From Travelers to Birds

Bobby Pendragon and Patrick Mac stood side by side, staring ahead while trying to make out their surroundings. A thick, hazy fog swirled around them, making it difficult to identify the structure in front of them. The two waited for the dense fog to disperse and with each moment, the structure became more visible. It was a bridge, but one quick look told the Travelers that it looked rickety, and likely wouldn't hold the weight of even two people.

"We'll have to walk over that wreck," Bobby pointed out.

Patrick stared ahead with unblinking eyes, and shook his head nervously. It was clear that the guy wasn't thrilled about having to cross the bridge.

"I think it's the only way," Bobby added.

That was when the two noticed something beyond the bridge. It was like their eyes were suddenly glued to the enormous white wall of fog. Upon closer inspection, they realized it wasn't fog at all – it was a wall. Neither had ever seen a wall of such incredible size, and it left them stunned.

"Yeow," Bobby commented, sounding numb.

Patrick's only response was to continue staring ahead with disbelieving eyes. The guy looked speechless.

"Well," said Bobby. "Only one way we're going to find out what that big boy's all about."

"But how are we going to get across?" asked Patrick. "It's nothing but a wreck now."

Bobby shrugged, and started towards the bridge. "I don't know," he answered with a shrug. "But we won't figure it out standing here staring at it."

When the two were standing directly in front of the bridge, they saw that it was indeed a crumbling structure. It was obvious that these railroad tracks hadn't seen trains in an awfully long time. Large, rusty gaps could be spotted every few yards, and with how flimsy and unsteady it looked, it left them both wondering if they truly could make it safely across.

"If this crashes, it's over," said Patrick, swallowing hard.

"Yeah," said Bobby. "Good thing we can't die. Or we'd be done before we even get started."

"Our bodies can die, Pendragon," Patrick reminded him. "Trust me. I've been there. It isn't pleasant." He then shuddered at the memory of his final moments on Third Earth.

"Sorry," said Bobby quickly.

Patrick then added, "Maybe we should try to turn into birds and fly across. It's a worth a shot, right?"

"Last resort," was Bobby's answer. "Uncle Press told us to use our abilities sparingly."

Patrick argued, "But if we can't get across—"

"We'll get across," said Bobby, sounding more confident than he actually felt.

Patrick took one final, nervous look at the derelict structure, felt a lump rise in his throat, and said, "I hope you're right."

The trip across the bridge was a terrifying one. Every few feet, both Bobby and Patrick would wince when they heard the unmistakable sound of groaning metal and snapping pipes. They did their best to move slowly and carefully, fearful that all it would take for this structure to collapse was one wrong step. It was near impossible not to glance down at the churning waters below and feel an uncomfortable knot forming in your stomach.

Glancing back at Patrick, Bobby saw the guy looked pale as a ghost.

"Keep moving," Bobby called back encouragingly.

"I…I'm trying," stammered Patrick, struggling to keep his balance. "It's just…well…I'm kind of afraid of heights."

"Wait, what?" asked Bobby, turning and facing him again. "Any reason why you didn't mention that before stepping onto the bridge?"

"Well, I was hoping we could turn into birds," Patrick explained, his eyes darting about nervously. "But you said—"

"I know," said Bobby. "Okay, just…don't look down."

Patrick shot him a look that had "you've gotta be kidding me" written all over it. But he took a deep breath, collected his emotions, and continued across the bridge as best he could. For a while, he felt he just might make it safely across in one piece. That is…until a piece of cement gave way beneath him and he felt himself falling. It happened so quickly, he wasn't even sure of exactly what happened. All he knew was that he was now falling, and there was no hopes of Bobby being able to hoist him back up. He was on way down - far down.

"Patrick!" Bobby shouted.

The Traveler from Third Earth was now plummeting towards the waters below, his mind racing, and his heart wanting to burst out of his chest. In those few seconds, it rushed into his head that he was about to die…again.

That was when he knew what needed to be done.

From up on the bridge, Bobby stared down at the falling figure that was Patrick Mac…that was now undergoing a strange, unexplainable transformation. His body seemed to grow liquid. As impossible a sight as it was, every part of him was now changing. Replacing the once human skin were now countless feathers. His legs morphed into ones that were scaly, and yellow and with sharp talons. From his shoulders emerged two great wings and on his white head there appeared a long, yellow beak. Completing the seamless transformation was a thick white tail.

Patrick was only seconds from crashing into the waters below him. With newfound, remarkable speed, he focused his mind and with an almost effortless flap of his wings, he sailed back up towards the bridge. With a great cry, the bald eagle alighted, and then looked up at Bobby.

"Uh…" was all Bobby got out. He simply stood there with a dumbfounded expression, staring down at the bald eagle that – as incredulous as it seemed – was Patrick Mac.

"Are you okay?" the bird asked. A confused look then crossed its face. "Wait…I can still speak? I'm a bird, and I'm speaking. How that's possible, I'm not sure. No, I'm Patrick. I'm Patrick Mac. Aren't I?"

For the Traveler, it was the strangest sensation now being a bird, yet still hearing his own voice. He didn't entirely know what to think of that.

Bobby shook himself together and said, "Wow…uh, this is freaky. So, you're Patrick?"

"I…I believe so," said Patrick, sounding somewhat shaken. "I've never been a bird before, but I'm pretty sure it's still me."

There was a brief pause, and then Bobby chuckled awkwardly.

"Well, guess you were right. Maybe turning into birds wasn't such a bad idea."

"What about you?" asked Patrick, looking ahead at the remainder of the structure. "Are you still taking your chances with the bridge? Or should you transform as well?"

Bobby thought for a moment, then offered, "I don't know. You almost died, so I'm thinking flying across might be the better route."

"It was strange," Patrick said, looking himself over with a baffled look. "One moment, I'm me. The next…I've got feathers."

"Tell me about it," said Bobby. "Okay. So how does this work, anyway? I mean, how did you, uh…become a bird?

"It wasn't hard, really," Patrick explained. "I just envisioned becoming a bird and next thing I knew…I was flying."

Bobby nodded, and then answered, "Alright. Here goes."

As with Patrick's conversion from human to bird, Bobby's body went through a similar process. With how bizarre the entire alteration was, he wasn't aware of every moment or detail. All that crossed his mind was the total strangeness of what was happening.

In hardly no time at all, the transformation was complete.

"How do you feel?" Patrick asked.

"Uh…like a bird," answered Bobby, looking himself over with utter confusion. "Man, this is weird. Is this really me?"

"Well, I watched you transform," Patrick explained. "So I'm pretty certain it's you."

"Okay, so we're birds," said Bobby, turning and staring ahead. "Let's fly across this thing so we can go back to being human."

With that, the two eagles took to the skies and sailed above the derelict bridge. Staring down, Patrick felt a rush of relief at not having to try crossing the unsteady structure again. Coming so close to death – again – he would not have been happy about having to go through it yet again.

"So this is what it's like being a bird," commented Patrick. "I've always wondered what it was like to fly."

"Yeah," Bobby agreed. "We're really getting a bird's eye view now."

As the vast white wall grew closer, the two eagles began their descent towards the ground. The plan was to land, transform back into their human selves, and determine what was hidden behind this mysterious wall.

That is, until Patrick took an unexpected, sharp turn to the right.

"Where are you going?" asked Bobby.

Patrick didn't respond. Instead, he sped up, sailed toward the water and with talons outstretched, focused his eyes on…something in the water. Bobby didn't question and with a quick flap of his wings, followed after him.

When he caught up to him, he saw Patrick had snatched up a squirming salmon. Now it made sense why he'd changed their course of direction. He'd been thinking about food.

"Sorry," said Patrick sheepishly. "I was kind of hungry."

"Fine, but let's hurry," said Bobby, leading the way back towards the towering wall. "We'll have time to eat later."

"Hopefully," said Patrick, holding on tightly to the wriggling fish.

When they'd reached the walls, Patrick wasted no time in devouring the now lifeless salmon. While he used his beak and claws to pick apart the small meal, Bobby watched without saying a word. He felt a sudden rumbling in his stomach and then proceeded to help himself. While eating, he was reminded of how much he liked the taste of fish. Then again, he'd always eaten fish cooked, so eating fish raw was a new experience for him. It would probably be the last.

After their quick lunch break, the two transformed for a second time, once more returning to their regular selves.

"Feels good to be myself again," Patrick said, relieved. "Being a bird has its perks, sure, but I like being me."

"Yeah, really," said Bobby in agreement. "Plus, we only did that to get across the bridge. I don't think Solara can take much more of this shape shifting stuff."

"And," Patrick threw in. "I would not have wanted to eat anything else other than fish. Squirrels or bugs or whatever else eagles eat."

"But that wouldn't bother you as a bird," said Bobby, shrugging. "It'd be natural."

"Well, in my opinion," said Patrick with a smile. "Nothing beats a bag of Doritos and a can of Mountain Dew."