Chapter Four

"Okay, what do we do?" Paul said as they watched Ogla walking around while she searched for something.

Rory went over to her and gasped when the leader grabbed his spear and thrust it in his face.

"I can help her," he said.

"Rory, get back," the Doctor said as the leader thrust his spear closer to his face. "I know you have some medical training but you're also the enemy to them and I'm sure they don't want you around Ogla when she's giving birth. Step back now!"

Rory nodded and fell back with the others. The leader gave him a wary look while he lowered his spear. Meanwhile Ogla found a stalagmite near the back of the cave. She squatted down while she grabbed hold of it. Everyone watched while she continued her labor and tried to make her child drop out while she pushed and strained. While Paul was watching, he felt someone take his hand and looked down to see the girl smiling up at him while she held his hand. He smiled back and squeezed her hand before he turned his attention back to Ogla. For a couple of hours, she strained and groaned while everyone watched her. The Doctor and his companions eventually sat back down and the girl followed Paul and sat down beside him.

"You have a new friend," Jane teased him.

"I'm just a lovable bastard, I suppose," Paul said with a wink.

He looked at the girl.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

The girl frowned in confusion and Paul pointed to himself.

"Paul," he said, jabbing his finger at his chest.

"Tya," the girl said, imitating the finger jabbing.

"Tya? Nice to meet you," Paul said, taking her hand and shaking it.

The girl giggled at the handshake and smiled up at Paul. Paul took her hand and turned his attention back to Ogla. By now she was nearing the end of the labor and in a few more minutes, the baby slid out onto the ground. The Doctor and his companions gasped when they saw the baby was gasping for air, her skin completely blue with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. The Doctor ran to her and let out an angry yell when the leader ran over and thrust his spear in the Doctor's face.

"I can save the baby, let me help!" he said, pointing to the infant.

"No, stay away from her, Tall One!"

"Please, if you just let me…"

He gasped when the leader tried to stab him in the chest with the spear. Glaring at the leader, the Doctor was forced back and watched helplessly as the newborn took her last breath and expired. Everyone watched angrily while the leader poked and prodded the newborn and then declared it dead while the afterbirth slid out of Ogla. The leader picked the newborn up and walked out of the cave with it. The Doctor and his companions watched as he walked over to a rock that was about a hundred feet from the cave, laid the infant on top of the rock and walked back to the cave without a second look back.

"That's it? They're just gonna leave her out there?" Amy said, stunned.

"The Neanderthals have no imagination, remember?" the Doctor told her. "They can't imagine an afterlife so death is just that, death. The only thing he knows is the baby needs to be taken away from the cave so it doesn't rot in here. It's brutal but that's the way their brains are made. They only know this life and nothing else so there's no funeral rites or mourning the dead."

"You could have saved her though," Amy said angrily.

"Yes, I could have but they're mistrustful of us and we have to accept that they wouldn't have let us near the infant and let it die instead. Perhaps now, they'll let Nog lead us to the gateway so we can continue with our quest."

The Doctor walked over to the leader when he came back to the fire and spoke with him about Nog leading them to the gateway. The leader nodded.

"Yes, go. You're not welcome here," the leader said. "Nog, take the Tall Ones to the living trees while we go get more meat from the fur beast."

"Pao," Tya said, tugging at his hand. "I come. I come with you."

"Awww," Amy said. "Paul has a little friend who wants to come with him."

"Um…is it okay if…what was her name?" the Doctor asked Paul.

"She said it was Tya," Paul replied. "Don't know if that's her actual name or not, she may have misunderstood what I was getting at but that's what I'm calling her."

The Doctor nodded. He asked the leader if Tya could come with them. The leader shrugged.

"No matter. Tya go with you. Don't care," he said. "She outsider."

"What do you mean by outsider?" the Doctor said.

"Found her," the leader said. "Tall Ones kill her clan. We take her in but she not one of us. Don't care if she go with you."

The Doctor's eyes flashed anger at that but he held his tongue and nodded. Paul looked down at Tya.

"If the Tall Ones killed your clan, why do you want to go with me? I'm a Tall One."

"That's debatable," Amy muttered.

She winked at him when he eyed her. He smiled in return and looked at Tya.

"Why do you like me?" Paul asked her.

"You nice," Tya said. "You make bird sounds. I like you."

Paul smiled at that and Jane ruffled his hair. Paul took her hand and he and the others walked up to the Doctor. Nog grabbed her spear, looked them over and grunted as she headed out of the cave. The Doctor and his group said goodbye to everyone before they followed Nog. As they walked past the infant, everyone gazed on it with anger that they weren't able to help save the baby's life before they walked on. By now, the snow was beginning to fall and the wind swirled it around. Paul blinked and wiped his eyes when the stinging flakes kept getting in the way of his vision. He looked down at Tya and noticed she wasn't even fazed and marveled at her ability to survive in the ice and snow. He studied her and found that despite her hairy body and permanent brow ridge she was actually a very cute little girl. Tya looked up at him when she felt his stare and smiled.

"Pao," she said happily.

Paul grinned at that and gave her hand a squeeze. Meanwhile, Nog was near the front of the group, using her spear like a staff while she and the others navigated through the snow and snowdrifts. While they walked, Nog glanced at Bill who was walking beside her.

"You taller," she said to him.

Bill gave her a quizzical look.

"Huh?" he said.

"You taller than them," she said, gesturing to the others. "You tall Tall One."

"Oh, yes, I s'pose I am," Bill replied.

"Why you come here?" Nog asked him.

"We're searching for the living trees so we can help our people," Bill said.

"Help do what?" Nog said, tilting her head.

"Help prevent an invasion."

Nog laughed at that.

"They gonna be attacked now? Good!" Nog said. "Now they know what it be like to be attacked."

"That's not the solution," Bill said. "I know your people are getting attacked but you can't wish that on someone else. Violence is never a solution."

Nog studied him while they walked and then she became lost in thought for a moment. Finally, she looked at him.

"You good. I can tell," she said. "You not like Tall Ones who want to kill."

"No, I don't want to kill anyone," Bill said. "I want to help people."

Nog smiled and nodded.

"Yes, you good," she said softly while Bill smiled at that.

Suddenly, they heard yelling and everyone gasped when several homo sapien men ran out from behind several trees and started surrounding them. Unlike the Neanderthals who were barely dressed, the homo sapiens were dressed in thick hide clothes that covered them from head to foot and they were also wearing snowshoes, although theirs were bigger and denser. Their spear points were smaller, thinner and were made more precisely than the Neanderthals. Nog growled as she hefted her spear and started to attack them.

"Wait!" the Doctor said, holding up his hands as he got between them. "Don't anybody move!"

The homo sapiens and Nog froze in surprise. One of the homo sapiens came forward. His face was angular with a prominent jaw. His fur parka hid his hair if he had any and there was a slight scar on his right cheek.

"What's the meaning of this?" the homo sapien said to the Doctor. "Who are you and why are you with the cave dwellers?"

"They're our friends," the Doctor said to him.

The leader looked back at his comrades and all of them sniggered.

"You make friends with beasts?" the leader said.

"No, I make friends with people which is what they are," the Doctor said.

The men laughed at that.

"You're foolish to be friends with them. They're stupid," the leader said.

"They're a lot smarter than you think," the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes. "And if you know what's good for you, you won't hurt them."

The leader snorted and looked at his comrades.

"We take them prisoner, all of them. Pepa will be interested in the cave dwellers. You!" the leader said to the Doctor. "You will follow us, all of you, or die!"

"Pepa," the Doctor said. "As in Pepperland?"

The men were surprised.

"Yes, you come from there?" the leader said.

"No, but we're looking for it," the Doctor replied. "This is Nog, she was leading us there."

The men laughed.

"Her? She couldn't lead anything, as stupid as she is. You're lucky you found us. We can take you there."

The Doctor bit back a response to that, figuring that at the moment they needed the homo sapiens help.

"Okay, lead on then," the Doctor said.

"Wise decision. Shaka, Alteri get behind them and make sure they don't run away. You, the leader, you will keep your clan and the beasts from running or you'll die, is that clear?"

"Very…" the Doctor growled.

Shaka and Alteri got behind everyone and the leader indicated that they should move forward with his spear. He started walking and everyone followed him while he led the way to Pepperland.