THE LEADER OF THE PACK
Chapter Twelve While they walked back, the Doctor noticed Rose carrying some shopping bags from Marks and Spencers. He offered to carry them and when she handed them over, he peeked inside while he walked, seeing what she had. "Ah, turkey for sandwiches and crisps and pop," the Doctor said. "So this is the eating habits of werewolves. Very interesting. I didn't think werewolves enjoyed crisps and pop, learn something new every day." Rachel gave him an odd look and Rose chuckled. "He's always like that," she said to Rachel. They walked for a few more minutes and then Max stopped everyone, holding up his hand to signal them to halt. He pointed to the sun which was almost gone. "How far is this TARDIS thing, mate?" he asked the Doctor. "Far enough that I'm willing to bet you'll change before we get there," the Doctor said. "Perhaps we better wait till we change then. I don't want to walk in Norwich and change right in front of everyone," Max said. "We can stop here and eat while we keep our eyes out for these hunters." They sat down and the Doctor handed the sacks to Rose so they could spread them out and distribute food. She sat them down, shrugged off her rucksack and took out a large torch. The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his own and Max pulled a smaller one out of his pocket. Ian took Rose's torch and the three men shone the light on the rock Rose was using while she and the other women made the sandwiches and put them on paper plates they brought along with handfuls of crisps. They poured the pop into plastic cups and distributed them around. "Thank you, Pretty," Max said when Rose gave him his food. "Pretty?" the Doctor said after swallowing a swig of pop. "My nickname for her. When I first saw her, I thought she had a pretty face." The Doctor said nothing but jealousy pricked at his mind. He kept silent though, wanting to keep the peace and concentrated on his food. When the women finished, Rose sat near the Doctor and the jealousy flared up again when Max moved and sat down beside her. He knew that he never really professed his love for her but from the way he acted around her; he thought it would be obvious that they were more than just friends. But he surmised that perhaps Rose thought they would never see each other again and she was trying to move on with her life. Still, now that he was here, he didn't like seeing Max sitting right next to her, putting his hand on her and calling her Pretty. He was jolted out of his thoughts when one of the women had a question about him and he spoke softly, answering it and giving them all a basic explanation of himself and what he did. His explanation carried on until the moon began to rise in the sky. When it was spotted, everyone stopped talking and put the food back in the sacks. The Doctor, sensing that seven werewolves changing at the same time would not be the sort of thing to sit next to so he walked over to a rock about thirty feet away and sat back down. He folded his hands in his lap and waited, figuring the werewolves could take care of themselves but to his surprise and hidden delight, Rose came to him. "Why are you over here?" she asked. "Just want to be out of the melee when you lot start changing. All that fur and teeth and claws, had enough of that in Scotland." "Do you hate that I've become one?" Rose said. "No, I hate that you weren't truthful with me when you became one. I have seen many things in my lives; I can handle the truth if you told me you were a werewolf. And I'm probably one of the only people who could help you become normal again." "Yeah but that's just it, I don't know if I wanna be normal again," Rose said, sitting down beside him. "I like it when I change, Doctor. When I'm a wolf and I'm running through the woods, I feel so free, I've never felt so free and I really don't want to give that up." "These wolves that are natural born, are they descended from Victoria?" "Dunno, I never asked," Rose said. "Rose, I respect your right to be what you want to be but there are ways of feeling free without becoming a bloody great canine," he said. "I get that running through the woods is exhilarating but you're also being hunted down by panicky humans along with your friends there, do you want that part of a werewolf's life?" "I just loved being free," Rose said, looking at her hands. "And you weren't free with me?" Rose was a bit afraid to say that she had never felt completely free since most of the time she had to do what the Doctor wanted and obey his rules. The Doctor sensing what she was reluctant to say smiled. "You're under me when you travel with me, that's it, isn't it? Have to obey me most of the time so it's like living with your mum all over again?" "Yes and no, I mean, you're not like mum but I do have to do what you say and when I was running through the woods last night, I wasn't accountable to anyone except me. I loved it." "Well, It's your decision. I won't make you do something you don't want to do, despite what you just said about not feeling completely free with me. If you want to be a werewolf, you can. If you want to be with them, you can go. The only reason I came to find you is because Jackie wanted me to and I felt it a bit unfair to just go running off without letting her know where you were. I just want to say that I would love for you to come with me, werewolf or not, but I'm not your mum and I won't force you to be somewhere you don't want to be. I'm just glad that I got to see you again, in case you do go with that lot. And I'll find a place for all of them…and you, if you go with them. Just let me know your decision, yeah?" Rose nodded. She was about to say something back when suddenly she felt the change begin and she let out a cry of anguish as she dropped to the ground on her knees. The others began their changes and Rose tried to crawl towards them but she felt the Doctor kneel beside her. "I'm here, Rose, don't be afraid," he said. Rose's heart warmed and she fought through the pain while the Doctor stayed beside her, his hand on her back while he tried to offer some soothing words. She glanced at him and saw her agony reflected on the Doctor's face as her body changed and fur started to grow out. "Doctor," she moaned. "I'm here, always here by your side, I'm not leaving." Rose wanted to crawl into his arms but she was growing and she didn't want to knock him over. She tried to move away so she wouldn't hurt him but he stayed with her, his hand on her back while he continued to soothe her and talk her through her agony. Then the change ended and Rose gasped as the agonizing pain ebbed to a dull ache. She looked up at the Doctor who came around the front and knelt down in front of his face with a look of wonder on his face. "Oh, you are beautiful," he said, stroking her muzzle. "You are gorgeous." Rose managed a smile at that and nuzzled his hand while he admired her. She stood still, letting him examine her. "Gorgeous, simply gorgeous," the Doctor said as he ran his hand along her back. Rose felt her cheeks grow hot and knew she was blushing at that. She snuffled out laughter when he cupped his hand around her tail and ran it down to the tip. She looked at him when he tugged on the end and saw the impish grin and the wink and turned towards him. "Nice to be able to examine one up close without worrying about getting mauled," the Doctor said, kneeling back down. Rose stood still while he gently lifted the side of her mouth and examined her teeth. Rose carefully opened her mouth, making sure he didn't get bit or scratched while he pulled out his torch and looked at her canines and mouth. While he was doing that, Max walked over to her. He stopped a few feet from her and gave the Doctor an odd look. Does he think you're a freakish curiosity? He thought to Rose. Nah, he has a childlike curiosity and he's satisfying it, Rose thought back. I can heeeeear yooooou. They both jerked their heads when they heard the Doctor's voice in their minds. I can also communicate telepathically, the Doctor thought to them. And no, I don't think she's a freak. I'm only admiring the change. She's gorgeous. This is why I was trying to stop those loonies from shooting you. Whoa, look at the size of those paws. Rose lifted her right paw and the Doctor held it in his hand while he looked at her claws. While he was doing that, the others joined Rose and Max. The Doctor finished examining Rose and looked at Max. Max tilted his head quizzically when he looked at him and then looked at Rose before looking at the others. "Males are bigger than the females," he mused. "Which fits with a lot of animals in the animal kingdom. He looked in Rose's eyes and gazed deeply. Rose stepped back, a bit uncomfortable at his scrutiny but the Doctor laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Sorry. But…I look at your eyes and I still see you reflected in them. These aren't the eyes of a crazed beast so that's another reason why I could have handled the truth. You're still here, Rose. You just have to look deeply to see it. Rose glanced at Max who smiled and nodded at that. The Doctor ran his hand over the top of her head before getting up. Rose was puzzled when he kept running his hand through her hair. What are you doing? She thought to him. "Your fur is too short. How will I be able to gather up enough to tie up some with a pretty pink dog bow?" Rose and her friends were shocked by that. They looked at the Doctor who had an impish grin on his face. "I want a dog bow in your fur," he murmured. "And I need a pink collar with metal studs and a lead so I can take you walkies and…" She's not a dog ,okay, Max thought angrily. "I'm sorry; I believe I was making a joke. I know what she is," the Doctor said to him. "There's no need to get defensive, mate, Rose knows I was joking. Can I take the mickey and bring a little levity to the situation? I'm all for werewolf rights but you need to have a sense of humor as well." It's alright, Max, he meant no harm. I know he was joking, Rose thought to him. The Doctor glanced at Max and sighed inwardly when he saw the wary look on his face. He hated when people took things a bit too seriously and he wondered what it would take to gain his trust, especially since he was helping them. He figured that Max wasn't used to having anyone upstage him or question his authority. As a way of avoiding a fight, he suggested that they move on. He went over, grabbed the sacks and Rose's rucksack. He put the rucksack on his back and the werewolves followed him as he led them back to the TARDIS.
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