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stood there, quietly next to him or a few seconds. "How did you know?"

He looked over at me and smiled. " I told you I was good with guessing people emotions."

"Yea, you must be. I don't think I had the whole thing exactly figured out just yet."

"It is alright. You don't have to have it figured out just yet. Take your time, and know that I am always here." He said, and hugged me. I smiled, and returned the hug.

"Alright, you ready to go?" I asked, once I had walked back over to Drake.

"Yea, everything alright?" He asked.

"Yup. Just, he wanted to thank me. That is all." I lied.

"Okay. Now, when I lift off, I want you to hold on tight." He said.

I nodded, and held on tightly to his chest. He leaped off the ground, taking my breath away. But at least I didn't scream!

Once we were literally soaring above the clouds, I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. Drake looked down, and grinned.

"You alright back there?" He asked.

"Hell yea I am!" I yelled. He smiled, and banked gently into a turn. "You know, for a lumbering beast, you are quite graceful in the air." I called, and he smiled, and did a tight barrel roll.

"Better?" He asked, as he leveled out.

"Almost. Now, I trust you a lot. Can you trust me?" I asked.

"Of course! Why?" He asked. I just smiled mischievously. "What are you up to?" He asked. That was about a millisecond before I let go.

I dropped fast, rocketing through the air. I looked behind me, and saw him dive after me, grinning from ear to ear.

As we fell, we intertwined, when he finally grabbed me, and pulled me close. He wrapped his wings around me, as to form a protective barrier around me. He poked his head in, and I giggled at him. He snorted, and then grabbed me and pulled out of the dive. He spread his wings, and slowed us to a gentle glide, where he successfully landed us in camp.

"So glad you could drop by!" Jonathan said, and laughed.

I chuckled, and Drake smiled above me.

"So what's for dinner?" I called over to the kitchen.

"Pot Roast!" I heard. I smiled, and walked off to find my mess kit.

On my way there, I felt somebody leap onto my back, and instinctively, I threw them off, and drew my pistol and pointed it at them.

"Damn, you still have your reflexes!" Nick said, as he got up. I just shook my head, and re-holstered the pistol.

"How are you hanging in?" I asked.

"Fine, but I want to talk to you after dinner." He said, and gave me a wink, and walked off.

"Jesus, I swear I can't catch a bloody break, can I?" I muttered, and grabbed my mess kit and walked back out to the fire circle.

"Hey! There he is, the man of the hour!" Garret said, as he plunked down a chunk of bread on my plate, and I moved down to Sean who served out steaming hot pot roast. I thanked him, and found an empty log. It soon filled up, with Drake sitting on my left, Josh on my right, Sam in front of me, and Star on my lap.

"Ever feel like Noah?" I asked Josh, and he laughed till both of our guts hurt. The others didn't get it, and I explained how Noah had gotten two of every animal, and how they crowded around him. Everyone had a laugh at that. Brenden also sat at my feet, his tail wagging.

"Hey Chris!" He said, as he dug into his food.

"Hey Brenden! How have you been? It feels like ages since I have spoken to you!" I said, and he smiled and wagged his tail.

"Yea, it has been a while, but I am okay. Much better off than being in the army! Here I actually get to do something worthwhile instead of just sitting around guarding boring prisoners!" He said, and I gave him a smirk.

"You know he was right!" Sam said, and I turned the look over to him. I heard Star chuckle into my chest, and I stared down at her with an expression of surprise.

"You agree with them, don't you?" I said. She just smiled and got up to go get more food, which was self-serve at this point. I just chuckled, and picked off some of the fur, which was still attached to me.

I felt somebody tap me on the arm gently, and I looked over to see Drake look at me with nervous eyes. I grabbed his hand, and squeezed.

"You will be fine, trust me." I whispered, and he smiled weakly. "Are you ready?" I asked, and he nodded.

I stood up, and looked over to Danny and Jonathan, who seemed to be in their own little world. I nodded to them, and they walked over, hand in paw. I some of the group give them a strange look, but ignored it anyway.

"Gentleman! And ladies, of course, it is announcement time. First off, I wanted to say something, and I need you all to listen." I said, and all conversation stopped, and everyone looked at me.

"When I look at a flower, I see a color. That is why I notice it. But, in a field, there are many flowers, of all different color. Each has its own unique smell, and color. But when I walk into that field, I do not purposely crush only pink flowers, or only yellow. I do not kill a tree for looking a certain way, or how it grows. It chooses where it grows. Every color you see is just a pigment. Something to catch your eye. So why should I do that for people?" I said, and took a drink.

"I know not all of you follow the same religion. But in the holy bible, in chapter 17 of St. Luke, it states that the kingdom of god is in men, not one man, but all! Let us work side by side, not against each other! Let us only fight to free the world, not enslave it! Let us fight against greed, and intolerance, not fight for it! To free man, woman, animorph, child and adult alike! By doing this, we shall free ourselves. So the next time you think of judging someone, remember deep down inside, one day that might be you on the other end of that sword." I said, finished. Everyone looked at me, some with a dry eye, some without.

I nodded to Drake, who stepped forward. "I also have something to say, though it isn't as powerful as what he just said." Everyone chuckled. "When I came to this unit, only one of you new a secret. My darkest, most personal secret. I entrusted it to my family once, and they disowned me. It broke me, to be honest. But now, I have a new family, and once again, I will share my secret. I am gay." He said, and sat down quickly. I looked around, and everyone seemed surprised, but nobody spoke.

"As are we." Jonathan said, and stepped forward with Danny. Everyone still looked shocked, but everyone still stayed quiet. I saw Nick slowly get up, and walk over to Drake, and give him a hug.

"I will never see you any differently. And this family does not leave any member behind." He said, and walked over and hugged Danny and Jonathan in turn. I smiled, as the others got up too and followed Nick in suit.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and sat down. It had been a long week. Nick sat next to me, and rubbed my shoulders. I smiled, and patted him on the back.

"Long day?" He asked.

"Long week." I said, and yawned.

"Why don't you go get some sleep?" He said.

"No, you wanted to talk, and you braved trying to tackle me, so we will. Let me just go and talk to Drake real quick, and then we can go to my office." I said, and he nodded. I walked over to Drake, who looked at me through teary eyes.

"What are you crying for ya big baby?" I asked, and winked. He wrapped me in a huge bear hug, and thanked me profusely.

"Nick was completely true. We are your family, and we leave no one behind." I said, and he smiled. "Alright, I am going for a walk with Nick, I will be back later. Try to enjoy the evening, eh?" I said, and he smiled, and for the first time in a few days it wasn't out of nervousness.

"Alright, what did you want to talk about?" I asked, once we had gotten out to the tree.

"Chris, hear me out before you speak, okay?" He said. I nodded, and he continued.

"You have yet to talk to any of the girls. They think you are purposely ignoring them, and they have become more vocal out of it. Some more than others." He muttered.

"Okay. I will talk to them individually. You are right, I have ignored them accidentally, but also remember I haven't exactly been having tons of free time." I said, and he chuckled. "But you have to do me a favor in return." I said.

"Sure. What is the favor?" He asked.

"I need you to pick out the top 5 leaders in our unit. They will be leading a council, so that I can step down as leader. Now before you flip out, hear me out." He nodded slowly, and I continued. "Nick, leading us when there were ten of us was hard enough. Now we have over twenty, and I think that it would be better for everyone. I cannot get to everyone's problems. Also, I am falling behind on some of my responsibilities. I am always here for support, whether it is for personal or group problems. Now, are you okay with this?" I asked.

He stayed quiet for a minute, before speaking. " Yea, I am okay with it. But I am sure as hell going to miss you leading us." He said.

"Why? You don't think that anyone can handle it?" I asked.

"No, the others will be able to handle it. It's just that they wont lead with the fire and spirit you did. But as long as you don't take off on us, we should be fine." He said.

"Good. One more thing, I think we should have a massive training exercise. To help find those leaders more easily." I said.

"And what do you have in mind?" He asked.

"Capture the flag. Three teams, melee weapons only." I said.

"Okay. Are we picking the teams?" He asked.

"No. I think we should let Josh, Danny, and finally April." I said. Nick shot me a warning look.

"Are you trying to set her up for failure?" He growled angrily.

"No, but I need to see everyone's capabilities, not just the men, not just the women, not just the humans, ad not just the animorphs. All capabilities." I said, and he nodded finally.

"Good. Lets get that rolling tomorrow. Shouldn't be too hard, and I have my weapons ready to go." I said. He smiled.

"You are going down!" He yelled, and took off to tell the others. I chuckled, and headed back into camp.

Once there, I looked around for Star, and being unable to find her, I asked Alex if he had seen her.

"Yea, she took off with Austin into the woods. Haven't seen them since." He said, and got back to fixing one of the computers. I frowned, but ignored it, and waked over to the armory.

It had gotten larger and larger from the convoys we raided from time to time, and I was happy to see the two crates I was looking for. Both contained the same thing, officer sabers. I took them both, and strapped them onto my back. They fit snuggly, and I could easily draw them. They were light, so I could swing fast, but they were durable, so they could take a hit.

I sheathed them, and was about to walk out when something caught my eye. It was a simple black backpack, and I started to open it up when I realized what I was actually opening up. It was a parachute. I grinned, and thought about dropping in with Drake, if he were to be on my team. I put it aside, and left the armory.

"Hey Chris!" I turned around, and caught Brendan running over to me. I stopped, and he came up and licked my face. I stepped back bewildered, and he blushed slightly.

"Sorry, that is how we greet each other." He said, and I just shook my head, smiling.

"So what did you need?" I asked.

"Well, I heard how we are going to be doing capture the flag, and well, I wanted to know if you could train me." He asked, nervously.

"Sure, go grab you weapon of choice, and meet me here. Now, go quickly!" I said, and he took off.

"Well aren't you nice." I heard from behind me. I knew that voice easily. Nobody else had a voice that deep, and smooth.

"Do you want to join us Drake?" I asked.

"Sure. I heard about capture the flag, and I was slightly disappointed in not being a captain." He said, as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I looked up, and saw him grinning down at me.

"Please, you could never handle that much pressure." I said, and he snorted down at me, ruffling my hair, which I tried to fix vainly. "And if you are going to join us, you might want to go get your weapon." I said.

"I already have it." He said, dragging one of his claws across my neck gently. I shuddered, and he chuckled darkly.

"Hey! You guys ready?" Brendan called, as he ran over to us with his rifle.

"Uh, Brendan, remember melee weapons only." I said.

"It is! See?" He said, as he fastened his bayonet to the m16.

"So it is." I said softly, and we proceeded to a makeshift training area, where I set up a few training dummies.

"Now, strike the dummy." I said, looking at Brendan. He nodded, and then rifle butted the dummy.

"Like that?" He asked.

"Well, yes. But here, let me show you another way of doing it." I said, and took the rifle from him. I hacked down on the dummy, then thrust into it, and using my foot, unstuck it from the dummy, which was made of Kevlar and stuffing.

He nodded, and then did the same thing I just had. He was a quick learner, and soon enough, he had learned how to successfully parry my sword with his rifle, without getting his finger cut off. Teaching him the concept of trying to stick me, as a person was different, but after much coaxing, he did it fluently enough to suit the need.

"Very good Brendan! You are an extremely fast learner, and are making good practice. Take a five minute break, while I train with Drake." I said, and he nodded, as he sat down to watch us.

I looked at Drake, and he smiled, and I saw there was happiness in his eyes. "So do you want to train like I did with Brendan, or do you want to mock fight?" I asked.

"Mock fight. And don't worry, your little scraps of metal wont even scratch my hide or claws." He said, and grinned.

I just nodded, and drew both of my sabers. I then bowed to him, and he returned the gesture. The fight was about to begin!

He attacked first, trying to swipe at my left side with his claws. I used a saber to stop the blow, and then quickly pushed back, knocking him out of his stance.

"Very good. But futile." He said, and then roared as load as he could, and then charged. As he charged, I looked for an opening, anything to stop him. For if I didn't, I would be crushed.

I found my opening, and I took full advantage of it. With his huge strides, it gave me the opportunity to slide between his legs, and as I slid, I drew my sabers against his legs, in which he cried out in slight pain. While it hadn't cut through his hide, I am sure it didn't feel too good!

Once I turned around, I had saw that he had fallen to his knees, and I quickly ran up behind him, and tried to put the saber to his neck. But he had known that was coming, and he grabbed the saber from me, and tossed it to the side. He quickly grabbed the other and tossed it as well. I drew another knife, a KABAR, and tried to defend myself, but whom was I kidding?

He looked down at me, and chuckled darkly.

"Do you give in human?" He asked.

"Never!" I yelled, and charged him. He just sighed, and threw me aside. I hit the ground hard, and released my knife. It slid across the ground, and lay out of reach. Drake walked over, and kicked it further from me. He then walked over, and grabbed me quickly from the ground, and held me to his chest, so that I was lying in his arms.

"Looks like I win skinbag!" He said, smiling down at me.

"Seems like it. Now, would you put me down?!" I yelled, and he chuckled, but agreed.

"Wow! That was one heck of a fight!" Brenden said, as he ran over to us. His tail was wagging with excitement, and I chuckled internally.

I walked over, and got both of my sabers, and turned to both of them. Both were watching, me, which confused me.

"What the hell are you staring at? Get back to training!" I yelled, and both laughed and started sparing again.

After a few hours of sparing, we had attracted a few other stragglers. Danny and Jonathan came out, but only to watch. Josh was there, fighting with a set of brass knuckles, and Nick and April had come out as well. Nick had his fighting knives, while April had a small, fold out shovel. I looked confused over at her, and she just smiled shyly and looked away.

"Hey Chris, you want to battle?" I heard, and turned to see Garret standing before me, a huge war hammer resting on his shoulders. It had a long, yet strong wooden shaft, with a solid metal head resting atop of it.

"Uh..." I said, as I took a step back and prepared myself. He grinned, and everyone around us backed well out of the way, and cheered on whomever they wanted. Most cheered for Garret.

He swung down, and if I hadn't dodged, I would have had my skull smashed in. I quickly swung at his leg with the flat part of my blade, so that it made him drop to one knee. He grunted, and then quickly swung the hammer around in a circle to prevent me from going in for the killing blow.

I quickly backed up, and prepared for his next move. He quickly got up, and roared at me. He then charged, with his hammer in front of him, slowly spinning it to create a deadly windmill. I looked around quickly for a way to escape, and spotted a half dead tree. I backed up slowly so that he would not see me forming a plan, but instead trying to escape.

I noticed how everyone had gotten completely silent, and I smiled. They thought it was all over. Far from it, in reality.

As I continued to fall back to the log, he kept swinging his hammer, smiling to whole time. But he had not realized my plan until much to late. I ran past the stump, and then turned around. He kept smiling, thinking he had won. Then I ran straight at him, and his smile faltered. I kicked off of the stump, flying over his windmill, and landing into a roll behind him. I quickly got up, and before he could slow down his hammer, I kicked his knee out, and slapped him on the wrist harshly with my saber, making him lose the grip on the hammer, letting it fly harmlessly to the ground. He stayed there, on his knees. I put the sabers on either side of his neck, criss-crossing them. One quick motion, and he would not have a head.

"Do you give in?" I asked.

"An honorable death as any." He said, and nodded. I removed the swords, sheathing them, and then helped him up.

"That was one hell of a fight!" Josh said, as I saw Nick hand him a $5. I smiled at Nick, and he just shook his head.

"It was, and I have no shame in that defeat." Garret said, as he put a massive paw on my shoulder.

"You almost had me with that spinning move. How long did it take you to prefect that?" I asked.

"Four months. It is hard to keep a good grip while I do it, but it can destroy an enemy." He said, and I nodded.

"Well, I am done for the day. Everyone needs to get good nights sleep, because tomorrow is the fight. Make sure your weapons are cleaned, but not sharpened. We don't need any injuries!" I called over my shoulder, and everyone laughed and continued to spar, except Drake, who walked me back to camp.

While we walked, I looked at him through the corner of my eye. I could see that he wanted to say something, and I stopped to face him.

"What is it?" I asked.

"What?" He asked, innocently.

"Drake, I have been around you long enough to know when you are nervous. What's up?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now." He said, his eyes pleading for me to let it go. I nodded, but not before telling him that I would be there when he was ready, if he ever needed it.

Once we got back into camp, I again tried to look for Star, and couldn't find her. I had searched the kitchen, then the fire pit, the volleyball courts, and finally the armory. Nothing.

I gave up, and walked into the barracks, and after what I saw; I stopped dead in my tracks.

She was making out with Austin, who was sitting on his bunk. Both were so into the kiss that they didn't notice me. I was about to change that.

I walked briskly over to Austin, ripped him from Star's embrace, and threw him to the ground. I drew one of the sabers, and pointed it at him.

"HOW DARE YOU!" I yelled, and he sputtered out random words, trying to form a sentence.

"IF YOU SPEAK, I WILL CUT. OFF. YOUR. TONGUE." I yelled, becoming more and more furious.

"Chris, let him go!" Star yelled, tears streaming from her eyes.

I turned quickly to her, keeping my saber trained on Austin. "Shutup! You are no better than that filth!" I yelled.

I heard the door open, and I saw Drake standing in the doorway. He looked around, and pieced the puzzle together pretty quickly.

"Chris, you need to calm down." He said, quietly. He slowly walked over, keeping his hands in front of him, signaling that he was no threat.

"Why should I? I do nothing but provide for both of them, going days without sleep, or without meals so that they live in comfort. And this is how I am repaid? Being stabbed in the back?" I seethed, glaring at Austin, who was shaking on the ground.

"What do you get out of killing them?" Drake asked. Behind him, I saw Danny enter, as well as Josh and Nick.

"I don't want him dead. I am just going to cut of his lips, so that he may never enjoy the feeling of a true lover!" I yelled, and I saw Star's mood dampen even more. "And then I am going to cut off his cock, so that I feel that this waste of human life may never bear children!" I said, as I stepped closer to Austin, moving the blade downward.

"While we may agree with you, do you think that you could sleep with that knowledge?" Nick asked.

"I have enough blood on my hands already! What is a little more?" I asked, and then arced the saber up, and looked at Austin in they eyes. "I am going to enjoy this!" I yelled, and he started bawling like a baby.

Whoooo! Chapter 14 finished! Comments always appreciated!