Thanks to Brutal2003, Kenra, Blackguard, slayer, MarieWalker and Gryphnwng for the reviews, the feedback is appreciated, especially since it's all very positive. Anyways, thanks again and on with the story!
Chapter 2
"Hey Giles, what does it mean when you see a flock of owls?" Buffy asked conversationally.
"I beg your pardon?" Giles replied.
"You know, owls." Buffy replied. "Fly at night, have big eyes and go 'hoot-hoot?'
"Yes I heard the owls part, but I've never heard of a flock of them before." Giles replied with a sigh. "I really have no idea if that has any significance, I'll have to consult my books."
Buffy shrugged. "Well let me know if you find anything." She walked out of Giles house and headed through the bright afternoon sun to the University of Sunnydale campus.
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Meanwhile in a small forest on the outskirts of town, the Animorphs were discussing the events from last night.
"I can't believe I never knew about vampires." Marco said.
"Well you did." Cassie replied. "Everyone has heard of them, but almost no one believes in them."
"It's the perfect cover really." Jake mused. "Perpetuate yourself as a myth, and then no one will believe it's real."
I think the real question is does this affect us? Tobias asked.
Marco gave him a pointed look. "You brought us here in the first place!"
I know I did, but that was just so you wouldn't think I was crazy. Tobias replied. My point is, does this help us in any way? We've got our hands full with the Yeerks, we can't start fighting vampires too."
"What about acquiring them?" Rachel asked. "They're a lot tougher to kill than any of our other morphs, even my elephant."
I do not think that it is possible. Ax replied. You need living cells to acquire from. Is a vampire truly alive? All eyes turned to Cassie.
"Don't look at me." She said with a shrug. "I have no idea."
"I bet that girl from last night did though." Jake said thoughtfully. "The vampire called her something."
"Slayer." Rachel said quietly. "She's the Slayer."
Everyone turned to look at Rachel, who sighed and began to speak. "When I was eleven this guy approached me on day on the way home from school. He told me I was a potential, which meant that I could be called as a Vampire Slayer."
"Which is what exactly?" Jake asked.
"Basically someone with super strength and speed who fights vampires and other things that go bump in the night." Rachel explained. "I'm pretty sure there's only one at any given time. This guy told me he was my Watcher, and that he was there to train me in case I was ever called. I thought he was a lunatic and ran away. He chased me across a street and some guy ran a red and hit him."
"I remember that, but that's not quite how you told the story." Jake said. "You said he was just crossing the street, not chasing you."
Rachel shrugged. "I guess I wasn't ready to tell anyone that part."
"So Rachel could have been a Slayer? Wow, that explains a lot." Marco joked.
"Too bad there's no explanation for why you're brain doesn't work." Rachel shot back.
Marco ignored her. "Okay so now we know what she is, but what we don't know is whether we can trust her." He pointed out. "We have no idea if she is a Controller."
I doubt it. Tobias said. She's still doing her job fighting vampires. Don't you think she'd be fighting us if she was a Controller?
Jake shook his head. "I doubt she is a Controller but we really can't take the chance. Ax? Tobias? The two of you are going to stay here and recon her starting tomorrow. Three days, you need to follow her absolutely everywhere; she can't be out of your sight for a second. Got it?"
Not a problem.
Yes, Prince Jake.
"Don't call me prince Ax."
Yes, Prince Jake.
Jake ran a hand though his hair and sighed. "The rest of us are going to head back, no need to give the Chee more trouble than we need to."
"Does this mean we aren't going to miss my math test?" Marco complained.
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"Buffy!" Buffy turned around and saw Willow making her way through the crowded cafeteria. The two of them sat down at a table near the back, and were joined by Riley and Tara.
"Hey all." Buffy greeted, giving Riley a quick kiss.
"So, anything interesting happen last night?" Riley asked. He had spent the night in the Initiative labs.
Buffy shrugged. "Nah, I only got two vamps. Ooh, I saw a flock of owls. Does that mean anything?"
"They're getting ready for the air show?" Riley joked.
Willow and Tara shared a look, but then shrugged. "Neither of us know any significance to that." Willow said. "But let me tell you about this cool spell we did!" She said, bubbling with pride and excitement. The group listened to Willow, blissfully unaware of the cockroach that was perched underneath the table, listening to every word. When they left the table, and headed outside, they were again unaware of the red-tailed hawk circling high overhead, watching them with its' fearsome gaze.
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Jake, Cassie, Marco and Rachel were at Cassie's barn, waiting for Erek to arrive. Though Tobias was not there to stand watch for them, Cassie's parents were gone so it wouldn't be a big deal.
"Hope Ax and Tobias are doing okay." Cassie said worriedly. "We shouldn't have left them there alone."
"The two of them can take care of themselves." Jake replied confidently. "Besides, we can't just leave the front. We need to be here."
"Actually it might not be a bad idea for you to head back there." Erek said, walking through the open barn doors. "Visser Three has taken an interest in some government project that's going on over there. Apparently the Yeerks have no one working on the project, but they heard it through the grapevine. The Visser knows it's no ordinary project, and he wants to know what's going on."
"Are the Yeerks moving into Sunnydale?" Marco asked.
Erek shook his head. "Not yet, the Visser is too focused on hunting you guys. I think they're trying to use their government connections to find out what's going on. What did you guys find anyway?"
"Get this," Rachel said, "vampires are real."
Erek smiled in response. "I know, I met a few during the Middle Ages."
Marco smacked his head. "Of course! We have a walking history book right here, why did we need to fly out to Sunnydale?"
"We wouldn't have found the Slayer otherwise." Jake pointed out.
"The Vampire Slayer?" Erek asked. "I thought that was just a myth, and keep in mind I've been around for a long time."
"She's real." Jake confirmed. "Don't really know how that affects us though. Even if she is super strong, you'd have to be pretty tough to go toe to toe with a Hork-Bajir."
"The Slayer is probably well versed in the list of demons that walk this planet." Erek pointed out. "If nothing else she could act as a guide to help you find new, more dangerous morphs."
"You mean there are more than just vampires?!" Marco exclaimed.
"Well, I've never seen any other than a vampire, but I've heard about other kinds." Erek replied. "Like I said she could act as a guide for you, let you know what's tough, and maybe keep you guys from getting killed."
"Well I guess we should head back there, if for no other reason then to find out what it is the Yeerks are looking for." Jake decided.
"And if we pick up some new, deadly morphs while we're there, then points for us." Rachel said with a grin.
Jake turned to Erek. "I don't know how long we're going to be out of town, are you sure you can-"
"Go man, don't worry we've got it covered." Erek said with a nod.
Marco rubbed his hands together. "Alright, looks I get out of that test after all."
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Hey Ax-man? Tobias asked from his vantage point of a couple hundred feet up.
Yes my friend? Ax answered from his similar vantage point a couple hundred yards away. Both had morphed owls and were circling the graveyard, keeping a close eye on Buffy as she patrolled.
Is it just me or is she about to walk into an ambush? Tobias asked.
I believe you are correct, Tobias. There are several vampires hidden behind graves or trees that she may not see. Ax replied.
I know Jake said to just observe but I have a feeling we're going to be needing to take a more active role. Tobias said.
We cannot let her see us Tobias. Prince Jake gave us orders. Ax countered.
Fine then stay up here, I'll help her myself. Even as he spoke Tobias was melting back into his similar hawk form. Tobias finished the morph losing only a little altitude and then dropped down and landed behind a mausoleum. I'm going Hork-Bajir. He informed Ax. Hopefully she'll just think I'm some other kind of monster or something. And then, hidden in the shadows, Tobias began to change.
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Buffy looked around and suddenly realized she'd screwed up. The vampire she'd been tracking led her back to his buddies, who were currently surrounding her. 'Stupid!' she berated herself mentally, meanwhile reaching into her coat and pulling out 'Mr. Pointy.'
"Now see here Slayer, we've had just about enough of you ruining our fun." A blonde vampire clearly trying to imitate Spike said in a confident voice.
Buffy shrugged. "Hey, what can I say, I just love to crash the vamp parties."
The vampire snorted and moved forward. "Looks like you crashed the wrong one." Before he had even gotten halfway through his intended blow, Buffy had staked him, turning him into a pile of dust. The other vampires, now more cautious, circled like a pack of wolves surrounding their prey.
Buffy did a quick count. One down, nineteen more to go. Buffy winced inwardly. She had fought this many before, but not without the element of surprise or, more importantly, her friends.
Suddenly a huge figure emerged from the shadows moving very quickly. In the blink of an eye, three vampires were decapitated. Standing behind the pile of dust was a demon like no other Buffy had ever seen. It towered over her by at least two feet and reminded her of a dinosaur. It had huge talon like feet, muscular legs and torso, and a head with a birdlike beak and sharp eyes on the end of a long, flexible neck. But what really made it look dangerous were the blades. Blades on the wrists, elbows, knees and even the head make this thing look like a walking lawn mower. Buffy simply looked at it in shock.
So did the vampires however, which proved to be a big mistake. Three more gawking vampires were quickly beheaded, and Buffy took the opportunity to spring into action, dusting three more before they really reacted.
The vampires were suddenly on the defensive, being attacked by a walking razor blade and a very pissed off Slayer, and were fighting a losing battle. Having lost half their numbers within the first minute, the remaining vampires either fought and were quickly beaten or chose to run. In the end, two vampires survived from the original twenty that had tried to ambush Buffy.
Buffy dusted her hands then turned to thank or possibly defend herself from her accomplice, but he was already gone, swallowed up by the shadows of the night.
End chap 2
Hope everyone liked the chapter. I decided after my first attempt that the Animorphs would probably take much longer before approaching a possible Controller, so it will take a little longer before they meet. Anyways, thanks for reading and please leave a review!