Making her way into the hayloft with Slade and Shara's breakfasts, after making all of the usual excuses to her parents about what she was really going to be doing, Cassie looked down at the slumbering forms of the two newest – and in some ways, strangest – Animorphs and sighed. There were times that she wished she could do more for them than just provide the bare minimum of food and shelter to the siblings; they'd done so much for the Animorphs and the Earth, and here they were forced to live like this. Still, there were worse situations; she'd seen enough of Darkon and Visser Three to know that.

Slade slept for a bit longer than Shara, only awakening once she'd had the cover off of the oatmeal container she'd brought in for him, and only really long enough to eat what she'd prepared. Shara wasn't really that much more verbal than Slade, but she did at least smile to express her gratitude. Cassie supposed that she shouldn't really be surprised; it wasn't like there was much for the three of them to talk about on most days.

And, living in a hayloft probably didn't provide much conversation-fodder in any case.

Turning to leave, she looked back to see that Shara was settling back down beside Slade the way she always seemed to do. She smiled; it was nice to see that the two of them were so close. Shara needed someone to keep her grounded when she began getting depressed over what the Radam had done to her and her family; someone to remind her that there were people who cared whether she lived or died.

And Slade… well, Slade clearly needed someone to keep him grounded in basic humanity, especially with all of the horrible things that were going on during this war.

XXX

Making his way to Cassie's barn, still feeling a bit warmed from Rachel's telling him that he didn't have to travel back to the Yeerk Pool with the rest of the Animorphs, Tobias folded his wings and dove through the hayloft window on the opposite side from where Slade and Shara always slept. He made a special point of doing that ever since he'd accidentally woke Slade up from one of his frequent naps. Not that Slade had actually been angry with him for it or anything – really, he sometimes wondered if Slade could even get angry at one of his fellow Animorphs – but, given what Cassie had explained about Slade, he'd made a point of being quieter ever since.

The both of them needed all the sleep they could get, whenever they could get it, to cope with what the Radam had done to them.

Unfortunately, today wasn't going to be one of the days when they were going to be able to get it; the Animorphs had a mission, and it was his job to get the ones out of the main loop, so to speak, ready for it.

(Hey, you two, I need to talk to you,) he called, watching as Slade and Shara both shifted slightly.

(About what?) Shara asked, and he could see a subtle glow shining through her eyelids as she yawned; it was kind of eerie, almost like that time he'd been forced to fight against Slade out in the forest that night.

Mentally shaking himself, trying to shake off the memories of that night when Slade had nearly butchered him, under the influence of what Tobias now suspected was another Teknoman, Tobias returned his attention to the girl below and in front of him. (Rachel suggested that the best morph for getting into the Yeerk Pool was a cockroach. Do either of you have that morph?)

(No,) Shara responded, and Tobias got a definite sense of amusement from her. (I have to confess, I haven't been doing much bug hunting, lately. No real motivation.)

(That's all right,) he said, chuckling slightly at Shara's nonchalant response; she was definitely fitting in. (I figured I'd bring it over for the two of you. You know, just in case you guys needed it.)

(Thanks,) Shara responded, looking up at him at last.

Her eyes, at least to someone who didn't know Shara the way he did, were the strangest thing about her. They were actually purple; though more on the pink side of the spectrum than the blue, and when he'd first noticed the color he hadn't quite believed it. Later, Shara had told him that both she and her younger brother – a kid named Raven, of all things – were albinos; she was only a partial one, though, unlike him.

That had helped to explain it, since he'd read before that albinos had pink eyes; Shara's eyes would have probably been blue if it hadn't been for that,

Fluttering down to land on Shara's left arm as the girl held it out to him, Tobias tried to be careful not to dig his talons into the soft flesh there. The cockroach clutched in his beak squirmed like a live mouse, but since the thing's legs were much weaker than those of any mouse alive, the insect didn't give him so much trouble.

Dropping the bug into Shara's waiting hand, he watched as the girl closed her eyes briefly, clearly concentrating on the still-squirming cockroach before she handed the thing off to Slade. There was no hesitation when his large hands closed around it, nothing of the disgust or revulsion that a normal person would be expressing when asked to handle a bug like that.

Sure, it was an obvious fact that none of the Animorphs were really normal anymore, but he had the feeling that Slade thought of this as just one more in a long line of missions. Sometimes, not often but sometimes, Tobias envied Slade his pure focus.

(The others are going to be getting here soon,) he informed the two of them, having let Ax know when he had passed over the Andalite's territory back when he'd been hunting the cockroach to acquire his own morph. (I'll take a last look around, make sure no one's close enough to cause us any trouble, but I thought that you two should at least know that.)

(Thanks,) Shara said; Slade didn't give any response, but he was clearly preparing himself mentally.

(I'll see you guys before the meeting starts,) he assured the two of them, in spite of the fact that he'd already seen them.