Fandomweekly Challenge 125 - Holed up
Jul. 28th, 2022 09:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
m_findlowTitle: Holed up
'I'm really sorry, Tosh,' Ianto apologised for the umpteenth time.
She wished he'd stop saying that, but her teeth were chattering and the rest of her was so wrapped up that she doubted he'd hear anything more than a muffled sound from her. The coat and other winter weather gear were borrowed - probably Jack's, she guessed - and several sizes too big for her tiny frame, but she didn't mind. It was better to have oversized clothing to keep her warm than it was to have clothes that were several sizes too small.
'Don't apologise,' she said, surprised that the words sounded reasonably intelligible. 'I was the one who wanted to get away from the crowded, smog filled city. The fresh air is doing me good.'
'Well, it's fresh alright,' he replied, folding his arms even tighter across his body as the pair of them trudged across the undulating green valleys.
The terrain wasn't as difficult as it might be. Ianto was taking them the long way around, avoiding the steepest mountains and treacherous rocky slopes. It was lucky he knew where they were going because to Tosh, it all looked pretty much the same. Then again, she wasn't here every other week. The topography was something that only a seasoned veteran would attempt without proper navigation gear. Not something for a city slicker like her who was used to spending her days tucked up in a lab with all her banks of computers. It was a definite downside of working in London, missing out on all this beautiful scenery, even if it was freezing.
'I'm starting to wish you'd dragged Owen along,' Ianto said.
Tosh couldn't disagree with him, even when she knew how much Owen hated the outdoors. She'd only come down for the weekend, to catch up with her best friend and get away from drab city life. She hadn't expected that work would call both of them to action, though perhaps by now she should have also learned that Torchwood didn't respect weekends off.
They'd been warming up soup and bread for lunch when two of Cwm Noddfa's residents had come knocking on the door of the large, comfortable homestead that doubled as the valley's centre of operations. There were plenty of alien life forms that considered the huge expanse of Welsh countryside their home, but it was a strange community of sorts, each species living independently yet keeping an eye out for one another. Tosh always marvelled at what a special place it was.
The two aliens were large lizard creatures with huge long necks and long scaly tails, easily the size of double decker buses. Definitely not the kind of thing you could hide in Cardiff, or anywhere other than a few thousand acres of isolated Welsh valleys. They'd startled Tosh as their long necks poked heads in at the window where she was warming the soup on the stove.
'Hello, Ianto,' one called out.
'Hello Eugenia,' Ianto greeted her. 'What are you doing down here?'
'We came to let you know we were worried about the Snarfixa. She usually hunts regularly nearby but we haven't seen her for many days now. It seems like no one has seen her for some time.'
'Well, that is a worry,' Ianto said, frowning and abandoning his loaf of bread. She couldn't have escaped the sanctuary as there were special transmitters which kept the residents within the boundaries, whilst also keeping prying eyes from encroaching too close.
'Could she be injured?' Tosh asked.
Ianto nodded. 'It's a possibility. We should go check the area. I have a fair idea where her den is, but it's a bit of a hike.'
'The weather looks like it might turn,' Eugenia said. 'You should hurry.'
And so had begun their impromptu hike. Eugenia had been right though. The winds were starting to gust heavily and there was a bitter chill as the first flakes of snow began to whip at their faces.
'Not too far now!' Ianto called out, shouting over the stormy weather, and pointing towards the wooded hillside.
Tosh didn't spot the den until they were practically on top of it, but she was glad they'd found it before it got too dark to see anything. Just being out of the wind and snow was a relief.
Ianto held up a hand, signalling that they should approach quietly. Wounded animals were always dangerous, and wounded aliens were no different. They stepped carefully through the low tunnel, keeping their flashlights low until the large wolf-like creature came into view. She was lying on her side and only barely lifted her head at their arrival.
'Hey there, girl,' Ianto said, kneeling by her side. 'What seems to be the problem?' Tosh watched as he ran his fingers through her thick silvery fur, checking for wounds until he stopped and said 'Ah, so that's it.'
'What's it?' Tosh asked. 'Is she hurt?'
'Nope. But even I don't need a medical degree to tell that there's a whole lot more tummy here than normal. Could be a massive abscess, but I think maybe she's pregnant, and close to the big moment. Probably why she hasn't been hunting, saving all her energy for this. Hell of a night to bring cubs into the world, Missy.'
'But she's the only one,' Tosh said, realising the obvious problem. 'How did she manage to get pregnant?'
He smiled. 'You should ask Owen. He posited that there are alien species capable of storing a mate's, er, genetic material, until such time as she's ready to have offspring. Guess he was right after all. Won't that just make him smug?'
'And he's not even here to witness it,' Tosh replied, stroking the Snarfixa's fur and trying to be comforting, whilst feeling excited that they got to see something so amazing. Despite the wind and snow swirling outside, forced to spend the night in an underground den without so much as a sleeping bag, this would make it all worthwhile.
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Tosh, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG.
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 125 - Come in from the cold at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomweekly
fandomweeklySummary: Tosh gets more than she bargained for on her weekend away to the countryside.
'I'm really sorry, Tosh,' Ianto apologised for the umpteenth time.
She wished he'd stop saying that, but her teeth were chattering and the rest of her was so wrapped up that she doubted he'd hear anything more than a muffled sound from her. The coat and other winter weather gear were borrowed - probably Jack's, she guessed - and several sizes too big for her tiny frame, but she didn't mind. It was better to have oversized clothing to keep her warm than it was to have clothes that were several sizes too small.
'Don't apologise,' she said, surprised that the words sounded reasonably intelligible. 'I was the one who wanted to get away from the crowded, smog filled city. The fresh air is doing me good.'
'Well, it's fresh alright,' he replied, folding his arms even tighter across his body as the pair of them trudged across the undulating green valleys.
The terrain wasn't as difficult as it might be. Ianto was taking them the long way around, avoiding the steepest mountains and treacherous rocky slopes. It was lucky he knew where they were going because to Tosh, it all looked pretty much the same. Then again, she wasn't here every other week. The topography was something that only a seasoned veteran would attempt without proper navigation gear. Not something for a city slicker like her who was used to spending her days tucked up in a lab with all her banks of computers. It was a definite downside of working in London, missing out on all this beautiful scenery, even if it was freezing.
'I'm starting to wish you'd dragged Owen along,' Ianto said.
Tosh couldn't disagree with him, even when she knew how much Owen hated the outdoors. She'd only come down for the weekend, to catch up with her best friend and get away from drab city life. She hadn't expected that work would call both of them to action, though perhaps by now she should have also learned that Torchwood didn't respect weekends off.
They'd been warming up soup and bread for lunch when two of Cwm Noddfa's residents had come knocking on the door of the large, comfortable homestead that doubled as the valley's centre of operations. There were plenty of alien life forms that considered the huge expanse of Welsh countryside their home, but it was a strange community of sorts, each species living independently yet keeping an eye out for one another. Tosh always marvelled at what a special place it was.
The two aliens were large lizard creatures with huge long necks and long scaly tails, easily the size of double decker buses. Definitely not the kind of thing you could hide in Cardiff, or anywhere other than a few thousand acres of isolated Welsh valleys. They'd startled Tosh as their long necks poked heads in at the window where she was warming the soup on the stove.
'Hello, Ianto,' one called out.
'Hello Eugenia,' Ianto greeted her. 'What are you doing down here?'
'We came to let you know we were worried about the Snarfixa. She usually hunts regularly nearby but we haven't seen her for many days now. It seems like no one has seen her for some time.'
'Well, that is a worry,' Ianto said, frowning and abandoning his loaf of bread. She couldn't have escaped the sanctuary as there were special transmitters which kept the residents within the boundaries, whilst also keeping prying eyes from encroaching too close.
'Could she be injured?' Tosh asked.
Ianto nodded. 'It's a possibility. We should go check the area. I have a fair idea where her den is, but it's a bit of a hike.'
'The weather looks like it might turn,' Eugenia said. 'You should hurry.'
And so had begun their impromptu hike. Eugenia had been right though. The winds were starting to gust heavily and there was a bitter chill as the first flakes of snow began to whip at their faces.
'Not too far now!' Ianto called out, shouting over the stormy weather, and pointing towards the wooded hillside.
Tosh didn't spot the den until they were practically on top of it, but she was glad they'd found it before it got too dark to see anything. Just being out of the wind and snow was a relief.
Ianto held up a hand, signalling that they should approach quietly. Wounded animals were always dangerous, and wounded aliens were no different. They stepped carefully through the low tunnel, keeping their flashlights low until the large wolf-like creature came into view. She was lying on her side and only barely lifted her head at their arrival.
'Hey there, girl,' Ianto said, kneeling by her side. 'What seems to be the problem?' Tosh watched as he ran his fingers through her thick silvery fur, checking for wounds until he stopped and said 'Ah, so that's it.'
'What's it?' Tosh asked. 'Is she hurt?'
'Nope. But even I don't need a medical degree to tell that there's a whole lot more tummy here than normal. Could be a massive abscess, but I think maybe she's pregnant, and close to the big moment. Probably why she hasn't been hunting, saving all her energy for this. Hell of a night to bring cubs into the world, Missy.'
'But she's the only one,' Tosh said, realising the obvious problem. 'How did she manage to get pregnant?'
He smiled. 'You should ask Owen. He posited that there are alien species capable of storing a mate's, er, genetic material, until such time as she's ready to have offspring. Guess he was right after all. Won't that just make him smug?'
'And he's not even here to witness it,' Tosh replied, stroking the Snarfixa's fur and trying to be comforting, whilst feeling excited that they got to see something so amazing. Despite the wind and snow swirling outside, forced to spend the night in an underground den without so much as a sleeping bag, this would make it all worthwhile.
