THE NEXT EVENT - by Kolyaaa!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE ESCAPE
A/N: Your feedback continues to satisfy me. I served up gore yesterday. I am hoping for more comments.
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Ronon didn't hesitate this time - he fired three solid gut-tearing red blasts at the creature, despite Nonor's scream at him not to. They impacted the blood-soaked white coat...and disappeared. Nothing. It barely slowed the alicorn down. McKay had his gun out as well, and had managed to get off a few rounds of his own at the same time, but the bullets, like the Satedan weapon fire, had simply disappeared inside the thick fur.
"Oh, this isn't good," McKay said quickly, stepping backwards, hands shaking around the apparently useless weapon as the alicorn got within 'whites of its eyes' range. "This is really not good!"
"Run!" Ronon yelled, grabbing Beckett's arm, as he was the closest to him, and spinning him around. "Scatter!" With a shove, he got the physician moving, tearing away through the forest in a random direction. Ronon followed, glancing only once to his right in time to see that McKay was already tearing off in a different direction, Nonor on his heels.
Ronon put all his energy into running then, away from the others, leaping over a log and then down the trail - the path of least resistance - hoping that the beast would follow him, and not either of the softer scientists...or his sister.
As he heard the galloping hooves behind him, he smiled, pleased it had worked.
And then he realized it was gaining.
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"COLONEL!"
McKay's abrupt shout over the radio caused Sheppard to jump about a mile. He, Teyla, Doctor Bedevere (sniffing loudly), and Sergeant Boris had been gingerly stepping through a close-set forest with some rather curious geysers...that erupted sulfur gas. Each geyser only erupted for a second, sending a stream of the noxious fumes into the air about six feet high, coating everything near it. They'd quickly learned that, just before one of the nearly invisible geysers was about to explode, there would be a strange sort of whistling noise. Consequently, none of the small group was speaking as they listened for the telltale high-pitched whine.
And for that reason, Sheppard had turned down his radio when McKay started blathering on about something earlier – for his voice to be heard now – the scientist must have been screaming.
Which explains why McKay's shout had Bedevere fainting into Boris's arms (her second such faint so far - the strangeness of the planet was getting to her).
"McKay?" Sheppard yelled back.
"Do not approach," Rodney gasped for air, and Sheppard realized the scientist was running, "the alicorn! Whatever," another gasp, "you do! Corporal Jerkin," another deep heaved breath, "dead!"
"What? How? Anyone else hurt?"
"No...time," McKay gasped back, "must...find others!"
"You split up? Ronon! Beckett! Respond!"
"Busy here, Colonel!" Carson's breathy reply came over the radio waves. "Running!"
"I get that." Sheppard glanced worriedly at Teyla, who was gripping the P90 on her vest tightly. "Ronon?"
No answer came to the call. Sheppard's eyes widened, "Ronon!"
"SHHHH!"
"Ronon?" Sheppard frowned, tapping the radio again. Did the Satedan just hush him?
"Uh," Bedevere said softly, where she was still leaning against the muscular arms of Sergeant Boris, "That wasn't Ronon." She sounded oddly dreamy as she spoke. Sheppard turned to look at her, and found she was staring straight up at the trees overhead.
Slowly, Teyla, Sheppard and Sergeant Boris tipped their heads back.
Puffy-fluffy creatures filled the tree branches overhead. What had Nonor called them? Nuttalli? The cute, purple, pink and teal colored bunny-like creatures watching them. Noses twitched, cottontails wagged, and ears flopped endearingly.
"There must be over a hundred up there," Teyla whispered wonderingly.
At her voice, one of the closer nuttalli, a purple one, actually raised a cute little paw to his nose and blew...
"SHHHHHH!"
"Awww," Bedevere murmured, unable to help herself. "How cute."
And that's when the nuttalli attacked—en masse.
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Ronon had heard Sheppard's call, but he was sort of busy trying not to be skewered. He was flying through the woods, no longer checking behind him to see if the insane beast was still following him. He knew that stopping to look would only earn him a spear through his back. No - he just ran, eating up ground at an incredible rate.
His lungs were burning now, his legs almost on automatic. The landscape was beginning to blur around him. He was running up a hill, he knew that much. His legs were really beginning to hate him, and his heart felt ready to burst out of his chest it was beating so fast.
And then he saw his salvation - a massive low-lying branch on a tree that looked to cap this tiny mountain he'd just run up.
Pulling on reserves of strength, he sped up, shoving his gun inside his vest as he did so, and reached both hands for the branch.
He caught it and swung up, vaulting up and over the branch...and landing upright atop it. Not even pausing, he reached for the next highest branch and pulled himself higher - out of alicorn range, because there was no way that thing could climb.
Only when he was high enough did he risk turning to look behind him.
To see nothing.
He was alone. The alicorn was no longer chasing him.
"Damn," he muttered, oddly disappointed. Hell, he'd just performed the most incredible...
Aw hell. Who cares. He reached up to touch his radio, to finally answer Sheppard's call.
And then he saw her.
He was high enough to see the clearing they had just escaped from, a circle of soft blue-green near the bottom of the hill. The blood-stained alicorn, a mere tiny creature from this height, was already back there, eating nonchalantly. Not a care in the world.
And his sister had just walked out into the field with it, her golden hair like a beacon to her brother.
Ronon was down the tree and racing down the hillside at a speed that made his earlier gait seem like a toddler's crawl.
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McKay slid down a slimy embankment, black and turquoise mud coating his trousers, and fell the last few feet. Panting for breath, he stopped at the bottom and looked up, trying to see behind him. Nothing appeared to be looming over the top of the mud bank—no alicorns, no sickly molemen, no obnoxiously cute (but now obviously deadly, since he'd now seen their teeth as well) nuttalli... nothing. He had escaped. He didn't know how long he'd been running, but, for a moment there, it felt like this entire world was out to get him. He'd seen enough sharp pointy things on innocent looking creatures to last a lifetime.
Heaving a sigh of relief, he stood up...and immediately slipped onto his ass again.
"Ugh!" he mumbled, shaking the black, sticky mud off his now covered hands. "Perfect. Just perfect! Well done, McKay!" And he sneezed again, taking a moment to rub his nose on a somewhat clean spot on his sleeve.
When he got up this time, he actually managed it with some dignity. Well...coordination. Dignity was somewhat of a lost cause when you could feel black mud dripping off your nose.
Staggering forward, he looked around, trying to spot the puffing smoke of the distant volcanoes that he'd been using as a landmark. Amazingly, they were where he hoped they would be - off to his left. He had managed to come around in a circle back to the trail. With any luck...
He stumbled forward, catching his aching feet and burning legs a little on the low roots, aiming for the lighter patch of forest up ahead.
He slowed when he realized he was moving a bit too clumsily...and loudly.
Forcing his exhausted legs to perform, he managed an almost silent walk, keeping to rocks and large tree roots. Teyla would be proud.
The area before him opened up, and he gave a tiny squeak of amazement. It was the same glade, the same clearing that they'd spotted the alicorn. Perfect! Now he just had to...
The thought died as he realized he wasn't the only one to return to this clearing. He swallowed convulsively, staring at the massive alicorn as it feasted bloodily on a nuttalli it had caught. At least it wasn't the poor corporal. He shuddered, unable to complete the thought. Briefly, he had considered trying to find Red's body again...then quickly decided such a feat was better done from the safety of the jumper...or perhaps the Daedalus. When was it due back from Earth again?
Okay, he thought, trying to remain calm, just skirt around the edge. The path's that-a-way, so...
His whole body went rigid, staring in shock as Nonor entered the clearing not far from his position...and walked calmly and confidently up to the alicorn.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," McKay groaned.
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TBC
A/N: Nonor - she's as sharp as a bag of wet hair
A/N: It's been quiet around here lately. The majority of the animals have been eaten or canned and stored away. Julie wanders about, eyeing the Venus Flytraps. The plants are getting rather tall. I'm not sure how I'll get to the mailbox outside the bunker. I'm expecting a catalog from "Guns and Stuff", so I'll have to go out sooner or later. Hmmm. Maybe I'll wait until tomorrow.
