Chapter 1
In Australia
Morgan kept her head up straight and erect. Her mission- to shut down all the poachers’ buildings and bring them to justice. She also had to make many animals join her in their chance of animal freedom. Morgan was a shapeshifter. But the only way to shapeshift into an animal, was to collect its DNA. A sample of its fur, and then eat the sample. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Also, shapeshifters CAN NOT turn into humans. Ever. Right now she was on her way to Australia. She was a wallaby. She had to watch for the dingo, a vicious wild dog, and Tasmanian Devils and Tasmanian Tigers, which are very, very rare to spot.
“I’m ready, Mr. Franks.” Morgan said, looking from the car window to the truck driver. She quickly looked at the forest and it’s beauty.
“Alright. You’ve got 5 days. 6 is enough, if you get into trouble. Come quickly at moonrise, or I’m leaving you. And that necklace. Just press the button and speak-”
“I know, Mr. Franks! I just speak into it for help! I know!” Morgan cried. Mr. Franks rolled his eyes and he parked the car. He turned his head and laughed, “Be careful!” He got out and opened the door for the wallaby tumbling out.
“Ready is my middle name.” Morgan looked at the man. She could’ve sworn he said, “I thought your middle name was lazy..” The car quickly zoomed off. To the base.. She guessed.
The bundle of fur quickly hopped around for a second, getting used to the fact she had to hop. Morgan sprung out in front of her and landed, losing balance, and then falling. Too hard.. Her ears flicked around and she continued hopping. Her instincts took over and she was furiously digging at the ground. What was this sensation? She was thirsty, not looking for food!
Morgan then found out why she was digging. Water! She leaned in and slurped some up. It was refreshing. She looked around at the green landscape. Trees surrounded her vision, and a small jingling snapped her into alarm.
Her ears forward, her nose sniffing the air, she looked around. A small mouse-like critter was stuck in a trap. Caught in a rope, and each time it moved, a bell jingled. Poachers! The wallaby gasped.
“H- help!” The critter pleaded. “Humans!” Morgan stepped forward, gave the mouse thing a sniff, and backed away.
“What.. Are you?”
“I’m a bandicoot rat.” The mouse-like critter replied. It panted from its struggling and just hung there lifelessly. “I need help..” It repeated.
“Ok, hold still.” The critter’s head shot up.
“No, don’t!” When Morgan pulled back on the rope, the ground caved in under her and she tumbled inside. She freed the bandicoot rat, and it scrambled out, looking at her. “Are you ok?”
“I think so.. But now I need help!” The bandicoot rat blinked after Morgan said that, and sped off. “Hey, wait!” Morgan sat there. She leapt up, and her long, curved claws scrabbled on the mouth of the trap. She couldn’t get out. The huge, gaping hole she was in was wallaby-proof. Just then, an alarm shot off, and she looked at it in shock. Morgan quickly tried to get out. “I need out, or I’ll be a furry winter coat!”
“Don’t worry I’ll get you out!” A voice cried. A huge vine lowered into the mess she was in. The bandicoot rat! Morgan latched her long claws into the vine. Luckily, it was still attached to the tree, and she kept climbing. Just then, the vine crackled, and she continued. Morgan’s ears twisted to a sound. The sound of.. A car!
“Mr. Franks!?” Morgan tried to grab the ledge, and the bandicoot rat sped off. “No, don’t worry it’s just my friend Mr. Franks..” A huge car ran over the vine, and Morgan watched the leafy vine snap into two. She fell onto the bottom of the hole and she groaned lightly, picking herself back up. The car stopped, and a man peered into the hole. It wasn’t Mr. Franks.
“Look at what we have here.” He chuckled.
“Get me out!” Morgan growled. No answer.
“You’ll make a fine scarf. Or hat.” The man walked away for a second, and appeared wearing a furry hat. A quoll, a small Australian spotted cat-like animal, appeared, and bared her fangs. She looked hungry. She felt something scrabble into her pouch. She’d forgotten wallabies had those.. Morgan gulped and she closed her eyes tightly in horror as she was hit by a sharp pain.
Hours later, she sat up and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. Was it all a dream? Was it all just a terrible nightmare? No. Something wasn’t right. She felt her neck. The necklace! Where was it? She looked around and she gasped. Animals. Everywhere. A kangaroo, a koala, and about 20 bandicoot rats all bunched together in a medium sized cage. “What.. Is going on?” The kangaroo lifted his head at her and chuckled. The koala tried shaking the cuffs off of his leg.
“You’re in prison, basically.” The kangaroo replied harshly.
“Prison?” Morgan scanned the room. She was in a large cabin! A three room cabin. She could tell it was. A glinting thing caught her eye. “Keys!” Morgan looked at the bandicoot rats and smiled. “Can you toss me some of your hair?” The bandicoot rats were already too frightened to reply. They all shook their heads.
“Wow.” A voice murmured from her pouch. She looked down and a bandicoot rat scrambled out.
“You! You went into my pouch and came with me!” Morgan said in excitement. “But.. Why?”
“I can’t leave you behind. You saved me!” The bandicoot rat said. “So what’s your name?”
“Well, I know it’s a bad time, but I’m Morgan, and I need your help even MORE than ever.”
“I’m all ears..”
“Well, I need you to give me some of your fur. Just a small hair.” Morgan muttered, reaching to grab the mouse-like rodent. He flinched back.
“No way! Is there any other way!? I’m not taking my beautiful coat and just giving it away!” He protested. “And my name is Cody.”
“Well, Cody, just go get those keys and bring them to me!” Morgan said, gently nudging the bandicoot rat towards the bars of her cage.
“Sure.” Cody muttered, zipping out, then going to the wall. Cody grasped the kept and yanked them off. He fell with them, and a loud crash from the keys was heard. Cody quickly took the keys tightly and dragged them to the wallaby. They keys scraped loudly against the ground.
“Can you do it any quieter, please?” Morgan whispered harshly.
“I’m trying my best!” Cody whispered back. Morgan gasped in shock. Cody laughed quietly. “What’s wrong? Quoll got your tongue?” Cody chuckled.
“Actually, yes..” Morgan said, her voice caught in her throat. Cody turned, and he yelped loudly, running back into Morgan’s cage without the keys. He gasped as he hid behind one of the bars, but his tail stuck out. The man stomped in.
“What’s going on in here?” He yelled. He leaned close to the wallaby’s cage and he snatched Cody. “Sneaking around, eh?” He growled. He opened the bandicoot rat’s cage and tossed in Cody. Now there were 21 inside. The man bent down, and picked up the keys. He held them in his hand and stormed out with the quoll.
“Cody! Please toss me a hair!”
“Alright, alright.” Cody plucked a small hair from his body and tossed it to Morgan. Morgan quickly chucked it into her mouth and Cody gasped in horror. “What are you doing to-” He grew silent and stared at Morgan. Now one of him.
“I’m a shapeshifter, Cody.” Morgan said calmly. She scampered out of her cage. She was one of Cody- a mouse-like vermin. Morgan looked at the kangaroo. The kangaroo’s eyes grew wide with shock.
“W- why me!?” The kangaroo cried.
“Do you want to be free or not?”
“Fine!” He shouted. He struggled to take a hair from his body and he placed it in front of Morgan. Morgan tossed it into her mouth and the mouse grew and grew. Her ears stretched out, and the animals moaned at the ugly sight. Her snout lengthened, and her legs grew, and her feet stretched out far. Morgan’s arms sucked into her body, and stuck out a little. Her spine stretched forward, and it curved slightly. The rest of the process was just as horrifying.
“Sorry for that little demonstration of some big shapeshifting..” Morgan laughed. The animals looked at her, and she slowly picked up her large foot and walked over to the small rodents. Her claws fit into the lock nicely, and it opened wide, and they scattered away. Morgan’s claw fit into the koala’s lock (since kangaroo’s claws are bigger) and the koala helped the kangaroo.
“We’re free!” The bandicoot rats sang. Cody quickly scrambled into Morgan’s pouch.
“But.. We can’t get out through the door. We’ll have to go through the wall.” She said, looking at the wooden walls.
“Eh.. Morgan, right? Uh.. Yes.. I’m Buck, and uh.. How will we do that? Escape through the wall?” The kangaroo stuttered, pretty uncertain.
“Yes, me and you will kick the wall down.” The animals muttered and they looked at Morgan and nodded. They cheered, “Kick it down! Kick it down!” Morgan looked at Buck, and he nodded. They stared at the wall. “One.. Two.. THREE!” The kangaroo’s feet pounded against the wall and a huge hole opened. “Follow me!” Morgan cried when the poacher quickly rushed in.
She hopped away, all the small critters in her pouch, and the koala clinging to Buck. Her day 1 was slowly sinking away.
