And here's the chapter where Toph has her rematch.
Ax.
It was early next morning, in the state park that was my temporary home. I had performed the morning ritual and now was reclining in a natural depression on a hill, among thick trees, idly watching the ducks and herons in a large marsh below with my main eyes as my stalk eyes and ears scanned for anything that might indicate approaching humans.
Since Prince Jake would not be ready to conduct the search for the experimental Controller until tomorrow, I assumed that the day would be mine to do with as I wished.
I watched one of the smaller types of heron, a dark colored kind known as a green heron, suddenly hunch down and attentively stare over its bill into the shallow water at some possible quarry, neck muscles tensed for the grab.
Carefully it raised one foot out of the water, and then put it down again, taking care not to produce even a ripple. It took another cautious step forward, a second one, waited for a long moment before taking another one. Then suddenly, its head darted forward like a thrown spear, smacking into the surface.
The next moment, it was standing back up with a large tadpole held crosswise in its beak, which it quickly turned around and ate.
Out of my right stalk eye, I saw five goldfinches perched among a large clump of thistles which grew near the edge of the marsh, extracting the seeds from their heads and shelling them with their stout, powerful yet dexterous beaks.
How different in shape and function theirs were from the heron's, from the hooked, tearing beak of the hawk that was now Tobias's natural form!
And yet, they were all impressively complex variations on a seemingly simple structure, tailored by evolution and the demands of radically different diets.
While I was musing on this, the green heron suddenly seemed to become agitated, cocking its head and looking up at the sky before bursting into hurried flight with a croaking call.
I looked behind me with both my stalk eyes and saw the shadows of a pair of swooping hawks gliding over the forest floor as I heard Toph say in thought-speak, (One of Antelope Boy's new neighbors obviously doesn't like the look of us one bit.)
(No kidding. To be fair though, you'd be hauling butt too if you saw a couple of red-tailed hawks speeding in your direction,) Tobias pointed out as he descended through the canopy, flared, and landed on a bough.
(True,) Toph replied as she landed next to him, somewhat more clumsily. Due to the curious, unprecedented way her innate gender is retained between morphs, her red-tailed hawk morph was female and about a third larger than Tobias is.
To me, Tobias said, (Hey there Ax. Toph just showed up at my meadow a little while ago to rack up some more air miles with me, and we're here to see if you want to join us.)
(You feel like some flapping, Antelope Boy?) Toph asked.
(That would be wonderful,) I replied as I rose to my feet. (Thanks for offering.)
I focused on the harrier's DNA within me, and as the changes began, my blue and tan fur becoming replaced by pale gray feathers, hind legs becoming thin and scaly.
When the morph was complete, I turned into the ground breeze and opened my wings, pushing off with my legs as I flapped, and then tucking them against my belly as I rose from the forest floor. The breeze gave me lift, and I was off, flapping fiercely over the marsh to gain the necessary altitude, head thrust forward as I let my legs relax.
With the harrier's sharp hearing, I heard the sound of two sets of talons scraping against bark behind me as Tobias and Toph launched themselves back into the air. To the harrier's mind, it was great cause for alarm, and I could feel its panic. But I knew the hawks coming up alongside me were not the true thing, and I easily brought the harrier's fear under control.
Being the more experienced flyer, Tobias soon gained the lead, and then caught an updraft of warm air which propelled him at least three hundred feet in the air above us within seconds.
Toph and I followed his example, the ground rapidly falling away from us.
(Ya-ha!) I went in excitement.
(Whhoooaa!) Toph yelped. (Man, that's always such an awesome rush!)
(Yep, thermals are the way to travel up here,) Tobias agreed as we turned to keep within the updraft, continuing to gain altitude as it lifted us ever upward.
It is such a fantastic, giddy, delightful feeling, flying on your own wings. Nothing compares to it.
I felt the sun's glow on my back, and listened to the sound of the wind beneath our wings.
With my sharp harrier eyes, I could see every crack in the bark of the trees below us, the way the flanks of the deer we passed over expanded and contracted each time they drew breath, the fur of the squirrels that leapt from branch to branch and descended the trunks in head-down, jerking motions.
(It all right with you guys if I pick the direction to go soaring in?) Toph asked.
(That's just fine,) Tobias said simply. (You okay with that Ax?)
(I have no objection,) I replied.
(Good, because I'm thinking I'd like to get a better look at this one area of the mountains.)
Now we were thousands of feet above the forest. From below I heard a raking sound, and turned my head to get a better look. It was a black bear, tearing open a rotting log to get at the insects inside. Ants or beetles perhaps.
(Just make sure you steer clear of her though,) Tobias said, sliding off to the right.
(Huh? What now?) Toph asked in confusion.
(Her? What do you mean Tobias?) I said, equally baffled as I switched my attention from the bear far below.
(There's a young female golden eagle a little over a mile to our right and several hundred feet above us,) Tobias replied, his tone laced with worry. (They rarely go after other birds in flight, and she's probably just scoping out a marmot colony or a covey of grouse, maybe even a wolf kill. Still, she can't be more than two years old, and even eagles often have a real tough time getting their talons on enough food when they're that young.)
(So she just might be desperate enough to take a crack at one of us, is what you're saying Hawk Boy,) Toph said, even as, like me, she partially switched her gaze to the eagle.
(Exactly. So keep an eye on her and give her space.)
It was a sobering reminder that even if our morphs had wings and were predators, we were still not invulnerable.
(Well, since the place I'm interested in is in the other direction anyway, that won't be too hard,) Toph remarked as she began to peel off to the north.
Fortunately, all the eagle did was give us a casual, briefly appraising glance with her fierce dark eyes-which my harrier ones could see so clearly-before ignoring us, returning her focus to whatever was below her as we flew on, approaching the mountains at an angle. Soon, most signs of civilization were far behind us.
As we flew on, I began to recognize certain trees, rock formations, openings in the forest I'd seen before-but only yesterday, from our search to find the new Controller that had resulted in Toph's ill-fated attack on it.
A sudden suspicion began to sprout within me.
Was Toph actually cleverly dragging us into a second attempt to destroy the Controller without our knowledge, under false pretenses?
Tobias must have felt the same way too, because then he said warily, (You know Toph, this place looks just a bit familiar. In fact, I'd say it looks an awful lot like we're headed for the same area where you found the ape creature last morning.)
(That's because well, we kind of are,) Toph said, her voice even in its tone and a bit ashamed as she suddenly began to descend in a fast glide. (Now we're going to find out just how spot on Smart Aleck's theory that the ape creature will be sticking around here after my first attack is,) she muttered as she leveled off a few dozen feet above the trees. (Olivia should be around here by now already someplace,) she added softly.
For a few suspended, frozen moments, Tobias and I could say nothing, shocked and scandalized.
(You-you mean this was all a trick you've been playing!) I cried accusingly, feeling terribly betrayed.
Tobias was equally upset. (You have some explaining to do about this Toph,) he said sternly as he stopped and circled, refusing to go any further. I did the same. (As in. Right. Now.)
There was a silent moment, during which I assumed Toph was privately calling out for the Chee in thought-speak.
Then she sighed in our heads. (Okay, I guess I'd better come clean about this beforehand. Yes, I'm going to go a second round with this beast-and this time try to come out on top. Yes, I sorta tricked you guys into coming along to back me up, and I'm sorry about that,) she said remorsefully. (But this might be my only chance to do this before the weekend.)
Tobias gave a disappointed, exasperated sigh.
(It's good that you're bringing more backup along this time Toph,) he said after a while, soaring in a circle, (but why didn't you just ask, instead of hoodwinking Ax and I? We're a team Toph-your friends-and that's not cool.)
(Besides, we were meaning to find this creature and hopefully kill it tomorrow anyway,) I added. (Why do you feel so impatient to do this without the others?)
(I know that Hawk Boy,) Toph answered, her voice containing both guilt and determination. (And I'm sorry for being dishonest with both of you like this. But I am going to do this.)
I knew then from her tone, the way she glanced over her hawk shoulder, that neither I nor Tobias would be able to dissuade her.
(And as for why-well, I drew first blood on this ape thing,) she went on. (Not only is it probably here in the woods because of me to begin with, but I started this...and now I've got to finish it. Just trust me on this, okay?)
In that moment, I understood her sentiments clearly. By losing her first battle with the arboreal Controller, she had been dishonored, come across as an incompetent fool when it came to fighting in morph, and now she needed to do what she had to do to regain that honor and prestige.
I then thought of Visser Three, of the maddening amount of times I'd confronted, even harmed the Yeerk filth, but always ultimately failed to kill him.
Surely, if I went out to actively search for and kill The Abomination, and Toph was present to provide needed assistance, wouldn't it be reasonable to want her to come along as well? I would've been more open-and far less duplicitous-in my methods of course, but I knew I would doubtless welcome her help if the situation arouse.
There was one last question I had for her though.
(Toph, you know you should've at least found a way to inform Prince Jake about this,) I told her disapprovingly. (Why did you not do so?)
(Partly because I kind of want to surprise him, partly because he's got enough hassle to deal with already in his normal life,) Toph altruistically replied. (Besides, if we can take this thing down today, we'll all be able to have a nice, Yeerk-free weekend,) she added chipperly. (Now, are you guys with me or not?)
I thought for only a moment before making my decision. (While you should've told Prince Jake of your intentions,) I said, (I'll help you carry out your plan to put an end to this creature. You do have a plan in mind, I assume?)I added.
(Of course Antelope Boy,) Toph laughed. (That's why Olivia's out here,) she added as we pulled away from Tobias. (You coming with us Hawk Boy?) she asked, turning to look behind her.
(I guess I don't have much of a choice,) Tobias said with dry resignation as he glided over to join us. (After what happened last time, you could use an extra hand on deck.)
(You're the best Tobias,) she said warmly.
(I try.)
(Okay Olivia,) she announced then, (if you can hear my head-talk from here, get out into the closest clearing you can and then make some sort of loud noise-but a natural one, like a fox's bark or something, I don't know.)
After that, we aimlessly circled in the air for a minute or two, staying safely above the canopy and behaving as naturally as possible while we waited for the Chee to produce the sound that would pinpoint her location.
Now and again, I heard a brief rustle of brush or crack of twigs as something moved through the trees.
Then we heard it. It was a keening, startling cry, part yelp and part wail, coming from a part of the forest about three-quarters of a mile to our left and in front of us.
It was a sound I'd come to know well from my time in the woods, the crest-raising, nerve-jangling, grating bark of a red fox. I knew however, that this time it was no fox our alert bird of prey ears were hearing.
We all immediately-but still remaining some distance from each other, and trying not to seem too hurried-turned and headed in the direction of the sound as it came again.
(We hear you Olivia,) Toph assured her, (and we're coming your way now.)
There was a medium-sized, irregularly shaped, rocky clearing ahead, about one hundred and twenty by seventy feet. Besides rocks, it also contained a mixture of herbs and small bushes, as well as one lone, scraggly, short spruce tree that I knew was actually a projected hologram from the android.
Rocking my body to spill air from my wings, I aimed for the holographic tree and went into a steep glide, throwing my legs out in front of me to bear the shock of impact. Tobias then landed on my left, and a few seconds later, Toph landed on my right.
"Hello Aximili, hello Tobias," Olivia said as the hologram switched off, revealing her true android form, looming above us. "Did Toph tell you about what your roles will be in this plan to deal with the Controller yet?"
(No,) Tobias said. (Until just a few minutes ago we didn't even know we were part of her plans to start with,) he muttered.
(Well, I'll tell you guys now that we're here though,) Toph said, already beginning to demorph. I decided to do the same.
"Okay, let's make this quick," Toph said once she and I had fully demorphed, her hair billowing in the breeze as she extended her right foot to feel for the creature's presence and uneasily listened. I displayed similar caution, scanning the edges of the clearing, listening hard with my horse-like ears, and holding my tail at the ready. "You're shielding us with your holograph-whatever, right Olivia?"
"Of course Toph," she assured her.
"Great. First of all, do you two guys have wolf morphs?" she asked hopefully.
(Yes, I do,) I replied.
(Me too, although I'm not exactly sure why that's important,) Tobias said.
"Sweet," Toph exhaled in relief. "And I'll explain just why that's important in a bit."
"First thing you guys need to know though, is that I'm going to be the one who takes this thing out once and for all-and this time I think I've got the perfect morph to do it with," she said, glancing at both me and Tobias with her foggy eyes. "But to pull this off, I need all three of you guys to get this ape creature out of the trees and down on the ground, then lead it right to me while keeping its attention on you."
(Sounds doable,) Tobias agreed. (How exactly do you want us to go about getting it interested though?)
"Well, Visser Butthole sent this thing out to go after some Andalites, right?" she asked rhetorically. "So I'm thinking the sight and sound of a whole herd of Andalites running around in the woods is something that'll catch its attention in a big way-and it won't be able to resist," she grinned.
Toph Beifong.
Slowly, with a pulling, stretching sound, the cougar's impossibly long tail-my tail-grew to its full length, and I felt an itching sensation as whiskers grew from the sides of my short, blocky muzzle, my hands becoming paws. The morph was complete.
My task though, was just starting.
I rotated the cat's velvety ears, testing them and blinked once, twice, getting a feel for the morph.
The cougar had excellent hearing. Excellent eyesight too, especially when it came to detecting movement and seeing in dimmer light, picking out shapes from the background. Its color vision though, wasn't so good. Neither was its sense of smell, even though she could still smell a lot better than a person.
The cougar was initially confused about where she was. But soon she dismissed it. Her mind was a cunning, attentive one, always observing, assessing.
She wanted to stealthily prowl about, stake out a territory then find a place where prey might pass by, and lay in wait there for it. Or she would keep her eyes open for the sight or sound of possible prey, then crouch down and see how closely she could sneak up to it.
Deer were her favorite meal, but she'd eat anything she could catch, really. Turkeys, raccoons, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, hawks, geese, even a bobcat or brawny elk. She was the master huntress, the queen of the forest's predators, a ghostly assassin who stood alone.
I wanted to do the same things, and already had both a place and a victim in mind.
Clamping down on the cougar's instincts, I broke into a quick, but quiet trot through the gloom of the forest, body held low and ears pinned back so as not to give my presence away. The ape creature could be anywhere.
I felt so graceful, so sure and powerful. The cougar weighed little more than I did, but oh man, was she so much stronger, a lean, sleek mass of coiled power and agility. It would work just fine for this task, oh yes.
I knew that while I was trying to stay concealed as best I could as I headed toward the place we'd picked for the ambush, Hawk Boy, Ax, and Olivia were doing the exact opposite.
Their part of the plan was to pretend to be blissfully running around together as a trio of Andalites, Ax as himself, Tobias as a morph, and Olivia portraying one with her crazy emitter technology.
They'd be far enough apart to tempt the ape creature-if it was actually still around-into attacking one of them, but still close enough for Hawk Boy and Ax to warn and help each other if or when it came flying out of the trees.
I hated, almost felt sick, that I'd lied to them like that, dragged them into my plan without their permission, and I hoped it wouldn't damage our trust. And there was also a real risk that one of them could get hurt baiting the creature, or worse.
But this was something I had to do. I had to prove to everyone, and most of all myself, that I could kick butt just as well in a morph as I could with my earthbending.
After several minutes, I began to see the sunlight shining more strongly through the trunks of the trees, and saw tall, scraggly tan and green grass between the gaps. It was the small meadow Tobias had spotted while searching for just the right spot, the one we'd agreed on. The one where, if everything worked out in our favor, the ape creature would die.
The meadow wasn't a large one. Shaped kind of like a skinny oval, I'd guess it was about fifty paces long by eleven paces wide, full of grass and low-growing shrubs.
Right down the length of it ran a wide animal trail, which Hawk Boy thought had been made by elk.
And my cougar nose confirmed it. The faint smell of elk, a true prize, a grand feast if she could get her claws on one, excited the cougar's mind greatly.
Hunching down into a crouch, shoulders arching, I crept up to the edge of the small meadow, keeping to the shadows as I slowly placed one padded paw in front of the other, trying to keep as quiet and concealed as a snake. Every so often, I took a moment to scan the branches above me, listen for the sounds of claws on bark.
After last time, I was probably just a bit paranoid, even though I knew that even if the ape creature was nearby and saw me, it wouldn't be able to tell me from any other cougar.
There was a large bush, growing a few feet away from the edge of the forest, with lots of little seedlings and tall blades of grass growing around it. Perfect cover, both my mind and the cougar's agreed.
I slunk over to the bush and slipped inside, feeling the twigs scrape and brush my back as I did. Okay, I was pretty well concealed now. Now which way should I be facing, left, or right?
The plan was that if the ape creature came after one of the other three, they would all immediately head for this meadow with the creature hard on their heels. And if possible, then they should run through the meadow the same way as the breeze, so it wouldn't be as likely to smell me.
After hesitating for a bit, I decided I'd face upwind, toward the right side. Leaves crunched and twigs lightly rasped through my fur as I carefully shifted my cougar body into position, pressing my belly against the ground. Then I could only wait, and hope the trickery, the preparation, wouldn't be for nothing.
If it turned out Smart Aleck's guess had been wrong, and the Controller had actually split, or was being held in the Yeerk Pool right now while its Yeerk fed, well, that would sure make me look awfully silly and be a massive waste of our time.
Patient, motionless, feeling the cougar's calm anticipation, I kept my eyes and ears focused on the southern edge of the clearing as the minutes passed by.
And then...
The sound of frantic galloping! The beast was around here after all, and now the others were on the run from it! Yes!
Yeah, I understand it's weird to be excited over something like that.
But then my enthusiasm took a hit when I realized they were coming from the north. The wrong direction!
What if it smelt me before I could attack? I didn't have time to get into a new position! Now I'd have to attack it from an awkward angle!
No time for that Toph, I told myself. You just have to get ready and go for it.
(Get ready Toph!) I heard Hawk Boy say in my head as the pounding of hooves, the sound of labored breaths, got closer. (Jeez, this thing is on our tails and going through the branches like you can't believe!)
(It is so fast!) Ax agreed.
I had just enough time to start turning in the other direction, crinkling leaves, before Ax and Tobias, running in single file, charged into the clearing like racehorses with Olivia running between them, a bizarre blue parade of Andalites, stalk eyes and tail blades held high as they ran flat-out.
As I tensed the cougar's muscles to spring, I heard something hurtle down to the ground seconds later and begin tearing down the trail after them. I didn't need to be told what it was.
The instant Tobias, who was in the rear and deliberately lagging behind, approached the bush, I broke from cover, bounding over the grass in astonishing leaps, easily covering four paces at a time with each jump as the landscape flew by me.
As the onrushing ape creature expanded in my sight, I saw it come to a stop as it also saw me, sunken eyes widening as its huge ears flicked upright.
It turned to run. But I was faster.
At the last instant, it tried to face me and fight back. Too late.
In just a few seconds, even if it'd come from a direction I hadn't been expecting, I was on it, crashing into its back and hurling it to the ground as I pinned its upper pair of arms to its sides with my forelegs, claws sinking into its tough skin.
I bit down hard, high on its right shoulder and near the base of the neck where there was a seam between the leathery plates. I tasted its blood, welling into my mouth as it screeched in pain, exciting the cougar all the more.
"Yyyaaaaggghhhh!"
It heaved against the ground with its free pair of arms, trying to either throw me off or go into a roll.
But I just shoved my weight against it in response, pinning it again.
(Ah-ah. You're not getting away that easily Yeerk,) I snarled as I twisted, yanked at its neck with the cougar's stout jaws to do more damage.
I then felt pain, pain in my flanks as the beast ineffectually reached up behind it with its free pair of hands and began to scrabble at me with its taloned fingers, raking at the air and sometimes scratching out fur or skin.
But I made myself ignore it, biting even harder and shaking my head, yanking at the tendons and blood vessels, tasting the salty fluid on my tongue. Both I and the cat were perfectly happy to take some pain if it finally meant seeing this thing dead.
This was exhilarating. This was so satisfying. This was primal. This time, I wasn't hurting or killing an opponent at a distance with earthbending, but getting right in its face, using nothing but teeth and brute power to whip their butt, doing it honestly.
Even though the cougar's eyes were mostly shut and her ears laid back to protect them, I still heard Ax come running over from the left, and Hawk Boy from the right, both in wolf morph, panting.
I then heard the ape creature give another desperate squeal of pain as they each crunched down onto one of its free arms near the wrist and yanked in opposite directions, jerking and ripping, feet braced.
I decided it would be safe for me now to shift my grip to its throat. So I did. Its struggles underneath me became more frenzied-and soon, then weaker. Finally, it twitched a few times, and then lay still as I released my jaws, panting from the effort.
(Way to go Toph,) Tobias congratulated me.
(You did very well,) Antelope Boy agreed.
(Thanks,) I said, pleased, as I backed away. (And once more, I prove myself to be awesome. Don't forget the last part of this plan though.)
(We haven't,) Tobias said, laughing. (Ax-man, you can do the honors.)
And with that, I broke into a wild run, racing for the trees, then among them, as Ax chased me, growling, while Tobias continued to tear at the dead ape-creature, shaking it. It was all part of covering our tracks of course, making it seem like I'd been just some random cougar that had killed the beast, and then been promptly chased off by a couple of wolves. I even briefly stopped to take a swing at Antelope Boy, hissing as he lunged at me, to make it that much more realistic.
I selected a nice big pine tree and shot up into it with one bound, pulling and pushing my way up the trunk with the claws on my feet before making my way out onto a branch and looking down as Ax leapt at the trunk a few times, scratching the bark with his wolf claws, before turning away to rejoin Hawk Boy.
(And that's a wrap,) I smugly told myself. (Okay guys, I think that's good enough now.)
Standing there in the tree's upper branches, the cougar's heart pumping, looking down at where Ax and Tobias were trotting away from the fallen ape creature, both my mind and the cat's filled with accomplishment and pride at our success-I just felt great, on top of the world.
I'd proven myself as an equal, polished my reputation, shown that Controller who was boss around here, and the others that I was just as capable and deadly of a fighter in morph as I was with my earthbending.
Today, I dominated. I ruled.
And I cut loose with the cougar's penetrating scream, ringing through the sky.
I then carefully climbed down from the tree and rejoined the others.
There's not much to report after that.
Ax morphed the harrier again. Tobias demorphed. I demorphed as well, and then morphed the raven, while Yzark headed for home with the astonishing speed all Chee are capable of.
I was headed for her place too, looking forward to a well-earned rest and good lunch.
Once we'd taken to the air, and the mountain peaks were receding behind us, I noticed a big, dark brown bird, bigger even than my raven out of the corner of my eye, drifting over to above the silver of meadow and then beginning to descend in a gradual spiral toward the trees.
It was the young golden eagle we'd seen earlier, apparently interested in having some lunch of her own-and one that was literally out of this world.
