Stalking over to Dean’s boot, Sam pounded his fist on the thick leather and called up “Dean! Down here!”
In seconds, Dean was kneeling down again, the sight of him dropping down so fast and from so close nearly making Sam’s head spin. He jabbed a finger at the smudged mark. “Bowman found something that looks right, can you see it?”
Dean squinted, and after a long moment put a hand down on the ground near them, glancing around himself to see if anyone else was nearby, then going flat on his stomach. He peered closely at the ground before shaking his head. “Maybe… a smudge or something.”
Younger sprites, many of them restless after being kept inside so much in recent days, hoisted themselves up on the window sills. Any kid that spotted Sam on Dean’s shoulder sent him excited waves. More than one nestling dropped back to the floor in their home with quiet thumps in their excitement to see the sprite-sized human, especially when he waved back with a grin.
A few story titles were guessed before we started posting the sneak peeks to go along with them, so with no further ado I present Clash of the Hunters!
The second Jacob’s hands were on the cage, Dean was on the move.
As dangerous as it was to attack with Sam still in the line of fire, there would be no better chance. The hunter had lost his gun. Jacob was free and had his hands on the cage containing the sprite, reducing the chances of collateral damage of a fight between the older hunters.
Sam knew the risks as well as Dean.
So while Jacob was backing off from the hunter with Bowman safe, Dean was already sprinting through the field. Long legs covered the ground that had taken Sam a half hour to cross in seconds. His boots dug fissures in the ground with the force of striking the ground, all to propel him towards his enemy. It was enough that if any of the sprites were in his way, there would be nothing left of them.
But they knew when to keep clear and when to attack. Scar was a good leader, and would see his opening just as Dean had found his.
The hunter hadn’t fully turned in Dean’s direction when there was suddenly a fist slamming into his jaw. Dean didn’t waste a second in his attack. The man was thrown backwards from the force, and his pocket slammed away with him. Only a passing guilt hit at the fact that Sam was about to be in the center of two dueling humans. He would do what he could to keep Sam safe, even during the deadly fight.
It was for this reason that he didn’t use his knife right off the bat. Instead of a vicious follow-up, Dean’s hands sealed around the other hunter’s wrist, preventing him from falling at the same time as he prevented a counterattack. Either could be disastrous for Sam.
“You think you can come in here and terrify a bunch of peaceful sprites?” Dean snarled. “Threaten to cut their wings off and trap them in cages? This forest is under my protection.”
A flurry of leaves blew up around them as the wind kicked up.
Things on the side of the walk weren’t an unusual sight at all, especially in John’s part of town. There was always a little rubbish someone missed, toys or other belongings some kid might have dropped earlier in the day that got swept aside.
So when John noticed a small figure huddled against the wall, his gaze downturned thanks to the precipitation, he passed right by it with hardly a question.
A few steps away was a crossing, which had just turned in the direction that John wasn’t heading, so he shoved his hands in his pockets with a sigh and waited patiently for the light.
Boredom struck quickly, and curiosity brought his attention sliding back the way he’d come, to that strange figure in the snow. He didn’t understand why until he thought about it; whatever it was, was small enough to be a toy. But a fallen toy wouldn’t manipulate itself in such a position.
Curiosity won out, and with a glance back at the traffic lights, John meandered his way back to check out what was over there.
Frowning thoughtfully, John crouched down for a better look. He wasn’t around children often, but he’d never seen toys quite like these.
It seemed to be two figures, clinging to each other in the snow. Too lifelike to be simple playthings, and he couldn’t see any telltale joint mechanisms to allow for movement. Perhaps it was some kind of subtle art piece, a political statement maybe.
They looked an awful lot like kids.
John couldn’t quite tell. After a moment of thought, he took one hand out of his pocket and reached out to brush a bit of the thin layer of snow off this supposed street art.
Dean heard the footsteps returning after the most recent giant passed by. They shook the ground under him, how could he miss such rumbles?
Darting one glance towards the shadow he could see moving along the walkway, Dean pulled Sam closer, his arm protectively curled around his little brother’s body to keep him close. Whatever happened, he couldn’t afford to be split apart from Sam. After months in captivity, they’d escaped together, and had each other to rely on in a completely alien world from where they’d grown up. Dean refused to let Sam slip away from him after coming so far.
With the shadow rapidly approaching, it was for the best that Sam was out cold. There was even less of a chance that anyone would realize they were alive if they didn’t move, and the younger kid had less self-control than Dean.
The footsteps slowed and came to a stop about a foot away, and Dean saw the massive shape crouch down, looming over them both as the stranger leaned in to see them better. Shoes bigger than both brothers together crunched against the snow.
Dean stared up at the giant. Keen blue eyes looked them both over, vaguely interested and strangely piercing at the same time. He willed himself to keep still, trying so hard to avoid notice, but deep in his heart knew it was too late. Whoever this stranger was, he’d found them. If they were lucky, he’d pass them up as two broken toys on the street. If not… Dean hated to think of Sam back in that cage again.
His words from before, said to reassure Sam, were coming back to bite him as a hand reached for them.
For a short moment, Jacob didn’t realize the small voice was directed at him. The brothers had their own rapport, but he was still an outsider among them. He glanced away from the view out the window to find a tiny expectant look aimed his way, and his eyebrows went up.
“You’re giving everyone your pissy face,” Sam said under his breath, just loud enough for Dean to make out the words. He was still glowing from the awe he’d received from Jacob, able to feel the teenager’s eyes on him every step of the way while he climbed. Sam was impressed with himself for impressing the tallest person around. He didn’t want Dean scaring off Jacob.
Dean ignored Sam and stalked past Jacob. “We’re taking the Impala!” he said in annoyance. “I know the way.”
“… Alright,” Jacob replied. Dean’s actions caught him off guard a second time, blowing past him in his haste. He was glad Dean was so determined to get right to helping the sprites, and chose to think nothing of the attitude he was getting. Bowman had mentioned that Dean was an intense human, Jacob just hadn’t realized how intense.
Dean: “Sam, joints like this are only tourist traps, right? I mean, you know, balls rolling uphill, furniture nailed to the ceiling, they’re only dangerous to your wallet.”
Dean dropped a hand to the table, fingers idly pressing into the nicked wood surface. “I think it’s time to head there and check things out,” he decided.
Sam cast a glance over his shoulder at Jacob as he darted towards the hand Dean had left resting on the table for him. After so long spent with Dean, it was easy to recognize an “all aboard!” gesture. Hitching up his satchel, Sam bounded onto the back of Dean’s hand and began to scale up the muscular arm, taking advantage of handholds in the fabric that neither human could see.
Dean: "This is Dad’s single most valuable possession—everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he’s passed it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.”
Brothers Apart 