Why Rachel and Tobias could never work

[wolfev]

Since Tobias has a human morph which will never age, and assuming he was no more than 13 at the time he acquired himself he is stuck as a 13 year old as Rachel progressively gets older. Plus, since Tobias is kinda smart, he is doomed to have a horrible death since birds don't die of old age, they have a type a type II life curve.

[morfowt]

the first part's easy. just become a human nothlit. If even as a nothlit he wouldn't age, then his hawk body shouldn't age either.

the second part I didn't quite get.

[wolfev]

Birds rate of death never changes. With humans, the older you get, the more likely you are to die. With birds, an equal number of old birds die to the number of younger birds. They just don't die of old age. So Tobias is either living forever or going to be killed by some predator. Also, when did Rachel start to come onto Tobias. Sometimes I think she treats him like her doll or something. She fell for the bullied kid Tobias, not the hunter call of the wild Tobias.

[morfowt]

really? I kinda find that hard to believe. I'll look it up first. Either way, Tobias just has to become a human nothlit. The only reason he stayed as a hawk was so he could fight in the war. And the reason he didn't change back after the war was because he didn't have anything or anyone to come back to.

[wolfev]

Trust me I used to work with an Ornithologist. She told me thats how it works.

[morfowt]

weird. Every site I go to says they have a lifespan of about 20 years...

[wolfev]

I never said they don't die. Thats just an average of how long it takes one to die of contracting a disease, starving to death etc. Let me put it this way, once a bird reaches adult hood, you can't tell if the bird is 1 year into adult hood or 100 years

[morfowt]

ok. you lost me there. you know what, forget it.

well I think it started at the first book, but she didn't fully realize it until she thought David killed him in #22.

[ThermalRider]

They liked each other way before that. Even in the first book, before the attack on the Yeerk Pool, Tobias was perched on Rachel's shoulder. And in book 3 when they think that the Animorphs are going to be trapped as fish in the truck ship, Tobias says something like "Rachel, I wanted to tell you..." and she says "I know."

[morfowt]

I already said they liked each other in book 1, but she didn't fully realize it until book 22:

I cared for Tobias. I don't think I even knew how much I cared till right then.

[Nateosaurus]

Either way, Tobias just has to become a human nothlit.

But then Rachel and Tobias still can't work, since he still wouldn't age and she would....

[mrlarry]

They liked each other way before that. Even in the first book, before the attack on the Yeerk Pool, Tobias was perched on Rachel's shoulder. And in book 3 when they think that the Animorphs are going to be trapped as fish in the truck ship, Tobias says something like "Rachel, I wanted to tell you..." and she says "I know."

It's even earlier than that. When Visser Three is murderising Elfangor, Rachel holds Tobias's hand.

[morfowt]

Either way, Tobias just has to become a human nothlit.

But then Rachel and Tobias still can't work, since he still wouldn't age and she would....

How do you know nothlits don't age? are you saying Elfangor didn't age when he became a human nothlit?

[CounterInstinct]

Tobias would be stuck as a nothlit.
Plus, the truth is reverse of threadstarter's opinion.

They are the perfect match.
Rachel is Tobias's last remaining (not to mention desperate) cling to his humanity. That is why he didn't go with Ax. If Rachel was not to exist, Tobias would never want to be human. The only reason that Tobias wants to become a human nothlit after the war is because he now has someone to turn to.

Tobias is Rachel's last cling to the "light" inside her. Tobias was one of the only persons Rachel could turn on to when she needs to talk on about the actions of her "dark side".

Personally, i think that if Tobias died instead, Rachel would either go insane, or be a crazy war freak.

[Chad32]

A Human nothlit would age. He'd be a few years younger than her, but he would age. If you want definite proof that a nothlit can age, then read book 41. Tobias states that he morphs Ax and becomes an Andalite nothlit. Then he gets older and looks a lot like Elfangor.

There's no reason to believe nothlits don't age, so he could become a Human nothlit and age together with Rachel.