the animorphs

[instar]

Renée is gone in the morning, a pot of maple oatmeal for the girls and Trouble cooling on the stove and a note on the fridge, she's going to be gone all day on a day trip to Tucson with her friends.

Andi wakes up first. Bella's not far behind.

Comments

[morphbox]

<Okay. I'm gonna demorph in a bit. What can you tell me about the pigeon mind besides it really liking to be home, guys?>

[aeskhyne]

<It's got some of that same alertness I got from the Andalites, but a little different,> says Trouble. <I'm not that worried right now, but I get the sense I could be if, say, there were any hawks nearby. Not too bothered by loud noises or people walking by, but when there's real danger, haul ass! That's what I'm getting. And food, pigeons are really into food.>

[morphbox]

<Oh, no, hawks,> says Andi. <Hawks are bad. Is there any food? I could eat.>

[instar]

Bella demorphs. It takes a while and it's not very pretty and she loses the beak last.

"Yeah, sure," she says, when she's done. "I'll get you some bread."

She gets some bread. She tears it into crumbs for her enthusiastic sister.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble goes for the bread, too.

<This is awesome,> he says.

[instar]

"I'm sure. Robin? Ethan? Bread?"

[palmofyourhand]

Ethan and Robin come barreling up out of the basement and dive on the breadcrumbs.

[instar]

Bella snickers, dispenses two slices of bread, and then takes pigeon notes.

[hold_infinity]

When the bread is all gone, Robin and Ethan nestle down next to each other on the floor and coo.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble joins them. Pigeonpile!

[morphbox]

Coo, coo!

[instar]

"You guys are adorable."

Write write write. Occasional glances at the clock and neutral mentions of how long it's been.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble is the first one to say, <C'mon guys, we can snuggle some more when we're human again.> He flutters back down to the basement. Robin and Ethan follow.

[morphbox]

Andi follows them. She is home! Those are her friends! They are all pigeons! They should be close together.

[aeskhyne]

<...Andi, do you want to be here while we all demorph? I wouldn't figure you would. Because of, you know, the clothes thing.>

[morphbox]

<Huh? Oh. I guess.> She walks a few steps, bobbing her head as pigeons do, then manages to fly away from them upstairs.

[aeskhyne]

They all demorph.

[hold_infinity]

"Morphing is gross," declares Robin. "But being morphed isn't so bad."

[palmofyourhand]

"It was certainly a change," says Ethan. "Shall we get dressed and go back upstairs?"

[aeskhyne]

They do that. Trouble flops onto the couch, and the other two flop next to him.

[pandion]

Upstairs, Andi has demoprhed already, and is sprawled in an armchair.

[instar]

Bella is still writing.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble snuggles up to Robin and emits a credible coo.

[instar]

"Does the pigeon brain have lingering effects or are you just being a goofball?"

[aeskhyne]

"Goofball," he says, laughing.