Tobias and Me 6

A few minutes after I gave Cat the ability to morph, I demorphed. If something were going to happen I needed to be in my hawk body. I could morph something else or fly away. But, of course, I couldn’t fly away at once since Cat was with me. I had given her the ability to morph so that I could better protect her. Leaving her alone would be counterproductive.

But what to have her morph? I didn’t want to have her acquire a Vetor for a few reasons. The reasons being that Vetors were sentient and I didn’t know their instincts. Last thing I needed was for Cat to become out of control her first time around. However, having her morph a Vetor could help her fit in better if need be.

I didn’t want to be rude, so I decided asking was out of the question.

“Am I going to morph one of them?” Cat asked and looked at a Vetor.

No, I replied. I don’t know their instincts and I don’t want your first morph to be something I can’t understand. Plus us Animorphs have a rule about morphing sentient beings.

“Why?”

The majority of the group isn’t sure of how much of the animal you get when you acquire it. As a nothlit I’ve noticed the animal mind can change you but it doesn’t grow. It’s instincts and not an actual animal. I’ve tried to explain that to the rest of the group, but they won’t listen.

“And because of that you won’t let me acquire one? Because of a reason you don’t believe?”

I’m representing the group. I’m doing it for their sakes, not mine. Morphing a Vetor could help you fit in, but I’m not going to ask unless I have to.

For a minute we were both silent. I tried to figure out what she could morph. I’d ask a Vetor about the animal life on this planet.

“What about morphing you?” Cat asked and I just looked at her.

You can’t acquire a person who is morphed. I replied.

“But technically you’re a red-tailed hawk since you morph to other creatures.”

Okay, if this doesn’t work I guess you can acquire a Vetor. You just touch me and concentrate on what I mean to you.

Cat put a hand on me and I shivered. The concept that Cat would become me was so odd and foreign that it was just plain creepy.

A calm sensation went through my body and I became very relaxed. It was like the war with the Yeerks didn’t matter and that being far from Earth was funny. There was something so great about this feeling that I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to fight with this calmness because I wouldn’t experience pain ever again.

“Tobias?” Cat asked and I came out of the trance. “You okay? You seemed to go distant there.”

I’m okay.  When you acquire something the animal tends to go into a trance. I explained and didn’t let her know that I didn’t like being removed from the trance. And remember to concentrate on the red-tailed hawk so you’ll morph. Just be prepared for the hawk mind to be there when you finish morphing.

“Can I keep my clothes?”

No. Once we get back to Earth I’ll get you a morphing suit, though. Those we can morph. I paused and turned around. Just tell me when you’re finished morphing. And none of you Vetors look unless you are certain that she’s about to attack you.

The Vetors said something and I just glared at them. When I was human, looking at people didn’t stop them from beating me up. Hawk eyes were something completely different. They looked threatening constantly. Even when I was happy it looked like I was about to murder someone.

The Vetors turned around and didn’t look at either me or Cat.

I worried since I couldn’t guide Cat through the whole morphing process. I couldn’t look and see where she was in the process and so I couldn’t reassure her. Just reassuring her constantly through the whole morphing process wasn’t me. I couldn’t do that and feel honest.

Suddenly I heard a flap of wings and saw Cat flying around. I could imagine the fear in her as her hawk mind felt trapped. I felt like I was trapped, but I had pushed that feeling so far back that I had forgotten about it. Good one, Tobias.

I then remembered that Cat was hearing impaired and so wore a hearing aid. I looked around and didn’t see it. Good, it must have acted like my morphing suit in that it stayed with her. Hopefully the same thing would happen next time she morphed.

Cat! Cat! I shouted and then started to fly after her.

I thought that if I could grab on to her and push her to the ground I could wake up the human side of her. I could remind her of what she was.

Cat! I shouted and then she wobbled slightly in the air before regaining balance.

Tobias? She asked as she landed on the log that I had been on. I’m sorry I just felt tr-

Trapped. I said as I landed next to her. That’s the hawk mind talking. It’s afraid and doesn’t like being below ground. Our…its place is in the trees and in the air. Not underground.

How do you deal with it?

I don’t know. I just focus on myself and what I have to do. The hawk’s mind can guide you, but don’t let it control you.

I won’t. She said and shivered.

I looked at one of the Vetors and said, Vetor, is there a way off of the planet that we can reach?

Over the next hour, by which time Cat had demorphed, the Vetors explained to us how to get to a small Yeerk base on the planet. I was impressed that Cat seemed to pick up the Vetor language better than me. She didn’t have experience with aliens, minus the Skrit Na, and I did.

When we were sure of where to go, Cat morphed back into a hawk and we left the Vetor village.

Wow! Cat shouted when we were finally able to go into the sky. Wow!

I laughed as I could only barley grasp at what she was experiencing. Flying was the best feeling in the world and her first experience, real experience, was flying on an alien planet.

You’re doing great. I said a few times and she laughed back at me.

If I had been human at the moment, I would’ve smiled.

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All of Tobias and Me