Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the related characters. I only own: Kriya, the Kriyans, the Talonis, the Kol and their homeworlds.
Oh no, Series 5 is at an end! At least the Adventure Games will keep me occupied for a while. Anyway, reviews and crits are welcomed as ever. Also I apologise for the wait, I wasn't sure how to continue for a while so I left it until I could think up a way to continue with the story. This chapter jumps between points of view quite a lot so sorry for that if it annoys or confuses anyone. I'm curious as to where you guys think this is going and where you'd like it to go, so please tell me! I'd like to hear suggestions. Thanks as ever to my regular reviewers and to all those who are faving and adding to subscriptions - I really appreciate it and without you this story wouldn't keep going!
Chapter 7: Guilty Conscience
A searing pain pulsed through the open wound in Amy's side where the Talonis' claws had ripped through the flesh. She tensed as she heard the beast's paws thudding dully against the ground, getting closer and closer. There was no way the Doctor could save her. Not from this thing. He had said it himself, they were ruthless killers, and there was only a slight chance that he'd survive should it decide to pass through him. She braced herself for another blow – the final blow. But it never came. There was however, a loud thud, followed by a dog-like yelp and a low, throaty snarl. Amy didn't have the strength to lift herself up and see what had happened. But something told her they were still in deep water, and it was about to get deeper.
The Talonis returned Aya's stony glare as the pair began to circle each other. The Kriyan's hooves thumping softly against the ground while the creature's paws made no sound at all. Saliva frothed from the dog demon's mouth, spraying in a thousand different directions as it bayed ferociously. All the time its eyes fixed on the Hathan warrior. All the time its intentions the same. Kill. Feed. Aya could feel the Talonis' bloodlust in the air, cold and merciless. An image of Ezekiel in his last moments sprang to mind. The ruthlessness of the owl demon as it tore the flesh from his bones, his screams as he was rendered limb from limb. And with the image came a fierce and fiery hatred and a new and stronger resolve. Aya would not go down without a fight, and if that was what it would take for just one of the demons to be slain then so be it.
The Doctor fidgeted, not sure what he should do. No. He knew what he should do, he just wasn't entirely certain of how he should go about it. Amy needed help and the Time Lord intended to give it to her. But first he needed to find some way of getting past the Talonis without distracting it from Aya. He felt a twinge of guilt in his gut. He had to leave the warrior to that beast's wrath if he were to get to his companion and help her. Though he knew that the Kriyan wanted to stand and fight, he didn't like allowing it. Not one bit. The Hathan warrior didn't stand a chance against the dog demon. Not with a bow and arrows, not with a sword – not with any weapon the Kriyan people had devised. It was far too powerful and bloodthirsty to be defeated by what it would consider flimsy instruments. Besides, it could materialise at will. Aya's first hit had been lucky. She had caught it off-guard. The Time Lord knew all too well that such an opportunity was unlikely to present itself again. Inhaling deeply and mumbling sorry under his breath, he ran towards Amy as quietly as he could manage. The Doctor realised now, both thankfully and uncomfortably, that the Talonis was unlikely to be distracted. It had an adversary in its sights. One which had angered it. And an angry Talonis was most definitely a deadly one.
Stupid, foolish Kriyan. The Talonis snorted as it leered at her, his eyes blazing. She thought she could take him on and defeat him. She thought she could prevent him from feeding. No. He would have his prey. There was no doubt about that. He would feed on the naive warrior who thought she could penetrate his hide again and then he would feed on the fur-tops. One by one he would pick them off, tearing into their succulent flesh and devouring every morsel. He would savour every drop of blood and every tiny fibre of meat. He would leave no trace of the meat they once had on them, just a pile of bones, picked clean by his teeth and claws. The very thought tingled his taste buds and made his mouth water. Yes. He would kill all three and it would be a good day. A very good day indeed.
"Amy!" The Doctor hissed as he reached her, his voice wavering a little with worry. She groaned and lifted her head from the ground slightly,
"Doctor?" He let out a small sigh of relief upon hearing her rasping voice and sidled around so that he was facing her. Her face was, he noted with some concern, remarkably pale – even more so than usual – and her eyes were wide and fearful. He didn't blame her for being scared. He was too, though he would never admit it. Amy closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as another sharp pain pulsed through the gashes on her side, letting out a mumbled exclamation of pain,
"Hush now Amy," The Time Lord told his companion softly, gently moving her arm so that it didn't obstruct his view of the wound, "let me see that." She silenced as she was told to and stared at him as he inspected the damage. It probably looks and feels far worse than it is. She thought, or at least that was what she hoped. Pulling his sonic screwdriver from his pocket the Doctor scanned over the wound, studying the readings carefully, "Not infected..." he murmured, his voice almost a whisper, "not yet at least... so we can clean that up and dress it with... something..." He examined the readings again, "No unusual residue... except... ah..."
"Doctor?" Amy inquired worriedly, staring wide-eyed at the Time Lord,
"Don't be alarmed," he began, "but I think you may have a slight amount of poison in your bloodstream." Her eyes widened further,
"Don't be alarmed!" she squeaked incredulously, "You're saying I may have been poisoned and you're telling me not to be alarmed!"
"Calm down Amy." He instructed her, "It's not a deadly poison – not in small doses at any rate – but it may cause you to hallucinate a little. All right?"
"Well not really..." the Scott replied, "but I suppose so." The Doctor broke into a smile,
"Atta girl Amy." She returned his smile meekly, but she still didn't have the strength to lift herself from the ground. The Time Lord could see that without her even trying. A loud growl reminded the pair of the situation they were in. It wasn't safe here, "Amy, we need to move you somewhere safer." She nodded to show that she understood. Nowhere was truly safe and she knew that, but she just didn't have the strength to argue.
The Talonis snarled ferociously as it leaped at Aya, fangs bared and claws out, ready to strike. She too was ready, an arrow knocked back on her bow so that, at any given moment, she could let fly the arrow and take down the demon. The Kriyan poised herself as the beast flew through the air towards her, preparing to sink the arrow into its chest. The beast was mere centimetres from her face when she let the arrow fly from her bow. But the weapon did no damage to creature at all. Instead it passed through the beast, careered through the air and landed with a dull thud in the ground behind it.
