THE FIRST NIGHT


Keegan and Lost placed the tinfoil wrapped meals next to the bonfire they had named "The Signal Fire".

"This is all the in-flight meals we could carry out," Lost said. "I'd say we have enough in there for a good week or two." Dr. Leland nodded.

"Good," She said. "With rationing, we should be able to last for a while before we have to actually worry. Now," She said, standing. "Let's get the food around, shall we?" Lost and Keegan nodded, and Lost walked off to a small group of survivors. Keegan stayed behind, however, and sat back down.

"I've heard talking," The tigress said. "And I've seen how you've helped most, hell, probably all of the survivors here." She leaned forward. "People are starting to regard you as the leader." Leland blinked. She was right, wasn't she? Leland certainly meant to help out everyone, but be a leader? She could barely manage her people in the lab, how was she supposed to organize a group of grief-stricken survivors?

"Really?" Leland asked. "What... what do you think I should do? I mean, I'm an expert in biochemistry and physics, but... social skills I don't really have."

"I think you should just be yourself," Keegan said, standing. "You've got
everyone's trust, people seem to think that you know what you're doing, and you're a doctor." Keegan shrugged. "Three in a row."


Lost handed a meal to Milo.

"How are you doing?" She asked the lizard anthro. Milo shrugged in response.

"She hasn't said a word since this afternoon," Callum said softly. "I'm worried she –"

"He," Milo said clearly. "I'm a boy." Lost and Callum looked at each other,
worried.

"I'm sorry, Milo," Callum said. "I meant 'he'." Lost knelt down.

"Don't worry," She said to Milo. Everything's going to be okay.

"No, it's not." Milo whispered.

"Why not? We have food, water, fire... we have enough until rescue comes and saves us."

"They won't save us," Milo simply said. Lost glanced and Callum, then back to Milo.

"And why not?" She asked.

"...because we're monsters."


Tobias stood, testing out her new legs. She took a few experimental steps forward, getting used to the back half of her body. She stopped, looking back at her body, smiling. As much as the situation was... less than ideal, she admired her new body all the same. Feeling where her body went ninety degrees, she marveled at the force that somehow did this to her, to all of them.

"Hey," Keegan said, walking up to her and handing her a meal. "How're you holding up?"

"Better," Tobias admitted. "Though this hasn't exactly been the best day of my life."

"Get in line," Keegan said. "We've all had better days."


Grill jumped, snagging and pulling a branch of a nearby tree with a snap.

"What're you doing?" Alex asked, watching.

"Do you like your airplane food cold?" Grill asked, starting to strip away the smaller twigs.

"I don't like airplane food in general," Alex said.

"Neither do I," Grill admitted, holding out the now Y shaped branch. "But unless you want to go hunting in the middle of the night, we don't have much of a choice." Alex nodded hesitantly. "Now," Grill said. "Help me make a choice: Chicken,
or tuna?"


Megan sat down at the shore next to Andrew.

"You needed a moment alone too, huh?" She asked the jaguar anthro. Andrew remained silent. Megan looked out into the dark ocean. "So... did you... did you lose anyone in the crash?" Megan asked hesitantly.

"Not really, I was traveling on my own," Andrew replied.

"Not really? So, who didn't you 'not really' loose?" Megan asked. She knew that sometimes, it helped to talk about it, even though she wasn't really ready to admit she missed Andrew. Little did she know that the man Megan had started to realize she was in love with was, in fact, the jaguar anthro sitting next to her.

Andrew didn't look over and remained silent, staring out at the dark horizon.


Ben stopped Tobias as the wolf-taur headed over to the bonfire.

"You survived the front section of the crash, right? She asked.

"Uh... yeah, I guess..."

"You woke up in there, right?" Ben asked again. Tobias nodded. "Are you sure that there's no way we could get into the front section of the plane from the tail
end?"

"None," Tobias said sadly. "It's completely cut off. From the midsection, at least," She added. "Look, I... I think I know what you're thinking, and believe me, I think I'm the only one who survived-"

"If you did, others could have," Ben replied. Tobias paused.

"Even so, we'd have to go in through the cockpit," The wolf-taur told her. "And that would take some time."

"Anything," Ben told her. "I just need to find out if Robin's alive or not."


Alex watched as Grill held her meal over the Signal Fire with the branch.

"So, what did you do before the crash?" Alex asked.

"I was involved with the military," Grill replied. "The 44th. Captain."

"Cool," Alex said, nodding. "Did you see any action?"

"Sometimes," Grill said with such a coldness, that Alex got the hint.

"Where you a guy or a girl before we crashed?" Alex asked bluntly.

"I was a girl before," Grill answered. "Of course, I didn't have this... figure," She added.

"Ah," I Alex nodded. "I... see."

"You don't really want to know," Grill told her.

"Fair enough," Alex agreed. "Fair enough."


"She was a girl I met at my hotel," Andrew finally said.

"Pardon?" Megan asked.

"Who I lost in the crash. She was this girl I met at the bar," Andrew continued. "We really hit it off, or so I thought... then we had a one-nighter, and she decided not to let it go on from there..."

"Wait, she?" Megan asked. "You're into girls?"

"Well, I was a guy," Andrew said. "Before the crash." Megan nodded. Megan nodded, understanding now. Hard to believe... but she had wings now, so how could she judge? Megan paused as she registered the rest of the story.

"What was her name?" Megan asked.

"Megan," Andrew replied. Megan gasped. What were the odds another guy, the night before their plane crash, had a one night stand that ended horribly, also with a girl named Megan?

"A-Andrew?" She asked, not daring herself to believe it. The jaguar anthro turned her head.

"Yes?" She asked, then froze as she saw Megan. "Oh my God, Andrew said, getting up. "Megan!" Megan also stepped forward, and the two embraced.

"I thought I lost you," Megan said.

"Me too," Andrew replied.

"I won't leave you again," Megan said.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."


Lost and Keegan sat against the back of the plane, watching the survivors
interact.

"Do you think we'll ever be rescued?" Lost asked. Keegan paused.

"I don't know," She said truthfully. "If they ever do find us, we'll have a hell of a hard time explaining who the hell we are."

"Good point," Lost agreed. "Personally, I hope they never find us here."

"Really?" Keegan asked, startled. "Why?"

"Look at everyone," The kitsune answered. "Yeah, we just went through a plane crash, and everyone's dead, but eleven people are alive. We're okay, a little changed here and there, but okay. We have food, and tons of fresh water. Fruit on the trees, meat probably running wild in the jungle. Fire. Each other." Lost paused, calculating. "We could survive for months, even years."

"I guess…" Keegan hesitantly agreed.

"This… island, this island is a fresh start," Lost said, smiling. "A second chance, if we need one. A new beginning for everyone."

"A new beginning," Keegan mused. "I like that." She agreed. Holding out her small plastic cup of water to Lost, she said, "Here's to a new beginning." Lost touched her glass to Keegan's grinning.

"To a new beginning."