Chapter Three: An Extra Set of Hands

After yesterday’s excitement from TeenDoc swiping the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, AL decided to allow OckDoc to visit the unicorns like she promised.

During a break from working on the TARDIS, AL led him to the meadow where most of the unicorns spent their time.

OckDoc’s reaction to the equines was disbelief followed by awe and wonder. He stared at all of them, studying how they seemed to come in every color of the rainbow, in all shapes and sizes, and how they all just seemed to…live together. Some younger ones were playing in the distance, seemingly unsupervised.

“Incredible!” OckDoc whispered while the four tentacles chattered excitedly. They were trying very hard not to overload AL with their mental chatter. Although they didn’t quite understand the reasoning behind OckDoc’s enthusiasm, it was infectious.

“I figure,” said AL, “there’s one you’d like to meet. You both have an interest in science, though the branches are different.”

“Actually,” he replied, “I’m a student of all sciences.”

AL nodded. “Fair enough.”

She led him through the meadow. A few of the unicorns did double-takes when she and OckDoc passed by, but, remarkably, none ran.

“They’re not like humans,” AL explained. “They don’t judge. Besides, I think they’ve seen stranger things.”

They walked further along the meadow toward a large, white stallion with a red beard and forelock. He was busy working at a wooden cart filled with bottles of different colored liquids. With him was a human, a young man with fair hair, wearing what looked like a doctor’s lab coat. A clear stream ran quietly beside them.

“That’s Medicus,” AL said, pointing to the stallion. “And Dr. Jesse Travis. He’s one of mine.” She called out, “Yo, guys!”

Jesse and Medicus turned. This was the first time Jesse had seen OckDoc, as he’d already returned to the house and had gone to bed by the time OckDoc and the Ninth Doctor had come back with the pilfered sonic screwdriver, and had already left by the time he’d woken up to work with the three Doctors on the TARDIS.

Jesse took a step back, startled, as the tentacles examined the contests of Medicus’ cart. The stallion simply blinked.

“Greetings,” the unicorn said, speaking perfect English.

“Hello,” said OckDoc.

“Guys, this is ‘OckDoc’, a version of Doc Brown who was created by a friend of mine. Medicus and Jesse. Medicus is the Healer and Jesse’s trying to learn a few new things from him.”

Jesse tentatively shook OckDoc’s hand. AL shot him a look that meant, “Relax!”. Jesse cleared his throat. “ ‘Trying’ being the operative word,” he said, and Medicus simply made a unicorn smile.

“Learn anything new?” asked AL.

Jesse shrugged. “Oh, loads. But…well, never mind. So,” he turned to OckDoc, “what brings you to this corner of the universe?”

“The kids and I are helping the Doctors with repairs on the TARDIS.”

Jesse blinked. “ ‘Kids’?”

OckDoc’s tentacles clacked their pincers and he launched into a sort of “Cliff’s Notes” version of how they came to be.

“Wild!” was Jesse’s opinion. “So, they’re fused to you?”

OckDoc nodded, as did the tentacles. “And they won’t allow themselves to be removed.” The tentacles wrapped themselves lovingly around him.

They were interrupted by a pair of unicorn foals cantering up to them. One – a gray, winged female – was limping slightly.

AL identified them as Mistral, and her companion – a male whose fur was both blue and yellow – was named Nightsun. Mistral was the one limping.

“Vicky actually named Nightsun,” said AL to OckDoc, who smiled, then she asked the two foals, “What happened with you?” Now that they were closer, she could see a thorny vine wrapped around the filly’s right hind leg, the scratches bleeding bright red.

When Mistral spoke, it was telepathically. We were playing, she said. I jumped a bush and…missed. I caught my leg and we can’t get it off.

“So,” said Nightsun, though speaking the Alnilam unicorn language, “I helped her to you, Medicus.” Nightsun was too young to speak telepathically yet.

“So Nightsun helped her here,” AL translated.

I can help! said OckDoc’s lower left tentacle, Albert. May I, Father?

Mistral blinked at the new, mechanical-sounding voice in her head. All Alnilam unicorns were telepathic, and, hence, could hear the voices of the tentacles.

“Albert wants to know if he can help,” said OckDoc for the benefit of Jesse. “I designed him with a blade attachment. He wants to cut the vine off.”

The filly tilted her head to one side, glanced at Medicus and Nightsun, then nodded. Okay. She turned and held out her leg.

Albert lowered himself down and his pincers snapped back, and a long, thin blade shot out. He and his twin – Tommy – chorused together, We apologize if this causes any discomfort. Tommy carefully pulled the vine away from Mistral’s skin, the thorns biting into her flesh causing the filly to wince slightly, but she didn’t pull her leg away like a skittish horse might. Albert used his blade to cut the vine, and Tommy removed the offending plant, tossing it to one side.

Now that the vine was gone, Medicus bent his head to examine her wounds. The scratches, although not too deep, could become infected if not treated. Unicorns were remarkably resilient to many things, but they were not invincible.

“This needs to be cleaned and treated,” said Medicus. “Jesse?”

“On it!” he said. He went to Medicus’ cart and rummaged around until he found a cloth, which he soaked in the stream.

OckDoc’s upper right tentacle – Verne – wound around Jesse, clacking his pincers. May I?

“He wants to know if he can do it,” OckDoc said.

Jesse shrugged and held the cloth out to the tentacle. He took it from Jesse and began gently cleaning Mistral’s wounds. Jesse, meanwhile, went back to the cart and extracted a small glass container filled with a green gelatinous substance.

“What’s that?” asked OckDoc.

“Salve,” said both Medicus and Jesse together. Medicus went on to say, “It’s formulated to keep out any bacteria, and also repel insects and help speed healing.”

This was something the tentacles could not help with, but OckDoc asked if he could apply the salve. Jesse handed him the container and said, “Just smear it on and cover the scratches.”

OckDoc took the lid off the container, and the pleasant smell of mint leaves wafted up from it. He dipped his fingers into the ointment and bent low to apply it to Mistral’s leg. Nightsun nuzzled her with his nose.

Verne offered the cloth to OckDoc to wipe off his hand. The last of OckDoc’s tentacles – the upper left, Jules – took the container, then the cloth, from him and moved to place them on Medicus’ cart, but Jesse held out his hand so he could put them away.

Thank you, Mistral said to everyone, and she nuzzled OckDoc. He scratched her behind her ears, causing her to nicker appreciatively.

“Yeah, thanks,” said Nightsun. He nudged Mistral, and they both turned and trotted away.

“He said thank you,” AL translated. She could sense some confusion within OckDoc, and she could guess why, so she said, “Alnilam unicorns are born able to communicate, but only with their native language, which Nightsun was speaking. As they get older, they learn to speak telepathically. Eventually, they learn to speak aloud. English turns into a second language for them.”

“Unbelievable,” said OckDoc.

Jesse grinned. “Yeah, and just when you think you got ’em figured out, they go and surprise you.”

Medicus grinned a unicorn grin. “Naturally.”

End chapter three.

Back *~*~* Chapter Two *~*~* Chapter Four