Chapter Eighteen

Sherlock was in considerable pain. His head throbbed, his stomach was an anxious knot, and his feet ached from tirelessly pacing the console room. His eye twitched with frustration and he was drumming his fingers against his side.

"Sherlock," Mycroft repeated, for the umpteenth time, "It's time for bed."

"I'm not tired," Sherlock mumbled, "Not tired at all."

The Doctor laughed and gently said, "Come on, Sherlock. It's time to give it up."

"Not yet," Sherlock pressed, "I've got this. I can get this. I need to get this."

"Blimey, I wish that River was here," Mycroft exasperatedly mumbled, "She would be able to snap him out of it."

River had left several days ago. Jack was due to leave tonight; his vacation time was up.

"But you have a vortex manipulator," Sherlock had argued, "Why don't you just go back the day after you left?"

"They read the miles that I put on it," Jack had sadly explained, "Sorry, guys."

He had then intended to cheer Sherlock up by telling him a riddle.

An hour later and Sherlock was still pacing the console room, trying to figure it out.

"Sherlock," Jack laughed, "Do you want me to just tell you the answer?"

"No!" Sherlock cried, stomping his foot.

He then whirled around, as though expecting the answer to leap from the walls.

"Watch this," Mycroft whispered before loudly saying, "Honestly, Sherlock! You haven't figured it out by now?"

Jack stifled a laugh at the murderous look on Sherlock's face. The Doctor's mouth twitched but he still reprimanded, "Mycroft."

"It's quite transparent," Mycroft continued, "I figured it out almost immediately."

Sherlock's face was red and he shook with anger.

Jack grinned and said, "The answer is so simple, Sherlock."

Smoke was practically coming out of his ears.

"Alright you two," the Doctor laughed, "Cut it out."

"A watermelon," Jack burst out, "That's the answer."

Sherlock gave an agitated cry, as though Jack had let out a string of curses. He buried his face in his hands and mumbled, "Of course…of course it was a watermelon."

Jack laughed and said, "I'm really going to miss you, Sherlock. You too, Mycroft."

"Oh, thanks," the Doctor sarcastically said.

Jack laughed and hugged the grinning Time Lord.

"Do you really have to go?" Sherlock whined.

"Hey," Jack said with a grin, "I'll be around."

The Doctor, Mycroft, and Sherlock said goodbye and Jack hit his vortex manipulator.

Sherlock gave a huge yawn and the Doctor declared that it was time for bed.

"Did you think that it was a watermelon?" Sherlock muttered.

"No," Mycroft said, surprising him, "I thought that the obvious choice was a flamingo."

Sherlock looked puzzled and Mycroft continued, "It makes more sense. Think about it."

"Does it?" Sherlock asked, his mind once again racing.

He walked off to the bedroom, muttering the possibilities As soon as he was out of earshot, the Doctor whispered, "But the answer really was a watermelon."

"Of course it was," Mycroft murmured with a smirk, "But now he'll spend hours going over every single possibility."

The Doctor laughed and shook his head.

"I'd reprimand you for messing with your brother," the Doctor teased, "Then again; I'm not the one who has to share a room with him."

Sure enough, Mycroft could hear his brother mumbling all through the night. Early in the morning, Sherlock leapt onto Mycroft's bed and quickly gushed, "I've managed to form five different ways to support the theory that the answer is the flamingo. Come on! Get up!"

Mycroft blinked and saw that the wall next to Sherlock's bed was covered with scraps of paper. Different colored strings strung the different pieces of paper together.

"Brilliant," Mycroft yawned, "It really was a watermelon."

Sherlock stared at him for a moment, quite emotionless. He then collected everything from the wall, promptly walked into the console room and past the Doctor, opened the door, and tossed his hours of work.

"AND STAY OUT!" Sherlock shouted, slamming the door.

"Morning, Sherlock," the Doctor calmly said.

"It really was a watermelon," Sherlock mumbled.

"Indeed," the Doctor agreed, "Tea?"

Sherlock accepted a cup, glaring at Mycroft as he entered.

"I'm sorry," Mycroft chuckled under his brother's fiery glare.

"Apology accepted," Sherlock muttered.

"Good," the Doctor laughed, "We have somewhere that we need to be!"

The brothers quickly changed and the Doctor excitedly hit the buttons.

"Remember when you were afraid of this noise?" Mycroft teased, as the Tardis rocked back and forth.

"Remember when you were afraid to travel with the Doctor?" Sherlock laughed.

"I wasn't afraid for my sake," Mycroft murmured as the box came to a halt.

The Doctor opened the door. They had landed in a grassy plain. It reminded Mycroft of the pictures that he had seen of the African plains.

"Welcome to Magugu," the Doctor cried, as if reading his mind, "This planet is one large safari. Unfortunately, the creatures are in trouble. I promised that I would come and help."

They walked out and tightly closed the Tardis door. Sherlock grinned as the yellow grass grabbed at his legs.

The three heard a roar in the distance and the Doctor quickly said, "Don't worry. We're completely sa…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a large animal crashed into him and the Doctor was quickly whisked away.

Mycroft and Sherlock stared after him, momentarily in shock.

"What?" Mycroft finally asked.

"What just happened?" Sherlock slowly asked.

They spun around as another creature approached. It looked like a combination of a cheetah and a bear. The brothers raced away. Mycroft grabbed Sherlock's arm to keep them from getting separated. They could hear the creature running behind them. They finally ducked behind a large boulder to catch their breath.

"Is it gone?" Sherlock whispered.

In a flash, the creature was standing before them.

"No," Mycroft whispered.

It stepped forward.

"W…wait," Sherlock cried, "You could eat us. That's always an option."

"Or," Mycroft hastily spoke up, "You could not eat us."

"Yes, that's an even better option," Sherlock agreed.

"Calm yourselves," the creature kindly growled, "You are friends with the Time Lord?"

"Yes," Mycroft slowly said, "My name is Mycroft and this is my brother, Sherlock."

The creature then bowed and said, "I am Ahadi."

"Is the Doctor…is he alright?" Mycroft weakly asked.

"Yes," Ahadi chuckled, "He was taken to the caves. I was supposed to take you, but you ended up running."

"Force of habit," Sherlock muttered.

Ahadi knelt down. Mycroft and Sherlock hesitated before climbing onto his back.

Ahadi shot foreword and Mycroft threw his arms around his neck. Sherlock squeezed his stomach as they zoomed across the lands. Ahadi eventually slowed as he came to a series of caves. The brothers smiled at what they saw inside the largest cave. Cubs were scrambling around the Doctor who grinned as he spotted the boys.

"No, don't worry about us," Mycroft sardonically said, "Glad that you're having such a wonderful time."

The Doctor laughed and cheerfully admitted, "I knew that you were in good hands. Or rather, good paws."

Sherlock giggled as a cub nipped at his shoelaces. An older cub bit the younger cub's ear and pulled him away.

"These are my children," Ahadi explained, "Kopa and Taka."

Kopa was the eldest and Taka was the youngest.

"Aww," Sherlock said, scratching one behind its ear, "They're adorable."

"We're adorable?" Taka huffed, his fur prickling, "You don't even have fur."

"Oh, you talk too," Sherlock muttered, slightly surprised.

"Of course we talk," Taka laughed, "Frankly; I'm surprised that you can talk."

"But you're…you're animals," Sherlock spluttered.

"And you are…?" Kopa slowly asked.

"Humans," Sherlock said, matter-of-factly.

"Hu…m…ans?" Taka repeated.

"Humans," Sherlock cried, "We're humans! From Earth!"

"And we're Kubumas," Taka remarked, "From Magugu."

"So?" Sherlock scoffed.

"So how does being a human make you superior?" Taka argued.

"Because I don't live in a cave!" Sherlock angrily retorted.

Taka growled and asked, "Where do you live?"

"In a house," Sherlock scoffed, "Where else?"

"What is the house made from?"

"Bricks," Sherlock remarked.

"Sherlock," Mycroft spoke up, realizing where the cub was going with this.

"So you live in a shelter that's made with shaped rocks?" Taka smugly summarized.

Sherlock opened his mouth to argue but couldn't think of a comeback. Mycroft laughed at the rarity and even the Doctor smiled.

Sherlock growled out in frustration and finally snapped, "On our planet, animals like you are used as research-specimens, pets, and zoo-attractions."

"Sherlock!"

"Mycroft!"

"And on our planet, animals like you are used as dinner," Taka growled.

"Taka."

"Kopa!"

"No," the Doctor laughed, "You four are nothing alike."

Sherlock and Taka glowered and Mycroft and Kopa chuckled.

"Doctor," Ahadi sorrowfully said, "Are you sure that you can help us fight against the poachers?"

"Poachers?" Mycroft whispered.

"They are the reason that our tribe is nearly extinct," Kopa softly explained, "We used to inhabit most of this planet. The poachers have been killing off our tribe for years."

"Children, leave us," Ahadi growled, "You are too young to understand this."

"But Father…" Kopa argued.

"You may wait outside," Ahadi continued, "But do not go past the border."

"Mycroft, Sherlock," the Doctor gently said, "Why don't you keep them company?"

Sherlock groaned and the Doctor sternly added, "Look after them."

The brothers begrudgingly obeyed.

The four stomped outside, sitting in the yellow grass.

"This is boring," Sherlock and Taka simultaneously growled.

Kopa stretched out in the sun and softly purred, "Calm down, Taka."

"Father thinks that we're naïve," Taka angrily continued, "The poachers killed our mother! How could we not know that they exist?"

"Your mother's dead?" Sherlock abruptly asked, curiosity overtaking his manners.

"Sherlock," Mycroft hissed.

Sherlock didn't even bother to say his brother's name. For a moment, his eyes shone with sympathy as he murmured, "That's another thing that we have in common."

Taka lowered his gaze and growled, "Mother put up a good fight. But in the end…"

"Yeah," Sherlock sighed, "Ours too."

Mycroft was momentarily speechless at the upset look on his brother's face. He was even more shocked when Taka seemed to mirror the expression.

"Ever since then," Taka continued, "Father hasn't trusted us to leave the boundaries."

"Boundaries?" Sherlock asked.

Taka nodded towards a chain-link fence and growled, "Several rangers visited the planet a few years ago and put up the fence, forbidding the poachers to cross. Father has warned us to stay inside the boundaries. But staying inside is boring…"

He glared at the gate, his eyes sparkling. Mycroft had seen the same glint in his brother's eyes several times. It usually meant trouble.

"Taka…" Mycroft slowly said.

Before he could do anything, Taka ran forward and pushed through a hole in the fence, coming out on the other side.

"Taka!" Mycroft and Sherlock shouted.

"Taka, what are you doing?" Kopa roared, leaping up.

The three hastily raced over. Taka was slowly walking towards a watering hole.

"Taka," Kopa hissed, "Get back here! Taka!"

"This isn't safe," Mycroft cried, "Taka, please…"

A high-pitched noise suddenly pierced the air. Mycroft and Sherlock covered their ears but Kopa and Taka were in complete agony. They both fell to the ground, trembling with pain.

Before Sherlock and Mycroft could react, a poacher leapt out of a nearby shrub.

"TAKA!"

Kopa ripped through the hole and Sherlock and Mycroft immediately followed.

Sherlock tried to grab onto the poacher's arm but the poacher hit him. He crumpled and fell into Mycroft's arms.

Kopa pounced and clawed at the poacher. The poacher dropped something and a flash blinded Mycroft, Sherlock, and Taka. Before they knew what was happening, Kopa was being shoved in a cage. Another flash and the poacher was gone.

"Kopa!" Taka screamed.

Sherlock rubbed the red mark on his cheek and Mycroft urgently asked, "Are you okay?"

Sherlock didn't answer and instead turned to the trembling cub.

"It's alright," Sherlock quietly said, "We're going to get him back."

"H…hang on," Mycroft uncertainly said, "We can't just…"

"He's my brother," Taka frantically cried, "If something happened to your brother, wouldn't you do everything to save him?"

"Damn," Mycroft hissed before saying, "Alright…let's get the Doctor."

"Let's not," Sherlock meekly suggested, "We can do this by ourselves."

"Sherlock, don't be ridiculous," Mycroft cried, "We need the Doctor's help."

"No, we don't."

"What…?"

"He told us to watch them!" Sherlock hissed, "We can't let him know that we failed."

Before Mycroft could argue, Taka cried, "Come on!"

He shot forward and Sherlock and Mycroft quickly ran after him.

"Slow down!" Sherlock gasped, "We can't keep up!"

"And you say that humans are superior!" Taka shouted.

They raced across the land. Twigs and rocks scraped at the brothers' arms and legs but they continued to follow Taka. After a quarter of an hour, they approached a poacher camp.

The three ducked behind several shrubs and carefully observed the scene. Cages were scattered about, holding imprisoned animals. Kopa was crouched in the corner of one, his fur sticking up and his teeth clenched.

"Kopa," Taka whispered.

"Don't worry," Sherlock assuredly murmured, "We'll get him out."

Mycroft firmly agreed though the two frowned as they realized the severity of the situation. They were in the wilderness on a strange planet, facing dangerous predators, without anyone to help them.

Sherlock closed his eyes and whispered, "If these poachers don't kill us, the Doctor will."

Taka suddenly whirled around, defensively growling. Sherlock and Mycroft tensed as a voice calmly said, "Well, that would be a severe misuse of my companions."

The Doctor was standing right behind them, calmly holding his hands behind his back.

"How long have you been there?" Mycroft miserably asked.

"I followed you from the start," the Doctor chuckled, "You honestly thought that I didn't hear the crashes and shouts?"

"We're sorry," Sherlock said, in a small voice, "We're so sorry, Doctor."

"For what, Sherlock?"

"You told us to protect them," Sherlock guiltily murmured.

"And you ran for fifteen minutes to do so," the Doctor pointed out, "Quite impressive, I might add, considering the fact that Kopa is part of an inferior species."

He said the last part reproachfully and Sherlock's cheeks reddened. He rubbed the back of his neck and sheepishly mumbled, "Iwaswrong."

"What was that?"

"I was wrong," Sherlock whispered.

"Sorry, Sherlock," the Doctor calmly said, "I still didn't hear you."

"You're a Time Lord," Sherlock hissed, "You have amazing hearing."

"I didn't hear you," Mycroft offered with a smirk.

"I was wrong," Sherlock heatedly exclaimed, "Alright? I was wrong! If I say it any louder, we're going to alert the poachers."

"But that's exactly what we want to do," the Doctor mischievously said, "You two have been travelling with me for almost three months. Surely you've realized what the best thing to do in this situation is?"

"Think it through," Mycroft teasingly offered.

"Nope," the Doctor smirked, "Make an entrance."

As if on cue, Ahadi leapt past them and into the camp. He gave a loud roar and the poachers screamed out. The Doctor jumped next to him and held up his Sonic Screwdriver. He gracefully whirled around, deactivating the guns and opening the cages. Sherlock and Mycroft raced forward to stand next to him and Taka crouched at their feet. Kopa raced over and nuzzled his brother before growling as the poachers surrounded them.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip your throats out," Ahadi menacingly growled.

"Err…me," the Doctor quickly said, "I'm a reason. I'm a very good reason. You can't fight violence with violence, Ahadi."

"Try me."

"No, no," the Doctor cried, "I mean you shouldn't. Sherlock and Taka argued about who the superior species was. Prove it. Prove that you are the better man. Metaphorically speaking."

"These monsters killed our mother," Kopa angrily pointed out, "They captured me and they could have killed Taka."

"We can't just let them go," Taka agreed.

"Oh, I didn't say that we would let them go," the Doctor fiercely said, "We've talked about humans, we've talked about Kubumas. There is one species that we haven't talked about."

"What?" Sherlock curiously asked.

"Time Lords."

And just like that, something changed in the Doctor. It was a look that Sherlock and Mycroft rarely saw and often feared. The Doctor towered over the poachers and shook with a ferocious anger. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Sherlock and Mycroft reflexively leapt back but realized that it was a pouch of gold.

"You will take this," the Doctor declared, "You will leave. You will never come back."

One of the poachers slowly stepped forward before snatching the gold away.

"And if you come back," the Doctor menacingly threatened, "Well then, you will be trespassing on the Kubumas' land. And trespassers shall be prosecuted."

It was evident by the looks on the poachers' faces that they understood.

"This planet is now under my protection," the Doctor warned.

The poacher fumbled with the gold before whispering, "W…who are you?"

He gave them a wry smile and coldly said, "I'm the Doctor."

Ahadi gave a loud roar and Kopa and Taka imitated it. Sherlock and Mycroft glanced at one another before loudly shouting and whooping.

"Give me that," the Doctor snapped, grabbing a fez from a poacher's head as he frantically ran by, "You don't deserve to wear it."

He angrily shook it in the man's face and cried, "Now, go on! Clear out of here!"

The poachers quickly raced away.

"I honestly wasn't expecting you to pull out gold," Sherlock admitted.

"I thought that you were going to pull out some sonic weapon," Mycroft added.

"Being a Time Lord means knowing when it's time to fight," the Doctor declared, "And when it's time to just act really really clever."

He then placed the fez onto Ahadi's head.

The Kubuma looked curious and asked, "What is it?"

"It's a fez," the Doctor promptly said, "Fezzes are…"

"Don't say it," Mycroft warned.

"But they…"

"Nope."

"Fezzes are cool," the Doctor burst out and Sherlock laughed.

"They're about as cool as bowties," Mycroft muttered.

The Doctor looked touched and said, "Thanks, Mycroft."

"No, I didn't…" Mycroft started before changing his mind and gently saying, "You're welcome, Doctor."

"Children, I hope that you have learned something," Ahadi wisely said, "Kubumas and humans are both equal to one another. We are one."

The four solemnly nodded and the Doctor added, "But Time Lords are the best!"

Sherlock suddenly grabbed the fez, throwing it. Kopa caught it and the two cubs ripped it apart. The Doctor looked horrified and Mycroft praised, "River would be proud."

"Hey," Sherlock cried, "I just thought of something. We may live in a brick house but we travel in style. Check this out! Come on!"

He eagerly led the Kubumas across the plains and Mycroft and the Doctor amusedly followed. They finally reached the Tardis; the blue box contrasting against the yellow grass.

"Wow!" Taka whispered.

"That is so cool," Kopa agreed.

"I know," Sherlock said with a smile.

"Don't act so smug," the Doctor laughed, "She's my box. What happened to you being wrong about humans being the superior species?"

"I was wrong," Sherlock sheepishly admitted. He turned to the cubs and shyly apologized. They humbly accepted his apology.

Mycroft suddenly got an idea. He bent down and whispered a question to the cubs.

They hesitated for a brief moment before both simultaneously saying, "A watermelon."

Mycroft glanced at his brother who wrinkled his nose before shouting, "It could have been a flamingo!"

Taka laughed and tackled him to the ground. Sherlock frowned before smirking and wrestling with the cub. Kopa and Mycroft joined in and soon the four were racing through the grass, laughing and playing. Ahadi and the Doctor amusedly looked on.

"You were right," the Doctor beamed, "We are one."

Author's Note: Yes, alright, I admit it…I may have let my Lion King obsession bleed into this chapter. Especially with the names…In my defense, it's not like I named them Simba, and Kovu. I used names that many people don't know. (In case you are interested, Taka is Scar's real name, Kopa is the name of Simba's cub before Kiara who appears in a series of books but not the second movie, and Ahadi is Mufasa and Taka's father.)

And I also included the 'we are one' theme. It's not the best Lion King song (nor is it the first that I would listen to) but it's still a good message.

Actually, now that I think about it, the best Lion King/Doctor Who song would probably be the Circle of Life. The Broadway version, just because that version is epic.

Speaking of epic Lion King Broadway Music, there's also King of Pride Rock / Circle of Life Reprise. Not quite sure what that has to do with Doctor Who other than the fact that both are pretty epic. Or 'He Lives in You'. Again, the Broadway version, just because…

Well, I'm off to listen to a bunch of Lion King music. I hope that you enjoyed the fluffier chapter. (Because the next chapter is going to rip everybody's hearts out! Spoilers!)