Author's Note: Nope, this thing isn't a Wraith such as the Atlanteans know. It's simply a creature that happens to have the same name.

OOOOOOOOO

"So what do we do?" Jack asked, watching the wraith cautiously. The last thing that he wanted was for that thing to turn on them without them seeing it coming so they'd at least have a chance to run.

Fisai was watching it as well, his eyes the only visible part of his face with his hood covering his head and an odd scarf over his mouth and nose.

"I will try to lure it away," the young man told him. "The others will get Reja."

"And if you can't get its attention?"

"I will."

To prove his point, Fisai moved away from the group and out into the open, waving his stick and shouting at the creature. Even over the howling wind, there was no mistaking the challenge in his tone – even though he was speaking a language Jack didn't understand.

The wraith noticed immediately. The huge head snapped around and with an impossibly fast leap for such stubby little legs, the thing moved towards the lone young man who presented such an easy target.

"Fisai!"

Ian was the first to respond, his P90 sounding off as he unloaded a clip at the beast. Jack's sounded almost immediately after and even over the roar of the wind, the noise was deafening.

The wraith screeched when the first slug hit it, and its attention was forced from the easy morsel to the source of its pain. Even as both Jack and Ian emptied their clips into it, it was obvious that the shots weren't going to be enough to stop it. It was bleeding, but if anything, it was even more dangerous than before.

"Sonofabitch!"

They scattered as the wraith charged their position. The natives who had been waiting for the creature to move so they could rescue the trapped girl were now suddenly finding themselves the target instead. They dodged behind an outcropping of rocks and the wraith followed with a furious roar.

Jack and Teal'c dodged to the left, finding another outcropping of rock – not hard to do in such unforgiving terrain – and Teal'c fired his staff weapon, sending a bolt of energy hurtling toward the creature that hit it in the back of the neck. It shuddered and roared again, turning its awful head and meeting yet another bolt – this one hitting it in the shoulder as it turned. Another roar, and it charged, slamming into the rocky outcropping headlong, collapsing the entire thing under its weight.

"Jack!"

Ian had somehow managed to end up with both dogs, and they weren't about to stay out of the fight. He'd reloaded his P90 and charged over to the flailing wraith, terrified that it was going to crush Teal'c and Jack under either the rocks or its own weight. Firing as he ran, with the dogs both running with him, he could see the impact of the bullets – red splotches in an impressive grouping considering the distance and the fact that he was moving and so was his target – but he also could tell that the creature wasn't even slowed by the wounds.

It wasn't distracted, either.

At least it wasn't until Jaffer and Jack joined in. In the instinctive way of all dogs, hearkening back to their wolf ancestors, both dogs savaged the creature's hind legs, looking for the opportunity to hamstring it. It bellowed in fury as Jack's teeth raked across its hide, slashing open a large gash along the back of its left leg, and lashed out at the yellow lab with its tail.

Jack was too quick for it, though. The lab dodged, snarling, and jumped clear, just as Jaffer lunged in and scored another long furrow along the right hind leg. Neither wound was debilitating, but the wraith screeched with fury at the dual attack, and lashed out again, turning from the pile of rubble that had buried Jack and Teal'c and focusing its entire attention on this new – and completely unprecedented – attack.

Which, of course, brought it face to face with Ian, who had just reached the spot.

The head moved, impossibly fast, and Ian didn't even have a chance to duck. He was lucky, though. Just as the creature attacked him, Jack (the dog) ripped open another gash in the creature's leg, catching it off guard and distracting it just enough to ruin its lunge. The huge head slammed against Ian, but the teeth missed completely, and he was sent sprawling tail over teakettle in the snow, losing his P90 in the process.

"Ian!"

Fisai was there immediately, pulling him to his feet – although he definitely didn't feel like getting up right away.

"Come on!"

Ian jerked himself free of the younger man and turned back to the fight, but all he could see was a blizzard of snow flinging this way and that with an occasional snarl from one of the dogs and a screeching from the wraith.

"I've got to get them!"

Whether he meant Jack and Jaffer or Jack and Teal'c, it didn't matter. They were all the same direction, and it wasn't the way that Fisai had been trying to pull him.

"We must get out of here!"

"Then go."

He turned and headed for the fight, pulling his Glock and knowing that there was no way he was going to be able to use it against a creature that could more or less ignore all the rounds they'd put into it already. He had to try something, though, and there wasn't anything else. Maybe he and the dogs could at least get it to move out of the way long enough for them to find Jack and Teal'c and-

Something heavy hit him from behind and Ian went down.

"Wait, Ian!"

He rolled out from under Fisai with a curse, and lunged to his feet. Just in time to see Jaffer take a large bite out of the wraith's side. The brilliant white hide of the creature was streaked crimson, now, and it was clear that the dogs were doing a lot more damage – superficial as it might be – than Ian had thought they'd be able to. The wraith, probably facing predators for the first time – at least organized ones that weren't willing to run from a fight – didn't seem to have much of a defense against them. All it could do was attack one, which left it exposed to an attack from the other.

And the labs were ruthless.

The creature screamed in fury and stumbled sideways, trying to get at Jaffer, who easily lunged out of the way of the attack, and tripped over some rocks. It fell heavily, with a snarl that matched Jack's, and flailed its tail and stubby little legs, trying to get back to its feet and at the same time meet the combined attacks of the two labs.

The exposed belly was too much of a target for Ian to pass up. He emptied the Glock at it, carefully checking the position of the two dogs before doing so, and was rewarded with a bellow of pain. The tail lashed out again, catching Ian broadside and knocking him back to the ground once more, but the wraith didn't have a chance to follow up on the attack. Four furry shapes – the men they'd followed – swarmed over it, the sticks they were carrying suddenly spitting an odd blue light that made the wraith screech in pain every time one of them touched it.

It scrambled painfully to its feet, rolling over Ian during the effort, and with a bellow that was part pain and a lot of frustrated fury, it retreated for probably the first time ever, leaving a trail of blood and hounded by two snarling, snapping creatures that were determined to make sure it didn't come back any time soon.

Ian rolled over, coming to his knees.

"Jaffer! Jack!"

The last thing he wanted was to lose either dog in the storm. He'd already lost track of them – although he could hear the squeals of the retreating wraith.

"Can you stand?" Fisai asked, suddenly materializing at Ian's side once more. The young man was bleeding from a cut above his eye, but aside from that seemed to be fine.

In answer, Ian lurched to his feet, feeling the cold of the snow he'd been buried in once again now that the surge of adrenaline from the fight was starting to fade. He also felt bruised and battered, but not too much – and certainly not enough to distract him from other, more important, concerns.

"Jack! Teal'c!"

He headed over to the scattered rocks, where Fisai's people were already gathering and looking for the two who had vanished under the wraith's attack. It was a big area, though, with huge mounds of snow, frozen tundra and rocks piled everywhere, giving them no clue where to start looking.

Barking drew their attention as Ian reached them, and Jack (the dog) came racing in, covered with blood and looking enormously pleased with himself. He started sniffing around, clearly looking for his Teal'c, just as Jaffer – who was bigger and slower – came running in as well. The black lab didn't bark, but he did head straight for a very large pile of snow that was pushed up against one side of the remains of a rock wall.

With a whine, he started digging, and Ian rushed over as fast as he could.

"Over here!"

The others came over, and started digging as well, carefully avoiding Jaffer, who was wuffling excitedly – although they didn't know what the sound meant – and Jack, who had come over to join his brother.

Worried and dreading the thought of going home with any news but good news – how could he face Sam? – Ian stood out of the way and watched, letting the experts go at it. There was an excited shout, and they pulled Teal'c out of the snow in one smooth motion. The Jaffa was bloody and beaten up – probably more from the rocks than the wraith – but he was alive and well. Jack (the dog) whuffled over him excitedly, and Teal'c roused himself enough to respond to the attention, stroking the blond fur with tenderness that belied his tough exterior.

A few more minutes of digging and Jack was exposed, too. Jaffer gave an excited yip – causing all the Woem to flinch – and started snuffling up against his face, licking him and whining softly.

It roused Jack in the same manner Jack (the dog) had roused Teal'c.

"Easy, Little Man…" Jack murmured, softly. He was just as bloody and battered as Teal'c – and hurt a lot worse since he didn't have the benefit of a Goa'uld to help him heal – but he couldn't resist the anxious urgings of his baby. He looked around, dazed, at the small group gathered around watching him. "Did we win?"

Ian gave a relieved sigh, and smiled.

"We'll talk about it later."

Fisai nodded.

"Let's get them back to the cave."