[Chapter 2.   No spoilers.  Humour and unintentional mayhem.]

Leo (July 23 - August 22)
Today is a good day to crash through the underbrush, making loud snorting sounds. Beware of poachers, however.

"And you're sure they're not Jaffa?"  Jack whispered harshly as the team huddled in the undergrowth.

"I am certain, O'Neill."

"How?"

"Very certain."

"What?"  Jack pondered Teal'c's words before shaking his head.  "No… not 'how certain?'… 'how are you certain?'."

"Well, they don't exactly sound like Jaffa, do they?"  Daniel said.

"What?"

"The boots.  They have some sort of noise maker in them.  You know, sir, the 'Jaffa boot' sound?"  Carter rocked from side to side as she crouched, evidently trying to imitate a Jaffa walking.

"Yes, Teal'c… what is that?"  Daniel turned to the Jaffa.

"It is a small instrument in the sole of the shoe, Daniel Jackson."

"It must make the boots very heavy."  Sam frowned thoughtfully.

"A Jaffa must learn to deal with such things."

"But you completely eliminate any stealth adv… ah!"  Jack held up his finger, stopping himself as he got sucked into the conversation.  "If you three don't mind, can we get back to the situation at hand?"

"Which is?"  Daniel questioned.

"Creatures, possible Jaffa."  Jack's hand came up again.  "Ah.  I don't want to hear it.  Possible Jaffa.  God only knows, it would be our luck to chance upon the first Jaffa ever to be gifted with a sense of self-preservation."  Jack trailed off as Teal'c's eyebrow reached for the sky.  "Uh.  Present company excepted, of course."

"Of course."  Teal'c replied dryly.

Jack cleared his throat softly.  "Okay, what do we know?"

"Something in the brush."  Daniel started.

"Bipedal… two legs."  Sam amended hastily at Jack's glare.

"Most likely bestial in origin as the low, grunting noises suggest."  Teal'c finished.

"So."  Daniel pulled it all together.  "A noisy… something on two legs crashing through the bushes making grunting sounds."

"And we're sure SG3 is on P4Y-299?"  Jack asked innocently.  Carter bit her lips to keep back her smile.

All conversation was cut off as the noises resumed.  Everyone crouched a little lower.  Jack turned sideways to look at Daniel, who was lightly tugging on his sleeve.

Jack nodded.

Daniel pointed over his shoulders at some large trees.  Their twisted limbs started out low and continued up the tree, strong and sturdy for some time.

Jack cocked his head, unsure of Daniel's point.  He spread his fingers in the rough approximation of a tree and used his other hand to mimic someone walking behind it.  "Hide?"  He mouthed the word silently.

Daniel shook his head, pointing to Jack's tree hand and then pausing, evidently at a loss as to how to mimic the next part.  With a shrug, he made the 'walking' gesture again, but this time, up the tree vertically as if the person he was imitating simply chose to defy gravity and walk up the limbs of the tree.  "Climb."  He mouthed.  He made circles with his hands around his glasses.  "Look."

Jack hefted his P90.  "Uh… gun??"  He gave Daniel his best incredulous look.

Daniel rolled his eyes, pointing to his own chest, and then jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the tree.

Jack released his gun long enough to make the 'tree' gesture combined with the 'person' gesture and then had the person fall out of the tree, punching his fist into the earth with a muted thud.

Daniel pursed his lips and looked about ready to make a gesture all his own.  One that wouldn't need a linguist to interpret.

Jack turned to face Carter, who was now tugging on his sleeve.  She pointed to Daniel and made a thumbs-up gesture.  Daniel's bad mood evaporated, and he smiled at her.  Jack sighed and looked at Teal'c.  The Jaffa looked at Daniel and then inclined his head, showing support.  Daniel turned back to Jack and waited, eyebrows up.

Finally Jack gave a 'why me' look up at the heavens and then made a shooing motion in Daniel's direction.  The archaeologist ducked his head and then made his way over to the trees in a crouch, stopping twice when the grunting noises in the bush got louder.

Jack watched for a moment and then reached over to slap Teal'c on the shoulder.  He pointed after Daniel.  Nodding once, Teal'c got up and crept after Daniel.

Finally, Daniel sat at the base of one of the bigger trees.  He looked up it as Teal'c joined him.  Daniel waited for him to settle before taking a deep breath and climbing silently up the tree.

Carter's mouth dropped open as she watched Daniel quickly make his way up the thick branches.  He never faltered, stopping only when it seemed that he might make noise, or to navigate a particularly tricky bit of tree.  After a few long moments, Daniel had reached as high as he cared to go and carefully peered out over the grassland.

Jack tapped his fingers irritatedly as Daniel took his time looking around.  Finally, the archaeologist looked down at them and shrugged eloquently.  Whatever was making the noise was nowhere in sight.

Jack was just about to gesture for Daniel to come down when there was movement right behind the aerial archaeologist.

Daniel lost his grip on the trunk as a soft voice sounded right behind him.  "Assef?"

"Daniel!"  Jack yelled, forgetting all secrecy as the other man dropped like a stone, catching himself with a bone-jarring thud on a limb lower down.  Daniel wrapped his arms around it, helpless to move, as a man emerged from a camouflaged hide and started down the tree after him.

"O'Neill!"  Teal'c warned as two shapes bore down on them.

Jack lifted his weapon as the grasses parted.

"Don't shoot!"  Daniel called, with a hitch in his voice.  Jack swore but eased up on the trigger.

The two shapes made horrible noises, waving their arms and growling.  Jack took the only option left to him, and rushed them, yelling back.  With startled yips, the pair turned to run, tripping over themselves and crashing to the ground.

"Hetep!  Hetep."  Daniel started calling.  "Jack put your gun down."

"Daniel."

"Not drop it, just point it down.  Sam, Teal'c.  Please."  Daniel looked up at the person now standing over him.  He held on to the tree limb with one hand, putting the other hand up in the air, as if surrendering.  "Hetep."

Everyone stayed still as Daniel finally dragged himself into a more secure position.  There was silence as he was appraised by what seemed to be the leader of the group.  Still watching the pair on the ground, Jack risked a glance upward.  What he'd taken for a grown man, was actually a tall, skinny boy.  He and Daniel spoke quietly for a few short moments.  Daniel was struggling slightly with the language, but was able to make himself understood swiftly.

"Daniel?"  Jack asked as the boy in the tree swung easily down to the ground to chatter at the two on the ground.  The pair that Jack had frightened pushed back their hoods, revealing the faces of boys no more than ten years old.

"They're shepherds, Jack.  They thought we were going to steal their animals."  Daniel was still in the tree.

"And so?"

"And so they tried to frighten us off."

"Didn't really work, did it?"

"Well, we're not stealing their sheep now, are we?"

"What?"

Before they could start, Carter stepped in.  "Is their village nearby?"

"Oh, yeah.  They've offered to take us there."

"Cool."  Jack nodded.  He held his hand out to one of the boys on the ground and was rewarded by a slim hand that took his in a firm grip.  He grinned at the boys, and they grinned back.

As they got ready to leave, Jack noticed that they were still shy one member of the team.  He turned back to the archaeologist still in the tree.

"Daniel?"

"Jack?"

"Whatcha doing?"

"Ah…. Well."  Daniel cleared his throat.  "Did I ever mention that I have a bit of a problem with heights?"