The trees closed in a little more around them the deeper they moved into the forest – or maybe it just felt that way because Rodney was walking fairly close to her, constantly looking around and constantly looking down at the devices in his hands. His P90 was slung over his shoulder so he could hold both devices, but he was such a lousy shot with it anyways that Melony didn't figure there was any harm in that. His sidearm was loose in its holster, so he'd be able to drop one of the devices to grab it if something happened.

"Are we getting close?" She asked.

"I think so. Do you feel any Wraith?"

Mitchell frowned.

"I don't feel them, remember? Teyla does."

"Sorry. I knew that."

Should you remind him that you're the one that the Wraith are attracted to because of me?

I don't think so, Melony answered, concealing a smile at the question. Rodney was obviously nervous – and rightfully so – or he'd never have needed to ask. And he probably already was well aware that the Wraith – if there were any close by – were going to be gunning (figuratively speaking) for her because of her symbiote.

"You're sure we're going in the right direction?" she asked, looking around. The day was still bright, with sunlight filtering down through the canopy of leaves, but the forest itself seemed quiet and dark.

"These are both telling me the same direction," he told her, looking around as well. "This really is a quiet forest, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Which might be normal, and might be a sign of things creeping around in the trees watching them.

Pleasant thought

I know.

OOOOOOOO

Breakfast was more of the cooked meat that they'd had for dinner the night before, followed by a lot of sitting around the now dying fire. Dex didn't seem to think they needed a fire to protect them in the daylight, because he wasn't doing much to keep it going.

He also wasn't around camp all that much, going in and out of their view at regular intervals. Which hadn't gone unnoticed by Sheppard and the others – especially since they didn't have anything else to do beside watch what was going on around them.

"Does he look nervous to anyone else?" Sheppard asked, after Ronon disappeared for the fourth time that morning.

Ford nodded.

"Either that or he's waiting for something. Or someone."

"Someone he's not looking forward to meeting," John said.

"Or perhaps someone he's avoiding?" Teyla said.

Both men looked at her.

"What?"

She shrugged; casting a glance the direction they'd last seen Dex go.

"When I was a child, a man came to our village. He had the same mannerisms that Ronon Dex is portraying. It turned out; he had a bounty on his head, and was simply looking for a place to hide."

Neither of them asked her how she found out about the bounty, but they both frowned.

"You think he's running from someone?" Ford asked.

"Why not?"

"He's not really the running type, is he?" Sheppard asked. "I mean… look at him. He's pretty big."

"And tough," Ford added.

"So was the man who came through our village."

That made both of them stop and think, because yeah, they both knew there were worse things – and people – out there than Ronon Dex.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"We're getting really close," Rodney said, after less than an hour of walking. The astrophysicist actually stopped and looked down at the Wraith device in his hand, holding it up and pointing it the direction they'd been heading.

"To the away team or to the thing that the Wraith was tracking?" Melony asked, hefting the staff weapon.

"They're not together right now."

"What?"

"Whoever or whatever the Wraith was hunting is alternating between the away team and hanging out in the forest alone."

"Why?"

Rodney shrugged, but bit back the sarcastic comment he was going to make. Melony wasn't in the mood for his less than witty comments, and he knew it. Being covered in smelly Wraith parts can do that to a person.

"I'm not sure. Maybe he's looking for something, or doing something. Or stalking them." He looked down at the device once more, comparing the two trackers. "He's not with them now…"

"He?"

"Or she, or it," McKay acknowledged. "Whatever the Wraith was tracking…"

"Let's just hope it wasn't the same thing that killed that Wraith in the first place."

"Yeah."

Because the last thing Rodney wanted to stalk was something that could rip a Wraith up like that. Especially something that apparently ate pieces of it, and probably was going to come back and have another go at it, since it'd put the Wraith in a tree for later.

"Which do we go for?" He asked, looking down at the devices again and then at her. "The away team or the whatever it is?"

"The away team," Melony said.

He pointed ahead, and put the other device in his pocket so he could hold his P90 – something that made him feel a little better about being out in the silent forest practically alone.

"That way."

"How far?"

"I'm not positive. A couple of miles, no more than that."

"Are they moving?"

He looked down at his Ancient's device, and shook his head, looking up at her with worried eyes.

"I don't think they've moved at all."