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Dean remembered when he and Sam first hunted by themselves. It was a cold day in December, a few weeks out from Christmas. Their Dad was off on a major hunt with Bobby while he and Sam stayed behind in a cheap motel.

The hunt was born out of necessity as a spirit had found its way into the motel lodge and was terrorizing everyone who was staying there. He couldn’t remember why it haunted or particularly cared since they were protected behind salt lines and charms.

In the end Sam convinced him that they should go after the ghost and try to find out where it was buried. Torn between keeping Sam safe and getting rid of the ghost he opted to stay. His first and foremost job was Sam but his little brother had the stubborn Winchester genes and headed out anyway. Dean had no choice but to go after him with their hunting gear.

After a few enquires from the motel manager they discovered the history of the lodge and suspect why the ghost was haunting the place. Trudging through snow they found the cemetery where the ghost’s body was. Dean ended up digging the hard cold icy ground as Sam stood watch with the rock salt shot gun.

Usually they would do this with their father but he wasn’t there. It was them two, in the middle of the freezing night and in the heart of a cemetery. He proceeded to salt and pour kerosene on the rotting skeleton. The ghost appeared at the last second just as he was about to strike the match, mad and ugly as hell.

Thanks to Sam’s quick reflexes he shot the ghost before it had the chance to attack. He was secretly proud of him, knowing he taught his little brother these things more than their father ever did. He proceeded to burn the corpse and get back to the safe and warm motel, where their father happened to arrive at that moment too.

Dean shook his head and exited the Impala remembering how mad their father was for leaving the hotel, how Sam opted to take the blame instead of him. John punished them both anyway.

He moved towards the trunk and opened, slipping the secret compartment down, giving them a range of weapons to choose from. He felt Sam’s presence beside him as he started to pick up a few rifles.

He knew from that day forward that he wanted to hunt with Sam. Sure hunting with their Dad was ok but not much fun. It’s usually Dad gives orders and Dean carried them through but with Sam it was more of a partnership or a team. He knew he could always count on Sam and Sam could count on him.

“Does Dad know where the Black Dog’s den is?” Sam asked snapping him out of his thoughts

“No just the area it’s been hunting” Dean replied as he finally chose a rifle and moved back so Sam could choose his, “It’s the classic track and kill. Good ol’ fashion hunting, supernatural style”

Sam rolled his eyes but gave a small smile as he picked up his own rifle and a few other knives and ammunition, for the journey. Dean filled his rifle with iron bullets, knowing it one of the few things that could kill the creature.

“You know finding a Black Dog is really hard and it usually keeps to itself” Sam mentioned

Dean cocked his head and smirked, “Like I said. Good ol’ fashion hunting, supernatural style”

Sam shook his head, “Still I’m not sure about this. Black Dogs don’t really go for people”

“Come on, Sammy, you know as well as I do people are starting to clear the land here to build their white picket fence houses” he was half tempted to roll his eyes

“It’s Sam, and I know it just feels like something is off…”

He saw the doubt in his brother’s eyes.

“What? Do you want to let it run free killing people?” Dean said seriously

“No”

“Well then let’s go!”

Dean decided to lead the way knowing his little brother would follow. Dean didn’t like this hunt much either. As usual Sam was right Black Dogs usually keep to themselves but will attack when people intrude on their territory. It depended on what kind of Black Dog it was and what folklore you’re reading.

He entered the woodlands, the night air was alive with cricket chirps and nocturnal bird calls. It was a subtle background noise, as they’re made their way quietly; carefully treading and avoiding unnecessary movements or noise.

Dean went hunting with his Father once in looking for a Black Dog. His father had hunted some in the past when they were young. He remembered what his father taught him in tracking and hunting the menacing creatures.

So he looked for signs that to the untrained eye would miss, tracks, disturbed shrubbery and claw marks. The problem was that it was quite a vague way to track a supernatural beast since those kinds of marks could be left by typical woodland animals. He supposed that was why Black Dogs were almost a myth since they were hardly seen and they don’t leave much of a trail.

He was mindful of Sam’s presence behind him; he was on guard and ready. Darkness blanketed them but they pierced though with their torchlight and while moonlight gave an eerie glow to the place. Dean began to wonder if it was such a good idea to track it down at night. The last time he and Dad tracked it around dusk whilst there was still some light from the sun. He knew that the Black Dog hunted at night and it’s nearly impossible to find its den, even if it was often told they hung around ruins and large manors.

He was relieved Sam did all this research before hand and sifted though folklore and fact. He only knew how to track down and kill these things with iron bullets.

Dean heard a scuffling noise and cocked his gun and torch towards the noise. An owl blinked back at them annoyed rather than threatened. Dean looked at Sam, who also had his rifle pointed at the creature, before lowering his weapon.

Suddenly there was a short sliding of leaves before a heavy force ploughed into knocking the air from his lungs.

“DEAN!!” he heard his name followed by a low growl by his ear

His mind soon realized the beast they were hunting was right on top of him. He opened his eyes in the pitch blackness, his torch lost in his fall. In the pale moonlight he saw its gnashing white teeth, it blazing red eyes filled with fury. He had never been a dog person and after staring into those hellish eyes he didn’t really think he would ever be.

The dog opened its jaw as Dean fumbled in the pitch blackness for his weapon. Suddenly a shot rang out and the large dog yelped before jumping off him. He heard a reloaded and another fire but it was met with silence. Dean puffed, a little shaken by the surprise attack but was alright.

“Dean!”

He turned to find Sam rush up to him. Dean held out his arm and Sam instantly grabbed it and hauled him up.

“You alright?” he asked

Dean nodded bushing himself puffing, “Son of a bitch jumped me!”

He looked at Sam who had a small sad smile on his face and wondered what was wrong. Before he could ask his brother’s attention was drawn away. Dean knew that the dog would come back and he was weaponless. He had to find his gun quickly but he wasn’t going to leave his brother unprotected.

“Sam, help me find the rifle” Dean almost commanded

Sam’s attention snapped back to him before nodding. Using Sam’s torch they found his torch a few feet away from them. The torch was busted and so they were down to one light in the darkness. However it unnerved him to be weaponless on a hunt.

“Do you here that?” Sam whispered

“Hear what?” Dean asked

“Exactly, it’s silent”

Dean stood motionless his ears picking up silence, except for the tetanus that constantly rang in his ears due to his loud music exposure. Dean wondered if it was because of their shooting but even then the forest would still make some noise.

Then a small noise came from behind. They both turned as a black shadow charged into them a lightning speed. Dean couldn’t help but fall to his ass again, his mind flooded with worry for Sam as he saw his brother go down as well. The shadow disappeared and only to reappear in front of him, its red eyes gleaming. Knowing he had no weapon he scuffled back and scrambled to get onto his feet but the dog was quicker, grabbing his leg.

He let out a yell as he could feel its canine teeth puncture into his flesh. The darkness pressed all around him as he tried to get away from the creature.

“DEAN!”

Another gunshot ran through the silent blackness. The dog let go and disappeared. He looked at the only light source which was Sam’s flashlight. It lay discarded on the ground.

“Sam?”

A rapid growling bark erupted somewhere in front of him. He heard Sam yelp and the dull clank of a rifle lost. Fear surged through him.

“SAM!!” He hollered struggling to get up and help his brother

His leg protested at the movement shooting pain up from his leg, he gritted his teeth and sucked in air to strangle the cry that would’ve left his lips.

“SAM?”

Silence met him which scared him more. His eyes searched uselessly as he gritted his teeth and struggled to pull himself forward, towards the discarded flashlight. He heard growling and scuffling.

“SAM?”

“DEAN!”

Dean finally reached the flashlight and pointed at Sam’s general voice direction. The light reflected off black mattered fur. The dog was on top of Sam, growling, completely pinning him to the ground. Dean knew how heavy the dog was and quickly scanned around for the rifle.

I’ll be damned if I loose him now! His mind screamed

He willed himself to stand but his leg throbbed and protested violently. Adrenalin coursed though his system as he crawled towards Sam. If he couldn’t find the rifle he would kill the dog himself! He’ll kill it with his bare hands if he had to, to save Sam.

He heard grunting and groaning from Sam, he looked up to see him trying to fight off the snapping jaws. Fear washed over him and froze him in place as Sam’s efforts relented and his neck was encased in the dog’s mouth.

That moment stopped for him. The image burned into his mind. The death of his brother was imminent. His heart plummeted into despair and helplessness. His body froze with cold fear as his throat tightened suffocating.

It was over.

Dean blinked and saw the dog backing away. He blinked again and saw his brother gasping. Another blink and saw Sam’s freaked out expression, but he was alive.

Alive.

Dean’s heart flooded with joy. His sudden grief was turned to relief and suddenly found himself breathless. He looked towards the dog knowing it was still a threat but it was still backing away. Its burning red eyes were dull and full of fear and it was looking at Sam.

It whimpered and whined, its ears flattened against its black silk body. Sam sat up as the creature continued to back away until it suddenly yelped. Then fell unceremoniously to the ground, its eyes lost its red tinge. Dean blinked, he found himself letting out a breath he had been holding.

In his worry Dean looked towards Sam, mentally assessing his injuries, which to his relief he had none. Perhaps some bruises from being knocked around but nothing to write home about. His eyes flickered to his neck seeing red circles where the canine had come close to piercing his flesh.

He looked up at Sam’s face and saw the pure shock. Sam looked at him, recovering somewhat, his eyes squinting in the torchlight.

“Dean” he gasped as he got up and scrambled over to his side.

“I’m fine” Dean rasped

“Yeah right, come on!” Sam muttered pulling his arm over his shoulder

Dean accepted the help knowing there was no way he was going to walk on his own and he had no idea the extent of the injury he suffered in the dark.

It was a slow walk back to the car as pain kept shooting up his leg. He gritted his teeth and sucked air to strangle most noises and when the pain was too intense he let out a growl. He noticed that Sam said nothing, but readjusted himself every so often and went as fast or as slow when needed. He mentally realized that Sam was about his height if not taller now. The brief useless thought took him away from the pain that spasm from his leg. So in a cloudy haze he let his mind wonder and put his movements on autopilot.

Dean was still processing what just happened, not that he wasn’t grateful for the Black Dog being dead, but to fall dead so suddenly was unusual. He wasn’t sure to put it down to Supernatural unusual or just a normal unusual.

He noticed how quiet Sam was. He would usually murmur some encouragement or give a grunt from time to time but he was completely silent. He knew it was to do with the Black Dog attack just then. Sam was so close to dying that his heart filled with dread at that thought. He suddenly didn’t really care how the dog died, as long it was dead and away from them but he knew his was far from over. His brother was going to find out what and why it happened and most likely drive him up the wall, but in the end it would probably be worth finding out.

He sighed gratefully as he eased into the seat of his beloved Impala. The familiar scent of leather filled his nostrils giving him a sense of relief. He eased his leg in and the door shut beside him. Ten seconds later the driver side opened and Sam slid into the seat.

Sam glanced worriedly at him before turning the ignition and reversing down the one way track.

Sam sewed the last stitches in Dean’s leg. He often heard sharp intakes of breath knowing the pain he was causing his brother. He gave Dean some pain killers, the strongest they had but they obviously weren’t enough against this. Still Sam focused what he needed to do, knowing the sooner he had done this better off Dean will be.

“Done” he announced as he finished up

“About time!” Dean whined, “Do you know how heavy handed you are?”

“Do you know how much you whine when you’re injured” Sam shot back

“Not as much as you. Remember when you got your foot injured on the ghost hunt…” Dean smirked

“My foot really did hurt!” Sam defended

Dean snorted, “You didn’t even have any fractures”

“Shut up, jerk” Sam muttered as he stood up

“Whatever, bitch” Dean retorted

Sam moved off the couch and decided to bring the rest of their gear from their car. He knew Dean was useless with his leg injury for the moment so he didn’t mind bring in all their junk himself. He stole a glance at Dean, who was now sitting comfortably on an old rental couch watching TV.

He left the house and headed towards the car. His mind swirled with the events of tonight. He rubbed his throat and instinctively swallowing knowing how close he was to having his throat torn out and being mauled to pieces.

He didn’t know what had happened. The Black Dog was smart enough to use the element of surprise and knock them both out of the count. He managed to shoot it once when it was on top of Dean but the second time it ravaged Dean’s leg and jumped him.

It seemed he could get jumped by dogs too.

Dean’s leg was a total mess of blood and flesh. With morbid fascination he cleaned it up and saw the long raking bite mark as if it was taking a chomp our of his brother’s calf muscle. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to fix it but Dean insisted on no hospitals so he painstakingly sewed it all together. He can’t remember how many stitches, he wasn’t really counting. He was focused on keeping his mind on the task and not to drift off into his thoughts.

He grabbed their gear from the trunk, made sure the car was locked before heading back inside. Relieved the hunt was over he put their gear away, he glance over to the clock, it was almost eleven. He looked over to Dean as he channel surfed before landing on a re-run of “The Knight Rider”. His brother had a calm but hard expression. He knew Dean was still recovering from what had happened to night, and it wasn’t his leg injury. Sam saw the fear in Dean’s eyes when the dog pulled away and quite frankly it scared him also.

He knew Dean was only human but in his mind he always grew up with the notion that his big brother and his father were indestructible, until the day you realize that they’re not and your childish notions fly out the window.

Still he never wanted cause his brother such distress and thus always hidden things from him.

Seeing that his brother was monetarily comfortable, he decided to shower then see if Dean needed anything and head off to bed.

It was pure relief when he climbed into the shower. He watched the dirt and blood swirl into the shower drain, his thoughts replaying the night over and over. He was so scared when the dog attacked Dean the first time. All he wanted to do was shoot the thing and kill it but it survived and came at them again. Hearing Dean cry out in pain scared him even more. He tried to shoot the dog again but he missed.

The Black Dog blended in so well into the darkness that it was almost impossible to see other than its glowing red eyes.

His injuries burned under the hot water. They were only scrapes and minor cuts. His neck burned the most, reminding him the near miss of a very gruesome attack. He could remember feeling fearful and angry throughout the whole ordeal. As he rubbed the soap over his lanky body as his mind’s eye replayed the fear in the Black Dog’s eyes. At one moment it was rapid and the next it was backing away from him, whining. Sam didn’t know what to think at the time but now he was beginning to wonder.

Why was the dog cowering away in fear? In fear of him?

He also noticed how the dog fell dead. It yelped before collapsing as if something happened and ended its life, as if its very heart stopped suddenly.

His mind swirled with confusion. He had to know what had caused this, why the Black Dog fell dead. He was grateful that it did happen but Black Dogs don’t just fall dead, he was sure of it.

Suddenly weary he turned the shower off and dried himself. After changing into his night clothes he entered the lounge room to check on Dean. Dean was snoring softly, his head rolled back on the couch, his legs stretched out on the coffee table while the TV blared quietly as colors danced on his skin.

He turned off the TV and headed toward his room. His mind numb and tired he sank on his rickety second-hand bed and lay down. Sleep claimed him as soon as his head hit the pillow.

To Be Continued...

Wow thats an eventful night. With Dean injured and a Black Dog suddenly dying something has go to be up...
More Action and Danger coming up!

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