Sam was excited; not only was his brother and Caleb back from their hunting trip, but they were about to head out into the woods for a tracking lesson. Not having the same level of experience as his older brother, Sam was chomping at the bit to sink his teeth into new knowledge that could potentially help him with his fight with the YED. The wooded area they found themselves in was a little ways from their home, and well-concealed from the road. Brushing his bangs from his face, Sam struggled to catch his breath in the hotness of the day.

"Alright, it's hot," Caleb remarked, passing out water bottles. "Drink these, but make sure not to waste them."

"Okay," both he and Dean chorused. When they spoke at the same time, Sam could not stop the giggle that came from him. And the eye-roll that came from Dean was not entirely unexpected.

"Alright, Sam," Caleb said, as he beckoned the child over to him. "You want to know how to track deer?"

Sam considered that question. He wanted to know how to track monsters. The bad guys. Such as the one that killed his mother and father, and kidnapped Serenity. "I want to know how to track monsters."

Behind him, Dean stifled a laugh behind his hand.

"You'll get there," Caleb assured him, giving him a squeeze on the shoulder, "but for right now, the goal is to ease you into this slowly. So for right now, you'll be learning to track something that won't tear you to pieces."

Sam did not like that answer; his every instinct was prompting him to fight back and argue. Crossing his arms over his chest, he turned his lips upward in a pout. Dean seemed to notice his behavior, and responded to it before Caleb could. Watching as Dean came over to him, he braced himself for whatever pep talk Dean would try to dish out to him. Over the years, he had gotten used to his lectures.

"Sam," Dean said, going over to his baby brother, and getting down on his knees to his level. "You have to listen to Caleb. He's been doing this a whole lot longer than any of us have, and he just wants you to be safe."

"I know, but I want to see a monster."

"I know, bud," Caleb said gently, "but I want you to be ready when you see one. And you may think you're ready," he added when Sam opened his mouth for a rebuttal, "but you're not. You only just started learning some of this stuff."

Sam nodded. "What do you look for in a deer?"

"You look for marks on the trees, if it's a buck."

"Marks?" Sam asked curiously, getting into it despite himself.

"Yeah," Dean said, "when bucks want to brush up on their fighting skills, they brush their antlers against the tree."

"Really?" Sam demanded, eager to hear more. "So how do you use all that to find them?"

"There are other clues you can look for," Caleb explained, as he walked a little ahead of them to keep his eye out for any uninvited guests.

"Like what?"

"Like, right here," Caleb pointed out, leaning down and inspecting some grass that had been conspicuously pawed away. "Sometimes the deer paw the grass away so they can leave their scent for other deer."

"Cool," Sam enthused, completely in awe of what he was learning about his beloved nature animals. "How do you know all this?"

"Experience," Caleb shrugged, looking up at him. "Years of it. Your brother knows a lot of this, too. It's all about having the experience, and knowing and memorizing what to look for."

Sam nodded. "Okay. What else?"

Over the last few weeks, at Sam's eager insistence, Caleb had slowly started training him in much the same way he had initially started working with Dean. Basic self-defense with the boxing gloves that included different punches and kicks. Needless to say, Sam loved it. He loved looking to his big brother for his approval, and was rewarded all the time when Dean gave him a double thumbs up sign. Now, Caleb was confident enough in Sam and his blossoming abilities, that he had decided to take he and Dean out into the wilderness to track deer so Sam would get the idea of how to track a demon or other monster.

"Okay," Caleb said, as they began the backbreaking walk through the rough terrain of the forest. "What's the first thing you look for when you're tracking deer, Dean?"

"Prints."

"What else?"

"Next," Dean recited, "you look for tracks; fresh tracks. You can't confuse them for older ones, either."

"Okay."

"And then you have to be quiet," Caleb added, making a shushing motion by putting his finger to his lips. "If a deer hears you, they'll be long gone from the area in about five seconds flat."

"Okay," Sam whispered. "We're not going to kill the deer, right?"

He had seen the silver handgun in the back of Caleb's jeans, and was slightly nervous at the prospect of actually hurting something that he loved.

"No," Caleb reassured him. "We're not going to kill the deer. This is for protection against anything else that may be watching us."

"Like monsters?"

"Yes."

Any number of things could be out there, and Caleb knew it. Open areas like forests and wooded areas was chock full of Wendigos and Skinwalkers. It was better to be armed against them, than take the chance and not be prepared at all.

"Have you heard anything?" Dean asked.

"About what?"

"Anything being out here."

"No," Caleb said, shaking his head, as he brought his one hand behind his back to take a firm grasp of his gun, "but you never want to be hasty in thinking that nothing won't be out here."

"True."

Too many times hunters had gotten cocky, and had foolishly left their weapons behind when they entered an area they considered "safe." They had paid the price for their mistake, and Caleb was determined not to follow their path.

"Okay, Sam, I'll teach you something else, too."

"What?" Sam asked eagerly, as he sped up to walk next to Caleb.

"Since the deer have super scary hearing, if you step on the wrong thing like a twig or a crunchy leaf, it can scare the deer away."

"Oh, really?"

"Yup, so you gotta be careful where you step. Sometimes you can't help it, but if you can, try to step on some grass, but try not to step on the twigs or leaves."

"Okay."

Caleb could see Sam was taking everything he told him, very seriously. His earlier disappointment at not being able to track monsters, was gone as he watched his every step, careful not to step on any leaves or twigs.

"Stop," Caleb said suddenly, throwing out an arm and halting Sam and Dean's movements.

"What?" Sam asked, his eager eyes scanning every square inch of the forest. "I don't see any-"

"Sam!" Dean whispered loudly, "be quiet!"

Unlike his hyperactive little brother, Dean had taken the time to examine what Caleb was looking at, and saw it, too. A large buck that appeared as if it was about to engage in a turf war with another buck that had appeared in the midst of the serene scene. Not making a sound, Caleb and Sam and Dean stood back a good distance, careful not to make a move as they watched the action unfold before them.

"What are they doing?" Sam whispered.

"Shh," Dean said, placing his hand over Sam's mouth. "I'll tell you later."

As they watched, the bucks suddenly charged at each other, head down and antlers out as they battled for dominance over the area, and any does that might be in the area. For the boys, especially Sam, the sight was the most awesome thing they had ever seen. Nature at its finest, as two kings of the forest battled it out for the ultimate power. For Caleb, the chance for the boys to experience something so powerful, was incomparable. The beauty of nature, and it was right in their own backyard.

Suddenly, though, the scene changed. One moment the bucks were ferociously fighting for power, and the next, they were scattering, apparently hearing something unheard by the silent observers watching them.

"What was that?" Dean wondered, voicing the same confusion that Caleb and his brother were feeling.

"I don't know," Caleb said, feeling his heart race as he reached for his gun. "Stay close, both of you."

Sam and Dean both nodded, as they fell deathly silent, afraid of making any sudden movements.

"What is it?" Sam asked, clinging tightly to Dean's side.

"I don't know yet," Caleb said,"let's head back."

As they hurried back from where they had come, Caleb kept his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of the mysterious creature that had scared the deer away.

"We're almost there," Dean panted, feeling Sam shake against his side.

"Hurry," Caleb urged, hearing quick footsteps behind them. "Let's go."

Feeling his own heart race, Dean grabbed his brother's hand and started out at a quick run, with Caleb not far behind them as they moved lithely around the different trees and shrubbery, anxious to get back to their car.

"What is it?" Sam shouted, looking back at his guardian in a wide-eyed fear.

"I don't know-"

At that moment, the creature grabbed him.

From what little Dean could see, since the creature had kept itself wellâ€"concealed, it was all claws and power. The talons the creature had, were nothing that Dean had ever seen before, and he had used those to grab Caleb.

"Caleb!" Dean yelled, fear gripping his heart.

"Where is he?" Sam asked, his voice trembling.

"Something grabbed him," Dean said, his hazel eyes darting everywhere, trying to see the creature again, and hopefully get a visual on their lost guardian.

"No," Sam said, true fear showing in his eyes, as he tugged on Dean's hand. "Let's get out of here, Dean. We need to go find someone to help."

"I know, I know," Dean said distractedly, as he considered his options. The last thing he felt like doing was leaving Caleb, but also knew that there was little he could do without the backup of Jim or Bobby.

"Dean, let's go," Sam urged. "I'm scared, come on. Let's get back to the car or something, or find someone to help."

"Okay," Dean finally agreed, tears quickly welling in his eyes at the thought of leaving Caleb behind, but also knowing they didn't have a choice. "Let's get there first."

Luckily, they weren't far from the car or the wildlife office that was stationed directly on the outskirts of the forest.

"Let's go in here," Dean said, as he directed Sam into the front office.

They needed to use a phone in order to call Jim and let him know where they were, and what had happened. The office was empty except for the lone ranger who was chomping on some gum while reading a magazine.

"Can I help you boys with anything?" the ranger asked, finally looking up from his reading material.

"Yes," Dean said, leaning over to catch his breath. "We need to use your phone."

For the first time, the ranger seemed to take a close look at the two boys in his office; took in their sweat-dripped faces, and terrified expressions. It wasn't unusual to see family's in the woods on a camping trip, but something was different about these two.

"Are you boys alright?"

"No-" Sam started to say, but was quickly cut off by Dean.

"Sam," Dean said quietly, shaking his head. "Please, can we just use your phone? We're okay, we just need to use your phone."

The ranger took another good, intense look at the pair before nodding. "Okay." Handing them the phone, he hung back, clearly wanting to listen in to the conversation that was about to take place.

"Can you give us a minute?" Dean asked pointedly.

Holding his hands up in a placating motion, the ranger stepped back enough to give them privacy, but also not leaving the room, either.

Fingers shaking, Dean dialed the number of home. It was a Saturday, Jim would most likely be home unless the Church called him in for some emergency.

Waiting for someone to answer, was torturous for Dean, who couldn't entirely escape from under the scrutinizing look the ranger gave him, as he turned from him.

Hello?

"Jim?" Dean nearly sagged against the counter in relief.

Where are you?

"At the Ranger's station near the woods, you know?"

I know where that is. Jim paused, seeming to understand something was wrong. Where's Caleb?

Dean shook his head, trying to hold back the tears of fear for his guardian, and the fear that something serious had happened to him. "Something got him."

Did you see what?

"No. All I saw were claws, and that's it."

You don't know how tall or short?

"No."

Any number of things could be happening to Caleb, but thinking those thoughts wasn't helpful in trying to remain calm through this nightmare.

AN:

Because of writer's block, for the time being, I will be just going off of what I wrote several years ago. Apart from minor edits and such.