The hooded figure didn't like the idea of leaving Ronon all alone with these strangers, but didn't like the idea of them knowing where she was even more. It must have been obvious to her traveling companion, because he was sending Aria back into the forest vegetation she'd just come from. However for a long moment, the quiet woman simply studied her friend. After traveling together for so long his body language read as clear as if it had been spoken aloud. By the tightness of the jaw muscles, and the squaring in the shoulders, it was clear Dex intended to deal with these strangers. The barefooted shadow pursed her lips in irritation; she knew this was a battle she was going to lose. Without even glancing at the large brute's captive, Aria returned to the safety of the ever green trees.

Moving undetected within the woods was no problem for the living shadow. Actually she'd spent most of the afternoon skirting around, and hiding from, the two man teams of strangers. In fact several of them had unwittingly passed by a few of her hiding spots, allowing her to gather information from their conversations about someone called
"Ford". They were completely oblivious to the woman sitting just above them hidden amongst the leaves. Yet not even the knowledge that they wouldn't be able to track her could make the quiet woman feel better after she saw the metal bird. So instead of letting the big oaf deal with the suspicious new comers alone, Aria skirted around the cave by climbing into the trees and moving through the branches until she found a spot capable of seeing everything.
Silently she stretched out on a nice thick branch, letting the gray fur drape over her and the ruff bark. To an untrained eye it appeared to be just a thick knot in the old wood covered with some kind of moss. Patiently she waited. Finally two men showed up in one of those cold, lifeless, wingless birds large enough to swallow several full sized men. Just the sight of it made the reclusive figure shiver and want to run, yet Aria remained. The smaller man she hadn't seen before was loaded down with odd boxes, while the released captive came back carrying another one of those loud and noisy guns. Subconsciously the silent observer pressed her body closer to the branch as they passed beneath her hiding place. "Alright, for what it's worth I'd never send you in there if I thought the guy was going to hurt you," Said the man with the gun.

"Is that opinion based on some sort of evidence Cornel Sheppard, or
is it just a gut feeling that this gentleman isn't dangerous?"

"I didn't say he wasn't dangerous, doc. He could probably kill you in the blink of an eye. I don't think he will." A grin spread across the cloaked shadow's face at the armed man's complement.

"Well, thank you. I feel much better now."

"You ever heard of Androles and the lion?"

"Aye, and who are you in this retelling? The romans?" The longer Aria listened to the two men the harder it was to remain still. For the first time today the mysterious woman's interest was peeked and all she wanted to do was find out why this stranger sounded different from the others. Judging from the fear in his eyes, and his almost shaking limbs, this one was no soldier. Intrigued she watched "doc" gulp in distress taking one more nervous look back at his friend.

Pointing to the top of the outcrop, the one called "Sheppard" added "I'll be right up there. Go," both the military man and the Runner's companion watched as the funny sounding man struggled into the caves weighted down by his boxes.

No sooner had one man disappeared, then the other one begin to climb further up the hill to where the rocks parted, leaving some of the cave exposed. Not liking the odds stacking against Ronon, the living shadow dropped from her hiding place; the soft forest floor absorbing the sound of her bare feet hitting the sponge-like surface of the dead and decaying leaves. Like the hunter she was, Aria stalked the armed warrior. Staying low to the ground, the strange woman resembled a wolf as she crawled across the forest floor; the fur covering most of her body didn't hurt the resemblance either as she remained hidden in the dense foliage of the wood.

Strangely enough, Aria's curiosity continued to grow as "Sheppard" stopped to look over his shoulder every once in a while. It was obvious he didn't know she was there, and yet still she could tell that he suspected something. Out of all the men the silent figure had encountered today, this one was the only one to prove he could possibly be a challenge. Finally the stranger settled in to wait, yet still every few minutes the armed soldier would look up and scan the horizon.

The runner's companion didn't like what she saw as she slowly crept closer to the armed man. From the vantage point he'd chosen, the former captive had a clear view of everything that went on in and around the cave where Ronon now stood; not to mention he was now outnumbered by these strangers. Nervously Aria fidgeted with a three pronged weapon beneath her fur cloak as she continued to cautiously creep closer. Ever muscle in her body tightened as the man sighted the large savage looking character in his aiming device. Still, she waited.

In no time, the shadow-like woman was literally inches from the metal bird's rider, hiding safely in the dense shrubbery. She didn't like the idea of them cutting on her large friend; however the idea of being able to stay ahead of the Wraith for more than a day or so was beginning to sound good to her. The only problem, she didn't trust strangers.Aria smiled softly to herself as she unrelentingly watched the unsuspecting man take a long scanning look over his shoulder on the opposite side from where she hid. It brought some comfort to her worried self, but not much.

Now hidden less than a stone's throw from one of the armed strangers, Aria could only sit and watch with white knuckles clutching her three pronged weapon. With tensed muscles, the quiet woman felt the knife as 'Doc' cut into Ronon's upper back as if it were cutting into her own skin. Cringing for the tough and stubborn giant, his only sign of pain was the wavering of his pistol. From the safety of the warm greenery around her, the shadow watched the surgical procedure on pins and needles.

End Chapter 2