#55 The Rebirth

(Tobias POV)

Chapter 1

I was soaring over the thermals, looking for movement in the grass. I have not been eating very well ever since Rachel's death. I should have been happy that Earth had won the war, and don't get me wrong, I was. But, I felt that our freedom had come with a terrible price: Rachel. Jake had begged me to morph back to human, to live with my mom. I refused. Whenever I am at my mom's house, I morph to human. But, I feed like a hawk, sleep like a hawk, and still carry the body of a hawk. I feel like I need to do this so I can be the same Tobias I always was, a hawk. A hawk dating out of his species. So I can feel like everything is the same, including Rachel being with us.

My name is Tobias, but you probably know that by now. MOVEMENT! I saw a mouse scamper across my meadow. I flared my wings, then got ready for a dive. I went down like a bullet! I was going to eat! At the last moment I killed my speed and sank my talons into mouse flesh, and then pulled up to flap to my favorite tree.

I started tearing away with my beak, happy to eat, but not happy at all. No matter what I did, I still missed Rachel.

I decided to go to my mom's house. I finished my breakfast and then flapped my way to the city. It was as normal as normal could get when Earth gets invaded by aliens. No one knew what happened, the Crayak did that so we couldn't steal Yeerk technology. He fixed everything so it seemed nothing happened. So, anyway, I was still flapping to my mom's house, riding the major thermals over the asphalt, when I noticed Jake's house. One thing the Crayak could not fix was our family's knowledge of what happened. Jake had his parents fix a door so I could get in when I chose, so I flapped my way in.

"Hey, Tobias," Jake said. "How's it going?"

Same old, same old. I answered. Just going over to my mom's house.

"That's cool. You want to catch a movie with me and Marco at noon?" He asked, causal. We have been doing that sort of thing ever since we defeated the Yeerks.

Sure, why not?

"Okay, see you at 12!"

I flapped my way out of the bird-door. I rode thermals all the way to my mom's house. I got into the bushes and demorphed.

SCHRUUUNCH! My beak schlooped back into my human nose and mouth. I could feel my hollow bird bones become harder human ones. POP! My hair came out of my still feathered head. SPROOT. SPROOT! I gained my pinkie and big toes on both sides. I could feel my feathers melt back into human skin. "Ouch!" I said. I was growing bigger every second and I happened to get scratched up by the bushes. I felt talons become toes and my bird feet, and my morph was complete. I walked up to my mom's house, my house, and rung the doorbell.

RINNNNG! RINNNG!

"Coming!" I heard my mom yell. She opened the door. "Hi, Tobias, come on in! I just got everything ready."

I walked in, eager to have human breakfast, it is hard for a hawk to eat French toast and pancakes.

"So, how was your day?" She asked.

"My day?" I asked.

"Yes, your day. It is 11:30"

"11:30!" I was supposed to be at the Star in half an hour! "I'm sorry mom, I really am. I just have to meat Jake and Marco in half an hour. I'll come right back when the movie is over." I promised.

"Okay, have a great time!"

I demorphed and mom opened the door for me. I busted butt to the Star Theater. I barley made it there in time to morph. I then walked into the theater, paid for my ticket, and saw Cassie, Marco, Jake and Ax.

"You guy's are here too?" I pointed to Cassie and Ax in his human morph.

"Yes, do you have anything against that?" Cassie asked. "I just stopped by Jake's and he invited me and Ax to go with him.

"I would suggest we go in now, Prince Jake. The movie is about to start, and we have spent 10 of your minutes in morph. Moooorph. Uhhh. Morph." Ax, of course.

"Ax, their everyone's' minutes." Marco said.

"And don't call me Prince." Jake added.

We headed into theater number 23. We walked into the theater to find-- THE ELLIMIST!