"Butterflies"
Written By – Eri13, SEW Crew Member
"How far is this place?" Elizabeth Weir paused for a moment, leaning her hand against the dark-skinned trunk of a nearby tree.
Rodney McKay turned, looking as put off as she felt at this particular moment. "Not FAR."
"It was just a question, Rodney," John Sheppard said lazily, a half-smile on his face. He wasn't even sweating, damn him. And he was hauling a backpack at least as heavy as hers.
"Look, asking...again...is not going to make it go any faster. Walking is. So..." he gestured forward and started moving again. Elizabeth glared for a moment, then sighed, hitching up her backpack and pushing half-heartedly away from the tree.
"He's just feeling...superior...at the moment. You'll have to cut him some slack."
"At the moment?" Elizabeth quirked an eyebrow. "When does he not feel superior?"
"It's just been a while since he's not been the slowest..." John's glanced at her, flashing a smile. "That is, the least experienced of the team on overland hikes."
"I see." She shifted her backpack again, trying to ignore the burning in her calves. "Apparently, I need to get out more."
"An occasional break now and then on the Mainland probably wouldn't hurt."
"Oh, sure. Unless you're one of the 10 science personnel I needed to speak with today, or the supply list I've had to put off for this little excursion, or one of the Menarian council members who've been petitioning for larger medical supply shipments which will have to wait until later this afternoon, or a member of Major Lorne's..." She paused at the sight of Rodney, Teyla and Ronon stopped up ahead, at the edge of what looked like a clearing.
John gave her a curious look, then pushed forward. "What is it? Are we there yet?"
"Uh...yes?" Rodney whispered, his eyes wide. Elizabeth nudged forward, trying to peer around Ronon's wide shoulders.
Beyond the tree line stood a wide clearing, where four ancient stones, over twenty feet high, lay side by side, edges just barely touching. Inscribed upon them were words in the Ancient tongue, the most probable reason Rodney had dragged her on this incredibly long foray through M1M-431.
But it wasn't the stones that caught their attention. As the sunlight beamed down upon soft grasses of the clearing, swirls of what could only be described as butterflies--at least, that's what Elizabeth would have called them--fluttered by the hundreds in front of the stones' massive girth. Thousands of different colors, shining with what seemed like reflective scales, lit up the open air, sending shimmering sparkles around the meadow.
She watched in wonder as the butterflies danced about, every so often fluttering close enough to be touched, seemingly undisturbed by the human presence at the edge of their world.
"Is that what we're looking for?" John asked in a quiet voice, breaking the silence.
Rodney nodded, still wide-eyed. "Yes. The...stone...things."
"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Elizabeth whispered to Teyla.
The Athosian shook her head. "I have not. This is...incredible."
"I've heard of butterfly swarms--but never seen one," Ronon said, looking about as amazed as she'd ever seen him. "They are sort of legendary among the worlds."
"I can see why."
"Don't we have something we need to get done?" John asked after a couple of minutes minute, eyes still on the thousands of creatures fluttering around the meadow. He broke away reluctantly to glance over at her. "You know, Menarians waiting, that sort of thing?"
She gazed back at him, then smiled, shimmying her backpack to the ground. Adjusted, it would make a perfect seat. "Well, as you said, Colonel...an occasional break doesn't hurt."
