The Doctor looked from Alex to the small fluffy green creature the boy was carrying, then back to Alex. Then, with a slow smirk (A/N – originally wrote ‘smork’ there – A Time Lord smirk?), he looked back at the fluffy green thing, and back up at Alex.

            “Alex.” He said, slowly. “What are you doing?”

            Alex flushed a dull red. “Yes. I’m…It asked me to, OK? It wanted me to help!”

            “Kid.” The Doctor put a deliberately-patronising arm around his shoulder, and drew him close. “We’re on Taneron. The only sentient creatures are small, toad-like creatures, which bore their prey to death.”

            “He said he wasn’t from Taneron!” Alex defended himself. “Didn’t you?”

            He addressed the creature itself, and it fluttered it’s eyelashes at him, widened the big brown eyes, and said,

            “Chirp.”

            The Doctor smothered a snicker. “Right. A sentient green Chihuahua from off-planet which talks? C’mon, Alex, pull the other one.”

            “It did!” Alex protested, grumpily. “I swear, it talked to me.”

            The Doctor frowned. "Alex, have you been drinking the water? Because, I told you not to drink the water..."