FIC: Wolf Verse
Aug. 1st, 2011 03:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cloudy_versesTitle: Wolf Verse
Author: CloudyJenn
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairings: Dean/Castiel, Anna/Balthazar
Rating: R
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. I am making no profit from this fanfiction.
Warnings: None
Summary: Castiel is a wolf forced on a mate-search. Dean is a wolf without a pack, living alone in the woods with his brother. They meet.
Author's Notes: Here, read this.
When Balthazar and Anna mated, Castiel became the very last unpaired wolf in the pack. A fact he didn't seem to notice, but which worried the dickens out of everyone else. Balthazar in particular, being Castiel's brother, was concerned about him.
"Look at him," he huffed as he and Anna watched Castiel eating away from the main group. "He's a pathetic lump."
"So were you until we mated," she reminded him.
"Darling, I was never pathetic. I always knew we'd be together. I was simply waiting until I was in the mood to tie myself down." As the fire sparked in her eyes, he quickly added, "Also, I love you?" She pounced anyway and for a few moments, they forgot about Castiel.
***********************
The thing was, Anna had been the last unmated female in their pack who was old enough to pair off. Balthazar and Castiel were the last two males. Everyone had known she would pick one of the two brothers and quite frankly, the only wolf surprised she picked Balthazar was Balthazar himself.
"Really thought she'd go for the strong silent type," he confessed to Castiel a week after Anna had began sleeping in Balthazar's den.
Castiel sat down and cocked his head. "But she has always loved you."
Balthazar tried not to preen. It was easier to do when a certain thought occurred to him. "You don't resent me?"
"Why would I do that?" Castiel asked, his confusion deepening.
"...because you just missed out on the hottest piece of tail in the pack?"
"No, Balthazar, I don't resent you."
***********************
About five months after he mated, Balthazar was drinking water from the stream when Gordon plopped his rump down beside him and gave him a smirk Balthazar immediately disliked. Not that he liked much about Gordon to begin with. If it was possible to kick someone out of the pack, well..."That brother of yours ever gonna go lone?"
The fur bristled at the back of Balthazar's neck. There were three options for a wolf who couldn't mate in his own pack. He could join another pack with unmated wolves to choose from. Or he could convince a wolf from a different pack to join his own. Or he could simply leave. Strike out on his own and try to survive without the benefits of a home or a mate. It was a path rarely taken and only by wolves who didn't feel the pull of mating. Wolves who bore a frightening resemblance to his own stupid brother.
"He isn't going to go lone," Balthazar said curtly and then because he had a tendency to lie when cornered, he added, "He's planning on a mate search."
Gordon snorted, obviously seeing through the falsehood. "Right, well. Good luck to him on that. With a personality like that, it should be easy."
Balthazar growled low in his throat, but only watched as Gordon drank his fill and sauntered off into the forest. Fuck. Fuckity fuck. Castiel would not like this.
***********************
"You were obviously joking."
Bal was afraid of this. The confused deadpan tone. "No, Cassy, I wasn't joking. I was lying," Bal said. "But I shouldn't have been. You need a mate."
Castiel growled and pawed at the ground. "I have no need for a mate."
Frustration and fear settled in Bal's gut. "The fact that you believe that really worries me."
"Why?"
"I have no need to see you alone."
"I'm hardly alone. I have-"
"Fine then. I'm afraid you'll go lone. Or be forced to."
Shock stiffened Castiel’s frame. "They wouldn't..."
"They might," Bal said wearily.
***********************
Castiel never looked at other wolves. Oh sure, he saw them all the time, but he never cared for their looks. He never understood why his fellow male wolves fawned over the female's sleek coats and shapely hindquarters. And he didn't understand why Bal was making him go on this search. "I'm not in the mood to mate," he complained. "Please don't say that, Cassy. It gives me heartburn."
***********************
"Why do I have to go alone? I'm going so I won't be alone. Isn't that a task that requires company?"
Balthazar tried not to whip his tail at Castiel's backside as they walked towards the edge of their pack's territory. In his life, he'd never met a wolf who sounded less like a wolf. If he hadn't been present for all of Castiel's upbringing, he would have thought the pup was raised by humans.
"Because if more than one wolf approaches another pack, they'll think they are about to be attacked," he explained with more patience than he realized he possessed. "But if you approach by your wee self, they'll assume your lone or on a mate search. Either way they won't rip you or more importantly your familial traveling companions to shreds."
Castiel gave a mournful growl in the back of his throat. Balthazar hated hearing the sound.
"I don't understand why we all have to be the same. Bringing in a new wolf will just upset the entire pack."
He made a good point. No wolf took to strangers very well on first meeting, but if the new she-wolf came in as Castiel's mate, it wouldn't be long before the others warmed to her. When she and Castiel had pups, none of the pack would ever remember that she hadn't been born a member.
"They'll come around. And you'll have a much happier den. And it couldn't hurt your disposition to have sex now and again."
Castiel's expression soured.
"It hasn't helped yours any."
Balthazar bared his teeth in a delighted grin. He'd much rather send off a teasing Castiel than a moping one.
They reached the clearing that officially marked the start of neutral lands. The sun had just begun unclenching cold gray fingers across the horizon. Castiel was a fast wolf. He could be miles and miles from home by the time evening reclaimed the land.
"Are you ready?"
Castiel danced with uncharacteristic nerves. His sharp blue eyes remained fixed on the distance where light had not yet penetrated.
"I'm not sure I can do this," he admitted softly.
"I know it's frightening, Cassy, but I wish you'd trust me on this. No wolf should be alone," Balthazar said.
"It's not that," Castiel said, his voice dipping even quieter. "I know I'm not...I never wanted the other wolves, but they never wanted me either."
Balthazar tried to piece together the meaning behind this pained confession. Most of the she-wolves, save Anna, had chosen early on. It wasn't that they didn't want Castiel so much as they wanted someone else more.
"There must be a female for you somewhere," Balthazar finally said.
Castiel heaved a great sigh. "I'm not sure that's true, brother."
Granted, Balthazar wasn't very attuned to male beauty, but Castiel was not ugly, he knew that much. In fact, his unusual black fur and bright blue eyes made him stand out in the looks department. Sure, he could be awkward and sometimes spent entire weeks without saying much of anything to anyone, but he cared about his family deeply and was generous to a fault. Not to mention freakishly strong and protective. Some she-wolf somewhere would take a shine to him. Balthazar believed that.
"Cas, if you don't come back mated, I'll eat my own tail."
To his pleasure, Castiel released a puff of a laugh. "You may regret that promise."
"Never. Now go before I push you out."
Castiel leaned over to nuzzle a goodbye against Balthazar's neck. A gesture that lingered longer than usual for his reserved brother.
"You'll be fine," Balthazar couldn't help adding.
"I hope you're right," Castiel murmured before turning and bounding away across the clearing and toward his future.
***********************
Castiel liked his den just the way it was. Big enough to roll around in leaves if he so desired, but small enough to shelter him from the fierce winds of the cold seasons. All this obsession with finding a den mate gave Castiel a headache. None of the females in his pack ever interested him. Their scents never smelled sweet or delicious like his brothers described when they pursued a mate. He couldn't honestly say he never wanted a pup. But he didn't seem to feel the intense drive to produce smaller versions of himself. He enjoyed his life exactly how it was.
But apparently that would lead his own pack to drive him into the hills. Or so Balthazar would have him believe. Castiel had suspected his packmates were becoming concerned about him. He just hadn't realized they were also growing suspicious. And in the back of his mind, where he was as pure wolf as any of them, Castiel understood why. Their very survival depended on staying together and building strong family structures. Any wolf that didn't match was a threat.
Castiel wasn't sure he believed as fervently as some of his packmates, but he wasn't so opposed to the idea of mating that he'd let it stand in the way of staying unquestionably attached to his pack.
So that was why he found himself trotting through a thick patch of undergrowth hours from his pack's territory. Like any wolf, Castiel was well trained in tracking, but he'd rarely traveled this far from his home. He'd heard that another pack had traditionally made this area their home, but thus-far, Castiel couldn't find much more than faint traces of scents long dead. Clearly, a large number of wolves had once dwelt here, but they must have moved on. It frustrated Castiel because he wanted to find this mate and get home as soon as possible. It was nearly time for the leaves to change. Castiel liked wandering in the outskirts of their territory and watching them fall off the trees. He didn't want to miss that because he was trying to find a random she-wolf.
He slept that first night under a some sort of thick green bush that kept most of the wind off him. When morning came, he resolved to switch directions slightly and head towards rumors of a large pack in warmer climes. If he happened to find a mate in this pack, Castiel sincerely hoped she would come back home with him. He didn't like the way warm weather made his blood hot under his fur.
It turned out that Castiel needn't have worried. Something happened only a few hours into his day's walk that threw his journey permanently off-course.
Shortly after breakfast, Castiel began picking up slightly stronger scents than those he was leaving behind. Not enough to constitute a pack, but enough to arouse Castiel's interest. Perhaps a scout from a nearby pack unknown to Castiel's pack. A closer advantage. The moment Castiel first noticed it, he changed his route, eagerly following his keen nose as the scent grew stronger. He thought it probably belonged to a male and judging by the undertones, peaceful wolf. Or at least a wolf that hadn't fought recently. Which was good news. Some aggressive packs sent members to their borders to keep away all intruders, even wolves searching for mates.
"Hello?" Castiel said when he found a pile of leaves that had clearly been slept on by the wolf. Very recently. No one answered, but Castiel thought he heard a faint crackling noise, like a twig being trod on. He galloped towards the noise, clawing through thick underbrush and calling out as he went. "Hello? Can I please speak to you? Hello?"
He burst out into a clearing and stumbled to a halt. A massive wolf stood at the other end of the clearing before a low den. His light eyes filled with startled fear when Castiel appeared and he lowered himself into a defensive position, his deep brown fur raising a dark line across his back. Castiel paused, nonplussed. He understood the caution, but the stripe of panic lining the emotion concerned him. As did the ugly scar cut into his face, creating a fur-less line from his temple to his cheek.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said as realization set in. This wasn't a pack member at all. This was a frightened and cornered lone wolf. The most dangerous sort of wolf. "I'll just leave. I didn't realize-"
His sentence was never finished because at that very moment, a blur of brown shot out of the bushes to his left and slammed into him, rolling him onto his back and knocking the breath from his lungs.
"Stay the hell away from him," a voice growled right into Castiel's ears. "I told you I'd fucking kill you bastards if you came back here."
The wolf laying on Castiel was surprisingly heavy. He must be made entirely from muscle and every pound of it was pressing Castiel into the dirt. But even if he wanted to breathe, there was no way Castiel could think well enough to work his lungs when he felt the strange wolf's teeth against his neck. Castiel had known this mating business was a bad idea. Now he was going to have to fight off two giant wolves without getting killed himself. Against one, Castiel would have more confidence. Against two, he wasn't sure he'd have much success.
"Dean!" the other wolf barked and in his distraction, the wolf flattening Castiel eased up enough to release both Castiel's throat and his lungs. He drew in a long breath. A deep intense inhalation of the strange wolf's scent.
"Oh," Castiel growled softly.
Oh.
So that was what Balthazar meant when he said he wanted nothing more than to have his den smell like Anna for the rest of their lives.
He buried his nose in the thick sandy brown fur at the wolf's...at Dean's neck and took another satisfying lungful. Oh yes. This wolf smelled wonderful. Castiel would like to take this smell home with him. He didn't even fear his position anymore. Surely nothing that smelled this good could ever hurt him.
The wolf above him tensed, but that didn't stop Castiel from nosing through his fur and nipping happily at his ears. This was perfect. If they started back now, they could be home by the following afternoon and Castiel could have hide his new mate in his den until it smelled exactly like the intoxicating scent currently filling his nose.
He couldn't have asked for a better outcome.
***********************
At first, the only thing Dean could see was red. The second he sensed Sam's fear and smelled his panic, Dean sprang into action, abandoning his hunt and galloping through the rough underbrush towards their den. He swore to protect him when Sammy was still a pup and he'd already failed once. Never again. Any wolf that threatened him would find himself getting up close and personal with Dean's teeth.
And that was exactly what happened. There was a strange wolf in their clearing. Moving closer to their den. And to Sammy.
Not again. They'd already nearly ripped Sammy apart. Dean wouldn't let it happen again. If he had to spill every drop of his own blood, he wouldn't let it happen.
The other wolf was saying something to Sam. What, Dean didn't know or care. He only had a very brief moment to register the deep ebony of the other wolf's fur before he was on him, crashing into him at full speed and rolling them both until Dean was firmly atop the stranger. An unusual scent tried to make itself known, but Dean's blood rage held his mind too entirely to allow discernment.
"Stay the hell away from him," he snarled. "I told you I'd fucking kill you bastards if you came back here."
To his very great surprise, the wolf under him did not fight back. The three or four wolves who'd attacked Sam were vicious and relentless. Dean couldn't imagine those animals giving even the appearance of submission. As Dean's teeth sunk through the fur of his neck, the stranger's muscles only remained tense from the panic at his restricted breathing. He made no attempt to challenge Dean.
"Dean!" Sam shouted and that was his scolding tone. Not his warning or his frightened bark. He actually sounded annoyed. Clearly, Dean had misread the situation. He released the new wolf's neck and glanced up at his brother, intending to ask him a question. But then the other wolf began doing something that stole his thoughts clean out of his mind.
He was nuzzling Dean. Just...sticking his nose right into Dean's fur and...holy shit, chewing on his ears. A shiver vibrated up his spine and that was when the scent that had been clamoring for attention finally made it past Dean's fading rage.
Oh dear god. The wolf below him, the one who'd submitted so very sweetly, had the most delicious scent Dean had ever known. It was better than Sam's, better than any member of his former pack, better even than any of the she-wolves Dean had considered mating. And Dean didn't even know why. The wolf smelled like any other. Like clean fur and forest scents. But it was so good Dean wanted to rub himself all over the other wolf so he could always have that scent on him.
"W-what are you doing?" he asked.
He wanted to see the other wolf, but was too reluctant to pull away from the crazy-good sensations the other wolf was creating in him.
"Learning you," the other wolf said, his chest rumbling about Dean's. "So I can always find you."
Okay. What. The. Hell.
Dean finally pulled away, but couldn't deny it was only because Sam was trotting up to them. The stranger peered up at Dean with weird crystal blue eyes and a slight pleased smile.
"Who are you?" Sam asked as he walked around to stand beside Dean. Presenting a united front. Though Dean thought they probably didn't have much to fear from this creature. In fact, it was truly difficult not to move closer, just so he could breathe in as much of that gorgeous scent as possible.
"My name is Castiel. I'm on a mate-search and now I've found you, I'd like to go home."
"Found..." Dean blinked.
"I take it you mean Dean," Sam said blankly.
It probably wasn't a good sign that the idea of Castiel meaning anyone, but himself made a hint of that blood rage from earlier return.
Not a good sign at all.
"You're a guy," Dean pointed out.
Castiel nodded and flipped over onto his feet. "Yes. I never wanted to mate any of the females in my pack and now I suspect I understand why. I'm sorry we can't have our own cub, but I suspect we'll be fine regardless."
Their own cub?
No, seriously. What. The. Hell.
***********************
Castiel wasn't entirely ignorant. He knew this mating was very unusual and the two other wolves would be understandably resistant to the idea of two males making a pairing. Despite what everyone said about the emotional and spiritual gratification of finding your mate, the practical side of building a stable family unit was to produce the next generation. But there were already many young mated pairs in Castiel's pack that could provide that generation. They would not suffer for the lack of cubs from Castiel. They would not even have to suffer the lack of cubs from his particular family. Balthazar would see to that.
"I know this is unprecedented, but now that it's happened, I don't see why it should be a problem," Castiel said in a reasonable tone.
"Now that what's happened?" Dean growled. The noise raised the fur along Castiel's neck. That will be a pleasant sound to hear first thing in the mornings. Even lined with tension, Dean's voice made Castiel feel warm down to his paws.
"Now that we've become mates," Castiel said.
It was the only explanation for the smells. Not just Dean's natural gorgeous scent, but the underlying hints of arousal Castiel picked up from the other wolf. Obviously, Dean was reacting to Castiel in the same way Castiel reacted to him. He couldn't believe he'd ever not wanted to find his mate. No matter how strange the others always considered him, Castiel was a wolf. Finding his mate sparked instinctive pleasure so deep it couldn't be denied. Never before had another wolf's scent changed for him before. Castiel wanted to nuzzle at Dean's jaw again, but both he and Sam stood well back of Castiel now. It gave Castiel a moment to really look at them. Both were large, though Sam beat Dean by a few inches and at least twenty pounds. Dark brown fur, light green eyes and long muzzles. Castiel couldn't help considering Dean significantly more beautiful, but both wolves were attractive. And similar enough that Castiel suspected what he next asked.
"Are you brothers?"
"Yeah and-" Sam started, but Dean cut him off with a sharp bark.
"Sam!" His commanding tone made Sam growl softly, but he obeyed without question. "Listen, buddy," Dean continued. "I don't know what you think is going on here, but we're not mates just because you say so and we're not really looking to grow a pack here, so why don't you just get on with your search and leave us the hell alone."
Castiel's ears flattened against his head. The words cut through down to his heart and not just because the rejection stung. Dean's scent had soured, turned sickly with regret and sadness. He didn't want to be saying these words any more than Castiel wanted to hear them.
"You're lying," Castiel accused. He'd never been particularly aggressive with his packmates. But his mother always did say he'd lose his filter when he met his mate. "Why are you lying to me?"
"I'm not lying," Dean snarled, but he also moved nearer and his scent grew heavy with arousal once more. Anger and passion were closely tied in this wolf. "So just move on before I make you-"
"Dean," Sam interrupted, voice soft and gentle. "Maybe we should talk to him."
Dean whirled on his brother, fur bristled and throat now constantly rumbling with a growl Castiel thought was more worry than anything. "No! No, he's a stranger; he moves on. It's too dangerous."
"I don't think he's a threat," Sam argued, his sharp green gaze shifting to Castiel's face. Where Dean's expression hid more than it showed, Sam's was nothing, but frank curiosity and interest. "He doesn't smell like the others."
"What others?"
"The ones that gave me this," Sam said over Dean's protests, shaking his head to indicate the deep scar cut across the fur on his face. "There's about four or five of them. We're not sure, but we think they might have been forced out of their pack. They're...bloodthirsty."
"They'll be fucking dead if I ever see them again," Dean declared, his voice soft with deadly promise. Castiel crawled forward, belly close to the ground so he wouldn't startle Dean. The scent mood between them was already forming into that powerful mate connection which would allow Castiel to nearly always sense Dean's prevailing emotions. In that moment, he understood what Sam meant to Dean. He'd only ever scented that mixture of helpless fear and protective rage in parents with regards to their cubs.
"I don't know those wolves," Castiel promised.
Whether because Dean unconsciously wanted the closeness or because he was too wrapped up in angry thoughts to notice the approach, Castiel didn't care. He took advantage of Dean's stillness to stretch up to a standing position and press his muzzle under Dean's. He'd seen many of the she-wolves doing the same to their mates and if that made him the submissive partner, Castiel could accept that. It was worth it to feel Dean relax and release another sort of growl. A most likely involuntary rasp of pleasure.
"Come back to my pack with me," Castiel said, his mouth moving against the fur at Dean's collar. "We can protect you and your brother."
"What?" Dean asked, startled.
But not enough to move away from Castiel's touch. Behind him, Castiel heard Sam give an interested whine. That would work in his favor, Castiel suspected.
"Our numbers would be enough to keep you safe even if we didn't have many skilled hunters and fighters," Castiel said, moving enough to look Dean in the eye. He stepped closer though, close enough that Dean's front legs crowded on either side of Castiel's. "You are both without pack, correct?"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Then you will need a new family."
Disbelief shaded the hope in Dean's eyes.
"It's not like we can just join any pack we want-"
"My pack will accept my new mate and any family he brings," Castiel countered with a frown. "You must know that. You have been a member of a pack before?" If Castiel hadn't caught the flash of grief on Dean's face, he definitely would have scented the emotion between them. It had Castiel even closer still, rubbing his cheek against Dean's. "You don't have to tell me now," he said softly in Dean's ear. "Come home with me."
"Fuck, Cas, it's not...it's not that easy."
Castiel's heart leapt at the familiarity, but before he could continue his argument, Sam was walking up to Dean, his paws scuffing at the leaves newly fallen. His scent wasn't nearly so clear to Castiel as Dean's, but even so, he sensed Sam's fatigue. When they first met, it had been tightly wound up and put away, ignored till it could be dealt with.
"Can't we just try, Dean?" Sam asked. "I'm really sick of all this moving and a new den every week and always wondering if they're gonna come back...I'd like to stop."
Dean stared at his brother and in no visible way did his stance or expression change.
But oh did his scent ever change. It turned sweet and relieved and nervous and so very wonderful. Castiel didn't need to hear Dean's answer, wasn't bothered by the prospect of further half-hearted protests.
By nightfall, he'd have his new mate in his den.
Part 2
Author: CloudyJenn
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairings: Dean/Castiel, Anna/Balthazar
Rating: R
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. I am making no profit from this fanfiction.
Warnings: None
Summary: Castiel is a wolf forced on a mate-search. Dean is a wolf without a pack, living alone in the woods with his brother. They meet.
Author's Notes: Here, read this.
When Balthazar and Anna mated, Castiel became the very last unpaired wolf in the pack. A fact he didn't seem to notice, but which worried the dickens out of everyone else. Balthazar in particular, being Castiel's brother, was concerned about him.
"Look at him," he huffed as he and Anna watched Castiel eating away from the main group. "He's a pathetic lump."
"So were you until we mated," she reminded him.
"Darling, I was never pathetic. I always knew we'd be together. I was simply waiting until I was in the mood to tie myself down." As the fire sparked in her eyes, he quickly added, "Also, I love you?" She pounced anyway and for a few moments, they forgot about Castiel.
***********************
The thing was, Anna had been the last unmated female in their pack who was old enough to pair off. Balthazar and Castiel were the last two males. Everyone had known she would pick one of the two brothers and quite frankly, the only wolf surprised she picked Balthazar was Balthazar himself.
"Really thought she'd go for the strong silent type," he confessed to Castiel a week after Anna had began sleeping in Balthazar's den.
Castiel sat down and cocked his head. "But she has always loved you."
Balthazar tried not to preen. It was easier to do when a certain thought occurred to him. "You don't resent me?"
"Why would I do that?" Castiel asked, his confusion deepening.
"...because you just missed out on the hottest piece of tail in the pack?"
"No, Balthazar, I don't resent you."
***********************
About five months after he mated, Balthazar was drinking water from the stream when Gordon plopped his rump down beside him and gave him a smirk Balthazar immediately disliked. Not that he liked much about Gordon to begin with. If it was possible to kick someone out of the pack, well..."That brother of yours ever gonna go lone?"
The fur bristled at the back of Balthazar's neck. There were three options for a wolf who couldn't mate in his own pack. He could join another pack with unmated wolves to choose from. Or he could convince a wolf from a different pack to join his own. Or he could simply leave. Strike out on his own and try to survive without the benefits of a home or a mate. It was a path rarely taken and only by wolves who didn't feel the pull of mating. Wolves who bore a frightening resemblance to his own stupid brother.
"He isn't going to go lone," Balthazar said curtly and then because he had a tendency to lie when cornered, he added, "He's planning on a mate search."
Gordon snorted, obviously seeing through the falsehood. "Right, well. Good luck to him on that. With a personality like that, it should be easy."
Balthazar growled low in his throat, but only watched as Gordon drank his fill and sauntered off into the forest. Fuck. Fuckity fuck. Castiel would not like this.
***********************
"You were obviously joking."
Bal was afraid of this. The confused deadpan tone. "No, Cassy, I wasn't joking. I was lying," Bal said. "But I shouldn't have been. You need a mate."
Castiel growled and pawed at the ground. "I have no need for a mate."
Frustration and fear settled in Bal's gut. "The fact that you believe that really worries me."
"Why?"
"I have no need to see you alone."
"I'm hardly alone. I have-"
"Fine then. I'm afraid you'll go lone. Or be forced to."
Shock stiffened Castiel’s frame. "They wouldn't..."
"They might," Bal said wearily.
***********************
Castiel never looked at other wolves. Oh sure, he saw them all the time, but he never cared for their looks. He never understood why his fellow male wolves fawned over the female's sleek coats and shapely hindquarters. And he didn't understand why Bal was making him go on this search. "I'm not in the mood to mate," he complained. "Please don't say that, Cassy. It gives me heartburn."
***********************
"Why do I have to go alone? I'm going so I won't be alone. Isn't that a task that requires company?"
Balthazar tried not to whip his tail at Castiel's backside as they walked towards the edge of their pack's territory. In his life, he'd never met a wolf who sounded less like a wolf. If he hadn't been present for all of Castiel's upbringing, he would have thought the pup was raised by humans.
"Because if more than one wolf approaches another pack, they'll think they are about to be attacked," he explained with more patience than he realized he possessed. "But if you approach by your wee self, they'll assume your lone or on a mate search. Either way they won't rip you or more importantly your familial traveling companions to shreds."
Castiel gave a mournful growl in the back of his throat. Balthazar hated hearing the sound.
"I don't understand why we all have to be the same. Bringing in a new wolf will just upset the entire pack."
He made a good point. No wolf took to strangers very well on first meeting, but if the new she-wolf came in as Castiel's mate, it wouldn't be long before the others warmed to her. When she and Castiel had pups, none of the pack would ever remember that she hadn't been born a member.
"They'll come around. And you'll have a much happier den. And it couldn't hurt your disposition to have sex now and again."
Castiel's expression soured.
"It hasn't helped yours any."
Balthazar bared his teeth in a delighted grin. He'd much rather send off a teasing Castiel than a moping one.
They reached the clearing that officially marked the start of neutral lands. The sun had just begun unclenching cold gray fingers across the horizon. Castiel was a fast wolf. He could be miles and miles from home by the time evening reclaimed the land.
"Are you ready?"
Castiel danced with uncharacteristic nerves. His sharp blue eyes remained fixed on the distance where light had not yet penetrated.
"I'm not sure I can do this," he admitted softly.
"I know it's frightening, Cassy, but I wish you'd trust me on this. No wolf should be alone," Balthazar said.
"It's not that," Castiel said, his voice dipping even quieter. "I know I'm not...I never wanted the other wolves, but they never wanted me either."
Balthazar tried to piece together the meaning behind this pained confession. Most of the she-wolves, save Anna, had chosen early on. It wasn't that they didn't want Castiel so much as they wanted someone else more.
"There must be a female for you somewhere," Balthazar finally said.
Castiel heaved a great sigh. "I'm not sure that's true, brother."
Granted, Balthazar wasn't very attuned to male beauty, but Castiel was not ugly, he knew that much. In fact, his unusual black fur and bright blue eyes made him stand out in the looks department. Sure, he could be awkward and sometimes spent entire weeks without saying much of anything to anyone, but he cared about his family deeply and was generous to a fault. Not to mention freakishly strong and protective. Some she-wolf somewhere would take a shine to him. Balthazar believed that.
"Cas, if you don't come back mated, I'll eat my own tail."
To his pleasure, Castiel released a puff of a laugh. "You may regret that promise."
"Never. Now go before I push you out."
Castiel leaned over to nuzzle a goodbye against Balthazar's neck. A gesture that lingered longer than usual for his reserved brother.
"You'll be fine," Balthazar couldn't help adding.
"I hope you're right," Castiel murmured before turning and bounding away across the clearing and toward his future.
***********************
Castiel liked his den just the way it was. Big enough to roll around in leaves if he so desired, but small enough to shelter him from the fierce winds of the cold seasons. All this obsession with finding a den mate gave Castiel a headache. None of the females in his pack ever interested him. Their scents never smelled sweet or delicious like his brothers described when they pursued a mate. He couldn't honestly say he never wanted a pup. But he didn't seem to feel the intense drive to produce smaller versions of himself. He enjoyed his life exactly how it was.
But apparently that would lead his own pack to drive him into the hills. Or so Balthazar would have him believe. Castiel had suspected his packmates were becoming concerned about him. He just hadn't realized they were also growing suspicious. And in the back of his mind, where he was as pure wolf as any of them, Castiel understood why. Their very survival depended on staying together and building strong family structures. Any wolf that didn't match was a threat.
Castiel wasn't sure he believed as fervently as some of his packmates, but he wasn't so opposed to the idea of mating that he'd let it stand in the way of staying unquestionably attached to his pack.
So that was why he found himself trotting through a thick patch of undergrowth hours from his pack's territory. Like any wolf, Castiel was well trained in tracking, but he'd rarely traveled this far from his home. He'd heard that another pack had traditionally made this area their home, but thus-far, Castiel couldn't find much more than faint traces of scents long dead. Clearly, a large number of wolves had once dwelt here, but they must have moved on. It frustrated Castiel because he wanted to find this mate and get home as soon as possible. It was nearly time for the leaves to change. Castiel liked wandering in the outskirts of their territory and watching them fall off the trees. He didn't want to miss that because he was trying to find a random she-wolf.
He slept that first night under a some sort of thick green bush that kept most of the wind off him. When morning came, he resolved to switch directions slightly and head towards rumors of a large pack in warmer climes. If he happened to find a mate in this pack, Castiel sincerely hoped she would come back home with him. He didn't like the way warm weather made his blood hot under his fur.
It turned out that Castiel needn't have worried. Something happened only a few hours into his day's walk that threw his journey permanently off-course.
Shortly after breakfast, Castiel began picking up slightly stronger scents than those he was leaving behind. Not enough to constitute a pack, but enough to arouse Castiel's interest. Perhaps a scout from a nearby pack unknown to Castiel's pack. A closer advantage. The moment Castiel first noticed it, he changed his route, eagerly following his keen nose as the scent grew stronger. He thought it probably belonged to a male and judging by the undertones, peaceful wolf. Or at least a wolf that hadn't fought recently. Which was good news. Some aggressive packs sent members to their borders to keep away all intruders, even wolves searching for mates.
"Hello?" Castiel said when he found a pile of leaves that had clearly been slept on by the wolf. Very recently. No one answered, but Castiel thought he heard a faint crackling noise, like a twig being trod on. He galloped towards the noise, clawing through thick underbrush and calling out as he went. "Hello? Can I please speak to you? Hello?"
He burst out into a clearing and stumbled to a halt. A massive wolf stood at the other end of the clearing before a low den. His light eyes filled with startled fear when Castiel appeared and he lowered himself into a defensive position, his deep brown fur raising a dark line across his back. Castiel paused, nonplussed. He understood the caution, but the stripe of panic lining the emotion concerned him. As did the ugly scar cut into his face, creating a fur-less line from his temple to his cheek.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said as realization set in. This wasn't a pack member at all. This was a frightened and cornered lone wolf. The most dangerous sort of wolf. "I'll just leave. I didn't realize-"
His sentence was never finished because at that very moment, a blur of brown shot out of the bushes to his left and slammed into him, rolling him onto his back and knocking the breath from his lungs.
"Stay the hell away from him," a voice growled right into Castiel's ears. "I told you I'd fucking kill you bastards if you came back here."
The wolf laying on Castiel was surprisingly heavy. He must be made entirely from muscle and every pound of it was pressing Castiel into the dirt. But even if he wanted to breathe, there was no way Castiel could think well enough to work his lungs when he felt the strange wolf's teeth against his neck. Castiel had known this mating business was a bad idea. Now he was going to have to fight off two giant wolves without getting killed himself. Against one, Castiel would have more confidence. Against two, he wasn't sure he'd have much success.
"Dean!" the other wolf barked and in his distraction, the wolf flattening Castiel eased up enough to release both Castiel's throat and his lungs. He drew in a long breath. A deep intense inhalation of the strange wolf's scent.
"Oh," Castiel growled softly.
Oh.
So that was what Balthazar meant when he said he wanted nothing more than to have his den smell like Anna for the rest of their lives.
He buried his nose in the thick sandy brown fur at the wolf's...at Dean's neck and took another satisfying lungful. Oh yes. This wolf smelled wonderful. Castiel would like to take this smell home with him. He didn't even fear his position anymore. Surely nothing that smelled this good could ever hurt him.
The wolf above him tensed, but that didn't stop Castiel from nosing through his fur and nipping happily at his ears. This was perfect. If they started back now, they could be home by the following afternoon and Castiel could have hide his new mate in his den until it smelled exactly like the intoxicating scent currently filling his nose.
He couldn't have asked for a better outcome.
***********************
At first, the only thing Dean could see was red. The second he sensed Sam's fear and smelled his panic, Dean sprang into action, abandoning his hunt and galloping through the rough underbrush towards their den. He swore to protect him when Sammy was still a pup and he'd already failed once. Never again. Any wolf that threatened him would find himself getting up close and personal with Dean's teeth.
And that was exactly what happened. There was a strange wolf in their clearing. Moving closer to their den. And to Sammy.
Not again. They'd already nearly ripped Sammy apart. Dean wouldn't let it happen again. If he had to spill every drop of his own blood, he wouldn't let it happen.
The other wolf was saying something to Sam. What, Dean didn't know or care. He only had a very brief moment to register the deep ebony of the other wolf's fur before he was on him, crashing into him at full speed and rolling them both until Dean was firmly atop the stranger. An unusual scent tried to make itself known, but Dean's blood rage held his mind too entirely to allow discernment.
"Stay the hell away from him," he snarled. "I told you I'd fucking kill you bastards if you came back here."
To his very great surprise, the wolf under him did not fight back. The three or four wolves who'd attacked Sam were vicious and relentless. Dean couldn't imagine those animals giving even the appearance of submission. As Dean's teeth sunk through the fur of his neck, the stranger's muscles only remained tense from the panic at his restricted breathing. He made no attempt to challenge Dean.
"Dean!" Sam shouted and that was his scolding tone. Not his warning or his frightened bark. He actually sounded annoyed. Clearly, Dean had misread the situation. He released the new wolf's neck and glanced up at his brother, intending to ask him a question. But then the other wolf began doing something that stole his thoughts clean out of his mind.
He was nuzzling Dean. Just...sticking his nose right into Dean's fur and...holy shit, chewing on his ears. A shiver vibrated up his spine and that was when the scent that had been clamoring for attention finally made it past Dean's fading rage.
Oh dear god. The wolf below him, the one who'd submitted so very sweetly, had the most delicious scent Dean had ever known. It was better than Sam's, better than any member of his former pack, better even than any of the she-wolves Dean had considered mating. And Dean didn't even know why. The wolf smelled like any other. Like clean fur and forest scents. But it was so good Dean wanted to rub himself all over the other wolf so he could always have that scent on him.
"W-what are you doing?" he asked.
He wanted to see the other wolf, but was too reluctant to pull away from the crazy-good sensations the other wolf was creating in him.
"Learning you," the other wolf said, his chest rumbling about Dean's. "So I can always find you."
Okay. What. The. Hell.
Dean finally pulled away, but couldn't deny it was only because Sam was trotting up to them. The stranger peered up at Dean with weird crystal blue eyes and a slight pleased smile.
"Who are you?" Sam asked as he walked around to stand beside Dean. Presenting a united front. Though Dean thought they probably didn't have much to fear from this creature. In fact, it was truly difficult not to move closer, just so he could breathe in as much of that gorgeous scent as possible.
"My name is Castiel. I'm on a mate-search and now I've found you, I'd like to go home."
"Found..." Dean blinked.
"I take it you mean Dean," Sam said blankly.
It probably wasn't a good sign that the idea of Castiel meaning anyone, but himself made a hint of that blood rage from earlier return.
Not a good sign at all.
"You're a guy," Dean pointed out.
Castiel nodded and flipped over onto his feet. "Yes. I never wanted to mate any of the females in my pack and now I suspect I understand why. I'm sorry we can't have our own cub, but I suspect we'll be fine regardless."
Their own cub?
No, seriously. What. The. Hell.
***********************
Castiel wasn't entirely ignorant. He knew this mating was very unusual and the two other wolves would be understandably resistant to the idea of two males making a pairing. Despite what everyone said about the emotional and spiritual gratification of finding your mate, the practical side of building a stable family unit was to produce the next generation. But there were already many young mated pairs in Castiel's pack that could provide that generation. They would not suffer for the lack of cubs from Castiel. They would not even have to suffer the lack of cubs from his particular family. Balthazar would see to that.
"I know this is unprecedented, but now that it's happened, I don't see why it should be a problem," Castiel said in a reasonable tone.
"Now that what's happened?" Dean growled. The noise raised the fur along Castiel's neck. That will be a pleasant sound to hear first thing in the mornings. Even lined with tension, Dean's voice made Castiel feel warm down to his paws.
"Now that we've become mates," Castiel said.
It was the only explanation for the smells. Not just Dean's natural gorgeous scent, but the underlying hints of arousal Castiel picked up from the other wolf. Obviously, Dean was reacting to Castiel in the same way Castiel reacted to him. He couldn't believe he'd ever not wanted to find his mate. No matter how strange the others always considered him, Castiel was a wolf. Finding his mate sparked instinctive pleasure so deep it couldn't be denied. Never before had another wolf's scent changed for him before. Castiel wanted to nuzzle at Dean's jaw again, but both he and Sam stood well back of Castiel now. It gave Castiel a moment to really look at them. Both were large, though Sam beat Dean by a few inches and at least twenty pounds. Dark brown fur, light green eyes and long muzzles. Castiel couldn't help considering Dean significantly more beautiful, but both wolves were attractive. And similar enough that Castiel suspected what he next asked.
"Are you brothers?"
"Yeah and-" Sam started, but Dean cut him off with a sharp bark.
"Sam!" His commanding tone made Sam growl softly, but he obeyed without question. "Listen, buddy," Dean continued. "I don't know what you think is going on here, but we're not mates just because you say so and we're not really looking to grow a pack here, so why don't you just get on with your search and leave us the hell alone."
Castiel's ears flattened against his head. The words cut through down to his heart and not just because the rejection stung. Dean's scent had soured, turned sickly with regret and sadness. He didn't want to be saying these words any more than Castiel wanted to hear them.
"You're lying," Castiel accused. He'd never been particularly aggressive with his packmates. But his mother always did say he'd lose his filter when he met his mate. "Why are you lying to me?"
"I'm not lying," Dean snarled, but he also moved nearer and his scent grew heavy with arousal once more. Anger and passion were closely tied in this wolf. "So just move on before I make you-"
"Dean," Sam interrupted, voice soft and gentle. "Maybe we should talk to him."
Dean whirled on his brother, fur bristled and throat now constantly rumbling with a growl Castiel thought was more worry than anything. "No! No, he's a stranger; he moves on. It's too dangerous."
"I don't think he's a threat," Sam argued, his sharp green gaze shifting to Castiel's face. Where Dean's expression hid more than it showed, Sam's was nothing, but frank curiosity and interest. "He doesn't smell like the others."
"What others?"
"The ones that gave me this," Sam said over Dean's protests, shaking his head to indicate the deep scar cut across the fur on his face. "There's about four or five of them. We're not sure, but we think they might have been forced out of their pack. They're...bloodthirsty."
"They'll be fucking dead if I ever see them again," Dean declared, his voice soft with deadly promise. Castiel crawled forward, belly close to the ground so he wouldn't startle Dean. The scent mood between them was already forming into that powerful mate connection which would allow Castiel to nearly always sense Dean's prevailing emotions. In that moment, he understood what Sam meant to Dean. He'd only ever scented that mixture of helpless fear and protective rage in parents with regards to their cubs.
"I don't know those wolves," Castiel promised.
Whether because Dean unconsciously wanted the closeness or because he was too wrapped up in angry thoughts to notice the approach, Castiel didn't care. He took advantage of Dean's stillness to stretch up to a standing position and press his muzzle under Dean's. He'd seen many of the she-wolves doing the same to their mates and if that made him the submissive partner, Castiel could accept that. It was worth it to feel Dean relax and release another sort of growl. A most likely involuntary rasp of pleasure.
"Come back to my pack with me," Castiel said, his mouth moving against the fur at Dean's collar. "We can protect you and your brother."
"What?" Dean asked, startled.
But not enough to move away from Castiel's touch. Behind him, Castiel heard Sam give an interested whine. That would work in his favor, Castiel suspected.
"Our numbers would be enough to keep you safe even if we didn't have many skilled hunters and fighters," Castiel said, moving enough to look Dean in the eye. He stepped closer though, close enough that Dean's front legs crowded on either side of Castiel's. "You are both without pack, correct?"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Then you will need a new family."
Disbelief shaded the hope in Dean's eyes.
"It's not like we can just join any pack we want-"
"My pack will accept my new mate and any family he brings," Castiel countered with a frown. "You must know that. You have been a member of a pack before?" If Castiel hadn't caught the flash of grief on Dean's face, he definitely would have scented the emotion between them. It had Castiel even closer still, rubbing his cheek against Dean's. "You don't have to tell me now," he said softly in Dean's ear. "Come home with me."
"Fuck, Cas, it's not...it's not that easy."
Castiel's heart leapt at the familiarity, but before he could continue his argument, Sam was walking up to Dean, his paws scuffing at the leaves newly fallen. His scent wasn't nearly so clear to Castiel as Dean's, but even so, he sensed Sam's fatigue. When they first met, it had been tightly wound up and put away, ignored till it could be dealt with.
"Can't we just try, Dean?" Sam asked. "I'm really sick of all this moving and a new den every week and always wondering if they're gonna come back...I'd like to stop."
Dean stared at his brother and in no visible way did his stance or expression change.
But oh did his scent ever change. It turned sweet and relieved and nervous and so very wonderful. Castiel didn't need to hear Dean's answer, wasn't bothered by the prospect of further half-hearted protests.
By nightfall, he'd have his new mate in his den.
Part 2
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Date: 2011-08-01 08:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 03:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-29 07:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-14 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 08:16 am (UTC)Socially awkward wolf!Cas is too adorable for words <3
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Date: 2011-08-02 03:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 09:27 am (UTC)*smishes this fic like whoa and waits impatiently for more*
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Date: 2011-08-02 03:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 09:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 03:29 am (UTC)Thank you!
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Date: 2011-08-01 11:49 am (UTC)This is great, and I can't wait to see how you tie it up!
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Date: 2011-08-02 03:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 03:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 03:33 am (UTC)So glad you like it!
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Date: 2011-08-01 04:42 pm (UTC)I so can't wait to see Balthazar's reaction to Cas's mate. Lol.
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Date: 2011-08-02 03:34 am (UTC)Thanks!
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Date: 2011-08-01 05:14 pm (UTC)PLeeeease continue this! pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase! :D
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Date: 2011-08-02 03:35 am (UTC)Thank you!
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Date: 2011-08-02 03:35 am (UTC)Highly approuved!
Date: 2011-08-02 03:02 pm (UTC)Black wolf Castiel and his stunning blue eyes... Nyaaah *drooools*
"My name is Castiel. I'm on a mate-search and now I've found you, I'd like to go home."
Oh my god, why does that sound so perfectly IC ? Hahahaha !
And this one too :
"Learning you," "So I can always find you."
Wow. How easily I can imagine the scene !
And the depiction of the brothers is great too ;)
I agree with the others, I'd like to read more of this story : learn more about those bloodthirsty wolves for exemple, and see how the surprising mate Castiel chose will be received with his brother in the pack... well two young and strong hunters will be welcomed I suppose, but that will be so funny too xD
(plus Anna & Bal reaction ? huhu)
This is bad I don't know if I want you to write a sequel of this, or rather of HardcoreWing or the continuation of the Soul Piece, or just anything else, as I like so much your writings ^^"
Arf just be well, I love you.
Re: Highly approuved!
Date: 2011-10-27 06:54 pm (UTC)Mmmmh...
I'm just gonna leave this here :
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Date: 2011-08-03 02:20 am (UTC)Massive ♥
Also, author's note made me LOL for real. :)
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Date: 2011-08-03 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-03 09:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-28 07:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 06:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-28 10:19 pm (UTC)yay!
Date: 2011-12-29 10:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-02 01:50 am (UTC)Wolf verse
Date: 2013-08-26 12:11 pm (UTC)