(no subject)

[socrowdedinhere]

 

Connor: ...... *drops to a knee and pulls Ari into a HUG* Be careful, Ari. Make sure you make it back here.

Ari: *HUGS back* I'll be careful. 

Connor: *reluctantly lets go and shifts back*

Ari: *looks up at Connor as he pulls back* Watch over Darnell for me, okay?

Connor: *grins* Of course. Besides, we won't be going out anywhere again until you get back, I'm sure.

Ari: *rubs his head against Connor's belly, then looks back at Darnell and Xan* I'll be back later. Get some rest, Darnell.

Darnell: *has just gotten off the phone with Hellboy, frowns* Where are you going?

Ari: I'm going to go back out there, see if I can keep track of that thing, and see if I can make sure it doesn't hurt anyone else.

Darnell: *frowns* Ari, no. That thing is /huge/. And it's hunting. What if it gets the drop on you and you're all alone out there.

Ari: ...And what if it comes across another kid doing their chores in the early hours of the morning? I won't stop it from taking any livestock, I won't risk myself needlessly, but I don't want to get back tomorrow to find another human has ended up eaten... I'll be careful. I can be invisible, remember?

Darnell: ......... *steps over to crouch on a knee and HUG Ari, then pulls Xan from under his satchel strap to press over Ari's shoulders* Xan, go with him. I'll feel better if there are two people out there. You two sense different things and you have different abilities.

Xan: *nods, long tube fingers winding into Ari's fur* I'll look out for him, Darnell.

Ari: *nods* I'll take care of him too. We'll be back in the morning.

Comments

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Darnell: You'd better be. Both of you. *makes himself shift back*
Xan: *settles in between Ari's shoulder blades*
Connor: ......take care.

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: We will. *and with a flutter of his kal, he’ll take himself and Xan back to the woods. It’s eerie and quiet, but Xan’s senses will tell him to head /that/ way... so Ari does. It’s taking them deeper into the forest and soon they’ll come to a large crater in the ground. Looks like something had a hard landing here recently...*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: Oh, wow. So whatever it is, it's definitely alien.

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: Seems that way. *approaching carefully.* Do you sense it around anywhere?
*At the moment, the area feels clear to Xan.*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: No, not right now. We're clear.

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: *will move in closer, being careful. While he can’t be seen, a floating doll can be.* ...Those tracks are all over around where. I think we definitely found our culprit.

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: *will drop to the ground, keeping close to Ari's front legs - he'll be far less noticeable on the ground than up in mid-air* Let's go check out around the Haskins farm, then we can come back here and hide till morning. Maybe the creature nests here during the day.

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: Right. *They’ll head away. Ari will either move slowly for Xan, or the doll hand stand on one of his feet. They won’t quite make it to the Haskin farm before they hear terrible crunching, like bones snapping.* O-oh no. *said in a whisper.*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: *shudders and looks up at Ari from where he's clinging to one foreleg, whispers* Sounds like we found it. Let's get closer to see what it is.

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: *starts that way, moving slowly. He’s invisible, but if he makes too much noise he can still be noticed.*
*They’ll come across a small clearing to see the hulking form that fills it. White skin is stretched over a thin, muscular body with broad, pointed shoulders. It’s well over the size of two men from the Xenonorph like head with a lipless mouth filled with black teeth, to its long thin tail ending in a sharp looking spade point. It has long arms with thin, clawed fingers, and narrow feet, as well as two meaty “wings” each set with two large, black and red eyes. Those eyes settle on Ari and Xan, its head lifting away from the deer carcass it was eating, the white flesh of its face smeared with blood. The wings shift a bit, the points poking into the ground like another foot. It’s rumbles a deep, warning growl*
Ari: I-I think it can see me. *said in a strained whisper*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: I-I think you're right. *shivers...then untangles himself from Ari's leg* You stay back here. I'm /much/ smaller and less threatening. Let me see i-if it's intelligent.

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: B-be careful. *will stay where he is, ready to act if need be.*
Beast: *a wing shifts a bit so those eyes can watch Xan approach in the darkness, its rumbling growl becomes just a little louder.*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: *approaches a little, hands up, not getting close enough for the creature to lunge and catch him easily* I'm not here to hurt you or take your food away. I just wanted to see you. My name is Xan. Do you understand me?

[socrowdedinhere]

Beast: *low rumble...*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: ..."yes, I understand." *nods his head in an exaggerated motion*

[socrowdedinhere]

Beast: *head lowers a bit, eyes on it’s wings shifting between Xan and Ari. It will pick up what’s left of the deer carcass and turn to go. It’ll prove quite swift.*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: *arms and shoulders droop, returns to Ari* Let's head back to the crash site and wait for it there. We'll have to make sure we're downwind of it.

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: *just having visions of those big, black teeth tearing Darnell in half.* R-right. Let’s go. *will wait for Xan to climb on and will head back to the crass site.*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: *trying very hard not to think about the scene Darnell described from Zili that day in the hospital – he'll climb up, settling between Ari's shoulders*

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: *will hurry back, as quietly as possible.* Xan..... I’m scared. *mostly for Darnell...*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: Me too, Ari . . . but there's no one else to deal with this creature.

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: There’s us... maybe Hellboy if he’s able to come. Maybe Connor. I... I just don’t want to see Darnell killed. *soft huff of worry. He knows it’s not like Darnell to back down from a case, especially when innocents are in danger, but he’s so scared of losing the man.*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: *pets him* That's what I meant. You, me, Darnell, Connor, and Hellboy. We'll all look out for each other, and we should all come out of this just fine. Especially Darnell, since all of us will be more worried about him than anything. He'll be okay. *petpetpet*

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: *little nod, needing the pets right now.* You’re right, we’ll look after him. *they reach the crater and Ari will find a place downwind from the site to hide and watch until morning.... the beast will not show up again.*

[cyberlifeslastchance]

Xan: It's starting to get light. We should head back home.

[socrowdedinhere]

Ari: Yeah. *will a wiggle of his kal he’ll jump them home.* *he’ll look around to see if Darnell is up yet, and if not he’ll go snuggle his head against Connor’s belly.*

How did I JUST NOW see this? >,>

[cyberlifeslastchance]

*Ari will actually find them both in/on Darnell's bed. Darnell has grown accustomed to Ari sleeping in or at least on his bed with him. It's nice, it's comforting, and especially it helps with the nightmares. After tonight – "last night" at this point – and with Ari not there, Darnell was having a /terrible/ time sleeping, but didn't want to take anything and wind up groggy and off-kilter today. It was Connor who had the idea to lay down with him and keep him company, giving him that reassuring presence his subconscious mind so desperately needed.*