I've decided to do a series of Doctor Who stories based around mythological creatures. This is the first installment of that series, and hopefully not too bad. My writing feels a bit off today, but it'll come back around. Anyway, not sure if they will all be Rose/nine or if I should do anyone else…I am open to suggestions. So if you're interested, let me know your ideas, either for characters or creatures. Thanks, sorry to ramble.
Rose padded along behind the Doctor, and once again ignored the hand he was trying to offer. She wasn't really mad, not really mad, but it wouldn't do for him to think that this kind of thing was okay with her. They had been walking for hours, in the pitch black. Well, that wasn't completely true, but it was very hard to see in the forest despite the moonlight. They were safe he assured her after he realized where they were. It had taken him several hours to do so, in fact until dusk he claimed he didn't know at all. He had yet to clarify what they were supposedly safe from, but he wouldn't have said it if there was nothing to fear.
Still, that really wasn't the issue. The issue was that it was raining, and they were lost. He told her that they were just taking the scenic route, and that Time Lords didn't 'do lost'. Well he was doing a great job at it for the first time, if this was the case. She heard him let out another long sigh but was unsure if it was because she wouldn't hold his hand, or if he was starting to be as annoyed with being lost and wet as she was.
The weather was warm enough, without the rain that is, on the plus side she hadn't seen any of the extra large bugs that had been around before it. Seriously big, they were. She saw several flying insects, but he had been too busy to name them for her. He just said they didn't usually bite. Usually wasn't as comforting as she thought he thought it was.
No, this probably wasn't the worst situation they had been…not even the worst this week. And maybe she was being a little hard on him, but she was tired and cold and terribly sick of being so soaked she sloshed with ever step. Another sigh from him and she broke, reaching for his hand.
He gave hers a gentle squeeze, and spun to face her. She could barely make out his eyes, but he knew they were full of apology. "Sorry," he muttered, unwilling to admit what he was sorry for exactly. She knew if she pushed he would get pouty so she didn't.
"It's okay," she told him. It really wasn't, but they were here now and they had no choice but to continue on until they found the TARDIS again.
He was smiling now, real or fake, she couldn't be sure of in the darkness, but it was a smile. The light of the moonlight…it was a…waxing crescent…she thought. She had never paid much attention to moon phases, really. Didn't seem to matter back then, but now that she was out among all of this a lot of things mattered that never had before.
She heard a loud howl in the distance, the first of its kind, and the Doctors head snapped in that direction. It was long, and eerie, filling the darkness in a way their voices hadn't been able to do. It sounded strong, and desperate. She pulled his hand away from his; he was squeezing a bit too hard for comfort.
He was also muttering to himself… something that sounded like 'couldn't even wait for a full moon'. She looked up again…what waited for full moons…oh, right. But they weren't real, werewolves, right? Just myths, stories to scare people.
The way the Doctor was looking around, made her worry though. And she was still pretty new to this alien planet thing, new to aliens, what if something like the werewolf was real and based on some alien creature.
"Rose," his voice was soft, "We really need to find the TARDIS. I had forgotten that this particular species doesn't require a full moon."
"Species of what?" Rose asked, not because she really didn't know, but it never went well to assume with the Doctor.
"Werewolf," he muttered only half his attention on her as he tended to do. "Well, not really, just the same type of thing. The species is…you know what? I'll explain when we are back in the TARDIS."
He took her hand now, no more offering, but she didn't object. She had never really been into the whole werewolf thing, too interested in real life for the fantasy. Apparently these particular ones didn't need to wait for a full moon, which was just great for them. He was dragging her almost, with a new sense of drive. She knew that she didn't want to meet up with one of these creatures, but also doubted he knew where the TARDIS was any more now than he had before the howl.
Another howl ripped through the night, shredding their calm. It sounded closer, and Rose though maybe just a bit different than the first one. It was hard to say though. The Doctor was muttering again, and she wished he would just speak up. He probably didn't even know he was doing it, and she caught something about directions. It was too mumbled to know what it meant, but he repeated it a few times.
There were two more howls, one right after the other, and they sounded to be on either side of her. Then two more that if she had to guess covered the path behind them and before. Rose felt like they were being herded and the Doctor must have felt the same because he stopped.
He looked back at her, releasing her hand, and reaching out both hands to touch her shoulders. "Rose, when I say so I want you to run. I will try to stop them."
"I'm not leaving you." She didn't even mean to say it, but it was true. She wasn't going to let him face this on his own, if the little she knew applied they would kill him, or change him. She didn't want a werewolf Doctor running around. He was trouble enough in Time Lord form.
"Rose," he bit out. He wasn't bothering to keep his anger in check, she could tell. He wanted her to be afraid, well it worked. Only she wasn't afraid of him, never afraid of him, just the creatures that seemed to be closing in.
The howls were silenced only to be replaced by a sniffing sound, and the smell of wet dog. The smell was overpowering and she wiped the water away from her eyes to keep her vision clear. She couldn't see anything yet, but she could hear heavy steps.
DW
Why couldn't she just listen to him, why couldn't she see that he was trying to protect her? He didn't want her to die at the paws of these creatures, or get changed. He knew from experience how badly such a change could hurt the body, he may not have been in this body, but the memory refused to be dulled.
It wasn't a werewolf, but it was a completely change. Fortunately he was a genius so he had found the cure, but even the change back was agony. He wished that he had noticed where they were before night; he might have suggested they find a town and stay there until dawn. The only town they had passed through had been empty.
He hadn't been here in lifetimes, but when he had these creatures, technically a form of werewolf…but it wasn't exactly, were more of a myth. Very similar to back on Earth actually, they made for a good story.
He could hear the noisy sound of breath being inhaled, and he knew that they had beaten the myth. They were close, and Rose refused to leave. She was standing beside him, strong and oh so young, and he didn't know if he should be proud or angry.
Bravery was rare in cases of real danger and his companion was standing there like it was anything other than a life and death situation. He knew he was right to pick her, but he also knew that they didn't stand much of a chance. She probably didn't hear the lower sounds, the sounds that indicated there were more than four of them. If anything it was a pack of at least eight.
One might change you; eight would be out for a kill. His stomach dropped when he thought for the first time why that town was probably empty. How far did they reach, how many have they changed, or killed?
He would have pushed Rose behind him, but there was no where safe. He stood at her side, and heard the low growls as the werewolf circled closer. He could just make them out now, eyes all a piercing blue, bodies standing on four feet, easily as tall as he was on his two. They towered over them, and he could smell the life in their breath. They had eaten recently; blood was still fresh in their exhale.
"Rose," he reached for her hand. If they were going to die, he should say something meaningful…trouble was he didn't know what it should be.
She took his hand and he closed his eyes. He could feel the air change and he found himself being ripped away from Rose by a large brown wolf, and he was pinned to the ground. It was sniffing him, but hadn't bitten him yet. He hoped he smelled the exact opposite of what the wolf found appealing. He struggled but managed to turn his head to Rose.
She was on her back, the wolf holding her down, with a single paw on her chest. She looked to him, and he took in the fear in her brown eyes. He wanted to reach out, to do what he did, and save her, but he felt pain as teeth sunk into his right arm. He looked to Rose, and he saw the large mouth of the wolf open.
Sounds were fading, the venom was rushing through his veins, and if they didn't kill him he was going to change. He couldn't decide which was worse, and then he heard Rose scream.
