1- Squirrel and Moose

"I know. But as you said..." Dean threw a glance to Castiel. "... we don't really have a choice. Ellen is definitely able to murder all of us, if she found out we could have taken someone to her and we didn't!"

Horknath passed a hand over his face. "I don't want to go there. I don't-" He took a deep breath. "If we go there just to retrieve some supplies and a couple of left over whatevers, we will find someone waiting. I know. I'm sure. I'd rather - I'd rather go back to town and buy what we need for the travel there. I do have some... money for emergencies."

Horknath was about to reassure Castiel that this was not the first time he was forced to move away from a place he called home - far from it -, but he turned to Bobby instead, to answer his question. "A couple of times", he said, hesitantly. "Long time ago. Why?"

Horknath actually didn't protest that much. He just barely muttered something about a very big horse, and then simply followed the group as they finally got back to the town. The sun was already setting by then. "Maybe we should... actually go away tomorrow. Early morning", he observed lowly. "I don't think you can move well by night. I can see a little in the dark, but we would be easy targets."

Dean looked at him, actually pondering over that suggestion. "Maybe that's not a bad idea", he admitted in the end, a bit begrudgingly. He glanced at Bobby. "What do you think, Ursus? We buy supplies, sleep a last night here and run away as fast as we can tomorrow morning?"

Dean rushed towards her, a bit pale. "They didn't. What happened here? Are you alright?" He was so busy checking on her and the coworkers that he didn't even notice how Horknath struggled to fit his frame through the door, and when he then finally stumbled inside he almost fell through. To his utmost embarrassment. He was quick to get up though, and walked up to Carleen and her coworker, looking worried and guilty. "I'm sorry. This was our fault!"

Dean and Horknath both scoffed at that choice of words. "Oh, of course. Because not bowing down with your forehead on the ground or lick where they step it's called being a bitch now!" Dean snarled, and hastily walked away. He stopped only when he reached Bobby. "They don't behave like this with civillians, usually. What the fuck is going on?", he asked in a whisper, still sounding angry. He needed not to think at the cursed enochian letters engraved in his skin. On his wrist.

Horknath shook his head. "Well, I... guess it could have been worse", he muttered quietly, observing the bandage around Carleen's arm. That cut probably wasn't very deep - and that team had probably just the intention of asking question. Were they the police, she wouldn't have been there anymore.

Dean snorted. "All the luck strikes to me, right?" He wasn't known to be the most... 'personable' out of their group. People tended not to trust him, to be a bit afraid of his general behaviour. And that guy hadn't seem too eager to talk to him, before. "I guess I'll try, though", he said in the end, not really convinced.

Horknath snorted. "You can ask one of your workers. Don't move that arm around too much." He nodded towards the bandage. "I know it probably doesn't seem much, but being fresh, it would be a pain. You wouldn't sleep tonight. Believe me." Let's be honest, he only managed to talk to Carlren right now because he was all focused on the wound and not on her face!

"Yeah, yeah. Alright. I hope one day I'll get paid for all this babysitting service I do!", Dean grumbled, crossing his arms on his chest as he kept observing everyone around with critical eye. His gaze fell on Castiel, though. And he sighed. Well, maybe he should start to try and talk to him. He walked up to him, a bit hesitantly. "Hey. Emmanuel, right?", he started. "You alright?"

Horknath opened in a small smile. "Eh. I'll try", he said with a small laugh. "I'm sorry. I've been pretty rude - you helped us out, got assaulted, and I haven't even asked your name..." He scratched his head, embarrassed.

Dean blinked. "... well, it's not really... your fault, you know." He shrugged, frowning. "Those bastards don't care about who they hurt. If it is standing between them and what they are looking for, they bare their claws." He shook his head. Then tried to smile at Castiel. "It's weird. You seem more worried about what can happen to other people than by the fact you have a platoon of angels breathing on your neck!"

Horknath stilled. His eye widened for a brief instant, not really having the guts to believe what he was hearing. He stared silently at Carleen's hand, pondering over what she had just said, for an amount of time that felt incredibly long. Then, in a hushed, timid whisper, he asked, "Carleen, then?" He pronounced it in a bit of a weird way - maybe with a wrong accent. Just because he had never heard it out loud. He had always only read it.

Dean sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, she was", he muttered, throwing a glance at Carleen as well. He focused on Castiel soon again, though. "Are you sure they don't want to kill you?", he asked, hesitantly. "I mean... don't get me wrong. You don't look like you could hurt a single fly not even if it insulted your mother. But if they sent out an Archangel to look for you, things must be pretty serious." He paused. "I'm surprised you managed to hide on your own this long."

Horknath was about to try and ask her if he could see her soulmark - the question dying on his mouth, along with his courage, the instant Sam interrupted their conversation. He bit his lip, hand mindlessly brushing against his own wristband. Seeing his name with his own eyes was the only, definitive proof he needed to be sure she was the one.

Dean nodded in understanding. Even though he was a bit puzzled by Castiel. It was rare for him, not to be able to read a person. And this one was definitely... particular. "Well, it seems your soulmate sure is bringing you a lot of troubles, eh?", he observed. "I wonder if they are hiding too. Maybe you'll have a strike of dumb luck, and meet them at Ellen's." He laughed. Well, that chance seemed to be ridiculously small!

Horknath, who had been sitting down fiddling with his thumbs - still recovering from the shock of having, maybe, found his soulmate -, raised his head and glanced over at Carleen. "... me?" He seemed a bit lost. "Alright." He got up and walked to her and Sam, still feeling a whole lot awkward.

Dean huffed. "Hey, if there's someone who understands not wanting to meet your soulmate ever, you're with the right people. Believe me", he answered, just as evasively - before turning to Sam. "Hey, thanks Alces." He paused, and glanced at Carleen again. "Do you seriously think she'll be alright?" He was a bit worried. After all, the angels could decide to come back to beat the informations out of her any moment!

"... oh. Um... thanks." Horknath took the coat from her hands, carefully, and threw it over his shoulders. He was visibly struggling with something, and hesitated for some seconds before he actually managed to blurt out his question. "Could I- could I see your... your mark?" He had been fighting with himself for those last seconds, thinking that maybe it would have been more painful for him to know he had found his soulmate and have to just leave her right away, for who knows how much time.

Dean sighed with relief. Well, at least he could be worried for one person less. Maybe. "Good", he simply commented, feeling up his coat a bit. "Well. I guess we'd better at least inform the Inn owner that we have two more people to accomodate for one night. I hope they have some space left, or Ursus will manage to push me out of the bed to give it to someone else", he muttered under his breath, still a bit salty over having to be the one to share his horse!

Horknath gulped down. Why did she want him to promise something like that? He steeled himself, though. After all, he had waited for a lot of years. Some more time couldn't hurt - especially seen as he didn't know Carleen that well yet. It would have been easier to go away the soonest possible. "Alright", he finally conceded, feeling terribly on edge already.