Tobias and Me 5

Cat just looked at me for a few minutes and I felt ashamed. I should’ve told her what I was. I didn’t want her to find out what I was this way. But there was no right way to show her what I was.

However, having a Hork-Bajir transform into a red-tailed hawk was probably up there on the worst ways to tell someone.

I’m Tobias. I said, not wanting to say my last name. I didn’t want these aliens to find out.

“Who are you?” Cat asked.

I need a little bit to explain that to you. Maybe over food? I’m starving myself. I said and was wondering why I was suddenly embarrassed about her misinterpreting that as an invitation to a date.

“Yeah,” She replied. “The Skrit Na didn’t give me much in the way of food.”

So...what do we call you? I asked the strange cat creatures.

“Vetors.” One of the creatures said. It seemed to take a lot of time for him, or her, to say the word. Not because it was hard to pronounce but because he seemed afraid of me.

That’s your species? I asked.

The Vetor nodded in reply.

Some of the Vetors then got a piece of a log for me to perch on and brought out food. They brought me uncooked meat of one of the native animals while Cat got cooked meat. Though it was on the rare side. The very rare side. Hopefully it didn’t make her sick, although I was planning to give her the morphing ability so that shouldn’t matter.

Though me and the other Animorphs had found some morphing problems and now would not be the time to find another one. Back on Earth there was Ax to explain things, here I would be helpless to help Cat.

“So, who are you?” Cat asked as she took a bite into the strange meat.

I am…was a human called Tobias. I stayed over the two hour morphing limit. Morphing is how I became a Hork-Bajir. It allows me to turn into anything I touch. I said as I swallowed a piece of the meat.

“How can you get your morphing ability back if you stay over the…time limit?”

The Ellimist. I said simply and the Vetors that were around us bowed their heads in respect. Though I wouldn’t recommend making deals with that guy. My friends and I use the morphing ability to fight off the Yeerk invasion of Earth. It’s our only weapon.

“How old are you and your friends?”

We’re teenagers.

“Teens?”

Yeah. And since a quick ride home on the Bug fighter isn’t an option and now you might be far away from home for awhile…I’m thinking of giving you the same ability as me.

Cat just stared at me. It took her a moment to swallow the meat. I could understand how afraid she was. Hell, when I met my Dad and was granted the ability to morph I was scared. Finding out something life changing like the fact that we aren’t alone and only you can stop the Yeerks is shocking even for an adult.

I don’t want you to think you need to join the fight. I finally said. But to survive out here you might need to be something more than human.

“More than human?” Cat asked. “Just like that you’re asking me-“

To have a better chance of making it back to Earth alive. I’ve seen a lot of shit, Cat. I’ve seen omnipotent beings and I’ve seen such horrors that…I can’t allow you to die with no way to fight back. I can’t do that. I’m not that kind of person.

“But when I’m back on Earth-“

You can go your own way and not tell the Yeerks about me and my friends. Also, not getting captured would help.

Cat then focused on eating. She focused on eating and I allowed her to. I had told her about what I was, at least some of the story, and the fact that if she went back to Earth she would know about Controllers. Even living life as a hawk, Controllers freaked me out. The fact that anyone could be infested by a Yeerk scared the crap out of me.

“But I don’t have to fight?” She finally asked.

No, I replied. You’re under no obligation to join the fight.

“But what if I want to?”

I’m sure Jake, my leader, would let you in. I said. If I say you’re trustworthy I think he’ll believe me.

“I’ll do it.” Cat said after pausing a moment.

Let’s finish eating first. I said and we did so.

As I ate I became more afraid. It wasn’t that I thought she was going to be another David, but I was still going to be giving her both a blessing and a curse. What if she ended up like me. A nothlit. I highly doubted that the Ellimist would grant Cat her ability to morph back if she stayed over the morphing limit. If he did that for every nothlit, the term most likely wouldn’t mean what it does now.

After we finished eating the Vetors left us in peace, though I could tell they were still watching us. I didn’t blame them, we were an alien species that were friends at the moment. But that could change and they had to be prepared for that.

I focused on my human morph. The morph that had been who I was before I became trapped. Now I was a combination of a bird plus a boy and I didn’t know which one I was more of at times. As I demorphed I became taller and my human skin and morphing suit took precedence over actual human features.

As my wings disappeared I became nearly as nervous as when my talons changed into toes. My eyesight weakened and the last thing to come into being was my mouth.

“Hi.” I said to Cat.

Her face was a mixture of scared and interested. I didn’t blame her as I wasn’t an estreen and couldn’t make morphing look good if I wanted too. That was Cassie’s thing, really.

“Oh, the cube.” I said after a few minutes of us looking at each other.

I took the cube from beneath my morphing outfit and held it out on my palm, inviting her to touch it.

“So do you always travel with that around?” Cat asked.

“No. I was mediating with it before…I had a confrontation with some Yeerks. I managed to hide it before the attack with the Yeerks really began. When I was following the Skrit Na I put it in a better position.” I explained.

“What positing was it in before?”

“Er…one that was uncomfortable.”

“So what do I have to do?”

“Just touch the cube and concentrate.”

As she reached to touch the blue box she looked up at me. I wished her eyes weren’t so trusting. It was like she expected me to know what to do when really I was just guessing. When Cat touched the box a smile formed on her face and then she backed away. I put it back where it had been before.

“I’m sorry about lying what I was.” I said, a blush forming on my cheeks now that I was human.

“Well at least you were bad at it.” She replied and I was silent. “Oh, come on, it was like you weren’t even trying. Of course I guessed that you were human."

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