I'm back from my break. I must apologise for the slow review replies coming up.. we're moving into a new house soon, and hopefully getting a puppy, so I may end up posting instead of replying at times. Really hope it won't put you off leaving a review to keep me encouraged.

Love ST xxx

Hunter of the Shadows book 2:

Hunter Rising.

Chapter 8

Now…

The camera is moving. Someone is carrying it across the motel room to the sound of soft humming. With a stomach churning movement, the camera is swung round, brought forward and set down on top of some kind of table. This time the camera is facing Sam directly.

He's lying on his back, head rolled to the side, one arm draped across his bandaged stomach and chest.

Next to him, the other bed is still pulled close, and Dean is resting on his side, eyes closed in sleep. There's an unbecoming dollop of drool glistening on his bottom lip, and the person behind the camera chuckles fondly.

"Dear oh dear!" Tobius can be heard muttering in amusement. "What are we going to do with him?"

Dean snorts and mumbles, then his eyes snap wide open.

"Sammy?"

Finally, Sam lets out a soft whimper.

"Sam?"

Tobius appears from behind the camera, long strides carrying him over to his boys.

Sam's brow dips and pinches into a frown; and his mouth falls open on a single word.

"Dean…"

It comes out as a sigh, and Dean's there, whispering to him. Tobius' looks anxious as he sits beside his sick grandson, the back of his hand pressed over Sam's forehead.

"Sam, open your eyes, please," Tobius calls out. Although it's said gently, it still sounds like an order and the youngster, now almost fully conscious, has no choice but to follow it.

Eyelids flutter weakly for a moment…

The view of the camera is blocked suddenly when the two older wolves lean over their youngest.

"Dean?" Sam's voice sounds stronger, now, and a little panicked.

"Take it easy, Sam," Dean's saying, gently. "Calm down, now."

"I-I…" Sam's faltering, his words now being choked out in harsh sobs. "I can't see! Oh God, why can't I see!?!"

"Hold still, pup, and let me take a look," Tobius answers, soothingly.

The three fall silent, except for Sam's fast breathing.

A minute later, Tobius pulls back and shakes his head. "Not yet. Your eyes are still blank, though the worst has worn off. This is going to take months of recovery, young Sam."

"Damnit!" Dean stands abruptly from the bed and begins to pace. He's understandably frustrated and worried, but Sam hears this and begins crying afresh.

Tobius sighs and glances over at his stressed son. "He'll get his sight back, but it will require a lot of patience, Dean."

There's a message in that statement and it's not directed at Sam. Dean stops his pacing, hangs his head and nods, then goes back to sit beside his distraught son.

"I'm sorry, Sammy. Didn't mean to freak out on you," he gently grasps one of Sam's hands, looking pleased when the boy grabs on eagerly. "I'm just worried about you…"

Tobius stands partially in front of the camera, trying to shield his boys from total digital intrusion.

"I-I know, and I'm sorry too," Sam sniffs, despondently. "Seems that's all I make you do, huh? Worry incessantly about me… when you should be looking forward to your quarter century. Instead you're babysitting a broken down wreck who used to be your little brother."

Dean gapes at first, then his features slowly morph into a strange mix of anger and sympathy.

"You're not broken, Sammy. You're a little fragile right now, but not broken and definitely not a wreck,"he whispers hoarsely, and notices how Sam is blinking heavily already. "Now get some sleep. I'll wake you when dinner's ready."

Sam hesitates, then nods slowly, letting his eyes fall shut.

Dean turns a sad smile on the camera. "I'll talk to him later when he's a little more awake. But for now…"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Then…

We had driven through the night, the next day and well into the evening, having changed drivers several times, before Tobius slowed the car to a crawl and pulled off into the parking lot of another motel.

"Let's stop for the night," he glanced over at our sleeping passengers, then turned to me with one eyebrow raised. "They're not expecting us for a while yet. No point in pushing ourselves too hard at this stage."

I nodded in agreement. Tobius had called ahead before we left the last motel, and confirmed that the loud whooping and yelling we'd heard on the other end of the line had, in fact, been the werebears celebrating the prospect of our return.

It was by mutual agreement that Andy was kept out of the loop. There was no point in worrying the kid, especially given his head injury. Kid had woken up eventually, but remained quiet and groggy, often seeming confused and scared. Even Sam's puppy dog eyes and congenial friendship failed to elicit much of a response. Andy just gazed up at us; eyelids drooped to half mast, body compliant and slack. The concussion was preying heavily on him, but at least he was in no pain. Tobius had seen to that with a small cocktail of powerful herbal pain meds.

We wondered more than once about taking him to the nearest ER. However, Tobius' first priority was the safety of his pack. On top of that, Andy's own safety could've been compromised if we left him overnight in an unprotected hospital room. So we all agreed to monitor Andy's condition whilst our journey continued as planned. And as Sire pointed out, once the werebears agreed to turn the kid, all injuries would quickly become null and void.

Gerald and Josey's cabin was still a two day ride away, which was fine for Sire and me, but for Sam, whose muscles and tendons were still recovering from Jake's battering, it wouldn't have been much fun. As it was, he groaned in pain when he pulled himself from the car, and the pops and cracks as he stretched his long arms up and out, made me wince in sympathy. Kid needed to change and go for a good run, that much was clear. It would help reset his body, though the change itself would be immensely painful this time round, but eventually things would settle down for him.

There was only one twin room available this time, so whilst Andy and Sam took the beds, Tobius and I were content to take the floor. We'd slept in more crowded conditions in the past so it wouldn't bother us.

I noticed Sam was restless right from the moment we pulled into the parking lot, eyes staring all around us, brows pinched in a thoughtful frown.

Sam? You ok?

I… I dunno. Not sure. Sam shook his head and laughed softly. M'probably just feeling a little paranoid.

But I wasn't convinced. Sam's instincts were rarely wrong.

Tobius paused to stare at his grandson.

What can you feel, Sam?

Nothing I can put my finger on. Sam huffed in frustration. Just a general feeling of danger, but maybe that's just the norm for me nowadays.

Tobius carried on staring for a moment longer, then smiled faintly. That's probably it.

But he flashed me a warning glance to which I answered with a barely-there nod.

As good as he had proved himself to be, Sam still occasionally lacked confidence in his own judgment, and needed a gentle nudge along the path.

Maybe a hunt and some decent food, huh? I suggested, wrapping an arm round Sam's shoulders, and tugging him across the parking lot, towards our room.

Yeah. You're probably right. Sam smiled wanly at Sire. You want us to bring something back? Any preferences?

Sire had been about to lift Andy from the rear seat, but paused to consider Sam's question. "Hmm. If you can find some decent, plump specimens, spiced rabbit and apple pie could be on the menu tonight."

Saliva flooded my mouth immediately in a typical pavlovian response. A quick sniff of the air told me why Tobius had suggested it – not far off, perhaps less than half a mile away, an apple orchard beckoned, its juicy sun-ripened fruit just waiting for us.

Sam nodded eagerly, excitedly licking his lips in a childlike manner, and eyes glowing softly with an innocent hunger that would've had the hotties awing and cooing over him in a heartbeat.

Sire's spiced rabbit and apple pie recipe is one of the best kept secrets from the culinary world, and if the guy wasn't already rich no doubt he had the potential to be if he were to choose to sell the recipe to Gordon Ramsay right there and then. It's one of the best pies I've ever tasted.

It was a little weird at first, 'cos the only pies I'd ever eaten were the usual peach, apple, cherry or even blueberry, so I wasn't sure I was gonna like it. But Tobius insisted we at least give it a shot. I'd clenched my eyes shut, scrunched up my mouth… and taken a small bite. My eyes had flown open in surprise as sheer heaven exploded on my tongue in a whirl of apples, cinnamon and sweet rabbit, and the pie had shot straight to the top of my list, even above cooked trout and chocolate fudge cake.

Sam had liked it so much; he'd requested the special pie instead of the usual birthday cake when he turned twenty one.

Sounds strange, I know. But you guys have eaten turkey with cranberry sauce, right? Well, it's not that different. If you can get your head round the idea of eating a cute fluffy bunny, that is.

There was one other less obvious reason for the rabbit hunt. Sam and I didn't need to roam too far from the motel in order to catch our prey. Rabbits were in abundance on the roadsides, parks and even the back yards of private residences, and their scent was easily followed.

All this meant we'd be able to keep a close eye, a firm ear, and a sharp nose on Sire's room, ready for when trouble reared its ugly head.

And it would. Of that I was certain…

As predicted, Sam's change was painful and left him lying helplessly on his side, panting, and whining pitifully.

Tobius rubbed his soft underbelly, crooning softly to him, whilst I licked at his ears, and snuffled gently.

Atta boy. You did good Sam.

Excellently, in fact, Tobius agreed, offering up his support. You handled it like a real trooper.

Sam gazed up at us with soft eyes, a small weary curling of the flesh of his lips, revealing a set of sharp fangs in a goofy smile.

Re-remind m-me… He paused and panted a little more.

Remind you of what Sam? I asked, gently.

'Bout th-that tr-tree th-thing… Sam heaved in a deep breath and finished with Neverwannadothatagain!

That had me laughing. Sure, kiddo. Next time, I'll remind you to get out of the way of falling trees.

We'd had a productive night so far. Sam tracked, herded and feinted, luring the rabbits into a false sense of security. Hidden up and waiting silently nearby, I pounced on the prey and made the final kill. Tobius was back at the motel, gutting and cleaning three fresh adult rabbits, and a large saucepan of water, chopped apples, with sugar and cinnamon, simmered away merrily in the kitchenette. Already, my mouth was tingling with the phantom taste of pie…

Damn shame Sam was about to make the night a lot more complicated.

Dean.

Yeah?

That feeling I've been having?

Uhuh.

May be if I brought on a vision...

I stopped dead in my tracks. Not sure that's wise, Sammy. I swung round to face him in the darkness, scaring off several potential pie fillings in the process. I know you can control it now, but that shit hurts you, and after what you've just been through...

Sam snorted softly and rubbed his large snout into my ear. I'll be fine.

Sam… I growled, and snapped at him half heartedly.

I mean it, Dean. Blue-green eyes flared briefly. This is what I've been training for.

I stared at him, pretty much resigned to it. He was probably right. If Sam was getting warning signals that were unnerving him, then a vision was probably the only way we were going to figure it out. Well, other than just waiting for our good ol'friend Trouble to find us, of course.

Fine. But I had one condition. If you're doing this, then you get comfortable first. And none of that passing out crap, Sam! I mean it!

Ok! Ok! Take it easy, bro! Sam sat back on his haunches.

I shuddered a little, my tail drooping, and muttered Scares the shit out of me when you do that.

What do you want me to do, Dean? He replied, softly, head tipped to one side, ears cocked and tongue lolling out.

Follow me…

A few minutes later, we curled up under the heavy fronds of a crop of nearby conifers at the back of the motel, branches hanging so low they almost touched the ground, and shielded us from prying eyes.

Aw Dean! Never took you for the romantic type! Sam sniggered quietly in my head.

Hey! Don't start on me, bitch! I nipped at the scruff of his neck, pulling lightly on the soft fur. Now settle down.

Sam snuggled into me, burying his long snout in my neck.

Nice and easy now… just relax, Sammy… and remember, you're not doing this to summon anything, or anyone. I added, worriedly.

Yes, Dean.

You're there as a silent and invisible spectator only…

Yes, Dean.

and not there to interfere. Ok?

Yes, Dean.

SAM!

I felt him huff into my fur and shake his head slightly. I know the rules, so quit worrying, dude.

Yeah right. Like that's ever gonna happen!

You gonna let me get on with this? Or ya gonna keep on babbling at me?

Smart ass! But I conceded his point, and fell silent.

It was quite peaceful, in fact, lying there all snug and cosy under those trees, just listening to the night sounds as nocturnal creatures went back about their business. Had no idea how long it was before Sam stirred and let out a faint wupf-wupf-wupf, kinda like that cute noise dogs make when they're dreaming.

But the young wolf suddenly started shaking from snout to tail, the doggy dreaming noise turned into a low whimper, then became a soft howl of pain.

Ok, enough was enough. Sammy? C'mon, kiddo, wake up!

Sam whimpered again, and settled for whining deep in his throat. I began to panic when I smelled the sharp tang of his blood. Dampness leaked into the fur at my neck, and I realised he was bleeding from the snout.

Sam! Wake up! Sammy, come back to me, please? You're scaring me again!

The kid jolted awake, head snapping up sharply and narrowly missing my jaw. He blinked rapidly a few times, eyes glowing brightly, but appearing dazed and weary.

Hmmm… uh? Wha…

Must have been a real doozy of a vision, 'cos the sudden change hit him hard, leaving him breathless and shaky, mouth gaping open in shock. It seemed his body preferred the human form when it came to this psychic stuff.

But the kid was naturally a little freaked out, and began hyperventilating.

D… D….

Easy now. Just rest, and get your breath back. You can tell me all about it later…

Nnnnuuuuuhhhhh… Sam began shaking his head violently from side to side, frustrated he couldn't get the words out.

Sammy, calm down, dude. You're going into shock… Sam? Can you hear me?

The kid's naked body was cold and shivering from head to toe, desperately gasping for air, wheezing and clawing at the dry earth beneath him. Curling round him tighter than ever, my paws pressed against his chest and stomach, I held on, murmuring to him in our heads, and waited it out.

As per usual, Sam eventually fell exhausted and limp, the effects of the vision combined with the sudden change having taken their toll.

I considered changing and carrying him back to our room, but it wasn't worth the risk of being caught out by one of the other motel guests. Besides, there was a bar on the other side of the parking lot. I was fairly certain that a naked guy carrying another equally naked and, apparently, unconscious guy into a motel room would attract the wrong kind of attention. As the old saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words. In this case it would paint the wrong thousand words.

Minutes passed by before Sam groaned, tried to roll over, and panicked when he couldn't move.

Wha?! Who? Let go of me!

S'ok, Sam. It's just me. Had to keep you warm somehow.

Thank God! Sam stopped struggling and slumped against me, breathing hard. Thought she'd got me for a moment there.

I immediately pawed at him, rolling the kid to face me, my eyes boring into his.

She? Got you? I demanded, fearfully. What the hell did you see? And who's she?

Sam shook his head wearily. That demon… Meg? She's here. That's what I can feel. She found us, Dean.

My heart plummeted like a stone right there and then.

Sam changed back into wolf form, ignoring my protests that he needed rest and recuperation first.

No time. It was only a short vision, but I saw her approaching Tobius' motel room, and then the door opened, and he was just standing there… Sam sprang out from under the safe haven of the trees and bounded away.

Shit! Sammy, come back here! I had no choice but to follow after him. Gonna skin you alive when I catch up with you, hound!

Of course, it crossed my mind in that instance that I might have to get in line, especially if Meg was really here.

I soon caught up with Sam, and the two of us headed round the motel block, making straight for the rooms.

We skidded to a halt at the edge of the parking lot, just as the over head lights exploded, one by one, glass reigning down, and plunging the entire area into darkness. When the last of the musical tinkling of shattered glass died away, a shadowy figure appeared at the entrance to the lot, standing perfectly still and facing the building, right in line with our room.

Tobius, get out! Meg's here! My mind screamed out in fear for our alpha.

Relax, young pup, came the immediate reply, surprising the hell out of us with how casual and unconcerned he sounded. I suspected we'd run into her at some point. Perhaps not quite this soon, but nevertheless, it was inevitable…

I blinked and Sam froze.

We both managed a confused and timid Huh?

The figure began walking forwards, a slight smile on her face, eyes unblinking and clear. Blond hair flashed in the twilight, and occasional glimpses of an angular, pretty face had me faltering for a second. But I was still mad and scared as hell.

Remember what I told you, Dean…

It suddenly came to me again, and this time around it made a lot more sense.

There now appears to be more than two sides to this game.

And by sides, Father meant players.

I now had an inkling of what Sire was up to, and I watched with ill-disguised glee.

"So," Meg leaned against a pillar under the covered walkway that ran round the motel. "Where is he?" She waved a hand around. "Wolf boy, miracle pup? He around here somewhere? We have some things to discuss."

She was smiling like a snake, eyes gleaming black, smug and ruthless, believing she had the upper hand.

And Sire was about to wipe that smile right off her face.

"No doubt," Tobius leaned against the doorframe to his room, relaxed and calm, not even a little bit intimidated. "But I don't think you're going to get that tonight."

Meg jerked forward and hissed at Sire, getting right in his face. "And how are going to stop me, wolfman?"

To her apparent annoyance, Tobius didn't even flinch. He merely raised an eyebrow and smiled in amusement. Sam and I silently applauded the guy. This wasn't a bluff, and there was no bluster or bullshit.

Yeah, we all know Sire's got nerves of steel, but the plain fact of the matter is, he just wasn't afraid of her.

And that was pissing her off all the more.

Meg leaned in and took a long hard breath through her nose, eyes half shut, smelling Tobius thoroughly. "Mmmm. You've been around a long time, Tobius. I can smell the years on you, like a second skin. It's delicious, like the sweetest, finest wine…" She studied his face up close, watching for a reaction that would never come. "Tell me, wolf, what would Sammy taste like? Would his blood taste as sweet as this? Perhaps I should find out."

Tobius just stared her out. "Perhaps you should. But then…" he leaned into her, his mouth right by her ear. "I know that's not what you're here for, and I don't think Daddy would be too impressed with you."

Sire moved back, watching her carefully.

"So don't play games with me little girl!" he snapped, his nose morphing into a snout, teeth lengthening with terrifying speed, and just pulling back a nano-second before taking her face clean off. She flinched slightly, but to her credit, didn't back away. With his mouth suddenly and fully restored to human, he added, bitingly "I've been around even longer than you!"

Meg stared back at him and maybe I was imagining it, but I could swear I saw a glimmer of respect, perhaps even admiration, just for a second there before she shut down and lifted her chin, grinning with renewed smugness.

"You have something to say to me, wolf?" Meg nodded, that smile irritating the crap out of me. "Go ahead, say it. And then Daddy will be along to chew the heart right out of you!"

I'm not sure who was more surprised right then, Meg or us, but Tobius suddenly began laughing, a deep, hearty chuckle that built up in his chest and outright boomed across the parking lot.

Meg, finally showing a crack her in demonic confidence, frowned. "What's so funny?"

Tobius actually wiped tears of mirth from his eyes before replying. I thought that was a nice touch.

"I don't think you want him to do that, dear girl," and out came the pompous, patronising upper class Englishman, and I just knew Meg was gonna blow her stack. "I really don't think you'd want to do that to me at all."

"What? Why?" She finally snapped, the skin around her black eyes wrinkled and scrunched up with anger. "What could you possibly know that we don't?"

I felt the barest flicker of doubt at this point, but I had to trust in Tobius' assumptions. It was highly unlikely that Meg and Azazel knew about Jake's defection. After all, he wasn't going to advertise it, right? Why would he go against orders and try to kill Sam? He had to be working alone for his own ends, and in his shoes, I wouldn't be so keen to turn on my boss, especially if that boss was the yellow eyed demon.

Tobius' laughter subsided, and he regarded the demon with his head tipped to the side. "You really don't know, do you?" He shook his head, still smiling. "Let me give you a clue. We ran into one of your operatives a few days ago. Does the name Jake ring any bells for you?"

Meg opened her mouth, then closed it again with a nod. But there was a tightening to her shoulders that suggested she was less than happy to hear this.

"Yes, I'm sure it does," Tobius stepped out of the motel room, lit up a cigar and puffed contentedly for a few moments. "You see…" he swung round to face her, smiling brightly. "Someone overplayed their hand. Jake is your ace up the sleeve, as it were. Am I right?"

Meg seemed to think about that, obviously decided there was little point in staying silent, and that honesty was more worth her while at this stage.

"You could say that. Jake is the ultimate hunter, the toughest, the strongest, the fastest, and the most powerful." She raised an eyebrow of her own, perhaps suddenly seeing the benefit of a temporary alliance with Sire. "But you weren't supposed to run into him just yet. The other children were to wear Sam down first with their own powers, one by one, offering him whatever he wanted or needed, including more power."

Tobius nodded.

Dean? What? Sam was obviously struggling to keep up with all this, but then he'd been out for the count when Tobius and I had briefly discussed it. So I laid it all out for him.

Azazel hadn't known what to do with a psychically juiced up werewolf, and had no clue what the outcome would be, but he must have suspected that tempting Sammy over to the dark side was gonna take more than the promise of a few cool tricks. Sam being his favourite, for whatever reason, needed extra precautions taken on his behalf.

Jake was there as a backup, if all else failed: to hunt us down, force Sam to change sides by threatening his family, and eventually taking Tobius and I out of the equation altogether.

And, as we'd already witnessed, the guy was more than capable of doing it.

But there was something else here...