Hello People! I'm not dead. Just been lazy. BUT! I finished this one chapter revolving around my favorite Mexican monster. I got most of the lore from my parents and added some stuff to make it SPN friendly. This chapter will be a bit less humourous than future of previous chapters. It'll probably be the case for most original cases that I write.

ANywho, sorry for the wait guys. I'll have the next chapter up for october. Hopefully. As usual, tell me what you think, what I should improve, get better at, if you like Zoe, hate her, critique me. It really helps

Dean wrinkled his face in disgust when he smacked a mosquito on his arm, leaving a red stain in his hand. He hated being in the humidity. All he wanted was to quickly finish this case and go somewhere humidity was a foreign concept.

They were sitting in a small open-air restaurant nestled in a Latino community. They got looks from passers-by though Dean ignored them. He didn't blame them. Two tall white men in suits arrive in their small little town? Bound to get stares.

"So what are we looking for?" Dean asked.

"Not sure," Sam said, looking through newspaper clippings. "I'd say werewolf but there aren't any hearts missing. Last body was mauled to death."

"Rugaru?" Dean asked.

"Probably. Or a demon deal."

Dean ignored the way Sam's shoulder's fell at the reminder of the Rugaru. He'd ignored the way his brother looked to the backseat expectantly only to find it empty. Did Dean regret his decision to kick the girl out? No, he didn't. The girl had it coming to her for dealing with monsters.

"She might have some information it," Sam said. "Zoe's seen the show. She knows about all the monsters we'll face or have faced. She probably knows what we are dealing with. And she speaks Spanish."

"No. No way in hell."

"Dean—"

"No, Sam."

Sam turned away, looking through the clippings again.

"Well," Sam said, "as far as I can it's nocturnal and it steals children. Kills the adults and partially eats them."

"Well let's see our first victim then," Dean said, standing up. "This…uh… Hernan Garza."

"It's pronounced without the H, Dean."

Dean however, didn't care and was already on his way to the impala. Sam followed suit, tossing away their trash. The drive to the morgue was quiet and tense, though neither brother broke the silence.

The coroner welcomed them warmly, speaking in accented English. He led them to where he had the bodies of the victims.

"I don't understand why the FBI is interested in a dog attack," the coroner said. "Don't you have to worry about the missing kids?"

Sam and Dean shared a confused look before Dean said, "Right. The missing kids. We just want to be sure that this case isn't related."

"Dog attack?" Sam asked, frowning. "Are you sure?"

The coroner nodded and said, "Yes. A very large dog judging by the bites and scratches. Too big to be a coyote."

"What about a wolf?" Sam asked.

The coroner shook his head, "There aren't any wolves in the area."

"Was there anything missing from the body?" Dean asked.

"Missing?"

"Like his heart?" Sam offered.

"No. He was simply mauled to death."

The coroner took his leave due to the amount of paperwork he had to do, leaving the boys alone with the body. They confirmed the coroner's report. No heart missing. No brain. Apart from being mauled, there wasn't anything to indicate that the body was killed by anything supernatural.

"Maybe it isn't a case," Sam said.

"Doesn't hurt to double check," Dean replied.

When an examination of the victim didn't yield any results, the boys decided to check with the families. Perhaps this was a demon deal. The families however, didn't tell them anything worth of value that could imply that this case was anything involving the supernatural. Investigations on the man's finances and personal didn't tell them anything either.

"Mrs. Garza, was your husband acting strange before he died?"

Mrs. Garza looked at Dean in confusion and shook her head. "No," she said. "I would have known if something was wrong with him. We have been married for twenty years now."

"Can you describe that night?" Sam asked.

"We heard the boys scream," Mrs. Garza said, her hands trembling as she continued. "Hernan went to see what was going on and…next I know he had the gun in his hand and yelling at us to lock the doors. I never got a look at what it was."

"Can we speak to your sons?" Sam asked.

Even questions regarding the missing children suggested they should leave the case to the actual authorities. There was absolutely nothing to suggest this case had any supernatural element in it. The police were more than happy to hand them the files on the children and the mauling victim. Unfortunately, Sam found little correlation or reason to suggest the kids were involved in anything supernatural. Friends and family all insisted their children weren't a part of some cult.

"Let's call Bobby," Sam said. "Maybe he'll have an idea on what it is we are dealing with."

Dean agreed, and took out his phone.

"Bobby Singer's. This is Zoe speaking."

"Where's Bobby?" Dean asked, managing to keep his voice calm. Didn't he already get rid of the kid? Sam gave him a look of confusion. Dean mouthed, "It's the kid."

"Out," Zoe said. "What d'ya want, squirrel?"

"Excuse me?"

Sam sensed an argument and took the phone from Dean, and said, "Hello?"

"Moose, heya," Zoe chirped cheerfully. "Bobby's out. So, what do you need?"

"Working a case," Sam said, "but we aren't sure if we even have one."

Dean gave Sam a look of incredulous betrayal. They were supposed to be on the same team, dammit! This meant the girl stayed far away from them. Her and her trickster boyfriend. Far away where they wouldn't hurt people. Sam ignored him and placed her on speaker.

"What're the deets?"

"Give me a second," Sam said, as he pulled the file out of Dean's hands, giving him a bitch face when Dean refused. "We have a victim who was mauled by a large dog. Possibly a wolf, but the coroner isn't sure."

"Did you make sure it wasn't a demon deal?" Zoe asked. "Does the wife remember the husband, or people acting like they snapped out of some spell? Finances take a dip?"

"Nope," Sam said.

"Alright…."

Sam heard the tapping of keys and Zoe said, "What about missing persons?"

"Do you think they have anything to do with the case?" Sam asked.

"Depends on who's missing."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Well," Zoe said, "there's this story my parents used to tell me back home."

"We aren't interested in your bedtime stories, kid," Dean said earning himself a look from Sam.

"You'll be interested in this one, Dean," Zoe said.

"What's the story?" Sam asked, bringing the conversation back on track, and avoiding another spat between the two.

"Back in Mexico," Zoe said, "there's this story about a dog called a Nahual. It's this sort of supernatural being, similar to a skinwalker but not really. Some legends say it's a witch who can take the form of an animal but prefers that of a dog. According to legend, the Nahual steals children. Possibly to eat them or use them in a ritual."

"You think it's a shape shifting witch?" Dean asked, incredulous.

"Well I don't see you coming up with any great ideas," Zoe shot back.

"Is there any way to identify the Nahual?" Sam asked.

"That I can tell? No. Best guess is that you are going to have to find its lair and kill it. Silver bullet should do the trick. Or decapitation."

"Thanks, Zoe. We'll keep you updated."

Sam ended the call and turned to his brother, who was remaining, stubbornly annoyed with the girl. Sam shot him a look, before pulling out his laptop and began researching the Nahual. His brother sighed, and muttered something about getting a drink, leaving Sam alone in the motel room.

Dean grumbled the entire way to the Impala. Leave it to Sam to trust the kid. A kid. A girl who is not even old enough to drink, who Sam had known for a few months. And he trusted her? Dean shook his head, as he picked out the keys to the impala. As he opened the impala, movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. His curiosity peaked, and he went to investigate. Dean made sure his handgun was loaded before he placed it in its holster. A large dog barked and growled threateningly, and a child screamed out for help.

Dean broke into a run, skidding around the corner, but only managed to see a large bounding figure disappear into the forest, and out of his range. A woman screamed and Dean turned around to see why she was screaming.

"Shit."

Her car was destroyed. Whatever it was that Dean had heard, it was strong. The car was dented. The passenger door was ripped open, the handles bent as if it had been ripped off with bare hands. The glass had been shattered, lying scattered in the pavement and the scratched-up seats.

"My baby! My baby!" the woman continued to scream. "He's gone! Oh God! Oh God!"

Zoe closed her eyes and leant back on the porch swing, absently petting the stray cat that she had been feeding and bribing with treats. Bobby hadn't yet chased it off, so Zoe guessed she could keep it. The cat purred as she scratched it behind the ears. It was a short haired black cat with brilliant yellow eyes. It meowed to be let in if Zoe was in the house for too long, and only ate wet food, much to Bobby's annoyance.

The autumn cool air made Sioux Falls a bit more tolerable. The trees had already begun to turn brown and red and yellow, throwing the forest around them in a beautiful array of colours. Zoe wondered if she should buy groceries for dinner. Bobby often complained that she had spoiled him with her Mexican cooking. The two took great joy in challenging the other to eat spicy food.

Bobby walked outside, pulling up a chair behind him, and a beer in his hand.

"Any luck with the case the boys have?" Zoe asked.

"Another kid was taken," Bobby said, "and in broad daylight, too."

Zoe shook her head, "I told them it was probably a Nahual. It's the only dog like creature that I can think of that takes children."

Bobby grunted, "I've come across one of those in Mexico."

"Seriously?"

Bobby took a drink, and said, "A hunter friend called me to help with children disappearing in the small area. We found it hidden in some cave systems, and the kids in these cages. One of the caves…." Bobby took a deep drink, and shook his head. "Those poor kids. It had been doing this for decades if the little graves were anything to go by. This one though," Bobby said, "this one is getting spotted. He's making mistakes. And that will get him caught."

"What other cases have you done in Mexico?" Zoe asked.

"Well there was this witch in Mexico City…"

Sam examined the dented car in the police station, comparing the scratch marks to the growing catalog of creatures in his mind, but neither of them matched. It looked like animal marks but no animal could damage a car to the extent that this car had been damaged. Zoe's suggestion of the Nahual seemed more interesting.

"Is there anything else you need, agent?" the young officer asked. He had hung back as he watched the FBI agent examine the car.

"Yes," Sam said. "Can I see your files on the missing children?"

"Of course. Right away."

Dean walked towards him, adjusting the tie around his neck. He had been talking with the owner of the car, but he didn't get much. The store security cameras were too grainy and dark to make out anything more than a humanoid shape. He briefed Sam on his findings.

"I think Zoe might be right," Sam said.

"Sam."

"I don't see you coming up with any other ideas."

"Fine. I'll call Bobby."

Bobby picked up after a few rings.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Hey Bobby," Dean said, relieved it was Bobby and not the girl. "Listen I need your help figuring out this case."

"The kid told you it was a Nahual, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Sam thinks so too," Dean said. "We just don't know how to find it and kill it."

"Nahuals are essentially shape shifting witches," Bobby explained. "And they like isolated areas where they can work. In Mexico, I killed one in a cave system using a regular bullet, but be careful. They won't go down without a fight and they will get a few hits in. I emptied a full clip into it before it finally went down. Best find yourself a nice isolated place. Chances are you'll find your Nahual."

"Alright. Thanks Bobby."

"is that Sam?"

Dean paused at the sound of Zoe on the other end of the line.

"It's Dean," Bobby replied.

"Tell him to tell Sam I said hi."

"You get that?" Bobby asked Dean.

"Yeah. I got it," Dean said.

So, the girl was still mad at him. The feeling was mutual. The Rugaru case was still brought up by Sam who tried to explain that they made the right choice. If the experiment didn't work, then the Rugaru could be killed. It was the only part of the plan that Dean liked, but he hated the wait.

"What did Bobby say?" Sam asked.

"That you're right. That the kid is right," Dean replied, with some annoyance. "It's a Nahual. We're hunting a Mexican monster. According to Bobby we need to find an isolated place to find our shape shifting witch and the kids should be somewhere around there. "

Dean sat down on the couch with a huff, not meeting Sam's worried eye. He didn't need Sam's overbearing-self. He needed a beer, a nice strong beer.

"Dean."

"Forget about it, Sammy."

Despite how badly Sam wanted Dean to talk, Dean's tone left little room for argument. Besides, they had more important things to worry about, like catching the Nahual before it was too late. Their only advantage was that the monster seemed to be new to the area and thus hadn't yet become familiar with the rhythm of the small town. The brothers were banking on using the Nahual's unfamiliarity in a new hunting ground against it.

"Sugarcakes."

Zoe turned to give Gabriel a strange look. "Sugarcakes? Really? That's what you come up with?"

"Pumpkin? Honey? Sweet cheeks? Muffin? Sugar? Mooncake?"

"And now I'm hungry."

Gabriel grinned, laughing when Zoe tossed a pillow at him. Zoe rolled her eyes and returned to her reading. Earlier that week, the girl had raided Bobby's library and begun reading through the various books on monsters Bobby had. She'd also bought a scanner and had begun to store Bobby's notes and some of the smaller books into a disk. Once the technology caught up, Zoe planned to transfer that information into a usb. So far, she'd bought multiple disks, each holding Bobby's notes and scanned copies of books. Bobby's computer also had an updated copy of the books Zoe had so far scanned. It gave her something to do, at least until she found another hobby to keep her occupied.

Bobby had left to buy groceries and later fix someone's car. Thus, Gabriel decided that he would keep Zoe company, though his idea of keeping her company differed from Zoe's. Already five minutes since his arrival, Gabriel decided he was going to find a nickname for Zoe. Zoe's opinion in the matter was irrelevant.

"You think Dean will forgive me?"

"Is that what keeps you up at night?"

"It's a genuine question, Gabriel."

Gabriel paused, his brow furrowing as he tried to think of an answer. After a long pause, he said, "Maybe? I'm not exactly well-versed in the Winchester language of forgiveness. He hasbeen known to hold a grudge."

"Yeah."

Zoe leaned back on the couch, her hair falling over the couch. She blew away some stray hairs from her face, and closed her eyes.

"Is it wrong that I gave an alternative to killing Mr. Montgomery?" Zoe asked.

"Kiddo, you shouldn't worry about that. Who cares what they think?"

"I care," Zoe said. "They're my favorite characters, Gabriel. And I messed up and now they don't like me."

"They're more than tv characters now, kid. They're real life people now. You gotta treat them as such. I don't think you should apologize though. You did what you thought was right. It's not that different from what they do."

"Sometimes I forget you're the patron saint of communication."

"It comes with it's perks. I always know exactly what to say."

"Ha!"

"I do!"

"Sure."

The tell-tale sign of tires on gravel brought their attention to the driveway. Bobby pulled up into the driveway signaling Gabriel's cue to leave.

Surprisingly, Bobby hadn't been all too bothered with the Trickster, though Zoe noticed he had still left a stake in her room just in case. Gabriel had taken great amusement in the thing, knowing it was ineffective. Even then, Zoe appreciated Bobby's worry. Bobby for his part hadn't seen the trickster since the events at the college, and had only heard from Sam about the events during mystery spot. Gabriel had no qualms with leaving before Bobby got back, though that was a reunion Zoe was curious to witness.

Dean slapped his arm, wiping away the blood and mosquito on his jeans. They trudged along the dense forest around the small town. It was unusually quiet, not even the birds dared chirp. The very forest seemed to tell them to get out. Dean hated it.

"According to the forest ranger the caves are a few minutes that way," Sam said, holding the map they'd gotten from the ranger.

The ranger had believed their story about planning to go spelunking and was more than happy to direct them towards the caves.

Dean wiped another dead mosquito on his pants, "Better not be too far. I'm getting eaten alive here."

When they arrived at the cave systems, the two brothers drew their weapons and slowly crept inside. Not even a few feet inside, the smell of rot and death assaulted their noses causing them to gag and nearly turn back. Nevertheless, they moved forward. They quickly found the source of the smell.

A bear lay on its side. It looked like it had been eaten, though maggots now wriggled between the carcass, and flies buzzed around it. Sam walked closer towards the carcass to examine it, and found signs of a fight.

"Look," Sam said pointing to the deep scratches in what was left on the bear's face and body. "He didn't go down without a fight."

"So, our monster can take down a fucking bear. Wonderful."

"It might be injured," Sam mused. "Might make it easier to take out."

Dean scoffed, and moved ahead, eager to get away from the bear. Small bones littered the way, breaking under his boot. As they walked further, they found more signs that the cave had been lived in, and recently too.

"Something is definitely living here," Dean said.

They heard rustling and movement. Guns in hand, they moved forward, to investigate. Sam shined a flashlight in the general direction of the noise.

"Dean!"

It was a boy. A little boy in what looked to be a large cage. There were more children. All of them if Dean wasn't mistaken. They were all dirty, and scared. They trembled as the boys came closer, clinging to each other. Sam moved quickly, cutting away the rope that held the cage door closed.

"We're here to rescue you," Sam said. "We're going to take you back to your moms and dads. Do you want to see them?" The children nodded, and Sam crouched down to eyelevel with the children. "My name's Sam, and this is my brother Dean. He's going to make sure we get out safely, okay?"

They nodded again. The youngest child nearly ran forward and clung to Sam who picked her up. Together, the brothers herded the children towards the entrance of the cave. When they saw the welcoming light of the outside, their exit was suddenly blocked by a large creature.

The children screamed, moving behind Sam. Dean drew his gun, and aimed, before he pulled the trigger, the creature spoke in a raspy voice.

"Me robas mi comida? ¿Mi comida? ¿Tu? ¿El que quebró la primera sella? ¿Y tu hermano, la abominación? Dame mi comida. Y los dejare vivir. A ti y tu hermano. ¿Qué dices?"

Dean looked to Sam for help, but Sam looked just as lost as he was. The nahual growled, a deep guttural sound, and spoke again, but in accented English this time.

"If you leave my food, I let you go free. Reasonable, yes?"

Without a word, the two brothers fired a single shot each at the Nahual. It hissed and lunged forward while Dean kept firing. The children ran back, with Sam managing to keep a hold of the little girl in his arm and the gun on the other.

The Nahual screamed, cursing them in Spanish as it continued to lumber forward. Thinking quickly, Dean grabbed a log from the campfire and threw it at the creature. The creature caught fire almost instantly. In the dancing light, the brothers caught a glimpse of an emaciated creature, with the head of a dog, fur covering its entire body. Its long arms swiped at them again before it screamed it pain as the fire consumed it and it collapsed.

"Fire kills," Dean said. "Remind me to tell Bobby."

"Is it dead?" one of the children asked, slowly.

"Yeah," Dean said, kneeling down, "It's dead. Ready to go see your parents?"

They nodded, and the boys led them through the forest. The sun was beginning to set when they finally made their way back to the town. The police station was closest, and to say they were overjoyed was an understatement. Those whose children was among the rescued cried tears of joy as they embraced their children tightly, as if they would be taken from them again.

The Winchesters took this as their cue to slip out unnoticed.