Catch up/start from the beginning! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6791243/


Tobias circled the thermal, gliding down on the hot air that lifted his wings.
The last scene he had seen was a battle field, dead humans littering her yard, tire scorch marks puddled with blood.
No bite or claw marks either.
And no Cassie in sight.
They were at a lost of what to think.


He glided further down to confirm what his sharp eyes already told him, Cassie.
Strolling down the center avenue, in sunglasses.
He flapped his wings as he decided what to do.
If it had been a yeerk attack, she could be a controller...but then she wouldn't likely be sauntering through town.

He decided to contact Jake.

<Hey, boss,>, he felt an irked thought in reply to know he got his attention.
<I see Cassie, heading down center ave by j street,> he informed him.

<Cassie?> He stopped himself, <What is she doing?>

Tobias sent him a wavy thought, <I dunno, just walking. Doesn't seem to be bothered or acting strangely.>

<I'll approach her,> he said grimily.

Tobias saw a golden reteriever flop across and taking a sharp turn into an ally way, a designated point with hidden clothes for "just in case" scenarios.

He emerged, human, and fully colthed and banked onto J street.

<Keep going, ten yards ahead of you,> Tobias instructed when he noticed Jake falter at where to go.

He caught up to her, so they were side by side.
"Hey, Cassie," he said.

Cassie swung around, eyes widened in surprise, "Oh, Hey," she replied, recovering herself, "Didn't see you there."

"Yeah, So, what's been happening," he said causally.

"Oh..you know," she looked around, "Things."

He nodded, "Let's talk about it."

He gently put a hand on her shoulder to direct her to the nearest building.

She stopped short and placed her own hand on his and looked at him.
A small gentle smile crossed her face.

With a quick motion she squeezed his hand, wrenched it off her shoulder, and twisted it at the forearm before bolting.

<Holy shit!> Tobias exclaimed as he watched "her" run down the street.

Jake was pounding after her, running into people while she was slipping between them.

She rounded into an ally, and Jake hesitated momentiarly before running in after her.

Unlike Jake, she had no hesitation, she leaped onto the nearest dumpster before crunching down and leaping up onto a service ladder, and rapidly climbed up.

In an instance she was on the roof and running with long legged steps.

She almost passed a service door before whipping her arm out to turn the knob, her legs flailing outward to maintain Balance, twisted the knob and disappeared.

Jake only managed to get there two minutes behind. He opened the door but there was no sign of her.

Marco in osprey morph zoomed past him, landing in the small roof of the door.
<What the hell just happened?!> He demanded, wings half raised and neck lowered in disbelief.


Tobias arrived at the same time, landing next to Marco, looking equally unsettled.

Jake leaned, doubled over, against the door, " I don't know, man, but whoever that was, they were *fast*."

<Was that- was that that andalite dude from the forest?> Tobias asked incredlious, his feathers ruffled around his hunched neck.

Jake took a minute to catch his breath, "I don't know how- How he could assimulate with the human morph so fast.."

<That was INSANE, did you see him jump that dumpster? What the actual fuck?!> Marco shifted from one talon foot to the other and rustled his wings.

"If that's him where the hell is Cassie, " Jake wondered aloud, "What the hell is going *on*?"

He turned to Tobais, "Where's Ax?"

Tobias turned his hawk stare on him <Still guarding the Blade Ship, I don't know what he's going to do if that dude comes around, if he's that quick in a brand new human morph...> he trailed off.

Jake grunted, then cracked a smile, "Better not tell him that, though."

Tobias tried to copy the smile, or the thought of the smile.


Jake stood up and morphed himself into dog mode, when he was on all fours and furry he turned his attention again to Tobias, <Tell Ax not to engage in any fighting with that andalite. At least not until we're there. I'll go find Cassie, or someone who looks like Cassie...or whatever...just...whatever...>

He placed his nose to the ground and trotted off, down the stairs and into the building.

---

Cassie stared out the door in bewilderment.
One moment he was there and the next he...was not.
She took a sip of her coffee.

Well, obviously he didn't fully trust her not to "betray" him to her friends, or who the hell knows, maybe he just got bored.


Suddenly a large golden retriver burst into the cafe, bounding towards her, causing an eruption of surprised shotuing, and some laughter.

He came straight to her.

<Cassie?> He barked.

She raised an eyebrow.
"Hey Jakie, what are you doing here?" She looked around to see if people where buying it. Jake was a perfectly acceptable name for a dog.

The dog seemed to squint at her, <Is that really you? What the hell is going on? Why are there a bunch of dead people at your house, where did you go? Why do you have someone with your dna?>

She pursed her lips into a thin line.

"Excuse me, Miss, you can't have animals in here," a man interrupted. He pointed outside.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, "He just missed me, you know dogs, no manners," she gave Jake a pointed look and left her seat.



Once they were outside Tobias swooped in low, <Rachel's found him! Come on!>

Cassie's heart sunk.

"Jake, we've got to get her to stop! You've no idea how dangerous Bor'ij is!" She exlaimed as they took after the hawk.

Jake gave her a side glance as he bounded with her.
"Those controllers," she panted, "He killed them all *in human morph*."

<He just spidermanned up a building and lost me earlier,> he admitted.

They were out of town, in the open rural area, when Cassie crouched over, heaving to catch her breath.

She tore off her outer clothing and focused on her wolf morph, sprouting grey shaggy fur and two inch teeth.

<Tobias, slow down, we can't see you!> He said sharply, he looked concerningly at Cassie.

<I'm fine,> she said, catching his look, <let's go.>

---

—
The bear roared, a deep throated, vibrating howl of aggitation.

He dodged the clumsy swipe, and danced to the side his tail swinging like a penduleum.

His eyes saught and noted each opening and weakness.

His goal was to leave his opponent so confused they could not continue to follow him- but they were stubborn.

The creature swiped again but he was already behind it.

With two bounds he was on the creature's broad back and then the second bound he was in the branches.

The earth animal bellowed in pain and shock. Well. Four sharp hooves carrying the full weight of a male andalite digging into your back was no gallop in the pasture.

His opponet was entirely too slow to stop him or even register what was happening before he was skittering off onto the branches.

<Is he in the trees,> Jake demanded arriving a second late, <Is he in the goddamned *trees*??>

<No. That's against the rules,> Marco complained coming in with a swoop.

Jake growled in fustration as he demorphed and remorphed into a tiger.

His tail lashed in agitation as he rescented the andalite.

<Excuse me, but what the hell was that,> Rachel snapped, waving a paw in the general direction.

<Jake!> Cassie called. <Don't go by yourself!> She chased after him.

---

He was at a delicate fast past moving through the trees,careful to pick the ones able to bare his weight, or what he hoped would bare his weight. Alien trees where alien and all.
The leaves camflouged him well as he made his path way back to his ship.

He paused and bunched up his muscles to make a powerful leap onto the next closest branch. It bent deeply before deciding to spring back up after all, causing him to bounce a little.
<Sorry guys,> he said sympathetically to the trees.

He looked down to see stripey prowling quickly on the forest floor, eyes and ears forward, keen to catch a sign of him.

From this vantage point he could easily leap down and break his spine...

Stripey was quickly joined with who he assumed to be Cassie, in her wolf morph.

He backed up and turned around, doubling on his path.

Through his stalk eyes he could see them hesitate, and then turn back around, and yet they had no visual on him...

They must have someone above him...flying.

Oh, this was a full on *hunt*.

He turned a stalk eye to the sky but couldn't see anything through the tangle of branches and leaves

That didn't mean they couldn't see him rustling up the leaves from above.

He quickly changed angles with a sideways skip, ran a few paces, and hit the forest floor again before taking off, kicking up pine needles in his trial.

______

<Come on, Marco,> Rachel barked as she galloped ahead.

Marco had demorphed and remorphed into the forest dwelling wolf form and ran after her.

---

Blip.

Bor'ij jerked his head so hard he almost took a tumble.

Yes, yes. That was a definete blip the- he briefly zoned out to listen, his stalk eyes raised to the sky.

When he came back to attention, his main eyes focused, and all the fur spiked along his spine.

---

Ahead of him, and coming in fast, was *that fucker right there*.
His tail lashed tall and high in anger as he charged onward.

Aximili was the one to strike first. A textbook *calamist* over head strike.


Dull and weak.


Bor'ij swung his tail for a block, but instead of swatting it away he held it.
Then with the momentum from his charge seized Ax's arms and tossed him to the ground, his body slammed into the earth, and slid from the extra inertia.

Bor'ij wheeled around to bear down on Aximili with his hooves as a weapon, being sure to particalary slam on the lower section of Aximili's spine.

He smiled to himself briefly at his scream of pain.


Aximili's tail fell uselessly around him.


"HURRAAAAHH."


The shaggy claw beast again.

It'd managed to catch up to him when he was distracted.


<AAghed,> he yelled, fur bristling across his shoulders as a sharp, hot, dragging force was suddenly on his forearm.

He instantly saw a wolf there.


Bor'ij ripped himself away as fast as he could, but not before another huge paw bared down on him and cut his torso.


His tail whipped back and forth angerily before snapping it at the shaggy alien.


The wolf's mouth, now free, foolishly latched onto the end of his tail, near the blade itself.


Of course the lithe animal was no contention for the tail swing, still the added weight and fury slowed him down and made him miss aim.


Bor'ij shook him off savagly, digging him into the dirt, and wheeled to run.



Galloping away His eye stalks watching the scene get smaller behind him, he saw the wolf stay and the shaggy alien come after him.


It'd have no hope of ever catching him....


He kicked himself up and increased his speed, tail whipping high in the air. He was the fastest andalite alive and no one could catch him.


Soon, he no longer even saw the thing.


He angled himself to a skid and did a little hop as he decided where he was to go next.


With a couple of excited stotts he headed east.


He was in an easy gallop now, taking long strides.


He happened to be looking in that particular patch of sky.


Reacting before thinking he leaped to the side, simulatinously turning in awe as he saw a small, pointy bird of prey shoot past him, talons out.


That would have been his eyes.


He turned about and took off anger, bunching his muscles for a powerful bound forward, to reach his full speed again.


Now his stalk eyes were at working watching the skies for rude feathery assholes.

---

<He's definetely going somewhere,> Tobias informed Jake.

<Can't get him to change direction at all.>


<That's fine,> Jake informed him,< we're in postion..that canyon is up ahead, right?>


<Yeah...canyons don't tend to move,> he replied wirly, <...how's Ax?>

He asked tentaively.


<He's ok....he morphed and demorphed.>


<Ah.>


<We'll have his back this time, > Jake swore.


Tobias flapped his wings, peering at the running andalite from high in the sky, <I believe you.>

---

His hearts were *pounding*.

Pumping so hard it felt like they were beating his insides, like he'll find himself all bruised inside by the morning.


And it was like fire in his veins, and a hurt in his lungs, a sore yearning ache.


His head felt so light, that he felt he might topple over.


He ran harder and harder. Just to run now, just to be fast and free and for the air to hurt his lungs.

Legs thrown outward in abandon, like when he was the wolf that had always been and is now and has never been but will always be.


Blip.

---

They only had time to re morph and wait a minute or two, before ripping through the grass, exploding into their ambush.


Wolves. The entire pack. Streaking low and angry and grey.


Wolves weren't an ambush animal, but endurance runners, but more endurance than an andalite? Probably not.

They were cunning and worked as a team.


With that they swarmed on the andalite.

---

/-


He noticed them. But he couldn't stop. They were on him. But he couldn't stop.


A wry smile crossed his face.


In the grand scheme of things, or the slightly less grand, wolves were not so bad.



Attack from below. He surmised that was the plan. He figured they believed that's where an andalite was most defenseless.


He was going to show them a thing or two about andalites.

---

They had caught up to him, he'd never even slowed his pace and forced them to run full out with him as well.


Rachel was the first to attack. Aiming for a leg to cripple him with her incredibly strong jaws- but something immediately changed.


His pace- no it was in the way he moved that- a hoof came crashing down on her head, followed straight off by another, sharp hooves flashed slashing her back and causing her to roll out.


She laid, stunned and bleeding, muzzly watching him basically *prance* away. He had changed his gait to an innocent seeming caper.


One leg after the other, High stepped, jaunty even, while keeping his pace. It seemed completely innocent until you considered any creature that may be under him at the time. Those non stop hooves that crashed directly in line with his belly protected his underparts so completely he wasn't even bothering to protect himself with his actual weapon, his bladed tail.


<Rachel?!> someone asked.


She closed her eyes heavily and sighed, <I'm fine,> she muttered.