[M] Crash Landing { Prae & Hannelorian }

[prærieulv]

The young Scot was clearly caught off guard by Miranda's compliment, and a dark blush painted her naturally rosy cheeks. "Now, I'm not sure I'd say that exactly..." Despite the humbled words, Edith couldn't hold back her grin. It was too easy to feel useless in a situation such as this, so she was pleased to know she was becoming a valuable asset to their little team. There were too many things that required undivided attention, thus making it likely for the small stuff to go overlooked. Perhaps if she could at least provide some relief to the more minute, yet equally important, details, it would make the situation a bit easier on the two elders.

Lennox enjoyed the brief interaction between the two young women. It was a refreshing sight, especially when compared to the fog that had settled across the beach outside the broken window. Between that and the few sips of water, the Scot could finally feel his jitters begin to subside. The thoughts of Alex and the jungle beast weren't entirely freed from his mind, but they were just deep enough in his subconscious that he could think a bit more clearly about their next steps... and the grumble in his stomach.

As if she read his mind, or maybe heard his stomach, Miranda stood from her seat and went to scavenge for the airplane snacks. The two Scots were relatively quiet while she was gone, only briefly discussing the best way to mend Eric's negative emotions. While Lennox was certain the kid would come back around eventually, he still wanted ensure that all of the survivors were willing to work together. This meant mending his relationship with the boy, or at least improving it enough to prove that he wasn't making these choices to be spiteful or immoral.

When Miranda returned, Lennox graciously accepted the small offerings of food she brought back, and Edith quickly did the same. "Thank you.. I'm going to go share with Eric. Make sure you two get some rest." The red headed girl offered one more smile before excusing herself back up the aisle in the direction which she had come from previously. She figured it was best to leave the adults to their discussion, in hopes they didn't feel as obligated to hold back certain details in her presence. It was also getting darker out, and rest was inevitable for the younger woman.

Lennox focused his attention back on Miranda as his sister went on her way, listening to the woman's words intently. At the same time, he popped a pretzel into his mouth and relished in the way the salt made his mouth water. He couldn't remember the last time he enjoyed a pretzel this much. "I think it would be better to start with seeing if it bites. If it does, then we can dig deeper into a plan to go deeper into the jungle." He elaborated, thinking that the best course of action would be to take their time with this process. If they moved too hastily, he was certain it would lead to another Alex and Matt situation.

"The cargo hold, that's not a bad...idea..." Lennox's words trailed off as his attention shifted, and his gaze diverted past Miranda to the window behind her. The fog was much thicker now, almost to the point that he couldn't see where the sand ended and the jungle began. It wasn't exactly what had drawn his attention, but rather the dark shadow that had seemingly just appeared on the center of the beach. He almost could have excused it for a large rock, or a dune in the sand, if it weren't for the fact that he was almost certain it hadn't been there moments before.

Then, the assumed boulder moved. It wasn't much, but just enough that it caused the Scot's heartrate to spike. "Get down." The words had no explanation, and Lennox was quick to move as soon as they left his lips. He grasped onto her wrist as gently as he could, discarding the snack that he had only managed a few pieces of. The way he dragged her onto the floor of the aisle was unceremonious, and under different circumstances, he would've apologized for pulling her around. "Stay down, don't move. Don't make a sound," he spoke again once they were out of view from the window, his eyes meeting hers for just a moment. "Please." There was no time to further explain, he could only hope she trusted him enough to do as told.

Lennox wasted no time starting up the aisle, staying hunkered down as low as he was physically capable. He didn't know if they could all be hunted by scent, or if their movements and noise would attract the most attention. All he knew was that everyone first needed to get away from the windows and the hole in the wall.

[Hannelorian]

One would have thought that surviving a plane crash would have meant the end of the terror. It should have meant that they had endured the worst and things could only look up or improve. But that wasn't to be and no matter how hard Miranda hoped or prayed for a return of peace it just wouldn't come. How odd they had gone from a sweet moment, and Miranda watching Lennox's face light up as he ate a pretzel. A pretzel of all things, not even the best snack food, in fact it would only make them thirstier... but still the small joy on his face at a piece of nourishment was something to behold. Lennox was so honest and genuine in his responses, he carried everything on his face, at least as far as Miranda knew.

Her body was aching, the pain of her injuries rose and fell, and it proved to be ever the constant distraction. As Miranda watched Lennox she wondered if she was ignorant as his facial features slowly began to change, he looked not at her, but somewhat past her and through the broken shells of the windows. What wasn't she seeing and did she really want to know?

But then there was a shout, and Miranda felt her wrist grabbed and pulled, it wasn't hard, not really, just enough to jolt her body into a downward motion and onto the ground. A whimper escaped her lips as she felt the pain of her broken ribs reverberate through her body. It was enough to force her legs to pull inward toward her chest but not so much as to bring tears to her eyes. A hand then raised to her mouth to silence herself as she processed what Lennox had told her.

Alice who had caught on to the commotion joined in going to floor, though she as delicately as possible, curling herself between her own seat and that which was in front of her, in a desperate bid for comfort her hand extended upward slightly to clasp the rigid hand of her late husband. It was the kind of display that might have been enough to elicit a sympathetic response from someone like Miranda had she been there.

It was at this moment as silence began to fall, Miranda truly realized she had done what she was told without question. Miranda never did as she was told, but here she was and all this man had to do was say one sentence and she obeyed. She didn't know why she trusted him so, why she felt so irrevocably drawn to him and his every action but simply operating in this way brought her an odd degree of comfort. That was until she finally understood what was happening. As the dim light of the fading sun attempted to break through the fog, the creature or whatever it was cast a dark shadow, breaking up the light as it moved, the shadow almost danced across the windows.

It grew larger and larger as it grew closer. And suddenly in the silence there was a sound from outside, something low and rumbling. The fog continued to grow denser as the moments passed and slowly began to come through the broken windows and the hole in the side of the vessel. "Holy...Sh..." A voice called out, Eric had been startled and perhaps lost in the confusion. Miranda could only look at him and raising her hand slightly she made a downward motion. A silent command for him to join the others and drop to the ground. He wasn't entirely moving.

As the growling grew ever louder, the sound of something sharp could be heard piercing the metal of the craft, bright sparks briefly illuminating the area in the fog where the creature seemed to make contact, it wasn't hard to imagine this was the same thing that almost killed Alex. "...get down..." Miranda whispered now, looking at Eric, and shaking her head she crawled forward as quietly as possibly to reach a hand up and grab at the hem of his pants, and then his ankle, she fumbled and tried her best not to let out the noises of pain that she longed to. She pulled him down. Eric was caught off guard but suddenly got the picture, as everyone else had.

The sound was now unmistakable and almost like thunder as whatever it was began to crawl up toward the roof and slowly walk across. The footsteps, paw steps whatever they were lurched heavily forward, the claws themselves periodically piercing the metal frame, breaking through to the point where one might even catch sight of it. It was hunting, it was hunting for them. They had to wait and hope, or they had to do something. Miranda wondered if they could have thrown a body out... enough to give it something to want to eat and move on... or perhaps it wouldn't have been enough. Miranda felt like she was to leave her own body and just watch... it could have been comical if it were not so dire.

Was this how it was going to end? Could it truly be so anti climatic? She finally met a nice guy and it would be the last thing she ever did? She should have finished the sonata when she had the chance. She should have left her fiance when she had the chance. She should have done so much more while she had the chance.

[prærieulv]

It was unbelievable how a tense situation could make mere seconds feel like long hours. Lennox could cross from one end of the plane to the other in no time, but now it felt like he couldn't make it anywhere fast enough. He had abandoned Miranda to find his sister, who was curled up in a vacant seat, nearly asleep already. The commotion did seem to disturb her rest, and she was beginning to move by the time he made it over to her. As they both crouched in the middle of the aisle, the elder of the two explained the situation as quickly and as quietly as he could. The explanation was almost unnecessary, considering the large shadow that slowly passed through the entire plane.

That was when the two Scots heard Eric, and both redheads turned to look at the young boy sharply. Lennox was just about to shush the kid, feeling a surge of fear creep up his spine at how loud the callout felt like, but luckily Miranda was on the case. He truly didn't know what he would do if he didn't have that woman around.

The sounds echoed through the plane, both the growing and the scraping of claws across the top of the metal. It sent chills down Lennox's spine, and if it weren't for the dire need to formulate a plan, he surely would be frozen in place. Instead of succumbing to the fear, he forced himself to get to work, sending Edith back in the direction of the first class wreckage. Alice and Alex were already that way, putting them the farthest from the hole in the fuselage. All he could do was hope that this thing was bigger than that hole, otherwise there would be no hope for any of them.

Edith crawled along the aisle, towards the area where Miranda and Eric were crouched. She leaned into Miranda, cupping a trembling hand over her lips so that she could whisper in the woman's ear. "We need to get as far from the hole as we can." Despite the close proximity, Edith still spoke so quietly that the words were almost inaudible. Her whole body was quaking, fear evident in the child's eyes as she motioned for the two to follow her back towards Alice. The movements were slow, almost as slow as the creature was moving on top of the metal plane, and she silently prayed that whatever being was out there could only hunt based on sound.

While Edith tried to guide the survivors to the front of the plane, Lennox was actually moving towards the hole in the plane. His gaze would occasionally shift to the ceiling, where the talons would pierce through the firm metal and convince him that this creature was not an animal at all. But if not an animal, what was it? Could it actually be a beast that evolved into whatever this was? Or was it...man made?

Whatever it was, paused it's movements on the top of the plane. It felt like it might have been listening, or even waiting for a sign that prey was close by. Lennox took that brief moment to drag the lifeless body of an elderly gentleman over to the gap that lead out to the fog, hoping that whatever was out there would take the bait and move on. He barely had enough time to position the body before the scraping of nails on metal started again, and he scurried away from the hole and back toward the rest of the group. If the thing didn't take the bait, he wasn't sure they had a way out of this.

[Hannelorian]

The younger Scot startled Miranda, it took only a moment for her to process what the young girl was trying to do, and so Miranda leaned in as closely as possible. The words were faint, barely a whisper. The girl was terrified, and Miranda understood it. She too was entangled in fear. But her ears were well trained, the human voice too was an instrument, and if she focused hard enough she could make out the notes, the lilts, and every last piece to put them together, at least enough to understand the gist of the communication. She could only nod in acknowledgment. In that moment it meant more for Miranda to attempt to appear strong, than it would for her to fall apart, so she crawled as quietly as she could behind the girl, swallowing her pain every knee fall of the way toward the remains of the first class cabin.

When the small group finally came to rest, Miranda leaned forward and threw her arms gently around Edith, holding her close. Miranda looked down toward the girls eyes and raised a single finger, first she pressed it to her own lips, and then with a nod she placed her finger tip beneath her eye, and then closing the gap between them placed the same finger beneath Edith's. It was Miranda's way of trying to tell her to focus on her rather than her brother or the noises. Distract yourself. Once she had commanded the full attention she could in this situation, her hand dropped and she just held the girl, her breath steadily rising and falling, in and out.

Every part of her wanted to look for Lennox, because she knew he was trying to help, to save them, to get them out of this situation and in doing so was putting his own life in grave danger. But she couldn't stop him even if she wanted to. Not without calling a tremendous amount more attention to them all. That would be the last thing that would help any of them. As Eric approached, Miranda nodded, releasing one hand now from Edith and holding it outward, for Eric to clasp and she then silently pulled the faintly whimpering youth closer. Miranda had wondered where she learned this kind of skill, it certainly wasn't from her own mother. No, her mother would likely have thrown her own children to the beast to save herself if she had the chance.

All the while the group moved the beast too moved in great strides across the roof, dark shadows appearing at assorted windows as it seemed to look inward. Craning what could have been a head downward, arching it too easily to try and smell its prey. The sounds of it were awful, the growling turned into a loud and slow breathing, a kind of forced exhale that seemed to come on the heels of a great sniff in. The moment Lennox had managed to push a body close enough to the opening, the sound of scurrying now, rapid movement over the roof, violent claws ripping more holes in the metal and what could best be described as a screech, and hopefully not some kind of call for reinforcements.

In the shine of the light that broke through the fog, something of an imposing limb entered the hole from above, something akin to a paw or claw more aptly came crashing down sounding vibrations running through the cabin. It was as though it was moving up and down feeling for what was there. Maybe it was blind, or maybe it just couldn't see that well. Another screech and the slow drag of a body, one that was caught on the sharp metal of the wall of the fuselage, the force from which it was pulled tore into the flesh and in a spray of viscera it was gone, taken. Suddenly there would be a silence as whatever it was retreated and the fog that accompanied slowly dissipated, by that time the sun had set, leaving them with nothing but the light of the moon shining in through all of the holes now created. The calm before the storm.

[prærieulv]

Edith practically melted into the woman's warm embrace. Despite the intensity of the crash and all of the events leading up to now, the young girl had not felt the need to seek this sort of comfort prior to now. The true reality of what they were dealing with was a tough pill to swallow, and the hope she had been clutching to was beginning to fade. She couldn't dwell on the thought for long, as her focus was dragged back to Miranda, and she could feel the soft finger press against her cheekbone. The action caused tears to well up in her eyes, and after a small nod of affirmation, she tucked her head against Miranda's chest and squeezed her eyes shut. It was easier to imagine them in a better situation if she couldn't see what was happening around them.

Farther in the plane, Lennox had just enough time to tuck himself between a row of seats before the massive limb stretched through the opening in the wall. His breath caught at the sight, and although he knew he wouldn't make a sound, he still raised a hand to cover his nose and lips. The limb, or maybe it was a paw, resembled that of a lizard or crocodile, only much much larger. Long fingers, sharp claws, and almost a scaly shine. It dragged across the aisle, ripping up the floor with hardly an ounce of effort, at the same instance it pulled the dead body out of the plane. He would never forget the squelch sound that was created when the body was crushed beneath the weight of the creature's foot.

He wasn't sure how long he remained frozen in his spot. It might've only been a few minutes, but it just as easily could've been a half hour. Either way, when his heart finally returned to a more normal pace, Lennox realized he had his arms curled around himself and his hands pressed firmly to his ears. The position was reminiscent of his childhood, where he had often found himself in a similar state due to parental conflicts. It made him feel a bit foolish. Perhaps he had thought, somewhere deep in his subconscious, that if he couldn't see or hear the beast, it wouldn't be able to see or hear him.

Slowly, Lennox lowered his hands from his ears and leaned up just enough to peak over the seats he had used for cover. He wasn't sure what he had expected to see, but the body that was once there was now gone, replaced with a long streak of blood instead. Something told him that the creature was gone, satisfied with it's meal at least for the time being. The fog had even seemed to retreat as well, which provided him with whatever ounce of comfort he could still manage to feel.

Despite the feeling, Lennox didn't dare to speak as he abandoned his row of seats and crawled back towards the hunkered down group. The sight of Miranda and his sister almost formed a lump in his throat, and he had to regain composure before he even tried to speak. "I...I think it's gone." He still didn't raise his voice, only speaking when he was close enough to talk to the other's in a whisper. "But to be sure...We should stay back here for now." This area was his least favorite place on the crashed plane, but after what they just endured, he felt like he could learn to appreciate it a bit more.

He sat just a short distance from Miranda and the two kids, slowly reaching out an arm to the small group of three. Edith was the first to untangle from the older woman, moving to huddle against her brother's side. Lennox then looked to Miranda, motioning her closer to him. "C'mere." There wasn't such a thing as enough comfort in that moment, but he wanted her closeness just as much as he wanted to share his own.

[Hannelorian]

They were going to die. For the first time since the moments before the crash Miranda was convinced of this very simple truism. Surely they were all going to die eventually, one only hoped it would be after a long life well lived. But here on this wrecked plane, it seemed more certain than ever that this was the actual moment of their death, for the second time in only two days. But when Miranda was holding Edith close, the girl whose face was buried against her she knew she had to be strong. Or at least fake it until she made it. When the event was over she wished, prayed, begged to feel relief but none came. It seemed not to matter to her that for the moment they were safe. For the moment on one hand was extraordinary and on the other counted for precious little.

Miranda was now certain more than ever that something was wrong with this island. It wasn't a normal island, it was something out of time and place, it was something that did not belong. That creature which had attacked and now came to hunt them was the last piece of proof that was needed. In the eerie quiet of the night Lennox made his way back down the aisle, and Miranda felt an odd sensation as Edith left her embrace to huddle beside her brother. It was something like emptiness, or perhaps a kind of mild abandonment. In part it made Miranda realize she was in a sense, alone here. He had family, she had family. They had each other and Miranda had no one but strangers.

The teenage boy who at this point was allowing heavy tears to stream down his cheeks and over the fingertips of the hand that clutched at his mouth begging for silence. The older woman who cared for the injured while quietly grieving over the loss of the love of her life. The man on the floor who surely, to her mind, would be dead within hours. What kind of fate or place was this? Would it have been easier to have died in the crash? Spare Miranda this pain. By the time Lennox had beckoned to Miranda her mind was lost, far away from here, but too close all the same. It would take a moment to process and slowly shift her way over toward Lennox, until she sat on her knees face to face with him. "You are a fool." Miranda smiled as she spoke, she leaned in toward him placing the palms of her hands flat against his chest. "You could have been killed." Her words were soft and genuine, filled with a sense of concern that she did her best to convey.

Lennox had at least done something to try and save them, no, he did more than try he succeeded. She owed him for that. Miranda leaned in further to place a small kiss upon his lips, and then shifted once more to sit at his other side, an arm wrapping about his waist, making sure she did not impede or intrude on Edith as she too took comfort in the man. "Thank you." Miranda whispered, her eyes closing and exhaling deeply as she lay there, knees pulling inward to curl toward her torso.

"Aren't you all just fucking cute?" The voice of the teenaged boy who had now gained his composure, at least long enough to lose it again in something of an angry state. "Playing happy fucking family while something out there is trying to eat us. Really nice." He scoffed and pushed himself to a stand, glaring down at the trio. His gaze almost vacant shifting to Alice in the distance before his feet, moving so slowly, so painfully heavy dragged him forward a couple of rows down to his small row of seats, beside a body of a man he never even knew.

[prærieulv]

Lennox took notice of the distant look in Miranda's gaze, but after what they all just witnessed, he couldn't blame her mind for being elsewhere. It had also taken him some time to shake off the shock of what just happened, and even now he wasn't fully convinced the beast wouldn't come back. The slight chastise from the woman did earn a small smile from the Scot, and he placed a hand over one of hers that rested against his chest. He didn't realize his own fingers were still a bit shaky. "But I wasn't." It was a rather deadpanned statement, but the sheepish smile never left his lips.

The kiss came as a bit of a surprise, though Lennox didn't hesitate to welcome it pleasantly. Then her warmth was flooding his side opposite of Edith, and the man could finally feel the stiffness in his muscles start to relax. His arm draped across her shoulders, and he could even feel Edith reach across his torso to set one of her small hands on Miranda's knee. "And thank you for staying with Edith," he breathed, genuinely grateful that his younger sister had her support during the events that unfolded.

He had almost forgotten about Eric, lost in his own selfishness, until the boy's voice reached his ears. His head whipped up, and a surge of irritation sparked in his chest. Yet before he could react, the fiery girl at his side beat him to it. "He saved us." Edith snapped, no longer hiding against her brother's chest. Tears were still spilling down her cheeks, a small waterfall dripping into her lap. "I don't see you coming up with a grand escape plan." She continued to speak even when Eric started to walk away, her emotions clinging onto the anger just to feel something other than fear. "You're just being an absolute tadger!"

"Edith, that's enough." Lennox was finally able to push down his own anger enough to interrupt the young girl, pulling her back against his side before she could start standing up. "There's nothing wrong with taking a few minutes to get our heads back on straight." He added, though he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Edith or himself of this. It only made sense for them to seek comfort in one another after a traumatizing experience. Eric was handling his own emotions in the only way he knew how, and Lennox couldn't let himself fault the kid too much. He would be just as angry if he was alone, too.

The Scot was getting another splitting headache. "Please. Let's all just settle down for a second." It was hard to think with this sort of bickering going on. Now that he knew they were just sitting ducks, it put pressure on formulating some sort of plan. They needed to escape, but not only that, they needed some sort of protection from whatever that thing had been.

[Hannelorian]

As the young man walked off, casting aside the words Edith flung at him, Eric longed to dismiss them. But maybe she was right, he didn't have a plan. He was convinced that no one else had a plan either, and perhaps that was what bothered him the most, aside from his general isolation that was. Miranda sighed and shook her head, he reminded her of herself perhaps, when she was young. But more so he reminded her of her little brother, she rarely spoke to him. The Darrow siblings were generally not fans of one another, if it were not for their shared blood they would never see one another and that was how they liked it.

"I got this one." Miranda pressed her hands into her legs and slowly rose to a standing position, turning to Lennox and Edith, she could only smile. She didn't know why. Well, she had started to figure it out, but she wondered if she would have these feelings if it weren't for all this... maybe not. "I know a thing or two about teenage boys. Try to close your eyes, both of you... sleep if you can get it." She smirked and slowly made her way down the aisle, inserting herself into Eric's row she leaned against the seat behind her and folded her arms across her chest. "Feel better tough guy?" Miranda asked, the smile never departed from her face, not once. It felt normal to be handling social interactions rather than well... everything else. Eric looked up, his hands dropping from his face, cheeks and eyes flush with crimson, his fear was manifest.

"What do you want?" He was angry, he was frightened, or just didn't know how he felt or how to process it. Who could blame him? "I get it." Miranda sighed and looked up toward the holes, the claw marks through the roof. "How scared are you?" She asked, not particularly looking at him, eyes just scanning the roof, every last scratch. "Like shit your pants scared or...?" She wasn't making fun of him, her questions were genuine.

"Yeah... but aren't you?" He spoke slowly, like the cogs in his mind were struggling to turn but still pushing through. He was tired and hungry, everything seemed infinitely slower. "Yes." Miranda answered honestly her eyes now lowering and looking at his face, he was so young, too young to be caught in this. He wasn't mature like Edith, not really. "Feeling like you're going to die has that effect on people." Her head cocked to the side, like she was curious about something but let it go. "We don't have family here, so we have to do what we can... and make our own." Miranda paused a bit thinking more on her words. "We depend on each other. We have to, and that's how we'll get through this. Not as individuals, that would be foolish... I know you're scared and angry... but don't let it win."

Miranda rested a hand on the kid's head, and mussed his hair lightly, triggering a rare smile from the teenager. She left him alone then and returned to take her spot by Lennox, she had hoped he would sleep, tomorrow would be a new day, and they would need to figure out a plan for real this time. "I'll keep a watch..." Alice chimed in. "I couldn't sleep if I wanted to." She added rather sullenly, and Miranda nodded in silent understanding.