The first lights of the sun crested over the horizon and I was up a tree.
Literally.
I balanced myself on the branch and gently leaned over, reaching my hand gently to touch the raven that was sleeping on its nest. I moved back and got up, grabbing branches for balance and leaning one foot onto the branch with the nest, leaning back over it carefully to ensure I wouldn't do something stupid like fall. I realized yesterday that I needed a day morph and Tobias was sleeping in the barn tonight so I was out of options with that. This means I was left with birdies instead of birds of prey. I held my breath as the raven looked at me as I gently touched it. It did nothing when I acquired it and then stared at me as if I was crazy, which I guess you could say I was, for climbing up it's tree and waking it up before a decent hour.
The raven blinked at me and then gave a caw telling me to back off which I obediently did. I made my way back to my cave and finished what was breakfast. A few protein bars, a bottle of water and a bag of uncooked ramen. I love twenty-four hour shops, cheap (I wasn't able to work anymore) fast (in and out easily) and relatively low if any surveillance (I've seen shows. They re-use tapes and they tend to be cruddy). All in all a good stop for breakfast. I counted my money. I had withdrawn all my savings while my Vissir Three withdrew my parents. I wasn't too concerned about them following me with that. It was my bank's atm so it wasn't like "Oh, she is at Wal-Mart" or something similar.
Breakfast didn't sit right with me, today was the day. I spent yesterday casing the place, it was the university auditorium and there were so many students I wasn't concerned with people seeing me too much. Practically all of them weren't concerned with a girl walking around aimlessly. The closest case I had was a security guard asking me what I was doing. I had told him I was meeting friends to go study and asked him the time. I gave the excuse that I was WAY earlier than I thought I was as my watch was fast. He kept an eye on me but was at a distance when I faked a smile and called to some students then played the lost girl on a campus visit trying to find my next area. Some people are actually nice and helped me find the admin office where I played like I was interested in coming here so I wanted some brochures and facts about what the school was like. Afterwards I made a note to watch myself. I may end up becoming a compulsive liar. No one bugged me at the airport. People with layovers were there all the time. No one noticed a girl looking at screens and such.
I knew the way by heart and I looked back at my belongings. The box was still with my backpack. I had to hide it just incase I didn't make it. I dug a deep hole beneath the back of the rocks making the cave and made sure that it was deep enough to take a while, which means it was already fully lit when I was refilling the hole. The plane would arrive soon. I wondered what I should do. I had a feeling in my gut, and it wasn't just the food. I was called for a very special reason, Ellimist made me wait, I looked at my pocket watch, eight after seven. The plane would land at the airport at nine on the dot supposedly. I never trusted planes to arrive on time. Knowing the others, they would do either one of two things. Following the senators from the plane to the university and everywhere else as one group or they would spread out evenly and join up along the way. Unfortunately, me being a single, I only had one choice; it wasn't the choice to stand and wait at the auditorium. Looking around I saw nothing in the air or around me. I stripped down to my swimsuit and focused my mind on the raven.
As usual, first morph is always the most interesting. Three things happened at once. The ground shot up to me as my legs withered and shrank. I pushed my hands/wings in front of me as they shortened and widened to catch myself. Black feathers sprouted on my body and my head shrank while my nose and mouth lengthened and hardened into a black beak. In about fifteen seconds I was a raven. I was almost amazed at the rapidness of my morph. It took only five seconds longer for me to go owl. I felt the crows mind begin to rise and I crunched down hard on it before it fully formed. It was something I learned when I made my first ever morph. A horse. I wasn't behind anything and I saw open land so I ran. It took me a moment to clamp down finally and stay in control before I was able to turn around and get back. Although it felt REALLY good to run after everything that happened. I've always found running was a great way to get stress and stuff out and to come back to a center. But I wasn't going to run now; this was a time for action.
I kicked off and flew up towards the airport, it was cold so I had to do most of the work, and there were no thermals to be found. Well, good ones at least. I held my pocket watch in my feet/talons/claws/whatever you call them. I made it to the airport and landed in the woodsy area nearby. Morphing out I fished out my clothes from the freezer bag that I buried yesterday. As my Teen leadership teacher said, prior planning prevents poor performance. Ten minutes later I was mixed in the crowd of people meeting the senators. Democrats Lawrence Daily and Suzanne Nico smiled and shook hands of people. She smiled and nodded then was off.
I moved up close behind. I caught Cassie standing in the bookstore while I passed and Marco was sipping something from the food court. After they passed Marco hopped on a phone and Cassie followed. He soon joined. I knew they would keep an eye on the Senators; I was more concerned about something else. A chance to pull them out of the group where they were safe and into a private place where they could stick two slugs into their brains. I took a deep breath and followed. They stuck to the main route to get to a limo that was flanked on both ends by two police cars. I was certain there. It wouldn't be in the limo, while it was long there were only four seats. Not enough room to ensure your victim wasn't able to fight. Two bodyguards joined them. I could have gone roach and climbed in with them but I didn't want to risk getting squashed. I considered my next options. Raven again, and follow and hope Marco and Cassie aren't the only back up these two have.
I found an empty spot and morphed raven. I easily spotted them in their osprey morphs. I stayed behind and well below. Keeping near building tops while they soared. I caught two more. Tobias and Rachel's bald eagle. Which means Ax and Jake were at the auditorium? I could see them turning left onto a back street. They then made another left and a right.
Pop quiz: Which direction is the driver going?
Hotel
Back to the airport/forgot something
College auditorium
Wherever they are going to get yeerked
For those of you who have answered D you may want to submit an application for the Animorphs as this is the correct answer. I mentally chewed my cheek; I wondered how much time we had. I turned down and decided to follow from a different direction. I swooped down gracefully and followed them from a more "raven-like" position while I snuck a glance in the windows. They weren't even worried. This made me chew even more. What if they were ALREADY yeerked? Did they even consider that? They may have already been taken years ago and were just going to get re-juiced. I know this was a diversion to help them but it might just end up being a rescue for people who weren't going to fight.
We ended up at another college entirely; did we get the location wrong? I wondered. I had a feeling above my head they were wondering the same thing. I stopped on the walkway as they got out, attempting to act as raven-like as possible so I let the raven have the steering wheel. Daily and Nico were dragged out of the limo, hands cuffed behind them. Both were unconscious.
That gave me two facts while I flew off as they approached. One, they didn't have yeerks, two they were lambs to the slaughter. No sign of anyone save Tobias who was watching. The raven noticed the hawk too and didn't like it so we booked it to the building and I hid behind the college auditorium. I didn't doubt that they changed the time but I was certain that the location wasn't different. I morphed out and was about to find an entrance when I saw Marco and Rachel with Cassie on her phone behind them. Ducking back into the shadow I watched as they looked around and slipped in a door, Tobias flying in and landing on Cassie's arm. I pulled back again as two police officers took a board and pulled a bar out and began to weld the door shut from the outside so it wouldn't open. "Stupid humans." One said. "I actually like that phrase they use." The other gave an accusing glace while the other smiled. "Like lambs to the slaughter." The officer nodded and agreed. "Let's get this done so we can get back to the business at hand." He remarked as they finished. "I don't know why we are doing this, they are out cold and once they are infested it won't matter." One muttered as they left. That entrance was off limits now. The main entrance would be guarded.
I was out of options and seriously worried. The lack of exit meant the others would be trapped too. The coast was clear after a moment and I looked at the bar. It was about four inches wide and the weld still smoked. I remembered shop class. Welds had to be of a certain metal or they wouldn't hold. By the look of the welds it was done in a hurry and it didn't look like the metal was right. I took a chance and grabbed the bar with both hands, braced my foot against the door's base and pulled. The bar gave a little and I pulled again and again. My arms felt like I was about to pull them out of their sockets but I could see the breaking happening. I heaved in and out, planted my foot hard on the door and grabbed on both ends with my hands. One last heave and the bar was free, sending me backwards. I held the bar in my right hand as I opened the door. Two officers monitored the dark stairwell at the bottom and I considered my options. They had just come so they didn't see me come in; I wondered how much my luck would hold out.
I had come in and I was trapped. No going back now. I grabbed the middle handrail and hopped on almost banging my head against the ceiling. Leaning over I planted the bar on the rail and hopped on, speeding downwards faster than I knew. The bottom came quick and I jumped off barely in time before the bar pinged them both in the back. They turned and I flew back into the darkness as I roundhouse kicked to the head. He stumbled backwards and I flipped to the other side with a crescent kick to his buddy. All in all I think I would have done my sensei proud as both laid on the ground trying to get their bearings. I took the pipe and added another level of hurt to the head knocking them both out.
I made it up the steps backstage as I heard fighting, they had already gotten there. The Senators were still unconscious, probably knocked out by chloroform or something similar. The others were battling their way up the aisles, Cassie as a wolf, Marco in is signature gorilla. Rachel picked her grizzly bear and Jake was a tiger. Ax wasn't morphed but a tail like his was weapon enough.
I crept up closer wondering how I could get in the battle. I started morphing, not taking my eyes off of the group. But things weren't too good. The Yeerks had brought reinforcements this time. I saw two hork-bijir with Rachel while Jake was tearing apart a taxxon. None of them could get to the senators who were being dragged by two cops to the yeerk pool. I shook my head and hopped on the stage. Scratching one foot on the ground and gave a harrumph.
The animal mind wasn't happy but I didn't care. I pointed at the police officer who was dragging Daily.
By the way, I think it would be a good point to note something interesting. In both the Chinese and Western Zodiacs I am a bull.
CHARGE!