Chapter One: The Invasion
My name is Skyler. Yeah, just Skyler. Or Sky. I can't tell you more, I won't tell you more. I'm an Animorph. I have no idea why, I just am. Animorph is short for animal morpher and that's what I do. I morph animals, meaning I can change into animals. Why? To save earth. Now stop laughing will you. It's true. Earth is at stake and I have to help save it. Still don't believe me? I'll tell you how it all began.
It was as usual a dreary Monday afternoon. I was walking home along side Zerk, the new kid. All I knew about him was, that he was a bit bigger than me, that he had brown hair with blue streaks, brown eyes and wore dark clothing. He was quite and still is, mind you, but he was quieter then now. Probably because he was new, but hey, it wasn't like I cared or anything. But apart from me not caring I spoke to him anyway. "So, how d'you like this place?" I, of course, said the town we live, won't tell you, cause I don't want them to know where I live. Zerk just grumbled. "Is that a it's okay or this place is shit as hell, I wanna go back to where I came from?" I saw a grin cross Zerk's face. He looked at me, I stared back, trying not to blush. "I moved here cause my mom's to busy to look after me. I live with my aunt now." It didn't really answer my question but at least I got the quite boy to answer me. "What's your mom do?" "She's a vet. But a pretty important one, I guess. Otherwise she wouldn't have thrown me out on the streets" Zerk said going back from slightly happy to overly depressed. I ran my hand through my black hair, a blonde streak fell into my eyes and I whooshed it back up. "My mom's a lawyer, doesn't have enough time either. My dad's some office guy, important and all, also never home. So I kinda live with my brothers, Lee and Matt, they're the everyday asshole brothers, but otherwise it's fine. I have a cat so." I finished my sentence there out of two reasons. One was I didn't know what else to say, the other was Zerk had stopped and was starring at the sky. I stopped too and looked up. "Wow" me and Zerk mumbled in unison. It looked like a falling star and it looked like it was going to fall straight on earth. Me and Zerk ran over the open lot next to us. There was building going on there for like two years already but that wasn't the point now. We stopped and saw it come straight at us. I wanted to turn and run but something held me. I looked at Zerk, seemed it was the same with him. And then it hit.
It was a spaceship, anyone could have guessed. And it looked a bit weird, not like the flying saucers that were on pictures and the internet. It was the size of a school bus, that was easy to tell since I used one of them every morning. The front part looked like an egg, some kind of pod thing. From the back of the pod there was a long, narrow shaft thing. On it there were two crooked, short wing-like things which each had a bright blue glowing tube on the back end. It looked pretty cute, kind of harmless. Really harmless and cute, apart from the tail. It looked mean, evil and evil. It was curved up and forward, coming to a point that looked sharper than any knife I'd ever seen. A bit like a scorpion's tail. There were black burn marks on the sides. Like when a kid tries to burn some plastic. "Wow" Zerk said again and advanced to the ship. "Wait, what, if it's the bad guys?" I asked sounding a bit stupid. "It's got burn marks on it. It's the good ones" he said and I ran up to him. "Well, I hope you're right" I mumbled and hid behind him. Nothing goes against a big, strong guy in front of you, when you're approaching an alien spaceship. A thin arc of light appeared, a door, opening slowly on the smooth side of the pod. The door opened and we stopped. Something stumbled out of the ship. The first thing that came into my mind was a blue deer because that's what it was, partly. For an explanation, think human. He or it had long lanky arms, head, shoulders and chest, like a normal human, just that it was blue, a pale shade of blue. Where normal humans have legs, there was the deer part I had been thing about. It was blue too but a mix with tan too. It's head was not normal either. Well, normal from our side. It didn't have a mouth, just three vertical slits. That also appeared to be his nose, since there wasn't one of those either. The weirdest about his face were his eyes. They were a glittery green, kind of shocking, not all to bad. But the real shock were the other eyes. They reminded me of butterfly's. They were little stalks on his head, each with an eye on it. And they were moving, in all directions. Okay, that was weird, just very, very weird. But the worst, not weird but scary part was the tail. It looked like the ship's tail, just it was moving, swaying up and down a bit. It looked dangerous, very dangerous. "What. what are you?" Zerk asked. I shivered. It staggered a bit. I could see a long gash of blood along his hind legs. At least I thought it was blood, it was shimmering in a green that was just, not suppose to exist. "Are you. are you okay?" I asked and stepped out behind Zerk. Do not be afraid, humans. There had been something. I hadn't heard it, just. felt it. Zerk looked at me and I nodded motioning I had heard it. "Who are you?" Zerk asked again. I am Shito-Si-Juranka, prince of the Andalites. "Andalites?" I asked uncertain. Was I the only one who didn't know what the deer was talking about. That is not important now. What you need to know is that. There was a pause, a pause of pain. They have come to destroy you.
"Who?" I asked knowing he was not lying. He couldn't be lying about anything. I knew he was telling the truth. The Yeerks. This name was to stay in my head forever. I haven't forgotten it till know. "Yeerks?" Zerk asked. It seemed neither of us wanted to here pretty stories about aliens. We just wanted to know what was going on. Yeerks are. you have to help me Shito said. "How?" Zerk and I said simultaneously. In my ship, there is a small plain blue box. Bring it to me quickly he said. I looked at Zerk. I wasn't going to go into that ship. Zerk gulped got up and slowly walked up to the ship. Quickly Shito said. Zerk ran a bit more. I starred at the Andalite. He fell. I jumped up but not being long enough, didn't reach him. Don't. touch me Shito warned. "Why. why not? I could. I might be able to help" I said and kneeled beside him. No, my blood is deadly to you he said as Zerk exited the ship with the box in his one hand the other leaving his pocket. "Here" he said and gave the box to Shito. This may help you to fight the Yeerks. Zerk and I looked at him still not really knowing what he talked about. Then I felt a flash in my head, hard to explain but. "How?" I asked sounding stupid once again. I know you that you are young. I know that you have no powers with which to resist the Controllers. But I may be able to give you small powers that my help. If you wish, I can give you powers that no other human being has ever had. I looked at Zerk with him already looking at me. I turned to Shito, so that Zerk couldn't see me blushing and hoped Shito didn't know what it was. "What? How? What kind of powers?" Zerk asked. It is a piece of Andalite technology that the Yeerks do not have. A technology that enables us to pass unnoticed in many parts of the universe - the power to morph. We have never shared this power. But your need is great. Again Zerk and I looked at each other and I restrained blushing. "Morph? How?" I asked staring at the little blue box. To change your bodies , To become any other species. Any animal. "Wow" Zerk and I seemed to have a liking to this word. You will need only to tough a creature, to acquire it's DNA pattern, and you will be able to Become that creature. It requires concentration and determination, but, if you are strong, you can do it. There are. limitations. Problems. Dangers, even. But there is no time to explain it all. no time. You will have to learn for yourselves. But first, do you wish to receive this power? I gulped and nodded. "Yeah, I've always wished I could be an animal. And to save the world is great." I nodded again. Zerk was starring at Shito. "Zerk?" I asked. "I will. I always will. Whatever happens, I will take revenge on you and your people" he said. I could see a tear running down his cheek. I put my arm around him. I nodded again. Place your hands on the box. Zerk and I each placed a hand on the box. Shito placed his on one of the other four sides. That was when my life turned, 180, I knew I couldn't go back. Go now. Only remember this - never remain in animal form for more that two of your earth hours. Never! That is the greatest danger of the morphing! If you stay longer than two hours you will be trapped, unable to return to human from. I nodded again and got up. Zerk was still sitting there, tears in his eyes. "Zerk. Come on. We've gotta go." Then something appeared in the sky above us. Two pinpoints of bright red light and I knew those were the Yeerks. I pulled the absent-minded Zerk behind a bush as they landed swiftly next to the fallen Andalite. They were larger than the Andalite ship and were shaped like legless cockroaches. There were small windows like yes on the forward-thrust head of the bug and two long, sharp, jagged spears on either side of the head. Bug Fighters. I heard Shito. Then another ship settled in between the other two. The main part looked like the handle of an axe with a big triangular point at the front. That part seemed to be the bridge. On the rear end there were two huge wings. It was about ten times bigger than the Bug Fighters. The Blade Ship. Then out of the Blade Ship two absolutely hideous creatures exited. They looked like walking weapons. They stood on two bent-back legs and had two very long arms. O each arm there were curved horn-blades growing out of the wrist and elbow. There were other blades at their bent-back knees , and two more blades at the end of their tails. They had T-rex like feet. But, same as the Andalite, the head was really abnormal. A neck like a snake, a mouth that was almost a falcon's beak and, from the forehead, three dagger-like horns raked forward. Hork-Bajir-Controllers. After the Hork-Bajir's came two massive centipedes out of each Bug Fighter. They were big, twice as long as a grown man. They have dozens of leg on the bottom two thirds of their bodies, the third part was held upright and had lobster-like claw hands instead of feet. They had four eyes, each wiggling like a blob of red jelly and a round mouth, ringed by hundreds of tiny teeth. Taxxon-Controller. And then he came.
He was an Andalite no doubt, just darker and he looked meaner than Shito. Visser Three Shito said, his voice full of hatred but also as if he had lost something, something he had loved very much. I looked at Zerk, he was starring at Visser Three the way Shito had said it. I looked back at Visser Three and then it hit me. Visser Three - Andalite - Shito - weak - morphing - eat I got up and ran. I knew Zerk had run after me, but only because he didn't want to get eaten by the Taxxon. There were Hork-Bajir and Taxxon in hot pursuit. I knew this because I had heard Visser Three's voice in my mind. Get them, get those repulsive Andalites! And we ran.
My name is Skyler. Yeah, just Skyler. Or Sky. I can't tell you more, I won't tell you more. I'm an Animorph. I have no idea why, I just am. Animorph is short for animal morpher and that's what I do. I morph animals, meaning I can change into animals. Why? To save earth. Now stop laughing will you. It's true. Earth is at stake and I have to help save it. Still don't believe me? I'll tell you how it all began.
It was as usual a dreary Monday afternoon. I was walking home along side Zerk, the new kid. All I knew about him was, that he was a bit bigger than me, that he had brown hair with blue streaks, brown eyes and wore dark clothing. He was quite and still is, mind you, but he was quieter then now. Probably because he was new, but hey, it wasn't like I cared or anything. But apart from me not caring I spoke to him anyway. "So, how d'you like this place?" I, of course, said the town we live, won't tell you, cause I don't want them to know where I live. Zerk just grumbled. "Is that a it's okay or this place is shit as hell, I wanna go back to where I came from?" I saw a grin cross Zerk's face. He looked at me, I stared back, trying not to blush. "I moved here cause my mom's to busy to look after me. I live with my aunt now." It didn't really answer my question but at least I got the quite boy to answer me. "What's your mom do?" "She's a vet. But a pretty important one, I guess. Otherwise she wouldn't have thrown me out on the streets" Zerk said going back from slightly happy to overly depressed. I ran my hand through my black hair, a blonde streak fell into my eyes and I whooshed it back up. "My mom's a lawyer, doesn't have enough time either. My dad's some office guy, important and all, also never home. So I kinda live with my brothers, Lee and Matt, they're the everyday asshole brothers, but otherwise it's fine. I have a cat so." I finished my sentence there out of two reasons. One was I didn't know what else to say, the other was Zerk had stopped and was starring at the sky. I stopped too and looked up. "Wow" me and Zerk mumbled in unison. It looked like a falling star and it looked like it was going to fall straight on earth. Me and Zerk ran over the open lot next to us. There was building going on there for like two years already but that wasn't the point now. We stopped and saw it come straight at us. I wanted to turn and run but something held me. I looked at Zerk, seemed it was the same with him. And then it hit.
It was a spaceship, anyone could have guessed. And it looked a bit weird, not like the flying saucers that were on pictures and the internet. It was the size of a school bus, that was easy to tell since I used one of them every morning. The front part looked like an egg, some kind of pod thing. From the back of the pod there was a long, narrow shaft thing. On it there were two crooked, short wing-like things which each had a bright blue glowing tube on the back end. It looked pretty cute, kind of harmless. Really harmless and cute, apart from the tail. It looked mean, evil and evil. It was curved up and forward, coming to a point that looked sharper than any knife I'd ever seen. A bit like a scorpion's tail. There were black burn marks on the sides. Like when a kid tries to burn some plastic. "Wow" Zerk said again and advanced to the ship. "Wait, what, if it's the bad guys?" I asked sounding a bit stupid. "It's got burn marks on it. It's the good ones" he said and I ran up to him. "Well, I hope you're right" I mumbled and hid behind him. Nothing goes against a big, strong guy in front of you, when you're approaching an alien spaceship. A thin arc of light appeared, a door, opening slowly on the smooth side of the pod. The door opened and we stopped. Something stumbled out of the ship. The first thing that came into my mind was a blue deer because that's what it was, partly. For an explanation, think human. He or it had long lanky arms, head, shoulders and chest, like a normal human, just that it was blue, a pale shade of blue. Where normal humans have legs, there was the deer part I had been thing about. It was blue too but a mix with tan too. It's head was not normal either. Well, normal from our side. It didn't have a mouth, just three vertical slits. That also appeared to be his nose, since there wasn't one of those either. The weirdest about his face were his eyes. They were a glittery green, kind of shocking, not all to bad. But the real shock were the other eyes. They reminded me of butterfly's. They were little stalks on his head, each with an eye on it. And they were moving, in all directions. Okay, that was weird, just very, very weird. But the worst, not weird but scary part was the tail. It looked like the ship's tail, just it was moving, swaying up and down a bit. It looked dangerous, very dangerous. "What. what are you?" Zerk asked. I shivered. It staggered a bit. I could see a long gash of blood along his hind legs. At least I thought it was blood, it was shimmering in a green that was just, not suppose to exist. "Are you. are you okay?" I asked and stepped out behind Zerk. Do not be afraid, humans. There had been something. I hadn't heard it, just. felt it. Zerk looked at me and I nodded motioning I had heard it. "Who are you?" Zerk asked again. I am Shito-Si-Juranka, prince of the Andalites. "Andalites?" I asked uncertain. Was I the only one who didn't know what the deer was talking about. That is not important now. What you need to know is that. There was a pause, a pause of pain. They have come to destroy you.
"Who?" I asked knowing he was not lying. He couldn't be lying about anything. I knew he was telling the truth. The Yeerks. This name was to stay in my head forever. I haven't forgotten it till know. "Yeerks?" Zerk asked. It seemed neither of us wanted to here pretty stories about aliens. We just wanted to know what was going on. Yeerks are. you have to help me Shito said. "How?" Zerk and I said simultaneously. In my ship, there is a small plain blue box. Bring it to me quickly he said. I looked at Zerk. I wasn't going to go into that ship. Zerk gulped got up and slowly walked up to the ship. Quickly Shito said. Zerk ran a bit more. I starred at the Andalite. He fell. I jumped up but not being long enough, didn't reach him. Don't. touch me Shito warned. "Why. why not? I could. I might be able to help" I said and kneeled beside him. No, my blood is deadly to you he said as Zerk exited the ship with the box in his one hand the other leaving his pocket. "Here" he said and gave the box to Shito. This may help you to fight the Yeerks. Zerk and I looked at him still not really knowing what he talked about. Then I felt a flash in my head, hard to explain but. "How?" I asked sounding stupid once again. I know you that you are young. I know that you have no powers with which to resist the Controllers. But I may be able to give you small powers that my help. If you wish, I can give you powers that no other human being has ever had. I looked at Zerk with him already looking at me. I turned to Shito, so that Zerk couldn't see me blushing and hoped Shito didn't know what it was. "What? How? What kind of powers?" Zerk asked. It is a piece of Andalite technology that the Yeerks do not have. A technology that enables us to pass unnoticed in many parts of the universe - the power to morph. We have never shared this power. But your need is great. Again Zerk and I looked at each other and I restrained blushing. "Morph? How?" I asked staring at the little blue box. To change your bodies , To become any other species. Any animal. "Wow" Zerk and I seemed to have a liking to this word. You will need only to tough a creature, to acquire it's DNA pattern, and you will be able to Become that creature. It requires concentration and determination, but, if you are strong, you can do it. There are. limitations. Problems. Dangers, even. But there is no time to explain it all. no time. You will have to learn for yourselves. But first, do you wish to receive this power? I gulped and nodded. "Yeah, I've always wished I could be an animal. And to save the world is great." I nodded again. Zerk was starring at Shito. "Zerk?" I asked. "I will. I always will. Whatever happens, I will take revenge on you and your people" he said. I could see a tear running down his cheek. I put my arm around him. I nodded again. Place your hands on the box. Zerk and I each placed a hand on the box. Shito placed his on one of the other four sides. That was when my life turned, 180, I knew I couldn't go back. Go now. Only remember this - never remain in animal form for more that two of your earth hours. Never! That is the greatest danger of the morphing! If you stay longer than two hours you will be trapped, unable to return to human from. I nodded again and got up. Zerk was still sitting there, tears in his eyes. "Zerk. Come on. We've gotta go." Then something appeared in the sky above us. Two pinpoints of bright red light and I knew those were the Yeerks. I pulled the absent-minded Zerk behind a bush as they landed swiftly next to the fallen Andalite. They were larger than the Andalite ship and were shaped like legless cockroaches. There were small windows like yes on the forward-thrust head of the bug and two long, sharp, jagged spears on either side of the head. Bug Fighters. I heard Shito. Then another ship settled in between the other two. The main part looked like the handle of an axe with a big triangular point at the front. That part seemed to be the bridge. On the rear end there were two huge wings. It was about ten times bigger than the Bug Fighters. The Blade Ship. Then out of the Blade Ship two absolutely hideous creatures exited. They looked like walking weapons. They stood on two bent-back legs and had two very long arms. O each arm there were curved horn-blades growing out of the wrist and elbow. There were other blades at their bent-back knees , and two more blades at the end of their tails. They had T-rex like feet. But, same as the Andalite, the head was really abnormal. A neck like a snake, a mouth that was almost a falcon's beak and, from the forehead, three dagger-like horns raked forward. Hork-Bajir-Controllers. After the Hork-Bajir's came two massive centipedes out of each Bug Fighter. They were big, twice as long as a grown man. They have dozens of leg on the bottom two thirds of their bodies, the third part was held upright and had lobster-like claw hands instead of feet. They had four eyes, each wiggling like a blob of red jelly and a round mouth, ringed by hundreds of tiny teeth. Taxxon-Controller. And then he came.
He was an Andalite no doubt, just darker and he looked meaner than Shito. Visser Three Shito said, his voice full of hatred but also as if he had lost something, something he had loved very much. I looked at Zerk, he was starring at Visser Three the way Shito had said it. I looked back at Visser Three and then it hit me. Visser Three - Andalite - Shito - weak - morphing - eat I got up and ran. I knew Zerk had run after me, but only because he didn't want to get eaten by the Taxxon. There were Hork-Bajir and Taxxon in hot pursuit. I knew this because I had heard Visser Three's voice in my mind. Get them, get those repulsive Andalites! And we ran.