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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