Chapter 10

The moon was full just overhead, peaking through the shroud of trees that made up the woods around them. It seemed to be the only light as the two large brother wolves stalked through the woods in search of food.

The black wolf that was Dean was leading the hunt, his eyes searching back and forth around them quickly. He could smell the animal, but it was still too far to pursue.

Sam fell in behind his brothers' steps, bringing up the rear silently. Even though the hunting was slow tonight, he was still happy to be out with Dean under the moon.

Just as Sam was about to turn around and head back, Dean tilted his head back and howled excitedly while he ran off into the cover of brush just ahead.

Where had Dean just gone off to? Sam had to wonder, there wasn't anything around for at least a few miles. Why would Dean just take off like that, and so happily?

Sam thought it best to sit and wait for Dean to return or even howl again to let him know where he had gone to.

Sam sat there, waiting and waiting. Sooner or later Dean would find him or signal him, so Sam could find him. It was only a matter of time.

But there Sam sat…

Had something happened? What if someone was out here hunting wolves? People did that right?

Worriedly, Sam reared his head back and howled loud, calling to his brother – all but begging him to come back.

But he didn't come…

Sam got to his feet, and started moving in the direction where his brother had gone. Dean couldn't have gotten too far.

He followed Dean's unmistakable scent for what seemed like forever. He sniffed at trees and bushes, and followed the distinct trail.

But then suddenly…the trail ended in a clearing.

Sam whirled around in the clearing, his eyes wide and fearful. Dean wouldn't have abandoned him, he couldn't have. Something terrible must have happened to him.

Sam's head jerked up, his ears perking when he suddenly heard the snapping of twigs and the moving of the bushes just ahead. Someone was coming, Sam realized.

…Someone without a scent.

Demon.

Sam released a rumbling growl from his chest and crouched down into a defensive stance. This demon must have taken Dean.

Who came through the brush though…wasn't who Sam was expecting.

She wore a white flowing gown over her pale body; the same gown Sam had seen her wear countless times before. Framing her glowing face perfectly was her long wavy dark brown hair. She was beautiful, but menacing…and if Sam remembered correctly, she was very much dead.

The dark eyes of the witch who laid this curse on him to begin with stared at him with just as much love as he remembered her doing only months ago.

His growling ceased, not knowing what else to do as his eyes widened.

But she didn't have a scent, that's what really threw him. If he remembered, the witch had a scent that was at least vaguely human. But now, all Sam could smell was the woods around him.

"Sam…" The witch whispered with a wide smile, "It's been too long."

Sam backed away nervously, not wanting to be too close to this thing. This had to be a dream. She was dead.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe I'm back?" The witch asked soothingly as if she read his mind, "I've come back from the grave before, why is it so weird now?"

Sam let out a high-pitched whine but let her talk. He just wanted to wake up now.

"What's wrong?" She asked with a phony coo, "I figured you'd be more at ease if I came to you in this shape."

Suddenly the witch's dark sparkling eyes suddenly melted into a gut wrenching yellow consuming her pupils, then her irises, and even the whites of her eyes.

Sam growled angrily, flashing his teeth at the Demon. He lowered his body back into his defensive crouch, his eyes flashing gold as even the wolf in his mind wanted to rip a piece of that Demon apart.

"What's wrong, Sammy?" The Demon asked again with a sick smile twisted on its face, "You don't like me posing as the whore that took you from me?"

Sam snarled at the Demon, showing off his teeth again – as any good predator would do. The Demon however, seemed unfazed.

"I'm here to tell you that you're not as safe from me as you may think, Sammy." The Demon whispered coyly, making Sam's blood boil, "The witch overlooked something…and I have to admit, even I didn't realize it at first – but now I know…"

Sam huffed, silently ordering the Demon to continue.

"You and I…we have a connection, Sammy." The Demon said with a smile that looked so wrong on that face.

Sam stomach rolled, and he almost vomited, but he made sure he kept the bile down. What was this son-of-a-bitch getting at?

"You no longer have the gifts that the other children got because that…creature had to interfere," The Demon spat hatefully, "but you still have a little bit of me left inside you…which is how I'm able to come into your dream, kid."

Cold fear gripped Sam's chest, what did the Demon mean when he said he had a piece of him inside? What did that mean?

Sam growled again, his eyes wild as he glared daggers at the Demon. Again though, the Demon didn't seem at all threatened.

That's when Sam suddenly remembered the last conversation he had with the witch…

"I never loved…you." Sam noted matter-of-factly.

The witch looked as if she were smacked in the face. Her eyes bulged at his words, and tears sprang to her eyes. But instead of rage, like Sam had been expecting…she looked genuinely sad.

"Then…you sign your death warrant." The witch replied brokenly.

Sam took that as a threat, and took a step back. The witch however made no move. She just stared at him as tears fell from her eyes.

"Not me…the demon. He's going to kill you." The witch said simply.

"What do you know about it?" Sam demanded.

"Nothing." The witch admitted with a sniffle, "I know that it marked you somehow…but that's all. When it gets its hands on you, it may not kill you right away…but eventually…it will destroy all that you are."

It marked him…but how?

"I also found something whilst playing around in your noggin here…" The Demon commented almost playfully.

Suddenly, a burning pain slammed into Sam's stomach – causing him to howl in surprise as the burn spread through the rest of his body. It consumed him, and for a moment he thought it was killing him…

xXx

Sam thought he knew pain. Hell, with a lifestyle like his and Dean's – he couldn't recall a day where he wasn't healing from some kind of injury.

But this…

Sam awoke to the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life. His eyes were blinded, and all he saw was a bright white light around him. There was a consistent ringing in his ears, but he couldn't focus on it. Even his sense of smell was jumbled.

The burn in his stomach intensified, and suddenly he felt his body begin to shift forcefully. His body was reverting back to human form unwillingly, and he swore it was killing him.

His body was shaking against the shift; someone was trying to get him to focus he thought. Maybe he had woken Dean up somehow and he was trying to wake him up. But he just couldn't…

Sam felt as the forceful shift started with his feet. His back paws slowly and painfully grew as the fur shed off quickly, and the toes that surrounded the paw turned into human toes as the pads changed into rougher more callused human feet. The same happened to his hands, though Sam couldn't tell which was more painful.

His legs then snapped forward as his kneecaps remade themselves, his legs then became his usual skinny stilt-like human legs as his pelvis jerked and morphed to fit a more human shape.

Suddenly, Sam's entire spine shuddered – temporarily paralyzing him as his whole body jerked upward. Sam felt as his spine straightened to accommodate human motion, and his tail wither and shrink back into himself.

When the paralysis was lifted, that's when his ribcage realigned itself. Every bone shifted one at a time, slowly but surely – taking the organs that his ribcage was designed to protect along for the grinding, yet rough ride. All this while his shoulders snapped back into human shape.

That's when the worst of it happened, suddenly it felt as if his whole head was snapping apart as his skull took on its natural human shape.

At that moment just before Sam lost consciousness, Sam realized that the ringing he heard in his ears was his own bloodcurdling screaming.

xXx

Dean suddenly snapped awake when he heard a loud pain-filled howl sound directly in his ear. His first instinct was to growl at his brother – but once he lifted his head to face Sam…his mind went blank as fear ripped through his body.

Sam was suddenly off the bed and on the hardwood floor writhing in pain as he went through a slow shift back to human form.

Dean watched horrorstricken as he forgot his own pain from the healing bullet wounds and jumped off the bed to sit at his brothers' side. The shift – either way didn't hurt at all. What was wrong with Sam?

Making a quick decision, despite his own pain – Dean suddenly shifted back to his human form – quick and painless, the way it was supposed to be.

Finding a pair of boxers on the floor, Dean shoved them on without looking to see if they were so much as on the correct way.

Dean then grabbed Sam's shoulders and shook him harshly as he called his brothers' name – even though Dean doubted Sam could even hear him over his loud ear-splitting howls.

"SAMMY!" Dean called as clumps of dark brown and black fur shed from his brother and onto the floor beneath him when suddenly Sam's whole body jerked upwards, and Dean knew it was Sam's spine realigning itself slowly and painfully, causing him to wince in sympathy.

Suddenly, to Dean's udder terror – someone began pounding on the front door hurriedly. There was no way Dean was getting up to answer it, not with his brother in this condition.

"GO AWAY!" Dean yelled furiously as protective instincts clouded his mind.

"Dean!? Open up! It's me!"

Dean almost collapsed with relief when he heard his fathers' voice on the other side of the door. That was the only person Dean would get up for.

Quickly, Dean rushed to the other side of the room – momentarily leaving his brothers' side. He shakily turned the latch, and unchained the door, allowing his father entrance.

Suddenly, John Winchester opened the door and slammed it shut behind him as he and Dean blindly rushed over to Sam's side – just in time to see him change back to complete human shape.

"What the hell just happened? He's been shifting his whole life; it never hurt him like this!" John yelled to Dean over Sam's screams.

That's when suddenly, and to Dean's relief – Sam's screaming was choked off as his naked body went limp as he fell into unconsciousness.

"It doesn't hurt!" Dean exclaimed, his voice still shaking for fear for his brother, "One minute, we're both asleep – in wolf form and then suddenly he's waking me up with his screaming! I don't know what happened!"

"Alright," John said with a nod accepting Dean's story as he kept his eyes on his youngest son, "We should at least move him to the bed."

"No," Dean disagreed as he shook his head, "that change must have seriously hurt him. I don't want to hurt him any more."

"Dean, come on." John argued.

Dean was suddenly filled with an over-protective nature that he knew was more his wolf's than his own. The need to protect his pack rang in his ears and he knew what was best for Sam. John didn't know anything!

"No." Dean said defiantly, "It'll only hurt him more."

Why was Dean fighting him on this? John wondered to himself. Didn't he see that he just wanted to help Sam as much as he did? Making him comfortable was top priority.

But Dean was seeking to be in control of the situation, when it seemed neither of them were. So John sighed deeply to try and shake off his rattling nerves, and nodded in agreement.

It seemed they would just have to wait for Sam to wake up and tell them what happened so they could make their next move.

So poor Sammy, huh..? Stinkin' Yellow-Eyes makin' him shift unwillingly. Tisk, tisk.

...More to come soon! :D

Oh...and I'll explain why John showed up in the next chapter.