Our Summer Vacation...

[warren_bearclaw]

After finding a mostly covered area in the underbrush where the squirrel's mind would accept him being still, he checked the role. <Okay guys, you are all in new morphs. I've heard from Chad and Olivia, but not you Jo. Are you in control now? Can you hear me... this is Sean. Olivia, Chad? I'm assuming you both are over the instincts now... can either of you see Jo?> He hoped that Jo was still in the area. Surely a goose didn't have too terribly strong instincts....
Brian waited for a while. It was now after nine-thirty, and he probably wouldn't have to worry about anyone checking in on him. He'd considered waiting to go to the zoo with his friends sometime soon, but there was no way he'd be able to sleep knowing that they would still be there, even right now. Brian decided to go. What wasn't such an easy decision was forcing himself into fly morph to sneak out. I so need better morphs... he thought. With his eyes held tight, he focused as he felt his skin harden, heard his innards adjust to an open circulatory system, and swayed as he dwindled in height on the skinny sticks-for-legs of the House Fly. Fortunately, this time, his eyes bugged out as one of the final steps, only forcing him to watch as his mouth fused together and protruded into a proboscis.

Brian flew. The speed! It was amazing! He was the king of aerial stunts, and it took no effort whatsoever. He buzzed around, seeming to go hundreds of miles an hour. He zigged, he zagged, he flipped and turned. Finally, something caught his attention. He jetted lower, lower to the ground, till he found the source. The smell was appealing. Surely this would  be good food. Now all he had to do was dissolve it with the acids flies used on their food, and wait to suck up the juices after -

AAAGHH! Brian thought, suddenly himself again. He was now aware of where he was: inside his shoe. It was the smell of old sweat that had attracted his fly mind. And he had been preparing to eat it. Yet another reason why he needed to get to the zoo tonight. Now in control, Brian shot through the crack he'd left in his window, and landed in the bushes up against the outside wall. He demorphed, careful to stay hidden until he was sure he wasn't going to be noticed. He then picked up his keys from the grass where he'd tossed them moments ago, and hopped in his car. Rather than starting it, he shifted into neutral and coasted out of the driveway. Once on the road, he started his car and headed to the zoo.

[radgeek]

Jo couldn't see other geese around like herself.  I should be with my own kind, she thought.  She opened her wings to fly but was stopped by fear.  Human fear.  That is when the voices started to make sense.

<...I'm assuming you both are over the instincts now... can either of you see Jo?>

You lost yourself in the morph numbskull, she thought to herself.  <Right here, I'm the only Canadian goose that is afraid to fly.>

[Josh (J)]

Chad landed on the ground and said, <You do know that it might be a good idea if we head home, since none of us are wearing stuff that will let us come out with clothes on...> Just then Jo spoke. <Well, how about you get over here now? Time's a-wasting.> Chad fixed his stare on Olivia, and rested.

[radgeek]

Jo waddled over as fast as she could on two webbed feet.

<What are you staring at me for?>  Olivia asked Chad.

[Josh (J)]

<I am?> Chad said, embarrassed. He broke away and heard something coming. <That would be Jo...>

[warren_bearclaw]

The four of them were a motley assortment. Sean felt rather edgy being the equivalent of a Big Mac around the others in their bird morphs. Privately, he said to Chad, <So... you didn't grab anything to morph in before you came?> That was a little inconvenient... <I guess you'll just have to grab something at my place, Chad. I think you left some stuff last time you and your sister were there.>

Sean demorphed. In just under two minutes, Sean was standing on his own two feet in the grass. He really wasn't liking the no shoes thing.... "Well, I guess we don't have a anything to wait for. I think we did pretty well tonight, guys. We got in, did our business, and got out without getting caught, or trampled, or eaten, or anything to that affect. I figure that's a pretty good night. Let's head home."

[radgeek]

Olivia and Jo demorphed.  They felt a pang sorrow at the word "home."  "Where am I staying?" Jo asked.

[warren_bearclaw]

Sean winced as he realized what he'd just said. But what could he do about it? He had no way to fix this for either of them. "You are staying with me... assuming you're all right with that, of course." He wanted to tell Jo how sorry he was for her, that everything would be alright. But would it? There had to be something he could do for them... they wouldn't be able to hide in his apartment forever. How would Jo handle this in the long run?

[radgeek]

"I'll share my room with her," Olivia said.  She came over and gave Jo a hug.  "We'll stick together."

[gorillaman16]

Shaun got home found his mother sleeping on the couch and decided now would be a good time to do some research on people he met at the Sharing. He decided to check up on a few people he talked to but none of them were interesting, then he looked at Brian's records and saw that he was a normal kid just like him he was the average kid he liked all the same stuff as Shaun's except for the fact that Shaun volunteers at the local zoo but that is the only thing they don't share in common. Shaun decided he just found a new friend and possibly more new friends because Brian has friends.

[Josh (J)]

<Stop it, you're gonna make me cry,> Chad said. <Can we PLEASE just get out of here? Like...NOW?!> He paused and took a breath. <I really, really want to go home, get something to eat, and go to sleep.> He stared at Sean.

[warren_bearclaw]

It was very disconcerting having his son glower at him through raptor eyes. Sean was very glad he was no longer small and furry. It must be the morph he figured.

"Well, I figured it would be much more comfortable for y'all to ride in the car as, y'know, people. In other words, we're waiting for you, bud."
"Why is there SO MUCH TRAFFIC this time of night?!?" Brian yelled at no one in particular. He was expressing only a mild tendency towards road rage. Really, he just didn't like sitting in traffic. The light finally changed, and the cars in front of his slowly pulled away. "FINALLY!!!" Even if it was a Saturday night, there wasn't typically this much traffic heading into downtown at this time of the week. At this rate, he'd be at the zoo in ten minutes or so.

[Josh (J)]

<Oh.> Chad said and paused. <You do happen to know that I'll have to go in the car like this, since if I demorph, I won't have any clothes. I forgot them, as I said.> He still kept staring at Sean, now on purpose.

[warren_bearclaw]

"Oh... yeah." Sean said, scratching the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "Well, you should have enough time in that morph, so let's get goin' y'all." Sean began walking towards the car, slowly with his bare feet. He was glad there wasn't anyone out to see him in his tight bike shorts and baseball tee. He unlocked the doors, and held open the backseat for his son to hop in. This is so weird, he thought. He wondered if they should try buckling him in... "The cops can't arrest me for not requiring my son to wear a seat belt if he's a bird, can they?"

[Josh (J)]

<No thank you,> Chad said crossly. <I don't need a seatbelt.> He got inside the car, rather ungracefully as he was unaccustomed, and landed on the head rest. <Can we go now?>