Chapter 3
--I see something up ahead!-- I heard Maggie say. She was flying the furthest in front, lower than the rest of us, eager to find the ship before Ferdie, who was childishly flapping towards any distant shape he saw.
--It is the one, do you know?-- asked Sam. She was carrying on flying out in a straight line, along the bearing I given her, a little higher up. I kept pace just behind her, using her stream of wind to reduce air resistance and help me keep my pace.
--Oh my god, I think it actually might be!-- squealed Maggie. I saw her tilt her wing, and soared upwards for a better look. --Told you I'd find it first, Flawless!-- she laughed. Ferdie laughed and glided up towards us.
We homed in on the ship. A huge, greyish brown vessel, 350 feet of iron shafts, turrets and turbines, cruising towards the open water at about 30 knots. Soon, it was more than clear that we'd at last found the correct ship. With my supreme goose vision, I was soon able to read the ship's name.
--HMS Hertford,-- I said. --There's our baby.--
--Excellent,-- said Sam. --Right, I suggest we all fly in closer, but get some altitude first so we'll be less obvious. Then find some place with as few people milling around as possible, find some nook or cranny, fly down, demorph. We'll go one at a time once we've spotted somewhere to demorph, make us less likely to be spotted. I'll go first. Then you, Ferdie, then Maggie, then Philip. We could have done with some seagull morphs, as geese are too big to go unnoticed, but it's too late now.--
We rose higher into the air, and flew onwards, closer to the ship, Sam peering out for somewhere for us to demorph. The ship was medium sized, not as big as one of those aircraft carriers holding rows of fighter jets, but large enough for a few choppers - and to look very intimidating.
--Well it's massive, but it's not exactly the Titanic, is it?-- said Ferdie, gritting his teeth. --I can't believe people would want to spend months at a time on one of these things. Look how boring it all seems. And it's not exactly pretty, is it?--
--I don't think it was commissioned for Madonna, Flawless,-- I said. --It's a military ship. For militants. No messing around here.--
--God knows what they get up to, on a ship in the middle of the ocean,-- he pondered.
--Probably whatever classified mission they're on,-- replied Maggie. --Come on, I think Sam's found somewhere to demorph.--
Sam had circled the ship, and was now on her way back to us, looking as happy as a goose can look.
--I've found a safe spot to demorph and hide for a while,-- she said. --Inaccessible to humans. We'll be safe for a while there.--
--Nowhere on a navy ship's inaccessible,-- I muttered.
--Well, nowhere that is particularly easy to get to, then,-- retorted Sam. --And nowhere where we wouldn't have plenty of warning of someone coming first.--
Sam gave us directions to this 'safe spot' - a small area on top of one of the many turrets, in the shadow of some dome shaped thing. It looked safe enough to demorph on provided we crouched low enough not to be seen by those on the lower decks.
--Ok, then, everyone, like I said. I'll swoop down first and demorph, and you all follow me and demorph too. We'll stay there for a while and try and get some sleep.--
Sam pointed her beak downwards and soared towards the boat. She flapped wildly for a bit, trying to keep her balance as she lost altitude, then soared over the ship and landed at the safe spot. I could just make out with my geese eyes the changes of the morphing processes. Her long black and white goose neck shortened and grew thicker. Short mouse brown hair spurted out of her oval shaped head. Her yellow bill softened into her human mouth and nose. Her beady black eyes grew into familiar brown human eyes. Her feathers dissolved into pink human skin. Her body grew thinner and more elongated, her arms longer, thinner, sprouting fingers and thumbs from the end of the wings. Her flapping goose feet grew strong and muscular. And last but not least - and it was probably best that we were at a distance now - her blue leotard covered her girly flesh. She stood up and waved her arms to us, then sunk back down out of sight. Ferdie flapped down, landing clumsily. Maggie went next, landing gracefully. The two of them were already demorphing. Maggie was attempting to control her morph, keeping her wings on her back but growing human arms from her chest. I landed last, rapidly finishing my demorph before Maggie was even half way back to human. Sam looked round at our little group. We looked - and this was certainly an understatement - more than a little out of place. I shivered. It was windy this high up, and I could feel sprays of water reaching up from the sea below.
"I'm hungry," said Ferdie, looking around as if he were expecting a MacDonald's to suddenly pop out from nowhere.
Sam rolled her eyes and smirked. "Don't start that again, please, Flawless!" she laughed, hugging her knees. "I think we should try and get some sleep. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm knackered."