U is for Undomesticated Equines (G)

[fignewton]

Written as back-up for Jack Alpha-Bits for Gen Fic Day. Jack and Teal'c take a side trip on the way home from Billings, Montana. Set immediately after Point of No Return. ~600 words. Rated G.

Thank you, aurora_novarum, for providing on-the-spot beta services!


U is for Undomesticated Equines

Marty was back in his apartment, and Carter and Daniel were already on their way to Colorado Springs to give their final briefing to Hammond. Jack hadn't explained why he and Teal'c would be delaying their own return, and the others had been wise enough not to press for details.

Teal'c tugged his hat a little lower on his forehead as he climbed back into the four-wheel-drive truck that Jack had rented. They stopped at Stella's Kitchen and Bakery and ordered bear claws and crullers, then headed east on Route 87.

Teal'c carefully inspected the pastries before selecting a bear claw.

"Daniel Jackson mentioned that stakeouts should include doughnuts," he observed between bites.

"We'll find a Dunkin' Donuts on the way back," Jack promised.

It took a little more than two hours for Jack to navigate the roads to the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Teal'c said little, but he raised an eyebrow as they left the smooth pavement of the interstate and turned onto a rough road, marked only with a sign that proclaimed it "Tillets Fish-Rearing Station."

"Bad Pass Highway, they call it," Jack explained briefly. "You need four-wheel-drive to manage."

Teal'c seemed to bear the jouncing with equanamity, merely biting into another cruller.

Jack pulled the truck over near a spot where the land stretched out ahead of them, wide and open. He winced a little as he slid out of the truck, easing the kinks out of his back after the bumpy ride. He couldn't help but notice that Teal'c's movements were as fluid and graceful as ever.

A grand, enormous silence settled over the two of them, broken only by the faint ticks of the cooling engine. Jack leaned against the fence at the side of the road, and waited.

Teal'c slid a glance in his direction, then lifted his chin to gaze across the vast expanse of flatland. "I do not understand why this untamed land is of particular interest, O'Neill."

"It's a national park," Jack said, reluctant to give too much away. "Development here is against the law."

"Indeed?" Teal'c's serene expression didn't change, but his voice suggested that Jack wasn't fooling anybody.

"Yeah, it's - ah. There they are." He nodded off to the west. "Take a good look, Teal'c."

Teal'c looked, and Jack knew him well enough to spot the slight stiffening of his shoulders and the barely perceptible intake of breath. Yes, he was impressed.

Jack was, too. He gripped the fence's rail a little more tightly as the herd of mustangs swept across the flats beyond, the rhythmic drumming of the hooves rolling across the distance. The grace of their movements called to him, a dance of fierce wildness completely unspoiled and untouched.

As the thunder of their galloping faded and the horses disappeared into the distance, Jack clapped a hand on Teal'c's shoulder.

"There," he said, and he couldn't stop the hint of affection that crept into his voice. "Those were undomesticated equines, Teal'c."

Teal'c was silent for a long moment, his eyes gleaming a little more brightly. "They are truly wild? They have never been tamed?"

"Nope." Jack considered, then added, "Technically, they're feral horses, not biologically wild. They have domesticated ancestors. But the mustangs went wild long ago."

"They were once enslaved, and now they are free?"

"You could put it that way, yeah," he agreed.

Once held in harness. Now free. He looked sidelong at Teal'c.

"Undomesticated equines," he said again, his voice softer this time.

They remained until the shadows lengthened into dusk, and then, without another word, climbed back into the truck for the journey home.

Comments

[nomadicwriter]

Aw, that's unexpectedly adorable. I do so love Jack and Teal'c's friendship.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I love their friendship, too, and there's way too little of it out there.

[supplyship.livejournal.com]

Fig, that was so sweet! It's my own personal canon that Jack keeps his promise to show Teal'c Earth as often as he can, just like you've described. I love their friendship so much!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I really do like the idea of them seizing the moment, whenever they can. Glad you liked it. :)

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

That was really touching. Such a simple moment, but so meaningful! Lovely!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad it worked for you. :)

[suzannemarie.livejournal.com]

This is so sweet. I've long felt that the Jack-Teal'c friendship is not appreciated enough.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

It's such a rare genre in fic, yes. Glad this one felt right. :)

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Oh, YAY! I love wild horses. And, yeah, Tealc would too. Happy place! :-)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! I wanted Jack to take Teal'c to see wild horses and when a little research showed that there were herds in Montana... Couldn't resist. :)

[sela21k.livejournal.com]

Adorable. I love Jack and Teal'c friendship fic.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I wish there was more of it around, too.

[lokei.livejournal.com]

I utterly love this. Yay for Jack and Teal'c and the wild horses. I love how Jack catches the subtle signs that Teal'c's impressed. One doesn't get perceptive!Jack enough, but he's a good judge of character, and of course he'd notice! Now they go home and watch Hidalgo, right? *grin*

(And while we're at it, yay for National Parks, too. I'll get back into my ranger gear sooner or later...)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it - it was a sweet, fun write, too!

(I know little about Hidalgo except that Viggo Mortensen starred. Wasn't LOTR still playing in 2001?)

[thraesja.livejournal.com]

Argh! I lost my #@$%ing comment! Ahem. Deep breath. Try again.

Yay! Jack/Teal'c friendship. I love that Jack went out of his way to show Teal'c something so meaningful to both of them. I have this deep belief that all three human members have taken pains to show Teal'c places on Earth he'd find poignant. Sam's taken him barrelling along tree-lined mountain roads on her bike in autumn, for example. Or the visit to the National Civil Rights Museum that Daniel led him on. This fits in so nicely.

And hey, at the very least, Teal'c now knows just how hard resisting the dragging of wild horses would be. Great ficlet!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes - I also like to think that SG-1 did their best to show Teal'c the beauties of the Earth. "Call Daniel." :)

Thanks - I'm very glad you liked it.

[thraesja.livejournal.com]

Well, of course. I believe jello warfare is considered one of the seven modern wonders. :)

[lavenderlocks.livejournal.com]

Superb, symbolic and sweet! Jack, sometimes the dumb act slips after all!

thank you

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :)

[gategremlyn.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's fabulous! I love the insight here--from Teal'c especially.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Teal'c is just that awesome. :)

[draconin.livejournal.com]

Very nice moment. I can quite see a mustang becoming the emblem of the free Jaffa. :-)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Hopefully not on their foreheads! :) Possibly on their shirts, like izod?

Glad you liked the fic!

[notadate.livejournal.com]

Oh, very sweet. Such a great insight into Jack and Teal'c.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Lovely! I had, of course, taken the title metaphorically, and I was very surprised.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Metaphor and literal both, in the end. :) Thank you!