Although she had quickly grown used to the joy and freedom that came with sailing high through the air, the experience was only enhanced for Tellion when she had fully embraced Amelia's incredibly graceful form. Amelia's areal capabilities far exceeded those of the crow that she had become so accustom to using. Another thermal draft caught under her wings and lifted her higher as it pushed her slightly in a certain direction, Tellion adjusted her tail feathers and darted quickly out of the draft, yet she still somehow managed to catch another as they continued pushing towards a place that she hadn't planned on going.
Her sharp eyes scanned the coast line below her as she continued to travel on towards the ultimate destination that she was being pushed towards. And one that she finally stopped trying to fight against going to.
The Marriott resort.
Tellion had no idea what she was doing. By now, either the Andalites had succeeded in their mission, or the Imperial forces had infested the leaders of the most powerful nations of Earth and the planet was doomed. Any reason she could have had to be going there seemed pointless, but she felt herself drawn to that place. For reasons she could never understand or explain. She wondered if all of these constant feelings and urges were from the Ellimist. He certainly had a talent for forcing her into situations that he desired without directly commanding her to do so.
Tellion really did want to ignore the urge to come to this place when she had first felt the sensations a little over an hour ago, but they persisted, and she eventually caved in to them. When she had morphed Amelia and took flight, she almost felt as if an invisible hand had guided her towards the coast. Tellion didn't want to be coming to this place right now. She had wanted to go to Bianca's house to keep watch over Ishtareal.
Tellion still couldn't shake the guilt that she felt for threatening her Yeerk sister the other night, and no matter how many times she tried to rationalize her actions, Tellion still felt herself being incredibly frightened by herself. In that moment last night, when she had made the proclamation to kill Ishtareal if she continued to threaten Ellaine, Tellion wanted to believe that they were just words with no real conviction behind them. Yet, she just didn't know if it really ever truly came down to that painful and soul crushing choice, if Tellion would be able to keep herself from killing Ishtareal if it meant sacrificing Ellaine's life in the process.
Tellion determined to herself that she wouldn't ever let such a day come. She would watch over both her sisters, and keep them safe. No matter what she had to do.
As Tellion thought of that, she realized that the Marriott was quickly approaching below her. It was obvious to any living being with eyes and half a brain that it was very important for the moment. The beach almost a kilometer from building was devoid of any human activity, except for a large number of personnel in human security clothing. Most of them were local police, and no doubt controllers were among them, but there were also other security personnel unlike any that Tellion had yet to see. She supposed they were the body guards of the important leaders at the resort. There were a number of sleek looking boats making patrols out to the sea holding back any curious travelers, and there was also a pair of human helicopters flying over the building.
So much protection, and yet somehow, her people had infiltrated this almost impregnable fortress and were planning the next step towards the final conquest of the planet Earth. She hoped that the Andalites had succeeded in their mission the other night, but she wouldn't know until the next time she spoke to the Chee. And for the life of her, Tellion had no idea why she was coming to this place. She had no understanding of the layout of the building, or the numbers of controllers that could be present inside, or if it was already too late.
And even if she did, she was just a single individual. What could she, all by herself, hope to accomplish against such an overwhelming force?
Her fear was only compounded when one of the helicopters passed close by her. She almost dove away from both her fear of detection and Amelia's instincts to avoid danger. Only through sheer determination was Tellion able to stay her course. Any odd behavior, anything that appeared out of the ordinary for the actions of a bird, and it was likely to alert any controllers that were keeping a sharp eye out. Tellion remained on her flight pattern, and the helicopter passed by without incident. A mental sigh of relief overcame her and she flew on to the resort.
As she passed over the building, Tellion saw that there was still quite a buzz of activity occurring over the beach section that had been closed off to the rest of the word. She saw a man wading out into the constantly flowing waves of the endless ocean, with many others surrounding him nearby while smaller water born vehicles circled in the water around him. He must have been one of the world leaders she had been told about. She didn't see why a controller would waste their time doing something so trivial, which must have meant that Visser Three hadn't yet infested the world leaders. So then, even if the Andalites hadn't succeeded in their previous mission, then they must have disrupted the Visser's plans. That was at least a small relief for Tellion. Even so, she didn't know what it was that she could do to help the Andalites in resisting the Yeerks plan.
Even as she thought of this, her tiny bird body passed over the roof of the resort. Looking down with her now sharp predatory eyes, she saw very little activity on the roof. Except for a pair of humans dressing in what appeared to be very clean and well-groomed suits, similar to those of the other higher ranking security personnel. They were carrying something between them, a very large and heavily wrapped object that they were both clearly struggling to hold up. Tellion watched with curiosity as they stumbled over to a secluded structure on the roof near the edge overlooking the sea side and tossed the object inside. They both stayed at the door for a moment, which Tellion could clearly see their lips moving in conversation, but not to each other. Instead, their focus was towards something hidden within the small shed that they were standing in front of. They made several non-human gestures before they closed the door to the small shack and headed to the opposite side of the roof.
When they had finished, the two men looked up at Tellion and began speaking to themselves. Tellion began to wonder what they were talking about when a third individual appeared on the rooftop. The first two pointed up at Tellion. She took a deliberate focus of her thoughts to appear to not notice them. It was imperative that she didn't appear to really notice that they were looking at her. Then the third individual looked in her direction, a pair of thick sunglasses aimed straight at her.
Before Tellion had any chance to understand or even realize what was he was doing, a powerful jolt of electrical currents blasted through her suddenly frail bird body. Tellion squawked loudly as the electrical current jolted through her feathery frame, freezing all her muscles with painful static jolts. Instincts kicked in, and she adjusted her tail feathers to veer sharply away from the source of the pain. Her curved wings flapped rapidly as she attempted to gain altitude to escape the agony. Then her sharp eyes spotted that he was taking aim at her again. Tellion stopped caring about appearances or deception, the pain of whatever it was that had blasted her was something she didn't want to endure again. She folded her wings tightly, darting sharply away from the building. She quickly exited the air space around the Marriott resort and spotted a seemingly secluded patch of forest for which she could hide and demorph. Tellion swooped down into the outcropping of trees with an unnatural grace and landed upon the damp ground. Once safely hidden from all surrounding eyes, Tellion morphed back into her human self. Once she was Susan again, Tellion leaned against a nearby tree, lifting her head high to stare at the blue sky peeking between the multitudes of bright green branches looming over her head.
What the hell was that? She pondered for a moment, she hadn't seen anything being shot at her. The electrical shock had just come out of nowhere. The man on the roof with the glasses had just looked at her, then zap. It was just like…
…a Dracon beam.
That had to be it! Those glasses, they must have had a Dracon beam emitter encased in their housing. But what would be the purpose of that? Without the needed power source nor the focusing casings, a beam like that would produce a charge likely far weaker than the Fuge baton she had stolen. It couldn't possibly kill anything. At best, it would cause a short jolt of pain…
But that was the point, Tellion suddenly realized. If the Andalites had tried, or were trying, to infiltrate the building through the air, like she had just attempted, then the Imperial forces would need to chase them away without drawing too much attention to themselves. So those Dracon glasses were clearly an effective deterrent to any attempts at aerial infiltration.
Damn, Tellion thought, the Visser had really thought this operation through thoroughly.
He clearly wanted this one to succeed. It was a bit disheartening. But, then Tellion reminded herself, if there were still controllers around that were taking steps to ward off likely Andalite infiltration, then it was all too likely that Visser Three hadn't infested the assembled national leaders. Yet.
Tellion felt like a fool for even daring to go to that place all by herself. She had accomplished nothing except receiving a painful sting. But she had at least seen the layout of the building and the security that was in place for those world leaders, for reasons that she still couldn't comprehend. She supposed it wasn't a total loss. If the Chee contacted her again soon, she could pass on what she had seen to them in the hopes that it would help the Andalite resistance. With nothing left to discover or do, Tellion morphed back into her Swallow-Tailed Kite form and took to the air, heading back home.
When Tellion finally made it back to the air space just over her house, she spotted Erek calmly walking along the side walk towards her home. At last, the Chee were making contact with her again! Tellion's moment of joy was quickly extinguished as she thought about her current situation. It had only been a few precious days since their last meeting, but a great deal had changed in that space of time. Her mind began to work furiously on what she should, or shouldn't, reveal to them. Her discovery of a brood sister that held a kindred spirit to her own, a group of renegade Yeerks that were attempting to coexist with their hosts in mutual harmony, and…
…her obtaining the power, if even by great accident, to morph like the Andalites.
That last bit of knowledge was the hardest for Tellion to decide on. If she kept the power a secret from Erek and the rest of the Chee, she would risk breaking their trust and potentially their help in the future if they were ever to discover Tellion's deception. But on the other side of it, if she did reveal this fortunate accident, then there was no guarantee that they wouldn't disclose her newfound secret to the Andalites. Then her future, and likely her very life, would be decided at their whim.
It was a great dilemma for Tellion. Again, like so many times in her life recently, Tellion felt like there was no true right decision to make. The moment that she took to make her final decision on what to do felt like hours as she circled overhead. Tellion dipped her sleek head and folded her wings slightly, descending towards the front of the home.
Erek and the Chee had saved her life. They had helped her when she had been in a time of desperate need and had asked for virtually nothing in return from her. They had more than earned her trust. No matter what risks it put her in, Tellion couldn't bring herself to break that trust. Erek and the rest of the Chee, and possibly the Andalites as well, deserved to know the truth.
Tellion swooped down to the front of her home, landing on the railing of the porch near the front door where Erek was about to ring the bell.
Tellion had no idea if her mind speak would work on a non-organic being, but she was willing to test it out. Erek took a half glance at her before reaching up to press the doorbell.
Erek. Tellion said in her mental projection to the android.
Erek instantly ceased his movement from her telepathic call, and much to Tellion's surprise, his gaze zeroed in directly on her. She didn't see any point in trying to drag the situation out any further.
It's me. She said to him again.
Erek cautiously walked towards her, his false face emanating a multitude of human expressions that his metallic form was incapable of actually making.
"Tellion?" Erek asked, his human tone projecting a tone of disbelief as he stared at her avian body.
Yes, Erek, it's me. Tellion said to him again.
"How…"
The Andalite morphing cube.
"I was coming here to ask you about it. What the Yeerk forces know about the morphing technology. The resistance just informed us about their securing of the cube, but it seems that your people know of its existence as well." Erek said in a distant voice, almost as if his artificial mind was still trying to process the reality of what was happening right in front of him. He then seemed to collect himself and asked the next, and perhaps the most important question of this encounter. "How did this happen?"
I'm not even sure myself. Tellion answered Erek truthfully. It seems to be an unexpected accident of circumstances.
"Please tell me." Erek asked.
So Tellion told him. About how a few days ago she had wanted to honor Susan's memory and pay respects to her death, of how she had decided on a whim to also honor Elfangor's death as well, and how by doing that, she had accidentally come across the Andalite morphing cube. She told Erek how she had kept it from falling into the hands of a pair of adventurous Yeerks to keep it safe, and how her touching it had seemingly transferred its power into her by a strange accidental chance. Then her many attempts to capture the morphing cube from a random boy that had taken it and deliver it to the Chee, and all of her subsequent failures. After she had told him everything, Erek just seemed to calmly take everything in and process the situation.
"So then," he said more to himself than to her. "The power of the Andalites still has more sway over the course of events than I and the rest of my kind ever first thought…"
I never meant for any of this to happen Erek, Tellion said to him in her mental voice. I only wanted to keep the cube from falling into Imperial hands.
"This, definitely makes things a lot more difficult." Erek said, rubbing his chin in a very human like way. Tellion eyed him cautiously as she ruffled her feathers.
What now? Tellion asked him. What will become of me?
"I'm not sure about that right now." Erek answered her. "But for the moment, I think…it is best that we do not let this revelation out to others, maybe even the rest of my kind."
You mean, Tellion asked. you wish to keep what has become of me a secret to both the Andalites and your people the Chee?
"I don't see how revealing your new abilities to the rest of my kind would be beneficial to us in any way, and I also don't see at the moment what good it would be to the resistance. They already have their hands full with many different things…" Erek said.
Then, the mission that they were on the other night…it failed?
"From what they told me, it was merely a reconnaissance mission. To test the defenses of the resort, from both the human and Yeerk forces."
So Visser Three has yet to succeed in his plan? Tellion asked hopefully.
"As far as we can tell, he hasn't, but the window of time is rapidly closing to stop him. I…we, believe that the Visser plans on making his move tonight."
Tellion ruffled her feathers upon hearing that.
Then tell me when, she said to Erek, I can go to the Andalites…I can help them…
"I don't think you'll do them any good at this moment." He took a moment to look around, a satisfied expression spreading across his face as he saw that no one had yet to come past the house. "I…think it would be best for us to finish this discussion inside. People would think that there is something wrong with me if they see me talking to a bird."
Tellion saw the logic in his words.
Hold on just one moment. She told Erek before taking flight once again.
She flew around to the back of the house and into the open window of her bedroom. Safely secured inside, Tellion morphed back into her human body. After being fully transformed back into her natural state, Tellion quickly dressed and descended to the first floor of the house. She opened the front door for Erek without any word spoken and let him inside. After she had shut the door, Erek faced her with a deadly serious look.
"Tellion…" Erik said as he continued to stare at her. "I don't fully understand the how or the why of your obtaining this power, but for the time being, it would be safest for you to keep it a secret."
"I understand the significance of my situation." Tellion told Erek.
Erek fold his arms and gave a disapproving look to her. "No. I don't think you really do."
"But…"
"Tellion, this…what you can now do. I don't deny that your abilities could potentially be helpful to the resistance. But here, now, they're extremely stretched in both patience and abilities."
"You don't think that they would accept me? A morph-capable Yeerk." Tellion said out loud what Erek was hinting at rather bluntly.
Eric stayed silent as he clearly contemplated what to tell her next. His façade face held a mixture of human like emotions, no doubt gathered from countless lifetimes of interacting with humanity.
"It would be a very volatile situation for them to deal with, especially in the present. There is at least one among them that I believe with absolute certainty would be understanding and accepting of your situation…"
The way he trailed off with that last bit of what he said gave concern for Tellion.
"But, there's something else, isn't there?" she asked of him.
Erek slowly nodded.
"There's also one among them that I don't doubt would be willing to kill you the instant they became aware of your existence. You present a potential threat to them that this one warrior would not be willing to take a chance on. To protect the rest of their small resistance, she wouldn't hesitate to do what needs to be done, regardless of the kind of being you are or what you wish for them."
Tellion tilted her head to the side in the questioning human gesture that she had learned from being among humanity as well.
"She?" Tellion asked Erek. "I didn't…from what I've been told, only Andalite males serve in their armies, I thought females were forbidden from entering combat."
A shocked look passed over Erek's fake face, but it lasted only for a microsecond before he shifted his stance.
"Yes, well…" he began, looking down at his equally fake shoes. "from what they've told me, the war has been extremely taxing on both the Andalites' total population and their society at large. This conflict has dragged on far longer than any that the Andalites have known in a very long time, and their supply of able-bodied males is quickly running out. The survivors have told me that they are part a new conscription program, one which allows females to be enlisted in the Andalite armies. There are currently two such females in the resistance."
Tellion felt a mixture of feelings from what Erek was telling her. She didn't know how Andalite females would fair in a brutal conflict, in fact, she had only ever seen simulations and recordings of Andalite males, so she had absolutely no idea what an Andalite female actually looked like. But Tellion instantly dismissed her assumptions about the species genders. Assuming their anatomies were similar, then Andalite females would likely have tail blades of their own, which no doubt would be equally deadly against any opponent. And with proper training, they could fire a Shredder weapon just as effectively as any Andalite male. Also, with the morphing technology, the Andalite females could transform into a multitude of fantastic beasts that this planet had to offer. Last, and certainly not least, if they had survived for this long against the Imperial forces, then they were likely just as battle hardened as the most experienced Andalite male warriors in their military. But there was also a deep concern that fomented within Tellion's gut from Erek's revelation. If the vastly prideful Andalites had been forced to undertake such a radical step to their overall social structure just to shore up their depleted armies…then that meant the war was going badly for them. Very badly.
Erek seemed to almost read her thoughts, for what he said next answered the question she was going to ask him before it even passed her lips.
"These are desperate times for everyone Tellion. But I need to make something absolutely clear to you right now. This one female I speak of, she's just as skilled and vicious in battle as her male counterparts, perhaps even more so. Among all of them, she is the one that will not hesitate to kill you in an instant if she perceives you as a threat. And as of right now, a morph-capable controller, even one such as yourself, is one of the most dangerous threats to them. That's why it's absolutely important that we do not make your presence known to them. Not until I've had time to properly vent their stances on your potential existence. Especially not until after they've completed this current mission of theirs."
"But what of the others?" Tellion asked. "The other Andalites, how would they…"
Erek made a grumbling sound as he folded his arms.
"I'm not sure, and I think, that's the true irony of the situation. Yes, the one female I mentioned is very ruthless and would likely kill you if she knew your existence. But the other one…"
"What of her?" Tellion asked.
There was a shine in Erek's eyes, again as if he were reading her thoughts.
"She reminds me a lot of you, Tellion. She has, a gentleness, and a love for life, that mirrors yours. She only joined this war because she understands the destruction that the Empire will wreak across all life in the galaxy. I think…among all the resistance, she would be the most understanding of your situation. But she is only one voice among them."
Tellion almost found what Erek was saying impossible to believe. An Andalite, even a female one, possessed a spirit that was similar to her own? She never would have thought such a thing was possible. But then again, despite all knowledge Tellion knew to the contrary, if a Yeerk like her could exist, then she supposed anything was possible in the universe.
"She sounds…nice…" Tellion said. "I hope one day, I'll get to meet her…"
"Perhaps you will. But for now, I still have to assess the others."
"The other Andalites?"
"Yes." Erik said, shifting his stance to a more defensive posture. "The males are the most unknown element among them. There are two of them, which I feel are nearly like brothers, whatever one does, the other will follow without question. Their leader is the biggest mystery to me. Both the females hold almost equal sway over him. One of them, the warrior, is related to him by blood, and he trusts her skill and reliability in battle, but the other…the one that is like you Tellion, I believe he harbors feelings for her that he doesn't yet have the courage to display, she holds nearly as equal of a sway over his decisions. The last is his most trusted friend, and will follow his leader without question. But he hates Yeerks, and will not hesitate to kill you if he were to know that you existed, and posed a threat to them. I'm sorry, they're just such a mixed group of individuals."
Tellion listened to Erek, and immediately regretted that he had told her these things. Because he had revealed something to her without truly realizing it. Two females. Two that were nearly like brothers. A leader. And his loyal friend.
Six.
There were six of them in total. She now knew the exact number of the resistance against the Imperial forces.
Erek you fool. Tellion thought. Do you understand what you just revealed to me?
"This situation is extremely volatile right now Tellion." Erek said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Why?" Tellion asked.
"There's another now…" Erek began.
"I know." Tellion said in a low voice. "There was a boy, he found the cube after me…"
"But the Yeerks discovered that he possessed the cube."
"I was there…when his life was destroyed forever." Tellion told Erek. "The Andalites rescued him, but…"
"But what?" Erek asked.
"He's dangerous!" Tellion shouted to Erek. "He's…twisted inside. As much as any Yeerk can be."
"How could you know that Tellion?" Erek asked. "Have you interacted with him at all?"
"More than I will ever care to." Tellion told him. "Erek, last night, when they were going to the Marriott on their mission, the Andalites and that boy came across me. He…he tried to kill me…"
Despite his face being nothing more than an elaborate projection of carefully constructed light waves, a look of true worry passed over Erek's features. He immediately shifted his stance to a more defensive posture.
"Are you sure Tellion? Are you absolutely sure that it was him?" Erek asked nervously.
"He was morphed into a gigantic predatory bird, and was speaking in the Andalite telepathic talk, but I recognized his voice. It's been etched into my mind from the first interaction I've had with him. It was him."
"But…maybe he just thought you were a regular bird. The Andalites told me that the instincts of the animals that they morph are always present when they transform. Is it possible that those instincts took over him? If he had realized that you were…"
"He killed another bird I sacrifice to escape from him. If you had been there, and heard the way he spoke…"
Erek didn't say anything as Tellion let the gravity of what she was telling the android press upon him.
"Erek…he enjoyed the killing. He delighted in mutilating the bird, and he wasn't satisfied with the kill. If he had the time, he would have searched me out to do the same to me. There was…darkness in the way he spoke. A darkness that I've only ever heard among the most ruthless Yeerks."
Erek looked shocked by what she was telling him. As if a great secret had suddenly been revealed to him.
"Then that means…" he said more to himself than her. "They've made a grave mistake…"
"Tell me where they are Erek!" Tellion demanded of him. "I can go to them. I can warn them about that boy! If they know about what he's like…maybe with my help they can turn him away from this dark path he's going down."
Erek shook his head.
"Tellion, this…situation is beyond your ability to help. I already told you, they are going tonight to try and stop the Visser's plan. If anything comes about that disrupts their plans, then they could fail. And that will be the end of this world. I know that you want to help, but the best way that you can help the resistance at this moment would be to stay put and not interfere."
Tellion felt like Erik had just slapped her across her face by his words.
"You…you just expect me to stand aside while I know I have the ability to help?"
"Even with your new morphing abilities…I calculate that you would do far more harm than good." Erek said. "For now, the resistance needs to remain oblivious to your existence."
"But…"
"Tellion, you trusted me with your secrets. Especially this most important one of your new morphing abilities. Now I'm asking you to trust me." Erik said. "We need you to stay out of this fight. For now."
But Tellion didn't want to. She wanted to help. However, with a great deal of reluctance burning within her conscious, Tellion could see that there was wisdom in what Erek was asking of her. The situation was far too complicated for her to add her own confusion to the mix. That still didn't take away Tellion's desire to want to help the Andalites.
Tellion clenched her fists in frustration, and kept her face lowered from Erek's. She hated feeling like this, useless and unable to help. Especially now that she had the ability to contribute to the fight.
"Fine then." she whispered, fighting to hold back the emotions that raged through her mentally tortured body. "I'll stay out of this fight."
She finally lifted her face to meet Erek's.
"But there's something that I need to ask you in return."
Erek seemed surprised by Tellion's request. She had never asked the Chee for anything before. He shifted his stance slightly, again, another human action that he had learned to mimic over countless years of human exposure.
"There's…" Tellion stared, but lost her voice as she tried to think of a way to explain the situation with Erek. "I…"
A burst of emotions swelled up inside her. Tellion was unable to hold her feelings in check, and her words poured forth with a torrent of intense emotions.
"I have a sister!" Tellion shouted to Erek. "A Yeerk sister, and…she's like me!"
Erek said nothing. He showed no emotion. He simply stood there as Tellion spoke.
"I discovered her last night. Her name is Ishtareal 2203, and she was attempting to recruit Susan's little sister Ellaine into The Sharing, but when I went to confront her, I found that she was just as I am. Erek…she gives her human host back her freedom, at least once a day! She wants to be free of the Empire!"
"A Yeerk like you?" Erek asked.
"It's more than that." Tellion said. "She told me that there's a group of Yeerks, those that want to try and coexist with their hosts like I've tried to, Ishtareal told me that they call themselves the 'Peace Movement'."
"I've never heard of such a group." Erek replied. "And believe me, we Chee are aware of a great many things that are going on in the Yeerk operations based on Earth."
"Ishtareal said that there weren't many of them, at least not yet. But there is at least one Yeerk that she mentioned that I believe is a member. Sullia 3581."
"Do you think…are you suggesting that it's possible that we could find potential allies among the Yeerks themselves?" Erek asked.
"I don't know." Tellion told him honestly. "But I suppose…anything is possible now. I mean, if…my existence proves that there is hope for my kind, and knowing what my Yeerk sister is like, then there's a chance that there are many more of my people that want to become something more than what the Empire has made us into. With the right guidance, it's possible that many, many more of my kind can be led down a better path."
"That's quite an optimistic outlook of the current situation." Erek said. "But at this point, we'll have to take anything beneficial that we can get. I'll tell the other Chee about this potential peace movement, and see if we can make any connections with them. Sullia 3581 and Ishtareal, right?"
"Ishtareal 2203." Tellion repeated to him. "Her host is a young girl named Bianca. Please keep an eye on her. I can't protect her right now, but maybe there's something that the Chee can do to help keep her safe."
"I can't make any promises on that Tellion." Erek said. "With how brutal the Empire is, even to its own people, and our non-violent nature…"
"All I'm asking you to do is try." Tellion begged.
"If there's some way that we can help both your sister and this peace movement, we will." Erek said.
He gave a fake chuckle to himself, and placed a hand on his forehead, another human gesture that Tellion was still having trouble identifying the meaning of. Erek collected himself and looked up at Tellion.
"I can't believe that I got so sidetracked with all these new revelations that I almost forgot the reason I came to speak to you." he said.
"I thought the Chee couldn't forget." Tellion replied. "Just like us Yeerks."
"That's why it's funny." Erek answered her. "I was going to ask you about Yeerk pools and Kandrona generators."
"If you're asking me about ideas on how the Visser plans on infesting those world leaders, I can't really tell you. It depends on how many people he expects to infest. Assuming it would be the leaders and those immediately around them, you could probably expect between fifty to a hundred Yeerks. And believe me when I tell you this, if the Visser is going for maximum infestation with equally maximum secrecy, the pool would be small. Much smaller than a normal one. And it'll be placed very close to where he plans on making the infestation happen. As for the Kandrona generators, he probably has a fair number of portable models hidden away somewhere, likely off site as to minimize the chance of exposure. That's my best guess on how he would plan on making all this happen." Tellion informed Erek.
"That only helps us a little." Erek said in a voice full of disappointment.
"That's all I can really offer you Erek." Tellion said truthfully.
Erek nodded his thanks to Tellion for her attempt to help, then reached into his back pack and pulled out a small metallic pen.
"What's this?" Tellion asked as Erek offered it to her.
"A short range communication device I made. So we can speak without having to meet in person." Erek told her.
"Is it safe to use?" Tellion asked, her mind already fearful of Imperial observers detecting unnatural radio waves.
"It is." Erek answered. "I've made sure that it'll only display wavelengths registered in the local human spectrum. But I've modified it to only receive signals sent from my personal transmitting unit."
Tellion felt hesitation to take it.
"But, what if…"
"I already thought of that." Erek answered. He displayed the small pen in front of her to show what he was doing. "You have to twist it to this selected point on the cylinder, then you have to click the end three times to activate it. No one that isn't aware of what it is will know any better."
Tellion inspected his actions, but Erek continued before she could ask any more questions.
"I designed it to not acknowledge any messages received until it is activated. That way, you don't have to worry about anyone else accidental snooping in on our private conversations."
"But what if I'm not able to respond right away to your calls?" Tellion asked as she took the device from him.
Erek tapped the side of his head. "My communication sensors are always activated, I'll know the instant you turn the device on. Just be sure to keep it hidden."
"I've done a good job of hiding my essentials so far," Tellion said as she inspected the device, which seemed to be at least on the same level as Yeerk communication devices. "this will be of no true challenge to me."
"Knowing you, I believe that." Erek said.
"Thank you for this." Tellion replied, slipping the device into her pants pocket.
"Hopefully, I won't need to contact you anytime soon." Erek said.
"So do I." Tellion told him.
With nothing more to be said between them, Erek finally turned to leave. Before he walked out the door, he turned back to Tellion.
"Tellion, you may have the Andalites' power now, but don't mistake power for invincibility. I know you want to join the fight, but to actually engage in combat…the resistance has nearly died many times throughout this conflict. I've…seen firsthand how close it has been for them, one of them would have surely died if I hadn't intervened to save their life. It has only been sheer luck that they're still alive and fighting." Erek warned Tellion. "I can see that you want to help, but you need to be fully aware of the consequences of your actions. This war, it's easier for the resistance kill the Imperial troops they face, because they see all Yeerks and their slave hosts as aliens to them. But for you Tellion, it will be different. Far more personal, because you are a Yeerk. Joining this conflict will bring you to face your own kind. Are you sure that's something that you're prepared to endure?"
"I would do anything to save this world." Tellion told Erek with complete conviction in her voice. "I will do whatever I must to protect the people I care about, even if it means fighting against my own kind."
Erek said nothing for a short time. He didn't display any of his false emotion either. He just stood there in silence. When he finally looked at her, there was something displayed in his holographic face that Tellion had never seen before.
"Tellion, I hope for both your sake and everyone else's, that you fully understand what it is that you're trying to propel yourself into. You've never taken a life before…"
"People, Yeerk and non-Yeerk alike, have already died because of my actions…" Tellion attempted to counter what Erek was saying.
"It's not the same!" he shouted, for the first time displaying any kind of emotion that Tellion had truly seen in the artificial being. Tellion would never know if was a very well scripted and learned response from having lived countless lifetimes among humans, or if the emotions he was projecting were in fact something that Erek genuinely felt.
"You don't know…the horror it is to not think, but KNOW, that you personally are responsible for ending another's life. Not through your peripheral action or inaction, but through your direct action causing the end of that being's existence! I've seen, and done, things…you can only fathom in your worst nightmares..."
Erek sounded, weary, his voice drained. He turned his face away from her as he let free something that he had clearly been holding in for what seemed a long time.
"You think that you're ready to face something like that, but you don't know the complete and total horror of what that truly means until you stand over the broken bodies of your enemies, feeling the wetness of their blood dripping from your fingertips, and watching on as the very light of life fades from their eyes…and knowing the whole time, that it was YOU that made that happen…"
Tellion had no words for him. She had thought, with the Chee being completely non-violent…
Erek made a sobbing sound, and tears began to roll down his face. They weren't physically real, Tellion knew and understood that as much, but they were if nothing else a physical manifestation of how Erek was feeling. Tellion supposed, in an odd way, it made the tears just as real as the one she had shed so many times before. And in that moment, Tellion finally understood.
Erek, a member of the non-violent Chee, had killed. The things he was describing to Tellion, were actions that he had done himself. She didn't know how such a thing was possible, but…
"Erek…" Tellion whispered. "How could you…the Chee are supposed to be non-violent…"
Erek's face remained fixated upon the spot that his eyes had focused on.
"I can still see their terrified faces. I can still hear their dying screams…like it just happened. Those, moments, will be etched into my memory banks forever. I'll carry them until the last moment my mental functions cease. I will never be able to forget those horrific moments."
As if sensing her realization of his actions, Erek turned his head and stared directly at Tellion. The tears were gone, but pain was still clearly visible on his childish face.
"Tellion, don't be so quick to take a path that you can never come back from until you fully understand what it will cost you." Erek warned her.
"I do." Tellion told Erek, although she wasn't sure herself if she truly understood or believed that claim.
"Just try to stay out of the conflict until I can assess how the resistance would deal with a Yeerk like you. I'll try to test their feelings about this so called Peace Movement as well. I'll let you know what I find out as soon as I can." Erek said, quickly shifting his attention away from the horrific things he was trying to warn Tellion about.
With those parting words, Erek left. And Tellion was alone again, with her fate in the hands of another. She hated to have let Erek leave the way he did. She wanted to help him, to comfort the android somehow. But what was there that she could do? Tellion didn't even know if physical comfort was something that he was capable of feeling. And more to her worrying about Erek, did he really feel things the way she and other organics did?
If the outer projection of his false self were any indication of his inner mechanical self, then the ageless android pretending to be an adolescent boy was showing some kind of remorse for his actions. That had to mean that he did indeed feel something. And Tellion hadn't offered him a comforting hand when he had been in so desperate need of a friend.
She didn't know if dealing with his inner torments were going to be a liability to her, but Tellion hoped that Erek could cope with them effectively enough until she got a chance to talk to him again. Hopefully before he needed to contact the Andalites once more.
Strangely, Tellion didn't feel worried for her safety when thinking of that. She knew that she could trust Erek and the Chee with her secrets, even her very life. But could she be able to trust the Andalites in the same way if they were ever to discover her? Erek had warned her about the vicious Andalite female. But he had also told her of the other Andlite female, the one that was unnaturally kind and gentle, so much so that she reminded him of Tellion herself. And with the other Andalites, was it possible that they would accept her if Tellion could show them that she was as loving of and desiring to protect this world as they were?
So many confusing questions. Always so many confusing questions. And always so very few answers to accompany them.
Sighing heavily, Tellion took the pen like communication device into the basement with her as she took her routine Kandrona feeding. She didn't worry about being caught by Mark. Although he had spoken to her on the phone that the boy he was caring for had been transferred to a hospital into their home city, he still had a great many patients he needed to attend to and would be staying at the hospital all night.
Still, it was no excuse for Tellion to drop her guard. She put in place her many safeguards before assembling the Yeerk pool, Kandrona Ray generator, and the ventilator. Tellion checked the clock before climbing in. It was getting close to the evening hours. It would likely be nightfall by the time she had finished her necessary feeding for Kandrona Rays. Mark would undoubtedly call her around dinner time to check in on her, and she needed to be ready for the call. With her evening planned, Tellion switched on the ventilator and slid into the tank full of Yeerk Pool liquid. Once nestled inside, she left Susan's body like she had done so many times before and swam about in her own personal Yeerk Pool.
A long time passed. Time in which she had nothing to do but think. Think about her two sisters, the Yeerk Peace Movement, the Andalites, the Visser's plans, the twisted boy that now carried a power he never should have been given, and Erek.
She thought of his words, his warnings to her about wanting to the join the fight, and the potential cost she would have to pay to do so. Tellion thought back all the lives that she had seen perish in her short, but very harsh life. The scanner technician feed by Visser Three to voracious Taxxons, Callisum's body being smashed like a bug by Sammier, her final moments with a terrified and remorseful Temrash, the dying Yeerk and his struggling host that been killed to keep the invasion a secret at the movie theatre, those final breaths she shared with Susan as she died, and her actions in helping to let the Hork-Bajir couple escape the Yeerk Pool which had led to a great many deaths.
No, Erek was wrong. Tellion was no stranger to death. And as she swam back into Susan's body, she had determined to herself that being a part of this fight now was not only something that she knew that she truly had to do to keep those she cared about safe, but something that she was also ready to face.
When she had finally felt nourished enough from Kandrona saturation, Tellion returned to Susan once again. Tellion immediately went about covering up the traces of her true existence. After the last of the components had been put away, Tellion was ascending the stairs of the basement when she inspected the small communication device Erek had given her.
It felt warm to the touch. Something that it hadn't done before when she had held it. If it was doing something like this, then it must mean…
Erek was trying to contact her!
Just as she realized this, the house phone rang. The metallic chime caught Tellion off guard and she jumped. Torn between the two attempts to contact her, Tellion reluctantly placed the Chee communicator aside and answered the phone.
It was Mark.
He said that he was just calling to wish her a good night, and that hopefully he would be able to resume regular work hours now that his primary patient had been transferred out. Tellion listened to him speaking to her, but her mind had drifted away as she thought about what it was that Erek was trying to contact her about. Her anxiety only mounted as she waited for Mark to finish their conversation and she tried her best to hide it from him when she spoke back to him. Thankfully, he didn't seem to detect that anything was wrong, and after many very long minutes, he wished her a good night and that he loved her.
"I love you too Mark." Tellion said to him. "I'll see you tomorrow."
The moment she hung the phone up, Tellion rushed over to the Chee communicator and activated it the way Erek had shown her. She held it close to her face as she waited for it to do…something.
"Tellion?" chirped Erek's familiar voice from one end of the device.
"It's me." Tellion said.
"Tellion…" Erek said. "I…we need your help."
Her curiosity was completely spiked upon hearing this. They needed her help, already? Something must be very wrong.
"What is it Erek?"
"That boy, the one you warned me about…you were right. He…he tried to betray the resistance! I just finished speaking to the Andalite contact I have with the group. He told me that the boy, David is his name, was tempted by Visser Three when they were on their mission at the Marriott. The Visser offered him his parent's freedom in return for the morphing cube. He…David, claims that he only pretended to switch sides to get close enough to Visser Three to attack him, but my contact tells me that none of them believe him. They only barely managed to escape with their lives. David's back at one of their safe houses right now, but they can't trust him."
"No…" Tellion whispered, feeling that her worst fear of this situation had come to pass. Her desire to help instantly overrode that fear. "What do you need me to do?"
"You've been to his home, you know where it is." Erek explained. "I need you to go there and keep an eye out. That's where Visser Three said for David to meet his forces to exchange his parent's freedom."
"He can't be that naïve!" Tellion shouted. "How could he possibly believe that the Visser could be trusted?"
"He's lost everything, Tellion." Erek said. "His entire life has been destroyed just a few days ago. He's just a child Tellion, his mind isn't prepared to handle this level of mental and emotional trauma. He's likely desperate to get that life back. He won't be thinking rationally. My Andalite contact wanted us Chee to monitor all local Imperial channels and our various contacts to see what the Visser has planned concerning him. But we don't have the time to figure that out. Tellion, I need you to go to his home, bring the communication device with you, and let us know if David attempts to make contact with Imperial forces. The resistance is currently recovering from the mission, and they are at their most vulnerable right now. I need you to be our eyes and ears to warn them so that David doesn't cause the entire collapse of the resistance."
"I'm going right now!" Tellion said, running up the stairs. "If he tries to meet with the Visser, I'll stop him!"
"No, Tellion!" Erek cried out from the other side of the comm device. "That's not what I meant! You…"
She shut it off and tucked it under a pile of dirty clothes in the closet. Tellion didn't give another thought to what she was about to do as she drew upon her Swallow Tailed Kite morph. She had transformed into the smaller predatory bird before her mind fully grasped that it had happened. There was no hesitation as she propelled herself out the open window and into the dark sky.
David. Tellion thought, finally knowing the name of the boy that fate had brought into her life. We're both victims of circumstances. Our powers came about by forces beyond our control. I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. But I can't let you help to destroy this world. No matter what I have to do, I'll stop you David.
Hearing her own proclamation, and her belief in that, Tellion flew through the surprisingly calm night sky towards David's old home. The peaceful, and surprisingly gentle night air should have felt comforting to her. But all it brought to Tellion was an ominous sense of a façade for what was coming. She didn't know really anything about what was happening. All she knew was that David was now a threat to everything that she cared for in this world, and she needed to do what she could to help stop him.
It was a relatively short flight to get over David's old house. There was still the visible damage from the battle a few days ago, although it felt like a year to Tellion. Of course, there were no signs of life inside. With both of David's parents now infested, their respective Yeerks would have no need to put up the illusion of a normal existence. As she circled high overhead, Tellion noticed that the rest of the street was surprisingly without any kind of life. Light illuminated from the interiors of the surrounding homes, but none of the street lights were on. It was as if the entire block had lost all its very life. Tellion feared that many of the people living on the street around David's home had been subsequently infested in the days after the battle with the Andalites to keep the Yeerk invasion hidden. As if to solidify her fear, Tellion spotted a very large moving truck, identical to the one that the Yeerk forces had used earlier, parked across the street from David's house. Another vehicle was parked right behind it, a large van. Tellion heavily suspected that the van had advanced sensory equipment inside it, and the truck a number of Hork-Bajir shock troopers waiting for the command to strike.
Not knowing what kind of surveillance equipment the controllers below had, Tellion didn't dare to risk a landing. She circled overhead many times, losing track of time as she kept her attention divided between watching the controllers and keeping an eye out for David if he dared to come.
As Tellion came about for the countless time in her observation of the situation, her sharp peripheral vision caught a flurry of action just below her near David's house. Tellion adjusted her tail feathers and banked her flight pattern sharply to intercept. But Tellion could see that she was already too late to stop what her eyes caught.
Tellion spotted the familiar massive predatory bird morph that David had chosen diving down out of the surrounding blackness to pounce on a smaller bird of prey. The attack happened so fast that she had no time to react as the pair plummeted into the damaged and vacant house. Tellion immediately veered herself towards the house, but her worst fears were realized as she watched helplessly from afar as David tore into what Tellion could only fear was one of the Andalites.
Not so tough now, are you, Bird boy? David's sinister mental voice echoed out through the surrounding vacant space as his talons tore into the vulnerable back of the smaller bird. As Tellion started to place herself into a position to dive attack David, his powerful beak clamped down on the back of the thrashing bird's neck and thrashed violently back and forth. The smaller bird gave one final, desperate cry of pain, then its body shuddered one last time before losing all movement.
David released his grip and hopped upon his ruined bed. His large predator head looked down at the mangled heap he had just butchered. That's what I thought, you're nothing without all your little pals around save your feathery ass. Especially that psycho girlfriend of yours…bitch dared to call me a coward! Well who's a coward now? You didn't even put up a fight, I really expected more out of YOU.
He killed him.
David had just killed one of the Andalites. Tellion was left mentally stunned by this revelation. Her shock instantly morphed into a seething anger at what the diabolical boy had just done.
David, you…you monster, Tellion thought to herself, I'll…I'll kill you for this!
It was only after that initial surge of anger passed over her, and she was drawing herself into the perfect position for a dive attack against David, that Tellion's rational part of her mind reasserted control. She wanted to immediately dive down and strike David while his back and attention were turned away from her. Then she took a moment to assess her situation. Her Kite morph was indeed more powerful than her crow morph, but she didn't have a chance against David's far larger predatory bird morph. Her Kite morph was built for maneuverability, to prey upon bugs and tiny rodents. Even if by dumb luck, she managed to score a direct hit on David with his back turned, her puny little talons would not be enough for a single strike kill. And after the initial shock of the attack wore off, David would quickly gain the upper hand. Then who would be left to warn the other Andalites of David's treachery and his murdering of one of their comrades?
As much as she hated it, Tellion silently swooped down into the top branches of a nearby tree that overlooked David's room. She would stay where she was, and wait for a far more ideal time to attack him. Perched up there on the branch, she watched David hop about his bed until he had grasped a small remote control device. He pecked the buttons with his beak, then casually perched himself on the wooden edge of his bed while the knocked over television on his desk came to life. Observing him from afar, Tellion felt her inner self twist with despair upon the realization that her deepest fears about David had been right. He was just as twisted as the vilest Yeerk she had ever encountered. His casual indifference to the act of brutal murder he had just perpetuated only served to solidify Tellion's worries.
She was so lost in her thoughts that Tellion never saw the other bird of prey approaching until it swooped down out of the sky and landed in the hollowed out room next to the broken and battered from lying upon the floor. Tellion also spotted another bird of prey land in the backyard and immediately began to morph into what was soon obviously and Andalite.
Tellion could hear the faint echoes of a telepathic conversation between David and the Andalite that had flown in to confront him. She had to warn him, she had to save him before David killed him too. As Tellion ruffled her feathers, preparing for flight, her sharp eyes spotted movement from across the street. The back door to the moving truck had lifted, and no less than five extremely tough looking Hork-Bajir soldiers spilled out and silently rushed the house in the darkness.
Oh no.
Tellion instantly took flight, flapping her wings frantically to gain enough altitude to strike at either David or the Hork-Bajir. Within just a few seconds of her ascent, the Hork-Bajir broke into the home for the second time within a week. Out in the backyard, the Andalite had finished demorphing and was cautiously approaching the back of the house with his tailblade at the ready. He hadn't covered half the distance of the yard before the Hork-Bajir troops charged into the room that David and the Andalite were in. David flew up through the gaping hole in the house, the smaller morphed Andalite spun through a hollowed out window on the adjacent side of the room as the Hork-Bajir leapt at the pair.
If the Visser had promised anything to David earlier concerning the boy's parents, it was clear to even Tellion now that her former commander clearly had no intention of honoring his half of the supposed deal.
The smaller bird morphed Andalite crashed into the grass, and was promptly scooped up by his comrade as the pair made a hasty retreat. This was now Tellion's moment. She had the height advantage, and total surprise on her side.
Attack David as he tried to fly away, she had a clear shot at his exposed back. The blow would likely send him crashing into the ground, leaving him to the fate of either the Andalites or the Yeerk forces.
Or…
The Andalites were cornered. Even though she didn't doubt their skills in battle, Tellion held her doubts that just one of them could fight off five Hork-Bajir on their own. The fight would be vicious, and it would be over very quickly. Then the five remaining Andalite warriors would be down to three, and there would be little to no hope left for this world.
Tellion hated her position, but she made what she felt was the right choice. As the Andalite leapt over the fence for a second time to escape, Tellion dived at the advancing Hork-Bajir troops. Their attention was solely focused on the retreating Andalites that none of them spotted her until she raked her small talons across the face of the lead Hork-Bajir soldier. He cried out in shock and pain, reeling back as he clutched at his face. The unexpected attack halted the advance of the remaining Yeerk troops. The shock only lasted an instant, then they recovered their senses and threw themselves at Tellion. She flapped her wings frantically, twisting and turning her agile avian body in between their massive bodies as they lunged about trying to grasp her. Tellion was terrified of being caught by them and either killed or dragged away for supposed infestation, but in the moment, her determination to aid the resistance mixed with her morph's instincts and she continued to dart and dive about among the confused Yeerk shock troopers. She needed to give the two Andalites time to escape.
Though she didn't have her universal translator, Tellion knew just enough of the native Hork-Bajir language to hear 'Andalite' and 'get'. Good, as long as they were focused on her, that gave the other two Andlites time to get away. After an intense minute of frantic darting and diving about the backyard, just barely dodging grasping clawed hands and slashing razor sharp arm blades, Tellion knew that her luck was being pushed to the brink and she broke away. She skimmed low over the top of the fence, keeping low as the shouts and screams of the Hork-Bajir faded behind her. She didn't know if any of them were carrying Dracon Beams, but decided that she had already pushed her luck enough for one night. After skimming through several back yards, Tellion rapidly fought to gain altitude to find David. After what he didn't she wasn't going to let him get away, not now.
As she climbed into the night sky, Tellion heard a desperate telepathic call from just a little ways away from and below her.
…get Rachel!
Tellion shook her small bird head. Had she heard right? Did one of the Andalites say the name Rachel? But that couldn't be right. Andalites didn't have names like that. At least, that's what Tellion thought. Maybe it was actually Roochalll or Raakaelll. But the name clearly appeared to her to sound female. Then it struck Tellion.
The female Andalite.
The ruthless and brutal one Erek had warned her about. As she watched the first Andalite she had seen go to engage David flying off in one direction, and now a different bird of prey flying off in another, Tellion could only draw one single, horrific conclusion. The Andalites, at least one of them, was going to get their female member that Erek had told Tellion off. The one that they both knew without question would brutally slaughter David the same way he had done to one of their own members.
Tellion felt conflicted at that idea. She had assured herself that she would be willing to kill another, maybe even David if it was needed, in the heat of a battle. But seeking out an individual target, hunting them down, and mercilessly slaughtering them…
None of that felt right to Tellion, not even for one as twisted as David. Killing in battle was one thing, assassination and outright murder was something entirely different.
As she pondered this, Tellion spotted the trajectory of the first Andalite as he rose into the sky. She followed his path, and felt her mind steel itself when she spotted David not too far ahead of them. Tellion flapped her wings harder to keep up with the two. She didn't know what she was capable of doing, but she was not going to let the Andalite warrior face David alone. She hoped that he hadn't yet acquired a battle worthy morph, but if he did, the Andalite warrior was going to need the aid of Tellion's Jaguar morph. In a one-on-one fight, David was clearly a deadly opponent. But, perhaps together, the two of them could prevail over him with little threat to either of them. Revealing herself to the Andalites was a risk, and she knew it, but they had just lost one of their own to this sadistic boy. If maybe, she could help them to defeat David, then perhaps she could help to fill the void that this evil human child had just made in their ranks.
As David fled, and the Andalite warrior gave chase, Tellion followed after the two. No matter what Erek warned her about, Tellion was determined to aid these noble warriors in any way that she could in stopping David. Her current form was built for neither speed nor power, but she would do what she could to help them.
Then, as if fate itself had intervened to thwart her, Tellion felt the first faint tremor run through her entire avian body. She knew instantly what that meant.
No! Tellion cried even as a second tremor, now one that brought a slight pain, stretched all throughout her feathery frame. My time…it can't be up. No! Not…not yet!
She didn't know how, but almost two hours had passed since she had first morphed and had come to David's house seeking to stop him. She wanted to…she needed to, keep up with the Andalite that was giving pursuit against David, but even as flapped her wings harder to keep up with them, Tellion felt another painful tremor rush through her small bird body, this time it encompassed all of her muscles, causing her to spasm and temporarily lose her ability to fly. She regained her pace, but the aching in her body remained, and it was getting worse.
Please, Tellion begged, to something, anything that might be listening in the silent night sky around her, all I need…all I'm asking for, is just a little more time. Please…
If anything had heard her cries, it didn't care to answer, for yet another jolt of agony shot through her, this time piercing down into the interior of her bones. As she desperately fought to keep herself aloft, Tellion looked at the two individuals ahead of her. They were heading to the large mall in the closing horizon. Her gaze specifically focused on the pursuing Andalite.
Just hold on, young warrior. Tellion shot her telepathic call out to him, even though she knew that he was too far away to hear her. Hold on.
Her time was almost up. And the pain of that time limit was becoming impossible to fight against. She would soon either be stuck in her Kite morph forever, or the pain would be too much to endure, and she would be sent her hurtling to her death.
Tellion spotted a small, wooded area to land and demorph. She was already shifting back into her human form before her talons touched the cold ground. In a very short space of time, Tellion was back in her Susan body again. Although it felt like she was able to complete the change in just a few minutes, those were minutes that she couldn't afford to waste. Even as she quickly began shifting back into her Kite form, Tellion felt the growing sense of dread at the idea of that young Andalite warrior facing off against David alone. She needed to catch up with them. That warrior needed her help, no matter what that help would be.
Once she was back in her Kite morph, Tellion took to the sky and went searching for the pair. She hadn't seen where they had gone. They had been heading to the mall, but if that's where they would land, Tellion had no way of knowing. She didn't know if her guess was right, but Tellion had nothing left to go on. She had to try. And she needed to do it quickly.
Gaining much needed altitude, Tellion soon got her sense of the layout of the terrain around her. She knew exactly where she was, and where she was going. Tellion pushed her small bird body on as fast as she could to catch up to the pair.
Before long, the faint outline of the mall in the dark distance rapidly swelled in size as she drew closer. Tellion caught a temporary thermal draft that propelled her up higher. Once she had gained a much higher altitude, Tellion pushed herself to an orbital position above the mall. She didn't know exactly what she was looking for, or if she could even see anything.
But just as she was about to give up her hope of seeing where the traitor David and the Andalite had gone, she spotted them. Up upon the top of the mall. A pair of large combatants facing off. One the familiar large stripped cat that Tellion had become accustomed to knowing about. The other, a massive lion, eerily resembling the beast she had seen earlier known as Simba at The Gardens. They had already been engaged in battle, as evident of the various slashes and bite marks across each opponent's body. Now they were facing each other down, each waiting for the other to strike first. If they were speaking to each other, Tellion couldn't hear them. Then the pair launched themselves at each other once more. High above, all Tellion could do was orbit above them as the two tore into each other with teeth and claws. Flesh shredded and blood spilt, as each beast savagely ripped the other apart. And as Tellion started her decent towards them, looking for a safe place to land so that she could demorph then transform into Tezcatlipoca, and give the Andalite desperately needed aid, she saw the two large cats slam into each other over a feeble glass surface, and felt her heart lose its tiny beat when the glass gave way and the two plunged into the darkness below. But not before Tellion watched on as a helpless observer as the lion, who she was sure was David's battle morph, sunk his massive teeth into the exposed throat of his tiger opponent. And her spirit deflated in despair as the tiger roared out in a gurgling agony as a semi-fountain of crimson red spewed from his gaping neck wound.