It was a few hours before I located the Andalite city. I had to backtrack from Ax's family scoop to where he'd rested after his run, then retrace the flight I had taken after I broke off from the group, then fly in the direction the group had been walking—all while the sky started darkening and the air got colder. I was way tired after all of that, but there wasn't any time to worry about it. Which I guess was kind of a good thing in a way, since it meant I also didn't have time to dwell on Noorlin and Forlay, or freak out about being the Ellimist's really super great grandson. But I

would have prefered to distract myself with, like, a lesson in Andalite botany or something instead of Ax getting kidnapped. Again.

All in all, it was surprisingly easy to find where they'd taken the humans, seeing how the Andalites weren't into paved roads. I could still see impressions of shoes in dirt. All the footsteps stopped at some building, and I flew around it until I could see someone I recognized. Which, again, was easy, seeing how most of these rooms had giant, open windows. Man, the Andalites were really making things simple for me, except for kidnapping my friend and everything.

I found Jeanne first. She was napping, something Ax and I should definitely have done instead of having an awkward family reunion. I've always thought she was a really smart person.

Unfortunately, I couldn't really leave and let her sleep. Jeanne! I said, directing my thoughts to her and her alone. She stirred, but didn't wake up.

Thought-speak is actually kind of useless for waking up a human. During the war, none of the Animorphs slept all the way anyway, and we were all half waiting for a panicked thought-speak alarm. Anyone who wasn't us? Hopeless. You could yell at Marco's dad for hours and all he'd do is wake up on his own terms, stretch, and say "Hey, Tobias, you were in my dream!"

Just before I could figure out a new plan, a bunch of Andalites burst into Jeanne's room.

woke her up right away. I flew toward a nearby tree, a brightly colored situation with tons of branches that sort of looked like a crazy straw. I didn't blend in at all, but there were enough giant leaves to hide me.

The Andalites had Santorelli with them. He was walking with his hands in his pockets. He looked for all the world like some regular guy at a mall, except for the tail blade that was at his neck. Jeanne noticed that the same time I did, and fur immediately started growing on her body. An Andalite hit her with some kind of beam, and whatever she was turning into got sucked right back into her skin. She got a tail blade at her neck, too.

All the Andalites were speaking privately, but I could still hear Jeanne. She said, "I have done nothing but sleep since I arrived on this planet. I can promise you I have no idea where Berenson or Champlin may have gone."

I ruffled my feathers. An in! Don't react, I said to Jeanne, It's Tobias. I don't have any idea what's going on, but I promise I'll figure it out. Marco and Jake are missing, I guess?

Jeanne's expression did not change when I spoke to her, which was really impressive. She was probably listening to two sets of thought-speak at once. Slowly and imperceptive to anyone who wasn't looking for it, she nodded.

Okay, I said, my mind racing. And you really don't have any idea where they went?

Again, she nodded, all while saying, "I will cooperate," to the Andalites. Did they teach you how to have two brains in France?

Stay calm, I told her. Just do what they say. I'll find Jake, and—

Two Andalite stalk eyes turned up and looked right at me in unison.

I pushed off the tree and soared into the air, hoping against all hope that I was moving fast enough to escape the Andalites. As soon as someone caught me, it'd be over. I had to stay free and come up with a plan. This was really great, considering I was on an alien planet, had no idea what was happening, and had no idea how to start figuring anything out.

Jake? I called lamely, targeting my thought-speak toward him even if I had no idea where he was physically. Unsurprisingly, he didn't answer.

I flew as fast and hard as I could, pumping myself up way higher in the sky than I should, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Eventually, I saw a bunch of Andalites running toward something. They all looked like big military guys, which could mean they were going somewhere important. I followed them, staying out of sight, and hoped they weren't just leading me to some kind of hip Andalite hang out spot that had nothing to do with Jake.

We ended up in front of a crazy looking building. I perched on a tree, hiding my body and giving myself a moment to catch my breath. That was a mistake. I was exhausted and malnourished and as soon as I perched, I felt all will I had to continue searching for Jake just start leaking from me like an open wound. My eyes closed without my permission. I started wondering if there was really any point to it. If the Andalites wanted us, they could have us. We were on their planet, and our morphing tricks wouldn't really work against the society that invented the technology.

Then, just as I was about to give it all up, I heard a roar. My eyes shot wide open, and I watched as a tiger ran down the side of the building with a distinctly Menderash-shaped human on his back. My feathers stood on end and my beak fell open. I could have laughed. Watching Jake pull something that dumb filled me up with equal amounts of fear, disappointment, nostalgia, and pride. It was a Berenson move if I ever saw one.

I watched them run off. No one followed them. The Andalites clearly didn't expect them to actually, you know, jump out of a building. I launched myself after them. At this point, the sky was so dark it was almost as brown as I was, giving me a little more coverage. I still had to be really careful. Now, not only could I get myself in trouble, I could lead the Andalites straight to Jake.

I wasn't noticed. Eventually, Jake and Menderash stopped running, making it really easy to catch up to them. I swooped in and landed on the ground.

"Hey Tobias," said Jake mildly, as if there was absolutely nothing bizarre about his token bird boy showing up out of the blue on an alien planet. In our world, it wasn't.

Hey Jake, I said. They kidnapped Ax, so I thought I'd check in and see if anyone else got kidnapped.

"Good move," asked Jake. "We almost were. What's the damage?"

They got Santorelli and Jeanne for sure. The Andalites are still looking for Marco. I watched you run down that building. That was cool. Stupid, but cool. I'm glad you didn't die.

He looked at me, concern and worry blatant in his expression. "Did you see who took Prince Aximili?" he asked. I shifted a little, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Menderash wasn't usually an emotional guy. In the six months we'd been on a ship together, his emotions ranged from sullen to frustrated to sullenly frustrated. I really wasn't used to this sort of look on his face.

I did, but I can't ID him, I said, trying to sound soft and comforting. I wasn't sure if I was successful. It's not that I didn't feel bad for him, it's just that I'd spent a lot of time alone in a forest. If an eagle loses his wife to a wolf, the eagle typically doesn't get offended if my condolences aren't warm enough. It just tries to eat me. Basically, I was way out of practice.

Menderash let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes. "That is fine," he said. "I believe I already know where they have taken him, and why."

"Tell us," said Jake impatiently.

Menderash opened up his eyes. "In due time," he said. "The vehicle has arrived."

A light blue oval hovercraft floated toward us. It was sort of like Cinderella's carriage, but only if Cinderella had wished upon an egg instead of a pumpkin. It was completely empty inside.

Um, I said. Who is driving?

"Don't be silly," said Menderash. "There is no reason for a vehicle to be piloted by an imperfect sentient when artificial intelligence is so much more reliable. Please do not apply moronic human concepts to Andalite inventions."

"What

this?" asked Jake.

Menderash smiled, warm and genuine, which sent a weird shiver down me. It wasn't a bad thing, not really, but it was sort of like if a poster above your bed of some super hot and super serious model randomly grinned. It just didn't compute. "I designed this at the behest of a friend. Her older brother had lost his back legs in combat, and he was sent off to isolation. She wished to smuggle him back to society, and asked me to build a covert vehicle. While I did worry about the emotional impact of the

in question interacting with society, the vehicle aspect intrigued me."

He placed a hand on the big blue egg and gazed at it lovingly which, again, was a totally new expression for Menderash. "I call this a 'taxi', based off of the Earth concept. It is designed to run at a lower energy output than would typically be caught on scanners, all while still making good speed and running on off-road terrain. The taxis have served us well, allowing the council of

considerable freedom when it comes to transporting those in unfortunate situations." He looked back at us. "Please be forewarned. There are no comforting holograms inside the taxi, as that would amp up the energy signal considerably. It is quite cramped, and nearly intolerable."

I waited for Jake to say something. He was a lot better at communicating with people than me, even back when I was talking to the Animorphs on a daily basis. When he said nothing, I looked over at him. Jake was studying Menderash with a way too familiar expression, one that I hadn't seen in a while. It sent ice through my veins.

When Jake looked at someone like that, he was trying to figure them out. He was trying to see every individual gear in a person, every mechanism and every gadget, and find all the pieces that were useful to him. When Cassie did that, it was to find the places where a person was missing something, and fill it with patience and understanding. When Marco did that, it was a cursory glance, a quick assessment to see if someone was ready-made and useful. When Jake did it, it was a slow thing, and a long thing, and he was figuring out all the ways he could break you down and assemble you back as something he needed.

He'd looked at me like that right before he sent me to Taylor. He looked at Marco like that, when Marco shared his plan on how to knock out Vissers One and Three in one steady blow. He gave that look to Cassie when she told us how to trap David, and he gave that look to Ax before forcing him to torture Chapman. He gave

that look nearly every mission, asking her again and again to give into her own darkness until she could do nothing but crave it. I felt a tightening in my wing muscles, feeling an intense urge to leave and get as far away from Jake as I possibly could—but I didn't.

I'd spent the past six months living side by side with Jake Berenson. It wasn't easy. Some days, it was the hardest thing I've ever done, but most days at least I didn't regret it. I would never fully forgive him, but I've seen enough of him to know that he's punishing himself more than I ever could. It's not that I found joy in that, or never wanted him to find peace. It's just that it was hard to hold hate for someone when you could physically see the weight of his choices on his perpetually hunched shoulders. Loren told me, once, that holding onto anger was like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. I thought of that, and waited for the expression to slide off of Jake's face. When it did, it was easier to remember that I still respected him.

"You're giving us more information than explanations," said Jake carefully. "Slow down. What is the council of

?"

Menderash gave a slight incline of his head, then averted his eyes. "We will speak in the taxi," he said, half mumbling. "Please, get in first. I will need help."

Jake stepped inside, politely ignoring Menderash's embarrassment. I fluttered in after them. There weren't any chairs in the taxi, which made sense. It wasn't really designed for humans or even hawk-shaped sapients. There were plenty of plants, which seemed to be the Andalite decor of choice. I really liked it. It made more sense and was way prettier than, like, a bowl full of silver balls, or framed pictures of squares. Marco's house was

of that stuff. There's no way he actually cared about any of it. I mean, he used to have Spiderman bed sheets.

I perched on a sturdy looking branch and watched as Jake pulled Menderash up into the vehicle. The bandages around his wound were stained with dry blood, but I noticed that a fresh patch had blossomed. He stumbled into the taxi and immediately sat down on the ground, leaning his back against the wall and breathing rapidly.

You don't look great, I said.

"Yes, and pointing that out is useless and unproductive," snapped Menderash.

was the Menderash I was used to.

Jake knelt down and studied Menderash like he was making some sort of an assessment. "Can you hold on just a little bit longer?" he said, managing to sound caring without tipping into cloying. "Just long enough to tell us where we're going, and what to expect?"

Menderash looked up at Jake, then closed his eyes and let his head roll to the side. I would have been worried if he didn't immediately start thought-speaking.

is both a state of mind and a physical place. It is named after a persistent strain of disease that often plagues guide trees when they are incompetently cared for. It is a movement much influenced by humanity, the Animorphs, and Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, though he is far too humble to take credit, Menderash said. I saw a small, exhausted smile appear on his face when he mentioned Ax. It made me like him a little more.

Andalites have had allies before, but none so revolutionary as humans. Humans are, of course, inferior in many ways, but they are also a reflection of Andalite weaknesses. Andalites as a whole would benefit from further freedoms, from further expressions of creativity.

seeks to dismantle the military rule we Andalites have suffered under for centuries, which is ill suited for the ways of our people. Please understand, in no way do we wish to become humanity. You are as ridiculous as you are inspiring.

Thanks for reassuring us, I said. For a second there, I thought I'd met a humble and open-minded Andalite. It was scary. Jake tried to suppress a smile.

Of course, said Menderash, without irony. Andalites are Andalites, humans are humans. But, much like Andalites are sharing our superior technology with humans,

feels that humanity could positively influence Andalites. The military does not agree, and this sort of conversation has become all but illegal. Therefore, those of us who follow the

state of mind have organized a meeting place that changes at every nightfall. Before I did what I did for Aximili, I was prominent at these gatherings. I feel they may still accept me, even as I am.

are welcomed by some in

and human morphs are rampant. Does that satisfy your curiosity?

Jake opened his mouth, then closed it again, lost in thought. "A little," he said, slowly and deliberately. "Basically, you're taking us to the Andalite equivalent of a political rally?"

Perhaps, though it is much more in depth. The exchange of human pleasures is a key aspect to

in that—

He cut off, suddenly, and went totally silent.

"Menderash?" asked Jake, but Menderash didn't answer.

He fell asleep, I said. It used to happen to Ax a lot, thought-speaking until his brain turned off.

"Oh," said Jake. He stayed still for a moment, then reached over and ripped a leaf off of a decorative tree. He started fiddling with it, turning it around in his hands and meticulously folding it in various ways.

It wasn't the most comfortable I've ever been. Physically, I was fine, aside from the exhausted and malnourished thing. My talons fit nicely around the tree branch and I felt safe. But emotionally? Jake had become something between a zombie and a symbol, a body that had been emptied of everything but war strategy and focus, then emptied of that. Yeah, I'd forgiven and yeah, I felt bad for him, but that didn't make him any better at conversation. Honestly, I'd rather be in here with Marco, and that was saying a lot. At least Marco was a person.

I closed my eyes. He probably didn't want awkward attempts at communicating either. As soon as I started feeling myself drift away, Jake suddenly decided we

be chatting.

"Do you think Ax and Menderash were, you know. Close?"

I opened my eyes and stretched my wings a little, like Jake was an annoying corvid I was trying to get rid of. Probably. They were Prince and First Officer, after all.

Jake nodded slowly, clearly processing something, but I had no idea what it was. "Prince and First Officer, sure. But that's still a lot to give up just for a superior."

I shrugged my wings. It's his business.

"Right," said Jake. "It's just, I mean, who would

become a

for?"

You, your cousin, Marco, and Cassie, I said dryly. Six years ago, in order to not reveal we were humans. Haven't you heard this story before? I can't remember if I told you.

"Ha," said Jake, still looking distracted. "That was different. Seriously, what would it take for someone to go human, permanently, with deliberate intent?"

An old and buried part of me wanted to scream, to remind Jake that he was the one who sent the only person who ever made me

human into an enemy ship with no back-up—and then it clicked.

I said. Do you think it was—they were—like that?

Jake shrugged. "Could be," he said.

You'd think Menderash would have said something! I said, my mind reeling, reevaluating everything I knew about Menderash and how he talked about Ax. Come to think of it, he actually rarely talked about Ax. That suddenly made a lot of sense.

Jake sort of shrugged. "I never thought to ask. Did you?" said Jake.

I—well, no, I guess I didn't, I said. My feathers stood on end. But shouldn't

have said something? Before he was, you know, possessed? Like, one of us should have known? Right?

Jake looked up at me, making direct and pointed eye contact. "Again, I never asked."

Silence.

"None of us asked," he said.

Silence.

No, I said.

Jake looked back down at the leaf in his hand. He folded it in half, then folded it back on itself. "We're shitty friends," he said, quietly.

I adjusted my weight. At least you're just a friend, I said, just as quiet. I'm a shitty nephew.

We sat together, both at a loss for words, both looking at ourselves with an uncomfortable clarity. I looked over at Menderash. Good for Ax-man, I guess, I said, suddenly desperate to break the silence. Though he's not really what I thought Ax's, um, type would be.

"What do you mean?" asked Jake. "Because he's a guy?"

I shook my head. Not a natural thing for a hawk, but doable. Nyah, Ax never understood why humans were so worried about that kind of thing. I mean, I don't either, but he

didn't understand. It's just that Menderash is, you know, I said, glancing back at Menderash again, making sure he was still fast asleep even if I was using private thought-speak. He's just not very nice.

Jake laughed, short and bitter and understanding. "No, he's not," he said. "But I wouldn't be either, if I were in his shoes."

Freshly human and chasing some half-dream that your boyfriend might be somewhat alive? Yeah. I guess I'd be frustrated too, I said.

Jake nodded, and started unfolding the leaf. He smiled a little, then chuckled. "I think we just gossiped," he said, his eyes still trained on the leaf.

I think we did, too I said. We're not that good at it.

Jake laughed. "We're not," he said. "We'll need to invite Marco next time. He'll come up with something better to say about Menderash than 'not nice'."

Ugh, I said, already imagining all the unnecessarily mean things he'd say. No thanks.

Jake laughed again. It wasn't a huge laugh, but it was genuine and honest and it'd been a very, very long time since I heard it.

We spent the rest of the ride in silence, but this time, it was a lot more comfortable.

Eventually, Jake and I joined Menderash in dozing off. The taxi must be used to this sort of thing, because both Jake and I woke up to a red light that was getting increasingly bright and shining out an open door.

Jake got up first, which caused the light to slowly fade away. Once the light was gone, I saw that night had fallen upon Andalite in full. The sky outside was no longer maroon or dark brown. It was just black.

"Ugh," Jake said, rubbing at his eyes and frowning. "Was that an Andalite alarm clock?"

I think so, I said, stretching my wings. I looked down at Menderash. Um, I don't think he's going to wake up on his own.

Jake made a sympathetic sort of grimace and knelt down next to Menderash. Slowly, gently, Jake got Menderash to wake up. It was a side of Jake I hadn't seen in a while, a side that was as foreign as it was familiar. At first, the way he managed to be kind and gentle but stern was what drew all of us to him. Toward the end, he was only ever our general, and I had forgotten about the gentle giant that was once inside. The way he was with Menderash reminded me of when we first met, when he chased off my monsters and looked at me with more concern than I was used to receiving. It was nice to know that Jake was still capable of that sort of thing, even if he was also still capable of manipulation and ruthlessness.

Soon, Menderash was up, and we started walking up a hill, moving toward what Menderash assured us was

. I wanted to ask why the taxi didn't just drop us off in the middle of the—town? Festival? Whatever it was, we should have just been there. But in the end I decided not to bother. Asking an Andalite about why they did something weird always just made things

confusing, somehow.

The incline was rather steep, and it was definitely way too steep for Menderash's current state. He was really struggling. Jake didn't offer him help, but he did slow himself down considerably, allowing Menderash to believe he was keeping up. It was a nice gesture. If I had been in Menderash's place, I wouldn't have wanted Jake's help, either. Jake always knew exactly how to avoid pity. At least, until he stopped caring about anyone's emotions at all.

I perched on Jake's shoulder, careful not to break his skin. It was hard. Perching on humans was a delicate art, and basically involved using talon muscles to grip in a way they had never been designed to do. Those muscles had atrophied. Like Ax, Jake didn't say anything if I hurt him. It made perching on Jake a strange sort of intimate thing, but I wasn't about to fly ahead when Menderash was moving so slowly. I could hide my pity, too.

Because of the hill and because I was on Jake's shoulder, I couldn't see much. I could, however, hear the noises of civilization get louder and louder. My heart started beating way too fast.

See, back on Earth, I could pretty much go anywhere as a hawk and most people wouldn't notice. Sure, you'd get a few animal lovers, people who scanned the sky and watched me appreciatively, and I didn't mind them. But most people were like Marco, who has literally

a whole zoo, but still thinks every bird that is remotely blue is a blue jay. Most people don't look around and see the whole wonderful world of nature. That's okay by me. I don't need to be seen by the whole world. I don't like feeling conspicuous. When I was human, I

felt conspicuous, even if I was just sitting in Loren's house. I was large and hideous and obvious. I couldn't hide in the soft focus animal world, noticed only by those who loved our left of center universe. I had to stand bulky and exposed. I hated it.

That feeling was extending to Andalite. There were no other birds like me. If one person saw me, they'd make a big deal out of it. Eventually, everyone would be looking at me. The thought was freaking me out.

I thought about morphing. Not into myself, that was too weird. Jake still hadn't seen my human morph, and I wasn't ready for him to realize it was still a child. I had other morphs, though. There was a navy guy from way back when, who I had to acquire even if I didn't have his permission. I didn't want to morph him out of respect for that violation. I could morph Ax's child self, but Ax was a public figure, and that might get weird. There was Taylor. I always thought of her DNA, twisted and pretty, swimming around inside me and waiting to be called on. Blonde, gorgeous, more eye catching than my human form yet somehow more invisible. Taylor was beautiful in a way that people

be beautiful. Taylor existed in this world as a perfect whole, as something that wasn't half alien and wrong. Taylor was the only human morph I had ever

and I hated that.

I wouldn't morph Taylor.

There was no choice. I would stay on Jake's shoulder as a hawk. If I was stared at, then I'd be stared at.

Slow but steady, we continued up the hill. We were silent but for Jake and Menderash's labored breathing, which I could hear with perfect clarity. Ax had mentioned many times that the biodiversity on Earth was astounding, and I never really understood it until now. There were no crickets singing on Andalite, no owls and no wolves. All noise came from us, and from whatever

was. Eventually, Menderash stopped and leaned against a nearby tree. He didn't say anything, but he clearly needed a break. Jake could benefit from one as well. He'd been on the same ship I had, and we were both out of shape. I felt a little guilty for riding on Jake's shoulders, even if my leg muscles hurt, and my wings were still sore from flying so quickly after Ax was taken.

"Ah," said Menderash, speaking after he caught his breath. "I should remind you, again, that many Andalites express themselves in

by partaking in human pleasures. Aximili has explained to me these acts are shameful to true humans. Please, do not be alarmed."

I would have smiled if I could. The image of a ton of Andalites in some sort of secret, underground city, all shoving Cinnabons into their mouth while stuttering out nonsense noises was hilarious. We'll be okay, I said. We're used to it.

Menderash looked surprised. "Aximili is normally quite conservative around humans," he said. He thought for a second. "I believe he once mentioned partaking in some human pleasure with one of you Animorphs. Marco, I believe."

That's true, I guess, I said, laughing. You did have to hand it to Marco, he was hard to embarrass. He and I were the only two who could typically handle an Ax food court binge. It's fine, really, I said. I looked over at Jake, who was smiling a little. He must be having the same mental pictures.

Menderash shrugged, then grimaced. I could only assume a sharp wave of pain was reminding him of his recent surgery. I really felt bad for the guy, regardless of him being nice or not. He should be in bed right now, being taken care of by Ax, who he risked everything to save. It made me really mad at whatever was going on with the Andalites. This was no way to treat a team who had brought back a beloved Prince.

Jake and Menderash started making their way up the hill again. The closer we got to the top, the more serene the scene felt. The Andalite night sky was a little lighter than night on Earth, and the light was still tinged with a dusty rose. It wasn't cold, not really, but there was a persistent wind that was ghostly and combed through my feathers. The trees in this area were more akin to Earth trees, all stretching branches and leaves, but they were strangely shaped and glowed a light pink.

The noises of

started to get clearer. I heard drums and laughter and human voices. It didn't sound like Earth, not at all; the drum beat at distinctly odd rhythms, and the voices were speaking in some kind of crazy language that might have been Galard. I also heard some moans, which was super weird. I guess every Andalite has their own individual quirks, like Ax did with his repeating sounds. Maybe some Andalites moaned while eating.

Just as I was about to start asking questions, we crested the top of the hill.

was revealed to us all at once, in fullness and clarity. Being a hawk, that meant it was

full. And

clear.

Up until now, everything I saw on civilized Andalite had been careful and meticulous. Shapes may look organic, but they were organically designed to wrap perfectly around a particular clearing, or be centered around groves of trees.

looked like something between a campsite and a city. Like if Yellowstone had been redecorated by rave kids. There were tents, but they lit up in weird colors. Neon-like signs hung from trees, all written in the Andalite script Ax once showed me. A pond was host to some kind of weird bake sale, and all the tables glowed. It was pure, untouched chaos.

Every nook and cranny was filled with some kind of activity. Andalites in natural bodies or human forms gathered in random places, often standing in strangely polite lines. Some of the human morphs were buck naked, while some of the Andalites wore little hats or sashes or coats. A few of the human morphs wore outfits that made Menderash's most fancy gowns look understated. Like, really understated. And one time I watched Menderash come out of his cabin in a tailored suit, a fur coat, red gloves, high heels, and a black veil, do the dishes, and then go back into his cabin for the rest of the day.

Thing was, though, that stuff wasn't exactly what I noticed first. That's the stuff I noticed maybe, like, eleventh. For the first time in the past six years, I really, really regretted having hawk eyes.

Oh my god, I said, shuffling my weight on Jake's shoulder.

"What is it?" he asked, squinting toward

. Of course. His human eyes would still see

as various colored blurs.

Um, I said, at a complete and utter loss for words.

I had no idea how to tell Jake that

was full of human-morphed Andalites banging like bunnies.

Lots and lots of bunnies.

Really, really dirty bunnies.