Author's Note: This chapter possibly consists mainly of me having fun writing descriptions. :P
Chapter 5
Bubbles and ripples played in the water at her side as Rey trudged through the underbrush. How long has she been following this stream? Her shadow shot out long behind her, cut by the shadows of trees and branches, and the light was beginning to turn yellow.
"Doctor?"
Her voice bounced away into the forest and disappeared. Water tinkled at her side, a breeze whispered in the trees, her feet rustled the underbrush—and far away, a lonely evening bird let out a long, mournful cry.
Oh, it was useless now. And yet, she kept calling for him.
"Have you seen the Doctor?" she asked the stream at her side, for what must have been the hundredth time. It had spoken to her earlier, those rippling bubbles at the spring. It was alive—she knew it.
And with every step, she could feel the strange force rippling beneath her.
She dropped to her knees, trailing her fingers along the water. What are you? But there was no answer, no sound but the constant bubbling and tinkling.
Atlantis…watery spirits….
Something rippled beneath her and she jumped back. Had she caught onto it? Was it about to rise from the water and engulf her like it had on the island? But no—this was different. It wasn't talking to her.
Whatever it was, it was in pain.
It rippled along the ground—no, beneath the ground, a flowing current of pain. She stumbled backward, pressing her hands over ears as if she could shut it out. A surge of agony knocked her to her knees and she struggled to draw a breath. Please…please…whatever you are…can I help?
It couldn't hear her. Surges of shivering agony, like waves lashing at the ocean shore. She could feel it crying out, screaming and shivering. She jumped to her feet. She could feel its pain as if it were her own. She had to get out of here or it would—it would carry her away—
The forest floor surged beneath her, throwing her to her knees. The ground cracked and groaned and she shoved herself to her feet again—but the rolling and shaking sent her tumbling back to her knees, and then face forward in the leaves.
She let out a little yelp and threw her hands over her head. The trees themselves seemed to groan in pain. She sent out fragmented thoughts—help—I can help—what are you—who are you—
And then the pain resided, and the ground was still.
She just lay there for a moment, drawing in ragged breaths, then raised herself to her knees. She had to get out of here. She couldn't stay in a forest if this place had earthquakes. She shoved herself to her feet and took off running through the forest, following the sparkling, murmuring water of the creek.
A ray of sunlight burst through the trees in front of her and she ran faster, swerving through the tree trunks, one eye always on the creek. The trees thinned in front of her, and she thought she saw a golden expanse beyond them. She ran faster.
Her staff caught on a branch and sent her flailing.
She let out a cry of frustration and snatched it from its holster, holding it at her side as she pushed forward. The sun hit her full in the face and she stood blinking at the edge of the forest.
Tall grass rippled across a field, stirred gently by the breeze, ending abruptly at a line of cliffs which towered into the sky above her, their roots just at her feet. The sun cast long beams across the grass, making it glow golden and starkly highlighting every crag and crevice of the cliffs. The creek snaked out through the field, disappearing at the foot of the cliffs, sparkling like diamonds in the early evening sun.
She let out a little gasp.
"It's so beautiful," she breathed, just as if the Doctor were standing beside her.
She took a small step forward, making the grass rustle and whisper about her. It tickled her legs just slightly, and she let out a little giggle, reaching down and running her fingers over its soft tips. Still following the creek—where was she going? Maybe she could just stop here, lay down in this great golden field with the sun on her face and breathe in the beauty of it.
No—she knew better than to just lay down and take a nap in a completely unprotected location on a strange planet. Perhaps at the foot of the cliffs, she could take some shelter, rest a bit. Maybe find something edible?
Well—she shouldn't trust plants on strange planets, and food wasn't a problem. Yet.
Her stomach clenched.
She started forward, pushing through the grass by the creek. The cliffs loomed closer and closer until she stood in their shadow and they blocked out nearly all the sky above her. She traced the creek's path—and froze.
It seemed to disappear into a dark hole in the cliffs.
She took a cautious step closer. A cave? She had never been in a cave before. A sudden desire to explore the underground recesses of the planet caught hold of her, and then she was running, almost laughing. A cave!
Pain pricked at her mind.
She froze. No. No, no, no. The ground rumbled and she turned desperately. She was too close to the cliffs! There could be a rockslide, a collapse! She stumbled forward, fell to her knees, and jumped up again, wobbling in a zig-zag away from the rocks. The ground lurched and she slammed forward, rolling. Her head hit rock, and red flashed in front of her vision.
And then she was falling.
Falling, falling, rolling over and over and over as rocks tumbled over her and she was fairly sure she screamed but it was lost in the cracking rock. She grabbed her staff and held onto it like a lifeline, scrabbling for something, anything to hold onto—
She hit the ground with a crunch. Her vision closed in on her and the last thing she heard was water crashing.