KA Applegate, not I, owns Animorphs and all associated characters.
This is my personal tribute to Rachel Berenson, who died in battle. RIP, Xena, Warrior Princess.
"Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
"To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his gods?'"
-Thomas Babington Macaulay, Lays of Ancient Rome
"There's only one proper way for a professional soldier to die. That's from the last bullet, of the last battle, of the war."
-George S. Patton
This was Rachel Berenson.
Courageous and strong.
Compassionate and kind.
Many were the problems of her life, yet she fought them all, with the courage of a warrior and the grace of a gymnast.
She dealt with issues no one, let alone a young woman her age, should ever deal with, and yet she prevailed.
It is no accident that her favorite morph was that of a grizzly bear. Grizzly bears are among the most powerful animals on planet Earth. They weigh hundreds of pounds, and when they get angry, they are very, very dangerous.
But grizzlies are also fiercely protective of their cubs.
Rachel fought not for glory or honor, but because she loved the fight, and because she was protecting her friends.
She was not often gentle, but she was kind.
She was not often peaceful, but neither would she kill for the sake of killing.
She loved the thrill and rush of battle, and she loved her family. Sara and Jordan, her sisters. Naomi, her mother. Dan, her father. Jake, her cousin. Cassie, her best friend. Marco and Ax, her friends and fellow warriors. Tobias.
Her hawk.
His bear.
Shopper, fashion expert, athlete, warrior, Animorph: Rachel was all of these.
She gloried in battle, yet even at the darkest hour, never fell to darkness.
She was not destined to be an Animorph, yet she found herself as one of them, and seldom regretted it.
And, in the end, though she died in battle, she lived forever in the hearts of those who loved her.
"Did I….did I make a difference? My life, and my…my death, was I worth it? Did my life really matter?"
"Yes. You were brave. You were strong. You were good. You mattered."
"Yeah. Okay. Okay, then."
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