Wanted a more realistic werewolf situation. None of that superhuman powers while not a werewolf or anything. Something more believable... I guess.
I had another one of those dreams again. I dreamt of home. Of the moonlit skies, the festivals, the sound of drums, the howls that echoed through the night, and the deep, evergreen forests that covered nearly the entire planet. I dreamt of my brother, his face very nearly forgotten after so long of my being trapped here on this lump of rock called Earth. All I had left, was the picture of him and I, so faded that both our faces were wiped away. All I could see was that toothy grin of his, but that was enough to keep me from throwing away the old, crumpled photograph.
Cries of alarm rang out, men shouting for us to grab our weapons and hurry out into combat as sirens went off alerting us to enemy planes flying overhead. Humans were so idiotic. Always fighting themselves and not even noticing the danger that hung right over their heads, or right under their noses. Words spoke of a monster that appeared during the nights of the full moon and slaughtered many of the enemy. A creature black as the night with teeth sharp as knives and eyes the cold silver of the moon.
Men on both sides were afraid of it, refusing to go out once the moon was in the sky, and I became to go-to volunteer. Humans were so clueless. They saw me as a scrawny lad, unable to hold my own on the field and left to do idle chores more often than not. And when I was sent out, they waited to see if I never came back, but I always did. I came back in better shape than most, not a scratch in most cases. They believed me to have hid, been a coward. Little did they know, I'd killed more humans than my entire squad all together. I needed to keep in shape, after all. If I ever did get a chance to get off this rock, I needed to be prepared.
I was a soldier. Here and back on my planet. I'd crash landed here when there was a malfunction with the ship that was supposed to transport myself and three others to the battlefront on another planet. I escaped, two others died, and the third vanished by the time I was awake. That was near four hundred years ago. I'd sent out an SOS near two centuries ago in the hopes that they'd send a ride back and I hadn't heard from them yet. Two centuries wasn't long in our terms, so I'd occupy myself here until I could return and give a report; if not return to what I'd gone to do in the first place.
"Anything to get off this planet." I murmured, plopping a green helmet on over my short hair as I left my tent and joined the rest of my squad.
Not letting women fight. What a joke. They couldn't spot one for the life of them anyway. My being here is proof of that. I smirked though, feeling adrenaline pump through my veins as I glanced up at the slowly darkening sky. And it's a full moon. The Central Powers won't stand a chance.
There comes a point, when you begin to lose faith in humanity and when you're an alien trapped on the damn planet of bald apes for nearly five hundred years, you lose that faith much faster. Like now, for instance.
"You damn monkey! Let me out of here! I'll tear you to shreds, you pest!"
The man driving the large armored truck I was stuck in, laughed.
"Not likely! And good luck trying. That's reinforced steel with silver paneling. Perfect for sealing away your kind."
I growled deep in my throat and threw my battered body against the doors once more, ignoring his laughter the best I could with silent curses on humanity. I hope you all get sick with some stupid pink weasel disease and die because your technology sucks! I backed up again, preparing myself for another run at it, only for my feet to suddenly be lifted up off the ground. I didn't even have a second to react to the truck abruptly flipping and I was knocked out upon hitting one of the walls. When I awoke, I let out a groan and wearily sat up while clutching at my head. Looking around and finding myself sitting on what had been the ceiling was disconcerting, and I suddenly felt a pang of worry flash through me.
"O-Oi! Oi, driver person! This crappy travel device you call a car just flipped! I don't think you did it right!... Hello?"
There was complete silence from the other side of the small window of bars separating me from him, but what I did smell, was the copper taint of blood and I groaned quietly.
"Always so weak. I wonder why you've never been conquered." I complained, before realization dawned on me and I pressed my face against the bars desperately. "H-Hey, come on now. Please tell me it's just a scratch or something. I can't be trapped back here. I-I'm still wearing the handcuffs, even! Did you at least send out a distress signal first?! Oi!"
I continued to shout at him like this for a while, until I concluded that he had indeed passed away and I slumped back against the wall of my small prison.
"Who doesn't install their mobile vehicles with automated distress signals? Idiots!" I grumbled, banging my aching head against the wall behind me as I realized that I might very well be stuck here for good.
And without food or water, I would very quickly die in here. Despite my grievances with the human race, I was only as strong as a few of their men, when not changed. And with the moon cycles on this planet being so far apart, it would be a miracle if someone actually came to my rescue. Much less a human who wouldn't attack me. There was only one, and even he… My thought trailed off as an image of a smiling face came to mind, before it quickly changed to one of fear and I jolted awake.
I'd been trapped in the van for two days now, and I was starving and very thirsty. I knew I would only last another day at most without water; though the sound of rain outside made me wonder if there was some way I could get some. Just a little bit… I couldn't though. Not with the cuffs on my wrists, which I had long since given up on. My wrists were stained red with blood from them by now, what with all of my struggling, but that was the least of my problems. The silver made me sick and being surrounded by it for so long, not to mention having it physically touching me… Well, let's just say, I'm lucky I've yet to throw up in my tiny cell. Just the thought of the metal made my stomach churn and it took everything in me not to hurl as I curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, begging the Gods of my home planet to help me find a way out of this.
I'd just started to fall asleep again, perhaps for the last time, when I thought I heard something. I deemed the noise a hallucination from being around the silver too long, up until I heard a branch crunch underfoot of someone and voices. They didn't sound too far off from where I was and I pulled myself up to the barred window; ready to call for help when I hesitated. What if they do this to me again? I can't trust humans. They don't do anything but fight and kill their own and take anything that's different and lock it up for torture. I winced at the thought, but I already felt so weak and with everything I'd been through in 466 years, nothing really mattered anymore other than living long enough to finally be free.
"H-Help!" I called out, voice croaky and not very loud.
I'd all too often tried shouting for help to no avail and now it was coming back to bite me. I kept trying though, until my voice was so weak, I could barely hear it. Whoever was out there had come a bit closer, but probably not enough to notice the toppled over van I was in, so I tried plan B. I scooted over and lifted a foot, slamming it into the wall before me. The loud, echoing 'bang' made my ears ring, but I continued in the hopes whoever was out there could hear that. After nothing for a while, I sagged against the wall defeated, until I heard a voice; just outside the van.
"Hey! Is there somebody in there?!"
I cleared my throat as best I could, trying to get up, only to tumble down harshly on my knees before the door. I pushed past the pain though and forced myself to reach the doors and attempt to shout through the small crack between them.
"P-Please, help!"
"Stand back!"
I scooted away from the doors, thanking the Gods as there was this strange noise and the lock on the door clicked open and they were pulled apart; revealing the first bit of daylight that I'd felt in ages. It took a few seconds to get my eyes to adjust from the dark interior of the van to the light, but I was soon able to see my saviors. The first, was a young human woman with blonde hair, who looked at me worriedly and cautiously. The other though, was a tall lanky man with hair spiked up high on his head and a look of curiosity and concern on his face as he looked me over.
"You alright? How long have you been in there?" He asked and I slowly placed my feet on the ground and made to stand.
"Much, much too long." I breathed out, standing up, only for my legs to go weak and my entire body to shut down; throwing me into unconsciousness.
I awoke to hear voices nearby, not alerting them as I listened in.
"Will she be alright? It's already been a whole day."
"She should be waking up any moment now. The bigger question is, what was she doing in the back of that van?"
"You think she was a criminal or something?" It was the younger woman speaking, I realized.
The blonde who'd assisted the other man in getting me from the van. Meaning he was the other voice I was hearing; unable to open my eyes with the brightness of the room.
"Not a criminal, no. That was a UNIT van, meaning she's… well, she's not from Earth."
"What? But she looks human."
I mentally cursed, knowing that if these two were anything like the people I knew on Earth, then it was possible that I could very well be in a lot of trouble.
"Well, not all aliens look alien. I'm proof of that."
So he's not human?
He continued. "But there's not a whole lot of aliens that can pass off as human without some sort of perception filter. Problem is, the Tardis won't tell me what her species is for some reason."
"Is she dangerous though?" The girl asked and I mentally scoffed, knowing just how dangerous I could be.
"Dunno. I suppose we'll find out soon enough and I'll definitely keep my eye on her until we know further. Being handcuffed in the back of a UNIT van doesn't tell us much other than UNIT wanted her for something or another. And judging by the scars…" He trailed off, sounding almost… concerned. "…it wasn't anything pleasant."
"It wasn't." I grumbled, alerting them to my presence and having had enough of this discussion. "Where am I?"
The man stepped forward. "On my ship. You've been out for about a day. How are you feeling?"
"Sore." My stomached growled. "And hungry. Do you have any lamb?"
Oh, the delicacy of that Earth creature. Far better than anything on my planet.
"Uh, sure. I could probably fix you up some. I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this is Rose."
Rose waved her hand with a small smile. "Hello."
Humans couldn't really pronounce my name with their tongue, so I went with one of my many aliases.
"Lux. I'm Lux Hemming. I appreciate you releasing me from that van."
"Oh, it was nothing much. We were just… passing through." He said, rubbing the back of his neck and eyeing me rather suspiciously. "What, uh… What were you doing in there, anyway? How long were you trapped for?"
"They were transporting me to another facility." I said, testing my legs as I stood a little shakily. "I do not know what for. And I was in the van for perhaps a dozen hours before it crashed and then two more days before you both showed up. I've been with the human group for nearly a decade however."
"You've been there for that long?" Rose questioned in surprise and I blinked at her naivety.
"A decade is nothing to my species."
"And what species is that?" The Doctor asked curiously, drawing my attention to him and I frowned.
"And why should I trust you with that knowledge? You both appear human and telling any human what I am has only caused me to end up in positions like that one. I am not so stupid to blindly give away who I am without good cause to do so."
"Fair enough." He muttered, not looking pleased, but apparently understanding as he headed to the door. "Rose can go ahead and show you where the showers are and I'll prepare some food while we wait. I'll have my ship move the wardrobe next to that so you can get some clothes, seeing as yours are not really ideal at the moment."
I nodded, allowing the blonde to lead me out and to another room where I showered and searched through the wardrobe for something more suited for my tastes. I was reluctant to leave my old clothes, since they were the only ones I had from my home planet, so I took them with me once I'd changed; heading out in some dark pants and shoes, with a loose shirt, vest, and a square scarf. I wasn't sure where to go from there, but some lights flickered down the hall and I followed them only to catch the scent of freshly cooked meat and followed that the rest of the way to the kitchen.
"Ah, I was just about to send Rose to get you." The Doctor said. "Find something you like?"
"Yes." I said, glancing down at my old clothes. "Is there some way to wash these? I… do not wish to part from them just yet."
He caught my gaze and remained silent for a second, before nodding. "Yeah. Just, uh… Leave them by the door and the Tardis will pick them up and take care of them."
"Tardis?" I questioned and he nodded.
"My ship."
I wasn't sure what he meant by his ship picking up my clothing, but did as he asked and moved to sit at the table with Rose, before he placed a plate down before me. I quickly dug in, savoring the taste of the lamb and soon got seconds and even thirds.
"I take it you like lamb?" Rose chuckled and I nodded, biting into my fourth round of food.
"The creatures on this planet are strange, but delicious." I said through a mouthful of food.
"So, what's your planet like?"
I paused, thinking back to the dreams I have nearly every night of my home planet. And oh, how I wish to return.
"Nothing special." I lied, returning to eating at a slower pace. "Much like your forests here, but with much longer moon seasons."
"Moon seasons?" She questioned and I mentally cursed myself for giving away something like that already.
"Yes." I said, trying to play off how nervous I was about them now. "Your moon seasons are short and only come once a month, while ours last much longer and happen many more times."
"Oh, you mean like the full moon and stuff, right?"
I hesitantly nodded, but it seemed these two were clueless as to just how important that information was to recognizing what I was. And if I'm lucky, they won't find out and I could just be dropped off somewhere safely.
"Well, why don't you just let us know where your planet is and we'll go ahead and drop you off." The Doctor hummed as I pushed my empty plate away.
"I can't."
He blinked. "Well, sure you can. We're not out to attack you or anything. Just a quick drop off and then we'll leave."
I shook my head. "No. I mean that I cannot return to my planet. They will execute me if I return."
"What? What for?" Rose asked and I sighed.
"My ship crashed here nearly 500 years ago and I sent out an SOS but have yet to receive a response. It has been too long for me to respond and they will execute me for treason if I return after having been gone for this long without a word."
"Treason? Seems a bit harsh for an accidental crash landing." The Doctor said, suspicious and I frowned at him.
"I have no proof it was such. Myself and three others were on our way to another planet hen we crashed. Two of them are dead and the other vanished before I awoke. I have no witnesses to the incident and we were supposed to be fighting our enemy ages ago."
"You're a soldier." He concluded and I nodded.
"Was. They will have believed me to have run away cowardly. And to return now will be my death sentence. Our courts are not lenient when it comes to situations such as these. You would be better off leaving me at some other planet on my own than sending me back there."
The two exchanged looks and after a moment, the Doctor sighed, pulling a hand through his hair.
"Well, we can't really do that. Doesn't seem right, to me. And I don't want to just go leaving ya in that kind of shape so… I suppose you can come with us for a bit. That is, only until you're healed up enough to be on your own. If you want to, anyway."
I eyed him, suspiciously. "Come with you?"
"Yeah." Rose said, looking rather pleased by the idea. "We sort of, um, travel. See. In time and space."
The Doctor nodded, sort of warming up to the idea as well now. "That's what Tardis stands for. Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. She's a time and space machine."
I couldn't help but admit I was kind of curious to travel with them, but was still hesitant. They were humans. Seemingly nice humans, but humans none-the-less. The Doctor apparently wasn't, but whatever species he was, it seemed he'd been moderately human-fied as well. I couldn't trust them, really. Rose may be naive, but the Doctor was not and I knew he would keep his eye on me. It was a cause for worry, but that curiosity overwhelmed me and I reluctantly nodded.
"Very well. I will… join you on your travels until I am well enough to be on my own." I said, wrinkling my nose in distaste at how childish I sounded.
The Doctor grinned, however, clapping his hands in excitement. "Alrighty then! I've got the perfect place in mind. How's England in the 1970s, hm?"
"Sounds great." Rose smiled as I bobbed my head.
The seventies weren't too bad for me while I'd been around. A lot less torture and more relaxing on my own for a bit.
"Sounds fine to me."
"Well, then, let's go! Rose, you better go get changed. Lux…" He looked me over before shrugging. "Eh, that'll do. I'll show you the control panel. Come on!"
I questioned at first, why he'd show me something so important as the control panel of his ship but once there, I realized why. No one would be able to steal this thing with that many controls. The whole system is much too complicated. This man must be some sort of genius! I mused, looking over everything in a sort of shock as he bounded around flipping levers and pressing buttons. He went off to get something from nearby and Rose returned in a burgundy shirt and overalls, digging through a backpack nearby.
"What do you think? Will it do?"
"In the late 1970s? You'd be better off in a bin bag. Hold on, listen to this."
It was a CD he'd gotten, apparently, and music filled the room.
"Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number one in 1979." He informed us, turning to me. "You heard of them, Lux?"
I shook my head. "I dislike the music on this planet."
He looked at me stunned. "All of it? There has to be something you like."
I thought about it with a small frown. "Classical, possibly. The rest is noise to me."
He pouted as Rose chuckled, listening to the song.
"You're a punk!"
He smiled a little at that, getting into the song himself and singing it. "'It's good to be a lunatic'."
"That's what you are." Rose continued playfully as I roamed around. "A big old punk with a bit of rockabilly thrown in."
"Would you like to see him?" The Doctor asked, more to her than me since my taste in human music wasn't appeasing to him.
"How'd you mean? In concert?"
"What else is a Tardis for? I can take you to the Battle of Trafalgar, the first anti-gravity Olympics, Caesar crossing the Rubicon, or Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?" He turned to me then, awkwardly. "You get a vote too, Lux."
I shrugged. "Wherever she wants to go is fine."
I could care less either way. Earth is Earth.
"Sheffield it is." Rose smiled.
"Hold on tight." The Doctor grinned back and I took hold of a rail; expecting a light amount of turbulence and not the disastrous ride we got instead.
I think I even saw him hitting the console with a hammer at a point, before we were all thrown onto our backs. Rose and him laughed, but I groaned, still very much sore.
"1979, hell of a year!" He shouted, getting up and heading over to me; offering me a hand. "You alright there?"
I glared, getting up on my own, still not trusting him. "Where did you learn to fly this ship? That was horrid!"
He pouted as I brushed myself off, wincing a bit at my sore wrists that were bandaged and aching at the motion. He didn't take my comment to heart though and just picked up where he left off with Rose.
"China invades Vietnam. The Muppet Movie. Love that film. Margaret Thatcher. Ugh. Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me. Nearly took off my thumb." He said, opening the door. "And I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to—"
There was a sound of cocking guns and I stiffened, immediately reaching for the small dagger I kept at my side.
"—my thumb." The Doctor finished idly, hands in the air. "1879. Same difference."
I scowled at him, growling under my breath. "Big difference. I hate the 1800s."
"Sorry." He muttered apologetically, spotting my hand on my dagger and pushing it back with a shake of his head.
I frowned, not wanting to listen to him, but with the number of men aiming guns our way, I knew we were outmatched and a dagger wouldn't do much against a bullet. Especially since it's the middle of the day and I haven't the slightest when the next moon season is. So I'm as human as the rest of them for now. Best come up with another plan. The Doctor seemed to be on top of that though, switching to a heavy Scottish accent as the man on the horse addressed us.
"You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of this girl." He said, gesturing to Rose who made a face.
"Are we in Scotland?" The Doctor questioned and the man gave him a look.
"How can you be ignorant of that?"
I glared at the Doctor, hoping he could get us out of this because all of my ideas involved some sort of fight, where in someone would get hurt.
"Oh, I'm, I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this, this wee naked child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, ya… timorous beastie."
Rose tried to play along.
"Och, aye! I've been oot and aboot." She said in a bad accent, making me wince as the Doctor tried to stop her.
"No, don't do that."
"Hoots man."
"No, really don't. Really."
The man on the horse ignored her strange behavior. "Will you identify yourselves, sirs?"
I realized he meant me too, but the Doctor spoke first.
"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon, from the township of Balamory. And this is my assistant, Lux Hemming. I have our credentials, if I may." He pulled out some paper and showed the man. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself."
The man seemed hesitant and I looked for another way out of this, but a voice spoke from behind him in the carriage he was leading.
"Let them approach."
"I don't think that's wise, ma'am." He said, though something about the voice seemed familiar.
"Let them approach." She repeated, and he begrudgingly allowed it.
"You will approach the carriage and show all due deference."
The Doctor gave him a small salute, grinning wildly at Rose and I as we approached the carriage and a man opened it to reveal someone I didn't expect to see for a long while.
"Rose, Lux. Might I introduce her Magesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith." The Doctor smiled as Rose curtsied.
"Rose Tyler, ma'am. And my apologies for being so naked."
"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me." The Queen said, before turning to me with a small smile. "And you, Mister Hemming. I thought we might have seen the last of each other ages ago. You haven't aged a day."
I hastily bowed, remembering my manners. "Apologies, ma'am. I hadn't expected us to meet again either, however, I must admit, you have aged far less than I."
She rolled her eyes, giving the stunned Doctor a look. "Always the charmer, this one. You'd best watch out for him." She returned to the matter at hand though, knocking the Doctor out of his stunned look. "But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials."
He handed her the psychic paper and continued to look at me, though I ignored him.
"Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector. You as well, Mister Hemming."
"Does it?" The Doctor questioned, looking surprised as he took it back and looked the paper over. "Yes, it does. Good. Good. Then, let me ask… Why is your Majesty traveling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?"
"A tree on the line." She replied and I immediately understood what that meant.
"An assassination attempt."
Rose looked shocked. "What? Seriously? There's people out to kill ya?"
The Queen sat up a bit straighter. "I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun."
Her head guard strode over on his horse. "Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We've sent word ahead. He'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow."
"Mister Hemming, this Doctor, and his timorous beastie will come with us." The Queen said, gesturing my way. "Be sure to give Mister Hemming a set of arms. We've… worked together before. I trust him."
The man frowned at me, but nodded. "Yes, ma'am. We'd better get moving. It's almost nightfall."
The Queen actually looked excited at the prospect. "Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!"
The Doctor, Rose and I were sent to walk behind the carriage; myself having been given a small pistol and a saber.
"So you know her?" The Doctor questioned me. "Personally?"
I shrugged. "I was appointed as her personal guard about ten years before now. Prevented two of the assassination attempts on her life during that time."
"Out of how many?"
I gave him a serious look. "Two."
He smiled a bit, as though he'd just been messing with me, but Rose spoke up then.
"It's funny though, because you say assassination and you just think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her."
"1879? She's had, oh… Six attempts on her life?" The Doctor said and I hummed.
"Just about."
"And I'll tell you something else." He said, leaning down a bit to grin at Rose. "We just met Queen Victoria!"
"I know!" Rose said excitedly, the two acting like children.
"What a laugh!"
"She was just sitting there."
"Like a stamp."
"I want her to say 'we are not amused'. I bet you five quid I can make her say it."
I sighed as the Doctor made a face.
"Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges of traveler in time."
"Ten quid?" She offered and he quickly agreed.
"Done."
Upon arriving, I felt a chill run up my spine. I got distracted by the feeling, sort of zoning out as I tried to figure out why it felt so familiar.
"Are you alright, Lux?"
I flinched when the Doctor lightly touched my shoulder, brushing him off as we headed inside.
"Fine. Just… thought I felt something."
He raised a brow at that, but said no more as we were led upstairs to see the observatory, as per the Queen's request. I was still distracted though, staring dazedly out the window until something the Queen said caught my attention.
"When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported."
Wolf…
"So what's this wolf then?" The Doctor asked, ever curious, though I had a bad feeling about all of this.
"It's just a story." Sir Robert replied, nervously glancing at his servant for a second.
"Then tell it."
He hesitated. "It's said that—"
The same bald servant spoke, interrupting him. "Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could retire to their rooms. It's almost dark."
"Of course. Yes, of course."
The Queen didn't seem bothered by the interruption. "And then supper. And could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness."
"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose tried, and I caught the Queen rolling her eyes, obviously knowing what she was up to and ignoring it.
"Sir Robert, your wife must have left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven, and talk some more of this wolf. After all, there is a full moon tonight."
Those words had me paling and I felt every ounce of blood drain from my face. Oh, no. Of all the times for this stupid planet's moon season, why now?
"Lux? Are you sure you're alright?" The Doctor asked me and I hesitated, before shaking my head; turning to the Queen, who had overheard.
"I-I'm very sorry, ma'am, but I'm not feeling well. Would it be alright if I retired for the night?"
She nodded. "Of course. Escort Miss Tyler to her room and I will see you in the morning. Do feel better, Mister Hemming."
I bowed and headed out with Rose, who looked to me in worry as the servant led us to a room.
"You look a bit pale." She commented. "Are you sick or something?"
"Or something…" I muttered, bobbing my head in a farewell as I was escorted to my room.
I felt someone come up behind me though and I quickly turned, seeing one of the servants preparing to hit me upside the head. I reacted in an instant, drawing my pistol and firing, only for the other servant to grab me from behind. I cursed and dropped the gun for my dagger, managing to get him in the arm, but when I turned to finish the job, a third man arrived and knocked me out.
"Your companions beg an apology, Doctor." A servant said, bringing in the wine for the evening. "Her clothing has somewhat delayed her and the other is under the weather."
"Oh, that's alright. Save them a wee bit of ham." He hummed, though he couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
There was definitely something suspicious with this house and Lux seemed fine before. She was a little dazed when she got here, but to suddenly get sick like that seemed odd. And Rose being delayed? When there was something interesting like this going on? That in and of itself was strange. And he was right to be suspicious, because Rose was currently sitting down in the cellar, locked up with the rest of the house's staff.
"Don't make a sound. They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us."
"But he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us." Rose told the Lady of the house, though the words sounded hollow to her own ears.
"He's nothing like us. That creature is not mortal."
The young monk who had been sitting silently in the cage before them opened his eyes to reveal completely black orbs. Rose was hesitant but curious all the same. She spotted Lux stirring in the corner and hesitantly approached her as she awoke.
"Lux, you alright?"
She grunted, rubbing her head with the chains around her wrists rattling at the movement. "Stupid humans. What is it with you lot and—"
She suddenly cut herself off and Rose followed her gaze to the young monk in the cage, making her worry.
"Lux? Lux, is everything alright?"
"Lux?"
"Rose, you need to get out of here, now." I said, not even looking her way as my eyes remained locked onto the man before us.
"Why? Do you know him? Do you know what he is?"
"I know that he's dangerous and this is the last place we want to be." I told her seriously, but she stood up and started to approach the man. "Rose!"
"Don't, child." One of the woman behind us said, but she ignored us both and spoke to him.
"Who are you?"
"Don't enrage him." A staff member said as I took a shaky breath and tried to work on getting out of the chains.
"Where are you from?" Rose asked him, making me wince. "You're not from Earth. What planet are you from?"
"Oh, intelligence." The man breathed out.
"Where were you born?" Rose tried again and I hoped the man was mad enough not to tell her.
"This body? Ten miles away. A weakling, heartsick boy, stolen away at night by the brethren for my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart."
He's long gone.
"Alright, so the body's human. But what about you? The thing inside?" Rose asked and I silently cursed her humanistic curiosity.
"So far from home." The boy whined.
"If you want to get back home, we can help." Rose offered, but I groaned.
"Rose, he could care less."
"She's right." The man smirked, making me wince when Rose looked at me and questioned how he knew I was a woman. "Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose."
"How would you do that?" Rose asked, thankfully not mentioning anything about the man possibly knowing me.
"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch."
"You mean Queen Victoria?"
"With one bite, I would pass into her blood, and then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf. Many questions." He lunged a bit and the others flinched back, whereas I glared and bared my teeth at him as he stared at Rose. "Look. Inside your eyes. You've seen it too."
"Seen what?"
"The Wolf. There is something of the Wolf about you." He said and I frowned, looking at Rose briefly and feeling a slight churning in my stomach at his words.
I'd noticed it too, but I thought it was just my imagination. He was right though. There was something odd about Rose. She didn't seem to know about it though, so I brushed it off as he turned to me.
"And oh, how long it's been, *****."
I snarled at him, ignoring Rose's gaze on us. "Don't call me by that name, *****. Not when you're this far gone."
He frowned, tilting his head. "Gone? I was not the one who left us."
"Neither was I. You were gone when I woke." I countered, Rose looking at me in worry.
"Lux, what's going on?"
"Rose, focus on escaping. Pull together on the chains and they should come loose from the stone." I said, a bit of bite in my tone.
"But Lux—"
"Rose!" I snapped, turning towards her angrily. "If you want to survive more than five minutes in here with him, then do as I said!"
She hesitated, but nodded and got the other staff members up and started pulling as the cellar doors were opened and moonlight flooded in.
"Moonlight." He breathed out, tugging off his cloak as I swallowed thickly and tried to hold back the tingle of madness in the back of my head.
"W-When was the last time you trained, *****?" I asked as he started to change.
"Trained?! The training weakens you! Why should I train when I can be so much more?!" He shouted and he shifted as I let out a wail of my own, clutching at my head as my blood began to boil.
"Lux? Lux, what's going on?!" Rose shouted as I ducked back into the shadows and out of her sight, though I could still feel the burn of the moonlight.
"Just pull!" I shouted, changing myself.
I roared and shouted through the pain, it having been much too long since the last time I changed, much less being able to train with my seals. And that made it all the more dangerous. The wolf beside me snarled as he examined his paws and turned his gaze towards Rose and the others. The cellar doors burst open and the Doctor rushed in as Rose glared at him.
"Where the hell have you been?!"
He turned towards the wolf though and grinned. "Oh, that's beautiful."
The wolf began to escape his cage though and he hurried to get out of there, just as he locked eyes with me. My head ached and my body burned, seals trying to keep my mentality in check, but it had been so long. The madness was creeping in and as he looked into my silver eyes, I snarled and roared at him, making to lunge until he slammed the door shut and left as the wolf behind me let out a long howl and I followed.
"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths. Did it say what it wanted?" The Doctor asked Rose as he unlocked her handcuffs with the sonic.
"The Queen, the Crown, the throne, you name it." She answered, looking around in confusion. "Doctor, where's Lux?"
He furrowed his brows. "Dunno. I thought she was with you."
"She was!" Rose said, looking around again to make sure she hadn't missed her. "She was in there with us a-and she was talking to it. Like she knew it or something. Spoke in a different language and everything. But she was chained separate from us. Doctor, is she… I mean, we didn't know her all that well, but…"
There was a bang and he turned towards the hall briefly, patting Rose with a sad look on his face.
"Let's hope not."
He made towards the hall then, looking down it and seeing two werewolves standing there. One, pitch black with silver markings traveling up its sides, shoulders and thighs. It looked much less feral than the other brown one, but the Doctor couldn't figure out what made it so different. Even in the cellar, it seemed… conscious—for lack of a better term. The other was wilder, untamed. And as that one snarled at him, he bolted back down the hall and grabbed Rose as the steward and his men open fired on the two beasts. They bolted back down the hallway and the Doctor spoke to the men.
"Alright, you men. We should retreat upstairs. Come with me."
"I'll not retreat." The steward said. "The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault."
"I'm telling you, come upstairs!" The Doctor shouted, knowing that these creatures weren't from Earth, but the steward was adamant.
"And I'm telling you, sir, I will sleep well tonight with those things' hides upon my wall." The man stepped out into the all, looking pleased as he turned back. "They must have crawled away to die."
He was pulled up into the ceiling rafters and the Doctor quickly took Rose upstairs with Robert following as the men got devoured. He wasn't there to witness though, the silver marked wolf attacking the other one and chasing it off; gazing at the mangled corpses before heading off itself. The Doctor and others met up with the Queen, only to discover their exit blocked by the monks with guns. So they quickly found a different way to go as the wolves started to chase them up the stairs. The Queen's guard, Reynolds, shot at the wolves, making them retreat and vowed to hold them off as the rest escaped. Rose though, couldn't help but look back at him as everyone hid in the library.
Reynolds emptied his revolver into the beast closest to him and Rose stared with wide eyes as he took a step back and the werewolf went to devour him. Just as it was about to though, the other werewolf attacked it; grabbing it and throwing it away from Reynolds. Rose stared in shock as the black werewolf growled and snarled at the other one, staying between it and Reynolds. Rose couldn't figure out what was going on. For one thing, there had only been one werewolf. She didn't remember there being a second one. And why was the black one seemingly protecting Reynolds? Weren't the two of them from the same race? The same planet even? None of this was making any sense and as the two werewolves attacked one another, Reynolds scurried back and pulled Rose with him into the library; surprising everyone already in there.
"Reynolds?" The Doctor looked between him and Rose as Robert shouted.
"Barricade the door!"
They did so, the Doctor pausing to listen for a moment.
"Wait a minute. Sh, sh, wait a minute." He said, a howl echoing through the room as he pressed his ear to the door. "It stopped."
There was some sniffing from the other side and a low growl, before what sounded like the beginnings of another fight. The Doctor furrowed his brows, listening at the gnashing and snarling of teeth, before there was a whimper and then silence.
"They're gone." He said, stepping away from the door.
It wasn't over yet though, footsteps coming from outside letting them know that at least one of the beasts was searching around for an entrance.
"Listen…" Rose said, turning on the spot to listen to it as the Doctor whispered to Robert.
"Is this the only door?"
"Yes…" He said, before his eyes widened. "No!"
The men rushed over and blocked the second door as well, going quiet to see if the wolves would try to get in. They didn't though. There was another growl and some snarling before the remaining one ran off and Rose stared in confusion.
"I don't understand. What's stopping them?"
"Something inside this room." The Doctor said, though equally as confused. "What is it? Why can't they get in?"
"I'll tell you what though." Rose said, approaching him with a small grin.
"What?"
"Werewolves."
"I know." He smiled back, hugging her before looking her over. "You alright?"
"I'm okay, yeah."
He frowned though. "Hold on. Reynolds. What happened? I thought you were going to hold them off. No offence, but how come you're back here?"
Reynolds shook his head. "I-I honestly don't know, sir. I was shooting at them and the one brown one lunged at me, but then the darker one threw it aside."
Rose nodded. "Yeah. It was like it was protecting him or something. The two of them started fightin' each other."
"That's odd." He mused, before Robert spoke up, looking exhausted.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should have sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong. I thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Well, they were bald, athletic. Your wife's away. I just thought you were happy."
Rose smiled though, looking at the Queen. "I'll tell you what though, ma'am. I bet you're not amused now."
The Queen rounded on her angrily. "Do you think this is funny?"
Rose immediately stepped back, apologetic. "No, ma'am. I'm sorry."
"What, exactly, I pray tell me, someone, please. What exactly is that creature?"
"You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform." The Doctor rattled off and she turned to him.
"And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?"
"Oh, right. Sorry, that's…" He rubbed the back of his neck, having not even realized that he'd stopped using the Scottish one.
"I'll not have it. No, sir. Not you, not that thing, none of it. This is not my world."
The room, while tense, went quiet for a while, before the Doctor noticed the carvings of mistletoe upon the doors. It wasn't long before he realized that the monks had trained the wolves to be allergic to the plant. And armed with the greatest arsenal the world could provide, the Doctor had everyone take a book from off the shelves and try to find a clue as to how exactly the monks came upon these wolves.
"Look at what your old dad found." He said, showing them a book on exactly what they were looking for. "Something fell to Earth."
"A spaceship?" Rose asked, though Robert looked over the book and shook his head.
"A shooting star. 'In the year of our Lord 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit'. That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the monastery."
"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?" Rose asked.
"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations, it survived through the humans, host after host after host." The Doctor offered as a possible explanation.
"But why does it want the throne?"
"That's what it wants. It said so. The… The Empire of the Wolf."
The Doctor muttered. "Imagine it. The Victorian Age accelerated. Starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam, leaving history devastated in its wake."
"Sir Robert." The Queen suddenly spoke up, standing from her place. "If I am to die here—"
"Don't say that, Your Majesty." He cut her off.
"I would destroy myself rather than let those creatures infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far… older and more precious than myself."
"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables." The Doctor quipped.
"Thank you for your opinion, but there is nothing more valuable than this." She reached into her purse and pulled out a large diamond, about the size of her palm.
"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?"
"Oh, yes. The greatest diamond in the world."
"Given to me as the spoils of war." The Queen explained as they came closer. "Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die."
"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I?"
The Doctor reached out and the Queen handed it over, allowing him to observe it.
"That is so beautiful."
"How much is that worth?"
"They say the wages of the entire planet for a whole week." He told Rose.
"Good job my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolves off with her bare hands for that thing."
"And she'd win."
The two of them chuckled as Robert shifted uneasily.
"Where are the wolves? I don't trust this silence."
The Doctor though, was more curious about the diamond.
"Why do you travel with it?" The Doctor asked, curious.
"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew, the Royal Jewelers at Hazelhead. The stone needs re-cutting."
"Oh, but it's perfect."
"My late husband never thought so."
"Now, there's a fact. Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting." Explained the Doctor as they all looked over the diamond some more.
"He always said… the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished."
"Unfinished…" The Doctor realized something then, and he tossed the diamond back to the Queen, who caught it; shocked. "Oh, yes. There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, and your husband, ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond. Hold on, hold on. All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! Oh, my head, my head! What if this house, it's a trap for you. Is that right, ma'am?" He spouted quickly after messing up his hair and pacing a bit.
"Obviously."
"At least, that's what the wolves intended. But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?"
"Explain yourself, Doctor."
"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true, and they planned against it, laying the real trap not for you but for the wolves."
Just then, some dust flitted down from the ceiling and he looked up to see the brown wolf up above them on the glass dome.
"That wolf there."
The glass began cracking and the group all quickly ran towards the barricaded doors.
"Out! Out! Out!" The Doctor shouted, all of them grabbing things from in front of the door and tossing them aside as the wolf fell down and landed on the desk.
Once outside, the Doctor closed the doors and they all hurried down the hall to get away from the beast.
"Get to the observatory!" He shouted from behind, before pulling ahead of everyone.
Rose was in the back though and with the wolf right behind her, she would have gotten attacked, if it weren't for the blur of black that slammed into the wolf. She stumbled back as the black and brown werewolves fought one another, before something splashed over them both. The brown one growled in complaint, swinging its head around before running off; the Doctor complimenting the Lady of the house who'd thrown the bucket of water on them.
"Good shot!"
The other wolf was still there though, bringing a hand up to wipe the water from its face as it sort of sneezed at the scent.
"B-But why isn't it working?" The Lady panicked, taking a step back as Robert held her and Reynolds drew his gun.
The Doctor though, was curious and held up a hand to stop him.
"Wait, wait, wait. Don't shoot it."
Reynolds looked at him in shock. "Are you mad?! It'll kill us!"
"Rose is still over there. If you startle it, it could attack." He said, hesitantly stepping closer as the werewolf sneezed loudly and pawed at its face once more. "And… I don't think it's the same as the other one."
Reynolds was hesitant, but couldn't help but agree to that much; keeping his gun aimed at the wolf, but not shooting it for now as the Doctor came up beside Rose and pushed her behind him slowly.
"Doctor, what are you doing?" She hissed at him, but he didn't turn his gaze from the werewolf before them.
"I just want to try something. See if I can get it to talk."
Rose wanted to pull him away, but she could tell he was determined and there would be no convincing him to do otherwise, so she begrudgingly let it go; though she wasn't about to leave his side. Giving one last final snort to get rid of the mistletoe, the wolf turned towards them; body stiff and prepared to make a dash for it if threatened. The Doctor, seeing the signs easily, held his hands up in surrender.
"It's alright. It's okay. We won't hurt you."
The wolf glanced at him before lifting its gaze to the revolver Reynolds was holding, making the Doctor wince.
"Unless you give us reason to, that is." He added on, hoping that that would satisfy the creature before him.
And it did. The werewolf simply turned away and glanced down the hall that the other had hurried through briefly, before turning back to the Doctor.
"You just… seem different than the other one. You've been helping us, haven't you?"
The werewolf remained stubbornly silent, turning only when the distant howl of the other werewolf echoed down the hall. Knowing he was running short of time, the Doctor tried to hurry things up.
"Please. Talk to me. Why are you different from the other one? Why are you helping us instead of helping him?"
The werewolf suddenly turned its head down the hall, ears perked, and speaking in deep, heavily accented English.
"You must go. He is coming."
Everyone looked a little stunned, but the Doctor pushed.
"Why are you different from him?"
The wolf glanced back at him briefly, eyes flicking back ahead of it as it responded.
"He has lost himself to the change and I have not quite yet reached that point."
"Yet?" The Doctor breathed out, but the wolf didn't respond, taking off down the hall with a snarl and Rose tugged the Doctor back as Robert spoke.
"The observatory is this way."
The Doctor hesitated, but followed after him and the others; making it to the observatory and frowning as he realized he'd need more time.
"No mistletoe in these doors because your father wanted the wolves to get inside. I just need time. Is there any way of barricading this?"
"Just do your work and I'll defend it." Robert said, still standing outside the doors.
The Doctor didn't get what he was implying. "If we could bind them shut with rope or something."
"I said I'd find you time, sir. Now get inside." He repeated, the Doctor growing serious before finally speaking.
"Good man. But try not to fight the black one. I think it's trying to help us, believe it or not."
Robert hesitantly nodded and the Doctor closed the door, leaving Rose to stare at it in shock, before going over to the Queen with his hand out. "Your Majesty, the diamond."
"For what purpose?"
"The purpose it was designed for."
The door clicked as Robert locked it from the outside and the Queen handed the Doctor the diamond before he called to Rose.
"Rose."
She hurried over and he grabbed a rung of a large wheel; Reynolds drawing his revolver and aiming it at the door as he stood before the Queen.
"Lift it. Come on." The Doctor told Rose.
She grabbed a hold as he said, straining to push it.
"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Rose grunted.
"Yes, it is."
"And how come that werewolf knew English? It actually spoke to us."
"Couldn't tell you. It may have been here long enough to have adapted and learned the language. That's easy enough, but… it said the other one 'lost himself to the change'." The Doctor said, grunting as he turned the wheel.
"But what does that mean?"
"I'm not sure. I have a theory though."
There was a shout and snarling and growling outside, before a yelp, and pounding on the door. The Queen held up a cross, praying for safety as Reynolds' hand started to shake slightly and the Doctor explained what he was trying to do with the telescope.
"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is. It's a light chamber. It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up."
"It won't work. There's no electricity!" Rose argued.
The Doctor gave her a look, trying to get her to catch on, and thankfully she did.
"Moonlight. But the wolves need moonlight. They're made by moonlight."
"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on!"
They finally got it in the right position just as the door burst open and the brown werewolf burst through and lunged towards the Queen. Thankfully, the Doctor was quick on his feet and hurried over, sliding the diamond along the floor into the moon light, reflecting it onto the wolf. The breast roared and floated in the air, returning to the young man it was before, crucified by the moonlight.
"Make it brighter. Let me go." He begged, and the Doctor did just that, until the man disappeared with a howl.
The Queen though, seemed distracted by something on her wrist, making the Doctor a little concerned.
"Your Majesty? Did it bite you?"
"No, it's…it's a cut, that's all."
"If that thing bit you—"
"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart. It's nothing."
"Let me see." The Doctor asked, reaching for her wrist, but she quickly hid it, making him even more suspicious than he already was.
"It is nothing."
He begrudgingly said nothing more on the subject, but turned as there was a scuffling just beyond the door; Reynolds raising his weapon.
"The other one is still here." He said, gun aimed at the doorway just as the tall black werewolf showed itself.
Blood dripped from a wound on its arm, matting its fur and making some of the silver markings a deep red shade instead, but what caught their attention was the man it was carrying.
"Sir Robert!" Reynold said, stepping forward threateningly and cocking his weapon, but the Doctor rushed in and quickly shoved it upward before he could shoot the wolf. "What are you doing?! That creature has Sir Robert!"
"If you would just give me a minute, I could show you it's not like the other one! It's been helping us this whole time!"
"It is fine, Doctor." The wolf said, gently laying Robert down, and surprising the Doctor that it knew who he was. "Near five hundred years, and I've learned that humans tend to hurt things they do not understand, and worry about consequences later. It is a fact I've grown to live with."
"No… No, that's not true." He argued, hating to see an apparently friendly creature think so poorly of such an amazing race. "They're not all like this. I swear."
The werewolf looked at him and something about those grey eyes struck him as familiar, though he couldn't tell what.
"I've only met one man who was different…" The wolf shook its large head, turning away and beginning to stalk off. "And even he changed in the end."
"They're different. Please. You have to believe me! Humans can be kind!" He shouted, making the beast stop and glance back over its shoulder at him.
"Five hundred years, Doctor. It will take a lot more than your word to make me change my opinion. So you best keep trying to convince me."
The werewolf turned the corner and Reynolds attempted to run after it, but found nothing; the Doctor sort of in a daze.
"Doctor?" Rose said, making him frown.
"'Keep trying'. Why did it say 'keep trying'? Why is it so sure we'll meet again? There's just… There's something about it… But what?"
Dawn couldn't come fast enough, and once Rose and the Doctor were—both—knighted and exiled in the same morning, they headed on back to the Tardis with heavy hearts. Sir Robert had ended up healthy enough. According to him, the black wolf had shoved him aside when the other one had attacked, and he hit his head on something and blacked out. They were more upset about Lux though, having not seen hide nor hair of her even after searching the whole of the Torchwood estate. They'd been chatting idly about how the Queen could have possibly gotten bit and transferred the werewolf gene onto the next generation, but upon spotting the Tardis and the figure leaning up against it, their mouths dropped open in shock.
"Lux?!"
The Doctor and Rose hurried forward, but the Doctor's expression immediately fell upon seeing her pale complexion and the blood that dripped down her arm from under her shirt.
"Lux! What happened?!" Rose asked, the Doctor having to grab Lux before she collapsed.
"Just… a bit of trouble… with the wolf."
That caught the Doctor's attention as he helped her into the Tardis.
"'Wolf'? Singular?"
She didn't say anything and he frowned, but went quiet himself as he brought her into the med-bay to look at her shoulder.
"I'm going to need you to take off your shirt." He said, realizing the wound was bigger than he thought.
"It's fine." She murmured, half-conscious, it seemed as she removed the article and held it in front of her chest so he could get a better look at her wound.
What surprised the Doctor though, was the silver tattoos that he'd not noticed before. They were so light that they were barely noticeable unless you looked at them just right, but he shook the thought off as he examined her wound. He winced at the amount of blood and grabbed a cloth to soak with alcohol.
"This is going to hurt a bit."
She nodded, not even speaking and he lightly dabbed at the wound, wincing himself as she stiffened and her breathing grew more ragged. Once he'd cleaned it up more though, he was stunned to see the wound.
"Lux, you were bit by the wolf?"
"It's fine." She grumbled. "J-Just patch it up."
"It's not fine! You've probably been infected! Lux, this is serious!"
"I can't be infected!" She shouted, clutching at her wound with a hiss of pain as he frowned.
"That's impossible. There's only a relative few species who could…" He trailed off as the puzzle pieces suddenly clicked.
"Your moon seasons are short and only come once a month, while ours last much longer and happen many more times."
"...and telling any human what I am has only caused me to end up in positions like that one."
"My ship crashed here nearly 500 years ago..."
"...there is a full moon tonight..."
"She was in there with us a-and she was talking to it. Like she knew it or something. Spoke in a different language and everything."
"...two werewolves standing there. One, pitch black with silver markings traveling up its sides, shoulders and thighs."
"In the year of our Lord 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit."
"Five hundred years, Doctor. It will take a lot more than your word to make me change my opinion. So you best keep trying to convince me."
"Lux… you…" He looked at her as she glared at him tiredly. "You're a werewolf?"
"So what if I am?!" She snapped, baring her teeth in a threatening manner as she yanked back on her shirt; without having her wound dressed first. "All you humans think the same thing! Even you! It's always 'monsters' this! 'Horrible beasts' that! Burn them at the stake! Hunt them down! Kill the wolf before it kills us! Rip it apart! Make it work for us! See how it works! Like we're some kind of heartless machines, but we're not! And none of you ever bother to see that, so I'm leaving before you get any ideas! I am done with the human race!"
"Lux! Lux, wait!" The Doctor shouted, chasing after her as she stormed out and reaching for her, only for her to whip around with a low growl; making him freeze as he saw a hint of that beast hiding within her.
"Don't touch me." She snarled, only to cringe and clutch at her head in pain.
The Doctor saw the seals on her skin darken for a moment and swallowed thickly as Lux's form seemed to crack for a second.
"Lux. Lux, just stay calm. I-I think you're trying to shift again." He said, not really wanting an angry werewolf rampaging around the Tardis. "We must be close to a moon o-or you may have absorbed enough moonlight to shift without it for a bit. But you can't shift here. If you do—"
"What?" She growled, voice shifting as she faced him with a glare; silver eyes narrowing dangerously. "I'll eat you?"
He could see the distrust in her eyes. How she could sense his fear of her and how he didn't trust her back. How cautious he was about her and her possible shifting. And it was hard for him not to be fearful. Werewolves were very powerful beings and could be every bit as feral as any other wild animal. He knew she was different, but werewolves just had one of those presences that made every sense of you scream to run. To hide, because there was something dangerous standing right there. Right in front of you. No one wanted to die and werewolves seemed to give off the scent of death. And even a Time Lord would quake in his boots when face-to-face with a werewolf. Lux let out another cry of pain and the Doctor knew his time was up, being forced to step back as Lux's body shifted. It was strange to watch though, seeing the human shaped body crack and jerk into something that shouldn't be possible. And once the large wolf was completely formed, the Doctor was hesitant.
Was she going to be like the other one? Had that last nerve finally snapped? But as he looked, he felt his hearts ache for the creature before him. She was slightly hunched over—whether in pain or due to the height of the ceiling, he wasn't sure—and was leaning heavily against the wall with a large black, fur-covered hand. But she kept her face turned away from him as she panted, obviously exerting herself as her other arm hung limply at her side. She looked almost… defeated. Such an old creature who'd been through so much in the last five hundred years, that she had reached the point where it almost didn't matter to her anymore, what happened. She had been trapped so far from home for so long, knowing that there wouldn't ever be a way back and that every person she met could be an enemy. It would have driven anyone mad. It should have driven her mad, but for so long she'd pushed herself to stick through it all in the hopes that… Well, he wasn't exactly sure what she'd been hoping for. But five hundred years of not finding it had obviously worn her down. And he could feel it radiating off of her. So lonely, so scared, terrified of everyone and everything. Always running, fighting, struggling, but always drowning. Always hurting. And for what?... She had nothing left.
The Doctor hesitantly approached, reaching a hand out towards her only for her eyes to suddenly shift to him and a low growl to rumble deep in her throat as she snarled at him. And he stopped, but only momentarily. Because she wouldn't hurt him. He didn't know how he knew that, but he did. It was just a feeling in his gut. A chime in his head that said she was a friend despite the aggressiveness. Despite the shouting and the snarling. She was only scared. Frightened of being betrayed again. Of being hurt again. She was putting up these walls to protect herself in the only way she knew how. By scaring people off before they got too close. His hand touched her side making her stiffen under his fingers, but she didn't move as he lightly traced one of the silver designs marking her fur. He went to say something then, only for there to be a startled gasp and all eyes went to Rose; who stood not too far from them with fear evident in her eyes.
Immediately, the Doctor could sense the change in the room and he scrambled to stop Lux as she suddenly charged forward and pinned Rose to the wall with her sharp teeth mere inches from her.
"Lux! Lux! Stop! Don't hurt her!"
Lux growled menacingly as Rose whimpered, shaking in her hold, saying nothing as the Doctor tried to find a way out of this situation.
"Lux, please! Please don't hurt her!" He begged and Lux licked her lips threateningly.
"And how many times have they hurt me?" She snarled, voice dark. "How many times have humans poked and prodded and scarred me? With their knives and swords and needles and fire. Such puny, fragile beings. One twist and they snap. But they gather like a plague and rip things apart. Anything different. They take it and tear it piece by piece until there's nothing left. We make it quick. One swipe, one sharp yank, one bite."
Lux opened her jaws, moving closer towards Rose as the Doctor grew more frantic.
"And I'm sorry!" He shouted. "I'm sorry they did that to you! I'm sorry you had to go through that, Lux, but please! You can't put the blame of a few bad humans on the entire species!"
Lux stopped and pulled back; slightly turning towards him. "A few? A few human beings? I've been trapped on this rock for five hundred years!" She shouted. "Five hundred years of hoping they'd change! Hoping I'd find even one human that wouldn't treat me like some monster, only to be disappointed every time! Every single time! Hundreds and thousands of human beings and all of them did the same! And you want me to what?! Search for another five hundred years?! Be tortured for another five hundred years because every human I end up finding is more of a monster than I am?! And why?! Because there might be one—one tiny little human that will swallow their fear, look me in the eye and say they don't care?! And what then?!" She yelled, shaking slightly. "A hundred years and they're gone and I have to start over! And that's if the other humans don't kill them first! Why should I trust that you won't do the same?!"
She spun around and threw Rose at him, panting heavily as she obviously struggled with everything.
"Because Rose and I are different! I understand—"
"Different? She only looked at me and was afraid! Back at that house, you both ran and tried to save the humans from the wolf, never mind me! They shot at me! They attacked me! I was trying to help! I've only ever tried to help and all it's ever gotten me was this!" She said, but her voice cracked and that raging madness that had crept up on her when she attacked Rose had begun to fade from her eyes. "Everyone runs from the monster… but no one ever stops to think that maybe the monster's the one running. And maybe the monster's done running."
"Lux… I'm… I'm sorry." The Doctor said, not sure what more he could do.
Lux scoffed, turning away. "Your apology isn't going to save me, Doctor… It's… much too late for that."
She took a step forward, only to stumble and fall; collapsing as she suddenly shifted back to her human form. The Doctor hurried forward, kneeling at her side and rolling her onto her back. He checked her pulse quickly and winced, scooping her up and hurrying back towards the med bay as Rose followed; confused.
"D-Doctor? What's going on? Lux was a werewolf?!"
"Not now, Rose!" The Doctor shouted back, leaving her in the hall as he made it back to the med bay and laid Lux down, muttering under his breath. "Werewolf, werewolf. What do I have for a werewolf?!"
A monitor swung around and smacked him upside the head, making him angry until he spotted the image on it and smacked himself in the forehead.
"Of course!"
He hurried out of the med bay and nearly bumped into Rose on the way out, her chasing after him as he ran to the console room.
"Doctor! What's going on?! Where are we going?!"
"The moon!" He shouted back, rushing around the controls and landing the ship with a grin before hurrying back to the med bay. "Alright, Lux. Allons-y!"
He hefted her back into his arms and made for the open blue doors, getting the woman out onto the surface of the moon and simply laying her down in the hopes that this plan of his would work. Come on, come on. Don't need a whole lot, but just enough. Lux shifted, breathing in deeply before letting out a sigh, her color returning to it's normal, healthy shade as the Doctor let out his own sigh of relief. He left her there for a bit longer and then scooped her up and brought her back into the Tardis to the med bay; Rose trailing behind him hesitantly.
"Doctor, can you explain what's going on? What happened earlier? Was that really…" She trailed off, glancing at Lux in concern as the Doctor's expression saddened and he turned to her.
"Yes. That was Lux. Apparently, we've overlooked something. Lux is… Lux is a werewolf."