Action and Adventure!
While Tobias was taking me to Cassie's barn, we had a long talk. He told me everything about the others, and all the adventures and battles they had been in. He even told me that they had a special name. ANIMORPHS. I thought it was really neat.
We talked about David.
David was the kid who joined the Animorphs, and turned evil. He tried to kill the other
Animorphs, and almost succeeded. Now he is a rat. He was trapped in morph for two hours. The other Animorphs forced him to be trapped.
That scared me.
Could they do that to me?
Would they?
I reached the barn, and acquired the owl. Tobias and I went back outside and I morphed the owl.
First, my eyes changed. I could see more clearly, and darkness didn't bother me. Then my feet became talons. I shrunk and shrunk while my arms turned into wings. My nose and mouth squished together to become a beak. I was an owl.
Then the instinct kicked in.
I was hungry. And I had the ability to kill anything.
I turned. I wanted prey. Prey to kill. To eat.
A bird! It had talons and a sharp beak, but it would not defeat me. It would be my dinner.
Ok, Jackie, you might have a little trouble with the instinct at first, but try to assert yourself
I hissed. I lunged into the air, then dove quickly and raked my claws forward to kill Tobias.
Tobias?
No!
I pulled up just in time, my talons just inches away from Tobias.
What was that?
Sorry, I lost control for a second. Sorry.
It's alright. But from now on, someone else is staying with you when you acquire new morphs.
Hey, I said I was sorry.
Oh. I didn't mean it like that. I meant that two people at once should stay with you.
Oh.
We flew back to the Center. Ax and Tobias stayed with me. We sat in the woods, so Ax could be his own Andalite self.
"Ax, since both my parents were Andalites, does that make me an Andalite?"
Ax thought a moment.
Yes. You could be accepted by the Andalite people, able to take part in all our customs and ceremonies. But I doubt any Andalite would truly accept you.
"Oh. Ax?"
Yes?
"Do you know any good Andalite girl's names?"
Why, Jackie? Why do you need an Andalite name any more than I need one because I'm half Andalite? Tobias looked at me with the cold stare of a bird of prey.
"Tobias, it's just, my Dad would have wanted me to be a True Andalite. Jacqueline just doesn't represent that. You probably wouldn't understand, but… There's something different about me. I don't know what it is, but I need an Andalite name."
Oh. Makes perfect sense. Tobias thought sarcastically, but not meanly.
Well, Jacqueline, Andalites have three names. I am Aximili Esgarouth Isthill, my brother was Elfangor Sirinial Shamtul. We believe that names should be suited to what you are. When we name our children, we name them by what we want them to be. If you were an extraordinarily attractive Andalite, then your first name would probably be Haranestha. If you were unattractive, you first name might be Haran. The more syllables in your name, the higher in status you are about the quality your name stands for. Your middle name is your father's name if you're a male, your mother's if you're female. There are many exceptions to the rule, just because people want to name their children something else. The naming tradition is not very strict.
"So, what is your word for Unbendable?"
Well, it's a male's name.
"But what is it?"
Tureshna.
"And your word for alone?
Silligar
"Then I am Tureshna Silligar Esgarouth.
Ax smiled, with his eyes.
"What's so funny?"
Tureshna Silligar Matful was one of my good friends, back on the Andalite home world.
"Oh." Great. But I felt great inside.
I had an Andalite name!
My father would have been pleased, I thought.
I didn't realize I'd said that aloud until Ax said,
Yes, he would have.
When Jake and the rest arrived, I led the way to where the crash had happened. The trucks were still there, but they were empty of boxes. We dived down and demorphed, except for Tobias, who landed on Rachel's shoulder.
So, where is it, Jacqueline? Tobias asked.
"Yeah, Jackie, where is this machine of yours?" Marco asked suspiciously.
I looked around. This was where the Machine had been, but there was nothing around but woods. I looked down.
"But the tracks where they dragged it are here! They start about here," I followed the tracks down, "and they end right…"
Suddenly, I saw it. The Machine was right where it had been before! I turned around. There were the Animorphs, standing around and looking confused.
"Hey guys! It's right here!" I yelled.
They didn't react.
"Hey! Over here! It's right here, don't you see it!"
They didn't answer. They just started looking more confused.
What were they, blind?
I walked toward them. When I was about ten feet from the machine, Jake suddenly looked up.
"Jackie, what happened? And where's the Machine?" Jake looked mad.
"It's right behind me! See, it's right…"
I turned as I was talking. Nothing was there. The Machine was gone again.
While Tobias was taking me to Cassie's barn, we had a long talk. He told me everything about the others, and all the adventures and battles they had been in. He even told me that they had a special name. ANIMORPHS. I thought it was really neat.
We talked about David.
David was the kid who joined the Animorphs, and turned evil. He tried to kill the other
Animorphs, and almost succeeded. Now he is a rat. He was trapped in morph for two hours. The other Animorphs forced him to be trapped.
That scared me.
Could they do that to me?
Would they?
I reached the barn, and acquired the owl. Tobias and I went back outside and I morphed the owl.
First, my eyes changed. I could see more clearly, and darkness didn't bother me. Then my feet became talons. I shrunk and shrunk while my arms turned into wings. My nose and mouth squished together to become a beak. I was an owl.
Then the instinct kicked in.
I was hungry. And I had the ability to kill anything.
I turned. I wanted prey. Prey to kill. To eat.
A bird! It had talons and a sharp beak, but it would not defeat me. It would be my dinner.
Ok, Jackie, you might have a little trouble with the instinct at first, but try to assert yourself
I hissed. I lunged into the air, then dove quickly and raked my claws forward to kill Tobias.
Tobias?
No!
I pulled up just in time, my talons just inches away from Tobias.
What was that?
Sorry, I lost control for a second. Sorry.
It's alright. But from now on, someone else is staying with you when you acquire new morphs.
Hey, I said I was sorry.
Oh. I didn't mean it like that. I meant that two people at once should stay with you.
Oh.
We flew back to the Center. Ax and Tobias stayed with me. We sat in the woods, so Ax could be his own Andalite self.
"Ax, since both my parents were Andalites, does that make me an Andalite?"
Ax thought a moment.
Yes. You could be accepted by the Andalite people, able to take part in all our customs and ceremonies. But I doubt any Andalite would truly accept you.
"Oh. Ax?"
Yes?
"Do you know any good Andalite girl's names?"
Why, Jackie? Why do you need an Andalite name any more than I need one because I'm half Andalite? Tobias looked at me with the cold stare of a bird of prey.
"Tobias, it's just, my Dad would have wanted me to be a True Andalite. Jacqueline just doesn't represent that. You probably wouldn't understand, but… There's something different about me. I don't know what it is, but I need an Andalite name."
Oh. Makes perfect sense. Tobias thought sarcastically, but not meanly.
Well, Jacqueline, Andalites have three names. I am Aximili Esgarouth Isthill, my brother was Elfangor Sirinial Shamtul. We believe that names should be suited to what you are. When we name our children, we name them by what we want them to be. If you were an extraordinarily attractive Andalite, then your first name would probably be Haranestha. If you were unattractive, you first name might be Haran. The more syllables in your name, the higher in status you are about the quality your name stands for. Your middle name is your father's name if you're a male, your mother's if you're female. There are many exceptions to the rule, just because people want to name their children something else. The naming tradition is not very strict.
"So, what is your word for Unbendable?"
Well, it's a male's name.
"But what is it?"
Tureshna.
"And your word for alone?
Silligar
"Then I am Tureshna Silligar Esgarouth.
Ax smiled, with his eyes.
"What's so funny?"
Tureshna Silligar Matful was one of my good friends, back on the Andalite home world.
"Oh." Great. But I felt great inside.
I had an Andalite name!
My father would have been pleased, I thought.
I didn't realize I'd said that aloud until Ax said,
Yes, he would have.
When Jake and the rest arrived, I led the way to where the crash had happened. The trucks were still there, but they were empty of boxes. We dived down and demorphed, except for Tobias, who landed on Rachel's shoulder.
So, where is it, Jacqueline? Tobias asked.
"Yeah, Jackie, where is this machine of yours?" Marco asked suspiciously.
I looked around. This was where the Machine had been, but there was nothing around but woods. I looked down.
"But the tracks where they dragged it are here! They start about here," I followed the tracks down, "and they end right…"
Suddenly, I saw it. The Machine was right where it had been before! I turned around. There were the Animorphs, standing around and looking confused.
"Hey guys! It's right here!" I yelled.
They didn't react.
"Hey! Over here! It's right here, don't you see it!"
They didn't answer. They just started looking more confused.
What were they, blind?
I walked toward them. When I was about ten feet from the machine, Jake suddenly looked up.
"Jackie, what happened? And where's the Machine?" Jake looked mad.
"It's right behind me! See, it's right…"
I turned as I was talking. Nothing was there. The Machine was gone again.