The next sound he heard was a gunshot.
No musket he had ever heard sounded quite like that. It was much more similar to the noise from the firearms he had seen the Brigadier's men use when they had fought off the Cyberman invasion of Earth.
Jamie rolled away from the Doctor and jumped to his feet. The beast was retreating into the forest, no longer a threat to any of them. He turned his attention to finding the source of the gunshot.
"Over there, Jamie," he heard the Doctor say in his ear as the Time Lord pointed towards a thick gorse bush growing some way from the water's edge. Half-hidden there was the silhouette of a man. Tall and lean, and holding the sleek weapon by his side.
"Ye dinnae think he's gonna shoot that thing at us then?" Jamie whispered back.
"I very much doubt it, Jamie."
The figure waved at them and the Doctor shot a grin at Jamie and waved back. "With luck he'll have some transport," the Doctor said. "And we can get this boy to a hospital." The Doctor waved again, and shouted, "There's an injured boy down here!"
The man picked up his pace, jogging quickly down the hill, the firearm slung over a shoulder. Jamie could see him more clearly now, dark, swept-back hair, greying at the temples, hard features but the look on his face was not unfriendly.
His eyes swept over Jamie and the Doctor and focussed on the child. "How badly is he injured?" asked the man.
"I'm not sure," replied the Doctor. "He's lost a lot of blood. We need to get him to a hospital."
The man nodded. "There's a doctor back at the house." He looked up at the forest. "We'd better leave in case it comes back. I don't think it'll be quite so easy to scare off again."
"Why don't you just shoot the beast then?" asked Jamie.
The man scowled. "There's no need for that...my van's not too far, it'd be safer if you came with me." He picked up the boy easily, gently holding him in his arms. "Come on."
Presently, the Doctor and Jamie found themselves encountering their first evidence of civilisation, save for their timely rescuer. A long moss-ridden dyke stretched across the grass, broken only by a gate. Beyond it, Jamie could see a handful of sheep grazing peacefully. He felt surprised at how relieved he was to see some familiar wildlife.
"Is that your farm, then?" he asked the man.
"Not mine. But yes, I work there. You were lucky; I don't often go beyond the boundaries in this direction. But..." he shook his head and glanced down at the boy. "Would you mind opening the gate?" he asked the Doctor.
The Doctor did so, and as they passed into the field Jamie felt his spirits rising. Somehow, just the presence of the sheep made this place seem so much more welcoming than the silent wilderness beyond.
"There's the van," their companion said nodding towards a scruffy looking four-wheeled vehicle sitting in a gully. There were two bales in the back and the metal flooring was covered with straw. Both the driver's cab and the back were open air, though rolls of fabric tied to the framework of the cab were visible.
The man laid the boy gently in the back and the Doctor leapt in with him, once again checking his breathing and pulse. Jamie sat in the passenger's seat.
"Right. Hang on, this could get a little bumpy," the man told them as he started the engine. This, Jamie thought, was something of an understatement as the van rocked and bounced across the field crushing overgrown thistles and sending stones flying.
"Do be careful!" snapped the Doctor. "This boy is severely injured."
"I'm aware of that," the man said calmly. "But it'll be better for him to get back to the house quickly rather than suffer a few less bruises."
"And ye do have a doctor at this hoose?" asked Jamie, and the man nodded. There was a moment's silence and Jamie's eye was caught by the sight of a rabbit running for cover as the van approached, before the highlander said, "Ye have no even told us who ye are yet."
The man glanced at him and for an instant Jamie thought he saw embarrassment on his face. "I'm sorry," he said. "I've been looking for George for hours, and..." He shook his head threw a glance back at the boy. "I'm Paul Burns."
"Aye, well, I'm Jamie and this is the Doctor."
"Doctor?"
"Ah, not of medicine, I'm afraid," said the Doctor apologetically. "And George seems to be doing fine; breathing and pulse are still steady." Jamie glanced behind him to see the Doctor crouched in the back, supporting the boy's head with one hand and keeping his body steady with the other. The bales of straw shielded them both from the worst of the wind.
Paul nodded. "Well, that's something. I didn't think we were even going to find him."
"What was that monster that attacked him anyway?" asked Jamie.
"A wolf," he replied shortly. "I'm afraid there have been a number of attacks in the last few weeks. Started at the village a few miles down the road, but the villagers soon started to get violent. It's been looking for more vulnerable victims since."
"Wolves? But there's nae wolves in Scotland."
A smile quirked at Paul's lips, he said, "You seem quite enthusiastic about the native dress, but have you been here long?"
"I'm a McCrimmon," said Jamie indignantly. "I was born in Scotland."
"I think, Jamie, that Mr Burns is talking about the reintroduction of wolves to the wild," the Doctor told his companion. "But they don't normally attack humans, surely?" he asked Paul.
"As rare as getting struck by lightening," muttered Paul, before saying, "Something stirred them up, I suppose."
"You don't sound very convinced," the Doctor said.
"I'm not. Wolves are afraid of humans most of the time. And this...these attacks, they make no sense."
"I remember my grandfather talking aboot wolves," said Jamie. "He used tae hunt them, helped to wipe them out, so he said. Vicious, evil creatures, he said they were."
"Rubbish," said Paul. "I've been living here since they were reintroduced and I've never heard of them attacking a human, until now anyway."
"You don't think it was a wolf," said the Doctor.
"What else could it be?" Paul asked him. "There are no other large predators in this country."
Presently, they arrived at a narrow road cutting across the grass. Cracked and worn, with weeds poking out, it still made for a smoother journey than the fields. The sun had sunk beneath the horizon and, though the mist had almost lifted, Jamie could barely make out his hands in front of him. Even when Paul switched on the headlights, the light seemed to be swallowed by the darkness almost as soon as it was cast out.
"We should be there in a few minutes," their driver told them.
Jamie felt like they were going downhill, winding round and round but going ever lower. Soon there was another sound playing against the sound of the engine. It took Jamie a moment to recognise it as the sound of waves crashing against the shoreline.
"We're by the sea!" he exclaimed.
"That's right," Paul told him. "In fact, the house looks out across it. You'll see a fine view in the morning."
"Aye, I can see the place now," said Jamie, pointing, and just able to make out a sprawling bungalow a short distance ahead of them. Its silhouette against the sky showing him that though it possessed a single floor, that floor extended over some distance.
The engine stopped and Jamie saw that they had reached another dyke, though the gate in this one was a simple wooden one, and he could make out the gravel path beyond.
The Doctor picked up George. "He still seems quite stable," he told Paul. The other man nodded and opened the gate. They went through and followed the path to the front door. The porch light came on as they approached and voices could be heard from within the house.
They entered a square hall, with high doors and open passageways all round, to see a young woman with long dark hair and a boy no older than seventeen talking. As they fell silent and turned to the party, the woman brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a cry of shock.
"George," whispered the boy.
"Don't stand around gawking," snapped Paul. "Katie, fetch Doctor Hamilton. Robert, find your mother."
The girl, Katie, glanced once more at Jamie before she left by an open door on the far side of the room, whilst Robert exited through a passage near the door.
"Please, follow me," Paul said to the Doctor as they took another passage, stopping at the first door. Paul pushed it open and they followed him inside to find a simple bedroom with an open fireplace. The Doctor laid George gently on the bed and Paul ushered them out, saying, "A doctor will be here in a few minutes. Please, if you could wait in the foyer, I won't be a moment."
The Doctor and Jamie did as they were bidden. The Doctor paced the foyer slowly, his attention occasionally distracted by the paintings displayed on the walls. Jamie watched the window, listened to the wind, the noise it made as it shrieked past the imperfectly sealed frames.
The Doctor had been wool gathering for some few minutes when Jamie spoke, "Did something about that no seem a bit funny to you?"
The Time Lord glanced up, one hand rubbing his chin briefly. "Yes, well, I don't suppose they want strangers around whilst the boy's being treated."
"Aye, but..." Jamie hesitated as he glanced at the open passageways before moving closer to the Doctor and lowering his voice. "But he didnae seem too concerned about the lad."
"That's because he expects him to survive."
""But he was half deid when we found him!"
"Yes," said the Doctor with a nod, before lowering his own voice. "But by the time we arrived here, those wounds had started to heal. His pulse and breathing were stronger. At that rate he'll have recovered in a matter of hours."
"But that's nae possible!"
"Not for a human," agreed the Doctor.
"You think he's an alien?"
"Possibly. But we should..." he cut of abruptly as he heard footsteps approach.
The woman who stepped into the room was tall and slender, but her face was pale, her eyes shadowed and her long hair hung untidily around her shoulders. Still her face lit up as she smiled at them.
"You must be the Doctor and Jamie," she said, stepping towards them and shaking their hands warmly. "My name's Vanya. I can't thank you enough for saving my son. Please, join us as our guests for dinner, and you are welcome to stay for the night. It's the very least I can do for you. Paul tells me that that the temperature has dropped quite significantly and the wind has picked up. He believes a storm to be coming."
"Aye, it looks that way," commented Jamie.
"And we would be delighted to stay," said the Doctor, smiling. "Wouldn't we Jamie?...Jamie?"
"Och, aye, that would be great."
"Wonderful. Katie!" A moment later the young woman with dark hair appeared. "Please take our guests to their rooms. The ones in the west wing are free and should be suitable," she told the girl, before nodding to the Doctor and Jamie. "Dinner is at eight. I'll see you then."
Presently the Doctor and Jamie arrived at their rooms and thanked Katie. She left without another word and Jamie watched her go.
"She seems a fair shy lassie," he commented.
"Well, why don't you freshen up, Jamie?" the Doctor said ignoring his observation and nodding to one of the rooms. "I've a few things to think about."
"Such as?"
"Now, Jamie, there is a time and place for questions," the Doctor told him.
"Are you actually going into that room or are ye going tae hav a wee snoop about?"
"Jamie, this could be terribly dangerous. For once, just do as you're told. I'll see you at dinner," said the Doctor firmly, before opening the door to Jamie's room. "And do be careful."
"All right, Doctor. But if yer not back..."
"Don't worry about me," said his friend, practically pushing him into the room and shutting the door behind him.
Jamie sat down on the bed, tempted for a moment to completely disregard the Doctor's instructions and go after him. But he, at least, didn't see anything menacing here and felt that the Doctor would not be in any danger.
Instead, he opened the window and let the wind, heavy with the scent of salt and heather, permeate the room. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, the scent stirring old memories within him.
It was a few minutes before he slumped onto the bed and lay back, realising how tired he actually felt. He considered trying to get some sleep, but thought better of it; instead he stood up and used the sink in the corner to wash his hands and face, the warm water soothing his skin. He took a towel and dried his face, glancing in the mirror.
And realised someone was standing behind him.
"No, don't turn around," said a familiar voice as he watched the figure step closer and felt slender fingers on his shoulders. Still he couldn't believe what he was seeing, he knew those elfin features and he knew that they couldn't be here. They couldn't.
"Don't look so afraid, Jamie. It's me. It's Zoe."