NOT JUST ANOTHER HERO (AN ANIMORPHS ADVENTURE)
CHAPTER ONE
WHY ME
Bryanna had just finished her first week in a new school and made some new friends in the process. She didn't yet know, however, that her life was about to change forever. She smiled some to herself thinking about her new friends as she entered the pet shop looking for something to keep her company on the days she would be home alone. Her father had died three years previous and her mother now worked endlessly to make ends meet. Usually it ended up she was at home by herself when she returned from school and barely got to see her mother before she left for her second job. She knew Rachel would shudder at the very idea of her getting a rat, but she also knew that Cassie would be able to help her take care of any animal she chose, if she needed any help. Marco would, of course, make endless jokes about it no matter what she chose, and Jake would just say that it was her choice what kind of pet she chose. Suddenly, she stopped at the rat cage to peer in. There was one in there that seemed to have nearly human intelligence. "Hello there," she said smiling softly into the display. The lady behind the counter asked if she would like to hold any of the rats in the display she was looking at. "Thank you, I'd love to," She responded and picked up the one that had caught her eye with a smile. Nearly dropping the rat in surprise, she bit her lower lip to keep from screaming when she heard a voice in the back of her mind speak. I am no ordinary rat the voice said suddenly I was human at one time. My name is David by the way. Not really thinking twice about the "voice" she had suddenly heard, she picked out a cage and accessories for her new pet and started her way home with him in tow. He had climbed out of the carton they had placed him in for her and into her shirt pocket. That didn't bother her. As a matter of fact, she felt that it would help her bond with her pet if it could be close to her heart. As she approached her house, she saw Rachel headed quickly toward her.
Rachel smiled seeing her new friend heading home. "Hey, Bree!" she shouted getting her attention as she made her way toward her as quickly as possible. "What's up, Rach?" she asked, smiling some as she reached into her pocket and seemed to be rubbing something gently on the head. She had apparently gotten herself a pet rodent. She was holding the cage and accessories in one hand and began fumbling for the key in her pants pocket with the other. She watched her pull out the key and unlock the door quickly. "What kind of pet did you get?" she asked, walking inside with her. "I got myself a rat," was the simple reply as a small white head popped out from her shirt pocket. Rachel... she heard a voice in the back of her mind say suddenly. No. There was no way this could be him. Of all the rats Bryanna could have chosen. Why did it have to be this one? Biting her lip suddenly, she forced herself to keep from responding to the voice. Rachel, you know you remember me. You are the one, after all, who trapped me in this form the voice responded. She didn't know how she did it, but she still managed to keep quiet. Suddenly she saw the rat look at her friend. She somehow knew that he was speaking to her via thoughtspeak. The look on the girl's face said it all. "Just shut up," the girl said sharply. The rat looked at her as though it were surprised. "David, if you don't shut up," the girl said shortly, proving that he was still trying to speak to her, "I'll find a hawk or something that is very hungry and feed you to it happily." "David...You said that Rat's name is David, right?" Rachel said suddenly shaking her head some. "Yeah, that's what he told me his name is," she said, nodding softly as she spoke. This was a surprise. Rachel thought they had gotten rid of him forever. Oh great, this wouldn't end well. "Hey, could you bring him to the park? I'm sure Cassie and the guys would love to see him," she said grinning suddenly. "Sure," Bryanna responded, smiling brightly. "I'll meet you there," she said turning to leave. Before she left, however, she heard David shout into her mind I AM NOT GOING TO ANY DAMNED PARK WHERE YOUR FRIENDS MIGHT PULL ANYTHING OUT TO DO AWAY WITH ME! Laughing some, she just walked on out and headed on her way.
CHAPTER TWO
THE PARK
Bryanna picked up the rat and put him back into her shirt pocket. "Now, David. If you don't want to be set free to be eaten by some hungry hawk or anything else like that, remember all you have to do is behave," she said into the pocket as she turned and headed out the door to start her walk to the park. Fine the rat grumbled from the pocket as she took the time to reach in and rub him affectionately on the head. She felt him lean into the hand when she rubbed him in such a manner. As she approached the park, she saw Rachel standing off in the distance with Cassie, Marco, and Jake. "Bree! Hey!" Rachel shouted as she turned and headed over toward her friends. "Rach tells us you bought a rat," Marco said suddenly, "Do you really prefer the company of rodents to people?" "Shut it, Marco, it was her choice to get a rat. Maybe it was the first animal she saw and she fell in love with it," Jake said, with a smile in her direction. "I have some extra food I can give you for it, if you want," Cassie said with a soft, friendly smile. "Thank you, Cass," she said smiling some as she pulled the rat out of her shirt pocket to show eveyrone, "This is David." It's been a while, guys the rat thought into everyone's heads at once, with the exception of the one who was holding him. Marco tensed up and glared at the rat, while Cassie simply made her way over and smiled politely at the rat. Jake tensed up, and glared some, but stopped Marco from making any move to head over there and grab the rat, throwing it into a tree. She wondered why they were so intent on glaring at it, so she said, "What's up, guys? He won't hurt anyone." "He won't in that form," Jake said turning to Marco, so he could steady his friend. "That's true," Marco conceded as Rachel threw her head back and laughed in a decidedly evil manner.********************************************************************************
Tobias was flying around in the trees keeping a look out for anything suspicious happening in the general area. He nearly fell from the sky when he heard the voice of the rat the new girl was holding in her hands. It was David. How could that be? They had trapped him in the form of a rat, but how had she stumbled across him? He needed to see this from a closer viewpoint, so he flew down into the trees and alighted on a branch near the group. He scooted sideways to the edge of the branch, or close enough that he would not break it and fall to his death, so he could better see what was going on. He realized that the general consensus was that David must die, but when he heard Jake say that he would pose no danger in the form he was in, he was surprised. He watched Marco calm down and heard Rachel cackling like a witch. He knew that he loved her no matter what, but to tell the truth, there were times, much like now for instance, that she scared the living crap out of him.
Rachel smiled as she saw Tobias alight on the nearby branch and walked over to him. She quietly extracted herself from the group. She needed to speak with him about something that she considered important. "She doesn't know about us, don't worry," she said as she got closer to him. Close enough where she could whisper and he could hear her clearly. I see, he said softly into her mind, But she apparently knows about David. I'm not sure anyone would typically name a pet rat David. "Indeed, she has an inkling of it. You see David has spoken to her via thoughtspeak," she whispered softly as the hawk fluttered softly from the branch and alighted on her shoulder. Maybe you should tell her about the Animal Morphers another voice sounded from her other side. Turning around, she saw Ax in his normal form. He looked like a blue deer with a human torso. Only the face had big black eyes and no mouth. To normal people he would look like a freak. Either that, or they would figure out that he was an alien. He was an alien to tell the truth. An Andalite. They were a species that had battled the Yeerks for centuries before the parasitic Yeerks had found their way to earth. The Yeerks weren't friendly like the Andalites. They had to use others for what they wanted accomplished. They were parasites and the ones they took over were known as Controllers. This was because the Yeerks controlled them like a puppet of sorts. They also made it very hard to trust anyone, as they could be anyone. Even one's own parents or siblings. Jake knew how hard it could be to find out someone you trusted was one of them. His brother Tom was a Controller. She nodded some and said, "We should make sure she's not one of them first." As she finished the sentence, the Andalite that stood before her took on the appearance of a raven and flew off.
Jake smiled at the new girl as she held the rat affectionately. He knew that David was not exactly pure and good, but it seemed she cared deeply for him. "Hey, guys. I'm thinking about having a study group over at my place next Friday, if anyone's interested," he said. With that, everyone else looked up. "Would it be alright if I come over as well?" Bryanna said softly. "Of course. You can bring David as well if you want to," he said, smiling some as he watched her and Cassie get into a conversation on the best foods and bedding for rats. He knew this could end badly if she were a Controller like Tom, but he had a feeling that she wasn't. There was something about her manner that said she was a normal person, if there really were such a thing. She didn't take time to stick her finger in her ear like she was scratching at it, like his brother had done. That was how he had found out that his brother was one of them. Well, that and the fact that he had been acting strangely. He had quit the basketball team he had so enjoyed and started spending time at a club called 'The Sharing'. He now knew for a fact that this club was merely a recruiting center for new Controllers.
CHAPTER THREE
FRIDAY STUDIES
Bryanna walked into the house with Jake and the others. Once she had walked inside, she saw a boy that looked like an older version of Jake sitting at the kitchen table eating what appeared to be a snack. There was a song playing on the radio as well. It was a song she had heard before, but she had never been too fond of it. As she stood there listening to the song and trying to figure out what it was really saying, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Tom had gotten up from his seat and walked over to her silently. "Hey, you're Jake's new friend, aren't you?" he said getting her attention. "Yeah," she said, having a strange feeling that Tom was not to be trusted, but dismissing it as merely her overactive imagination. "If you'd like I could take you somewhere interesting," he said smiling warmly at her. "Could it wait until I'm done studying?" she asked, trying to ignore the music she was hearing from the radio. "Of course, but I would appreciate you trying to get my little brother to come with us to 'The Sharing'. It's a club I'm in, and I think you'd really enjoy it," he said as she turned and walked into the room where her new friends waited on her to arrive.
Jake watched silently as Bryanna walked in. There was something moving in her pocket, but he knew it was only the rat. David. He knew he would have to accept the rat if he wanted to find out more about the girl. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm a little late," she said as she smiled innocently. "What took you?" Rachel demanded, impatiently. "Tom stopped me to talk a bit," she responded with a shrug, "Said something about a club he wants me to join or something." "The Sharing," Marco said, his tone bordering on disgust. He felt his muscles tense up suddenly. "Are you going to join?" he asked, more curious than anything as he tried to maintain a normal composure. "It might be interesting," she responded softly. "It might mean new people and stuff, but I'm not sure it would be right for me." Looking to the others, he gave the signal that they should talk about this alone for a bit. The planned discussion on whether or not to tell her could no longer be delayed. "Um, Bree, could we talk privately for a moment?" he asked, not wanting to sound rude or anything. "Sure," was her simple response as she turned and left the room. "She's not one of them," he said simply, "Or she would have more than likely already known about the Sharing and already be a member. She wouldn't be wondering if it was right for her." "That's true," Cassie said, agreeing wholeheartedly, "I think it's time we tell her the truth about us. Maybe we can trust her with this." "I think so too," Rachel agreed. The only one who wasn't agreeing with this course of action was Marco. "What if she rats us out to the Yeerks?" he asked as the discussion took another turn.
Bryanna went out into the kitchen and sat at the table to think. She was surprised when a dog bounded toward her and began licking her on the hand. "Hello there," she said smiling as she scratched it behind the ears. "That's just Homer, pay him no mind," Tom said suddenly at her side. "He's really sweet and so very adorable," she said smiling at the dog that still sat at her feet enjoying the scratching behind the ears he was currently getting. "He has fleas you know," Tom said, seeming desperate to get her to leave the dog alone. "Plus," he continued, "If you're ready I can take you to 'The Sharing' now." "I'm not ready to go. Would you be willing to take a 'rain check'?" she responded still loving on Homer who had put his head in her lap as his tongue lolled out, obviously happy. "Sure," he responded smiling, even though he didn't sound happy, as he stood to his feet and walked out the door. "You can come back in now," Jake said suddenly, his voice only sounding from his room. "I'll pet on you some more later, I can promise you that, Homer," she said smiling softly at the dog as she stood to walk back into the room. She hadn't realized as she walked in and sat down that Homer had followed her.********************************************************************************
Homer liked this girl. She wasn't the only one that was here that enjoyed his company though. His human, Jake, did as well as his friends. He couldn't remember names too well, but he remembered scents. There was the boy who always smelled like pizza and take-out food, and there was the girl who smelled of that awful spray human females thought made them smell good. Then, there was the girl who smelled like all kinds of other animals and stuff of that nature. This girl had a scent he wasn't yet familiar with, but he wanted more than anything to familiarize himself with it. He had a feeling his human would be inviting her over more often now. She smelled of flowers, and he rather liked this smell. The other smell that seemed to float around her was weird. It was like some sort of little white animal like those that made his human's mother let loose an awful shriek. He gladly let her scratch him behind the ears as she sat on his human's bed and talked with the rest of them in their strange language. He couldn't even understand a word they said, but apparently they understood each other perfectly. While they talked, he reflected on his thoughts of his human's older brother. His name was Tom. He used to be friendly and enjoy his company, but lately since he started hanging out with a new group of humans he had ignored him and called him stupid.
CHAPTER FOUR
EXPLANATIONS
Bryanna blinked some. She was confused by what her friends were saying, but had no reason not to believe what they told her. They told her of an alien race that was friendly and could turn into other things for two Earth Hours as they called it. Then, they told of one that wasn't quite so friendly and lived by controlling other species. They couldn't live on their own. Therefore, they were parasites. The friendly aliens were called Andalites and one of their Princes had come to earth a few years ago and given them the power to turn into any given animal for an hour, and if they stayed in that form for longer they would be that animal forever. The parasitic race was a slug like creature known as Yeerks. Their leader had originally been Visser Three, but it was recently promoted to Visser Two. Rachel turned to the window once they had explained and said, "It's okay Tobias. She knows," as a red-tailed hawk flew in and perched on the headboard of the bed. I'm Tobias, a new voice said in her mind as the hawk stared at her with its penetrating gaze, It's nice to meet you. "So you turned into a hawk and stayed a hawk?" she asked after introducing herself to the hawk as though this were nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly she heard David's voice in her mind, but it seemed the others heard him as well. I'm not going to be neglected, you know. She will take care of me and treat me like another human if I ask her to, he said, smugly. "Now, David," she said softly to the rat, "You'll behave like the rat you are and I won't neglect you. You should know that, but don't be a turd and act like you're still human." The rat looked taken aback as she heard Rachel, Jake, and Marco laughing aloud at her statement. Cassie was chuckling under her breath as the hawk let loose with laughter in hers and everyone else's mind as he couldn't resist joining in on the joke. I'd prefer to act human, if you don't mind, the rat continued, still sounding smug. "Listen, David, and listen good," she whispered to him where the others could hear, "If you keep on like you're going, you're going to be fed to the very first hungry hawk I can find."
Tobias began to daydream about being the hawk she chose to give David to. He would start by plucking out his eyes with his beak and eat him slowly, letting him stay alive until the very end. There was something about the idea that made him happy, but he knew if he voiced this idea to the others, it would completely gross them out. To him, however, it was natural and he had grown used to it over the past three years. He wouldn't have thought twice about it if he still hadn't been slightly grossed out at the time because of the small part of him that was still human. He could still resume his human form for two hours at a time unless he chose to stay human for the rest of his life and never get to fly in the sky again. He wanted to stay as a hawk, but he still gladly resumed his human form every now and again to spend time with Rachel. He loved her dearly but he still didn't even eat around her. He didn't want her to see how he had to eat his food and cause her to worry about him for any reason.
Jake shook his head as he watched Tobias hop around and alight on Rachel's lap where he allowed her to stroke his feathers. He fairly laughed when his friend pulled on Rachel's hair and preened it for her. It was a sign of affection, he knew, but it was a rather odd little relationship to say the least. At least Tobias could still become human for an hour at a time and spend time with Rachel normally, at least for a while. Then he turned to see that Cassie and Marco were now in a conversation about certain animals they hadn't morphed into yet and could try out soon. They were also involved in a relationship, even though theirs was slightly more normal than Tobias and Rachel. He suddenly found himself wishing he had someone that he considered close enough to fall in love with. Then, he realized he was staring at Bryanna. He was starting to have feelings for her, but he assumed it was just his way of dealing with the fact that all of his friends had someone special in their life to be in love with and he had no one at this point in time. He assumed he was just feeling left out and desperate to fall in love, so he decided he would sit back and let it happen to him when it was meant to happen. Realizing that it was now or never he looked up and said, "Would you like to be able to turn into an animal of your choice for an hour at a time and help us save the human race from the Yeerks?" "Of course," she responded as he now reached under his bed to produce the blue cube the Andalite prince had used to give the power over to him and his friends that dark and cloudy night. He of course, would soon introduce her to Ax, who was an Andalite, when he felt it would be safest to do so. First, he wanted to let her get used to the new lifestyle she was about to embark upon and then he would worry about letting her meet Ax.
CHAPTER FIVE
ONE MORE HERO
Bryanna watched as Jake produced a small blue cube from under his bed. She looked around the room once before turning back to him. She could tell that Tobias and Rachel shared an odd sort of relationship. Then she took notice of the fact that Marco and Cassie were holding hands. Then, she turned back to Jake and listened closely as he explained the rules of being an Animorph as he called it. She watched carefully as he held out the blue cube for her to place her hand upon. As she placed her hand upon one of the sides, she felt as though a sharp bolt of electricity had shot through her veins and pulled back quickly, surprised that it hadn't singed the palm of her hand when she had touched it. "Wow," she muttered as Cassie looked up from her conversation with Marco. "Hey, Bree, do you wanna spend tonight with me? I have plenty of animals you can use for your new morphs," she said suddenly. Nodding some, Bryanna said, "I'll just have to leave a note at home for my mother. That way she doesn't worry too much," as she pulled a paper out of her purse and scribbled a note letting her mother know she was spending the night with a friend on it. Why don't you call her and tell her? Tobias asked, letting everyone hear his question so they wouldn't think it to be personal. "She won't be home until about two in the morning, tomorrow. Then she'll sleep until six when she has to get up for her other job," she responded with a shrug. "Wow, that sounds like it would be tough," Marco said suddenly looking up from where he had folded his own hands when Cassie had started talking to Bryanna. "Um, Tobias, I hate to ask you this, but could you take this note to my place and drop it on my bed? My window's open," she said looking at the hawk pleadingly. Sure I'll take it, he responded as he picked the letter up with his beak and flew off toward her place.
Marco knew what it was to feel alone, even though he didn't know what it was like to have a parent that worked two jobs to make ends meet. Hell, his dad still didn't have a job, but he wasn't about to pressure him anymore than need be about finding one. As it would turn out his father had a stubborn streak like his own and neither would let the other push them too far without getting at least a little annoyed. Looking at the others after Tobias had flown out the window, he said, "I'm gonna go fly around for about half an hour," before changing forms into an osprey and flying out the window. Once he had flown out the window, he began circling a nearby tree so that he could possibly think without the others asking what was wrong. Bryanna seemed like a very nice person, but he still was not sure she wouldn't rat them out to the Yeerks if her mother was captured by them. Of course, he had almost done the same before when the Visser took the form of his own mother. He knew how hard it could be, but he wasn't about to say that aloud in front of his friends. He was glad they had a new person in the group though. Of course, that meant a new friend for Cassie. If she loved animals as much as Cassie, then she would be simply glowing for about a week at least. Focusing his osprey eyes on a pocket watch someone had carelessly dropped, he saw that an hour and a half had passed. The two hours were nearly up to tell the truth and he would rather not be stuck in the form of a bird for the rest of his life. He liked being a human thank you very much. Flying quickly back into Jake's room he demorphed and sat on the bed nearly out of breath as he was not used to having to demorph so quickly as he had done this time.
Bryanna watched worriedly as Marco landed on Jake's bed out of breath. The osprey had flown in and in a matter of minutes Marco lay there trying to catch his breath. "Hey, you alright?" Cassie asked hurrying over to his side and pulling him to her, obviously worried. "I'm fine, just let me breathe," came the muffled response as she let him go and sat back up. "You ready to go, Bree?" she asked. "Yeah, and how does one you know...morph?" was the simple response. "I'll explain to you when we get to my place, but first tell me what kind of animal you'd like to be. My mother and I run a home where we take care of sick and hurt animals from the zoo, if you'd like to start big and work your way down to smaller creatures." "That would probably be a good idea," she said nodding some as the two girls started out the door. Once outside, Cassie said, "It'd be best if we don't speak of this stuff outside. I mean, they could be anyone." "Alright, So shall we discuss the care of animals?" Bryanna asked smiling. "Of course, that would work," Cassie smiled brightly and began explaining to Bryanna the type of work she and her mother were doing with the animals from the nearby zoo which incidentally was called 'The Gardens' or something like that. As they walked, she felt herself immersed in the conversation and nearly walked right past Tom without realizing it was him. "Hi, Tom," she said waving at him. "Hello," he replied nodding some as he walked on his way. "He's one of them," Cassie whispered softly to her when they were near the house. "I see," she responded nodding some as they began to approach the door. "If you want you can borrow one of my outfits tomorrow so you don't get your clothes dirty," Cassie said smiling brightly. "I don't really like to bother anyone, but I suppose it won't kill me," Bryannna said smiling brightly. She already thought of Cassie as one of the best friends she could have ever wished for.
CHAPTER SIX
SECRET LIFE
Bryanna awoke the next morning to her rat, David, moving about on the covers under which she had slept. "What do you want?" she groaned tiredly. I think your new friends are up to something he said his whiskers twitching thoughtfully. "Don't worry, they're not plotting your destruction," she said as she reached over to pet him on the head. They are so he responded defiantly as she sighed and looked to the table by the bed to see that Cassie had placed there an old pair of overalls as well as a black leotard. With a sigh, she got out of bed to get dressed. Once she had the leotard and overalls on, she headed out of the room to see Cassie waiting patiently in the kitchen. "Good morning, Bree," she said smiling amiably as she headed over to the table for breakfast. "Morning, Cass," she responded as she stifled a yawn and began to eat the eggs and bacon laid out on the plate before her - giving the biscuit to David. She had thought that he might - at the very least - appreciate it. That was why it came as such a surprise when he simply sat there and ignored the biscuit she offered. Oh well. That was his problem. After she had finished eating, Cassie stood to her feet and she followed her out to the barn. Inside, she saw skunks, raccoons, mourning doves, and mutiple other animals that were either healing or waiting to be released. Smiling softly, she turned to Cassie and said, "You got anything bigger here? No offense to these cuties and all." "Yeah, come outside with me," she had responded as the two of them walked outside where she saw numerous large cats - tigers, leopards, cheetahs, and the such - as well as some wolves that were healing from various wounds they had gotten. Walking toward one of the black panthers - it seemed to be watching her in a friendly manner - she reached out her hand and allowed it to sniff before petting it on the head. Remembering what Cassie had told her, she closed her eyes and concentrated on 'acquiring' the panther so that she could 'morph' into it.
Cassie watched as the other girl's form began shifting into that of the panther. First came the ears and the tail and then the eyes changed. She seemed to have the same knack for this Jake and others claimed she had. Then the girl began sprouting fur and the muzzle shot out without warning. With a cricking sound, her legs began to change and before she knew it the girl no longer stood there. She was now a panther. As the panther narrowed its eyes at a nearby rabbit and crouched as if in pursuit, she shook her head softly. It would take a few seconds for her to learn to control the instincts of the panther. A few seconds later, the panther turned to face her and she heard the voice in her head. Wow. I never knew it was this exhilirating to be a panther. That said, she watched her begin to run around batting at the grass like an overgrown cat. "Bree, you need to demorph now," she said as she realized it was getting close to the two-hour mark. When she said this, the panther seemed to nod its head as it began to change back into the girl. The body changed first and the muzzle disappeared as well as the fur, leaving her with the ears and tail for just a second longer. Seeing the girl shake out her hair, she smiled. "Have fun?" "Oh yeah. If you don't mind, I'd like to try a smaller animal now." "That would probably be a good idea," she said leading Bryanna back into the barn and watching as she approached the cage of one of the nearly healed raccoons. Seeing her hold out her hand - in a friendly manner - she smiled. Her smile widened some as the raccoon took her hand in its own and she reached out and petted it on the head. As soon as she had 'acquired' the raccoon, she began the morph. As before, the ears sprouted out first and then the rest of the change. As another small raccoon stood there, she watched as she began to ferret out shiny objects.
Bryanna stood there as a raccoon and began looking for shiny objects. The raccoon was interested in anything that glittered. A few seconds of her instincts warring with those of the animal, she won out and used the thought speak again. Wow. Raccoons aren't as easy to control as panthers. She heard Cassie chuckle in response and brushed her claws through her fur before beginning the process of demorphing. Once she stood there - fully human again - Cassie smiled and said, "We should get back in for lunch. After we eat, you can choose your first bird." "Sounds fun to me," she said picking up the cowering David and carrying him inside with her for some much needed nourishment. As they sat at the table with burgers and soda in front of them, she broke off part of the burger bun and handed it to a surprisingly grateful David. Apparently he was hungry. She chuckled some as she ate her lunch and drank the soda. After eating, she headed back outside with Cassie. David had chosen to come along - again - and watch as she chose her first bird morph. Heading straight toward a cage that held a red-tailed hawk, she smiled and reached out to pat it on the head. "Her name is Autumn," Cassie supplied with a smile as she did so. "She's so pretty," she said as she 'acquired' her and began the morph.
CHAPTER SEVEN
GOTTA GET USED TO THIS
Bryanna smiled softly as she headed home from school. She had stopped by the pet store to pick up some food for David. Hoping he'd like this food, she fumbled through her pocket for the key. Once inside, she set the food down and grabbed the food bowl from the cage of the sleeping rat. Replacing the food bowl, she nearly had a heart attack when she saw the red-tailed hawk tapping at her bedroom window. Opening the window so he could fly in, she smiled and said, "Hello Tobias. What's up?" I heard you have a knack for morphing. Cassie told me, Rachel, Marco, and Jake that you morphed three animals in a day. "Yeah. Raccoon's the smallest I've tried though." It felt oddly normal for her to be sitting here talking with a red-tailed hawk. Seeing that her rat was now awake, she shook her head. He was already eating his new food. That's not why I'm here though. Jake wants us to gather at his place to work on homework as well as practice a new morph. "Okay, wait just a second. I'll fly with you if that's alright." Okay, the hawk responded as he perched on a nearby chair and covered his face with his wings. Turning to her rat, she said, "I'll be back in a bit, David." Alright. That's all he said as she began the morph into the red-tailed hawk she had acquired and flew out the window with Tobias. Did Cassie tell the others what animals I morphed? She didn't tell us that you morphed a red-tailed hawk. I also morphed a panther and a raccoon. Don't let them know yet please. Alright. That was all he said before the two of them lapsed into comfortable silence for the rest of the flight to Jake's house. As soon as the two of them landed on the window sill, she saw a look of surprise on the faces of Jake, Rachel, and Marco.
Jake saw Tobias land on the window sill with another red-tailed hawk, and nearly had a small stroke. Apparently his friend had been followed by a wild hawk. "Hey, Tobias." Hey, guys. "She coming over?" I'm right here. Hey guys. That had been a second voice and he instantly recognized it as hers. Clutching his heart, he turned to his other friends to see that Marco and Rachel had similar reactions while Cassie simply sat there serenely. It was as though she had known about this, but he didn't think any more on the subject as the hawk flew in the window. "Did you bring your homework?" Finished it already. That was all she said as she began to demorph - keeping the wings until last. He secretly thought that had made her look like an angel for a moment. Watching as she shook out her hair, he pulled out his notebook and began on his homework. He had gotten himself behind while trying out this new morph he wanted to share with his friends. "So, Rach, where'd you get that adorable shirt?" He was surprised to hear that Bryanna was interested in clothes. Oh good. "I got it on the bargain rack, surprisingly, at Macy's. Where'd you get that adorable leotard?" "I used to do gymnastics," she shrugged softly and - being a typical teenage boy - his mind instantly wandered to some of the stunts she might have done and just how limber she probably really was. Shaking his head to clear his mind of these thoughts before his body voiced its reaction, he returned his attention to the homework on his desk. As soon as he had finally finished his homework, he picked up the matchbox he kept the creature for the new morph in and held it out to his friends. "The new morph is this," he said as he opened the matchbox. The expressions of his friends ranged from barely disguised disgust to full-blown disgust. He had chosen a cockroach and apparently his friends weren't too happy with this idea. He had - of course - practiced it himself before asking his friends to even attempt it. "Come on, guys, it's not that bad."
When she saw the creature Jake wanted her and the others to morph into next, Bryanna couldn't stop her face from registering the disgust she felt at the very idea. She had never liked bugs much, let alone cockroaches. She had always thought these were by far the most disgusting creatures to walk the earth. However, as the box was passed to her, she reached in and - cringing - 'acquired' its DNA like the others had done. "Who wants to go first?" Jake asked. The others immediately began pointing fingers at one another - with the exception of Cassie. "I think we should go in pairs. Bryanna and I will go first." That's all she said, but Bryanna shuddered at the thought. Cassie began the morph first and then she started - so she wouldn't have to see what happened next. Their friends had turned away so they wouldn't have to watch. Then suddenly her brain registered large beings and light. She wanted to run away from the light and find somewhere nice and dark to relax for a while. Fighting to gain control of the smaller brain, she finally won out. A few minutes later she and Cassie were demorphing and Rachel and Tobias went next. It was kind of weird to watch a hawk change forms so she decided to watch. Upon making this decision, she instantly regretted it. Closing her eyes to rid her mind of the image of a hawk with hard feathers and feelers, she leaned back and rested her head against the wall. "Tell me when it's over with, okay, Cass?" That's all she said but was comforted by a hand on her shoulder. Realizing it wasn't Cassie, she opened one eye to see that Jake was sitting at her side and managed a small smile. "You'll get used to this." That's all he said, but - at this point in time - it meant the world to her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
FAMILY REUNION
Bryanna sighed softly as she awoke one Saturday - two weeks after she had morphed the red-tailed hawk. She had the sudden urge to go through her old photo albums. Coming across a picture of a brunette boy with brown eyes, she smiled softly. He had been her cousin. Strangely enough his name had been Tobias. That explained why she had trusted the red-tailed hawk with the same name so quickly. Her thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of something small and furry rubbing softly against her arm, she turned slightly to see David standing there - staring at the picture fearfully. "What's up with you?" How do you have his picture? That's all the rat said, but it had her suddenly curious. "You knew my cousin?" Oh. I thought it was someone else. "I see. My cousin, Tobias, was one of the best people anyone could ever have known. He was really quiet and not the social type, but I could talk to him about anything." Seeing the rat's eyes widen in fear again, she tilted her head curiously. I'm sorry. Did you say his name was Tobias? "Yeah. Why?" Show that picture to your new friends and see the reaction you get from them. "Fine, I will." She wanted to know why David had been staring at her cousin's picture in fear, and she was damned well going to find out. Her thoughts were interrupted by her cell phone ringing. Answering it, she heard Rachel's voice on the other end. "Jake wants us to meet up at his place. You know, to study and stuff." She knew exactly what that meant. Jake was calling an Animorphs meeting. "Alright, I'll be there." Picking up the picture of her cousin, she headed out the door and started the walk to Jake's place.
Jake smiled when he saw Bryanna walk into his room. He had heard Tom out there talking to her. "Hey, sorry if I'm late." "You're not late. Just on time as a matter of fact." "I was looking through my old photo albums. I came across a few pictures of my family. Before my mom and I moved here." Holding out the picture of her cousin, she said, "That was my cousin - and closest friend. His name was-" She was interrupted by Rachel speaking aloud. "Tobias. That's Tobias!" "You knew him?" "Knew him? I know him." Jake looked over at the picture and nearly went into shock. It was Tobias. Or at least it had been before he got stuck in the form of a red-tailed hawk. He had called a meeting of the Animorphs so that he and the others could vote on whether or not it was time she met Ax. Seeing Marco and Cassie lean over to get a look as well, he watched as their faces registered shock. "David told me that I should bring this picture with me." I see. Well, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Bree. Tobias had joined the conversation and was peering over her shoulder at the picture in her hands. "Yeah. If I had known-"she started but Tobias interrupted her by simply placing a wing over her mouth. You couldn't know. It was too dangerous. That settled it - at least for him. Discussing the idea of her meeting Ax could wait. She was in need of a few minutes to reconnect with her long-lost cousin. "I can see that now. But, I thought you were dead." Seeing the hawk flutter off to the nearby corner of the room and shift back into the human boy, he spoke - getting everyone's attention. "Okay, guys. We'll have our meeting in a bit. When Bryanna and Tobias finish catching up." Smiling softly, he watched as Tobias went to sit beside the girl who had promptly attatched herself to him in a hug. He was hugging her back. Apparently they had been very close before Tobias had lost his parents and he had moved away from her. She had been told - by her other family members - that Tobias had been killed along with his parents.
Tobias had known - since he had first seen her - that Bryanna was his cousin. He hadn't gone to see her because he knew that bringing her into his new life would be dangerous for her. Not only would it endanger her, but it would endanger him and his new friends as well. He didn't want to drag her into the danger of the Yeerks, nor did he know if she had been infested yet. He didn't want to take the chance that she wasn't the same person he had known all those years ago. Even though he could only hold this form for a little less than two hours if he wanted to be able to shift forms again, he felt it was best to be like this around her. He had been glad to find out she wasn't a Controller. Now that she was in with the Animorphs, he was gleeful and worried at the same time. He didn't want her to get hurt - or worse. He wanted her to be able to live a happy peaceful life. Now that she was one of them, that hope had been crushed. At least now he'd be able to watch after her like he had when they had been younger. "Tobias, you could have at least told me." Rachel was pouting. That wasn't going to end well. "I didn't want to bring her into the war with the Yeerks." "You never did tell me where you used to fly off to when we couldn't find you for a while." "I flew to where she lived to check on her and make sure she was alive and well." "I see." With that, he felt two pairs of arms wrapped around him in a hug. Rachel and Bryanna were both hugging him tightly. They were making it difficult for him to breathe right now - let alone speak. When they pulled away, he kissed Rachel softly on the cheek and said, "I'm gonna go back to being a hawk. That way you two don't crush me to death, alright?" With that said, he resumed the form he had grown used to. It was easier for him to be the hawk now than it was for him to be the human he used to be, but that didn't mean he wasn't happy to have his cousin - and confidant - around again.
CHAPTER NINE
INFILTRATION PLOT
It had been two weeks since Bryanna had found out that her cousin - Tobias - was currently stuck in the form of a red-tailed hawk. A few days later, she had met - and instantly clicked with - Ax. She found him to be incredibly sweet and had no trouble growing to care about him like one would a sibling. It was now Monday and she had been detained after school by Vice Principal Chapman and she was in a hurry to get home. If she didn't get there soon David would be hungry and cranky. Arriving home - out of breath - she fumbled in her pocket for her key and went inside. Seeing a red-tailed hawk sitting on her bed, she nearly had a small stroke before she realized it was only her cousin - Tobias. "You scared me," she giggled softly. Sorry. Didn't mean to. Just came by to see if you were home yet and when you weren't I fed David for you and decided to wait on you. What happened? "Was detained after school today by Vince Principal Chapman." You do know that he's a Controller, right? "I figured that. Especially when he told me I should think about joining The Sharing to meet some 'good influences' instead of hanging with the friends I've made here." He didn't go there! "He did." Anyways, I was dropping in with a message from Jake. He wants you to come by his place. Rachel and the others are there too. "Alright." That's all she said before she began the morph to red-tailed hawk. She didn't want to ever miss an opportunity to spend time with her cousin again. Hey, um, Tobias, I've got a little problem. What's up, Bree? I think I'm starting to really like someone, but I'm not sure how he feels about me. Why don't you just spy on him sometime? That would be for personal gain. Jake never said that we shouldn't use it for personal gain, did he? No, I don't think he did, did he? I suppose it wouldn't hurt. As a matter of fact it would actually give me some more practice. Think about it that way, Bree, Tobias responded with a mental chuckle as the two of them flew into Jake's window and she began the process of demorphing. Standing there completely human, she shook out her hair and sat down on the bed between Cassie and Rachel. Marco was on Cassie's other side, and Tobias landed beside Rachel. They all had their attention on Jake who was sitting at the writing desk in his room, scratching the dog - Homer - softly behind the ears.
Jake was sitting at his writing desk while Cassie, Marco, and Rachel sat on his bed. He had called another Animorphs meeting today. He wanted to see if they could manage to infiltrate the nearby Yeerk Pool again and save more Controllers from a fate worse than death. He wished Tobias and Bryanna would hurry up and arrive. His wish was soon granted when two red-tailed hawks flew in his window and one alighted next to Rachel - Tobias - and the other - Bryanna - flew off to a corner and demorphed - the wings staying until the end - making her look like an odd sort of angel - like the first time he had seen her do this. Not long after she had finished demorphing, a raven flew into the room and demorphed into the Andalite everyone knew and loved. "Hey there, Ax," Bryanna said suddenly wrapping her arms around the humanesque torso and pulling back after he returned her hug awkwardly. "On to business, if everyone is okay with it," he said suddenly catching the attention of everyone else in the room. With that, he explained his plan to infiltrate the nearby Yeerk Pool - again. After explaining this, he smiled and reminded everyone of the two hour time limit they had before having to demorph. They would have to make it in and out in that time limit, so they didn't really have a whole lot of time to do what they were going in there to do. "So, when are we gonna do this?" Bryanna had been the one to speak up. "I was thinking we would probably be best to do this next weekend, if everyone's okay with it." "Do we have to go as bugs?" That had been Rachel. "No. We're not going as bugs. I'm going as Homer. Everyone else can choose what they go as." "I'm going as Chapman's cat." That was Rachel again. Cassie had decided to go in as a rabbit, and Marco decided he wanted to go as an osprey - he stated simply that wings were faster and he could carry Cassie along with his talons, promising her that he would be careful. Tobias would have to go as a red-tailed hawk - at least he wouldn't have to demorph like the others this time. Ax had decided it would be best for him to go as a raven. He would ride in on Jake's back. Bryanna simply smiled and said, "You guys'll see what I choose next weekend. I promise." He was now curious as to what she had chosen.
Bryanna sat there silently - trying to figure out if she should surprise Jake and the others like she had planned by going with them as a raccoon or simply to just go as a red-tailed hawk - and listened to the conversations going on around her. Cassie and Marco were planning out how they would go about him carrying her while he flew - and how to do such a task without hurting the delicate skin of the rabbit she planned on morphing into.