Geez, sorry it took me so long to update!! O.o Hope you all like it!! :D
The afternoon passed by slowly, the steady howl of the wind outside shaking the windows faintly. It had taken a little over and hour to get Sam's fever under control; it was nowhere near what Dean would have preferred but it was definitely better than it had been. Keeping the younger man awake was still a challenge though. There had been several times where the fever and exhaustion tried to win the duel between sleep and consciousness but Sam had somehow managed to stay awake for most of the day. Dean would allow five minutes intervals of sleep every once in a while but any longer than that and he was afraid it would give the Schaduwen an easier target.
Saren remained seated beside the boys for most of the day, her dark eyes often wandering to the window and watching the leaves bounce off the glass. She was deep in thought, tiny concentration lines appearing between her eyes as she thought. Dean was tempted to ask what she was thinking about but he held back; he was almost afraid to know.
The gray sunlight began to dip behind the trees, casting the forest into a dull afternoon glow. The rain/snow seemed to be over for the most part but it didn't mean that the remaining water still left on the trees and underbrush wouldn't freeze before the night was over. There was still no telling how far away they were from the car or the Ranger's station for that matter and Dean just hoped that they were still able to make it back once all of this was over.
Saren stood slowly, walking over to the door and opening it carefully. "I'll be right back." She said over her shoulder as she stepped out into the frigid wind. A heavily silence fell in her absence.
"Have you talked to dad yet?" Sam asked suddenly, glassy eyes focused on the window.
Dean blinked, taken aback by the question. "What?"
"I said have you talked to dad yet?" Sam repeated, turning slowly to face his older brother. He was still bundled up in a layer of thick blankets, dark hair clinging to his forehead thanks to the fever that refused to dissipate completely.
Dean was a little confused by the question; Sam hadn't asked about their father in a while. "No, I haven't. Not yet at least. Why?"
Sam was silent for a minute, the question hanging in the air. "Just wondering..."
"No, you're not getting off the hook that easily." Dean leveled his gaze with Sam's. "Why?"
The younger man shrugged faintly. "Just..." He paused, blinking slowly. "You know...if anything happens..."
"Sam, stop." Dean cut him off gently. "You're going to be fine, alright? We'll figure a way out of this. We always do."
Sam laughed humorlessly, forcing himself to sit up a little straighter. The shift caused the raw wound in his side to throb sharply and he grit his teeth in an effort to hide it. "Dean, look...you know as well as I do what our options are right now...None of them sound too good."
"Yeah, I know our options kinda suck right now but I'm not giving up and neither are you." Dean's voice was firm and determined, there would be no disagreement of any kind if he had his way.
Sam wanted to argue, protest, do anything, but he didn't have the energy to start it. He sighed heavily and leaned back to take some of the pressure off his side. "Just promise me something..."
"It depends on what it is."
"If things get bad...I mean, really bad...I want you to go. Don't try anything stupid...just go."
"Sorry, no can do Sammy." Dean said, waving the request off with a flick of his wrist.
"Dean, I'm serious."
"So am I. I haven't left you yet so why do you think I'm going to start now?" Dean stared at Sam and Sam stared right back. There was a silent understanding between them. Sam knew it was a stupid thing to ask in the first place, Dean would rather die than leave him anywhere but then he felt the same way. Nothing to do but wait it out.
Saren stepped back inside a few minutes later, her arms full of firewood. She glanced between the boys, one eyebrow raising slightly. "Is everything alright?"
Dean nodded and flashed her a faint smile. "Yeah, just a little conversation between me and my brother." He winked at Sam.
"Jerk."
"Bitch."
OOOOO
Dean blinked suddenly, shifting himself into a sitting position. He wasn't sure when he has fallen asleep but he knew what had woken him up. The low, feral growl outside the window and door could have been part of the reason. Sam and Saren were both sitting rigidly, their eyes glued to the door. Saren held thick staff in her hands, strange symbols and words carved into the polished wood. Sam clutched a dagger in one hand though Dean was pretty sure it would be petty useless against the spectral wolves and hunters. He straightened carefully, keeping his head below window-level and made his way over to Sam's side. "What happened?" He asked quietly, not sure why he was whispering. Whatever was outside was pretty much aware of their presence.
"There's something outside." Sam answered simply, never taking his eyes off the door.
"The Schaduwen..." Saren elaborated, dark eyes narrowed. "They know he's here." She looked at Dean and the older hunter clenched his teeth.
"What should we do?" He asked, unconsciously placing himself between the door and Sam just in case.
Saren shook her head slowly. "They cannot get in. This cabin is protected."
There was a sudden crash against one wall and all three jumped. "Yeah, well I don't think they care about magical cabin rules." Dean said, pulling a handgun from the waistband of his jeans. Even when everything else was lost, the handgun never left his side.
Another crash, almost as if something heavy was being thrown against the thin walls. Wood creaked and groaned against the pressure, shifting slightly inward. "I don't think it can take much more of this..." Dean said under his breath, watching as the wooden walls bowed and splintered to the inside.
There was a deep, rumbling howl from outside, loud enough to cause the windows to rattle in their frames. Then, as suddenly as the attack had started, a heavy silence filled the night outside.
The three occupants of the cabin waited and held their breath for several minutes after the attack stopped. It was quiet again, unsettling. Dean stood slowly, holding his hand out to keep Sam from following him. He held a finger to his lips and crept over to the window. He pressed his back against the splintered wall and peeked above the window frame out into the blackness of the forest. It was like looking into a cave; nothing but darkness in every direction. Which was exactly why he never saw the dark shape until it crashed through the window and on top of him.
He fired his gun in surprise, the bullet exiting the roof of the cabin somewhere above him. He saw Sam jump to his feet and make a run for the black beast on top of him. "Sam no!" He yelled, trying to prevent his brother from taking on the thing that was more than likely here to kill him.
There was another crash as the wall behind him burst to the inside. Heavy beams of wood collapsed on top of them, dark shapes moving in from the shadows of the forest. Dean was struggling to get up, the push the giant monstrosity off of him so he could get to Sam. "Sammy!" He yelled, watching as the dark figures encircled his brother.
The remaining wall above him shuddered and toppled over, covering him a massive pile of broken wood. He was pinned, stuck beneath the heavy crossbeams. It took several minutes of struggling and cursing on his part to remove himself from the wooden cage, the cold shine of star light above him illuminating the ruin of the house. Dean stood quickly, looking around. The cabin was completely ruined, nothing more than a pile of wood now. "Sam?!" He called, looking around in all directions for any sign of his brother. There was a faint noise behind him and he whipped around, searching the wreckage. He could hear Saren struggling beneath the wood as well a few feet away from him, her arm just barely visible beneath a large sheet of wood. Running to where she was, he quickly and carefully pulled the wood off of her, helping her to her feet. "Are you alright?" He asked, relieved to see that she appeared to be unharmed.
Saren nodded slightly and looked in dismay at her ruined cabin. There was no time to grieve though. "Where is your brother?" She asked, looking carefully at Dean.
The younger man felt a cold weight settle in his stomach as he looked around once more for any sign of his little brother. Sam was gone.
Oh no!! Sammy's gone!! Will Saren and Dean find him in time?! O.o