The Incident

It was a normal day, you know? Like going to school or even just waking up in the morning. Sorry, I'm Tobias, and I'm under a lot of surprise lately. Someone offered me a deal that I couldn't refuse. Frax can change how I am. He could make me human with the ability to morph into a hawk. How can I refuse that? Well he told me that I would have to exchange a lot of pain soon, if he did this- that it was nothing personal, just the rules. I agreed and couldn't wait to tell Rachel. So I guess I'll start from the beginning.

I fell out of my trance by a loud ringing. Strange, so I looked around. A small blue fox was sitting below my tree, staring at me with wide, blood red eyes. I held still, shocked completely by its appearance. Can hawks go senile? Or be color blind?

Don't worry, Tobias. You're not crazy. I am a blue fox. My name is Frax. I'm here to help you.

How can you help me? Like the Elmnist? Thanks, but no thanks.

I turned my tail at him, agitated. Aliens everywhere.

'Pah! That old windbag!? Please! This is so much a better offer. Just listen Warrior Tobias. I can let you be human again- with your morphing skill and all of your morphs.' He said, shocking me with the whole Warrior thing.

'What's the catch?' I asked flat out. Because I know something so good would not come without a catch. The blue fox nodded slightly.

'You are smart. I-'

Not smart, just not stupid. I interrupted.

'I see. I will get to the point then. If I do this, there is a repayment due. You will suffer a sum of pain in the future, though there is no set date. But before you decline my offer, I must show you something.' The meadow started spinning and the colors ran together. I closed my eyes, dizzy, though not sure if a hawk could get motion sick.

When I reopened my eyes I noticed something very different- nothing had sharp edges, nothing was quite as detailed as it usually was; I was human. And I was also watching myself talk to Rachel, in human morph.

"So, you gonna be there for sure?" She asked me, eyes wide.

"Of course! I said I would be, right?" She just nodded, smiling. "Oops, gotta go, Rach. See ya." I got bold and kissed her cheek. Rachel blushed, then looked away as I demorphed. From where I was standing in the past, it looked like she was just turning away from my ugly half morph, but from where I stood now, I could see pain and tears in her eyes. I groaned. That was something I did not want to see.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Can we go now?" I snapped.

'Why, Tobias? Do you not like that look? I can show you so many times that you were so worried about getting into the air that you never saw her cry.' Frax said tauntingly, but the image disappeared and I was a bird again.

'I'll go with this, but I need to know- does she always cry?'

'Every time.' The pang that went through me actually made me want to cry…no tear ducts, though.

'Alright, go ahead.' Then everything got dark and I was unconscious.

Later I woke up dazed and confused, feeling water running down my face. I sat up quickly- since when did I have a mouth?! And then I remembered what I'd done.

"Tobias, if you hurry, you might be able to morph back!" Rachel's voice said from above my head. I looked up at her.

Ignoring her exclamation, I asked, "What day is it?"

"It's Saturday, Tobias." Three days…I've been out for three days?

"Racheeeelllelllelele!!" I yelled at the top of my voice, unbearably happy.

"What? I'm right here." She rubbed her right ear.

"I know, but I've got something to tell you."

I explained the whole story to her, trying to recall when I'd fallen out of the tree…The whole time she looked worried, until, that is, I told her I could still morph. She smiled widely at this, inhumanly gorgeous.

"Does that mean…you're here to stay?"

"Yeah," I said, puzzled. Where would I go? I mean come on, I've been a bird for like years now…I have no lif- my thoughts were thrown far into space when Rachel's lips pressed to mine. The world seemed to come to a screeching stop at the same time as my heart, and then started going at top speed.