Doctor Who: The Adventures of The 14th Doctor

Skinwalkers (Part 12)

Larn's scream seemed to shake the entire ranch.

She was lying ominously still on the dry ground, blood turning the grass red.

"L-Larn...." The Doctor's voice cracked as tears stung his eyes and streamed down his face.

"She still lives, I would have preferred to leave her body whole for my Master, but oh well, it'll be an easy fix." Nimona's ugly pink muzzle twisted into a cruel smile as she turned back to the creature at her shrine. "Oh goody, he's almost finished his meal. Now I must prep the body..."

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" The Doctor cried as he shot to his feet, scooping his daughter's limp form into his arms. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me!" He was still brandishing Larn's sonic, the image of the four ragged claw marks in his daughter's back dancing in his mind.

"That can be arranged." Nimona snarled as she shifted into a crouching position. She was going to pounce.

Right when Nimona pounced, a figure attacked her from the side, ramming her right into the bonfire. The misty night air was filled with ear piercing screams of agony, the floating orbs now flying in erratic motions. The Doctor forced himself not to flinch when the figure turned to face him, it was the creature that Nimona dedicated herself too. The creature stared at the too small figures sitting on the dry grass, it was staring at them curiously.

The Dark Spirit lumbered over to the Doctor who was protectively cradling his daughter. Larn's breathing was shallow, the Doctor's arms were damp with blood.

Now that the Doctor was able to get a better look at this creature, although a bit frightening to look at, this mysterious being seemed quiet docile. A creature who was just looking for a meal and anxious to move on....except...

The creature, making sure that its massive antlers wouldn't harm these strange little creatures, sniffed at them curiously. The smell of blood overwhelmed its nostrils. The young female didn't have long....

"Please..." The male begged, "I don't know if you can understand me or not, but if you can help my daughter, please......" The male's voice cracked as he burst into sobs, "I can't lose her....not like this....I've already lost so much......She's all I have....I just can't....." The male couldn't seem to say anything else as his sobbing began anew.

The creature turned to the young female, she was barely breathing now, her skin a deathly pale. As a trickle of blood ran down her chin, the male found his voice again, "Please hold on Larn, my flower, you still need to meet your sister Jenny remember? And Susan, that's why you can't go yet, you still have to meet the rest of our family...."

The creature reached out with a large shaggy paw, he gently placed it over Larn's barely rising chest.....

With a shuddering gasp, Larn's breathing became even again. The Doctor cried out in relief. "Thank you!"

But the creature was already ambling towards the mists.....

"Hold on love, hold on!" The Doctor said as he dashed to the TARDIS. Once the Doctor made sure that Larn's wound were indeed gone and healed, he scooped her up into his arms and made his way to their home. There was no way that he would be taking her back to that farmhouse.

As the TARDIS twin doors shut behind him, Larn moaned. "Shhh, it's alright, flower, I've got you..."

Once the Doctor made sure his daughter was safely in bed, he went back outside. The Wendigos were now dead. It seemed that now that their mistress was gone, they simply ceased to exist.

The Doctor spent the rest of the night and most of the morning giving the bodies a proper burial, before finally shutting the many dimensional doorways, only stopping to check on Larn.

Larn shifted as her eyes fluttered open. She was in her bedroom which meant that she was back home in the TARDIS.

Larn was happy to be home.

Larn's bedroom door opened and in stepped her father. "Larn?"

"Hey Dad."

The Doctor ran to the bedside, enveloping Larn in his embrace, "You're finally awake...." His voice cracked.

"How long was I out?"

"Two days, I was so worried....I...." The Doctor's voice cracked as fresh tears stung his crystal blue eyes.

"It's okay Dad, I'm okay." She honestly didn't really remember what had happened. The last thing she remembered was Nimona's claws flying down towards her....

After a few moments of holding one another tightly they pulled apart. "Right." The Doctor rubbed his eyes. "I bet you're hungry."

"Starving." Larn replied.

"Good, I'll go get your breakfast. I want you to stay in bed for now." The Doctor pulled the blankets up around Larn's shoulders as she lay back down. "You rest while I'll go get it."

"But I feel fine." Larn tried to reassure her father.

"You are not fine Larn Rema Vliyaya!" Larn flinched when her father used her full name. "You lost a lot of blood, those wounds would have killed a human instantly...." That was the end of that conversation.

The Doctor watched as Larn ate her breakfast ravenously. "Drink some more water darling." He reminded gently, it was crucial for her to build her fluid levels back up. Larn obeyed.

"Are we still at the Ranch?" Larn asked as she finished her breakfast, her Dad's cooking was way better that Nimona's.

"No." The Doctor replied. "As soon as I took care of....a few things, I moved the TARDIS to a safer location."

"So I guess our holiday is over?" Larn said sadly.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a holiday on account of all that's happen so I had the TARDIS take us to Hawaii so we could have a proper holiday." The Doctor smiled as Larn's face lit up.

"But only once you've taken a few more days to rest!" The Doctor said as Larn threw her arms around him.

The Doctor hugged her tightly, smiling through his tears.

The End