Boredom Has Returned (OPEN)

[Richard]

It was nighttime in Miami, and what was Richard doing during this dark period. He was of course testing out a morph that was proving a little difficult for him to control, which was surprising as it was supposed to be similar to a house cat. Unfortunately for him, the ocelot’s mind had only two things on its mind, and neither of these ideas were ones that were pleasing to him. << If it doesn’t want to fight, then it wants to mark the entire area. This is getting rather annoying. >>

At least the cat had the ability to see in the dark, which was proving to be good for him as the watch he was using to keep track of the time was not able to light up. <<I have been in morph for twenty minutes, and now I have control of this stupid kitty.>> Richard really felt like a rookie Animorph with the way this little practice session was going. He truly thought that he wouldn’t have problems with these types of things anymore, but he forgot that each new morph would need some time to get used to.

He began pacing back and forth on top of the building that was their base, while debating whether or not he should check the area. Richard wasn’t sure if that might alert someone to their presence if he was spotted, which is why he was still near the base. <<If only there were something for me to do, then I wouldn’t be sitting here complaining about not having anything to do.>> There was probably something that he needed to do, but he probably hadn’t been told yet.

[Dustin]

Dustin sat on the corner of his bed, holding his forehead in his palms. He had just woken from yet another nightmare. Usually the nightmares were about morphing something disgusting, or getting infested, or losing his arm again. Not this time though. Tonight his nightmare was about his baby sister. Was she even still alive?

Upon realizing he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep any time soon, Dustin stood up and walked to where he had left his morphing suit on the floor. It was a nice night for flying, which would hopefully distract his thoughts enough to allow him to get some sleep when he returned.

After pulling on his suit and opening a window, Dustin searched his mind for the image of a cooper's hawk. But then he changed his mind. It was night time and he hadn't used his flamingo morph in a while, and he still hadn't had a good chance to test out it's flight power. Back at the Academy there had only been so much flying space inside the blade ship, and flying outside in the antarctic air as a flamingo was out of the question.

The image of the awkward bird was solid in Dustin's mind, and almost immediately pink feathers flowed over his skin like a falling bed sheet. His body stretched in some areas, compressed in others, and overall his mass was dissolving. Before long his body had contorted into the desired shape. Jullian, the morphing instructor at the Academy, had said Dustin showed evidence of being a talented morpher, but he had yet to convince himself that Jullian was correct.

<<Lets see if these wings are decent or not,>> Dustin said to himself. Then he carefully and awkwardly climbed up to his windowsill and pushed himself into the air beyond.

There were a lot of trees from the orchard encroaching on the hideout, but there was still just enough space between the foliage and the side of the building for Dustin to spread his wings. Up and up he pumped until eventually he raised his weight above the roof top. In just that short of a distance he was feeling a little tired. He angled himself toward the roof so he could rest before flying out over the treetops.

Unfortunately, with flamingo eyesight at night, he failed to notice that he was about to land on a big cat until it was too late to swerve...

[Richard]

Richard was staring into the darkness of the area in the hopes that something was coming for him to encounter. His main hope was for a fight, but as things were going it was not likely to happen anytime soon. If his ears weren't picking up the movement of feet, then it meant that nothing was moving in his direction, and if there was then it was not moving in a forceful manner. <Of course there are stealth strategies, but out here that could prove dangerous. No one would even notice the lack of sound from a person or aliens feet out here.>

His lack of awareness for the sounds of birds was what caused the next incident to get him really irritated with himself. Richard was becoming lax in his training, and that meant for a overall bad day for everyone. The impact of the bird caused Richard's ocelot body to roll, which would probably lead to a few ruffled feathers and spiky fur but at least no one was going to be severely hurt. Well at least not in a physical manner. Richard's pride was sorely bruised by this situation, and that would take some time to heal.

<<I see that I am not the only one playing around with morphs. How has your day been?>> Richard was ninety-five percent sure that it was Dustin he was talking to as the morph fit into what Richard deemed as a pattern for his teammate. The bizarre morphs seemed to be an addiction among certain Animorphs, but Richard had to admit that they had their uses during certain occasions. There were many animals that he wouldn't mind having in his arsenal, but at the moment he needed something that would be considered a temporary battle morph.

<<Any word on when we are going to see some action? Seriously need to get back into shape, so to speak.>> Richard wasn't being reckless or naive about their group's situation, but sitting around was making him pretty claustrophobic. He would even accept a simple assignment that would not lead to him getting to fight something just so long as it got him out of their base.

[Dustin]

<<Eh, sorry about that Richard,>> Dustin said, embarrassed. He fluttered to a corner of the roof a healthy distance away from the ocelot. <<I couldn't see where I was landing very well.>> His cheeks would have been turning red if they weren't already pink. Dustin didn't answer the question about his day since it seemed mostly rhetorical and his answer would have been boring anyway. Besides, Richard's next comment was more interesting anyway.

<<And no, I haven't heard about any "action" lately.>> Dustin didn't want to admit it to Richard, but he was glad. He had seen enough action in the recent days to satisfy himself for a while. Well, maybe non-yeerk action could be interesting.

<<If you really want to get into shape though, and test out what that morph can do, I'm sure the orchard could offer some "experience." I was actually planning on testing out this morphs wings a bit before I almost skewered you with my stilt legs. We can check the perimeter or something. What do you say?>> Dustin bent his neck at an impossible angle and nonchalantly preened his wing feathers while he waited for Richard's reply.

[Richard]

<<Don't worry about it too much. I know that flamingos are not really meant for night flying especially in a place like this.>> Richard also thought that flamingos were pretty poorly built anyway, so having someone hit him while being one was understandable. He noted that Dustin didn't say anything about his day, which was also common among their group. It was one of those questions that was considered a formality instead or real, and nothing happened around this place that everyone didn't know about already.

It was unfortunate that there was no apparent action for them to concern themselves with, but the overall meaning was that everything was going fine or things were being plotted somewhere or even there.

Dustin's suggestion about the orchard was definitely a profound idea as it was pretty much the same thing as an obstacle course for certain morphs. <<Yeah, lets go check the perimeter. It couldn't hurt to make sure that are location is still secured.>> It also didn't hurt that he could run around the area without needing night vision goggles or having to worrying about breaking his legs on overgrown tree trunks.

[Dustin]

<<Alright, I'll meet you at the end of the driveway. I don't think I'll be able to keep up with you in the trees like this.>> Dustin spread his wings and pushed off from the roof. The familiar thrill of vertigo inched into his brain as the ground dropped out from under him. <<Man, flying is awesome,>> he commented as he angled toward where the end of the driveway was.

Of course, the term driveway was being used pretty loosely. Even in the dark above the treetops Dustin could tell that you would be hard-pressed to get a vehicle up the overgrown path. Branches hung low over it, weeds and roots and brush grew up under it, and there were a couple parts where it was a little washed out too. The only real reason Dustin suggested the end of the driveway as a meeting point was because the old road at the other end should have enough space for him to land safely.

At least, that was the idea. But as he flew closer he noticed something strange. Dustin quickly doubled back to inform richard.

Broadcasting his thought speech to wherever Richard may have been down below, he said, <<Richard. Richard! There are people with flashlights walking down the road!>> Dustin had no idea why, or if they were controllers or free humans, but he knew this wasn't a common occurrence in their neighborhood.

[Richard]

Richard had to agree that no way was a flamingo going to keep up with his ocelot morph especially with the added tree coverage that they were given with this new base. He jumped off the roof with little easy and began running through the trees in the direction of the driveway. Dustin's comment about flying entered his mind as he bounced off of trees like he was lunging after prey. <<Flying is alright, but this cat's heightened senses and reflexes are a lot more fun to play with.>>

The driveway made for a good miniature jungle for him to travel through. His cat morph's senses allowed him travel through the 'rough' terrain with little ease, which was more attributed with constant travel through the area with each of his large morphs. He didn't dare try to more anywhere in his roach morph, and a seal was useless in this terrain. His other morphs were not as well suited for this area as his ocelot morph, so he had used them more just in case he needed them for a dangerous situation.

An unusual thing occurred during the trip to the end of the driveway. New scents hit his nose, which sent up several warning signs in his mind. It could have been his mind playing tricks on him, but Dustin had confirmed his suspicions with a message of his own.

<<I guess we are going to find out who they are and try to divert them in another direction.>> Richard was not sure how they were going to do that, but one of them would think of something to stop them. He just wasn't sure what the group of people's reaction would be to a flamingo landing down on them. <<Do you want to switch to a more appropriate morph for this region or do you think these people will just assume you are a misplaced animal?>>

[Dustin]

<<I... think I better switch morphs,>> Dustin admitted. He wasn't going to worry about it if he didn't have to, but since Richard seemed to be having similar concerns, he figured he had better. Sure, a flamingo wouldn't be and impossible sight in this area, but it was still unusual. And that made it memorable. Dustin didn't want anyone remembering this location if he could help it.

<<Too bad we don't have skunk morphs. That would be perfect in this situation.>> Dustin flapped hard as he searched for an opening in the trees. The whole reason he had flown toward the road in the first place was to avoid having to land in the foliage, but now he had to anyway.

Finally, Dustin located a clear patch not far from the road in the moonlight. He angled his wings and glided steeply toward the long grass below. He crashed through a few smaller branches on the way down, which wouldn't have been a big deal if they hadn't rustled so loudly.

<<I really hope they didn't hear that,>> Dustin said as he concentrated on demorphing as quickly as possible. It would be bad if they saw a flamingo. Even worse if they saw a half-morphed flamingo. <<I don't know if you can see/smell/hear where I am or whatever, but if you can, could you warn me if anyone is coming?>>

Dustin would run half-morphed if he had to, but if nobody was searching through the trees, he didn't want to move and risk creating even more noise. He was afraid his pounding heart and grinding bones were loud enough as it was.

[Richard]

Richard was glad that Dustin was going to switch morphs, which would give them a better list of resources when trying to deal with these intruders. He tried to remember what morphs Dustin had, but the flamingo was the only thing that really came to mind when he tried to picture them. <I really need to pay attention to my teammates. A little more time spent on learning their skills might be beneficial during a situation like this.>

<<I am not sure that the smell of some skunks would deter these people if they are lost or if they are Controllers.>> There had to be some reason why there were humans wandering around this area. It couldn't just be one of those coincidences where they were just wandering around and just happened to think there might be something hidden in the vegetation of this area.

The sound of branches breaking entered his ears, which made him wonder whether Dustin had done it intentionally or accidentally. Richard was sure that Dustin wouldn't knowingly give away their position to some outsiders who could be dangerous. It must have been an accident, so Richard kept moving to get a better position to view the new people.

Dustin's last comment was one that he couldn't really do from his current height level, so he climbed a tree to get a better view of the area. His eyes caught a glimpse of movement in the direction of the location that Dustin had landed in, which was definitely not good for either one of them so he was going to have to do something to cause a distraction.

<<I don't know if they are going in your direction because of your crashing, but staying there is not a plausible option.>> With that being said, Richard ran along the branch he was on and jumped through the leaves to cause a rustling sound that might make the people change course long enough for Dustin to finish his morphing process.

[Dustin]

<<I don't know if they are going in your direction because of your crashing, but staying there is not a plausible option,>> Richard said.

Dustin cursed under his breath as the last of his flamingo features disappeared. He was about to start focussing on his opossum morph but by now the flashlights were getting pretty close. He didn't want them to catch sight of him mid-morph. Dustin crouched down as far as he could in his little patch of grass, trying to decide if he should make a run for it. There was no way he would be able to move without attracting their attention.

But just then there was a rustling sound off to the side somewhere. Richard! "It's over there," one of the people said quietly. "Get your rifles ready and if you see anything, shoot it. We can figure out if the meat is edible later. We've gone too long without anything fresh."

Dustin's eyes widened and he immediately concentrated on morphing again. He needed thought speech. They were going to shoot Richard! The group of people continued walking in Richard's direction, shining lights along the ground and in the trees.

As soon as Dustin regained his thought speech capabilities, he was talking. <<Richard, I don't know if you heard this yet or not, but you are being hunted!>> And it is because of me, Dustin wanted to add. If he hadn't attracted their attention, Richard wouldn't have had to lead them toward himself.

[Richard]

"Get your rifles ready and if you see anything, shoot it. We can figure out if the meat is edible later. We've gone too long without anything fresh."

Well at least he had learned two things with his heightened hearing. One, they were definitely not controllers looking for morphing rebels with the intent to detain and possibly infest. Two, his distraction worked a little too well as they were now coming after him with the intent to eat his sorry carcass. Well at least Dustin was safe to finish morphing, which was the overall point of his plan. Richard knew this for a fact because Dustin warned him about something that he already knew.

<<At least we know that no controllers have found our base yet.>> And that they were going to be hunted by other humans whenever they were in morph because meet was becoming as scarce as uncontrolled humans were. Suji and Adrian were going to hate the fact that they missed the chance to be a part of this little adventure, but that was what they get for not being bored like Richard and Dustin.

Now that they had gathered intelligence on their 'enemy', what were they going to do to deter them away from this area? There was the option of attacking them, but neither one of them had a morph that was intimidating enough to scare off a group of people who were apparently armed. Talking to them would lead to even worse problems as they would ask what Dustin and him were surviving on, which they couldn't really lie about it. There was a third option, but it required something that they probably didn't have. In fact, there was probably nothing like it in the entire United States at the moment.

<<So Dustin, have you come up with any type of plan to get rid of these guys yet because all I got is a bag full of very bad ideas?>>

[Dustin]

<<I..>> Dustin was drawing a blank. What he really wanted to do was go wake up Suji and ask her what to do. At the very least she could probably give all these people a scare that would make them never want to come back. But not only did Dustin think suggesting that option would be wimpy, but it also wasn't very practical. It would risk leading these people right to the hideout, not to mention take too long. If Richard got spotted, he could get shot any second.

<<I can't think of a way to get rid of them,>> Dustin finally admitted. He sniffed the grass around him nervously. It smelled like human and flamingo, and there was another smell that his opossum instincts wanted to follow. That was it!

<<There is no way we can chase them away, but we can lead them away. But...>> Dustin didn't want to say it. <<But that means they will have hunt us. That means we will have to let them hunt us.>> Dustin winced at his own plan as he made his way through the brush in the direction of the hunters. <<Please tell me you have a better idea,>> he said hopefully.

[Richard]

Dustin's slow response to his question was not really building the confidence that Richard needed for dodging bullets by people who were just looking for something to eat in a world that was pretty much in the middle of a famine of sorts. He couldn't blame them for hearing a sound of an animal and think of an alternative to a double cheeseburger. Richard would probably be doing the same thing if the roles were reversed, but they weren't and that meant that he was going to be the replacement for the t-bone steak if he wasn't careful.

When Dustin did work up an answer to the question that had been posed, it was not one that Richard wanted to hear as it meant that neither of their brains had any sort of inspiration on what to do with the hunters of them. Hopefully, Dustin was in a new morph at this point that was better suited for this terrain.

<<No I don't have a better idea unless you have something that can make me look like I am infected with rabies or something.>> Richard was not sure why Dustin kept saying that they had to let the people hunt them when they were all chasing him. Now all they needed was for the people to learn how to fly or something and things would be perfect. His instincts told him to head back to the safety of the base, but his brain overrode that idea and ran over some twigs to make sure the free humans were following his trail.

[Melanie Martin]

The resident Animorphs weren't alone, though they didn't know it quite yet. The cockatoo didn't *look* entirely out of place here in Miami. Pet birds escaped all the time, and some parrot species had whole colonies now, although Melanie wasn't sure if cockatoos were among them. She liked that; in Vancouver and LA, the bird had stuck out too much and been nearly useless.

This faction was doing all right, but not all of them were so lucky. LA had just had its headquarters blown to bits, and several morphers had died. Without a big enough group to maintain operations, it was time again for reorganization, and ultimately, for her to head to another city. She was tired, and wanted to demorph and take a rest, but it didn't look like that was happening quite yet. Humans with guns, and what had to be Animorphs trying to evade them. She landed in a tree, hoping the humans hadn't seen her, and called.

< Er...what'd I wander into?> she called semi-privately of course to the group. <Controllers? Nah, they'd have dracons. Still,some welcome. Anyway, what's the plan? I have some big guns if you need them...deer, although it won't like those guns at all, and red wolf. Lemur's an option too, if you want some coconut flinging.> Miami had a lot of palm trees, and it wouldn't be too difficult for the Sifaka to snag a few and start flinging if she could get to them.

[Dustin]

<<Who? Wha-? Who is that? Where are you?>> Dustin's feet motored beneath him as he rushed in the general direction of the hunters. The voice didn't sound very familiar and he didn't think anyone in their faction had the morphs suggested, so Dustin was thoroughly confused about who was speaking. But did it really matter as long as they were willing to help?

<<Never mind. We just need to make sure Richard doesn't get shot and try to get them far away in the process. In fact...>> Dustin climbed a little sapling nearby and shook its branches, causing the leaves to rattle loudly. Then he dropped to the ground and ran to the side through the nighttime shadows, just in case the sound redirected the hunters like he hoped it would. <<And try not to get shot yourself.>>