"No! C'mon Dean, stop this crap!" Sam was pissed. God, he was 23, far too old for Dean to pull this responsibility crap.
"Dammit Sam, I promised!"
"Yeah, right, cause your promises end so well."
"This is different and you know it!"
"Whoa, whoa now boys!" Herne watched them like a tennis spectator. Now he held out his hands, "I could just take you both Dean, if you're so eager to join up." The look of anger and resentment on the boys' faces was uncannily similar. They both took a step forward, hell bent on saving the other. With another bark of laughter, the horned giant continued, "but I won't. I'll offer you a deal."
They stopped, apprehensive and interest piqued.
"Ok," Sam said hesitantly, "What kind of deal?"
"Well, let's say you both ride, no, don't interrupt," The cold steel of his eyes glinted, "just for one hunt, it's a 2-for-1. But whomever doesn't make a kill, he has to stay."
"WHAT? YOU SONOFAB!" Relative to the past few hours, Dean was beside himself. The stupid horny bas knew Sam couldn't kill anything. Forget the shotgun, i'm gonna tear him a new one myself.
Sam, however, was torn between satisfaction and fear. He really didn't want to be stuck here, but if it was a choice between him or Dean...Suddenly, an idea hit him. "Uh, Herne, what if we both kill?"
"Well, I guess whomever gets it done faster wins the prize."
The beginnings of a plan was starting to form in Sam's mind. A quick meaningful glance Dean's way let his brother know that Sam wasn't going to let either of them stay with this monster.
Dean gave him a curt nod, not willing to let Herne know that Sam was being the Ocean to his Eleven. While the fiery pit in his stomach subsided, he kept up the mask, growling "Are we gonna get weapons for this crap shoot?"
"Again, so eager...but be patient, my boy, we only hunt at night."
They all looked up, the sun gleaming just past the top of the trees.
Good, Sam thought, give me a chance to plan things out.
"What, we're just supposed to to sit here with our thumbs up our asses?"
"No, we prepare. Eat, drink, make sure your sword is sharp."
"Uh, should I ask what you eat, consid- wait, sword?!?"
Given their amount of "free" time, Dean decided to catch up on the sleep he missed while on the search. He and Sam stayed by that same tree, now with swords in hand, a concept still laughable to the Winchesters. So he slept, the sword clutched to his chest, his head resting on a root. The irony didn't escape Sam, watching his brother. Neither did the guilt. If he hadn't been so stupid, Dean would be sleeping off a night of raucous partying. Okay, so maybe Sam wasn't especially guilty about that.
The Sun had dipped back beneath the trees, afternoon melting away. Sam kept himself occupied by perfecting his plan. It depended on absolute cooperation between the brothers, something that Sam would count on every time. As dusk drew near, he shook Dean awake, urgently whispering the plan.
"Alright, but we gotta wait for the right moment."
"Yeah, I know. Dude, I'm not exactly an amateur here."
Dean chuckled, "This coming from the guy who got his a here in the first place."
"Well, at least I wasn't taken out by a bunch of strippers."
"Yep. I'm the lucky brother." Dean thought of Sonia, grinning.
"Shaddup...you got it sorted out, right?:
"Just wait for my signal."
Minutes later, a human hunted walked over and offered them choice of walking or riding horseback. Thinking longingly of the Impala, Dean choose walking.
In a surprisingly quick amount of time, considering the size of the hunt, the group set off. Herne ordered the boys to stay near him, apparently under the impression that they were going to run. Little did he know.
They passed through a hamlet, a ghost-town of a place. Well, I guess we're the only dumbaes out at night, thought Dean.
"See? most people are smart, not to interfere with my hunt." Herne looked every bit the king of the hunt, astride a huge horse, and covered in furs. "We go to the city because there the hunting is good."
"But don't you want the people to be out, to ahh, feed the hunt?" Sam asked casually.
"No," He seemed delighted at Sam's curiosity and elaborated, "We need a city, where a few missing people will go unnoticed."
Dean laughed, "Oh, yeah, did a real sneak attack on us, there horny boy."
Herne cleared his throat, with an edge of embarrassment. "Those incompetent fools have since met an untimely end. We don't aim to be a magnet for attention."
They were coming to the outskirts of Amsterdam. Windows were shuttered, doors locked tight.
Herne raised his arms magnanimously, "Go! Go my hunters, find your prey, take what you will. The night is ours!"
Dean rolled his eyes at the melodrama, but kept watching Sam, the troupe, and Herne. Their plan was almost in motion. With shrieks, cries and whoops, the many minions of Herne, both human and demon, scampered off to find their version of food.
"What? C'mon boys, get in the fight, the clock's ticking!" Herne looked down on them, expecting them to fight for survival.
"Oh Sir, we wanted to learn from the best, don't you take your own hunt?" Dean silently sniggered at Sam's kiss-a tactics. No wonder he got good grades, friggin' Teacher's Pet...
"Ah, you are smart in your flattery. Very well, you shall see how it is to really hunt, my American hunters." With that, Herne gave his horse a dig in the ribs that was none too gentle. The horse took off, forcing the boys to run behind it. Curiously, it made no noise, no clacking on the cobblestones of the street.
They ran that way for several minutes, the brothers feeling the air rush in and out of their lungs, their muscles bunched and tight as they hit the street. They kept up with little difficulty, the hunting business wasn't exactly a trip to Candyland. After passing a few blocks, Herne reined in the horse, trotting tiredly down the street. The boys slowed to a walk, their chests heaving with air as it was cycled through their bodies.
The city was quite silent here. Dean looked around and noticed it was the same street were Sonia's house was. He looked at Sam, asking silently if he was ready. Sam nodded, looking at Herne.
"NOW!"