Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters and am not making any money on this…I'm still just having fun!

Heart of the Protector

Chapter 8 – New Job

Deep in the forest, the demon rubbed his paws in glee. He could feel the power within him from the blood of the young hunter. He would be able to leave his lowly prison as soon as the right opportunity presented itself. The demon/rodent scurried along the forest floor, seeking out the one animal that would give him the power he needed. Suddenly the rodent smiled as it heard the animal roar nearby.

The demon would soon go from the bottom of the food chain to the most powerful creature in the woods…the mighty brown bear. The only problem was getting close enough to the bear for the transfer but avoid getting himself killed. The rat watched as the bear finished its evening meal. It wouldn't be long before the bear would head for its den. All he had to do was wait until the bear was asleep and the transfer would be complete. Then his revenge could begin, starting with the Protector of the Forest and then the young hunter!

ooooooooo

Sam groaned, slowly opening his eyes. The cabin was dark and cold, Sam shivered as he struggled to sit up on the bed. "Dean?" Sam called, wondering where his brother could have gone. Sam shook his head, trying to clear his head. "Dean…where are you?" Sam called again as he stood, stumbling against the table in the dark. Sam found the light switch and turned on the lights. A quick search confirmed what Sam already feared, his big brother was gone.

Sam sat heavily back on the bed, trying to figure out what had happened. The last thing he remembered was being buried in rats…shuddering at the memory, Sam looked down and was shocked to discover that most of the bite marks were gone. The ones remaining were almost healed along with his previous wounds. Sam carefully removed the inflatable cast, only to find the wound around the break had also healed. But the arm appeared to still be weak…the broken bone must not be totally healed.

Sam shook his head, fear building in him as he began to wonder how long he had been here. It would have taken at least a couple of weeks for his injuries to heal…but some instinct within Sam stopped that train of thought. There was no way that he had been here that long…something else had happened.

Shaking his head in frustration, Sam quickly grabbed some clean clothes from his bag and got dressed. He wanted to look outside, maybe Dean was just getting firewood. Grabbing the shotgun, Sam walked out onto the front porch of the cabin. "Dean…Dean are you out there?" Sam called once again, fear evident in his voice. Sam quickly covered the area surrounding the cabin, but there was still no sign of his brother.

Sam returned to the cabin and stoked the fire in the fireplace as he thought about where Dean could have gone. As he stared into the flames, the memory of one of his visions returned with haunting clarity. Sam knew where to find his brother…but how was he going to convince the nymph to release him?

Sam knew that it would be foolish to try to find the nymph's home in the dark. In his vision, he had seen the clearing where the cabin was located. He was pretty sure that he could find it come morning. In the meantime, he decided to find out everything he could on nymphs…opening up the computer, he got ready to spend the long night.

ooooooooo

Dean woke up with a start in a strange bed; "Where the hell am I?" Dean thought as he looked around the cabin. Suddenly the events of the past few hours came rushing back to him. "Sammy…I have to get back to him!" Dean jumped from the bed and started towards the front door. As his hand touched the knob, the door opened revealing the Protector of the Forest.

"What the hell did you do to me? Where is my brother?" Dean asked, furious that the nymph had left Sam alone and unprotected.

"I took over your conscious mind for a brief period. Just long enough for you to follow me here. You need not worry about your brother, as long as he is within these woods, he will be under my protection. Nothing would dare hurt him. Besides, all he needs now is rest and he will fully recover."

"You just don't get it do you? Taking care of Sam is not your job…it's mine and nobody is going to take it from me. Now step aside, I'm leaving!" Dean once again started towards the door, only to find the door held shut. He pulled with all his strength, but the door wouldn't budge.

"So, are you hungry Dean? I have prepared some food for you…I don't normally indulge in eating, but I admit that I do like drinking my special herbal tea…it soothes me." The nymph continued as if Dean hadn't just tried to escape. Dean turned and tried to get his anger under control. Obviously he wasn't going anywhere until the nymph decided to let him.

"Look, you can't expect me to just leave Sam. We are a team, but more importantly, we are family. Why in the world would you want to keep me here?" Dean sat down at the table and looked at the salad the nymph had prepared. "Great, and the hits just keep coming!" Dean thought as he looked down at the glorified rabbit food in front of him.

"Dean, I explained this to you back at the cabin. I need someone to help me protect the animals under my care. "

"Animals? This is about protecting animals…from what?" Dean sat back astonished.

"When I was first created, the woods were teaming with life. As the centuries passed, I have watched as man has hunted and killed those under my care. I allowed the hunting at first, because I understood that some animals were killed so that men could provide food, clothing and shelter for themselves and their families. In those days, men only took what they needed. But as time moved on, men began to hunt for profit and pleasure. This I cannot allow to continue."

"So, you're telling me that you expect me to stop hunters from killing your little furry friends? You've gotta be kiddin me! You are the one that is responsible for the deaths of those innocent hunters!" Dean couldn't believe that this being was putting animal life above the value of human life.

"It was not my intention to harm anyone Dean. Unfortunately, as time has passed my powers continue to weaken. So when the demon entered my forest looking to destroy everything in his path, I decided to use his powers to do good. I bound him to an animal form and instructed him to scare off the hunters. At first it worked, but as my powers have dwindled, his powers seem to have grown with each kill. I could not stop him from killing the others and to be honest, I felt they deserved death. But when the demon attacked you and your brother, I knew that he had to be stopped. He is no longer a threat. But now I must have someone to replace him…someone whose protective powers can rival my own…I sense that power within you Dean."

Dean smirked, "You got the wrong brother lady…my kid brother is the one with the powers, I'm just plain old me."

The nymph looked strangely at Dean. "How could you not know of your great power? You have the heart of the protector Dean, your strength comes from this power. If you stay with me, I will show you how to unleash it. Together you and I can stop the killing on both sides."

Dean looked up at the nymph, trying to figure out if she was just crazy or if there was any truth to her words. He shook his head, what would Sammy think if he found out that he wasn't the only one with freaky powers in the family? But in the end, it did not change anything…Dean could not do what the nymph wanted, he already had a job and he had no intention of resigning.

Suddenly the Protector of the Forest rose from her chair. Her eyes were blank as if she was seeing something far away. Dean jumped as the nymph cried out. "No! This cannot be…you will stop what you are doing! You cannot kill them, they have done nothing to you…stop now or I will destroy you!"

Dean figured that the nymph was talking to someone else, but there wasn't anyone else around. "Man, crazy doesn't seem to cover it with this one!" Dean mumbled under his breath as he headed for the door once more…maybe while she was distracted, he could sneak outside.

Dean's hand touched the door knob, but he never managed to get any further as he felt himself slipping away again. The nymph shook her head sadly as she watched Dean's body walk stiffly over to the chair, sit down and begin to eat. She was hoping she would not have to control Dean, but it appeared that she had no choice. "I'm sorry Dean, but I can't let you leave. Especially since the demon has managed somehow to escape the fate I set for him."

Once again the nymph reached out with her mind, trying to control the possessed bear. "You will listen to me or you will be destroyed demon!"

"Hah…hollow words from a soon to be gone goddess. I can feel you weaken even now as you try to control the human and me. I told you once that you would suffer, and so you will. I will kill as many of your animal friends as I can find…you will regret the day that you bound me to you!"

Meanwhile in a cabin not too far away, Sam moaned in his sleep as he heard the roar of the brown bear close by. He could hear the bear with yellow eyes in his head. "Soon all your powers will be mine!"

"Dean!" Sam cried in his sleep, hoping that his brother would wake him from his nightmare…but no one came.

TBC

Raven524: Here is the latest chapter. Let me know what you think…like, hate…just drop me a line!