"Follow me," he said and turned back to the bonfire. We walked down the hill and made a circle around the fire, Sam was to my right, Coyote to my left. We'd barely set our butts down when everything blurred for a second and we all looked like fully clothed humans again.

"A little warning would have been nice!" Oliver snapped. I had to agree. Roy jumped up, missed his footing and landed hard on the ground, Sam, Coyote and I took it all in stride. I looked at the human form of Brother Wolf. My earlier suspicions that there was more to him jumped up a few notches.

I've spent a year around Native Americans, while I'm sure there's variations from tribe to tribe and we were dealing with a Spirit guide here but his facial structure was off. He looked more European even with the dark skin and long black hair. I'd dismissed the blue eyes at first as just a sign of whatever supernatural power but something wasn't right. I looked at Coyote and saw some sort of hesitation in her face as well.

"I felt this would be more comfortable for all of you," he continued. His accent wasn't Lakota either, not that Great Coyote or Brother Crow had sounded Lakota, they'd sounded regular, like me. He didn't.

"It helps anyway," I replied. "We should probably get back before we're actually dead. So how about you tell us how to kill her?"

"Dean, you should know time runs differently in different worlds. We have more than enough time for what I must tell you and for you to attempt your resurrections."

Because that's encouraging. Roy and Oliver didn't take that too well. I guess they'd settled down enough to start actually understanding what was going on.

Brother Wolf looked away from us and stared into the fire. I got the feeling that this was going to be a damn long story. Usually I just rush past those, which worked so well with the Mark. I decided if he said we had enough time for this, we did, so I leaned against the medium sized boulder that was behind me and got comfy. That earned me a mildly surprised look from Sam. I replied with a shrug and focused back on Brother Wolf. I wasn't going to go traipsing through an unknown reality and screw myself over. I was pretty sure if my wolf was standing next to me he'd be giving me a look of doggy shock.

"Mariyn was the first werewolf," he said, "As you call them. She's eons old and was given the ability to shift as a gift from her patron."

"Gift?" Sam asked, "How exactly is that a gift?"

Brother Wolf gave him a completely neutral look, "Would you rather cover hundreds of miles of ice covered ground as a wolf or a human? She can run for days without stopping and her fur protects her from all weapons. When she needs to eat, she kills. No need to cook or carry supplies. Your enemies have no idea what you look like, you silently stalk them and can kill them in mere seconds without them even being aware you are there. Tell me Sam, is that not a gift?"

I leaned forward, "Wait, back up. All weapons? Even silver?"

He nodded and his face went from neutral to solemn, "Yes Dean. The only thing that can harm her is one of her own kind. Claws and teeth of her kin, that is all that will penetrate her fur."

Sam shook his head, "But we found records of hunters killing ones like her with silver?"

"I highly doubt they were like her. Just like all animals, there are different versions of what she is. Some look strikingly similar. Your weapons will not harm her or her pack."

"Okay, so we go back and rip her to shreds," I summed up, "Can't be that hard."

His eyes locked onto mine, "Tell Coyote you despise her."

I didn't even have a chance to fight it, I looked her right at her, "I despise you." Every inch of me rebelled against it, but I couldn't stop.

She hissed, stood up and faced him, "Who the hell are you? My Spirits would never do this! Nor could they."

The compulsion to do what he ordered left as fast as it had come. "Honey, I'm so sorry! That.."

She stopped me, "I know."

Sam's hand gripped my shoulder, "Dean? You okay?"

"Yeah," I got up and stepped closer to Brother Wolf, or whoever he was. "Talk and talk fast, you wouldn't be the first god we've taken down."

He merely shook his head, "The sheer bravado, it's breathtaking. Coyote. I am who I said I am, Brother Wolf. I never stated that this was the only name I have been known by. You are correct in that your Spirits could not have done what I just did to Dean. But then you are not linked to them as I am now to all of you."

I was starting to lose patience, "Just get to the punchline. Who are you really?"

"You were her patron, weren't you?" Sam asked.

He flexed his right fist, he really wasn't used to people getting in his face it seemed. "Yes."

Sam got that look, he was doing a full on brain search, "Wait, ice covered lands, wolves, her pale skin and blonde hair. But that can't be right, he wasn't a god..."

"Gods are highly overrated."

As we watched his hair went completely blonde and his skin paled to almost snow white. He stayed like that for an instant then the man disappeared and the wolf stood in front of us again. "This form is more comfortable for me." I have no idea how he was forming words but his jaw moved as he spoke. "It is my original one after all."

Oliver and Roy lunged to their feet and Coyote stepped back.

Sam nodded, "Fenris?"

The fact that Sam was more caught up in solving the mystery then everything else that was going on didn't surprise me. Oliver and Roy however were handling things as well.

"I...what?" Roy mumbled.

Oliver had resorted to his default intimidating glare. I know I've done that enough over my life. Never let them see you're freaking out.

"How is this possible?" Coyote asked, and she sounded shaky as hell. Oh no. I looked over my shoulder and really didn't like what I saw. She was trying to hide it but this had thrown her world into a tailspin. She'd had faith that Brother Wolf was her guide. She knew that there were many deities; we'd talked about it over the years but that's a bit different than having one admit to you that they'd shifted civilizations over the eons. Especially one that was currently holding you in some random limbo state. This would be why I don't have much faith anymore.

"Wait, wait, wait.." Sam said, "Did Ragnarok happen? How did you get out?"

"Ragnarok? Is that like Woodstock?" I knew what it was but I'm all about acting dumb.

"The Norse apocalypse," Sam replied with a scowl. He's such a great straight man to my act. We'd been talking Norse mythology a few months ago. He knew damn well I knew. Nice to know our teamwork was still in full effect.

"Did we miss one? Man! I thought I RSVP'd to that. Must have slipped my mind. Sorry Fenris. You got any good stories about it? Odin get drunk off his ass or something?"

Fenris' hackles were up but he wasn't growling, which I took to mean I was six inches away from death instead of two. Guess I've lost my touch.

"The tales very rarely match reality," Fenris replied. "That is all I will say in regards to your question Sam. Coyote, most of your guides you hold so dear belonged to another culture at some time or other. If we wish to survive, we adapt. As Sam and Dean can more than attest to, nothing is truly immortal. Not even the current creature that calls himself God. Time takes it's toll on all of us. Back to the matter at hand."

I had to give him credit, he was probably one of the more honorable old gods we'd come across. He wasn't killing people and eating them in his basement. Of course he wasn't really ever considered a god in the first place, he was Loki's son, but never credited as a god. Which raised quite a few questions that I'd probably never get to ask. "Okay, now that we know who you are, care to explain what's going on?"

"I gave Mairyn her gift, as I am sure you've already put together. She was once very dear to me. And no I will not go into details on that." His hackles dropped and even though I wasn't in furry form it was fairly obvious that however she'd gotten to Purgatory had involved him in some way and it still cut deep into him to think about it. "Humans should never be made nearly unkillable, we creatures that are actually cursed with relative immortality can barely stay sane and humans are much more fragile creatures. Your souls, your minds, they are not equipped to deal with the endless march of time. She strayed, became dark, violent. I had given her this gift, it was my responsibility..." He stopped talking.

Damn, I don't care who or what it is that has to kill someone they love, it hits me hard every time I hear about it.

"If I could, I would send her back again,' he continued, "But I cannot. There are reasons, complicated, involved reasons, none of which I should speak of. I cannot do what must be done, but I can help you." He met my gaze again and I saw the depths of his pain, his loss. "The reason I imposed my will upon you earlier Dean was to show the power of the pack bond. Without my aid, Mairyn's wish is your action. If you survive, you will be of her pack and the pack must act as one. She has twisted the sanctity of the pack bond, turned it into enslavement, not a thing of love and protection. The gift I gave her was meant to help her save her family, not turn her into a vile, heartless overlord. However, I gave her this gift, so technically I am dominant to her. I am trapped here though and I cannot reach the others. She has bound them too tightly to her. Without my physical presence in that realm I cannot break that bond. You, all of you, however are newly created." He swept his eyes across all of us, "My bond with you is much stronger than hers is at this moment. I can also hide that bond from her. When you reawaken I can keep her hold on you at bay for a short time, in that time you must act."

Sam and I looked at each other, neither of us liking the whole twist this had taken.

"Yeah, this whole binding thing," I said, "Not going to happen."

He took a step closer and I was face to muzzle with him. His shoulders were higher than my head and his face was nearly wide enough to be twice the size of mine. "It is not a choice you get to make Dean. It has already happened. The gift flows from me. If you weren't already bound to me I would not have been able to make you speak such a lie to your mate."

I really couldn't say anything to that.

"Uh, excuse me," Roy stammered. "Let's say we go back, we kill her. Then what? Are we like her? Monsters?"

Fenris almost recoiled like he'd been hit, "Monsters? Is that..." His lips curled. I really wasn't liking being this close to his teeth. "Yes, I can see how you would see it that way. The gift doesn't turn you into ravening beasts like those sad, half turned creatures I see images of in your minds. They're created from something entirely different. A curse, not a gift. Once you learn control, you and the wolf that arises within you are one. You are stronger, faster, able to survive all threats. The monster is not the wolf, the monster is the human. They are the ones who become warped."

Couldn't really argue with that either.

"But yes, it is permanent. You have two choices, rebirth as a wolf gifted human or death."

He turned away from me and sat back down. "What will it be?"