Hunter of the Shadows Book 3

Enemy at the Door.

Chapter 16

Now…

"Well, Singer's communication ritual was a wee bit dodgy. It kept crapping out on us like a broken CB radio, so we only got the gist of what was going on from Marcus," says Lucas, looking perplexed. "But I was certainly knocked for six that night. I wasn't sure what it was all about, and Crowley's involvement had me rather puzzled, I'll admit."

He looks at Dean and Sam. "But I'm beginning to understand more and more, now, thanks to you boys."

Dean is still staring at the fire, and Sam gives him a nudge.

"You ok?"

Dean, startled, looks up. "Yeah. Just, uh, still coming to terms, ya know? Talking about it is good, but it's a little overwhelming."

He shrugs.

Tobius morphs his nose into a snout and presses it to Dean's ear, licking gently. It's a sign of love and comfort, one that Dean can understand and doesn't shy away from.

The pup in his lap opens an eye, one ear flopping lazily to the side, and gazes up at Dean. With a loud puppy yawn, he places a paw on Dean's chest and growls playfully.

"Reeeooowllllll!"

Dean can't seem to help the smile that emerges, and Sam grins along with him.

"You think we're really ready for these two?" he gestures to the pup snuggled up to his own chest.

"Oh yeah," Dean replies, softly. "More than ready."

"Aw, c'mon," Andy complains, impatiently. "Get on with the rest of it, huh? I only know the parts I was there for!"

Josey swats him over the head. "You mind your manners, cub," she warns, gently, and shoots Gerald a glare when he sniggers quietly.

Andy grins, rubbing his head. "Sorry, Mom."

Sam scratches his pup behind the ear. "But he's right. Moving swiftly on…"

Then…

A little later, seated in a circle with Lucas and Victoria, also now in human form, the Home Pack were stunned. We hadn't gone into huge amounts of detail, just that the Canadian Pack was in danger from Crowley, who was now a Type One.

Proper explanations would be left for a later date, when the heat was off, and everyone was safe and secure. Assuming we all lived through it.

"Shit!" Cornelius finally breathed out. "You guys have really been busy."

"And you say that Tobius and Castiel have no knowledge that these Type Ones are going to attack the Canadian Pack?" asked Lucas, anxiously.

I shook my head. "Nope. At the moment, I'm convinced that Crowley won't order the attack until he has us" I indicated Sam and me "in his possession."

"Yeah, he wants us as a bargaining tool," said Sam. "Another ace up his sleeve. Though, he offered to turn Dean into a Type One."

Lucas blew out a breath and scratched at his long beard. "And Marcus wonders why Tobius and I steer clear of large pack politics!" he snorted. "Ha! This is why!"

"Can we use Bobby's mojo to call Marcus and warn him?" I asked.

Vicky shook her head. "'Fraid not. It gave out on us completely last time we used it and we've not been able to get it working again. I think it ran its course. Those communication spells don't have a very long shelf-life."

"Not even giving it a little power would help, then," muttered Sam, dolefully.

We all fell quiet for a while, disappointed by the news.

"There's something else we should consider," Sam murmured, ominously, breaking the brooding silence and getting us back on track. "Crowley figured out how to hide his true self, to appear as one of us, a Type Two."

"And?" Lucas prompted, gently.

"That means there could already be hidden Type Ones on the inside. After all, he successfully turned some of the elder council," Sam replied. "And we have no idea how long they've been there. More likely, they could even be dormant Type Ones, just waiting for a trigger."

Shit. Even I hadn't thought of that. "Sleeper cells, that don't even know what they are..."

"You mean to tell me," Lucas concluded, slowly, anger simmering away underneath that calm exterior Alphas are so famous for. "That as we speak, there could be Type Ones amongst the pack, ready to turn on them at a moments notice?"

Sam and I nodded, but said nothing.

"Right! That settles it!" the gruff Alpha got to his feet. "Cornelius! Take four wolves ahead and scout around, keep an eye on Crowley's movements. Send a runner if anything unusual or worrying occurs. When the shite starts flying, get to the rear gates of the Canadian walls and guard them with your lives. Vicky, my love, take two wolves and get back home. Move our pack as far away as you can get, go to Tobius' cabin in fact. Send someone, preferably Andy, to contact Bobby Singer and Jim Murphy. We might need some human fire power, and I know for a fact that even with a bum leg, the priest can still kick some serious arse. Once they've joined you, bring them back up here with the majority of the pack, but leave the young, and nursing mothers, at the cabin with Josey and Gerald to guard them. We'll need Andy. He's a tough bastard, when all's said and done."

Then he turned to us.

"And you two," Lucas eyed us up and down, critically. "Get something to eat and then sleep. We've a long journey in the morn, and I need you fresh as wee daisies."

I watched as Vicky made preparations for her journey. Before she changed, she turned to a young teenager and whispered something to him. I don't know what she said, but he shook his head and the two appeared to be having some kind of disagreement.

Lucas joined them, and by the looks of things, settled the dispute with the diplomacy expected of a pack Alpha. Vicky sighed, kissed her mate, tenderly hugged the youngster and ruffled his hair, then slunk away into the night with her two companions, quietly whispering good luck to us all.

Cornelius came over to us, grinned widely, and gave us both a farewell hug.

"Well, it was short but sweet," said Sam, a little sadly. "Maybe next time we meet up, we'll get a proper chance to talk."

Cornelius nodded. "Absolutely," he said, then added, quietly "I've missed you guys."

I respected Sam's dignity by looking away, but I still caught a glance at the moisture shinning in his eyes when Cornelius hugged him again. These two really needed a chance to catch up. They were each other's counsellors, I guess, and Sam sure had been through a lot over the last few days.

"You behave yourselves," I heard Cornelius say when they stepped apart again, and laughed when I clipped him upside the head.

"Cocky little shit!" I grumbled with feigned petulance.

"Ok, ok." Cornelius sobered and glanced at the rest of his pack, worriedly, as they went about their various preparations under the watchful eye of their Alpha. "But seriously. Look after them for me?"

"You know we will," I said, and Sam nodded his agreement.

Reassured, but still anxious for his family, the Home Pack Beta slipped away among the trees with four other strong looking non-lunars.

The air was buzzing with that nervous excitement, the kind that usually manifests right before battle, and we were all a part of it.

The scent of roast venison had our stomachs growling with anticipation. Even after all that rabbit and fish, we could have happily eaten an entire moose each.

Sam ran a hand through his hair and grimaced when it caught on a tangled knot. Silence stretched between us while he worked on pulling and picking at it, until it finally unravelled.

He's not happy, he said, quietly. Leaving his Alpha behind like that, huh?

No, and he wouldn't be 'cos it just don't feel natural, I replied. But sometimes, it's necessary. I hate leaving Sire, or when he's been forced to leave us. It makes this deep, empty pit open up inside, one that can't be filled. It just feels all wrong.

Yeah, said Sam, nodding slowly. I get it.

And I had no doubt that he understood. It was more than just family, stronger than any bond of friendship or love. Like it or not, he was growing naturally into his role as pack Beta, becoming what he was supposed to be all along, so the accompanying instincts and feelings were taking shape. It would hurt, eventually tear him apart and glue him back together, leaving him all the stronger for it.

But it wouldn't be long now.

This was what Tobius was waiting for, the moment when Sam and I both realised our futures in full, so he could retire from hunting and hand over the reins.

What now? the kid suddenly asked, tiredly.

I shrugged and threw an arm round his shoulder. Like the Alpha said, get something to eat, then sleep. We'll see what tomorrow brings us.

Yeah. There were going to be some drastic changes, hard decisions that would be a trial coming to terms with. But they could wait, for now.

Sammy and I had enough to deal with.

C'mon, I tugged him along with me towards one of the campfires. I see a joint of venison with our names on it.

Lucas had ordered the fires banked down a little now that he was aware of the threat of Crowley's Type Ones roaming the countryside. Red embers glowed in the night, against the silhouettes of various pack members. Possibly, viewed from the mountain above, Crowley might see the camp from a distance and wonder about it, but it was doubtful. The fires hadn't been that big to start with, and were hidden away under the forest's snow-laden canopy.

And besides, if he fell for our ruse by the river or got caught up in the pits we left around the grey wolf, then he wouldn't have followed us this far.

Yeah, we were subscribing to Team Optimism this lunar cycle.

Hold on a second, said Sam, stopping in his tracks suddenly. How come we didn't catch on that the Home Pack was around? There was no scent, and we didn't even see their campfires.

We weren't exactly looking, Sammy, I replied, but I had to admit he had a valid point.

Lucas turned from a conversation with one of his pack and waved us over.

I couldn't help but listen in, he said with no sign of remorse whatsoever. Mr Singer gave us a few little rituals to experiment with, so I thought what a better time to try them out than when visiting the Canadian Pack? And it's a good thing I brought them along, too, with that arsehole Crowley about and all. At least, from what you said, we know they work fine.

I was puzzled. Come again?

Lucas chuckled. Sam just confirmed it. The Home Pack was hidden from you. You had no idea we were there until you… er… dropped in on us.

Bobby gave you a cloaking ritual, huh? Sam asked.

Lucas shrugged. Just a wee trinket or two.

That sounded great, wonderful in fact. Just one thing to consider…

Yeah, but will it still work now that someone from the outside has joined up with you? I raised an eyebrow. Presumably, we ain't cloaked, right?

Lucas frowned. Good point.

One that can be easily proved, said Sam. Wait here.

Sammy where are you… hey! Get back here! I called out, just as he took off, sprinted through the trees and disappeared from sight. Dammit Sam!

I'm fine, Dean, just stand still and be quiet for a second.

I heard a small scuffle, then everything fell silent. Even the Home Pack stopped what they were doing and watched curiously.

Sam? He'd only been gone thirty seconds, but Crowley had once managed to kidnap him in less time than that. Sammy!

It's ok, I'm up here. Look!

Lucas, the pack and I all looked up. Around fifty feet up on the foothills of the mountain, Sam sat on a rock, eyes glowing blue-green in the darkness of the night.

Can you see us, young Sam? Lucas called up.

Nope. Place is still cloaked. There's no fire, no smoke and no sign of anyone, Sam called back, smugly. It's… oh no, wait… I can see someone moving under the trees… no, they've gone now.

Lucas and I glanced around to find a young non-lunar standing right in the middle of the camp, carrying a blanket and two platters of venison. It was the teenager I'd seen Vicky hugging before she left. He was stock still and staring up at Sam, eyes wide with amazement.

Arthur, Lucas barked out. Walk forward again.

Arthur nodded and obeyed instantly.

They're back! Sam called out, waving his arms.

Stop! Lucas ordered the young wolf, who complied.

Gone again, said Sam.

Backwards, said Lucas, and poor Arthur took several paces back.

I saw Sam wave his arms again.

Looks like we're all cloaked, said Sam and I heard that small scuffle again as he descended the foothills once more. But only when we're still. Movement gives us away.

So we're safe while we sleep, Lucas concluded. Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose.

Sam trekked back into camp and stood beside me.

I might be able to strengthen that.

I looked at him, aghast. Sam, Crowley's already proved he can unravel your powers. And in any case, you need to sleep. You can't rest if you're concentrating all your efforts on shielding us.

Crowley proved nothing. All he did was manage to keep himself blocked off from me, Sam reasoned calmly. And we need to try something, Dean. Protection while we sleep isn't enough. And what's to say he won't see through Bobby's cloak anyhow? If Crowley's longbow troop catches up to us we'll be sitting ducks, and you know it. Besides, I may have a few tricks of my own to experiment with.

I huffed, not happy with this at all, but glanced at Lucas.

Your call, man. Whatever you want to do, we'll follow.

Lucas nodded, apologetically. In that case, I'd prefer to take Sam up on his offer.

Couldn't blame him for that. Pack safety rested on his shoulders.

There was little discussion after that. In fact, each of us was lost in our own thoughts, either staring into the camp fires, or gazing out into the night. There was a strange atmosphere to the Home Pack tonight, and I'd never known them to be so tense, or so quiet. I guess they were missing the rest of their family, maybe worrying about them, which was understandable.

The food was good, and we enjoyed every morsel of it, but we were unable to savour it in the way we normally would. There was no light hearted conversation about recipes, or the latest hunt, or maybe some amusing stories about their travels. All was quiet and no one was in the mood for small talk.

Even Patrick, the Irish musician, who was often so good natured and cheerful, seemed solemn and withdrawn tonight, though he had smiled gently and raised his mug of mead in toast to our unexpected arrival.

After demolishing our meals and chugging back a couple jugs of mead, Sam changed and curled up in front of one of the fire pits. His steady gaze remained fixed on the glowing embers and his nose twitched.

After a quick change of my own, I curled around him and rested my head over the back of his neck.

Sammy? What are you doing? I asked, curiously.

It's a form of self-hypnosis, he replied, sleepily. One of the things Bobby taught me last time we were at the Salvage Yard. Means I can relax and rest but at the same time keep Bobby's ritual charged. I'm gonna see if I can't give it boost.

I remembered that time. Bobby had placed Sam inside a Devil's trap in order to safely learn how to use his powers. It took a lot out of the kid, but it opened the door to all sorts of possibilities and eventually enabled Sam to shield us from the deadly spells and fireballs hurled at us at the battle of Mont Noir. The same night Jake, AKA the Hulk, nearly killed Sam with a silver sword.

He displayed a lot of new skills, in fact. One of which I found myself wondering about.

Hey, Sam?

Uhuh? He huffed, distractedly.

You ever used that teleportation thing since that night with Jake?

Sam's body twitched, possibly with his own painful memories of Mont Noir.

No.

Hmm. Short answer and no explanation.

I was just wondering, is all I prompted, trying for casual, but Sam wasn't fooled for an instant.

Sam huffed again. If you must know, I hated it. It was scary, disorienting, and made me sick to my stomach. He shuddered. To be honest, I've not been able to do it since, which is fine by me 'cos I never want to do that again.

I nodded slightly. That was pretty much identical to how I felt when Bobby worked a transportation spell, so we could go after Sam. Kid had pulled a disappearing act on us and gone to seek out Jake for the big showdown.

Yeah, know that feeling.

Ok, said Sam and rubbed at his snout with a large paw, like a giant dormouse with an itch. Can I get on with this please?

Sure. Sorry. I shrugged and remained quiet.

Next thing I knew, the fire began to… well… no other word for it. It began to sparkle. Like someone had just sprinkled a handful of fairy dust on the flames. It grew upwards like a thin funnel of light, and once it reached the forest canopy it spread out like a blanket to all corners of the camp.

As quickly as it had grown, it faded leaving behind glowing after effects that dazzled and spun like firebugs, until they, too, disappeared.

Wow. That's so cool, Sammy… Sam?

"SSSNNNRRRZZZZZZ….."

I grinned and gently licked his ear.

Jeeze. You wouldn't think his snoring could compete with a fog horn, huh?

G'night, Sammy.

Poor Kid had worn himself out. I settled down, buried my own nose deep in his neck fur, closed my eyes, and let sleep take me along with him.

As usual, dawn came along way too quickly, bringing with it a low, lazy morning mist weaving between the trees.

I blinked open my eyes for a second, realised Sam was still asleep, and closed them again, happy to snooze for a while longer…

Thud!

Something hit me on the head.

Ow! Sonofabitch!

My head snapped up, eyes narrowed, teeth bared, and I growled deep in my throat.

Lucas stood a few feet away, grinning from ear to ear and juggling a couple of apples.

One lay nearby, a slight bruise forming on its ripe, red skin from where it had brained me a few seconds ago. I scowled. Respectfully, of course.

"C'mon, get up ya young, wee lazy bones!" the Alpha ordered, good naturedly. "You'll miss breakfast if you sleep in any longer, and then you'll be plain pissed!"

The smell of fresh baked bread and roasting meat had probably been beating at my nostrils for some time, but I was too deep in sleep to notice. Not so, now.

Sammy, get up!

Sam grumbled, eyes opened to slits, and stretched his paws out in front. His head sank back against his neck and wiggled from side to side as the long, drawn out stretch continued, tall ears turned back against his head and nose twitching adorably.

Timeisit? He asked, fuzzily.

Uh… I looked regretfully at where my Rolex should have been. Dawn.

Holy shit! Sam sprang to his paws, glancing guiltily about the camp. I meant to be up earlier than that to check the cloak…

Calm yourself, laddie, Lucas chimed in before the kid had an aneurysm over it. I already checked. All is well.

Really? Sam blinked slowly and scratched lazily at an ear.

Indeed. The Alpha's grin softened. It worked a damn treat, Sam. You did a good job. I wandered around for quite a while, and according to young Arthur I was still cloaked.

Sam seemed to relax a little, tongue lolled out over his chops.

That's great. We can move and still be cloaked from above.

But what about at ground level? I wondered.

Sam shook his head. That's a different story. From what I sensed of it, Bobby's spell relies on using the forest canopy, so who knows?

So, the way I understood it, if Crowley stayed up in the mountains, we were safe. But if he came back down into the forest and ran into us, we were fucked.

Great.

Breakfast was a little more light hearted, morale lifted by the rising sun, perhaps, or by the notion that we had some degree of safety from Crowley, albeit superficial.

Great hunks of meat and gravy were served up on bread, and my mouth watered continually just from the smell.

Even Sam appeared to appreciate the sights and smells, as two platters heaped high with steaming food were handed over to us. His anxiety had dampened down a notch, and when he changed his shoulders seemed more relaxed.

Lucas was planning the hunting party for nightfall, which we happily volunteered for. There's nothing like a good hunt after a long day's trek. And it was kind of nice to be a part of the Home guys for a while. They were more open and accepting than the Canadian Pack, their life style less complicated by the outside world, I guess.

Or maybe my judgment was clouded and harsh after Sam's trial and heart stopping brush with capital punishment. Although it had all been resolved, and Sam was no longer considered an outlaw, it would be a hard one to forgive.

You ok, Dean?

I glanced up. Sam was watching me closely with a worried look on his face.

I'm fine, just drifted off for a second there. I licked the last of the gravy from my fingers and held out my hand for his empty platter. You want some more food, Sammy?

He blushed and smiled shyly. Yeah, thanks. Can't believe how hungry I've been the last few days.

I reached up and brushed a few stray locks of hair away from the site of his head injury. It was pretty much healed though still red and swollen, and the scar would fade in a few days.

Not surprising. I concluded, and patted his shoulder. That was one hell of a crack to the noggin, kiddo.

Sam nodded. I guess.

Our metabolism speeds up for injury, all the better for fast healing. But it also means we need more fuel to compensate. In Sam's case it must have been running like a nuclear reactor. Even for werewolves, an open skull fracture is pretty nasty business.

I wandered over to the cooking fire and grinned at Arthur.

I take it you're Vicky's Sous Chef?

The young wolf tilted his head at me, frowning. Huh?

I rephrased it. You're Vicky's apprentice cook?

His frown disappeared and a gentle smile emerged. Yeah, she's great to work with. Really patient and doesn't yell at me when I get something wrong.

He couldn't have been older than fourteen years old, yet there was something about him that seemed even younger than that. He carried a naïve innocence that put me in mind of Sam when he was that age, right before I turned him. And it occurred to me that in spite of everything, my brotherson still had that innocence to a certain extent.

It humbled me, and made my heart swell a little.

…she also taught me to make nettle mead, and I'm trying out an elderberry mead recipe but its turning mud brown and I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to look like that…

Arthur, apparently, was also a bit of a chatterbox when he got started. Again, just like Sam at fourteen, before John made his life a misery.

…I'm not tall enough to pick the berries from the trees, so I just collect the ones on the ground…

While Arthur happily chattered on, describing some of Victoria's latest culinary experiments in detail, he dished up more food and mead, and I was content to just listen.

Well, I interrupted him with a thoughtful frown. I suggest that you wash the elderberries before you start. It might be the dust and mud that turned it that colour.

Arthur nodded eagerly. Thanks Dean. I'll give that a try.

Yeah, Arthur was a great kid and smart with it, but common sense seemed to evade him.

Like most teenagers, huh?

Let me know how you get on with that, I thanked him for the food and headed back.

Sam was grinning at me, eyes dancing with laughter.

That kid's really taken a shine to you, Dean.

I snorted. Of course. All kids do. I am pretty cool, ya know!

Sam laughed out loud. Notice how you keep having to remind me?

He dodged out the way of my elbow and slopped hot gravy over his knee.

"Shit!"

"Serves you right, ungrateful wretch!" I said, smugly.

Sam's nose elongated to make way for his huge wolfed-out tongue. He licked up the mess, smacking his chops eagerly.

"Waste not want not," I remarked, approvingly.

Grinning in agreement, he carried on eating.

As soon as breakfast was over, the Home Pack quickly and efficiently cleared the area and checked over every inch to make sure they'd left no trace of themselves behind. This was kind of the first time we'd seen them fully on manoeuvres so we watched, curiously, as each pack member strapped a small, leather hold-all to their backs and changed. In human form, the hold-alls were loose and poorly fitted, but after the change they became moulded to the wolf, as though designer made, like the best fitting Armani suit. We learned that each one contained food and drink, one thick Navaho blanket, plus a spare, and very few personal effects.

Home Pack wolves don't carry emotional attachment to inanimate trinkets. They have each other and their memories, and that's enough for them.

Some of the older wolves carried larger hold-alls, almost like a Marine's backpack. These contained rudimentary weapons or basic cooking equipment.

Lucas carried the largest and heaviest. Arthur padded beside him, gazing adoringly up at his Alpha, his small form occasionally breaking into a trot to keep up. And that's when the truth hit me.

So, you kept that quiet, I told Lucas a few hours later, when Arthur had hung back to chat with Sam.

Lucas didn't insult me by denying it.

Well, Arthur doesn't want to be treated any differently for being the Alpha's son, he murmured with a small, proud smile in his young pup's direction. He has very strict principals about nepotism, so no one was allowed to mention it.

Lucas cleared his throat. Sorry about that. Not my intention to deceive, but you know how kids are, eh?

No need to apologise, I replied, graciously. I understand completely.

I wasn't insulted by it at all. In fact, I admired the kid all the more, and it seemed like a very 'Sam' attitude to take. Glancing back at the two of them talking earnestly, Sam's huge wolf form dwarfing the little one, I couldn't help but smile.

He'll make a good Alpha someday, I remarked, softly. And I wasn't just talking about Arthur.

Lucas nodded, knowingly. Aye, he will at that.

Right then, Arthur was bending Sam's ear about mead recipes and cooking techniques. Sam caught my eye and winked. He'd obviously taken a mutual liking to the Alpha's young son.

Our trek took us right the way back across to the river, where the Alpha's senior wolves sniffed up and down the bank, checking for Crowley's scent.

The report came back negative. The bastard had indeed covered himself again, but his Type Ones weren't nearly so competent. Not only did they leave little patches of scent here and there, mainly through urination, but they also disturbed earth, trees and bushes in their frantic hunt for Sam and me.

Our pursuers were still down river, while we had doubled back and overtaken them.

Score one for us.

Won't be long now, Sam murmured from beside me. We'll soon be up at the waterfall, and then it's only a couple more days to the Canadian Pack.

I rubbed my muzzle against his ears. Sam responded by ducking his head down and under my snout, still the over-grown pup when he needed reassurance.

Don't do anything stupid, Sam, I muttered after a few minutes silence.

What do you mean by that? He tried to sound baffled but the plain fact is Sam can't convincingly lie to me.

You know what I mean, I replied with a sniff. No heroics, no jumping straight in without thinking, and no turning your back on the enemy…

Now just wait a second… he stiffened, angrily.

No, Sam. I didn't want to bring it up, but it needed to be said. Last time it was Jake, but Crowley is…was our uncle. I'm just worried you can't be objective over this because its family, and if you turn your back on that sonofabitch in the heat of battle, it might get you killed.

Dean… he sighed but said nothing more, probably because he knew I was right.

I wouldn't change that about you for the world, Sammy, I added, quietly. It's what you makes you you, and its one of things that makes me so damn proud to call you my son.

Gently licking his nose, and breathing warm air on his face, I bumped against him in a show of support.

But I won't stand by and let you get hurt like that again, so turning to him, I inwardly winced when I met his glowing blue-green gaze. Sam wasn't going to like this. When we get back to Tobius, you get behind the walls and stay hidden.

His eyes widened with shock. What?

I didn't flinch, just stared hard at him and employed the dirtiest trick in the book.

That's an order.

TBC...

Oh dear. Dean's not going to be a popular chappy with Sam, eh?

Not much happened in this chapter, I know, but I hope you all enjoyed it regardless, and we can all agree that Matthew, Logan, and young Arthur are absolutely adorable.

More action coming up soon... provided you guys really want it...?

Love ST xxx