He helped her get settled back where she'd started; at the canvas covered straw stack. Melony eased herself down this time, not waiting for him to change back to human form and help her. She managed to do it without killing herself – although her leg was throbbing something fierce by the time she was able to squirm into a semi comfortable position.

"Will you be all right?" Kale asked her, kneeling close at hand.

She shivered just a little – the cave was a bit chilly now that the sun had been down for a few hours.

"Don't you guys believe in blankets?" She asked looking around for her pack. She had a sleeping bag that would work just fine if she could get to it.

Kale smiled, and turned back into the shaggy wolf for just a moment, then changed back. Obviously they could change as much as they wanted to and any time they wanted to.

"If we get cold, we simply change forms." He told her. "Many of us sleep in the other form on cold nights."

You could have him stick around and keep you warm, Talon told her, knowing what her response was going to be even when he said it, and sending her a mental picture of herself cuddled up to the great big wolf like a little kid cuddled up to the family dog.

She shared the amusement, although she hid her smile so Kale wouldn't wonder what she was thinking.

"I have a blanket in my pack," she said to Kale, pointing at it. "If you'd get it for me, I'd appreciate it..."

He brought it over and Melony wrapped it around herself as well as she could, accepting his help when he pulled it carefully over her injured shoulder.

"Are you tired, Colonel Mitchell? If you are I will go away and allow you to rest, but if you're not, I would hear more of these Jaffa that call you their goddess and the story behind it."

She had promised him, Melony reminded herself.

"It's a long story, Kale," she said to him. "But if you're willing to hear the shortened, bare-bones version of it, then I'll tell you what you want to know." To a point, of course.

He nodded.

"That will do."

She smiled – wishing again for a cup of coffee – and launched into the tale.

It was extremely edited. She didn't even mention Talon – who agreed completely that he wasn't anything they needed to know about. She didn't mention Brad, either – because that was just too personal to share with him. She told him about the system lords and how they dominated the Jaffa by pretending to be their gods and forced them – through that religion – to do what they wanted and to battle with each other for things that didn't matter to the Jaffa, only to their Masters. She told Kale how she'd managed to build a ship that might be exactly what she needed to defeat the system lords, and told him the story of the ambush the System lords had set out for her. And how she'd healed and then returned to fight them again, this time emerging as the only survivor and taking over the Jaffa armies of those who had been killed.

As she finished telling him of the first meeting between the majority of the Jaffa First Primes and herself, there was movement at the entrance of the cave, and Lieutenant Ford walked in, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He saw that Mitchell had company, but knew that she wasn't entertaining Kale in any way that he'd be interrupting, so he walked over.

"Back so soon, Lieutenant?" Mitchell asked, innocently.

The smile broadened and the young man sat down on the edge of Melony's straw stack, leaning against her to steal a little of her warmth.

"I figured I'd better go to bed before things got out of hand," he said.

"Oh? And you decided to go to bed alone?" She asked, smiling at Kale. "No one propositioned you?"

Ford laughed.

"Seven! Seven of them did – of course, two were males... but that's beside the point. This place is like..." He trailed off. He didn't know what this place was like; he'd never heard of any place like this before.

"A porno?"

He snickered, and nodded.

"Yup."

"If you'll pardon the pun... how are the others making out?" Mitchell asked, curious if Rodney McKay had inserted his foot into his big mouth yet and had managed to get tossed off the mountain.

Another laugh, and Ford shook his head.

"I honestly don't know. I saw Teyla talking to a group of Light Ones, but she was the only one I saw when I left. It doesn't mean anything, of course, because they could be anywhere... but..."

"Your friends are fine," Kale said. "Did you need to speak with them? I could interrupt-"

"Oh, no." Melony raised her hand. "I don't need them right now, and I'm sure they're all... just fine... where they are."

"Wherever that is," Ford said, still grinning.

"I don't ask, I don't tell," Melony said. "Remember that, Ford."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Colonel Mitchell was telling me of her defeat of the System Lords," Kale said, unsure exactly what was so funny, but pleased they were amused. "I think, however, that she's ready to sleep and I have kept her awake too long, so now that you are here to act as her legs if she needs anything, I shall depart."

"It was nice talking with you, Kale," Melony told him, sincerely. He was a good listener – once you ignored the whole naked thing and all.

"Thank you for telling me your tale." The Light One stood up and left, telling them he'd see them in the morning.

"They seem nice enough," Ford said as he got up and went to his pack for his sleeping bag.

"Yeah." She stretched out as well as she could, and yawned. She'd had a heavy meal and was warm and as comfortable as she was going to get. It was time to sleep. "I'll see you in the morning, Lieutenant. Try not to let anyone trip over you if they come stumbling in in the middle of the night."

He chuckled, and made sure that the bed he made for himself wasn't in the path from the entrance to their cave – even though it was said as a joke, it still made sense, since they didn't know how long the lights would burn to illuminate their room.

"Good night, Colonel."

She didn't answer, though. She was already asleep – dragged down by Talon, who could do far more work on her injuries of she was asleep and at rest than he could when she was talking.