"What Wraith?" Dex repeated, sharply.

Rodney scowled.

"Oh I don't know…" he said, sarcastically, feeling more than a bit surly about being shot with some kind of souped up stun gun. Especially since his entire body was one solid throbbing ache. "Maybe the Wraith that Colonel Mitchell is wearing?"

Mitchell scowled as Dex looked over at her, and Talon bit back a muffled curse at Rodney's slip.

"I thought your name was Talon?"

"It is."

This time the voice was Melony's, and now the confusion on the man's face was even more profound. Almost comical, if not for the large weapon he had pointed at them. To his credit, however, he managed to keep from sounding too uncertain.

"Who are you?" He repeated, and to his credit he didn't sound quite as confused as he looked.

"Colonel Melony Mitchell. You?"

He hesitated, but since she'd introduced herself, he couldn't think of any reason not to do the same.

"Ronon Dex."

"Why do I have the feeling you're not from around here, Mr. Dex?" Melony asked, still holding the staff weapon on the man, but moving at the same time to go stand over Rodney, who was still on the ground – although now he was sitting up watching.

"Because I'm not." The gun in his hand didn't move, either, although he didn't object to the change of position. "And you?"

She shook her head.

"Definitely not. We're looking for some friends of ours."

Dex nodded.

"Colonel Sheppard."

Now the staff weapon came up a little, and he could see the distrust in her eyes – even from the distance between them.

"You've seen him?"

"Maybe."

Of course, since he'd already called him by name there wasn't any doubt that he had.

Melony didn't appreciate the flippant attitude.

"Where is he?"

"Som-"

A loud scream interrupted him, and Rodney scrambled to his feet instantly, looking around in a panic, even while Mitchell and Dex both turned their weapons from each other to the direction that the scream had come from.

"What was that?" Rodney asked.

Dex shook his head, noticing that Mitchell was looking at him, now, for an explanation. She hadn't moved the weapon in her hand back towards him, though, and to reciprocate he didn't point his gun at her, either.

"I don't know. A creature of some sort."

"It's not another Wraith?" Rodney asked.

"I've never heard a Wraith scream like that."

Mitchell wasn't an expert on the Wraith, but she hadn't, either.

"Have you seen it?"

"I've seen flashes of what might have been-"

"A creature? Wouldn't the villagers have warned us about a creature running around in the forest when we left their villages?" Rodney asked, his hand on his sidearm, although it was hung up in the holster and he hadn't been able to pull it out. Which was probably just as well.

"Unless they didn't know about it," Mitchell said.

"What is it?" Rodney asked.

"Where are Colonel Sheppard and his team?" Melony asked, turning her attention back to the initial reason she was there. She was concerned about the creature, sure, but she was more worried about Sheppard and the others running into the thing.

Dex hesitated again, obviously debating the question – or maybe the answer – and then he shrugged, a decision made.

"Back this way."

He turned his back on Mitchell and McKay – proving he'd already read Melony right and decided that she wasn't going to try anything from behind – and headed back into the dense forest, stopping only long enough to pick up the large weapon he'd had shot out of his hand.

OOOOOOOOO

"We've got to get out of here…"

There was a definite note of panic in Ford's voice, but Sheppard and Teyla couldn't blame him. Both of them were just as unnerved by the sudden scream that had pierced the quiet of the forest only moments before. Unfortunately, it wasn't like they hadn't tried to get lose. All of them had wrists rubbed raw from trying to get loose, but the ropes that bound them were tight and the knots weren't going to come loose just from being tugged on.

They'd tried everything, too, even squirming around so they were back to back so one could try to untie another, but even Ford – who claimed to have never found a knot that confounded him – couldn't get these untied. Which had probably been why Dex had been so unconcerned about leaving them alone when he'd gone off on his little jaunt – wherever that was.

"Relax, Lieutenant," Sheppard said, eyeing the fire and wondering how badly he'd burn himself if he tried to burn the ropes loose. Probably pretty bad – which wasn't something he was willing to try.

"That thing is probably on its way here, Sir," Ford said, looking over his shoulder towards the direction of the scream. It was unnerving at night – but hadn't been any less so during the day.

"Well let's hope it isn't," Sheppard said, frowning. Wasn't that a cheerful thought?

"What if-"

A rustling in the brush from the same direction the scream had come from brought Ford up short, and all three of them tensed, certain that the thing that had made the noise had decided that the fire wasn't big enough to be afraid of any longer.

A moment later, they saw Ronon Dex appear from behind a screen of carefully placed branches and walk toward them. Sheppard sighed, relieved that it wasn't something that might consider them dinner, but still tense, because he was going to have to convince the guy to let them go. Someone had to be looking for them by now, and any searchers would be in serious danger if that whatever it is decided to go after them.

Then suddenly, it wasn't a concern at all. Unbelievably, Colonel Melony Mitchell stepped into the campsite only a few paces behind Dex. Carrying a staff weapon and definitely not a prisoner – although he wondered what she had all over her uniform. Right behind her came Rodney McKay, looking down at a device in his hand that Sheppard recognized as a tracking mechanism. A wave of relief went through him, even as Mitchell walked over to the fire.

His eyes watered suddenly as the breeze shifted, and a truly disgusting stench overpowered his relief.

"God, what is that odor?"

Mitchell scowled.

"Good to see you, too, Colonel Sheppard."