An Odd Life
Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 and/or Ben 10: Alien Force, they belong to Man of Action and Cartoon Network Studios. I do however own every other character you're introduced to.
Notes: I'm sorry to say that at about Chapter 11 the rabid plot bunnies had to be appeased and I sort of lost track of the plot a bit. I am really sorry. Please forgive me! [CRIES]
Ch 1
A large shadow darkened the street, blocking the full moon as the creature flew silently, gracefully as glowing green eyes scanned the rooftops and yards. Suddenly it swooped down catching a gopher who had strayed too far from the relative safety of its' burrow. The talons swiftly severed the spinal cord as the creature gained altitude once more.
It looked like an overgrown owl, standing as tall as a preschooler, its wingspan six feet. Dark brown feathers covered it, with a darker patch running down its' spine and flaring out to its tail. A patch of the same color also ran the length of its stomach. Its' talons were pitch black, the feet too. Its' beak matched. Bulbous emerald, slightly eerie, eyes stared through the darkness with incredible ease as it found its roost and perched atop a sturdy branch before setting to its' meal. The beak opened and the hypodermic needle like tongue struck out into the carcass, injecting a substance that would liquefy the internal organs, veins, and vessels in seconds. Then the tongue needle sucked the insides out of the empty shell before discarding the meaty outside like trash.
The creature, which was certainly not of this world, stared into the window of the human it guarded and smiled internally. She was safe and sound asleep, wrapped in a white wolf's pelt, not even nightmares disturbing her unconscious form.
The leaves rustled ominously and a lithe but blocky form snuck from the brushes to the door. The creature screeched and dived once more, talons thrusting forward as weapons.
"F***ing bird!" the would be thief swore as he tried to fend the creature off. It wasn't to be deterred though as it circled and dived again and again; the thief had to drop his tools of the trade and run blunderingly through the brushes of his entrance. The creature seemed smug as it returned to its' branch only to find the human up. She was looking out the window to it's' branch, eyes frightened and wide if not half asleep.
"Whhhhoooo." The creature assured, ruffling its feathers somewhat proudly. Her eyes narrowed in angry recognition and she mouthed, "We'll talk about this tomorrow."
Its' head bobbed up and down as if in agreement, "Whhhhoooo."
She huffed and rolled over, her back to its' unnatural gaze. It whooed as if chuckling.
Soon the sun rose and the creature left, returning to its' home and true form. In a bright green flash the creature disappeared as a young man took its' place. He walked up the pathway to the door with a gait that told his mind and soul was far older than his physical form. He trooped into the house to take a quick shower and then just as quickly got into some fresh clothes before grabbing his schoolbag and jogging out the door grabbing his keys, calling in reply to his mother's "Breakfast?" "Nah, I'll grab something on the way."
His car was a black SUV, unusually equipped on the inside though inconspicuous on the exterior. The windows were tinted from the outside though crystal clear from the inside. The seats were in his favorite shade of green, extra safety harnesses hidden tastefully in the design. The causal passers-by could not know that in the, already built in, storage compartments were stowed weapons that could make even the toughest Navy Seal piss his pants just at the mere sight of them.
He carefully checked his rear before backing out of the garage, the driveway, and into the street, heading down the road at the lazy pace of twenty-five miles per hour. He stopped by the Coffee Hut to buy an espresso for himself and hot chocolate for his usual passenger. He chuckled darkly, most sixteen year olds couldn't stand the bitter flavor of the coffee he drank and the woman at the window had been most surprised the first few days he ordered it but soon had his order waiting for him to pick up as soon as he came into the drive-thru.
She, his passenger, was waiting for him at the end of her driveway and smoothly slid into her seat, buckling up before reaching for the cup of warm liquid with a murmured, "Morning Ben."
He chuckled again as they pulled away from the curb, "Good morning Julie."
She eyed him curiously, "How can you be so…chipper in the mornings? Especially since you sit outside my window all night, every night?"
Ben laughed once more, pointing to his cup, "Caffeine is a miracle of nature, plus the serotonin and endorphins from my snack last night have yet to recede completely."
Julie grimaced, "Yeah, Dad found your 'snack' this morning. It's really freaking him out; he thinks there's some kind demon out there…"
"Nope, just the friendly neighborhood morpher."
"Well I can't just go up to him and say, 'Don't worry Dad. Ben just gets hungry while he stalkerishly watches me as I sleep while he's in the form of an alien owl which feeds on the liquefied inners of his prey'… that would NOT go over well."
"I'm not a stalker," he defended himself, "I just—"
"—Worry," she finished his thought for him, "I know, I understand. But this isn't healthy for you—"
"—I'm fine," he assured. She decided to use his weakness against him, "Ben, what if you collapse from exhaustion? Any enemy who's smart will take the opportunity to hurt me…"
He stiffened, "Alright, I'll get Gwen to keep an eye on you while I take a nap."
She sighed at the mention of a babysitter, but let it pass. The future he came back from was one she died in and he was desperate to prevent and/or avoid any way her life could end; he freaked while she cut her own pancakes for Pete's sake! So she couldn't really get mad with his coddling, but she was getting very frustrated with it.
They soon pulled into the Juniors' parking lot at the school and he got out, hurried to her side of the SUV, opened the door and helped her down the foot high drop to the ground. He scanned the neighborhood for any and all potential dangers, using an Anodite ability, before gently guiding her onto the school grounds when he was sure of its safety.