When It Snows (part 8)
Years of careful running to avoid the Wraith had left Dex's senses finely tuned to his situation, and once again, they did not fail him. He'd known at the moment the animal had attacked him that there was also at least one individual, possibly two, observing him from between the dense tree branches and heavy snow. Now lying in wait, perfectly still as they approached him, he fingered the hilt of the small knife that he'd used to disable the animal. Maintaining slow steady breaths, the pain in his arm put from his mind, he waited, for they drew closer.
When one of the strangers reached out with a covered hand and tugged on Ronon's shoulder, he sprang like a well oiled trap, and flipped the individual through the air to land with a surprised grunt in a pile of deep snow several meters away. The second individual instantly stepped back, his hands raised in the air in a non-threatening gesture.
On his feet, the runner activated his flashlight and squinted through the blowing snow, judging if there were more. "Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded, brandishing his knife to let them know he didn't have qualms about protecting himself.
The individual still standing sidestepped slowly towards the second person lying in the snow. He hesitated briefly before he reached down to assist the other back on to his feet. Once again with his partner, he pushed back his heavy hood to reveal the concerned face of a middle-aged man. Wary of the angry knife-wielder, he spoke for the first time, "Atlantis?"
Ronon remained neutral, his gaze never leaving theirs. "Answer my question before I kill you. Who are you? What do you want?"
The man licked his lips and looked uncomfortably towards his friend, but he didn't show fear. Clearing his throat, he pointed to the silent figure at his side and then himself, "We are from the village." He gestured towards the direction of the mountain and the second figure nodded. "A group of traders passed the gate on their way to our home yesterday. We asked if they had seen the strangers along the path and they said 'no'. We feared they got lost in the storm."
"You went looking for them," Dex finished.
The man nodded slowly. "I am Mathis. Dr. Beckett stayed with my family during his visit." Placing his arm over the shoulder of the person at his side, he tipped his head, "This is my son, Johan."
Ronon's unwavering gaze pierced through the darkness, judging the men and then finding them truthful. With a flick of his wrist, the knife disappeared back beneath his long coat. He stepped forward to examine the dead animal on the ground that lay next to the villager's feet. "Are there more of these around?"
Mathis hunkered down and rolled the carcass of the large catlike beast. "It is a female, but she does not appear to have been nursing young." Glancing up to Dex, he frowned, "Judging by her size, she would have been in season next spring, so her current offspring are mature enough to go on their own. They could be near."
"Great." Disgusted at the situation, the runner stood up and took one final look around before gesturing towards the shelter. "This way."
SG: A
Underneath the tree, Sheppard sat and watched the missing team's fitful sleep. Between Rodney's agitated blanket tossing, Carson's shivering and mumbling, and Teyla curled up in exhaustion with her burned hand clutched protectively to her chest, he knew they needed to get them back to Atlantis as soon as possible. A stirring of the entranceway branches caused him to look away, only to discover an unfamiliar face staring back at him. His hand instantly slid to his sidearm before Ronon's head appeared behind the man.
"Villagers," the big man grunted before disappearing back out into the storm.
Mathis stared around the inside in amazement before settling on the huddled figures on the ground. Concern flooded his face and he knelt next to Rodney, touching his face and then wincing when he felt the heat of fever, before he focused on the unfamiliar man seated beside him.
"I'm Colonel John Sheppard. Any chance you can help us back to the gate?" Sheppard asked quietly.
The older man sighed heavily. "It's unsafe to go back out on the lowlands. The storm," he whipped his hand around in the air, "it's difficult and the Raboo cannot travel in the deep snow."
"Raboo?"
Mathis held his fingers up on either side of his head imitating antlers. "They pull the sled."
"Oh."
Rodney tossed off his blanket again, mumbling something about power converters. When Sheppard tried to put it back, the scientist's glazed blue eyes snapped open in the darkness, glancing about wildly. "Stop them!" he cried out hoarsely before curling in on himself as a painful bought of coughing stole his breath away.
"Settle down, McKay." Trying to shift past the staring stranger, the colonel reached over to rub the agitated man's back, hoping to calm him somewhat.
Unfortunately, whatever realm Rodney's mind was in, he didn't understand and pulled back; flailing violently at danger only he could see. When he drew away from the hands that tried to stop him, his fist struck the sleeping physician beside him soundly in the face.
"Grab him," Sheppard grunted as he caught the waving arm before any more damage could be done.
Mathis wrapped his strong arms around Rodney, pinning him back against his chest as the colonel quickly checked Carson. There was a slight trickle of blood running down the doctor's nose but it didn't appear to be broken.
Teyla, awoken by the commotion, propped herself up on her elbows and blinked heavily at the scene before her. "What has happened?"
"Rodney's getting worse. We need to get these two back now." He looked to the man holding a now sleeping McKay in his arms, "Can you help get us to the gate?"
"I'm sorry, but until the storm passes, that is impossible." Mathis didn't miss the look of frustration cross the other man's face. "I can take you to the summer camp. It's not far from here and many from the village are already there."
"Why would they be there in the middle of this storm?"
"It's where the searchers go to rest before going back out. Many from the village are looking for them," he said, nodding to the small group.
Sheppard pressed his fingers against Carson's neck, feeling the sluggish pulse beneath his fingertips, and noticing how cool the doctor felt to touch. Sure, inside the shelter was warmer than outside, but they needed to get him somewhere where he could be better taken care of. "How long would it take to get there?"
"If the storm stays calm, we could be there before dawn."
"Stays calm? If that out there is calm," Sheppard stopped when Beckett's weak hand grasped his own. "Hey Doc, how are ya' doing?" he asked.
Carson opened his mouth but made no sound. Slowly he blinked, his eyes drifting over the people surrounding him, before stopping on Rodney.
"Doc?" Sheppard squeezed the cold hand in his lightly, trying to get a response from the physician.
The blue eyes slid back up to look at him. "Colonel?" Carson whispered.
"Right here. You just take it easy a little longer and we'll have you warm and toasty in no time."
Carson couldn't hold his eyes open any longer. He was more exhausted than he thought humanly possible and his body refused to obey even the smallest command. There was nothing he wanted more than to be back in the familiar surroundings of his infirmary. "Atlantis?"
"Not yet. Some of the villagers came to give us a hand. You remember Mathis?" He shot a glance to the silent man still holding the scientist. When Beckett didn't answer, the colonel noticed that the hand in his was limp. "Mathis, did you come by yourself?"
"No, my son is outside with your other man."
That must be where Ronon had disappeared to. "And you said you had a sled. How many can it carry?"
"We should all fit."
Mathis propped Rodney straighter as Sheppard slipped the scientist's arm through his parka, then zipped it snug up to his chin. Teyla busied herself adjusting the scientist's boots. Once he was ready, the men finished getting Carson dressed in several layers, hoping to ward off a second bout of hypothermia.
Once the two sick men were bundled, Mathis slipped outside to check on the sled while Sheppard and Teyla finished filling the packs. Taking advantage of the brief moment alone, he caught her carefully by the arm and tugged her to sit beside him. "You doing okay?"
She sighed quietly, her dark eyes drifting through the shelter. "I, too, would like to return to Atlantis, but am able to go on, Colonel."
"That's my girl," he grinned with a wink, knowing that phrase usually irritated her. When she rolled her eyes in her best imitation of McKay, he shook his head in mock disgust. "Take these packs out to the sled and send Ronon in to give me a hand."
She tugged her hood up over her head, her arms laden with packs, and disappeared out the entrance without looking back. Moments later, Ronon's bulky, snow-covered form appeared out of the darkness to fill her vacated spot.
"Sleds' ready," he grunted, reaching for Rodney's shoulders, while Sheppard picked up the scientist's feet. Backing slowly out to the cold, he hissed when the heavy branch connected with his injured arm.
Sheppard's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "What's wrong with you?"
Ronon chose to ignore him, instead taking McKay's full weight in his arms and carrying him over to the sled while the colonel headed back inside to see to Beckett. He returned within minutes and together they carried the physician through the trees to the sled.
With Carson finally settled between the crew, buried underneath a pile of heavy blankets to protect him from the swirling bitter wind and snow, and Rodney's heated face propped up against Sheppard's chest to ease his breathing, Ronon gave Mathis the signal to go.
SG: A
It was difficult to judge time in the midst of the storm with the fierce wind stinging their faces and the sky darkened by heavy snow laden clouds. Tucked in the back of the boxy sled that was pulled by a team of four large antlered animals that resembled moose, only smaller, Sheppard glanced under the blanket to check his watch. He wasn't surprised to find it almost 0600 in the morning, and if they hadn't been minutes from this summer camp Mathis had talked about, he knew he could have easily fallen asleep under the weighted layer protecting them.
Rodney's sudden deep bought of coughing jerked Sheppard's attention back to their situation as he pulled the ailing scientist up higher in his arms. He couldn't see McKay's face until Ronon turned around and shone the lantern back in their direction as Teyla passed a bottle of water over. Tugging one of his gloves off with his teeth, he unscrewed the cap and tipped the bottle carefully so as not to spill any down the front of either of them. But McKay refused to swallow, his cough growing more persistent as he struggled to draw in air.
"How much farther?" Sheppard yelled while smacking the scientist on the back, trying to break up some of the congestion.
Dex glanced to Mathis and then turned back. "Any time now. He is looking for lights to the camp."
A slight glow could be seen in the darkness that grew as they drew closer. When the shape of a stone structure became visible, lit by several lanterns, Johan leaped off the seat and dashed for the door while Mathis pulled the sled as close as possible to the entranceway. Alerted by the younger man's call, several more villagers piled out of the camp. Dressed in thick clothing, their faces hidden behind hoods and masks, they quickly unloaded the ailing strangers and carried them inside. Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon followed close behind.
When Beckett and McKay were taken to a separate area of the lodge, Mathis stopped the rest of the team with a raised hand. "Our doctor will see to them first. You must wait."
Not happy with being separated, Sheppard started to protest until another man stepped back around from the enclosed area. "Colonel, I'm Dr. Nex. I've worked with Dr. Beckett during his visits to our village, and know what to do when one has become cold from falling through the ice, as well as taking ill in the chest. Let me examine them and then I will come for you."
Reluctantly Sheppard gave in and decided it must be a trans-universal rule that physicians kick concerned friends out of treatment rooms.
The villagers worked as a seasoned team, stripping the group of their parkas while others draped heated blankets over their shoulders. Several women appeared to guide them to a solid table placed before a large fireplace ablaze with a roaring fire, while cups of hot beverages and food were set before them.
When Mathis made his way over to Ronon's side, carrying supplies and bandages, Sheppard scowled, remembering the runner's hiss from earlier. "What happened to you?"
"He was attacked back at the trees by a cravit," a young man answered when Dex didn't.
Mathis looked up from tending to the runner's arm, catching the young man's attention, "Johan, bring me some soap and water. This wound needs cleansed." He carefully peeled off Dex's shirt to expose several jagged tears in the skin left by the sharp claws. "This will hurt," he warned, taking the items from his son and setting them on the table.
"Just do it," Dex grunted.
Sheppard and Teyla watched in silence until Mathis was done binding Ronon's arm. When the villager and his son walked away to join their own people, the colonel leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "What's a cravit? And how did it end up getting a hold of your arm?"
"Big cat," the runner answered, while pulling a fresh shirt from his pack and yanking it over his head. "It was under one of the trees when I was getting branches for the fire."
"I did not see such an animal when I was out." Teyla frowned, "I wonder if Dr. McKay has seen it."
Reaching for one of the mugs full of steaming liquid, Ronon passed it over to her, for he noticed the exhaustion written clearly on her face and her continued shivering even under the warmed blanket. "I doubt it. The thing needed shelter from the storm, like you."
Hesitantly she picked up the mug with her good hand but nearly dropped it back on the table, before Sheppard reached over and caught it first. Meeting Dex's concerned gaze, he nodded to a large chair located close to the fire. It looked like an excellent place for a certain Athosian to catch a nap.
Ronon stepped smoothly around the table and lifted her in his arms as if he was carrying a child. When he ignored her demands to be put down, she threatened both men with physical harm. But her threats were interrupted from a rebellious yawn that left her realizing how pointless her argument was.
A woman stepped forward from the villagers gathered on the other side of the lodge. "Teyla," she spoke softly.
Teyla blinked, her head now resting comfortably on Ronon's shoulder. "Carrie, it is a surprise to see you here."
The woman nodded. "When I heard you were lost in the storm, I came with the men to wait." She smiled, gesturing back towards the area where the doctor was taking care of McKay and Beckett, "Follow me and I will show you a room where you can rest."
Ronon carried Teyla across the open hall, with Sheppard close on their heels. When they stepped inside a small comfortable room, he carefully placed her on the bed, not wanting to hurt her wrist further.
"I stayed in Carrie's home," Teyla said sleepily as she slid sideways to lie down.
Both men turned to look at the older woman standing behind them. Grey hair and fine wrinkles surrounded her face, giving her a wise appearance of someone's grandmother. "I will watch over her. Dr. Nex has asked to speak to you," she said quietly while spreading a large quilt over Teyla's sleeping form.
TBC