Rule 16: When you forget your lighter, rubbing two sticks together is not always an option

"Dean."

Sam's voice grated on his sibling's nerves and the older hunter said nothing, continuing with what he was doing.

"Dean."

Sam tried again, and again, Dean ignored him, gripping the two sticks tightly in his fists, blinking icy rain out of his eyes.

"Dean."

"What?" the older sibling snapped, lifting his head and glaring angrily at his brother.

"That's not going to work," Sam told him, hugging himself to try and conserve body heat, his long hair plastered to his skull, water dripping off his nose and chin.

"Damn it, Sam!" Dean snarled, throwing the sticks at his brother, "At least I'm trying something!"

The younger man's hazel eyes widened in shock and he took a couple of steps back, away from his brother.

Then, he too grew angry and snarled back at Dean just as nastily, "I wasn't the one who forgot to bring his lighter, Dean!"

The older Winchester opened his mouth, a snide remark about to escape, when Sam turned on his heel and began walking away from him, slapping sopping branches away from his face as he stalked through the woods.

"SAM!" Dean shouted aggressively, "COME BACK! SAM!"

The younger man didn't respond and continued to stomp through the woods.

"Sam!" Dean called again; now that his brother was out of his sight his anger was waning, quickly becoming replaced by concern, "Sammy!"

"Aaaaggghh!"

The unmistakable cry of pain sent Dean bolting up, dashing through the trees in the direction his brother had gone.

"Sam? Sammy? Answer me!"

Dean's heart began to pound in his chest. Where was his brother? Had the Wendigo they were supposed to be hunting got him?

"SAMMY!"

"D'n," his brother's reply seemed like the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

"Sammy, where are you?" Dean called, scanning the trees surrounding him.

"H're," Sam called, pain making his voice weak.

The older hunter continued on his forward trajectory for a few more feet before spotting his brother sitting on the ground, his left leg caught in a bear trap.

"Shit," Dean swore, "Sammy, what did you do?"

The elder Winchester crouched down beside his sibling and examined the sharp metal teeth of the trap clamped firmly around Sam's ankle.

"Stepped into a bear trap," the younger man answered sarcastically but all the anger had gone from his voice too.

"Should have known these things would be around," Dean said, "The Rangers said they thought a bear or mountain lion was killing those campers."

Sam nodded, his fingers white as he gripped his calf above the bear trap.

"Let me think," Dean said and his gaze followed the chain at the back of the traps metal jaws across the leaf strewn forest floor to the base of a thick oak tree. The chain had been wrapped around the trunk twice and secured with a padlock.

Even if he could open the lock, it would be a bitch to drag that length of chain through the woods, especially with an injured leg.

"Just open the trap," Sam insisted, gritting his teeth.

"If I do that you'll bleed everywhere," Dean argued, "And attract the Wendigo."

"Good," Sam growled, "The faster we kill it the faster you can take me to a hospital."

Dean hesitated, but only for a moment, before kneeling down and gripping the jaws of the bear trap in his hands, pulling them as far apart as he could.

Sam just managed to pull his leg through the jaws of the trap before Dean released them and they snapped closed again with a metallic tang sound.

"Let me see," Dean insisted and reached out, pulling the leg of Sam's pants up to assess the damage.

Hissing in sympathy, Dean knew his brother was right- Band Aids and gauze were not going to fix this- he needed to see a doctor, a real professional with a needle and thread.

"Can you stand?" Dean asked and stood himself, grabbing one of Sam's hands and pulling him up.

The younger hunter clenched his teeth and favoured his left leg but at least he was upright.

Dean put his sibling's right arm across his shoulders and began to walk forward slowly, "Let me know if I'm going too fast."

Sam nodded, his face pale and damp with sweat mixed with rain.

The brothers inched forward a few feet, painfully slow, but Dean didn't dare push his sibling to move faster. Blood had soaked through Sam's sock and the cuff of his pant leg, its coppery scent mixing with the pungent aroma of rain and loam.

They had barely made it a hundred feet before Dean stopped- the sounds of low grunting and leaf litter crunching coming from behind them raising the hairs on the back of the hunter's neck.

Turning only his head, so he wouldn't hurt his sibling, Dean's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the large black bear staring at them with rheumy brown eyes.

"Dean? What is it?" Sam whispered, "The Wendigo?"

The older brother shook his head, his left hand sliding silently into the pocket of his leather jacket for his gun.

"What?" Sam asked and turned his head to look.

The black bear sat back on its haunches and sniffed the air, attracted by the scent of Sam's blood.

Dean, almost holding his breath, pulled the hammer back on his pistol and suddenly turned his left, dragging his brother around with him and fired a single shot at the bear's head.

The animal roared with pain and stood up, all seven feet towering over the hunters, rage in its eyes.

Realizing he'd made a horrible mistake, Dean started running, pulling his brother along with him.

The hunter's heart was pounding in his chest; he could hear Sam staggering and swearing beside him, hear the heavy breathing and snarling of the bear behind him.

Dean knew they could not outrun the bear, not even on a good day, and with Sam injured, it was only a matter of time before he fell and they both ended up mauled to death.

BANG!

The sound of a gun going off startled the hunter and Dean ducked, nearly landing on his face as he did so. Sam, already unbalanced on his injured leg, did fall, landing on his knees in the muddy leaves.

Dean stumbled to a stop, frantically scanning the trees behind his sibling, and grabbed his brother's jacket, silently urging Sam to get up.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three more shots rang out and suddenly the forest was silent but for the dripping of rainwater from the leaves and branches and the harsh breathing of the frightened brothers.

"Hey! Hey! Do you need help?" a voice called and once Dean had caught his breath, answered.

"Yeah! My brother's hurt!"

With a rustling of tree branches, a Park Ranger, clad in khaki uniform and olive green jacket appeared, holding a rifle in one hand. The man didn't look pleased but Dean couldn't have been happier to see him.

"You two are damn lucky," the Ranger said, "You two were seconds away from becoming bear chow."

"We know," Dean commented, "Thanks for saving us."

The Ranger inclined his head, "What are you doing here anyway? The park is supposed to be closed."

"We were… hiking," Dean replied, "Yeah, we wanted to go for a hike."

The Ranger raised an eyebrow over his Smokey Bear sunglasses, "In the rain?"

Dean grinned and nudged his brother, "It was his idea."

The radio attached to the Ranger's shoulder crackled to life and the man spoke into it, "I've got two civilians, one injured, requiring an ambulance."

The person on the other end responded in the affirmative and the Ranger returned his attention to the brothers.

"Can you walk?" he asked, addressing Sam.

The younger Winchester nodded and with Dean's assistance, stood up again.

"Follow me," the Ranger instructed and began making his way through the woods.

W

"Hey Sammy?" Dean said, hunched over in the back of the ambulance while his sibling lay on a stretcher, Paramedics performing preliminary First Aid on his leg.

"Yeah Dean," Sam muttered, feeling slightly better now that he was out of the cold and rain, on his way to the hospital.

"Remind me never to forget my lighter," Dean grinned cheekily and Sam closed his eyes.

"Screw you," he muttered.

Author's Note:

Prompt comes from missingmikey.

Poor Sam, all that just because Dean forgot his lighter :/

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