The Camping

The Camping

Rated: G

Chapter One

Rachel was making herself a Pokemon pop tart when her phone started ringing. She grabbed the phone before it had a chance to ring a second time.

"Hello?" She said with a slightly hopeful tone.

"Hey, it's me Marco," said the voice on the other line.

Rachel let out a sigh. "Hm yeah what do you want?"

"Well... That's a good question... But for now going camping with the rest of us would be great!"

"Camping?" Rachel wondered out loud. "As in woods, tents, dirt, and bugs?"

"You got it! You're the only one who hasn't said yes, I mean even Ax is coming... And bird-boy too." Marco replied.

Rachel pondered the idea and replied.....

"Um... Yeah I guess I'll go I'll bring my hair dryer, and my curling-"

"Rachel there will be no electrical outlets. All you need is a tent, some bug spray, a sleeping bag you know the regular stuff."

" Bye!" Rachel said and before Marco could reply she hung up. Then she got ready to go camping

Rachel was stunned at the idea of not taking any electronics.... It was almost against her nature.

"Well, I'm an Animorph, I can cope I'm sure..."

She packed all her beauty supplies that don't require electricity. A change of clothes, Two pillows, her sleeping bag, a bottle of water, and her bug spray.

"No way I'd be stupid enough to go out without it..." Rachel said shaking her head.

She then remembered that they hadn't said when and where they were going... So she called Cassie....

Rachel dialed Cassie and waited for her to pick up the phone. After five rings and no answer she hung up.
She smiled then said to herself, "Well at least I have an excuse NOT to go now..."
As she finished her thought out loud the doorbell rang. She rolled her eyes remembering nobody else was home and ran to answer the door.
"Figures, I knew I couldn't get out of it..." She sighed looking at Cassie who stood outside the door in a ratty pair of overalls.
"Ya ready to go Rachel?" Cassie asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

Rachel sighed. "Ready as I'll ever be..." She grumbled, but in a friendly tone.

"We're gonna be so close to nature and all it's wonders," Cassie said as she smiled brightly.

Rachel slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and threw her pillow at Cassie. Rachel then grabbed her sleeping bag, stepped out the door, and closed it.

"The things I do for you guys," she muttered.

Rachel and Cassie walked to the waiting car in her driveway, Cassie's father's of course. She put her stuff in the open trunk and slammed it shut. Cassie was already sitting shotgun so Rachel opened the back seat door and was surprised to see Ax and Tobias, both in human morph, sitting there.

"Hey you guys, I didn't know you were coming," She said surprised.

We wouldn't even really be in the car if it wasn't for Ax's desire to ride in a human car. Tobias said using thought speak. Rachel, now in the car, slammed the door and looked over at Ax was busy playing with the automatic window openers. Rachel sighed as the car began to pull out - this is going to be one long trip...

Cassie's dad pulled into the "vista" parking lot about an hour later. Cassie helped everyone get their stuff out of the car and onto them. Rachel was surprised to see that Tobias and Ax had stuff too. Then it hit her. Ax had probably used her "emergency use only" credit card to buy this stuff offline. Rachel rolled her eyes, she was going to be in major trouble. Then her eyes widened. She had totally forgotten to tell her mom she was going. As Ax was having difficulty putting on his large back pack, Rachel pulled out her cell phone and dialed home. Amazingly there was signal there and the call went through.

Rachel's mom said yes and gave the basic parental warnings. Rachel hung up as Cassie's dad pulled out of the parking lot, leaving them stranded for the entire weekend.

"Goodbye Sanitation, Goodbye Electricity, Goodbye Normal Life." She said under her breath.

Rachel, our lives are hardly normal. Tobias said in thought speak. Rachel had to laugh at that.

Marco arrived soon after Cassie, Rachel, Ax, and Tobias. Marco had come with Jake and the two of they were excited about the night out in the woods.

"We'll tell scary stories until your flesh creeps," Marco teased Rachel.

Rachel laughed. "Mmm sure, are you going to talk about our last battle?" She inquired.

Marco shook his head. "Oh no, no way. We're gonna tell ghost stories!"

Ax looked puzzled.

"Ghost stories?" Ax asked.

Jake nodded. "Stories that are supposed to scare you."

Ax shook his head. "I do not understand why you tell them then."

Rachel sighed. "Well then, how about we get to work setting up camp and all?"

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel - my dear Rachel... do you really think we're camping at the vista? We have miles to walk..." Marco said like it was obvious.

"Miles? Miles! Miles!? What do you mean miles? I am not walking miles with this heavy piece of - junk on my back!" Rachel yelled.

Marco laughed, "Rachel, we're not normal people, we're Animorphs. And when your not normal you don't travel normally."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked suspiciously.

Before Marco could resound with another sarcastic remark Cassie said, "We're going to morph wolves and then Tobias and Ax will attach our stuff to the wolf's body."

"Speaking of Tobias and Ax - you guys should morph back then back again. You're pushing two hours," Jake said.

"Phew!" Rachel said as she wiped her brow. "Because there was *no* way I was gonna carry that heavy stuff."

Cassie laughed. "But yea, Jake is right, you two should de-morph."

"Sure thing," Tobias replied.

Tobias took a quit human eye view look around, and then decided it was safe.

"Suuuuuuuuuurree thing." Ax said as he nodded.

"Stuck in the woods camping with these guys...." Rachel mumbled.

"O come on Rachel - you know you'll have fun... Plus if you don't like it you can always morph eagle and fly home," Cassie replied.

"Yea, Yea, Yea..." Rachel sighed.

By now Ax and Tobias had morphed from human to normal form and back to human.

"OK one by one we morph so we there'll be more to help load the wolf up," Jake ordered, "Rachel you morph first."

"Prince Jake, would it not be wise if we moved into the woods so nobody will see us?" Ax suggested.

"Yea, you're right," Jake replied, "Let's move - then Rachel morph."

Rachel almost said something about bugs in the woods and how you don't know what they're carrying, but she decided that compared to the Yeerks these guys were harmless. And she was always up for an adventure so....

As soon as they were in the woods Rachel grinned and said, "let's do it."

She morphed wolf, always an odd, disgusting, and interesting thing to watch, or hear.

Alrighty, load me up. Rachel said.

Her wolf nose started sniffing, something smelled off, kinda odd. The wolf inside her wanted to fallow the trail, see what interesting and most importantly tasty thing lie at the end of the trail. She shook her head, she wasn't gonna go tramping off into the woods in search of a funny smelling thing...

It then hit her what the funny smelling thing was...

Ax, when was the last time you showered? Rachel asked.



One by one Cassie, Marco, then Jake morphed and the remaining unmorphed would help load the wolves body with camping supplies, a very strange sight. When everyone was loaded Tobias and Ax demorphed. They were ready to go...

Are we there yet? Rachel asked.

Marco laughed to himself.

Yeah, and aren't you glad we thought to do it this way? Marco asked.

If we had actually walked it would have taken a lot longer, Jake added.

Mmm-hmm, but someone had better've remembered the marshmallows or I'm turning back. Rachel replied.

OK we're coming up on the clearing now Marco pointed out looking ahead.

Thank god! We've been running nonstop for an hour... Well, except Jake who has to stop and pee every two seconds... Rachel commented.

Good god I hate having the alpha-males body! Jake whined.

Ladies and Gents please remained seated until we have come to a full and complete stop... we are there - home for the next three days! Marco shouted.