The monk pushed Rose and Flora onto the cellar floor and chained them to the wall. "A few more ladies to keep you company, Lady Isobel."

Hay pricked Rose's legs through her tights and her knees stung from the rough landing. "Oi, a bit more careful, if you don't mind," she protested, but he just smirked and slammed the door with a clang.

Rose squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. As far as cells went, it wasn't the poshest place she'd been held, but it could've been worse. It seemed dry at least, which was a slight comfort.

Of the four other people in the room, three were dressed in servants' uniforms and one in a fine dark blue dress. That'd be Lady Isobel then, Rose figured. The younger maid was most likely her ladyship's lady's maid, the older woman the missing cook, and then…

A moan from the other end of the room interrupted her thoughts before she could place the man. Lady Isobel stiffened, and Rose followed her gaze to a cage resting beneath the open window.

"Don't make a sound," the Lady Isobel whimpered. "They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us."

Rose glanced back and forth between the person in the cage and Lady Isobel. A heavy hood covered the face, but the form was clearly human. "But he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us."

Her ladyship's features tightened. "He's nothing like us. That creature is not mortal." As if on cue, the hooded figure opened his eyes, and even Rose shifted back a bit; his eyes were pure black.

But Rose knew from experience that strange things weren't always bad. She studied the creature for a minute, then she got to her feet and moved slowly toward the cage. Lady Isobel pleaded with her to stop, but instead, Rose took another step forward, stopping only when she'd reached the end of the chain.

Ignoring the slight twinge of pain where the cuff dug into her wrist, she focused on the person in front of her. "Who are you?" she asked.

The flash of something alien in the creature's eyes didn't deter Rose, despite the warnings from behind her. "Where are you from?" she asked, slowly crouching down until she was at eye level with him. "You're not from Earth. What planet are you from?"

"Ah, intelligence!" he purred with satisfaction, holding himself unnaturally still.

His voice was unnerving, but Rose licked her lips and tried again. "Where were you born?"

Despite the fact that he was in a cage, the boy seemed to know he was in charge of the interview. "This body?" he asked disinterestedly. "Ten miles away. A weakling, heartsick boy, stolen away at night by the Brethren for my cultivation." His voice deepened with menace. "I carved out his soul and sat in his heart."

Flora and Lady Isobel moaned in fear. The feral pleasure in his voice sickened Rose, but she swallowed down the bile in her throat and forced out the next question. "All right, so the body's human. But what about you, the thing inside?"

"So far from home," he said, emphasizing each word.

"If you want to get back home, we can help," Rose said in a rush, her heart racing. If he just wants to go home, maybe I can talk him out of whatever he's got planned…

He still didn't move from his spot, a raised eyebrow his only physical reaction to Rose's question. "Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose."

Rose forgot about helping the creature when she heard the implicit threat in his words. Standing as tall as she could, she stared the creature down. "How would you do that?" she asked, trying to keep the breathless fear out of her voice.

"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch," he said, with that air of satisfaction once again.

"You mean Queen Victoria?" Rose asked, trying to follow his logic.

He bared his teeth. "With one bite, I would pass into her blood, and then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf." The malice in his voice shook Rose, but she didn't have a chance to respond. "You have many questions."

Before she could form a reply, the creature lunged at the cage. Even as Rose jumped back, something inside her wanted to meet the wolf head on. His already unnatural eyes widened even farther. "Look. Inside your eyes. You've seen it too."

"Seen what?"

"The Wolf. There is something of the Wolf about you."

Bits of dreams suddenly flashed through Rose's memory, dreams of herself standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, surrounded by a golden light. She saw Daleks and her first Doctor, and heard herself say, "I am the Bad Wolf…"

"I don't know what you mean," she said half-truthfully.

"You burn like the sun, but all I require is the moon," he growled.

You burn like the sun… The remembered dream was clearer now, and she could hear the terror and awe in her Doctor's voice as he said, "You're going to burn!"

Moonlight poured into the room from the overhead window, and the creature turned his face toward it. Rose watched in horror as he turned from a human into a werewolf. Dreams and memories faded from her mind in the pressing need to escape.

Twelve hours later, having defeated the werewolf and been knighted (and banished), Rose and the Doctor jumped off the back of a wagon and started up the hill toward the TARDIS. "No, but the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood," he said, his arm brushing against hers as they walked. "It's historical record. She was haemophiliac. They used to call it the Royal Disease. But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it, her dad didn't have it. It came from nowhere."

"What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?" Rose asked skeptically, squinting up at him.

A flash of gold filled Rose's vision when she accidentally stared right into the sun. You burn like the sun… She shook her head and the spots disappeared.

"You all right, Rose?"

"Yeah, fine. Just got the sun in my eyes is all." He raised an eyebrow, but she shook her head and pointed up the hill. "Race you to the TARDIS?"

The Doctor took off running before Rose had the sentence out of her mouth, and she looked back at the sun before chasing after him. I am the Bad Wolf…