MC4A
Fill: 4
Prompt: 2A (Green)
Representations: Ronon Dex; Merlin; Running
Bonus Challenges: Where Angels Fear; Second Verse (Most Human Bean; Lettuce Hold Hands; Head of Perseus; Call Me Dantes; Creature Feature; Some Beach; Middle Name)
Stacked With: Winter Bingo; Romance Challenge; No Capes Required; Shadows of Consequence; Paranormal Phantasm; Terms of Service; New Fandom Smell; In a Flash
Word Count: 987
Ronon Ran. That was his life now. It had been his life ever since the Wraith had last attacked Sateda and he had been captured. He was one of the unlikely ones. The ones that they kept around to play with. Sometimes he cursed his stubbornness; if he hadn't resisted so much to the Wraith, maybe they would have killed him and gotten it over with. Other times he thanked it.
Generally those were the times where he had found a clear stream of drinkable water and a good meal that would keep him going for a day or two. The times where life didn't seem so bad. Where there was hope for more than just Running. Not that a Runner had ever gotten away from the Wraith permanently. That was nigh on impossible. But maybe, maybe Ronon would be the first.
He was certainly stubborn enough for it. Already, he had been Running for seven years and as far as he was aware, that was the longest a Runner had ever survived. He was proud of that. Proud that his experience and lessons from Sateda were helping him survive even if his home was now destroyed. He hadn't returned there.
He didn't know if it still stood strongly or if the Wraith had finally managed to tear down all the defences. He'd find out one day. After he had managed to stop Running. Because he would. He would not let his life end when he was a prisoner of the creatures that had taken his home, his family, his culture away from him. He would die free and running at the Wraith with blaster in hand as he destroyed them just as they had destroyed him.
The sound of the Astra Porta opening made him curse softly. He had hoped for a bit longer on this planet. It was a nice planet, one filled with greenery and fresh fruit that wasn't poisonous. He had even found healing plants he could make a salve with. If he had the time—which he now didn't thanks to the quick arrival of the Wraith.
Darts started zooming out of the gate; three of them. Only a small party this time then. He could deal with three Wraith darts. And then he would grab as many plants as he could feasibly carry and make his way to the next planet. He didn't let himself think of the rapidly shrinking list of viable addresses he knew. If he absolutely had to, he would start cycling through the list again. Never stopping for long enough that the Wraith would catch him. He had lasted seven years already, he could last another seven.
A beam shot down close by him and he shrank further into the green branches of the tree he was hiding in. As soon as he had arrived here, he had set the traps that would now help him fend off the latest wave of Wraith. All he had to do was wait until one of them crossed their path and then he'd attack. The monster approached slowly, checking for tracks with its weapon drawn. It would find tracks, all right, and it would follow them straight into Ronon's trap.
With a startled grunt, the Wraith was jerked into the air by its leg and the rope that had wrapped itself around its ankle. Ronon grinned and took aim. Three shots set to kill, all hitting directly in the chest. It was the surest way of making sure a Wraith didn't stick around. Apart from cutting off their arms to remove the enzyme that gave them their healing and long life, that was.
A roar echoed through the forest and Ronon froze. That was no Wraith. That had to be a local. How had Ronon not noticed something that clearly took very unkindly to visitors and sounded furious at the intrusion? Maybe it was just the Wraith that the local took offense too. Either way, Ronon didn't particularly want to find out by throwing himself blindly into the path of whatever it was.
Carefully, silently, he climbed down his tree and started making his way to the sound. He was curious and if the local didn't mind him being there for the past few days, he figured they could probably come to an understanding. Either that, or he could run through the Astra Porta to another planet and hope they didn't follow him and he started Running from two things. The sight that greeted him when he reached the location of the noise made him stop short and stare in disbelief.
A scrawny man stood in the centre of a massacre. Wraith parts lay scattered around him, bloody and oozing enzyme. The man himself had drops of Wraith on him, letting Ronon know that he was the cause of the destruction. Was he the source of the mighty roar he had heard? How? Even his fleet commander, as big and powerful as the man was, had never managed to produce a roar such as that.
The man's head jerked up and his eyes landed straight on Ronon's hiding place. Ronon didn't move, trusting the greenery to hide him. Except it didn't. It moved out of the way of the man's gaze and revealed him to the stranger. Ronon took a second to glare at the branches and shrubs before carefully stepping towards the man when he did nothing to indicate hostility.
The man gestured around him at the dead Wraith. "These belong to you?"
Ronon shrugged. "You could say that."
"Huh. Come on then."
That seemed to be it. The man started walking away, seemingly expecting Ronon to just follow a complete stranger on a strange planet who had just destroyed several Wraith with seeming ease. Not wanting to offend the man who had easily shredded the galaxy's most feared species, Ronon did as the man expected and followed him.