The Winchester boys had agreed to take me home, much to my discontent. I knew they were eager to get on their way and continue their search for their father. I kept pressing the boys to simply let me run home, knowing I could easily make it back in two days if I ran the whole way. I didn't want to be more bothersome than I already felt I was, especially now that I knew what their goal was. The brothers stubbornly refused.
So I pouted in the back seat, fur thoroughly ruffled from frustration. I couldn't help but feel that maybe they didn't trust me to go alone.
Sam had gently tried to drag me into the conversation between the brothers more than a few times. I talked with them for a few minutes before fading into the background. The boys would continue their banter and I listened with amusement, only for one or both of them to realize I had distanced myself again and try to pull me back in.
My mind was racing. I had only asked the boys a handful of questions about their parents and childhood before I deemed it as a lost cause. Dean was still sour over the event of their mother's death, even twenty-two years later, and I really didn't want to push him. I wondered what it was that had killed their mother - I didn't know of any monsters that could have done something like that, although my knowledge was fairly limited to the average monsters. Dennis had taught me plenty about them, but he certainly didn't specialize in anything too far above his pay grade.
I didn't particularly believe in higher powers. If God did exist, he certainly didn't care about anything that was happening on Earth. If he really loved creation, he would fix some of its problems, right? He was either absent, or nonexistent. Hands off.
I had never believed in higher powers, like gods, angels, demons, all that nonsense. It made no sense - but then again, neither did monsters. But, hearing about Sam's visions and their mother's death... I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I was wrong about the whole God thing too, and maybe everything else I thought I knew. I scowled at the memory of an unfamiliar voice whispering in my ear, deep in the woods.
"What do you think, Y/N?" came Sam's questioning voice. I jarred in my seat, nearly smacking my head against the window that I had been staring out of for what felt like hours. In reality, I had been in my own little world for about twenty minutes now.
I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to the younger Winchester. "What do I think about what?"
Sam chuckled softly before reopening his laptop. I waited patiently as he searched for whatever he wanted to show me. He finally managed to pull up an article and show it to me (after several glares from Dean).
It was a fairly simple article from a small town in Kentucky. Apparently several horse ranches in the area had lost some horses - they had been completely drained of blood. Authorities believed it was done by some sort of satanic worshipers. I shrugged and handed the laptop back to Sam. "Vampires."
Dean scoffed from the driver's seat and glanced at her from the rear view mirror. "Vampires are extinct, everyone knows that."
I quirked an eyebrow at him, knowing full well that probably wasn't true, considering how most hunters thought my own species was long dead. And even if it was, there were a lot different monsters out there -- there had to be another bloodsucking type. "OK... then what did you want my opinion on?"
"If we should go or not, obviously," Dean said, glancing at me once again from the rearview mirror. "Sam doesn't think it's worth it-"
"Whatever it is is feeding on livestock, Dean," Sam spoke up, glaring at his brother. "They aren't hurting anyone."
"The horses would beg to differ," countered Dean. "And who's to say it'll keep feeding on livestock? I say we check it out ourselves and finish anything before it starts."
Sam sighed and grumbled to himself. He quickly rubbed the side of his face and brushed away some hair out of frustration. Dean clung to the steering wheel with one hand, knuckles white. The two brothers sat in silence for a few uncomfortable moments before Sam turned back to me, my eyes quickly shifting between the two brothers.
"What do you think?"
I paused to gather my thoughts, mulling it over in my mind before looking back up at an expectant Sam.
"I think you should go."
"What?" Sam asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He sat back in his seat and scoffed. "Why?"
"It's not doing anything," she started, "so what's the harm in going? Worst case scenario, they feed off people too and you have to kill them. Best case scenario they don't cause any trouble, and you get to verify that." I looked at the rear view mirror to see Dean already watching me, a triumphant look plastered on his features.
"Great!" he said, his voice dripping with smugness. "Looks like we're going to Kentucky, after dropping you off."
"Or," I retorted, "you could just let me run back."
"There's no way you could run back in the time it takes us to drive you. We're like three and a half hours away."
"Why would I want to spend three more hours with you, when I can run it in five, maybe six?" Dean glared at her from the mirror, a smirk now resting on my features. He scowled, unamused.
"There's no way you can run that fast," he answered challengingly. I glared right back.
"Do you have any idea how fast wolves can run?"
"You're not a wolf."
"You're right. I'm better than a wolf."
Sam watched the whole display, a look of amusement on his features and all his previous frustrations gone. He knew I could run fast, but he didn't know the entirety of it.
The heated stares continued, only breaking it occasionally for Dean to look at the road again. The longer it continued, the more my smirk widened, watching him slowly crumble with curiosity. He growled in irritation before slowing the car down and angling towards the side of the road. I internally yipped with excitement and shot him a warm smile.
As soon as the car had come to a stop, I was out the door and making my way towards the trunk. I only brought a small backpack with me, all of my own weapons aside from a single knife and gun left at home. This one was tailored to fit to my back, even in my canine form.
Dean rolled down the driver-side window of the Impala and called out to me. I hurriedly grabbed my bag and stood beside the open window. "You know the way back to your place, right?" he asked, worry dancing in his eyes. I gave him a reassuring smile.
"Course I do. It's not far, and I know this road well. I'll follow it all the way back."
Sam leaned forward so I could see him from my place by the window. "Text us when you get there, OK?" He smiled warmly at me, not a hint of concern in his voice. My chest swelled with pride, knowing that he trusted me. Before Sam and Dean, and my new pack members, Dennis had been the only one to fully trust me. Not even my parents – though their distrust was for a good reason.
"Sure thing, Sammy!" I chirped elatedly, offering a little wave. Dean's brows furrowed more at the nickname and Sam chuckled, elbowing his brother jokingly. "I'll see you boys later!" I said cheerfully, swinging the bag onto my shoulders. And with that I was off, taking a few running steps before leaping into my fur. I launched forward into a dead sprint before my paws had scarcely touched the road. I turned and angled off the road, running just off to the side of it, cast in the shadows of the treelines.
I heard the purr of the Impala's engine behind me and yipped in delight, extending her stride. The boys would be on the same road as me for the next hour, roughly, before they would turn left towards Kentucky. In the meantime, I'd show them just how fast she could be.
Eat my dust, boys.
I heard Dean floor the accelerator, but it wouldn't help him now. As soon as I felt the rush of competition, a challenge, I knew he wouldn't catch me. All my fears, worries and insecurities flew out the window for a few blissful moments.
I held my pace despite my limbs already aching and my lungs longing for air. The pace would have been dizzying for any normal wolf, but like I told Dean, I'm not a wolf.
My paws felt like they were barely touching the ground, like I was almost running on air. I could hardly feel the bushes and tall grass raking against my dark fur. I howled as I heard the Winchester boys slowly approaching - I could stay ahead of them for a while longer, at least until my legs gave out. I may not beat them to their turn towards Kentucky, but I could damn well try.
---
I didn't beat them, much to my dismay. When Dean finally passed I managed to catch a glimpse of both their faces: Dean, looking smug and triumphant, a smirk plastered on his lips and eyebrows furrowed concentration, and Sam, looking absolutely terrified, both hands on the dash as if to stabilize himself. I had yipped at them as they passed and immediately began to slow until they disappeared from view.
I padded along the side of the road, tired and only about an hour and twenty minutes from home. I planned to take the next ten to twenty minutes to catch my breath before sprinting the last bit home.
I sighed to myself and hung my head a bit. I was tired and my lungs felt like they were going to burst, despite my short rest. I coughed and stopped walking, momentarily pausing in my journey.
The evening light was waning, with the sun halfway disappearing behind the tall trees. It would set rather quickly soon. From my current location I wouldn't be able to see the sunset. I would only see the pink clouds bursting around the trees. Disappointment filled me as I watched the sky, thinking that a beautiful sunset might be the perfect end to an otherwise beautiful day.
I watched the sun slowly set for a few minutes, letting my thoughts run rampant. A strange noise moved quietly through the woods and I jumped at the sound, hair standing on end. I peered into the woods, ears pricked for any other sounds and eyes sharp, looking for any sign of movement.
A whisper.
That was what caught my attention. I didn't think my ears could stand any higher, but upon hearing that familiar word, they did.
Come.
I huffed and turned away from the woods, taking a few steps down the road. I only quickened her pace upon hearing more whispers, fully determined to leave them behind.
See.
My determination began to crumble. I stopped and looked back towards the woods again, curiosity blooming. Was it really talking to me? What was I supposed to see? I had never experienced anything like this before, and whether is was my own imagination or one of those supernatural entities too far above my uncle's paygrade had curiosity bubbling inside me.
With renewed determination, I began to walk into the woods.
---
I could have been home already. I walked through the woods for what felt like hours, though it was clearly just over one. The sun had dipped behind the trees and twilight was now settling around me. Every moment that I stopped walking, I could hear the woodland life come alive. Mostly frogs in all honesty - they were quite noisy. They immediately stopped their croaking when I began to move again.
I paused once more to survey my surroundings. Perhaps I was just tired and hadn't heard anything at all-
My ears pricked at the sound of voices. Not whispers like I had heard before, but actual voices belonging to actual people.
Thank God, chasing some weird-ass whisper was pissing me off.
I followed the source of the voices through the woods and came across a house. It was an old cabin with a rusted pickup out front. A large stack of firewood by a blue tarp next to the house and an old, rickety rocking chair sat on the front porch. There were no lights on inside.
Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. A shadow was moving alongside the house, but I couldn't tell quite what it was. The overhand of the roof blurred the outline.
A yip was heard somewhere off to my right and I turned my head to look for the sound. My eyes settled on another shape moving through the woods towards the house. It yipped again.
A light flickered on in the house, likely coming from a lamp as the glow was rather dim. I could see the silhouette of a man in the window, surveying his property. Eventually, after a few long moments he left the window, but the light stayed on.
The figure to my right had advanced towards the front porch. I saw that the first figure was now on the porch and creeping towards the door. I could now fairly clearly see what it was. A blonde canine, although I couldn't tell what kind in the haziness. It stopped on the porch and sat back on its haunches, waiting for its companion.
The pair nodded to each other when the second reached the porch. The second figure was a chocolate brown canine, much smaller than the blonde one. The brown one bumped its shoulder against the blonde's hip. The blonde growled and nodded to the door.
The darker animal stood straighter, shook out it's fur, rolled it's shoulders and-
- turned into a man.
I watched in shock as he reached for a knife on his hip, one that I had only just noticed. I stood petrified as he reached for the handle, mind racing as to what I should do. It wasn't until he sought to turn the door handle of the unlocked door that I reacted.
I leapt forward and released a growl, skidding to a stop on a pile of dead leaves in front of the porch. The two skinwalkers turned to me and the blonde growled right back. The man who had shifted stood between the two, looking back and forth with a mixed expression of surprise and fear.
The blonde bounced forward to meet my snarl and bared his fangs. His vibrant green eyes were filled with rage.
I roared at them and took a step forward, snarling viciously and despite the lack of words it clearly communicated what I was thinking.
What the hell are you doing?
2480 words.
Edited 04/25/22.