((This is insane!)) Marco said, for what seemed to be the millionth time.

((Will you please shut up!)) I snapped. ((I'm really not in the mood for you whining!))

((You wake me up at three in the morning with some bull story about rat-boy eating dinner at your house. Then you bring up this mysterious game that'll have us all at each other's throats. And now, rat-boy has apparently murdered bird-boy in cold blood. What part of any of that isn't completely and totally…))

((Shut up, Marco!)) Jake snapped. ((Just stop talking for five minutes!))

Marco got really quiet after that. I think he finally understood how serious this all was, now that his best friend was telling him to shut his mouth. Marco tends to make jokes out of uncomfortable situations. I'm not sure why, exactly. Jake stopped talking as well. I had been thinking about Tobias, of course. All in all, it was a pretty awkward trip to Tobias' meadow.

Cassie was waiting for us beneath Tobias' favourite tree; in human morph. Ax was still in Harrier morph, scouting the area in case there were any bystanders. Though, I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to hang around a meadow at three in the morning. Nobody spoke for the longest time. Even Marco managed to keep his mouth shut. Finally, Jake spoke.

"Alright, I'm guessing that we all know why we're here tonight."

"Not exactly," Cassie said. "All Ax told me was that David has somehow returned."

"Alright then," Jake sighed. "I guess Rachel will have to fill you guys in…Rachel?"

I took a deep breath and told David's story for a third time that night.

"Ax, what do you know about these Observers?" Jake asked, once I had finished.

((I have heard no such term before Rachel mentioned it to us tonight,)) Ax answered. ((At least, not in the context she is speaking of…There may be a slight chance that beings as powerful—if not more powerful—than the Ellimist and Crayak exist. Until recently, I believed the Ellimist to be an Andalite myth…It's possible that these Observers exist, and they may also have the ability to restore David to his human form…))

"But you don't think it's true." I finished.

((I am sorry, Rachel.)) Ax said. (Until we have evidence of David's return—or of the existence of these Observers—I cannot find reason to believe that David has returned.))

"Well…maybe he did." Marco said, slowly. "I mean in some sense. It's like Rachel said, none of us considered the possibility that David would—or even could—get off the island. He could have snuck on a boat. He could be back in town. Sure, he might not be human, but he could still be a threat to us, should he get in touch with the Yeerks."

"That's true." Cassie nodded. "If a boat did happen to reach the island, I could definitely see David using it to get back to shore."

"But would he turn us over to the Yeerks?" I asked. "He hates us, but even David admitted to being wary of them. He told me that he was afraid they'd kill him after he exposed us."

"And, even if he did return, would he have survived?" Marco asked. "Let's face it, he's a freaking rat! Sure, he could have escaped by boat, but what would he have done once he reached land? There are a lot more birds here than the island."

"A lot of this is still hypothetical," Jake said. "We still need to find Tobias. That's what bothers me right now. He wouldn't disappear like this."

"Alright, but let's say just for the sake of argument, that Xena is right about rat-boy. What do we do then? I mean, he nearly killed us the last time, and that was almost effortlessly! The only reason we got rid of him the last time was because he never expected us to do what we did…Do you really think."

"Marco's right," I said. "He's a lot smarter now. He knows all of our secrets. If he doesn't go to the Yeerks first, he's going to go after our families. He's going to try to turn us against each other. He really wants to get us back."

"Oh man, Jake." Marco groaned. "She just agreed with me. She must be serious."

((Prince Jake.)) Ax said, speaking for the first time in a long time. ((If it is alright with you, I would like to demorph.))

"Ax, you don't have to ask!" Jake said. He was really annoyed now.

((I am aware of that, my Prince.)) Ax said, landing in front of us. ((But I felt it was necessary.))

Ax started to demorph to his Andalite body. Jake sat down on the grass, rubbing his temple. Cassie and I sat beneath Tobias' tree, while Marco paced back and forth. When Ax had finally finished demorphing, Jake started to speak.

"Alright, so we're going to start looking for Tobias."

"And how, pray tell, are we going to do that?" Marco asked. "Don't tell me you have some sort of wire on bird-boy."

Jake ignored Marco like he usually did when it was time to be serious. Instead, he asked if any of us had seen Tobias since we had left the mall.

((Tobias was with me at my scoop.)) Ax replied. ((He and I were watching a chapter of Friends. It was the chapter where Chandler visits his father's…))

"Did anything else happen?" Jake asked, impatiently.

((Tobias did not stay long.)) Ax continued. ((We made what Tobias referred to as small talk, and the said he wanted to hunt before it got too dark. I haven't seen nor spoken to him since.))

"What did you talk about?" Jake asked.

Ax looked like he didn't want t answer. However, seeing as Jake was his Prince, the aristh was inclined to answer.

((I do not think Tobias would appreciate my telling you of our personal discussions. But I will do so if you wish, Prince Jake.))

"I just want to know if he said anything of importance. If it was too personal, then you don't have to tell us." Jake said. "And don't call me Prince."

((He simply wanted to know more about Elfangor. I think he has been feeling particularly melancholy lately."

"Anyone know why he'd be feeling down?" Jake asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Marco snorted. "He lives in a tree and has three square meals of rat a day. I think that alone is a good enough reason."

"Tobias didn't mention anything else?" I asked. "He didn't say if he would be back, or if he was going to see me?"

Again, Ax looked like he was holding something back. But I wasn't his Prince, so he didn't have to tell me anything if Tobias swore him to secrecy.

((I'm truly sorry, Rachel.)) Ax said, sadly. ((But Tobias did not mention anything else other than his desire to hunt.))

I got to my feet and started to morph.

"Rachel, where are you going?" Cassie asked.

"I'm going to David's old place." I mumbled. "He said he's been living there for months. I'm going to kill him."

"You knew where he's been hiding and you didn't think to mention it?" Marco cried.

"It would be best if you stayed here, Rachel." Jake said. "Marco and Ax can come with me to scope out David's place. We'll check to see if he's there."

"Sure, volunteer me to spy on the psycho." Marco grumbled. "Jake, I won't lie to you; David scares me. I mean he really, really scares me."

"I think he scares us all," Jake agreed. "But he's human. David still has weaknesses like the rest of us."

"I'm going with you." I said, defiantly. "I want him dead."

"And that's why I want you to stay here." Jake said. "I can't risk having you freak out the moment you see David. You're staying here. That's final."

I can tell that he wasn't going to say that's final. He was going to say that's an order. But Jake doesn't like pulling rank on someone if he can help it. I was still his cousin, even if he was the unofficial leader of the group.

But he still sounded degrading either way.

"You don't give me orders Jake." I snapped. "Not when Tobias' life is at stake."

"Rachel, Jake's right." Cassie said, touching my shoulder in a way a friend would when trying to calm you down. "Tobias will most likely come back. Don't you want to see Tobias when he comes back?" She gave me a reassuring smile. "You know Tobias, Rachel. He's a survivor. He's survived in the wild—under threat of eagles and owls—and he's outsmarted David once before; he'll do it again. I'll wait with you; even if it takes all night."

"So we'll go to David's tonight." Jake said. "And you two stay here."

Jake, Marco and Ax began to morph into their bird of prey morphs. The entire time Marco had been mumbling the same three words: "This is insane!"

I watched as Jake, Marco and Ax took off into the night; taking on the appearance of a peregrine falcon, a Northern Harrier, and an Osprey, respectively. The way they had been flying—the way all three of them had just been engulfed by darkness—reminded me a lot of David, and how he just seemed to disappear into the night; like he had never been there at all. And that just made me start to wonder if I had just imagined him all together. Maybe Marco was right and I really was insane. Maybe my mom had a point about me being overworked. I mean, I had to balance the life of a teenager with the life of a guerrilla warrior who carried the fate of the world on her shoulders. Maybe it had something to do with how quiet things were with the Yeerks; my recklessness and thirst for battle. Maybe I was really bored, and my mind conjured up the single greatest challenge I had ever face; the elusive David. Had things gotten so crazy that I stopped being afraid of Visser One?

And then I started thinking about Tobias. Here I was, sitting next to Cassie beneath one of many trees in Tobias' meadow, while Tobias was out there somewhere—probably being tortured by David. The love of my life was out there, and I had no idea if he was alive or dead. Why? Because Jake knew me so damn well! He knew how I would react if I was within striking distance of David. And I won't deny it either. If I was given the chance to kill David, I wouldn't hesitate. I wouldn't think twice; I'd just go in for the kill. And I wouldn't even bat an eyelash; I wouldn't shed a single tear; I would feel no guilt whatsoever about that little rodent! Why should anyone beat themselves up over a monster? In fairy tales, do the knights feel remorse after slaying the dragon? Hell no! They walk over the dragon's scaly, slimy corpse and save the princess! Well, I was going to slay the rat and save my hawk!

And then I thought of a million different ways to carry out David's murder; each more vicious than the last. I would sneak up on David in bear morph and bat him around with my paws. I would tear down the foundations of his house, morphed as an elephant, and trample David until he was nothing more than a faint smear on the floor. I would burn down his entire house! I would sneak into his room, late at night, and rip out his heart with my bear hands! I would gouge his eyes out with a pin and pour salt into the sockets! I would castrate the son of a bitch! I would hunt down his parents, murder them and grind their remains into a fine powder, and I would force David to eat their bloody flesh! I would—

"Rachel, you've been really quiet." Cassie piped up. "I know you aren't the type to spill your feelings, but I think it would do you some good."

"I don't want to talk." I mumbled. I was staring blankly at the space in front of me. I couldn't see anything, but that didn't matter. "I just want to kill David."

"Do you think you would even be able to, if you were given the chance?" Cassie asked, quietly. She must have been frightened by what I said. But she also wanted me to talk; even if talking meant me spilling out threats about killing David.

"I wouldn't even have to think about it." I answered, coldly. "We should have killed him that night. We shouldn't have trapped him. I had him right there; in my talons! I could have squeezed the life out of the little rodent!"

"But he's not a rat anymore, is he?" Cassie argued. "I mean, you said he has his human body back now. I'm sure you would find it difficult to kill David if he was in his human form."

Cassie paused before adding, "Killing an animal is one thing. But killing a human is a more complex thing. We're all capable of taking another life, but you'd have to be pretty deranged to take a human life."

"Humans, Animals…they're all the same." I mumbled. "What makes us any different?"

"I'd like to think that we have souls," Cassie said.

Then, I looked Cassie right in the eyes and asked, "What about Hork-Bajir? Or Taxxons? Or Yeerks? Don't they have souls, too?"

"I'm not so sure," Cassie said, thoughtfully. "They're thinking beings. I'd like to think of them as having souls."

"I've killed Taxxons, Cassie." I told her. "I've killed a lot of Taxxons. I've also killed Hork-Bajir. There have been a few moments where I've lost control over a morph—like, right at the beginning of this whole stupid war—and I would kill a small animal. Tobias doesn't see a rat or a snake as something with a soul, because he's a predator, and the rat is the prey. So if I can kill a Hork-Bajir and feel absolutely nothing, I'm sure I can kill David."

"You have killed," Cassie nodded. "War is one thing, but murder is another story all together. You can't come back from an organized murder with your sanity intact, Rach. Once you take a life, it's gone, Rachel. Don't you remember what happened to Macbeth?"

"Now really isn't the time to discuss Shakespeare." I mumbled.

"Then listen." Cassie replied. "I know you've read Macbeth. Do you remember what happened to Macbeth and his wife after they murdered Duncan?" Cassie waited for me to answer. I just shrugged in response. "They went mad, Rachel. Lady Macbeth was driven to insanity. She constantly dreamt about murdering Duncan. Remember that one line? 'Out, damn spot?'" Again, Cassie waited for me to answer. "She couldn't wipe her hands clean of the deed, Rachel."

"I guess she should have scrubbed harder." I mumbled.

"Rachel, it's a metaphor." Cassie said.

"Yea, no shit."

"And Macbeth couldn't stop at just one murder. He had to keep killing just to secure his position on the throne. He killed Banquo, and had MacDuff's entire family slaughtered. And even with the throne—all the titles he had earned throughout that whole ordeal—Macbeth had nothing. He still wasn't satisfied. His wife killed herself and Macbeth didn't even bat an eye. He lost everything. He had everything he wanted and still had nothing. His obsession consumed him."

"So you're afraid that I'll end up like Macbeth and his wife?" I sighed. "You're afraid that I won't just stop with David…you think I'll turn against my friends, too?"

"Rachel, I'm saying that I don't want you to be consumed by hate." Cassie replied, softly. "Hate drives people to do some pretty terrible things. Take a look at the Yeerks and the Andalites. They've been fighting for decades, and I doubt they even know why they despise each other so much. What do you think Ax will do once he finally kills Visser One?" Again, she wanted me to answer her.

"I don't know. Maybe he'll throw a party." I said, sarcastically.

"Do you think his hatred for the Yeerks will just end with Visser One? Or will he just go on a rampage, like Macbeth; trying to fulfill this void in his life out of some need to keep his brother alive, or to gain some sense of honour.

"There isn't a day that goes by where I don't regret what we did to David." Cassie said. "Sure, you and Ax were the one who waited while his humanity ticked away, but I was the one who came up with the plan! I robbed him of his humanity! And I have to live with that for the rest of my life, Rachel! It's a guilt that never goes away. I don't want you to live the rest of your life with David's blood on your hands."

I let Cassie's little speech sink in. She was probably right, but that still didn't stop the murderous thoughts that filled my head.

"I can't just let him get away with what he did." I said. "Cassie, think back to the hell David put us through. Am I supposed to let all that go, as if it never happened?"

"I didn't say that." Cassie said.

"Well, I'm not going to let him get away with it." I told her. "Not when he threatened to kill everyone and anyone close to me. David talks about injustice; he claims that we robbed him of a life. Well, if he's going to play judge and jury, then I'll do the same."

"We both know that it's not our place to pass judgement." Cassie said. She looked up at the sky. I looked up as well. "I'm sure David will be judged by something much more powerful than any of us. He'll get what he deserves, eventually."

I leaned up against the bark of the tree, staring up at the moon. I hadn't noticed, but that silver orb in the sky was nearly full tonight. Within a few days, it would be complete. Tobias and I used to look at the moon sometimes. There were some nights when he would fly through my window, and I would just sneak out with him and go flying. We would fly around town, no longer bound by a curfew. The world was ours at night. And once we were done flying, we would sit beneath this very tree; both of us in human form. He would eventually pluck up the courage to put his arm around me, and I would rest my head on his shoulder. We would never do anything crazy or wild—we had only just gotten past the whole kissing stage, after all. And now, I might never see Tobias ever again. We would never get to do some of those crazy and wild things that I've dreamt about…

"Tobias…" I whispered.

I started crying. It's not something that I do often; especially not in front of others. But I felt the tears coming and I couldn't stop them. I didn't try to stop them. I didn't even mind that Cassie has been watching me the entire time. I knew that crying over Tobias would do me some good. Crying reminded me that I was human and not some machine that had been designed solely for the purpose of war, violence, bloodshed and murder. Suddenly, I had the urge to curl up in my bed and eat an entire tub of rocky road ice cream. I hated myself for thinking about something so cliché.

And the tears wouldn't stop. Soon, I was muttering Tobias' name over and over again. I was sobbing and I couldn't stop. I lost control of my emotions. I heard Cassie say something, but I couldn't make out the words.

"Rachel, do you want me to take you home?"

"No. Tobias might come back." I sobbed.

Cassie nodded and put her arm around my shoulder, sort of like how Tobias used to put his arm around me during one of our dates. I rested my head on Cassie's shoulder and cried some more. The hours passed by pretty quickly and the sun was rising before we knew it. Cassie kept drifting into and out of sleep all night. I didn't want to wake her, so I slowly removed my head from her shoulder and walked a short distance away; where she wouldn't see or hear me morphing.

I flew above the meadow in my bald eagle morph. I wasn't going anywhere in particular. I guess I was just trying to vent. I guess I just wanted to lose myself in the mind of the eagle; to take a break from the girl Rachel. She was far too human. The eagle was sharp, unfeeling and swift. I wouldn't be crying anytime soon; not in this body. Besides, flying around and circling above the meadow relaxed me. The thermals weren't nearly as great as they would be later on in the day, but they were comforting. Tobias would have enjoyed it…

I caught a glimpse of something running down on the ground below. The eagle's eyes noticed it pretty quickly, like a reflex. From a hundred feet in the sky I could clearly see a juicy looking rodent scampering off towards a small burrow. The eagle's instincts kept telling me let's go! Let's get the rat! Let's do it! Let's do it!

Let's do it indeed…

I dove towards the ground at an alarming speed, never taking my eyes off of the rodent—it looked like a rat! He was fast, but I was faster. It was ridiculous how much faster I was! I let the eagle's instincts take over; he knew what it was doing. The eagle was an expert hunter! This rat could have been speedy Gonzales; he still wouldn't have gotten away. And the eagle and I would enjoy a feast!

The rat was within reach! I could hear it squeaking in fear. It was nice, seeing something else being so afraid. Maybe the little rodent knew the end was near? He was just running to delay the inevitable. There may have been hope, but the rat was doubtful. I don't think it was really surprised when I clamped my talons around its soft, squishy little body.

The rat squealed and squirmed. I looked down at my prey, wishing that I could grin. I wanted to smile down at the little rodent and laugh at its misfortune.

((You're dead, David!)) I laughed in my head.

The rat continued to squirm. It was a pathetic looking creature. I stared at the squealing mess that lay beneath me, covered in brown fur from head to toe, shaking its tiny pink fists in the air...

It wasn't a rat at all; just an ordinary field mouse. For one thing, it was far too small to be a rat. I was a bit disappointed; the human part of me, that is. The eagle couldn't care less. It could have been a mouse, a rat, a shrew or a freaking vole and it still wouldn't have cared. The eagle just wanted to eat. So, I just gave in and let the eagle enjoy its meal.

I felt my talons squeeze the life out of the poor, defenceless mouse. It twitched for a moment and let out a strained squeak. It was a really pitiful noise. It was dead. The eagle made short work of the mouse; tearing its head off with its powerful beak and ripping away at the skin with its talons. Within seconds, there would be little evidence that a mouse had ever been there at all.

I could hear noises now. I heard the sounds of beating wings; other creatures like me. I looked up at the sky to see three other birds of prey: a falcon, a harrier and an osprey. Those other birds would never think about attacking me. I was a lot bigger than them. I was the king of the sky. I dared them to try to attack me.

((Rachel, is that you?)) A voice called out.

((It appears to be Rachel's preferred transportation morph.)) Another, more sophisticated voice said.

((Aw, shit Xena!)) A third, more annoying voice groaned. ((What did you do?))

I don't know.