Tobias landed, talons clamping around a metal railing. Flapping his right wing a few times against the railing's slight tilt, he hopped down to the ground, huddling against a wall, and began to morph. Human. He focused on the now very unfamiliar image of himself, giggling with wonder when fingers emerged from his wing. He had missed opposable thumbs, if nothing else. He stood up unsteadily, holding his arms out to his sides for balance as he took his first few steps. He bent over, rummaging under the bushes. Ah, here it was. He pulled out the bag of clothing he had stashed here a few weeks ago for this purpose. He pulled on the clothes. They were too small, but alright. He didn't think he would have grown, but he had. He was much taller now, although still far too skinny, he thought. He walked up the ramp, starting back slightly as the doors slid open of their own accord, but then laughing at himself. He'd forgotten so much about being human. Catching a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the glass doors, he stopped stock still and stared. He remembered himself as a young teen, the last time he had been human somewhere which wasn't secluded he'd been… what, 16? 17? But that had been five years ago, and to his surprise he had ages. He looked grown up now, and good, although a bit silly with his too short jeans. Pulling himself away, he went on. He was here just for one thing; something the human in him wouldn't allow him not to do. In the past years, since Rachel had died, he had stayed alone, as a hawk, in his meadow where he had scattered her ashes, but then it had gotten too sad, and he had flown slowly across the country, finally settling in New Jersey. He had found a small field, filled with barely enough rodents to sustain him, near a highway. But he liked being near people, he found, even if he wasn't really ready to be one again. He liked watching. The only contact he had had with humans was sending an editor his manuscript. He had always said he would write a book about red tails, and he had. He knew the editor would publish it without a second thought. He read news papers whenever he could, and the Animorphs were still big. Ax, his shorm, had gone back to the Andalite home world and rarely came back to earth to visit the others, but he was a war-prince like Elfangor now, so that was understandable. Cassie was a big environmentalist, Jake was high up in the army, and of course Marco was a huge celebrity. He had written a couple of books, and with how well they had done, no publisher was going to turn down Tobias's own book. There had been a huge rush to buy it at first, but Tobias expected it to fall off the best-seller list quickly once people realized that there was nothing about being an Animorph in it, it was just about hawks. But the writer in Tobias wanted to see it in print. He stopped in front of the help desk. The lady looked up from her computer, looking enquiringly at him. Tobias started to speak, coughing when no sound came out, and then continuing, "Um... where're the non-fiction books, please?" She pointed, and Tobias followed her finger, walking through the isles. He had expected that no one would recognize him, the only picture he could remember anyone having of him was Rachel's, and he was sure her mother still had it. Rachel. He didn't want to think about Rachel, not now. He shook his head, as if to dislodge the thoughts. Running his finger along the shelf across the book jackets, he came upon his name. Smiling widely, an action that almost surprised him as he had almost forgotten how to make facial expressions, he pulled it out. He walked over to a cluster of arm chairs arranged in a circle in a corner of the library. Sitting down in one, he opened the book reverently to the title page. The sight of his name in print pleased him more than he even thought it would. Every since he was a little boy, all he had wanted to do was write a book. Well, along with meeting a dinosaur, going to space, and to fly. But he'd already achieved all those goals.
"You're Tobias, aren't you?"
He looked up, startled, into the smiling face of a handsome young man. He had shoulder length black hair, and striking blue eyes. Tobias grimaced uncomfortably at him, shaking his head. "Um, no, you must have the wrong person." The man raised an eyebrow at him, then laughed and slid into the chair beside him, picking the book deftly out of Tobias's hands. "You couldn't resist coming to look, could you? I love that. It's so like you, though I must admit I'm surprised to see you here. I was sure you'd never leave Cali."
Tobias glared at him. "Who are you, and why do you claim to know so much about me?" He asked, standing up to tower over the man. "I could be something extremely deadly in about a minute, but I'm sure you know that."
He looked surprised, dejected "Hn… I know you could. Sorry. I'm Jordan, and I've wanted to meet you ever since I first heard your name." He slumped over in his chair, almost sulking.
Tobias didn't know why, but he immediately felt bad. The last thing he would ever have wanted was to meet a -gah- fan, but there was something about this Jordan person that made him want to be kind to him. He felt almost like he had just kicked the biggest puppy in the universe. "Ah…really? Why?" He asked, sitting down again, but uneasily, on the edge of the seat. Jordan looked up at him, eyes glittering. "I don't want you to think I'm weird and some sort of stalker or something, it's not that at all. Just... when the Yeerks came, and it was so terrifying for everyone… I read about you, and what you had gone through, all of the Animorphs, but especially you, and it just seemed so… incredibly noble, and beautiful, and I so wanted to meet you. That's all." He looked down at Tobias's book in his lap, opening it to a picture of a hawk in flight. His fingers traced the line of the wing, the tearing beak. "What you did…" He looked up, staring into Tobias's eyes fiercely. "It's beyond amazing. You gave up everything, Tobias, you-"
Tobias cut him off angrily. "I know what I gave up." He told Jordan, curtly, sounding entirely unlike himself. "I don't need you to tell me. This served to please Jordan more than bother him, because he smiled, straightening up and closing the book, though his fingers still curled around it tightly.
"I know that. I know, but I wanted to talk to you about everything. I wanted to hear your story. No one knows anything about you, you know, or at least no one who is talking… It's clear from Marco's books that though he really loves you as much as he does the others, he doesn't know you. The only one I'm sure did was…"
Tobias got up, wrenching the book from Jordan's hands. "Don't you dare say her name." He told him, angrily, and, stuffing the book back onto a shelf, he strode away, outside.
Such was their first meeting.