Testing: Clara Oswald

Chapter 10

So, new part. If anyone can find the Fall Out Boy reference you get a cupcake. But, just a warning, I'm no good at baking. Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

Clara felt instantly alone but she shook it off quickly. She could feel the spot on her wrist that the Doctor had had hold of grow cold. That made her want to get out even faster.

Up ahead of her the Doctor was running as fast as he could. He whipped through the forest, kicking up wet leaves and dirt in his wake. Clara did her best to avoid the remnants and keep up with the Timelord.

It seemed as if they were running for hours. By now her body was heavy and sweat was trickling down her neck. Exhaustion fell over her like a blanket. All of a sudden, she didn't care about the angels that so desperately wanted her. She just wanted to lie down and fall asleep.

The Doctor could feel his legs getting weaker and weaker as he kept running. But he wasn't as concerned about himself as he was for Clara. He could still hear the sound off her feet hitting the ground but he knew that even this was too much running for her.

But the two of them continued, driven by their instincts, to an area that opened up to a small desert. The Doctor laughed excitedly as it came into view. He looked back at his companion to see her eyes wide. Soon the two stumbled onto the hot sand.

The Doctor stopped outside the forest, putting his hands on his knees. Clara fell to the ground with exhaustion. "Please tell me we won't have to do that again for a little bit." She panted. The Doctor smiled at her. "No I don't think we will." He then stood up straight, turning to look at the forest again. "The angels are restricted to only this forest; I knew it couldn't go on forever." He said. Clara's eyes closed slightly. "What do you mean 'this forest'?" She asked him.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, well, what was supposed to be his eyebrows, at Clara. "Don't you see it?" He asked her. At once, he turned to point to the other side of the small area. Clara's eyes followed. On the other side there was another forest, but this one was different. This one was surrounded, protected almost, by a large, now I mean very large, wooden wall. The big, long pieces of wood were stacked one on top of the other, rising to a height of maybe 10 metres. The only way they could tell that there was a forest on the other side was because of the branches that stuck through some of the spaces between the slants of wood.

"Holy smokes." Clara muttered as her eyes cleared the site in front of her. The Doctor nodded in agreement with the statement. He looked at the wall for a second before turning to his companion. "First, before we tackle our next task, I think it would be best if we had some sleep." He told her. Clara looked up at him from her spot on the ground. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea." She replied.

He smiled before he turned to walk back into the forest. Clara watched him with wide eyes. "Doctor, you can't go back in there. The weeping angels..." The Timelord turned to her with another grin. She then realised that he was going to be fine. She didn't have to worry; he knew what he was doing. "I'll only be a minute." He yelled as he continued into the wooded area.

Clara turned away and waited for him to return. The silence she enjoyed, just as she had earlier. But this was a bit different. This was peaceful. She felt safe and as if she could fall asleep in it, let the silence wrap around her, carry her into a deep sleep. She didn't want it to end. This was when she realised that she was starting to fall asleep.

The Doctor woke her from her almost unconscious state when he came over and placed a big piece of moss beside her. As he stood up again she noticed that he was still wearing the stupid grin he had left with.

She looked down at the piece of moss with her eyebrows coming together in her center. "What's this for?" She asked. The Timelord proceeded to kneel down next to his companion, eyeing up with her. "It's a pillow, what else would it be?" He told her with a laugh. Clara's eyebrows then rose at his idea. "Oh." Was all she managed to get out. He reached out a hand to pat the moss, motioning for her to lie down. She studied it for a moment, deciding if it was worth it. She decided it was. It did look comfy.

Clara stretched out and laid her head on the moss pillow. She could feel the smaller sticks in the ball poke at her hair a bit but other than that it was surprisingly enjoyable.

The Doctor was beaming down at her as he watched her settle in for the night. When he saw that she was okay he got up and walked over to a tree at the edge of the forest, near where Clara was. He sat down so that his back was leaning up against its bark.

The two of them stayed like this for a little bit. Once the Doctor thought that his companion was asleep she proved him wrong. "Doctor, do you think we're gonna find this town?" She asked him quietly, as if she didn't want to break the silence. He paused for a moment, thinking over his words carefully. "I think that we have a pretty good chance." He told her. "But first, before any of that matters, you have to sleep."