Alright. So this took me forever, I know, but I was gone for two weeks. Then I went camping. Then I wrote this chapter... Yeah.

Please read the author's note at the end.

I do not own Supernatural.

C-H-A-P-T-E-R

7

Maryse: 3

Dean: 13

I hummed the short tune over and over again. It was a song that Daddy'd played in the car earlier, and I couldn't remember any other part of it, just a small little piece. And I liked to hum it over and over again.

Suddenly, the words for the tune came back to me, and I grinned as I finished chewing my bite of cheerios and plunged my spoon back into the bowl. "It's the eye of the tiger," I sang quietly over and over again, moving the few cheerios around in the milk. I would drink the rest. That was my favorite part of cereal.

I started to change my singing into humming again as I thought about tigers and their eyes. I wish I was a tiger.

"You like that song, Ris?" I heard my brother ask from behind me. I set my spoon down and turned in my chair to look at him.

"That's not my name," I said, "My name Tiger."

Dean laughed and shook his head. "Okay, Tiger," he said, turning back around to the sink.

A small grunt escaped my lips as I felt a sharp pain in my arms. I'd been so close, when my foot slipped, causing my body to swing back and forth on the rope and the pull on my arms to increase.

When I'd woken up in the wendigo's home . . . or whatever you'd call it, I'd freaked out a little at first, but then I decided it was probably best to find a way out of my hanging position, especially since I'd seen other hanging forms around me. I needed to get them out of here. I'd remembered the knife in my back pocket, and I prayed it was still there. Now, I was attempting to get it, my swinging my body up somehow and grabbing it with my tied hands.

Not an easy feat.

Letting out a huff and preparing myself for more pain, I swung myself towards the rock wall beside me, sticking my legs out. My feet met the rock, and gritting my teeth, I began to walk up it.

Breathe, Ris. Come on, you have to get out of here.

Amazingly, I made it up to the height I needed, and my spirits lifted. I could do this!

I bent my legs a little, and jumped off the wall, swinging and twisting my body around like a falling cat to get my back pocket somehow nearer to my hands. I don't know how I got the knife, but I did, and I almost let out a cry of victory, until my body slammed back down into mid air.

My breath felt knocked out of me, yet I was still able to emit a small cry of pain. The aching in my arms was only worse - I was sure that the scabs from the cuts from the wendigo had been torn open - and now my back hurt terribly. I tried to gain my breath once again as I swung back and forth on the rope, holding onto the knife with my numbing hands as if for dear life - given, it kind of was for dear life.

Control, Rae! You have to control your pain! Block it off!

My father's voice echoed in my head, and I bit my lip, trying to focus. My body hit one of the other swinging forms, but I ignored the aching feeling as I heard a pained cry come from the other person.

I froze, my body tensing as the swinging slowed. I recognized that sound.

Carefully, I dropped my head back behind my arms, cringing at the whiff of BO I got, and looked at the body I'd just hit.

I knew it. It was Dean.

My eyes widened as I realized the trouble the whole group was probably in. Sam might be here, tied up also.

This whole hunt was going horribly wrong.

I quickly started sawing at the rope, now fueled by fear of the very near future and adrenalin. I had to get down so I could get everyone else down. We needed to get out of here, and it felt like my knife wasn't doing much more than a butter knife. The ropes were so thick.

I felt my body droop a little, my toes sweeping the ground, and I let out a small laugh of victory. I could do this. Another band snapped, and I was able to stand on my tip toes. I started to hold my breath, readying myself for the painful fall and the inevitable ruckus.

Then the last chord snapped, and I plummeted towards the rock ground, my elbow aching in protest as it slammed into the rock. I let out a curse word under my breath, and shakily propped myself up into a sitting position as I listened for any sign of a wendigo approaching.

Nothing. It might have been out somewhere.

I shuffled my way over towards the wall of the cave, clenching my knife in my hand. Then, with my free hand, I grabbed onto the wall, using it as support while I stood up. I felt like a deer standing for the first time on knobbly legs. I felt defenseless like one too, being weak and shaky in the middle of a wendigo's disgusting, dark, and dank home.

I slowly ambled my way over to the hanging form of my eldest brother, taking steady breaths with each step. I could do this; I had to do this. Squinting my eyes closed, I took each step carefully, until I finally reached Dean.

Now for the hard part.

I was readying myself to stand on my tip toes without support from the wall so that I could reach Dean when a creaking sound came from my right. My blue eyes darted towards the noise, and my heartbeat quickened. Was the wendigo back?

The creaking noise came again, but this time it was immediately followed by a loud crash as something fell through the ceiling. I felt my body freeze and my grip on the knife tightened.

My hold relaxed a little though when I heard coughing. Whoever had just crashed through was human. There was a little more shuffling, and then a voice broke through the darkness.

"Hey, hey. It's okay," I heard the unmistakable voice of Sam say to the other person that had fallen through with him.

I felt my tightened muscles loosen just a tad as I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. "Sam?" I said, my voice cracking a little on the simple, one-syllable name. I grimaced at the sound of it.

Through the ill lighting, I could barely see Sam turn towards me. He started standing up. "Ris?" He took a couple quick strides towards me and pulled me into a hug. "Are you alright?" he whispered, his words quick and urgent.

I nodded into his chest and winced as I started to bring my arms up to return the hug. They felt like crap. I felt like crap, and while Sam was here, pretty much completely unscathed, I allowed myself to come to that realization, because I felt as if I didn't need to act like I could still take on a wendigo and win. I felt like I didn't need to defend myself, because my older brother could defend me. I felt safe.

Which was probably the most unsafe thing to feel.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to get my head back in the game. I had to keep fighting, if not for the three siblings that we were helping, then for my siblings. Reopening my eyes, I pulled away from Sam and saw Ben standing behind him. I glanced at Dean over my shoulder.

"You get Dean down," I said, my voice sounding a little bit better. In my mind, I was telling myself to block off the pain again. "Ben and I will get Hailey."

Ignoring anymore protest from my legs, I awkwardly limped my way over to Hailey, expecting Ben to follow. Thankfully, he did and I didn't have to wait for him to catch on. "Be ready to catch her," I said, standing up on my tip toes and stretching my reddened arms out. The wounds had been reopened and my arms appeared to be bleeding. I pursed my lips at the observation and turned my thoughts onto the task at hand, starting to saw at the rope like I'd done to free myself earlier. Soon enough, Hailey fell from the rope, and Ben caught her.

Apparently, Ben had woken her while I was cutting her down, so he supported her as she walked over to a nearby wall to rest. I hobbled my way over and hunkered down next to Dean, who Sam had also propped up against the wall.

"You good?" I asked, tilting my head towards him, "I mean, considering."

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and nodded a little. He and Hailey both looked horrible: grimy, exhausted, hurt. I knew that I probably looked that much worse with my bloodied arms.

My attention was turned away from our appearances when I heard a whispered, "Tommy." from a little ways away. I looked up and saw Sam, Ben, and Hailey standing near another hanging person, who I now assumed to be Tommy. My heart had just begun to fall when Tommy gasped, taking in a long, shaky, terrified breath, and my eyes widened.

The three started to cut him down, and I started to stand up to help them when Dean nudged my arm. I turned to look at him, and he pointed to stolen duffels. I moved closer and noticed something attached to the side.

Flare guns.

"Hey," Dean called, picking up two of the guns and holding them up.

Sam turned to look at us and smiled a little. "Flare guns. That'll work."

I pursed my lips in slight annoyance as the paramedic patched up my arm. I'd've finished by now. He was taking too freaking long. I held in my sigh of annoyance as I watched him. Really, all I wanted to do right now was get in the back of the Impala and sleep. That was it. Dean killed the wendigo; now we could leave. But no.

Mr. Medic wanted to patch up my arm.

At an overly-slow rate.

I could kick him in the throat.

Break his nose.

Shove one of his nose's broken bones into his brain.

Cry because all I wanted to do was sleep!

"All done," he said cheerily, taking the bloody gloves off his hands. I slid off the back of the ambulance, not caring to thank him, and started walking towards my brothers.

They were both leaning against the back of the Impala, and right as I got into hearing range, I heard Dean say, "Man, I hate camping."

Sam scoffed a little. "Yeah, me too," he said.

I stopped in front of them, crossing my arms around my midsection. "Me three."

There was a short moment of silence, before Dean said, "You two know we're gonna find Dad right?"

I nodded, even though I wasn't completely sure. Even though I didn't have a doubt of our father being alive, I wasn't sure that he wanted to be found, and if John Winchester didn't want to be found . . . I didn't think he'd be found.

"Yeah," I heard Sam say, "but in the mean time, I'm driving."

My eyes shot to Dean disbelievingly. He wouldn't.

Dean tossed the keys to Sam, and my mouth fell open.

Alright guys. A few things.

First off, do you guys mind if I skip the episodes: "Dead in the Water" "Phantom Traveler" "Hook Man" (maybe) "Bugs" (maybe) and "Route 666" (maybe)? Please, honestly tell me; y'all are the readers, and I want to make you happy with this fanfic too. I don't mind writing them if any of you want to see Ris' part in them, but otherwise, I'm not going to even consider writing "Dead in the Water" or "Phantom Traveler" and I probably won't write "Hook Man" "Route 666" or "Bugs". If I get no comments about it, then I'll just take that as a sign that y'all don't mind. Thank you!

Secondly, I know this chapter wasn't much, and for that I am sorry, but I hope that you all enjoyed it in some way, shape, or form.

Thirdly, I have no qualms about y'all contacting me via PM or comments if you have any questions about Ris, suggestions, constructive criticism, anything. Thank you (: