Hunter Rising, 6/?, (R) Dean, Sam, OC

[skagtrendy1]

Title: Hunter of the Shadows Book 2: Hunter Rising
Genre: Gen (AU)
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Supernatural and it's characters do not belong to me. All original characters do.
Spoilers: Season One and Two, although the exact sequence of events and the circumstances are considerably different.
Summary: Join Sam, Dean and Tobius where we left them in Book 1. This time, they will need to be stronger than ever if they are to survive the coming months.
Authors Notes: Many thanks to Phx for the beta and for her invaluable help and support.

In Honour of Darksupernatural’s birthday



Chapter Six

Now…

A large black and tan wolf is stretched out on the bed next to Sam, snout resting on its huge paws. Suddenly, it raises its massive, lion-sized head, and stares intently at the kid's pale face. With a soft whine, it nuzzles gently into the boy's neck.

Scuffling from off camera, and a small thump, followed by an "Ow! Sonofabitch!" precedes Dean with a towel slung dangerously low on his hips, water dripping from his hair, and hopping on one foot towards the bed.

"Is he really waking up?" he asks of the wolf, who is now hovering over the bed ridden boy, whining anxiously. "I mean… has he moved?"

The wolf jumps off the bed, mostly disappearing from shot. Its tall ears and the thick fur on its head can still be seen, clashing with the brightly coloured bedspread… and they suddenly shrink.

There's a grunt, a snort, and a moment later, human Tobius rises to his full height, pulling a tee-shirt over his head.

"I heard him," he nods. "It was faint, but there. He's in a great deal of pain and confusion still, but he's with us. Give him another few days and he'll be fully awake."

Dean's perched on the edge of the bed with Sam's half-curled human form in his lap by the time he replies.

"What…?" he nearly chokes on the question, but tries again. "What about permanent damage?

Tobius shakes his head. "I don't know, Dean. We'll have to wait and see."

With one hand gently wound in Sam's hair, and the other supporting his neck, Dean smiles through fresh tears. "You're coming back to us. Knew you would," he whispers, turns he face to the camera, and nods determinedly. "He's gonna be ok.

Then…

C'mon Sammy, I paced forward and wrapped an arm round his shoulders. You'll be more comfortable sitting on the bed, huh? Let's get out of the bathroom, 'cos man! It smells like someone's been sick in here!

To his credit, Sam let out a watery snort of laughter, and allowed me to pull him to his feet.

Tobius followed us out of the bathroom, jumped up onto Sam's bed, and began trampling the blankets into submission. Round and round he went, until he was satisfied the bed wouldn't fight back, then he slumped down, rolled a few times just to be sure, and curled up comfortably, waiting for his grandson to join him. Tobius rested his head on his paws, tongue lolling out over his chops in contentment, keen, mournful eyes watching us.

Fully clothed, and with the first signs of a genuine grin developing, Sam sat down, still clutching his glass of brandy, and leaned against the older wolf.

Knowing Sire would want a nightcap too, I grabbed the bottle of brandy and poured some into a dog bowl we often keep with us on our travels - it comes in handy when persuading the public that him? Naw, he's not a wolf. Just a dog. A big fucking dog, I'll grant you, but he's still just a dog. Ain't that right, Fido? - and placed it between Sire's massive paws.

Many thanks, my son.

Don't mention it.

With a generous measure for myself, I perched on the bed opposite, leaned forward, and rested my elbows on my knees.

So. What now?

Tobius lapped at the brandy with his long tongue, but his eyes remained fixed on Sam.

Good question.

The youngster tensed up a little under the scrutiny and glanced mournfully at me.

Do we have to talk about this now?

I nodded but smiled in sympathy. 'Fraid so, kid.

Sam bit his lip and took a deep breath. Once again, I could almost see the change in him, as he gave his emotional side a good, hard shove into the background, and let his brilliant analytical mind step forward in its place.

"I'm recalling that conversation we overheard, what the chief said about there being someone else there other than the victim and the killer."

Yeah. That statement sure opened a few doors.

"Ok," I shrugged, interested in what Sam had to say about it.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Sam continued, thoughtfully. "But I got the distinct impression the cops don't believe Andy's responsible. But they do think he's a witness."

Tobius' tail thumped against the bed. Exactly. And that's speaks volumes about the evidence, yes?

"True," I said aloud. "They don't think he's strong enough to have pulled it off…" I grimaced a little when Sam flinched. Sorry, dude. No pun intended.

Sam just smirked and shook his head in wry amusement.

"So, are we thinking our very own incredible hulk is in the picture here?" I asked, eyes swivelling from Tobius to Sam.

I'd say so, Tobius scratched at an ear with a hind paw. Which means this assignment has just been upped from mild-risk status, to highly dangerous. We'll have to tread carefully around this one.

"And there's another thing," I pointed out. "We now have to get to Andy before the hulk does. Place him under our protection, may be."

Not necessarily. Tobius mused. Whilst it would be useful to speak with the boy, I doubt he's in any immediate danger. At least, not until we show up, which is the point of all this.

Yeah. Sam was being deliberately lured into the firing line, but with careful preparation we could stay out of sight. After all, the hulk may have been strong but he didn't have our sense of smell and, to our knowledge, he couldn't hear our thought projections.

"So here's the deal," Sam got to his feet and placed the tumbler of brandy on the nearest night stand. "I change, go back to the crime scene, pick up Andy's scent and follow it."

Great plan. Couldn't fault it, in fact. Except…

"You're not going, Sam," I announced, tone a little more sharp than I intended. "Tobius or I can find him, it's too dangerous…"

He was already shaking his head, and damn the kid! His logic was faultless.

"You don't know his scent, and you're a complete stranger to him," Sam responded, a little too smug for my liking. "Andy won't trust you, he'll just run."

And we can catch him! Tobius growled, eyes narrowed determinedly.

"Oh yeah!" Sam tucked long fingers into his jean belt loops, stance deceptively relaxed and casual, but his eyes gleamed with sass and sarcasm. "Sure, frighten the shit out of the poor guy. That'll make him cooperate with us."

I barely stifled a snort of laughter. This sounded like fun.

Tobius growled softly. Over play your hand any further, young pup, and you'll soon find out that you're not too big for a take down!

Sam smirked but backed down, gracefully. Even my rebellious son still knew better than to go head to head with the pack alpha.

However, Sire went on to prove that Sam had made some valid points. Never let it be said that Tobius couldn't be reasoned with.

You're quite right. All three of us will follow his trail. Then he said something that completely took us by surprise. I'll stay behind in the Impala and keep an eye out. That way your clothes will be on hand when you eventually find him.

That was another good point. Andy Gallagher would likely crap his pants if he opened his door to three huge wolves. Human form would prove better in this instance.

Tobius leapt off the bed, changed, and slipped back into his clothes.

"Right. Hurry up lads," he rubbed his hands together, almost gleefully. Sire enjoyed a good hunt, whatever the circumstances. "Time to change!"

He pulled a couple of dog leashes out of his duffle, and we soon got the message.

This would be the undercover scenario known as 'guy taking his dogs out for a late night stroll'.

Sam and I kicked off our boots, pulled off our clothes, and were soon padding to the door. Because it was an actual hunt rather than a mere fact gathering mission, Tobius dispensed with the idea of wearing collars, and went straight for the choker leads. It made us shudder at the thought, but Sire was always overly-gentle with us, and never once yanked on our leashes. And besides, there was good justification for them.

So there we were, two big dogs, trotting faithfully alongside our 'master'. Whenever we played this in daylight, we were subject to admiring glances and occasional gentle pats on the head and ruffled ears, whilst Tobius walked away with no small collection of phone numbers from pretty female admirers.

Gotta say. Guy's a smooth bastard.

At night, however, it would be a different matter. The few people we might meet would back off, maybe even run away screaming at the sight of huge wolf-like dogs with gleaming eyes and sharp fangs. And Tobius could work that to our advantage.

Shaftsbury Avenue loomed ahead of us, and I felt Sam falter. Tobius also sensed his reluctance because he slowed his pace a little.

You ok there, pup? We don't have to do this, you know. It can wait 'til morning.

Sam gave himself a sudden shake from head to tail, and growled softly.

Yes we do. There's no other way, and Andy's running out of time.

Once we passed round the bend in the road, and ascertained that there was indeed still a police presence, we began our well-rehearsed routine.

Sam began jumping and snapping at the leash, trying to bite his way to freedom. For my part, I ran around, attempting to trip our 'master' and barking my head off.

It worked beautifully as always. A young uniformed cop, standing outside the house glanced over at us. I saw his hand go to the police issue revolver at his hip, and unsnap the leather strap.

"Excuse me, sir? You live around here?" the young guy called out, warily.

He seems friendly enough, Tobius told us. A little too keen for his own good perhaps, but he'll learn.

"Good evening, officer!" He said aloud, in a boisterous upper class English accent, then glanced at his Rolex and tutted. "I mean… good morning! And yes, I live a few blocks over. Just out to take in some fresh air, and…" he scowled good naturedly, when Sam attempted to launch himself at the police officer. "Down boy!" Tobius' chuckle was genuine. Sam seemed to have quite the natural talent for being the troublesome 'dog'.

"Sorry about that," Sire grinned when the young cop backed off slightly. "They won't hurt you, they're just curious."

The cop frowned. "Curious? About what?"

Tobius blinked in innocent surprise. "Why, the police of course. They've never seen all these flashing lights before, and are naturally a little unsettled by it… Samuel! Heel!" He snapped out suddenly, when Sam made another lunge, and nearly choked himself on the leash.

Sam calm down. I huffed, and pranced about in a show of skittishness. You're gonna hurt yourself!

Sorry. But I've picked up Andy's scent…

That's all well and good, but a little patience won't go amiss, young pup! Tobius admonished. Now settle down, and wait for the signal.

"Do excuse these two scallywags," Tobius rolled his eyes. "They're both young and energetic, and need so much exercise. Frankly, it's exhausting, but the wife..." he shrugged, demurely. "She loves them..."

The cop was beginning to relax a little under the steady influence of Sire's friendly and easy going countenance. "I know what you mean. I got a young Golden Retriever at home. Chews up anything it sees, and drives my wife crazy, but he's a good dog besides that."

"Very Marley and Me, eh?" Tobius nodded enthusiastically. Get ready, boys. "Oh indeed! These two have been restless all night, so for the sake of peace and quiet, in the end I had to take them out for a walk, just to burn off some of that energy…"

And that was the signal. With loud barks and howls, Sam and I jerked on the leashes, supposedly taking Tobius by surprise enough that the chokers loosened, and we slipped free.

"Samuel! Dean! Get back here now, you bloody useless animals!" Tobius roared out. Good work, lads.

We were off, Sam slightly ahead of me and I happily let him take the lead. After all, as he quite rightly pointed out, he alone knew Andy's scent.

In the meantime, Tobius was busy putting on an impressive act of angry panicking, and gesticulating wildly in that very British way of his. At this stage of the plan, he would tell the cop that he was heading home to get his car, and embark on a 'dog search' of the area. Sire would probably finish up with 'I'll soon catch up with those two rascals' or 'they'll come home when they're hungry'.

We circled the house, sniffing round the back gate, a tall dark wooden affair with a bronze latch. The plan was not to go inside, that would only risk capture by the cops, but to find out where Andy was heading once he'd left the building.

There! You get it? Right there! Sam snuffled excitedly at the base of the garden gate. He was leaving… he lifted his head, and turned, staring into a small group of trees at the rear of the house. Tilting his head to the side, he studied the area for a long while. I can see him, now. He was scared… terrified… running for his life, almost tripping over… there was someone after him… but whoever it was had covered their scent.

There was indeed a faint whiff of some kind of herbal mixture in the air, with no epicentre to it, and therefore no way of tracking it.

It… was just… there, hanging around like a red herring.

That confirmed the suspicion that this was all a set up, that hulk-man wasn't serious about chasing Andy. He was just letting the kid leave a trail that we could follow. And we'd have to be quick about catching up with Gallagher, 'cos there was a strong chance that wherever he was right then, the hulk wasn't far away.

C'mon, this way, Sam nudged against me, and bounded towards the trees.

Now that I had the scent I could see where this was leading. There was a large wire fence, separating the trees from a winding path. Andy would've had to climb over, but it offered no such problem for us. We both cleared the fence together, paws scrabbling at the concrete path on the other side and set off again at a run. It appeared to be some sort of park or recreational ground, and the tree-lined trail ran steadily for a mile or so, through to the parking lot just off the main road, and headed on out into the darkness.

We carried on following eagerly, the scent getting stronger with each minute that passed, keeping to the shadowy edges of the road.

Not far now. Some of the scent backtracks, grows faint and crosses over, so I'd say he came back a little later to pick up his van. Sam explained.

Andy's scent was tinged with sulphur, the mark of one of the special children, demon blood, but had now taken on a distinct petroleum based edge to it.

The guy must have panicked and ran when he saw the hulk, leaving his wheels behind only to come back when it was safe. Chances were Andy was the one who put in the anonymous call to the police.

The familiar rumble of a powerful engine on the road behind had us skidding to a halt, and waiting patiently for the Impala to appear.

Lads? Everything ok? Sire asked, just as the Impala came into our line of sight.

Yup, nearly there in fact. Sam replied, confidently.

Good work!

The car rolled to a halt beside us. Sire wound down the window and grinned. "Excellent show back there, by the way. Are you pups ready to change back now?"

Minutes later, adjusting my tee-shirt a little, I turned to Sam, who was crouched down and busy tying his bootlaces.

You sure about this, Sam?

Yup. He replied without hesitation, then glanced up from what he was doing. And in any case, it's a little late to back out now.

I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. No it ain't. We could hightail it out of here and never come back. It's not too late whilst we're still off hulk's radar…

Sam shook his head. And then Andy would have outlived his usefulness. He wouldn't last five minutes after we got away. The kid stared at me, sadly. I can't leave him to die, Dean. We save as many as we can, remember?

He was right, but he was also very wrong.

Yeah, but you come first, Sammy. You always come first in my rule book.

Sam smiled, gratefully. I know.

Tobius said nothing, just sat in the driver's seat, keeping his eyes peeled for trouble. It was a lonely stretch of road, and at two am we'd seen no traffic, other than the odd patrol car speeding by, but the cops were too preoccupied and hadn't really noticed us. Andy was only a mile or two up ahead, by our estimation, so we decided to walk it, whilst Tobius stayed out of sight, ready to race to the rescue if scary hulk-man showed his face.

We walked in silence, our ears on guard for suspicious sounds, and our noses sniffing out the herbal scent from earlier. It still lingered in the air even though we were miles from the house, which suggested that once activated, the stuff dispersed itself over a wide radius, effectively hiding the owner from sensitive snouts.

Do you think the other kids are here somewhere? Sam asked, tentatively.

Tobius answered that one straight off. Doubtful. I think they can only gather when the demon, Meg, calls to them. Otherwise they work alone, all the better to scour the country looking for us.

Sire sounded so confident, almost bored, but then he was the one doing the sitting around and playing the waiting game. Though he had one consolation, and it came in the form of a high powered sniper's rifle, complete with night scope and several magazines of ammunition, resting on the passenger seat next to him. Sire's favourite toy. It was covered with a blanket for now, just in case one of those patrol cars stopped by where he was parked. And, of course, he still had the 'dog search' excuse if anyone should ask.

Tobius would be the one to take out Andy should he prove dangerous, but he would also be ready to take down the hulk-man.

After all, that was our main mission, to find and pick off the special kids one by one, until they… ceased to be a threat. And given what we knew so far, hulk-man seemed the biggest threat of them all.

The trail led us to a small tree-hooded picnic area and rest stop, and I gawped at the sleek, black van squatting under a tree at the back, as far from the road as possible.

"Dude! That is one sweet ride," I muttered as we trudged closer. "The A Team'd be green with envy, huh?"

Sam snorted softly. "Yeah. Figured you'd notice that."

Then he halted mid-step. "Dude, why are we creeping around like a couple of criminals? If hulk-man is here, then he already knows we are too, and Andy could be dead already."

Kid had a point.

"True, but just be careful, ok?" I answered, glancing round, feeling more uneasy with each passing minute.

Sam strode over to the van, and pounded determinedly on the rear doors. "Andy? C'mon, open up!"

I grinned. It sure was fun seeing Sam go all masterful.

The van remained silent, as though no one was home. But Sam and I knew better. Andy's scent was stronger than ever, with no trace of blood.

Sam's nostrils flared briefly. "Andy? You ok, dude? Come on out, it's me. Sam."

Masterful, yes, but above all, worried. Sam considered the guy his friend, after all.

A soft metallic clunk preceded the rear door cracking open a couple of inches, revealing a pair of frightened eyes, swivelling rapidly in their sockets. But once they lit on Sam, the eyes softened with relief, and the door swung wide open.

A small, no tiny dark haired guy leapt from the van and straight into Sam's arms with a muffled whimper.

I raised an amused eyebrow. You never told me you'd started dating again.

Shut up, Dean, Sam replied, but said aloud "Andy, what the hell's going on?"

The little guy released his bear hug hold on Sam, sniffed loudly and wiped his eyes.

"M'ssso g-glad you're h-here," Andy mumbled, his voice so small and lost that I began to shift uncomfortably from foot to foot. His sad eyes and obvious distress were already starting to get to me. "Y-you g-got my message… I-I'd never tried anything like that before…"

That got my attention and even Sam raised an eyebrow.

Sam?

Not sure? He obviously knew what I was asking. Looks like Andy learned another skill.

Sam eyed the kid, worriedly. "Are you saying that murder vision is from you? You sent me that?

Andy nodded, eyes still wet with tears. "Not so much sent, but put out there," he waved a hand vaguely, "in the hope that you'd pick it up."

So that vision wasn't Sam's after all. But when he opened his mind to access his powers, Sam caught hold of Andy's vision, kinda like an ethereal video message.

Andy sniffed again. "I tried to stop him, but he was too strong. And he just… he just…" the poor kid shuddered, his face pale, and his grief tangible in the early morning gloom. "Tore her to pieces…"

"Andy," Sam spoke gently, one hand rubbing Andy's arm in comfort. "The police were saying she was your girlfriend. Is that true?"

"Her name was Talia." Andy nodded, and clenched his eyes shut against more tears. "I was going to ask her to travel with me. Maybe sell the van and buy an RV, one big enough to raise a family in, ya know?" Another fierce sniff. "I wasn't gonna use my powers of persuasion on her, not like before… with Tracey…"

Huh? Who's Tracey? I asked, silently.

She's the one Andy's twin brother tried to kill, but with all that mind control stuff, she was too scared of Andy to continue their relationship. I guess he moved on after that.

Andy seemed to notice me for the first time. "You must be Dean. Sam's brother." Poor kid forced a smile through his tears.

"The one and only." I offered up a small salute.

"Andy, why did you let me see that vision?" Sam asked, "And who was the guy that killed Talia?"

Andy swallowed hard. "I guess I needed your help, to try and stop it. I didn't think I'd be able to take him on alone and I was right." Watery eyes regarded us. "I don't blame you, ya know. S'not your fault you were too far away to get here on time. I knew it was a long shot, but I'm glad you're here now."

I could've hugged the kid when I saw the look of sad gratitude on Sammy's face.

"Jake Talley." Andy suddenly announced.

"What?" Sam looked as baffled as I felt.

"That was his name," Andy nodded with a little more enthusiasm. "Jake Talley, ex-US Army, strength like… like…" he raised his arms and let them flop to his sides in a helpless gesture. "Nothing I've ever seen before."

"He, what, stood there and introduced himself to you?" I was astounded. "Right before he ripped off your girlfriend's head?"

Dean! Sam glared at me when Andy flinched. It's called tact? Ya know? Something you used to know about when Jess died? Try applying it here!

But we didn't have time for that, and my unease was growing the longer we stood there, out in the open, chatting away like it was some kind of fucking mother's meeting!

Grabbing Andy's upper arms, I gave him a quick shake. "What did he tell you, Andy? Jake must've told you something, right? About Sam? What was it?"

"Dean, for God's sake…" Sam tried to pry my hands away.

"No, it's ok, Sam," Andy gazed up at me, in fear and remorse. "Jake s-said he knew I'd pass on the m-message, that you would c-come here for me… he was counting on it, in fact."

"And?" I demanded, still ignoring Sam's attempts to pry Andy loose.

"He's here, somewhere, but he won't attack until we least expect it," the kid whimpered when I yanked him away from the van, and frog marched him towards the road.

"What's going on? Where are you taking me?" Andy yelled, angrily, until I pulled him back to my chest, and clamped a hand firmly over his mouth. The kid struggled uselessly in my grip, whilst Sam and I had a silent standoff.

Dean! What the hell are you doing?

Sam, if he's such a good kid, then ask him why he didn't put out another message, warning us not to come here in the first place. Ask him why he allowed Jake to use him and his girlfriend as bait the whole time, when he knew what the guy's intention was… if he's such a good friend to you.

He was scared, Dean,

Yeah well, so am I, for you...

Sam faltered but carried on. He'd just seen his girlfriend torn to pieces right in front of him! He had no choice! Jake would've killed him on the spot!

That shut me up a little. Maybe I was being unfair to Andy after all, but this... to put it lightly, this really sucked.
With a sigh and nod, I released Andy, but offered a fair warning before he could speak.

"I'm going to take you someplace safe, and you're gonna keep your big mouth shut." I levelled a finger at him, making him flinch. "Any, and I mean, any sign that you're using your freaky mojo to contact Jake and tell him where we are, and I swear I'll rip you a new one."

Andy's eyes widened. "I-I w-wouldn't…"

"Good." I interrupted, sharply. "That's great, keep it up. Let's go."

~

Chapter Seven