Disclaimer: I don't own anything connected with supernatural!

The Winged Curse

Chapter Two

The brothers made their way back to where the car was parked on the dirt road that led up into the foot hills. Dean led the way wanting to get as far away from the creature as possible.

"How'd you get out of the cave?" Sam asked as they worked their way through the forest. "For that matter how'd you get away from that ugly bastard?"

"There was an entrance in the cave where she took me," Dean replied.

"She?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, the one we killed was the male," Dean told him.

"How'd you determine that?"

"She kind of…" he stopped what he was about to say. Telling his brother the truth of what happened would only lead to endless hours of Sam laughing at him and making crude jokes about it so he decided discretion was the better part valor especially in this case. "I noticed she had… um…" he turned and faced his brother his hands cupping at his chest to demonstrate what he was trying to say. "…breasts when she landed on top of me."

Sam watched his brothers' demonstrative explain and burst out laughing. He winced slightly as his actions brought a sudden pain to his side. He reached his hand down to his side and pressed down.

Dean had been watching his brother when he started laughing and noticed his painful reaction to the bout of laughter. "Sammy, what's wrong with you?"

Sam lifted his hand away from his side and was surprised to see it come away bloody. "I guess that bitch got a claw in after all," Sam replied.

Dean walked back to his brother and raised his shirt to look at the injury. Two deep furrows about six inches long marred his side. "Sam those are going to need stitching when we get back."

Sam looked down at his side then at his brother and replied, "Yeah, I know." That's when Sam noticed Dean's face was red and he was sweating a lot more then usual. He reached a hand up to his brothers' forehead to see if he was running a fever.

Dean slapped Sam's hand away from his face and said, "Dude, what are you doing?"

"Dean, you look hot I was…"

His brother interrupted him saying, "I'm glad you think so Sammy, but you're just not my type." Dean stood up and continued the trek through the woods. "Come on Sam," he called. "I want to get the hell out of here before dark."

When they arrived at their motel room Dean got out the first aid kit. Sam removed his shirt and sat backwards on one of the chairs in the room resting his arms on the back of the chair. He watched impassively as his brother got out a bottle of holy water and cleaned the wound before he began stitching it up. Using the remote he flipped on the t.v. and began flipping through the channels. He had found by way of experience that watching the actual process of getting stitches made them far more painful than they were if he was distracted. Thirty minutes later when Dean was applying the final few stitches his hands began to shake causing him to stick the needle a little more sharply into Sam's side then he'd intended.

"Hey," Sam said and drew back away from his brother. "What the hell Dean?" Sam looked at his brother again. Sweat was now pouring from his forehead and his shirt was drenched as though he had just run a few miles. "Dean, are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I think you might be right about the fever," his brother replied as he finished applying the remaining stitches. "That fugly bitch better not have given me rabies," he told Sam. "I think I'm the one who should be worrying about that. She didn't scratch you anywhere did she?" Sam asked.

"No," Dean replied. "I'm gonna take a shower. Why don't you see if you can find us some Tylenol?"

"Sure," Sam replied pulling a clean shirt out of his bag and putting it on. "I'll be right back. I'll get something to eat while I'm out."

Less then an hour later when Sam returned Dean was lying on top of the covers on his bed asleep wearing only a pair of shorts. He was still running a fever and sweating profusely. Sam reached over to shake him awake. "Dean," he said quietly. "Wake up you need to take some Tylenol." His brother didn't respond right away. It took two or three tries to wake him.

Dean responded. "Sam," he replied tiredly. "Leave me alone. Let me sleep."

Sam was beginning to get concerned about his brother. He'd seen Dean sick before, but nothing like this. "Dean," Sam demanded. "You need to sit up and take some Tylenol." It took several tries but he was finally able to get Dean to take the meds. He helped his brother back down on the bed and covered him. He had no idea what the creature had done to his brother, but judging by the high fever it couldn't be good.

Sam went to the small rickety table, opened his laptop and pulled up the research he'd done on the creature they'd were hunting. He began rereading the data, looking for anything they might have missed. He stopped his research several times and helped his brother take more Tylenol and it was working the fever was fading. He continued to read until he came across what he was looking for.

The legend of the Winged Creature of Bethany Tennessee

The Bethany witch was known for her herbal cures and ritual healing until the day she was betrayed by her most trusted friend. One night the witch returned to her home and discovered her lover copulating with her friend. In her anger the witch built a black alter and cursed her friend forever. "From now until eternity you shall become a horrid creature of the night. You shall be terrible to look upon and none shall want you again. This fate you will share with the one you lust upon. Your children shall be also afflicted and they shall all perish in the light of day." The cursed woman and her lover changed as the witch completed the ritual. Huge leathery wings sprang from their backs. They became more ugly then the most horrible dog as fur sprang forth covering their bodies. Claws as long as fingers appeared on their hands and feet and they were forced to run on four legs instead of two…

Sam stopped reading and looked up as his brother began to moan quietly and toss back and forth on the bed. He went to his brother and placed his hand on Dean's forehead. He was burning again even with the Tylenol. Sam wrapped ice in several of the towels and placed them around his brothers' body. Sam pulled the chair close to his brothers' bed and sat next to him replacing the ice packs several times until his fever finally broke just before dawn.

Dean's bloodshot eyes fluttered open and he looked at his brother's haggard face. "That bad?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied. "You scared me for a while there. I almost carted your ass off to the emergency room."

"I'm fine, but I seem to be wet," Dean said sitting up.

"I had to pack ice around you to get the fever down," Sam said as he stood and moved the chair back to the table.

Dean leaned back on the pillows but couldn't get comfortable. It felt like something was sticking out of them. He looked back and his eyes widen at what he saw. "Um, Sammy," he said fearfully as he stood up beside the bed. "I think we have a problem."

Sam turned to his brother and asked, "What's wrong?"

Dean looked at his brother his bloodshot eyes displaying a level of fear Sam had never seen before as he slowly extended a large pair of black leathery wings from behind his back.

A/N Thanks again for taking the time to read what I have so much enjoyed writing. I would love for you to take the time and review it to let me know what you think.