The Changing Man (Doctor Who Fan Story)

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

        I was on my fourth round of hunting a variety of wild animals and dragging them back to camp, it tired me considerably but I was the only one able enough to hunt and find my way back to the camp. Every time I dragged a carcass into the spaced out camp, some of the people still eyed me suspiciously, as though I had poisoned the meat with my very presence, but they still accepted the food that I bought as their stomachs seemed to protest loudly. They didn't give me a second glance as I slowly trotted away in my great winged form, but as I was about to leave for another hunt, Jack got up from his perch on the log and walked over to me with a gun hanging loosely from his shoulder strap.

"Mind if I join you? I want to see what's out there" He asked, his American accented voice was as smooth as butter.

I nodded in acceptance, grateful for the company as the lonely nights out hunting were starting to get to me a little bit. He started to walk to the edge of the clearing, but I nudged him and gestured for him to climb on my back, walking at his pace would take forever to catch up with the prey. I stared at me as I playfully flicked my tail, challenging him to climb onto my back, but after a moments hesitation, he bounded off the boulder which he had sat on earlier and landed clumsily on my back with a leg over each side. The sharp gasp of pain told me that he had landed on some rather sensitive parts... I chuckled with a raspy growl of my beast form, and like a bullet out of a gun, I sprinted through a gap between the trees and galloped silently through the rain forest with Jack hanging on to my fur for dear life.

I caught up to a different herd, they were unsuspecting unlike the other herd which I have chased and hunted from a few times this night. This herd was only small with only 6 members, 5 females and 1 male, all six legs pawed at the ground clearing the dirt away to reveal fresh shoots in which they gorged themselves on. Jack was still as a statue but I could hear his heart and heavy breathing, I prayed to some unknown god to not let the herbivores hear him. I crept forward, unable to get into a stealthy position as Jack was hindering it but I managed to keep down wind from up so our combined scents wouldn't alert them to our presents. Just as I readied myself to pounce, the herd bolted as Jack sneezed loudly, the sound slicing the silence and everything went in motion. I was too tired to give chase especially with Jack on my back so I allowed the herd to run.

"Sorry, I think a bug went up there" Jack whispered from my back, he sneezed again and again, his eyes were watering considerably.

I grumbled loudly in frustration but continued to slowly pad away, following some more small animal trails. That was when I heard it. A faint buzzing noise, quiet at first but getting louder, like a swarm of wasps were flying about. Wasps. Beta Wasps. The memory of the Master telling me about the increased activity of Beta Wasps crept into my mind and the sudden wave of fear crashed over me. I should get out of here and go back to the others. If the Master think it is a good idea to keep away from the Beta Wasps, then I will follow his advice. I was about to turn around but a small insect like head protruded from a gap in the canopy, it was yellow with two red honey comb eyes and long antennas equipped with barbs. It seemed to look at us, quietly buzzing to itself, using one of it's furry legs to clean its eyes, it's body, now visible, was as big as a mini cooper. I could feel Jack growing still once more on my back, I knew that he saw it too, but then I realized that he was going to sneeze again. As the sound pierced through the silence, the Beta Wasp seemed to go haywire and came soaring down with a big black sting pointing at us on the ground. I timed it just right and dodged to my left, the Wasp impacted the ground and it's sting had gotten stuck, but within seconds, it released the sting and grew another one. It turned back towards us, wings beating a hundred times a second to keep its big body hovering above the grass, angrily, it buzzed and honked a few times and the others responded. Like massive torpedoes, more wasps crashed through the canopy, looking for us with death glittering in their red honey-comb eyes.

"I think it's time to run!" Shouted Jack. I could'nt have agreed more.

I turned tail and sped through the forest, Jack had turned on my back and started to shoot at the wasps, some fell, twitching as the life spilled out of them in golden goo but other wasps soon replaced them, chasing us without giving up. I ran as fast as my paws could take me, diving over fallen tree trunks and ducking under low branches and still they followed with impeccable speed. The air burned through my lungs and throat as I pushed myself forward, fear powering my limbs until I reached my limit, and my legs seemed to tangle underneath me, throwing us to the floor and against the rough face of a moss covered boulder. I knew Jack had died, his skull was smashed against the boulder, but the usual signs of his quick healing were present as it started to form back into a skull shape. My shoulder ached from the impact, but I ignored the pain as a small pack of beta wasp cornered us, wings billowing warm air into my face. I bared my fangs and hiss and roared, trying to scare them off, but nothing worked. One wasps sped forward, I dodged it barely and managed to tear a wing or two from its body with a swipe of my paw, however, I did not see the second wasp sneak behind me, its large sting sunk into my hind limb. I roared and mewled in pain, the wasp dodged backwards, but left the sting in my limb. Pain lanced everywhere and a strange burning sensation made my head swim, it must have contained some sort of poisonous substance. I shook off the pain slowly, but not fast enough, Another wasp struck me on the shoulder, and another on my back. I fell to the floor unable to pick myself up, the substance working up through my system, making my eyes grow darker and my head to swirl around. 

Jack had recovered and he started to shoot his gun wildly, killing a few and injuring others. The bodies of the dead littered the ground and as the sixth wasp fell, the others soared off, leaving the forest in silence once more. 

My stomach started to convulse and I could no longer contain myself as I spilled the contents of my last dinner onto the ground. I could not get up. I kept on vomiting and as I was doing this, my body started to revert back into my normal self. The stings had dropped out as I changed, leaving large red gashes with the golden goo leaking from them. I vomited once more, tears streaming down my face as a great terrible pain seared through me once more, so great that a high shriek escaped my lips, causing my back to arch and convulse. It felt like I was on fire. My head swam and everything began to go dark. I could no longer hear Jack calling my name, but I could hear something else. No someone. The barrier in my mind seemed to crumble and disappear, and the mental voice that I longed for spoke to me just as I lost consciousness.

"Ashly"  The Master whispered