STALKING HORSE
Chapter 6
The Kelpie learns a harsh lesson about dealing with Winchesters ...
Reposted today with teeny weeny minor amendments because I've just re-read it and decided it needed a tweak or two! Yep, *points to self* nit-picking control-freak, that's me!
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Bobby and Sam dragged Dean's unconscious form out of the water, laying him out on the loose shale at the lake's edge. Darkness was descending rapidly, only the faintest amber glow over the peaks of the mountains now illuminated the three shivering figures and Sam could feel rather than see the impressive lump that had already erupted on the back of his brother's head. He ran his fingers through the wet hair and examined his hand – it was too dark to tell whether the resulting stain was mud, or blood.
Sam looked up at Bobby, "thanks Bobby", he whispered wetly, still coughing and wheezing through his swollen, bloody nose.
"Kid, if I could have helped you any other way than this, I would have!" Bobby's voice cracked and Sam knew that this was one of the hardest things the older man had ever had to do.
"Bobby, I know how you feel about Dean," Sam looked at Bobby who was struggling to hold himself together, and squeezed the older man's shoulder; "he's like a son to you, and I know how that would have hurt you …"
The two men huddled around Dean's inert body.
"That sonofabitch has gone" Bobby muttered, scanning the lake.
"It'll be back at dawn," mumbled Sam, his gaze never leaving Dean's face, now barely visible through the gloom.
Sam felt a blanket being laid across his soaked back, and he pulled Dean up close to wrap it round the both of them. He looked across at Bobby, wrapping himself in a blanket, and deliberately sitting a little way apart from them to give the boys some privacy.
Sam cradled his brother to his chest and rested his throbbing forehead against his brother's, trying to rest his stinging eyes.
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"SAM!"
Sam's eyes fluttered open in confused wakefulness. He gasped as a spike of pain shot through his head, "SAM!" A hand shook him roughly, causing the pain to burst in little specks of light before his unfocussed eyes.
"B-Bobby?"
"Sam, LOOK!"
Sam looked to where Bobby was pointing and his heart stood still.
The Kelpie stood on the bank of the moonlit lake; the first time they had seen it out of the water. It was barely an impala's length away from them.
Surrounded by a faintly phosphorescent glow, it stood out in soft relief against the night, the trickling of the constant stream of water down it's neck the only sound Sam could hear as it stood motionless, regarding them casually; it's eyes never leaving them.
Sam clutched his brother tightly as he felt him start to stir.
Something in the Kelpie's demeanour had changed; it's ears lay back flat against it's skull and it's soft brown eyes had taken on an unfamiliar hardness as it stared, rather than gazed at them.
Sam scrambled back, away from the hauntingly beautiful figure, dragging Dean with him.
"It knows we won't let him go to it, so it's coming for him" gasped Bobby, squinting through the darkness. Sam nodded mutely as Dean began to fidget, dazed eyes fluttering as he tried to focus his vision on the glowing shape before him.
The Kelpie took a step towards them. It's pale hooves moving on the wet gravel with barely a sound. It gave a harsh snort from flattened nostrils, and tossed it's head aggressively, a fine spray of water from it's flailing mane creating a crystalline mist around it.
Sam managed to find his feet. He hoisted Dean inelegantly under the armpits and dragged him back to join Bobby beside the truck.
Dean's eyes latched onto the Kelpie's and he began to squirm weakly against Sam's grip.
"We can't fight him as well as that thing!" snapped Bobby, gesturing to Sam's struggling brother; guessing that now was likely to be his only chance before Dean regained something approaching his full strength, he grabbed Dean firmly by the wrist and pulled him away from Sam.
"Bobby? What the hell?" cried Sam,
"Sorry kid, it's for the best!"
Sam heard a click as Bobby, gripping a still dazed Dean across the chest, snapped a handcuff around his wrist with surprising dexterity. He looped the chain around the truck's door frame, and spun the bewildered Winchester around snapping the other cuff behind him on his other wrist.
Sam gaped as Bobby stepped away from Dean, his arms secured behind him; handcuffed to the truck.
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Dean took a few seconds to realize his predicament, then he threw his head back and howled; a terrifying cry of rage – he lunged at Bobby, the cuffs painfully jerking his arms behind him; he tried again, screaming in anguish, ignoring the pain spiking through his shoulders and the burning of the metal cuffs around his wrists, he writhed and convulsed like a wild animal trying to escape a snare.
Hot tears streamed down Sam's face as his body shook with fear and anger; the sheer terror of seeing his brother tearing himself apart to meet his doom and the blind fury at the cause of it all; this sublime creature that was slowly inching towards them.
His fury turned into insane resolve and he lunged at the Kelpie, hurling one of their protective pouches at it. It staggered backwards with a snort as the leather pouch hit it's neck and burst, shaking it's head in distress. Sam took the opportunity and rushed, throwing his entire weight at it, totally deaf to Bobby's shocked yell; driven by Dean's desperate wails and his own rage.
He slammed into it's silken, ice-cold body, long arms grasping it's neck and long, slippery handfuls of mane. It reared in shock, dragging Sam's feet off the ground, but he maintained his grip, using his not insubstantial weight to wrestle it back down.
He gritted his teeth, ignoring the bucking and plunging of the creature, twisting it's neck, down and down, pressing his full weight harder and harder into it. It squealed and hissed, forelegs splaying under the Sam's weight, hindquarters stamping and kicking, but unable to keep purchase on the loose gravel.
Dean howled and sobbed as he thrashed wildly against the handcuffs, reaching out towards the Kelpie's tormented cries for help; blood staining his wrists and pooling in his palms as the tug of the metal cuffs cut and tore his wrists.
Bobby rushed to join Sam "It's vulnerable on land," he yelled breathlessly; "it's out of it's element!" The combined weight of the two men forced the weakened creature's elegant head onto the ground. Sam slammed a knee onto it's throat.
"Bobby, NOW!"
Bobby produced the harness and worked it over the creature's muzzle, cursing as it's head slammed into the ground crushing his hand; he roughly pulled the webbing into in place, and buckled the strap tightly over the back of it's neck. The Kelpie whittered sadly and closed it's beautiful eyes as if accepting the shame of defeat.
Sam gripped the noseband of the harness, he snarled through gritted teeth … "Let my brother go you sonofabitch!"
The creature gave a laboured wheeze and it's long lashes lifted; it gazed up at him, liquid eyes white rimmed with fear, and for just one short moment, Sam's heart sank as he felt the merest hint of compassion for it.
It gave another snort, it's body heaving in defeated despair.
A final long breath melted into a gurgle as the creature's entire body dissolved into a mass of water, sending Sam crashing face-down to the ground in the midst of an ice-cold torrent.
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Bobby squinted through the moonlight at Sam, sprawled inelegantly in a massive puddle of water, Sam returned his gaze. Both men stunned into silence by what had just happened.
Bobby returned to his senses with a shake of the head, offering his hand to help Sam up and they both ran over to the limp figure slumped against the dented and bloodsmeared door of the truck, his arms twisted grotesquely behind his back.
Sam crouched down beside his brother. "Dean …?" he spoke softly. The hanging head twitched slightly with a quiet moan.
Bobby leaned over Sam, watching the younger Winchester as he tried again, this time gently ruffling his brother's hair, taking care to avoid the tender spot where Bobby had dropped him with the wrought iron bar earlier.
"Dean …?"
This time the head lifted wearily, unfocussed eyes gazed up at Sam.
"Sam, s'at you?"
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tbc