[At the Bottom of the Hole]
D'Tarik opened his eyes, only to find himself it total blackness. Every inch of him seemed to ache. Gingerly rubbing the back of his head, expecting to feel the dampness of blood -- which surprisingly was absent -- he pauses to remember what had happened. He pushes himself up into a sitting position with the intent of standing...only to scream out in excruciating pain. Not one, but both of his legs had broken in the fall.
Fighting back the pain, he tries to peer through the darkness, his hands searching the ground around him. "Sprinkles?" he calls to his pet hoping to hear the familiar coo of the Tribble, and then began to panic when no answer was returned. "Sprinkles?! Where are you?!" He tries to crawl forward in an effort to extend his search area a little further. He's rewarded for his efforts by another flash of pain from his now useless legs. "OW!!"
From a distance above him, he hears Rylan's voice call out worriedly, "tr'Rekkohan?! Can au move? Are au hurt?"
Surprised by the voice of his friend, D'Tarik pauses in his efforts to pull himself through the darkness around him, and he turns his head to look up. "Rylan?! Sprinkles is gone! OW!!" he added, after he had inadvertently pulled io of his legs over a sharp rock. "And both my legs are broken." He adds weakly, biting back against the feeling of passing out.
Slowly...steadily.... concentrating on nothing save blocking out the pain, and finding his pet, D'Tarik pulls himself across the floor with his hands. He never heard Rylan's angry demand from somewhere above him. Having no concept of time, or even concern for his own safety, D'Tarik half-crawls for what seems like forever.
Pausing only to wipe the sweat from his eyes, his head snaps up at the familiar "Squeak!!" Opening his eyes that still stung from a mix of dirt and sweat, he squints ahead into the darkness beyond and calls out hopefully, "Sprinkles?!" he smiles wearily seeing the red glowing of the Tribble's laser, Are au alri...."
Further words died in his throat as a pair of red eyes suddenly opened and focused on him.
[Climbing Down on the Vine]
Rylan halts a moment on the vine, adjusting the equipment bag while waiting for the blond girl to move further down. He cursed himself for getting so angry with her earlier. If he had kept his temper, then he would've been the one to climb down first and the entire thing would've taken half the time. It wasn't that the girl wasn't strong enough, or fast enough for that matter... it was more the fact that she didn't seem focused on the situation itself. He had suspected that the girl was rather clueless, and when she asked her next question, Rylan was sure of it.
"By the way, do au even want to know my name, or do au na care?" She smiled, rather pleased with herself, and added as she continued her slow climb down, "I think ninte friend *really* wants to know my name."
"I think," Rylan answered carefully, trying to bite back the urge to scream at her to hurry it up, "D'Tarik may have other problems than na knowing ninte name at the moment." he sighs, "But since au know mine already, au might as well tell me yours."
"It's Byh'hie." she answered immediately. Rylan had almost been sure that there had been a note of smugness in her tone, "And by the way...." she warned, "if au look down my shirt on the way down, I'll kill au."
Sneaking a peek had been the last thing on his mind, but he just couldn't resist that obvious plea for attention. Smirking, he glances down at her, getting a rather good view. "Au flatter yourself, Byh'hie." he teases, "There's na much there."
The girl's angry retort died even before it could pass her lips, and Rylan almost loses his grip on the vine as the unexpected 'OW!' echoes in the walls around them. Relieved that his friend was apparently alive after all, Rylan calls out, "tr'Rekkohan!!" he waits for a half a second, before worry once again creeps into his voice, "tr'Rekkohan?! Can au move? Are au hurt?" He listens incredulously as D'Tarik explains his situation, na understanding in the least why the missing Tribble was the first worry of the smaller boy's mind. Angered, Rylan calls back, "Forget the fvadt Tribble for now! We need to get au out of here first!"
The pair clutching to the vine pause, growing concerned at the lack of reply to Rylan's words. Byh'hie mutters, "He seems to rather attached to his pet...." hoping for Rylan to at least give the kid an encouraging word. But Rylan only curses and motions for her to climb down again.
After several more feet, Rylan reaches into his equipment bag, and snaps another light-stick, tossing it down into the blackness, and watching it carefully. Seeing that the thing had landed, Rylan decides that it was close enough for the risk, and he pushes himself away from the wall, releasing his grip on the vine. He hits the ground with a soft 'oomph!' and rolls with the impact. Picking up the light-stick he had thrown down earlier, he searches the ground around him. "tr'Rekkohan?!" he waits, but there's na answer. "Where the Areinnye are au?"
Byh'hie jumps down beside him, and looks around. "So where is he?"
Rylan turns to her, "Do I look like I know? He has to be here... we just heard him!" He passes off the light-stick to her, and rummages around for another in his bag.
The girl silently accepts the offering, and looks around. The light hits one of the earthen walls near her, and she stops staring at the primitive drawings on display. Rylan doesn't see them, but instead keeps calling out to his friend, "Come on, D'Tarik!" he smirks, hoping his next ploy would work, "I've brought ninte dream-girl here! She can't wait to see au!"
Byh'hie doesn't seem to hear this, as she recognizes the drawings for what they really are: a warning. "Aww Areinnye...."
Rylan frowns as he snaps another lightstick and crouches toward the ground, intent on looking for tracks or a trail of any kind. "What?" he asks, but doesn't look up, "What's the matter?"
Byh'hie turns to him, "This is a werewolf cave."
Rylan stands almost immediately, remembering the thing that had attacked the party right after beam-down on their first night on the miserable planet. He asks worried, "What do au mean, it's a werewolf cave?"
Byh'hie sighs and explains, "A lair...a home...the place where they dwell. What do au *think* I mean?"
Rylan grabs his disruptor from it's holster, and checks the charge, noting how low it was getting. He had a few more clips of course, but they were back at the colony. "Hanev!!" He looks to the girl and demands as he holds out his hand, "Let me see that disruptor!"
She shrugs and hands him the weapon, "Keep it. It won't do much good anyway." she unsheathed the curved kalen from her belt and holds it out to him, "Here, take this. It will do more damage to them."
Rylan looks at her with a raised brow, "Au want me to get close enough to io of those things to use that little knife?" He waves the distruptor under her nose, "These can vaporize it instantly, there's just na that much power left, so you'll need to be careful of ninte aim."
Sighing, and resheathing the kalen, the girl addresses him as if he were a small child, "Werewolves can regenerate. They can take mass amounts of damage. Even if that thing," she nods towards the weapon in his hand, "would normally vaporize it's targets, it won't effectively take on a werewolf. Au would have to hit it more times than au might believe. The kalen is made of silver. It's the only way to kill them efficiently."
"Silver?!" he holds up the disruptor again, "Are au insane? Silver will hurt them, but a disruptor won't?!" He shakes his head, and gives her a look that clearly said he thought she had lost it completely. He crouches down again to continue his search for tracks, and mumbles, "Au'rh perfect for each other...." Spying what he had been searching for, he forgets about the girl instantly and rushes off, calling out for tr'Rekkohan to answer.
The girl runs after Rylan asking confused, "What? What did au mean by, 'perfect for each other? What are au talking about?!"
After a few feet of running in the near darkness, Rylan realizes that he can smell the aroma of something cooking. He slows, and notices the light of a fire up ahead. He readies the disruptor, and slowly starts forward, breaking out in a run again when he heard the familiar sounds of D'Tarik's pet Tribble. Rounding the corner, he comes to a complete and unexpected halt.
The girl slams into him, and pushes him forward, slightly more into the well lit chamber of the cave. There, sitting on what looked to be the stump of a tree, eating what looked to be the leg of somekind of beast, was D'Tarik; complete with Sprinkles on his shoulder.
The only thing that was out of the ordinary about him, was that both his legs had been set in splints. Looking up when Rylan stumbles into the room, he smiles and says cheerily, "Oh! Jolan'tru guys!"
Rylan stares at him in mixed relief and anger, "Why the Areinnye didn't au answer me?!"
"I thought it would upset my host, who's off getting more food right now."
Byh'hie tilts her head at this, and asks cautiously as she walks closer to him, "Who's ninte host?"
The question from the girl seemed to bother D'Tarik. He glances up to her, blushes, then quickly looks back down to his food again and keeps eating. After a silent moment, he shrugs and addresses Rylan in a rather saddened tone, "Well...somebody au guys are going to want to hurt."
Now totally confused, Rylan interjects, "D'Tarik...ninte na making sense. Why would we want to hurt some io who's obviously helped au? And why would they be upset that ninte friends were looking for au?"
"Well...there he is..." D'Tarik points beyond the other two.
They turn and see the huge and frightening form of a werewolf stepping out of the darkness from beyond the chamber. Byh'hie immediately takes on a fighting stance, stealthily drawing the kalen, readying herself to strike. Rylan takes a hesitant step back, knowing that he was the closest to the beast that steadily padded towards them on it's hind legs, "Aww hanev D'Tarik!! Is *that* ninte host?"
"Ie..." D'Tarik sighs softly, "that's him. He helped me though, Rylan. Please don't hurt it."
The hand holding the disruptor started to shake, torn between his instinct to defend himself, and D'Tarik's strange words. The werewolf stopped, and slowly held out it's right forepaw, offering the dead Rharit it held to Rylan.
Byh'hie whispers a warning to Rylan, "It's a trap! Don't take it!"
Rylan nods at her words, but shakily whispers over his shoulder towards the boy behind him, not taking his eyes off the creature before him, "D'Tarik?? Were au bitten, or hurt by this thing in any way?"
"Well na. It patched up my legs, quite skillfully I might add, then fed me. That was it. I think Sprinkles may be able to talk to it."
Rylan raised a brow at that, and filed it away for later. Lowering the shaking weapon in his hand, he tentatively reaches out, and accepts the creature's offering. He manages a rather weak smile, and bows his head slightly, "Uhh...hann'yyo...." the creature lowers it's paw, and doesn't make a move against them. It's red, glowing eyes seemed to watch them steadily.
"I am so confused!" Byh'hie straightens from her stance, "This has never happened before....it's like, got to be the only non-evil thing on this entire planet!"
Rylan, still not as sure as the rest of the company, nods again to the creature, and calls out in what he hoped sounded like a natural voice, "Sprink? Will au ask it how many of these creatures are living in this cave?" The Tribble coos for a bit, then gives off one resounding 'Squeak!'. Rylan waits, but the Tribble didn't offer anything further, so he tried again, "All right, could au ask it to at least change it's form to something less....intimidating?" Once more, another resounding 'Squeak!' came from the Tribble, and Rylan declares frustrated, "Hanev D'Tarik! I can't tell if that was an ie, or a na!"
Sprinkles jumps off the smaller boy's shoulder, and scoots itself across the floor. It stops in front of the creature, squeaking and cooing like there's no tomorrow. Rylan raises his brow again at this, watching the two creatures 'talk' to each other, and slowly backs up until he's beside the sitting D'Tarik, and crouches down next to him. "So anyway..." he smiles and points to the girl, "Her name's Byh'hie." his hesitant smile turned into a smirk, knowing that he's embarrassing the smaller boy, "Just thought au'd like to know."
Byh'hie looks down at the smaller boy and smiles. D'Tarik's eyes turn up to her, and his mouth opens, "Ummmm...uh...ummm...uhhh..." And the boy passes out entirely.
Rylan didn't even notice this. He had suddenly got an idea on how they could get D'Tarik out of here, and he had stood suddenly, calling out, "Sprink, wait!!" Just as he was taking a step forward, the werewolf suddenly changed it's form, leaving a young Romulan woman standing in it's place.
Rylan's jaw dropped, the sudden appearance of the girl making him forget his train of thought instantly. After a silent moment, he grins to her, "Jolan'tru Llehi."
Byh'hie rolls her eyes and shakes her head at the display from the taller male, and tries to revive D'Tarik. The smaller boy's eyes open for a moment and focus on her. His face once more flushes a darker green, and he manages to stumble the words out of his mouth, "I..umm...uhhh... au'rh pretty...." before he promptly passes out again. Byh'hie sighs and shakes her head. Smiling a little, she turns towards Rylan, "If au could stop drooling for just a second, I think ninte friend could use some help."
Rylan didn't hear her though. He seemed lost in the mystery-girl's rather saddened eyes. He steps a little closer to her, noticing that she wore a raged academy outfit. Through the opening of the collar, he sees a jagged scar along her throat, and instantly understands why the girl hadn't spoken yet. "Hann'yyo for helping D'Tarik." he smiles gently, and gestures back to the other's, "The girl's Byh'hie....and I'm Rylan. Can au tell us ninte name?" he pauses, glancing down at the floor, not wishing to insult her by asking, "Can au write it?"
She nods, and crouches down, drawing her finger along in the dirt. Rylan watches the word form, and nods, smiling to the girl as she looked back up to him. "Llunih? Ie...that's a pretty name." He asks cautiously, glancing around the cave and wondering if others of her kind would come find the 'intruders' at any moment, "How long have au been here...by ninte-self?"
Byh'hie had finally had enough of it, and she calls out angrily pointing towards D'Tarik on the floor, "Hey lover-boy! Do au want to help ninte friend, or na?"
Rylan finally looks over towards them, and sees what happened. He rolls his eyes, and shrugs to Llunih, as he walks closer to the other two "Sorry...just a minute." Rummaging around in D'Tarik's lab coat -- Elements, but he carried a lot of junk in there! -- he finally found an ammonia-tablet. He snaps it, and waves it under D'Tarik's nose.
Immediately, the boy tries to stand out of instinct, and give off another loud 'OW!!!' before falling backwards again. Byh'hie catches him in her arms, and helps him sit up. Llunih comes closer, the yell from D'Tarik making her frown in concern, as Rylan shakes his head at him and asks, "Au all right now?" he lowers his voice, and whispers, "Byh'hie's na going to hurt au, au verrul. Just talk to her." D'Tarik looks up at the blond, and his color darkens once again. He notices the other girl for the first time, and for a moment he looks from io female to the other. His attention is pulled away from the quandary, when Sprinkles comes closer and squeaks at him.
Rylan stands and faces Llunih again. Seeing Llunih's worried look he shrugs, "He'll be all right." He glances once more around her home, wondering how much time they might have left before more of them show themselves, and repeats his earlier question, "How long have au been here?" Again, she crouches toward the ground, and writes out her answer. "Three years here by ninte-self?" Rylan repeats, "Why can't au live in the colony?"
"Jolan'tru!!" Byh'hie calls out sarcastically, "She's a *werewolf*!! Duh!! They'd take io look, and freak!"
Rylan hears this and sees the agreeing nod from Llunih, and he looks to the ground shaking his head. "But au obviously wouldn't hurt them. Come back to the colony with us. Our cabin should be repaired by now. At least au will have people around au. Au won't be alone."
D'Tarik nudges Rylan and winks at him, whispering "Go for it!"
Rylan only frowns at him, knowing that his words had been taken out of context. He hadn't been trying to put the moves on her...he had been trying to help. Rylan turns back toward the silent girl, and explains, "Look... we need to take him back anyway." he gestures towards the wounded boy, "Why na' come back with us?"
Byh'hie shakes her head and interrupts, "Au obviously don't know *anything*, Academy-boy. Au'rh na going to be able to keep her ability a secret. Na for long, anyway. Right now, she can change forms at will. But on the full moon, she won't be able to control it. The colonists will definitely know about it then, and she would be killed. But she can stay at my place." she paused, considering it, then added, "In fact, I hate to say this," she casts a glare at Rylan, "But au should all stay at my place. The colony au stay at should na be trusted."
Rylan thinks about the offer then says carefully, "Ie....well....we still have to live up to our promise to the colony. We'd still have to go on garrison duty, and help with repairs and such." he gestures again to D'Tarik, "And he's practically a doctor! They're in desperate need of his skills there." he raises his brow at Byh'hie," Come to think of it...they could probably use ninte skills as well. Au seem to know enough about all these different creatures, and how to deal with them...."
"I said I don't trust them!" she stomps her foot. Rylan was almost sure that she wanted to say something further, but she had grown quiet instead, refusing to speak. For the girl who seemed to do nothing but prattle on endlessly, this was a strange sign indeed.
Ry nods and says gravely, "Ie...that may be. But I can't help how au feel. They have been kind to us, and we were sent here to help the colony. I appreciate ninte kind offer...and would perhaps consider it...but we have our duties as well." He sees that D'Tarik is about to interject, and he shoots a warning look to the boy before he can protest, "And there's a Tal'Shair officer with us to make sure we live up to those duties." He addresses his next words to D'Tarik alone, hoping the boy would understand without an explanation, "He has his orders as well, tr'Rekkohan. And I assure au, he will na hesitate to carry out those orders if we were to fail in our duties."
During this exchange, Llunih has grown more and more worried by the direction of the conversation, and has taken to writing on the ground. As the last of the words left Rylan's lips, she stood, and tapped him gently on the shoulder. Rylan immediately turns to her and smiles, "Ie?" His eyes follow her pointing finger and he reads the message written there: 'I won't go to the colony. They are the reason I can't talk.' Rylan looks to her again, clearly upset with what he's read. She nods, her hand briefly touching the scar on her neck. Instantly, his mind made up, Rylan slowly nods his head, "Ie...agreed. We won't live at the colony." The girls seem happy with this, but he continues, "But I can't see a way around it....we'll still have to work there all the same. That's what we were sent here for." He casts another look to D'Tarik, hoping the smaller boy could solve the problem.
Almost immediately D'Tarik asks, "Hey, ummm...Rylan? Could I have a word with au alone?" he smiles then adds, "Course, that would be easier if I could walk..."
"Ie." Rylan looks to Byh'hie and waits for the girls to start walking away before he sits down next to his friend.
D'Tarik thinks another moment, then smiles and whispers quietly, "While I must say that I'm quite looking forward to staying with Byh'hie, au are right." the smile died, "We can na dismiss our obligations entirely." He paused, then continued, "And have au thought what Vyynd will do when he finds out about her?" he nods his head toward the girls, indicating Llunih. "He'll probably kill her on the spot. I don't think we should tell him about her...uniqueness at all. As for the phase of the moon...well that's na for a few weeks off, so we should have time to figure something out then."
Rylan nods solemnly, his eyes watching Llunih, "Ie...au do have a point about Vyynd. I trust him with a lot of things...but na with this." he pauses, the concern for the girl never leaving his face, "D'Tarik? What's the chances of au finding a way to help her?"
tr'Rekkohan smiles, "With which problem are we talking about? The voice, or the whole werewolf thing?"
Rylan answers with a hopeful smile of his own, "I'll take both if au can do that."
D'Tarik thinks about it for a moment, "The voice, I think I can do. As for the werewolf," he looks to his friend and shrugs gently, indicating that he was unsure, "...I'll try."
"Ie..." Rylan nodded, understanding that the chances didn't look good. He looked back at the girl, "hann'yyo."
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