Manifest Destiny: We Ride at Dawn...
Author's Note: Apparently I've decided to jump around when it comes to narrators for this story. Dean takes over in this part. I swear he's easier to write as a wild west cowboy than he is in canon. I want to take a moment to thank all the people who have reviewed, favorited, and put this story on their alerts. I wasn't expecting that sort of response for a story that is essentially something fun for me to do when I'm bored.
Dean was up at dawn, his ribs aching. Damn Angel had really thrown him. They didn't feel broken but they were cracked enough to annoy the living hell out of him. Like always, he checked on Sam first. His brother was sleeping, his head propped up on his saddle and his hat pulled low over his eyes. Joanna was curled up under both their bed rolls. Damn girl wanted so bad to ride the trails, but she didn't really understand what that meant. Dean could admit she was tough as nails and her magic was useful but she didn't belong sleeping under the stars with them.
Neither did the last member of their little party. The Marshall was sprawled across the ground near the little creek next to their camp. His huge black wings were awkwardly tucked in and to Dean it looked like he hadn't moved an inch throughout the night. Castiel – Cas that other Angel had called him – was breathing but not steadily. He counted the seconds between one breath and the next, twenty. The breath after that was seven. Dean shook his head and looked away. He'd leave the Marshall to Sam, he needed to check on the horses.
The sudden crack of thunder startled all of them. The horses kicked and danced around while Sam and Joanna shot out of sleep like someone had zapped them. Dean had his gun drawn and in his hand before he'd even consciously realized it, but Gunslinger magic was like that.
"What the hell?" Sam asked, voice sharp even though he'd just woken up from a dead sleep.
"I don't kno…" Dean was about to say then the thunder came again, but it wasn't real thunder.
The Marshall was having some sort of fit. His body twisted around, his wings snapping open, then closed then slamming into the ground which made the thunderous noise. Another Angel, a thin, tall Negro, leaned over him, holding a hand to his forehead. This one had long, delicate looking gray wings.
Again his magic just took over. Dean shot the Angel between the eyes, twice, before he had thought about it. He didn't have an idea as to what the other Angel was doing but Cas was in pain and Angels just pissed him off on general principle. He didn't feel too guilty about shooting one.
The enchanted bullets should've hit with the force of a train, but they only caused the angel to take a single step back. It was enough to break the contact between the two and Cas came to life.
He lurched up from the ground, grabbed the Angel by the front of his jacket and threw him into the creek.
"What is the Council hiding?" Cas staggered to his feet, wings mantled out behind him, blocking Dean's line of sight.
Sam grabbed his shotgun and pulled Joanna behind him while Dean Stepped around to get behind the Angel. Gunslinger magic was fast and violent. Dean could do things like enchant guns and bullets to do things guns and bullets wouldn't normally do, but he could also move like a bullet. He just thought of himself standing behind the Angel and there he was. He thought about having more ammo in his pocket and there it was. His Colt only had six shots and he had already used two. He'd need a lot more to even wound an Angel. Damn immortal bastards.
"It's not your place to ask that, Castiel." The Angel growled and stretched a hand out. A sleek, silver blade appeared from the sleeve of his coat and he wrapped his hand firmly around it. "You shouldn't have questioned your orders."
"The Winchesters are innocent. Samuel Winchester's soul is clean. They have nothing to do with Blood Magic. Unlike you," Cas snarled the last words, a blade of his own appear in his hand. "You and Uriel. Who taught you Blood Magic, Raphael? Who…"
The other Angel, Raphael, surged forward, his wings snapping downward. The wind created almost knocked Dean off his feet. He held his ground, shifted his aim and fired. Even through the gale of winds his bullet never got off course. It slammed into Raphael's wing, the wide part near his shoulder. Again, the impact was just enough to make the Angel misstep. The sword aiming for Cas's throat missed.
Cas ducked under Raphael's outstretched arm, wings dropped low to the ground, then came up again his blade sliding cleanly through Raphael's throat.
"Cover your eyes!"
Dean did, closing his eyes tight and raising an arm to keep any light from coming through. Still, he could feel it, heat and a huge wave of force that washed over him. He was terrified for a second that he had been set on fire, but when he opened his eyes only the ground was scorched around the body on the ground. Raphael's wings were gone and a normal man was lying at Cas's feet.
"I thought you couldn't kill an angel…" Dean said, his voice a little awed and very suspicious.
"You can't," Cas answered, swaying where he stood. "Raphael will need to find a new vessel. He is merely unable to interact on this plain of existence until he does."
"We need to leave." Cas took a single step then fell to his knees.
Dean thought about being by his side and he was, crouching next to the Angel who had a hand pressed to his chest.
"Don't think you'll be goin' anywhere, Marshal," Dean said, his voice low as they both looked at Cas's bloody hand.
"We need to before the Council sends someone else here. They will have felt the death." Cas shot him a look, meeting his eyes with unwavering certainty. Dean was startled. The last time the Marshall had looked at him, he had felt it down to his very soul. The Angel's gaze was penetrating, but not like last time. It was… weaker.
"Sam?" Dean looked to his brother who was still shielding Joanna.
It took Sam a minute to respond. "He's… he's right. We should go. We can't take on another Angel."
"Where's the nearest town?" Dean asked Joanna. The girl jerked out of her stupor and blinked at him for a few minutes.
"Joanna!" he snapped, impatient. The wounds on Cas's chest were bleeding really bad. They had already soaked through the makeshift bandages they had covered them with last night. It didn't look good to Dean.
"I'm Searching!" she yelled back.
"There's a ranch two miles south," she said after another tense few minutes. "We can follow the creek. It goes right to it."
"Get the horses ready." Dean got an arm underneath Cas's arm and pulled him up. He was heavier than Dean expected, but then again he hadn't factor in the weight of the wings. They were huge and pretty damn heavy.
"You better be able to ride with those things, Marshal," he growled as he hauled Cas towards the horse.