"Thank you so much for all of this," Rose smiled to their host as he returned from the bathroom, or the equivalent of such.

"No problem," he smiled warmly. "Sorry I didn't react quicker. You two just took me by surprise," he knelt down by the Doctor, who was sitting on the couch. "Now, let me see the wound."

The Doctor turned the back of his head to him. "I'm sure we did. I wouldn't imagine you get too many visitors out here."
"Very true. It's pretty much just me out here, other than the occasional mail ship," their host answered after he sucked air sharply in when he saw the Doctor's wound. "That's pretty bad."

"That's what I said!" Rose agreed.

"Anyway," the Doctor said loudly, "you sure of what you're doing there?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," the host replied as he dipped a furry finger into a small bottle.

"Not going to scramble my brain are you? 'Cause it's been said my brain is my best quality."

"No, no, I'm going to do nothing of the sort. This salve is completely safe. This is a compound with profound healing abilities. It is made out of the sap from one of the trees in this swamp. Ironically, I believe it was the same kind of tree your head smacked into, judging by the shape and depth of the wound."

"Really?" Rose cocked her head and chuckled a bit. "That is rather funny."

"Haha," the Doctor noted dryly as the liquid was spread onto his wound. He was smiling a little though. Then he winced. "That stings a bit doesn't it?'

"Yes, it does, especially on deep scalp wounds. Or any deep wound for that matter. Oh, my. Where are my manners?" the host said suddenly. "I'm treating your wound and I haven't even introduced myself," he smiled, taking a small bow. "I'm Clade Imace."

"I'm Rose," Rose held out her hand. "Rose Tyler."

Clade blinked his eyes at the gesture, titling his head. Then, he gingerly took the hand. Rose shook it, smiling and getting Clade to smile too.

"And I'm the Doctor," the Doctor threw in.

"Doctor who?" Clade looked to him.

"Just the Doctor."

"Surely you have a name that's more than a title."

"Please, just the Doctor will do. Nothing more."

"Well…okay then. The Doctor it is."

Rose hadn't been too sure about Clade and his intentions at first, but in all fairness, he hadn't been too sure of her and the Doctor either. When they had first shown up, it took a while for him to react. He really just stood there dumbly and stared at them. No doubt he thought he was hallucinating. However, Rose had finally managed to snap him out of his trance. She explained to Clade how they had been traveling around the swamp for a couple of days and how her friend, the Doctor, was sick and injured, not that it was difficult to see this fact. She made sure that Clade knew the Doctor had been traveling through the swamp ill. Clade had been worried that she too had been injured, but she assured him that she was fine and that was no lie; she really was completely unharmed. Once he had come back to reality, he quickly ushered them inside his cozy home.

He had then offered them clean and dry clothes. They weren't quite what the Doctor would've preferred, but he took them anyway because they were dry and better than sitting around naked. Both were given pajama-like pants, dark in color. Rose's shirt was dry and clean, so she stayed in it, but the Doctor had given all his clothing to Clade for washing, including his shirts and jackets, but since Clade didn't wear shirts, he had nothing to offer the Doctor except a brown blanket. Still, Clade told him that he would clean his undershirt first so he wouldn't have to sit around half-naked under the blanket longer than he had to. The Doctor was grateful for his thoughtfulness.

They hadn't really gotten a good look at Clade until now, as he treated the Doctor, because he was constantly in motion. His muzzle looked nearly like a horse while the bridge of his nose was long and broad. Unlike the front of his skull, the back looked similar to a dog's, though it had long feathery ears, each sitting high and perked, sprouting up behind his golden eyes. The lower half of his muzzle was a light tan, the top a soft, middle grey that matched the rest of his main body color. There was a dark ginger frock of hair on his head that swept down his neck and over his shoulders and around to the front like a thin mane. The Doctor found, for a fleeting moment, a twinge of jealousy at the color of Clade's ginger hair. Most of his body was covered in a very short, fine fur with the exception of two V-shaped patches on each of his wrists that resembled a soft, yellow leather. Each of his fingers and toes had small silver nails and his toes had dark grey tufts of fur on the tops of each one. He also had a flexible and fluffy tail which was actually only deceptively fluffy. In reality, it was covered in a stiff fur with a color that matched the fur on his toes, though the tip was ginger matching his hair. The tip looked like it was dipped in paint rather than a natural color, just a splash of color on the drab grey. He stood on two legs which bent like a humans which ended in sturdy, gecko-type feet. The only type of clothing he wore resembled the kind he gave the other two, though they were shorter.

They found he was actually very pleasant once they got him talking, though that had proven a small challenge. He was also very quick and nimble, swinging about the house on the exposed beams using his tail as an extra appendage.

"So, Clade, are you sure that you can get all the mud out of my trench coat?" the Doctor asked as Clade returned from putting the medicine up and checking on his laundry. "I do so love that coat."

"I promise I can," Clad chuckled jovially. "You have my word, when you two see your clothes again, they'll look like new. Possibly better. I have a lot of experience getting mud out of clothes."

"Well, that's no surprise since you practically live in it," Rose noted.

"True. Oh, by the by, I'm working on your undershirt first, Doctor, so you don't have to rely on the blanket as much."

"That's very kind of you, thank you," the Doctor stated. "It would be nice to have a shirt."

"He is ever so modest," Rose chuckled.

"So, if I may ask, whatever brings you two here in the first place?" Clade sat on the floor, handing Rose and the Doctor two steaming drinks. "Certainly not sightseeing I'm sure."

"Yeah, it's not exactly a tourist destination from what we can see."

"But why are you here then?"

"We're looking for some one."

"Or something. Something really," the Doctor added.

Clade's eyes widened. "You two are poachers then?"

"No!" the Doctor and Rose jumped together, causing Clade to shy away a little as though scolded.

"Do we really look like poachers?" Rose asked softer.

"Well, no, not really," Clade shrugged. "But there are plenty of them. And lots of them come here to find new and unusual animals. I just figured that just because I've never seen poachers like you doesn't rule you two out."

"Yes, we're poachers without guns, supplies, maps, training, or any form of information about the planet's environment or inhabitants and wildlife," the Doctor scoffed and pulling the blanket tighter around his body, sipping a bit of the drink. "This is really good by the way. Thanks."

"Hm, true. Didn't think of that. And thanks. It's the best hot drink I can make. Thought you would need one."

"Yes, it is very welcome."

"Clade, if I may ask, what are you doing here?" Rose jumped in. "If this place is as uninhabitable as it seems, why would you want to be here?"

"It was through no choice of mine," Clade shook his head. "I was placed here by my people. Forced here by my people, actually. I would love to be back home, truth be told, but I can't be. So, you make do with what you're given."

"You've done well for yourself all the same," the Doctor noted, looking around a little. "This is a rather nice place you have here."

"Yes, fashioned after the traditional homes of my race," Clade nodded, looking around a bit too.

The house was rounded in the front, where they were sitting. There were some windows in the walls facing the swamp, making it look like a glass ball. Even the ceiling here was a round dome. The couches and seats were in a pit in the middle of the room with a fireplace at the head. The couches were built into the sides of the pit as soft steps. The floor in between the couches was even rounded. The back half of the house, however, where the rest of the rooms, was square. Back behind the dome living room was the kitchen, bedroom, utility room, and bathroom or at least the guests figured as much, though neither really asked. From what Rose and the Doctor could glimpse, the rooms back there were square too. The ceiling and walls had exposed beams, but while things like that were normally frowned upon, these beams were decorative and added to the feeling of the house. Watching Clade swing about and scurry over them, it was easy to understand why he left them exposed, and the carving details on them made them pleasant to look at.

"Why were you put here though?" Rose insisted. "It's such an awful place to land someone. It's not like you can do much research here."

"Why do you say research?" Clade swished his tail.

"That's what I guessed you could be here for. But there's not much to do here that I can see."

"On the contrary! There's much to learn from the animals and planets here. Like the tree with the healing sap. No one even guessed it had that property until I discovered it by chance. But no, that is not why I'm here. That would be too good to be true. Then I wouldn't feel so much like I was abandoned."

"Well then, why are you here?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow. "If it's not research, there's only a few things left."

"I'm an exile."

"Really?"

"What in the world did you do to deserve this?" Rose asked.

"It was a massive accident that I caused. I didn't mean to, really, it just kind of happened. But it cost many lives. Too many lives," Clade spoke softly. "It's my fault. I deserve this, I really do, and I take it. Still, it is tough."

The Doctor's expression turned to one of sober understanding. "It's okay. You don't have to say any more. I understand. I understand completely."

"Do you though? Do you really?"

"Oh yes, I do. More than you know. I know how hard it can be to deal with the shunning of your people."

Clade gave him a gentle, grateful smile. "Thank you."

"Oh, um, I was wondering if you would mind trying to retrieve my ship. We left it in the swamp somewhere when we landed."

"Sure, I can get it for you. What's it look like?"

"It's a big blue box."

"What?"

"That's the best way to describe it. You can miss it. Course, you'll really know it when you see it."

"Oh, okay."

"It's actually rather big. I hope you can carry it."

"Don't you worry about that. I have my ways. I can get it for you."

"Like I said, you'll know it when you see it. It'll look rather out of place, really."

"Alright," Clade chuckled. "I'll go look for it straight away," Clade stood and scrambled up a beam and rest on a cross beam. "Rest assured, I'll find it," he scurried over to the door. "Be back in a jiffy."

Then he swung out the door, closing it behind him.

"Bit of a fruitcake," the Doctor noted. "Bit of a squirrelly fruitcake really."

"You're one to talk," Rose laughed. "You and him are a lot alike."

"Gee, thanks," he chuckled too.

"He's nice though."

The Doctor, who had suddenly gotten lost in thought, just grunted his response.