Chapter 10: Time of the Wolf
(*PRESENT DAY (1692) IN BOSTON*)
The TARDIS landed in the dark forest outside of Boston. The wolf had run into these woods and would soon be hunted by an angry mob. The Doctor could not let the mob kill the wolf for many reasons. The first of which being that killing is wrong. The second being that the wolf was actually Red Riding Hood. Without her, the Doctor would have no way of finding Donna and getting Red back to her home in the Enchanted Forest. Besides, who knows what killing Red would do to all the fairy tales, given that they apparently live together in the Enchanted Forest. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS. He could barely see anything. The only light came from the full moon, the stars, and the dim lights coming from the distant city of Boston.
"Red!" The Doctor called out. "Red, it's the Doctor!"
Then, a wolf's howl could be heard in the distance, the Doctor could not discern where, given that it was so dark. He started to hear shouting, angry people also in the distant dark. Evidently, the mob heard the wolf's howl as well and was coming closer.
"Red!" The Doctor called out again.
Suddenly, the Doctor could see a pair of red eyes staring at him through the darkness. As the eyes moved closer to him, he saw the silhouette of a large animal. Then, as the creature stepped into the moonlight only six yards away, the Doctor saw that this was Red. She heard his call. She could've come because she knows that she must leave with the Doctor, or she came to eat him. The Time Lord didn't know which was true, but he could hear the angry mob coming closer and knew that he had to work fast. The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver. Last time when he used it on the wolf, it made the animal run away. Since then, he'd reversed some of the settings, hoping that it would have the opposite effect. The Doctor extended his arm and pointed the screwdriver at the wolf. He could hear Red start to growl as she opened her mouth, revealing her razor sharp teeth. The Doctor then activated the device. Then, Red's mouth closed and she ceased growling. The sonic technology put her in a trance. Then, she started walking towards the Doctor. He left the TARDIS doors open so that the wolf could walk inside. Suddenly. There was a sound of rusting in the bushes as fifteen men with pitchforks entered the area from all sides.
"There's the wolf!" One of them shouted.
"Wait!" The Doctor said. "I was just about to catch the wolf. She's walking into this blue prison that I brought out here."
"That animal should be dead. Not contained." The same man said.
"I know you're angry." The Doctor said, now realizing that Red had already walked into the TARDIS and was sitting down patiently and obediently next to the TARDIS console.
"That animal killed my brother!" The man said. As he stepped forward, he saw into the TARDIS and couldn't believe that there seemed to be a whole other world inside this small box. "You're some kind of warlock! You're helping the beast! There aren't just witches in Salem. They're in Boston too!"
"Let's not jump to conclusions." The Doctor said.
"Kill them!" The man shouted.
Suddenly, the other men ran towards the Doctor with their weapons. The Time Lord quickly dashed into the TARDIS, shut the door behind him, and locked it. He could hear the angry Bostonians pounding on the door. Knowing that they needed to leave before the Doctor's hypnotic spell wore off, the Time Lord raced to the TARDIS console, pressing buttons and pulling levers, until the TARDIS disappeared from Boston and flew through the Time Vortex. With the full moon gone, Red started to change again. As her body started to quiver, the Doctor grabbed her red cloak that he had laid down near by and threw it over her. After a few moments, the human Red Riding Hood emerged from the cloak, stood up, and put it on.
"What happened?" She asked.
"You became the wolf." The Doctor said. "Don't worry. It's all over now."
"Did I hurt anyone?" Red asked.
"No." The Doctor said, lying to protect Red's feelings.
"Thank goodness." Red said. "I killed the man I loved before when I was the wolf. I can't stand the thought of hurting anyone else." The TARDIS started to shake slightly. "Are we moving?"
"Yes." The Doctor said. "We're out of Boston and the TARDIS is trying to pinpoint Donna's location."
Suddenly, a brief ding noise came from the TARDIS video screen. The Doctor and Red walked over to it and saw an image of a tall, dark, castle.
"That's the Evil Queen's castle." Red said.
"I've heard rumors about her." The Doctor said.
"You said you haven't been to the Enchanted Forest with Snow White yet." Red said. "How can you know of the Evil Queen?"
"I haven't been with Snow White," The Doctor said, "but I'm very familiar with your world. Not too long ago, I was traveling with a woman named Rose. We ended up on Neverland and got into this whole fiasco with a Dalek and Peter Pan. Then she and I went to the Enchanted Forest and met Maleficent. Not a very charming woman to say the least. After Rose, I traveled with a woman named Martha, and we fought the Wicked Witch in Oz. In short, I've only been the magical realms a few times, but even I've heard of the infamous Evil Queen. The real question is why is Donna there?"
"She's in danger." Red said. "The Queen is a monster. More so than I am. At least when I cause destruction, I'm not in my right mind and I can't control it. She knows exactly how much damage she can do and she does it with a smile. We have to get Donna out of there."
The TARDIS flew through the Time Vortex on its way to the Evil Queen's castle, where the Evil Queen was about to enact her revenge on Snow White and Donna Noble.