A/N: Again... I don't have a Beta so if you catch annoying verb-tense confusion, let me know and I'll fix it.

All the normal disclaimers apply. No infringement is intended… transformative piece of fiction… don't make nada from my efforts… don't own any claim to Supernatural or characters...

This is a short chapter… we are transitioning to the action part and I wanted to get us all there.

*******************************Part Seven**************************************

Master's apprehension and excitement was contagious. My wings kept twitching and fanning, mantling and pulling tight to my body in response to the cacophony of unfamiliar emotions that overtook me. To be honest, part of me was thrilled by them. There was a part of me, however, that was annoyed. Samuel was leaking his emotional state down the bonding link between us and it was difficult to determine which of the emotions I was generating and which were his.

We tread deeper and deeper into the forest, away from the bright aura of people and into the darkness and shadow. I had decided enough was enough. We could not confront the evil I could sense in the gloom with Samuel so out of control of his emotions.

"Stop! Just.. stop." I stopped in the middle of the animal trail we were following to avoid getting waylaid by the shrubs and branches hanging low. I put my hands on my hips and narrow my eyes. I feel him try and assert himself against me, to make me comply. I resist him and growl. He seems taken aback by my turn in attitude.

"You must control your emotions, Master. What we are doing… it's dangerous. You are essentially going to war with a demon far superior to me, without back-up, without permission or proper training from your Master, and your emotions are bouncing around like a child's toy. Either reign them in now or we need to go back to the encampment." I told him.

Master was very cross with me and, through the link, I could tell that betrayal was the sole emotion filling him. I whimpered, but stood my ground. Either Sam and I would do battle against this demonic force and we would both die, or we would succeed and have to defend ourselves against the entire Order of Magic-Users—including Castiel and the Prime of the Order. There was no hope for our continued survival no matter how this played. I could risk a little here.

Samuel must have realized what I was saying. I could feel him trying to control himself. I melded into the link, joining in rapport with him, showed him some things I knew Castiel often employed when he felt his emotional upset becoming a problem.

Castiel is a different personality type than Master. Master had anger and rage hidden just barely under the surface. Castiel was still waters down to the very depths and his emotions were difficult to drag to the surface. Master was young and had been sheltered enough that he had few opportunities to learn from failure. He had little confidence in his own ability to wield the power within him despite the repository of magic he had at his immediate disposal. Castiel was older than Master, but aside from that, Gabriel made him try to work the magicks before offering any assistance. Castiel learned from mistakes nearly as much as from success. He was an experimental practitioner. Castiel had confidence of one who had studied all his life, who practiced and wielded his magic with accomplished ease and control. He planned for nearly every contingency- Except the possibility that his apprentice would divert the link between himself and his bound-demon… but I digress.

Once I probed into the link to determine Master had control over himself, I nodded my satisfaction and took the lead. Master followed me into the murky black of shadow and danger. We walked toward the demonic energy, and while I felt this was a monumentally bad idea, it could be kind of fun… provided we didn't die in the first five minutes. I grinned.

We approached a slope of needles and dead yellow grass. The slope ended in a rocky outcropping that appeared to rise up on the other side of the ravine. There were no trees over on the other side from the sheltered copse in which we hid.

"Do we go down?" Master whispered.

I scented the air. It smelled of sulfur and blood.

"It's what we came here for." I turned to face Master. "If we shielded you now, or cloaked you… they would know we were here. That wouldn't be much of a surprise and really... that's the best weapon we have right now." I looked down the ravine and back up at the rock hillside on the other side. "But, if we just walk down there and across the rocks, we'll be seen straight away and the result is the same."

Master paused to consider the options. I know that Castiel would have probably decided to walk the long way around, to scout the entire area before rushing in to a situation that is so perilous. Master didn't have the years of research, experience and training that Castiel had. His decisions were likely based on expediency rather than planning. I voiced the option to him as he considered his own plan. He nodded to me as he pursed his lips. I admit that I nudged him psychically to choose the option Castiel might have chosen… Just a little though. He agreed that it would be the wisest course of action. I don't know if he might not have chosen that option without my manipulation, but I really didn't want to die without getting a chance to at least make a showing of myself.

Once he had collected himself again, refreshed himself, and hefted his satchel on his shoulders, I turned to lead the way back through the forest. I reached out my hand behind me. When I turned to see why he didn't take it, I could see the look on his face held a question. I sighed and rolled y eyes.

"Physical contact helps to strengthen rapport… since we can't use overt magic to do so, we should try what we can." I explained.

He nodded as he grasped my hand in his. "See… that wasn't so bad, was it, honey-bear?" I smirked. He laughed at my attempt at being cheeky.

We walked around the perimeter, hand in hand. I watched with intent focus, concentrating with eyes, ears, nose and mind to discover any danger before we fell in head first. I tugged at Master as we walked and realized the limitations of the human beside me. Master was much more physically capable than Castiel (I wouldn't want to meet the wrong end of him in a dark alley). He was a stone statue to behold- perfect, chiseled, hard muscle and sinew. He had the hunting eyes of a wolf, and the patience of a plains' cat. He walked with deliberation and purpose. Still, he was human and limited. Though his movements were not wasteful or unmindful, each placement of his foot on the forest floor was a sound at which I couldn't help but to cringe upon hearing. He practically prowled, but his breathing was a wind storm outside the tower in winter. It blew with scents and sounds that made me grind my teeth. He couldn't detect how frightening and exciting this really was.

At the edge of another stand of evergreens, I stopped. He paused and scanned with his limited vision, his limited hearing. He had no idea what was around us, could not guess even where we were. I crouched down and saw how he mirrored my movements. I grinned. He squeezed my hand hard. I looked over to see the flinty narrowing of his eyes. I felt the disapproval sent along the rapport. He was able to detect that I was toying with him. I squeaked as he added a magic chastisement. I huffed a sigh. Fine.

I motioned for him to get the map from his sack. He seemed to understand what was required and fished it out, flattening it on the side of the fallen tree behind which we crouched. My eyes immediately found the camp, the ravine and the rocky outcropping we had left behind. I traced my clawed finger along the line of the ravine to point near a bold trail of ink marking a return to civilization… sort of.

The road was more a beaten trail of hard-packed earth sentries and scouts travelled upon during their way from the Crag to parts further out in the Empire and beyond. There were a few residents in the High Reaches of the mountains, but none were likely to be families or people who were accustomed to the posh and plush familiarity of civilized life. Hunters and gold miners were really the only lot strange and crazy enough to try and make this place "home". Well, that and wild demons.

There was a faint odor of sulfur here, as if the demons I had scented earlier passed by here with enough frequency to lay a trail, but not so frequently as to make it remarkable for humans just passing. I shared my observations with Master and asked him if he wanted to track parallel to the road or if he wanted to continue with the perimeter tracking we had been doing. Either way, we could find out more information. If the demons were using this road to get to and from their lair, we might be able to better locate the front of the lair. There is a better chance that we might be able to deflect attempts at discovery and reduce the risk of missing enemies randomly moving up on our flanks. If we spiraled in from a perimeter sweep, we would get a fuller lay of the land and be able to avert traps and ambushes for the unwary. The chances of being discovered may also increase with the noises that Master is making, even if he is quieter than most humans.

In the end, I think that Master's youth and impatience at the spiraling course we had taken was beginning to wear on his tolerance for moving slowly and carefully. I could tell that Master was used to taking orders rather than giving them by the expression on his face and the surge of uncertainty I could feel coming from the link. I think it would have been a simple thing to manipulate and control this human so he would do as I pleased. He hadn't won me. He didn't summon me or really overpowered me. He diverted an existing link to another warlock in order to claim me for himself. He had no idea what claiming me really would have entailed since he hadn't thought about the true meaning of calling a familiar demon. Castiel could have led Sam through this process as his master had done for him so many years ago. Sam might actually be feeling how completely out of his depth he was when I sensed the flutter of power at the edge of my perception.

Castiel was coming and I was sure he would want to reclaim what was his.