Author's notes
Thank you all, who have read and marked as favourite, but please review, too :-D
And I still wonder whether an Andalite tail blade can cut through vampire skin?
Thoughtspeak in [...], mind-reading in italic.
Thank you and have a good time!
Edward showed no surprise, though he felt like struck by the appearance of the speaking bird.
"Hello, Tobias." he answered with flawless politeness. "Of course you do. But please let me explain things to the others now."
[Very well.]
Edward nodded shortly and turned to his family - just then did he realize the missing ones. Though he could hear Renesmee's heart not far away (left behind the battle line, if there shall be one, he thought and gave Jacob an approving look), he could sense no sign of Jasper. He turned to Alice.
"At home." said she quickly, before been asked at all. " I supposed he will be better off without... well, you know. Too much temptation."
Edward nodded again. He knew once too well, that Jasper should have been the next one to go out hunting: now, thirsty as he was, he really was not to trust around unknown humans.
"Thanks, Alice." he muttered and turned to the others.
"Please, let me introduce Tobias...
[Fangor.]
"...Fangor to you all. And this is Carlisle, my father, Esme, my mother, Bella, my wife, Alice, Rosalie and Emmett, my sisters and brother, Jacob, my... friend. I am Edward. Shall I talk for you?"
[No, thank you. Rachel will do that.]
"Will I...?" Rachel tried to look at the bird on her shoulder but she couldn't manage, for Tobias was too close. "Well, then, this is Jake, our leader, Cassie,
Marco..." She stopped and looked at the last boy. "Oh, well, I am Rachel and he is Ax."
"Thank you, Rachel." answered Edward and turned to his family again. "Although it may seem very strange for you all, Tobias Fangor has a... human mind in the body of this bird. I can hear him right now, and I remember him reported missing quite a long time ago. They were heading to the cottage
when we met, looking for shelter. " He looked back at Jake. "You must know that the cottage is no longer abandoned. We... with my wife, we are ready to accomodate you there, but please, first we would like to hear some... explanation."
Jake lifted his head.
"You want explanation? About Tobias?"
"Is he a... shapeshifter?" Jacob asked with genuine curiosity.
[Tell him I was once.]
"No." answered Rachel. "But he is capable of... changing his body shape." She looked to her left, at Jake. He nodded. "As we all are." finished Rachel slowly.
Jacob stepped forward.
"How does this..."
[Jake, we should show them something.]
The leader pressed his lips together and looked at the boy named "Ax."
"Ax, will you show our... new friends your... true self, please?"
"Are you sure, Prince Jake? I can see that they are no Yeerk, still. I am not perfectly sure that I should..."
"How much time do you have got, anyway?"
"Less than ten minutes, Prince Jake. I can see your point, still I don't think I should begin."
"Well, then." Jake sighed and turned back to Rachel. "Maybe you, Tobias?"
[I do show my true self right away, Jake.]
"Your human morph, please." The leader boy sounded extremely tired.
"If you insist?"
The Cullens all watched with shocked interest, as the hawk flew down to the ground, and the change begun. This time the size came first: when already half as big as a human, the creature started to melt. Its feathers turned into a pattern on its bare skin, then fingers, toes formed themselves, a beak shrank to a mouth and Tobias smiled.
"Now I can speak for myself." he said. "Let me introduce us to you once more. We are the Animorphs."
"Cut the theatrics." snapped the blonde girl, Rachel. "Explanation, we are humans, as are you. Some time ago we found a crashed flying saucer... sorry, Ax, a fighter spacecraft and an Andalite warrior within. His name was Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul. In his last minutes he told us that there is a war about Earth. A species... a parasitic spesies, the Yeerks try to infest all humans, another, the Andalites try to save them. And the humans don't know a bit about it all. Before his death, Elfangor made us capable to.. morph into animals and gave us the burden of saving the whole world, or at least keep up until the Andalite fleet arrives... if ever. Now you can call us jumping madmen."
She finished and looked round fiercely for any rebuff, but no one spoke a word.
"It is true." whispered Edward after a second struck silence. "It is all true, I can read it in their minds. But how can it be...? Alien civilizations...?"
"Prince Jake, I must morph back." said the strange boy quietly.
"Do it." said Jake, and turned to the Cullens. "Now look at him. Aximili-Esgarrouth-Ishtill is an Andalite. He must reclaim his true form now, because we cannot stay in morph for longer than two hours, or else we stay trapped forever."
"A nothlit." murmured Edward, and looked at Tobias, while all the others watched Ax change; he coud see it seven times anyway. "That is how you referred to yourself in your thoughts. A nothlit, is that it? Is it an Andalite word? Are you trapped?"
"It is a bit complicated, and involves another species, but yes, basically I am trapped. However, I can morph, back into my former self as well." he nodded and cast a look sideways. "Now, shall I introduce Ax again?"
The Cullens did not react: they all watched the deerlike creature in front of them like stunned. Then Carlisle stepped forward.
"You must excuse us, this is not so.. easy to process." he said. "Although we may say that..."
"Carlisle, will you shut up, please?" demanded Rosalie. " These are repulsive. They might even be contagious. Not if we could catch it but Nessie..."
Jacob and Ax snapped his head up at these words with the same movement.
Contagious??
[Repulsive, says the two-eyed, two-legged one??]
Carlisle opened his palms before Edward could interfere.
"Rosalie, will you treat me with a bit more respect, please? Your brother says these things are true and I have no reason not to believe him. We shall tell them. "
"No!" snapped Rosalie.
"Oh, but yes." smiled Alice.
"If they are telling the truth..." Esme seemed to be in dilemma. "Still, we have our laws which we shall not forget."
Bella sighed.
"Okay, everyone." she said. "I think we must know more before we can decide whether to tell you about us or rather not. But we definitely must leave. Don't you hear the 'copters?"
She was right, of course: the wind carried the noise of rotors towards them.
"Let's go to the cottage now." said Carlisle. "Although I am afraid we do not have a door wide enough for... Aximili." he added with a half-smile. "Maybe if you please would phase back to human again?"
[Oh, well, let's do it.]
Hearing the sadness of being human again in Ax's answer Edward almost laughed out loud.
Charlie Crow did arrive as she promised: with a whole fleet of helicopters and soldiers.
'Very well, Chief Swan" she said right upon enterinh his office without knocking or saying any kind of hello " from now we will take over. You come with me."
"What do I do...?"
"Ah, never mind. We can do it right away. "
"Do what?"
Charlie jumped from his seat, but the woman was quicker.
"Grab him and make him shut up. Where is Iniss nine-nine-one with that pool?"
"Hey, Madam, what the fucking hell is..."
He could not say another word, for three soldiers grabbed him and stuffed a rag in his mouth. Charlie struggled to break free but in vain.
Seconds later another soldier entered the room with a trolley. He closed the door behind him and pulled the trolley to Charlie's desk. On it was something that resembled a little children's play-pool, yet it way full of some dirty liquid.
"Now take a deep breath." Charlie Crow smiled and nodded. Before Charlie Swan could do as he was told, the soldiers pushed his head into the pool. Charlene Crow visibly relaxed.
"Well done." she smiled. "Let him up now."
Charlie emerged from the water: strangely, he was smiling, too.
"Irass eight-zero-zero, I present myself." he said. "Sub-Visser three-five-six, I await your orders."
"Good." Charlie Crow sat on the desk. "Now let's hear what our dear police chief has got for us."