Chapter 6

Ronon opened his eyes finding himself surrounded. Why hadn't he heard them coming? The forest had been so very quiet, no birds, not sound of leaves falling down or wind in the top of the trees. And now all of a sudden there they were. This could not be good.

He looked around at the angry faces. But no one moved. Ronon wanted to sit up but the spear effectively pinned him down. His gun lay useless a few meters away.

Finally one of the men approached, grabbing the spear with two hands. He said something but Ronon didn't hear him. Why didn't he hear him? What was he going to do?

Ronon stopped breathing as the man pulled the spear the rest of the way through. He must have screamed when it finally left his tormented body. But again he didn't hear his own voice. His last thought before blackness overtook was how useless he would now be to the team.

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'Run!' Sheppard had shouted to Teyla and Rodney. Ronon was not that far off but John didn't like the other life signs around his friend. So they ran, without complaining, jumping over falling tree trunks, through dense bushes only coming to a full stop when they heard an agonizing scream cut through their very bones.

'Ronon!' Rodney whispered, eyes panicking.

'This way!' John pushed them along. The different life signs were very close together now and moving away from their original location.

A few meters further, Sheppard reached the original drop zone. He found Ronon's gun and carefully put it in his backpack. He'd give that back to him today, he vowed in his head.

Teyla looked around for further clues. But it was McKay who stumbled upon the thrown away spear.

'Sheppard!' he shouted, pointing at the weapon.

The three friends stood around the blood covered item. None of them would say it but they all knew this had gone all the way through their friend's body.

'We need to find him, now!' Rodney turned and started walking again.

'Rodney, wait!' John ran after him.

'No!' McKay shouted angrily. 'No, I need to find him, I need to bring him home!'

'We all do, Rodney.'

'No, you don't understand. When I was ill, when I couldn't remember anything anymore . . . it was Ronon who made sure we got to the temple. He got me there to say goodbye, to give me back my dignity, even if only for one day. He's the reason I'm still alive today. I can't be the reason that he dies today.'

John sighed deeply. He knew that ever since that time, Rodney had seen Ronon differently letting him into his heart, under his skin.

'We'll find him, today, and bring him home.' John hoped he sounded more assured then he felt.

Rodney just nodded and together they followed the tracks left very visible for them to follow.

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