"Do you think it's going to work?" she asked as he struggled with the project in front of him.
"I hope so. It's the only thing I can think of. At least the guys have gotten into it. If it fails at least they'll have learned a new skill."
Jack was wrapping twine – made from the fibrous roots of some of the plants in the area – around pieces of wood. It was unfinished but at least it was now recognizable for what it was.
The men of the tribe were laughing and joking as they made more of the twine and brought in the heavy branches they needed for their project. It was interesting to see them, thought Sam. Prior to their arrival the men pretty much hung around, went hunting or mated with their women. They did not have a particularly varied life.
Now, however, they seemed to be enjoying a wider variety of activities taught them by Jack. They had jumped into the project with enthusiasm, although there'd been a few minor 'crises' and 'accidents' – but everyone just laughed and moved on.
Jack hadn't stopped at that. He'd taught the men a simple version of baseball. It was quite hilarious watching him try to explain the intricacies of the game. He'd finally given up and took away two of the bases. Sam had laughed so hard to see a bunch of cave men trying to hit a ball (made of wrapped twine) and then running madly. They called the team the 'Tigers', which both she and Jack thought appropriate. The tribe, of course, didn't know what 'tiger' meant so were happy to accept that as their name.
There had been other things as well. He'd shown them some simple building techniques as well as some defense moves. They had never heard the tribe speak of any enemies so any fighting techniques were only to do with hunting. So, Jack helped them with their weapons and also showed them some hand to hand. The day he came back to the cave with a black eye was the day Sam knew the teaching had been successful.
Sam had been busy as well. She began to show the women some simply writing. They had giggled and laughed, not wanting to do it. However, when she got through to them that they could leave simple messages and keep track of things with basic arithmetic they began to practice. Maru helped greatly when she stepped forward and demanded that Sam teach her.
The children were much easier to teach of course. Like children anywhere they were pretty much 'sponges' when it came to learning. She taught them the alphabet song and drew out the letters. She wished Daniel were here so she could ask him what he thought the effect of teaching them English letters would be. She was probably screwing up their evolution but they seemed to be having fun and she was bored!
It'd been almost two weeks since they'd been given permission to leave and they were almost ready to go. Jack figured another couple of days and they'd set their plan in motion.
Snuggled up together that night they talked over the last minute details. Once they were sure they had covered everything they stopped talking. Sam was almost asleep when she felt Jack move. He pulled her closer and, spooned up behind her, he nuzzled her neck.
"Mmmmm" she hummed. Turning around she cuddled up closer. Feeling that Jack was more interested in affection rather than passion she pushed herself up slightly and looked at him.
"What is it Jack?" she asked softly. He didn't say anything for a minute and then began to speak.
"It's stupid really", he stopped. "I guess I'm just going to miss these people. As much as I know we need to make it home – and I'll be glad to see Danny and Teal'c and everyone back home these people have kind of-"
"Yeah, they've kind of wrapped themselves around our hearts."
"I worry about them Sam. What happens when we leave? I've tried to teach them some things but it's not going to be enough."
"I know. I guess we'll just have to come back quickly and help them."
"Mmmm hmmm." She hugged him tightly. "Is that all that's worrying you?" She felt there was something else wrong but couldn't put her finger on it."
"No." he answered shortly.
"What? What's wrong?" He took a deep breath and then pulled back from her.
"Us."
"Us?" she asked, worriedly. "Is something wrong? Did I do something?" She couldn't figure out where this was coming from.
"God no. It's not you – it's – 'us'", he repeated. "Sam, if we make it home we're going to have to figure out what we're going to do. I don't want to lose you, not now, not after everything. But I've been trying to figure out how we're going to make this work. The only thing I can come up with is that I'm gonna have to retire."
While she was relieved this wasn't about his feelings changing she was as worried as he was. "No, you can't retire. You're too important."
He snorted. "Important? Sam, I'm just an old soldier who's been around a long time. If we're talking important it's you and Daniel. You're the ones who have given us the advantage in our fight against the Goa'uld. We need your brilliance not some Air Force grunt with bad knees and too many scars to count."
Without warning she whacked him on the arm. "Ow! What was that for?"
"For belittling yourself. God Jack, you're not stupid. You must know that you're the one that's made everything possible. Sure, Daniel is smart, so am I – but we'd be nothing if it wasn't for you. So don't you dare say you're not important. If anything I should be the one to leave. I can continue my work as a civilian."
"No way. The Air Force is too important to you Sam. One day you're gonna make General and you're not giving it up." He sighed. "So, I shouldn't retire and neither should you. That only leaves one of us being reassigned. Hell, sometimes I think we should just stay here – life would be easier."
As she pulled him back into her arms she though over what he'd said. These were the very things that had kept them apart all these years. Now, however, the 'cat was out of the bag' and they couldn't go back. Not that she wanted to, but it did make it difficult.
"There's nothing we can do now Jack. Let's just get some sleep and let the future look after itself. First we have to make it home anyway."
"Yeah, you're right." Giving her a small peck on the cheek he closed his eyes. The two of them fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.
"Okay everyone", Jack shouted. The noise of the tribe slowed then stopped. They all looked at him expectantly. "You've done a great job here but now we have to move on to the next step. Ladies", he turned and bowed to the women who all giggled. "thank you for the wonderful job you did on the nets." He pointed to the huge netting that lay at his feet. The women had also used the fibrous material to weave it. He prayed it would be strong enough for their purpose.
"Now men, all of you are excellent hunters." Of that there could be no doubt but they were asking these men not to kill, but to capture a vicious beast. It was something beyond their expertise and he hoped they could do it. "But today we want to capture an animal. So, play close attention and we'll get it done!" With a cheer and a mad waving of spears, the men started out. Four of them grabbed the net and another four the cage.
"Be careful Jack." Sam had wanted to come but Jack figured that would have made the men too uncomfortable. "They need to be able to concentrate Sam. With you along I'm afraid they're going to be too interested in showing off." She raised an eyebrow and he grinned. "Yeah, I know – stupid machismo – but hey, we can't help it. When a beautiful woman is around we have to show our manly prowess."
She gave him a quick kiss. "I've seen plenty of your 'manly prowess' Jack – and it has nothing to do with hunting. Now go, catch one of those beasts and come back safely."
"I will, my lady and afterward – we can", he wiggled his brows.
"Yeah, yeah, 'manly prowess' time. I'll be waiting impatiently." She grinned and shooed Jack off.
Sam and a few of the other women watched as they men all left. Only the Chief and one or two of the younger ones remained behind. Sam went and retrieved her weapon just in case. She didn't like the idea of the women being defenseless but all the men were needed for what they were planning.
When Jack had first spoken to her about his idea she had wondered if it could possibly work. She still wondered although it did offer some possibilities. The plan was to capture one of the wild beasts – preferably a Proku or one of the lizards – and cage it. They would then find a herd of the large sheep and attempt to drive it towards the Jaffa. Once the animals were on the trail towards the camp they couldn't turn back as it was too narrow.
Once the large animals were on the right trail they'd then release the beast. She felt mean but knew it was nature's way anyway. The scent of the beast should cause the herd to stampede. If they could sustain that the herd should run right through the Jaffa camp, causing major chaos. That would be their chance to escape.
Of course, the plan was iffy at best. The animals might refuse to go the right way, they might not stampede or, even if they did, they might stop before arriving at the camp.
Today's job was simply to try and catch one of the beasts. They'd initially thought about the Chewi but decided to not even mention that. With the way the people felt about the animal there was no way they would try and capture it. So, they would have to find one of the wild pigs or the awful lizard things.
Sam remained at the cave all day, fretting over what was happening. It was after supper before she saw the men returning. They weren't hurrying and looked all right so she figured everything was okay. The bad news was they returned empty handed.
"No luck?" she asked Jack.
"Nah. Wouldn't you know it – since we arrived here I've constantly run into one wild animal after another – and more than one of them has tried to take a bite out of me. Now, when I actually want one they're no where to be found!"
"I'm sure you'll find one eventually."
"Yeah – by that time we may have those grandchildren!" Jack was clearly discouraged. He was ready to get going on their plan and hated having to be patient.
It was the fourth day of going out before the tribe finally came across one of the Proku's. Fortunately on day three they'd discovered the herd of sheep. They had managed to kill three of them with Jack's help, and his gun, which would mean the tribe's survival through the winter. One of the young men was assigned the task of staying with the herd and keeping an eye on it so they would know where to go when it was time for the stampede.
Finding the Proku was one thing – capturing it another. It took over two hours as they chased it and finally cornered it. The problem was, a vicious beast, once cornered, becomes even more vicious! They were all moving very carefully and Jack had his gun drawn just in case.
Four of the men had hold of the net and were slowing approaching the beast which had its teeth bared. Saliva was dripping from its fangs and they could hear it as it gave a low and fierce growl. At the last minute, just as the men were about to toss the net, the animal charged – straight towards Drobe.
With a shout Jack pushed the young man out of the way and drew his gun. However, he couldn't shoot as there were too many people in the vicinity and he was afraid to hit one of them.
"Net!" Throw the net!" The men ran after the raging animal and tossed the net, just as it reached Jack. With a cross between a loud squeal and a roar the animal lowered it's head and aimed for Jack's gut. He managed to throw himself to the side at the last minute – at the same time the net sailed over the animal.
He could feel a sharp pain along the back of his arm and through his side and knew he'd been gouged. He just prayed it wasn't too bad but he didn't have time to look. Although the men had managed to snare the animal, they'd also managed to toss the net over him.
He was caught, inside the net, with a maddened and terrified animal. He backed away quickly and tried to get out from under the net but it was tangled and his foot got caught. By this time the Proku had realized one of the beasts trying to capture it was close. He turned, panting and slathering, and looked directly at Jack.
"Do not move!" shouted Drobe. Jack froze as he realized the beast was acting on its sense of smell. The Proku was practically blind and could only see movement. As long as Jack stayed still – and hopefully stayed downwind, he should be okay, at least for a bit.
He could see the animal sniffing, trying to locate him. He could feel the blood dripping on the ground and worried that the animal would soon smell it. He also knew he needed to bind it up pretty quickly. He could feel himself starting to weaken and the burning pain of the wound was making it difficult to concentrate.
"Jawk – stay." He didn't answer or move, not wanting to give away his position. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Drobe begin to walk around the net, to position himself behind the pig.
"When I call – you move." Drobe instructed. He blinked in reply.
Suddenly, Drobe began to make lots of noise and shake the net in behind the animal. It turned and let out its weird cry. It then charged towards the movement. At that moment Jack scrambled to lift the net and get out. A few of the men were there helping him.
Unfortunately, the Proku saw the movement and swung its head back. Without warning it charged, just as two of the men grabbed Jack under the arms and pulled him out. Jack could feel a tremendous force hit his foot. For a moment he wondered if his foot had been skewered or his leg broken.
The moment he was out the men dropped the net, again trapping the infuriated animal. Drobe ran around the net and dropped to the ground beside Jack.
"You hurt!" he said and reached over to look at Jack's arm and side.
"No – don't touch!" Jack cried. The pain was awful and he was terrified at what he'd find. He didn't want anyone touching it – knowing he'd probably pass out. Taking his courage in his hands he twisted his arm to look at it. That movement caused the gorge to rise in his throat and spots to form before his eyes. After a few deep breaths he took a look.
"Damn!" The animal had ripped open about five inches of his upper arm and it was bleeding freely. He knew he'd need some serious stitches. He then moved his arm again – 'shit, that hurt' – and looked at the wound in his side.
The animals tusk had gone through the flesh just above his waist. He was pretty sure no organs had been damaged, just skin and muscle. Still, it was pretty deep and it too was bleeding.
"Damn, there goes my last shirt!" He needed to bind the wounds quickly and the leather animal skins worn by the tribe just wouldn't work very well. He also figured they were pretty filthy.
"Drobe – a hand here." He needed help getting the shirt off. It hurt like a bugger when his friend eased it over the wounded arm. He then instructed the man to rip it in strips.
"You guys should be good at that", he muttered, "you've done it to all our other clothes!" Once the material was ripped Drobe proceeded to bind up the wounds; pulling them tightly to stop the bleeding.
"Ow!" he shouted, the pain almost causing him to lose his lunch. "Sam is going to kill me!" He realized that was the worst part of this whole thing; that and the fact that it was going to be harder to make their escape with him.
As Drobe helped him some of the others had pulled up the cage they'd made and were working on driving the pig into it. With a lot of swearing on the part of the mean (he'd taught them some choice English words) and squealing on the part of the pig, they eventually got him into the cube shaped cage. Securing the door carefully the men gave a soft cheer. They'd caught their first Proku!
It was only when Drobe finished binding his wounds that Jack remembered that last hit on his foot. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see what had happened. His foot throbbed and he was afraid if it were too badly damaged they wouldn't be going anywhere. Finally, with a deep breath he opened his eyes and looked.
Well, at least there didn't seem to be any blood. Carefully pulling his foot up so he could see it better he gasped, and then laughed in relief. He'd worried that the beast had stuck a hole in his foot but it looked like it'd simply hit it with its head. Jack could see that the bottom was red and slightly swollen but he figured it was no more than a bad bruise. He'd know better when he stood up but it wasn't as bad as he feared.
"Help me up Drobe." He reached up with his hand but the other man ignored it. "Hey, I could use some help here!" He glared at his young friend who simply shook his head and motioned to some of the others. Before Jack knew what was happening he'd been picked up. One of the biggest of the cavemen had him under the arms and two others held him under the hips and the legs.
"Come on, you can't carry me the whole way back!" He was completely ignored as the men started on their journey to the cave. A handful of the men stayed to watch the Proku until it was time to free him for their plan.
Of course it took longer to get back with Jack being carried. He protested for a while but soon grew too tired and was too sore to say any more. He knew he was still losing blood and was worried. He was really afraid he wasn't going to be up to making the escape. Long before they reached home Jack had passed out. The cavemen carrying him and those walking beside him, looked down in fear. They knew how bad a wound from the horns of an animal could be. It was usually fatal – if not from loss of blood – from the terrible infection caused by what was on the animals horns. They all worried that their 'Jawk' was going to die.
As they approached the cave they could see some of the women outside. It was Pratu who first noticed Jack. Her eyes grew wide and she turned and ran into the cave. A couple of seconds later and Sam was running out towards the men.
"Oh God no! Don't tell me he's dead." He looked like a corpse the way he was being carried and the fact that he was so pale.
"No, not dead. Hurt bad!" Drobe answered. He walked up to Sam and gently touched her arm. "You must help save him." For a few moments Sam was too upset, too frightened and too much in shock to do anything. When she felt Drobe shake her arm gently she looked up and knew she had to snap out of it. Jack needed her.
"Bring him into the cave and lay him down on our pallet", she instructed. "Pratu, boil some water and bring the healing herbs." She'd learned much from the tribe and found out that they did have some rudimentary medicine. She'd seen the herbs in action and figured they had some mild analgesic and antibiotic properties. She hoped it would be enough.
Once Jack was put down she could see the wounds. The bandages – oh Jack, your shirt – were soaked with blood. She carefully pulled them away and could see the extent of the damage.
Like Jack she didn't think there was any internal damage but what there was was enough. She too knew the dangers of both blood loss and infection. She'd have to sew him up – which was going to prove difficult, or he would continue to lose blood.
What the hell was she going to use? As she continued to work, trying to clean the wounds as carefully as possible, she remembered Jack's fishing gear. She asked Drobe to bring it and told them to boil the twine to clean it. As she waited she looked down at the man she loved.
"Oh Jack – why the hell does this always happen? I expect you pushed someone else out of the way, didn't you? Either that or you told one bad joke too many and the pig decided to get you." She stopped what she was doing for a moment and leaned down.
"Hi", his soft voice startled her.
"Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Oh my God Jack, what did you do to yourself this time?"
"The … bacon brought me home!"
She giggled – more of a nervous reaction than anything. "I don't think the wounds are too bad but I have to sew them up to stop the bleeding. I'm sorry – it's going to hurt."
"Oh joy! Just what I always wanted." He closed his eyes, wishing he'd stayed unconscious a little bit longer.
By the time she was done sewing up his wounds she didn't know who was shakier, she or Jack. He looked absolutely green and she worried that he was going to throw up. She gave him a bit of water that seemed to settle him and soon he was asleep. Curling up beside him she rested her hand on his chest.
"Don't you dare die on me, do you hear! Don't you dare die!"