here is part 5 finally and for all those who have been waiting -for like centuries- there's good news... chapter 6 will be up too in 3 seconds!
oh and then there's a special thanks to BrokenWarrior... your beta-reading will make a lot of people happy ( you did just fine ;) )
5. Tigers, everywhere tigers!
As Eli, Darren and Easia made their way back to the camp to get their tents they became aware of the action around them. People of the camp were already gone with everything; probably ordered by Young. Along the way back to the gate they spotted a group with masks on with Kino accompanying them. Eli and Darren gave them some instructions on how to get to the point they last saw the group.
"Eli... Can we rest for a while?" Darren asked and Eli turned around, finding Darren further away then he thought.
"Oh...sure" Eli answered as Darren sat down on a fallen tree.
"Sorry...it's just...the deer is kind of heavy." Darren explained. Eli nodded and sat down on the tree too.
Easia looked curiously to the deer that now lay on the ground.
"Jetoe puta?" she asked, gazing at Eli.
"Yes, more of it would be helpful...oda, puta eta adirent." Eli tried and then saw Easia nod in confirmation that she understood.
"Metoe adirent," she said as she opened her bag again. "Me help," she said with a steady voice but she still looked a bit unsure but Eli nodded in agreement.
"Say, how much more do you think is inside that bag?" Darren asked with a smile as he saw Easia search for something.
"I don't know but it seems she can carry everything she needs." Eli answered, also watching Easia.
Finally Easia seemed to find what she was searching for. With a strong motion she pulled a flute out of her bag. She put it on her lips and blew hard on it to make a high tune. In reaction Eli and Darren put their hands over their ears. Then the tune went back to a normal sound. For a moment she used it and then put it back in her bag. She looked around and turned to her left with a smirk. Suddenly a bush moved and a slim striped body came through it. It glared at all three of them.
Darren quickly pointed his gun at the newcomer and Eli hid behind the other male.
"Damn Darren, this sure is one the thing I would count if we discussed dangerous things. Did Easia summon this?" Eli whispered.
"I sure hope so, Eli, I hope so."
Easia had noticed the shift of behaviour of her companions and held up her hands while she stood in the newcomer's way.
"Natha getaas...Tigra adirent"
Darren shifted his eyes towards Eli, who whispered that the tiger they were seeing in front of them would help them, but it was obvious that Eli was very skeptic about this.
"Not dangerous. Yeah, right." Darren hissed.
At this the tiger glared at the gun in his hand. It laid its ears back on its neck, at which Darren raised his gun in response. The tiger hissed.
"Jetoe getaas, tigra getaas oaka." Easia said as she walked up to the tiger and laid her hand on the tiger's head, causing it to calm down a bit.
"Darren, lower the gun. The tiger reacts to what we do." Eli said. Hesitantly Darren lowered the gun and the hissing stopped. The tiger watched both of them for a minute and then looked at Easia.
"Adirent, matha beanime." Easia said as she had the tiger's attention. It growled and then jumped over the bush it had appeared from.
This calmed Eli enough for him to get out from behind Darren, but when the tiger returned a moment later with a dead deer, he hid again. The tiger let go of its prey and Easia bowed to the tiger which did the same.
"Nice; two dead animals. How are we going to carry that?" Darren said. The tiger looked at him, took the neck of the deer and took it to Easia where he sat down and laid the deer down again.
"I guess it takes it with us," Eli said and then they decided the break was over.
Now being followed by the tiger which held a deer, Eli, Darren and Easia made their way to the Stargate. The further they walked the more tigers came out of bushes, and all of them were holding deer. Darren kept his hands on his gun but the tigers were quick in telling him that they didn't like that.
"How many of these creatures are coming?" Darren asked to no-one in particular.
Eli looked at Easia for a minute and saw her petting one of the tigers.
"They don't seem that dangerous."
"Perhaps, but if they're like their Earth look-a-likes then I don't trust them one bit."
Saying that Eli and Darren were glad when they finally saw the Stargate appearing would be an understatement.
Eli dialled the gate as Darren held his eyes on the tigers which were gathering around the gate and laying their prey on top of each other, making a mountain of dead deer. Easia petted the tigers and as she touched them the tigers disappeared into thin air.
"Care to explain that?" Darren said to Eli, who watched it happening with an eye.
"No idea yet. It's clear that she's something...different to us." Eli mumbled, pushing in the last symbol.
"Yeah, I figured that out already when she changed back from a flying wolf." They stood back as the gate opened.
Easia looked at the gate and heard the two men talk to each other and watched as they said something to a device that said something back too. She laid her hand on the last tiger and thanked him.
"But..."she said in her own language "But... can you help me a bit longer? We need to get those to the other side," she pointed at the deer. She walked towards the mountain of deer and took a piece of rope out of her bag. She bound the hooves of the deer together and started pulling at them. The tiger watched her, rolled his eyes and set his teeth in the rope and started pulling it towards the gate.
"Sir, the four of us are coming through." Darren said into his radio.
"Four? What do you mean four?"
"Me, Eli, Easia - she's the one who helped us - and her pet," Darren said, considering his words.
He heard the colonel sigh. "Why do her and her pet have to come too?"
This was where Eli took the radio.
"Colonel Young, I believe she can be of great help to us. She can probably read the whole database of the Destiny."
Eli smiled as he heard Rush talking to Young about this. He was glad that he had someone to help him a bit because now Colonel was going to listen to him.
"This is a perfect time to study her behaviour. I have reason to believe that this is a very special girl." Eli added.
"Fine, fine, just back to the Destiny. You're the last pair there."
"Scott and Greer were found?" Darren asked.
"Yes; the rescue team found them drooling on each other. Apparently they walked into one of the meadows with sleeping gas." Young told them.
"Alright then, coming through, Darren out." Darren said, turning his radio off.
He saw Eli already going to the girl. A moment later he saw Eli pulling on leg of a deer with a look of disgust on the his face. This made Darren snicker which caused Eli to give him a foul look.
"Well, are you going to help or what? Want to keep Young waiting?" Eli asked, a bit of anger shining through. Darren shook his head and helped the boy after it.
Guns were raised as they came through the gate. Six men with P-90's were looking at Eli, Darren and Easia - especially Easia, who had a hand on the tiger's head. The tiger in question was growling loudly at the raised guns. Easia seemed to shush it but not fully.