Castiel was looking quite a bit worse for wear. His clothes were even more dirty and torn up than they'd been the last time Dean had seen him and he was sporting quite a few bruises and scrapes that didn't seem to be healing, perhaps because the damage wasn't just being done to his vessel. His blade was still in his hand, but his eyes were a little dazed.
"I was trying to lead as many of them away from you as I could." His voice sounded ragged, tired in a way that Castiel shouldn't be. "Dean, they want me a lot more than they want you. You have to stay away from me. You have to stay hidden or I can't protect you."
After all, Castiel wasn't just any angel, which would have be a prize to these monsters on its own. He was also the angel who ripped purgatory wide open and consumed the souls inside. Each and every one of these monsters knew him intimately. They could see what he was as soon as they laid eyes on him and they wanted his blood. He'd already had a few close calls. He couldn't keep Dean safe at the same time. He just wasn't that good. Not here.
He'd left Dean because he'd felt something powerful barreling towards them and he'd needed to lead it away. Once he was far enough from where he'd left Dean, he'd just kept running, leading the worst monsters he could find in the opposite direction from where he believed Dean to be. He must have gotten turned around in one of the fights, though, if he'd found Dean again. What if he'd inadvertently lead them closer to him?
Castiel felt the presence of the creature before the footsteps were audible and he stiffened against the tree. "Dean, something is coming. You have to run." His hands were starting to shake. If something happened to Dean, Castiel would never be able to live with it. Dean was his priority now. Dean was everything.
Dean hadn't seen Castiel this exhausted since...well, nothing quickly came to mind. He was an angel. There were certain things people didn't associate with angels. Exhaustion was one of the main ones that bleeped off in his head. The hunter...or rather what the creatures here knew him as 'the human' wasn't in the right mindset to make cool, calm, and collected decisions. He had spent the better half of a several months being hunted while he was looking for Cas. If it hadn't been for Benny -- he would have been killed by now. Well, at least in his mind if it hadn't been for Benny. Whatever inner workings Castiel had in his mind that separating was the best option to keep him safe; then clearly Dean had not yet done his job in making sure Cas knew media that well. Rule number one in surviving a horror move, never separate.
If they ever got back. Which was a big if he'd remind himself to teach the geek angel that. Dean had given up any hope of returning at this point however. There were too many variables as well as the fact that the only things that got to escape only escaped during a ritual some idiot decided was best at the time. To be honest, before he had seen Castiel's face he was ready to cut off his head. It had gotten surprisingly easier since they had arrived. He held zero qualms with doing it to the things that would beg him to let them go. Why? If he had, they would only turn on him. No...this wasn't a place where mercy was allowed to be called for. Mercy wasn't a concept shared by anyone in this place. Least of all Dean. His brow arched up a bit as he backed away from the angel, fist tightening around the hatchet he had created for himself when his knife didn't do the job. His gun wasn't going to do the job. Too much noise. Too loud. It would give away his position to anything in this place.
"So you ran off...to protect me? You didn't think we could fight whatever was in this place together, Cas?" Dean would say his blood was boiling because of anger. But at this point, his blood was always boiling. Always having to be charged and ready for a fight. He wasn't like the creatures here who could run off of whatever the hell they did. Dean was running on fumes for the past couple days. Castiel had admittedly interrupted his first time to rest in days. But he was a sight for sore eyes, that was for sure. He would admit to that if he was asked. "Pretty much leaving me to fend myself in with those things was a pretty good start to a crappy stay in Purgatory. They need to have a talk with their welcoming committee." Dean visibly stiffened up as well before moving out of sight where the footsteps were coming from. Pressed against the tree opposite of Cas and hidden by the natural darkness that seemed to blanket a majority of Purgatory, his other hand reaching for his knife and flipping it to a more comfortable position in his hand.
Running was not an option in this. He didn't say anything but he was pretty sure the glare he shot Cas said it all. 'Shut the fuck up before you give away our position'. Or just rather 'Shut the fuck up, Cas.'
Castiel truly hadn't been worried about Dean on his own, because the worst of the monsters were after Castiel. Dean could handle the other monsters. Castiel had complete faith in that. He always would have that kind of faith in Dean.
He stepped against his own tree as the creature approached, trying very hard to breath as quietly as possible. Normally, he would draw its attention and run, but Dean was here now, so he had to pray that it wouldn't spot either of them. In normal circumstances, they would surely have a better chance together, but not now. That the Leviathans had a vendetta against Castiel made a big difference in his eyes. He had to protect Dean, especially after everything he'd done to Dean.
Once the creature had moved away and out of sight, he let himself breath, moving towards Dean again. "I ran away to give you the best chance you could have for survival, Dean. I'm sorry I left those monsters to you, but I was leading much stronger ones away. I knew that you would be safest without me."
Castiel needed Dean to survive this, if it was possible. He couldn't handle the idea that he'd lead Dean to his death after all of the other things he'd done to his friend. There was no possible way to really fix any of this, but he would do anything he could. He would sacrifice everything, even himself, to keep Dean alive or to send him home.
Dean honestly was in way over his head and would never say anything about it.
When the creature moved past them in silence, Dean recognized it immediately. The both of them had been spending time sharing who hunted who. It was the perfect time to get the drop on it, but at the same time. The noise the fight would make might lure more creatures from the shadows. Perhaps the ones that Castiel himself was trying to "protect Dean from". He knew the moment Castiel would inevitably disappear in a flutter of wings that he would get the chance to get the drop on it again. At some point. The entire time, Dean hadn't let go of his weapons however. It was instinct. Without them all he had were his blunt nails, teeth, and flailing appendages. It didn't make up for what the creatures had here. Elongated fangs, claws, he thought he saw one with scythes for hands. But he didn't get close enough to get a good look. Something about weaponry for a body part didn't generate a good outcome in his mind.
He straightened up, putting away his knife and keeping a good hold on the much larger weapon. "Guess we'll have to agree to disagree about that, Cas. Coulda used some help...a lot of help." He could have used someone watching his back instead of allowing this place to put Dean in a constant survival-mode mindset. All that existed here were the creatures Dean spent his entire life killing. Humanity wasn't a rare commodity, it was non-existent and Dean was doing well to shed most of his to survive. He really didn't feel any hostility over this place. It was different from his home. Where the boundaries were clear, Purgatory was about one thing and one thing only. Survival. He paused for a brief moment, there were occasions early on when he truly believed he had found Cas again. Hallucinations really. Sleep deprivation did it to the best of them before he just had to make sure one more time while he pushed the hatchet against Castiel's stomach lightly. Okay...real. Not as imaginary as his mind had numerously tricked him to believe.
"If I had stayed, we might both be dead." Castiel clenched his fists. It wasn't as if he hadn't worried about Dean. He hadn't taken the decision to run lightly. Dean was everything he had. He had to do whatever he could to keep him safe, even if that meant that Dean might hate him. That was something he could live with as long as he knew it was for the right reason.
He moved closer to Dean. "Keeping you safe is my priority right now, Dean. That's not changing." Much as he wanted to stay with Dean, he couldn't. He wouldn't risk Dean's safety for his own selfish wants. Not again. He owed Dean too much for that.
He'd been in a few close scrapes himself. He'd been fighting for his life, barely getting away more than a few times from various monsters, including but not limited to the Leviathan. They could easily kill Dean if they could hurt Castiel, even with the way this place weighed down on him. He needed to keep them chasing him, keep them distracted from Dean. That was all that mattered. Dean.
"I was trying to lead as many of them away from you as I could." His voice sounded ragged, tired in a way that Castiel shouldn't be. "Dean, they want me a lot more than they want you. You have to stay away from me. You have to stay hidden or I can't protect you."
After all, Castiel wasn't just any angel, which would have be a prize to these monsters on its own. He was also the angel who ripped purgatory wide open and consumed the souls inside. Each and every one of these monsters knew him intimately. They could see what he was as soon as they laid eyes on him and they wanted his blood. He'd already had a few close calls. He couldn't keep Dean safe at the same time. He just wasn't that good. Not here.
He'd left Dean because he'd felt something powerful barreling towards them and he'd needed to lead it away. Once he was far enough from where he'd left Dean, he'd just kept running, leading the worst monsters he could find in the opposite direction from where he believed Dean to be. He must have gotten turned around in one of the fights, though, if he'd found Dean again. What if he'd inadvertently lead them closer to him?
Castiel felt the presence of the creature before the footsteps were audible and he stiffened against the tree. "Dean, something is coming. You have to run." His hands were starting to shake. If something happened to Dean, Castiel would never be able to live with it. Dean was his priority now. Dean was everything.
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If they ever got back. Which was a big if he'd remind himself to teach the geek angel that. Dean had given up any hope of returning at this point however. There were too many variables as well as the fact that the only things that got to escape only escaped during a ritual some idiot decided was best at the time. To be honest, before he had seen Castiel's face he was ready to cut off his head. It had gotten surprisingly easier since they had arrived. He held zero qualms with doing it to the things that would beg him to let them go. Why? If he had, they would only turn on him. No...this wasn't a place where mercy was allowed to be called for. Mercy wasn't a concept shared by anyone in this place. Least of all Dean. His brow arched up a bit as he backed away from the angel, fist tightening around the hatchet he had created for himself when his knife didn't do the job. His gun wasn't going to do the job. Too much noise. Too loud. It would give away his position to anything in this place.
"So you ran off...to protect me? You didn't think we could fight whatever was in this place together, Cas?" Dean would say his blood was boiling because of anger. But at this point, his blood was always boiling. Always having to be charged and ready for a fight. He wasn't like the creatures here who could run off of whatever the hell they did. Dean was running on fumes for the past couple days. Castiel had admittedly interrupted his first time to rest in days. But he was a sight for sore eyes, that was for sure. He would admit to that if he was asked. "Pretty much leaving me to fend myself in with those things was a pretty good start to a crappy stay in Purgatory. They need to have a talk with their welcoming committee." Dean visibly stiffened up as well before moving out of sight where the footsteps were coming from. Pressed against the tree opposite of Cas and hidden by the natural darkness that seemed to blanket a majority of Purgatory, his other hand reaching for his knife and flipping it to a more comfortable position in his hand.
Running was not an option in this. He didn't say anything but he was pretty sure the glare he shot Cas said it all. 'Shut the fuck up before you give away our position'. Or just rather 'Shut the fuck up, Cas.'
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He stepped against his own tree as the creature approached, trying very hard to breath as quietly as possible. Normally, he would draw its attention and run, but Dean was here now, so he had to pray that it wouldn't spot either of them. In normal circumstances, they would surely have a better chance together, but not now. That the Leviathans had a vendetta against Castiel made a big difference in his eyes. He had to protect Dean, especially after everything he'd done to Dean.
Once the creature had moved away and out of sight, he let himself breath, moving towards Dean again. "I ran away to give you the best chance you could have for survival, Dean. I'm sorry I left those monsters to you, but I was leading much stronger ones away. I knew that you would be safest without me."
Castiel needed Dean to survive this, if it was possible. He couldn't handle the idea that he'd lead Dean to his death after all of the other things he'd done to his friend. There was no possible way to really fix any of this, but he would do anything he could. He would sacrifice everything, even himself, to keep Dean alive or to send him home.
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When the creature moved past them in silence, Dean recognized it immediately. The both of them had been spending time sharing who hunted who. It was the perfect time to get the drop on it, but at the same time. The noise the fight would make might lure more creatures from the shadows. Perhaps the ones that Castiel himself was trying to "protect Dean from". He knew the moment Castiel would inevitably disappear in a flutter of wings that he would get the chance to get the drop on it again. At some point. The entire time, Dean hadn't let go of his weapons however. It was instinct. Without them all he had were his blunt nails, teeth, and flailing appendages. It didn't make up for what the creatures had here. Elongated fangs, claws, he thought he saw one with scythes for hands. But he didn't get close enough to get a good look. Something about weaponry for a body part didn't generate a good outcome in his mind.
He straightened up, putting away his knife and keeping a good hold on the much larger weapon. "Guess we'll have to agree to disagree about that, Cas. Coulda used some help...a lot of help." He could have used someone watching his back instead of allowing this place to put Dean in a constant survival-mode mindset. All that existed here were the creatures Dean spent his entire life killing. Humanity wasn't a rare commodity, it was non-existent and Dean was doing well to shed most of his to survive. He really didn't feel any hostility over this place. It was different from his home. Where the boundaries were clear, Purgatory was about one thing and one thing only. Survival. He paused for a brief moment, there were occasions early on when he truly believed he had found Cas again. Hallucinations really. Sleep deprivation did it to the best of them before he just had to make sure one more time while he pushed the hatchet against Castiel's stomach lightly. Okay...real. Not as imaginary as his mind had numerously tricked him to believe.
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He moved closer to Dean. "Keeping you safe is my priority right now, Dean. That's not changing." Much as he wanted to stay with Dean, he couldn't. He wouldn't risk Dean's safety for his own selfish wants. Not again. He owed Dean too much for that.
He'd been in a few close scrapes himself. He'd been fighting for his life, barely getting away more than a few times from various monsters, including but not limited to the Leviathan. They could easily kill Dean if they could hurt Castiel, even with the way this place weighed down on him. He needed to keep them chasing him, keep them distracted from Dean. That was all that mattered. Dean.
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