Chapter 28
Sam stood at the scene of the murders at the animal hospital looking for evidence as he posed as F.B.I. agent Lee. There was no doubt in his mind that the purple-faced man from the zoo was somehow behind this. But as Sam recalled, the man had a staff in hand, and the wounds he saw on the victims were inflicted by something much sharper than a staff.
He was starting to get discouraged as he was failing to see anything that he could hold on to as evidence toward the culprit being one supernatural creature as opposed to another. The only things to take away from the scene was that all the animals were set free and unharmed, while every human had been attacked with the intent to kill. Also, each had been stabbed by something much like the end of a crude spear or stake, but had actually died by a poison with symptoms much like cyanide, but he was pretty sure they didn't all bite into a cyanide capsule at the same time. The oddest thing was that an elderly woman survived. He'd catch up with her later.
As he finished inspecting the crime scene, he heard a female officer scream from somewhere out in the front parking lot. Sam darted out to see what was going down so that maybe he could help and immediately saw the concern. Charging in from his left, out of the woods to the north of town, was a large, male moose.
The woman officer dove out of the way, but Sam recognized the dodge to be totally unnecessary. The moose wasn't just rampaging blindly. It wasn't rabid or confused. It was on a mission. He could see it in the beast's eyes. The moose was after Sam.
Sam pulled out his gun and took a few shots at the quickly approaching moose. Each bullet hit, but the 1200 pound beast wouldn't be stopped so easily. As the moose stampeded at him, Sam noticed the eyes were red just before he dove aside, just barely escaping the heavy hooves of the murder-tasked mammal. He spun around to see the animal doing the same, shoving a motorcycle out of its way with ease in the process. Sam knew he and the motorcycle were probably of similar weight. If that moose hit him, that'd be it for him.
The horned mammal charged Sam again, but this time he was in the same path-of-travel as the startled female officer. If he dodged, he'd live, but there was no guarantee she'd react in similar fashion. Sam could tell by her terrified and confused expression. She was practically paralyzed by shock. Instead of rolling, Sam stood and sprinted at the woman as quickly as he could, knowing full well that the moose was charging at a much faster rate. He was ready at any moment for the painful trampling of hooves breaking his limbs as they carelessly pressed down on him. Fortunately for the cop, Sam made it to her in time.
Throwing the officer out of immediate harm's way, Sam fell on his ass and spun around to spot the moose. He wished he hadn't! The moose was just mere feet from him, a distance that the behemoth could close in mere seconds; less seconds than Sam needed to stand or get out of the way.
Instinctively, Sam reached for his gun, but fumbled it as a frightening and surprising roar blasted against his eardrums from the street. He suddenly felt the weight of a freight train gently, but firmly press him out of the path of the stampeding moose.
Sam quickly looked back and watched as the moose trampled over a tiger that Sam was very familiar and angry with, though none of the anger concerned him at the time. He was more worried about the beating he was watching Dean endure for his sake.
Dean tumbled and rolled as the moose plowed over him before turning around and preparing to charge Sam again. There was no doubt about it: the beast was literally hunting Sam. However, Dean wasn't about to let that happen. No mammal with the brain the size of a walnut was about to get the best of Dean. He immediately was back on his feet, apparently brushing off what Sam knew to be some major injuries, and racing to Sam's defense. "Dean!" Sam hollered. "Don't get yourself killed!"
The tiger seemed not even to hear Sam's cries, though Sam knew he had, and pounced on the over-sized deer, again, like on the bull, plunging his sharp claws into its thick flesh and throwing his weight to the side forcefully to cause the moose to lose its balance and fall to the floor.
Sam watched, totally fascinated by how expertly Dean seemed to operate his tiger body. The moose was down, and with a desperate look from Dean, Sam watched as his fangs sank deep into the moose's neck and crushed its throat. The moose was instantly dead as his spine was severed. Sam knew from Dean's look that he hadn't wanted to do that. Though, he was technically a tiger, he also wasn't. And no human wants to put his teeth into the living flesh of some dirty animal from the deep Montana woods. For Sam's sake, though, Dean had done it. I owe him a big toothbrush. Sam thought to himself as Dean leapt over to him.
No words were needed between the Winchester brothers to know the conversation. Dean was boldly expressing through angry and taunting animal gestures that he had told Sam he shouldn't go alone. He had told him it was dangerous and yet Sam hadn't listened. "I know you warned me." Sam argued. "And I tried to come with someone, but you stole my phone." Sam explained frustrated. "Had you trusted me. Had you let me call the Men of Letters, someone would have had my back."
Dean was clearly offended at those words as he bared his fangs at Sam, a gesture that would have had anyone else running, but despite all their fighting, Sam knew that Dean would never hurt him. It was an oath that Dean had taken to Sammy when he was just a baby, and it was an oath that he knew he would never break. Sam never had reason to fear Dean. Never.
In a more docile manner, Dean gestured questioningly around the animal hospital. "I didn't find much to go off of." Sam admitted. "Nothing we didn't already put together."
Heading back to the Impala, ignoring the people around staring at the young F.B.I. agent walking and talking with a tiger, Sam held the door open for Dean to climb in. He did so, much to the groaning of his baby, and they drove off before anyone could really address the tiger situation in front of them.
"Thanks, by the way." Sam said quietly. Dean had no trouble hearing it with his cat-tuned ears. "I was in some real trouble and you saved me."
Dean simply bent over and licked Sam's non-driving arm before settling back down in his seat with a stern face cast at Sam. "Yes, we'll talk about the case when we get back to the motel." Dean growled a little. "And yes, I'll let you come with me next time. It's not like people don't know there's a tiger running around now." Sam muttered. "I just hope that doesn't cause us any unneeded trouble."
