Chapter 6
The next morning I awoke to wolves howling. I got up and looked around, then I realized that it was still really, really early. It was still night. Sam was sleeping on the floor still. "Wake...." I was going to wake him up, but then I decided not to. Then I changed my mind again. I knew sam liked wolves a lot. "Wake up." I said, in a tone just above a whisper. He wouldn't get up.
"Get up!" I urged as Io kicked him lightly in the side.
"What do you want?" He asked grumpily. Just then, the wolves howled.
"That." I said.
"You woke me up to hear wolves?"
"No, get up. They are right outside the door."
"That one wasn't. I could tell." He laid back down. "Go back to sleep."
"The one that woke me up was right outside the door."
"So what?" He grumped. "Go back to sleep and leave me alone!" He curled back up in his sleeping bag. But I stayed up and watched out the window of the door.
The wolf that was just outside the door was sniffing at the door. I guess it couldn't hurt to check things out.
After a while, I decided to hit the sack. They weren't getting in. Besides, there was no reason to be worried. They were smart animals.
As I lay there, I began thinking about an article in the national geographic magazine. It was explaining about how wolves were better people than we were. Some of the examples were that if one was injured or sick, the rest of the pack would not leave it until it was better or dead. They can adapt to just about any habitat without altering it in any way. And in general were just better. They were more efficient and respectful than any other animal alive.
These are the thoughts that keep me from going insane.
The next morning, I woke up to Sam already up and pacing around the room. "Morning." I said to him.
"Good morning, sleepyhead." He said."Time to get up. We are just about ready to start. We need to clean up all this junk wood and pile it outside. Then we need to work on cleaning up the little chairs that are stuck to the ground." He was pointing around and generally telling me what I already knew.
"Sam, I get it. We need to completely clean this place out. But where will we put it all. If someone hears us, then we are toast. That can't be good, and we need to be as inconspicuous as possible."
"I know how to handle myself in the wild. I have studied up on this with Steve. He is a hunter, and knows how to live in the wild." He told me. I already knew this.
"Yes, but was Steve prepared to fight brain stealing aliens in the forest trying to be completely forgotten?"
He just kind of shook his head. "Of course not, but between the two of us, we'll figure it out."
"Let's get to work." I said.
"I have been throwing random things out for the last fifteen minutes." He said.
I got up and started picking up pieces of junk and throwing them outside. After about fifteen minutes, I went outside and stood there for a minute. Sam followed me.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Going to get Cassie and Rachel. Maybe even Whitney, if she is there." I told him as I turned around. Right at that time, my eyes were becoming sharper, better. And with them I could see that he understood. Then he leaned against the door.
My nose and lips stretched and became a hard beak, and from them came a wave of little spines. I was assuming they were the parts that held the fluffiness of the feathers. I began to shrink and my legs turned hard. I could feel my already long toenails thicken and harden into the talons of the peregrine falcon.
As soon as I was small enough, the feathers sprouted fur and turned grey. My still human-like bones of my arms shifted into the wings of the bird.
There I was. A peregrine falcon in the middle of the forest. "I wish I could do that." I hear Sam complain from the doorway of the house. I will call it our house from now on.
{Well, I would like o have your telekinesis, so I guess we are even.} I shot back, but in more of a teasing mood than an aggravating one.
"I understand that, but my telekinesis is still being worked on. At the rate I am going, I will not be able to fully control it for a while."
{I guess you could say that I have yet to perfect my morphing.} I replied.
"Not really. It always works for you." He countered.
{Yes, but little do you know, that coming with this body is a complete set of basic instincts. How to fly, what to look for in food, the hunger. Etc. I still have to work on controlling the animals basic mind. It is still there living with you. Not the memories or thoughts, just instincts.} I informed him. {But at the same time, it has been very helpful. If it wasn't for the bird's mind, I probably couldn't fly. It's kind of a double edged sword, but not necessarily a weapon.}
"I think I get it, but I still wish I could fly." He said grumpily.
{Hey, think on the positive side. If you learn to control it well enough, you can fly yourself.}
"What?"
{Nothing, I will explain later. Anyway. Pick me up and throw me up. Getting some headwind with these little wings is harder than it looks.}
He came over and picked me up. The birds instincts were telling me to get away, but I repressed them quickly. "You are lucky." He said as he threw me directly up. And I agreed with the instincts and began to flap. It took me a few seconds, but I got above the treetops and looked down to see that Sam was going back inside the house.
It was then that I remembered just how much better the falcons eyes were than my own. It was like switching from a tv from the fifties to a fifty inch plasma screen, but ten times better. And despite what some people believe, animals can see color.
I flew around for about ten minutes before I remembered where I was going. The fun I was having proved to be dangerous. Remembering what happened last time, I went immediately to Cassie's. I saw the three of them lounging in a field beyond the horse range. I could see it wasn't fenced in. They were lounging under a big tree on chairs. Cassie, Rachel, and Whitney. All sitting there. I flew in and landed on a low branch.
"Hi Jake." Cassie said. "Got any ideas yet?" I just stood there. "Guess it's not Jake. But peregrines aren't native to here, that's all." She defended.
"No problem, I thought it was Jake too, but I didn't want to say anything." Rachel added.
{It's me.} I said.
Whitney turned around. "Ah, I forgot you and Jake had the same morphs." She said. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
{Just Cruisin'.} I said.
"Where's Sam?" Cassie asked.
{Back at the house.}
"You guys are movin' right in, aren't you?" Rachel asked.
{Yeah, but we were wondering if you three could give us a hand. We are doing autumn cleaning. We need to get all of the junk out in preparation for us to buy things to put in there, we will be very comfortable soon.}
"Sure." Cassie said, "We have nothing else to do, and we need to talk to you two too."
{About what?} I inquired. (I like that word.)
"Just mission stuff." She replied. "This and that. Updates and so on."
Whitney got up and Rachel followed. "Let's go, it's a pretty nice day. Unfortunately, we have to go to school tomorrow, so let's go have a walk."
They all got up and walked away. I would have followed or led the way, but they knew the way. I decided to meet them at home.
The next morning I awoke to wolves howling. I got up and looked around, then I realized that it was still really, really early. It was still night. Sam was sleeping on the floor still. "Wake...." I was going to wake him up, but then I decided not to. Then I changed my mind again. I knew sam liked wolves a lot. "Wake up." I said, in a tone just above a whisper. He wouldn't get up.
"Get up!" I urged as Io kicked him lightly in the side.
"What do you want?" He asked grumpily. Just then, the wolves howled.
"That." I said.
"You woke me up to hear wolves?"
"No, get up. They are right outside the door."
"That one wasn't. I could tell." He laid back down. "Go back to sleep."
"The one that woke me up was right outside the door."
"So what?" He grumped. "Go back to sleep and leave me alone!" He curled back up in his sleeping bag. But I stayed up and watched out the window of the door.
The wolf that was just outside the door was sniffing at the door. I guess it couldn't hurt to check things out.
After a while, I decided to hit the sack. They weren't getting in. Besides, there was no reason to be worried. They were smart animals.
As I lay there, I began thinking about an article in the national geographic magazine. It was explaining about how wolves were better people than we were. Some of the examples were that if one was injured or sick, the rest of the pack would not leave it until it was better or dead. They can adapt to just about any habitat without altering it in any way. And in general were just better. They were more efficient and respectful than any other animal alive.
These are the thoughts that keep me from going insane.
The next morning, I woke up to Sam already up and pacing around the room. "Morning." I said to him.
"Good morning, sleepyhead." He said."Time to get up. We are just about ready to start. We need to clean up all this junk wood and pile it outside. Then we need to work on cleaning up the little chairs that are stuck to the ground." He was pointing around and generally telling me what I already knew.
"Sam, I get it. We need to completely clean this place out. But where will we put it all. If someone hears us, then we are toast. That can't be good, and we need to be as inconspicuous as possible."
"I know how to handle myself in the wild. I have studied up on this with Steve. He is a hunter, and knows how to live in the wild." He told me. I already knew this.
"Yes, but was Steve prepared to fight brain stealing aliens in the forest trying to be completely forgotten?"
He just kind of shook his head. "Of course not, but between the two of us, we'll figure it out."
"Let's get to work." I said.
"I have been throwing random things out for the last fifteen minutes." He said.
I got up and started picking up pieces of junk and throwing them outside. After about fifteen minutes, I went outside and stood there for a minute. Sam followed me.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Going to get Cassie and Rachel. Maybe even Whitney, if she is there." I told him as I turned around. Right at that time, my eyes were becoming sharper, better. And with them I could see that he understood. Then he leaned against the door.
My nose and lips stretched and became a hard beak, and from them came a wave of little spines. I was assuming they were the parts that held the fluffiness of the feathers. I began to shrink and my legs turned hard. I could feel my already long toenails thicken and harden into the talons of the peregrine falcon.
As soon as I was small enough, the feathers sprouted fur and turned grey. My still human-like bones of my arms shifted into the wings of the bird.
There I was. A peregrine falcon in the middle of the forest. "I wish I could do that." I hear Sam complain from the doorway of the house. I will call it our house from now on.
{Well, I would like o have your telekinesis, so I guess we are even.} I shot back, but in more of a teasing mood than an aggravating one.
"I understand that, but my telekinesis is still being worked on. At the rate I am going, I will not be able to fully control it for a while."
{I guess you could say that I have yet to perfect my morphing.} I replied.
"Not really. It always works for you." He countered.
{Yes, but little do you know, that coming with this body is a complete set of basic instincts. How to fly, what to look for in food, the hunger. Etc. I still have to work on controlling the animals basic mind. It is still there living with you. Not the memories or thoughts, just instincts.} I informed him. {But at the same time, it has been very helpful. If it wasn't for the bird's mind, I probably couldn't fly. It's kind of a double edged sword, but not necessarily a weapon.}
"I think I get it, but I still wish I could fly." He said grumpily.
{Hey, think on the positive side. If you learn to control it well enough, you can fly yourself.}
"What?"
{Nothing, I will explain later. Anyway. Pick me up and throw me up. Getting some headwind with these little wings is harder than it looks.}
He came over and picked me up. The birds instincts were telling me to get away, but I repressed them quickly. "You are lucky." He said as he threw me directly up. And I agreed with the instincts and began to flap. It took me a few seconds, but I got above the treetops and looked down to see that Sam was going back inside the house.
It was then that I remembered just how much better the falcons eyes were than my own. It was like switching from a tv from the fifties to a fifty inch plasma screen, but ten times better. And despite what some people believe, animals can see color.
I flew around for about ten minutes before I remembered where I was going. The fun I was having proved to be dangerous. Remembering what happened last time, I went immediately to Cassie's. I saw the three of them lounging in a field beyond the horse range. I could see it wasn't fenced in. They were lounging under a big tree on chairs. Cassie, Rachel, and Whitney. All sitting there. I flew in and landed on a low branch.
"Hi Jake." Cassie said. "Got any ideas yet?" I just stood there. "Guess it's not Jake. But peregrines aren't native to here, that's all." She defended.
"No problem, I thought it was Jake too, but I didn't want to say anything." Rachel added.
{It's me.} I said.
Whitney turned around. "Ah, I forgot you and Jake had the same morphs." She said. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
{Just Cruisin'.} I said.
"Where's Sam?" Cassie asked.
{Back at the house.}
"You guys are movin' right in, aren't you?" Rachel asked.
{Yeah, but we were wondering if you three could give us a hand. We are doing autumn cleaning. We need to get all of the junk out in preparation for us to buy things to put in there, we will be very comfortable soon.}
"Sure." Cassie said, "We have nothing else to do, and we need to talk to you two too."
{About what?} I inquired. (I like that word.)
"Just mission stuff." She replied. "This and that. Updates and so on."
Whitney got up and Rachel followed. "Let's go, it's a pretty nice day. Unfortunately, we have to go to school tomorrow, so let's go have a walk."
They all got up and walked away. I would have followed or led the way, but they knew the way. I decided to meet them at home.