Ａｌｌ ｔｈａｔ ｉｓ ｌｏｓｔ❂ Survival, Accepting

[hollyglow]

Ariani Linderson

"Have fun." I muttered, nearly silently, quiet enouth that he couldn't hear. Then I studied the surrounding forest, trying to figure what could be living here. Thr options seemed as diverse as the plant life.

Ryan Flescher

"I'm fine." I muttered, embarrassed. "Let's try to find water, and msybe some food. If we walk down the beach a bit further, we might find something useful. Or more people."

[Frostmist102]

Cole's eyes were fixed on the spot the crunching came from, watching carefully for any movement. When a large crow hopped into view, his shoulders visibly relaxed and he continued forwards, briefly wondering what wildlife inhabited this large island. After making his way through thick shrubbery, he eventually heard a faint trickling, which grew louder with every step he took.

"Okay," Natalie agreed easily. She bit her bottom lip, pushing away the fears creeping up on her. Just don't think about it, she told herself as her eyes passed over the crashed ship just meters away from them.

[hollyglow]

Ariani Linderson

I relaxed at the sight of the crow. Somehow, it seemed to make the island seem more familiar. As the thought crossed my mind, the river came into view, just as a tree rustled. My hand immediately went to the swiss army knife I kept around my neck. Glancing around, I studied the tree for clues. A flash of fur-maybe a squirrel? But then I caught a glimpse of some tawny feathers. "Um... Cole?"

Ryan Flescher

"Okay." Then I flinched at my thoughtlessness. "Oh, are you okay?" It felt awkward to be asking a girl that (especially since I'd just totally humiliated myself multiple times). Which was silly, because here we were, stranded on a deserted island, and I'm worried about a girl. Time to realign my priorities.

[Frostmist102]

Cole turned a bit to peer over his shoulder at the girl following him. "Yeah?" he responded, all the while his eyes carefully scanning the area around them. In the background, the trickling of the stream distracted his thoughts and blocked his ability to detect any threats by blocking out other sounds.

"Yeah, of course I am," Natalie responded quickly, purposefully walking away from the wreckage and in a straight line down the beach. "Let's try to find any remaining supplies that might have survived the crash." She glanced out of the corner of her eye to make sure he could keep up with his weak leg.

[hollyglow]

Ariani Linderson

"Could you come here? I need you take a look at something." Anyone who knew me would recognize the odd tone I was using, but since I hadn't talked to him much, I wasn't sure if he would realize anything was amiss. That could be just as well, though. I didn't want him to do anything to set whatever was up in that tree off.

Ryan Flescher

Grabbing the piece of driftwood that she'd used as a lever, I used it as a crutch. Hobbling after her, I tried to keep up. I cursed as I tripped over a rock and fell to my knees. "Oh, come on." I snapped. "Natalie, could you wait up a minute?"

[Frostmist102]

Cole pursed his lips but remained silent as he retraced his steps towards Ariani. "What are we looking at?" he asked and glanced around quickly for anything out of the ordinary.

Natalie whirled around and her sympathetic gaze landed on him. "Let me help you up," she offered, kneeling down beside him. "Or, to make you feel better, we could just crawl around like this together." She stifled a small giggle, despite their situation.

[hollyglow]

Ariani Linderson

Resting my hand on his upper arm lightly, I used my other hand to point up at the tree. The rustling had ceased, but it started up again, as if whatever was up there knew that attention was being focused on it. "See it? Up thst tree?"

Ryan Flescher

"This is humiliating. All my life, I try to be strong and helpful, and then as soon as something bad happens you have to pry a hunk of metal off me, I need help standing up, the minute I do stand up I puke, and now apparently I can't even walk." I hadn't realized how completely frustrated I was until now.

[Frostmist102]

"Are those feathers?" Cole speculated, narrowing his eyes at the treeline. A red flag seemed to be waving before his eyes, but he had no clue what he was looking for. The thought of being unprepared made him feel more uncomfortable than the average person would realize.

Natalie laid a reassured hand on his shoulder. "We all have our bad days. Trust me, I'll probably have mine tomorrow. But for now, the only way to get better is to admit we need help." She smiled comfortingly at him, the soft crinkles reaching her bright blue eyes. "You're probably much stronger than me, and I recognize that even when you're down."

[hollyglow]

Ariani Linderson

I flicked the blade out on my knife. "Looks like it." Then the rustling stopped. I nearly lowered my knife when suddemly something burst out of the tree shrieking. I could only see bits of it: large, feathery wings, razor sharp claws, a long, sinewy tail.

Ryan Flescher

"Well, I don't think you recognize your own strength." I took her hand, using her for balance as I stood, then offered her mine. "I mean, you didn't faint when you saw me stuck or anything, and thst's something."

[Frostmist102]

"What is that?" Cole shouted over the shrieking and automatically ducked, using his large forearms to cover his head. He didn't have any sort of weapon on him and was relying on his own strength to fight whatever beast was coming straight towards them.

Natalie frowned, her eyes darkening. "I'll let you in on a little secret. The sight of blood actually kills me inside. I can't stand it." She stood slowly with him as she spoke, adjusting to supporting both his weight as well as her own. "I guess my issue doesn't really help during this whole situation we're in..."