Hunter of the Shadows book 2:

Hunter Rising.

Chapter 15

Now…

The camera is sitting propped up near the smouldering campfire, and the watcher is treated to a playful Dean creeping up behind his sire, who is crouched somewhat precariously right on the river's edge, cleaning and gutting the evening's catch of trout.

He moves silently, a big grin adorning his face, his hands reaching out…

Tobius suddenly whirls round, pulls the younger wolf into a loose headlock, then hauls him head first into the river.

Unfortunately, Dean's learned a thing or two over the years, because he has the presence of mind to keep a tight grip on his 'victim' and the two disappear off the riverbank.

Splosh, splosh!

Followed by…

Gurgle…

Splutter…

...and, a rather watery "Bollocks!"

Tobius climbs out of the river and spits out a long jet of water, the brackish liquid landing squarely in Dean's face as he follows suit.

It might be Dean's turn to swear…

"Guys? What's goin' on?" Sam's worried voice is heard from out of shot.

"Uh, its ok, Sammy," Dean ducks a lazy swipe from his sire and grins. "Tobius just fell in the river. Can you believe that? Guy's getting clumsy in his old age!"

Sam shuffles into view, leaning against a tree, wraparound shades hiding his eyes. He folds his arms in a manner that suggests he knows what's going on, and, in spite of the shades, absolutely no one is going to pull the wool over him.

"Fell in…" Sam utters, drooling sarcasm. "Riiight. You'll be telling me next a unicorn flew over the meadow." He shakes his head, clearly amused. "Pull the other one dude, it plays Jingle Bells."

Tobius smiles and nods with satisfaction. "See? You're not fooling anyone, Dean."

"And besides," Sam continues, casually. "I distinctly heard two splashes."

Dean quietly approaches Sam, circling round from the left, raises his hands with the intention of flicking water at the youngest wolf. But Sam must have heard him, because he steps aside, using his leaning post as a shield, lunges around it and tackles an extremely surprised Dean to the ground, still in full few of the camera.

Tobius roars with laughter, whilst Dean just lays there, stunned, and gazing up at his blind brotherson with something akin to admiration and pride in his eyes. But it immediately changes to concern when Sam hisses in pain and rolls off on to his back, face scrunched up under the shades.

"Dammit Sammy…" Dean hovers over him, worriedly, one hand cupping Sam's neck, and the other holding the kid's hand in a tight grip. "It was only a little water."

Sam's panting heavily and grasping at his chest, whilst Tobius grabs a discarded blanket, gently lifts Sam's head and stuffs the material under his neck. He stills his movements for just a second and smiles sadly.

"That was an excellent tackle, Sam. Your instincts are as sharp as ever," his grandfather informs him, softly. "But let's leave the antics until you're body is fully healed, hmm?"

Sam barely manages a nod, but his breathing is gradually slowing down. "Y-yeah… gr-great idea. Note to self..."

Dean's face is a mask of misery and guilt. "I'm sorry, kiddo," he says, quietly. "S'my fault. I just thought a little fun… well… I shoulda known you weren't ready."

Sam just smiles once his breathing is back under control. "It was fun, Dean. Surprised the hell out of ya, huh? One might say you didn't see that coming!"

Dean shakes his head in perfect synchronisation with Tobius' eye roll, but his grin is fond and proud.

"Touché."

"Come on, youngster," says Tobius, getting to his feet. "Let's get you comfortable. It's nearly time for dinner and the fish are ready. We just need that fire lit."

Sam nods, tiredly, but licks his lips with enthusiasm. "Great. I'm starved."

He's a little startled when Dean hooks an arm under his knees and the other around his back.

"Sammy? S'just me, ok?"

"I may be blind Dean, but I have two perfectly functioning legs," Sam replies, not unkindly.

"I know, but just humour me," Dean mumbles, still sounding guilty, and lifts Sam up against his chest.

"S'not your fault, dude," Sam insists. "I over did it, s'all."

"You responded to instinct," retorts the fatherbrother. "Just like we taught you, and got hurt. Again."

"Yeah, well, you also taught me how to walk, remember? First time on four legs?"

"Pipe down, bitch."

"Screw it, jerk!"

Tobius is now near the camera, busying himself by lighting the fire, his back to the younger wolves, but there's a soft smile growing as the good natured bickering continues.

"I'm ok, Dean, just put me down for God's sake! I feel like Penelope Pitstop!"

"Nah. She's got bigger breasts than you."

Sam sighs, virtually giving up. "Oh God. That's what you were doing, watching those stupid cartoons when we were growing up? Checking out the heroine's cup size?"

"S'only reason for watchin' them, Sammy," Dean replies, a little smugly.

Shaking his head as they approach the fireside, Sam chuckles softly. "My Sire and father, ladies and gentlemen," he murmurs. "A big ol' perv." Earning a loud snort from Dean.

"Settle down you two," says Tobius, with a soft smile, and blows gently on the kindling until his efforts are rewarded with a small tendril of smoke. He grins smugly whilst his young family settles beside him, eagerly awaiting their meal. "There, fire's almost ready." He nods to Dean, and issues an order. "Now. Off with the camera. Let's have a little privacy during our dinner."

Dean grins, reaches over… and the world goes black.

The screen blinks back into focus.

It's a familiar night time scene. The fire is crackling away at a small pile of logs, whilst Dean pokes at it with a sturdy looking stick. Sam is curled up on his side under a warm blanket, head in Dean's lap, fast asleep.

In addition, there's a big black and tan paw resting against Sam's stomach, and a massive lion-sized head draped over his hip. The watcher soon realizes the boys are totally surrounded by the large wolf, and that this time Dean is using his sire's body as a back rest whilst he talks to the camera. No doubt later on he will be using it as a pillow, just as Sam did in the last journal entry.

"We've been helping Sam to further develop his sense of smell until we find the solution," Dean stares into the fire, seeming mesmerized by the flames. "It can often be as effective as sight for a non lunar, so we're hoping it will give him a boost, ya know? To his psyche. Sire's more convinced now than ever that Sam's own subconscious is holding him back from a full change. So maybe…" he shrugs.

A small snore makes him look down and when the digital watcher follows his gaze, it's to find Sam's nose morphing ever so slightly into a silky red snout. It's short-lived, however, because it soon morphs back into his usual human nose, but Dean seems a little excited by it.

"Well I'll be…" he mutters softly in amazement, then glances up at the camera, eyes shining with happiness. "That's a first. So far all he's managed is a hand or a foot. But this…" Dean shakes his head. "You wait 'til I tell 'im in the morning."

He gazes down at his brotherson, stroking the soft hairs curling round the kid's ears… and continues in a quiet voice…

Then…

We stayed with the pack a couple more days, mainly because the rest was doing us both the world of good. But it was in part down to Victoria and Lucas' kindness, and Sam's growing friendship with Cornelius. Had a feeling the two would stay in contact, and that was just fine with me. The young beta, though unable to thought project, was fast earning my respect and I thoroughly approved of his private talks with Sam.

Sammy had changed so much in only a few days. He walked with his head up, and shoulders proud, unlike before we came here when he seemed slumped, and weighed down under a heavy burden. Now, he cracked jokes and laughed openly, a rich, deep, hearty laugh that made everyone who heard him break into a smile and join in.

Victoria came up with a special herbal cure for the terrible skunk smell after our meal on that first night, and by God were we thankful for small mercies. Pretty sure the pack was more than happy about it too.

During our short time there, we sat in on the talks amongst the elders, with various issues ranging from territory, guardianship and training of the pups, to domestic hunting parties. It was kind of fascinating to see all this take place in such a large community.

We spent the afternoons with Cornelius and the pups, play fighting and wrestling. Let me tell ya, those little girl pups I mentioned? Adorable, yeah, but tough as hell? Almost certainly. I think that was our favourite time, Sam's especially.

When the time came for us to move on, Lucas insisted on a celebration.

"In honour of our friendship and allegiance," he explained, nobly then, with a crafty grin, he nudged me with an elbow, his Scottish brogue thick and pleasant in my head and any excuse for a damn good knees-up, ya ken?

Sammy and I watched some of the preparations in wolf form, mouths drooling, tongues out and whining softly when each and every delicious scent caught in our snouts.

Roast venison with blackberry, wild boar with apple, rabbit stew with dumplings… dumplings? All the way out here? Victoria sure was a resourceful lady. Not to mention a damn fine chef.

Lucas' very own mead was in free flow the entire afternoon and well into the evening. Sammy and I took quite a shine to the sweet taste of 'honey wine' though it was strong stuff. I'm not sure how long a fermentation process Lucas preferred but after only two cups of it I was already seeing double. As for Sam… well. You guys know what a light weight he is, right? Remember his sixteenth birthday? Let's just say he had a nice long nap before the celebrations truly got under way, and leave it at that.

The camp was lit up by firelight, and non lunars gathered around one large pyre with the wild boar spit roasting over it. The smell of hot pork and fat was tantalizing as hell, and was probably the only reason why I managed to wake Sam up at all. Kid's stomach was growling loudly even under the influence of an alcoholic coma.

Still sleepy, and a still a little intoxicated, Sam stumbled alongside me, blinking heavily as we made our way towards the warmth of the fire. We had all been requested to attend in human form, blankets optional, at least for the first few hours at any rate. Had a nasty feeling I knew what that was all about, especially when I heard whispers of 'song' and 'dance' amongst the pack.

"Smells good," Sam mumbled, sniffed the air eagerly and nearly tripped over his blanket.

I laughed and slung an arm round his shoulders, holding him steady. "Yep, Victoria's been busy again."

Sam grinned happily and returned the gesture, his other arm hitching the blanket up a little. "Think I'll stay away from the mead, though," he shook his head slowly and blew out a breath before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

I couldn't help joining in. A drunk Sammy is always entertaining, especially because he's a happy drunk. Unlike John Winchester who became maudlin, sometimes even angry and violent, Sam turns into a complete sap and goes around hugging anyone who'll let him. He's even funnier when inebriated in wolf form – he sways drunkenly on all four legs and ends up walking sideways with a comical expression of confusion on his furry face.

"C'mon, I'm hungry," I tugged on his shoulders, forcing him to speed up a little.

"Ever noticed that all we seemed to have done is eat since we got here?" Sam inquired, squinting ahead.

"Won't hear me complaining," I replied, smacking my lips in anticipation. "S'not like obesity is a problem for werewolves, dude."

Sam held up a hand, index finger pointing to the sky. "True!" he hiccupped and out came the stupid drunken grin. "On that note? Let's go eat!"

The smell of food grew stronger and our stomachs growled louder in response. Lucas spotted us emerging from the trees and waved us over, allowing us to take our seats as guests of honour. Cornelius sat next to Sam, grinning from ear to ear, knowingly.

"Let me guess," he snorted with laughter when Sammy swayed a little. "The mead, huh? Has that effect on everyone first time they try it."

"Huh?" Sam blinked at him.

"Uh, Sam's not great when it comes to alcohol," I explained and smothered my laughter when Sam's head tipped to the side and plunked onto my shoulder. "Ah jeez. He's gonna be all sunshine and smiles come the morning."

Cornelius shook his head. "Nah. Nothing to worry about. It's Lucas' secret recipe. Not only will you guys not suffer a hangover, but just the opposite. You'll feel one hundred a ten percent."

"Really?" I considered that for a long moment. "Think he'll…?"

"Never," Cornelius replied, still grinning. "Victoria is the only other member of the pack who knows the recipe."

Two young non lunars, around nine and ten years old, brothers by the looks of things, approached us smiling shyly and each holding two large steaming wooden platters.

Given their age, I was surprised we hadn't seen them playing with the other pups.

Cornelius' grin softened affectionately. "Matthew and Logan here have been kind enough to bring you some food." He dipped his head in thanks to the youngsters.

"I'm Dean," I took the platter from the oldest boy, and smiled disarmingly, "And this is my brotherson Sam. Thanks for the food, guys."

The boy smiled back at me, bright blue eyes glowing in the firelight. He was a handsome kid, with thick brown hair and dimples almost as deep as Sam's. "I'm Matthew," he replied in a small voice. "And this is my little brother Logan."

Matthew gently nudged his brother towards Sam, and the little guy held out his platter, nibbling nervously on his bottom lip. He was real cute, with blond hair and deep, emerald green eyes.

"I'm Logan," he whispered unnecessarily, and glanced around at his brother as if seeking approval. When Matthew nodded and gazed at him, proudly, I had a sudden feeling of deja vu. It was like turning back the clock and watching Sammy and me when we were kids.

Sam, slightly more sober by now, smiled down at Logan, reached out and cupped his chin. "Thank you Logan," he replied, softly. "You're both very kind."

Matthew laid a hand on Logan's shoulder. "It was our pleasure. We…" his eyes shifted over to me for a moment. "We've never met members of another pack before. Cornelius said you hunt strays…"

Both kids looked at us hopefully, obviously dying to hear more.

"Tell ya what," I said with a grin. "Go get your food and come sit with us for dinner…"

The two boys both yelped in delight and scampered off.

Cornelius laughed. "I think you guys have made friends for life there," then his laughter died down. "Thank you. You also made two lonely little wolves very happy."

"Lonely?" Sam queried softly, just stopping shy of taking a huge, hungry bite of the roast boar. "What do you mean?"

"Their parents were somewhat impulsive, mated too young against advice, and then when the brothers came along they began to lose interest in taking care of them." Cornelius shook his head in disgust. "Logan and Matthew were mainly looked after by the rest of the pack anyway, and were no trouble at all, but their parents couldn't handle them growing so quickly. The boys were early developers and Matthew had already undergone his first change by the time he hit two years old. Most youngsters born as non lunars usually change by the age of 8, though it's not uncommon for it to happen for the first time after the age of ten. So, anyway, the parents panicked, took off and left them behind, and haven't been seen or heard from since. Perhaps it was for the best. Amelia and William didn't deserve those two as sons."

"The sad thing is," Cornelius went on to say "the boys remember their parents all too well. That kind of betrayal is difficult to get over. And though they are always treated well, cared for with love, Logan and Matthew are incredibly insular if that makes sense, and never go anywhere without the other. Matthew is highly protective of Logan, and you rarely see them mixing with the other pups."

"That's understandable," I frowned and glanced at Sam. "Sound familiar?"

Sammy smiled sadly. "Yeah, it sure does."

The sound of nearby excited, childish laughter perked us up, and the two youngsters appeared with smaller platters of food for themselves, Lucas trailing behind them with a soft smile on his face and carrying his own platter.

"Don't let them badger you too much," the alpha warned, goodnaturedly. "When these two get going, they could talk the arse off a donkey given half a chance!"

Sitting cross legged under their blankets, platters in their laps, the young brothers peered over at Cornelius who waved a hand.

"Go ahead, boys. No sense in letting it go cold."

"You're not eating?" asked Sam.

"I will do, but I prefer to make sure all the pups have eaten first, then I'll take what's left," he replied, leaning back and crossing his arms under his head. "And our guests, of course, always get first serving."

Lucas nodded his approval.

That made me grin. I guess pack betas are the same no matter the size of the pack.

Between mouthfuls of food, Logan and Matthew asked countless questions, and Sam and I took it in turns to answer. We shared stories of hunts from over the years, for strays, ghosts or wendigos, and the brothers listened with rapt attention, eyes wide and swivelling rapidly between us. It was all I could do not to laugh.

By the time we'd gone up for seconds and returned, the two young boys had fallen asleep in wolf form, the older one curled around the younger. Matthew was slightly bigger with a dark tan colouring, and Logan's fur was light gold with a light speckling round the ears.

"I think you've worn them out," Lucas shrugged and gently lifted the small pups into his arms, stroking their furry ears. "Until tomorrow at least. Good job you boys are heading out after breakfast. These two won't wake up until much later, so you might just escape without another inquisition."

Sam laughed softly. "We don't mind. They're good kids."

In spite of Sam's voluntary abstinence from the mead, Lucas still managed to ply him with the stuff, claiming that a celebration just isn't a celebration without it. From then on in, things went down hill pretty quickly... but in a good way.

For starters, an Irish member of the non lunar pack broke into song, his voice clear and pitch perfect, echoing round the camp. Victoria, who'd finished serving the food, soon joined in and one by one so did many other members of the pack. Several picked up some weird looking objects made of wood, and began drumming out the lively beat.

It took me a while to realize that my foot was tapping away, and even longer to understand that I was actually enjoying something other than mullet rock for once. Then the dancing… oh boy.

It was the cliché to end all clichés: a pack of naked people dancing round the fire and singing at the tops of their voices, Lucas doing some kind of jig with his mate, and laughing loudly.

Many pairs of bare feet stomped the ground in time to the music, dancers twirled and swung round and round, and suddenly Sammy and I found ourselves being tugged gently to our feet and pulled closer to the merriment.

"Uh… Dean?" Sam slurred out, obviously drunk again and trying not to giggle. "I can't dance."

"Nuhuh…" was all I could really say to that, 'cos I was pretty far gone myself by that stage.

Sam hiccupped loudly. "Can't sing either."

But somehow, and to this day neither of us are sure why, we ended up forming part of a ring and… and…

Ok, I'm just gonna come out and say it.

We danced. In a circle. Our arms linked in the non lunar's next to us, round the fire with a kind of hop and a skip, and yes, ok, despite not knowing the words, we also joined in the singing.

If you could call it that. What came out was more a drunken howl that clashed with the other voices around us, and made several of the nearest non lunars glance at us with some concern. Gotta admit, it sounded like we were in pain.

Then came more mead, more food, which we sorely needed by that point just to soak up all the alcohol, but thankfully the boisterous dancing turned into soft ballads sung whilst seated around the fire and tucked up into our blankets.

Victoria sat in Lucas' arms, gazing contentedly into the flames whilst one of her juvenile daughters sang for us. The young wolf brothers were still snoozing away together, but this time Cornelius was holding them to his chest, arms wrapping them protectively. He grinned at me and nodded. Following his gaze, my own smile formed. Sammy was sitting with his back against a tree next to me, eyes half closed and blinking slowly. His ears were slowly sliding up his head, nose quivering a little.

As though sensing my scrutiny, Sam turned his head and smiled.

"S'great here, huh Dean? Almost don't wanna leave."

"Almost?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Weeellll," Sam waved a hand vaguely. "Ya know… big family an' all that… pups running round the place…"

"Yeah?" I sensed a but coming on.

He slid down, his head rolling back until wide blue green eyes blinked up at me.

"But I miss Tobius, and the 'Pala. Miss it bein' jus…us. Know what I mean?"

I just stared at him, one corner of my mouth twitching with amusement. Even after this, well, piece of heaven, he still loved being a part of our tiny family, and that knowledge sure warmed my heart.

"Yeah, Sammy," pulling him against me, and rubbing his back through the blanket, I pressed a small kiss to the top of his head. "I know exactly what you mean."

Next morning brought sunshine filtering through the forest canopy, and a faint ground mist weaving it's way around the tree trunks. Most of the pack had fallen asleep where they lay, scattered here and there around the main fire. Lucas was busy getting the fire going again, and Victoria pottered about preparing breakfast.

I changed into human form, and glanced around.

Sammy was curled up beside me, his warm fur soft against my skin. I gently ran a hand over his head and smiled when he stirred.

Hmmmm. Dean?

Yeah, Sammy. You feeling ok?

Yeah. Guess Cornelius was telling the truth about that mead. What about you?

Feel great! Hungry even.

Sam sat up and shuffled closer, licking his chops and sniffing furiously. Me too. That food was great last night.

Well, c'mon then. With Sam loping along beside me, we approached the pack alpha and his mate just as she was serving up some generous portions of last night's left overs.

"So, I take it you two are still leaving today?" Lucas asked us, just a little sadly. "You're more than welcome to stay longer…"

I glanced down at Sam.

The brother pups had woken up early and gambolled over for a game of chase, and Sammy was only too willing to oblige. Quickly giving in, he rolled onto his back whilst they tugged on his ears and tail with excited yips and tiny growls.

Whatdya say, Sam? Wanna hang around another couple days?

Sam raised his head. Uh…I'd love to, but…

Yeah, I understood his dilemma. We had a lot to deal with and putting it off wouldn't make it any easier. In fact, by staying we'd only be placing the pack in danger, because I was damn sure Meg and the special kids would somehow find us out here eventually.

No problem, kiddo. We can always come back and visit, right Lucas?

Lucas beamed at me. We'd love to see you both again, and next time bring that trouble maker Tobius with you!

I grinned. Damn straight we will.

Breakfast was quiet but light hearted, and once we'd fed it was time to say our good byes. All present were fully wolfed out, with the exception of the very young, and stood waiting to wish us a safe journey.

Strangely enough, it was harder than we thought it would be. The pups whined and pawed at the ground, and one of the little girls rubbed her snout into my belly fur, crying quietly.

Gonna miss 'em.

Where they goin'?

They'll be back soon, right?

Victoria padded forward, a beautiful wolf with thick, golden fur, and pressed her snout to Sam's ear, huffing softly.

We'll be here. Any time you need us.

Sam ducked his head and sniffed back. Thank you for having us. We had a great time.

Then Victoria moved onto me, repeating the same gesture with Lucas and Cornelius following on. When I looked back at Cornelius, he was sat in front of Sam with Matthew and Logan. He tapped a paw to Sam's front left leg and waited whilst Sam did the same in return. That was Cornelius' own personal way of saying good luck and God speed, before the ear sniffing recommenced.

The rest of the pack was gathered round, smiling and watching us, the younger members snuggled up to their parents.

Lucas had the final word.

When you reach the mountain passes, whatever you do, don't stop to rest, at least not for long. Stay in wolf form and keep going if you can. Blizzards become more frequent the higher you go and it would be ill advised to get caught up in one. Even non lunars have been known to come to harm up there.

I stifled a sigh, knowing with absolute certainty that if anyone was gonna get hurt, it would be Sam. Kid's like a Godamned magnet for trouble.

Let me guess. There's silver up in the mountains, huh? I remarked, dryly.

The pack alpha huffed in amusement. There is the occasional abandoned silver mine to watch out for, but it's the cold and the wind you have to be aware of. Sometimes the wind is strong enough to knock you off the pass, and though it won't kill you it will hurt like a bastard. Cold and snow clumps up your fur right by the ears, eyes and snout, making hard to breathe and difficult to see. Soon as that happens, make sure you huddle together and if necessary breathe warm air up each other's nostrils. But as I said, don't stop for too long if you can help it.

I was beginning to wonder if it was worth turning back and hitting the road, but then again, with the special kids probably going nuts searching for us, perhaps not.

Dean, we'll be fine. Sam gently batted his muzzle against mine. Quit worrying so much.

Yeah, right. I snorted in reply. Been worrying about you since the day you were born, kiddo. That's never gonna change.

We trotted through the trees, the pack following until we broke cover. But when we looked back one last time, they were gone from our lives, as silently and as swiftly as they had appeared several nights ago.

Ready to make tracks, Sam?

Sam shook from head to tail and bounded eagerly out into the open.

Yup! Let's go!

Race ya?

You're on!

Author's Notes:

You can see my black lab puppy on my profile page, if you fancy a look. He's the most chilled out labrador I've ever met and, as a result, I'm half convinced he's smoking something illegal behind our backs!

Cheers for all your wonderful reviews everyone.

Kind regards,

ST xxx