A RARE BREED

Chapter Two

"Ugh!" Rose said, when they teleported back to the front of the shop. "That thing was hideous. I can't believe someone would want it."

"It's no different than a venus flytrap. Same concept," the Doctor said. "Some people own those and feed them."

"Yeah, but a venus flytrap won't climb out of the flower pot and strangle you to death," Rose said.

The Doctor asked her what she wanted to see next and Rose decided to go see the yorkies after all, just to get the image of the vines out of her head. When they got to the section containing the yorkies, Rose looked around and noticed that it seemed like all the Earth pets were here with them. Some of the cases didn't have tops on them. She saw five horses roaming around an enclosure with Perspex walls that came up waist high. She walked over to them and noticed a little food dispenser beside the enclosure. She studied it. It looked like a gumball machine and was loaded with sugar cubes for the horses. On the side of it was a scanner for a credit stick. The Doctor took out his unlimited credit stick and scanned it while he held his hand underneath the globe part. Ten sugar cubes dropped into his hand and he gave five to Rose and kept the other five for himself. Rose popped one in her mouth and sucked it while she walked up to the wall and held out her hand to entice the horses. A palomino wandered over and Rose took three of the sugar cubes away and let him eat one.

"Are ya hungry, pretty boy?" she said.

"Actually, I am famished, could do with a burger and…oh wait…" the Doctor said.

"Shut up," Rose said when the Doctor flashed her a cheesy grin. He walked up to the horse and rubbed its neck while Rose fed him another sugar cube.

"You are gorgous," the Doctor said to the horse while he rubbed his jaw. "Wish we could take you with us. But I couldn't even take Arthur when I had the chance."

They fed the sugar cubes to the horses and rubbed and petted them for awhile before they looked at the other animals.

"This is the Earth section?" Rose said as they passed by a case containing Iguanas.

"I believe so. Ugh, why would anyone want tarantulas?" he said as they passed by a case containing thirty of them. "Or scorpions for that matter?" he said as they passed by another case. "Humans have strange tastes in animal companions."

They wandered around until they got back to the yorkies. The puppies walked over to the side of the case when the Doctor and Rose knelt down in front of it. They wagged their tails and put their paws on the wall while they yipped at them.

"Awww, you are so cute," Rose said, putting her finger on the wall while the puppies yapped at her. She looked up when the Doctor stood up and watched while he walked to an intercom box next to a case containing ferrets. He pushed the button and said something and by the time he walked back, Gorsh was walking off the teleport platform.

"Yes, I'd like to see the tiny one there," the Doctor said to him.

Rose looked where he was pointing. Behind all the yipping puppies was a tiny one that was pacing around trying to get to the wall.

"Aw, he's so little, he must be the runt," Rose said.

Gorsh made a hole in the wall and the puppies amped up the yipping when he reached in. The puppies swarmed around his hand, yipping and pawing at it while he grabbed the runt yorkie and picked it up. He handed it to the Doctor and stood back while the Doctor held the wriggling puppy to his body.

"Aw, were you trying to get to me?" he asked the puppy, scratching his head while the puppy licked his fingers. "You're so tiny. No wonder you were crowded out."

Rose walked up and rubbed the puppy's back while it looked up at the Doctor and licked his chin. Then to Rose's surprise, the Doctor asked how much for the puppy. Even more shocking, Gorsh told him fifty credits and the Doctor gave him his credit stick. Gorsh told him he'd be back and Rose tapped the Doctor on the shoulder when Gorsh teleported back to the front of the store.

"What were you saying about not getting a pet?" she said, amused.

"That's before I saw…her," the Doctor said, lifting her up a bit so he could see her genital area. "She's so tiny and adorable and those little black eyes and that cute button nose. Besides, she called to me."

"What?" Rose said, smiling. "She called ya?"

"I speak dog. She called to me and asked me to give her some love and I did. She's so tiny, Rose, how can I leave her here when she needs me?"

Rose smiled and shrugged. She pet the dog while it whined and pawed the Doctor's clothes. The Doctor kissed the top of the puppy's head.

"What should we call you then?" the Doctor said to the puppy.

"How about Angel?" Rose said.

"Nah, don't like that."

Gorsh came back with the credit stick and a tiny collar and leash. The Doctor took the stick from him and held the puppy still while Gorsh put the little black collar around the puppy's neck and attached the leash to it. He asked the Doctor if he needed anything else and when the Doctor said no, he left them alone and went back up to the front of the store.

"So…what should we call you, my little treasure?" the Doctor said to the puppy.

"Treasure? Call her Treasure?" Rose said.

The Doctor considered and grinned.

"Treasure, my little treasure," he said, kissing the puppy's head.

"Do I get to play with Treasure too?"

"No. She will stay with me at all times, even in the loo. You may not breathe on her."

Rose swatted his back while the Doctor chuckled.

"Can I have a pet then?" Rose said as they walked to the teleport.

"No, this is our pet. Treasure will be spoiled rotten."

"Okay, fine with me," Rose said.

The Doctor held Treasure against him while they climbed up onto the platform. They went back up to the front and the Doctor petted Treasure when she whimpered.

"Sorry, love, bit bumpy for a wee one like you," he said. "So…would you like to look at anything else?" he asked Rose.

"Well, perhaps…I mean, what other animals are there? Do you have favorites?"

"Most of my favorites are from Earth but there is one I can think of that you might like. Here, can you hold Treasure for me while I search for it?"

"You want me to hold your puppy?" Rose said, amused.

"Yes, but be careful not to get your stink on her," the Doctor teased.

Rose swatted his arm. She took Treasure and held her close, Putting the loop of the leash around her wrist and speaking to the frightened puppy in a soothing voice when she whimpered. She marveled at how tiny she was, almost as small as a teacup. She guessed she wouldn't grow much larger. While the Doctor searched for his animal, Rose looked down at the little face of the dog and fell in love with the earnest look Treasure had. She kissed Treasure's nose and smiled when Treasure licked her chin.

"Found it. Come with me, my Treasure and other treasure," he said, stepping away from the computer.

Rose chuckled and walked with him to the teleport platform. When they were teleported to another section, Rose soothed Treasure when she whimpered again and they stepped off the platform.

"They're called Zebolas, they're like bats, except they're perfectly tame and…"

"Doctor?" Rose said when he trailed off the moment he spied something in the distance. "Doctor? What's wrong?" Rose said when he took off running.

Rose held tightly to Treasure while she ran after him. The Doctor stopped at a case about fifty feet from the teleport platform and stood there in silent shock, staring down at a small mouse-like creature. Rose trotted up to him and stopped.

"Doctor, are these the…Zebolas?" she asked.

"No, they're called Tafelshrews."

"Oh. I don't think I'd like them. Never liked rodents that much."

"Rose, these are from Gallifrey."

Rose was now the shocked one. She suddenly realized why he had acted so strangely. She bent down with Treasure, looking at the shrews. They looked like rats with mole noses. She looked up at the Doctor.

"So, something else survived from Gallifrey then?" she said.

"Yes, but I didn't know that. I've never been to this part of the shop before. Rose, something else besides me survived."

"You're not the last survivor of Gallifrey," Rose said, happy for him.

"Wait a moment…most of the time they group these animals by planet," the Doctor said.

Rose stood up while the Doctor looked around. He froze for a moment and then beckoned to Rose to follow him.

"These are Braebons," he said when they came to a case filled with large brown beetles that were about the size of a grapefruit. "They were a delicacy. We used to eat them at festival time."

"You ate beetles? You used to eat insects?" Rose said, making a face.

"You eat caviar? You humans eat raw fish eggs?" he said, mimicking Rose's voice.

"That's really creepy when you do that," Rose said.

"Some humans eat insects, why can't I?" the Doctor said.

He walked around, looking everywhere while Rose followed him. She could see he was excited and she was happy that he found other survivors of Gallifrey, even if they were animals. She stopped when the Doctor froze when he turned his attention to something off to the right.

"Doctor?" Rose said when she saw him getting angry.

The Doctor stomped off and Rose followed him. He walked over to a case that contained a lone animal in it. Rose walked up to the case and kissed Treasure on the head as she looked inside it. Inside the case there was a humanoid lizard that was curled up in a ball. She couldn't see the head very well except for a few small horns at the top of its scaled head. The creature had a little tail that was stretched out behind it. It was lying on a bed of straw.

"Is this from Gallifrey as well?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded as he bent down. He spoke but all Rose heard was a combination hissing/growling sound coming from his throat. She frowned, wondering why the TARDIS wasn't translating it. The creature stirred and uncurled itself. It rolled over and Rose could see its head now. The creature had a dragon's head with yellow slit eyes and a long snout with several teeth showing from its mouth. The creature had claws on its scaled humanoid fingers and it got up on its knees and stared quietly at the Doctor.

"What is it?" Rose said to him.

"It's a she and she's a Kar'Koch."

"Oh, okay…why are you so angry then?"

"This isn't a pet, Rose. The Kar'Koch were a free people that lived beneath the surface of Gallifrey. I'm angry because selling her as a pet amounts to slavery. Stay here a moment, I want to have a little chat with Gorsh," he said before he got up and went to find an intercom box.

Back                         Home                              Doctor Who Main Page                          Next

Your Name or Alias:      Your E-mail (optional):

Please type your review below. Only positive reviews and constructive criticism will be posted.