Scritch, scritch, scritch.

Sam twisted under scratchy motel sheets, registering the unfamiliar noise even in sleep.

Scritch, scritch, scritch.

His brain had just decided that it should be waking up to check the noise out when a gag inducing odor brought him back to full consciousness in a hurry.

Scritch, scritch, scritch.

Sam turned on the bedside lamp and sat up in time to see his brother hop out of the makeshift litter pan. "God, Dean," Sam mumbled, trying to talk without breathing. "How can a two pound you stink more than a full grown human you? I would have bet money it wasn't possible."

Dean just stared at Sam for a second in what Sam would swear was an extremely self satisfied way before catching sight of the tip of his tail twitching behind him. He stilled for a long moment and Sam was sure he could see Dean's mind working in the tiny kitten. Calculating trajectories and timing and distance and then just letting it all go and leaping in circles for the total single minded joy of the chase.

Sam rolled out of bed, careful to avoid the ball of fur whirling around the room, and flushed the offending bit of kitten poop down the toilet. Even though Dean had to know good and well Sam was there his reappearance in the bedroom caused the kitten to startle, so caught up in his mission that his brother coming through the bathroom door came as a complete surprise.

Sam couldn't help but laugh as Dean stopped mid whirl, leaped two feet into the air and came down hissing, ears pinned back like Sam was some sort of enemy. Dean flopped onto his side, tiny chest heaving, and waved one miniscule paw in Sam's general direction in what he probably thought was a terrifyingly threatening way.

"Give it up, Dean," Sam said with a smile. "A mouse could take you out right now."

Dean's eyes narrowed and Sam wondered if his brother was actually in there. The kitten rolled gracefully to his feet and stretched with a yawn, pointedly turning his back on Sam and licking at the rumpled fur on one shoulder. When he felt that his hair was properly arranged he ambled to the edge of the bed and looked up at Sam, the request in his loud meow perfectly clear.

"Oh. Ready to go back to sleep now, are you?" Sam scooped Dean up and put him on the bed. "If you wake me up again, I'm taking you to the pound. Understand?"

Dean raced up the bed, leaping into the center of Sam's pillow before his brother could settle back down. Green eyes blinked innocently as the buzz of Dean's purr filled the room.

"You think I couldn't move you?"

Dean just yawned and curled up in the center of the pillow, tail flicking soundlessly against the pillow case. Sam sighed and turned down the other side of the bed.

When he woke again sunlight was streaming into the room and there was a tiny weight in the center of his chest. It was purring and he didn't rush to get up. Dean's escapades kept his brother up half the night and whatever Dean wanted it could damned well wait until Sam pried his eyelids open. When Sam did he immediately wished he'd kept them closed. Dean sat there, chest puffed out as much as the tiny thing could, looking for all the world like a general surveying the spoils of war. And lined up from just in front of Dean's toes to just below Sam's chin were four dead mice.