Chapter 16
Have you ever had an experience cooler than flying? I doubt it very much – because if you have ever flown in the way that we were doing so now (which, admit it, you haven't) then you'd say nothing even came close. It is, without any uncertainty, the coolest, most incredible, most amazingly fantastic experience ever.
--Yaaaahhoooo!-- Ferdie's voice echoed through my head. --Yaaaahhh-haaahhh!--
--Oh wow! This is so fun! Why didn't humans evolve to fly? This is the most fun I've ever had! Innit? Innit!-- Asha squealed.
We were crows, following Philip's lead to his great-uncle's estate. Half a kilometre up, souring, flapping, gliding up in the sky. It was utter freedom. Complete, total freedom. Nothing below, nothing above, nothing in front. Nothing holding you but warm air. It was the ultimate get-away-from-reality, combined with the excitement of extreme sport. It was faster than hang-gliding. Wilder than skydiving. More fun than zero-gravity, if you've ever been an astronaught. It was bungee-jumping – but forwards, not down, and in complete control. The ultimate adrenaline rush.
--Ahh!-- Philip cried out. He had been flying near the front, a little lower than the rest of us, but he's just been over taken by a crazy-flying Ferdie, who shot up underneath him and swooped upwards – almost vertically – straight in front of his brother.
--Damn right, Philip!-- Ferdie shout gleefully. --You should try that, it's marvellous!--
--I think I'll pass,-- replied Philip. --I'm going to let the bird do the flying, not my whacked out, crazy polo-player brain.--
I was letting the bird do the flying too. When we'd morphed, we'd all felt the animal's instincts kick in. I'd felt the optimism and arrogance of the Andalite brain. The playfulness of the dog brain. And now, the love of food that was a part of the crow brain. It was weird, like having a second mind. We could think, but it was like there was someone else in here with us as well, sometimes agreeing with us (when I spotted a tasty worm on the ground), and sometimes fighting (like when I refused to swoop down and catch the worm). I hadn't the first clue about flying. I knew nothing about thermals, or air resistance, or lift. But luckily for me, the crow did. As common and annoying as crows may be, they sure know a thing or two about flying! I could sense the bird brain making teeny little adjustments to my tail feathers, moving them maybe a millimetre or so to help me keep my balance whilst airborne. My wings flapped in perfect time, at the perfect angle. The crows' brain knew that the slightest wrong move could mean certain death. I caught a thermal – a pillar of warm air – from the hot concrete of the roads below, and soared upwards. The others saw what I was doing and joined me.
--Do you know the second best thing about morphing?-- asked Ferdie.
--Asides from being about to turn into birds?-- I asked.
--It's the fact that morphing heals us.--
--What do you mean?--
-- Well, my guess is, the Andalite said that morphing works on DNA. So I think that, maybe when we demorph, our bodies are reconstructed according to our original DNA. We were injured by all that flying debris back on the alien space-ship. But by the time we had demorphed, we were healed. Pretty cool, huh? And guess what?--
--What?--
--My spots have gone!-- he said triumphantly. --Every last one! I have now rid myself of the horrible curse of adolescent acne and have beautifully clear, smooth skin. As do you, Samantha.--
I laughed. --Well, whatever problems we have to deal with now, spots aren't one of them!--
