Twelve Days ficlets, day seven

[rumpelsnorcack]

Title: Seven Eels A-Swimming
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 600
A/N: I don't like eels; they are kind of gross and scary so yeah.  Monster eels is the result :D

 

'Run!'  The Doctor's shouted command broke the stillness of the day.

'What?' Rory was a little slow picking up on what was going on, even as his feet started to automatically drive him in the same direction as Amy and the Doctor.  The dusty landscape threw up puffs of reddish dirt as they sped across it.

'Those eels you and Amy were admiring in the lake back there ... those aren't eels,' the Doctor shouted as Rory caught up to him.  He had a huge grin on his face, looking for all the world as if he was having fun.

'If they're not eels, what are they?' Rory managed to pant out in between taking huge gasping breaths as he ran.

'They're Welloovians.'  The Doctor said it as if it was blindingly obvious what that meant and Rory was too puffed to ask him to clarify.  He chanced a glance behind him.  There were seven of them and they were indeed running towards them on small legs that propelled them forward faster than they should have been able to.  They looked ludicrous and yet there was an air of menace about them.

'Come on, you two!' Amy's voice was cheerful as she called to them.  Once, Rory would have rolled his eyes at her chirpiness in the face of aliens bringing death and destruction; now, though he didn't like to admit it, he found it quite endearing.  Back in Leadworth, Rory used to feel like he couldn't keep up, as if Amy's relentless perkiness was a threat to his future with her.  Now, he realised it was just who she was and that, despite all her laughing insults, she wasn't actually going to run away from him – well, not emotionally anyway.

The low growl of the approaching Welloovians cut into Rory's thoughts and made the grin he was wearing slide off his face.  Keeping his eyes on Amy's back, Rory sped up, calling on reserves he hadn't known he had.  Beside him, the Doctor ran with an easy lope, as if running from crazed monsters was just part of everyday life.  Rory grimaced as he realised that probably wasn't too far from the truth.

Suddenly he tripped, and went spiralling head over heels down a small incline he'd failed to notice as he ran.  Behind him, the growl of the aliens became a soft hum almost of pleasure and Rory's heart stood still in his chest.  This is it, he thought.  I'm going to die.  What a way to go – bumped off by giant running eels.  He closed his eyes, waiting for the creatures to descend on him.

'What are you doing, you great idiot?' Amy's voice was amused.  She held her hand out to him, an expression of loving exasperation on her face.

Rory squinted up at her, noticed that he wasn't dead just yet, and grinned.

'I don't know.  Momentary panic?'  He climbed to his feet and dusted himself off, looking around to see what had come of the eel things.  Bewildered, he saw them galloping back the way they had come, and the Doctor sliding his sonic screwdriver into his pocket.

'Lucky for you I was here to catch you.' Amy slid her hand into his and punched him lightly on the arm.  'Try not to need saving again, right?'

Rory thought about protesting that he hadn't really needed saving and that she hadn't really been the one to do it, but when he looked at her glowing face he decided against it.

'I'll try,' he said instead, leading her over to where the Doctor was standing.