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.
CHAPTER 27
T he 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 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.”
She looked keenly at me. “Well, we are human.
All
of us.”
“If you helped us look, maybe we could still find her body.”
“That’s the way it is for wild animals, Tobias. Not humans.”
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 effortlessly 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 ™ #04
THE
MESSAGE
I was falling, falling, falling.
Falling into the sea.
Splash! I hit the water. But still I fell. Down and down and down through blue-green, sunlit layers of water.
a voice called to me.
Suddenly I opened my eyes. I stared up at Jake’s concerned face.
Glancing across the room, I saw Rachel with the telephone to her ear, preparing to dial.
“She’s awake!” Jake said.
“I’d better still call an ambulance,” Rachel said.
“No!” Marco snapped. “Not unless we know she’s hurt. It’s too big a risk.”
Rachel’s eyes flared the way they do when someone tells her something she doesn’t want to hear. “I’m calling nine-one-one,” she said tersely.
“No, Rachel, I’m okay,” I said. I sat up. My head felt a little woozy, but I was all right.
Rachel hesitated, her fingers just above the keypad. “What about Tobias?”
I looked around the room and saw Tobias spread out on the floor, one wing crumpled beneath him.
He looked dead.
I jumped up and ran to him.
“Rachel, Cassie seems okay, and nine-one-one can’t help Tobias,” Jake said.
Rachel replaced the receiver and ran over to Tobias.
“He’s not dead,” I said. I could feel him breathing. Then, just as suddenly as I had, he woke up. His enormous
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.
CHAPTER 27
T he 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.
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.”
She looked keenly at me. “Well, we are human.
All
of us.”
“If you helped us look, maybe we could still find her body.”
“That’s the way it is for wild animals, Tobias. Not humans.”
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 effortlessly 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 ™ #04
THE
MESSAGE
I was falling, falling, falling.
Falling into the sea.
Splash! I hit the water. But still I fell. Down and down and down through blue-green, sunlit layers of water.
Suddenly I opened my eyes. I stared up at Jake’s concerned face.
Glancing across the room, I saw Rachel with the telephone to her ear, preparing to dial.
“She’s awake!” Jake said.
“I’d better still call an ambulance,” Rachel said.
“No!” Marco snapped. “Not unless we know she’s hurt. It’s too big a risk.”
Rachel’s eyes flared the way they do when someone tells her something she doesn’t want to hear. “I’m calling nine-one-one,” she said tersely.
“No, Rachel, I’m okay,” I said. I sat up. My head felt a little woozy, but I was all right.
Rachel hesitated, her fingers just above the keypad. “What about Tobias?”
I looked around the room and saw Tobias spread out on the floor, one wing crumpled beneath him.
He looked dead.
I jumped up and ran to him.
“Rachel, Cassie seems okay, and nine-one-one can’t help Tobias,” Jake said.
Rachel replaced the receiver and ran over to Tobias.
“He’s not dead,” I said. I could feel him breathing. Then, just as suddenly as I had, he woke up. His enormous
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