Bad Wolf
As Rowan approached the black Toyota Hybrid, to be exact, Fenrir did the same, only he began to morph into a human form, a tall and burly man. As she looked at him, she couldn't quite recognize him even if she knew it was her brother. He had hard steel colored eyes and a stubble, sign of a beard growing in. Despite his appearance putting him at his early 30's, his dark hair was beginning to have streaks of gray at his temples.
If he wasn't her brother, she'd say he was sexy.
"Fenrir." She said and they reached the car, but still keeping a distance in between them.
"Get in the car." He said, voice grave and rough, and walked passed her, getting to the driver's door. "Now, Hel." He added with a warning tone. She stared hard at him. Had she done something wrong? Regardless, Rowan opened the passenger door and got in, noticing how he had a necklace of a wolf dangling from his review mirror.
As soon as they were in, he ignited the engine and tore out of there, turning down the trail and speeding like a street racer. Rowan glanced over at her brother, uncertain about him.
"Stop staring." He said, his eyes not even leaving the road.
"I would, but did I piss you off or something?" she asked and he then glanced at her, eyebrow knit together in a frown.
"No. Of course not." He said and returned his eyes to the road, keeping the frown.
"Are you pissed off about something else?" Rowan asked and his frown increased.
"Why do you ask?" he said and she widened her eyes like it wasn't obvious.
"Nothing, it's just… no 'Hi, sister. Missed you. Give me a hug.'" Rowan said and his frown relaxed into a dismissive grunt.
"I don't do hugs." Fenrir replied and she let out a small laugh. He glanced over with that frown returning quickly. "What?" he asked.
"You don't do polite salutations either." She said and he returned his eyes to the trail that had now taken them to a road. He turned onto it without even being cautious of the fact there might be traffic. Rowan clung to her seat belt, suddenly fearing that her brother's reckless driving was like his rough personality: bound to kill her.
"What do you expect? I've been chained up for years by Odin and then Dad sets me free, only to wander this place with nothing to do. I've been trying to find you for centuries. And I'm really tired so I'd appreciate you giving me a break." Fenrir said dryly, keeping his eyes on the road, clearly speeding passed the speed limit sign that Rowan couldn't see due to his speed.
She remained silent, just watching him out of the corner of her eyes.
"No thank you?" he asked and she looked over at him sharply.
"Excuse me?" she asked him and when he looked at her, there was annoyance in his eyes. "Thank you for what? Barking at me like a heartless jerk? Ordering me to get in your car like I'm such an inconvenience? Change your tone now, brother, or I'll show you how I am when I'm pissed off." Rowan said, suddenly feeling that surge of energy growing, turning her cheeks hot.
Fenrir looked away and his demeanor seemed to relax under her stare.
"Alright." He said, his voice a little softer. "Sorry." He added and exhaled through his nose. "Hi sis, I missed you. I'm happy to see you. Get in the car and we'll talk over coffee." He concluded, then glanced at her with a softness in his steel colored eyes. "Better?" he asked her.
"Get in the car, please." She corrected, which made him frown.
"What?" he asked, glancing at the road, avoiding slow traffic by passing them, nearly sending them into the ditch by the road.
"It's polite." Rowan said and watched as Fenrir exhaled through this nose again, glancing back at her.
"You're already in the car." He said and she smiled.
"For future reference." She replied and watched as a small grin appeared on his handsome face. Who would have known her brother, Fenrir the wolf, was good looking? Once he smiled, of course.
Then, as she looked at her brother, she thought of the other the Winchesters had killed. Suddenly, for the first time, her heart felt heavy in her chest. Jormungand was her brother and she didn't save him.
"Hey." Fenrir said softly, placing a hand on her knee, which snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Jormungand. He's dead." She said, sadness in her voice and in her eyes.
"I know." Fenrir said, letting his own sadness be revealed in his grave voice.
"I stood there and let hunters kill him." Rowan said, suddenly feeling tears form in her eyes for a creature she originally thought was a monster. It was the first time she really considered him a brother.
"The Winchesters." Fenrir said and she glanced at him.
"How did you know?" she asked.
"Anyone who's a monster knows those two. They've literally been to Hell and back, having killed just about everything you can think of." He said and Rowan kept thinking of them actually having been in Hell; the place that was once Helheim, her realm of the dead. What has Hell become since her departure?
"We're monsters." She said, her voice low, as if disappointed.
"Sadly, we are." Her brother replied as they drove into a small town, so it would seem. "The Winchesters will leave us alone if we behave ourselves, or prove to be allies." He added and she thought of Crowley. She would have pointed out also if they prove to be useful. Poor Crowley. "It's Jormungand's fault, really." Fenrir said which got Rowan to frown at him. "He spent his entire life in the ocean and he thought it was a good idea that when he does pop out to meet his sister with amnesia that she would recognize him as the giant snake that he is." He added and when he glanced over, seeing his sister's expression, his lips twitched. "Our brother didn't get out much. He didn't know human and English would have been better with even most girls." He concluded and Rowan just nodded her head.
"He's not the only one." She said, glancing at Fenrir, earning herself a little glare.
Fenrir reduced his speed and then parked in front of a little café. He shut off the engine and got out of the car. Rowan followed him into the small shop and narrowed her eyes as her brother picked the farthest booth, in the corner, away from all the other customers who were mostly the elderly. Clearly, her brother's been on his own too long, having become totally antisocial.
They sat in the booth and before they could start talking, a young waitress stepped up with a smile directed at Fenrir.
"What can I get you today?" she asked, clearly trying to flirt.
"Black coffee." He replied without looking up at her. His tone of voice had become cold and rough again. Apparently Rowan was the only who he'd make an effort to be polite. The waitress looked at Rowan with a slightly disappointed smile.
"A latté, please." She said and the girl nodded. "Thank you." She added and the girl smiled at her, but looked thwarted at Fenrir. When the girl was gone, Rowan kicked her brother's foot under the table, making him frown at her. "Why weren't you nice to her? She clearly liked you." She said and his frown deepened.
"What?" he asked her, clearly not knowing what she was talking about.
"The waitress was smiling at you and you coldly order black coffee." She said and he continued to frown at her.
"What's with you?" he asked her, scrunching up his face as if deeply confused.
"You're good looking and you treat women like they don't exist." She said and he merely just looked at her with annoyance. "Do you fear interaction with women?" she asked and he glared at her.
"I'm Fenrir, the wolf." He said, as if that should have made it obvious.
"There you go, a total animal. Some women are into that." Rowan said with a grin, but all she received was that glare of annoyance times ten.
"I have no idea what you just said." he said and the waitress returned with their coffees. She seemed discouraged to even try flirting with Rowan's brother.
"Thanks." She said and then smiled at her brother, who didn't seem to know there little conversation continued through her smile.
"I'm surprised you remembered who you are. I was only able to find you because you began remembering, your power was like a dimly lit lantern." Fenrir began, looking at her over his black coffee.
"Well, I had some help." Rowan replied honestly. He took a sip of his coffee, looking at her with an arched eyebrow.
"Who? The Winchesters?" her brother asked, eyeing her suspiciously. Now she had an idea of how it felt when she looked at people that way. Only with Fenrir, it was twice the suspicion.
"No." she replied. "It was a demon." she added and Fenrir's eyes were intense on her as she said the word.
"What?" he asked as he put his coffee on the table, his eyes hard with suspicion. "His name." he ordered and when she arched an eyebrow at him, he scowled. "Please." He concluded, still with a rough tone of voice.
"Crowley." she replied and his expression didn't change, until he sat back against the booth, looking angry for some reason. "You know him?" she asked casually, but his expression made her wonder what was wrong.
"Of all the demons, you meet Crowley." he said and shook his head as he looked out the window.
"Yeah, is there a problem?" she asked so innocently.
"Where?" Fenrir asked and she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Is this some sick twisted brother thing? Checking on me, making sure no one touches me?" she asked and he frowned as if this confused him.
"I'm simply asking. You were at the Winchesters. Was he there too?" Fenrir asked, showing a bit of softness as if not to anger her.
"Yes. He's their captive." Rowan replied and for a split second, her brother seemed surprised, but then let out a laugh that got some attention from the other customers. "What's so funny?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Never thought I'd hear that." He said, still smiling as he sipped his coffee.
"So you do know Crowley." she said and he looked at her, suspicion beginning to brew in his eyes.
"If he's a captive, then he wasn't hurting you." He says which Rowan found odd. "What do you know about him?" he asked with slight curiosity.
"He's a demon who was once human. He was King of the Crossroads." He replied and his silence hinted that he wanted more information. "He told me about Lucifer getting out of this cage, and then put back in. Then he told me about this Knight of Hell called Abaddon, trying to rule Hell." Rowan said and her brother continued starting at her, then he arched an eyebrow.
"That's it?" he asked and she nodded her head, a little uncertain of why her brother was acting so strange. "The little devil." He said, which peaked her curiosity.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked and his lips twitched into a small grin.
"Well, sis, the thing about your friend Crowley is that he's currently the King of Hell." Fenrir said and Rowan's face was blank, as if in a state of disbelief and shock. "Did you honestly trust him?" he asked her and her blank expression was replaced with irritation.
No wonder she never trusted anyone that wasn't her family; there was no reason to trust them in the first place. Crowley was no better than anything else she's met in all of her existence.
"I didn't fully trust him, no, but the thing is he lied to me." she said, angry and he could see that familiar glow in her eyes. Her aura of power was indeed like a dimmed lantern; her power wasn't fully awakened.
"Crowley didn't so much lie as he did withhold information." Fenrir said and she looked out the window, frustrated as she clenched her jaw. "That's why meeting him is the worst thing. He's a manipulator and you mustn't trust him." he added.
"Is everyone trying to withhold information from me?" she asked, her voice revealing anger. "First the Winchesters and now Crowley?" she added, nearly grunting out of frustration.
"Not your brothers." Fenrir said softly and when she looked at him, she seemed a little saddened, thinking about Jormungand no doubt. "And it's only natural the Winchesters would keep information from you. They'd probably be happy if you never remembered who you truly are." He added and she nodded her head. And Crowley wanted the opposite.
"Alright," Rowan began, sipping some of her latté, calming herself down. "Tell me about our father." She said, still looking a little sad and Fenrir wondered if it was because she missed him or already knew he was dead.