((CASSIE))
Three countless years, three countless nights I would lie in bed, wide awake. Occasionally, I heard an insistent tapping at my door, and I'd fling the covers off eagerly. On those occasions I was met by either a bald eagle, a harrier, an osprey, or a red-tail hawk. I'd greet my friends half- heartedly, but they knew. They knew each night was dedicated to greeting a peregrine falcon. Jake.
But Jake was dead…..
~()~()~()~()~()()~()~()~()~()~()~()
Jake's not with us! I shouted, turning my wolf body around. If a wolf could gasp, it probably would as my gaze fell on a still tiger. Jake, get up! I screamed, as several human-Controllers made their way toward him. Rachel began her lumbering grizzly run back toward her cousin, but Marco gripped her leg with his gorilla strength. Not much of a match, but it seemed to knock some sense into her.
Rachel, let him go Tobias said, firm but quiet. Ax? How much time do we have?
Ten of your minutes Ax replied gravely. I felt sick. We couldn't do anything. Nothing for Jake. If I could have cried I would have, but I raced out of the pool, the others in tow.
~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()
That was three years ago. I slipped out one night, not wanting human company, and flew to The Gardens. There, I walked to the tiger exhibit, where the familiarity of the big cats overwhelmed me with a sense of sadness.
((JAKE))
My eyes opened abruptly. Somebody was in my territory. Breathing in, I consumed the data. The intruder was female, and the smell was vaguely familiar, but still a threat. Silently, stealthily, I rose to my feet and padded toward the middle of my enclosure. The other big cats were asleep, even though it was nighttime. Time in captivity would do that to you. This intruder had better watch out. I was a Siberian tiger, male, and I was mad.
Let me back up. Yes, I was once human. My name was Jake, and I was the leader of a group of teens called the Animorphs. We dedicated our lives to fighting an alien invasion by parasitic slugs called Yeerks. Yeerks crawled into people's ears, and controlled their minds. Yeah, I once fought them, along with Cassie, Marco, my cousin Rachel, Tobias and Ax, an Andalite. We were given the power to morph any animal we touched. That was the past. I am now trapped in my combat morph, the tiger. It was after a battle, and I was knocked out, and went over my 2-hour time limit. Now, I'm a tiger, for life….
The intruder was near, and this was my present. Protecting my territory. Snarling, I bounded forward, close enough to see the opponent. She was human, with dark eyes, and dark hair. I breathed in again, and froze. Oh….no….unmistakably her. Cassie. After three years. She didn't know it was me. Everyone thought the Controllers took me, and probably killed me.
Cassie I thought, before realizing what I'd done. Unconsciously, I'd thought-spoken. Petrified that she might have heard, I flew back into the shadows, but crouched where I could see her. She had frozen, her eyes widening. She turned in a circle, eyes sweeping the enclosure.
"Jake?" she whispered chokingly. I remained silent. I think I then understood how Tobias must have felt after he was trapped in hawk morph, and Rachel found him picking at carcass. "Jake, I hear you. They said you were dead, but I never accepted it. Are you here?" I blinked, my heart twisting in my chest. Finally, I burst…
CASSIE! I yelled, leaping forward with the tiger's stealth. Cassie, I'm here, I'm here!! The commotion woke one of the tigers, and he snarled and padded forward toward Cassie. Quickly, I drove forward and dealt him a blow to the head. I growled menacingly, stiffening. Jake the tiger or Jake the human, one thing was clear. Don't. Mess. With. Loved. Ones. Especially Cassie. I wanted to hug her, I wanted to kiss her…but I stopped just before her. I could definitely relate to Tobias now, who was unable to hug or kiss Rachel. Instead, I sat down and stared at Cassie.
"Jake?" she whispered again. "Jake, if that's you, nod." Stiffly, emotion pressing on my heart, I jerked my head up and down. "Oh!" Cassie gasped. "Jake, please demorph. I can't stay in a tiger enclosure for too long." I remained silent, before looking up.
I'm trapped, Cassie I mumbled.
"No…" Cassie murmured. "Jake, I'm getting the others. We're going to get you out, I promise…."
Uh…Cassie? I said slowly, resisting the urge to purr. Cassie had walked over and was running her hands over my head, rubbing between my ears. Her hands felt wonderful, even to my tiger mind.
"Yes, Jake?"
I'm not exactly like a hawk. You can't just hide a tiger in the forest Cassie nodded.
"We'll figure something out." She started to morph.
Cassie?
"Yes." I hesitated now, the words on the tip of my tongue.
I love you, Cassie. I always have Cassie would have smiled, but she was now an osprey.
Love you too, Jake she then flew off. Heart swelling, I padded back to my space, passing the other tigers.
What're you looking at? I said.
((RACHEL))
RAP, RAP, RAP-RAP, RAP-RAP-RAP. I groaned and opened my eyes. An osprey sat perched outside my window.
"Marco?" I whispered.
No, Cassie the osprey said. We need to talk there was undoubtedly excitement in her voice.
"Now?" Since Jake's death, the efforts of the Animorphs had dwindled. Cassie bobbed her head.
Now There was another fluttering, and Tobias appeared.
"You got Tobias first?" I said, almost accusingly. There was a gentle chuckling in my head.
No, Rachel. I followed her. I knew something had to be up. Ax is on his way over.
"Well, this is not the place to talk!" I whispered.
Rachel, morph now, OK? We need to fly together Cassie said. I wondered why she was being so mysterious, but I complied, morphing the bald eagle. I swept outside, followed by Cassie and Tobias.
Ax I called as we flew over Tobias' meadow. Morph, we're going somewhere Soon, we were joined by a harrier, then we were off to Marco's house.
Mar… Tobias began, but I interrupted.
May I do the honors? I requested. Without waiting for an answer, I rapped sharply on Marco's window. Hey, sleepyhead, get your butt up and out here! Hup to Hup to Hup hup hup! I watched with satisfaction as Marco tumbled out of bed and onto the floor.
"Uggnnhhh," Marco groaned as he heaved open the window. "Guys, it's early…"
Marco, we need you Cassie said.
""course. Cant uviv wout arco," he replied, halfway through osprey morph.
I mean, of course. You can't survive without Marco Marco said.
Haha I said sardonically. Cassie, where to?
The Gardens my friend replied.
The Gardens it is Tobias said, dipping his wings. And so we soared in silence.
HereCassie called, circling.
The tigers? Ax, who'd been unusually quiet, spoke up.
Yes Cassie said. She lighted on a fence. What was she trying to do, make us recall memories of Jake?
Cassie, what's this all about? I demanded.
Jake! she called as though she hadn't heard me. Jake? Oh no, poor Cassie… the others voiced their sympathy.
Everyone here? a voice, strangely familiar, asked softly. A tiger padded into the moonlight, and stared up at us.
JAKE! I screamed, before blacking out and plunging into the tiger pen.
Three countless years, three countless nights I would lie in bed, wide awake. Occasionally, I heard an insistent tapping at my door, and I'd fling the covers off eagerly. On those occasions I was met by either a bald eagle, a harrier, an osprey, or a red-tail hawk. I'd greet my friends half- heartedly, but they knew. They knew each night was dedicated to greeting a peregrine falcon. Jake.
But Jake was dead…..
~()~()~()~()~()()~()~()~()~()~()~()
Jake's not with us! I shouted, turning my wolf body around. If a wolf could gasp, it probably would as my gaze fell on a still tiger. Jake, get up! I screamed, as several human-Controllers made their way toward him. Rachel began her lumbering grizzly run back toward her cousin, but Marco gripped her leg with his gorilla strength. Not much of a match, but it seemed to knock some sense into her.
Rachel, let him go Tobias said, firm but quiet. Ax? How much time do we have?
Ten of your minutes Ax replied gravely. I felt sick. We couldn't do anything. Nothing for Jake. If I could have cried I would have, but I raced out of the pool, the others in tow.
~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~()
That was three years ago. I slipped out one night, not wanting human company, and flew to The Gardens. There, I walked to the tiger exhibit, where the familiarity of the big cats overwhelmed me with a sense of sadness.
((JAKE))
My eyes opened abruptly. Somebody was in my territory. Breathing in, I consumed the data. The intruder was female, and the smell was vaguely familiar, but still a threat. Silently, stealthily, I rose to my feet and padded toward the middle of my enclosure. The other big cats were asleep, even though it was nighttime. Time in captivity would do that to you. This intruder had better watch out. I was a Siberian tiger, male, and I was mad.
Let me back up. Yes, I was once human. My name was Jake, and I was the leader of a group of teens called the Animorphs. We dedicated our lives to fighting an alien invasion by parasitic slugs called Yeerks. Yeerks crawled into people's ears, and controlled their minds. Yeah, I once fought them, along with Cassie, Marco, my cousin Rachel, Tobias and Ax, an Andalite. We were given the power to morph any animal we touched. That was the past. I am now trapped in my combat morph, the tiger. It was after a battle, and I was knocked out, and went over my 2-hour time limit. Now, I'm a tiger, for life….
The intruder was near, and this was my present. Protecting my territory. Snarling, I bounded forward, close enough to see the opponent. She was human, with dark eyes, and dark hair. I breathed in again, and froze. Oh….no….unmistakably her. Cassie. After three years. She didn't know it was me. Everyone thought the Controllers took me, and probably killed me.
Cassie I thought, before realizing what I'd done. Unconsciously, I'd thought-spoken. Petrified that she might have heard, I flew back into the shadows, but crouched where I could see her. She had frozen, her eyes widening. She turned in a circle, eyes sweeping the enclosure.
"Jake?" she whispered chokingly. I remained silent. I think I then understood how Tobias must have felt after he was trapped in hawk morph, and Rachel found him picking at carcass. "Jake, I hear you. They said you were dead, but I never accepted it. Are you here?" I blinked, my heart twisting in my chest. Finally, I burst…
CASSIE! I yelled, leaping forward with the tiger's stealth. Cassie, I'm here, I'm here!! The commotion woke one of the tigers, and he snarled and padded forward toward Cassie. Quickly, I drove forward and dealt him a blow to the head. I growled menacingly, stiffening. Jake the tiger or Jake the human, one thing was clear. Don't. Mess. With. Loved. Ones. Especially Cassie. I wanted to hug her, I wanted to kiss her…but I stopped just before her. I could definitely relate to Tobias now, who was unable to hug or kiss Rachel. Instead, I sat down and stared at Cassie.
"Jake?" she whispered again. "Jake, if that's you, nod." Stiffly, emotion pressing on my heart, I jerked my head up and down. "Oh!" Cassie gasped. "Jake, please demorph. I can't stay in a tiger enclosure for too long." I remained silent, before looking up.
I'm trapped, Cassie I mumbled.
"No…" Cassie murmured. "Jake, I'm getting the others. We're going to get you out, I promise…."
Uh…Cassie? I said slowly, resisting the urge to purr. Cassie had walked over and was running her hands over my head, rubbing between my ears. Her hands felt wonderful, even to my tiger mind.
"Yes, Jake?"
I'm not exactly like a hawk. You can't just hide a tiger in the forest Cassie nodded.
"We'll figure something out." She started to morph.
Cassie?
"Yes." I hesitated now, the words on the tip of my tongue.
I love you, Cassie. I always have Cassie would have smiled, but she was now an osprey.
Love you too, Jake she then flew off. Heart swelling, I padded back to my space, passing the other tigers.
What're you looking at? I said.
((RACHEL))
RAP, RAP, RAP-RAP, RAP-RAP-RAP. I groaned and opened my eyes. An osprey sat perched outside my window.
"Marco?" I whispered.
No, Cassie the osprey said. We need to talk there was undoubtedly excitement in her voice.
"Now?" Since Jake's death, the efforts of the Animorphs had dwindled. Cassie bobbed her head.
Now There was another fluttering, and Tobias appeared.
"You got Tobias first?" I said, almost accusingly. There was a gentle chuckling in my head.
No, Rachel. I followed her. I knew something had to be up. Ax is on his way over.
"Well, this is not the place to talk!" I whispered.
Rachel, morph now, OK? We need to fly together Cassie said. I wondered why she was being so mysterious, but I complied, morphing the bald eagle. I swept outside, followed by Cassie and Tobias.
Ax I called as we flew over Tobias' meadow. Morph, we're going somewhere Soon, we were joined by a harrier, then we were off to Marco's house.
Mar… Tobias began, but I interrupted.
May I do the honors? I requested. Without waiting for an answer, I rapped sharply on Marco's window. Hey, sleepyhead, get your butt up and out here! Hup to Hup to Hup hup hup! I watched with satisfaction as Marco tumbled out of bed and onto the floor.
"Uggnnhhh," Marco groaned as he heaved open the window. "Guys, it's early…"
Marco, we need you Cassie said.
""course. Cant uviv wout arco," he replied, halfway through osprey morph.
I mean, of course. You can't survive without Marco Marco said.
Haha I said sardonically. Cassie, where to?
The Gardens my friend replied.
The Gardens it is Tobias said, dipping his wings. And so we soared in silence.
HereCassie called, circling.
The tigers? Ax, who'd been unusually quiet, spoke up.
Yes Cassie said. She lighted on a fence. What was she trying to do, make us recall memories of Jake?
Cassie, what's this all about? I demanded.
Jake! she called as though she hadn't heard me. Jake? Oh no, poor Cassie… the others voiced their sympathy.
Everyone here? a voice, strangely familiar, asked softly. A tiger padded into the moonlight, and stared up at us.
JAKE! I screamed, before blacking out and plunging into the tiger pen.