Not so Tame (Eternity-verse 19)
http://amythest-n-ice.livejournal.com/12820.html
Link to Prt 20 Fancy Seeing you here (part 1)
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Ianto walked into the kitchen, a concerned and slightly puzzled look on his face.
“What’s up?” The Doctor asked from where he was spooning mush into Kalen’s mouth.
“My mam was just on the phone. There have been sheep going missing all over the area, and a huge bird like creature has been sighted. There are hunting parties out searching for it, but they can’t track it down.”
“So, are they afraid it’s going to go after people?” The Doctor asked.
“No, it’s not that. When I heard this, I then called Tosh, and apparently Myfanwy vanished from the hub just over a month ago. She wouldn’t start hunting without a damn good reason, she was near enough tame.”
“So Torchwood has lost track of their pterodactyl, and it’s gone wild?” The Doctor asked.
“Looks like, but she just wouldn’t. I don’t want them to kill her Doctor, it isn’t her fault that she’s stuck in this time.”
“Are you saying you want us to find her, before these hunting parties do, and what? Take her back to Torchwood, move her?”
“Take her somewhere more appropriate. Her own time, or another planet similar to Earth in that period,” Ianto suggested.
“I’ll talk to Jack. If he thinks he can make a suitable tranquilizer, then we can look into it.”
Ianto nodded, content. Jack had manufactured the original tranquilizer they had used on the pterodactyl anyway, so he shouldn’t have any problem making it again.
Ianto’s family were used to the TARDIS now, so they landed at the back of the garden, beside the shed. Angharad had the back door open the moment they stepped out, and greeted them cheerfully. Her eyes widened at the rifle slung over Jack’s shoulder as he stepped out last.
“We’re going to try to catch the pterodactyl,” Ianto explained.
“Is that safe?” She asked, smiling as Bobby charged up the path, and leaning down to hug him before ruffling his already untidy light brown hair.
“Safe enough.” Jack grinned, kissing her cheek.
Kalen giggled when Angharad kissed her forehead, holding out her arms for a hug.
“Not as shy as her brother was at one then?” She laughed, taking Kalen and bouncing her lightly as they headed into the house.
Inside, she set Kalen down to play with her brother on the living room floor, and looked over to where the others stood.
“Are you going to have a cup of tea before you go?” She asked.
“Thanks, but we had better get moving. We need the light for as long as possible, and we don’t want the hunting parties to find her first. They want to kill her, we just want to catch and relocate her,” Jack said.
“So are you all going then? Not exactly inconspicuous.” Angharad raised her eyebrow as she pointed out.
“No, not all. Jack is going to hunt her, and I am going with him, because she knows me. The others are waiting here, out of the way, until we call them to say we have her sedated, then we can get her moved to the TARDIS, and take her to her new home.” Ianto explained to his mother.
“Ah, so the rest of you, tea?”
“Please,” The Doctor said. He kissed Jack softly, brushing his fingers over Jack’s temple.
*Be careful, please* He communicated telepathically to his mate.
*I will*
“Both of you.” He said aloud as he released Jack’s lips.
Jack took the lead as they hiked across the countryside, his senses alert for anything out of place. Ianto hoped they didn’t run into the hunting parties, he had caught sight of Jack’s eyes as they set out, and didn’t think they would be easy to explain.
Jack stopped in front of him, cocking his head and turning slowly.
“There are people coming from that direction, at least a dozen of them. We have to move it Yan.”
“Do you know where we’re going?”
“Higher ground. There are some bluffs over that way, they should be an ideal place for Myfanwy to hang out.”
Jack led them at a fast jog to the bluffs he had noted on the maps, and they stood at the base, looking up. Ianto noticed confusion on Jack’s face.
“Isn’t she here?”
“She is, I can hear her, but, I think there may be more than one pterodactyl up there.”
“What? How is that possible?” Ianto asked.
“Entirely possible that another one came through the rift, a male, I would think,” Jack said.
“What makes you say that?”
“I can hear chicks, or whatever the hell they call baby pterodactyls. We are going to have to be very careful, I can’t sedate the chicks, it would probably kill them. I’ll go up and sedate the adults from the top, then we can net the chicks and move them as they are. While I’m climbing, could you ring the Doctor, and let him know what we’ve found?”
Jack started to climb, and Ianto watched for a moment, awed by the smooth, easy grace that propelled Jack rapidly up the craggy rock face. Ianto shook it off, pulling out his phone to do as Jack had asked.
Jack reached the top of the cliff, and looked out across the rolling fields, closer than he would like, he could see the hunting party that, and looking down, he could see only one adult pterodactyl standing watch over the nest. A large shadow passed over him, and rolling onto his back, he saw a large shape swooping down at him out of the blinding light of the sun.
“No you don’t, not a threat, and not lunch.” Jack growled as he rolled out of the way, unslinging the rifle in one smooth movement. He waited until he dived again, and shot a dart into him, moving quickly as he tumbled to the ground where Jack had been lying. Not quite out, he dozily tried to snap at Jack as he closed in on him. Jack deftly caught the beak, avoiding the sharp teeth, and held it closed, stroking the crest gently.
“Shhh, not going to hurt you, we’re just going to keep you and your family safe.” He soothed as he snapped a heavy band around the end of the beak, holding it closed. He kept stroking, projecting as much of a calming aura as he could until the drug carried the pterodactyl into unconsciousness.
He heard yelling from below, and looked over the edge, absently noting that Myfanwy was doing the same as he cursed softly. The gun toting hunters were yelling at Ianto as he tried to stop them from getting a bead on Myfanwy, and he wasn’t backing down. One of them raised his rifle, and brought the butt down at the back of Ianto’s head, making him crumple unconscious to the ground.
Myfanwy gave a shrill cry, sounding enraged that one of her favorite humans had been hurt, and dived at the men, making them all dive flat to the ground. Jack saw them some of them getting up and readying their rifles as she climbed to make another dive, and he whistled, hoping she would recognize the sound. She did, banking sharply in his direction, and spoiling the aim of the men below, she landed beside him, nipping affectionately at his jacket before going to curiously nudge her mate.
“He’ll wake up soon, he’s just sleeping.” He promised, scratching her neck firmly. She cooed, and butted him with her crest.
“Stay!” He said firmly as he approached the edge and looked down.
Some of the men had started to climb in the direction of the ledge she had dived from, and there was no way he was going to let them near the nest, and the four tiny pterodactyls he could see huddled inside it.
“Stop climbing, and get down,” Jack yelled, aiming his rifle at the nearest climber.
“You wouldn’t dare shoot us in favor of some mutant bird that’s been killing livestock.” One of the men still on the ground called up.
“Oh, yes I would. You have no right to kill them.”
“They killed our sheep.”
“They have as much right to eat as any other living creature. They don’t know the sheep are yours, they just know they are food. Capturing and moving them is one thing, but killing them quite another. The next one who climbs another inch UP this cliff gets shot. Start down, NOW.”
“Bleeding heart tree hugger. Even if you move them, they’ll still kill someone’s livestock. They have to be killed.”
“No, they won’t, and no they don’t. They’re killing to survive, you’re killing for sake of it. Back off, and leave them to us.”
“How about you back off, or we’ll shoot your little friend down here?” One said, aiming at Ianto.
There was a blur as Myfanwy shot past him, diving and landing between Ianto and the gun. Jack heard the gun being cocked, and didn’t even think about it, letting the ancient part of his brain take over, he jumped, the hundred foot drop barely jarring him as he landed catlike right in front of the man with the gun, heavy muscles absorbing the impact as his eyes blazed gold. He punched the man hard, knocking him unconscious to the ground with one blow.
“Leave.” He snarled the warning, and half the men, more cowardly than the others, broke and ran. Jack smiled coldly at the rest.
“I will kill you, have no doubt about that.”
“We can shoot you before you can shoot us.” One said with false bravado.
“Maybe, but I think they might protest that.” Jack smirked, seeing armed soldiers coming over the rise behind the men, and recognizing the man beside the Doctor and Terrell as Colonel Arkham, the man in charge of UNIT when Jack had still lived on Earth, still must be, Jack realized, recognizing the insignia on the uniforms.
“Captain Harkness,” Arkham called cheerfully as his men pointed out the wisdom to the hunters of dropping their guns.
Arkham was startled at the sight of the former Torchwood boss’s eyes, but he carried on gamely and shook his hand.
“Nice to see you again Colonel. How have things been?”
“Fine, fine. That little weasel they have in charge of Torchwood 3 is a pain in the ass, but other than that, not much going on until our old friend the Doctor here turned up and said you could use some help. You know, for a second, while we were hiking over, it looked like you jumped from up there.” Arkham said.
“I did,” Jack said distractedly, moving around Myfanwy, who was fussing over the unconscious Ianto like he was one of her chicks. Jack petted her lightly and knelt to check Ianto, who was just starting to stir.
“Easy Ianto. Terrell, come watch him, Myfanwy won’t hurt you.”
“Do you have vehicles we can move them to the TARDIS on?” Jack asked, indicating Myfanwy.
“Them?”
“Her mate is sedated at the top of the bluff, and there are four chicks in the nest.”
“I’ll have the trucks moved up. How are we going to get to the nest?”
“I can take care of that. Get one of the trucks up to the top, but tell them not to approach the male. The sedative may be wearing off, and only his beak is secured.” Jack said.
He kissed the Doctor in passing, then started up the cliff face again. As soon as he reached the ledge where the nest was resting, Myfanwy landed, watching him closely as he gently picked up the young, ignoring the nips they gave him, and transferred them into soft cloth bags that Arkham had given him, making sure not to touch them directly, but to lift them with nest material. He stroked her crest, smiling as she nuzzled the bags, quieting the frantic sounds from inside, then he started to climb again.
At the top, the male was blinking beadily at the soldiers, but was still too doped to try to move. Jack carefully placed the bags on the bed of the truck and encouraged Myfanwy to perch on the roof of the cab. The male didn’t put up a fight as they lifted him up with his mate and young.
It was a slow drive back with their passengers, and Arkham had a chance to watch the couples who had opted to ride in the back of the other flatbed so they could all stay together. Jack was curled in the Doctor’s arms, his head resting on the time lords chest, eyes that were once more blue blinking sleepily. Ianto was resting in his lovers arms too, more alert now that the blow to the head was wearing off, and the female pterodactyl was periodically taking flight to watch the occupants of both trucks. Arkham sighed, hoping that he would someday have the love those couples obviously had.
The Doctor, Ianto and Terrell watched as Myfanwy and her little family were settled on the quiet world of Brinax VII, which was close to the environment they would have left behind when they went through the rift. Plenty of small animals that they could eat, but nothing that would be a threat to them.
“How do you know that them being here will not change the history of this planet?” Terrell asked.
“It won’t. There is never sapient life here, and in 5000 years, the sun will go nova. Nothing will disturb them,” The Doctor sighed. He knew there was a chance the pterosaurs would develop higher intelligence, but in the time they had, and with such a small family group, it was unlikely in the extreme.
“Come on, they’ll be fine now. We should get back before Jack wakes from his nap, and I did promise we would take your parents out for dinner.”
“Really, where?”
“
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This is for
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
adafrog, who wanted a Myfanwy story. I hope this fits the bill.
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I wanted to put Allister in, but I thought that by now, the poor chap would have at the very least retired, and wouldn't much fancy a march across the Welsh countryside.
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