Applegate, K A - Animorphs 03 - The Encounter

by The Encounter (lit)

  . But still I hurtled after them. Hurtled with all my speed to them as they fell, arms flailing, mouths open in screams of terror.

  Chapter 26 They fell. But

  as they fell, they began to change. Cassie was the first. Feathers sprouted from her skin. One of her morphs was an osprey. A dis tant cousin of the red-tails. She fell, and as she fell, she became less and less of a human. Marco and Rachel had both previously morphed bald eagles. Bald eagles are huge birds, much bigger than red-tailed hawks. As I watched, long wings replaced their flail ing arms. Jake had morphed a peregrine falcon. Peregrines are so fast they make red-tails look like they are standing still. As I watched, a peregrine's beak grew from Jake's mouth. Not enough time. Not enough time! They would hit the ground before

  - Shwoooop! Cassie opened her wings and skimmed above the treetops. Marco barely made it. He fell down into the forest, out of sight. I was sure he had been too late. But then, up from the trees floated a bird with a six-foot wingspread and a proud white head. « YESFF» I cried. In the sky overhead, the huge truck ship stopped climbing. It rolled again, onto its back this time, and plunged back to Earth. « Man, that was WAY too closeff» I heard Marco yell. « That does it. I have had it with this Animorphsstuffff» « You're not safe yetff» I told him. « Lookff» With the truck ship out of the way and falling to Earth, the Blade ship and the Bug fighters came after us. « Quick! Into the trees! Out of sightff» I yelled. Like a well-trained fighter squadron, we swooped down into the forest. Down below the tops of the trees, where the Yeerks could no longer see us. BOOOOOM! An explosion like a bomb going off. The truck ship had hit the ground. The concussion rolled us over like a tidal wave of air. I rocketed into a tree, but was able to avoid being hurt. « Everyone okay?» I yelled. One by one they said yes. But the explosion had disturbed every animal in the forest. The birds had all either hidden or flown away during the earlier fighting. Those few birds still left now took wing, startled. I saw her take off. The hawk. She was scared and wanted to run to the sky. But the sky was not a sanctuary for her. I don't know which ship fired the Dracon beam. Whether it was one of the Bug fighters, or the Blade ship. You see, they'd had a good long look at me. And she looked just like me. The Dracon beam sizzled. It burned off a wing. And she fell to Earth, never to fly again. This e Yeerk truck ship burned. What was left was eliminated by the Yeerks. No evidence was left behind. No proof that we could show to the world. But we had destroyed it. And a Bug fighter as well. And we had gotten out alive. Most of us. It was a day later when I went to see Rachel again. It was like she was expecting me. "Hi, Tobias," she said. "Come in. It's safe." I hopped through the window and fluttered over to the dresser. "How are you doing?" she asked. « I'm okay,» I said. She looked unsure of what to say next. "Look, um, Tobias . . . maybe this seems crazy. But Cassie and I were thinking, you know, that maybe we'd go back up to the lake. Try and find ... her body. The hawk. You know, and at least bury her." « No, that doesn't sound crazy, Rachel,» I said softly. « Not crazy at all. Just human. » She looked keenly at me. "Well, we are hu man. All of us." « Yes. I knew I was human when I realized how . . . how sad I was that she was killed. See, a hawk wouldn't care. If she had been my mate, I would have missed her, been disturbed. But sadness? That's a human emotion. I know it seems strange, but I guess only a human would really care that a bird had died. » "If you helped us look, maybe we could still find her body." « No. Her body will be eaten. By a raccoon, or a wolf, or another bird. Maybe even another hawk. That's the way it is. » "That's the way it is for wild animals, Tobias. Not humans." « Yeah. I know. That's how I know that you are wrong, Rachel, at least partly. I am a human, yes. But I am also a hawk. I'm a predator who kills for food. And I'm also a human being who . . . who grieves, over death. » She looked terribly sad. She's very human, my friend Rachel. I went to the window. It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was bright. The cumulus clouds advertised the thermals that would carry me ef fortlessly to the sky. I flew. I am Tobias. A boy. A hawk. Some strange mix of the two. You know now why I can't tell you my last name. Or where I live. But someday you may look up in the sky and see the silhouette of a large bird of prey. Some large bird with a rending beak and sharp, tearing talons. Some bird with vast wings outstretched to ride the thermals. Be happy for me, and for all who fly free. Don't miss Animorphs 4 The Message « You know, I hate to sound like the only sensible person -- so to speak -- » Tobias said, « but you aren't here to fight sharksff» « He's right,» I agreed. « Dolphins don't at tack sharks unless the sharks attack first. » « Wait. . .» Rachel interrupted. « There's more than one shark. And there's something bigger, too. » « You're right,» I said. « Several sharks. And a great one. » « A what?» Tobias asked. I was confused. What did I mean? The words "great one" had just popped into my mind. « I mean there's a whale. A whale. Being attacked by sharks. » « You guys do what you want,» Rachel said. « I'm going in. » We were steaming through the water when I caught sight of my first shark. . . . He was too excited by the hunt to notice me. Until it was too late. With every bit of speed and power I could get from my tail, I rammed the tiger shark in his gill slits. . . . Suddenly, from the murky depths, Jake and Rachel zoomed upward, like missiles aimed at the sharks. WHOOMP! Rachel hit her target. Jake's shark twisted just in time. Jake scraped across the shark's sandpaper skin, and before he could get clear, the shark was after him. « Jake! He's on your tail!» « I got him!» « Look out! Coming up on your left, Marco!» They were as fast as we were, as maneuver-able as we were, and the sharks had one terrifying advantage -- they did not know fear. . . . The water was boiling with twisting, turning, speeding sharks and us dolphins, locked in a high-speed battle to the death. It suddenly occurred to me that we might lose. We might be killed. . . . « Marco?» « I...I think I'm hurt,» he said. I looked for him. He was drifting in the water, almost motionless, twenty yards away. We all swam over, crowding around him. Then I saw the wound. I think I would have screamed, if I could have. His tail had been almost bitten off. It was hanging by a few jagged threads. It was useless. We were miles out in the ocean. And Marco could not hope to swim back. . . .