Blah-blah, woof-woof. Hope you enjoy it :)
-.-.-.-
Dean's astonishment at learning that the Loch Ness monster is real was rather amusing. Of course, that was not the correct term for the creature, only a nickname given by surprised Scots. It was in fact a wayward Hydra that had taken an unfortunate turn out of the Pacific Ocean and somehow ended up in the now infamous lake. Like with many other things, the lore on Hydras known to man was somewhat wrong. They did not have nine heads, but the single one that they did have was, for all that Castiel knew, immortal, and its breath truly was very poisonous. But it lived of the smaller fish and creatures normally found in the Pacific and was therefore rarely a danger to humans or any other land animals.
"So, you are trying to tell me that Nessie is harmless?" The disbelief in Dean's voice was palpable.
"Yes. Hydras very rarely attacks humans. Much like sharks, actually. It is usually self-defence or because the creature mistakes the human for its usual source of food."
"Unlike the…"
"Cirein-cròin." Castiel supplied.
"Yes, that." Dean refused to attempt to pronounce the word.
"Yes. The Cirein-cròin is of a much more malicious nature. It disguises itself as a small fish, but once it is caught by a fisher, it turns into its true form as a serpent and swallows the fisherman."
"Yikes…"
The pattern of disappearing fishermen and their left-behind boats was what had called them to this lake to begin with.
"The old stories claim that it fed on whales." Castiel shrugged as he looked over the smooth lake surface. "But I must confess that I have not heard or seen any indications whether or not that was ever true."
"My oh my, something our in-house Angel doesn't know. I'm shocked, Cas."
A couple of years ago, Castiel would not have caught on to the humour in those words. But by now, he had learned to decipher at least some of the nuances in Dean's and Sam's speech patterns. They still made references that were unknown to him and sometimes the nuances were too subtle for him to catch on to – especially sarcasm and irony were still his archnemeses of speech.
"Sorry to disappoint." He kept his voice light and a small smile on his face, letting Dean know that he had actually understood the humour in the hunter's comment. "At least I know that it can be killed by stabbing it through the heart. I hope that will make up for my deficiencies."
Dean nudged him with his elbow, accompanied by a low, husky chuckle. But the light mood was short lived. The sun was setting, and it was time to get to work. Dean's face settled into determination, teeth clenching, his jaw tight. "Alright. Seems like all the fishers have left for the day. Let's go on a little fishing trip of our own."
-.-.-.-
Castiel never realised that he could swim. Not that he is very good at it. Yet, he is very grateful for the unknown skill when both he and Dean are thrown overboard by the vicious tail of the Cirein-cròin. They should have seen it coming, he guesses. When a fish eagerly springs onboard a small boat by itself, it should have been clear that it was not an innocent, little water creature, no matter how pathetic it looked at first.
He had underestimated the size of it. Maybe the story about eating whales should have been more of a warning.
Another whip of the tail, and the small wooden boat is turned into firewood, wood pieces flying everywhere.
The sea snake slithers across the water surface towards him, its jaws opening and closing in anticipation of its paddling meal. Castiel tries to aim a hand towards the oncoming creature but finds it essential to use both hands to keep his head above water. The serpent moves erratically, making it difficult to time when to give up treading waters and defend himself instead.
He is just about to reach for his grace, preparing a hopefully effective attack, when the creatures screeches. It moves away from Castiel to angrily hiss at something to its right, revealing that Dean has taken advantage of a sharp piece of driftwood and has speared the monster through-and-through.
The water quickly turns red, and the serpent gradually sinks lower in the water, until it completely disappears into the depths. Dean must have hit it straight in the heart.
"You alright?" Dean asks, clearly a more adept swimmer than Castiel.
"Yes." Castiel splutters. Without his angelic strength, his lack of skill would surely had exhausted him by now, and he would have joined the snake at the bottom of the lake. A very unpleasant thought.
"Come on, then." Dean has swum close enough to reach for the Angel's shoulder, guiding him in the right direction towards the shore. It is quite impressive that Dean has kept an overview of their position in the water compared to where they came from. Castiel is embarrassed to admit – even if only to himself – that he has not even considered the necessity of such an observation.
Dean also seems to be exaggerating his movements, as if showing Castiel how to move more appropriately in the water and propel himself forward more efficiently. But that might just be his imagination.
Luckily, they soon reach a point where they can reach the bottom, and they can half-swim-half-walk a good deal of the way, before crawling on hands and knees the last short stretch until they reach dry land.
They both drop onto their backs, breathing heavily. The sky above them has gone completely dark, only broken by the myriad of stars decorating the deep blue.
For a long time, everything is quiet, except for their slowly steadying breaths.
And then the shivers set in. Castiel notices how cold his skin is, but it does not bother him. Dean on the other hand is suddenly shaking, his body desperate for heat.
"Come on." Dean grits out between clattering teeth, stiffly getting to his legs and moving towards the Impala, parked where the gravel road meets the rocky sand of the shore. He throws the trunk open and starts digging around. He comes out with some old, worn towels and his duffel bag.
Dean hands one of the towels towards Castiel, but the Angel just shakes his head. "The cold doesn't bother me."
"Maybe not. But you are not getting back in Baby dripping wet." Dean emphasises his pointed look by throwing the towel into Castiel's unexpected arms. Shortly after, the towel is followed by a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.
For a moment, Castiel just stares at the different fabrics in his arms.
Dean starts drying his hair, but quickly opts for changing out of his wet clothes instead. He catches Castiel still looking a bit lost between the bunch of clothes in his hands and Dean undressing. Something crosses Dean's face, but Castiel cannot make it out. However, the recognises Dean's exasperated voice when he freezes mid movement and huffs; "You do know how to change your clothes by yourself, right? So can I get a little privacy here?"
Castiel finally focuses on what Dean is actually doing, realising that it is probably inappropriate to oversee the hunter undressing. He nods and moves to the front of the car.
He gets out of his wet clothes and tries to copy Dean's movement for drying his hair. The towel is a bit rough and stiff but seems to desperately soak up any water it comes into contact with, making it quite efficient. He quickly dresses in the spare clothes from Dean, but leaves off his wet socks and shoes, finding them both quite uncomfortable.
"You done?" Dean asks from behind him.
"Yes, I believe so." Castiel is fairly certain that he has done everything expected of him.
Dean joins him at the front of the car, leaning back against the hood. "Dude, you put the t-shirt on inside out."
The hunter pulls at the label that must be sticking out at the back of Castiel's neck. It was just an all-black t-shirt, not showing any pictures or statements to indicate the correct placement of the shirt, and he had not noticed the small label in his hurry to dress. As an Angel, he didn't really care. "I can turn it…"
Castiel starts pulling the shirt up from the sweatpants, but Dean slaps his hands away. Giving him a small smile; "Nah, don't sweat it. Doesn't matter. I'm used to you having something put on the wrong way, anyway."
Castiel smiles down on the tie that rests on the wet pile of clothes at his feet and carefully leans back to sit next to Dean.
"Thank you for saving me from the Cirein-cròin, and for lending me your clothes." Castiel says solemnly.
"No problem. Can't have you getting the seats all wet and stinky." It is typical of Dean to ignore the fact that he has saved his friend's life and focus on the well-being of his car instead. His response makes Castiel smile.
They look over the lake. It looks black with silver strings flowing in the surface from the reflection of the moon. The blood must have mixed with the water by now, erasing all traces of the creature. If it wasn't for the errant leftovers of the boat, it would look as if they had never even been here.
"Ever been to the beach?" Dean suddenly asks.
"Yes, I have been to many shores and beaches around the world." Castiel answers truthfully.
A moment of silence, and then; "Is it any different from this? I mean, I know it's, like, bigger, more water, but… yeah, you know?"
Castiel is surprised that he actually does know what Dean means, which is another testament to how well he knows the hunter by now. "Yes, I would say it is. It is different, seeing the oceans meet the sky in the distant. The sand has a different quality by the beach compared to lakes, and a lot more of it, I might add. Of course the animal life differs as well. On the other hand, the nature here, the trees surrounding us, has a different kind of beauty that I myself enjoy very much."
Dean only acknowledges him with a small sound.
They sit together in silence for a little longer before Castiel ventures to add; "You should go someday."
He doesn't have to elaborate. Just as well as he understands Dean, Dean understands him in this matter. You deserve to go see the ocean, at least once. You should go enjoy yourself. You could take one simple day off to go do something that you have never done before.
Dean huffs and smiles in a way that clearly states 'as if that will ever happen', as if answering Castiel's unsaid words. Despite everything in his demeanour saying the opposite, Dean looks away from Castiel and says out loud; "Yeah…"
Castiel can't help but to stare at Dean's profile. It makes him sad to see that Dean can't even allow himself to take a week off, or just a day off, to go see the beach and the ocean in real life. Unless they can find another sea monster, it is very unlikely to happen. He curses Dean's lacking childhood, not for the first time. He curses that Dean does not have memories of playing in the sand with his brother, splashing his younger brother with salt water or teaching him how to swim. It would have been very typical of Dean to teach Sam how to swim at the beach.
Before Castiel can find it in himself to voice any of this, Dean claps his hands together and gets up from the hood of the car. "Come on, Cas. Get your stuff in the trunk and let's head back to the motel. One of us is actually still at risk of catching a cold here."