A/N: This story takes place during the so-called season 6b.

Wilderness

"So that was you, eh?" asked Jamie, grinning at the Doctor from the other side of the console. The Time Lord's hands moved confidently across the instruments and within moments the TARDIS was in flight.

"So it would seem," replied the Doctor, glancing at his young companion.

"Looks like you put on a bit of weight in your old age."

"And gained worse dress sense than fancy pants," muttered the Doctor, before looking up at Jamie. "Well, at least he had the good sense not to go wandering around Seville in a kilt."

"Now that wasnae exactly my fault, ye never told me where ye were takin us. And anyway, ye were the one we were havin to chase."

"Yes, well, that wasn't exactly my fault now, was it?" replied the Doctor, collapsing into one of the armchairs that Jamie had decided to drag into the console room.

He looked exhausted, and Jamie wasn't surprised in spite of their recent excursion to Seville. Ever since the Doctor's sentence had been suspended by the intervention of the CIA they had been sent to world after world, without even a brief respite. And now they were sent with instructions to interfere, rather than just blundering in. Jamie knew which way he preferred, and the Doctor would undoubtedly agree.

"I dinnae suppose..."

"Jamie," interrupted the Doctor, his eyes fixed on the time rotor. "We've landed."

"Already! I thought you said they were gonnae give us a break."

"Well, that is what they said, Jamie. Let's take a look outside, shall we? Perhaps we'll be pleasantly surprised."

"Aye, right," muttered his companion.

+

The Doctor and Jamie stepped out of the TARDIS and into a light evening mist. The sun peeked out at them from between mountains whose summits were hidden in low cloud. The ship was nestled into a gentle hillside of uncut grass. A sharp breeze tugged at Jamie's kilt and he could the smell of salt mixed with the scent of heather in the cool air.

"Bracing, isn't it?" said the Doctor, taking a deep breath and thrusting his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"Aye, Doctor, it's home," Jamie told him.

"Home?"

"This is Scotland, Doctor," Jamie said with perfect confidence.

The Doctor regarded his companion with a slight frown, and said, "there's no way you could know that, Jamie. The Time Lords could have materialised us anywhere."

"But they didnae, they put us down in the highlands." He caught the frown on the Doctor's face, and said, "I know I'm right, Doctor."

"Yes, well, let's not argue about that. It's a splendid evening and I think a walk would do us both good."

And with that the Doctor began to make his way up the hill, turning around occasionally to take in the view. Jamie kept up with him effortlessly, though the boy was a great deal more cautious, and as they reached the hill's summit, Jamie insisted on going first.

"Just in case, Doctor, there could be Redcoats about," he said when the Doctor began to object.

The Time Lord shook his head, and said, "Even if we are in Scotland, Jamie, there's no evidence of what century it is." Despite his words, he still kept his voice low.

He watched as Jamie moved slowly, and silently, through the grass, keeping his body low and one hand on his dirk. "Safe enough, Doctor!" he called after a moment.

When the Doctor joined him, he put one arm around his young friend's shoulders, the other arm vaguely indicating the scene before him.

"If only we had a camera," said the Doctor with a grin. "We never seem to take any holiday snaps."

"Oh, aye, I remember cameras...don't you have one in the TARDIS? We could go back."

"I do have a very nice set up from..."

But the companionable moment was interrupted when the silence was shattered. It took a moment for Jamie to interpret the piercing sound as a scream.

The Doctor and Jamie spun round: there was nothing incongruous on the other side of the hill. A gentle slope downwards, before a small loch and a strip of forest.

The sound echoed around them. And the Doctor stepped forward, his eyes searching the hillside.

"Can you see anything?" he asked Jamie, who shook his head.

"It came from down there," he said, pointing down the hill, towards the loch.

"Come on then," said the Doctor. "We have to find them."

"Wait," said Jamie, holding the Doctor back. He nodded in the direction of the sun. "It's going down fair quickly, Doctor, and the mist's picking up. It'll come down on us fast and without any light ye'll be lost in nae time."

"Then I shall trust your Highlander instincts to get us back to the TARDIS," the Doctor told him matter of factly, "but someone is in trouble and we have to find them."

"Aye, right then," said Jamie as he followed the Doctor down the hill, guessing that the Doctor was teasing him, but despite that he couldn't help but feel he smallest swell of pride; he would be able to find his way back to the TARDIS, this was his country, after all, and he hadn't spent years running from the Redcoats without knowing how to find his way around in the dark. Though he doubted that the Doctor possessed his unerring sense of direction.

They reached the stony beach of the loch without hearing another sound. And Jamie was beginning to find the lack of wildlife a little disturbing; it felt unnatural to him. No birds, nor deer, nor rustling of snakes in the grass. He almost felt as though he had imagined the scream. Still, the Doctor seemed intent on his search, his eyes never stopped moving and his face was a frown of concentration.

"I cannae see anyone, Doctor," Jamie hissed, afraid that too loud a voice would distract the Doctor. The other man held up his hand, and though Jamie could hear nothing, he waited patiently.

"This way," said the Doctor eventually, indicating the route along the rocky beach that would take them towards the forest. He started to move much more quickly and Jamie followed. Their feet clattered against the slippery rocks, though both kept their balance easily. The only other sound was the gentle lapping of water against the shore.

Within minutes, the Doctor's silence caused Jamie's mind to wander back to the last time he had been home. The last time he had run like this, through a glen with mist coming down around him, and hoping it would be fast and thick enough to shield him from the sight of the Redcoats hunting him. And as the moments past he became more and more sure that this was Scotland. Whether or not the Doctor believed him, he knew that he could recognise his own country. And he hoped that when they found the source of the scream, they wouldn't have to leave straight away.

When he looked up again, the Doctor was some way ahead, and he shook his head in disbelief at how fast the little man could move when he wanted to. Jamie picked up his pace, tempted to call out to his friend, but the Doctor had implied that shouting wasn't a good idea.

Jamie had become so used to the silence that the second scream was more of a surprise than the first. His head jerked up, just as his foot landed heavily on a loose stone. It gave way beneath him, and he fell heavily onto the beach, his head landing just by the water's edge. Blackness swam in front of his eyes, but it seemed to last only a moment before he felt the jagged edges of rocks digging into his back. He let out a groan of pain, but save for a throbbing head, he felt uninjured.

By the time he had regained his senses the mist had closed in. He couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him, and the Doctor, of course, had vanished from sight. Still, he knew what direction he had been headed. Holding his dirk loosely in his right hand, he followed the water's edge round to the forest, listening carefully for any sound beyond the gentle lap of water.

Jamie was still blinded when he heard a voice in the mist. "Jamie! Jamie, is that you?" it called. He must have been louder than he thought with a hint of embarrassment, but that was the Doctor's voice all right, and he was relieved to hear it.

"Aye, Doctor, I'm right here!" he called back. "But a cannae see ye!"

"Follow the sound of my voice, I'm not too far away from the water's edge..."

Jamie made his way up the rocks and onto the long grass, still he could see not better.

"Doctor!" he called. And a hand landed on his shoulder.

Jamie spun round, dirk held high.

"Do be careful," said the Doctor indignantly. "Now come along, I need your help."

Jamie briefly wondered how far the Doctor was intending for them to walk, but it was, in fact, only a few steps before he indicated that he should stop. "Your jacket, Jamie," he said, holding out a hand. Momentarily confused, it took Jamie a second to notice the small bundle on the grass, covered by the Doctor's own coat.

He handed the Doctor his jacket and crouched down beside him as he began to tear it into strips. It was a child huddled under the Doctor's coat, a boy of perhaps twelve years with a round face and dark brown hair. His eyes were closed, but Jamie could see he was taking shallow breaths.

"What happened?" he asked.

The Doctor shook his head, and said, "I'm not sure, Jamie. He's bleeding very badly; there are claw marks on his arms and chest. And I don't know whether it would be safe to move him or not...but if he stays here he's most likely to die of hypothermia. I would guess the scream we heard belonged to him." He took the strips and carefully began to bandage one of the boy's arms.

"So what do we do?"

"Keep him warm, stop the bleeding. There are medical supplies in the TARDIS...but I'm not sure I can find the way back."

"I can."

The Doctor looked up at him, his expression serious. "Are you sure?"

"Aye, Doctor, I'm sure."

"All right..." The Doctor paused and looked up. Jamie followed his gaze to see that the mist had lifted slightly. He could make out the nearby trees now. And he could see a shape moving amongst them, coming towards them. Dark and hulking, Jamie saw that it was watching them. The beast stopped, some distance away and let out a piercing howl.

It walked towards them almost lazily, until it was close enough for Jamie to make out its yellow eyes.

Only a few yards from them now, it opened its mouth, baring sharp teeth and let out a long growl.

"Jamie, when I say run..." the Doctor whispered to him.

"No, Doctor. I'm nae leavin ye to face that monster alone."

"Don't be so stupid," the Doctor hissed, his hand on Jamie's arm. He could feel the boy tensing, ready to run at the animal. "Jamie, you must get back to the TARDIS."

"And am nae leavin the bairn either," his young companion insisted.

"Jamie...!" the Doctor began his voice rising slightly. But the next moment, he pushed Jamie to the ground, as the beast leapt towards them.