777: Additional RP Server - isha-forest︱epohh-fields

It was summer on Mol’Rihan, and the depts of the isha forest was the idyllic place to spend a summer holiday. Situated in a remote area on the outskirts of the main settlement on the planet, the forest and fields sprawled on for miles untouched by industry and development. This area housed historical ruins left behind by the planet’s previous inhabitants – and it also was home of the epohhs, small, four-legged, fuzzy creatures who had captured the hearts of the people who had settled here. Keen to avoid disrupting the native flora and fauna, Romulan scientists had worked hard on preservation projects for the local wildlife. The isha forest had been designated as a site of scientific study while epohhs were examined so scientists could work out how to, ehm, encourage the animals to make their population thrive. The main issue was that the staging grounds of the capital had attracted far more interest than the fields, and so development on the planet was focused elsewhere. To help combat this, for the summer period, a small part of the fields had been opened up as a campsite. There, people could learn more about Mol’Rihan and become enamoured with the epohhs, hopefully to encourage them to contribute to the project here. It was a mix of relaxation, tourism, and science. As such, a small clearing in the forest had been set up with tents here and there, although they were few and far between so wildlife wouldn’t be too daunted by the sudden influx of people. Stars twinkled in the night sky overhead: it was a perfect night and the area was devoid of light pollution, making it a perfect opportunity to see the stars. Some tents still had lights on, but most people had settled down to sleep by now. Here and there epohhs wandered – the more brave of them even trying to get into the tents to see what was going on – but many had settled down into the grass to sleep as well. It was set to be a peaceful night.

Finally, Alyssa and Melody were able to relax after what seemed like some stressful months on the starbase. Both a good and a bad stress, really, but still a stress. Now was the time to let all of that take a break. Alyssa had left her uniform behind, only carrying a suitcase as the major external item. She approached the campsite and looked over, seeing where they would be stationed. "Looks like we're, Mels," Alyssa said quietly. "Remember, inside voices. Most people here are sleeping. Okay? We might be able to settle in a little early. I'm a little tired."

Melody was not far behind, noticeably very sleepy, having taken a majority of the day to square away her bakery and then pack for the trip to Mol'Rihan. It was evident by her behavior that Melody was indeed ready to settle in for sleep. "Hmm? Oh, yeah," Melody mumbled. "Uh-huh. I'm sleepy. I wanna go to bed too. The epohhs make me sleepy." Melody practically peeked into the tent, before immediately flopping down onto the ground - and right away, she was out like a light. (edited)

Not expecting the sudden jolt as Mels fell asleep immediately, Alyssa did her best to cover up a laugh. Thankfully, nearly no sound came out. Alyssa smiled at her girlfriend and brought out her sleeping back from Melody's suitcase, before she tucked Melody into the sleeping bag. Alyssa gave Melody a gentle kiss on her forehead before she did the same, opening up her suitcase to take out her sleeping bag, nuzzle herself inside it, and doze off to sleep rather quickly...

After settling down it seemed like the two were in for a nice first night of camping, snuggled up cozy in their sleeping bags. The tent was quite comfortable: it was large and spacious, and it had been equipped with mats, duvets, and pillows to make a night’s sleep all that easier. There was a transparent plastic panel on the roof which meant that you could see the shimmering of the stars above. Between the faint noise of a light breeze and insects chirping, the hypnotic swirl of the stars, and the pleasant temperature, it was nice and easy to fall asleep. …Until, at around what a chronometer would display as two in the morning, light swept through the dark. It was muted by the tent’s outer fabric but there was certainly something creating more light than there had been a moment ago, mostly focused on the ground.

Alyssa's eyelids twitched as she lay back in her sleeping back. Not noticing the muted light from outside, her brain didn't process that anything was happening outside of the tent. And so, she slept, peacefully and without so much as a muscle spasm. Muscle spasm...? Either way. She didn't really move too much. Given she was in such a deep sleep, it wasn't easy for anything to disturb her much.

The same for Melody - she was already out, she didn't have any semblance of what was happening outside - because she was asleep. Her eyelids also twitched but nothing more than that - she was peacefully asleep. None more the wiser.

The light continued to sweep, seeming to get brighter as whatever it belonged to got closer to the tents. If a person listened carefully then they could hear a multitude of hushed voices speaking in Standard. The conversation seemed to consist of why there were tents here, that there weren't tents the last time, to keep your voice down... And then when the light flicked up from the ground and into the tent's main section, someone telling another person to lower the bloody torch before they all got caught.

This time at least the noise was enough to awaken Alyssa, but only very briefly, as she opened her eyes. Naturally, she was facing upwards, so she was looking up at the stars, plus she had just been in a deep sleep, so she didn't notice any of the torches from around the tent. The light that shone into the main section of the tent had flickered before Alyssa awoke, so she was none the wiser. She just suspected the noise was from outside, maybe someone else whispering to another in their tent. She didn't want to have to be on her guard all the time. So, after a quick check on Melody, she just closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Zzzzz. That was it. Melody was notorious for being an energetic morning person, and once it got to the evening, all her energy had depleted. It was like someone whacked her with a giant hammer. Obviously that didn't happen. But her ability to catch such a deep sleep was beyond anything Alyssa could comprehend. So, Melody laid there a-snoozin'. Zzzzz.

The torch beam swept downwards once more. Outside, a very hushed conversation continued: something about checking to see if anyone's home as surely they'd wake up with the light, another saying that they must be lucky and the tents were set up but no one in them yet. A third only told them to get to work. There was silence aside from the rustle of a light breeze through the foliage and the chirping of a few insects... Then there was a sudden, high-pitched squeal from an epohh. It cut off only a second after it had started - and then there was silence again.

The immediate squeal of the epohh was enough to jolt Alyssa awake. She sat up with a start, feeling her heart beat begin to climb. What was going on?! She looked over to Melody - well, Melody was alright, but was staring back at her in a state of panic. "Mels?" Alyssa said, keeping her voice down so that whoever was outside didn't hear them. "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt? What's going on?"

Melody was certainly awake. A high pitched squeal from an Epohh or from whatever it was, that was able to disturb her enough to wake up. She grabbed Alyssa right away in a hug, keeping Alyssa close. Her eyes searched around for anything that could explain what was going on. "Alyssa... I'm scared..." Melody said, her voice just a little louder than Alyssa's, but in the dead of night, it could be much more easily audible. Melody put her hand over her mouth afterwards -- ruh-oh...

Alyssa did the same, covering Melody's mouth after she did so herself, and held up her finger to her own mouth as she looked around. Maybe Essen was right - maybe Alyssa jinxed this whole thing... Hopefully that wasn't the case... It couldn't be... This was supposed to be the perfect relaxing vacation! This couldn't be happening. Alyssa was dreaming! It was just a nightmare... Right??

From outside the tent there was another hastily cut off epohh-screech, then another. It appeared whatever was going on outside had started to wake the other animals who had been peacefully sleeping, hidden away in the tall grass. Chirps from the epohhs started to echo through the forest clearing... And soon, there was the sound of light scratching. Something was scuffing at the fabric of the tent.

Alyssa held tightly onto Melody, looking back behind her, before she looked back in front at the direction of the scuffling. Whoever this was, they needed to stay secretive, so they were silencing the epohhs to do so! But what's worse - it sounded like whoever was out there was trying to get in! "Melody, hide yourself, you need to stay safe, okay?" Alyssa whispered into Melody's ear. She NEVER did that unless it was an emergency. "Whatever's going on, I'm gonna protect you. Stay right there. Hide yourself with our sleeping bags. Do whatever you need to do. I'll be right here." Alyssa gave Melody a kiss on her cheek, before she looked out towards the direction of the scuffling sound. Whoever it was out there, wasn't going to be disturbing them or the epohhs much longer without a fight. "Dammit, Essen," Alyssa muttered to herself. "I owe you one when I get back." (edited)

Melody's panic really settled in, as she heard the squeals of the epohhs that were silenced quickly. How could someone do such an awful thing to innocent creatures?! It was sickening. Melody kept her hand over her mouth, but nodded in response to Alyssa and took the kiss on her cheek, before she, as quietly as possible, hid herself as well as possible using her sleeping bag, and whatever else was beside her to make it look like Alyssa just threw her stuff in a pile in the corner of the tent.

The scratching continued regardless of the whispering or quick hiding within the tent. Soon the scratching turned into tearing, claws having managed to work their way through the tent’s fabric. Along the bottom of the door the tear formed, slowly expanding, slowly expanding… And from the exterior of the tent, peeking through the gap, two long, curled antenna emerged. A nose pocked itself through next, sniffing. Then there were ears, eyes, a whole lot of white fuzz – and after a moment of wiggling, an epohh had managed to crawl its way into the tent. The fur on its back stood up on end, and it almost looked like it was shaking.

Alyssa fully expected a person, be it Romulan or otherwise, to be outside, especially having heard other epohhs being silenced. But instead of a person, it was just an epohh! And it looked like they were scared as all get-out. Alyssa bent over to pick the epohh up, cradling it in her arms. "Shhh, shhh," Alyssa said, still keeping her voice down. "It's okay. It's okay, you're okay. Shhh, shhhh. Whoever's out there, they're not nice to you, are they?" Alyssa said. Then she realized she'd have to keep this epohh safe as well. "Melody?" Alyssa whispered back towards Melody. "We have a guest. Remember - you have to be as quiet as possible. But our friend here needs protecting. Maybe you can even give them a name while you're at it. Just be careful." Alyssa handed the epohh over towards Melody, before she turned back out towards the entrance of the tent to close the broken part up as much as she could.

Hearing her name called, in just over a whisper, Mels peeked her head out from the sleeping bag to see Alyssa holding an epohh! Awwww! Well, if that's all that was going on, well, there wasn't much for either of them to worry about. And the epohh -- it looked so scared, trembling that much! Melody eagerly reached out, silently, before nodding and taking the epohh from Alyssa. Melody nestled back in her sleeping bag hideout. She petted the epohh, taking it in her arms, noticing how scared it was. "Shhh, it's okay," Melody said to the epohh. "It's okay." Before she remembered Alyssa wanting to give it a name, if they were to hypothetically keep it. They'd have to protect it first. But it seemed the epohh came to them, so they'd have to ensure it was safe. "A name, huh? Well, you have such nice white fur," Melody whispered to the epohh. "Sort of like oreo creme. Hmm... how about I call you Oreo? Do you like that name? Oreo?"

Alyssa did as much as she could to use any spare items to cover up the hole in the tent, before she backed towards Melody and the epohh, not hearing that the new name of the epohh was Oreo. Keeping a vigilant eye around for anyone or anything around them... Alyssa set a hand on top of the little sleeping bag hideout. "You two alright in there? What's the name of the epohh?" She whispered.

Melody peeked her head out of the sleeping bag briefly, only replying in a whisper. "Oreo!" Melody whispered back, giving Alyssa a smile before she and Oreo slid back under the sleeping bag's cover.

"Oreo," Alyssa smirked. "Nice one, Mels. Okay. I need to go out there. I need to see who's out there, alright? Just a quick look see. I'll be back in just a second. Anything happens, I have my communicator and my PADD on me, I'll send out an emergency message like we talked about. Okay? You have your PADD on you too? I'll be right back. I love you." Alyssa whispered, before she crawled slowly and steadily towards the front of the tent, before she began to open the tent up, and gradually peeked her head out... looked around for anyone or anything that might be around her.

"Okay... please be careful, okay? I have my PADD too. I love you too," Melody replied, before she stuck her head back into the sleeping back, cuddling Oreo. The act of petting Oreo being the only thing that kept Melody from going into a full-on panic again...

Outside of the tent there was the continued sound of epohhs squealing, all of them now warning one another in panicked communication. The small animals darted back and forth in the grass, trying to run to god-knows where. It wasn't only the epohhs who were terrified, though. Two figures - the ones holding torches towards the ground - were crouched back, whispering forgotten and now silent instead. In front of them stood a third figure: humanoid, but back hunched, bones protruding at odd angles as it seemed to shift and contort. Glistening in the light of the stars, it was evident that thick fur was rapidly growing up the figure's back. What appeared to be a Romulan uniform tore with the misshaping of the body... And at the sound of the tent's door unzipping, a half-humanoid, half-animal head snapped towards the source of the noise. Red eyes - six in total instead of two - seemed to glow in the light, and for a moment there was a standstill... Until this animalistic figure let out a guttural snarl and darted in the direction of the tent.

It was only a moment's notice of time before Alyssa's mind went back into combat mode once again. She couldn't run, it would leave Melody and the epohh exposed and possibly vulnerable to being injured! So she had to fight. Her instincts compelled her to. And in a surge of determination, the words escaped from her mouth... "Not tonight, you sonuvabitch." So after grabbing her emergency phaser, back with an unbroken stride, Alyssa continued her way out of the tent, assuming a scowl at the creature, before she did just as the figure did, and darted towards the figure, quickly setting the phaser to max stun before she fired at the creature. She figured it would absolutely wake up everyone around her, especially those in other tents - but who else would this creature come for next? She had to ensure it wouldn't hurt anyone else.

The SNARL was enough for Melody to enter panic mode. She grasped the epohh tight, hearing the footsteps of... something outside the tent... as tears began to fall down her face. Whatever that was... it wasn't humanoid... at least... it wasn't humanoid anymore.

Still mid-transformation, the half person, half creature snarled again – although this time it seemed to be less at the sound coming from the tent and more from the fact that two antennae had sprouted from its head, snapping into position. It was difficult to tell due to the dim light, but with the antennae, thick fur, pointed two-sectioned hooves breaking through the fabric of a pair of boots, and a nose upturning into more of a snout… It almost looked semi-epohh. It went to continue its charge but halted as the phaser-fire enveloped it in an orange glow. It fell down on all fours, stunned… But kept looking directly at Alyssa, red eyes glowing in the dark.

From across the way a whispered conversation continued, the first speaker talking in a grumbling tone. “We need to do something. Shooting him is just going to piss him off more – we can’t let him kill anyone.”

“What do you want us to do? Go over there and join the fight? Get mauled to death? We got paid to snatch epohhs, not to deal with this!”

“Being out here ‘snatching epohhs’ must be what caused him to transform. He wasn’t with us last time – we wanted him to come along. It’s our fault.” The figure, cloaked by the night and barely visible, stood up and raised their voice. “Vrondoth! Over here! It’s us you want!”

“Disagreed! You don’t want me!” Was the other strange figure’s reply to that as she swiftly darted away from her colleague, hoping that their boss would go for anyone but her.

Unfortunately, the person… Epohh… Were-epohh, perhaps? Had locked onto the latest source of the noise. A furry, misshapen head snapped towards the Ferengi who was trying to run… And after a moment of recovering its strength from being shot with the phaser, it darted towards her instead. Alyssa and Melody were safe… But would they do anything about the safety of the Ferengi?

Well, well, well. It turned out the half-man, half-epohh wasn't alone. Perhaps this was going to be a little bit more complicated than Alyssa thought. Whatever it was that caused the Ferengi to run, they were in danger and Alyssa knew it after the creature just ignored Alyssa and ran towards the Ferengi. Alyssa darted after the creature in a sprint that hadn't been seen since her visor days. set her phaser to max stun once more... "Take cover!" Alyssa called to the Ferengi as she fired as best she could at the creature again. This wouldn't be the only time Alyssa would need to stun whoever or whatever that thing was.

Melody didn't want to attract any attention to her or Oreo. Especially if someone or something were after Alyssa. She could definitely hear voices now, and that meant someone with hidden agendas all around. At least, that's what Melody thought. So she stay put, petting Oreo as she curled up in the sleeping bag. So she didn't call out to Alyssa, she didn't message. She stayed put. And she stayed as still as possible underneath the sleeping bag.

The Ferengi did as was demanded and quite literally dove for cover, sliding through a patch of tall grass (and quite possibly hitting an epohh or two) before sliding to a stop. She remained still, concealed by the foliage. When Alyssa shot at the creature it collapsed once again, legs seeming to give out... But as the Nausicaan said, it only seemed to make it more angry. The were-epohh remained stunned for a moment before it started pushing itself back up onto its hind legs. Its head snapped back and forth, snarling and salivating from the maw as it tried to determine its target. Its ears twitched as if it was trying to pick up on a direction. Noticing this, the Nausicaan also seemed to have slinked back and remained silent for a moment while considering their options. Was there a reason that the were-epohh hadn't attacked again yet..?

Alyssa was about to pick up a rock to throw at the were-epohh - but she ultimately didn't. Instead, when she noticed the were-epohh just stand there, and saw its ears twitch, she too stayed still. Then after a moment, Alyssa mirrored the Nausicaan and took several slow steps backwards, sans any rocks. If the Nausicaan knew what this meant, then Alyssa would be wise to do so as well, although Alyssa took some steps back towards the tent. Keeping both the tent and the were-epohh in her periphery. Watching. Waiting. Maybe this creature could be reasoned with? Unless they were... Hearing? Something differently. Alyssa couldn't see a headset or earpiece of any sort on the creature. Then again, it was nighttime. So anything was possible. (edited)

Melody inside the tent was practically trembling now alongside Oreo. She couldn't see what was going on outside - and that's what made it even scarier to her. Simply shadows against the fabric of the tent - and that was it. She hid behind the little fabric peek hole of the sleeping bag, while she pet Oreo.

Just then, Alyssa got an idea. Whatever this were-epohh was planning, one thing was for sure - there had to be a surefire way to weaken it. Alyssa remembered from horror movies that silver was able to kill a werewolf. But she didn't know about were-epohhs. She barely knew anything about epohhs to begin with. So maybe she'd have to find something else. She did remember the were-epohh had six eyes... Maybe something to do with its eyes? Noticing a tree nearby, Alyssa darted for the tree, and she jumped to latch onto and then climb up the tree. Once she was on a high enough branch, Alyssa called down to the were-epohh. "HEY! YOU!" (edited)

In the brief silent period in-between, the were-epohh continued to stand there in the middle of the clearing. In the background a couple of bystanders had poked their heads out from their own tents, wondering what was going on – only to hastily go back inside at the sight of whatever was happening out there. A couple of them decided to make a dash for it, but as they were too far away, the were-epohh didn’t notice. It seemed more focused on what was happening up close. It appeared that it was still trying to determine a target, head moving back and forth, ears twitching and nose sniffing at the air. Suddenly it froze, and in the blink of an eye, snatched downwards with clawed hands. An epohh had squeaked in the grass below. When hands emerged from the grass they had the writhing animal in their grasp. The were-epohh held the animal to its maw, sniffed… And then opened its jaw wide; long, pointed teeth shimmering in the moon’s light. Crooked, twisted hands manoeuvred the epohh closer, ready to take a bite (or perhaps shove it in its mouth whole)… But that was when Alyssa shouted. Immediately the creature’s head shot in the direction of the noise, and the rest of its body was quick to follow. Initially it moved on two legs, and then four; front legs soon hit the ground so it could propel itself forwards faster. Torn shreds of uniform went flying amidst the dirt it kicked up as the creature powered through the grass, heading straight for the tree that Alyssa had situated herself in. For a moment it looked like the were-epohh might run right into the tree… But at the last moment it leaped; strong hind legs driving its movement. Claws swung at the bark of the tree and it latched on. Red eyes started up at Alyssa’s branch – and then it started climbing.

While she didn't expect the were-epohh to be able to climb trees, which definitely threw Alyssa a bit off guard, she had the were-epohh exactly where she wanted it. "Yeah, that's right, this way, come on, up here, fella. Too bad I'd swipe left on your Space Tinder. I'd downvote your SpaceReddit post. I'd even unfollow you on Spacetagram. Yeah you probably spend your time thinking Mol'Rihan is flat, now don't you?! Awww... Isn't the widdle monstew so scawwy??" Alyssa taunted the creature. She wanted to get it angry. The angrier it got, likely, the less coordination it might have. And with a single swoop, Alyssa broke a moderately sized branch off the tree, using the broken end as a sort of spear, as she pounced down at the creature, ready to jab the makeshift spear directly into its eyes. "360 NO SCOPE!" (edited)

Melody still trembled inside her tent, but once she heard Alyssa start to trash talk... Whoever it was, Melody was more... Confused than anything. Certainly a creature who couldn't respond back with words. Melody shrugged it off. Alyssa would be Alyssa, after all. She continued to pet Oreo underneath the sleeping bag.

Unfortunately for Alyssa, the were-epohh didn’t seem to care about the taunts. Was it even capable of processing speech? Did it know what was being said? It didn’t seem to care – nor did it seem to become unfocused. It was honed in on its target, watching her every move as it dug claws into the tree again and again in order to scale it. When Alyssa broke off the branch it halted, watching… And as she jumped, it simply ducked its head forwards so the makeshift spear would miss. There was an audible click as it opened its mouth as wide as it could… And as Alyssa fell, its teeth pierced firmly into one of her legs, holding her in place.

There was only a moment's time before Alyssa felt the red hot searing pain of those jagged teeth piercing into her left leg--- and when she did, all semblance of control left her body. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!" She screamed out, unable to dull the pain enough to stay silent. She grabbed the makeshift spear in an attempt to jab at the were-epohh again, and while she did so, she yelled loud enough for Melody to hear. "CODE RED! CODE RED! RUN!" Alyssa shouted, not turning her head as to give a new direction for the creature to look for, but keeping it occupied so Melody could escape.

The scream was enough to chill Melody's blood, causing her to gasp aloud while in the sleeping bag. And then, the unthinkable... Code Red. The words she didn't EVER want to hear. The words only to be spoken in true, legitimate emergencies. Something was seriously wrong. But Alyssa had told Melody that if she ever told Melody to run, she needed to run. Whatever happened to Alyssa, was bad enough where Melody had to save herself. While Alyssa was distracting the creature, Melody slipped out of the tent with Oreo and made a run for it in the exact opposite direction, towards the nearest cover of woods that there was, and didn't stop. (edited)

Alyssa’s screaming appeared to be what annoyed the were-epohh more. Maybe it couldn’t understand speech, but could understand when someone was being loud. It flung her about in its grasp for a moment, tearing at her skin, before tossing her aside and letting her fall the rest of the way to the ground. A moment later it jumped down. Two large, clawed front paws landed on Alyssa’s chest, and red eyes glowered down at her. Saliva dripped form the were-epohh’s maw right onto Alyssa’s face.

In the background, the Ferengi had apparently left her hiding spot and located the Nausicaan again. Currently she was shaking them by the arms, not tall enough to grab their shoulders. “Night! What the fuck do we do?! We can’t let him eat someone?! He’s gonna be pissed off if we let him eat someone! We’ll probably get no money, we’ll probably go to jail!”

The Nausicaan who was apparently known as Night grumbled back. “We also can’t let that mad-woman kill him. He’s still a living person, batshit as this is. You: distract him, and I’ll run in and grab the woman.”

“Me?! Distract him?! I’m not bait!”

In the background of the debate occurring, Melody managed to slip away. The epohh in her arms squealed and cried, although it had made no effort to wiggle away. It must have known that it was safer in Melody’s grip than anywhere else. On the way in between two tents, someone poked their head out and hissed to Melody.

“Psst! You there, what – what the heck is that thing?! Do you need to hide with us?”

Melody looked over at the source of the voice, someone she didn't recognize, but someone who she was hopefully able to find cover with. "It's an epohh! I need to protect it! If I can hide with you, yes, please!" As Melody approached their tent, not entering without their permission yet, but hiding from whatever was going on with Alyssa.

CW attack condition Alyssa's body felt searing pain, as she finally fell to the ground. The impact didn't do her any favors -- she laid helplessly on the ground, the soreness from the fall and the searing from the initial wound weakening her to where she couldn't fight back. It seemed she had finally been beaten... the were-epohh's paws laid on her chest, causing her lungs to expel the air they had in... she looked up at the creature with eyes that could barely keep themselves open, she used every ounce of energy to try and just keep on pushing!! The saliva from the were-epohh's mouth landed on her face, but she couldn't muster enough energy to keep it from happening any more. All the while she felt woozy, and her vision began to blur. Come on, COME ON! She had to keep pushing!

The Bolian who had invited Melody into the tent looked confused for a moment before realising what she was on about. “Oh, no – not that that! I know that’s an epohh. I mean – what is that?!” With their tent being on the outskirts of the clearing, he pointed back to the centre. Two figures – one very tall and one very short – still appeared to be debating one another. The creature however was on all fours… Two heavy paws pressing down on a final figure’s chest. Process of elimination stated that the other figure had to be Alyssa.

As soon as Melody looked over, her eyes scanned the scene... before they POPPED open. "No... NO! ALYSSA!!!!" Melody yelped. Immediately, in the worst possible move, Melody darted back towards the scene, carrying the epohh with her, up towards the arguing Nausicaan and Ferengi. She wanted to go further... she needed to... tears filled her eyes as she saw Alyssa's body being classified as the final figure. "ALYSSAAAA!!!!!"

Right away, hearing Melody's voice, Alyssa's eyes darted up towards the singing baker. And right away... Alyssa needed to fight. She needed to win. She needed to conquer this creature. With as much energy as she had left, however, it wouldn't be easy. With both hands she grasped at the creature's paws, doing her best to try and make room for her to escape... such a heavy creature! Such big paws! Come on, COME ON!

A hand reached out to grab Melody's arm but it was too late. "You can't go back there! It'll eat you!" He called after her, but it would appear that there was no stopping the woman.

Meanwhile, the pressure on Alyssa's chest was released rapidly. The were-epohh turned at the sound of Melody's yell and began sprinting directly at her instead, charging at full force. The Ferengi and the Nausicaan both dived out of the way as it nearly ran them over, barreling straight towards Melody this time.

In an instant, Melody knew she had made the wrooooong choice... stopping dead in her tracks, she could only stare in absolute horror at the creature as it darted forward towards her. She clutched the epohh in her hand as she screamed out in terror... a scream that she hadn't done for years, a scream that was only amplified tenfold by the fact she was a singer... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A scream that was louder, that was more piercing, than she'd ever done in her life -- and she didn't mean to do it at all, especially given this was a place that valued its peace and quiet...

The moment the creature let off her chest, Alyssa did her best to bounce back up, but that only came in the form of her trying to spring up and failing, trailing far behind the creature as it headed straight-on for Melody. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Alyssa called out, her leg giving out as she hobbled, and then collapsed to the ground...

Grass and mud were kicked up underfoot as the were-epohh bolted directly in Melody’s direction. Snarls reverberated from its throat between each breath as strong, two-clawed feet powered it onwards. Saliva dripped from its maw. Six red eyes almost glowed in the light of the moon, glowering at its target… And that was when Melody began to scream. The creature slid to a halt, sliding through the grass until it stopped. It hoisted itself back up onto its hind legs, simply… Watching. Ears twitched. An antennae twitched after it. Its head tilted to the side a little. At Alyssa’s yell in the background it looked around, snarling once again – but now, something more interesting had its attention. Something that sounded more interesting, perhaps. It looked back to Melody again, contorted, hunch-backed form heaving with breaths from the exertion... But aside from that, unmoving.

Melody's eyes clenched shut as she prepared for the worst--- and then the creature just... stopped? In its tracks? What? Melody didn't know why. Was it because she was holding an epohh? No -- the creature must have been the reason the epohhs were being silenced! It must have been... "My---my voice!" Melody said. "It's... affecting you?" She watched curiously as the creature just stayed there once again... Melody got an idea.

"Ahhhhhh-ah-ah-ahhhhh,"

Melody sang in a brief arpeggio. If that worked, then she knew what to do to be able to get the creature to calm down. Melody pulled out her PADD. "Play from my musical theater playlist," Melody said. While somewhat tinny and quiet, music did indeed emanate from Melody's PADD. And with that, she began to sing...

"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation Darkness stirs and wakes imagination Silently the senses abandon their defenses Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender Turn your face away from the garish light of day Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light And listen to the music of the night!"

*Looking up to see what was going on, it seemed Alyssa had herself her very own were-epohh whispering girlfriend! Well, I'll be damned, Alyssa thought to herself. The key to beating that thing is to sing to it! Heh. Motherfucker. Welp. I knew Mels had a magic voice.*

Then Melody got another idea. The iconic recitation the Phantom used to bring Christine closer to him. That would have to work now. Melody reared herself up, and in her best Phantom impression, held her free hand out as if reaching towards the were-epohh...

"I am your Angel of Music... Come to me, Angel of Music... I am your Angel of Music... Come to me, Angel of Music... I am your Angel of Music... Come to me, Angel of Music... I am your Angel of Music... Come to me, Angel of Music..."

Reaching out, beckoning the creature to follow her voice... (edited)

When Melody sang out her arpeggio the were-epohh remained still, although an ear twitched in her direction. When she moved to take out her PADD (the epohh in her arms squirmed a little as if worried she would drop it), the creature tensed a little… But then stopped when the performance began. It began a slow sway back and forth in time with the singing, near hypnotised. It didn’t move aside from that – but at Melody’s second performance, it genuinely seemed drawn in. Apparently no longer enraged or barrelling towards her, the step towards Melody’s hand was calm.

The Ferengi who had dove aside sat propped up in the grass, watching the performance. "...What the ever-loving fuck is going on?" She asked to her Nausicaan colleague.

Said Nausicaan was lying on their back, staring up at the night sky. "I have no idea, but I like the song."

Melody kept on going, bringing the were-epohh closer to her... She just needed to bring it closer... Closer... Come on, just a little more... Before she could reach out and start to gently rub the top of the were-epohh's head, almost like giving a dog head scritches. Bingo! "Help her, I'll handle this," Melody said in a singsongy voice to the Ferengi and the Nausicaan, as to not distract the were-epohh. But since she had her hand on the were-epohh now... It was time to bring out the ultimate. Melody sang in a resonant, full voice...

"SING ONCE AGAIN WITH ME... OUR STRANGE DUET! MY POWER OVER YOU GROWS STRONGER YET! AND THOUGH YOU TURN FROM ME TO GLANCE BEHIND... THE MELODY OF THE OPERA IS THERE INSIDE YOUR MIND..."

It was at this point when Melody legitimately felt a connection to this creature. One she didn't fully understand. But one she needed to use if she were to be able to protect Alyssa and the others. "Sing! SING for me!" (edited)

As Alyssa lay on the ground, still mostly immobile, she looked up at her girlfriend - no look of fear was on Melody's face at all. In fact, the power dynamic had shifted! Melody had tamed the were-epohh! This was more than impressive. Alyssa chuckled when she heard Melody ask the Ferengi and the Nausicaan to help her. Without saying a word as to distract the were-epohh, Alyssa waved a hand to catch the eye of the pair, while Melody kept the were-epohh at bay. Well, Alyssa thought. No one will ever make fun of her voice again. Not after I tell them her voice saved my life and the lives of so many others. (edited)

The were-epohh could have used this as an opportunity to bite off Melody's hand. It didn't. It didn't seem to care too much for her rubbing the top of its head, tensing somewhat - but the singing kept it calm. At the 'sing for me' an attempt was made... A really, really dismal attempt. You might have expected more from the creature which had been snarling and slavering only a minute ago, but when it tried, there was just a squeak! The other epohhs in the meadow kicked off at that, and in a moment, Melody had a choir of squeaking epohhs as some less than stellar backing vocals.

"Never mind. Don't like the song any more."

With the were-epohh distracted and seemingly completely entranced by the singing, the Ferengi woman caught Alyssa's wave. Slowly and quietly, she got to her feet to sneak over. "You good?" She asked in a low voice. "I charge for first aid services, you kknow."

With a silent chuckle, Alyssa whispered back to the Ferengi woman. "Don't worry about that, I'll make sure you get paid after all is said and done," Alyssa replied in a low voice as well. "It's the least I can do. When I tell you I'm just as shocked as you are about this whole thing, I mean it. But also kind of not surprised. Ah well. My leg ain't doing too well... Augh..."

In continuing to connect with the were-epohh, Melody had some sort of internal feeling that told her, that it was finally time to be able to bring the were-epohh to a new direction. As such, Melody continued her singsongy voice, but took her hand away from the were-epohh, putting it on her hip while she held Oreo with the other one. "I am very, very, disappointed in you, mister," Melody gently scolded the creature. "You hurt people around here. People who I care about. You should be ashamed of yourself! Well. Now's your chance to apologize. In whatever way you can, heh. Say you're sorry. And you're going to be gentle from now on... Or else, you'll never hear my voice again. Do you understand?"

"Don't move it then, dipshit," was a very unsympathetic response from the Ferengi. "Psst. Psst. Night, get over here. I'm not touching a bloodied up Hu-mon leg, that's gross."

There was a barely audible grumble from the Nausicaan who had, it looked like, just given up on life and was staring at the sky instead. After a couple of tries to get going, they hauled themselves to their feet and made their way over so they could tend to Alyssa. Better fix what damage the boss had done or their pay would probably be docked - they had been paid to prevent something like this happening, after all.

Over with Melody, the were-epohh had lowered its head. Snarling had turned to upset whimpering as it was scolded by Melody, seemingly having some understanding - even if it was just picking up on the tone of voice. It almost seemed to nod it's head, as if it was giving a 'yes ma'am, never again ma'am.' Held in Melody's arms, Oreo reached out and licked the were-epohh on the nose as a sort of comforting gesture, no longer scared of it... And suddenly, the were-epohh's figure began to contort once more.

With a snicker, Alyssa looked up at both the Ferengi and the Nausicaan. "Thank you both. On behalf of the Federation, I can safely say my supervisor and captain will be forever in your debt for assisting me." She moved over as much as she could so Night wouldn't have to go too far to help her.

Melody smiled with a renewed sense of authority over this creature. Heh. "Good boy," Melody patronized the were-epohh. "I think we're going to get along nicely." Before Oreo reached out to lick the were-epohh on the nose -- when the figure contorted again, Melody stepped back with Oreo, as she watched the process unfold. "Wha... What's happening? Is he transforming again? Maybe back into... His natural form? Hopefully? Maybe?" (edited)

"I thought I told you not to move, you're going to make that worse," the Ferengi grumbled. It would appear that grumbling made up a lot of what her and her colleague did. She did the talking while Night did the work, taking a dermal regenerator from one of many pockets so he could tend to Alyssa's leg. "Wait, don't tell me... You're Starfleet? Ugh. There always has to be some Starfleet officer kicking about to get into other people's business, huh..."

Meanwhile, Melody's theory seemed to be correct. There was a series of pained snarls and audible clicks and pops as the were-epohh's form changed. Its back and shoulders straightened up, clicking back into shape. Clawed hooves began to retract, and the fur which covered its skin began to shorten. The maw which housed the large, pointed teeth which had bitten into Alyssa's leg began to shorten. Hind legs cracked back into a normal, humanoid form -- and when said legs gave out, lying in the grass was a normal (albeit naked) Romulan man.

Abandoning Alyssa for a second, Night moved over and unzipped their jacket before placing it over the Romulan's waist. "I'm not getting paid enough to see my boss's junk," they grumbled, averting their gaze as they set their jacket down.

Alyssa paused as she watched Night just move away - what the hell, man? But then, she decided to take this opportunity. It didn't matter if this was a mission or if it was just a quick getaway. She was still a Starfleet officer. And part of her duty was to be kind to those in need. "Melody, inside the tent," Alyssa said. "Inside my suitcase. There's a hoodie and some jeans. I think our friend here may need them more than I do. Quick, go get them for him, please!"

Melody didn't have to think twice, as she scurried with Oreo to race back into the tent, going into Alyssa's suitcase as she instructed her to, and picking out a gray hoodie, and some loose fitting jeans. Melody returned from the tent with clothing for the Romulan man on the ground, and set them beside him. "Are you alright?"

The man seemed to be quite out of it, not really processing much until someone spoke directly in his ear. There was a groan and he covered his eyes when he opened them; even if the starlight barely illuminated the clearing at all, it was apparently still too bright for a post-transformation were-epohh. "Hgmgnhgng..." He started. What a fantastic attempt at speech. "What happened..?"

She had been hoping that they'd have a little more time before he became coherent. Maybe they could have dragged their boss back to the shuttle which was in the outskirts of the forest. It wasn't exactly going to be easy to say 'hey, you were-epohh'd out, almost killed us all, bit someone... But also, please still pay us!' But wait... There was a Starfleet officer here. Fuck it: when in trouble, leave the difficult stuff to them. "Uh... Our good friends here can explain!"

Alyssa did her best to remain calm so that she didn't overuse any energy. But she still was loud enough that whoever this man was could hear her. "Over here! Hello. Do not be alarmed, I mean you no harm. I'm Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Hayes, Field Tactics Trainer of the Federation outpost Starbase 777. That over there is my girlfriend, Melody Marshall. It seems that you transformed into a werewolf-epohh hybrid. As for the cause of that transformation, I'm not sure. From there it seemed you fed upon the epohhs around here for sustenance. When I went out here to investigate and you responded with aggression towards me, I had to fight back in the interest of the safety of everyone around here. Unfortunately, it also seems you bit through my leg, as you can see."

Melody chimed in. "Uhhh...hi! Then I came out! And I screamed! And... And you seemed to like it when you heard my voice! So I started singing! And it was like you were hypnotized! And then I told you to be nice and gentle! And then Oreo gave you an Epohh kiss and then you transformed and then... Well, here we are!" She sounded just as flabbergasted as ever. (edited)

He continued to lay there in the grass, mostly clothes-less minus the jacket covering his waist, until he got his bearings. Ugh – everything had gone 100% not according to plan. The part that disgusted him most was the possibility that he might have actually eaten any of the epohhs. “I thought I told you two to not let me eat any of them,” he stated in disgust as he stuck his tongue out a couple of times as if trying to get rid of the taste. Hell, he didn’t even like music. He should be thankful though: at least that stopped him before any further epohh consumption.

“Hey, no, you didn’t eat any! Almost did, but we’d have definitely come up with a completely foolproof plan to stop you before then, guaranteed!” That was a lie. There would have been no such plan. Vrondoth would have eaten an epohh and it would have been fucking disgusting.

Alyssa didn't let that bounce off of her shoulders. "Heh, almost did is still too close for comfort in my book," Alyssa said. "They didn't do anything to stop it either. I had to call down to get your attention so that you'd drop the epohh and focus on me. Although it came at the cost of my leg, at least that epohh was able to run free and didn't end up as your next meal."

Melody chimed in once again. "And while you were in your werewolf epohh state I scolded you! I said it wasn't nice for you to hurt anyone! Maybe I should add into it after the fact you almost ate an Epohh and it wasn't nice to the Epohh! And yeah, your workers didn't stop you. Alyssa did." Not realizing the undertones Ukera used, Melody simply stated what was the truth and nothing but.

“Hey, what the fuck?!” Just like she had done to Night not too long ago, she grabbed Alyssa by the upper arms and shook her. “You’re not meant to throw us under the freighter! I thought Starfleet officers were supposed to be nice!”

Night didn’t seem to care about the fact they had just been tattled on. “Stop rattling her, you’ll make her bleed more. And she’s not wrong.”

“Only not wrong because we weren’t going to shoot him, because for one, we know it pisses him off, and for two, shooting your boss is fucking rude!”

There was a sigh from the Romulan. A were-epohh headache meant he really couldn’t be bothered dealing with Ukera’s nonsense. She could be very loud. “…I suppose that almost eating an epohh isn’t very nice to the epohh in question. You’re right.” He propped himself up on one hand, the other being used to adjust the jacket. He wasn’t going to add flashing to his list of awful things he had done tonight. “…Did we at least get any of them? Alive, that is?”

Eager to impress, she pointed over to a bag which lay in the grass, only just visible in the light. Every couple of seconds it moved slightly. “We got at least three, boss. See? We’re reliable. The mission wasn’t a complete failure! Now – you paid us half up-front, perhaps we could discuss the other half… I reckon we deserve compensation for the life-threatening danger we were placed in…”

Alyssa didn't let the rattling of her shoulders - besides the bleeding out slightly more - disturb her resolve. She simply looked up at the Ferengi woman, and gave her a professional smile. "Starfleet officers are expected to be trustworthy, which means we are honest to the point of candor, at times. I am still being nice. In fact, I think I'm helping more by stating the facts rather than presenting them under a bias. You should take a note from your colleague here. I'm not wrong." But then she noticed the bag and its moving around... "Oh no..."

Melody, holding Oreo and petting it periodically, also looked over towards the bag. As her eyes popped open, she turned back towards the Romulan man, the Ferengi woman and the Nausicaan. "You... You're capturing epohhs?" Melody said. "You're capturing them so you can just sell them right back out again and get money for them? That's not right! These epohhs should be given the choice to be with an owner or to live in the wild! They should decide that! Not you!" Melody looked over to the Romulan man, before she looked back at the Ferengi woman and the Nausicaan. "And I thought the were-epohh was the monster. No... all three of you are!"

Just then, Alyssa remembered... "And what was the deal with silencing some epohhs before I stepped out of my tent? I heard a few epohhs cry out before their cries got cut off right away. What's the deal with that, anything you three can explain?"

“Silencing some epohhs? You do know that things get muffled when they’re stuck in a bag, right? That would have been me snagging and bagging them, duh.”

Right next to Melody, he winced at her shouting… And also at Ukera’s very poor explanation. “Calm yourselves. We’re not selling epohhs. We’re collecting live ones for study, in the hopes of fixing…” He made a vague gesture towards himself. “This.”

“We were previously hired to retrieve dead epohhs only – roadkill. They didn’t yield enough information, and so we were tasked to come here again. We had hoped that the Ennarain would be able to tell us if any specimens were more useful than the others: certain breeds, certain ages.”

She butted in, picking up where Night had left off (not that they had a choice). “But something about being here made him epohh out, and everything went haywire.”

“Can we not talk about me as if I’m not right here, please?” The temptation to threaten to dock Ukera’s pay for that was very real.

Alyssa was going to protest this, but found she had no choice, for a quite unnerving reason... "Melody... I think we have to let them keep doing what they're doing. In fact, we might have to help them. If I know anything about werewolves or were-epohhs, it's that if one bites you, you yourself become a were-epohh... And I got bitten." Alyssa looked to the Romulan. "They're trying to formulate an antidote."

Not making the connection until Alyssa said so, Melody had a huge 'oh-shit' moment as she realized... "You're... You're gonna become a were-epohh... No... I can't let that happen..." Melody looked to the three epohh snatchers. "If you're not killing them, and if you plan to release them back into the wild... Then I suppose we'll have to help you. You bit Alyssa... She needs the antidote as much as you do."

"You're not going to turn into a... Into anything like me." It would appear that he didn't want to use the term were-epohh. "This was not caused by some fantastical condition from fantasy books. I was the victim of experimentation, and ever since I escaped, I've been trying to find a way to un-do whatever was done to me."

Alyssa's eyes widened upon hearing that this Romulan man was the victim of experimentation. That sent a chill down her spine. "I'm so sorry," Alyssa said. "I didn't know. Well, it's good that I won't have to worry about having to howl at a full moon. Or an Epohh. Whatever the case may be. But we can help you. If it means bringing you back to your old self, we can help you. Plus, Melody knows how to calm you down and change you back if you do transform again. Your best bet is to have us join you."

Melody cupped her free hand over her mouth in shock as she heard that this man was experimented on. "Oh my goodness... I'm so sorry," Melody said as well. "Yes, I'll make sure my magic voice prevents you from hurting anyone again! I promise!" It felt kind of weird saying magic voice... Melody felt like she had a superpower of sorts. One she didn't fully understand yet. But one she knew would have to be used in case this man were to transform again. "We'll help you."

Alyssa felt like she needed to add in as well... "And don't worry about having to pay us. Melody has a thriving business already and we can take care of ourselves just fine in that regard. We just want to make sure we're doing our duty as a Khitomer Ally. Not only myself as a Starfleet officer, but I'm sure Melody feels obligated to help those in need as well."

In a simple nod in agreement, Melody confirmed she was willing to help a friend in need!

There was a bark of a laugh from the Romulan. “Of course you didn’t know, I hadn’t told you until now. But… If you’re willing to help, then I’d be foolish to decline it. Starfleet and the Romulan Republic do encourage co-operation, after all.” Not that he had seen anyone else from the Republic in quite a while, hiding off-planet and all. For all he knew, the Romulan fleet probably thought he was dead. There was no way he could face them like this: even if they had the resources to help, it would ruin his reputation. “I’m sure we could use your expertise. …And yes, you two can stay. And yes, I’ll still pay you.” The question was answered to the other two before it could even be spoken out loud by the Ferengi. “Although… I think that’s enough adventure for one night. We’ve already disturbed your camping trip enough. Perhaps you can return to your tent – if I haven’t ripped any holes in it – and we’ll return to our shuttle. We could re-convene tomorrow to discuss this new partnership?”

With a snicker, Alyssa nodded in agreement--- "AAUGH!" As pain rushed to her leg. "Eh... before we settle in... a little help? Any sort of dermal regenerator y'all have? Don't worry. I've had enough happenings for one night too. Once that's done Mels and I are going to sleep....aaaagh, fuck..."

Melody scurried over to Alyssa and knelt beside her, looking at the bite wound. "Yes, please, we need a med kit if anyone has one! Once we can get her fixed up we'll settle down for the night, promise, then everyone can sleep, not just us!"

The Nausicaan who had been treating Alyssa with a dermal regenerator before she decided to move looked at the officer with an unamused expression. "What am I, chopped targ liver?" They grumbled before marching back over with the dermal regenerator once again. "You should be grateful instead of complaining. You're lucky that your leg wasn't removed from the rest of your body."

Alyssa was so out of it her periphery wasn't even that active. "Whoa... when did you get here?" Alyssa mumbled. "Welp. That solves that issue. My bad. Mels, look. This is a dermal regenerator. It's not only a scanner sort of thing. It's reconstructing my leg. I should be good to go in no time." She looked back up at Night. "Legitimately... thank you. For being so kind. Going out of your way to help me. I am lucky my leg wasn't removed. I hope one day you'll see how your actions tonight have carried on."

"Oh--ohhhhhh," Melody realized. "So that is a super complicated tool that's healing you?" Melody asked. "I've never seen one of those before!" And as she looked, the wound was slowly but surely disappearing. "Whoaaaaaa! Thank you for healing Alyssa, uh.... what's your name again?"

There was an eye roll from the Nausicaan, except it was difficult to see given that most of his eyes were pitch black aside from white, beady pupils. "The dermal regenerator is not reconstructing your leg, and it is not a 'super complicated' tool. It can heal wounds to the skin and prevent further bleeding. These puncture wounds are not deep - you were lucky with how Vrondoth caught you in mid-air - so hopefully, you won't require further treatment. Additionally - anyone can use one of these. Even a child can." They finished up waving the dermal regenerator over the wounds from the bite and then stepped back. "My name is Night. My colleague here-" it sounded like they weren't very happy with being colleagues, "is Ukera."

"I could have offered you an autosuture instead, but that costs extra extra."

Well, that was quick! Alyssa looked back at her leg, and on the outside, it seemed as if nothing happened! Alyssa tested her leg out, standing up on both of them - a little wobble, but that was to be expected - before she finally found her footing. "Reconstruction or healing wounds or whatever the technical term is, I don't care, but you saved me -- and for that I am forever grateful," Alyssa said to Night. "Seriously, thank you again. I'll make sure we are up and at 'em in the morning to help you all. But in the meantime..." Before she pulled Melody in for a kiss...

Melody stood up alongside Alyssa, ensuring Alyssa could stay upright before finally letting Alyssa stand on her own. "It worked!! Thank you all! Night, Ukera, Vrondoth! I can't wait to see what the rest of our quest holds for us!" Melody said. Before Alyssa began to pull Melody in for a kiss... "Heh..." Melody joked, while holding up Oreo in front of their faces to cover the kiss from the others as she pressed her lips against Alyssa's...

"But in the meantime, you two can get a room!" She yelled, given that it didn't take much to guess what they were doing behind that epohh. "You have a tent right there!"

He shook his head, but it was unclear if it was at Melody and Alyssa, or at Ukera who had jokingly shouted to the two. With a hand up from Night (after tugging on those spare clothes donated for him, even if they were too small,) he stood up. "We'll... Leave you to the rest of the night. You could be doing with the sleep -- or celebration..?" Who knew: the night was still young, and being alive instead of having been devoured by a were-epohh was certainly something to celebrate! "We'll see you in the morning.*

With that, the three turned and started the trek through the forest back to their shuttle. When Romulan park rangers arrived to investigate - having been told of the goings on from campers who had fled - they found no sign of a 'giant evil epohh person.' Instead they simply found multiple normal epohhs sleeping peacefully, and everyone tucked away in their tents sound asleep as well. Peace had been restored, largely thanks to Melody's singing -- and perhaps their new partnership would lead to peace for Vrondoth one day, too.