And the next chapter and I can tell you this: It's going to be interesting ^_~
Chapter 23
Birdsong and the gentle rustling of the leaves, that were gently moved by the cool evening breeze was the only thing that Dean Winchester heard that evening.
About an hour ago, he hadn't endured all the fighting anymore and had disappeared from Crowley's house, to stretch his legs a bit in which an evening walk would be the best way to do so.
He couldn't stand these quarrels between the demon and the Archangel Gabriel anymore.
Since Gabriel was feeling better and he was able to get up again, he kept an eye on Crowley and just the hope to be able to see his little brother again, held the former messenger angel from killing the demon.
These two were like oil and water and Dean doubted that Gabriel would jump over his shadow and would accept the alliance between them and Crowley.
No one, neither he nor Sam nor Bobby, were fond of the idea to work with a demon. But there was no other choice right now and they had to deal with it and Gabriel had to accept it as well.
Once they had found Castiel, Dean would give Gabriel permission to kill Crowley.
A shudder came over the young man, when he was only thinking about Castiel.
The last meeting still hung heavy in his stomach and he didn't like to imagine how the next meeting would end up. He probably wouldn't be so lucky next time.
Cas had almost killed him, because he didn't tell him where Sam was hiding.
Only God knew what would happen if Cas would catch him again...
Dean didn't like to admit it, but he was afraid of Castiel.
That was no longer the angel who had grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him out of perdition.
No.
This angel was a monster...
Lucifer had awakened the beast in him and Dean got to feel what this beast was capable of and he doubted that this had been everything Cas could do.
He didn't want to find out about what this angel was able to do with his new found power.
Dean shook his head, tried to banish these thoughts from his brain.
It was such a beautiful evening and this evening he didn't want to waste with such dark thoughts.
Castiel was not there and therefore he couldn't harm him.
Inwardly, however, Dean wished that Cas was back.
He was his best friend...the best friend he had ever had, and it hurt him in the soul to let go of this friend.
No!
He couldn't do that!
Cas had done bad things, that he knew, but every one of them, he and his brother Sam, and even Bobby had already done a lot of shit in the past and always they had forgiven each other and Dean would be a really crappy friend, if he wouldn't forgive Castiel as well.
Although Castiel's mistakes had been fatal...he was still his friend...a part of his family and he would fight to ensure that he would get this part of his family back.
Damn!
Castiel was already more than a friend in his eyes.
Dean already saw a little brother in him…
He had to stop walking for a minute to be able to swallow the thick lump that had formed in his throat. Only now he was really aware, that he couldn't live without Castiel anymore, as without his own brother or Bobby.
Castiel had become a part of his family and family protected each other...
A rustling in the undergrowth yanked Dean out of his thoughts not very gently, and almost automatically his hand went to the pistol he kept hidden under his shirt.
Slowly he walked toward the source of the sound and with one fluid motion he aimed the gun. He felt how his hand began to shake and his heart began to race, as the adrenaline shot through his body.
A branch cracked and broke under the weight of his alleged assailant and Dean could feel sweat gathering on his forehead, slowly running into his eyes and burned like fire, but he ignored it. He was fully focused. Before him there was a rustling in a bush and the hunter put his finger on the trigger and tensed up.
He could hear how something moved quickly through the undergrowth and into his direction.
The footsteps came closer and closer...
As the thing burst out of the underbrush and ran towards him, a shot was released from his gun, which narrowly missed his "attacker". The animal, which had been a little squirrel, ran frantically past the hunter and disappeared on the nearest tree.
Dean needed a few seconds to get his heartbeat back under control. His heart was racing so much that he thought it would jump out of his chest at any moment. Fortunately, this didn't happen and he even managed to calm down. He quickly secured his gun and put it back in the waistband of his jeans.
With a long sigh, the young hunter slid down on a tree, until he was sitting in the grass.
He closed his eyes and tried to get the tension out of his body.
"Calm down Dean..." he reminded himself, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
For a few moments he sat there in total silence and didn't move, was one with the sounds of his surroundings. There he heard a cricket chirp, then he heard another bird singing and the sound of beating wings came to his ears.
A small smile graced Dean's lips as he continued to listen to the beating of wings.
It sounded like the wings of a mighty bird of prey, which was on the hunt for helpless prey.
The wing beats grew stronger and louder and the crowns of the trees over Dean's head began to move against the formidable power, when the wind whipped the treetops.
This was not a normal wind.
No. This wind was the result of enormous wings.
Wings that didn't belong to a bird on this planet...
Dean's pulse rose again, his heartbeat became faster and he could feel how the adrenaline was pumped through his body again, even before realization hit him.
When this happened, it was too late and the owner of those mighty wings broke through the treetops and the hunter risked a glance upwards and could only watch helplessly how he was moving in his direction. He wanted to scream, to get up and run away, but he couldn't. No sound came over his lips, and neither arms nor legs obey the commands of his brain.
His eyes widened, were terror-stricken, as he landed just a few meters in front of him and stretched his black wings out.
Green eyes stared fearfully into bright blue eyes and the hunter felt how his body began to tremble with seemingly endless fear, when the angel took a step into his direction...