Into the Woods
By Ellex
Chapter 5: The Mouth of a Wolf's Not the End of the World
More howls arose from the forest around them. Sheppard started towards Serena but McKay got there first, pulling her to her feet by her uninjured hand and supported her when she swayed with fatigue.
"Whatever that is, I don't like the sound of it. Do you think you can manage to run for a bit?" Sheppard asked Serena.
"Do I have a choice?"
"McKay?"
He received a glare from the scientist. "I'm fine. I told you before. Now let's get going instead of standing around asking stupid questions while whatever's howling gets closer."
They started back toward the Stargate at a faster pace than before.
They ran in silence, spurred on by the sounds from the forest around them. A crashing came from the underbrush behind them, the sound of several fairly large somethings in pursuit. Sheppard dropped back from his position on point to bring up the rear of the party. He glanced behind him frequently and finally spotted a pair of glowing eyes in the deepening twilight.
A moment later something large, heavy and furred pounced on him. He rolled with the impact, hearing the fabric of his jacket tear and a searing pain as sharp teeth clamped onto his arm. He shoved the muzzle of his P-90 into the snarling form and pulled the trigger.
There was a yelp and the creature scrambled off him, its claws shredding his thigh as it struggled to get away. Teyla fired a few more shots at it, and the thing stopped moving.
Another creature bounded out of the darkness aiming for McKay, but stopped short of it's intended prey, whining and sniffing the air. It turned from him and snarled at Teyla, who shot it point blank between the eyes.
John lay there, trying to get his breath back. Within the circle of light cast by their flashlights he could see McKay and Teyla holding their sidearms ready, scanning the forest around them.
"What the HELL was that?!" Serena was staring wide-eyed into the darkness. "First I'm in an underwater city that's about to be drowned, then there's an intangible shadow that electrocutes people, then there's a hurricane that covers half the planet, then – "
"Quit it!" Rodney hissed at her. "That's not helping."
She stopped abruptly, then gave a shaky laugh. "You're right. I sound just like you."
He ignored her and knelt beside Sheppard, quickly examining his arm and thigh. "Just scratches," he lied with a tight smile as he applied antiseptic ointment and then bandaged them. John could see his hands shaking slightly. Rodney's face was white with fear, the blue of his eyes a thin ring around pupils dilated by the dim light, but he kept his mouth shut until he was finished. "I'd do a more thorough job on these, but I think you'll agree that getting out of here comes first."
"Hopefully the dead ones will distract the others," Teyla said, looking with distaste at the thing on the ground that vaguely resembled a wolf-sized iguana with fur.
McKay hauled Sheppard to his feet and they set off again, but Serena was exhausted and Sheppard began to limp heavily after only fifteen minutes. A few minutes later, they heard loud snarls from behind them as the other creatures found their fallen fellow.
It wasn't much further to the Stargate, but what awaited them there was worse than the creatures behind them.
TBC