Cassie stumbled out of the wormhole. She barely had time to register the stifling, oppressive blanket of warmth and the jungle of gigantic trees before Rya'c yanked her to the side to take cover behind a large white rock.
A harsh cry sounded out above their heads as the wormhole winked out. Cassie ducked instinctively and she realised belatedly that Rya'c had covered her with his own body. She peeked out to see a creature hovering in the air above them.
'Oh my God!' Cassie breathed out at the sight of the beast. It was massive with a red body the size of Jack's truck, four legs that ended in feet with claws and a long serpentine tail that flicked angrily like a cat. There were two wings; broad and long that flapped, keeping the monster somehow airborne. It had a long neck and a lizard-like head had small horny growths; the mouth was wide and filled with sharp teeth. Its yellow eyes were pinned to Cassie and Rya'c. She felt the fizz of naquadah in her blood; the tingling sensation that spoke of the presence of the metallic element. She stilled in fear; was it a Goa'uld? Or what had Jonas called them...
'Is that an Unas?' Cassie asked urgently.
'It is not.' Rya'c replied grimly.
The beast opened its mouth and another cry left its mouth. If it wasn't an Unas then maybe it was a real dragon, mused Cassie. Which was bad. Incredible, but bad.
'We have to move!' Rya'c said.
Cassie nodded. She doubted she would have the breath to speak; she was breathing too fast, fear tripping through her like a livewire.
Rya'c looked up at the dragon assessingly before he stood and fired his staff weapon at the creature. It evaded and Rya'c used the moment to pull Cassie up. He half-dragged her along as they dived into the trees, running through the undergrowth at full pelt. The shadow of the dragon fell over them and Cassie looked up to see it, flying; weaving in and out of the trees.
They ran harder.
She barely felt the soft scratches of the branches as they hit her or the burn in her lungs as she forced herself to keep running; to keep following Rya'c just ahead of her.
They broke through the treeline and Rya'c suddenly gave a cry as he fell forward; the ground abruptly angling sharply downwards in a steep incline. Cassie made to grab him but, before her hand could reach him, Rya'c lost his footing and tumbled down, bouncing over the rough grassy ground. The dragon whirled in the air, ignoring the falling body and diving for Cassie, exposed in the open. She let go of the bag she was holding and tried to scramble back into the protection of the trees but it was too late.
The dragon stooped like an eagle diving for its prey and caught hold of her with its hind legs. Its wings beat powerfully as it rose back into the air.
Cassie tried to wriggle as it turned and began to fly. She didn't realise she was screaming for it to let her go as she tried with one hand to prise herself free. She stopped when her eyes caught on the zat she was still holding with her other hand.
Without thinking she raised it, aiming for the underbelly of the beast and fired.
Blue lightening shot out and hit the dragon.
It gave a sharp cry, losing altitude abruptly and letting her go.
Cassie dropped out of the sky.
Wind buffeted her as she plummeted down, tugging at her clothes and at her hair...
The ground rushed up in a whirlwind of colour and speed...
She screamed and closed her eyes.
She hit a patch of trees.
The branches snapped as she fell through the canopy, breaking her fall, slowing her descent.
She landed on the grassy forest floor with a soft humpf; she lay there, stunned; the breath knocked out of her and every part of her hurting.
A moment later, the dragon landed some distance away from her; the earth shaking as it hit ground.
Cassie spat out dust and blood from her mouth. She struggled to sit up and yelped at the pain in her left arm; at the way her head swam with dizziness. She had held onto the zat, she realised with some bemusement. She had to move. She had to move while the dragon was out of it. She had no idea how long a zat shot would keep a dragon unconscious.
She scrambled to her feet and began as much of a run as she could manage, limping as the bruising on her legs and hips made itself known. She went further into the undergrowth. She hoped she was heading back towards the Stargate; back towards where she had seen Rya'c fall. They had to stay together; had to find SG1.
The forest started to thin out and Cassie stumbled onwards. She eventually realised she was slowing without thought or intent; her body telling her that it needed rest. She stopped abruptly, all but falling to the ground. She slumped against a tree, using it as a back-rest. She was breathing heavily; her clothes soaked through with sweat. She swiped at her brow and her face. She shrugged out of the leather jacket, wincing as the movement jarred her wrist. She hunted with her good hand and drew out the pouch Vala had given her. She opened it and took out the healing device.
She tried to calm her breathing; taking deep breaths before she positioned it over her wrist and thought of Sam holding her in the bunker; promising not to leave her...
Warmth hit her wrist and Cassie gave a sigh even as she fought to keep her focus on the strength and love she'd felt wrapped up in Sam's embrace as a child.
The device winked out and she tested her wrist gingerly. It ached a little but it was OK. She carefully examined her head for any signs of an injury but nothing seemed particularly tender or egg-shaped. She had been lucky. She put the healing device back in the pouch but tied it instead to the belt on her jeans. She stripped her checked shirt off and tied it around her waist along with her jacket. Her vest top was a little on the skimpy side but it was too hot to wear anything on top of it. She would sell her soul for some water, Cassie thought wearily. Her water bottle was with the bag she had dropped; another reason to get up and get moving.
Cassie picked up the zat again and used the tree as leverage to get back to her feet. She ached everywhere and figured her body would be a multi-coloured hue of bruising by the next day. She glanced up at the sky. There were two suns beaming down at her from the cloudless azure expanse beyond the leafy trees. Two suns. That explained the heat.
She started walking.
Dragons. There were actual dragons. Cassie shook her head. She wondered if SG1 had known or if they had been surprised as she and Rya'c had been. Her heart skipped a beat.
Rya'c.
She hoped he was OK. He had fallen a long way down the hill but if she could fall out of the sky with minimal injuries, hopefully he had been able to survive his tumble with similar minor cuts and bruises. She didn't really want to contemplate any other scenario.
She shivered slightly despite the heat.
Where were SG1?
Had they been attacked by the dragon when they had arrived? Were they hiding from it? Were there more dragons? Worry filled her. She and Rya'c had barely survived their encounter with the dragon but surely SG1 would have been fine? They were trained; used to dangerous situations...
Focus on your own survival, Cassie instructed herself tiredly. Find Rya'c. Find the bags.
She had no idea how long she had been walking before her ears caught on the sound of running water. The small stream was a welcome sight. She knew she should probably test the water; purify it but she knew she really had no other choice and she was so thirsty. Her throat was raw. She stooped and cupped her hands. The feel of the cold water against her skin was blissful. She eagerly brought the water to her mouth and drank greedily. She forced herself to sip, remembering from some TV show that sipping was better than gulping. She drank her fill before she bathed her face and neck, using her shirt to dry off.
A sound in the bushes further along the bank caught her attention. She froze. Her heart began to beat unsteadily.
She inched forward carefully. A flash of blue-green shimmied in between the blades of grass. Something was hiding.
Cassie felt her mouth dry up. She should turn around and walk away as fast as she could, Cassie told herself. But the memory of hiding in the grass with monsters surrounding her drifted through her thoughts and stilled her step.
'Hey?' She called out gently. 'Is someone there?'
She took another step forward, trying to pretend that her breathing wasn't fast and that her heart wasn't beating out of her chest. She could do this, Cassie told herself briskly.
'Hey?' She tried again. 'It's OK.'
There was a rustle of grass as something moved again.
Cassie took another step forward and stretched out her hand as Teal'c had once done to her. 'You can come out. I won't hurt you. I promise.'
Another brief rustle and the grass parted. A miniature dragon crept forward on its belly a few steps before it sank completely to the ground. It was the size of a large dog; a baby. Green-blue whereas the monster who had attacked them at the Stargate had been a red-brown.
It whimpered.
Cassie could see the baby dragon had injured its wing. The delicate skin was ruptured along the edge of one bony structure. Her heart twisted with compassion. Was it an orphan? Or was it abandoned? Had it gotten lost from its parents? She should walk away, Cassie thought again. If its parents came looking for it...
She sighed.
It was a baby. And it needed help.
She drew out the Goa'uld healing device and took a step forward. 'I'm going to make it all better. I promise. Just...just stay still.' She positioned the device over the wing, watching to see if the dragon would attack, wary of the teeth that no doubt filled its mouth.
The amber light shot out and bathed the wing, mending the torn ligaments and skin; patching it back together. The light winked out and Cassie sat down heavily, blinking back the black dots in her vision.
'OK.' Cassie murmured out loud. 'Maybe that wasn't such a good idea what with the heat stroke and dehydration and hunger...not to mention the fall from the sky thanks to one of your grown-up friends. Did I mention falling out of the sky? I really didn't think that one through.'
The dragon inched forward and bumped her arm with its head. A wash of emotion filled Cassie; worry and gratitude.
Was that the dragon? Did it have empathy?
Cassie looked at it. 'You're really cute but I don't think Jack is going to let me keep you.' She swayed a little. 'I think I'm just going to pass out now.'
Her world went black.
