LittleMidget; thankyou for reviewing, i'm glad someone seemes to like it. And don't give up yours, i love little speedy creatures...(he he)
Amanda
We flapped hard, over the ocean. It was still dark and cloudy, but at least it had stopped raining. The bad thing was, there were no thermals, and having to beat our wings continuously was tiring us both out.
We hit the beach just before the two ships spread out, moving diagonally away from us.
(This is Aximili. Jake has requested that you both be 'careful', and Ithiell has requested that you, Amanda, do not forget...)
(Yes, thankyou Ax) I said, knowing what Ithiell wanted to say. He wanted me to remember the 'mission'. And as far as I was concerned, this mission needed my emotions mixed into the equation.
The fight with the Terinans was brutal, but short. Five wolves and one Andalite had rushed into the tunnel after us, speeding past me and attacking the Terinans with everything they had. Weapons were fired, and we nearly lost Robert and Rachel, but we'd survived. All because we'd worked together...
We'd also passed right by the Yeerk Blade ship, and hadn't been detected. At least, I hoped we hadn't. Passing right by that thing just gave me the creeps.
And now it was a race against time to find Jade and David.
(Do you have any idea what she'd be planning?) Marco asked me as we flew.
(None. But I know it's got to be something dangerous)
(I think it's going to be dangerous either way)
(What did this guy do?)
(Threatened to rat us out to the Yeerks)
(And you couldn't let that happen. Right) we fell silent, pumping our wings as fast as we could in the dead air.
(Hey, do you see that?)
(See what?)
(Ahead of us... two birds)
(Uh-oh) I turned my attention to what was ahead of us, seeing only two faint outlines in the distance. Too far for even my raptor eyes to pick up.
(Think it's them?)
(I don't know, but let's do our best to try and catch up to them) he said, and I followed his lead. Very soon we could make out what those two birds were. A peregrine falcon and a golden eagle.
(It's an aerial dogfight!) I cried when I realised why we were gaining ground on the two birds. They were swooping and ducking and dodging, both of them looking like they were trying to get the edge on the other one.
(Yeah, but who's who?)
(Does David have a peregrine falcon morph?)
(I don't know. He didn't the last time I checked...)
(No! Why would he become a smaller bird to chase after her?!) It hit me then (Jade's the falcon! I'm sure of it!)
(Why is she... unless... then she should have gone eagle too!)
(I don't know! I don't know what's going though her head! I wish I did!) I cried suddenly, beating my wings for all they had. But I was tiring too fast, and my wings would probably give in on me before we got to her. It was so frustrating!
We passed over an old dirt road, suddenly finding ourselves flying over telephone powerlines.
(Watch for those lines) he warned (We don't want to hit them)
(That's it!)
(What's it?) But I knew he was catching on.
(Jade... she's trying to fry him on the power lines! That's why she went falcon... so she could lead him straight into the powerlines!)
(But he can see them just as well as we can... unless he gets cocky and tries to follow her through the lines) he got it, and if I was human I would have smiled.
But our moment of triumph was soon forgotten as we watched the fight ahead. The falcon... Jade... was trying to gain some altitude for a dive, and she only got a few metres up before David began to follow her. So she tried the impossible; she tried to dive from where she was. As she did, David managed to flare and dodge it, sinking his talons into her back as she blew past.
We heard her scream in our heads, then David's mocking voice,
(You won't tell me your secret? Fine, I'll just have to do to you what you were going to do to me; fry you!!)
(If you do, you'll never know how to become human again!) Jade replied in both desperation and anger.
(Forget it. What I want now is to finish the Animorphs off. And you...you've already wasted too much of my time)
(You'll never be able to do that. They'll just turn the tables on you like last time, and then... aaaahhh!!) she screamed as he dug his talons in deeper.
(Shut up! I don't need a lecture from you!) With her still trapped on his talons, he flapped down close to the power lines.
(NOOO!!) I cried, but it was too late. And there was nothing we could do but watch.
Marco let out a string of angry curses as David let go of her just before she hit the powerlines... and when she did....
ZZZZZAAAAPPPPP!!!!
Her whole body was spasming, taking the jolt of all the voltage there was in the two lines she'd landed on. I almost saw the electricity coursing through her body as she screamed in agony.
(AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!)
(Oh god! Oh... oh god!) I cried in absolute horror as I saw and finally smelled her feathers sizzling and smoking. Now we were only a few metres away. I flapped for altitude, hoping that if I could just knock her away from the...
(David!) Marco snarled.
(Ah, it's the Animorphs to the rescue, how cute) he cooed as I finally got enough altitude and dove at an angle, straight at Jade. David swooped towards me, but Marco attacked him, knocking him off balance for long enough to go gliding past.
I hit! There was a sharp jolt passed through to me, but I managed to knock her away from the live wires, and she fell...
And made a sickening splat as she hit the ground, unmoving...
(Jade! Jade, can you hear me! Shape shift! Change back! Now!!) I screamed at her, but... there was nothing. Her feathers and beak were a singed, bloody mess.
(Look out!) Marco cried, and I looked up just in time to see David's talons reaching for me. I flapped hard, clearing his flight path.
(Ahh!) he cried, pulling up and barely missing the wires himself. But I was above him now, and if I got enough altitude, I could dive bomb him. He'd pay... oh, he'd pay dearly for this...
And suddenly, Marco and I were attacking David with everything we had! Diving, ducking under his wings... tearing at him.
Attack! Attack! My mind screamed, and for once I followed my own advice.
Then... Marco was down! David grabbed his tail in his beak as he sped past, yanking the half his feathers off! Blood and feathers were everywhere!!
(No!) I cried as he tried to keep his altitude, but failing when David started ripping at one of his wings, and he fell fast, falling into the thick branches of the tree.
Now it was up to me.
TSSSEEERRR!!
I screamed, folding my wings back and preparing to dive-bomb him and hopefully knock him off-balance long enough for me to take a good portion of his wing with me.
(Come here little birdie) he mocked, flying straight up to meet me. I flew straight at him, unafraid. As we were about to crash though, he twisted sideways, digging his talons into my left wing and taking my blood and half my feathers with him.
(AAAAHHHHHHH!!!) I screamed, beginning to fall towards the earth, right next to where Jade was. Jade...
I hit, still amazed and horrified by what I was seeing, not wanting to take my eyes of her form.
Her eyes had turned to liquid inside her head, and her body I saw, was going hollow.
(Ahhhh! Ahhh! Ahhhhh!!!) I started screaming, suddenly finding I couldn't stop.
(Shut up! Shut up! Shut UP!) Marco yelled from somewhere in the trees. So, he was seeing it too.
David landed beside us, too far away for my shattered bird body to reach, and watched the horror.
He body now... her skin, was deflating and soon her head, then the rest of her body turned into a silver liquid... and stayed that way.
(Oh my god! Is that how changelings... is it?!) Marco's voice was shrill.
(I don't know! I don't think so! But we're not... so I don't know what happens when we...!) I trailed off, fighting back the urge to start screaming again.
Beside me, David seemed satisfied. He turned his attention on me, and I tensed up.
(I'll be back for you later) he said, finally flapping his wings and taking off, way out of sight. I took that time to return back to my human form, collapsing in front of the puddle that used to be my friend. A minute later, Marco joined me.
"I say we go after him now. Wait till his morph time is up, then... then..." his voice was tight, but he trailed off as he looked down at the puddle in front of us.
"We can't. We've got to somehow... oh god..." Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could even stop myself. I put my head in my hands and cried, forgetting about controlling my emotions. Jade was... and now...
"What the...?!" Marco cried suddenly, scrambling up and taking me with him by grabbing my arm. At first I was angry and turned on him, but then I saw... his face had changed. He pointed down, and I couldn't help but follow his gaze.
"Oh!" I cried as I watched the puddle start to quiver and move. Very soon it took shape, and as that shape took a more solid form, I finally realised what had happened.
"Jade!" I cried with relief. She was human again, laying flat on her back and looking up the sky. She turned her head when she heard my voice.
"Amanda? What are you...?" She tried to get up, she slipped back down again. I went to help her up, but Marco got there before I did, and held her up in a sitting position. I collapsed to my knees beside her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"What happened?" I asked her as Marco propped her up from behind with his arm. She looked like a rag doll. Exhausted, but not beaten yet.
"Well... I had a plan A, but that... and plan B didn't exactly go as planned... but I think it worked... at least, it's worked... so far..." she wasn't making much sense.
"Wait a second. You planned to get zapped?!" Marco accused, his eyes wide.
"Not zapped... but to let him think he killed me..."
"Are you insane!" He suddenly cried, grabbing both her shoulders and turning to face her.
"Yep. Insane" She said simply, letting out a wry smile.
"You could have actually gotten killed!! What are you, a moron!! You're crazy! Nuts! Out of this world...!!" He continued on, shaking her limp body.
"Stop that, you'll hurt her" I croaked, afraid he'd do more harm than good.
"You're an idiot! A crazy, insane, lunatic..." He trailed off, kissed her hard on the lips, then continued to shake and berate her with the same words over and over, putting a new word in every few seconds.
You call her crazy? I thought as I watched Jade's head roll back, and she closed her eyes.
"Please don't do that" she asked, and that second I knew what she was about to do.
"Don't do what? Don't knock some..." I yanked him roughly back, and off Jade as she fell forward on her hands and knees, with her breakfast deciding it wasn't going to stay inside her stomach anymore.