Behind the Scenes-Uncertainty

by Freline

After his failed attack on Visser Three, Ax tries to deal with his promise to avenge Elfangor s death, the fear that he could be regarded as another Seerow someday and the realization that he might not exactly be a normal Andalite anymore.

It was in the middle of the night, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill stood alone in the forest. Only a few days ago, he had tried to fulfil his promise to his father and avenge his brother Elfangor, but failed. Visser Three, the Yeerk that had killed him, had gotten in the water before anyone had a chance to catch him. At least this was what he tried to tell himself, but could not really believe.

He quietly put one hoof in the water. While he drank, he watched the stars and thought about the lives of all the Andalite warriors that had been lost along with his brother. As far as he knew, he had been the only survivor. The young humans that had rescued him from the Earth Ocean were not from the same race, but during the last few weeks they had become his friends. The humans might not be as advanced as Andalites in regard of technology, but they could definitely understand different races better than the Andalites ever would.

Eslin 359, the Yeerk that had helped him, had certainly hated him, but on the other side he had clearly loved his Derane. Meeting him had somehow shifted his view on the Yeerks. Once he had believed that all of them were purely evil, not capable of any emotion like love, but now he was not sure anymore. Had the Andalites really the right to kill them all without at least trying to talk to them, see things from their perspective. To the other Andalites, Seerow had been a fool, but maybe he had been right after all and just happened to meet the wrong Yeerks.

Still lost in his thoughts, he turned around and walked back to his scoop. He was almost there, when he noticed the shadow of a large bird flying over his head.

The bird, Tobias, landed on the nearest tree, looked down at him and asked: "Are you still thinking about Visser Three, Ax-man? You did not have a chance, stop beating yourself up, it will just make you depressed. You will get another one, we will make sure of it."

Ax turned his stalk eyes up towards Tobias and replied: "I do not understand. This would not serve any purpose, would it? I would only hurt myself rather than the Yeerks."

Tobias sighed: "It is just another of our human sayings, Ax-man. It means that it is sometimes painful to keep thinking of the past. You really need to spend more time with Marco, he could teach you more about it than I can."

He fluttered down and landed on Ax´ back, putting his talons into the fur. It did not hurt as much as he thought, but he could feel it.

At Tobias´ request, he started to run around the fields at full speed. Hearing Tobias laugh in his head was the best sound he had heard since he had been left alone in the dome and that made him happy for the first time the last few days.