. "You are feeling better, friend, I can tell."
The angel smiled. "Yes. Much better, thank you."
"Want to race?" Tlaloc asked.
There was a rush of air, and both pagan god and angel vanished.
"Hey!" Dean yelled at the empty space. "We're gonna need more food!"
There was a knock on the door. Sam set his plate aside. "I'll get it." He cast a glance over the motley assembly. What would Los Literatos think of them all?
o0o
FBI offices, somewhere in the Midwest
"Boss, we've got a hit on that serial credit card fraud case!" A young anlyst popped his head up from his computer to flag over his supervisor.
A woman in a black suit marched across the office to peer over the analyst's shoulder at his computer screen. "Looks like. Take the data and...what's that?" She pointed to a new red flag that popped up on the map.
"Um..." The analyst tapped at his keyboard for a moment. "Hm. It looks like the same card was swiped in New York."
"But the first purhcase was in New Orleans."
"Yes. That's odd..." Another red flag popped up. "Ok, we've got another purchase. In Tibet."
"Tibet? So they're shopping online. That's a different department.."
"No, sir." The analyst shook his head. "The actual card was used at each location. It has a chip and everything. Can't be duplicated."
"Well, someone duplicated it," his supervisor said. "Looks like you just earned yourself some overtime. Figure this out. ASAP."
The analyst grimaced, but knew better than to argue. "Yes, sir."
o0o
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