Sam was too shocked to even feel the pain, when Thor’s massive jaws clamped around his right forearm. Even when he finally let out a yell, it was more one of surprise than of actual hurt. Staring at the drops welling out of some of the marks, he still tried to comprehend what had caused the big dog to bite him, when he heard the bathroom door open and Dean step up beside him.
A quick glance at Thor showed Sam the expression of guilt on the dog’s face and he turned away, hurriedly pulling down his shirtsleeves.
“What’s going on here? Thor looks like he peed the bed!” The older Winchester’s voice held a mixture of amusement and irritation.
“Naw, we’ve been playing and I think Thor is embarrassed he got caught enjoying himself, aren’t you, boy?”
Sam wasn’t really sure why he covered for the mutt, but looking down at the red spots soaking through the fabric of his shirt, he decided he really needed to disappear, if he wanted to keep the charade up.
Making his way into the bathroom, he said, “My turn to shower!” before closing the door.
Taking off the shirt, he inspected the bite marks, deciding he might as well clean them with a shower. As he took the rest of his clothes off, he heard Dean ask something about if burgers were okay, which he answered with an absentminded, “Yeah, sure!” his mind not really being on any kind of nourishment right now. Stepping under the hot stream, he winced at the burn the water hitting the injury caused. Still, he used soap to cleanse the punctures then continued to wash himself. Only after finishing and drying off did his mind wander back to the question of why?
As Sam cleansed the area once more, this time with peroxide, and applied some antibiotic ointment and a gauze dressing, which he secured with an elastic wrap, he was still not a lot closer to the answer. One thing was sure though, he must have done something to irritate the usually not aggressive animal.
The longer he thought about it, the more it became clear that Thor never really seemed to take to him and that he should have seen the signs a lot sooner. Maybe he even did, but decided to ignore them, because he just couldn’t accept the dog not liking him. Sadness wrapped around his heart with an iron clasp, as reality hit him. If his brother was to find out that Thor had bitten him, Dean would punish the dog and at worst case scenario even get rid of him, which would very likely break his heart. The younger Winchester could tell how much the mutt meant to his brother; he had been with Dean during most of the time Sam was in Stanford. There was no way he was going to come between them, even if it meant he needed to keep his distance from Thor.
SN~SN~SN~SN~SN
This event changed a lot of things. First of all it became clear to Thor that Sam Winchester really finally got it. He withdrew from the dog and no longer tried to pretend they were best friends.
Second was that his fear that the younger man was going to tell on him proved wrong. A week and two hunts and as many motel rooms later, Dean was still none the wiser. Sam made sure he wore long sleeved shirts and thankfully the weather was unusually cold for June, so that it didn’t cause any suspicions.
Third and maybe most important though, was that Thor wasn’t happy. He should have been ecstatic, because he’d accomplished exactly what he wanted, but all he felt was loss. He realized he missed the caressing touch and the pieces of meat the young man would sneak him underneath the table. He missed the smile and the sparkle that lit up the hazel eyes every time the overgrown human looked at him. Now there was only pain and sadness in them and they were barely looking in his direction anymore.
Could he have been wrong and Sam wasn’t really that bad? No, there was absolutely no way he could be! He just felt guilty, because he knew he wasn’t supposed to bite, and the day would come when Sam was going to use it against him, he was sure of it.
SN~SN~SN~SN~SN
Sam found them another job; this one was a good eight hours drive away, which meant they would have to be in the car all day. This was clearly not Thor’s idea of fun, yet Dean’s awesomeness made it as easy as possible on him. His master always made sure he had at least two, maybe three breaks during which he could run to his heart’s desire.
They were on their second break. Dean drove the Impala a mile down a gravel road into a wooded area and stopped at the side of the road. Thor was ready to jump out the moment the door was opened for him. He barely heard the older Winchester call after him, “Don’t run too far, we need to get back on the road shortly” before disappearing in between the trees.
After a bit he stopped and started to sniff out the trees and bushes, lifting his leg on several of them, before leisurely making his way back toward the car. He could see Dean half-hidden beneath the raised hood. He was probably checking the fluids, he always made sure the car was in top condition, treated it almost like it was a living being. Sam was standing beside him, holding a half-empty water bottle. He was talking to his brother, but kept a close eye on their environment while doing so. As soon as he saw the large dog approaching a smile appeared on his face, yet there was also weariness visible in his eyes.
Good! If Thor could have, he would have put a satisfied grin on his face, yet being limited, he just lifted his head and held it high while crossing the road. The roaring of an engine brought him back to reality. Turning his head toward the noise he froze at the sight of a pickup truck racing his way. He knew he needed to get away, yet for some reason he couldn’t move a muscle and for a moment he looked directly at the driver.
Just when he thought he was going to be smashed to pieces, he felt something impact with his body, pushing him into the clear and making him land on his side. There was a loud thump and something large got thrown through the air, landing on the other side of the road as the truck sped by without slowing down.
SN~SN~SN~SN~SN
Getting out of the car and turning, Sam caught a glance of Thor disappearing between the trees. He could understand the dog’s excitement over being able to run, as he too felt stiff from sitting cooped up in the confined space for several hours. Lifting his arms over his heads, he stretched then walked to the trunk. Opening it, he raised the lid of the cooler and retrieved a couple of water bottles from it.
“Don’t close it, I need a few tools.” The older Winchester prevented him from slamming the trunk shut, “I heard a slight rattle, better check it out.”
He reached in and picked the tools he needed, before returning to the front end and lifting the hood. By the time Sam joined him, his entire upper body had disappeared beneath the hood.
“You want some water?” Sam offered.
“Later, I think I found the problem, nothing major, just a couple loose screws.” Dean explained, “Could turn into something bigger if I don’t tighten them now.”
The younger man put one of the bottles on the frame before unscrewing his own and draining half of it. Standing by, he watched his brother work, yet never lost track of his surroundings.
“So what’d you think about that job in New Mexico? You think there is something to the reported Chubracabra sightings?”
Dean answered without looking up from his work, “You did the research, but from what you told me, it’s possible. I’ve never come across one, but dad has and what he wrote in his journal matches a lot of the reports.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too !” Sam’s gaze was drawn to a noise on the other side of the gravel road.
Watching Thor stroll out of the wooded area, he smiled at the clearly happy animal. Once again he wished he could gain the trust and love of their fierce, yet playful companion. Lifting his head up high, the dog started to cross the road at a lazy pace, when a roaring noise called the younger Winchester’s attention to a vehicle racing toward his location at an extremely high speed. It was clear that Thor heard the noise too, as his head moved and he now stared directly at what turned out to be a blue low-sitting pick up. Yet instead of moving, the dog seemed to be frozen to the spot.
There was really no thought to Sam’s action, as he started to move towards the animal; in the end he didn’t even think he would make it, yet he had to try at least. And somehow he seemed to be able to run faster than he would have ever thought, because at the very last moment he reached his destination and with a final effort threw himself forward, his outstretched arms pushing with a power born of desperation and moving the animal out of the path of destruction. His own body was a different story though, as he more heard than felt his impact with the front of the hood, before he was thrown into the air. For a moment he felt only the velocity of flight, before he was slammed onto the ground, his senses leaving him before his body had come fully to rest on the gravel.
SN SN SN SN SN
Struggling to get up and still trying to piece together what just happened, he heard a piercing scream coming from Dean. “Saaaaaammm….” As he finally made it back onto his four legs he took in the scene before him. Obviously the body flying through the air had been that of Sam, who was now lying in a heap on the side of the road. Like in slow motion Thor watched the older Winchester run toward his brother, sliding the last part on his knees without minding the gravel. His hands slid over the body, hovering over Sam’s neck for a second before gently pressing down. The dog could see a change in Dean’s expression, so subtle that it was hardly noticeable but enough to tell him that Sam was alive. He watched as the older man continued his assessment before fishing his cell phone out of his pocket and punching in a few numbers. Thor wanted to listen to what his master was saying, yet for some reason his focus was drawn to the downed Winchester. Standing there, looking at the motionless body, it suddenly dawned on him what really happened here. He knew that the pickup hit Sam instead of him, but even though he remembered being pushed, heck he felt the soreness the forceful blow left in his side, the reality of the events started to set in only now. Sam risked his own life to save Thor’s! For a moment his legs felt weak and he thought he was going to fall, recovering only at the last second. He took in the broken body, the strange angle of one of the legs and the blood covering most of Sam’s face, but worst of all the almost complete stillness of the usually always active young man. This could have been, by all rights should have been him, yet instead he was standing there pretty much unscathed, while the kid had taken the fall. He treated Sam like scum, even bit him and still… It seemed unreal and without a doubt he knew that he would have to rethink his opinion of the youngest Winchester.
TBC
Part 3