Blind Fury (short story)

Summary
A tale from the Old Time on Gallifrey tells how Death sent his messenger to the village of Slothe in the foothold mountains of Outer Gallifrey. The villagers of Slothe were lazy. They got lazier with every passing generation. They took what they wanted from the land without ever working to put anything back. They sowed no crops and raided nests till the land and its wildlife were exhausted. Like locusts, they moved around and bled the land, the rivers and its fruits empty. By their thoughtless actions the people brought Death on themselves.

Three times, Death's Messenger came to the village, each time leaving dead loved ones in its wake. The Messenger went unseen, except for those in their dying moments, who saw the creature that had been sent to bend the villagers to Death's will – a creature with sharp teeth and claws that sought out first the old and then the young, before returning for the remainder.

Surviving the slaughter was Presus the laziest of all men in Slothe and son of the prelate. Although strong, swift and silent, he was lazy and remained unconcerned by the deaths. Even when the villagers came to Presus to save them, he simply sent them away.

Bathing down by the river, Presus caught a glimpse of the creature in its reflection in the water and he was scared for his life. Hiding in his home, he was visited by Seer that Presus had previously mocked. Before she died and Death Messenger had come a third time -stealing away Presus' own family, the Seer told him that he was chosen to send a message to Death, that Gallifrey would one day not yield to Death, and that one day the sons of Gallifrey would sleep no more. Presus suddenly understood his fate and taking a long sword from a wall in the Opticon (the village meeting place), and covering his shield with the shiny leaves of the ulanda tree, he hunted the monster to a cave in the foot of Mount Perition guided only by the reflection it cast in his shield. For three days and three nights Persus and Death's Messenger fought across the foothills of the Mountains of Solace and Solitude. Locked in battle, each sides never rested. Blood was spilled on both sides and for the first time Presus the Indolent thought (and fought) for others. Finally Death's Messenger was slain and, still wary from his battle, he returned and built a funeral pyre for the dead that could be seen across the Continent of Wild Endeavour.

His work done, Presus rested and dreamed of the Seer and her words and her prophecy of holding back death. He is still dreaming... of a figure with an hourglass in one hand and a broken sword in the other.

Characters

 * Presus

Continuity

 * Gallifrey landscapes mentioned include the Continent of Wild Endeavour and the Mountains of Solace and Solitude.
 * Although never named, the description and illustrations of this tale suggest that Death's Messenger was in fact a Krafayis, invisible to most and a ferocious hunter.
 * The tale is presented with a post-it note from the Doctor to Amy Pond: "You wanted to know what Gallifreyan fairytales were like, Pond, well, here you go! This is the one I told you about when we visited Vincent Van Gogh."