AM I A GOOD MAN?

Chapter Twenty

"Tell me more about your cubs," Ka'ran'i said as they walked along the tunnels and Rose smiled at Gaz. They held hands as they walked behind Ka'ran'i and Gaz thought for a few seconds.

"Well, Donna just started nursery, that's a place of learning, and she is top in her class. She loves to climb trees and, well, nearly anything she can climb. There was this one time I swear my heart nearly stopped because she was climbing up the place where we kept our books," Gaz said and she giggled.

"She reminds me of my daughter. She was a very good climber," Ka'ran'i said then sighed.

"Tell her what happened with the twins," Rose said and Gaz rolled his eyes.

"I am never going to live that down, am I?" he asked and Ka'ran'i gave him a confused look. "When my twins were born, I accidentally gave my youngest son a strange middle name."

"What is a middle name?" Ka'ran'i asked.

"It's like a second name," Gaz said. "See, my middle or second name is "Nicholas"."

"So you are Ga'zni'cho'las?"

"Ah, I guess," Gaz said with a smile. "Now, we also have last or final names. Rose and I have the same name because we're mates or married. The name is "Lachlan"."

"Ga'zni'cho'las'lac'hla'n," Ka'ran'i said softly then smiled. "It is easier to say "Gaz"."

"Yep," Gaz said as he popped the "p". "Now, my youngest son's name is Campbell and his second name is…Lachlan."

"But that is your final name."

"I know. See, when the twins were born, I was very tired and wasn't thinking straight. It wasn't until later that I realized what I did."

"And you could not change the name or the gods would be angry," she said with a nod of her head.

"Something like that," Rose said and Gaz shrugged.

"This is why it is better for the mother to name the cubs," Ka'ran'i said with a shake of her head. They walked in silence until they came to the cave entrance and Gaz saw the robed figures who had brought them were gone.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Rose asked and Ka'ran'i moved back toward the shadows.

"No, I cannot," she said and Gaz frowned.

"What a load of rubbish. Come on, they won't do anything while we're around," he said with a smile and wiggled his fingers. Slowly, Ka'ran'i moved closer then took his hand and he wrapped their fingers together. "Right then, allons-y!"

"You say the oddest things, Gaz," she said and he wiggled his eyebrows up and down. They walked out of the cave then Ka'ran'i looked around and nodded. "The village is this way."

They walked down the path as Gaz swung Ka'ran'i's hand back and forth and the sunlight shimmered off the leaves overhead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

M'nan'do led the way as they walked down the path and the Doctor glared at the back of his head. Clara noticed the look on the Doctor's face as she sighed and placed her hands in her pockets. Shi'tak'wa followed behind them as the old grey cat looked at the trees and long leaf plants and smiled. It had been a long time since he was outside and he had forgotten how beautiful his world was.

"It will be a shame if it was destroyed," he said softly and the Doctor frowned. Even though Shi'tak'wa hadn't talked loud enough for Clara or M'nan'do to hear, the Doctor's superior hearing picked it up and he sighed.

"I am a good man," he thought as he walked faster then stopped when the two figures who took Gaz and Rose appeared out of the bushes and Shi'tak'wa walked toward them.

"Greetings, Elder," the first figure said with a bow and he nodded his head.

"Greetings, Sno'var'i." he said then frowned. "Where are your prisoners?"

"We have left them with Ka'ran'i," the second figure said and Shi'tak'wa walked slowly toward him.

"And why did you do that, Gar'van'o?"

"She had sent for them."

"How is that possible since we didn't even know they were here?" Shi'tak'wa asked, holding tightly to the staff.

"Yeah, how could she do that?" Clara asked and the Doctor hushed her. Shi'tak'wa looked at his son then sighed and shook his head.

"More lies," he sighed then looked at Gar'van'o and Sno'var'i.

"What happened to our traveling companions?" the Doctor asked, glaring at them.

"She took them," Gar'van'o said then swallowed hard from the cold look in his eyes.

"Were they…still alive?" Clara asked.

"They were when we left them," Sno'var'i said then sighed. "If she was hungry…"

The Doctor felt his anger roaring through him as the darkness grew and he pictured Rose lying dead in a puddle of blood and Gaz torn to pieces. A cold part of him got some joy out of Gaz' death, but the thought of Rose dead made his fingers twitch. He wanted to release that anger and turn this world into ash and a dark part of him whispered that was exactly what he should do.

"Let us go back to the village and I will send out search parties," Shi'tak'wa said and they headed down the path. The Doctor walked near M'nan'do and M'nan'do glanced at him.

"If one hair is harmed on Rose's head, I will kill you," the Doctor whispered then looked straight ahead and M'nan'do growled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Careful," Ka'ran'i said while they walked along the tree branches with patches of thick moss spread over the wood and Gaz held tightly onto Rose's hand. They looked at the view from their perch high in the trees and small bugs flickered in different colors.

"If we were here under difference circumstances, the kids would love this," Rose thought as they crossed two branches that were held together by their branches and Ka'ran'i stopped, looking up at the sky. She pointed up as they looked at the large birds with blue and yellow feathers and a sweet birdsong filled the air.

"Blimey," Rose whispered as they listened for a few moments then Ka'ran'i walked to three, large vines and smiled.

"This way," she said as they took hold of the vines and Rose jumped when the vine encircled her waits. Ka'ran'i nodded her head then pulled on the vine wrapped around her waist then sank slowly off the branch. Gaz and Rose followed her as the vines lowered them then they landed with a soft thud and Ka'ran'i looked down, seeing Gaz' TARDIS under her feet. "What is this?"

"This is our traveling vessel," Gaz said when he jumped down and landed on his feet. Holding his arms out, he helped them down when he smiled and leaned against the door. "Want to come in?"

"Yes," she said with wide eyes and Gaz took the key out of the coat pocket, unlocked the door and they went inside.

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