Sayid sat heavily down in the dirt beneath a tall tree, lying back to rest against the rough trunk and stretching his legs out before him. He took a long drink from the water bottle he carried. For a moment, he lay back with his eyes half-closed, listening to the sound of the wind in the leaves. He'd just finished his shift in the hatch, and had no particular reason to be anywhere for the rest of the afternoon. For a moment, he considered returning to the beach, but decided against it. Although his mood wasn't as dark as it had been in recent days, he felt no particular need for company just now.
So it was with a certain sense of irony that he became aware of heavy footsteps crunching through the jungle, coming towards him. Sayid shook his head with a sardonic expression, taking another long drink. It took no particular skill to determine who was approaching, especially now that their voices were clearly audible.
"When we find him, I'll do the talking, all right?"
"Fine, dude. Whatever."
"Just leave everything to me. Don't worry."
"Who's worried? Just because...oh." This last was uttered as the pair came into view. Hurley closed his mouth, then opened it again. "Um. Sayid. Hey. We thought you'd be back at the hatch, but...um...you're here," he pointed out unnecessarily.
"Afternoon, Sayid," Charlie offered, far too brightly and enthusiastically. "How's it going? Lovely weather, eh?"
Sayid suppressed a sigh. "What can I do for you gentlemen?" he asked, suspecting the rest of his day was going to be far more complicated than he'd originally planned.
Hurley began, "Um...we need you to help fix something."
"Oh?" Sayid shifted position. "What?"
"Uh..." Hurley elbowed Charlie in the ribs, causing him to stumble sideways. "You tell him."
"Um, the thing is..." Charlie trailed off helplessly, did a sort of frantic dance in place, then finally confessed, "We, ah, found some more Dharma equipment, you see."
Sayid sat up straighter at this, and his expression became one of keen interest. "You did? Where?"
Charlie gestured, "Thataway, not too far. But the problem is, um, well, we were messing about with it..."
"'We'?" Hurley broke in defensively.
Ignoring him, Charlie finished, "And it sort of...broke."
Sayid looked confused. "So? What were you trying to do with it?"
"Umm." Charlie looked as if it was causing him physical pain to continue. He glanced up at Hurley, who kept his mouth sullenly shut. "Thing is, it was this computer equipment, with a screen and switches and so on, and it said on it...um. Genetic...alteration...sort of thing."
Sayid stared at him. "Genetic alteration."
Charlie winced, and continued in a very small voice. "And...it went off and got, um..." He finished very quickly, "Locke and Jin and Sawyer and Jack."
Sayid's water bottle thudded to the ground, its contents running in a thin rivulet through the dirt. Slowly, he rose to his feet. Trying to suppress horrific mental images of mutilation and death, he asked in a quiet, dangerous tone, "What...happened to them?"
Hurley, perhaps seeing his life flash before his eyes, hastened to assure him. "No, no, they're OK! They're not...hurt or anything..."
"Quite healthy, in fact," Charlie added, avoiding eye contact.
"But...they're kind of..." Hurley swallowed hard. "Look, you better just come and see."
"All right." Sayid gestured forward. "Take me to them."
They headed off into the jungle. "We're really sorry about this," Charlie said.
"Really, really sorry," Hurley added.
Sayid's shoulders heaved in a world-weary sigh. "Somehow," he said, "I am absolutely certain that you are."
--
Sawyer lay beneath an arching canopy of palm fronds that swayed gently in the breeze. He stared ferociously at the equipment that was responsible for his current state, as if he could force it to change him back through sheer willpower. He'd been listening intently for any sounds that might indicate it was about to fire up again, but so far his vigil had been fruitless. Son of a bitch, he growled at it, not for the first time.
Then he sat partway up and looked over his shoulder at an approaching sound. His nose told him who it was well before the black wolf trotted into view, panting heavily from exertion. Find 'im? Sawyer asked, without any real interest.
Jack grunted in annoyance as he joined him in the shade. Yeah, I found him. He sat heavily down, and glanced back in the direction he'd come from. Problem is, he doesn't want to come back.
Sawyer gave a lupine shrug. Let 'im go, then. What do you care?
Jack shook his head. It's just... Then he looked all around the clearing as if noticing something for the first time. Where's Jin?
Sawyer gave him a look. How the hell would I know?
What? Jack jumped to all fours, teeth bared in outrage. You let him go?
Flattening his ears in annoyance, Sawyer grumbled, Whattaya mean, "let him go"? I ain't holdin' anyone's leash here, Jacko.
The black wolf exhaled heavily, and sat back down with a thump. Great, he observed sardonically. Just great.
Reaching up with a hind leg to scratch vigorously at his neck, Sawyer slitted his eyes and asked, Mind tellin' me what's got your tail in such a twist?
Jack glared at him, then looked away. For a moment, he didn't reply, as if he was trying to work out a response. Finally, he said, We should all be together. He looked back at Sawyer with a faintly uncomfortable expression. It's just this feeling I have. I know it doesn't make sense, but... He hesitated, then went on, I need for us all to be together.
Neither one spoke for a while. Jack appeared embarrassed by his revelation, while Sawyer seemed to be pondering what to say next. Finally, as if struggling with himself, he looked at Jack and said, Hey...Doc. He grumbled in his throat, and turned away, rubbing aimlessly at the dirt with a forepaw. You think they'll be able to...I mean... He swallowed as he looked back up. We're gonna come back from this, right? He tried to keep his feelings concealed, but couldn't hide the fear in his eyes.
Jack hesitated a moment too long. Yeah. Of course we are. Don't worry about it.
Yeah, Sawyer replied, looking down and away. Right.
Then both wolves turned their heads at once, ears aimed forward. Sawyer gave a low growl, observing, Sounds like Beavis 'n' Butthead are comin' back. His ears moved as he listened, then lifted his muzzle and sniffed the air. Well, well, and they brought our ol' pal Torture Boy with 'em. Ain't that a kick in the head.
Jack made a hmmph noise, rising to all fours. Well, he said dryly, we can't have changed too much if you can still think up insulting nicknames. The black wolf headed for the approaching sounds, nosing his way through the dangling palm leaves. Come on, let's see if we can talk to them.
Yeah, that'll work, Sawyer observed sarcastically, climbing to his feet. Arf arf, come quick, Timmy fell down the goddamn well again. He followed Jack for a moment, then paused. Hey, Jack, he called out.
The other wolf turned back to face him. Sawyer continued grumpily, If it's all the same to you, I'm gonna hit the road for a bit. He gestured with his muzzle towards the approaching figures. Not too keen on givin' Abdul there a chance to gloat at me, know what I mean?
Jack managed to look sardonic even in wolf form. Like you'd do if it was him, you mean? Sawyer shrugged and gave a mischievous grin, tail swishing back and forth. Fine, Jack went on. Why don't you see if you can find Jin? He's probably heading towards the beach.
Sawyer dipped his head in mocking acknowledgment. Can do, Boss Dog. As Sayid came into view, followed closely by the other two, the golden wolf stalked past with his head held high, not even sparing them a glance. As he passed the computer equipment, he gave it a sidewise glare. Pausing in front of the Dharma logo, he sniffed at it, and snorted. Then he turned his back to it, lifted a hind leg, eloquently expressed his views on the entire situation, and padded off in disgust.
--
Sayid watched in silence as the gold-furred wolf trotted off into the jungle. Then he turned to stare at the black wolf, who looked away, managing to give off a distinctly embarrassed air. He couldn't help but notice that the creature was wearing a silver key on a knotted cord around its neck.
Sayid looked at Charlie.
He looked at Hurley.
And Hurley, shoulders sagging, said, "You're gonna kill us now, aren't you."
--
Effortlessly, with barely a conscious thought, Sawyer tracked Jin through the jungle. The wolf trotted along with his head held high, occasionally stopping to sniff at a trace of scent here and there. Of course, if he was honest with himself, he didn't even need his newly acquired senses to follow the trail: all he had to do was walk in a straight line. Jin's path never veered even slightly, except for when there was a particularly large tree or other obstacle directly in his path.
Pausing for a moment, the gold-furred wolf raised his muzzle and sniffed the air. He could smell the salty tang of the sea carried along on the breeze, and hear the distant, muffled crashing of the waves. So Jack's guess had been right; Jin was heading straight for the beach. Probably off to pine over his lady love, Sawyer thought with a grunt of disgust. Aww, how sweet.
He started forward again, nosing his way through a waving sea of emerald grass that grew higher than his back. Several blades had already been broken off or trampled down by Jin's passage; apparently he'd passed through in quite a hurry. As Sawyer trotted on, he couldn't help but admit he was enjoying some aspects of his current situation. He reveled in his new strength and power, and the wolf's effortless freedom of movement. His strides seemed to eat up the ground, as if he could run for days and never get tired.
Briefly, he entertained a mischievous fantasy of running at top speed through the beach camp, scaring everyone out of their wits. And, he thought with a lupine grin, royally pissing off Jack in the process. However, tempting though it was, he decided against it. Be just my luck, he thought sardonically, if somebody decided to take a shot at me.
Thinking of the castaways at the beach made him pause. For a moment, he felt a flicker of paranoia; what if somebody had raided his tent in his absence? What if they were going through his things at this very moment?
His pace quickened at the thought, paws crunching through the grass as the meadow gradually gave way to a stand of thin, smooth-barked trees. I catch anyone messin' with my stash, he growled to himself, and I'll...
Sawyer stopped in place. What would he do? Bite them? He grimaced at the thought, curling his lip. His mood turned gloomy as he stared down at his front paws, their pale gold fur discolored with dirt and grass stains. 'Sides, he thought, not like my stuff's any damn good to me now.
Pinning his ears back against his skull, he shivered his skin, ruffling his thick pelt. He looked all around him, at a jungle that suddenly seemed vast and empty, and incredibly lonely. The fear that had been creeping around the back of his mind since the transformation slipped into the forefront of his thoughts. Can't even talk any more...
He didn't want to admit to himself just how much it unnerved him to be without a voice...and how frightening it was to face being silenced forever. A faint whimper emerged from his throat, and the pathetic sound was embarrassing enough to snap him out of his mood.
Sawyer shook himself off and started resolutely forward again, winding his way through the slender trees. Enough poor-pitiful-me crap, he told himself. He sniffed the ground as he walked; the other wolf's scent was getting stronger.
He'd been hearing voices from up ahead for some time now, so it surprised him that it took several more minutes of walking before the beach finally came into view. Apparently his hearing was even sharper than he thought. Soon enough, Sawyer spotted Jin. The black-and-gold wolf lay concealed behind a dense clump of foliage beneath the trees that separated the shore from the jungle. A narrow ridge of sand sloped down to the beach, and beyond that, three figures sat beneath a sheltering palm tree: Sun, Claire, and Kate.
There was a small pile of clothes between the three women, as if they were sorting them. Sun sat with her back to the tree, her hands moving as she talked. Claire sat beside her, listening intently and rocking the burbling Aaron in her arms. And Kate sat facing them, with her back to the two wolves. Sawyer couldn't see her expression, but from the way her shoulders shook at something Claire said, he could tell she was laughing. She reached up to brush a stray lock of hair from her face, her posture relaxed and comfortable, as if she didn't have a care in the world.
Sawyer felt strangely uncomfortable at the sight of her, as if at any moment she might whirl around and see him, and be horrified and repulsed by what she saw. But he pushed his feelings aside and looked over at Jin. The other was intent on watching Sun, oblivious to his approach. Sawyer gave a wolfish grin, tongue lolling out as he silently padded up behind him.
So what's the word, Chewie? Sawyer called, and felt a wicked amusement as Jin yelped and jumped nearly a foot in the air. Gonna lie here in the bushes for the rest of your life?
The other wolf whirled to face him, teeth bared in outrage. Sawyer! he shot back, scandalized. Quiet! They'll hear you!
Sawyer gave a snorting chuckle, and flopped down across from Jin without ceremony. Nah, he replied, pointing his muzzle at the three women, who continued to chat on. They can't hear us. Guess it's this whole Vulcan mind-meld thing we all've got going.
Jin looked doubtful, but apparently decided to let the matter drop. He lay back down and looked out at the trio again. He raised his muzzle and sniffed the air. They're happy, he observed quietly.
Sawyer shrugged. Guess so.
Jin looked back at him, tilting his head inquisitively. What are they saying?
Sawyer hesitated, flattening his ears in puzzlement. Although he could hear their voices with perfect clarity, he had to concentrate to make out the meaning of the words. It was as if English had suddenly become a foreign language, one that he understood but wasn't perfectly fluent in.
Realizing Jin was still waiting for a response, he gave a dismissive shrug. Ah, just talkin' about clothes and stuff. His translation was confirmed as Sun picked up a dark red blouse with long ruffled sleeves, holding it out for the others, who simultaneously shook their heads in disapproval. You know, wimmin talk.
Jin said nothing for a while. He lifted a slender forepaw and rubbed at the side of his face as if something was irritating him. Finally, he said, So. This is to be my punishment.
Sawyer blinked at the apparent non sequitur. What's that?
The other wolf turned dark eyes towards him, ears sagging back against his skull. For how shamefully I have treated her, he explained, his voice steeped in misery. Now I will never be with her again.
Sawyer jumped to all fours in alarm. Hey, now. Don't talk like that, he insisted. We'll get put right again. You'll see.
Jin lowered his head with a heavy exhalation. Then his gaze wandered towards the ground, and his head jerked up as his eyes widened in shock. Sawyer!
What? the other asked irritably, with a low growl.
Jin pointed urgently with his muzzle. You're standing on an ant hill!
Sawyer glanced down and yelped as he felt a stinging pain in his paw pad. He jerked away from the hateful biting creatures, paws flailing as he crashed backwards into the bushes and tumbled down the slope to the beach. He rolled to a halt in the hot sand, spitting some of it out of his mouth as he struggled to all fours, angry and disoriented.
He heard a baby crying. He heard women screaming.
And he heard Jin's warning a moment too late, as something extremely hard and heavy whacked him right in the head.
With a loud YIPE! of mingled pain and outrage, Sawyer scrambled away from the blow. The glare of the sun blinded him, and he saw only a blurred moving shape as he ducked another strike, evading it by inches. His scrabbling paws flung up a spray of sand as he tried to get his feet under him. Blindly, he stumbled and rolled over before tumbling to a halt. Pain throbbing in his skull, he shook his head and fought to bring the world into focus, squinting against the blinding light.
He saw Claire backed up against the palm tree, clutching her baby in her arms, eyes wide and mouth open in horror. Sun was backing her away from him, arms outstretched protectively in front of the other woman. He could smell waves of fear radiating off them, the scent so thick it was almost tangible. And closest to him, her mouth set in a grim line, Kate stood brandishing a heavy stick of wood like a club, her eyes flashing every indication she planned to use it again.
Incredulity flooded Sawyer's mind. DAMN, woman! Forgetting himself, he opened his mouth to demand What the hell you think you're DOING?! But all that came out was a long, rasping snarl that made Claire flinch back with a gasp, and caused Kate to tighten her grip on her weapon and bring it down in a near-lethal arc. Sawyer barely evaded the strike, sand blasting him in the face as the club struck the ground. Blinded again, he whirled around, feet clawing at the sand and fangs bared in impotent fury, the instinct to fight warring with the instinct to flee.
Through a haze of pain and rage, he heard a sharp bark from behind. Sawyer! Jin called. This way! Run!
Blinking and shaking his head violently, he stumbled backwards towards the sound. Ears flattened and tail curled under his legs, he looked up at at Kate. His hurt, wounded gaze locked on to hers. It's me, Freckles! he begged silently. Come on, girl, you know I'm not gonna hurt you!
For a moment, Kate's expression faltered, but quickly grew hard again. "Get away!" she yelled, whipping the stick at his face, close enough that he could feel the breeze in his whiskers. "Go on! Get out of here!"
Sawyer gave up. Urging Jin to get the hell out, he turned back towards the jungle, and ran for his life.