Looking down, one could clearly see the man was hurt. It was obvious, even if one discounted the lack of movement or the blood that had soaked through the camouflaged clothing. His energy was just wrong. In the places where it should have flowed freely, it moved sluggishly or stopped altogether; the pathways having been blocked. To investigate the matter further would require energy - hers - and the woman didn't have much left. Helping the others had drained her more than had been counted on, and in the end she'd had to settle for sending them through the Chappa'ai with the hope that their own people could finish the process.

This one, however, wasn't so fortunate. She was too tired to heal all of the damage and lacked the strength to carry him much further. What was needed was rest, but she couldn't sleep yet; not with him lingering so near death. Were she to close her eyes now, the man would be dead before she awakened. But to put forth the energy to keep him alive for even a short time would sap her strength completely, which in turn would leave her vulnerable. While that concept wasn't pleasing, she knew there really wasn't a choice. It wasn't acceptable to just let the stranger die. Of course, she considered even while making preparations to share her life force, he might die anyway.

Calmly, if a bit wearily, she finished pulling him under shelter and immediately proceeded to make him comfortable. Though unable to decipher much from his outward appearance, he didn't move save the occasional raspy breath, the way his position affected energy flow spoke volumes to her. That done, she kneeled and placed her hands upon his stomach, one hand overlapping the other. Focusing on the unsteady rise and fall of his chest, a soft blue glow became visible and slowly soaked into his flesh.

Eyes closed, she delicately reached out with her mind and in that moment it happened, just as it always did. Awareness of every energy pathway burned brightly in her thoughts, bringing with it a knowledge of each injury, major or otherwise. It was all keenly felt by the woman as her healing force followed the natural channels within the man's body, mixing with the stranger's own energy. There was no resistance to the azure power she was imbuing him with, which meant all his defenses were gone - under normal circumstances another's energy would have conflicted at least somewhat with her own. The fact that it did not, told her his body was nearing total shut down.

Tendrils of the healing force wrapped around the major organs, burrowing into them like a worm might an apple, until the serious fatigue of each one had been driven away and they functioned at a life sustaining level, glowing a dim blue in her mind. That done, for the time being, she sent wisps of the power into the bones, allowed it to immerse itself into the spongy bone marrow with the task of increasing the production of blood cells. The energy would slowly cut back on the manufacturing of these cells until the man was more stable and the blood loss had been countered. Projecting one final thought, she reached out to the man's own mind and soothed the storm raging there; allowing him to drift into a peaceful dream.

Sighing, she withdrew the connection to him and sat back on her heels as a rise of nausea and lightheadedness threatened to strip away consciousness. Forcing herself to stand, she retrieved a blanket for the young man, securely settling it about him before dropping back down to the grass in a motion lacking any sense of grace and curled up, using an arm to rest her head upon. Now she could sleep.

-----------------

Jack was miserable. Sitting in the briefing room, head held up by fingers entangled into graying hair, brown eyes closed. He couldn't figure out what had happened, much less how it had happened. The colonel remembered leaving the Marsi village and entering the forest. He recalled being glad about getting away from those people, more specifically the hawk-gazed leader. There was also something about wolf tracks...

After that everything was blank right up to the point where he awoke and found himself lying near the Stargate. He hadn't seen anyone around and could only guess that Carter and the boys had gone back to the SGC. For the life of him, he couldn't believe they'd just leave him, but so much of what had occurred didn't make sense that he'd convinced himself that they went home. Not that it was hard to persuade himself into believing they had; his ability to think had been impaired. His head felt like a bomb had dropped next to him on the day of the worst hangover in history.

So he dialed Earth and went through the event horizon, only to find that none of the others had made it back. The depth of confusion he felt shone outwardly on his face and he'd been herded off to the infirmary for the once over. Aside from a few minor and fading scratches, he didn't seem the worse for wear. Which puzzled him all the more.

Apparently the rest of the SGC was as perplexed as he was about the whole matter, which brought him back to where he was and why he was there. They were questioning him and receiving no answers - Jack lacked any to give. He was just about to tell Doctor Mackenzie, like he needed a shrink, where to shove it, when they heard the Stargate start up and the first chevron lock.

Instantly the headache was forgotten and Jack was on his feet racing towards the gateroom. He arrived in time to watch as Teal'c slowly stepped through the rippling surface, coming to a halt as he looked around with an odd dazed expression. In the Jaffa it was undetectable unless you knew him, which the colonel did. But aside from the faint trace of bewilderment, Teal'c was by all appearances in perfect health.

Jack grumbled softly as the headache from hell returned, brought on by the lack of anything being wrong with his friend. It served to remind him that he hurt. But that still was irrelevant, two members of his team remained unaccounted for. "Teal'c.. where are Carter and Daniel?" Jack asked the question without hope, knowing that had either of the others been around the gate the Jaffa would never have left them.

"I do not know O'Neill. I awakened next to the Stargate and believed that you had all returned."

Jack cocked his head as he heard his own false belief repeated aloud by his teammate.

"You both mistakenly believed the rest of SG1 had come back?" Hammond was curious now, he too knowing that the members of SG1 would never willingly leave one another behind. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"We were in the forest. Daniel Jackson was commenting on the population of wolves in the area. We continued on our hunt and.."

"And? Then what?" The General gently prodded.

"I do not remember."

"So we have no idea of the whereabouts of Doctor Jackson and Major Carter," the tone was slightly distressed.

The seemingly stoic look of the Jaffa was marred faintly by worry. "That is correct, General Hammond."