Season 4
16 May 2000

Jack O'Neill raced through the forest of TR3-329 and his heartbeat thundering with a baying pack of—something—hot on his heels. He dodged under a low hanging branch and then leapt over a fallen log. The trees now were older, with broad trunks and sturdy boughs that were strong enough to provide sanction. And they had enough of a lead that they might just make it.

"The trees!" he yelled to his team. "Get in 'em!"

"What?" Daniel yelled back.

"Climb a tree!"

Ahead Carter angled off for one of the trees, its lowest branches level with their heads, and grabbed onto one branch. Right behind her, he planted his hand on her backside and heaved her up the rest of the way. She reached down and helped him scramble up just as the pack of creatures reached the base of the tree to snap at his heels.

He saw that Daniel and Teal'c had made it safely into a neighbouring tree as he sucked in breaths of air. "Thanks Carter."

"Welcome Sir." Carter was as flushed and out of breath as he was.

He looked down through the leafy branches at the baying and snarling multitude of creatures underneath the tree, almost carpeting the ground there was so many of them, and then glanced over his shoulder at Carter. The creatures had lizard-like legs and probably couldn't jump but it didn't hurt to be on the safe side. "Higher you think?"

"Yes Sir," Carter agreed fervently.

He hauled himself up a few more branches and settled next to the trunk on a broad branch and Carter settled on the same level on a neighbouring branch. Seated as they were against the trunk, their shoulders touched each other firmly and he was aware of each panting breath she took.

"So, Major, ideas?"

"About what Sir?"

"What the heck these…" he looked down at the angry terrier-sized creatures, with their feathered reptile bodies and large ridge of bright orange spine feathers standing up on end, "things are?"

"Sorry Sir, I never was much into dinosaurs."

He nudged her shoulder. "Not even T. Rex?"

"I think it's a little hard to avoid the basic knowledge of tyrannosaurus rex. Or brontosaurus, triceratops, stegosaurus, and pterodactyls."

"Well, it avoided me," he answered cheerfully and leaned forward to call out across the way to the tree the other two had taken refuge in. He raised an eyebrow at Carter when she clamped a hand around his wrist in reaction to his movement.

"Sorry Sir, I thought you…" she looked sheepish and let go.

"No worries, I'd hate to fall into this mass of creatures too." He reassured and looked over again to where Teal'c had firmly fixed himself to the tree trunk and Daniel out on a limb—literally he noted with an amused snort—making a running commentary into his camcorder. "Hey! Daniel! You know what these things are?"

Daniel lowered his camcorder. "I'm an archaeologist Jack, not a paleontologist!"

The creatures yelped and snarled louder and wracked their claws through the bark of the tree trunks the team had taken cover in.

"So, and, therefore? Do you know what these things are?"

"No Jack!" Daniel had to really raise his voice over the angry sounds the creatures were making.

"Okay, just asking!" He yelled back across the few yards separating the two trees. "Teal'c, you ever seen the like?"

"I have not O'Neill. I do believe however our conversation is increasing their aggression." Indeed, even Teal'c now had to raise his voice to speak over the creatures increased yowling. "Perhaps we should be silent."

It was something Jack had noticed too, so with a nod to his two teammates he settled back against the tree trunk and Carter. In time the creatures did quieten but they certainly didn't look like they were going anywhere soon.

Now that the adrenaline rush of running from the snarling hoard had abated, he had to contend with the boredom of being actually treed. He shook his head over that. It was either ironic or poetic getting himself treed on this day of all holiday days. And on top of the boredom was how uncomfortable it was being scrunched up in the tree's branches and sitting on its lumpy bark.

He plucked one of the spring bright leaves from a branch overhead and twirled the seven-point leaf between his fingers. After a moment he released the leaf and watched it float down and one of the creatures snapped at it with its impressive set of toothy jaws.

Ouch.

Good thing the creature had chomped on a leaf and not one of them.

"So, Carter," he spoke as casually as he could and tried to get more comfortable on the rough bark, "you got plans tonight?"

"No, why Sir?"

He looked over at her and found her face only inches from his. "It's Love A Tree Day today and I was planning on planting a tree with Cassie and the Doc when I got home tonight—if we get home tonight. You wanna come help?"

"Well Sir, I gotta say," she smiled at him, "today I certainly love trees."

"Yeah, me too." Nothing like being saved by a tree to give one a whole new level of appreciation of the woody perennials. He plucked a perfect seven-point leaf. "So, you gonna come?"

"I will."

"Great!" Jack couldn't help but grin as he reached over and tucked the leaf he'd just plucked behind her ear. "There. Happy Love A Tree Day Carter."

Carter turned a rosy shade and returned, "Happy Love A Tree Day Sir."

-FINISHED