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Rainbow-Hued Monstrosity - Chapter 3/?
Title: Rainbow-Hued Monstrosity
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tarnera
Appearing in this work: 6th Doctor, Peri
Spoilers/Timeline: Set some time before The Two Doctors. No spoilers.
Word Count: 1,730 (this chapter)
Summary: The Doctor's coat gets stolen. He wants it back.
Disclaimer/Thanks: I own nothing, save my crazy theories. This fic has, so far, been written with the encouragement of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fic_rush, they're a great bunch!
Chapter One
Chapter Two
The Doctor and Peri walked through the trees. The Doctor had his head down looking at the device in his hands, not really watching where he was going. Peri followed a little way behind the Doctor, swatting at branches as they came close to her face and trying not to twist an ankle on the many exposed tree roots. "Doctor, how much longer are we going to be walking?" she whined. "My feet hurt!"
"Mmmm, that's nice," he replied, obviously tuning her out. Peri stuck her tongue out at his back.
Since she clearly wasn't going to get any sympathy or useful information out of him, Peri started paying more attention to where they were going. She spotted something odd up ahead. It looked rather like a thin branch bent over, close to the path. "Doctor, what's that?" she asked him, curiously.
"What's what?" the Doctor mumbled, continuing to walk forward.
"That thing right there." She pointed towards the odd branch.
"Oh, it's probably nothing." He walked past the odd branch without looking up. There was a sudden "twang" and the branch straightened out violently. One of the Doctor's feet shot out from under him, caught in some sort of vine loop. He yelped loudly and dropped his gadget as his foot was yanked upward. When everything stopped moving, he was dangling from a tree by one foot with his head about a foot above the forest floor. A yo-yo, a ball of string, a worn copy of "The Hobbit," and a bag of jelly babies fell out of his pockets.
"D-doctor, a-are you all right?" Peri asked.
"Peri. I am hanging, suspended by my left ankle, from a tree. Do I look all right?" the Doctor asked, annoyed. A comb, three playing cards, a multicolored fan, and a cricket ball joined the other things on the forest floor.
"I-I tried to tell you about it," Peri pointed out apologetically.
He sighed. "Yes, yes, all right! Pick that thing up, would you?" the Doctor waved his hand in the direction the still-bleeping device had been flung. "Then you can help me get down from here. I look ridiculous like this," he added, as he started to revolve slowly in place. Almost as an afterthought, a small silver dog whistle dropped from his waist-coat pocket. His pocket watch stayed where it was, fortunately.
"Y-yes, Doctor."
***
Jast slipped into his home, took off the colorful coat, and hastily crammed it under his sleeping pad. He was lucky that the others hadn't seen him wearing something so fine--he wasn't exactly the best warrior in the village. They would have taken it from him in moments. Besides, as nice as the coat was, it was hardly suited for forest work. It was a true braani garment, being both beautiful and a little bit strange, perhaps even sinister.
He wondered if the braani were going to come after him. They hadn't seemed very woods-wise to his eyes. He frowned. Now that he thought on it, away from the fear of capture or death, they didn't seem very, well, braani-like. There were no red eyes, and their voices were not oil-smooth, nor were they like the grinding of stones. He rose to his feet. He would have to ponder on this matter later, now he must go to his Grandmother to make sure that he had not taken a curse from the coat without realizing it.
Even if they weren't braani it never hurt to be too careful when it came to curses.
***
Back in the forest, the Doctor and Peri were trying to tackle the problem of getting him down from the tree. "I guess you don't have a knife in one of those pockets," Peri asked, not really expecting him to.
"Me, carry a knife?" he asked her indignantly.
"Yeah, I didn't think so," she replied. "Well, in that case, I think you're stuck."
"Oh, come on!" he protested. He had finally stopped revolving and was facing more-or-less in Peri's direction. A seashell, a cat statue, several small rocks, and a small jar of nuts had also fallen out on top of the other things. "You can't just leave me like this! I'll probably be eaten by a bear or something equally unpleasant."
Peri thought for a second. "Well, I guess I could try untying it...or I could go back to the TARDIS and get something to cut you down with."
The Doctor squinted up at the vine around his ankle. "I don't think untying it will work, that sort of knot is all but impossible to untie if any weight at all is pulling at it. Best go back to the TARDIS to get something, then."
"I'll need the key," Peri reminded him.
"Yes, yes, I know," he said, and started to rummage in his right-hand pocket. "It's in here somewhere..." he mumbled as three packs of pins, a small bag of what sounded like loose change, and a strange, metallic, whirring gadget joined the growing pile of things. "I wondered where that thing had got to," he added conversationally, pulling out the key and holding it in her direction. "You remember the way back?"
She took it and turned to go back through the woods. "Yeah, I think I can remember it."
"All right. Hurry, will you? This was probably built by the people my device detected, and I don't want them to find me like this."
Peri nodded and hurried off.
***
Jast's Grandmother hadn't seen any curse marks on him, but she had chanted a warding spell just in case. Now he headed out to do his duty to the village. It was his turn to check the snares. He loped out of the village, trying to put all thoughts of the strangers out of his mind, but it was difficult. Checking snares wasn't hard so he had nothing to take his mind off the events of the day.
He moved along at a good clip, stopping only just long enough to verify if there was any game in the snare. So far, only four good-sized bik had been snared. It would be enough to supplement the game the hunters would bring it, hopefully. He had killed them each quickly, putting their still-warm bodies into his game bag and re-setting the snares before moving on. Just one more snare to check, and then home. It was getting darker than he liked.
As he got closer to the last snare, he could hear what sounded like the words of some spell being chanted quietly. He slowed his pace to a careful walk, stopping well before he came in sight of the snare. He cautiously peered around a tree to see the male braani from the Forbidden Beach dangling upside-down, caught in the very snare he had been coming to check.
***
The Doctor was swearing in three different languages while he waited for Peri. He was trying to think of the most uncomfortable thing he could, and when he had it, he was going to tell the person who set this snare to do it. "Rauthna sornan qarl, no that's just silly. Hmm...friae eirf'n sdil'lar funtaro gdi'nari...well, that's better, but I don't know. Needs a little something more..." he heard a sound from somewhere nearby, a sharp crack. "Who's there?" he called out, unable to look around, feeling vulnerable and very ridiculous in this position.
***
Jast grimaced, annoyed that he had stepped on a twig. He crept away back to the village. It would be best to come back with more men, and he would definitely have to tell the village leader about this stranger. He wouldn't say that he had seen him on the Forbidden Beach, though; there was a reason it was called the Forbidden Beach, after all. None of the villagers were allowed to go there. Of course, this meant that he would not be able to tell the village leader that the male was a braani, not without proof...that he was a stranger would probably be enough.
***
The Doctor listened as the faint sounds faded farther away. "I really hope that whoever or whatever that is, he or she will come back with help. I'm tired of being upside down," he remarked to no one. "At this point I don’t much care who gets me down, even if I get thrown in a dungeon right away afterward. At least in a dungeon I'll be right side-up...probably."
A few minutes later, he spotted a man coming toward him. "Ah, hello! I don't suppose you can—" The man drew what looked like a knife as he moved up next to the Doctor. "What are you going to—" he started again, slightly alarmed. He saw the man place his knife against the vine that was holding his ankle. "Wait just a—!" The man sliced at the vine with his apparently very sharp knife. The vine parted easily, and the Doctor fell to the ground.
There was absolutely nothing to break his fall. He hadn't had enough time to prepare himself in any way, so he ended up landing on his head. As he lay in a heap on the forest floor looking up at the darkening sky through the trees, slightly stunned from the blow to his head, the only thing he could think was, At least it wasn't a long drop.
The man who had cut him down was standing over him looking down. More men joined him, and they spoke quietly to each other. The Doctor couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but he couldn't tell if that was because he couldn't focus on their words or because they were actually speaking a language he didn't know. Either way, he supposed, it was probably bad news. He either had a concussion, or they were in a place where he didn't know the language. And if they couldn't understand him, it was going to be very difficult to talk himself out of trouble.
***
Peri stopped and looked around. She didn't recognize anything. She had no idea which way to go. She was completely lost in a strange forest, the Doctor was not around to help, and it was getting dark. So Peri did the only thing she could--she kept walking, hoping she would see something she recognized soon.
Chapter Four
Author:
tarneraAppearing in this work: 6th Doctor, Peri
Spoilers/Timeline: Set some time before The Two Doctors. No spoilers.
Word Count: 1,730 (this chapter)
Summary: The Doctor's coat gets stolen. He wants it back.
Disclaimer/Thanks: I own nothing, save my crazy theories. This fic has, so far, been written with the encouragement of
fic_rush, they're a great bunch!Chapter One
Chapter Two
The Doctor and Peri walked through the trees. The Doctor had his head down looking at the device in his hands, not really watching where he was going. Peri followed a little way behind the Doctor, swatting at branches as they came close to her face and trying not to twist an ankle on the many exposed tree roots. "Doctor, how much longer are we going to be walking?" she whined. "My feet hurt!"
"Mmmm, that's nice," he replied, obviously tuning her out. Peri stuck her tongue out at his back.
Since she clearly wasn't going to get any sympathy or useful information out of him, Peri started paying more attention to where they were going. She spotted something odd up ahead. It looked rather like a thin branch bent over, close to the path. "Doctor, what's that?" she asked him, curiously.
"What's what?" the Doctor mumbled, continuing to walk forward.
"That thing right there." She pointed towards the odd branch.
"Oh, it's probably nothing." He walked past the odd branch without looking up. There was a sudden "twang" and the branch straightened out violently. One of the Doctor's feet shot out from under him, caught in some sort of vine loop. He yelped loudly and dropped his gadget as his foot was yanked upward. When everything stopped moving, he was dangling from a tree by one foot with his head about a foot above the forest floor. A yo-yo, a ball of string, a worn copy of "The Hobbit," and a bag of jelly babies fell out of his pockets.
"D-doctor, a-are you all right?" Peri asked.
"Peri. I am hanging, suspended by my left ankle, from a tree. Do I look all right?" the Doctor asked, annoyed. A comb, three playing cards, a multicolored fan, and a cricket ball joined the other things on the forest floor.
"I-I tried to tell you about it," Peri pointed out apologetically.
He sighed. "Yes, yes, all right! Pick that thing up, would you?" the Doctor waved his hand in the direction the still-bleeping device had been flung. "Then you can help me get down from here. I look ridiculous like this," he added, as he started to revolve slowly in place. Almost as an afterthought, a small silver dog whistle dropped from his waist-coat pocket. His pocket watch stayed where it was, fortunately.
"Y-yes, Doctor."
***
Jast slipped into his home, took off the colorful coat, and hastily crammed it under his sleeping pad. He was lucky that the others hadn't seen him wearing something so fine--he wasn't exactly the best warrior in the village. They would have taken it from him in moments. Besides, as nice as the coat was, it was hardly suited for forest work. It was a true braani garment, being both beautiful and a little bit strange, perhaps even sinister.
He wondered if the braani were going to come after him. They hadn't seemed very woods-wise to his eyes. He frowned. Now that he thought on it, away from the fear of capture or death, they didn't seem very, well, braani-like. There were no red eyes, and their voices were not oil-smooth, nor were they like the grinding of stones. He rose to his feet. He would have to ponder on this matter later, now he must go to his Grandmother to make sure that he had not taken a curse from the coat without realizing it.
Even if they weren't braani it never hurt to be too careful when it came to curses.
***
Back in the forest, the Doctor and Peri were trying to tackle the problem of getting him down from the tree. "I guess you don't have a knife in one of those pockets," Peri asked, not really expecting him to.
"Me, carry a knife?" he asked her indignantly.
"Yeah, I didn't think so," she replied. "Well, in that case, I think you're stuck."
"Oh, come on!" he protested. He had finally stopped revolving and was facing more-or-less in Peri's direction. A seashell, a cat statue, several small rocks, and a small jar of nuts had also fallen out on top of the other things. "You can't just leave me like this! I'll probably be eaten by a bear or something equally unpleasant."
Peri thought for a second. "Well, I guess I could try untying it...or I could go back to the TARDIS and get something to cut you down with."
The Doctor squinted up at the vine around his ankle. "I don't think untying it will work, that sort of knot is all but impossible to untie if any weight at all is pulling at it. Best go back to the TARDIS to get something, then."
"I'll need the key," Peri reminded him.
"Yes, yes, I know," he said, and started to rummage in his right-hand pocket. "It's in here somewhere..." he mumbled as three packs of pins, a small bag of what sounded like loose change, and a strange, metallic, whirring gadget joined the growing pile of things. "I wondered where that thing had got to," he added conversationally, pulling out the key and holding it in her direction. "You remember the way back?"
She took it and turned to go back through the woods. "Yeah, I think I can remember it."
"All right. Hurry, will you? This was probably built by the people my device detected, and I don't want them to find me like this."
Peri nodded and hurried off.
***
Jast's Grandmother hadn't seen any curse marks on him, but she had chanted a warding spell just in case. Now he headed out to do his duty to the village. It was his turn to check the snares. He loped out of the village, trying to put all thoughts of the strangers out of his mind, but it was difficult. Checking snares wasn't hard so he had nothing to take his mind off the events of the day.
He moved along at a good clip, stopping only just long enough to verify if there was any game in the snare. So far, only four good-sized bik had been snared. It would be enough to supplement the game the hunters would bring it, hopefully. He had killed them each quickly, putting their still-warm bodies into his game bag and re-setting the snares before moving on. Just one more snare to check, and then home. It was getting darker than he liked.
As he got closer to the last snare, he could hear what sounded like the words of some spell being chanted quietly. He slowed his pace to a careful walk, stopping well before he came in sight of the snare. He cautiously peered around a tree to see the male braani from the Forbidden Beach dangling upside-down, caught in the very snare he had been coming to check.
***
The Doctor was swearing in three different languages while he waited for Peri. He was trying to think of the most uncomfortable thing he could, and when he had it, he was going to tell the person who set this snare to do it. "Rauthna sornan qarl, no that's just silly. Hmm...friae eirf'n sdil'lar funtaro gdi'nari...well, that's better, but I don't know. Needs a little something more..." he heard a sound from somewhere nearby, a sharp crack. "Who's there?" he called out, unable to look around, feeling vulnerable and very ridiculous in this position.
***
Jast grimaced, annoyed that he had stepped on a twig. He crept away back to the village. It would be best to come back with more men, and he would definitely have to tell the village leader about this stranger. He wouldn't say that he had seen him on the Forbidden Beach, though; there was a reason it was called the Forbidden Beach, after all. None of the villagers were allowed to go there. Of course, this meant that he would not be able to tell the village leader that the male was a braani, not without proof...that he was a stranger would probably be enough.
***
The Doctor listened as the faint sounds faded farther away. "I really hope that whoever or whatever that is, he or she will come back with help. I'm tired of being upside down," he remarked to no one. "At this point I don’t much care who gets me down, even if I get thrown in a dungeon right away afterward. At least in a dungeon I'll be right side-up...probably."
A few minutes later, he spotted a man coming toward him. "Ah, hello! I don't suppose you can—" The man drew what looked like a knife as he moved up next to the Doctor. "What are you going to—" he started again, slightly alarmed. He saw the man place his knife against the vine that was holding his ankle. "Wait just a—!" The man sliced at the vine with his apparently very sharp knife. The vine parted easily, and the Doctor fell to the ground.
There was absolutely nothing to break his fall. He hadn't had enough time to prepare himself in any way, so he ended up landing on his head. As he lay in a heap on the forest floor looking up at the darkening sky through the trees, slightly stunned from the blow to his head, the only thing he could think was, At least it wasn't a long drop.
The man who had cut him down was standing over him looking down. More men joined him, and they spoke quietly to each other. The Doctor couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but he couldn't tell if that was because he couldn't focus on their words or because they were actually speaking a language he didn't know. Either way, he supposed, it was probably bad news. He either had a concussion, or they were in a place where he didn't know the language. And if they couldn't understand him, it was going to be very difficult to talk himself out of trouble.
***
Peri stopped and looked around. She didn't recognize anything. She had no idea which way to go. She was completely lost in a strange forest, the Doctor was not around to help, and it was getting dark. So Peri did the only thing she could--she kept walking, hoping she would see something she recognized soon.
Chapter Four
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Can't wait for the next chapter!
no subject
And then just random stuff...who keeps rocks in their pocket, really?
I'll post it soon-ish, but I do want to write the 5th chapter before I do(to give myself a little breathing room, lol), so we'll see.