I.

CHAPTER FOUR - Changes

High above the trees I could clearly see that half of the fairly small stage they had whipped up was demolished. My eagle eyes saw every bit of debris, even the particles of dust still settling in the air. Chairs and tables had been upturned, and I could see where the press had at one time been been roped off. The guard rails were completely thrown askew and the reporters were all running for their lives from the big fire feeding off of the dry grass and leaves of the forest. From where I was, it looked like there had been not one, but two explosions. The second fire was consuming what looked like what was once a refreshments table. The platter of pigs in a blanket was going up in flames.

I couldn't see Cassie or the others anywhere. I swooped down in a panic.

[What's going on?!] I shouted at the closest group of cops I could find. They jumped and in a second, I had half a dozen guns aimed at me as I shot past them. I wheeled around for another pass. [Would you fucking chill with those things?]

"Rachel? Rachel Berenson?"

[No, some other bald eagle.]

"It's Rachel Berenson," one of the cops, a bald man with a mustache, said into his radio strapped to his shoulder. "It's okay, stand down."

[Okay my feathery endangered ass! What the fuck happened here?!]

"There was an attack. Someone planted a bomb under the stage and by the refreshments table. Between ten and fifteen injured. One confirmed death."

[Cassie? Toby? Tobias? What about Mar - Ko - Kono!]

I caught sight of her pushing past a group of people. Her small frame was practically hidden among all the bodies and I almost lost her, but she shoved her way out of the throng, holding her phone out as far and high as she could reach. She was trying to catch a signal. I ditched the cops and flew towards her.

[Kono! It's me!]

She dropped her phone, startled. "Rachel!?" I saw her mouth moving and read her lips, I couldn't actually hear her voice through all the commotion.

[Are you okay!?]

She nodded, looking around in confusion.

[I'm a bald eagle. I'm flying circles above you. Don't go back in that crowd, you'll get trampled. And pick up your phone, you definitely don't wanna lose that.]

Kono nodded again, this time shielding her eyes with her hand so she could look up. I dipped a little lower and she squinted at me, waving.

[Yeah, that's me. Sorry, can't wave back.]

She made a show of rolling her eyes. Then, she pointed at the mountain, at where I knew the Hork-Bajir colony was hidden.

[The others? They're okay? They went to the colony?]

She gave me a thumbs up, and waggled her cell phone at me.

[They just left you? Oh, wait, duh.] Kono couldn't morph, and she didn't have a Hork-Bajir body or a helicopter. At least one of those things was required to actually get to the colony. [But at least you're okay. What were you trying to do, call me again?]

She shook her head. In the air, she drew a big "M".

[Huh?]

Kono was talking again but this time I could only understand part of what she was saying. " - I can't get a good signal - can't find my way out - too many people!"

[Umm...] I widened my circles and tried to scout a path for her. It was easy to forget how limiting it was to be a human being. At least, a human being that didn't have the option to be anything else. [Okay, I'll get you to where the cars are. It's a wide open space, so you should have decent reception there. Your car is the white Honda with the teddy bear air freshener, right?]

She blinked in surprise.

[Eagle eyes are really, really good,] I explained. [There's a Blythe University sticker in the window and you just seem like a Honda Civic type. Anyway, turn to your left. No not that much. Right. I mean, correct. Just run in a straight line through the forest. Don't give me that look, I can see what kind of shoes you're wearing, all right? This isn't ideal for any of us, you know. Good, keep going. Straighten out, you're veering a little too left. In like two minutes you'll get to a sharp ridge. Make a right there. I'm following you, don't worry.]

She jogged, following my instructions while holding her phone out, trying to will signal bars to appear. She wasn't looking much where she was going, apparently deciding to put a lot of trust on me and my eyes.

[Wait, wait, Kono. Stop!]

Kono abruptly stopped running, almost pitching over from her momentum. I swooped down on a low-hanging tree branch near her. She had almost gone right past it.

A large red eye was sloppily spray-painted on the rocky ridge. At the center of the iris where the pupil should have been, there was the letter "I". The paint was still dripping, still fresh.

We stared. Kono had the presence of mind to snap a picture with the camera on her phone.

"I mean, I guessed it was the Initiative, but at least now we know," she said. "They are definitely not happy with the Hork-Bajir numbers increasing on Earth."

[Well, they are fucking with the wrong crowd,] I growled.

Kono looked at me, worried. "Rachel, the first bomb that went off was right under where Cassie was supposed to be sitting. She wasn't there, thank God, but it was done purposely. Whoever put it there knew the exact seating plan of the event, and targeted her in particular. The Initiative isn't just trying to make a statement about the Hork-Bajir. They're after you guys, too. The Animorphs."

I bristled. [We can handle it.]

"If you say so..." she said hesitantly. "Anyway, I've been trying to call Marco. He got caught up at a charity thing in Santa Monica, so he was going to be late. Even later than you. I've been trying to get a hold of him to turn him around." Kono frowned at her phone. "He's the one that told me it would be fine if I left him there, to help Toby. I just don't want him worrying, he's probably already feeling guilty for sending me here in the first place."

She was probably right. If my suspicions about Marco and Kono were accurate, she was very right.

[That's...thoughtful. Yeah, go call him, tell him we're all fine and to stay home. We'll talk to him later. I'm gonna go to the colony, just go in a straight line from here, okay?]

"All right. Be careful."

[You too. And hey, you're gonna wanna take off those cute shoes. The underbrush is soft after the rain last night so your feet will be okay but this mud will ruin that patent leather toe.]

She gave me a familiar look that she had given all of us at one point or another, a pained expression acknowledging our hardships running around barefoot in the woods during the war, mixed with awkward amusement that we still had concerns like ruining a good Nine West sandal.

I took off to the colony. It was almost entirely dead air the whole way, so it wasn't easy. The Hork-Bajir colony was pretty much where it always had been, settled mostly in a valley ringed by three large mountains. It wasn't a complete secret or anything, but the colony was very hard to get to for someone lacking superpowers. Toby lived there with her mate, Nerf, and about four dozen of her closest family, friends, and other Hork-Bajir - co-workers, I guess. The rest of the Hork-Bajir were largely concentrated in Yosemite National Park and a small portion of Canadian wilderness in the Northern Territories. Part of Cassie and Ronnie's job was to expand their land there, due to their now-thriving population.

In the valley were a few makeshift huts, remnants from when my family and the families of the other Animorphs had to hide out there. The difference now being that they were a little more solid and waterproof, furnished with basic chairs, a computer, and even some limited internet service. The Animorphs paid a shit-ton of money to get the Hork-Bajir wired up so Toby could handle her business without having to trek to the city every single day, and Cassie, Ronnie, and Tobias could do some work there too. We even got Ax to send one of his Andalite buddies to safeguard their system so it would be un-hackable by any human for about a century. Of course, most of this was largely unused by anyone other than us and Toby. The Hork-Bajir didn't need silly things like a roof over their heads and technology was not exactly a concern of theirs, either.

After many very long minutes of huffing and puffing, I finally heard a thought-speak voice in my head other than my own cursing and whining.

[Either Rachel is here, or that's some other bald eagle battling a deadwind trying to get to us.]

[Hah. Hah.] Even my sarcastic thought-speak laugh seemed to be coming out in wheezes.

It was Tobias. My heart started to race. I scanned the valley and easily found him perched in a tree by the tallest of the Hork-Bajir huts. Cassie was inside, with Toby and Nerf. The other Hork-Bajir were just outside or else nearby. It was a rare thing to see, Hork-Bajir didn't generally herd together like that in open spaces. Usually, they were in the trees. But I could guess what they were huddling together about, whispering to each other in hushed Hork-Bajir voices.

[Yeah, no thermals around here today. Cassie and I actually just morphed Hork-Bajir to make it into the valley. Toby convinced us, since she was having absolutely no problem hopping around and climbing trees. It's like she isn't even pregnant.]

I was vaguely annoyed for not thinking of that.

Once I cleared the mountaintop, I relaxed myself into a sloppy dive, not caring about the loose spiral and the mussed state of my feathers. There once was a time that Tobias and I would rate each others dives like in the Olympics, making fun of each other's scores, style, and technique. This particular dive was maybe a two out of ten, points off for the wide spiral and poor tail feather angle. My initiation technique was also completely off and feather adjustments were out of sync. Definitely a two.

We didn't do that anymore, and I wondered if his absence of critique was as deafening to him as it was to me. I managed to right myself as Nerf came out of the hut. Tobias must have announced my arrival to the others, and Nerf was being ever the gentleman. He held out his arm for me and I stuck the landing perfectly. Maybe that would have gotten me at least a three.

[Thanks, buddy.]

"Hello, Rachel!" Nerf said, weirdly cheerful despite the fact that someone had tried to blow up his wife. Toby's husband, or mate or whatever, was the sweetest creature I had ever met. All the Hork-Bajir had that simple-minded kindness, but Nerf seemed to be the nicest of them all. He doted on Toby and he loved playing host to any sort of company that managed to make it to their home. Toby had even taught him a few human customs, to make the rest of us comfortable on visits. He was the perfect house-husband to Toby's work-mom.

"Welcome! Rachel hungry? Cassie has small meat biscuit for human Rachel or Tobias can have mouse for bird Rachel."

[I think she's going to pass on the mouse, Nerf,] Tobias chuckled when Nerf tried to make him go fetch me a mouse.

"Tobias not mean it," Nerf huffed. "Sorry to Rachel, Tobias not always rude. Hork-Bajir not teach him this. Hork-Bajir never rude."

[It's fine, Nerf, I know Tobias didn't mean to be rude,] I smirked inwardly. [You're very kind, but the uh, meat biscuits sound more appetizing. Somehow.]

Since our break-up, Tobias and I rarely ever spoke or saw each other. When we did, it was usually in the presence of Cassie and there was an unspoken agreement between us that we would be more than just civil. We would go out of our way and fight down any and all feelings to act like we were still friends. Neither of us wanted Cassie worrying, and we didn't want to make a scene in front of any of the Hork-Bajir, so we handled it best we could. It was a struggle to pretend that every word we said to each other wasn't dripping heavily with betrayal, hurt, anger, and maybe a little bit of longing, but we handled it.

[Pigs in a blanket,] Tobias informed me. [Cassie grabbed some to take up with us. We know you love those things.]

[Oh.]

Even that exchange hurt. Even light-hearted ribbing between "friends" was a trial. I almost wanted to stay in my eagle form, to hide how hard it was to talk to him. The expression of a raptor showed nothing. But Nerf gently set me down in the grass, believing that I wanted to demorph. So I did, and was quickly surrounded by Hork-Bajir that were pleased to see me. They all waved, which was their greeting for humans since hugs were pretty difficult with them. They asked if I was okay, commented on how long it's been since my last visit, and asked me if my little fragile human body was cold.

It was like being hospitable was their biggest concern now, not the terrorist organization out to drive their people from the planet.

"Rachel want good bark? This bark very good."

"Very fresh, just from today, from big tree!"

"Bark not for humans," Nerf corrected them. He beamed, proud of being so knowledgable about human food. "Rachel human. She eat meat biscuit. Bird Rachel eat mouse. Only Hork-Bajir Rachel eat bark."

The other Hork-Bajir looked puzzled, as they always did when we had this conversation. It was a difficult concept for them to grasp, but at least it had clearly taken their minds off the bombing, and it took my mind off Tobias. They were now trying to figure out how to prepare human food for the next time we all stopped by. I was grinning by the time they let me into the hut. The Hork-Bajir were innocents in all this. They were adorable and good, and it was infuriating that not everyone saw them that way.

Inside, Cassie was sitting at the computer with Toby leaning over her shoulder, reading the screen. Of course, Tobias could see the just fine from his perch outside.

"So, you guys look okay," I said conversationally, grabbing a folding chair for myself. "All your limbs still attached."

"Hello, Rachel," Toby greeted. "I'm glad to see you're well.

"I'm more glad to see you well." Like with the other Hork-Bajir, hugging or whatever was not exactly an option, but she gripped me up to my elbow and I gripped her around the middle of her forearm. We squeezed, a simple handshake that Toby was still in the process of trying to teach the others. According to her, when the others tried the handshake, they got a little too over-enthusiastic and ran the danger of "accidental decapitation".

I took a good look at her and Toby gently rubbed at her belly, which already boasted a paunch despite being so early along in the pregnancy. I guessed Hork-Bajir gestations were a lot shorter than human ones.

Toby grinned. "I'm fine. We all are."

"Well, congratulations," I looked back at Nerf, who was also smiling widely. "Sorry your parade got rained on."

"Thank you."

Cassie looked at me grimly.

"They forced us to leave, since it was clear we were the targets. They wouldn't even let us help, so we've just been trapped up here reading news reports on the computer. You probably know as much as we do," she said. "Did you manage to find Kono? I was worried about leaving her but we had to get Toby and Nerf out of there, and she was trying to call you and Marco to get you to stay away. Our cell phones weren't working very well. No service."

I nodded. "She's headed to Marco's now. She's fine. But you'll never guess what we found - "

[The Initiative,] Tobias guessed.

"Oh, well, yeah," I said, surprised. "How did you...?"

Cassie pointed at the computer screen. It was a breaking news report about the bombing, and at the very top under the headline was a picture of the Initiative symbol Kono and I had found on the mountain ridge.

This afternoon was supposed to be a celebration of life, where Toby Hamee was to announce her pregnancy with the next generation of free Hork-Bajir. Instead, the joyous press conference ended in terror as two explosions shocked the crowd, one demolishing half the stage and the other tearing through the audience.

Early reports show a scene of destruction, with people fleeing in every direction. At least twenty people have been transported to Downtown Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, with one reported dead on arrival. Another body was found in the debris. There has been no official statement as of yet, but eye-witness accounts have confirmed evidence of terrorism. The above photo was allegedly taken just outside of the forest clearing where the press conference was held. The symbol is said to be the mark of anti-alien terrorist organization The Initiative, and has been left at the scenes of other alien-directed crimes.

Toby Hamee, her mate, Nerf, and Animorphs Cassie Heyward and Tobias Anders were unharmed and immediately evacuated from the scene by authorities. Other local Animorphs Marco Lanza and Rachel Berenson were scheduled to appear at a later time due to previous engagements and were not present at the time of the explosions.

There have been no arrests.

Story developing...

"This is bad. Really bad," she fretted, closing out of the news article. "This is the most serious thing they have ever pulled off. Two people died and a bunch of people are in the hospital. Other news stories are saying they think this is the first of a big push. There could be more incidents, probably getting worse each time."

"They're picking the wrong fight," I snarled, my blood boiling in my veins. I could feel the heat in my face. "Did they already forget we fought back an alien invasion when we were kids? We are going to annihilate them."

"Rachel," Cassie warned.

"They killed two people! They tried to kill a pregnant Hork-Bajir!" I cried. "Those motherfuckers are in some deep shit. When I find out who did this - "

[Rachel, calm down,] Tobias interrupted.

"Calm down?!" I rounded on him, bristling. "They think they can even touch us?"

"They could have easily gotten us this time," Cassie pointed out fairly. "It was just by chance I wasn't sitting where the first bomb was at the time. I'm just saying, we have to be careful. We have to be smart. They seem to be. No suspects, no arrests."

I tried to slow my breathing, tried to will the dark red edges from my vision. People were dead. They tried to kill my friends. Both things that happened tons with the yeerks, but humankind hadn't asked for that. It was humankind doing this now, wanting to start different war. We were doing this to ourselves.

The others couldn't see me like this. They couldn't know I still got like this. But I was angry, and I had an enemy. This was my natural reaction.

"Why...weren't you sitting?" I said slowly, through clenched teeth. I had to pretend I could talk normally about this. "In your spot, I mean."

"One of the reporters said it would be a good idea for me to join Toby on stage," Cassie said, looking at me worriedly. "It seemed like a good idea, you know, showing Animorph support. It was also lucky that we were on the other side of the stage, so we weren't hurt too badly by the second explosion. Those poor people, though..."

[We couldn't have done anything, Cassie,] Tobias said. [It all happened so fast, there weren't any visible enemies. There was nothing we could do.]

"I know, but still. I can't help but feel a little bit responsible. We're the ones that gathered everyone there," she sighed. "We made everyone sitting ducks. There was security, but...how could they have missed explosives?"

"I should have agreed to holding the press conference indoors," Toby said sadly. "I always felt more comfortable outside, out here, but it would have been easier for human security to sweep the grounds if it were inside."

[This isn't on you either, Toby.]

I frowned. "I don't like the fact that they planted one of them right where you were sitting, Cassie. It occurred to Kono that maybe they're after us now too. Not just the Hork-Bajir."

"I know."

"Marco's gonna have to fill Jake in on this stuff," I said wearily. The rage was starting to ebb and I suddenly felt very tired. It wasn't as all-consuming anymore, but I could feel it almost like electricity at my fingertips. "He should watch his ass over in Hawaii too, just in case."

"Take care of each other," Toby agreed.

"Yeah." I turned to her and Nerf. "Are you guys going to be okay?"

"What, do you want to send a few humans to protect us?" She smirked.

"Point taken." A couple dozen Hork-Bajir could defend themselves from three times that many armed humans. They were arboreal by nature, literally jumping from tree to tree soaring like monkeys, and so quiet up there that they wouldn't be seen unless they wanted to be. As long as they stuck together in their colony, they were safe from The Initiative or whoever wanted to harm them. They could take care of themselves. It was during those rare moments when Toby and her select few companions came out to address the media, out of their habitat and into the dangerous world of humans, that their lives were in peril.

"We should probably just head home," Cassie sighed. "I'm still kind of rattled by all this, but I think we'll be safe there. No cameras or reporters or anything, they wouldn't bother wasting their resources on coming after us at our private house, would they?"

"Even if they did, we've dealt with way worse." I shrugged.

Cassie looked up at Tobias. "You sure you'll be okay by yourself in your meadow?"

[Yeah, I'll be fine. Like Rachel said, we've had way worse.]

"Tobias stay here with Hork-Bajir," Nerf chimed in. "Nerf and Toby love friends. Many mouse here to eat."

[Thanks, Nerf.]

"And we help Tobias female come here if she want to see you!"

For a moment I thought he was talking about me. I looked at Cassie, alarmed, but she wasn't looking back at me. She was staring at Tobias. It was then that I realized what Nerf had meant.

Toby hastily tried to hush her mate. "Nerf, do not - "

But Nerf was extremely proud of his idea. He shook his head, smiling.

"It no trouble for Nerf."

"No, kalashi, do not talk about - "

"Tobias fly to Hork-Bajir easy and Nerf carry red-hair female, no trouble! Toby know female human cannot walk mountain. Human legs very weak, but also easy to carry. If Nerf carry, very easy!"

The silence that followed was as dense as fog.

Red-hair female.

Nerf looked confused. "What? It bad idea?"

"No, no, of course not," Cassie said weakly. "It's...a fantastic idea. Very helpful. Thank you, Nerf."

"Nerf happy to! Always!"

"Kalashi," Toby said, forcing up warm smile. "Can you...uh... hifrash kil marnard?"

Nerf delicately put a hand on his mate's belly.

"Yes, always." He politely turned to each of us. "Bye, friends. Toby and kawatnoj hungry. Want to eat bark. Nerf go to get. Everybody stay good!"

He left, completely oblivious to what he had just done. I was frozen, my mouth dry. Cassie and Toby looked at me. I knew Tobias was looking at me too, but I had no idea what expression was on my face. I could not think of a single thing to say.

[She's just a friend,] Tobias said quickly. [One of the reporters. You've actually met her, Cassie.]

"Oh, Heather?" Cassie smiled, an act of betrayal that stabbed me right in the chest. She must have realized this because she forced it off her face abruptly, casting me an apologetic look. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, wanting to support both me and Tobias, and didn't know what to do. "She was the one who convinced me to get out of my seat and on stage with Toby. Friendly, you know. Uh...very toned down and not as pushy as other journalists."

Toby was just standing there, silently mortified at what her poor mate had started. Even on her Hork-Bajir face I could see that she felt guilty. Unlike Nerf, Toby was a Seer. She understood things that the other Hork-Bajir couldn't. I wanted to tell her it was okay, that I was fine and it wasn't Nerf's fault, but no sound was coming out of my mouth.

"I'm so sorry," Toby gushed. "Nerf doesn't realize. All he knows is that Tobias and Heather are together a lot and he just thinks - "

[We're not 'together' a lot!] Tobias said hastily. [We just hang out. Go over some stuff. She's probably going to write a story on me or something, I don't know.]

Tobias never opened up to the press. Ever. This made my mouth go even drier. He was not meeting up with her just for professional reasons.

"Of course," Toby said. She was looking at us both apologetically. "Still, I'm sorry. Nerf never meant - I mean - "

"Toby, it's fine," I could hear the monotone in my voice as I said it, but it took all the energy I had left just to finally speak.

Cassie tried a change of subject. "Anyway, I think we'll all be fine. I doubt the Initiative will attack again so soon after this event. They got the publicity they needed and this will be on everyone's minds for a long time. I imagine they would channel all their resources into sabotaging public events like this one rather than come after us individually in the privacy of our own homes or whatever. They know what we've been up against, and they know what we can do. They have to be more strategic than just, like, trying to break into Marco's mansion, right?"

[Right,] Tobias agreed quietly.

I barely heard any of it. I brushed off my morphing suit slowly.

[It's not what you're thinking, Rachel.] I could tell Tobias was speaking only to me. Desperately. Cassie and Toby hadn't heard and weren't reacting. [We're just friends, going over some business.]

I didn't respond to him. Instead, I spoke to everyone else.

"I'm glad you're all right. Toby, I want to congratulate you again. I'm happy for you and Nerf, this is really exciting."

"I...thank you."

I nodded. "I wish I could stay a little longer, but I have to go. I have an early morning and a long day at school tomorrow. Plus, I parked kinda far from here and have to get my car before the media circus comes after us."

Cassie got up quickly. "I'll go with you."

"Don't you have to get your own car?"

"That'll take me forever. It's blocked in by all the other vehicles, and I know there are a bunch of reporters and cops hanging back trying to get statements off me there, too."

"So you're just going to leave it behind?"

Cassie was staring at me, trying to read me. I was giving her nothing. I had nothing. The darkness that had started to fill my body just minutes before had drained completely, and now I was empty.

"I...guess not," she relented, deciding to leave me alone.

[Rachel...] Tobias tried again.

But I was already leaving.