The Doctor and The Nightingale {1}

tooth and claw 2.3

"My father didn't treat it as a story" Robert was still telling the story about the werewolf. The full moon outside, shined in through the windows, adding ambience for the story. "He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast, to have learned its purpose" At some point during the story, Angelo walked over to the window and gazed out of it. He began chanting. "I should have listened. His work was hindered. He made enemies. There's a monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations"

"Perhaps they thought his work ungodly" Victoria said.

"That's what I thought. But now I wonder" The Doctor and Nova noticed that Angelo was chanting near the window. Their gazes wandered to him. "What if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet? What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?"

"And what if they were with us right now?" The Doctor asked.

Victoria shot up from her sit, as did Reynolds. "What is the meaning of this!?" The Queen demanded. "What's happening?"

Reynolds accusingly pointed his finger at Robert. "Explain yourself, sir!"

Robert turned his head to look at Victoria and Reynolds. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife"

The Doctor and Nova marched over to Angelo, who was still staring out the window and chanting. "Rose and Tate! Where are they?" The Doctor demanded to know their whereabouts. He grabbed Nova's hand. "Come on!" The two of them left the dining room. Robert followed after them. Victoria stayed behind with Reynolds, who had his revolver trained on the monk.

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The cellar doors flung open and the moonlight shone on the crate. The man in the crate smiled and closed his eyes. "Moonlight" He sighed. He removed his cloak as an unnatural wind blow into the cellar. His transformation into a werewolf was starting.

"All of you! Stop looking at it!" Rose warned. Everyone closed their eyes and turned their heads. "Flora, don't look. Listen to me. Grab hold of the chain and pull! Come on! With me! Pull!"

Rose and Tate both stood up. Everyone else followed suit. "You heard what Rose said!" Tate said. "Everyone start pulling!" Isobel's gaze was still on the man. Tate had to pry her attention away. "You too, your ladyship! Pull!"

The crated man was becoming more vulpine by the second. Rose and Tate were still urging the others to pull the chain. The man had finally become a full werewolf. As it examined its paws, Rose, Tate and the other prisoners managed to pull the chain enough times that it broke free of the wall.

______

The Doctor, Nova, and Robert ran through the corridor until they came to the cellar. The Doctor kicked opened the door. Rose saw them first and angrily interrogated them. "Where the hell have you two been?"

"Yeah!" Tate barked. "We've been stuck down here with a bloody werewolf!" He pointed in the werewolf's direction..

The Doctor and Nova turned around to see what the werewolf looked like. Despite the tense situation, the both of them couldn't help but admire its beauty. They both paused to stare at it, smiles and all, while everyone was panicking behind them. "Oh, that's beautiful!" The Doctor mused.

"It truly is!" Nova agreed. The werewolf broke out of the crate. "Everyone out!" Everyone made their way out of the room. Of course the two Time Lords had to stay an extra minute to admire it. That is, until the werewolf threw a piece of the crate at them and they ducked to dodge it. The Doctor grabbed Nova's hand again and they left the cellar, making sure to close the door behind them and lock it with a sonic screwdriver.