During the morning it started to rain heavily. Dean didn't like this at all, not only did the water soak them from head to toe, it soaked the ground, leaving footsteps and traces after them in the mud they couldn't erase. He just hoped nobody followed them. The rain also made the animals in the forest hide in search for cover, leaving the brothers to gather the food they could find instead of hunting for it. Lucky for them it was late in the summer now, and the woods were full of ripe berries. They stopped to eat every time they came across a patch of blueberries or some bushes with raspberries, and even found an apple tree on a field. The apples were not quite ready yet, they were yellow and sour, but it was food either way. Living on the run for a few months learnt them to eat while they could and what they could.

In the afternoon the rain cleared up and the sun came out from behind the clouds. They came upon a small stream with clear water and took a break to drink some water and relax. The sun was warm now, and Dean laid down on a large rock to let the sun warm him and dry his wet clothes. The clothes they wore could only be called rags now, they both only wore thin shirts, and light pants that were dirty and thorn up, and neither of them had any shoes anymore.

Dean missed the weapons he had to drop before they jumped off the cliff, the sword he had inherited from his father and his hunting bow. They were too heavy, and would have dragged him down in the water. All he had now was the small dagger he had tied to his left leg, and the small slingshot he had tucked in his pants. He looked over to his younger brother and couldn't help but laugh when he saw what Sam was doing.

"Are you seriously going to wash your clothes? They are just rags Sam, and the more we wash them the sooner they will fall apart." He said when he saw his younger brother strip out of his clothes beside the water.

"We have walked through mud and dirt the entire day Dean, they are covered in shit. And I want to take a dip in the water anyway." Sam said while he took off his shirt and walked into the stream, to a spot where the water was deep enough to reach him to the chest. Dean had to look away when he looked at Sam's naked body, it was almost two months ago since the assault and the wounds on the body had mostly healed, but Dean still couldn't look at him without feeling responsible. After his face, Sam's chest and back looked the worst, there had been deep cuts there, and they had left deep scars, the red lines stood out against the tanned skin.

"Hey!" Sam shouted and splashed cold water at Dean. "You need a dip too, I can smell your stink from here. And you're covered in mud, jerk." Sam teased with a smile.

"Fine, whatever, bitch. But I know it's only an excuse to see me naked again." Dean said with a wink, and laughed when he saw Sam shudder.

"Yeah right, because all I think about is new excuses to see my brother naked. If I had to see you walk around naked all the time, I swear, I would have cut out my other eye too in the end."

"Aww, Sammy, that hurts!" Dean mocked while he stepped out of his grimy clothes and joined his brother in the cold water. He was glad Sam was able to joke about his scars now, it had been a sensitive subject for a long time.

Dean had to admit, it felt good to wash off the dirt and sweat, and after they both had rinsed their clothes they stayed in the cold water while the clothes dried in the sun. Dean sat on a large rock, with water up to his neck, and relaxed completely for the first time in what felt like years. Sam was here beside him, scarred, one-eyed and maimed, but relaxed and happy, and they were both alive. Dean let his head lean back and felt all tension unwind from his body and mind, when Sam suddenly sat up, ready and alert, but for what he did not know.

"Sam! What's going on?" He whispered, and got up in a similar position.

"Shhh! I heard something. I think someone's here." Sam whispered, his eye drifting around their surroundings.

"You got a weapon?" Dean asked while he bent down and reached for the dagger he still had tied around his leg. He never took it off. Sam nodded and showed him the small knife he had in his hand. They both stood there tense and ready, listening for any signs of intruders for a few minutes, before they looked at each other again.

"You sure you heard something? It could have been an animal..." Dean asked hesitantly. He hoped it was nothing, but after the last months, they took no chances.

"I thought I did... It sounded like a twig snapping or something. But we are in the woods, so I guess it could have been an animal. Let's get dressed and get out of here." Sam said and started to climb out of the water. Dean followed slowly, with his dagger still ready and with wary eyes follow the surroundings. He couldn't see anything suspicious, and there weren't many places to hide if Henriksen had found them. He saw Sam probably think the same, with a small laugh and shake of his head Sam tied the knife back to his leg.

"Guess there was nothing. Can't blame me for being paranoid though, after the last few months we have been through. Every little sound makes me ready for a fight." Sam said with a weak and tired smile that Dean returned while he too tied his knife back in place around his leg.

"I hear ya, every time I start to relax and believe we might finally get away from all the crap that follows us, the shoe always seem to drop." Dean said with a sigh and reached for his clothes. They were not completely dry yet, but he put them on anyway, he didn't want to risk staying here any longer. Something didn't feel right about this place, even if no one had approached or attacked them it felt like they were being watched.

After they both were dressed Dean shot a last suspicious glance around them, but came up empty. He huffed and was about to give another snarky comment to Sam about how paranoid they acted when the first arrow shot through the air.