Author's Note: Thought-speak is indicated in italics. Hope you like this, and please review!

A week had passed since the final battle.

Seven days that had passed in a flurry of tearful family reunions, explanations, celebrations, memorials for those who had died bravely in battle, and, in general, a surge of affection and gratitude from the world at large. And there would be more to come. Award ceremonies, knighthoods and ladyships were all on the cards, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

But, of course, it was not all fun and games. The war had had its impact on every one of the Animorphs. They were no longer the same kids as before. Nightmares of their worst missions still tainted their dreams at night. The faces of those who were gone forever, because they had not managed to save them, visited their subconscious minds from time to time.

But it was nice to be able to not think of fighting anymore. To know that they would no longer be haunted by the now-familiar feeling of sheer terror. But they had hardly had time to think about all that in the past week. It had just been so…eventful.

But now, it was night. And night was the time to think. Night was when there was silence. No reporters calling you every other minute to request for interviews, no talk show hosts asking you difficult questions, nothing. Just you and your thoughts.

Rachel lay on her bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, mind buzzing. She was thinking about what lay ahead for her in life. What was the next step? Now that she was a famous "saviour of the world", the possibilities were practically limitless. She and the other Animorphs had already been flooded with offers to endorse a staggering number of products, half of which they did not know the function of. And that was just the beginning. Offers from every college in this city and the next, starring roles in television shows, heck, there was even a movie in the making!

But what of her personal life? Now that she no longer had to lie to her family (at least not for purposes directly linked to saving the world), they were closer than ever. With the whole saving-the-world thing out of the way, she had more time for herself and others. At least, she would after the media's interest in them died down. She would have more time for shopping. Eating. Sleeping. Hanging out. Her life post-war was almost perfect. Almost.

Tap tap.

Ah. There was the piece that was missing from the perfect portrait of her life. Rachel smiled, and tore her eyes away from the ceiling.

She held out her finger as the one red-tailed hawk that mattered more to her than anything flew in through her open window. She felt the soft scratching of his talons on her skin, then a familiar flutter in her heart as he landed carefully on his favourite perch: her finger.

"Hey…" she whispered, the warmth in her smile enough to send hot blood pumping through his body.

Hey Rach… he replied, a grin in his voice. Rachel was sitting up on her bed in an old t-shirt and track pants, the covers shrouding her body from waist below. Her hair gleamed in the shaft of moonlight that flooded in from the window. Even though it was mussed up at the back from lying on the pillow, she looked perfect.

Up for some late-night flying? It's a beautiful night.

In reply, she focused on the bald eagle DNA inside her, and began to change.

Tobias had been right; it was a beautiful night. A gentle wind constantly blew, caressing their feathers and making their flight smooth and untiring. The pair of lovebirds flew side by side in a comfortable silence, each enjoying the beauty of the world stretched out underneath them and the tingle they felt whenever one wingtip brushed against the other.

They reached an open meadow which stretched out for miles. At Tobias's signal, they began to dive towards the ground. She shouted in glee from the rush of plummeting towards the ground at a million miles per hour. But amidst the adrenaline rush, there was curiosity. They didn't usually land during their night flights. Normally, they would just fly around for a bit, enjoy the scenery and company and then head back to Rachel's home.

Perhaps Tobias was up for something special tonight. She grinned inwardly. She was, too. There was magic in the air tonight.

Author's Note: It gets loads more interesting after this, I promise. :)