NOTES: This was written for a LiveJournal Stargate SG-1 Big Bang. I will be updating regularly (hopefully!), formatting and editing for the lower rating as I go. Please enjoy!

Chapter 1: Transformation

You'd think, after all he'd been through, he'd have known better. The spirits on Tonane's planet turned out to be real, after all. But he hadn't taken the Suss'risa seriously. Oh, he took the Aluants belief in the Suss'risa spirits seriously enough, but he hadn't considered the possibility of such spirits as reality, and now he was paying the price.

So here he was…floating?...hovering?...whatevering, in some other dimension or plane of existence or some such damn thing, and watching a Suss'risa animate his body, holding what should be his own hands up for inspection, pirouetting around and stamping his feet to get a feel for it.

"Very nice, Daniel Jackson," his own voice said. "I thank you for the use of your body."

~Um, it wasn't exactly voluntary,~ Daniel…communicated. He wasn't speaking, not really, but the entity occupying his body understood him.

"Please, do not worry," it said with completely unreassuring reassurance. "Your body will be returned in due time." It pulled off and replaced his glasses several times, comparing views with a pleased smile.

~I want it returned now,~ Daniel insisted.

"You yourself invited me in," the thing said, tugging delightedly at Daniel's hair.

~Not on purpose.~ If a floating consciousness could pout, Daniel did.

"Nonetheless. Your openness constituted an invitation, an invitation of which I am taking full advantage." The inquisitive hands traveled down Daniel's body and paused at his groin.

Daniel gave an ethereal groan. ~I definitely didn't invite you to do that!~

Faintly nonplused, the thing ceased it's explorations. "Ah yes, perhaps at a later time." Recovering its bonhomie, it turned to the several priests, acolytes and laypeople in attendance in the temple alcove. "For now, please prepare, my friends," it ordered.

The sacred hide drums whose beaten rhythm accompanied Daniel's unfortunate ceremony were lovingly stowed away, traveling packs and equipment pulled out. From the many animistic and pantheistic figures dominating the hillside temple, Daniel had judged this world to have close cultural ties with the Sami people of Earth's Arctic region, whose native religion is marked by a deep connection between the natural and spiritual worlds. But he seriously doubted any of the Sami had experienced actual possession by their spirits.

~Are you Ascended?~ Daniel asked, desperately trying to buy time until he came up with a plan to get out of this mess, preferably before Jack found out.

"Ah, you know of the Ascended," it said. It studied Daniel's floating consciousness with renewed interest. "Yes, I see it now, a faint echo, just around the edges..."

An echo of the Ascended? Daniel remembered a year ago on Kheb, Oma Desala touching his cheek. He wondered if that was what the Suss'risa detected.

"But to answer your question," the spirit continued, "no, they are almost as high above our level as above your own. No, my kind simply do not need corporeal form."

~So if you don't need corporeal form, why…?~

"I merely wish to…run an errand. An errand which requires a body. The Aluants revere my kind, yet are so tiresomely suspicious. As if simply borrowing a body for two months is-"

~Two months!~

"A mere blink of time, Dr. Jackson. I'm sure you won't even miss it."

~Damn it, I will miss it! You can't just waltz away in my body!~ Great, first Machelo, now this guy! ~Look,~ Daniel pleaded, trying to be reasonable, ~my team won't let this happen. They're not just going to let you, uh, me, walk away without them.~

This seemed to actually get through to the creature and it paused in its preparations. "Ah," it mused, thinking with theatrical concentration, one forefinger placed to its temple in a classic pose. "Then perhaps my Aluant friends could stage a kidnapping."

~Um, perhaps your Aluant friends could get themselves killed by a pissed off Jack O'Neill?~

The entity in his body laughed heartily. Daniel was sure he himself had not laughed so hard in almost 30 years and grew, if possible, even more irritated. He wished he had teeth to grind. That some other consciousness could derive more emotion and enjoyment from his own body…

"Ah, but you yourself convinced your teammates to surrender their weapons," the Suss'risa said triumphantly, brushing tears of mirth out of its eyes. "No, I believe we can gain the Stargate without bloodshed on anyone's part."

Daniel mentally huffed with frustration. Yes, he had urged Jack to cooperate with Alutia's no-weapon policy. He'd been eager to discover the reason for the planet's apparent immunity to the Goa'uld. Well, it was pretty obvious now why the Goa'uld avoided this world. Unfortunately it was a reason for Earth to avoid it too.

He turned his attention the Aluant spiritual leader who had led his meditation in the temple. ~Isedore,~ he tried to call out. ~Why didn't you warn me?~

The Suss'risa smiled at the robed High Priest. "Daniel Jackson is upset with you, my friend."

The Priest looked honestly startled, and even a little hurt. "But, Dr. Jackson," he said, directing his words to the empty air on the other side of the room, clearly unable to see or hear Daniel. "We believed you open to this experience. I explained it to you."

Yes, in the most obscure and ambiguous language imaginable, High Priest Isedore had indeed explained the idea of 'exchanging viewpoints' with the 'spiritual plane.' ~I thought he was speaking in metaphors,~ was Daniel's sullen reply.

Again the hearty laugh.

~At least let me warn my teammates so they don't make this same mistake!~

The Suss'risa paused to think once more, finger to temple, looking exactly like the Scarecrow when he'd gotten his brains. "No other of my…faction is in the market for a vacation. However, some of my kind are unscrupulous and have been known to trick a mortal of its form."

~Oh, like I was tricked?~

He watched his own brows lower in what he'd been told was his signature frown as the entity grew annoyed for the first time. "No, Dr. Jackson. You were not tricked. However…"

The Suss'risa turned and stared at one wall of the temple chamber. Through one wall of the chamber. Daniel maneuvered himself close to his erstwhile body, trying to follow the spirit's attention. It took only a moment to learn how to perceive the spirit world, it was like following a thread, a path through the physical world now made immaterial. The Suss'risa guided his sight out of the temple, through the intricately carved and painted walls of thick mountain spruce, arching up high over the bustling town he and the rest of SG-1 had hiked to that morning.

The psychic thread he followed led to…something. Something that looked…sour. And sounded…cold. And felt…dark.

"Do you comprehend it? The Aluants are too well guarded against it, even in sleep. However, strangers can be tricked into an invitation."

Daniel studied the dark entity, trying to comprehend what it, in turn, studied. He sensed its movement, as if it spun about, triangulating, homing in on something down below it on the ground that Daniel interpreted as a clear and pure aura that seemed familiar…

~Sam! That's Sam, isn't it? Jack and Teal'c would never lower their guard, not even in a dream, but Sam's a scientist, she's interested in new experiences. Maybe not as foolhardy as me-~ He broke off, finding himself ridiculously checking around as if to make sure Jack wasn't listening.

"The Dark One does not return that which it borrows."

~Please. Look at it, it's watching her. Please help her. Or let me help her.~

The frown intensified. In a peevish voice, the Suss'risa said, "You have imbued your physical form with a lingering but keen moral compass that is quite annoying."

~I imbued my body with…? How is that possible?~

"'How' is a question for a higher awareness than our own." It quieted in thought, coming to a decision in a few moments. "Isedore, take note," it directed the High Priest, then turned to Daniel. "Daniel Jackson, I will return to this planet in exactly 60 of its revolutions. You must be here at that time or forfeit your corporeal form. However, if you wish to spend that time acting as guard to your comrade, I will make it possible."

~Yes, yes! Anything!~

Daniel returned his attention to the spirit world, and immediately sensed himself moving, as if flying, out of the temple, propelled high in the air. Auras of townsfolk clotted thick in the populous settlement below, but he found it easy to pick out the three amorphous forms that were his teammates, touring a mineral warehouse at Sam's insistence while Daniel had consulted in the temple.

The dark astral cloud that was the hostile spirit hove into view and Daniel readied himself, wondering how the Suss'risa would make it possible for him to combat it. However, he suddenly found himself being steered away, bypassing it completely, bypassing his team also. The picturesque pseudo-Norwegian stave structures of the town passed under him. Helpless, he traveled out over the countryside, catching a glimpse of the Stargate, standing like a child's toy on a hill above the woods that surrounded the town and outlying farms. Then he veered again, picking up speed, rocketing a mile or more before abruptly plunging into those woods, down like a striking raptor, like lightening, homing in on a form, a living entity he was sure, but he didn't have a chance to comprehend it before he smashed into it.

'Into' being the operative word.

With a soul splintering slam, he found himself once more in possession of a body.

He clung to consciousness, blinking stubbornly at the leaf mould inches from his eyes. As he lay there, recovering slowly, nose twitching, he found could smell quite a lot: the scent of the birch leaves from last fall decaying under a newer layer of aspen, the aspen smell leading back to the tree itself off to his right, the earthy scent of mushrooms clustered out of sight under a piquant-scented bush he didn't recognize, and up in the birch, the unmistakable smell of a small animal, a…squirrel. Yeah, that was it, it was a squirrel. A squirrel was up there, just out of reach. Damn it, he wished he could jump up high enough to get it, and once he got hold of it, he'd-he'd-

What the hell? What was with all the smells and the squirrelly urges?

Daniel shook his head, dirty leaves flying, and struggled to his feet.

All of his feet.

All four of his feet.

Oh no. Daniel stared stupidly, willing the paws he sported at the ends of what should be his arms to turn into hands. Paws? He lurched about, slipping, leaves flying, twisting his head from side to side. His vision was wonky and there was something sticking out of his face where his nose should be. He sneezed at the dust he'd stirred up and automatically licked his nose to clear it, moistening it in the process. A snout!

Paws, a snout… He was too big to be a fox, too heavy for a coyote, too short-haired for a wolf, too many legs for a human, goddamn it! A dog! He was a dog!

That Suss'risa had put him into a dog. How the hell could he help Sam or anybody else like this? He was going to run right back there and bite that son of a bitch on the ass. Well, maybe not bite, after all that was his real body. And in fact he really didn't like the idea of biting anybody. Anybody human, as least. That squirrel on the other hand…there it was! Chittering up on that branch, just out of reach, if only he could jump up high enough he could-

Damn it! Forget the squirrel, he ordered himself firmly. The question was, what could he do to help Sam and his team in this form? He strained mentally, trying to see if he could leave the canine body, but found he could no more do that than he could have extracted his soul from his real body before. So what was the point of putting him in here?

He sat on his haunches, concentrating back the way he had come. He ignored the sensory input of the physical world…

There! He could still see the world as a Suss'risa. He could mark the progress of the Dark One off in the distance as it hovered, moving slowly, unseen by those in the physical world. Except Daniel, apparently.

Where that thing was, Sam was sure to be too. It was riding above her like a monstrous balloon on a tether.

Daniel stood up, looking down at his new body a little more calmly now. From what he could see, he was a dark brown color, medium-to-large sized he supposed, judging from how high off the ground his head was. He didn't know much about dogs. That was Jack's thing.

Well, it was apparently his thing now.

He blinked hard. He'd thought it was just the shock, but there really seemed to be something different about his vision. He looked down at his paws again. They were slightly fuzzy, but when he looked up at the dim tree branches overhead, he could see every sharp detail, the movement of the twitchy little squirrel especially noticeable.

He aimed one last glare at the squirrel, trusting it got the message of just how lucky it was that Daniel had bigger fish to fry. The growl that vibrated his throat sent it up higher into the canopy and he turned away, satisfied.

He set off in the direction the Dark One had been moving, not being able to spare the mental concentration to see or track it at this point. He could smell something in the distance, rock or metal, something unnatural, yet known…the Stargate! He ran faster, letting the dog's body do the work, moving by instinct, picking the springiest detritus to land on, the quickest routes through low-lying vegetation.

Soon enough he felt hot and found his tongue lolling out, cooling in the wind as he dodged a prickly bush, then vaulted over a downed tree trunk. That's right, he knew enough about to dogs to know they didn't have sweat glands like humans, and used their moist tongues to dissipate heat.

Within minutes, he'd found a perfect medium: fast enough to eat the distance quickly, not so fast as to overheat or run afoul of woodland obstacles.

He tried not to, but couldn't help but enjoy it. Those four legs were short by Daniel's previous six-foot standard, but damn if they didn't move fast. Sailing over a rocky depression, he felt like he was flying. Giving himself over to his doggy instincts, he eked out a little more speed.

Less than an hour later he was still running strong when the ground began to upslope, the trees to thin and the naquadah tang of the Stargate filled his nose. He slowed to a cautious prowl, going from bush to bush, unsure of what would be needed of him here.

Then he heard Jack's voice, raised in a shout. "Look, if you really want an archeologist, I'll try and find you one, but you can't have ours!"

Ears twitching distractingly, Daniel homed in on the sound. His approach took longer than he intended: the sounds were farther away than he'd thought. His ears were that much better.

When he finally cleared the woods and came over the rise to the Stargate, he blinked hard, his eyes tearing up. The light seemed much too bright, though the sky was gray with overcast. Then he saw sharp shadows and squinted up for a second look. No, the sky was blue, just with a grayish tinge. He blinked again, looking around the Gate clearing. What he'd put down to the dimness in the woods was more than that. All the colors looked off. He couldn't see any green at all, just muddy yellowish-gray trees and grass. This was apparently the way canine eyes saw the world. Then he shook his head. His new world view was unimportant. He needed to concentrate on the situation at hand.

And there they all were, coming up the trail from Alutia: the Suss'risa occupying his body and its 'kidnappers,' pursued closely by SG-1. Seeing his team, smelling them, his tail wagged, as automatic as a smile to a human. The wagging stopped and his hackles rose as he took in the Suss'risa's party: Isedore was not there, but Daniel recognized two or three of the acolytes from the temple, although they were no longer dressed like Aluant natives. They all held knives, seemingly threatening 'Daniel.' Although Daniel knew Jack and Teal'c had at least a dozen knives secreted on their persons, both of them were empty-handed.

Pausing to turn around at the base of the Stargate steps, the Suss'risa held its hands up in the nonthreatening manner Daniel himself always employed. Huh, must be muscle-memory. It said, "Jack, please don't hurt anyone. These people are desperate for help." One of its party began to dial the DHD. "I believe them when they say that they will not harm me. I know I will come back. I know it."

Jack raised a warning finger. "Daniel, don't start again. This is not happening."

One of the Suss'risa's party said, "I'm sorry, Colonel, but it is." She nodded to a comrade, and he threw something shaped like a grenade on the ground near Jack's feet. SG-1 scattered and dived as it exploded, smoke spewing out. Daniel ducked his head against the stinging smoke, half-conscious of a protective nictating membrane coming down over his eye like a second eyelid. He heard a wormhole engage. SG-1, apparently realizing the 'grenade' was only a smoke bomb, rushed up just as the wormhole cut out and a breeze cleared the air.

The Suss'risa and its entourage were gone. SG-1 stopped and stared.

"Well, hell," Jack remarked conversationally, not fooling any of his three listening teammates. "Carter, Teal'c, see the address?"

Sam shook her head mutely, her wide eyes grayish to Daniel's sight, rather than the bright blue they should be.

"No, O'Neill," Teal'c reported. "They had the advantage of high ground."

All three radiated anger and dismay, but Jack was positively vibrating with rage. Most directed at the Aluants, but Daniel was sure some at Daniel himself for seemingly cooperating with his own kidnapping. Jack kicked a rock and it pinged off the base of the Stargate steps. Daniel cringed low, feeling his tail tuck between his legs. It really was Daniel's naivety that had gotten all of them into this situation…

"All in favor of going back to town, getting our guns and shooting the hell outta that temple?" Jack asked, raising his own hand.

Sam and Teal'c just looked at him.

Jack dropped his hand, glancing up at the silent Stargate. "Damn it, Daniel," he muttered.

Daniel only just stopped himself from voicing an apologetic whine.

"Sir, we don't know what may've influenced Daniel, what threats were made against him, or us." Sam was ever the peacemaker between her two volatile friends, and Daniel thanked her silently.

Jack took a deep breath. "I know." He scrubbed at his hair, then replaced his cap and said, "So all in favor of going back to town, getting our guns and asking a few pointed questions?"

No one looked remotely happy, but the three of them headed back down the hill on the path to town, Daniel shadowing them. After about half a mile, they ran into another group: High Priest Isedore and three acolytes. They were carrying SG-1's gear, trotting in their haste.

"Whoa, there, guys, you missed the party," Jack said with false affability, steadying the Priest with one hand.

Daniel crept through the underbrush, getting closer to hear their conversation.

"Colonel O'Neill!" Isedore gasped, out of breath. "Please, I'm sorry-"

Hand still on the man's shoulder, Jack's affability vanished as he gave him a sharp shake. "What exactly happened?" he demanded.

"I-we have brought your packs, even your weapons, as a gesture of goodwill."

Right, Daniel thought sourly, now that there was no chance SG-1 could possibly fight Isedore's precious Suss'risa. He grudgingly allowed, however, that giving an angry Jack O'Neill a weapon was the act of a brave and ethical man.

"Who were those guys you let kidnap my teammate?"

"Please, Colonel. I understand that we failed in your trust, but do not blame any but myself."

"Don't worry. I don't."

Isedore nodded in resignation. "As for who, they are a trading partnership from another planet."

"What planet?"

"They never shared their address."

Jack raised his brows. "Trusting, much?"

Isedore nodded nervously. "…Yes, trusting. We are very trusting. It pleases the Suss'risa."

Daniel edged a bit closer, but he'd grown too bold. He snapped a thick twig under his paw, and Teal'c glanced back sharply. Daniel shrunk back under cover of a thick manzanita stand, but not before he saw something disturbing. With Teal'c distracted by Daniel's own movements and Jack concentrating on the Aluants, Sam had turned away from all of them, a vague expression on her face, as if she was listening to something. Daniel pricked his ears, but couldn't hear anything but Jack's sarcastic response to Isedore. Then suddenly Sam walked away, off the path, into the concealing brush, unseen and unheeded by the Aluants and her teammates alike.

Crap!

Daniel closed his eyes, extending his spirit senses. Yes, it was the Dark One. It had extended a-a tentacle-like thing, an appendage maybe. It touched Sam's head, influencing her, feeding her lies. Daniel could almost smell the wrongness. It was persuading her, promising her something... Daniel's heart sank. It was him, Daniel himself, that was promised. In some hazy, dream-like way, Sam was convinced she pursued the rescue of her missing teammate, and off she sped, dodging through the trees, farther away from safety every moment, chasing an empty specter. Horror growing, Daniel watched the sour tendrils insinuate themselves into Sam's pristine aura, slithering sickeningly. That something so vile could corrupt someone so beautiful and pure-

With a low snarl Daniel abandoned his observation of the spiritual plane and returned to the real world. He shot off immediately, darting across the path to plunge into the woods on the other side, angling to intercept Sam. He couldn't sense the Dark One's activities without stopping to concentrate, but he didn't think he needed to at this point. He was sure he just needed to distract her to break the spell.

Sam had gotten a head-start, but she couldn't come close to Daniel's speed. All he had to do was follow her scent. SGC personnel weren't allowed to wear any fragrance or bathe with any scented products: you couldn't very well hide from a Jaffa troop if you reeked of citrus/jasmine shampoo, now could you? Nevertheless, even the workaday military soap Sam used stood out like a neon signpost in the natural scents of the forest. Not that it mattered. It seemed like, on some level, he'd always known the fresh clean scent that was uniquely Sam.

In just a few minutes that familiar scent grew strong, and he caught sight of her running with single-minded intensity through the close-crowded tree trunks.

He accelerated toward her and took a breath, intending to let out a loud howl, when a something suddenly smashed down on him. Like an invisible giant swatting a fly, a concussive force of air exploded right beside Daniel and sent him tumbling headlong, paws over ears; leaves, twigs and small branches flying along with him in his wake.

He lay stunned, fighting once again to stay conscious. He couldn't afford to pass out, Sam still needed him. Needed him more than ever, in fact, because the Dark One could clearly detect Daniel and he'd now foolishly tipped his hand, er, paw.

He rolled to his feet, whining softly at several bruises, but reassuring himself that nothing was broken. Listening closely, he pushed out of the mahogany bush he'd landed in, sniffing for-there! Sam's scent! His tail thumped against the bole of an oak. By the intensity and direction, she was only a few dozen yards away and didn't seem to be moving any longer. Daniel moved stiffly toward her, shaking off lingering soreness.

In the quiet of the woods came a metallic snapping sound, then Sam's voice, sounding uncharacteristically unsure. "Colonel? Can you read me?"

There was a brief crackle of the radio, and Jack's voice barked out, "Carter! What is your status and position?" Jack was obviously pissed beyond his limits by both his wayward scientists.

"Colonel, I-I'm not sure why-I'm in the woods, I think to the south. I thought I heard Daniel, or-or saw him…?"

There was a long pause. Then in clipped tones Jack said, "Copy that, Major. Hold your position. Teal'c and I are on your trail."

"Sir, I'm sorry, I-I can't really explain it…"

"Carter," Jack said, his now calm voice cutting through her confusion. "Just stay put, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Sam responded, her tone betraying a misery Daniel confirmed as he caught sight of her. She stood slumped, her eyes wide with confusion, a hand to one temple, massaging it as she cut off the radio. She shook her head then straightened up, looking around herself with a resolve betrayed by a shiver.

Daniel crouched low, watching, silent, unsure what to do now. He stretched his awareness out and detected no sign of the Dark One hovering over them. He'd obviously succeeded in distracting Sam from the trance-state the Suss'risa had put her in. So was that it? Was it gone? Was it all over now?

Daniel's ears twitched and pricked at a distant thumping, rustling sound. It was coming from the direction Sam had been headed, growing louder. Sam squinted, peering hard around the little clearing she stood in, Daniel's dog-sight more suited to this dimness than her human eyes. This was a much thicker section of the woodland, more forest than woods really, overgrown, dark, cramped and claustrophobic.

Ground vibrating, the thumping came nearer, accompanied by the sharp report of breaking branches. Sam crouched, feeling around in the detritus, lifting a stick which Daniel could see was useless with rot. She slipped a hand into her boot and pulled out a small but sharp knife. Daniel could smell her fear, sharp and prickly like a sudden sweat, but she straightened, resolute, and Daniel filled with pride. He was ready to defend such bravery at any cost.

The incoming sound was very close when the smell hit him: an animal, warm-blooded, big… It was a bear. No time to analyze how he knew it, he just did. And he knew something more, even as the lumbering form shot into the small clearing with a shower of leaves and broken branches, rising to its full seven foot height, Sam choking off a gasp.

He knew it was more than just a bear. There was a scent of sourness under the ursine stench, a malevolence to its small-eyed glare, a darkness flickering about it. As Daniel was in this dog's body, so the Dark One was in this bear. And Daniel knew one more thing. If the Suss'risa couldn't possess Sam's body on a spiritual plane, it would possess it on the physical. And there would be nothing left when it finished.

After two deceptively clownish steps into the clearing, the bear lunged forward with an ear-ringing roar, spittle spattering from its yellow fangs, barreling straight at the slender woman who tensed, ready to meet her fate, however hopeless the battle.

But it never reached her. Daniel found himself in mid-flight without thought or planning, sailing directly at the black furred neck, his own fangs bared, his snarl silent.

The impact of the two animals threw the bear off track and Daniel sank his canines in through the thick fur and fatty flesh, into blood and muscle, the force of his leap driving his teeth deep, instinctively locking his jaw and shaking his head to tear and rend, causing as much damage as possible. As blood spurted around his face, he was dimly aware of the bear lurching to the side, bypassing the dodging Sam, its roar of anger changed to surprise and pain.

Then a heavy paw impacted Daniel's flank and with an explosion of pain in his shoulder, he was flying again, uncontrolled this time, the scattering chunks of bear pelt and gobbets of flesh his only compensation.

He landed in the leaf mould like a meteor striking down, a crater forming from the debris flung to all sides. He sprang up immediately, pain subsumed in the urgency of battle.

The bear roared again, rage and frustration at Daniel's interference joining with the pain he'd caused. It tossed its head, stamping its paws, the sharp talons scraping ruts in the hard packed dirt.

Daniel faced it, and the two animals stalked one another, a slow dance to the tune of vicious snarls as they rotated around the tight clearing.

With his new wider vision, Daniel could clearly see Sam in what would've been the peripheral vision of his human eyes. She'd discarded the useless stick and held her knife at ready, squinting back and forth between Daniel and the bear, as she stepped carefully backwards.

Good. Daniel almost wagged his tail. Sam would back away far enough and eventually turn and run, meet up with Jack and Teal'c, and the three of them would get the hell out of Dodge and back to Earth.

Sam's boot stepped into the detritus with an audible snap and the bear bellowed, spittle flying in streamers, its hot, moist breath enveloping Sam as she shuddered and froze.

Daniel sprang back toward his teammate, keeping himself as a buffer.

Okay, dog versus bear… Daniel was no animal behaviorist, but even he knew what the normal course of events would lead to: Bear, one; Dog, zero. Or in this case: Bear, two; Daniel and Sam, zero. Yes, in the normal course of things a dog would have no chance, but Daniel was not a normal dog. His canine instincts urged him to lock on to his opponent and never let go. But his human reasoning knew that would never work. Those three inch talons would rip him to shreds before he could begin to make headway against the 600 pounds of bone and muscle confronting him.

The radio crackled to life behind him. "Carter! Tell me that racket's not coming from your location!"

"Sir-!"

Faster than Daniel would've believed possible, the bear darted forward, driving right over Daniel, one deadly paw up and swiping at Sam like a lightning strike.

With a scream his teammate went down and Daniel pounced, galvanized into action. From his position under the bear, he leapt straight up, fastening onto its throat, at the fleshiest and most vulnerable point.

The big animal reared up with a bellow choked off by Daniel's bite. It stood on its hind legs, backing off of Sam's sprawled form, but when its forepaws came up to dislodge him with a damaging swipe, Daniel had already released his hold, wrenching and gouging at the tender flesh as he dropped to the ground. The bear swung futilely at the empty air where Daniel had just been, then it to dropped down on all fours again, blood spattering as it shook its head.

This time, however, Daniel didn't let it rest. He sprang again immediately, chomping down like iron on its neck in the same spot as he had bitten the first time. He didn't wait for it to react, but with a wrenching twist released his grip and let the momentum of his leap carry him off and over the wounded animal, fresh blood following him in a steaming arc.

The enraged bear huffed hard as it spun on its hind legs, but its incipient roar died with a gurgle as Daniel once again leapt and clamped tight to the bear's under-throat, digging frantically with his four paws at its belly as it rose, then dropping to spit fur and flesh from his mouth before attacking again.

Time after time, bite after bite. The bear was reduced to lurching, punch-drunk, a widening pool of its own blood soaking the earth under its paws. Daniel never varied his targets: he sunk his fangs time and again into the same two wounds in the bear's neck, deepening them steadily, wrenching, tearing, gnawing, his eyes and nose clogged with gore, the taste of blood, hot and fresh from his enemy's heart spurring him on, invigorating him when exhaustion should've been slowing him.

Weakening, the bear's hind legs slipped in the bloody mud and Daniel indulged in a victory snarl as he dove for its throat, sure this would end it. The blood welled sluggishly, the bear's heart thumping slow and sullen with blood-loss, and Daniel locked his jaws tight as a tick, shaking the ragged flesh hard for added measure.

Suddenly the big animal dropped, crushing Daniel under hundreds of pounds of meat, muscle and bone, a stuttering growl vibrating in its ruined throat. Weakened, but still alive and deadly, the Dark One bore down, immobilizing Daniel, crushing him.

Daniel couldn't even yelp, all sound was swallowed by the tomb of flesh and blood-soaked fur burying him. He struggled, twisting in panic, unable to breathe, his own throat clogged by the gore he'd worked so hard to bring forth from the bear's. Kicking, scrabbling, desperate, bright stars began to spark behind his eyes as he suffocated.

At least…at least Sam would be okay. The bear hadn't killed her. It couldn't have. Jack and Teal'c would find her. The Dark One wouldn't have the chance to strike again and she would be safe. She had to be. Someone that beautiful, that pure couldn't die…

Suddenly the fleshy coffin enfolding him jerked, stiffening and rolling to one side. With a precious whiff of fresh air and a burst of panicked energy, Daniel scratched and clawed himself free of the heavy fur-bound prison. He spat and coughed, sneezing out bear-blood, shaking his whole body to rid himself of the gore and dirt encrusting him.

Blinking his eyes clear, the first thing he saw was a dead bear, a knife protruding from one eye.

The second thing he saw was Samantha Carter collapsed in a heap beside the bear's head, watching him with a dazed and bemused half-smile.

"Good dog," she said quietly.

Even with his grayish dog-vision, Sam shone in the dingy forest light. He drank in the sight, content to sit there forever, knowing he'd saved her, knowing she would live on.

Then details niggled at him. Like the way she held her left arm crooked tight to her chest, the way her pupils had expanded to almost encompass her blue-gray irises, and the way dirty scratches marred one side of her face.

He ducked his head low, and crawled toward her, as nonthreatening as he could manage. She simply sat and watched, too shocky, he realized, to properly take things in. He straightened up beside her, tail wagging on its own at being this close to her again. He sniffed deeply, relishing her wonderful scent, then got down to business, checking her arm out. Her BDU jacket sleeve was shredded, her blood still welling from deep gouges the bear's claws rent in her fair skin.

Daniel voiced a soft whine of sympathy, then slowly and carefully began to lick her wounds, cleaning them in the only way he could. Sam sucked a breath in, but didn't protest, gradually relaxing as his warm, gentle tongue lapped away the blood and dirt.

He smelled them coming, so when Jack and Teal'c suddenly burst into the clearing, P-90 and staff weapon at ready, Daniel merely glanced up at them, tail thumping a greeting against the bear's carcass.

As the two men skidded to a halt in front of the bear, Jack reared back with a theatrical flair worthy of the Suss'risa who'd taken Daniel's body, shouting, "Whoa!"

Sam gave a small wave with her right hand. "Hello, sir, Teal'c."

Daniel returned to his careful clean-up of Sam's arm.

His gaze darting between Sam and the bloody hulk she sat next to, Jack approached cautiously. "Hey, Carter. That's, uh…" he peered closely at the bear in the dim light, "a big bear. A big, dead bear." He paused. "It is dead, right?"

"Think so, sir."

"Yeah, yeah. The, uh, knife sticking out of its eye is kind of a giveaway." He nodded philosophically, his seemingly casual gaze taking in every detail of Sam's condition. "So...who's your friend?"

Sam frowned, tilting her head. "Friend?"

Jack raised his brows and looked significantly at Daniel. Daniel broke off his ministrations and faced Jack, tail wagging again.

"Oh. I don't know. The bear-it charged at me out of the woods, and then this dog…it just came out of nowhere. It-I don't know why, but it protected me."

"That was lucky," Jack remarked softly. He leaned down and held out his hand, palm flat. Daniel sniffed obligingly, savoring the uniquely Jack smells: the leather of his black fingerless gloves, the oil he used to prime his P-90, and a faint hint of the Froot Loops he'd eaten for breakfast that morning. Jack equaled safety to Daniel and he gave the offered fingers a lick without hesitation.

"Hey, there, Lucky," Jack murmured. "My name's Jack. I see you've met Carter, here." Jack patted Daniel's head, then wiped off his now bloody hand with a grimace.

Daniel again returned to Sam's wound, unable to resist first nosing her shoulder. She also smelled a bit of gun oil, a bit of burning electrodes from some experiment in her lab, but underneath it all, the legacy of Jolinar: a faint tang of naquadah. Naquadah meant the Stargate, and to Daniel, that meant adventure. He gave a brief shiver then patiently began licking the last claw gash clean.

"Ya know, Carter, ol' Doc Fraiser might have something to say about your little field medic's methods, here."

Sam merely glanced at the licking dog, still slow and dazed.

Teal'c, having finished a recon of their perimeter, stepped up behind Jack, remarking, "O'Neill, did you not recently state to Cassandra Fraiser that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's?"

"Yeah, but it's probably not Fraiser's first choice for debriding a wound. Especially when the mouth was just chewing on a dead bear."

Jack knelt down in front of Sam. "Lemme take a look at your pupils, Carter." He pulled out his flashlight, muttering, "Where's the doc's penlight when you need it?" He passed the light across Sam's eyes in turn, then nodded. "Pupils reacting okay." He felt her head, brushing a hand along the scraped right side of her face. "Can't feel a lump, so probably no concussion."

Wishing he could touch Sam with real hands, Daniel watched Jack closely.

Jack raised his brows at the dog. "Hey, don't get jealous there, uh…" Jack craned his head down, shining his light between Daniel's hind legs, "…boy."

Daniel blinked. Oh. It hadn't occurred to him to check that.

"Okay, let's fix you up some kind of a sling, Major."

Sam grimaced. "Oh, sir, that's really-"

"Completely necessary," Jack sternly finished for her.

Teal'c volunteered his jacket. Sam slipped her uninjured arm through one sleeve, and Jack rigged the other sleeve around her wrist, securing it, and her arm, snugly to her chest.

"Think you can stand up, Major?"

"Yes, sir."

With Teal'c's help, Sam hauled herself up, then paused for a moment to take a breath.

"Dizzy?" Jack asked.

She shook her head, then winced. "No, not dizzy, just a headache. I'm feeling better actually." She smiled at Teal'c. "Thanks for the jacket, Teal'c. I didn't realize how cold I was."

Teal'c nodded gravely and Daniel stepped possessively closer to Sam, once again wishing that he could do more to help her.

"Hey, Lucky," Jack called. "Come over and meet Teal'c."

"How have you ascertained this animal's name, O'Neill?"

"Animal intuition, Teal'c. I'm a dog person."

Daniel knew that Teal'c, on the other hand, was not a dog person. The concept of a 'pet' was foreign on Chulak and most other Jaffa worlds. Not that Teal'c was hostile to dogs, he dutifully interacted with Cassie's dog Rover when she specifically asked him to, he just didn't seem to get the point.

"Let him smell you, T."

Teal'c leaned down to hold out his closed fist, which Daniel obligingly sniffed. The Jaffa smelled of kel'no'reem candle wax and a kind of electric buzz from his staff weapon, and, although essentially human like Jack and Sam, Teal'c had an exotic alien hint, like an unfamiliar but pleasant spice in a foreign meal. But...there was something else, something bad. Daniel froze, staring intently at Teal'c's belly. The prim'ta. Daniel perceived it like a kind of after-image of the dark Suss'risa. He realized he could actually hear the larva scuttling and squelching in the Jaffa's pouch, and he longed to rip it out of there and snap it in two between his strong teeth.

Daniel's ears flattened and his quivering lip curled up from his canines.

Speaking mildly, Teal'c said, "A most perceptive animal. I believe it perceives the Goa'uld larva within me."

"Lucky," Jack said sternly. "Easy, boy. Teal'c's one of the good guys."

Daniel knew that tone and stifled the growl rising in his throat. Dog person or not, Jack wouldn't think twice about putting a bullet into anything that dared threaten his team.

Daniel tried his best to suppress his awareness of the larva and concentrated on Teal'c himself. He licked the proffered fist, nuzzling it for good measure to show there were no hard feelings about that whole nasty squiggly snake-in-the-belly business.

Teal'c raised a brow. "It appears I am accepted into its pack." He nodded at Daniel with approval. "An intelligent creature. And quite deadly," he concluded, with a glance at the bear carcass.

Daniel wagged his tail. Cool. It appeared Teal'c had accepted 'Lucky' into his own pack.

"Okay, time to get back," Jack ordered. "Carter, you're with me. Teal'c, think you can backtrack us to the path?"

Before Teal'c could answer, Daniel ran back along Sam's scent trail, turning and barking for his teammates to follow after he'd gone a few yards.

The others exchanged a glance, then Jack shrugged. "Right. Lucky, you're on point," he said, only half facetiously. "Teal'c, help Carter. I'll guard our six in case any other harmless woodland creatures come out to play."

With Daniel and his superior dog-vision leading the way, it wasn't long before they emerged from the forest onto the path exactly where Sam had left it. Their packs and the rest of their weapons were still there.

Jack and Teal'c made short work of dividing up the weight of the four packs so that each man could carry two. When Teal'c placed Daniel's pack on his own back, both Daniel and Sam looked away, Daniel with remorse, Sam with worry. But when Jack swung Sam's pack up to join his own with a belabored grunt, she winced with guilt.

"Sir, I'm sorry," she said. "I can't explain my actions…"

"We'll figure it out later, Major. For now, we go home."

"But, Daniel…"

"Let me worry about Daniel."

She gave a reluctant nod and they all started off down the path for the Stargate.

Yes, Daniel thought with relief. Sam would go home, out of danger. General Hammond would be sure to send a team back, but hopefully a negotiating team, not SG-1 with Sam.

Belatedly, Daniel thought to check for the Dark One. He paused for a moment, licking one of the scratches on his leg, stretching out his other-worldly senses. The entity was nowhere in sight. Could it really be gone? Did it die along with the unfortunate bear it had occupied?

He caught up with the group, trotted alongside Sam, thinking about the fight. No, a normal dog couldn't have brought down a normal bear. But while the fact that Daniel was not a normal animal only helped him, it didn't seem to have done the same for the Dark One. The creature seemed inexperienced on the physical plane, unable to marry an animal's instincts and its own experience as Daniel had done with the dog.

There was a brisk little creek running along the foot of the hill. As the others crossed on stepping stones, Daniel dove right in, straight down to the sandy bottom, rolling and shimmying in the silt for as long as he could hold his breath. By the time he climbed out and shook the water off, he was clean of the bear's gore, and his own scrapes were washed out.

Sam sat, resting on a boulder, unwillingly if the sullen glares she directed at her two teammates were any judge. But her eyes lit up when Daniel trotted over to her. "Oh, wow. He's really gorgeous, isn't he?" She stroked Daniel's face and head admiringly. "His fur looks like chocolate, and those golden highlights…"

Okay, so it wasn't his real body, but Daniel couldn't help enjoying the feel of her hand, especially if it put a smile on her own gorgeous, if battered, face.

Jack, looking closely at Daniel, said, "He looks like a pit bull mix."

A pit bull? Daniel stupidly craned around, trying to see himself.

"A pit bull?" Sam asked, unknowingly echoing Daniel. "I thought pit bulls were bandy-legged and ugly," she protested.

"Nah, they're not ugly. Petey from the Little Rascals was a pit. Anyway I think this big guy has something else in the mix too."

Sam eyed Daniel doubtfully. "But aren't pit bulls dangerous?"

Jack chucked. "Only if they're mistreated. Just like everyone else." Jack scratched Daniel's ears. Then, in a painful-to-listen-to warble, he belted out, "'Kilt him a bear, when he was only three! Davy! Davy Crockett-!'"

Daniel's ears flattened at the punishing sound, his lip curling up in an automatic snarl.

"O'Neill, this animal may resort to violence to stop you…as may I." Teal'c's warning came with a growl of his own.

Blessedly, Jack ceased his caterwauling with a grumble about philistines who didn't appreciate the Golden Age of TV.

They started up the hill for the Stargate, Sam trudging slower and slower as they went. When they crested the top, catching sight of the giant naquadah ring, Jack gave an exaggerated groan of relief. "Finally! Everybody's happy to see the Gate. See? Even Lucky's grinning."

"I believe the animal is panting," Teal'c observed.

"That's a doggy grin, T, get with the program."

Daniel knew they were keeping the patter up to comfort Sam, who was looking increasingly pale after the climb.

Leaving Teal'c to support Sam, Jack dialed Earth, incidentally disproving his dumb act, not that anyone on SG-1 needed any proof. Before the final chevron engaged, he hunkered down to hold Daniel, protecting him from the backsplash. When Daniel made no reaction to the noisy kawoosh, Jack gave him a speculative glance. "Not surprised, are ya, Lucky? See that a lot?"

~You have no idea, Jack.~ He let his tongue loll and continued to pant.

As Teal'c entered their iris clearance code, Jack patted Daniel's head. "Thanks for the help, there, big guy. You came through for Carter when she really needed a friend."

"Oh, but should we really just leave him?" Sam asked, suddenly querulous. The shock was catching up with her, and Daniel was thankful that Janet and her crew were waiting on the other side of the wormhole. "God, I didn't even think to check if he was injured-!"

"Hey," Jack said softly. "It's okay, Carter, you had a couple other things on your mind. I looked him over, he's only got a few scratches, he'll be fine."

Sam nodded unhappily, and gave a little wave with her good hand. "Goodbye, Lucky. Thank you."

Daniel gave a bark, and continued his 'doggy grinning' as first Teal'c guiding Sam, then Jack stepped through the wormhole.

So that was it. His job done, Sam safe. Nothing to do but wait here for 60 days until his body returned...

He took a final peek at the spirit world and glimpsed the Dark One, alive and well, in all its foul glory, diving through the Gate behind Jack, still homed in on Sam.

It just couldn't be that easy, could it?

Daniel heaved a doggy sigh and dashed through the still open wormhole.

tbc