Chapter 1
I was an average kid until one day, all that changed. Basically, me and my friends – or people I wanted to be my friends - ran into an alien, who was almost dead. Oh yea, did I mention he's my father? Anyway, he gives us all the power to morph, but with it a responsibility to fight the Yeerks.
Yeerks: Slimy slugs that creep into your mind and take complete control. No one knows but us. They could be anyone, even your mom or dad, and you'll never know until it's too late… and you'll be one too. Anyway; we've been through battles, too many chances, and we've been lucky. We being Cassie, Jake, Rachel, Marco, and Ax. Ax – an Andalite and the brother to Elfangor, both aliens called Andalites. They are super-smart, odd-looking creatures. Scorpion-tailed, dear, human, blue creatures with no mouth and stalk eyes. Normal compared to other scum we've battled….
Like I said, we've been through lots. Blood shed, pain. Pain, endless pain. Misery. Are we hopeless? I'm not really sure. The future of Earth rests on the shoulders of six kids – four of them just normal, or, they would have been….
Rachel: Gorgeous, would-be model, warrior queen.
Jake: Our 'leader' or Prince Jake.
Marco: Dead to the world with his parents.
Cassie: Peaceful Cassie turned to a torn girl of wars.
Ax: Well…. I'm not sure what Ax once was, but he's more Earthling than Andalite any more.
And Me? I unfurled my wings. Wings. That's right. The Power we have to fight the Yeerks; morphing animals, any we touch, or acquire. But I'm stuck for good as a hawks. Red-tailed to be exact. I got my powers to morph back, but it's better than my past life. Some people don't believe in destiny or fare….
Up into the sky, away from all my problems, away from it all, letting the hawk in me take over. I saw my prey, the hawk in me's prey. A simple rat. I flew in and made the kill. One of many times that I have had to kill to survive. At first I had trouble adjusting to my new diet, but there was one who helped me thought the trouble. She told me I was still human and reminded me who I was several times. Rachel. Oh beautiful Rachel. Sometimes as I sit in my tree late at night, I imagine what she is doing and how she looks. When I really can't sleep, I fly on over to her house and I sit outside in the tree by her window and just watch her sleep. Tonight was no different.
Later, as I flew over to her house, I thought about all we've (the Animorphs) have been through the past few years. We've had more missions than normal, and we've also been closer to being discovered. Before I knew it I was at her house. AS I flew in for my landing I noticed that the lights were still on in her room. I thought that this was odd considering that it was almost 2am. As I got closer, I saw that she was sitting up in bed crying.
My mind started racing madly. She was crying. How could I ignore it? Rachel? She jolted up, frantic, red eyes shooting to the window. I saw her dry the tears suck in her pain, and come upon the window, throwing it open.
"Tobias! What are you doing here?!" She demanded clearly upset that I had seen her crying, yet relief was in her tone.
Jake…. He wants us in the barn. I lied. An all out lie. What else could I do? She looked long upon me, and I fluttered my wings nervously.
"Alright. I'll be right out." She turned, wiped at her eyes, and crept to her closet, returning a moment later with and inflatable doll which she stuffed into her bed. It was 1:48am. What was I thinking?!
Turning away angrily, I waited until she shot into the sky in the form of a barn owl. I was silent – what could I do?!
It seemed an eternity of darkness before I reached the barn. We swooped down, and she demorphed. I morphed into my human form and became Tobias. Human Tobias to consult her. She was in the barn.
"Where the Hell is everyone?!" She demanded as I entered, hands stuffed into my pockest, head down so my bangs hid the shame. "Tobias?"
"They aren't coming." I admitted softly, raising my gaze to hers which flashed in anger.
"What?"
"Rachel… What's wrong?" Slowly, I stepped forth. I took her hands . How alien. She didn't resist but looked at me, tears brimming already. "What's wrong?"
"Tobias, I…. I don't know how to tell you this, but remember that one night we were together?"
"Yea… that was one of the most wonderful nights of my life"
"Well, um……" she paused, trying to catch her breath. "I'm pregnant." Angrily, she kicked a rusty pail.
"Oh my god." How was I supposed to respond to that. "Rachel…. We've got to get married!"
"Tobias! How could we?" I thought long and hard, mind racing.
"We can! We're 17!"
"YOU'RE A BIRD! I love you, Tobias, Toby, but…"
Now tears formed in my eyes, and I backed away against the barn door, my world swirling.
"Then, what was there for us? Was I just a fling, Rachel?!"
"No, Toby, Noo! That's not it…" I didn't want to hear it. No she hurt me bad. It still hurts. Pain pierced my heart, and I thought she loved me. But no.
"I see how it is…' She looked at me, and I could see the pain, the anguish, the hate? I can't take it. Rachel is my only love in this lonely world, my dear, gorgeous, brave Rachel. Right before her eyes, I ran, swung open the door, just as Cassie's dad came with a club in hand. I ducked under, but Rachel, who was running after, wasn't so lucky. He caught her in his arms, and I could hear her screaming: "TOBIAAAAAS!!!!!" Cassie's voice: "My god! Rachel, you're WHAT?!?!?!?!"
I couldn't bear it. I ran. I wouldn't' morph, my mind was too fogged. My senses weren't clear. Through the night I blundered across the forests I knew so well, only demorphing when absolutely necessary, until I came to the cliff over the Hork-Bajir valley. I had no wings, no life. "I'm a BIRD!" I wailed, tears dropping far, far below. I got down on my knees just as a wolf appeared at my back, snarling. I didn't care.
What the Hell did you do to Rachel? It really wasn't like Cassie to care but….
"I screwed her!" Direct. I didn't care. Yea I had enjoyed it too. A lot. But that didn't matter.
You Bastard! Cassie was really angry but I knew.
"What do you care? I know what you've done with Jake!" I was past reasoning. I wanted revenge against the world, and Cassie was my first victim….
Why you - she stopped, anger peaked, and lunged forth. The teeth sinking into my leg. Pain, but no worse than that in my heart. My blood leaked outward. My soul was dead. I fell forward, dragging myself by my talons. Talons? No, fingers.
I fell. Cassie in her blind rage, was still attached to my calf, but quickly released. A howl, eerie and forlorn, rang out through the air.
I spread my wings – no, my arms. "RAAACHEEEL!!!!!!"
Jake! JAAKE! I LOVE YOU! JAA -
CRUNCH!
My bones. Dozens of human bones smashed. Atop me smashed Cassie. Pain rattled through my body, but I still heard, through my bleeding ears, the sickening crack and her wolf body went limp.
"First thing first," I thought to my self. "I have to demorph. Then I have to figure out what to do about Cassie." I demorphed back to my hawk body as quickly as I have ever done. When I was done, I noticed that Cassie was still breathing. Barely. I then remorphed back to human. Although I was mad at her, I couldn't just let her die out there. I did what any sensible person would do. I lifted her up and began walking back to her barn. Every now and the I stopped to demorphed so that I wouldn't be trapped. After a few hrs. we made it back to the barn. By this time Cassie had regained some form of consciousness.
Wha, what happened?
"Um, Cassie. You had a little accident. Don't you remember?"
All I remember is that you got Rachel pregnant and that I came after you . Why can't I feel my legs?
"Well, when you attacked me, we accidentally fell off the cliff and you broke your back. So did I, but I demorphed. You, unfortunately, didn't regain consciousness until just now and it's already been to late for you to change. Now I'm taking you back to you're place and I'm going to leave you in the care of you dad.
Oh. That was the last thing she said before she drifted out of consciousness again. I put Cassie in the barn and ran to the house to get her dad.
"HELP! HELP!" I yelled. It was the only way I could figure to get Cassie's dad's attention. He ran outside.
"What is it? What's the matter?"
"I was in the woods and I was walking along and I saw this wolf lying there on the ground. I didn't know what to do so I went over to it. As I got closer I realized that its back was broken and I didn't know what to do so I carried it here. It's in your barn."
"You do know that you could have been killed right?"
What was I supposed to say? "No I couldn't have because it's no wolf. It's your daughter?" Instead I said, "Well, it was unconscious and it still is."
"Okay then. I'll get right on it. Go along home young man.
I left ASAP and flew to the first place I could think of. Rachel's. As I hoped, she was there sitting in her room. I tapped my beak on her window. Rachel?
"Get away from me. You've already done enough to me," she said to me extremely upset with me like I had expected she would be.
Rachel, forget about that. We have a bigger problem.
"What?" She said sarcastically, not really believing me.
It's Cassie. 1st, she's trapped in her wolf morph.
"Oh my god. How?"
Let me finish. I snapped. 2nd, he back's broken. I took her back to her barn and her dad's working on her right now. I just thought that you should know. As I said this, Rachel began to cry again. This was only the second time I've seen her cry. I'm on my way to go get Jake, Marco, and Ax. I thought that you might want to head on over there before us.
"You're right. I'll see you guys soon."
I was the first one to the barn and I had plenty of time to think about what had happened and what I did. I may have killed Cassie! And then what
When I had gathered up the others, I didn't tell them what had happened to Cassie. I swooped down from the room and looked into the barn. Cassie's father was giving the limp wolf body a shot and quite suddenly, the wolf stopped breathing, moving, living.
Cassie's dad had just euthinized his own daughter! 'NO!" My mind went into a wild pitch and I fluttered backwards. Here comes Ax and Marco as a Harrier and osprey. Rachel, the barn owl and Jake in falcon from.
My heart raced. How would I tell them? How could I tell Jake?
You guys, up on the barn. Cassie's…. I paused to swallow down my fears, the pain, dad is in the barn.
Jake swerved and headed towards the forest. The trees would be safer – less suspicious I silently agreed and we followed into the trees where I perched, shifting nervously.
What to do?
The piercing gaze of Rachel fell upon me. Tell them the truth.
B-but…..
DO IT! I didn't disagree.
Jake swerved his head to view me. What's up, Tobias?
I took a deep breath. Alright. I'll give it to you straight. All eyes on me. Ax had demorphed and was viewing me in a skeptical manner. Rachel is pregnant.
Jake screamed a loud curse I don't feel like repeating. She's WHAT?! His gaze snapped to her, as if an explanation was in order.
For the first time in his life, Marco was dead-silent, jaw hanging open. Staring.
Ax, my 'uncle', looked up towards Rachel. This means that you went through the breeding process with another human, correct?
YES! It's true! Damn it! She wasn't crying. She was angry as hell. I'm pregnant. I had sex with another human as Ax so gently put it! Everyone stared.
Damn. Rachel! You've been insane before! But… No! You're Xenon, Warrior Princess! She doesn't get screwed by bird boys! He may have been sarcastic, but the rage in his voice was clear. Marco wasn't joking around.
Don't drag Tobias into this! Jake demanded, not believing…
Jake. It was me. Marco was, is, right. I could almost hear our leaders jaw drop. The rage build.
Tobias! Now damn it! We need Rachel as a warrior -
Who said I'm not going to fight?! she growled. Plus: I wanted it. It's not like he forced me into anything… All were silent.
Tell them. Her sad private thought speech.
Rachel – Cassie, well -
TELL THEM! a roar.
Jake, Ax, Marco…. Something happened to Cassie.
WHAT! a demand from Jake. Maybe he was worried Cassie was pregnant too. Tobias, how many secrets are you go-
I advise you to let Tobias explain Prince Jake. Ax suggested slowly.
Yes, lets. A curt reply from Marco with an undercurrent of fear.
Look. Cassie was in wolf morph and she attacked me -
Don't feed us that junk. We all know that Cassie-
Let him talk, Jake! demanded the enraged Rachel. It seems that no one wanted to mess with a pregnant grizzly-DNA-possessing girl.
She did because I got her best friend knocked up. A long pause. Look, I tried to commit suicide. I was lost - I could see Rachel slowly demorphing. To cry? And she followed me. We both fell off the cliff, but I was in human form. She was injure- bad. Broke her back. She wouldn't get up because she was unconscious. I morphed to human than carried her to the barn. It was too late!
YOU SAID SHE WAS ALIVE! Rachel wailed.
No… Cassie….
*!?# Marco said.
She was trapped in morph and her dad took her, to heal her. They responded with sighs of relief but not for long. Just now… she died. Her own father euthanised her. The scream I heard from the beak of Jake's morph mixed with his thought speak wail, will haunt me always. I know Rachel began sobbing. Ax stared at Rachel with all four eyes, while Marco wrapped an arm about her and began to cry as well.
Look what you've done! My heart was shattered, my soul broken. All this destruction. Earth is doomed.
I glanced over at Jake, not sure if I could take it but he wasn't there. Where's Jake?
He went off in tiger morph. Said he needed to be alone. Ax explained quickly. Oh. I could relate. My love was dead as –
"AGHHHHHHH!" The strangled bloody scream from the barn made me snap to it.
NO! I took to flight, Ax galloped, and Rachel ran with Marco. I veered sharp into the blown-down barn door, and nearly fell from the air, as I came to see a huge pool of blood. It was splattered everywhere still flying as a massive cat clawed and bit.
DIE! DIE! Jake snapped. Cassie's father was now a bloody mess on the barn floor.
"Jake?" Rachel asked. "What the hell did you do that for?"
"He killed Cassie," he said sobbing. "He killed my love. We were going to graduate from school, go on to college, and spend the rest of our lives together. We were going to live in a white house and have two kids. Now we can't have or do any of that. She's dead. My heart's gone and all I have left of her is a corps of a wolf with a broken back!"
"But did you really have to kill him! What's Cassie's mom going to say? What are you going to tell HER?" Marco asked.
"I'll just kill her too!"
"She didn't do anything. I thought we weren't going to try and hurt innocent people?" Rachel asked. Rachel was mad but was still able to rationalize Cassie's father's actions. "Also, I don't think that you had the right to kill him. Would you rather have had Cassie alive but trapped and paralyzed? I wouldn't bestow that upon anybody."
Guys? Is that you? I heard faintly.
Hey people. SHUT UP! I hear something! I said over Rachel and Jakes arguing.
Guys, if that's you I'm in the back emergency room area.
"Did you all hear that?" asked Jake.
"This can't be possible," I thought to myself. I watched Cassie's dad inject her. I watched the wolf stop breathing and die.
We all moved back to that area. When we got there, we expected to see nothing but to my surprise, as to the surprise of the others, there was a female wolf lying on the table.
"Cassie, is that you?" Jake asked. A glimmer of hope was in his eye.
Yes, it's me. I don't know how much Tobias has told you, but as you can tell, I won't be able to join you on any missions for a long time.
I told them everything. They know about your "condition" I said. I was relieved that she was alive, but I couldn't help but feel that this was my fault that she'd never be able to walk again, and my fault that she'd never see her father again.
Oh god! I said in private thought speech to the others. I just realized something. What do we tell her about her dad. She's a patient her so she would expect some care from the only other person that worked here. There wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that his blood and his remains are spread out over the entire area of the main part of the barn.
"I'll tell her." Jake said to us.
Tell me what?
He walked over to her cage and he took her out making sure not to hurt her more than what has been done. He gently began to stroke her fur. "I want to start of by saying that I love you and I'll always love you no matter what. I also wanted you to know that when I found out that you were dead, or at least believed to be, I lost all control of my emotions and I may have done some very irrational things." I could see the tears of shame welling up in his eyes as he said this. "Well, Cassie…"
What is it Jake? And why'd you think that I was dead? Her voice wavered, and I knew she was crying. On the inside.
"Tobias say you get euthanized."
That was the other wolf here, Jake, Tobias.
"But Cassie… I, well…" Just then a groan came from the front of the room. Jake stood up and placed Cassie on the ground.
Ax's personal thought speak rang in our minds, It seems that Cassie's father is still alive. He has a weak pulse.
"I hurt your dad," Jake finished quickly and shamed. Cassie's head snapped up and her wolf eyes widened.
Why?! I thought I smelled blood.
" Well, I thought he had killed you Cassie! I love you." Tears fell down the cheeks of our brave leader, and he kneeled down wrapping his arms around the wolfs neck.
We need to call an ambulance. I demanded, mind racing. But we have to let one of these animals lose first, to be the one that attacked Cassie's father.
Marco nodded slowly. "We need a decoy so the police believe that Cassie's dad was attacked by something here and not a Siberian tiger." He disappeared into the next room over and Rachel followed, gingerly stepping around mounds of blood.
"Hey – mountain lion with a stitched up ear fir the spot?" Rachel called out.
It bears resemblance to Prince Jake's tiger morph. Ax observed.
"Yes, that'll work. Everyone go to bird morph and get up in the rafters or into an empty cage. Leave them unlocked. I'll call the police and Tobias, you let the mountain lion out.
I nodded my head, and fluttered down to the cougar's cage just as Rachel, Ax and Marco flew into the rafters. I pecked open a cage for myself and listened as Jake called the police. "Yes, yes! Help –This man was attacked by an escaped mountain lion. God He's bleeding all over" he responded trying to sound like a frightened young boy.
"I perched on the ground and grabbed hold of the pull-lock, the felines evil eyes following my every move. I pulled back on it, to test how strong it was. *CLANK* It flew open. Not strong at all!
Damn it! Clear out! I screamed to Jake. I was twisting around to get the lock closed again but it wouldn't. Fear gripped at my heart and I struggled with the lock more.
"Yes officer, it's the barn out in the back." He wasn't leaving!
Jake! GE- *WHAM* The wind was knocked from my chest and pain rattled across my body. The cage was violently slammed into my chest and the door swung around to knock against the wall of the cage. OUCH!
Rachel's scream penetrated my swirling mind. Jake. JAKE. Get out of there NOW!
What's happening?! Cassie demanded. I opened my eyes and looked our across the room hearing Jake's screams. The mountain lion was tearing him apart!
JAKE! yelled Marco, dropping from the rafters.
No, Marco. The lion will attack you too. You would stand no chance against him. Ax yelled, his calm brokem.
Jake's screams got louder and mingled with the howling of a wolf. "HELP ME!"
Suddenly, Rachel dropped from the rafters and began demorphing Jake's blood flying against her emerging human form.