4

Janeway hadn't been asleep for very long when the leaves in the trees above them started to rustle. Chakotay heard them and looked up to see the tree branches swaying against the grey sky just as a dark cloud covered the moon. Kathryn stirred as the wind picked up, opening her eyes and pushing herself up on her hands. "What's happening?" she asked.

"Some kind of storm, I think." Chakotay had to raise his voice to be heard over the wind. Dark clouds now completely covered the moon, leaving the two Starfleet officers in complete blackness.

"We need shelter."

"We didn't see any caves between here and the river, and we don't have any light. We'd be blind in the forest."

The wind was growing stronger, and Kathryn shielded her face with her hand. A nearby thump sounded as a large tree branch hit the ground.

He tugged her hand, pulling her around to the other side of the hill. They were able to find a spot where the hill shielded them from the worst of the wind, and they pressed against the dirt. The wind howled through the trees, and a crack sounded in the distance as a tree fell. Chakotay shielded Kathryn's body with his own, covering her with his muscular frame as the wind howled. His shoulder ached, and a sharp pain shot down his arm.

The wind picked up even more, and specks of dirt and small rocks whirled in small twisters near the ground. A large branch flew directly at them, hitting Janeway in the back. She cried out, and Chakotay wrapped his arms around her, trying to shield her body from the debris being thrown around by the storm, using his hands to protect her head and neck. There was another loud crack as another tree fell, and he felt her tense in his arms. He whispered soothing words in her ear, even though he doubted she could hear him over the wind's cries, and was surprised at the way she burrowed further into his arms. That was the way they fell asleep, finally able to relax as the wind died down.

Kathryn awoke with the first light and realized immediately that something was wrong. Chakotay's body was giving off heat like a furnace, his heartbeat racing. She extricated herself from his embrace and saw that beads of sweat had formed on his forehead despite the cool morning air. He was burning up. "Chakotay," she said, trying to wake him. "Chakotay!"

He opened his eyes, and looked around, confused. "I'm sorry. Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I think you have a fever."

He slowly gained awareness of himself and his surroundings. His body felt weak, and he felt cold, even though he was sweating. Even before Kathryn pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, he could tell that his skin was clammy. His shoulder was throbbing. But he said, "We should get moving."

"I don't have any symptoms, so it can't be the food."

He shook his head, the movement jarring his injured shoulder. "No, I think it has something to do with that plant that attacked me."

"Let me see." Janeway motioned to his injured shoulder and helped him out of his jacket, which had been torn in the attack, but still covered most of the injured area. When she saw his bare skin, Kathryn gasped. Bulging green veins had appeared on Chakotay's shoulder, and it looked like they were spreading. The skin around them was red and enflamed.

He studied the horrified expression on her face and asked with a tired smile, "That bad, huh?"

"Was it like this all day yesterday?"

"I don't know. It was hurting."

"Chakotay, why didn't you say anything?" Anger rose in her tone, tinged with fear.

"Kathryn." He reached out with his good arm to take her hand. "What could you have done? We had to keep moving. I was hoping it would be better after I got some rest, but it's not. None of that changes the fact that we have to keep moving. I'm sure the Kerhonkset figured out we went into the river by now, and there's only two directions we could have gone once we hit it. My guess is that they'll split up and follow both."

She gave him a long look and then sighed heavily. "You're right. Fortunately, the storm seems to have destroyed all evidence of our campsite, so we can get moving. But promise me you'll tell me if it gets any worse."

"I'll tell you."

"Good."

They were lucky that the storm had scattered all evidence of their dinner the night before. It had also masked their trail through the woods, and would likely throw off the Kerhonkset dogs. They made their way back to the river.

The second day was slower going than the first. Neither of them had gotten much sleep, and Chakotay was moving slower and slower. Kathryn was casting worried glances back at him, watching his face become pale and take on a greenish tinge. He set his jaw with determination, however, and nodded at her to keep going. They'd had to navigate more logs that blocked their path, and their boots sloshed through the stream, seeming to become heavier with each step

Janeway began to lose hope. Why hadn't Voyager found them yet? Surely Harry and Seven had figured out a way to cut through the atmospheric interference by now. Or had her ship been captured by the Kerhonkset as well? What had happened to Tuvok, Torres and Ayala? Had they been taken hostage? Were they on the run, too? Had she returned home only to be marooned and imprisoned on an alien planet a few weeks later?

Chakotay, for his part, was becoming similarly depressed. He was slowing Kathryn down, and he knew it. He had opened his mouth several times to tell her to go on without him, but he knew that she would refuse. He would never forgive himself if he was the reason that she was captured or hurt. He began to think of what he might do to convince her to go on alone.

They trudged through the water without speaking. They listened for signs of their Kerhonkset pursuers and focused on taking one step at a time. Then, Chakotay stepped on an unstable rock. It tipped under his foot, causing him to lose his balance and sending him to his knees in the cold water.

Kathryn heard him cry out and turned around to see him on his hands and knees, struggling to get back on his feet. "Chakotay!" She sloshed through the water back to his side and knelt beside him, not caring that the cold water was seeping through her own pants up to her knees. When he looked up at her, his palor sent a jolt of fear down her spine. Whatever that plant was doing to him, it was getting worse. "Can you stand?"

His shoulder was so stiff that he could barely move his arm. His whole body had been overcome with weakness. His words were a strangled, "Help me."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kathryn insinuated her shoulder under his good arm so he could lean on her. "Ready? One, two, three." She managed to get him upright, but as soon as he tried to remove his weight from her, he stumbled again. She caught him before he could fall into the water, stabilizing him. "Let me help you," she said, finding her way under his arm again.

"You should go on without me," he said, gritting his teeth against the pain. "I'm slowing you down. No sense in both of us getting captured."

"I think you know me better than that, Chakotay."

"I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"I'm not leaving you." The stubborn set of her jaw told him that he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise. They continued farther up the river, and Chakotay began to lean more and more on Kathryn. He was right; he was slowing them down, but that didn't mean she was willing to leave him behind. Then, they heard the howling of a Kerhonkset beast and froze.

Janeway looked up at Chakotay. "The gorkin?"

"I'm telling you, Kathryn. Go on without me!"

"No. We have to find a hiding place."

"I don't know how much farther I can go."

"You have to keep moving just a little longer, Commander. That's an order."

He heard the determination in her voice, and it gave him the motivation he needed to take one more step, and then another, and another. They heard another howl, closer this time, and Janeway began to look around more urgently for a place where they could hide. Finally, she saw what she was looking for. A few meters ahead of them, a large, flat rock jutted out over the river. "There!" she whispered.

Chakotay couldn't respond. He was too focused on putting one foot in front of the other without passing out and dragging Kathryn down into the water along with him. She looked up at his face; it had grown even more pale, and she could see the green veins snaking up above his collar bone. She knew it was her responsibility to get them both to safety, so she pulled him towards the large flat rock. He stumbled, nearly pulling her to her knees as all of his weight pressed down on her. She tightened her grip on him. "Just a few more steps, Chakotay. You have to stay with me until we get to that rock over there."

He grunted and placed one foot in front of the other. He had to do this; he had to make it for Kathryn.

"That's it," she said encouragingly. "Just another two meters."

After what seemed like an hour, they reached the rock that jutted out over the river. Kathryn knelt down in the water and saw that where the rock met the shore, there was a sandy enclave, just as she had hoped. She ducked down and pulled Chakotay with her. He moaned as he bent over and his shoulder bumped against the rock. It was by sheer force of will that she managed to get both of them under the rock and back to the sandy area. The rock sheltered them from view, and the Kerhonkset would need to come into the river to find them. They would find them, eventually, but it was a good hiding place. Where are you, Harry? she wondered. She tried her comm badge one more time, but it only responded with static.

There was just enough space in the alcove for the two of them. Janeway scooted as far back into the small space as possible, sitting with her back pressed up against the cool, damp rock. Chakotay had collapsed with his feet still in the water, and she pulled him up onto the sand, cradling his head in her lap. The river lapped at her boots, but the cold water had ceased to matter to her long ago.

"Chakotay? Can you hear me?" She brushed his matted hair back from his face. His skin felt as though it was burning, and the green tendrils had made their way up the side of his neck. The infection was spreading faster and faster.

Chakotay moaned; his eyes fluttered open, and then closed again. Kathryn felt a cold fear seep into the core of her being. There was nothing she could do for him. The infection, or poison, or whatever it was, was slowly taking him away from her, and there was nothing she could do but sit here and watch it happen. Her fingers found the side of his neck, looking for his pulse. It was weak and thready. "How can I help you?" she whispered. "What can I do?"

He did not respond, but he seemed to press his body closer to hers, seeking comfort subconsciously or intentionally, she did not know, but she pulled him closer and stroked his hair, whispering quiet words of reassurance, soothing him into slumber.