"Fortunately, I can see the terrain better than the Hork-Bajir or those human-Controller Park Rangers. I led him away from them. I told him when to hide and when to run."
"You talked to him?"
"I thought-spoke, yes. There was no alternative. I couldn't let them catch him. He had seen a Hork-Bajir. They would never have let him 54 Rachel looked stunned. "But now he knows about you! And he knows about the Hork-Bajir."
"What's he going to do? Go tell people he was chased through the woods by an alien monster, and rescued by a telepathic bird?"
Rachel laughed. "Yeah, good point. People would just think he was insane. Besides, if he started talking openly about the Yeerks, they would find him and silence him."
"Exactly what I explained to him. I think he'll probably keep quiet. He'll try to forget it ever happened."
"You saved him," Rachel said.
"I almost didn't," I admitted. "At first I just saw another predator and his prey. No different from watching the owls at night. No different from what I do myself. Kill to eat." Rachel thought about that for a moment. "The Yeerks and their slaves aren't killing to eat,"
she said. "They are killing to control and dominate. Killing because it's the only way you can eat, because that's the way nature designed you, that's one thing. Killing because you want power or control is evil."
"I guess you're right," I said. "I hadn't thought about it that way."
"What you did . . . eating . . . you know, whatever. Well, that's natural for the hawk. Nothing a Hork-Bajir does is natural. They aren't even in control of their own bodies or minds. They are tools of the Yeerks. And the Yeerks only want power and domination."
"I know," I said. But I wasn't totally convinced. Still, it was comforting to be talking to Rachel.
"You are human, Tobias," she told me softly.
"Yeah. Maybe. I don't know. Sometimes I just feel so trapped. I want to move my fingers, but I don't have any. I want to speak out loud, but I have a mouth that's only good for ripping and tearing."
Rachel looked like she might start crying. It was alarming to me, because Rachel isn't a girl who bursts out in tears, ever.
"Anyway, look, I'm sorry I ruined your exhibition at the mall the other day." She smiled. "What do you mean? It was perfect. I was just starting my routine, and you know how much I hate to have to do public shows like that. You put an end to the whole thing real fast."
I laughed silently. "I can imagine. I hope no one was hurt by the falling glass."
"No, everyone was fine. But what were you going to do if Marco had missed with that baseball? You would have hit the glass awfully hard."
55 I didn't know what to say.
Rachel came closer and stroked my crest with her hand. It made the hawk in me uncomfortable. But at the same time, it was similar to preening, which is kind of pleasurable.
"What I told you the other day, Tobias . . . remember? You're not lost as long as you have Jake and Cassie and me. Even Marco. He came through for you, big time. We're your friends.
You're not alone."
I think I would have cried then. But hawks can't cry.
"And someday, the Andalites will come. . . ."
"Someday," I said, trying to sound confident. "Well, I better go see Jake. The mission is supposed to begin tomorrows "We don't have to go through with that," Rachel said.
"Yes, we do," I said. "More than ever, I understand that. See . . . there are human beings all over, trapped in bodies controlled by Yeerks. Trapped. Unable to escape. Rachel, I know how they feel. Maybe I can't escape. Maybe I am trapped forever. But if we can free some of those others. Maybe . . . I don't know. Maybe that's what I need to do to stay human." 56 CHAPTER 18
The next day, we went ahead with the mission. I flew cover overhead while four gray wolves ran beneath me. We timed it so we would arrive in the area very early in the morning, many hours before the Yeerks would arrive to hunt intruders.
"So, let me get this straight, Tobias," Marco said. "You're taking us to a bear cave? As in big grizzly bears? And this is a good thing?"
"Not grizzlies," Cassie interrupted. "Not in this area. We'd be talking black bears. They're much smaller."
"Swell. I am totally reassured. Just a small bear cave."
"The bears are long gone," I said. "There are just a few bears around, and this cave is empty.
Trust me. I spied it out yesterday. I've seen raccoons and skunks running in and out of there.
They wouldn't be doing that if there were bears."
"Excuse me. Jake? Did Tobias just say 'skunks'? I must have heard wrong, because only an idiot would think hanging out with skunks is a good idea."
"We're not going to hang out with skunks," Jake said patiently.
"The skunks don't live there," I said. "They just run in there to get away from predators." I didn't have to explain any more. I think everyone guessed how I knew that skunks ran in there to get away from predators.
"Look, it's close to the lake but I don't think the Yeerks know about it," I said. "Sorry, but there wasn't a convenient Marriott hotel where I could get you a room for the night."
"So, that means no room service, either?" Marco asked. "Well, okay. As long as this cave gets cable. The big game's on ESPN tonight."
I was carrying a tiny nylon pouch that Rachel had put together. It was tan in color, so a casual observer wouldn't notice it and wonder why a red-tail hawk was carrying luggage.
In the sack was a small watch. It weighed almost nothing. There were also some fish hooks, fishing line, and a small lighter. All together it only weighed about two ounces. But it did slow me down a little.
We reached the cave with plenty of time to spare on the two-hour deadline.
"Oh, this looks lovely," Marco said, looking at the thorns and a scrub brush around the cave entrance.
"I haven't really been inside," I admitted.
I landed outside the entrance. The opening to the cave was no more than two feet across and about four feet high. It was easy for Jake and Rachel, in their wolf morphs, to leap nimbly through. Unless there really was a bear inside, they would scare off whatever might be in there.
57 "Empty," Rachel reported. "Nothing in here but a couple of spiders and a scared mouse." I decided to try a joke. "Chase him out here. I'm hungry." Only Marco laughed. The others all acted like I'd said something embarrassing. Maybe I had.
"Let's morph back," Marco suggested. "One close call with being trapped as a wolf is plenty for me."
"I'll go look around," I said. Sometimes I didn't like being there when they morphed.
A few minutes later they all came out. Marco was complaining, as usual. "You know, we really have to figure out how to deal with the shoe situation," he muttered. "Thorns and no shoes. Not a good combination."
The four of them were barefoot and dressed only in their morphing outfits: leotards for the girls, bike shorts and tight T-shirts for Jake and Marco.
"We need to gather firewood," Jake said, with his hands on his hips. "It wouldn't hurt to warm that cave up a little before the Yeerks get here."
"Don't you love it when Jake's all masterful like that?" Rachel teased.
"I'm just trying to get us organized," Jake said defensively.
"We'd better get started fishing," Cassie pointed out. "If we don't catch a fish, we're pretty much wasting our time."