Gender: Female Age: 110 Sign:
Capricorn Country: United States
Signup Date: October 28, 2012
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11/02/2012 03:33 PM
Just A World Away
This is a completed story that was deleted when the original Supernatural Blog page was hacked. We have reposted the story here. It reads from top to bottom.
Dracora sat at the mouth of her cavern. Her snow white scales blended in with the fresh snowfall that had fallen during the night. Normally Dracora enjoyed first snowfall. The snow that blanketed the forest and the mountain top smelled and felt so fresh to her. But a new scent overlayed the new snow this morning. "Zendle...." she growled to her self.
Zendle was a minor demon, so he was more annoying than dangerous to her. He wasn't even powerful enough to control a host body. He always wandered through her forest in his own form. Dracora had long ago made it her business to keep him out of her forest. He not only smelled bad, he had a disgusting habit of feeding on the naiads of the forest. Without it's naiads, the forest would die. Dracora felt compelled to protect the defenseless little fey creatures.
Dracora sighed. She couldn't navigate well in the forest in her current form. Ice dragons were much too large. She shimmered as she shifted into her forest dragon form. Her body shrunk, and her scales deepened in color becoming the color of the green leaves. She was only slightly larger than a large human now, and she could travel without knocking down the precious trees. It took only moments to track down the rank little demon. When she came upon him he was holding a wriggling screaming naiad. Dracora wrapped her tail around the awful creature and shook him till he dropped the naiad. The naiad scrambled quickly back to her tree where she instantly disappeared.
"What have I told you about eating naiads in my forest, you smelly little shit!?" Dracora roared into his face spewing toxic fumes up his nostrils. "One day I will find a way to destroy you permanently."
"This is not that day. Well done, Zendle." Zendle cackled and disappeared.
Dracora whirled to face the new voice and froze. "How did you find me?" The demon that stood before her was very familiar. She had seen him once before, thirty years ago when he had been summoned by the traitor Grako and compelled to murder her family.
"It wasn't easy. Note that it has taken me thirty years. You hid well, Your Majesty." The demon grinned. "But I have you now."
"I am much stronger than I was thirty years ago. I am not the juvenile I was then." Dracora shimmered and grew slightly. Her scales turned crystaline and blue. "I will not be easy to kill, and this time I am not going to run from you." A tree fell where the razor sharp scales that covered her had sliced it.
"It would be such a pleasure to put that to the test, Dracora. But sadly, I didn't come here to kill you. Grako isn't as clever as he would like to believe. He forgets that if I kill you the royal line reverts to the Graco name. If he wants to avoid a death battle then you must remain alive." The red skinned demon waved his hand to the side of Dracora. The patch of forest to her left altered. The trees became leagues of flat land. Swathes of tall golden grain covered the landscape. She glanced over to her right. The forest remained as she had always known it. "But we really can't have you anywhere near the throne. So I have made arrangements."
Dracora inhaled quickly and shot a hot bolt of lightning at the demon. She didn't know what the place was that the demon had shown her, but she knew it wasn't home, and she had no intention of going anywhere. The demon laughed as he blocked the bolt with a bare hand and then deftly turned it back on Dracora. It tore a fiery hole in her left wing, and she grunted. The pain was as sharp as the scales it covered. She roared and shifted into ice dragon form. Several trees crackled and fell. She heard the terrified little naiads scrambling to climb different trees. She exhaled covering the demon in a thick layer of icy frost. He shook it off. The ice tinkled almost merrily as it fell to the forest floor.
Dracora looked at the strange landscape and felt fear for the first time since she had watched her parents and siblings die. She did not know what place it was. She suspected it was a portal to some other world. If he managed to push her through she had no idea if or how she could return to her own world. And she saw no mountains, no place for a dragon to hide. The demon grimaced and made an odd tossing gesture with his hand. She smelled starfire and attempted to shift into her moon dragon form, the only form that could absorb the power and remain uninjured.
She almost made it. The starfire struck her full on her open right side instantly stopping her transformation. She felt several wing bones snap. Both wings were now injured and useless, and she couldn't transform through the pain. The demon laughed maniacally. "There are hunters in that world, Dracora. They have never seen a dragon. Their world has none. Might be hard for you to fit in there, but you can always use your noble charm. I wonder what those hunters will think of you, Your Majesty." Another starfire bolt punched into her and she felt two ribs break. Her humungous body was lifted into the air and flung through the portal. She heard his malevolent laughter following her through the portal.
She landed in the middle of the golden grain and slid for a long moment. She stopped and looked up just in time to see the portal close. Her world winked out. She tried to stand and immediately collapsed. She turned her muzzle to the sky as she roared in pain. Her frosty breath shot into the night sky. Two large dry lightning bolts lit up the night sky where the portal had been. She dropped her muzzle to the ground. She was stranded in this spot until she had healed enough to stay on her feet.
There were lights in the near distance. It had to be a human settlement. The demon had been honest about one thing. There were no dragon kin in this world. She would have sensed them immediately. She longed desperately for the safety of her cavern, but no doubt the demon had found that too. She felt vulnerable in a way she never had in her young life. She wanted to transform into her human aspect, but her injuries would certainly become fatal if she did so. She had no choice. She crouched as low to the ground as she could hoping the tall grass would hide her, as long as no one noticed the large depression where she had landed. Her eyes twirled madly in her pain and fear. She closed them and allowed herself to sink into a healing doze.
Sam Winchester
Sammy was on a mission from God. Or Gawd as the Baptist preachers liked to say �round these parts in Hobart, Oklahoma. This was Big Sky Bible Belt country, geographically as unremarkable and flat as a pool table, but on the Winchester demonic activity meter, Hobart was as craggy and fiery as that Baptist preacher�s Sunday sermon. Bobby had called them, told them to get their collective butts down here pronto, if not sooner. Hobart, which was normally about as bland as biscuits and gravy, was currently like demon Grand Central Station, a virtual inharmonic convergence of the virtuously challenged. So Sammy, Dean, Nikki, and Faith had climbed in the Impala and quick like bunnies had made the two-day drive down from Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Sammy peered over the steering wheel at the pregnant belly of the sky, which hung low and gray and fat, ready to break water and give birth to a deluge. Storms seemed to follow the Winchesters around like a pack of stray dogs.
But back to the mission from Gawd. It wasn�t really God, it was Nikki. But close enough. Nikki could be as demanding as the Almighty when she was hungry. So Sammy had been given the assignment of rounding up some pizza. The guy at the hotel desk, who bore a creepy resemblance to Norman Bates � complete with the goofy school boy smile that under the surface said �just wait until you�re in the shower� � had directed Sam down the road to Zappo�s Zippy Pizza. Best pizza in Hobart. The only pizza in Hobart.
Sam pulled the Impala into Zappo�s parking lot, the gravel crunching under the car�s tires. Norman�s recommendation seemed to be born out, as the parking lot was nearly full � crew cab pickups and duelies mostly, with a few rusted and battered sedans thrown in the mix. But it was all Detroit � no Toyota Priuses or Honda Civics in Hobart. Zappo�s was surrounded by corn fields, which in the late afternoon gloom looked a little ominous. Anything could hide in those miles of 10-foot tall stalks. Sam recalled a movie he and Dean had watched once on a 19-inch TV in some sleazy motel (it was always a sleazy motel) � The Children of the Corn. At one point the main protagonist wanders into a corn field and finds his wife strapped to a cross with barbed wire, her eyes ripped out and her mouth stuffed with corn husks. Phantom spiders crawled along the nape of Sammy�s neck as he got out of the Impala, jammed his hands into the pockets of his Army surplus coat, and headed for the door of the pizza joint. Off in the distance, thunder rumbled.
The inside of Zappo�s was surprisingly cheery. The crooning, twangy voice of Hank Williams drifted from the jukebox speakers, taking the form of some pseudo-gospel scolding about �wealth won�t save your soul�. To the left was a bar counter populated with guys who looked like an assemblage of farmers, truck drivers, and factory workers, and women who no doubt could hold their own in a fight with one of the demons frequenting these parts. The rest of the place was crowded with mostly empty tables; it seemed as though most folks were drinking their way through the late afternoon instead of eating pizza. Ordering Zappo�s extra large, deluxe pizza with six toppings was a breeze, and sooner than Sam would have imagined, he was walking out the door with a warm pizza box in his hands, the wondrous odors enticing his olfactory senses. But outside the air was as still as death and the sudden, preternatural silence after the hubbub of Zappo�s had an expectant quality. As if on cue, the voice of faraway thunder murmured followed by a blinding flash and a crackling in the sky to the south. The clouds seemed to have belched something out, or perhaps it was better described as something ripping at that pregnant cloud layer, inducing birth via a crude cesarean section. That lightning flash robbed Sam of his ability to fully discern what had tumbled out of that tear in the sky, but whatever it was landed in the corn, and landed hard with a loud �whumph� followed by either more insistent thunder or a roar.
Sammy opened the Impala�s passenger door and placed the pizza box on the seat, then without regard for mannequin-eyed, pale children or wives stuffed with corn husks, Sam Winchester crossed the two-lane asphalt road and pushed his way into the corn.
Dracora
The smells were different. Dracora smelled the raw odor of the black sticky pools that dotted her world. It seemed more diffuse here as it floated through the air. She had been unable to doze. Her fear of this strange and odd smelling world kept her on edge. It would take so much more time to heal if she didn't achieve the healing sleep she needed. It could mean the difference between several hours and several days. But she smelled something else, something that made her very hesitant to be unconscious and vulnerable. She smelled demons. She didn't think red skin was one of them. Never-the-less there were definitely demons on this world too. And some of them were very close. She had to remain alert and vigilant, which meant no sleep. Which meant slow healing and no transformations yet.
The sky was covered in dark angry clouds. It was nearing dusk. She had mistakenly believed it to be night time when she landed, but all her senses had been confused. The cloud cover had effectively mislead her. Her concern grew even more intense. The grain around her was flattened for nearly a quarter of a league. That would not go unnoticed for very long. She let out a long sigh and her frosty breath encased the grain around her. It crackled as the weight of the ice collapsed each stalk. "Take care, Dracora." she muttered to herself. "No need to draw attention to yourself."
In the distance to her left she saw the grain move. The air was still. Not even a small breeze blew. The grain still moved. Something or someone was walking through it, and he/she/it was not trying to disguise it's passage. That couldn't be good. Dracora lifted her muzzle and inhaled deeply. She smelled a human. Human's were preferable to demons, but they did have a tendency to react without much thought. The bones of nine would-be dragon slayers rested at the back of her cavern attesting to that. She disliked killing humans. They were a sentient, if short-lived, species. Grako and his minions were only too happy to slay the humans on her world. She did not know of the human temperament here. She could only hope that the one that approached was not a dragon slayer. That could make this first meeting very awkward. She did not want to begin her search in this world by killing a human. With the exception of dragon slayers, Dracora quite liked humans. They were intelligent funny little creatures. Dragons had achieved a strong alliance with humans on her own world. It had lasted for many millennia until thirty years ago when the evil came to power.
Lightning arced across the sky. Two seconds later the thunder rumbled. Dracora did not like the thought of being trapped in the rain in her present aspect. The rain would stick to her frosty scales eventually becoming uncomfortably heavy. If she could transform to a black smoker or a grey steamer the rain would evaporate before landing on her scales making her impervious to the wet weather. This was already turning into a miserable experience for her, and she hadn't even begun to attempt to find a way home.
The moving grain had come considerably closer. This was not random. Whoever it was, he or she was headed straight for her. She rested her muzzle against the ground and watched for the human to finally emerge. Her broken bones ached, and she inadvertantly allowed a small draconic rumble to escape. If that didn't scare the human away then she was stuck. She couldn't communicate in human speech unless she also assumed the human form. She couldn't assume the human form until she had healed beyond the point where her injuries would be fatal to the human form. Apparantly the human was not to be deterred. The movement in the grain didn't falter.
Sam Winchester
The air smelled like rain waiting to happen. But there was also a dusty grass smell among the corn stalks, plus something else � a chemical odor. Probably pesticides. They�d noticed crop dusters flying low over the corn fields east of Hobart when they were coming into town earlier this afternoon. Sam sneazed and wondered briefly about adverse reactions.
One could easily get turned around in this sea of corn stalks, so Sam was navigating with the scant and subtle shadows provided by the cloudy, late afternoon light. The west sides of the corn stalks were a little better lit than the east sides. He was also creating a trail behind him where he�d crashed through the corn. As long as he kept the shadows to his left and he could see at least a trace of a trail behind him, he knew he was heading more or less south towards whatever had crash landed out here.
This was probably stupid, and the pizza was getting cold sitting there on the passenger seat of the Impala. Nikki would not be pleased. Plus, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. As he�d postulated before, anything could be out here in this corn field, he was alone, and the only weapon he had was his 9 mm � which was a good deterrent for people, but was often inadequate for stopping demons. He pushed through a particularly dense stand of stalks just as lightning crackled overhead, flushing a flock of 30 or more blackbirds into the afternoon sky right over Sam�s head, scaring the living shit out of him. His heart flip-flopped a few times before resuming its steady beat. �Shit.�
Something grumbled or rumbled. Like the stomach of the Jolly Green Giant after eating a dozen Big Macs instead of his usual fare of canned green beans and creamed corn. Sam stopped and listened. A car door slammed, probably in the parking lot of Zappo�s, and a few early bird crickets were beginning their nighttime warbling, but nothing else stirred. As if in sympathy to the Giant, Sam�s own stomach rumbled. That pizza had smelled awfully good, and he hadn�t eaten anything since this morning.
In another 10 feet he pushed through into a clearing; well, the corn wasn�t cleared per se, it had been laid flat. His jaw dropped when he saw what had created that adhoc landing strip amidst the corn. Not 30 feet away was a massive, white dragon. Its basketball-sized eye had its jeweled gaze fixed on him. He should have run for his life, but it was like his feet were cemented to the ground.
Dracora
The human didn't carry a sword. That was a very good sign. Nor was he wearing the funny metal suit that dragon slayers seemed to prefer.He stood frozen, his mouth gaping wide, and stared at her. Dracora needed to find a way to communicate with the human. He looked frightened. If he ran in fear he might well bring back other humans, and she couldn't allow that. He stood half a tail length to her left at the very edge of the frosty mist that was her pained and labored breathing. His feet were becoming covered in a layer of frost. She couldn't allow him to be injured. He might think it a challenge and respond in kind.
Dracora gingerly shifted her head and muzzle closer to the human. Her icy exhalations now traveled behind him. The frost melted from his feet. Her tail lay stretched out at her right side. She shifted it behind and around herself as she brought it to her left. The grain stalks fell in the circular pattern that her tail had created. This time she didn't worry about drawing attention, as it was obviously too late. Now she concentrated on finding a way to communicate her benevolent intentions. With the tip of her tail she quickly cleared the ground between the two of them flinging the fallen grain behind herself. She smoothed the soil between them and quickly made two crude sketches. The first was the human sigil, and the second was the draconic sigil. She didn't know if he would recognize the sigils. Some humans did not, and this was a different world. But she had to try.
With the very tip of her tail she gently tapped him in mid torso and then tapped the human sigil. She then tapped the side of her own head and tapped the dragon sigil. She repeated each gesture for emphasis then drew a line connecting the two sigils. She tucked her tail against the side of her body and blinked at him. She wished he would speak to her. Though she couldn't speak human in a draconic form, she could still understand it. There was of course no way to alert him to that. It didn't matter anyway. Without the ability to respond to him, he couldn't know that she understood. It was a quandary.
Unable to contain their heavy burden, the bloated storm clouds finally released their sodden payload. The rain gushed down in a sudden deluge, the wall of water sweeping across her icy scales. The water that touched her froze instantly. The added weight pressed against her broken bones. She shook her body and the ice broke from her scales and slid down her body to the ground. But it was a battle she knew she couldn't win. Another layer of ice quickly replaced what she had shed. She shook this off as well, but she knew she wouldn't have the energy to continue to do so. The pain was becoming excrutiating, and she moaned as the weight pressed down even harder against her injuries. She wondered if she would die in this spot covered in a layer of thick ice that her own body had produced. 'What an ignominious way to go.' she thought to herself.
Though the human was also drenched, he seemed not to notice. He continued to watch her. She knew now that she would have to attempt to transform before she was completely healed. But she had to wait till her ribs had healed. Her human form could not tolerate such an injury and still survive. Even then she wasn't certain she would succeed. Transformation was not possible when pain reached a certain level. The injuries to her wings could still prevent her from shifting aspects. She lifted her muzzle and bugled her pain and frustration at the weeping storm clouds. She found herself panting when her muzzle reconnected to the ground in front of her.
Between bouts of screaming at him to bolt, Sammy�s mind was racing to collate all the tidbits of information he knew about dragons, which wasn�t much. The Winchesters had never encountered a dragon. Sam had filed the dragons away into the �legends� category along with things like fairy princesses, the Grinch, and the seven dwarves. The most he knew about dragons was from fantasy novels and movies. There was that Sean Connery movie with the wise old dragon. The dragon in Shrek. Eragon and the dragon riders. If those meant anything, which they probably didn�t, not all dragons were bad. This one was definitely big enough to eat him, what with that mouth full of Tyrannosaurus Rex teeth, or squash him flat like a bug, but still Sam stood here, tempting fate. Was he waiting to see if the dragon would take him for a ride? Or was the creature mesmerizing him with that jeweled gaze?
The creature�s breath was icy. Not a fire breather, apparently. But perhaps it could freeze a person into an icy statue, which would be just as bad. Then the beast did something unexpected. It swept an area clean with its tail and wrote symbols there in the powdery dirt. They were runes or glyphs of some sort that Sam didn�t recognize. Then, not once, but twice, it used its tail to point to the runes and then itself and then Sam. That tail tip plunked him in the chest, but not hard. The tip was sharp and the dragon could have simply run him through easily enough, but it didn�t. It was trying to tell him there was a relationship between the runes and the two of them. Great. Sam didn�t get it.
The sky opened up above them, quickly obliterating the dragon�s runes and turning them into a muddy mess. No big surprise about the rain, given the waterlogged clouds. It was cool out, but not chilly. Yet the rain was freezing on the creature�s big, overlapping keeled scales, which complemented the icy breath thing. This dragon was generating cold somehow, rather than metabolically creating heat, which most creatures did on planet Earth, unless you were a reptile or a frog or a fish. But none of those critters were energy sinks. Curious. If it was sucking and consuming thermal energy, Sammy wondered what other kinds of energy it might gobble up just as easily.
The beast didn�t seem to like the rain, in fact the water seemed to hurt it. The dragon shook itself like a big wet dog, causing a localized ice storm that forced Sam to shield his eyes and turn away abruptly to avoid being pelted with ice crystals. Then it did it again, followed by a bout of moaning and a big mournful dragon sigh. It hadn�t moved much; perhaps it was sick or injured. Perhaps tumbling out of the sky and skidding through the corn for a good long ways had done it some harm.
If the dragon was going to eat him or squash him, it seemed like it would�ve done it already, so Sam was feeling a little more secure and confident. He wiped the water-logged hair out of his eyes and yelled over the din of the pounding rain, which in the corn sounded like a thousand hissing snakes, �Are you hurt? And what�s a dragon doing in a corn field in Hobart, Oklahoma!� After saying it, he realized how ridiculous it sounded. It was like asking Godzilla for directions to the nearest sushi restaurant as the monster absently picked at its teeth with a human femur after rampaging its way through the streets of Tokyo.
Dracora
The human looked confused. He didn't seem to recognize the sigils. She was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't run away. She shivered off another layer of ice, and the human shielded his face from the flying ice shards. Dracora worried that she would injure the fragile being despite her best efforts. She was also worried that she would inadvertantly exacerbate her injuries with this much frenzied movement. But without the benefit of shelter, she had no choice. She had to keep the ice off of herself.
Then he spoke, and to Dracora's great relief he spoke standard human. She understood him. He asked if she were hurt. She was unfamiliar with some of his other words. She assumed it was because of his dialect. She suspected that he referred to a location. Maybe it was where this place was. She lifted her muzzle from the ground and gave a short affirmative nod. She would have to show him. She was grateful he stood to her left. She doubted she could move her right wing at all. Slowly she began to stretch her left wing from it's perch across her back. The pain was sharp and shooting, and she ground her teeth against it. But she continued. Each tug against the burned and torn cartiledge threatened to force a screech from her muzzle. When the wing was finally extended to it's full length she let the tip sink toward the muddy ground. The charred and gaping tear covered the entire front half of the wing. The gathering layer of ice pulled at the raw edges of the wound. She didn't shiver it off. She couldn't. She attempted to refold the wing, but was only partially successful.
Now he could clearly see her vulnerability. Or part of it. That the injuries on the right side of her body were so much worse was as yet unapparant to him. She gazed steadly at him. Her eyes twirled madly in her pain and agitation. She didn't know how else to answer his question. She didn't think there was really anything he could do to help her, but she wanted him to at least understand that she meant no harm.
Then a sudden thought occurred to her, and it was something she had never before considered. She was too injured to complete a transformation. That much was certain. But could she transform partially? Could she even maintain a partial transformation? There was only one way to know. She concentrated and, to her surprise, her tail began to shimmer. The transformation started to spread up her body, but she pulled it back and held to her tail alone. After several moments of uncertainty her tail began to thicken. It shortened a few meters and deepened in color to a bright red.
The ice steamed off her tail. The heat stored in her red form was all she could think of to solve her dilemma.Dracora lifted her tail and passed it gently over her wing. The ice hissed and evaporated. She sighed in relief. She passed the tail across her back and her right wing. Again the ice sizzled as it turned to steam. Now she could at least be certain of surviving the storm. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it would have to do for now. She only hoped she could hold on to this mixed transformation until the storm abated.
The twirling of her eyes slowed some. She was still in pain, but no longer in dire peril. There was still the communication problem to deal with. She was baffled though. He hadn't recognized the sigils. Her only hope was that he saw her actions as a response to his curiosity. Her next immediate problem was staying put long enough to heal without further discovery. She wasn't sure that was even possible. It would depend on the human who had already discovered her. But if she hadn't healed before the storm passed, she feared confrontation with other humans. She could only hope that she had not frightened him too badly.
Sam Winchester
The dragon seemed to comprehend what he�d yelled over the crescendo of the pouring rain. It, or she, Sam was beginning to think of the dragon as a she, although why he thought that was a mystery - call it a hunch � she extended her wing, showing him a large blackened and festering tear in the wing�s membrane. She grimaced in pain � a strangely human expression � as the wing was extended. It was clear she wouldn�t be able to fly with such damage, and that inability could have led to further injury. When the sky belched her out from the great beyond, she would have fallen, or at best, careened into the ground like a goose or duck winged by a shotgun blast. She was lucky she hadn�t broken her neck. His dad used to take Sam hunting in the fall for geese. A vision of a pair of majestic Canada geese flying overhead on a crisp November morning still burned bright in his memory. Dad�s aim brought down one of them, which tumbled from the sky in a desperate, half-controlled spin in which the bird was limited to using one wing to prevent itself from crashing headlong into the hard ground; its other wing was shredded and useless. The bird managed to survive that crash landing, hopping away from them, dragging its bleeding and torn wing behind it. Its mate had followed it down, frettingly hopping behind. Dad�s next two shots finished off both of the birds. After learning that Canada geese bond for life, Sammy never went waterfowl hunting again.
Sam was drenched. He shivered and hugged himself, probably more so from the odd situation in which he found himself than from the weather. Luckily, it wasn�t really cold, at least when the dragon wasn�t breathing on him. Lightning blazed halfway across the sky, spreading and projecting its electric, twisted fingers through the clouds, highlighting the dragon�s injuries. But the thunder that followed seemed to announce an abatement of the worst of the deluge, because the intensity of the rain slacked off abruptly and significantly.
The dragon was doing something Sam didn�t understand. Its tail had changed, transformed. That dexterous part of the beast turned red and thicker than the tail that had almost playfully poked Sammy in the chest. Then she waved it over the torn wing, melting and sizzling the ice away from the injury. Her eyes blinked slowly and she sighed in obvious relief. Sam took a step forward and spread his hands, palms towards the dragon, �I don�t have any way of healing you. Even if I had a bevy of veterinarians, I don�t think they�d have a clue what to do for you.� He found himself worried for this beast that just a few minutes ago he thought would squash him or roast him like a marshmallow. A dragon in a corn field wouldn�t go unnoticed for long. The corn was tall enough to provide concealment from the road, but she would be instantly noticed by anyone in the air. Earlier, before the rain started, they�d seen numerous crop dusters in the sky. It was probably too late for them to be flying today, but if the dragon was still here in the morning, it was sure to be spotted. And then all hell would break loose. Sam had visions of the animal wranglers capturing King Kong and putting him on display in New York, or wherever that was. He didn�t like the thought of that happening to this dragon, but something like that was sure to come to pass, if that is, they just didn�t call in the bombers and fighter planes and bomb her back to Middle Earth or wherever she came from.
The rain had let up enough that he chanced to use his cellphone. He punched in Dean�s number and listened to it ring on the other end. Dean wouldn�t know what to do either, but Sam needed to share this with his siblings. This was big. He glanced at the dragon, the she dragon. No doubt about it, this was off the charts radical.
Dracora
Dracora whuffed in what she hoped he would intrepret as acknowledgement when he stated that he could not heal her. She knew he could not. He didn't have the magic. No one could heal her but herself. In fact, she was now sensing that there seemed to be no natural magic at all here. She sensed dark fey, but no natural fey. She briefly wondered how their forests had survived without their naiad companions. Then she thought that maybe they hadn't. She had seen no trees when she had glimsped through the portal.
The rain had slackened. She no longer needed to warm her scales. The drops were scattered and small and easy enough to gently shake off. The human on the other hand was drenched and he seemed uncomfortable. She could help him with that. She stretched her tail about and passed it over his body twice. Back to front and side to side. The bulk of the water steamed off of him leaving him victim to just the small drops that now fell. Another whuff escaped her muzzle, this one of minor satisfaction. She relaxed and let her tail turn long and white once more. She pulled it back in next to her body.
Dracora was beyond exhausted now. Still she didn't dare sleep yet. If any of the demons that she smelled should wander near she needed to be be fully awake to discorporate the smelly thing or things. She despised demons. Her fear had lessened a great deal though. This human didn't seem malevolent. She hoped that impression was accurate. She would still heal while she remained awake, but she feared it wouldn't be quick enough. She disliked being in the open. She felt vulnerable from flying creatures. There were many dragons in her world who would like nothing better than to find her this way. She wondered if she would ever see her cozy cavern again. She would settle for any kind of covering right now, but had no way of communicating her need. She waved her tail back and forth across her back and gave him her best questioning look.
The human then did something decidedly odd. He pulled a shiny rectangular thin box from his clothing. He punched his finger at the thing several times. Had the tiny thing been somehow disobedient? Then it got even more strange. He held the thing to his ear and listened. Was it a summoning? She had never seen this kind of magic. She leaned in close and sniffed at the thing. It smelled metallic, but that was all. She sensed no magic emanating from the thing.
She looked at him and gave a questioning tilt of her head. He spoke into the thing, and Dracora was startled. She knew she smelled no magic, yet this human seemed to possess some never-the-less. She was intensely curious. She had never seen anything like it. What other kinds of magic could he use that she could not detect? What a strange and different world to be plunged into. Dracora had never in her life questioned her ability to survive in any environment, but one without other dragons was desolate indeed, and she wasn't sure how long she could live isolated from her kind.
Red skin had been very clever in choosing this place to exile her to. She would be forced to take a great deal of time to find her way back. Still she knew somehow that he would eventually come for her. After he was certain the throne was Grako's, he would come to finish the job.
She watched him as he continued to talk into the box. She wondered who listened to him. She wondered how many humans she would have to convince of her benevolence, but she supposed there was no choice in the matter. If whoever he spoke to was a dragon hunter, she would take care of it. She truly hoped that was not the case. She hated to eat humans. They were much too bony, and they gave her indigestion.
Nikki Winchester
In the motel room Nicole and Dean were waiting for Sam to come back with the food. Nicole was pacing back and forth and it was driving Dean crazy he could not watch his show on the computer with her pacing back and forth. �Nikki would you stop pacing back and forth you are giving me a head ache.� Nicole looked over at her big brother and rolled her eyes. �Maybe you should stop watching that porn you watch all the time. It is routing your brain anyway.� Dean then put the laptop down because it froze on him; Sam would not like that he froze his laptop again. Nicole then looked over at Dean and rolled her eyes again. �Okay that is it I am going to call Sam. Not because I am hungry but because I am sick of worrying about him.� She pulled out her phone but then she heard Dean�s phone go off and she looked over at him. �Well answer it, it might be Sam.� Dean answered the phone but there was too much static from the storm. �Sam is that you? Sam if you can hear me please give me a sign.�
Sam Winchester
The dragon had apparently seen him shiver, looking like a half-drowned sewer rat. Then remarkably, it, no she, had dried him off somewhat with that curiously useful tail. An empathetic dragon? That seemed to be the case. But for what reason or pupose? What motivated the dragon, what churned away in that dragony brain behind the jeweled eyes? Those machinations would remain a mystery because they couldn�t communicate, or the communication was only one way. She seemed to understand to some extent what Sam was saying, although he felt like a fool standing in a corn field in the middle of Bumfuck Oklahoma talking to a winged dragon.
Dean picked up on the fourth ring, just before the call was headed to the dead letter office known as voicemail. But it was akin to picking out a voice through the deafening hiss of that downpour ten minutes ago. Sam pressed the phone closer to his ear and used an index finger to clamp his other ear shut. �Dean! Its me�.What?...No, I got the pizza. Tell Nikki it�s on the way. Sort of. Listen, Dean, we got a situation here�what!?! No, not a crustacean, lack brain, I said SITUATION!� Now was the time to tell Dean the situation equated to a dragon the size of an 18-wheeler. �It�s not a crustacean, it�s a DRAGON!� He paused for Dean�s response, but all he got was static. �Dean! Did you hear me!?!� With a crease furrowing his brow Sam looked at the phone, and in frustration tapped it on the back a few times, even though he knew that wouldn�t help, then put it to his ear again. It still sounded like the storm had moved directly over Hobart�s finest Motor Inn out on the east highway and the rain was all that was coming through the line now. �Dean! If you can hear me, we need to do something. The dragon is injured, she needs help! Dean!�
Sam slipped the phone back into his pocket just as he heard what must be the engine from a crop duster. The sun had or soon would sink below the horizon � it was impossible to say for certain with the cloud layer. Maybe this crop duster had been working in an adjacent county or town, out of the storm, and was now headed back to the airstrip in Hobart. The dragon gazed skyward and chuffed again. �It�s an airplane, a cropduster. Not good. They�ll see you sure as shit, and then all hell�s gonna break loose. People around here aren�t used to seeing dragons lounging in their corn fields.� What would be the pilot�s first impression? A hoax, probably, like those people that carve out alien spacecraft landing circles in the corn. But this was the landing skid mark plus what actually landed. And there was no way anyone would think this was anything but a real, live dragon.
The crop duster came into view flying low, probably no more than 300 feet off the deck. It made not one, but two, long lazy circles around the dragon. Sam could even see the pilot gazing downward. At one point it looked like he had his cellphone pressed to glass, probably taking pictures, then the plane continued on its way. �That�s just great. By morning those pictures will probably have gone viral on the internet. Everyone on the planet will know there�s a dragon in a corn field in Hobart.� Although as he said it, he knew the pictures wouldn�t be believable. It was so easy to doctor a photo with Photoshop. �Listen, I need to go get my brother, my sister, and our friends. They�ll know what to do.� He started backing up towards the trace of the path where he�d plowed through the corn stalks. �Don�t go anywhere, I�ll be back in two shakes of a dragon�s tail. Promise.�
Dracora
Dracora shook her tail exactly twice and punctuated the gesture with a low draconic chuckle. In truth she hoped he was correct, that someone would know what to do. She was uncertain what kind of bird had just circled. It didn't seem to be a raptor, thank the dragon's luck for that one. She watched as the human went back through the grain.
That the human had siblings should not have surprised her, yet it did. She was unsure why. She had once had siblings as well. The memory of their horrific murder flashed across her vision. Her older brother was the one who should be the monarch. He was the crown prince. He had been raised and groomed for his eventual role as the draconic king. Now it all fell to Dracora. She had never felt prepared for the life that circumstances and Grako had forced her into. But she had long ago decided that if she must rule, then she would not do so in exile. She would kill Grako and put her kingdom back to right again. She was still determined to do so, just as soon as she found her way back home.
Dracora tried again to refold her left wing. This time she managed to tuck her wing back across her back. It took several minutes, and the pain left her a bit lightheaded, but the tear was better protected this way. It was less likely to tear further. Dracora's muzzle drooped to the ground, and she closed her eyes as she tried to relax and settle in for the wait. She was grateful for the darkness that was slowly closing in. It was the only protection she had so far. She only hoped no one else would stumble across her before her new human friend(?) returned.
She desperately wanted to allow herself to fall asleep. She hated feeling so crippled, and sleep was the only panacea to that right now. But she didn't dare. There were too many strange and unexplainable things in this alien world. Instead she reached out with her mind searching for a telepathic connection to her kind. She didn't doubt that were no other dragon kin here. Red skin would know how torturous that would be for Dracora, and he had been much too smug about forcing her here. She smelled the ashen scent of old dead magics, and knew that dragon kin had once lived in the world too.
She almost roared in grief, but kept her jaws clamped. She wondered how her kind had been exterminated here. She wondered at the violence and hatred required to do such a horrific thing. Humans and dragon had lived in harmony for many millennia on her own world before the war had rained down on both species. Now fear ruled the humans and contempt the dragons. Her first priority when she regained her throne was to repair the cultural wounds.
The sun had fully set by the time Dracora heard the grain around her rustle. The human was as good as his word. He returned in an acceptable time frame. Her sharp hearing told her that he indeed brought others with him. She gazed intently at the gap leading to her and waited for the humans to emerge.
The sky was still angry and dark when Sam got back to the Impala, but the clouds, still heavy with rain, were withholding their water for the moment. As he slid behind the steering wheel and cranked the engine to life, the smell of the pizza, still slumbering on the passenger seat, awoke Sam�s appetite. He opened the box and slipped a slice out for himself and bit the end off. True to the recommendation of Mr. Norman Bates at the motel, the pizza was spectacular. He had to lay the partially eaten pizza slice on the pizza box so he could use both hands to shift gears and pilot the old muscle car out of the parking lot, but once up to speed in third gear, he went back to consuming that little slice of heaven. Pizza � the food of the Gods.
The Impala splashed through a pothole full of water as Sam came to a stop at the intersection with the main highway back into town. He had to turn the wipers on for a moment to clear the pothole splash from the windshield. This whole day was surreal. Dragons in cornfields were something way beyond Sammy�s experience, and he and Dean had experienced a lot of peculiar things over the years. He took another big bite of the pizza as a Walmart semi truck and trailer sped by. Falling in behind the big truck, Sam contemplated his encounter with the she-dragon. It occurred to him that he�d been overly trusting of the creature, although it had certainly given him no cause for alarm and had even dried him off after he did his best drowned-rat impersonation. Still, he had no idea what sort of powers the dragon might possess � mind control or otherwise. Now he was about to bring his family and friends in front of the creature, perhaps putting them all at risk. He would have to practice more caution, and no doubt Dean would parcel out a ration of shit to him for already having taken too many chances.
Back at the motel, Dean, Faith, and Nikki were waiting for him. Sam plunked the pizza box down on the modest, round table by the window. �It�s a little cold, but I don�t think you�ll be disappointed.� Despite the static on the line, Dean had understood him when he�d said there was a dragon (not a crustacean) in a cornfield. Surprising him a little, no one asked what he�d been smoking or if he�d seen any Balrogs or happened to run into Gandalf while he was at it. Instead, they listened intently, without saying much, as Sam told them of his encounter. Although it might have been the pizza that kept their mouths busy. And beer had appeared out of nowhere, as if someone had conjured a six pack. Between bites, Nikki told him that Bobby had gone to pick up Ruby at the bus station. No one had expected the demon girl to appear in Hobart. Sam would have to ask her why she was here.
Ruby was a bit of an enigma � she broke the Winchester mold that all demons were bad. She could of course be manipulative and her motives weren�t always clear, but Ruby had shoe-horned the Winchesters out of some sticky situations on more than one occasion. Perhaps it was Ruby�s influence � proving that evil wasn�t always, well � evil, that prevented Sam from instantly assuming a dragon would be something to be feared. Whether that was a foolish assumption was yet to be born out.
The pizza was gone as Sam finished up his monologue, and it was dark by the time they pulled into Zappo�s parking lot. After retrieving flashlights from the Impala�s trunk, Sam led the way across the wet street and into the corn, retracing his steps through the now muddy ground. When they came out into the clearing, Sam aimed his flashlight on the dragon, running the beam up and down her impressive, scaled body for his siblings and Faith to see. The dragon raised its mighty head and blinked as the flashlight illuminated her face and muzzle. �Dragon, meet Dean, Nikki, and Faith. Dean, Nikki, and Faith, meet the dragon.�
Faith
Faith thought Dean had heard Sammy wrong on the phone when he mentioned the word Dragon. Twenty minutes ago when he arrived back at the hotel she would have believed he had completely lost his mind. He was rambling on about a dragon in a cornfield. It had to be sleep deprivation. He finally saw one too many things that sent him over the edge. Still she humored him. All the things the young slayer had seen in her life time and it was still hard to imagine that dragons really existed. They were the fodder of fairytales and children stories with castles, although deep down she knew nothing was impossible. Faith couldn�t believe she was buying into this as she grabbed her jacket following the others out the door.
Now she was prowling around with a flash light shoving corn stalks out of her way in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere hunting for supernatural beings. The more she thought about it, it sounded like a typical Saturday night in Los Angeles minus the vegetation. It wasn�t until they reached the clearing and Sam made his exclamation that the situation became real to Faith. She stared at the creature with wide eyed wonder. �Shut up. You were for real. Like for real for real,� she blurted out without thinking. She was in complete shock, glanced over at Sam as she maneuvered into the clearing. The slayer�s eyes traveled over the dragon studying the beautiful creature. The light finally falling on the being�s wing allowing her to see the tear. �Are you hurt?� the slayer�s demeanor softened.
Nikki
Nicole stayed closed to Faith because she did not have a flash light of her own. She did not want to step in a gofer hole or something and break an ankle. When they go to the spot Nicole saw the dragon for the first time and she almost fainted but she held onto Faith. It was true that Nicole had seen a lot of weird things her life time along with her brothers but this was at the top of the list. Not that she was calling the dragon weird not in the least but it was strange seeing a dragon in the cornfield. She also saw that it was badly hurt and she wanted to help her. But she had not magical powers to help her. She then thought maybe Castiel could help the dragon. You know just touch her and heal her wounds. Nicole walked up to her brother Sam very carefully and placed a hand on his shoulder. �Sam I think I know of someone that could help the dragon heal quicker. What if we contacted Castiel. He could simply touch her wounds and they would be gone. Like he does with us, what do you think?�
Dean looked at his little sister like she was crazy. They had not seen Castiel for about a year and did she really think that he would simply come if they called him. He shock his head and then put a hand on her shoulder. �Nikki have you forgotten the fact that we have not seen or heard from Cas in like a year. He is not going to come to us now to help a dragon.� Nicole looked down at the ground her idea was shot to pieces. She did forget that they had not seen or heard from Castiel since he had to go back up to heaven to work on the civil war that was happening up there. But she so wanted to help the dragon. She looked over at her and she looked into her eyes. If only she had powers of her own. If only she was special like Faith. Then she could heal the dragon.
Sam Winchester
Here they all were blithely talking of healing the dragon, so it wasn�t just Sammy. He wasn�t losing his mind, or at least he wasn�t the only one.The she-dragon seemed to have the same effect on his friends and siblings as himself. She engendered sympathy, cultured it within her human cohorts somehow. But she had done nothing to suggest she didn�t deserve that sympathy, or that she had tricked them or glamoured them into helping her. She just seemed to be a good dragon. Not that Sammy had any experience with good or bad dragons. His only knowledge of these giant flying lizards came from works of fiction and film, and those were patently unreliable sources of information.
�Guys, I told you about that crop duster. It might not be tonight, but I think we can count on a Bubba and a few of his drinking buddies showing up here in the morning with cameras and some half-baked plan to capture the dragon or make one really big trophy out of her. And that�s just for starters. Can you guys imagine the circus someone could make out of a captured real, live dragon? And that�s not to mention the Zoologists and Government scientists in their white lab coats who would just love to probe and prod, and ultimately put her on a really big dissection table to open her up and see how she ticks. Or the Environmentalists who will want to find her some nice deserted island off of Costa Rica where they�ll clone her in some laboratory and make a big happy family of dragon clones, but always under the watchful eye of the scientist and the monetarily supporting ecotourist, in a contained and sanitary environment � one big cage - Dragon Jurassic Park. The future isn�t very bright for our scaly friend here, and I don�t know what to do about it. Healing her is the least of our or her problems. We can�t hide her. It would be like trying to hide an elephant in our motel room.�
Sam shined his flashlight up to the dragon, directing the beam to her muzzle and away from her big eye so as not to blind her. That eye blinked and shined with depth, understanding, and emotion. From the way she looked at him, Sam believed she comprehended what he was saying, or at the least she was picking up on the emotion and concern in his voice, understanding that she was in deep shit here. �So I really don�t know what to do. I�m looking for suggestions, gang. I don�t know how to save the dragon, but it feels like the right thing to do.� He stuffed his hands in his pockets and gazed around at his friends, hoping to judge their reaction to his words. �Are you guys with me on this?� As if they didn�t have enough problems already, lightning zigzagged across the sky and thunder crashed around them just as the rain started up again.
Dracora
Dracora understood almost everything the human man said. It frightened and disturbed her. She was grateful that this human had been the one to find her, if what he stated was true. She could never allow herself to become imprisoned. But neither was she willing to declare war on humans. She heard his concern, his compassion, and she decided that she definitely liked this human. The females seemed to want to heal her, but she knew that wasn't going to be possible. Even the other male had seemed skeptical. The humans couldn't heal her, and they couldn't hide her as long as she remained in her draconic form. But she would not accept any of the fates he described.
Dracora inhaled deeply. Her ribs hurt, but they had knitted somewhat. They were just cracked rather than broken. Her right wing was still terribly mangled, but she was going to have to attempt at least one transformation. She needed a better disguise than this snow white form. She wanted to blend into the darkness for now. She still didn't dare attempt her human form. The damage was still much too great for such a fragile form to tolerate. There was a saying on her world: Necessity instills creativity, not to mention determination.
As if her injuries weren't enough of an obstacle, all of a sudden the sky broke open again, and the deluge resumed. She couldn't survive the night in this form. She had to change or die. The humans shone their strange lights back and forth across her body. She preferred not to frighten the humans, but most humans, even the ones on her world, had never seen a chameleo transform. At least the form she chose was smaller than her current one, if only by a small amount. Only two of her forms were larger than her ice form: the great red firebreather and the brown earth behemoth. Dracora chose her black smoker form for three reasons. It would not harm the humans if they accidentally touched her scales, and the females looked like they might do so. The black would effectively camoflauge her for the night, and her smoker form was more resistant to the rain. The rain would evaporate nicely against these warmer scales. Shifting was going to be very difficult. She had never transformed under such conditions before.
Dracora inhaled again, pointed her muzzle toward the sky and closed her eyes. She concentrated hard. For a few moments she thought she couldn't set aside her pain, but she finally achieved a light trance and felt the transformation begin. She was accustomed to almost instantaneous change, but now she had to look into her deepest recesses and pay attention to how her magic really worked, something she had never before been forced to do. She held onto the transformation letting it happen one stage at a time. First her magnificent tail then her huge taloned hind quarters. Next her head and muzzle pulled in and darkened.
She roared her pain as she allowed her injured torso and wings to alter. Thick black smoke poured from her open jaws briefly blanketing the night sky over them. When she finally finished, she looked at the stunned humans. She whuffed softly and in what she hoped was a reassuring tone. She could sleep through the rain now. She should be healed before dawn. Then she would be able to communicate with her new friends, if friends thay truly were. Regardless, she knew she had to sleep to heal. She hoped the humans would stay, but she felt much safer in her current form. She would just have to risk it for now. She sighed and dropped her muzzle to the ground, then slid into a deep and healing sleep.
Sam Winchester
At first Sam wasn�t sure what was happening. When the she dragon roared with pain, her body began to writhe. Sam was reminded of a caterpillar as it inches along a leaf, its internal workings contorting and squirming just under its thin skin. He was afraid for the dragon, concerned that its injuries were mortal and she was undergoing the first of a series of death throes. But then her body began to change. The caterpillar wasn�t just moving, it was metamorphosing. Sam watched in amazement as her scales darkened and her entire body began to shrink. Thoughts of caterpillars took Sam�s mind down a rabbit hole where Alice was sitting cross-legged on the ground in her white dress pondering over which pill to take; the one that makes her small, the one that makes her big, or the one that does nothing at all. All the while, the caterpillar was watching from a nearby tree branch, its gaze pompously disapproving as it took another toke on the hookah pipe. Sam shook that image out of his head as the metamorphosis crossed the finish line and the dragon seemed to relax. In fact, she lowered her muzzle to the ground and closed those big, jeweled eyes. Sam thought she looked a bit like a big black cat settling in for an evening snooze, albeit a really big cat with scales instead of fur, and an apparent ability to shape shift. Sam wondered into what other forms the dragon could shift.
They were left listening to the breath whistling in and out of the slumbering dragon�s nostrils accompanied by the drizzle of rain on the corn. �Guys, I don�t know about you, but I think we need to stay here.� He didn�t know if they could protect the dragon from the Bubba�s of the world, or whether she even needed protection. She was probably far more capable of defending herself than four puny humans. But regardless, he felt a need to stay with her. He looked to his companions for support and, receiving no initial negative response, he remembered some things in the Impala that would help them get through the night. �Wait here. I�ll be right back.�
Sam padded back through the corn, the mud now sticking to his boots, making them heavy and unreliable on the slick ground. He was able to wipe off some of that mud on the edge of the road pavement before making his way back to the car. There he rummaged around in the trunk, the back seat, and under the passenger bucket seat finding what he was looking for. Activity at Zappo�s was beginning to trail off. Only four cars were left in the parking lot and Sam suspected most of those belonged to employees. He glanced at his watch, which glowed under the dark sky. It was 10:30 already. Zappo�s would be closed by 11:00.
He hurried back along the trail through the corn, which was now prominent enough that the Bubba�s would have no problem following it when they finally showed up, and Sam was sure they would at some point. He arrived back in the clearing with an arm full of blankets, a 10X15� tarp, a bag of Doritos that had been lounging in the back seat for at least three weeks, and two bottles of Genuine Draft. They soon had the tarp suspended and tied off on bundles of corn stalks and the blankets arranged under it providing some insulation from the muddy ground. So the four of them huddled in their makeshift shelter for the night, the rain pitter patting on the plastic above their heads and the dragon�s metronomic breathing rasping through those big, scaly nostrils.
Dracora
Dracora sent her mind out searching as she slept. As she had expected, she found none of her kind on this strange world. And, as she had also expected, she found traces of old natural magics. There had once been natural fey here, but that had been so very long ago. It gave her hope. It meant that her magic was probably not in danger of fading. It was a small consolation, but it was a consolation never-the-less. She sighed in her sleep when she felt her left wing finish repairing itself. Her ribs had healed as well. Her right wing would still take some time though.
The humans had remained. Their faintly musky scent wafted in and out of her nostrils. She was in their debt already. Dracora strongly disliked being beholden to anyone, but this was a debt she knew she would gladly pay when the time came. It seemed Red Skin had underestimated the humans here. She felt the first of the broken wing bones knit and she chuffed soflty. Now the rate of healing picked up. The bones in her wings slid together and reformed themselves. The night still reigned supreme when her healing was complete.
Dracora opened her eyes slowly. The four humans huddled next to her. There was a strange covering over them. It seemed the humans had done their best to conceal them all. Dracora transformed almost instaneously into her human form. A petite blue-eyed brunette woman now sat beside the humans. She would no longer endanger them by drawing the curiosity of other humans.
Dracora reached out and softly touched the shoulder of the human who had found her first. "Now we can communicate. I am called Dracora." He didn't speak. "I cannot speak human unless I am in human form, but I still understand it. I know what you have been attempting to do for me. I would have shifted to this form sooner, but shifting was not possible till now. I was thrown here by a red skinned demon. I mean no harm to anyone in this world."
Sam Winchester
The battlefield was littered with bodies and the jeweled hilt of the sword Sammy held firmly in his grasp was spattered with blood. Battles with swords always resulted in lots of blood, bucket loads of the stuff, and bodies absent limbs and heads, and sometimes just sliced in two. But it was all worthwhile because they�d been victorious! The battle for Middle Earth had been going badly until the dragons had so gloriously appeared en mass over the craggy Misty Mountains and, powered on mighty wings, had descended on the Orcs and other unspeakable monsters, ripping them to shreds, incinerating them, or carrying them skyward in their talons, clusters of the beasts, squirming and bleeding, only to drop them onto the sharp-edged boulders at the edge of the plain. Sam looked up, squinted and shaded his eyes, grinning at the she dragon soaring above him�
But then someone was tugging on his sleeve and speaking to him. �Huh?� Sam raised his head off of Nikki�s shoulder, noting a small wet spot on her coat. He�d been drooling a little while slaying Orcs in Middle Earth. Sam rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It was still night, but a soft, warm glow was growing in the western sky. A woman was next to him speaking of shifting, and human forms, and being thrown by Big Red. He frowned, �What?� Then he noticed the dragon was gone.
Fully awake now, Sam sat bolt upright, searching the corn field and seeing nothing but acres of flattened grain. �What did you do with her, what did you do with the dragon?� He insisted accusingly. But then he gazed into the woman�s eyes, really looking at her. She was extraordinarily beautiful in an ethereal, almost fey, otherworldly manner. Then her words finally hit home. Sitting before him was the dragon, but not the dragon. �You�re she, I mean her. Aren�t you? You�re the dragon.�
Voices intruded on his revelatory moment, male voices with rural, hick accents. Bubba and his Bud Light drinking amigos were coming through the corn like a squadron of Orcs on a search and destroy mission.
Dracora nodded and chuckled. Her chuckle was deep and rumbling, labeling her as a dragon despite the human form. "All dragons have one non-draconic form. I have chosen human. Some choose elven or dwarven forms. Some prefer more exotic appearances. I have discovered that I prefer humans because they are better conversationalists than most other species." She wrinkled her pretty nose mischieviously. "I am a chameleo dragon. That means that I can take on the form of any of type of dragon. With each form comes a different ablity. My ice form was unsafe. My body was freezing the rainwater as it touched my scales. The black form is a smoker. I thought you would be frightened by the red firebreather or the gray steamer, and they wouldn't have provided as much camoflauge. There is a great deal more to tell you and questions you surely want to ask. I have many questions as well. But I think we must leave this place first. Someone else is coming."
As if her words were a summons, three men burst through the stalks into the small clearing. The human in the center carried what looked like a weapon, but it was a very odd weapon. It was made of wood with a small circular metalic appendage on the bottom. The man's finger rested inside the metal circle. Dracora was confused. There was no blade on the end, just another piece of metal. This piece was elongated and round and hollow. The man was large and, to Dracora's eyes, a bit on the fat side. There was a sliver of wood hanging from the man's lips. He was absently chewing the end in his mouth.
"What the hell is this?" the fat man demanded.
Dracora stood and approached the man.
"You'd better stop, or I'll shoot." he snarled at her.
Dracora stopped. Not because of his threat. She didn't understand what he meant by 'shoot'. But because he seemed so confident that he had the upper hand. The numbers didn't support his confidence. "Why would you want to harm us?"
The man strained to carry his gaze across the entire small clearing. "Where is it? What did you do with it?"
Dracora smiled. "Where is what?"
"That...that..lizard thing...the big white thing! Don't gimme no trouble now, Missie. Wayne saw the thing. He took a picher wid his cell phone."
"I can't imagine what you're referring to."
"That thing that did this!" He waved his arm around him. "The thing that crushed the corn!"
"Oh, well I wouldn't know about that."
"And just exactly why are you guys here then?" He eyed her suspiciously.
"I do not believe I am required to tell you that."
The man hefted the weapon and balanced it against his shoulder then pointed it at her. "I do believe that you are required to tell me that. You're not from around here. None a ya are. I'm guessing no one would miss you for awhile. So what the hell are you doing here?"
"I am standing here talking to you. That is what I am doing."
"Wise-ass Bitch!" His finger twitched against the metal appendage.
Dean Winchester
*It was no wonder that Sam of all people would come across a dragon. Not just a dragon, one that could take the form of a human, and any other dragon it wanted. Of course. He didn't question the possibility for a second when Sam had mentioned that he had come across one of these things. Again, of course he would. Not just because he was Sam, though it seemed like something that would be right up his alley, but because what didn't they run into these days? Angels, killer clowns, why not add dragons to that list?? It was only plausible that would be the next thing they would find. What would come later? Evil knights? A gesture that needed rescuing, because the Queen was not amused? If it were at all possible their lives had gotten even more ridiculous than they had been to begin with. Things weren't right ever since hunting had taken over, but this...this really took the cake.*
*Just when he thought it things started happening. More problems for them to have to deal with. It seemed that she had been spotted earlier. It wasn't difficult to see how that happened. Dragons weren't exactly small. Sam had mentioned that before himself when she was still in her dragon form. She was too big to hide. It wasn't as though she fit in their glove department. Even so, this form was coming in handy, her human form that is. Now, they could actually speak with her one on one and get some answers. On top of that they could play dumb all they liked. There was no dragon here now, not that these guys could see. Then again, they didn't seem all that rational and the guy who was clearly the leader had a weapon he didn't seem afraid to us.*
Why don't you just take it easy. *Dean spoke in a non-confrontational manner. He wasn't afraid of a little confrontation. It was amazing he could turn off his lip long enough to be calm, but here and there situations called for it. He'd try it on. See if it worked. It wasn't looking promising. But what the hell, there was always violence to fall back on? He wasn't exactly worried given the numbers and the strength they had on their side. Sure, the guy could shoot, but that was assuming he wasn't disarmed before getting the chance. There was a certain Slayer with them that could definitely handle that end of things.*
We're not here looking for any trouble. If you just let us on by we'll be happy to go on our merry way. You can get back to...whatever it is you're looking for.
Faith
Faith had begun to stir wiping the sleep from her eyes just as the men appeared in the clearing. They looked like the types to shoot first and ask questions later. Slowly and very cautiously she rose to her feet behind Dean. �What gave it away? Our ability to enunciate,� she spoke up trying to take the focus off of Dracora as he grumbled about them not being from around there. The hunter held a hand up for her to hold back while he tried to defuse the situation. As he tried to convince the men that they were innocent harmless travelers Faith�s eyes were surveying the scene for the best way to take them out.
�Don�t get smart with me now boy! You don�t be telling me what to do I�m in charge here,� the large man with the gun was getting antsy. �I want an explanation ain�t no one leave here til I gets one. What are youens doing out here? That there lizard didn�t just up and vanish without youens seen something,� he looked like he was about to snap, but Faith began to edge her way forward past Dean. �You stop right there missy,� he pointed the rifle at her. �I just wanted to explain,� she shrugged batting her lashes innocently.
In a matter of seconds she struck like a viper disarming the heavy set man. She brought her elbow up into his chin as she removed the weapon from his grasp. Then she turned planting the butt of the gun in the man on the left�s rib cage. Another twist and she slammed the weapon into the third man�s gut. She stumbled backwards pointing the barrel at the ring leader. One wrong move and she would knock them out cold. She had no intentions of really shooting anyone.
Sam Winchester
Sammy gathered up the blankets in a bundle in his arms. But they�d leave the tarp. It was time to book while the booking was good. The Bubba trio must be feeling pretty humiliated after being quickly disarmed and then throttled by a girl. Of course, they wouldn�t have a clue that she had special abilities, or maybe they would after that little show of strength. Faith was still pointing the gun at Bubba Big Boy, who was sitting amidst the downed corn stalks, simultaneously rubbing at his ribs and his chin. The encounter had knocked his John Deere cap off exposing his bald head, which was ringed on the sides with scruffy, unkempt tufts of brown-gray hair. The other two guys were rising to their feet. It was time to go before they did something stupid. Again
�You�re lucky Nikki here didn�t wade into the fight, �cause if she had, you guys would be out cold. She takes ears as trophies, too. I don�t know about you, but I hate waking up in a corn field missing body parts.� Sam led the retreat back into the corn and along the trail that would take them to Zappo�s parking lot. He decided to leave the Bubbas with a few parting remarks, �I don�t know what you guys were smoking, but we didn�t see no lizard.� Sammy shrugged. �Or maybe you guys got some bad Wild Turkey. You need to upgrade, spend a little more cash. Jack Daniels is always the way to go.� And then Sam, Dean, Faith, Nikki, and the dragon, who they now knew as Dracora, were beating feet back through the corn.
Prominent in Zappo�s parking lot was a two or three year old Ford F-150 that hadn�t been there when Sammy had made the trek back to the Impala for the blankets, tarp, and whatever food he could find under the seats. The pickup was jacked up, had immense tires and chrome rims, a Confederate flag for a front license plate, NRA stickers on the bumper, a gun rack over the crew cab back seat, and one of those decals on the back window that read �Keep Honking, I�m Reloading�. Definitely the Bubbamobile.
Sam dumped the blankets into the trunk of the Impala, then slid his hunter knife out of its sheath on his belt. Looking around for a moment to see if anyone was watching, he walked to the F-150 and punctured the left rear tire. It deflated as thoroughly as the truck owner�s pride after Faith kicked their ample butts. Sam grinned at his friends, �Ok, let�s get outa here.�
Nikki
Nicole watched the whole thing plan out like it was planned. She watched as Faith made with her innocent routine and disarm the man and she was thinking of jumping in on the fight but she thought better of it because Faith looked like she had it covered. She just stood beside Dracora and she watched the fight. When Faith was done Nicole smiled at her sister like friend. "Nice going girl I love how you move like that." Nicole looked down at the guys that were on the ground and then she heard her brothers comment and she had to laugh. "He is right I do. I have a whole box full of them at home." She then picked up her back pack and made for the Impala with the others. She stepped over the man and the front of her boot hit the man square in the nose. She laughed just a little bit. Dean looked back at her and shock his head. Nicole looked at him. "What, what he deserved it." She threw her back pack in the back of the trunk and she slid into the back seat next to Faith. She looked at Dracora and patted the seat next to her. "Well you aren't going to run behind the car are you? Come on get in."
Dracora
It was apparent that the humans recognized the weapon for what it was, even if Dracora did not. The taller female became a bit of a human dervish. Her hands and feet flew as she quickly disabled all three intruders. In a matter of seconds she held the odd weapon, and the fat human sat breathless in the fallen grain. Dracora raised her eyebrows and nodded in approval. It seemed that these humans were competent in battle. She wondered what had turned them into such skilled warriors. There was much she needed to learn here.
She followed the humans from the field of grain. They led her to one of the strangest places she had ever seen. A large sqaured flat rock spread out before them. Resting on it were two metallic beasts. The largest was red. The other black. The humans headed straight for these beasts. She had swallow her instinct to tell them to stop. They were unafraid, so the beasts must not be malevolent. In fact the sides of the black beast came away from it's body at the human's touch. "What kind of magic is this?" she whispered. The tall human (Hadn't the others called him Sam?) separated himself and walked over to the red beast. He pulled a large dagger out and stabbed the beast's funny round foot. The foot collapsed. Sam nodded his satisfaction and rejoined them. The humans climbed into the metal beast encouraging Dracora to join them. Dracora swallowed her doubt and slid onto the padded bench where she sat next to Nikki, the cold metal of the beast to her right as Sam closed the gap and sat on the bench directly in front of her, pulling that section closed as well.
Dean sat to the left beside Sam. He held a large wheel in his hands. Dracora leaned forward curiously. The beast roared to life suddenly and Dracora gasped. "What magic is this?" This time she spoke loud enough for all to hear. Then the beast began to move. Dean manipulated the wheel turning it one way and then another. The beast seemed to follow as if on command. "Ooooohhhh, I see. It is a conveyance. A wagon with nothing pulling it is amazing magic indeed. But I must confess that I am confused. There is no natural magic on this world. Yet I do not sense dark magic here." Dracora watched the landscape flash past as the metal beast took them forward. Buildings and lights passed. She was traveling in a human village, but none like it existed on her own world. Her dragon mind was fascinated.
"May I inquire as to where we are traveling? What is this place called? Have you a lair?" Dracora glanced at her new friends one by one. She decided they were her friends when they did not give her identity away to the three left in the grain. She should not be surprised. There were many good humans on her world too. But a thought had occurred to her, and she was unsure if she should vocalize it. Red Skin had mentioned that hunters lived here. She knew many hunters. She liked few. Most of the hunters that she had met had their bleached bones lying at the back of her cavern. They had all fancied themselves dragon-slayers.
She recalled how the four humans had reacted in the grain, how skilled they seemed to be, how unafraid. Her suspicions couldn't be swept aside. "You are hunters, aren't you? That's why Red Skin dropped me here. He knew you would be here. I don't know how he knew, but he knew. I will not allow my talons to decorate any human domocile, but I suspect you know that. Either Red Skin underestimated you, or your plans are far more subtle than I have fathomed. If you meant to harm me, allowing me to heal would have been foolish. But I believe you are hunters. So what do you hunt?"
And then another thought dawned on her. If they were hunters, they could help her track the magic she would need to create a portal back to her home. She needed to return as quickly as possible. Her troops would not have allowed her absence to stop their attack against Grako. There was a draconic civil war happening in her home. She was certain of that. Her people needed her. And she didn't know how she would find her way back. Her mind pictured the screams of the dying dragons, and for one brief moment she saw and smelled the battle field as clearly as if she stood upon it. She forced the image from her mind. She had to find a way home.
SamWinchester
Sammy had been so focused on eluding the three Hobart local yocals, ensuring they weren�t followed, and then getting everyone piled into the Impala and on the road back to the motel, that he hadn�t given any thought to how Dracora might react to the things in this world that he took for granted � cars, pizza joints, guns, electric lights, and well, just about everything. Her questions voiced from the back seat bore witness to her ignorance of this world and its layers of confusing complexity. He had no idea what her universe was like, but a place where dragons swooped and dipped through the clouds on leathery wings must be a rather dramatic contrast to Hobart, Oklahoma.
As Dean piloted the old muscle car out of the parking lot and back towards Hobart's lack luster downtown and their motel, Sam swiveled in his seat to face Dracora. He'd do his best to answer her questions, which were coming at him like baseballs from a pitching machine. �This�� he gestured to the Impala, �is just a car, it�s not magic. Just good ole American ingenuity. But there is magic in this world, even though you may not sense it. It may not be like the magic in your world, but it�s here in greater abundance than most people recognize. And a lot of it�s dark magic. Maybe most of it. In fact, that�s why we�re here�in Hobart, Oklahoma. Some sort of disharmonic convergence of demonic activity, not that we�ve seen a lot of it yet. But something is happening here that�s supernatural, and I�m guessing it has to do with why you�re in Hobart and not someplace else. You were drawn here.�
This topic was a rabbit hole he could spend the next hour exploring, but before he got too far ahead of himself, Sam thought back to her other questions. �As I said, this is Hobart, pretty much the middle of the United States in every way you can imagine. We have a�umm, temporary lair on the edge of town. A place called the Oasis Inn. Two rooms.� He glanced at Nikki and Faith before adding, �We can split up - boys and girls. Dean and I will take one room, you all can take the other. It�s not the Ritz Carlton, but the beds are firm and clean.� His thoughts touched briefly on the clerk who manned the motel desk, the one with the creepy, Norman Bateseque smile pasted on his face all the time.
Nikki leaned over between the two bucket seats and fiddled with the radio dial, but all she could find was country music and a station where a fire and brimstone preacher was scolding his listeners for their innumerable sins, but if they only sent in a check for $49.95 to the Oklahoma Gospel Mission all would be forgiven and the souls of the sinners would be saved from the eternal fires of Hell. Nikki switched off the radio with a disappointed whine and sat back in her seat.
�You�re right, though. We are hunters. All of us. We fight the bad guys, we fight evil � demons, ghosts, vampires, fallen angels, the embodiment of death � whoever is out there trying to turn the world a shade or two darker. We�ve never encountered a dragon before this. But we only hunt evil, not the good.� He was assuming that on that big scale that measured good and bad, Dracora was tilted towards the light and not the dark. Until such time that she proved him wrong, he�d continue to assume they were on the same side.
*Dean drove the car back in silence as Sam began to take on the task of filling in their dragon on the ways of the world. It was best he covered that. He was good with that touchy feely sort of crap and it needed to be done, so she didn't freak out about something she didn't understand at the wrong moment. Plus, it must be very difficult to be in another world that you weren't familiar with and with people you didn't know. So far she hadn't tried to do them in, so she didn't seem to be that kind of supernatural being he loathed, so he could sympathize with her situation until she gave him a reason not to. It had be hard, but she seemed to be handling it well. He wondered what her world was like. She didn't recognize much in the way of this one, so it must have been significantly different. Better? Worse? He'd hate to think of a world that was worse than this one. It looked fine to everyone on the surface. They all seemed pretty lucky, but Dean had seen the real ugliness that was brewing underneath, the evil that was there desperate to take over. Though in a world of dragons he had a feeling that they had their own storms brewing. There was no place that was just rainbows and butterflies it seemed. Evil was everywhere.*
*Sam's idea of them splitting up, or rather girls with girls and guys with guys, almost got him to pout. He liked bunking with his Slayer after all. Nothing said a good night like a night with her. That was no matter what they were doing or not doing. He didn't care. She was the one girl that he simply just liked to be with. He didn't care what the night had to offer as long as she was in it, but he supposed the division made sense given the new company that they were now sharing. He could handle it for this hunt they were on. Sam wasn't bad company by any means. He wasn't appalled. It was that whole being in love thing, but it used to be the two of them in the hotel room driving each other crazy anyway. Sam getting pissed he froze his computer and Dean getting worked up over the car. Yeah, they could do that again. He was sure they could find something to argue about, even if he had to resort to it being about Sam forgetting to bring pie to the room.*
*Soon, they had reached the hotel. He pulled into a parking space and turned the car off. He did really like his brother's use of the word lair was a good one. Speak her lingo. Dragon's must have lair's or places like that. They must. They did in the movies and we know those are always accurate. He smirked.* I'm sure this isn't like any liar you've ever seen. *He had a feeling that if she did have a liar or knew of someone with one is was probably much more grand than a lonely motel room, but hey they couldn't all be wealthy. The majority was usually the class of peasants as it was. He didn't know what conditions she was used to. She was a dragon, but what did that really mean? She was being human right now. She was aware of things like people were. He was very rarely interested in anything beyond killing the demon. The rest was for the nerds, but this was actually a bit on the interesting side. Come on! A dragon! That was cool.*
Dracora
"Not magic..hmmm." Dracora muttered. She was confused. But that would explain why she smelled no magic directly around them. She had been correct labeling them as hunters. "You have vampires on this world? They have been hunted to extinction on my world, as have wraiths. I had the honor of slaying one of the last of the vampires. We have had no angelic encounters. I am not certain they exist on my world."
Dracora considered what Sam had said about her being drawn to this area. "Red Skin would delight in putting me somewhere where hunters and demons both would be. He would hope to get me caught in the middle. I can smell the demons. I will glady help you to discorporate them." A draconic chuckle escaped from between her lips. The low rumble was distinctly odd coming from such a petite creature. "It would seem that Red Skin didn't look closely enough when he pushed me here. He does not trust any human though, so he obviously doesn't know them as well as he thought he did." Dracora felt strangely vindicated.
Dean stopped the metal beast beside a boxy human domocile. The humans left the conveyance. Dracora followed them ito the interior of the domocile. The females entered the room to the right. The males the one to the left. Dracora gestured at the females and followed the males. She waited till all the humans had gathered before speaking. "I am sure there are many questions that you want to ask me, and I will answer them. But, there are things I must tell you first. I don't know if I will answer your questions or create more, but there are things about me you should know."
Dracora assumed that Grako would eventually send Red Skin to find her and kill her. The humans had been kind so far, but she couldn't ask them to become embroiled any further in her fight. It was going to become far too dangerous. She had a little bit of time to try and prepare. He would wait until his power was secure, but Red Skin would come. Of that much she was certain. She had to tell them. She rested her gaze upon Sam.
"The demon who sent me here has been bound into service by the traitor, Grako. He is a pretender to the draconic throne. The throne he has claimed belongs to me. I am the legitimate draconic monarch. Grako murdered the rest of my family thirty years ago. He has subjugated my people. I had finally gathered my own forces together again. We were about to launch an attack against his garrison when Red Skin found me and sent me here. I must find a place to lair, and I must hunt soon. Red Skin is a very high level demon. I must prepare. He will come for me eventually. He will have to finish what he started. You should know that I do not know how to defeat Red Skin. But I must, and I must eliminate Grako as well. I will gladly battle the demons here with you, but I cannot ask the same of you. To be my ally is much too dangerous. Already dragons are dying. Humans cannot survive such an encounter."
Dracora would stay with the humans for now. She wanted to assist them with their demon problem here at least. But eventually she must leave them. She would not thank them by getting them killed. It would probably be several weeks before Red Skin returned. Her troops would battle to the last dragon. Never-the-less, he would return, and Dracora did not want him to find her new friends. She must prepare to face him alone. She suddenly found herself feeling lonely again. She left the humans inside and quickly went to gulp some fresher air. There was some fear mixed in with her lonliness. She found herself leaning against the front of the metal beast that brought them. Several tears meandered down her cheeks as she pictured the dead and the dying on her own world.
Sam Winchester
Sammy wanted to interrupt her, but he couldn't seem to find the words. Listening to her was like watching the aftermath of a seriously bad car wreck. You just couldn't help yourself. You had to look. Only now he felt compelled to listen. And the hell of it was everything she said added almost a hundred questions to the list of dozens he already had. He felt a headache coming on. He was sure that the half a bottle of warm beer he had drank in the cornfield had contributed. He knew better than to drink warm beer. But it was hard to wrap his mind around everything she was saying. He was just getting used to the idea of actually talking to a dragon. What she was saying was still a little beyond his ability to imagine.
He felt goosebumps raise on his arms and the back of his neck when she said that vamps and wraiths were extinct on her world. He had once believed that vamps were extinct here, but when a hunter friend had been killed by one and their father had shown up chasing the colt both him and Dean had been quickly educated in the error of their beliefs. When she spoke of killing the vamp it was with a nonchalance that no hunter ever felt after killing a vamp. She would be handy in a fight. At least in her dragon form. He had no idea how well she could fight in her human form.
Just when he thought it couldn't get any weirder it did. Apparently she wasn't just any dragon. She was Queen of the dragons. And if that weren't enough she confessed to the fact that she couldn't beat her enemy. But she was still expecting the friggin thing to chase her down again and try to kill her. That was just friggin great. Sammy wasn't the type to run from a fight. Hell, he had faced some powerful demons, not to mention a whole buttload of other kinds of monsters. But if a dragon couldn't beat this red skinned demon then he doubted that mere humans had any chance either. Yet she was going to fight the demon and the enemy dragon. An enemy powerful enough to bind a demon that she could not yet beat. He couldn't guess how much courage that would take. He didn't know why but he believed every word she spoke, and he didn't want her to have face it alone. There had to be something they could do. He'd ask Bobby as soon as he got here.
When she said she needed a lair and she needed to hunt, Sammy figured that meant that she had to spend some time in her dragon form. He wasn't sure what she wanted to hunt, but he supposed they could get her to the Ozark mountains if they had to. It would only take about six hours from here. There were plenty of deer and other wildlife that should be suitable for a dragon's tastes. He had no clue what to do about a lair. He thought she could just stay here in her human form. But of course he just didn't know how long she could stay human.
And then she did something very human. Her eyes took on a look of deep sorrow and she fell silent and squeezed past them as she pushed her way outside. She stopped to lean against the Impala and Sammy swore he saw tears fall down her cheeks. His heart wrenched and he instictively followed her. He heard Dean clear his throat in cautionary warning but he ignored him and kept walking. His long legs quickly closed the gap between the motel and the black Impala. He had been right. She was crying quietly. He felt her desperation and her fear and he reached out and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. She jumped in surprise. "Hey...Hey..it's all right. I'm sorry about your family. I know how you feel. My parents were both murdered. My girlfriend too." He pulled her gently toward him and lightly wrapped his arms around her. She didn't respond, but she didn't resist. So he just held her and allowed her warm tears to soak into his shirt.
Faith
�It looks like your brother�s got a girlfriend. It�s about time,� she walked over plopping down on the bed looking up at the Winchesters with a playful grin on her face. The brunette was only teasing. She knew all to well that the boy was just being a sweet big hearted lug. �Relax, I�m sure Sammy�s got this. The girl just needs a shoulder to cry on,� she leaned back against the head board stretching out. She couldn�t help but wonder about the conversation going on in the parking lot.
�We all agree we have to do something for this chick?� she began to think more seriously on the matter. They needed to help this poor woman keeping her safe and helping her reclaim her kingdom despite her fear endangering them. She may be underestimating the Winchester family. There was nothing they couldn�t do. �The Indian Hill Caves,� she slid off the edge of the bed standing once more. �I seen the sign just off the interstate for it. It be just the place for her to go when she is in her dragon form,� she shrugged as she approached the other two Winchesters.
Dracora
Dracora didn't notice Sammy's approach, so deep was she in her sorrow. So when he wiped away her tears, she was more than surprised. She was horrified and chagrined. It had been many millenia since a human had caught a dragon tear. The last time that had happened humans and dragons had forged an alliance that lasted until the evil had usurped her throne thirty years before. That had been the result of just one dragon tear, and Sammy had just wiped several tears from her cheeks. She should never have been so careless as to allow herself to be caught off guard, but it was too late. The instant he had touched her cheeks it had become too late. Then he gently tugged her closer and wound his arms around her. She tried unsuccessfully to choke back the stream of tears. Sam's clothing was washed in her tears and it stuck to his skin.
Dracora finally managed to assert more self control. She pushed away from him, looked up into his face and sighed in resignation. She had no choice but to complete the connection. She hesitated anyway. No one knew the depth of the kind of mental connection that had just been initiated. Something like this had never before happened, and Dracora sorely wished it had not happened now. The bond forged by a dragon tear was permanent and lifelong. The short life span of humans made it a bond that no dragon willingly sought. Dracora would still carry their bond for many hundreds of years after Sammy was gone. It was a grief no dragon wished to carry. Yet she must complete it. To neglect to do so would become extremely physically and mentally painful for Sammy. She could not allow that. But there were so many tears.
Finally she swallowed her reservations, and she raised an index finger to lightly brush the side of his cheek. Her finger glowed brightly for a brief moment. The small amount of magical energy pulsed as it sank into the flesh of the hunter before her. Sammy's eyes widened when he felt their connection complete itself. Dracora was startled by it's intensity. She followed her first instinct and erected a mental shield around it. The bond itself instantly demostrated to Sammy what she had done and how she had done it. "What you have done....what we have done...cannot be undone, Sam."
Dracora wondered what would happen when she found her way back to own world. She feared that the bond would carry even across two different worlds and still hold strong. She no longer had the option of leaving the humans. Her bond with Sammy would inevitably draw her back. Her problems were growing exponentially. Now she had at least one human to protect, and she was certain that he could not be drawn away from his companions. That meant that she would be responsible for the lives of all four humans. And though she carried an even larger responsibility for the lives of so very many dragons, the four humans seemed to be a greater burden. They were being drawn into peril so great that she feared the absolute worst for them. This was not their fight. She had no right to do this to them.
Sam Winchester
The tears had been just the beginning, the first rain drops foretelling the deluge. But she�d appeared so vulnerable, lost, and needful. Sam was drawn to her, couldn�t resist drawing her into his embrace. He wanted to comfort her - a stranger in a strange land. He felt that way himself a lot of the time, stumbling through life, more reacting to circumstances that were imposed upon him rather than having any real control. He knew what she was, knew she wasn�t human, but what was humanity, anyway? It was more an abstract ideal than any characteristic of humankind. It�s recognizing something greater than self, its compassion for others, looking beyond your own needs to assist others in need, to build a better life in the big picture of community, and for the future. Wasn�t that what the Winchesters were all about? Sure, they had strong family ties, but it wasn�t just family, they�d become hunters to build a better world, and they�d all sacrificed a triple shitload for that goal.
Dracora pushed away from him and gazed into his eyes with a look that was not only guarded, but deeply enigmatic, more so than any Sam had ever experienced. In her gaze, he recognized that the world had shifted in some irreversible manner he didn�t understand. A fault line somewhere had just slid against itself, unleashing wicked powers, but relieving some massive, long pent up pressure. Whatever was happening was destined to happen, it was as inevitable as an earthquake but just as unpredictable.
He shied away from her touch, but only for a moment, because he realized the inescapability of what was happening to him � to the both of them. The touch of her finger, so gentle, sent tectonic shock waves reverberating through his very soul. Sam Winchester fell backwards against the fender of the Impala, barely managing to stay on his feet. He put both hands to his head and breathed deeply, doing his best to keep from passing out � the emotional and intellectual concussion had spilled over to the physical. Through a confused haze, the truth of what had just manifested was rising to the surface; the bond between dragon and human, forged with dragon tears and welded in place by Dracora�s touch, was becoming clear as she prophetically and calmly stated, �What you have done....what we have done...cannot be undone, Sam.� He also knew immediately and starkly that this eternal bond had been initiated innocently and ignorantly on his part � that human gesture of comforting another, wiping away her tears. There it was again, humanity rising up from the murky depths like a shark to take a bite out of your butt when you least expect it.
�I�m sorry, I didn�t know.� His words were nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction � something he just blurted out but knew right away was meaningless. Sam did his best to get his wits about him. The bond was a part of him now, so there was nothing to do but move forward. He took a deep breath and finger-combed his hair, noticing that his brother, Faith, and Nikki were now all watching them. And above them all, the pocketed face of the moon glowered in full brightness, a constant and mute witness to all that had just transpired. Faith had mentioned something about Indian Hill Caves. They�d make a fine lair for a dragon, if Dracora needed it. He knew he needed to explain to Dean, Faith, and Nikki what had just happened, but wasn�t sure he could adequately put it into words. Besides, he needed to cogitate about it himself before discussing with others. So he punted. Sam managed a smile, then commented, �It�s alright, I�m alright. Really. Guess I had a little too much excitement for one evening. It�s late. We all need to catch some zees, then we�ll figure out what to do in the morning. We�ll get Bobbie and Ruby�s help, too.� Sam didn�t understand what all of this meant, but with his brother, Nikki, and their friends, they�d figure it out. They always did.
Dean Winchester
*Dean was in agreement with Faith. He was sure that Sam was handling whatever it was that was going out in the parking lot. They could be filled in on the details once the information on her had been gathered. It was curious what it was they were dealing with. Again, dragons were kinda cool. It made him want to dress up in knight's armor and chase after people on a horse. Anyway, hopefully they'd know soon enough if she were friend or foe. Though Sam was a bit soft. Dean worried he might see friend where he should be more wary. He had been known to offer up help a bit more easily than Dean himself. Still, it was partially why he had gone into the hotel room with Faith and Nikki. He was sympathetic if she were lost in the wrong world, but he was also nervous about just offering up his services for some supernatural creature Sam had come across. He could count the amount of times the supernatural creatures they had come in contact with had been good. His hardened stare was probably not going to help with the opening up. She needed huggy feely. Sam was good for that.*
*Dean rolled his eyes' at Faith's comment.* Yeah. That's just what I want. My brother dating a dragon. Wonder what that wedding would look like. *He paused at the thought of Sam's wedding to a dragon and then a smirk fell over his face.* Wonder if there would knights there. You think there'd be knights there? *He paused zoning out a little as his smirk turned into a small smile.* Yeah, I bet there'd be knights there...
*He shook his head bringing back his focus. The truth was, he didn't have a bad feeling about this woman persay. He didn't know her and he rarely trusted people or dragons or whatever they were that he didn't know, but it wasn't her particularly that had him on edge. That was partially why he didn't feel the need to be out in the parking lot himself getting information, making sure that Sammy wasn't letting his heart fall into another trap. No, it was the situation that put him on edge. The simple fact that she was here. Why was she here? What else was possibly here? That's what was concerning. He nodded his head at Faith's comment.* Yeah. I think she does need our help. Don't know her. Don't know what this is all about, but it's the vibe I'm getting so far. Unless Sammy comes back in here and tells me something otherwise.
Dracora
"Of course you didn't know, Sam. There is no way that you could have known." Dracora smiled reassuringly. The other humans watched them, but Dracora dismissed their attention for now. The night was waning, the full moon bright and beautiful would soon set. She was happy to see that this world had a beautiful moon. It was a comforting sight for her. If she were at home viewing such a moon she would be celebrating with the rest of the moon dragons. The sound of dragon song from the throats of thousands during a full moon was something never to be forgotten. Celebrating with the moons was usually the highlight of each cycle for her. For that one night in each cycle she felt completely unencumbered.
Dracora then made what could be considered a rash decision for a dragon. There were no moons here to celebrate with, but she did have a new bond companion who had never heard dragon song. She would celebrate this moon simply for Sam's delight. "Our bond can be very........captivating, Sam. I will show you how enjoyable it can be." She grinned at him. "I have rested well, so I require no sleep for now. But I can feel your exhaustion. So tonight while you rest I will show you what can be done with our bond."
Dracora dropped the shield surrounding the new connection. She felt Sammy's shield drop as well. He had an adept mind. He was already beginning to understand the nuances of their link. He utilized his mental shield as if he had been born with it. She gave him a mental nod of approval and walked back toward the domicile. Instead of going to the entrance though, she casually strolled around the building to the back where a small patch of grass grew between the building and a low row of hedges. She shimmered into her smallest draconic form, the green forest dragon and launched herself skyward, transforming again as she soared through the night sky.
The moon dragon was a long, sinuous, opaque blue. Dracora thought it the most beautiful of all her forms. She began her song as she glided across the face of the moon, the first strains sounding somewhat melancholy without the harmonies of the other moons blending with her vocalizations. But she pushed back her lonliness for her own world and focused on the comfort of her new bond. Her song grew into a joyous celebration that she wove through his mind. It echoed through the night air, but only Sam heard it true. If others humans should accidentally catch a note or two they would hear the light chiming sound of the wind as it poured through the hollow spaces around them.
"Look through my eyes and come fly with me, Sam" she projected almost lyrically. Then she began the sky dance across the moon's face. She dipped and soared and glided. She flew in loops and whorls flitting through the sky painting the faint image of her own shadow on the moon's face. She would celebrate until moonset. Her new bond companion would fall into slumber with the echo of dragon song in his mind, with the sensation of flying freely across the sky. "Someday, if you wish, I will take you flying in reality." she whispered as she felt him falling into sleep.
When the sun rose she was back in human form watching the spectacle from where she casually lounged against the metal beast. For the first time since she found herself on this world, she felt oddly hopeful. And though she would never have chosen a bond such as this, it did ease her lonliness. Sam's mind was incredibly intelligent. He was almost equal to a dragon. It made her wonder if their bond was lucky or somehow fated. She knew what she had to do next, but it could wait until he had awakened.
Bobby
Bobby Singer was aggravated to say the least. He had arrived at the bus station and 5:45 to pick up Ruby only to find due to a few complications she wouldn�t arrive for another five hours. Furthermore the moment the pair hopped into his 1971 Chevelle the damn thing wouldn�t start. It took another few hours to resolve the issues. Top that off with several hours drive time you got one unhappy camper. He had no idea how he had gotten roped into this chore. It was something he resented. He was nothing more than a glorified demon baby sitter at this moment. He didn�t trust the blonde woman the way Sam did.
It was six am before the duo were able to reach the hotel. The blonde didn�t seem drained at all. Figures a demon wouldn�t need sleep he grumbled to himself. The hunter pulled into the parking lot next to the impala giving Ruby a few moments to gather her things before leading her up the corridors towards Sam and Nikki�s room. He didn�t want to take the chance on walking in on anything in the other room. Couple needed their privacy anyways. He remembered what it was like although at this point he almost didn�t care. They didn�t have a room key. It wasn�t a problem he just convinced a maid that he was a tired old man that had forgotten it in his room.
The curtains were drawn in an attempt to block out most of the morning rays. He reached over flipping on the light switch surprised to find that Dean was sleeping in the room with Sam. He wondered if the kids had a fight. Those two could be a pair of hot heads but they normally got along pretty well. �Time to rise and shine this ain�t no Disney Land Vacation. We got work to do,� he walked in kicking the end of the bed.
�Dean, she�s not my girlfriend.� Sam sat on the corner of the double bed in the room Faith and Nikki would share. Dean and Faith were standing off to the side together and Nikki was leaning against the frame of the open door, her arms crossed as the cool, moisture-drenched night breeze filtered into the room. �Dragons don�t mate with humans, even when they�re in human form. That much I know.� Sammy stood and walked to the window. The nearly full moon was declining towards the western horizon, now unencumbered by the storm clouds that had plagued the sky earlier. It would be morning soon and he was exhausted. Because of their bond, Sam knew that Dracora was playfully exploring the night sky on leathery wings, dancing with the moon. If he closed his eyes, he could even see and feel a little of what she was experiencing. �Not a girlfriend,� he muttered, then turned to his siblings and Faith, �but she is linked to me somehow. Out there in the parking lot, something�happened. It was her tears. Dragon tears. The bond is very intense. Powerful. She needs to get back to her own kind, and her own world. But I know this link we have will persist even when she�s gone from here.� Something tugged greedily at his heart, because even though he�d only known Dracora a few hours, he loathed the moment she would return to her home world.
The silence in the room began to take on a life of its own as Sammy stared at the toes of boots while inwardly beginning to soar with Dracora through the night sky. She was calling to him. No, she was singing.
The moment passed abruptly as a cricket began to warble from under the television cabinet. Sam came fully back to the motel room and grinned. �That guy is likely to keep you up all night. The hunters may need to go on a search and destroy mission. Or at least a search and toss-out-the-door mission.� He headed for the exit, casting a glance over his shoulder at his brother and Faith. �Don�t worry about me. Dracora�s not dangerous. Or at least not dangerous to us.� He turned to his brother, �Come on, Dean. The Sandman calls.� But he knew it was more than the Sandman, it was Dracora. Sam Winchester looked forward to his dreams, yearned to slide into that fanciful slumberland where anything was possible, for he knew as certain as the passage of time and the rhythm of the tides that Dracora would be waiting for him there.
And so it was. Almost immediately after closing his eyes, Sam was whisked away to a mystical place. He became the Dreamchild, and Dracora became his guide. But this wasn�t a mission of instruction or anything of a serious nature, it was a celebration of their novel bond � a chance to revel in the connection that had been forged between them in mind and spirit. And they did it while exploring the skies, the moonlight glinting off of Dracora�s midnight blue, glossy scales. He straddled her back with his chest against her spine and his arms holding on tight around her neck. As her wings pumped, he could feel the powerful muscles flexing and rippling beneath him, and heard her breath coming hard through her scaled nostrils and open mouth. Even though he knew it was a dream, Sam�s heart started to race when she dipped and tucked her wings against her body, plummeting them both in a crazy-ass dive towards the earth, only to spread her wings at the last moment to carry them skyward once again. She was showing off. And being playful.
Sam awoke to a gruff voice and someone kicking the bed. Although it was a rude awakening, Sam felt refreshed and renewed. He stretched and gazed at Bobby Singer. �Hey man. Good to see you.� He didn�t ask how Bobby had gotten into the room; Bobby had his ways. Dean was just stirring, but from the look on his face, the few hours of sleep they�d gotten hadn�t been as restful as Sam�s. Curious about Dracora, Sam grabbed his pants and padded to the window, peeking through the curtains. Dracora was back in human form, leaning against the Impala. She grinned and waved at him. Sam smiled as his stomach growled. He was suddenly starving. He was in need of some greasy diner food, and as Bobby had so succinctly pointed out, it was time to get moving. Nonetheless, Sam was anxious to see how Bobby would respond to his new friend.
The Demon
People had told him his resemblance to a young Anthony Perkins was uncanny. You know, Norman Bates? Janet Leigh in the shower? But Paul didn�t think it was funny. Not at all. Yet it was ironic that he was managing The Oasis Motel in Hobart, Oklahoma. Just the sort of place Norman Bates might have managed, with the dried carcass of his mother rotting away in that rocking chair in the old house out back.
Point in fact, Paul wasn�t psycho, not at all. He was a demon. He�d smelled the hunters before they even came into the office to ask for a room. He�d vowed to do something about them. They jeopardized everything. And now another of their kind had just showed up, and with a female demon no less. Add to that the odd woman in the parking lot. Wasn�t human, but he didn�t really know what she was. It didn�t matter, though, because he was going to put an end to them all.
Paul exited the office and walked calmly down the concrete walkway that bordered the rooms. A mockingbird was singing in a Chinese elm next to the swimming pool. He smiled and nodded to a young couple who had just checked out and were loading their luggage into a rented Ford Taurus. As he approached the Winchester�s room, he avoided glancing towards the woman who was leaning against the old Impala. He didn�t want to draw her attention. Not yet. He stopped at the open doorway, pasted his best smile on his face, and spoke, �Morning y�all. There�s coffee and donuts in the office. We call that an Oklahoma Continental breakfast.� That�s when he slid the hand grenade out of his jacket pocket, pulled the trigger pin and tossed it into the room. Before it hit the ground, Paul launched himself out of harm�s way with a mighty leap and lightning speed, while spinning in mid-air to toss a dagger with deadly accuracy at the dark-haired non-human leaning against the Impala.
Dracora
Dracora inhaled deeply to avoid gagging. Another human had arrived. With him was a female demon. Dracora was instantly alert when she smelled the demon. They stopped at the entrance to the rooms where her four human friends were resting. A low rumbling growl escaped from her throat. She stood straighter preparing to follow the demon into the room, but the two entered and she felt no disturbance from Sam. She was confused, but she stayed put.
She had just relaxed once more when she smelled another demon. This one was male and he was headed to the same room. He stopped and invited them to eat. The demon seemed hesitant to be close to the humans. She straightened up again. She watched as he tossed something into the room and then launch himself away from the room.
Now Dracora moved. She leapt toward him as he tossed a blade in her direction. Had she been truly human, the blade would have buried itself in her heart. Her draconic reflexes prevented that, but the blade still whistled past her slicing a deep gash in her left arm. Now Dracora was truly angry. She continued forward. Her right hand began to transform becoming a huge, white scaled talon. He was fast, but he couldn't match a dragon's speed. She was in a full fury when she caught him. With another deep draconic growl she buried the talon in the demon's throat. With a snarl she twisted the talon. His flesh froze across his throat and his head snapped from his shoulders bouncing along the pavement. His body crumpled and Dracora turned and rushed back toward her friends. A sudden fiery flash from their room stopped her. She flung her right arm across her eyes. She couldn't see her friends, and she feared the worst.
Ruby
Ruby wasn't really liking her glorified baby sitter at the moment. Fist off she didn't know why she was stuck with him, and secondly she already felt like she and him had spent way too much time together on the road. All she wanted was to be away from him. But that was not the case. She grabbed her stuff and followed him up the corridors to the room. She was excited to see Sam again. But that was it. The others, it didn't really matter if they were there or not.
Following Bobby into the dark room, Ruby smiled a bit when she saw Sam asleep. When he woke up, her smile grew brighter, but then quickly faded as she watched Sam rush over to the window. He was obviously looking for someone. Ruby was curious as to who had captured Sam's attention. But she was sure she'd find out soon enough. She walked over to the window and stood beside Sam, looking out to see who was there. Seeing a woman, she frowned and then walked back over to the door.
Leaning against the door jam, she smiled at everyone in the room. "Let's get going." Without waiting for the others, Ruby quickly left the room. She was ready to go. Ready to do what she was brought her to do. All she wanted at this moment was a distraction from the fact that Sam didn't say hi to her, and that he had a new female friend that he was eager to see. It made her feel like she was replaced. Which didn't really make her want to stick around for very long. As soon as she wasn't needed, she'd try to make her escape. They most likely could get along without her around anyway.
Sam Winchester
Sam realized he�d inadvertently ignored his old friend Ruby and she was feeling put out. No doubt they had something, a deep connection and a history � a good sort of history, despite her being a demon. He wanted to follow her after she left the room abruptly, wanted to explain his connection with Dracora because he knew she would understand. But that�s when the motel manager showed up with his creepy Norman Bates grin pasted on his thin lips.
Bad vibes pulsated off the guy in waves. Sammy had seen it when they checked in and he should have known Norman was bad news. But they�d missed something about him that Dracora was now screaming at him: DEMON, DEMON, DEMON! But she wasn�t verbalizing this warning, she was screaming those words inside his head. This new psychic connection threw Sam off balance, so instead of reacting immediately to the threat, he was momentarily confused and disoriented. And that�s all the time it took for Norman to lob the grenade into the motel room.
Grenades come in two types � time delay and impact. If it was an impact grenade, it would explode when it hit the floor and they�d all be dead. If it was a time delay grenade, Sam might have a moment to catch it and fling it back out the door before it exploded. These alternatives blazed through his thought process as he dove away from the window, his hand reaching like centerfielder making a desperate dive to catch the ball in the bottom of the ninth with the score tied, two outs, and the bases loaded. Of course, if he caught it, it might explode in his hand, and once again, they�d all be dead.
But he did catch it and it didn�t explode. His momentum rolled him once, then Sam cocked his throwing arm towards the door, but Bobby was blocking the way. Knowing he had probably milliseconds before the thing detonated, he threw it into the bathroom instead, then covered his head with his arms.
The blast was devastatingly loud and the shock wave scooted Sammy across the floor three feet. He looked up through clouds of dust and debris with his ears ringing madly. �Bobby!� Bobby Singer was down and a shard from the porcelain tub was protruding from his shoulder where he was gushing bright red arterial blood.
Bobby
Everything happened in a flash. He never had a chance to see who Sam was looking at or figure out what bug crawled up Ruby�s butt. Never even gotten a chance to get Dean up and moving. The man threw the grenade and Sam dove for it. The sight terrified Bobby to the core. Normally he would have reacted. The terror caused him to freeze in shock. Despite his rough exterior as far as he was concerned this was his boy. The other boy sound asleep across from him was like his other son. The Winchester children were the only family he ever had. It was a relief to see the thing didn�t detonate instantly in the young man�s hand. The old man�s heart could beat once again. He tried to move step out of the way but it wasn�t fast enough Sam flung the thing into the bathroom and that was it.
This was it. Bobby was out for the count. He didn�t even remember the blast as he was blown backwards. Everything had gone black. There was pain as he woke. He felt like he had literally been hit by a semi truck. It was hard to move. He glanced over at his shoulder. A sharp searing pain that was almost blinding was emanating there. �Balls,� he grumbled his head falling back as he seen the sight of blood covering his shoulder. He heard Sammy scream as he lay there. It wasn�t the first time he had been injured in the line of duty. He was a tough old cuss and had no plans on going out this easy. Nothing was going to take him away from his kids. The amount of blood did concern.
The room was beginning to spin and he slowly began to fade to black once again. He wasn�t sure who was around him any more as he past back out.
Faith
The slayer had just woken from her slumber stretching and running her hand across her bed to find it bare. It was then she remembered the events of the night before causing them to split up. Dean was rooming with Sammy for right now. She brought her hand up wiping the sleep from her face she glanced over to the right. Nikki was still sound asleep in her bed. It was about eight am. She stared up at the ceiling figuring it was about time to get up for the day, maybe have a smoke. The cool air out on the balcony could do her some good. Dean might even be up. They hadn�t been apart that long but she already missed the big lug. The slayer sat up extending her arms above her head stretching once more.
It was then it happened, an explosion from the other room shaking their hotel room like an earth quake. It caused the pictures fell off of the wall and the tv tumble to the ground. She looked over at a now very alert Nikki. The two of them exchanged a look of shear panic. �Dean,� she lept to her feet and charged out the door towards the boys room. The glass from the windows was blown out littering the walk way cutting the bottoms of her feet. As she reached the door way it was then she realized that Bobby was there and he was down. She quickly fell down to her knees beside him.
�Sam I need a towel or something,� she made the boy out through the debris. As Sammy frantically scoured for something for Faith to use on the wound she looked through the dust for Dean. She glanced down at Bobby as he stirred and grumbled, �It�s going to be alright.� Sam stepped over giving her an old shirt that she pressed to the wound. She looked up shaking her head, �this is bad. I think he needs to get to a hospital.� He was older than them, not that it was good at any age to have shrapnel jabbed through your body. She was concerned.
Dracora
Dracora opened her mind searching for Sammy. She felt him get pushed by the blast and almost panicked till she realized that she still felt their link, and it was strong. She sprinted back toward the smoky room. He was bruised, but otherwise unscathed. His friend however was not. The older man lay sprawled just inside the entryway. The woman called Faith was bent over him. Dracora suddenly saw the human's injury through Sam's eyes. The injury was deadly serious. The shard that impaled the man's skin was thick and heavy, and his blood flowed copiously. She did not believe he could wait for assistance. The humans were frantic. Sam was deeply frightened for his friend.
The semblance of an idea began to form in the back of her mind. It had never been tried that she had been aware of, and she wasn't even certain if or how well it might work. But until a few hours ago she had never attempted a partial transformation, and now she was doing it as if she had always known how. Sam handed faith a piece of cloth that she used to try to staunch the blood around the shard embedded in his shoulder. The cloth quickly turned red. Dracora knew he needed much more than the humans could do for him.
"My magic is innate." she sent into Sam's mind as she tried to quickly illustrate her intentions to him. "That means it is a part of me of what I am." Dracora knelt across from Faith and beside the older man's head. She wiped the fingers of her right hand across the cut on her left arm. She ran her bloody fingers across the man's lips. A drop fell into his mouth, and he swallowed reflexively. Then she placed a hand on either side of his face and gazed down into his open eyes. The blood wasn't enough. It carried the magic, but a healing trance was needed for such a serious injury. As she gazed at him her eyes began to twirl. The draconic gesture seemed incongruous emanating from her human orbs, but she felt him as he relaxed and achieved light trance. The blood flow began to diminish almost immediately.
She allowed her eyes to return to human normal, and she sat back. Her hands slid from his face. "Now we must wait and see." She glanced up at Sammy and Faith. Dracora reached out and pulled the bloody cloth from Faith's hands. The blood flow had stopped completely. A small throbbing pressure pushed through the man's muscles surrounding the imbedded shard. The shard retreated slightly from his flesh. Dracora swiped her fingers across her own injury once more and forced a few more drops into the human's mouth. The healing quickened. A few moments later the shard fell beside him with a heavy thunk. Dracora sighed her relief. Then she remembered the other human male. "How is Dean?"
Sam Winchester
Everyone was clustered around Bobby now. Ruby had reappeared, Dean was up and apparently uninjured except for some minor cuts and scratches, and Nikki stood in the doorway. All eyes were on the interaction between Bobby and Dracora. She had spoken in his mind again � said that her magic is innate, a part of her. Sam didn�t know what that meant until she drew her finger, bloodied from the wound on her arm, across Bobby�s lips. He knew instinctively that Dracora was attempting to transfer some of her own magic to Bobby. Perhaps to bestow upon him enhanced healing abilities. If that�s what she was doing, Sammy wondered what other qualities might be transferred to Bobby in those few drops of Dragon blood. Once healed, would Bobby sprout leathery wings and begin swooping around the parking lot like a bearded, slightly portly oversized bat? Sam clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from cackling insanely. Given the circumstances, his friends and family would think he�d been dipping into the squirrel cash, had converted to Scientology, was a taco shy of a combo plate, was howling-at-the-moon bugshit crazy. Lunatic laughter threatened to boil to the surface again. What the hell was wrong with him?
Sam knelt next to Bobby, gazing at wonderment at the now completely healed wound. Bobby hitched himself up into a sitting position, his back to the wall. The explosion had drawn other Oasis motel customers out of their rooms, and quite a crowd was gathering and milling about outside. The Winchesters never liked to draw attention, but inevitably stuff like this always did. �Bobby? Are you ok? I think you�re healed. Dracora�she�fixed it.� Sam glanced over at Dracora, whose eyes had stopped whirling. She was gazing at him curiously. There was still so much Sam didn�t understand about her.
Sam picked up the bloody porcelain shard that had moments ago been protruding from Bobby�s shoulder. He turned it over in his hand and realized it wasn�t porcelain, wasn�t a piece of the tub after all. �Bobby, check this out. It�s plastic, part of the toilet seat. You were almost killed by a projectile toilet seat and then saved by a magic dragon. That doesn�t happen every day.� Laughter threatened again, but the sound of distant police sirens mercifully cut it short before it could surface. One of the bystanders had called the cops. �Time to motor, people. Grab your stuff, we don�t want to have to answer questions from the cops.�
Nikki
For the time being Nikki was still really confused about being around a dragon but from the actions that Dracora showed them she was no threat to them. So Nicole trusted her. She did as Sam told them to do. Nicole grabbed her duffle bag and swung it over her shoulder and then looked at Dean and the others. She went over to Bobby and gently helped up off the ground. Looking over her shoulder she heard the sirens coming closer and she looked at Sam and Dean. "Dean where is the car?" Nicole looked around for the car and it was no where to be seen. She then looked over at Dracora and she wondered if she did something to the car like put a clocking charm on it or something. "Dracora do you have other abilities besides your healing ability. Like for instance making things invisible?" Then to Nicole's surprise there was the Impala around the corner and she cleared her throat. She felt so dump asking Dracora that. She also felt bad because she was prying into her personal business. The others took their things to the Impala and Nicole helped Bobby to the car. She wondered how everyone was going to fit into the car. It was big but not that big. "Guys we need another vehicle don't you think?" Looking over her shoulder she saw a car they could use. "Anyone here know how to hot wire a car?"
*Dean eyed the car that Nicole was talking about.* Yeah, I can hot wire a car. But I ain't driving that thing. I'm driving my baby. Just so we're all clear. *There wasn't much time. Dean quickly made his way over to the car. It had been awhile since he had needed to do this to get out of a jam, but he had learned and he had learned quick. After a few moments the car was ready to go for whoever decided to be driving it. He made his way back towards the Impala.*
All set. Let's hit the road.
*This was getting crazier and crazier. Dragons. Bobby having been injured and then healed by said dragon. He was getting on board more and more with team dragon, though not loving the idea of Ruby lurking around, but then a demon was a demon to him. Nothing trustworthy about them. Hadn't it been destroying demons that had gotten them to become hunters in the first place. No, jumping on her bandwagon for him that was for sure. But, dragons, well he was becoming more and more open minded about them the longer that she was hanging around. He couldn't lose anymore people. They had lost enough. He certainly wasn't going to lose the closest thing they had to a father. Thanks to Dracora he didn't have to worry about that.*
Dracora
The choice was simple for Dracora. She went where Sam went. She followed him to the black metal beast. The female demon had rejoined them. Dracora found herself reacting to the awful smell by growling deep in her throat. When the demon woman approached their conveyance, Dracora's growling increased in volume. "I cannot abide the smell of demons." The demon backed away and climbed into the second conveyance. The growling stopped. Sam sent mental reassurance to her telling her that they could trust the demon, that she was on their side. "She is a demon. She will betray you. No demon can be trusted." Dracora growled aloud to him. She saw Dean suddenly grin. Human's are amused by the strangest things, she thought.
Nikki was seated beside her again. "I have many abilities, Nikki, but invisibility is a necromantic ability. That is magic that is learned and it is considered...." Dracora tilted her head slightly as she searched for the right word. "ill mannered at best. It is dark magic. At any rate, I was born with my magic. I did not have to learn the magic. I only had to learn how to wield it. That is the case with all dragons."
Dracora fell silent as Dean maneuvered the metal conveyance. She contemplated what she felt she needed to do next. She did not ever want to feel that sudden panic while searching for their bond again. She must protect Sam by sharing her abilities with him. She would create a talisman for him from one of her scales. That was another thing that was rarely done for humans. It was even more rare than the dragon human bond. The gift of a dragon's scale was written in the joint histories of both humans and dragons on her world. It had only happened twice before. The first had been bestowed by a mighty red to a human who had broken a dragon hunter's trap to release him. It became the most powerful fire weapon in the humans' history. The second was given by a royal moon to a human crown prince. The Human had saved her clutch from destruction. One of the offspring later became an honored monarch of the dragons. That scale and it's starfire was still passed from monarch to monarch among the humans.
Never had a human been gifted with a chameleo scale. A chameleo scale would harbor all of her abilities, would become a talisman of unimaginable power. Through their link she would be able to teach him how to wield all of her abilities, albeit in a more limited form. Such a talisman would probably not have helped much against the explosion that had occurred, but it would certainly be useful against whatever monsters and demons that happened to inhabit this world. It was, after all, dragons who had finally eliminated vampires and wraiths on her own world. Humans had courageously joined the battle, but many of them were lost. Only one dragon fell in that war, and that was due to simple pure luck when a wraith somehow got close the dragon's head.
Dracora glanced up to see Sam staring open-mouthed at her. She then realized that she had just calmly and blithely shared each and every one of those thoughts with Sam through their bond. Their bond was strong, and the weapon would surely reflect that. She sent a reassuring chuckle through his mind. "I guess there is no changing my mind now, is there, Sam?"
Sam Winchester
Sam was glancing out the back window, watching as the police cruisers, red lights circling and sirens blazing, screamed into the motel parking lot half a block behind them. If their exit had been even a moment later, at least one of those coppers would have intuited that Dean had just suspiciously pulled out of the Oasis� parking lot, and they�d have a Hobart Sherriff Andy Taylor with his sidekick Barney Fife doggedly in pursuit until they either left the county or had a confrontation. Neither option was desirable.
Sam had been absently but voyeuristically listening in on Dracora�s thoughts when he picked up on something that he wasn�t yet supposed to know. He truly hadn�t meant to intrude on her mental ramblings, but the psychic connection was so new � his subconscious mind wanted to explore it regardless of the consequences. She was planning on crafting a powerful talisman from one of her scales, something that would bestow wondrous abilities upon him, abilities that he was not yet prepared to understand, let alone master.
He blubbered a wordless apologetic thank you. Apologetic because he hadn�t meant to tune in on her private thoughts, but thankful beyond words � and they were beyond words � for her invaluable gift, which was still waiting to be unwrapped. Sam wasn�t completely comfortable with speaking telepathically, so he moved to audible speech. He didn�t know what else to say about the gift � besides, his questions regarding it would become clearer in time � so he edged the conversation to a problem that had yet to be discussed. �Dracora. I know you belong elsewhere. I understand a little of what your world is like�because of the bond. I also know that you must return.� She was seated next to him, and what he glimpsed in her eyes spoke more than what he�d read in her thoughts. Dracora needed to return to her home world. She had unfinished business there, and connections deeper than hers would ever be with Sam Winchester.
Sam was a little jealous of what she had on the other side, and whomever she shared it with. He was tempted to reach out and sweep locks of her silken hair over one shoulder. But he suspected that would violate some Draconic code. �I want to help you get back. Tell me what needs to be done.� After uttering those words, he realized how foolish it must sound. He was just as hunter, as were his friends. Opening portals to other worlds was way out of their league. Unless the talisman�
Faith
Faith piloted the second machine. There were several reasons for this decision. One she figured she was one of the few people that could keep up with Dean. Two, Sam and Dracora appeared to be inseparable. There was something going on there. The girl had just been yanked out of her world. She needed someone to lean on right about now. Three, she wasn�t about to let a demon be in control. Ruby�s loyalty appeared to be with Sam. Finally she was just in the mood to feel the power of the machine at her finger tips. The metal beast roaring around her obeying her every command.
Bobby and Ruby were both seated in the back seat as far apart as possible. The look on both of their faces shown neither of them was thrilled with the idea. Faith exited the parking lot at the opposite end heading in the opposite direction to avoid suspicion. It looked bad enough to have two cars pulling out of the place right after a major explosion. She had a good idea where Dean was heading. It was probably down to take a look at the caves. It also give them some place to develop a plan out of prying eyes. It was a place less public. If she was wrong there was always the cell snug in her pocket. As soon as she was far enough out of sight she careened the car around a corner heading back in the other direction taking another route to meet upwith the road to the caves. The force from the swerving vehicle caused Bobby to slide across the seat into Ruby.
The man offered a few obscenities and comments about her driving, but she paid it no attention. Sorry really wasn�t in her vocabulary. Instead she switched on the radio turning it up as she continued to maneuver in her haste to catch up with the Winchesters. A few brief minutes later that involved playing leap frog with a few cars that pulled up behind the impala and Faith slowed her speed allowing everyone to breathe easy once more.
Sam Winchester
Sam was still contemplating all the recent events and revelations, awaiting further answers from Dracora as he absently watched the night world go by. They�d entered a rural section of Hobart, not that any of it was particularly urbanized, but here the trees were taller and older, less groomed, the yards tended to be grown over with weeds, and some houses were obviously abandoned. Maybe they�d belonged to folks with upside down loans that had just up and left rather than continuing to throw good money after bad.
It was like something whispered to Sammy deep down in his medulla oblongata � the hindbrain, the old, instinctual part of the noggin. �Dean, stop the car. STOP THE DAMNED CAR!� Dean jammed on the breaks hard, almost skidding the Impala into a ditch. Cars of that era didn�t have anti-lock breaks. Good thing that Faith had superhuman reflexes in the car behind them, otherwise she�d be sitting in the back seat between Sam and Dracora. �Sorry! Really. I just got a brain twitch. Back up.� With the headlights glaring into the back seat from Faith�s ride, Sam turned in his seat, squinted, and gestured for her to back up. In another minute both cars had reversed to a dirt drive that meandered through a grove of hickories. �That away, boss.� Dean frowned and rolled his eyes, but did as Sam suggested. After a short trip down a serpentine rutted trail, a darkened three story house that looked like it could have been the Amityville Horror house rose up out of the gloom, illuminated by the Impala�s headlights. The house was dark and in obvious disrepair. Shutters hung askew and a Trumpetvine had taken over the entire east side of the house. It looked like it hadn�t been painted since the 50s. �Guys, no more roadside motels run by Norman Bates wannabes. We got us new digs. Welcome to the Winchester House. We�re home.�
Dracora
"Well done, Sam!" Dracora declared as she exited the metal beast. The humans all glanced at her with various versions of confusion and disbelief on their faces. "What? This is perfect! Do you not see?" Sam of course was following her thought pattern. He was becoming quite adept already. He was grinning broadly. Dracora gestured at the ramshackle domocile. "It is secluded, so it is unlikely we will see other humans. It is well camoflauged among the vegetation. And it is big enough to at least accomodate my smallest natural form." Dracora walked without hesitation up the rickety stairs carefully avoiding the gap left by a missing stairstep. The srceen door gaped open. It's upper hinge had rusted off and it leaned onto the porch. The larger wooden door gave with a small creak as she pushed against it. She poked her nose in and started sneezing. She backed out still sneezing. "Sorry..." she sheepishly muttered. "It is very dusty in there." Sam was struggling to repress his laughter. Then he too suddenly sneezed, and Dracora broke into laughter as well.
Dracora walked back down to the humans. "I will have to.....well....just stay back and watch. I would not want to injure any of you accidentally" The humans took her seriously and remained beside the metal beast. Dracora stepped next to the porch and transformed. She had chosen a form that they had not seen yet. She shimmered into the thick chested grey steamer. She stretched her neck forward and bumped the wooden door open with her snout. Then she inhaled deeply and plunged her snout into the domocile. She exhaled slowly directing her powerful steam over every surface and through every nook and crack in the domocile. Steam rolled from the gaps condensing and covering the vegetation in a dewy moisture. She pulled head back and transformed back to her human aspect. "There. That should take care of it." She went back up the stairs and poked her head in again. When she didn't sneeze, she gestured to the humans to join her.
Dracora went directly into the largest room. Pieces of what must have been human furniture were scattered about the room. She ignored it and knelt down onto her left knee. Her right foot remained planted firmly on the floor directly before her. She concentrated and her foot and ankle began to transform. The appendage grew in size becoming distinctly reptilian in nature. The completed transformation was foot and talons of a crystaline blue electro-magnetic dragon. Dracora reached down and brushed her right hand upward against the scales. A single scale came away. It was razor sharp along it's entire edge save the base which she now held. Her ankle and foot became the petite human appendage again, and she sat down on the floor. Her arm had healed in the few moments she spent in her draconic form, but she still needed the blood. She opened her left hand and held it up before her. With a quick swipe of the scale she slashed open her palm. She held the bleeding hand over the scale and watched the blood drop onto it and seep into it disappearing with a small bright spark as each drop was absorbed into the scale.
She had momentarily forgotten about all the humans with the exception of Sam. The more blood that she allowed to drop, the more power the talisman would wield. She knew Sam could handle more than maybe any other human would be able to. She knew that he already had some experience wielding otherworldly power. Still she could not give it more than he could handle. She couldn't let him burn himself out. Six drops and she clenched her fist closed. It glimmered reptilian briefly then settled back into human form. The cut was gone. When Sam held the scale for the first time it would complete itself by adapting to his grip and bonding to him in such a way that he would be the only person capable of using it. Even Dracora herself would not be able to use it. The crystalline scale glittered in her palm. Reflections of the abilities now encased within it danced across the scale. She hoped desperately that she had made the right decision.
She would have to train him to use the scale properly and to it's full potential, but that should not prove to be difficult. Their bond would show him everything he needed to know about the scale just as it had shown him how to fly with her. Then it would just require practice. She was certain that Sam would master it quickly. The scale itself would never break or dull, making it an ideal hand weapon. But that was just the start. Sam would be able to command it mentally and it would spout fire, frost, steam, smoke, poison, lightning or even starfire. Any ability she had, the scale had as well. Because he would now hold draconic powers, Sam would also be immune to Dracora's magic. The weapon could never be turned on him. It would not even cut him unless he willed it. "It is done, Sam." she whispered in his mind. "You must complete it yourself by accepting it. It will adapt to you and only to you." She held out the scale out and beckoned him forward.
Ruby
Ruby could not wait to get out of that car fast enough. Being next to Bobby in a car again, was not what she wanted. If she had to sit next to him ever again, she'd rather just walk and arrive at the destination whenever she did. There was no way she'd risk having an incident wher Bobby was thrown into her lap again.
Once out of the car, she headed straight inside and found a spot on the nearest couch. Dracora was already in the process of dripping blood onto one of her scales. She could see why Sam was attached at the hip to this dragon that also happened to be a woman. She had power. If Ruby wasn't slightly jealous of her, she'd probably like her. She quitly sighed to herself and waited to watch as Sam accepted the scale.
Sam Winchester
Because of the bond, the transformation of Dracora�s right foot and ankle didn�t unnerve or surprise Sammy, in fact he knew she needed to do something like this for their bond to ascend to the next level. Still, a big lizard foot adorned with iridescent blue scales attached to a shapely, feminine calf and thigh wasn�t something you saw every day, so Sam stood and gawked, which was all he could do under the circumstances. Oblivious to this feat of magic ongoing in what had been the living room of the house, Sam could hear Bobby, who was apparently back to his normal curmudgeonly form, mumbling sarcastic remarks about the �damned haunted house� while Faith and Dean creaked up the stairs to check out the second and third floors. Nikki was perhaps headed into the kitchen, leaving only Ruby to watch the proceedings between Sam and Dracora. Sam and Ruby had their own bond of sorts, and he sensed from her a quiet reservation that likely translated into disapproval from his old friend. But regardless of her thoughts on the matter, Sam was glad and believed it appropriate that Ruby was here as a witness to what was to be a transforming event, literally and figuratively, for Sam Winchester.
Dracora spoke to him, told him to take the dragon scale. It glittered in her open hand like a jewel, or something made from the wing of one of those huge, neon blue butterflies from the tropics. Not that Sam had ever seen such a thing in person, but he�d spent enough time surfing the nature channels to know about them. Sam stepped up close to Dracora and looked from the scale into her remarkable luminous violet-blue eyes. The look he saw there was reassuring and open. She was unabashedly and graciously giving of herself to Sam, without hesitation, even though they�d know each other for less than 24 hours. Sam was normally a cautious man, certainly more reserved than his brother Dean, and minus the flamboyant edge of his sister Nikki. Given a choice between the fast but dangerous high road through enemy territory versus the longer but safer route around the mountain, Sam would usually chose the latter. Yet here he was on the edge of a precipice, willingly and knowingly about to make a leap of faith into the great unknown. Except it wasn�t really unknown, because he could visualize the consequences of his next action. The bond with Dracora was akin to a magical looking glass that opened up on an entirely new and wondrous universe, and all he had to do to access it was to take that glimmering blue scale from Dracora�s hand.
Which he did. Once within his grasp, it slid on its own volition from between his fingers to the back of his hand. Sam held up his hand, palm out with the fingers extended, and watched in amazement as the scale oriented itself with the pointed, razor edge away from his wrist, near the base of his fingers. Then it melted into his skin, leaving just the blue outline of the scale, which appeared like an enigmatic tattoo he�d have to dream up an explanation for, because everyone would ask him about it for the rest of his life.
The world spun for a moment and Sammy staggered back a step, spreading his legs for better support. The full implications of what just happened to him came flooding across his senses like a tsunami: he now wielded the draconic powers of instant extreme heat and cold, he could create steam or smoke, and could call forth lightning, conjuring it from the clouds like Zeus, and at his fingertips was something called starfire, although he knew not what that was, only that it was powerful and uniquely aligned to Sam�s own innate human abilities and strengths. Dracora had made sure of that.
Sam turned his hand over, looking at it like it belonged to someone else, which perhaps it did in a way. He contemplated the powers he�d just absorbed, just as a blast of Arctic, freezing cold burst from his fingertips, turning the far wall a frosty white. The power surge was like the kick of a 10-gauge shotgun, sending Sammy back onto his butt. Yellowed wallpaper crackled and curled on the wall and a framed picture of a guy fishing on a peaceful mountain lake twisted on its nail and then dropped to the floor. Sammy looked at his hand, a wry grin playing at the edges of his lips, �Does this thing come with an instruction manual?�
Faith had no idea Dean was up to when he had careened the impala to a stop causing her to slam her breaks and change direction. She had known the Winchesters long enough to know that there had to be a good reason. There was a plan involved. She leaned forward gazing out of the windshield as the house came into view bringing the metal beast to a halt next to the impala. It was a relief to finally be able to get out and stretch her legs. �I knew hanging out with you guys would take me places,� she smirked glancing over towards the boys. They didn�t have to explain she got the gist. It was a safe place away from prying eyes with room for their new friend to stretch out. She was a little fuzzy on the rest of the plan. She wasn�t too worried. It would all be figured out in time. It wasn�t like this was the worst place she had ever been. She had stayed in a few worst places back in her youth. This was a subject she didn�t care to discuss. A part of her past she liked to leave in her past.
She followed the crew inside the decrepit building. �Homey,� chuckling to herself as she observed the decor of the room. It was probably once bright and cheery with it�s yellow wallpaper and pictures on the wall. This was long before abandonment and time had set in. There was an old dilapidated couch against the wall. It the frame was worn. It had given away on one end causing the dusty green seat to lean to one side. Ruby had walked over taking a seat and Faith followed plopping down beside her causing a puff of dust to fly up around them. The slayer was unphased she continued to settle in propping her feet on a wobbly old coffee table. It was then her eyes became fixated on the exchange between Dracora and Sam. She had never seen anything like it in all her years as a slayer. The picture fell from it�s hanger snapping Faith out of her daze. She glanced around at the others who remained speechless. All of them were wondering what this would mean.
Bobby
It felt good to finally be out of the car. He had spent enough time travelling with a demon. The hunter grabbed his duffle bag following his boys and their friends into the feeble old house. Although, he didn�t settle in as the others did, instead he sat down his bag near the door. He then began wondering throughout the place checking it out. The structure appeared to be sound excluding for a few broke windows or loose boards in the flooring. It had three bedrooms in the back seemingly devoid furniture. Two of which still had a couple of mattresses on the floor. It looked like the springs were sticking out of one of them. The third room was the nicest. The bedding still had a metal frame to keep it up off of the ground. There was a dresser against the wall in good shape except for the busted mirror it supported. On the right across the hall was a small bathroom with rust stained porcelain. The shower curtain was barely still hanging. It dangled from a couple of rings on it�s rod. Finally as he drifted back towards the living room he ran into the kitchen. The doors to a few of the cabinets drooped from their hinges and others were missing. Cob webs filled the pantry covering a few rusted containers of can goods. In his inspection he approached the sink turning on the water. The pipes sputtered and clanged as they attempted to come to life. The liquid was brown at first but then turned into a clear trickle that smelled lightly of sulfur, well water. He turned it off and headed back into the living room with everyone else.
Bobby entered the room as Dracora began her transformation. He stopped in place watching protectively as the woman offered Sam her scale. She had saved his life back there at the hotel earning a degree of his trust. He always was concerned when it came to the Winchester children but he never showed it. He offered a smile as Sam made a retort about an instruction manual. There was enough of this sitting around. He walked over picking up his duffle bag and tossing it to Faith, �enough lollygagging. We need to secure this place. Faith, Sam make a devil�s trap by the door. Dean secure the bedrooms. I got the back.� He saw Ruby�s head perk up. There was little she could do to help. She couldn�t� even get close to those things. It wasn�t meant as any harm to her anyhow. At least she would have a good idea where the things were. It would help her keep out of trouble. �Sorry princess can�t have any of your relatives paying us a unwelcome visit,� he shrugged before heading towards the back.
Dracora
Dracora chortled merrily. "The instructions are in my mind, Sam. You must learn how to buffer the power to control how much is used. You must also learn to focus it." She heard a fleeting analogy flit across Sam's mind. "Exactly, Sam. Target practice as it were." Ruby had glanced nervously at the frozen wall and scooted to the edge of the sofa. Faith just stared at the frozen wall in awe. Dracora grudgingly admitted to herself that at least the demon had common sense. That frost was Dracora's preferred method for discorporating demons. It was well for her to avoid it, otherwise her reconstitution could be an arduous process. It was very amusing to Dracora all the way around, and she chuckled again. "First you must learn how to....turn it off." Dracora demonstrated in her mind and Sam wrapped a mental blanket around his new abilities. "I will help you practice later, Sam. Show me how to make this 'devil's trap'." Bobby grunted his approval and continued on his way to the back of the domocile.
Dracora watched Sam draw a circle and then fill it with an intricate pattern. When he finished and sat back she gasped aloud. What he had drawn in the floor was the center pattern for the sigil she had seen Grako draw to entrap the red skinned demon that he now controlled. Dracora looked at Sam then she knelt beside the finished sigil. She examined it closely then nodded. "Have you a blade I might borrow, Sam?" Sam pulled out a dagger, deftly flipped it and handed it to her handle end first. "Thank you." She quickly sliced open her left palm again and handed the blade back to Sam. She cupped her left hand allowing the blood to pool. Then she dipped her index and middle fingers into the pool of blood and began to retrace the pattern, overlaying Sam's lines with her own blood.
When she had completed that task she began to draw another circle around the sigil. She flexed her hand slightly to keep the wound open and the blood flowing. In between the lines of the circle she had just drawn and the one Sam had completed she drew more patterns. These were the draconic sigils that Grako had used to make his trap strong enough to hold the upper level demon. The sigil that represented a dragon was one of the two that she had drawn in her first attempt to communicate with Sam. She wondered briefly if he might recognize it. "This is the trap that Grako used to hold the red skinned demon while he bound him. It is said on my world that there is no demon that it cannot hold." Dracora's hand shimmered reptilian and healed.
"How can it be that the two traps are the same underlying traps?" Dracora mused aloud. What else was the same between the two worlds? Dracora wasn't sure whether she should be hopeful or fearful. But she knew that Sam must master his new abilities soon, very soon. She had to hunt. She would need the extra energy if she was to use her magic well. She hadn't eaten in the 24 hours that she had been here. She usually hunted once a week, but it had been more than a week now since she had eaten, and she expended a tremendous amount of her magic in the last turn of the sun.
She waited until dusk had fallen completely. She whispered her intentions into Sam's mind. She also warned him of the way in which a dragon ate. While it wasn't gruesome in her opinion, it certanly wasn't something human's were accustomed to. She wanted him to feel free to shield his mind from the hunt. She left the domocile and walked behind the building. "I go to hunt. I will return before dawn." she sent to Sam then transformed into her black smoker form and launched herself into the air. Invisible in the night sky she winged her way east. She had detected the faint aroma of an old forest. For no more than two human hours she followed the scent east until she finally came upon a very old mountain range. It's peaks had long ago worn down so that these mountains seemed to roll across the landscape. Even the highest of these small peaks was covered in thick green forest. She steered well clear of human habitation. The scent of elk came to her across the air, and she began to salivate. She descended into a broad hidden valley. Several fat elk bolted, but the last one wasn't quite fast enough. Dracora scooped the hapless creature into her huge talons and snapped the creature's neck. She settled to the valley floor and leisurely fed on the warm carcass. She would hunt and eat at least one more before the night was through.
Sam Winchester
The next few hours passed in a red haze for Sam. He�d watched Dracora transform and then launch into the night on surprisingly silent wings. She flew east, just a shadow on the sky, blotting out the stars for a moment as she passed. If someone happened to be looking skyward as Dracora passed overhead, she would appear as a wave of hushed darkness into which the stars would disappear only to be revealed a moment later. A spectator would not have but a few seconds to consider this odd phenomenon, for she was moving fast and picking up speed. Sam knew where she was headed � the Ozarks, Ouachita Mountains west of Little Rock or Hot Springs. There was game there. Plenty of cattle between here and there, but he thought she understood enough of human society now to not prey on a cow. A bovine ripped apart in a field leaving nothing but a few bone fragments, some shreds of hide, and a lot of blood would soon be found. And then the authorities would investigate, although there would be some that would dismiss it as another alien visitation - ETs wanting to see how a cow ticks. A wacky vision of the cute little ET from the movie of the same name carving up a cow with a chain saw while a very blond and even cuter eight-year old Drew Barrymore stood by in horror with her little fist stuffed in her mouth and her eyes as big as saucers elicited a burst of slightly maniacal laughter that Sam quickly stifled. He needed sleep. This had been a very long day of life-altering revelations.
But sleep would not come for Sam Winchester this night. Back inside he didn�t discuss what had just happened. Not because he didn�t want to, but because he didn�t understand it fully himself. He needed time to process. But the assemblage of siblings and others that he considered his family, and were more important to him than anything he�d ever known, were passing knowing, suspicious glances among themselves, apparently � like him - not wanting or not ready to discuss his newly acquired powers or the bond with a dragon from another world. He was feeling a little like an alien himself � a taller version of ET, with the people around him hoping he wouldn�t reach out and touch them with one of those long, green fingers. Sam took a mattress he found in the basement and laid it out on the living room floor. It was dirty and stained with things he didn�t want to think about, but the springs were still good. It would do.
The others drifted away, apparently finding their own spaces for the night. As Sam laid there gazing up at the cracked plaster of the ceiling, another sliver of cinematic history was unlocked from the dregs of his tired synapses, this time from the small screen. It was a vision of the Walton�s huge house and the lights going out one by one, crickets chirping in the night, and everyone saying goodnight to someone else, until the last light went out and a little girl�s voice whispered, �Goodnight Johnboy�. He mentally shook that vision away. He�d always hated the Waltons. No family had ever really been like that. But maybe he didn�t hate them, just maybe he was a little jealous � envious of their normalcy.
Within 20 minutes of laying down on the soiled mattress, Sam could hear Bobby snoring in an upstairs bedroom. An hour later a plane droned by overhead. Two hours after that, Sam heard someone upstairs pad to the bathroom and then the toilet flushed. At least the plumbing worked. Still Sam stared at the ceiling. It didn�t help to close his eyes; his mind was too busy when he did that. He laced his hands together on his chest. Sam was still fully dressed; he hadn�t even taken his shoes off. And so the night went, plodding ever so slowly towards the dawn as Sam counted and recounted, then categorized and collated, the cracks, holes, and stains in the ceiling.
Dean Winchester
Considering everything that had transpired within the last day, Dean figured he was handling all of this really well, more so than usual. Dracora gave them no reason to be on guard around her, hadn�t from the start and he was relaxed enough around her but there were the implications that her mere presence would bring. They�d already dealt with the moronic trio in the cornfield and then the demon at the motel�Soon enough the fact that the infamous Winchesters and pals were traveling with a dragon might get around and Dean could only imagine the sort of attention they would get after that. And let�s not forget the numerous enemies just waiting for Dracora back on her other world and oh yeah, the fact that Sammy could now shoot freezing cold air from the power bestowed on him from Dracora. Again, Dean wasn�t worried about where the dragon�s alliance was, she was willing to help them as she could while she remained here, but well�Dean wasn�t all that thrilled at his brother wielding more inhuman power. Hadn�t like it when his brother went psychic, wasn�t going to like him having even more freakish abilities. But hey, at least this time the source wasn�t demonic, so he could get by it so long as Sam could control it.
After the display of abilities, it was Bobby who roused them to get their asses in gear. Dean shook off the wave of questions that threatened to drown him and instead focused on securing the rooms as Bobby instructed. Hell, he wasn�t cut out for contemplating everything that was going on, that was more Sammy�s department than his own, he preferred action and even if there wasn�t much to be had in securing rooms, at least he was moving and doing something with his hands. He salted the windows, made the appropriate devil�s traps and couldn�t help the smirk from lifting his lips when he thought about Ruby. She was probably miserable right about now and serves her right. Didn�t matter how much she helped them out, Dean was never going to trust her. He was sure she was plotting their inevitable demise and just waiting for the opportune moment to carry out her demonic scheme.
Whatever, Dean could handle demons or at least these demons. He didn�t know everything about Dracora�s world, much less than Sam knew because of the connection he shared with the dragon, but they were always being thrown against powerful enemies and it always looked hopeless but they pulled through in the end. Dean wasn�t about to stop that streak now, besides even if things did get too complicated, he�d always been of the mindset that he�d go down fighting. Things were quieting down in the decrepit house now and exhaustion pulled at the corner of his mind. Dracora�s presence in their team may have been complicated but in the end, Dean figured it would only benefit everyone involved. He knew the dragon needed to return to her own world but as for planetary travel, yeah, Dean had no clue on that one, even with the massive amounts of movies he�d watch, there was no adequate idea that could possibly be put into motion with their limited supplies.
Dean didn�t bother with some of the old mattresses; the best had been claimed already so he settled for just laying down on the worn floor, frowning as a knot in the wood dug at his shoulder. He didn�t need much sleep anyway but right about now sleep would be nice, might keep his mind from reeling with everything that had just happened. A couple of hours of just lying there passed before Dean gave up the endeavor and just got himself up. He shuffled to the old kitchen, tested the weight of a chair and sat down pulling out a gun and setting to cleaning it to keep his mind focused on something he was used to.
Nikki
Nicole could sense the strong bond between Sam and Dracora because they stayed very close to each other. She began to wonder what would happen when they got her back to her own world. Their bond she hoped would still remain and also she hoped that they would be able to keep in contact with her when this was all done. Nicole looked at her brother and then at Bobby when she got up out of bed. She did not want to get out of bed but they were on the run from the demons so what the hell get your ass out of bed she thought to herself. "So tell me guys what is our next move."
Faith
Almost everyone in the aged house was restless. Faith was no exception. She lay on the worn old mattress staring up at the ceiling. Sleep refused to come for her. It was surprising anyone could drift to dream with Bobby Singer snoring so loudly in the other room. The sound reverberated off the walls and down the hallway to her room. She grabbed a pillow at first rolling on her side wrapping it around her ears. Frustrated she rolled over pulling it to her face as if she were about to stifle a scream of irritation then tossed it. It was probably just better to just get up at this point. It wasn�t unusual for her to be up before the crack of dawn. Some mornings she awoke and got a few hours of training in before the others began to move. She stumbled to the bathroom dressed in a tank top and sweats tucking her smokes in her pocket. This was the rumblings that Sam had heard up stairs. She splashed some water on her face and headed stealthy outside.
The slayer sat down on the rickety old porch. The clouds were gathering in the night sky. Only a few stars were still shining through. She reached in her pocket pulling out her cigarettes and lit one up. The smoke exhaled slowly into the night sky. There were squeaks and faint sounds coming from the building behind her. At least one other person was stirring right about now. She assumed it was from no fault of her own, perhaps it was the rumblings of the eldest hunter. It was getting to them all. It was probably more than that. It was more likely the weight of the current situation. It was hard to find sleep on nights like these. For the moment she had no intentions on joining the fidgety spirit in the home. The nicotine and cool night air were soothing.
�Hunters?� Damon frowned and his eyes turned coal black. �And they live?� Damon Weston had set up shop in Hobart. This unlikely, mundane outpost among the corn fields was humming with psychic energy. A demon could grow strong simply absorbing the power, basking in the sinister rays like a lizard on a rock soaking up the morning sun. The source of that energy was as yet unknown, but Damon was here to find it, tap into it, and make it his own. He�d gathered others of his kind around him, demons of like mind, except weaker. Much weaker. Demons he could control, and who would serve. Damon was severely disappointed in Caldwell. Hunters in Hobart constituted an intolerable situation.
�Winchesters?� Damon stood and walked to the window. Dark clouds were gathering on the southern horizon. He could sense the storm that would bluster into town later in the afternoon. Damon was covetous of its potentially destructive force. The Winchesters and their associates were akin to boogey men for demons. Their reputations as demon hunters had become almost mythic. Cats with 18 lives that had teeth like Saber-tooth tigers and the claws of a Griffin. When Caldwell told him they had one of their kind with them � a demon female � Damon�s rage boiled the surface and he slammed his fist into the wall, gouging a hole in the old lath and plaster, exposing fiberglass insulation that would be prohibited under current building codes. �Gather the followers. All of them. And weapons. We�ll destroy them as they sleep tonight. Gasoline � I want three five-gallon containers. We�ll burn them alive.� An evil grin snaked its way across Damon�s thin, dry lips.
Sam Winchester
Sam was seated across from Ruby at a table for two in an intimate and romantic, candlelit restaurant. The Spanish food was as spicy as the wine was complex. And Ruby smiled with her lips and her eyes as they talked about nothing in particular, touching on one topic only to jump to another. The subject matter of the conversation wasn�t important, it was the communication, the interaction over good food and drink. Ruby�s lustrous blond hair fairly shimmered like gold in the flickering candlelight. Everything was perfect�except something crawled on Sammy�s arm. He looked down and was horrified to see a tarantula-sized spider there. He quickly tried to brush it off, but it clung to him stubbornly and extended its astonishingly long fangs, ready to impale him and inject its deadly venom. In desperation, Sammy stood, overturning the table, the plates of food and the bottle of wine crashing to the floor as he tried to pluck the giant arachnid off his arm.
That�s when Sam abruptly awoke from the dream. But that sensation of something crawling on his arm was still there. He looked down and through blurry eyes saw a large cricket making its way across his arm, its antennae jiggering about as it lowered its head to his skin to investigate the strange substrate upon which it found itself. Sam brushed the insect off, �Shit.�
Rubbing at his eyes, he felt like shit, but at least he�d gotten a little sleep. Something he remembered from his pack brightened his mood a little. He padded to the kitchen, found a pot, filled it with water and set it on the stove. The Oasis Motel had a coffee pot and packets of coffee for the guests. Sam had lifted a few of the latter. And although he didn�t have a coffee pot, he just ripped the package open and poured what looked like an appropriate amount of the ground beans into the water. While the brew heated, he rummaged around in the cabinets above the sink and found a not-too-dirty mug, which he cleaned out as best he could. When the coffee was hot, he turned off the burner and poured himself a cup. Grounds floated on top. He�d have to try to drink around them.
Sam wandered out onto the front porch where the morning sun was just beginning to illuminate the patches of dry rot and termite damage. Faith was sitting on the bottom step, smoking a cigarette. �Hot coffee in the kitchen. Its cowboy coffee, but at least its caffeinated.� Dracora
Dracora had just finished the second elk when Sam's disturbing dream invaded her mind. At first she thought he was in real danger till she sensed the discontinuity of the vision. She felt him snap awake and knew for sure he had just been dreaming. Dracora lifted her muzzle reaching to catch the scent of fresh water. The scent of warm flowing water drew her south. She followed it's short path and luxuriated for a few moments as she bathed away the blood and smell from her hide. Sam had risen and begun his day. Dracora wanted to spend more time in the wonderful warm waters, but dawn was approaching. She needed to return while she still safely could. She sighed and launched into the still night air.
She winged her way west in a race with the sun. She was full and slightly slower as a result, but hopefully still swift enough to win the race. She felt Sam as he boiled water in a funny metal container then add a strange brown powder to the water. She chuckled to him. "You are a good bond companion, Sam." She realized that he had not unshielded. In fact, he had never shielded. He had flown with her on the hunt, had experienced the rush of the kill and the taste of the animals warm blood, and the singular pleasure of the rich warm meat. So he left his mind open, sharing with Dracora his ritual. It was a drink that he had prepared. He poured some in a smaller container and took it outside. He sat with Faith who sucked on a smoking stick. Dracora did not understand it's purpose, but Faith seemed to enjoy it.
She was but an hour away from her destination when she smelled them. A massing of demons close to Sam. In the village they were gathering. They smelled of malevolent intent. Dracora found herself bristling. Then they began moving. Their scent traveled in the same direction she traveled. Dracora was alarmed. "Demons!" she shouted into Sam's mind. She felt the mental impact of her shout. He had been startled the first time she had shouted such a warning to him. He was more prepared this time. She felt him go instantly alert.
"I cannot get there in time, Sam! You must use your new abilities." Dracora shifted into battle mode sending her familiarity with her abilities into Sam's consciousness. She screamed a battle call and sped her flight toward her bond companion. She transformed quickly through all of her aspects presenting a draconic kaliedoscope against the pre dawn stars. Sam's mind followed each transformation feeling the difference in each one, instantly understanding the talent with which the aspect was associated. He understood the power of starfire and why Dracora warned against it's use unless there really was no other option. It literally was the power of the stars. On this world it was called nuclear energy.
Dracora hoped she had given him enough power. She would be there mentally, but that was all she could offer. Still he would have her guidance. She desperately hoped it would be enough. She would never be able to forgive herself if her friends were injured because of her absence. "Stay with me, Sam. Stay focused. You can do this, my friend. Take everything you need from my mind." Dracora transformed into her moon aspect. She no longer cared if others saw her. The moon was the swiftest of them all, and she had to get to Sam.
Ruby
Thanks to the devil's traps and everything else that Dean had set up to protect the group, Ruby was downright miserable. It felt like she was more of their prisoner than ally. Sure, she knew that most of these people didn't trust her, or like her, and would probably like it if she just vanished, but she was trying to help them. Same as any other time.
Parked on the couch, she crossed her arms and legs, a frown on her face. She figured, as long as she stayed put on the couch, she'd be fine. A few hours later, she saw Sam head out onto the porch. She stood up to follow him, but quickly sat back down. There was no way she'd get outside with the traps still in place. "Hello. Can someone make it safe for a demon girl to walk around in here?!"
Sam Winchester
Sam directed a smile Ruby�s way as he strained some of the cowboy coffee through his teeth, trying to get more liquid than grounds.�Maybe we did overdo it with the pentagrams and heptagrams, just a little.�Dean and Bobbie had decorated the entrances to the old house plus any close quarters through which a person, or demon, might pass with devil traps to minimize the likelihood that something demonic might gain entry while everyone was asleep, or if something did, it would be trapped.Of course, that meant that Ruby was going to have a hard time getting around.
Sam brushed at the pentagram just in front of the door.It had been painted on and wasn�t going to disappear very easily.�I think I�ve got a solution, Ruby.�Sam went inside and slid open one of the big windows that bordered the porch.He unlatched the screen, maneuvered it out of its frame, and leaned it up against the wood siding outside, creating an exit for Ruby to access the porch.�Here ya go, Ruby.Your window on the world.Just what�� Sam grabbed his head and almost fell over.The power of the psychic connection was like a bullhorn in his head.It was Dracora and she was yelling, �Danger!, Danger!, Danger!�He sat down on the threadbare sofa and attempted to process all she was telling him.Demons, a lot of them.Headed this way.How they would have found them so fast was a mystery to Sam.The old house was so secluded and they�d just arrived here last night.But no matter, Dracora told him they needed to prepare, ready themselves for an attack.In her unique way, she was showing him more of the powers he could wield now � the special abilities he possessed because of the dragon scale imbedded under the skin of his hand.He held up that hand, palm away from him, and gazed at the slightly raised leaf-shaped scar.That scar glowed yellow just a little and he could feel a warmth under his skin as Dracora transformed from one form to another.The dragon scale was transforming with her, and as it did Sam came to understand the differing and wondrous powers associated with each form.She was providing him a crash course in the mechanics and artistry of dragon capabilities.Could he command the scale to shift among forms to utilize the full arsenal of powers and abilities of a Chameleo Dragon?He wasn�t sure if he could.But he knew he�d have to try.
Sammy stood and looked up at Ruby.�Get everyone up.We�ve got a problem.Demons are coming here to destroy us.Sorry, Ruby, but we�re going to need a lot more of those devil traps, and we�ll need some big ones.�He walked with purpose to the porch, �Faith!�
Ruby
Ruby rushed to Sam's side when she saw he was in some sort of pain. Probably due to the dragon woman, Dracora, in his head. Or at least that's what Ruby guessed.
As he lifted his hand up, Ruby glanced at the scar. She was curious about the dragon scale, and just what type of power it would give Sam. The yellow glow coming off of it, made her even more curious. But her curiosity was put on hold as Sam ordered her to get everyone up. "On it." She nodded and left his side to gather the troops.
Running from room to room, banging on doors as she opened them. "Get your asses up! We are going to be attacked by a lot of demons! And not the friendly ones like me. These want to kill us all! Move people!"
Damon the Demon
They arrived in three black Suburbans, the windows layered with enough shade tinting to prevent anyone from catching a glimpse of who or what might be riding inside.The Suburbans pulled off into a copse of trees about a quarter mile from the old, dilapidated two-story where the Winchesters, their demon bitch, and whatever other minions they�d gathered around themselves were holed up.Damon had no intention of attacking until the sun went down.They would assess the possibilities from afar and formulate a careful plan of attack.The Winchesters were not to be underestimated.They were just hunters, yes, but they were lucky beyond belief.Damon was of a mind that they had assistance from above.Some unseen force was working in the shadows to ensure their safety and enhance their likelihood of success in whatever purpose they endeavored to achieve.
Six of the demons, including Damon, climbed into the branches of a gnarled, ancient oak on a small rise � the only such meager rise for miles � a short distance from the old house.The elevation afforded a view of the house while the leaves and branches shielded them from prying eyes.The demons perched like vultures there, as if they were patiently waiting for the visage of death to arrive on its pale horse.With 12 power binoculars, Damon scanned the grounds, the windows, and the porch.He spied devil traps in three places.But they were of no concern to him.Someone appeared in an upstairs window, hands on the sill, yawning and gazing outward over the weed-infested yard.Damon recognized him � Dean Winchester.They had brought high-powered rifles equipped with military-style sniper scopes.If he had one in his hand at this moment, one of the Winchesters would be dead.But no matter, Damon was a patient man.There would be other opportunities, and more unpleasant ways for the Winchesters to die.
Sam Winchester
Sam looked at his watch.The attack had yet to materialize, which was great because they�d had time to prepare.They�d set a dozen more devil traps at strategic points, barricaded the doors and some of the first floor windows, and they had at least one person keeping watch from the second floor windows at all four compass points.If anything moved out there, even if it was just a skunk or a raccoon, a spotter would yell out a warning and everybody in the house would know about it instantly.Ruby had her demon knife, Bobbie had the Colt, they had two shotguns loaded with salt, and now Sammy possessed numerous powers by which he could terminate demons, thanks to Dracora.But what were the demons waiting for?Nightfall would be upon them soon.Perhaps they were waiting for the cover of darkness.
Sammy had the eastern watch.What used to be a lawn but was now just half-dead weeds extended beyond the house for about 60 feet to an untidy tangle of vine-covered cottonwoods clustered around a shallow, low spot that looked like it was wet a lot of the time.A few cattails sprouted from its center.A trail led through one side of the trees out to a cleared area where a dilapidated wooden shed, an old Chevy on blocks, and other junk had been allowed to accumulate.Beyond that was what must have been miles of corn; the stalks were tilted to the south a little by a warm breeze from the opposite direction.Everything out there was growing long, dark shadows, and the late afternoon sun was burnishing everything in golden light. In total, there were lots of places for the bad guys to hide and as the sun continued to decline, the opportunities would only proliferate.To the north, perhaps symbolic of the demonic threat knocking at their door, black cumulus clouds roiled and swelled, advancing on Hobart and foretelling of a coming storm.The air smelled like rain.Within two hours, maybe less, it would be storming here.
Sammy�s mind made a U-turn to the parking lot of Zappo�s Pizza, when the sky had opened up to belch out Dracora from her Dragon Realm.The skies had been ominous that day as well, and a corn field, much like the one across the way, had been her first introduction to planet Earth.As Sam had plunged into the corn to discover the dragon there, his thoughts had lingered on the movie, The Children of the Corn - mannequin-eyed, pale children emerging from the corn fields and women with their eyes plucked out, their mouths stuffed with corn husks, and their hands and feet nailed to the scarecrow post.
Sam Winchester had a bad feeling about all of this.
Faith
Faith was about to take Sammy up on his coffee offer when the alarms began going off. The moment he called her name she sprung into action flicking her cigarette into the gravels and rushing into the house.Time seem to crawl to a standstill after that. The demons were in no hurry to make their moves. It was making the slayer antsy. She was pacing like a caged panther. These things weren�t limited by the rays of the sun like vampires. They could attack at any time. What were they waiting for? The endless noise her boots were making against the wooden floor had to be grating on someone�s nerves by now.
The edge of the area rug was curled up. She almost tripped over the offending piece of fabric. She stared down at it in irritation. It was then she noticed something peculiar about the flooring leading her to peel back the covering. There was a wooden hatch hidden beneath. She grabbed the handle jerking the door back to reveal a basement. It creaked and expelled dust throughout the room drawing the others attention.�Guys check this out,� she called them away from their posts. This hidden compartment might come in useful during the impending attack.Only they knew that this place was there.
Damon the Demon
�Someone tipped them off.� Damon hissed as his eyes turned even blacker than before.Two people were watching the yard from an upstairs window.And Damon could see they had weapons.He was certain they hadn�t been seen as they�d driven up or taken their place amidst the branches of the ancient oak, so the Winchesters must have other means to detect demons.�So be it.Then there�s no reason to wait until dark.We�ll attack now.�Damon leapt off the branch upon which he�d been perched for half an hour and deftly landed thirty feet below on his feet.The other five demons followed suit.The six were quickly joined by another 9 demons.Dressed as common folk � some in jeans and t-shirts, one in shorts, another in overalls, they could have been people you�d see at the Safeway, buying groceries for that weekend barbecue, or folks you�d run into at the Walgreens or Jake�s Bar and Grill on Main Street.But they weren�t.Fifteen pairs of eyes, as dark as midnight, gazed at the old house in the declining afternoon light. A light breeze from the north had stirred the leaves of the trees into motion and the sky was darkening with storm clouds.
Shedding all attempt to remain concealed or implement a stealthy approach, Damon and his associates walked boldly towards the old house in a loose line like an assemblage of gunslingers walking down the dusty main street of some western town in the 1880s.But no dust kicked up from spurred boots and even the deadliest of gunslingers didn�t have what Damon had � a little help � a little power boost from a Red-skinned demon in some other dimension that had a score to settle with the Winchesters and some shape-shifting bitch.Two of the demons broke out of the line with 5-gallon gas containers.They�d spread a little incendiary joy, then torch the house when the time was right.But first Damon wanted to confront those inside.He climbed the termite-infested steps and mumbled an incantation.The devil traps by the front door disappeared.Damon pulled the screen door open, then kicked in the front door, bursting it off its hinges and tumbling it onto the rickety staircase that led to the second floor.Damon stepped into the foyer, �Come out, come out, wherever you are.Or I'll huff and I'll puff �till I blow your house down.�He grinned around gleaming yellow fangs.�Or maybe I�ll just burn your house to ashes with you in it."
As Dracora raced against the sunrise to reach her bond companion an extraordinary thing happened. Another dragon touched her mind. It startled her, and her flight slowed for just a moment. It was Graco! The alternate royal had found her cavern and was curled up inside of it searching for her. His mind was powerful and she was momentarily thrilled. Because she had her mind completely open at the time, he felt her bond with Sammy. She tried to transmit as much information as she could in the few fleeting moments that she felt him. Then he was gone. At least her people would know that she still lived. She yearned to feel his touch again, but she turned her attention back to the immediate situation and it's dangers. She sped up again and landed behind the house just as the sun peeked over the horizon.
She transformed to human as her feet touched the soil and walked around to the front of the house. She could hear the activity inside the house. She went inside to find Sammy. She still smelled the demons. They had stopped just a short walk away in the trees. The humans were busy drawing more traps preparing for the coming attack. They all carried weapons, and they had set up watches from all directions. Dracora told Sammy about her contact with the alternate royal. He arched his eyebrows and smiled at the news. Then she pointed in the direction of the woods. "They are there in the trees, Sammy. I don't know why they wait. But they are close." Dracora went back outside, transformed long enough to fly over the roof of the domocile. She hovered there for a moment then landed on the roof lightly with human feet. From her vantage point she could see virtually anything that moved in the trees. She saw movement in the trees, just briefly, but it was there. "There are at least a dozen, maybe more." She sent to Sammy. "Maybe more. Their scent is strong."
She had no more settled into her perch when the movement from the forest became blatant. "They come!" she called out loud. Dracora counted fifteen demons. Two of them carried large red items that looked like some sort of container. The smell that emanated from the containers was ominous and rank. Dracora targeted the two and transformed into the snow white frost dragon as she leapt from the edge of the roof. The first demon had crashed through the door as she snatched up both of her targets and flew to the top of the trees. They had frozen solid almost instantly from her cold firm grip. She dropped them into the trees where they shattered and fell to various points on the forest floor. The containers were snatched from the air before they could join the demons. She turned around and flew back to the domocile. The demons were pouring through the front door right past the neatly laid traps. Three were still outside, and Dracora froze them then shattered them with her massive tail.
That meant that there were ten demons inside. She transformed back to human and pushed the red containers underneath the stairs. She clearly heard the sound of battle inside. She sped up the stairs and into the house. She noticed the first trap had disappeared. It was the one that she had augmented with her blood. She was certain one of the demons must be a red skin, but all of them had taken hosts, so she didn't know exactly which one it could be. Red skins rarely took hosts though. The humans burned up too quickly. Her right hand turned into a large snow white talon and she lunged at the nearest demon impaling through his heart and freezing his torso solid. He shattered in half where he fell. It was utter chaos.
Damon the Demon
Damon had been warned about the she-devil; the bitch that could transform into dragons.The Red-skin demon had said she was wicked dangerous, but Damon was not unprepared for her.And because of the powers and abilities that the other-world demon had provided him, Damon knew that Sam Winchester had absorbed some of the she-devil�s powers.Or more precisely, she had powered him up similar to what the Red-skin had done for Damon.Those two were the primary obstacles.The rest should be easy to extinguish.But six of Damon�s warriors had already been destroyed, and their plan to torch the house been temporarily foiled.
Damon took the stairs two at a time, sensing that his adversaries were hiding on the second floor.Four of his most trusted associates followed close on his heels.At the top of the stairs, his eyes burning like coals, he could smell them � the humans and the demon traitor.Two of the humans were to the left, while the demon girl and the other two humans were to the right.The she-devil was downstairs, and Damon could hear her wreaking havoc there.But she would have to get past four demons before she could interrupt what Damon had in mind.Damon instructed his four demon warriors to take the left side of the corridor.Damon would confront the demon girl, the one called Ruby, and Sam Winchester.He strode down the hall and burst through the door.Weapons were turned on him, but he waved a hand and they instantly turned white hot, forcing his enemies to drop them.Guns clattered harmlessly to the floor.Damon took a step towards Sam Winchester.Obviously Sam was trying to muster some of the powers the she-devil had given him.But Damon was quicker, having had time to practice wielding his newly acquired abilities.He mumbled a spell, �Transfer c��eaua lui puterea de a-mi �i l�sa�i puterile cresc!�Sam Winchester fell to his knees as the spell took effect, drawing power from Sam, and through him, from Dracora, and into Damon.
Sam Winchester
Dracora had screamed in his head that the demons were coming, a dozen or more of them.He�d also picked up something else from her � she had been contacted by one of her own kind in that other world, the Dragon Realm.Sammy could feel the history, the affection, and the bond those two shared, which reminded him again that she did not belong in this world, and they desperately needed to find a way to get her back home.
But that would have to wait until the current crisis had abated.They�d made a decision to take a stand against the demons in the upstairs bedrooms.They had split up � Sam, Bobbie, and Ruby took up defenses in one room while Dean, Faith, and Nikki waited for the demons in another.The demons would have to split up and when they came through the door, they�d be facing a big dose of whoop ass.What Sammy didn�t count on was that they�d try to burn the house to the ground.The old two-story was like fifty cords of tinder dry firewood.They probably wouldn�t even need gasoline to set it ablaze � one match would probably do it.But he�d almost been there with Dracora � he could see through her eyes - when she swept in and grasped the demons holding the gas cans and then frozen them solid.And now she was downstairs working her way through the demon horde like a hot knife through butter.But there was a dangerous and imminent threat here � Sam could feel it like a cat senses an 8.0 temblor a minute before it shakes buildings into rubble.There was more than just your run-of-the-mill demons here.But Bobbie had the Colt in both hands aimed at the door � it had never failed them before.Sam had a shotgun loaded with rock salt, and Ruby had her demon knife.They couldn�t fail.They were as ready as a June bride in a feather bed, as Bobby liked to say.Sam glanced Bobby�s way, and if an old guy in a John Deere cap could look as ready as ready as a June bride, well, he was it.
The door burst open and bounced back off the wall, almost ruining the demon�s entrance. But he caught it on the rebound and stopped it cold.Speaking of temperature, the shotgun suddenly burned Sam�s hands and he dropped it to the floor.The same thing had just happened to Bobby and Ruby before they could pull a trigger or throw a knife.That�s when Sam knew they were in a river of shit without a paddle � another Bobbyism.But it just got worse, because the demon mumbled something and everything Dracora had given him started to drain away.His knees buckled and that dragon scale in his hand started to burn him. Sammy tried to focus, tried to freeze the demon like he�d done to the wall downstairs, but the pain in his hand was too much of a distraction.As the bond with Dracora started to fade, he yelled out to her psychically, screaming his distress.But as he did, he knew he was bringing her into the demon�s power, providing a conduit for him to tap into her powers as well.So Sam broke the connection.
Dracora
The demon leader and four of his minions peeled away from the crowd and rushed up the staircase. Dracora only faced four now. She growled and leapt forward. Her blood encrusted talon sliced through the throat of another demon. The neck froze and the head snapped off when she withdrew her frosty bio weapon.
Suddenly she felt the spell that the demon leader had invoked. It pulled at the draconic abilities implanted in Sam, and through Sam it began to drain her own abilities. She knew then what he was. He was Red Skin's 'Sam'. He wasn't the demon, but he had bonded to him. Ironically the transference spell that he used only worked because of her bond with Sam. The bond was the conduit through which the spell traveled. She felt her powers weaken. She hesitated just long enough for one of the three before her to slash at her leaving a deep gash across her chest. Dracora lurched backward. He screamed his pain and distress to her, and she felt his scale begin to burn him.Then he slammed his mental shields into place severing their connection.
Her abilities flowed back to their original strength like water settling back into place when the dam is once again closed. Dracora was done wasting her time with these smelly little menials. Suddenly she was a frost dragon from the waist down. She swiped her massive tail across the floor tumbling all three of the miscreants into one frozen pile. She smashed her tail against the frozen pile. They shattered along with a significant portion of the living room floor. The collapsed into a dark under space. Dracora quickly went back to her human form andleapt back and away from the dark hole. Then she bounded up the stairs.
To her left she heard loud popping sounds. Dean and the two human females were barely keeping four more demons at bay, but the danger was on her right. Red Skin's bonded menial still menaced Sammy, Bobby and the female demon. She transformed to her green forest dragon aspect and whipped her tail into the room wrapping it around the demon leader. This one would not die. This One was going to tell her everything she needed to know about Red Skin and the portal. As soon as she had him immobilized she drug him him toward her dripping maw and her venomous fangs. Her neuro toxin paralyzed his human vessel, but left his vessel whole and alive. The two humans and the demoness dived for their weapons. Dracora shifted to human again. The three flew past Dracora as she slumped to the floor. The blood loss from the cut across her chest was starting to slow her down. The gash was deep. In any of her aspects it was a dangerous wound, but she couldn't stop yet. She balanced herself against the door frsme and pulled herself to her feet. She made it to the other room just in time to see the last demon fall. It was just as well because her legs stopped working at that point, and she felt herself sinking back to the floor. She came to rest against the door frame.
Dracora pointed back to the other room. "Help me draw a trap before he shakes off the effects of my toxin. We must draw the entire trap in my blood." Dracora grunted. "I know a binding spell. He won't break the trap a second time around." She didn't try to re-initiate her bond with Sam. "We must keep our shields up for now, Sammy. Now that we know what he can do, we cannot allow him access." She deeply regretted having to do so. She already felt his absence keenly.
Dean Winchester
Dean realized too late that both of the demon killing weapons were in the other room with Ruby and Bobby. He wasn't entirely defenseless. He had his shotgun with the salt rounds along with two gallons of holy water that he had prepared and stored in this room earlier in the day. The two girls were similarly armed. They might not be able to kill demons outright, but they could weaken them and hold them at bay until someone who could kill them could get to them. He didn't know yet if Sammy could kill demons, but he knew that Dracora could. Ruby had the knife and Bobby had the colt, so all they had to do was hold off the four that they faced until one of the former could get to them. The fired the salt rounds in a pattern rotating between the three of them. There was always a gun firing even when one of them had to reload. Dean ran out of ammo and tossed the rifle aside as he grabbed a gallon of holy water and started splashing aiming for their faces and eyes.
He heard Sammy cry out for Dracora, and he knew something was terribly wrong in the next room. But he couldn't do anything to help his brother. His way was still blocked by four very persistent demons. He heard the sounds of battle from downstairs. Some of the demons had obviously waited specifically for Dracora. It seemed as if she would have her hands full for the next several minutes. Then he heard a sudden loud crash and the sound of splintering wood. He caught a sudden glimpse of green scales as Dracora immobilized the demon in the next room freeing Sammy, Bobby and Ruby to close in behind the four demons. The demons were destroyed in mere seconds.
Dean watched in horror as Dracora sank to the floor against the door frame. He angled his body to block Sammy's view of her. She said they couldn't stay connected for now, and he didn't want Sammy to see how seriously she was injured. Dean knelt in front of Dracora. "You can't walk, can you?" He whispered against her ear. She shook her head once. He glanced back at Sam. "I got this, Sam." Dean scooped the petite dragon woman into his arms and strode quickly back into the room where the intert demon lay. He set her against the far wall just out of sight and hoped Sammy wouldn't come into the room. At least not yet. He leaned down next to her. "I'll be right back."
Dean ran down the stairs quickly and saw what had crashed and splintered. Half of the living room floor was caved in. There was some kind of space beneath that part of the house, but he didn't have the time to stop to investigate it. He walked carefully around the hole and into the kitchen where he grabbed the sturdiest of the three chairs there along with a length of rope pulled from the canvas bag he had dropped here earlier. He took the stairs two and three at a time as he returned to the demon with Dracora.
He felt a bit awkward approaching the dragon girl the first time when he started to draw the devil's trap. She smiled wanly and beckoned him forward. He knelt in front of her and reached a tentative hand toward her gaping wound. She grabbed him by the wrist in a grip to powerful for him to pull away from and plunged his fingers into her blood then let go. He gulped and nodded. He made several trips back and forth as he finished the devil's trap that he knew. He looked at her for guidance. Dracora showed him how far to space the second circle then helped him to draw and place the draconic holding sigils within the second sphere. Dean put the demon in the chair, bound him as tightly as humanly possible and placed him in the center of the circle. Then he inspected all the lines making sure there were no breaks. He patted the side of the demon's face in mock affection leaving a bloody handprint on the creature's face.
Dracora muttered something incomprehensible and the demon came suddenly alert. It struggled against the bindings, but to no avail. He was glued and immoble in this new trap. Dean went back to kneel before Dracora. "I will never forgive you if you die on my brother. So you'd better be able to heal, and I mean it."
Sam Winchester
Everything was happening at warp speed.The demons had been dispatched, or all of them except their apparent leader, who now was tied to a chair inside a devil trap made from Dracora�s blood.Dragon blood, the magic ingredient once again.The cure all for whatever ails.And they had a good supply of the stuff now, because it was flowing out of the wound in Dracora�s chest like a river and pooling up on the floor around her.
Dean was hovering over Dracora who was propped against the wall.Sam pushed Dean out of the way - he didn�t mean to be rough about it, but he needed to see for himself how bad the damage was.What he saw made his own blood run cold.A deep gash ran from just below her right shoulder to the top of her left breast.Her blouse had been torn open revealing more flesh than he should be allowed to see, but this was no time for modesty.Sam tore a piece of his own shirt off, balled it up and pressed it to the worst of the wound, hoping to staunch the flow of blood.But the gash was too long for him to cover it all.He swung his head around, looking for help.Faith and Nikki were there watching.�Get me more cloth.I need help to stop the bleeding.Do it Now!�
Her blood on his hands and the physical contact enhanced their bond.Dracora spoke clearly to him in his mind about what must be done.If she could transform, she could heal herself, but in human form she would not survive the hour.She could not transform in this room, it was too small.Her eyes, as blue as the sky on a cloudless day, pleaded with him, but did so with a depth that was borne of their bond - she still had so much to accomplish, and not just in her dragon home world, but here in this world, too, and with Sam Winchester.The strength and complexity of the bond they had forged surprised even Dracora.She wasn�t ready to give it or any other part of her existence up just yet.And Sammy wasn�t going to let anything happen to her.But her musings about what she risked losing as her life bled out onto the floor scared the bejeezus out of Sammy.
Faith returned with a towel and helped to stop the bleeding.�We have to get her out of here - right away.She can heal herself if she can take dragon form, but she can�t do that here.�Lightning arced to the ground somewhere in a corn field and thunder boomed outside immediately on its heels.The storm clouds that Sammy had seen on the northern horizon had arrived to complicate their lives.It seemed as though everyone helped lift Dracora, and soon they were shuffling along the hallway, then down the stairs and finally outside to the yard of weeds.They laid Dracora down on the hard ground just as the first pregnant drops of rain started to fall.Lightning struck the old oak where the demons had been perched half an hour ago and a huge branch broke off leaving the broken end smoldering red and smoking.The air smelled of ozone.Sam ignored it and wiped a now wet lock of dark hair from Dracora�s blue eyes. He spoke, not with his mind, but with his voice, �You have to transform now.I�ll help.�He took her hand, then reached out and took Nikki�s hand.Nikki grasped Dean�s hand and so it went until they were all connected.Sam smiled, �In fact, we�ll all help.Draw strength from all of us, Dracora.�Then the sky really opened up above them and the storm began in earnest.
Faith
Faith reached out taking Dean and Bobby�s hands. It was amazing how everyone�s concern for Dracora seemed to be bringing them together. Bobby had even taken Ruby�s hand in his without a single derogatory word. The two appeared to have completely set aside all their differences. They were all concerned about helping Dracora in her time of need. The unique woman had managed to win everyone over in the short time they had known her. All eyes were on her.
For the first time in Faith�s life she could say that she was truly amazed. The energy seemed to flow from them right to the injured young woman allowing her to regain enough strength to begin her transformation. The transition was obviously difficult for her in her current state. Faith wished they could do more for her. Occasionally as they stood there lightening flickered over head lighting up the night sky. The smell of fresh rain filled the air as the cool drops pelted their skin and the surrounding grounds. There was nothing more they could do for her other than stay by her side until she was well once again.
Faith broke the from the line first as she released the hunter�s hands. She wanted to make Dracora comfortable. It would probably be awhile before she was up to moving again.She anxiously ran her fingers through her wet tendrils. The camping gear was back at the car, but she hesitated to leave and get it until she knew her new friend was ok.