ornithology | ((Memory #03, Trivial/Negative))

► "I guess this is me from now on."

What Happened:
This snippet is from Jake's PoV:

It was almost morning when I was awakened from dead sleep by feathery beating on my window.

I opened it and Tobias flew in.

"You made it," I said. "Oh, man, you had me scared. I figured you were still trapped down there. I mean, I thought you could probably find somewhere to hide in that cavern, but I knew you'd been morphed for a long time. I was worried you wouldn't be able to morph back without getting caught. It's good to see you."

<Good to see you, too, Jake,> he said. <How are the others?>

"Alive," I said. "Alive. I guess that's all that counts."

<Yes. That is all that matters.>

"Come on, Tobias," I said. "Morph back. You can stay here. I'll even let you have the bed. I could sleep on nails, I'm so tired."

He didn't say anything. And I guess in my heart I'd known it all along. I just didn't want to admit it.

"Come on, Tobias," I said again. "Morph back."

<Jake . . . >

"Just come on, back to human now, dude. No more flying tonight."

<I hid in the cavern for a while,> he said. <They didn't see me. But I had to stay out of sight till I could get out. Jake . . . it took too long. Too long. More than two hours.> I just stared at him. At his laser-focus eyes, at his wicked beak and sharp talons. And at his wings. At the broad, powerful wings that let him fly.

<I guess this is me from now on,> Tobias said.

I knew there were tears falling down my cheeks, but I didn't care anymore.

<It's okay, Jake. Like you said, we're alive.>

I went to the window and looked up at the stars. Somewhere up there, around one of those cold, twinkling stars, was the Andalite home world. Somewhere up there was . . . hope.

<They'll come,> Tobias said. <The Andalites will come. And until then . . . > I nodded and wiped away my tears. "Yeah," I said. "Until then, we fight."

Learned/Effects:
• This was just after he became a hawk.
• First friend he's remembered with a face as well as a name! This is Jake.
• I'm blurring out Tobias' name for now.
• Tobias had "morphed" into the hawk form, but he stayed for more than two hours.
• Staying for more than two hours traps you in the form you're in.
• They're waiting for "the Andalites" to come from space, and until then, they're going to fight.... someone??

(Game #230, Day 294)
Shareable: Yes. (1/4 Uses Taken— Self (Day 300).)
Taken: Yes.
Memory Format: Tiny, edible ginger gears.