Out For A Run

[psychowolf]

Going for a run away from Stonehaven and so close to civilization is uncomfortable but it's been eight days since his last change. He can't put it off any longer. Clay took the 15 minute drive to Los Padres outside of Santa Barbara. Clay finds a secluded spot behind some bushes and does one final check for any humans that might find him while he is changing. After a few moments he is confident he is alone.

Taking off his clothes he finds a place out of sight for them, bends down on fours and begins the change. The transition smooth and painful, but a pain he has known for most of his life, as natural to him as back pain is to others.

After long minutes in place of the lean, six foot, blonde haired professor is a large blonde wolf. With no-one else around he starts to run off the beaten path, listening to the new sounds and smelling the new smells. Even from here he can smell the ocean. He picks up the scent of a squirrel and begins to follow it.

The chase for the squirrel is a cautious one, always being careful of humans. The last thing he needs is to be spotted.

Comments

[theresnodoor]

It's after sunrise and he's off to school - Rachel's glad it's summer for her, no need to rush off to her own middle school. She'll have to get back home in time to convince her mother she was just 'out for a run,' but there's time for that. Gymnastics camp starts in a couple of weeks, that's all the excuse she needs for getting out of the house to exercise for long periods of time.

Bald eagles can't fly nearly as fast as he's driving his car. Rachel focuses on building altitude, flapping hard until she can get to the nearest stretch of asphalt. Even this early, the summer sun has heated the road enough to create a thermal and as the hot air billows up beneath her wings, Rachel breathes a silent sigh of relief.

So much easier than flapping.

Following his car leads her straight to UCSB. Bald eagles aren't much for subtlety but, luckily, most people look around, not up. She waits until he's walked into the building and swoops down to land on a parking lot light, the pole twenty feet in the air and her talons curling around the metal edging surrounding the bulb.

From here, her 'student' theory is ruined as she peers through a window and watches him unlock an office. She can't see the name on the door from here, but she can see where the office is. She can check on that later.

And now he's... going to be boring. Sitting in his messy office, working steadily.

Granted, after going for a long morning flight with a boy she-- may or may not have something that could be defined as a 'relationship' with - Rachel was planning on going home and getting breakfast made for her sisters so her mom could go to work. But there's still something mildly offensive about a human morphing wolf, morphing out, and then going to do something perfectly innocuous instead of making it clear who he is and how he got his abilities.

[psychowolf]

After a while of writing Clay stands and walks over to a fully stocked bookshelf. Lined with Anthroplogy texts. He pulls one off the shelf and turns to a chapter on jaguar cults and walks back to his desk while reading.

His nostrils flare shortly before there is a knock at the door. He stands there just watching it before a female voice comes through, "Um professor." he sighs and walks back to his desk. This is the part he hates most about his job.

The student enters and repeats, "Um professor."

"What?" he says coldly. This student has been here before and it's never anything relevant.

She gives Dr. Danvers an appriative once over, then a twice over. Sitting on his desk trying to get his attention. Her voice changes from hesitant to flirtatious. "I though maybe we could have a private tutoring session. I'm having trouble with this paragraph." she leans over to expose her breast to his face.

Clay has to bite back a growl but settles for slamming his book shut. Stands up and walks to the door holding it open. He scowls at her.

The girl pouts and walks out having been rejected. Her skin tight mini skirt and low cut sleeveless blouse clinging to her body. Clay doesn't notice, he is only annoyed that she isn't interested in the seminar she signed up for. It baffles him that these students don't seem to care or enjoy learning. "What are they doing here?" he asks for himself.

[theresnodoor]

Ew ew ew ew ew ew gross. There are few things Rachel wants to see less than dramatic flirtation and blatant rejection. The student doesn't look any younger than he does, but he's obviously a professor. She can't hear them from her current location but body language speaks just fine. And loudly.

She's running out of time, but she also doesn't want to lose track of him. He might be a permanent professor, he might not, and Jake's already going to be ticked at her for going after him in the first place. Rachel's only way out of this is to bring back something useful.

So he doesn't like scantily clad flirtatious students. That's fine.

...but Rachel left her clothes in the woods. That's less fine.

Luckily, her morphing outfit doubles as a workout outfit. Okay, yes, she's barefoot as she swoops into a parking garage and around a corner for cover, demorphing into a black leotard and very bare feet, but if she's careful, he might not notice.

And hey, when is Rachel ever not careful, honestly?

(shut up)



Clay is left alone for a good quarter of an hour. Then there's the scent of young female human and, a moment later, a knock on his door.

[psychowolf]

When he hears footsteps approach his door his nostrils flare. At that scent he stands abruptly every muscle going ridged.

It's the child from the park

He thinks back to the girl, she didn't look old enough to be in college, but then maybe she is like him, an academic who excelled in studies and began collegiate studies early.

Not sure what to make of it, all he knows right now if that he needs to learn more. He walks over to the door and opens it as she knocks. Her clothes remind him of those times he is too far from his clothes when he has to change back and he grabs something handy, though the clothes look like they are the right size.

His gaze is scrutinizing, like a chess master trying to put the pieces together.

[theresnodoor]

Wow, okay, someone's got good reflexes. Rachel freezes, startles, stares for a moment with wide eyes.

Then she smiles, sparkling and bright, eyebrows lifted high in surprise over innocent blue eyes. "Whoops, you're not Coach Grady! I must be totally lost, sorry!"

And studying his face, peeking past him into the office for anything signifying.

Dr. Danvers, the door says. She'll tell the team when they get back and harass Marco into looking into it.

[psychowolf]

Clay stares at her. He doesn't believe her, or at least he finds it difficult to believe. It would be quite the coincidence if she just happens to open his door after seeing her in the park.

"This is the Anthropology Building." he is a little less sharp with her because she is a kid but there is no warmth in his voice.

[theresnodoor]

"Really? Wow, I'm really lost."

She makes a show of looking over both of her shoulders. "Do you know Coach Grady? He dropped me off at the front while he parked so I could find a bathroom and I was supposed to meet him here with the other girls."

Scanning his office again doesn't tell her very much, other than handsome-young-professor guy is a wreck with keeping his office clean. The wall might be full of heavy books - but the floor is, too. A couple of them are open to vibrant pictures of-

-of creatures half animal, half human.

Rachel got the ability to morph from a dying blue centaur-like alien prince. She's never really felt the need to explore fantasy or mythology to find answers about her abilities.

[psychowolf]

"No" he doesn't expand or explain. He doesn't know whether or not there is a Coach Grady but the anthropology building is between the entrance and the physical education building so is plausible. But he is still skeptical about her story.

He notices her looking at the books, "I research anthropomorphic religions. Ancient civilizations anthropomorphize animals, or give them human form or human attributes, such as intelligence." going into lecture mode. His demeanor is a bit softer as he talks, though he keeps watching her still wary.

[theresnodoor]

Ooookay, so he's not continuing the conversation about Coach Grady. That's good because, so far as Rachel knows, there's no such person.

She also has no idea where the physical education building is. Today is looking up so far as her secret spying tactics are concerned.

When he volunteers so much information about his subject, Rachel is ready to ignore the entire speech - until he gets to the details.

"That's cool," she says casually, smiling up at him. Because it's totally not suspicious at all that a morpher is studying morphing myths. "You, like, teach here?"

[psychowolf]

He may not be pressing her on the Coach but as soon as this conversation is over he intends on looking into her story.

He studies her as he answers, "Yes." still not loosening his muscles.

"Why are you still here?" he asks, still suspicious. If she is looking for a different professor and isn't interesting in anthropology he doesn't understand why she is still standing in his door. He would walk away and ignore her but she is a concern he can't ignore.

[theresnodoor]

She's here because he can turn into a wolf and no one should be able to do that but four other teenage humans who go to her school.

That's why.

Rachel blinks at him in innocent surprise and then grins. "Wow, your class must be super popular. Sorry to bug you, mister, the campus is totally empty this morning and yours was the first office I saw. I'm gonna go look for the coach."

Okay, now she can go tell Jake and get someone else on spy-detail.

[psychowolf]

Okay Clay knows that is a lie, his office is in the center of the building, a small closet of an office that he is pretty sure used to belong to the janitor before they needed to make room for him. He looks down each direction of the hall.

He waits until she is out of sight and then he follows her scent trail. Fully aware that he needs to contact Jeremy he can't risk not following this child, something isn't right. He'll call his alpha as soon as he can.

[theresnodoor]

Rachel would bite the head off anyone who referred to Jake as her 'alpha,' but she can't deny he's a leader of their group. Not of her, of course. Obviously. But of-- jeez, this name - the Animorphs, yes, he is the leader.

So she'll tell him that she found a yellow wolf in the forest, morphed eagle to follow it, saw it turn into a human, followed him to a school, then walked up to his office to snoop and let him see her face.

...okay, maybe she'll call Cassie and have her call that meeting instead.

For now, she's hurrying down the hall, not back the way she came. On the off-chance he's still watching, she'll look for the gym and try to morph in a locker room.

[psychowolf]

Clay is now stalking her, walking on the balls of his feet so that his walking doesn't make a sound, even in these halls. He will track her by scent and hearing in order to make certain that she doesn't see him.

From her movements she doesn't seem to know where the locker room is, which is confirmed when he hears her ask one of the few students on campus where to find the locker room. The student, a female but otherwise unfamiliar voice, answers, directing the young girl to the locker room.

[theresnodoor]

Rachel figured that was safe enough, asking around. She did tell him she was lost, couldn't find Coach Make-Believe's office, so it won't hurt. Besides, there's another bonus to getting into the locker room before she morphs: a grown man is unlikely to walk right in without warning.

The campus is sparse but not completely empty. There are other people around besides the older girl Rachel stopped and, just to make sure she's been completely clear, she stops a another woman for the same question.

This choice doesn't go as smoothly. The woman is closer to her own mother's age and is already frowning at Rachel's morphing suit, the bare midriff, and - sadly - her bare feet. "Dear, where are your shoes?"

"Oh, I'm on the gymnastics team," Rachel replies cheerfully, beaming, and turns away, "thank you for the directions!"

She's gone before the woman realizes that wasn't actually an answer to her question.

[psychowolf]

Clay isn't most men.

He hears the child ask again, even though she was already traveling in the right direction. He isn't certain if she is shrewed or slow.

Before Clay is able to turn the corner he is stopped by another professor and Clay speaks with him briefly and then departs after answering the other professors question. He manages to regain her scent, it helps that he knows where she is headed.

Clay shakes his head and continues in the direction of the locker room. He isn't happy with the delay.

[theresnodoor]

Rachel's too far ahead to know about the delay, but she'd be grateful for it all the same. Ducking into the locker gives her a sudden start, finding it far more occupied than she'd expected.

"Oh my God, I can't believe practice is so early, it's summer-"

"You have class? So unfair, I'm just getting in a run before work."

"Ew, I cannot work during summer, I'm so burnt out from the school year."

"Not everyone has a trust fund, Jennifer."

"Oh, shut up."

The thirteen year old blonde goes unnoticed through the bulk of the locker room, ducking in to the bank of toilets and taking a stall. There's an open window at the end of the room she can sneak out through if she can get to fly morph fast enough.

[psychowolf]

Clay can hear the conversation of the girls and is discusted by it. He mentally sneers at them. Because of the delay he just enters the room to follow the girl. The coed's in the locker room are about to scream until they see him. When they get a good look at him they swarm like locusts.

"You shouldn't be in here." a flirtatious laugh.

"What bring's you here?"

"Are you lost?"

"No." he snaps as he tries to make his way past them but they wont let him through. They all want a date but he could care less. There is something not right with this girl and he needs to know what it is.

[theresnodoor]

At least one of those women is recognizable as the girl who walked into his office earlier that morning.

At least three more in the back do actually squeak when a man walks in, grabbing towels to cover themselves. One of them is already rushing off toward the office.

Rachel is silently congratulating herself on a job well done, smug little smile as she closes her eyes and focuses on the shape and form of a tiny little insect who travels like a drunk jet packer.

The first change is the segmenting of her legs, adding joints, bending her current joints backwards. It doesn't hurt but there is plenty of noise, cracks that echo in her single stall but not loud enough to sound over the conversation in the locker room.

[psychowolf]

Clay is annoyed by this, and is sure that the lecture he will get from the dean is nothing compared to the disappointed look he will get from Jeremy, but he didn't have a choice.

Though he is unable to make it through the throng of coeds he does hear the sound of cracking bones, a familiar sound for someone who has every bone in their body broken at least once a week. It takes him sometime before he identifies it as coming from the direction of her scent. It is just about then that a security guard enters.

The guard approaches and Clay turns towards him. The guards voice stops in his throat at the sight of Clay. Clay brushes past the guard and walks out the door, knowing that he lost his chance to find out who she is, and now it seems, what she is. He walks straight towards a phone to call Jeremy.

[theresnodoor]

Ha! Xena: Warrior Princess strikes again!

...okay, Rachel's never seen an episode but she suspects Xena never hid from a possible ally, morphed fly, and snuck out a bathroom window.

<YEEEEE-HA!>

Still, there's always time to enjoy the insanity that is the flight of a standard housefly.