Grand Theft Lizard/Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

[mashimero]

Artist: sholio
Title: Grand Theft Lizard
Medium: hand-drawn artwork (ink and watercolor)
Pairing(s): none

Author: hollow_echos
Title: Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
Wordcount: ~16,000
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): none (gen)
Summary: It’s hard sometimes for a woman to speak her mind, harder still when it means speaking out against a friend and teammate. Teyla reaffirms what it means to be the only woman on an otherwise male team, and relearns the importance of communicating with her teammates.
Notes: Major props, as always, go out to rusting_roses for her beta-ing skills, and of course to sholio for creating the amazing piece of art that inspired this fic. I also need to thank all of the lovely women out there who reminded me of the importance of representing ourselves in our fiction. In many TV shows, women get the short end of the stick, and somehow, that found its way into my writing over the last few years where I’ve written almost exclusively male characters. This fic is for all of us women, and to remind us that we define our fandom, and it sure as hell better have a place for strong female characters.

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

Chapter 1 - First Contact

Teyla stepped through the gate on the heels of her teammates, weapon at the ready, the same way she held it every time they advanced across the galaxy to step foot on a world unknown to her people. She closed her eyes as she felt the familiar tingling feeling overcome her skin as the wormhole's energy rippled around her. This latest world brought the chance of great progress for the Atlantis expedition. Rumors on another world had pointed them in this direction, rumors of an advanced artifact of the Ancients; Rodney was hopeful it was a ZPM. It was hard not to get caught up in her teammate's enthusiasm, the man never lost hope that they would find one, even with all of the disappointments they had suffered on past missions.

She released the breath she had been holding, immediately opening her eyes and scanning back and forth. Her teammates were arranged in their typical formation, Sheppard on point with Ronon to his left. She stepped in on his right, her weapon at the ready. Rodney hung back behind them, alert to any potential danger from the rear, but also realizing the fighting was best left to the rest of them. His specialty lay elsewhere.

"Looks pretty quiet for once," Rodney muttered over the rustling of leaves on the trees.

"Rodney, shhh," Sheppard whispered back sharply. His eyes darted back and forth over the horizon, looking for any reaction or attack from the natives that Rodney's outburst might have brought down upon them.

A moment later the Colonel lowered his gun. Teyla followed suit. Ronon lowered the barrel of his weapon as well but kept it out of its holster, a finger resting lightly on the trigger.

"It looks clear," Sheppard added.

"Where to then?" Ronon asked.

The hill was bathed in a harsh red light; the sun just barely peaked over the horizon. Teyla followed the shadows cast by the trees standing to one side of the gate until her eyes settled on dirt path, well-worn into the hillside with repeated human visitors, "We should follow this," she said, nodding to the trail.

Sheppard muttered a concurring statement and led their procession down the hillside. The trip fell into an easy rhythm then, with Sheppard and McKay bantering about the latest jumper modifications Rodney was hoping to get in place before the month was out. Ronon maintained his typical silence, content to listen to the conversation between his friends while circulating his gaze over the landscape, wary of an attack. Teyla noted that his eyes kept dipping to the side, toward the forest that lined the path on one side. The thick foliage hid its interior from view. Teyla's feelings mirrored Ronon's own; it was perfect concealment for any individuals wishing to follow their advance toward the village.

But there was little she could do to settle her unease about their route of travel and the potential hazards it posed. The most she could do was keep a wary eye on their surroundings.

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One minute Rodney and John were chatting about hockey, one of the many obscure Earth sports Teyla didn't understand. A moment later they were silenced, spear tips resting inches from their neck. Ronon had attempted to fight two of the warriors off, only to find himself incapacitated when three of the warriors who had jumped to the ground from their mounts disarmed and disabled him. Some sort of nerve strike must have been delivered with calculated precision; Ronon had dropped to the ground in a heap, breathing heavily, helpless . A spear tip pointed at his chest had deterred him from making any movement even as his muscles began responding again.

Teyla had been the only one untouched. Rodney and Sheppard had been shuffled towards where Ronon still lay on the ground but the warriors guarding them still hadn't withdrawn their weapons. Two more faced her, still mounted on muscular reptiles. When neither of them spoke she filled the silence, speaking in a level tone, "What is the meaning of this unprovoked attack on my team?"

"You and your team trespass on sacred land. The provocation occurred the moment you defiled our land with your uninvited presence," one of them spoke as she swung a leg over her mount's shoulder and dropped to the ground. Though the soldier dropped the reins, the beast didn't move a step from its location.

Teyla took this in; the creatures were obviously well trained. If the warriors trained with one another as strictly as they controlled their mounts, they would be a formidable enemy indeed. "We have not come to fight. And any offense that we have caused was unintentional."

The warrior stepped out of the shadows cast by the trees and into the light. Teyla's mouth opened a bit - it was woman. She wore a pair of breeches, well-tailored for constant riding. The thick material would provide ample protection against her mount's scaly skin. Her hair was pulled back tightly against her head, out of her eyes if fighting should become necessary. Form-fitting, elaborately carved leather armor adorned her torso and creaked softly as she walked forward to approach Teyla. "Why have you come to our world?"

Sheppard didn't make any sudden movements; instead he said carefully, "We just want to chat. We've heard that you may be in possession of technology made by the same people who constructed the gates that connect the planets in this galaxy-"

The spear tip against the Colonel's neck was pressed a little harder. A bead of blood appeared and Sheppard took the message to heart, cutting off his statement mid-sentence.

The woman who stood before Teyla spoke again, "You will remain silent until you are asked to speak. I was addressing her, not you."

"Please," Teyla said in an attempt to ease the sudden tension that had erupted between them, "may we discuss this in a peaceful manner instead of with violence?"

The woman eyed Teyla with a careful eye, scanning her military uniform, the gun hanging from her vest, and the steadfast expression on her face. Teyla wasn't going to back down when her teammates were being threatened. She squared her shoulders firmly and she never looked away from the woman before her.

A moment later, the leader of the group spoke once more, "Fine. We will travel to our village to discuss this matter further. If you come in peace, as you claim, you will surrender all weapons to the members of my detachment."

Ronon tensed at that, "No."

Teyla sighed, throwing the man a glare, "We will comply with your request assuming that you will guarantee our safe passage and peaceful relations on the behalf of your people."

"Of course," the woman replied. She gave a shrill whistle and four more female soldiers came riding out of the brush in the woods. The others moved back from Sheppard, Ronon, and Rodney, giving them the opportunity to slowly rise to their feet.

One of the riders who had just emerged from the woods dismounted in a rapid movement and pulled a leather bag from her mount's harness. She walked forward and placed it open on the ground between Teyla and the unit leader, "You will deposit all of your weapons here. They will be returned to you on your departure from our lands."

Teyla unclipped her P-90 from her vest and gently placed it in the bag, quickly following it up with the three knives she was carrying. She looked up to meet the woman's steely gaze; the leader gave her a firm nod and moved back toward her own mount. The weapons were collected from the rest of her teammates, and a few minutes later they were moving along the trail once more. Teyla and her teammates were forced to move at a quick walk to keep up with the long strides of the women's reptilian mounts.

As they travelled, the path narrowed out to a thin trail along the spine of a mountain. To one side, a forest dotted with ancient spruce trees dominated the landscape. The other side leveled downward into a valley. If Teyla looked hard she could see small buildings far below, housing structures of some sort with people bustling about between them.

There was a snort to her side as one of the reptilian mounts shook its head; and the metal portions of its bridle jingled as it did so. The female leader of the group patted the animal on its shoulder before running a hand down the spines that projected from the ridge of its neck. The motion seemed to calm the animal; its eyelids drooped a bit as it relaxed into the pace of their journey.

Teyla watched the woman warily. She was intrigued by the nature of this uni . In all of her travels to the many worlds of this galaxy, never had she encountered an all-female combat group. The woman caught Teyla's stare. Her neutral expression melted into a small smile as she spoke, "You are curious, are you not?"

"Yes. Why are there no men serving under you?"

The woman gave a slight pull back on the reins, slowing her mount to a slower walk as she moved in a alongside Teyla, "It is the women of this world that have been tasked with guarding the gate gifted to us by our ancestors. The men serve in other capacities."

"It has always been this way?"

"It has always been the way of our people for generations," the woman replied, "And what of your world? The men there fight?"

Teyla threw a glance back over her shoulder at her teammates. They were walking about twenty paces back, flanked on each side by a mounted warrior, "Yes. Where we come from, men and women fight alongside one another against the Wraith and any other enemies we might encounter."

The woman mulled over this statement for a moment, "Interesting."

Teyla waited for the woman to speak further, but only silence followed. The woman gave a slight squeeze against her mount's side, prodding it forward into a trot. Teyla squinted as the pair kicked up dust and moved further ahead of them.

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Chapter 2 - Host’s Hospitality

Their party gradually wound their way around the edge of the canyon as the sun finished its descent behind the opposite ridge. Ahead of them, a faint glow ahead marked the end of their journey ; a wall rose before them, lit only by the torches suspended from lookout towers.

As they approached, a series of shouts passed between the mounted riders and the figures manning one of the lookouts. There was a flurry of activity and just as they approached the gates groaned, shuddered, and were slowly opened to either side to allow their entry. Teyla tried to make out the faces of the people staring down at them from the towers, but all she could see was the slight glint of their eyes. The rest of their features were bathed in shadow. She could, however, see the curvature of their chests; it betrayed the fact that they were also female.

The riders clumped into a loose circle, dismounting from their reptilian animals. They looped the reins over their companions' heads and passed them off to another set of women who stood ready to receive the animals and attend to the animals' needs.

Having completed that process, the gates were shut, and the procession moved forward into the village.

As they passed through a level, clean, street, Teyla amended that description. They passed a series of buildings with smooth walls and elaborate wooden doors. Each was decorated with banners depicting different animals. This was a well-organized, if small, city. It was a far cry from the hastily constructed villages she was used to.

A series of turns down different streets brought them to what appeared to be the largest structure in the city. The building rose three stories above them, with balconies and windows lining the white-washed structure on each level. They proceeded inside, down carpeted hallways, up a flight of stairs, and into what appeared to be their final destination. It was a large banquet room with a wooden table running a good length of the room's length. Chairs were neatly arranged on each side, and at the far end three sets of dishes had been laid out for a meal with what appeared to be a small feast arranged between them. The tiny arrangement seemed dwarfed by the giant table, but they proceeded to that end of the room nonetheless.

By now most of the warriors had gradually peeled off from the group. As it stood now, there were only four left, two Teyla recognized from the party that had originally intercepted them, the third was the female leader, and the fourth was a stranger to her.

The leader stepped forward and pointed to the arranged meal set-up, "My people have prepared food to supplicant your appetites after our journey."

McKay cleared his throat and spoke, "Uh, you might have gotten the math wrong there, there's four of us-"

Sheppard jabbed the scientist in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him and startling him into silence. The Colonel had learned that this group really wasn't fond of them speaking. He rubbed at the raw spot on his neck as the memory of his recent tangle with a spear tip resurfaced.

The woman seemed to let Rodney's statement slide, "The men will remain here and eat." She turned to Teyla then, "We would like you to dine with us tonight," she finished.

Sheppard shook his head, "We are a team, we don't split up, especially in a place we've never been."

Teyla addressed the female leader, "Perhaps we may eat here with my teammates and then you can show me the rest of your outpost and I may meet your women?"

The leader mulled over this thought for a moment and then nodded, "As you wish. I will have it arranged so that we may all eat here."

With that statement she sank into the chair at the head of the table. Teyla sat to the left of her and the men filled in around here, Ronon at her side and McKay and Sheppard across the table from her.

"Now if you would like, please partake of our food and tell me of your world."

Teyla smiled as McKay picked up his fork and pulled a large piece of meat onto his plate. Some things in life, like Rodney's appetite, could always be depended upon.

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The meal progressed without a hitch; the woman finally introduced herself as they began eating. Her name was Kora and she was the second in command only to the matriarch herself here at the outpost. She soaked up all of the information that they told her of Atlantis and their plight here in this galaxy since arriving a few years ago.

Eventually her questions tapered off and Kora let them pick the topics of conversation. Teyla spent much of the meal analyzing the woman before her. She was insatiably curious about this outpost; never before had she encountered a setting where woman ran their own affairs without men present to put in their word. But she remained politely quiet on her questions, content to ask them later when she and Kora were granted the opportunity to talk in private.

Midway through the meal Sheppard brought up the one topic she had no issue to dwell upon. What had begun as an explanation of the cooperation between the Athosians and the Atlantis expedition ended up as Sheppard expressing his excitement about some of the Athosian men that would soon begin training to join their military operations.

Teyla looked away from him at that, instead busying herself with picking at the food on her plate. She had her reservations about such a joint venture. She thought of how their culture was already suffering to remain independent of the Earth culture that was constantly impeding upon it. It wasn't something that the expedition purposely did; it was more a byproduct of the constant exchanges taking place between their peoples. But that didn't mean Teyla didn't inwardly cringe when the young boys of her village chose to engage in a round of football on the banks of the river instead of the native games that she herself had taught many of them as they were first beginning to walk.

Every exchange that drew their two peoples closer was also a smaller bit of her culture being chipped away. There used to be annual field-clearing days where the men would attach thick ropes to trees and drag them from the ground one by one to make room for planning new crops. The women would roast fish and prepare an elaborate feast to share with the men after they returned from the fields. By lantern light the men would share tales of the young boys groaning of splintered hands and blisters, or almost falling over as they tried to lift an axe far too heavy for them to swing. Last year had marked a significantly different occasion. Elizabeth had offered dynamite to blow the trees off their roots, and jumpers to help move the debris from the fields. A day that used to be marked by celebration amongst her people was now just another work day, interrupted by the occasional blast that shook the ground and the jumpers that flew overhead with logs chained to their underbelly. Seeing a cultural celebration that had been passed down for generations disappear so easily and without protest from anyone, well that realization had rattled her more than the jarring of the earth beneath her feet with each thunderous explosion.

The Lanteans offered much in the order of technology, but each bit that her people accepted meant a bit of their own way of life that was lost. She had meant to discuss her concerns with Sheppard, but it had been his idea and every time she tried to draw him aside to talk he seemed to be rushing to clear more sleeping quarters for the Athosian men that would arrive in a few days or planning training exercises for them.

So she had gone quiet on the issue, and Sheppard had assumed she was excited as she was about this development.

As Sheppard continued providing the outpost leader with this explanation, Teyla tried to tune them out. In throwing a glance at the woman, she noticed that the outpost leader met her with a stern expression and piercing eyes. There almost seemed to be anger in Kora's eyes. Over what, Teyla wasn't sure. But it was the one emotion that had shown through the woman's otherwise cool exterior.

Her mouth narrowed into a thin line and when she next spoke, it was to end the meal. She dismissed herself and invited Teyla to join her for a tour of the outpost. The men were to be escorted to their quarters for the evening.

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Chapter 3 - History Lessons

Kora led Teyla through a maze-like route through the city. From what Teyla could see from the streets she'd been led through, the outpost had been well-planned in its design phase. The streets were all uniform width and clear of debris. Few buildings were in disrepair, indeed, the few areas she could see for improvement were largely simple repairs, brick work beginning to crack. But even for these, in several areas, the presence of scaffolding suggested that active repairs were being carried out.

Kora had stopped briefly a few times along the way to chat with women out on patrol, but beyond that she was content to let Teyla soak up the atmosphere for herself. Teyla continued to examine the cityscape around her, noticing subtle changes in the architecture. Larger buildings with two or three stories eventually gave rise to shorter, one level structures with lower roofs.

Kora led them toward one such structure and Teyla was immediately hit by the scent of livestock. Many of the expedition members and even some of her teammates found the scent foreign and discomforting. She breathed in deeply. For her, it was different from the forest smell that accompanied her own village, but she had smelled it often enough to have become accustomed to it. Indeed, in this galaxy, the use of technology was unusual; the Wraith usually suppressed and harshly punished any society that advanced beyond simple tools. Livestock provided invaluable services for the descendents of the Ancestors, from serving as a source of food to providing a means of transportation.

"These are the stables, are they not?" Teyla addressed Kora.

The woman nodded, "This is where we stable our mounts." Kora removed a bar from a set of large double doors, easily wide enough to allow several of the large reptilian beasts to pass through abreast, and led the way into the barn.

Stalls lined both sides of the corridor and almost half were filled with animals. A few slumbered standing, one or two were comfortable enough in their surroundings to lie down in the straw. A few others peeked their heads out of their individual stalls to examine their late night visitors.

Teyla observed a shift in Kora's demeanor, the strain in her shoulders was less pronounced and her movements were less stiff, and realized that this was a place she felt at home. Kora crossed the distance to one of the stalls and raised a hand to stroke the forehead of one of the animals that had stuck her head out into the aisle, "This is Pollona. She is my mount."

Teyla raised a hand out toward the animal, "May I?" she asked.

Kora nodded, "She's friendly to anyone she thinks might feed her," she said, chuckling.

Teyla ran a hand over Pollona's scaly forehead. The reptile leaned forward to increase the pressure between Teyla's hand and her forehead and chuffed softly, enjoying the scratching motion. "It is a female?"

"Yes, all of the mounts we utilize here are females. Much like you found in our own species, the males are somewhat unruly. We let them roam the valley wild and they mate with our female stock to produce new young every year."

"You could not train the males?"

Kora shrugged, "Perhaps we could, but it has always been tradition to use the mares. It fits in with our philosophy here."

"And what philosophy is that?"

Kora sat down on a bale of hay next to the stall, raising her hand to pat her companion's neck as it lowered its head to sniff her, "Men have their place and their purpose in every society, the difference here is that women have a say in what that role will be. In so many societies, women are not treated fairly. You get degrees, of course, in some more primitive societies women are property. In others, they run the household. But in too many communities, the man believes his rightful position is in front of his wife and expects her to follow submissively in his shadow."

"You keep no men here though," Teyla noted.

Kora nodded, "Men are not permitted in our outpost. They do, of course, live in other communities on this planet. In fact, this is one of only three such communities run exclusively by women."

"What purpose do these communities serve?"

"We police the regions around the gate. Our society here is largely fragmented between many warlords, all of whom would wish to possess the gate."

Teyla pondered over this for a moment, "Whoever controls the gate would control all traffic to and from your world."

"It was like that for too many years. One of the warlords was killed in one such battle over the gate. With no heirs, his wife was in control of his estate for a time. She campaigned long and hard, but eventually got the other warlords to sign on to the establishment of our outposts. We've been tasked with policing the area ever since."

"How long have these communities existed?" Teyla asked, curious to hear more of how such a unique institution came into existence.

"Three generations or so."

"And the warlords or their men never questioned the idea of an all-female guard?"

Kora chuckled, "Our founder was smart. She requested three seasons to build these outposts and train individuals for the job. By time the other warlords came to inspect the progress, all were staffed by women and had successfully managed gate traffic for almost a full year. It would've been a little hard pressed for them to successfully lobby to modify a system that was working so well."

"It still seems strange that they would go along so willingly. On many worlds I have visited, men object to the idea that a woman may be capable of raising a sword as well as they do, perhaps even better if they put their mind to it."

Kora smiled, "A keen observation. In truth, I imagine that the warlords were loathe to lose some of their own men to serve at these outposts; they were already put to use in their own armies. But to sacrifice what they considered to be useless housewives, well, it seemed not to bother them at all."

Teyla nodded. That sounded more believable. She ran an eye over Kora's muscular arms, recalling the precision with which she and her female guard had handled their mounts and weapons. "I do believe those men lost some of their most valuable assets. From what I have witnessed, your women are far from witless. May we now discuss the possibility of your people possessing a ZPM? It is a piece of Ancient technology most valuable to my team and me," Teyla said.

Kora gave her a hard gaze, "I have no knowledge of any Ancient technology that my people may possess. If anyone were to know, it would be our matriarch, since she communicates with all of the warlords on a regular basis. She would've heard of such strange technology if it were to exist on our world."

"Can we request a presence with this matriarch?"

Kora thought about that for a moment, continuing to run a hand along Pollona's neck, "She does not agree to meet with outsiders unless they can demonstrate their own worth as warriors."

Teyla perked up at this, glad that there might be an opportunity for something here yet. "My team and I would be willing to accept a conditional test to meet with your leader, if that is what you are proposing."

Kora nodded, "There is already one in place, it involves going down to the valley and capturing one of the mounts that runs in our herd there and bringing it back successfully."

"Are they feral?"

"Only the alpha male and the colts and fillies born this season. The mares are all brought to our stable in their second years to be trained to serve as combat mounts.

"Would this be allall my teammates and I would be required to do to gain an audience with your matriarch to discuss the rumors we've heard of a ZPM on this planet?"

Kora patted Pollona's neck and stood up, brushing the hay off her breeches, "It would be a challenge that you would complete alone. Males are not permitted to participate in such challenges; they do not handle any of our mounts or breeding stock."

Teyla stepped to follow Kora as she led the way out of the stable, "I would need to discuss it with my teammates, but I believe such an arrangement could be made. We desire very much to meet your matriarch."

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"No, Teyla. End of story," Sheppard said, addressing her over Kora's proposition.

Teyla sighed and started to argue again, "Can you at least consider for a moment that this may be our only chance at obtaining a ZPM?"

Sheppard shook his head, "We are a team, we don't split up, especially in a place we've never been. I don't want anything to happen to you while we're not there to watch your back."

Teyla took a step toward him, "And we are all trained in ways to protect ourselves. I will be fine, John. Remain here with Ronon and McKay and I'll be back in a few hours."

"My answer's the same, Teyla. Risking your safety to make you jump through some hoops that these backwards people have, I'm not going to allow it."

"I may be on your team, but you do not speak for me, Sheppard. This is as much my decision as it is yours."

Sheppard growled, "As long as you are on my team, we make decisions as a team. That means consensus for any situation that's going to pose a risk to any one of us."

"And what of all the times you decide to go in and rescue one of us when we've been captured or threatened? I can recall a number of times you've done so without for a moment considering whether we would consider it an acceptable risk to your own person to take such brash action!"

"Different circumstances, Teyla. Each and every one of those times your lives were in danger. As a team we stick together, that means never leaving one another behind, or letting them go off on some unknown mission alone."

Teyla pursed her lips; Sheppard was being such a hypocrite. As long as it was his neck on the line, he was totally ok with risking everything for a small chance. But when it came to him letting others make the same demonstrations, he flat out refused.

"The circumstances are exactly the same. You are simply not willing to risk anything if it's not your own life."

Sheppard had finished oiling his gun and reassembling it. He set it on the table with more force than was necessary. "The answer's no, Teyla. I'll set Ronon outside your door tonight to make sure you don't accept this stupid challenge if I have to. If these people don't want to negotiate, we'll pack it in and head back to Atlantis tomorrow. We've wasted enough time on these people already when we could be pursuing other possibilities for ZPM's."

Teyla narrowed her eyes at him, but knew that Sheppard was in one of his moods where he wasn't going to listen to reason. It would be best for her to retire to her room rather than waste more time making no headway. Without another word she turned and stalked out of the room.

Sheppard shook his head, blew out his lamp, and turned in for a few hours of sleep before the trek back to the gate in the morning.

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Teyla cracked her door open and poked her head out into the hallway. Luckily it seemed Sheppard hadn't followed through on his threat to post someone outside her door. She slinked along the hallway and ducked into Sheppard's room. The details of the dark room were hard to make out with only the moonlight streaming through the window to guide her, but she navigated over to his bed without too much difficulty.

His gun sat on the bed stand, fully assembled and within his arm's reach should he have sudden need of it. Teyla grimaced as she reached a hand down for it. On the one hand, she felt uncomfortable stealing from her friend, even if she intended to return the weapon, on the other hand, she knew that she needed a real weapon if she was going to try this challenge. Despite what Sheppard claimed, it was worth it to her to try capturing a mount, as well as well worth the risk. Unfortunately, the female guards had refused her request to have her firearm returned. This small one that Sheppard had managed to conceal was the only gun she could possibly gain access to. She fully acknowledged that there was risk involved in accepting a challenge going in so blindly, and therefore she wanted to be prepared to defend herself should the need arise.

With a sigh, she snatched the gun off the desk, deposited a small item on the table, and slipped back out into the hallway. Teyla quickly descended the stairs, exited through the front of the building, and jogged toward the stable where Kora had agreed to meet her to prepare for the challenge.

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Chapter 4 - Complications

Teyla strode forward through the barn door as it was opened before her, swallowing when it was promptly shut and barred behind her. The city was eerily quiet this late. Many windows were shuttered, and the ones that were open were mostly dark. As she craned her neck to look down some of the side streets, she saw only one shadow dancing behind a sheer curtain, a flame flickering behind the veil. The fine dirt beneath her feet softened her footsteps to a barely audible level.

The scenery didn't change until the narrow side street she had been following dead-ended into a much wider road. Along this one, torches were spaced at even intervals on either side. She slid a hand unconsciously down closer to where her weapons hung off her belt as she advanced into the open road, quickly looking either direction. She saw the main gate further down in one direction and quickened her pace in that direction. As she approached the gates, the two female guards who had been standing there chatting quieted their voices and rose to their feet, spears in hand.

But seeing her outfit, the breeches, the bridle and rope she carried over one of her shoulders, their stiff postures eased a bit. It was an outfit they knew. The expression Teyla wore on her face was another one familiar to them. It was the look of a woman with purpose. Their eyes continued to track her movement, and as she drew nearer one gave a hand signal to the woman in the tower above. There was a series of creaking noises as the bolts on the gate were withdrawn, exposing the open plains beyond.

The women didn't speak; they simply watched Teyla pass in silence. She strode through the gate, taking a deep breath as the doors started to creak shut behind her. And though she couldn't swear to it truly, she thought she heard a faint whisper from behind her, "Luck be with you, sister."

Teyla broke into a loose jog as she reached the edge of the outpost's mark on the landscape. The light provided by the torches faded along the ground until the faint glimmer provided by a full moon was all that guided her. The temperature had dropped since they arrived, she noted. As she left, grayish clouds were encroaching over an otherwise open sky.

She halted as she reached the first fork in the road, one leading up onto the spine of the mountain ridge and back toward the gate, the other descending downward into the valley. She looked up at the ridge once, her gaze passing over the full moon that hung high in the sky in that direction. And then she took a step onto the lower road, as instructed by Kora, each step drawing her closer to her challenge.

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A tight grip settled on Sheppard's shoulder and shook him awake, "Sheppard, we have a problem."

The Colonel blinked his eyes a few times before sitting up and facing the man, "Ronon, what's going on?"

"Teyla's gone. I just checked her room."

"Of all the stupid things! How long has she been gone?" he asked as he focused his gaze on Ronon in the dark room.

Ronon shrugged, "Don't know, I was sleeping. Woke up with some commotion on the street, it sounded like a pair of guards going by. I thought I'd just check on everyone. McKay's sleeping, but Teyla's bed is empty."

Sheppard scowled and scrubbed at his eyes to clear the specks from his vision, "You sure she's not in the building?"

"I already checked. She's not here."

"I'm guessing she's gone to pursue this challenge. There was something about capturing one of those reptilian beasts. We'll have to go after her."

Ronon nodded, and Sheppard noticed that the man was fully geared up for a mission, "I'll go."

"We'll all go. Or at least you and me, I don't know how much use McKay'll be."

"That won't work, they have guards on the street every few minutes. They'll notice a pair of people moving a lot easier than just one. I'll find her, Sheppard. I promise."

Sheppard thought it over, looking for any options that would allow them both to go, "Sound's like that's the only option and you're much better at tracking than I am. Go, and don't get caught."

Ronon nodded again. "What'll you do?"

"Sit here and worry, what else? Maybe clean my gun again I guess," he said, groping around on the table for the familiar handgrip. A puzzled expression crossed his face as he did so, "It's not here." His fingers brushed over something metallic and he picked it up. "This is one of her bracelets. Teyla took my gun!"

Ronon shrugged, "Better have it with her so she has a weapon instead of nothing."

Sheppard shook his head, "Guess I'll just sit here and wait then. Go on and find her, and be careful," Sheppard added, "It's bad enough Teyla's out there alone tonight. Don't make this any more hazardous than it needs to be."

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The land had leveled out eventually, leaving her in the bottom of the bowl-shaped valley, its slopes rising up to either side of her. There were no trees in this area, just an endless field of knee-high grass. The plants rippled with the slight breeze, giving the scenery the appearance of a large, undulating, green ocean. The trail continued on along the edge of the valley, but she knew the mindset of semi-feral animals well enough to be confident that they wouldn't be found near anything smelling of human if given the opportunity. And with that thought, she broke off from the path, the grass rustling in response to her movements.

As she walked, she continuously kept on the lookout for anything moving, or anything making a sound. It was still too quiet, too silent, even for a natural setting. She was used to being ensconced in the sounds of her village on the mainland, the sounds of children whispering secrets amongst one another when they should be sleeping, the sound of a man walking through the village on a sleepless night. And even in the forest when she was out on her own, there was the sound of the insects, of the nocturnal animals emerging from their burrows to reign over the land under cover of darkness without fear of predator.

But this...no insects, no murmuring younglings, just silence save the slight brushing noise of plant against plant as she moved.

The noise was almost too loud, then. In a land blanketed in silence, any noise sounded like a shout echoing across the valley and reverberating off the walls. So when she heard a hiss of an animal, she ducked lower in the grass and crept in that direction. And ahead, in the faint moonlight, figures rose out of the grass.

It was a herd of the reptilian mounts that the female warriors of this village rode. This was the band she had been tasked to find, each animal wore a leather harness that followed the curvature of their shoulders down to meet at their chest before looping back between their legs to secure it firmly to each animal's body.

She surveyed the band, observing that there were ten to fifteen of them clustered in a loose group. A few lay in the grass, legs folded beneath them and their long, leathery tails tucked against their side. A few others stood, ambling quietly, snuffing the ground here and there in the search for the perfect plant to sate their appetite.

Teyla couldn't help but let a soft smile grace her lips as she noticed a pair of much smaller creatures running between the slumbering adults, nipping at one another's tails and hind legs as they cantered around in pursuit of each other. Play wasn't just an activity that young humans engaged in. These two rascals were as well on their way toward annoying sleepless parents as the children of her village.

Teyla pulled the lead rope, miscellaneous equipment, and bridle from her shoulder, untangling them from one another as she laid them out on the ground. She then turned her attention back to the herd, contemplating which to try to capture. They all looked relatively similar in coloring, ranging from a deep emerald green to a pale green with flecks of brown.

And suddenly there was a shriek from behind her, the sound repeating in echo as it spread through the valley. Teyla immediately turned, dropping into a familiar warrior's stance. She pulled her fighting sticks from her belt, the one set of weapons the women hadn't confiscated, and turned to face whatever had caused such a gruesome noise. As she narrowed in on the perpetrator of the cry, worry flicked across her face before disappearing beneath a calmer, focused demeanor.

The beast before her stood at least a full arm's length above the other herd mates. Lined up side by side, the animal's shoulders would've stopped just a few inches shy of her nose. And as she looked a bit closer, she realized why this one appeared so much different. It was the male, the one she had been warned to avoid at all costs. The reptile's slitted eyes were focused on her in a narrow gaze. Its tail whipped back and forth aggressively behind it and from where it stood across the meadow. It pawed the ground with its clawed front feet a few times. And then it shrieked again, louder this time.

There was a commotion behind her and she dared to turn her attention from the animal for just a second. All of the animals from the herd were on their feet, huddled in a tight group. The young ones were pressed up solidly against the bodies of what she assumed to be their mothers. And then a non-verbal cue must have been leveled at them by the red one before her because a second later the whole herd galloped off in another direction, a thunderous cacophony accompanying their retreat toward the other end of the valley as each footfall of each animal blended together.

The male shook his head a few times and bared his teeth. She could see the puffs of midst floating from his nostrils with each frustrated exhalation he made. Then the beast's dominance display ended as it went rigidly still, its tail rose higher in the air, level with his back. It lowered its head, reared back once, and then its powerful muscles propelled it forward as it charged toward her, teeth bared.

Teyla felt the vibrations of the animal's weight pounding on the ground and knew that her sticks would do little against it. She also knew she couldn't shoot and kill it. This whole herd depended on this animal for protection and leadership year round. So she did the only thing should could think of, she turned and ran.

The animal's pursuit drove her deeper into the valley, into territory she knew nothing about. Ideal circumstances would've allowed for a retreat from the direction she had entered the valley from, at least then she would know that she was following a path that had the opportunity of escape. For all she knew of the land ahead of her, she could end up trapped against the base of a cliff.

With a snort from behind her she quickened her pace, gracefully dipping around boulders arranged at random across the valley floor. The grass whispered as she flew past. Air burned her lungs with each breath, she was in excellent shape, but trying to outrun a four-legged animal twice her size didn't give her the best odds. She threw a look backwards look to see where the reptile was behind her. Her breath hitched for a moment, it stretched its neck toward her and snapped its teeth at her. It missed by only a foot or so.

With renewed purpose she pounded forward at an even faster pace, although her grip on the ground gave way a bit as the terrain changed and the soft dirt became slippery, fine pebbles. She danced a pace or two to regain her balance at the abrupt change and looked ahead. There was a wide, shallow river just paces ahead. The water wound lazily along within the banks of the river and a few trees lined the edges. She curved her path alongside the river until she reached the base of one such tree and leapt upwards, tightly gripping one of the lower branches. The bark scraped against her hands as she took advantage of her forward momentum to swing upwards where she wrapped her legs around another limb. The reptile below her screeched again and reared up on his hind legs, trying to nip at her.

Teyla quickly righted herself in the tree and scrambled a few branches higher to where she thought she'd be safe from the reptile's pursuit assuming it couldn't climb. That she would have to hope was true. The animal paced around the tree below, occasionally disrupting his angry glare at her to shake its head in frustration.

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Chapter 5 - Solo Missions

Teyla watched the reptile continue to circle as it had for the past thirty minutes. It didn't seem to be losing interest in her at all, she thought as she took note of the trail that the animal was wearing into a circle around the tree as he kicked stones away with every few steps, exposing the bare dirt beneath in a loose ring around the tree.

She tried to shake some feeling into her cramped legs. Her position in the tree didn't provide much accommodation for the time she had spent perched in her uncomfortable position. She cracked her toes and stretched each of her limbs, breathing deeply as she did while meditating.

And when the male animal below her looked away for a moment at its widest part of its circuit she dropped down into the water below. The animal hissed and turned sharply at the splashing noise. She swung her rope in the air, holding the rope at its center. The two stones tied to either end of the rope pulled against her arm muscles with each swinging motion she made. As the animal charged toward her again, she focused her gaze on its blurring legs and let the device fly.

The two stones, now let loose of their arc, flew out parallel to one another to either side of the animal's front legs. The rope stopped against the beast's legs, drawing the stones back toward one another. They twisted together several times in a tight knot as if they were a pair of courting insects caught mid-dance.

The rope tightened around the reptile's front legs, and its progress toward her halted as the animal faltered and tripped, falling hard to the earth on its side.

Teyla didn't let the momentary halt in the animal's attack distract her. She immediately uncoiled the lead rope from her shoulder. She knotted one end around a thick tree branch before gripping the clasp on the other end in her hand.

She watched the animal warily. It was thrashing its front and back legs, trying to regain its balance to no avail. She eyed the animal's harness. It was poorly kept, green mold growing on parts of it. It was a far cry from the well-polished leather harnesses the other female animals in the herd had worn. Part of her questioned whether the women of this land had been unable to approach the animal to perform upkeep on the harness. She could imagine the difficulty they might encounter in trapping it.

"Easy," she muttered softly, trying to soothe the animal's panic. She approached it from the rear, out of its line of sight from where she stood in the river.

When she was within a foot of the animal she reached down for one of the metal loops on the harness and snapped the rope's clasp to it firmly. She tugged on it once to check that the connection would hold.

The animal arched its back at the sudden disturbance, rolling over and clawing at the air. Teyla tried to recoil away, but as she retreated she let out a harsh cry. She felt the weight of a clawed foot connecting solidly with her thigh and she was thrown backwards by the blow.

She landed with a splash and her hands flew to her injured leg as she rolled away a few times to get out of the animal's range where it might kick her again.

The water wasn't deep where she landed, and standing it would've been only up to her ankles. But laying there in the muddy water was a different issue entirely. The water seeped in through her clothing, the cold nestling up against her skin to compound her pain with further discomfort.

She took a few haggard breaths before she worked up the willpower to check the damage. She gingerly lowered a hand to her leg toward the site where the beast's blow had connected. She ran her hand along the tear in her leather breeches to the region of skin below. A hiss escaped her mouth as she did so.

There was a long, shallow gash where the animal's claws had raked along her skin. The area around that was already swelling. But beyond that, nothing seemed broken as far as she could tell. She was just extremely sore.

Teyla dragged her body backwards using her arms and good leg to propel her along the muddy river bottom and up onto the rocks lining the river.

"Teyla! Are you alright?" a gruff voice shouted from the other side of the river. There was a scuttling of boots on loose rocks and she squinted to try to make out who it was in the faint moonlight.

The shadowy dreadlocks caught the moonlight and all fear at the presence of a stranger faded, "Ronon," she responded.

There was a series of splashes as her teammate crossed the river and knelt down by her side, examining the damage. "You're hurt..."

She shook her head, "It's not too bad," she said as she looked past Ronon and at the animal that was still thrashing its front legs. The bindings of the rope around its limbs seemed to have loosened. With a few more shakes he had one front leg free. The reptile grunted once, rolled into an upright position, and quickly rose to its feet.

As the beast did so, Teyla flinched.

Ronon growled and whipped his weapon from its holster. It whined to life as his finger tightened around the trigger and he pointed it at the animal.

"Ronon, stop!" Teyla demanded.

He ignored her, focusing all of his attention on the animal that had injured her.

Teyla narrowed her gaze dangerously before pressing the weapon downward with her right hand, "A whole herd depends on this animal, Ronon. You cannot shoot it."

He switched his gaze back over to her and begrudgingly lowered it, "How bad is it?" he asked, trying to examine her injury.

"I've had worse," she responded.

"That doesn't make it ok," Ronon said.

He knelt down, draping one arm behind her back and the other beneath her legs as if to pick her up. Teyla went rigid at this and pulled herself away, "You can't help."

"What?" he asked.

"I am participating in a rite of passage at the bequest of these people, it requires that I complete this task alone," Teyla spoke firmly.

"You're hurt," he argued back with just two words. He never had been one for lengthy conversations.

"Ronon, you've told me of the sacred rituals that were unique to your people. What I am doing here, it means just as much as these people. I will not defile their beliefs," she said.

Ronon shook his head. "I don't like it."

"You don't have to," Teyla said calmly, "But you do have to respect the wishes of a teammate."

"Beckett's going to bitch about this," Ronon said.

Teyla smiled at the thought. Yes, he most definitely would revolt at hearing Ronon had left her out here injured, "Picking up new vocabulary from Sheppard?" she asked instead.

Ronon shrugged, a small smirk playing across his face, "A little hard not to, since he uses the phrase often enough. It seemed appropriate for this situation."

She let out a chuckle."I suppose it does."

Ronon bent forward, lowering a hand to the injury site, fingers gently probing. "How bad is it?"

She winced as he brushed the gash with his fingers, but she quickly buried it behind a neutral expression. "I can make it back."

Ronon sighed before brushing a few water droplets off his pants and walking over toward where something metal caught the glint of the moonlight on the riverbank. He picked up the item and returned to Teyla, setting it in her hand, "Keep this with you," he said as he returned Sheppard's weapon to her.

She had almost forgotten about that; she'd dropped it on the bank before darting into the river in an attempt to avoid getting it wet. She nodded as her hand closed around the handle. "I will."

Ronon nodded. "Use it if you need to. Don't let your desire to placate these people outweigh your own safety."

She nodded again as she began to roll over and climb to her feet. She ignored the hand Ronon had extended toward her to assist her. She would do this alone, as tasked by the people of this land. She hopped a few times to settle her balance evenly between her two legs. It was a bit awkward as she worked to keep most of the weight off of the injured one.

Ronon sighed again, displeased. "You sure about this?"

"Yes."

The man gave her another skeptical look but nodded again, his dreadlocks bobbing with the motion. "Ok. You have till sunrise to get back to the outpost. After that, Sheppard, Rodney and I come out here for you and take you home regardless of what traditions we're violating."

"Fair enough," she responded. If she hadn't made it back to the outpost on her own by then, chances are she wasn't going to make it without assistance.

Teyla looked over to where the reptile was pulling against the rope tethering him to the tree. His claws scraped against the rocks as he did so and the tree bowed slightly toward the river with his forceful effort. He let out a low growl in their general directly before turning his head to the valley behind them and belting out a loud screech. When the cry cut out he went back to freeing himself. He'd managed to shake free the bindings from his front legs and now closed the leather lead in his mouth, grinding it between his teeth with a sawing motion.

"He's going to cut through that eventually," Ronon commented as he watched the proceedings.

"I'll be gone from here by that time," Teyla responded.

"You hope," Ronon said, worry bleeding into his voice. He made eye contact with Teyla one more time and then walked past the animal and toward the trail that would lead him out of the valley and back to the village.

As he passed the animal, he pulled his weapon from his holster and fired before Teyla had a chance to object. The beast fell to the earth again, this time unmoving.

"Ronon!" she shouted in protest.

Ronon looked back, "I stunned it. He'll be up and chewing through that rope in under an hour. Be out of the valley by then, Teyla" he said resolutely.

"I will," she said.

With that affirmation, Ronon began moving away, loping off until his shadow faded into the night and Teyla was left in solitude once more.

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Chapter 6 - Capture

Teyla spun in a slow circle, looking for the bridle she had discarded on her descent into the water. Something on the river bank caught the glint of the moonlight and she slowly hobbled toward it, all the while keeping one eye on the alpha male of the herd. She'd taken more than twenty minutes trying to locate the bridle, knowing she would need it to finish her task. In that time, the alpha male had passed from unconsciousness, to a confused state, to full awareness at which time he had recommenced chewing on the lead.

He paused in his ministrations long enough to glare at her and flare his nostrils before flicking his tail in frustration and returning to grinding his teeth on the leather rope that tethered him to the tree.

She winced as she bent over to pick up the bridle from the ground, her bad leg taking some of the weight as she did so. She ran a finger along the smooth mouth piece that had allowed her to spot it. Her fingers stilled as there was a rustling from behind her and then a skittering of feet on stone.

She craned her neck over her shoulder at where the animal was tethered to the tree. Seeing that it hadn't escaped, her brow furrowed. What had caused the audible disturbance?

There was a splash behind her then, again causing her to shift her gaze, this time directly in front of her. A small, four-legged shape skittered beneath the tree, bathed in shadow so that she couldn't see what it was. As the first darted forward into the water, a second, slightly larger one followed closely behind it. As the pair of figures emerged from beneath the tree, the moonlight cascaded over their scales, and filled out their features.

She smiled at the young pair of reptiles that she had seen earlier with the herd. They were still as frisky as ever, this time the larger one in pursuit pounced onto the other, plunging them both sideways into the water.

The smaller one let out a high-pitched squeal and began struggling to recover from his position splayed in the water. As it got all four feet beneath its body it shook its head a few times, shedding water droplets with each movement. It stood there for a pause as if unsure of what to do next, before bounding toward the river bank. The larger one let out a huff of air before chasing after it.

If the young ones were here, the rest of the herd couldn't be far behind. No mother would willingly let their offspring out of their sight, especially in this wild setting. She wasn't sure what, if any, predators were found on this world, but she knew better to expect that none existed. Furred hides had been tanned and hung to decorate the hallways in the outpost building they had eaten in. The hides had been grey and thick and large. The animals that had produced such coats weren't necessarily friendly.

The male of the herd snorted again, causing Teyla to look in his direction. Three mares were gathered around him. One stood nose to nose with the alpha male and they greeted each other with familiar scents. The other two stood a little to the side, watching the proceedings as Teyla herself was. The rest of the herd stood further back behind the line that separated the bedrock of the river bank from the grassland. All were completely alert; ears pricked forward, eyes on Teyla or their male leader. Gone was the ease with which they had grazed and relaxed in the meadow earlier.

Silence hung in the air, broken only by the jingle of the metal bits on the animals' harnesses and the rustling of plants on the wind. Teyla tucked Sheppard's gun through her belt, hefted the bridle into her hands, and moved forward toward the ones standing in the grass.

A few of the animals retreated as she advanced, but a few of the more brave ones stayed rooted in place. She saw their muscles tense beneath their scaly flesh; preparing to attack forward or retreat at a moment's notice should she prove to be a threat.

Teyla attempted to shake the jerky movements from her hobbling. She forced her complaining leg to comply and smooth out her motions to something resembling a normal walk. Perhaps a smoother gait would startle the herd members less.

She closed the distance between herself and the herd members along the meadow's edge. She eyed them critically, trying to select a candidate to attempt to capture. Part of her had to question the tameness of this herd.

When receiving her task, she had been assured that the animals were trained and would be willingly led and ridden back to the village should she successfully capture one. But these animals couldn't help but be half wild, living out here on their own without regular human contact. She saw that reflected in their eyes, in the way they shifted their weight from foot to foot nervously.

"Easy, girls," she soothed as she approached.

One snorted sharply and danced a few steps backwards as she closed the gap. A few steps closer and she'd be able to take a stab at capturing one of them.

Another step forward found two raising their heads into the air. The male let out another loud screech before returning to chewing on his lead with renewed vigor. A murmur rippled through the herd in the form of nervous gestures. The young ones had returned to their mothers' sides, peeking out from behind them to get a glimpse of her.

"Shhh," Teyla whispered softly, again hoping to ease their nerves. Having moved close enough, she paused, slowly reaching for the reins of the bridle. She'd lost her lead and her hobbles toward restraining the male and this was the only piece of equipment she had left.

With movements honed through hours of practice with her fighting sticks every day her movements became liquid and rapid as she slid up next to the closest mare, looping the reins over its head and pulling them tight in her fist.

The animal tried to rear upwards but she held fast, leaning backward to ground herself against the animal's sudden movement. It thrashed its head back and forth and tried to turn to nip at her but a sharp pull on the reins downward disrupted the attack enough to allow her to move out of its path. As the animal pranced in a jerky circle she kept her body in close against its side, reins drawn taut to avoid losing the animal. This was the one chance she would have tonight.

The rest of the herd was already retreating in the other direction.

As she watched them fade into the distance, the female gradually stopped attempting to follow the rest of her band. She instead slowed her struggles, ending her protest with a grunt before lowering her head. Teyla loosened the strain in her shoulder muscles that had worked to restrain the animal and freed one hand from the tangled knot of rein to pat the animal gently on the neck.

The animal turned its head to sniff her arm before flicking an ear at her. It was like someone had flipped a switch and all of a sudden the animal had gone completely docile. She quickly pulled the rest of the bridle from where it hung over her shoulder and went to lower it over the animal's head. The mare didn't move as Teyla did so. Teyla cautiously put a finger in the corner of the animal's mouth and applied a light pressure. The reptile opened its toothy mouth in response and Teyla quickly slid the metal bit in, careful to not put a finger where it could get caught as the animal snapped its two rows of teeth together. It chomped on the bit a few times, getting used to the feeling in its mouth as Teyla slid the leather part behind its ears and tightened the strap.

Finishing that, she looped the reins off the animal's neck from where she had used it to restrain it and began leading it away from the riverbank and where the male still stood, pulling hard against the rope to retrieve its one remaining herd member. It screeched again, causing Teyla to grimace as the loud noise reverberated along the canyon. She threw it one final look. Its red scales shone like fire in the moonlight, a fitting appearance to match the rage that the animal radiated. It pawed at the ground, kicking up stones with its claws and rearing up as it strained against the lead rope that held it.

The mare paused too, looking at the alpha male and chuffing softly toward it. With a cluck of her tongue and a slight tug on the reins, Teyla began her journey back to the outpost on foot, a slight limp in her step, the mare following at her side.

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Chapter 7 - We are Women

Teyla knew when she was being followed. She had learned that when being stalked by the Wraith on away missions, and when training other women of her village, teaching them how to develop their own tracking skills. It wasn't always a physical sensation, nor were there always visible or audible evidence of the pursuer.

But she trusted her gut on this one; the feeling had saved her numerous times. Something skirting just to the outside of her vision as she scanned the landscape. The sound of rustling leaves out of beat with the wind. She scanned the area around her again in search of any indication of who or what it could be. Still nothing. She sighed.

The mare side stepped once around a small divot in the trail, leaning into Teyla as she did so. Teyla's expression twisted into a grimace as the mare pressed up against her side, jolting her bad leg. She hissed out in pain and yanked the mare to a halt before lowering a hand to rub at where the male had kicked out at her.

Pain rippled from the wound site, creeping down along her leg and up toward her hip. Blessed Ancestors, she wanted to rest. Or to turn the next bend and see the outpost. Either one would satisfy her at this point. But walking on like this was pure agony with each step. She had known for awhile now she wouldn't make it back like this limping along one foot in front of the other. Already she was pulling back on the reptile's reins to slow its pace every few strides. Teyla couldn't keep up. And with each passing landmark, the grasslands giving leave on one side to forest, the trail rising up from the valley floor toward the crest of the mountain, her confidence that she could do this was waning as the moon did in each cycle before ceding to the darkness of night at the conclusion of the cycle where the moon hid from view.

She pulled her hand away from the wound and held it up to the light. Red glistened on her fingertips, blood escaping from the wound. She wiped her hand off on the breeches and looked at the mare. The reptile watched her with slitted eyes, blinking at her slowly. She ran a hand over the mare's forehead and down toward her nose, the scales rough against her skin. The animal had warmed up to her remarkably in their brief travels together. Teyla took a step toward the reptile's side, running a hand over its back.

The mare was intended to be ridden; she could see that from the way someone had meticulously trimmed the spines that ran along its neck, down along its back, and all the way down to the tip of its tail. Along the back where a woman would ride, the spines had been cut almost all the way down and the slight knobs that remained had been sanded down to a smooth finish.

The animal snorted at the motion and rippled the muscles beneath the skin around where Teyla had run her finger.

"Alright girl, let's try this," Teyla said as she unwound the reins from around her hand and tossed them over the animal's head where they fell to rest where the neck met the shoulder. The mare gave her a patient expression and stood there, motionless.

Teyla sighed. Of all of the options she had considered, this is the one she had hoped to avoid the most. The women that had ridden these animals, they did so with a poise and confidence she would never possess. She'd never ridden any animal, let alone of this size. On her own feet, she was skilled and graceful. Teyla could pick a route up a steep incline in a forest with little difficulty. With her feet off the ground, those skills were lost. She'd imagine it would be like the men of her village rowing out to sea to fish for the first time in their small canoes. They had told her stories expressing the fear that had possessed at being thrown about by the waves. On land, her people went unchallenged. No predators could overcome them, and no forces threatened them save the Wraith. But out there...all of that confidence was stripped away at the hands of a force of nature much larger and much more powerful than any one man. And here she was contemplating putting herself in the trust of an animal she hardly knew, one much stronger than herself.

She reached a hand up over the animal's shoulder with one hand and balanced the other in the small of its back. With two hops on her good leg, she propelled herself upward and swung one leg over its back. The motion almost carried her over the animal and toward a fall to the ground on the other side, but just as she felt herself keeling to the side Teyla made a grab with both of her arms, locking them into a steely grip around the animal's neck. At the same time she hugged the animal's belly with her legs in an attempt to escape a likely fall.

She sighed out in relief as her movements stilled and she was able to right herself, but something she had done cued the reptile to move forward, starting at a brisk walk and quickly breaking into a bouncy jog.

"Whoa, girl," Teyla tried to soothe the animal into a slower pace but it continued on, ignorant of her request.

Ok, wrong cue. She had to figure out how to steer this thing. A pull back on the reins was her next attempt and she had guessed right, the mare slowed to an easy walk.

Teyla breathed deeply and felt the mare's muscles flex beneath her. The fishermen of her village had described the feeling perfectly. It was indeed disorienting, exhilarating, being part of something larger than herself. Being part of a team, yes, but also losing some of the autonomy that came with existing as an individual. Being alone meant making all of the decisions and relying only on herself. This sense of unity meant relying on this animal to carry her back, trusting it not to rear up and trample her and run back to its herd. It was a scary thing, sacrificing part of her independence for something larger than herself. But just as she had decided when the Atlantis expedition had arrived and put before her a chance to fight the Wraith instead of hiding in fear of their attacks, being part of something larger was worth the sacrifices she had made and all the ones she had yet to decide upon.

She smiled at the thought of her teammates, all probably awake back in the village either grilling the women of the outpost for information about this rite of passage or worrying about her. At least that would be Sheppard and McKay. Ronon was probably close to getting back right about now if he had run all the way back.

She turned as something caught her attention off to the side. An insignificant movement of a shadow on the ridge, but she looked none the less. A figure protruded from the smooth mountain top, rigid for a moment before the shadow moved and dipped below the horizon. But she watched closely enough to catch sight of hair bobbing with the movement. That hair was indicative of the only person she knew who wore dreadlocks. She shook her head. Or maybe Ronon wasn't so far away as she had originally thought.

And so the journey wore on. The riding was more than a bit strange to her. It was strange to be moving on the ground without having to extend her own effort. It was foreign to watch the landscape pass from this height. If she were to ride through the forest she'd likely hit her head on the lower branches of the trees. She was used to soaring over the forest top in a jumper, or walking it from this ground. But on this animal's back, it was an unsettling intermittent height. When she looked down the ground seemed too far, and every few minutes the thought of careening from the mare's back and landing on the unforgiving earth passed through her mind.

But the path was smooth for the most part. She learned things gradually. Pulling on the animal's mouth too hard made the mare throw her head in displeasure at the uncomfortable pressure. Squeezing too hard against the animal's ribs meant getting jostled into a faster trot where she bounced along with each footfall.

She reached the crest of the mountain top and proceeded to ride along the ridge. The ache in her leg was becoming more pronounced with the passage of time. She'd thought it was just deep bruising, and it might very well be just that. But the pain was settling deep into her bones and each step of the reptile awakened a bit more discomfort in that leg.

More than once she'd thought of just calling out to the landscape and summoning Ronon. He'd lead the mare back and let her fall asleep maybe. Or maybe he'd hop on behind her and straighten out the slight lean she'd adopted to shift the pressure off her bad leg. It'd be easier. He was out there watching her, she caught sight of him every once in awhile. No doubt ensuring that she made it home in one piece, while also reassuring her that someone was around should she need it.

But every time she opened her mouth in preparation to release that summoning, the words caught in her throat. She thought back to the woman riders of this country, to the women who ran their outpost and refused to accept men into their ranks. It was something unique amongst all the worlds she had visited. An anomaly perhaps, but one she took pride in.

For all the worlds out there where women stood behind their men and waited upon them, for all the worlds where women were told that men could do things that females could never dream of accomplishing, this world stood in contrast to that ideal. In this land, the world was reflected through the viewpoint with which Teyla viewed things. In her village, most women married a husband and raised a family and did well for themselves. For most women in her village, that was enough. It wasn't that women were prohibited from pursuing other paths in life, but it was the one she'd seen most often modeled when growing up. Her mom had done it, settled down, raised her, and tended the household. And her mom had been happy.

But Teyla had always dreamed of something more. She'd chased the boys through the forest as they played pretend that they were hunters after the Wraith. She'd skinned her knees in wrestling matches with them and lay beneath the stars with them at night dreaming of life beyond this world beyond the gate. She'd never been allowed to pass through the wormhole herself as a child, but villagers came often enough with stories and wonders of other worlds. And she'd never stopped dreaming of visiting all the worlds that shown like pinpricks in the very sky she'd grown up under.

And when she'd accomplished that and more on Atlantis, she was proud of every step she'd made. But it didn't change the fact that far too numerous were the worlds where women were never raised on the idea that they could run as fast as any man and fight them just as well as they fought one another.

But this world represented something entirely different. Here, women were raised with the warrior blood in them. They were raised to fight and defend their home and their world against invaders. The thought warmed Teyla. So often in her village she'd been told that she was one of a kind, so brave and strong.

They meant it as a compliment, as a testament to all she had done in battling the stereotype of what a woman should be. But she'd never mentioned the loneliness it also stirred in her. She'd never run beside a female friend through the forest as a child. No, the women she might had befriended as children were learning how to bandage the wounds of men returning from off world trips gone awry, learning to tend a kitchen and feed a family.

All noble ventures essential to the survival of her people, but not something that Teyla had ever been born for. Having four walls around her and a ceiling over her head made her restless at night. Restless enough some nights that she would sleep on her balcony just so she could look out to where the sky and sea met on the horizon.

She was inspired by the thought of these women, who fought together and lived together and shared a camaraderie that overturned every stereotype women in this galaxy and beyond were taught. And for that reason, despite the pain in her leg, she remained mute to the landscape. The women of this world were something wholly worth respecting. It was worth the pain and the frustration of riding this strange animal to respect their traditions.

For that reason, despite the male teammate that trailed in her stead that she could fall back on, she plodded forward with her mount, toward a band of women who shared a camaraderie forged not over small talk made while weaving fabric and cooking meals in the kitchen, but rather on the battlefield.

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Chapter 8 - Speak

Flames flickered in the distance. The pinpricks of light on the horizon gradually grew in size until the outline of the outpost walls were reflected in the light. She sighed in relief. Her riding posture had worsened with the passing of time. At the time she passed into the guard's sight, she was hunched forward with her eyes half glazed over and sweat glistening on her brow.

The pain in her leg was refusing to be ignored and she rubbed at it every few minutes in an attempt to massage away the pain. She winced as the unpleasant sensation spiked again and turned the world a few shades darker and her vision blurred.

Her keen ears picked up soft words passing between the women guarding the gate. What a moment ago had seemed like solid walls parted as she approached and she passed into the outpost's interior.

A flurry of activity awaited her as her mare drew its motions to a halt without Teyla having pulled at the reins. A loose ring of women surrounded her. There were a few ready to see the mare, a guard who had followed her in from her passage through the gate, and the rest she presumed ready to care for her should she pass out.

Not that she would. Even though her vision was spotting, she forced back the darkness with her stubborn will. There were people to discuss the proceedings with and teammates to update on her mission. Figures blurred around her, she couldn't quite make out where one ended and another began, but before she could protest two sets of hands were helping her down from her mount.

She more slid down off the reptile than climbing off herself, but a sense of calm rushed through her as her feet settled on the ground.

"Teyla, are you wounded?" one of the voices murmured somewhere close to her ear; she thought it sounded like Kora.

"I was kicked," she responded softly.

The world seemed to buck as she finished the statement, the ground rising up toward her at an angle that seemed wrong. A hand caught her sideways keeling motion and her arm was wrapped over another individual's shoulder. The figure helped keep her upright as they walked with her into the outpost. Buildings blurred past in an eerie silence as they moved, and a few more figures trailed behind them in a loose procession.

One statement did pierce the haze. It was McKay; at least she thought it was, "Teyla! Sheppard, Teyla's back...She looks hurt, Sheppard get your lazy butt out of bed and get over here to the window!"

The rest, if there was more, faded back under the murk. She tilted her head in that direction to see a shadowed figure standing by a window on the second story of one the buildings. Lamplight from within the room outlined the stocky man in the window. Had to be McKay, she thought.

A sudden thought occurred to her and against all odds she successfully planted her feet on the ground and stilled their movement forward, "The gate, can you leave it open? I think one of my teammates is out there."

"I'm already here, Teyla," Ronon's gruff voice finished from behind her as a calloused hand settled on her shoulder, "I trailed you all the way in."

The hand fell away as something else was murmured, an argument over who would care for her. The tiff quickly ended, it wasn't much of a fight when one side had all the people and all the weapons. Ronon growled low under his breath and promised punishment to any individual who harmed Teyla.

His voice faded away then as the dirt road disappeared beneath her feet, only to be replaced by a smooth wooden floor. A set of solid doors thudded shut behind them and the world grayed out for a time.

When her vision cleared again she was lying in a bed. She remained still as the cataloged her condition. Surprisingly, the pain was simply a dull ache, the likes of which she might suffer after several hard bouts of sparring with one of her teammates. A figure sat in a chair to her side and leaned forward as she saw Teyla stirring.

"Teyla, are you well?"

Teyla blinked, cataloging her body's condition more thoroughly. She peeled back the blanket to survey the damage to her leg. Her leather breeches and tunic had been stripped away and replaced with a loose-fitting white dress.

A green paste had been smeared into the wound on her leg, but beyond that application, it had been left open. She ran a finger over the gash softly, some of the dried paste flaking off onto her fingers with the motion. Green and purple bruises spider-webbed out from the gash, giving a slight outline of where the alpha male had kicked her.

"It's a poultice, it'll help the wound heal faster," the woman sitting to her side noted.

Teyla turned her head from her lap to the woman.

"You're the servant from earlier; you brought us more dishes at dinner. Can you retrieve your matriarch? Tell her I have completed the challenge I was tasked with. I expect her to uphold her end of the bargain and negotiate on the behalf of your people."

The woman chuckled and leaned back in her chair. She wore a pair of breeches herself and a soft blue tunic stretched tightly around well-toned muscles and contrasted against her tanned skin that had obviously seen many days beneath the scorching sun. "Yes, of course she will uphold her bargain. Such boldness, it's something to be admired. I wish I saw more of it in the other women we've hosted here previously."

Teyla gave a lazy nod, still in the process of shaking the cobwebs from her brain. But that wouldn't prevent her from focusing on the matter at hand, "I thank you for your compliment. But my teammates and I have only a limited time before we are expected back on our own world. I would request that your leader grants me an audience so we may discuss matters pertinent to our two peoples."

The woman's face creased into a smile, wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes with the broad expression, "And what is to say that the matriarch is not already here listening to your concerns?"

Teyla sighed, "Forgive me for my bluntness, but I have neither the energy nor the time for riddles and games. Would you please request her presence?"

The woman crossed one leg over the other, revealing a dirt-caked boot, perhaps evidence of a night out riding. She raised an eyebrow, "I am the matriarch Teyla, I've been listening to everything you've said since you stepped foot on this world."

Teyla examined the woman, deep in thought, "But are you not a servant in this outpost?"

"What good is a leader who knows not the labors of all of her people? I consider it my duty to assist in the daily upkeep of this village just as all of my sisters here do. What gives me the right to sit back and order them about?"

Teyla nodded, "Wise words, most leaders do not share your viewpoint. They see their power as a means to require others to work for them. Many leaders consider common labor too low for their rank."

"Well, good thing I'm not one of those men I suppose," she said with a laugh, "such laziness begets only anger among followers. My women are loyal to me precisely because I make it clear that I am simply another woman, such as themselves, tasked with not only the burdens of daily life but also with negotiating with the leaders of other nations."

"So what happens now?" Teyla asked.

"Myself, I'd like to relocate to the roof. It's much cooler up there at dawn with a nice breeze from the west. We may continue our conversation there if it suits you."

Teyla began flexing her muscles, testing them for any painful remnants from last night. The only real protest she received was from the bruising on her leg. "I think I can make it up there. How far?"

"A flight of stairs, I can assist you if need be."

Teyla nodded, "I should be able to make it that far."

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"There never was a ZPM, was there," Teyla spoke, squinting as the last rays of the sun peaked out from behind the mountains.

"No," the matriarch said.

"Then why all of this?" Teyla looked up to the woman standing behind her expecting an explanation.

"This was for you, Teyla."

"I do not understand."

"Teyla, you are a strong woman. If you were of this world, we would have extended you an offer to join our ranks, to lead our society."

"You don't test all of the groups who travel here like you tested me, do you?"

"No."

"Then why do so with me?"

"The rite of passage you successfully completed is the rite that all women must undergo on the eve of their induction into our ranks. It is a test of the mind and the spirit. And it reminds us that men cannot and will not define us."

"Are you speaking of my teammates? Ronon, John, and Rodney? They do not control me or make my decisions or speak for me. I speak for myself."

The matriarch sat down beside Teyla, dangling her legs over the edge of the roof, the wind kicking against her white gown, "When you speak, yes, you speak for yourself. But when you bite your tongue and remain silent on an issue that matters deeply to you, you allow others to fill that void. And then, yes, your teammates speak over you."

Teyla sighed, "You speak of our dinner conversation on our first night. Many of my village desire to join the Atlantis expedition, to train with their military and assist in the fight against the Wraith."

The woman beside her nodded, "Your strength inspires them, and they wish only to help in the same capacity as you. You have made a difference for your people from what I have heard of your successes throughout this galaxy."

Teyla reciprocated the matriarch's gesture with a nod of her own, "Yes."

"But you do not desire for them to follow in your footsteps."

"No. We already share so much with the expedition. I see our worlds bleeding together. I see the culture of the Athosians disappearing beneath the marvels of Atlantis and Earth. That I do not desire."

"And yet you allow your silence to speak for you. As Colonel Sheppard understands this situation, he assumes you are in agreement with plans for some Athosian men to begin training with his troops."

"Sheppard is my friend. And my team leader. And perhaps it is not fair that I serve on an away team and would deny my people the same opportunity..."

"Do you truly believe you are wrong in your opinion?"

"No."

"Then speak your mind, Teyla. Your silence serves neither you nor your people."

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Teyla limped down from the roof to meet her teammates in front of the building.

Ronon and Sheppard were arguing about something. She caught one bit, Sheppard saying, "You should've brought her back when she was first injured! Instead, you let her trek through the countryside!"

As she approached and cleared her throat, they fell silent. They shot her anxious looks and Sheppard spoke, "Are you ok?"

"I'll be fine in one of your earth week's time." Dressed again in her normal off world uniform, she reached into her belt and pulled a gun from it, holding it out toward Sheppard, "I suppose you'd like this back," she said.

The man glared at her, obviously still angry with her for her disobeying his order and stealing the weapon, "It's still in one piece?"

Teyla nodded, "Didn't even lose you one round."

"Ronon told me you were kicked by one of those animals," he said, motioning to the one that the matriarch held by its reins nearby.

"It was the male and its only intent was to protect his territory and herd. It will heal."

"You'll still have Beckett look at it when we get back."

Teyla didn't argue with that since it was sore. She turned her gaze back to the mare that stood by the matriarch's side. It was familiar, and as she scanned it again, she recognized its irregular markings, in particular, the red fleck on its tail tip. She limped over to it, her teammates filing in behind her, ready to jump forward to assist should it become necessary. She patted the mare on the neck, "This is the one that I rode back last night."

Sheppard snorted, "And a lot of good that did, no ZPM here at all and all you got to show for it was a busted leg."

Teyla looked the mare in its glassy black eyes which stared at her curiously and attentively. While she might not have any physical spoils from the experience, not all gains were physical in nature. Her mind fled back, for a moment, to her moonlit ride through the countryside alone. There was something to be said for having completed that journey alone. While there were innumerable benefits to having teammates, there was something haunting and spiritual about conducting a solitary mission. It reminded her that she was capable of amazing things not only when surrounded by her friends, but also when she was alone. She addressed the matriarch, "What happens to her now?"

"That's for you to decide, Teyla. She is yours."

Teyla's mouth opened a bit, she hadn't even considered that possibility. In truth, her mind had been focused only on the meeting with the matriarch after the fact and the potential it held for discovering a ZPM. "I can't take her with me."

"Then she will remain here, with us. We'll keep her with the herd, but should you decide to return, she'll be here."

"I thank you," Teyla responded.

The matriarch exchanged a small smile with Teyla, "It is the least we could do for you."

McKay interrupted them then, "Uh, maybe we should get going? We were supposed to check in at the gate more than thirty minutes ago. Too much longer and they might be sending a team through for us."

There was a murmur of agreement. Teyla stepped forward to meet them after exchanging a final goodbye with the matriarch. The woman's last words to her were, "Speak your mind, Teyla, in all circumstances."

And with that, they began the slow trek back to the gate. Two of the females from the outpost followed behind them at a distance on their mounts at an easy pace.

The whole way back, Teyla couldn't help but think about how changed she seemed after one night. It felt a bit foreign, wearing the constricting tactile vest after a night spent in loose breeches and a tunic. It seemed strange to have a silent landscape broken by the chattering of her teammates. But perhaps it was her who had changed too. She felt no need to walk directly amongst her friends at the moment, she was content to lag behind and consider the landscape and reflect on the experience she'd had. The hot feeling of flesh beneath her, the screech of the male as it chased after her or the thud of its body as her bolos wrapped around its legs and carried it to the ground. An hour spent cowering in a tree in futile hopes that the alpha male would lose interest in her. And ultimately, the realization that she had only herself to rely on to find a way out of her predicament.

She almost walked into Sheppard's back as they stopped walking. She shook her head and focused back on the proceedings before her. McKay was dialing the gate and then he and Ronon disappeared beyond the event horizon.

"Sheppard, you think we might have a word when we get back?"

Sheppard turned to her, "Can it wait? You need to go see Beckett and I need to brief Elizabeth and then put in the final preparations for the Athosians that are coming to train with us. Tomorrow might work better?"

Teyla shook her head, "It's important, let's speak of this when we first get back."

Sheppard shrugged, "Sure, once we get back to the city. Speaking of which, let's go."

With that said, he stepped through the gate. Teyla threw one more glance over her shoulder to the women who waited a distance back on their mounts. They raised their spears to her in a final farewell, wheeled their mounts around, and galloped back off toward their outpost.

Teyla took one glance around the sunbathed landscape, the mountains that rose to the east and the valley that followed beyond that. With a breathless smile, she stepped through the gate after her teammates; there was a conversation to be conducted that she had remained silent on for far too long.

---THE END---

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