A Loss
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The wolf raised his shaggy gray head and smelled the wind. Satisfied at finding no foreign scents, and already certain that no-one was following him, he continued running.
The house, his home, was far away from any other in the small community. To reach it, one had to travel by foot or by air, or possibly a car adapted for the terrain. But it was a simple matter for Jake. He could have become a tiger, but tigers aren't distance runners. He could have become a falcon, but that night he wasn't in a hurry. And running was pleasant after a hard day's work.
He stretched his legs and loped on, shifting between a steady trot and a rolling gallop. He would reach the house soon.
The reason for Jake and the Animorphs to live out in the middle of nowhere, was very simple. The reason was commonly known as Ax.
Ax hadn't been allowed to return to the Andalite home world after the war. Partly because he was disgraced, allegedly having broken the law of Seerow's Kindness and giving the morphing power to humans. Partly, the War Council had taken the idea of naming a human 'Prince' very badly. Jake had been furious enough to send a number of harsh, in retrospect even insulting, messages to the War Council, in Ax's defence. Ax should have been greeted as the hero he was.
But Jake's letters hadn't really improved things. Neither did the fact that Ax remained silent, not even attempting to defend himself.
Now Ax lived in the fields around their house. He came and went as he pleased, part of what had turned from the Animorph idiot-kids-with-a-death-wish group, to a sort of Animorph family. But Ax was never the same as he had been. The War Council's decision had dealt him a blow he seemed unable to fully recover from.
Jake ran. He sniffed again, but now a strong wind was blowing sideways, and neither what was in front or what was behind him was revealed.
A shiver flew along his spine as he stood on the hill from where the house could first be seen. He begun demorphing, quickly, eager to be coming home.
The house was of mansion proportions; large enough to fit several families. It had been donated as a gift to the Animorphs - including Ax - after the war. Each of them had a part of the place, and each part was large enough to fit an ordinary home inside.
At the time, neither Rachel or Marco or Tobias were home. They were away, dealing with Yeerk terrorists in another part of the country. Ax would be around, out somewhere running, and Cassie would be home.
Jake hurried down the slope. His human eyes didn't see as well in the dark as the wolf had, but it didn't matter.
He still had a long way down to the house when he saw something which made his bones chill.
A Yeerk bugfighter stood in the shadow of the house. He wouldn't have noticed it if the moonlight hadn't reflected off its steel shell.
It might be Rachel's. Rachel had stolen a bugfighter, and kept it as her own. That was the only Yeerk weapon she ever used - but did so plenty. She used it almost wherever she went. Once she had thoughtlessly landed unannounced right outside the White House in it, and stirred up quite the chaos.
Anyway, Rachel had left in the bugfighter. She'd be coming back in it, too.
Maybe Rachel was home early.
Then again, maybe not.
Jake began running, preparing to morph, and still preparing to find out there was no danger. He ran down towards the bugfighter.
A shadow stepped into his way.
Jake stopped, ready for battle. It took his eyes several moments to recognize the tall, well-built Andalite figure.
"Ax!"
Ax wobbled. His main eyes looked at Jake, unseeing, and his stalk-eyes flickered back and forth.
«Prince Jake.»
Ax had refused to drop the "prince". Maybe as a protest against the War Council.
"What's wrong? What.. happened?"
«Yeerks,» Ax said. He wobbled again, staggered to the side, and would have fallen if Jake hadn't grabbed his arm and stepped in to steady him.
Jake glanced at the house. His eyes were almost used to the dark now; he could see the wound that covered Ax's side. A wound from a Yeerk dracon beam. He could see it was bad. Blood was oozing out quickly. Jake didn't know how much blood Andalites could afford to loose, but he guessed not much more.
"Morph," he said. "Morph, and be rid of that wound."
Ax tried to focused his four eyes on Jake's face. A look of attempted focus came over him.
"Concentrate, Ax, come on."
«Con-» he said. Then his eyes rolled, his legs folded and he fell.
Jake cursed and caught his head before it hit the ground. He laid it softly down.
"Wait here," he said. "I'm getting Cassie."
Ax's legs kicked faintly. A low moan sounded in Jake's head.
Jake didn't like leaving Ax wounded out in the open, but the Andalite was too large and too heavy to be moved. And Jake didn't have time to try.
He squeezed Ax's shoulder comfortingly, and stood up and rushed towards the house.
The door was open. He entered. He looked around in the hallway. Noticing it was empty, he felt along the wall by the floor, opened a secret box, and pulled out a shredder. Setting it to medium power, he started up the stairs.
"Cassie?"
No answer. He glanced through the doorway to the library. The room was in a state of chaos, someone had messed it up, but it was empty.
"Cassie!"
Next room. Also empty. Jake checked a few more rooms before he realized it was a waste of precious time. The house had over three hundred rooms! He'd have to decide which rooms were most likely for Cassie to be in.
He rushed down the hallway towards Cassie's bedroom. That was the first place to look at that hour. She should be there.
Carefully opening the door, he readied the shredder, took a deep breath, and stepped in.
"Jake!" a voice exclaimed. A dracon gun was carefully aimed straight at him, but now lowered hastily.
Not Cassie. Rachel.
Rachel's bugfighter. But Ax was wounded. There were Yeerks around… there had to be.
"There are Yeerks here," Jake hissed and closed the door behind him. The room was empty except for Rachel.
Rachel's pose changed all together, and a sharp edge appeared in her eyes. Her jaws clenched. She was ready for battle.
"Where?"
"I don't know. Ax is outside, he's wounded bad; we have to get help as soon as possible. Have you seen Cassie?"
Rachel smiled. "Worried, are you?"
Jake nodded. "And we need her to fix up Ax."
"Then let's find her."
They set out again, side by side, now checking every room along the corridor - because Rachel insisted they should.
"Better to waste time then to miss her," she snapped when Jake protested. "We'll check one room each to save time."
They reached and passed Rachel's very luxurious bedroom in the long corridor. Marco's was untidy (of course) but empty. Tobias's room was empty as well, but as always the window was open for him to fly in when he returned. Jake's own bedroom was at the other end of the corridor from Cassie's… a major fault in design, Jake thought.
The room was the last in that corridor.
"She's in here," Jake said. "Has to be."
Rachel glanced at him, nodded, and turned the handle.
Jake stepped in, shredder raised. Rachel followed.
Cassie was on the floor in the middle of the room, her hands and feet tied securely. A piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth.
"Cassie!"
Cassie's head jerked up, her face filled with horror. She shook her head wildly, but Jake took three steps in, kneeled beside her and dropped the shredder as he bent down and removed the cloth, and started to untie her hands.
Tseeeeeew.
Cassie was thrown half a step away from him: a red beam had sliced air right past Jake's shoulder, and hit her in the neck.
"Cassie! NO!"
Jake spun around, grabbing for the shredder - it was no longer was there.
Rachel peered down at him over the dracon beam. In her other hand was the shredder.
"Sorry, cousin dear, not this time," she said. And she laughed.
Jake felt the cold fury growing inside him. She'd. Shot. Cassie.
Cassie! Dead. Dead. Never again to smile, never to laugh, never to…
Revenge.
He turned back to Cassie. He needed to cool his head before he acted - he couldn't meet his cousin's leer right then. "You… shot…"
"Well, don't blame Rachel," Rachel laughed. "She's not really in charge here any more." She leaned closer, pressing the dracon against his neck. He didn't care. "And neither are you, Animorph."
It all clicked in his head.
The bugfighter; Rachel's. Ax being wounded; warning of Yeerks. Trying to warn him… «Con-» . Jake had though he had tried to say «Concentrate», but no, that hadn't been it. He had tried to say «Controller» . Had tried to warn him about Rachel being a Controller. And finally; Ax's dracon wound, and the dracon in Rachel's hand. Rachel always used a shredder. Never any Yeerk weapons except the bugfighter.
Rachel pressed the cold dracon against his skin.
"Get up, human."
Jake refused. He sat with Cassie almost in his lap, his fingers closed his fingers about her arm, his head bowed over her still form, and tears rolled down his cheeks. Tears of sorrow, and also of rage, at his own stupidity. He should have seen it. He should have known.
"I don't have all day," Rachel said. "If you don't move now, I'll set this weapon of mine on maximum and fire at Cassie again. Then you'll be left with nothing… not even a cold corpse."
Jake hitched for breath, and froze. Then he burst into movement, releasing Cassie and throwing himself at Rachel's feet with a roar of anguish.
Rachel fell. She dropped both the shredder and the dracon. Jake scrambled up, and caught her throat in the nook of his arm, a deadly grip.
"Leave her," he snarled at the Yeerk inside his cousin's head, He tightened the arm as hard as he could, pressing Rachel's back against his chest and locking the grip with his other arm, practically sitting atop her as she squirmed and kicked to get away.
"Fool!" gasped Rachel. "Not a chance!"
Rachel's hands pulled at his arm, but he wouldn't let go. She gasped for air, but none came. She struggled to get loose, but Jake growled and held her down with the strength of uncontrolled rage.
Jake growled. "Leave her!"
"You'll have to... kill us both!"
"Gladly!" he gritted. "Rachel would prefer that."
Rachel shook her head weakly, her face red.
Then her expression shifted. She glanced up above him out of the corner of her eye. She even smiled.
Jake felt large fingers grab his arms, and pried them easily free from around Rachel's throat.
Hork-Bajir pulled him to his feet.
But Jake grabbed the shredder, that again had been on the floor, and fired it aimlessly behind him.
A cry of pain and two hands let go of his one arm. With that new freedom, Jake managed to twist in the other Hork-Bajir's grip and shoot him as well.
The other Hork-Bajir was hit by a clean shot in the face and fell.
The first was up again, but Jake aimed and -
Tseeeeeew.
- fell.
He clutched his arm, looking at the burnt shoulder with surprise. The shredder was still in his grip, but Rachel kicked at it, sending it flying across the room.
"Look at that!" Rachel exclaimed. "Look what you've done!"
Jake shook his head, but glanced at the dead Hork-Bajir and the other, who was writhing in pain on the floor.
"Very well. Cassie could be wasted, but now you'll have to go too. I'm really sorry, cousin, but those are the rules. I can't secure an Animorph bandit by myself, and you just had to mess it up, huh? You killed my guards!"
"One lives," Jake said, glaring defiantly at her.
Rachel's face didn't change, but she shifted the aim of her dracon and without hesitation shot the second Hork-Bajir. Then the dracon was aimed at Jake again.
"Not any more. Where was I? Oh, yes; you ruined my fine plans of a second morph-able host. And now I'll have to kill you."
"Why are you here?"
"Why?" Rachel laughed coldly. "Why? You should know better. The escafil device, of course. Guess why I was in Cassie's room? But I found what I came for just before you came, so Cassie herself was useless."
Never useless. Never had been.
Rachel took out the blue box from her pocket, and admired it. Jake made no attempt to grab it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Rachel sighed. "And now it's mine."
She replaced it in her pocket. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of it. It'll come to use."
Jake glanced down at Cassie. He fell down to his knees, fixed his gaze on her face, that had been stopped in an expression of terror. He gently closed her eyes, kissed her forehead.
Never again. Never to talk, never to hug him, never to kiss him…
"Very sweet," Rachel sniffed. Jake's back was to her, but she didn't care. "But very fitting. On your knees. Perfect. Prepare to die, Animorph. It's about time."
Jake felt the steady dracon pressed against the back of his head. He prepared for the shot. He took Cassie's hand in both his and mouthed goodbye.
Let the fool Yeerk kill him. If Cassie was dead…
«Yeerk terrorist.»
"What was that?!" Rachel snapped, glaring down at him.
«Not him. Me.»
FWAP!
Rachel fell with a groan.
Jake spun around. "Ax! Why haven't you morphed?"
«My Prince,» Ax said, oblivious to his question. He swayed to the side, but steadied himself and nodded once. «I believe I have completed my duty.»
Jake sent one look down at Rachel's unconscious form. Then he met Ax's steady gaze.
"Ax, why haven't you -"
Ax collapsed.
"No!"
- - - - - - - -
The wind whined through the leaves of the trees. The sun was going down, and the sky was covered in clouds of all colors.
"He looked so peaceful," Rachel said.
"Yes," Jake agreed. "Peaceful. Perhaps."
Tobias ruffled his old feathers and sent one look at the white stone which marked the spot Ax lay buried. «He would be happy, I guess. He saved your lives.»
But then Tobias sent one, short look at Jake.
"Not Cassie's."
It was not a failure on Ax's part. It was…
Rachel stared at the ground for a long time. Only the wind made any sounds, singing a sad, lonely tune which made the tall grass dance.
Rachel looked at the second white stone. A simple engraving spoke one word; a name. "Two at once. Harsh."
Marco shivered. "Scary," he whispered. "I could have sworn I saw Cassie yesterday when I came home. But obviously not."
Jake shook his head sadly. "If I'd…"
«They wouldn't want us to fall apart because they're gone,» Tobias cut in. «Cassie would not want you to blame yourself to death.»
Jake flashed a joyless smile. "Yeah. She wouldn't."
Silence. Marco finally broke it by saying; "Do you think it's safe now?"
"The cube?" Rachel said, looking down at Cassie's grave. "As safe as it can be. As long as none of us…"
"I don't have any intentions of becoming a Controller," Marco assured them.
«And not me.»
Jake shook his head.
"And I don't repeat mistakes," Rachel finished. She dropped the flowers clutched in her hand. They fluttered down to the ground and landed in a rough circle.
They turned to walk up towards the house. Tobias flew overhead.
- - - - - - -
"Where there were six, there now stand four," the girl whispered. She watched the three and the hawk as they walked away.
«They will accomplish much before they join us,» a being replied. The wind didn't affect his blue fur. He stood as still as any tree.
Anyone watching would have blinked at seeing them, uncertain their eyes were working properly, and forgotten it. Anyone close would have felt their presence as a chill and shivered. They were not there to be noticed.
"I will watch them," she said simply.
«We will, both.» He reared slightly onto his hind legs. «Come.» With that, he turned, and set of into the trees.
The girl stayed, regarding the living as they walked away.
"I love you, Jake," she whispered.
Then she turned towards the sunset, and followed her friend into the shadows.
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Author's note;
What did you think? sad? boring? unrealistic? obvious? please review!