The Approaching
(Author's note; Follows the series I've been writing. this is part nine, part eight is called "Visser One Again"...)
Jordan finished talking to the Hork-Bajir seer, Jal Omek, and walked away, thoughtful. More reports of Yeerks coming close. Too many, coming with less and less time between.
They would have to move again, soon. Her mind was already going through possible hide-outs. Immediately dropping most of them. Useless; they had hid there before. No; it was too well guarded. Certainly not; too close. Never; drinkable water wasn't found near enough.
They were getting trapped again. Jordan knew very well that one of the main reasons the war had been lost was that there had been no-where left to hide. And now she found herself facing the same problem.
Where to hide? Where would they be safe?
Nowhere.
She was running low on time. She wanted her army to grow; she wanted to have a large enough army to win ground… win land where they could at least be safe. Where they could live openly, not hidden. But her army was pathetic; puny, weak, and both badly trained and badly equipped.
The Hork-Bajir couldn't use wooden pikes or lances as they had done in Jake's time; there weren't enough trees. And you couldn't make pikes of rock or dust. The humans who weren't morphables would be completely defenseless if there was an attack. The two Andalites were weapons themselves. So were then Hork-Bajir, but she would have preferred to have them all equipped with dracon beams, maybe even bug fighters.
The camp of hundreds had a few dozen stolen dracon beams. Not near enough. And half of those they had went out to the lookouts.
Attacks to steal more were risky; attacks to save more people were close to impossible. Trying often lost her more troops then she gained.
Jordan sighed and stretched down automatically to scratch the large dog behind his ears. He lolled his tongue out, wagged his tail, and squirmed on the spot.
"At least one of us is happy," she said.
The dog barked loudly and took off to play with his friends. She couldn't help smiling.
Tobias closed his fist harder around the morphing cube. No Yeerk would ever get it. Never.
"No," he said.
Visser One's tail flew forwards. Tobias had been expecting it, and took a quick step back just in time to alter the attack (that would have split his head) to a slash across his chest.
But it still made him stumble away, clenching his teeth together as hard as he could to avoid screaming. He was holding the morphing cube tighter then ever before.
Give it to me! Visser One raged. His tail twitched. Tobias could hear a loud swoosh as it began…
No. Not from Visser One's tail. It came from behind him… flew over him…
A flash of yellow. Visser One cried out and Tobias lifted his face to see why.
Get into the camo-bug! Rachel yelled.
Rachel, a cheetah, had leaped at the Visser, and was now using all the speed and agility she could muster to keep him away - and to keep his tail away.
Tobias turned, grabbed the bottom edge of the doorway on the camo-bug - which was hovering two meters above the ground - and lifted himself in.
"We've got the cube?" the Chee called Theresa asked, standing at the controls.
"Yeah," Tobias said. "We've got the cube." Then he dropped the escafil device and threw himself after Rachel's dracon that was lying in a corner.
He grabbed it, turned, and leaned out the doorway. Hork-Bajir were advancing quickly from one direction. Rachel was keeping the Visser in check in the other direction.
If the Hork-Bajir came too soon, Rachel would be doomed. One cheetah against a dozen Hork-Bajir and Visser One? Not happening.
"Xena! Camo-bug! Now!" Tobias roared. And he aimed the dracon and fired at the Hork-Bajir.
Rachel leaped into the camo-bug, snarling something about I should have killed him while I had the chance!. As it accelerated, Tobias almost fell out through the open doorway. He pulled himself back in and closed the door, sitting down with his back to it, panting.
Rachel started demorphing. She had a badly bleeding cut across her face, but otherwise the only blood on her was Andalite blood.
"We did it," said Tobias disbelievingly. "We actually did it."
Rachel pawed at the escafil device, lying on the floor. She smiled with a half-human mouth, showing a set of glistening cheetah teeth. Yeah. Barely.
Jake woke up from someone shaking him. He opened his eyes, and looked up.
"Sorry," Marco said. "But you don't want to miss this. Ax is free!"
"The Yeerk died?" Jake said, and yawned, stretching his arms lazily. It had been a while since he had slept well.
"Yeah, and about time."
"Where is he?"
"He's watching over Larynia for the moment," Marco added. At that name, his voice grew empty. "They're cousins, you know. And I bet he's a bit angry about what he did."
"It wasn't his fault," said Jake sensibly, standing up. "It was the Yeerk."
"Ax is an Andalite. Very self-reproachful."
Jake nodded. "Any news from the cube-group?"
"No," Marco sighed as they started walking. "Jordan has told the lookouts to keep an extra eye on the sky, so we'll know as soon as they get close."
"Good."
"Let's hope they succeed."
They kept walking until they reached the place where Larynia was lying. Ax stood next to her, his tail held low and his head bent. But his stalk-eyes swiveled back as soon as he heard them arriving.
Marco. Prince Jake.
"Don't call me Prince," Jake said, smiling. He rubbed his temple and sighed. "For the last time, Ax; DON'T call me Prince."
Yes, Prince Jake, Ax said, just as normally as he would have done six years earlier, before the defeat.
Jake and Marco walked up closer, Marco sitting down and lifting up Larynia's head onto his lap. Ax turned his stalk-eyes back downwards, towards the lying Andalite.
"You okay?" Jake asked, peering at the Andalite. Ax had had a dead look in his eyes, just for a moment.
Yes, replied Ax. I will be.
"Sara! Sara! Commander Jordan!" someone cried. "They're coming! They're coming!"
Sara lifted her head first. She heard the voice, and flew to her feet, Jordan closely following.
"Who?" Sara asked.
"The camo-bug!"
"Where?" Jordan demanded.
The young girl who had been shouting stopped and pointed eagerly towards the hills. Jordan remembered something vague about her name being Joy. "There, commander!" she said. "They're coming!"
"Alert the camp and tell Jake," Sara instructed before Jordan had a chance. "He'll inform the others."
Joy nodded and sprinted off again. She was a fast runner.
"Do you think they succeeded?" Jordan asked.
"They got the cube," Sara assured her. "I don't think they would have returned without it."
"Maybe so," Jordan said. "Maybe so. Then again, maybe not." She was silent as they began walking. But then she asked the question that she knew needed an answer. "Sara, where are we going to hide next?"
Sara shook her head. "I think we need to move north," she said. "Far north. There's no other place to go."
Jordan nodded once, doubtingly. There was a valley further north… much further north. Her scouts had told her about it. It was far away from any Yeerk base, but as much as that was an advantage, it was a disadvantage for anyone who wanted to sneak into the base and free a few hosts.
And water would be hard to reach; they'd need to travel far to find it. The Yeerks had deliberately removed several rivers and streams just to make it harder for the resistance to hide. The result was that the land was dry and barren as well, but the Yeerks didn't care about that.
"Maybe north isn't good," Sara said suddenly, frowning. "One of the newly freed Hork-Bajir had heard something about plans for a new Kandrona up there."
"That makes it impossible," Jordan agreed simply.
She knew she had to find a new place to hide. She knew she had to do it fast. Further reports of Yeerks coming close to the camp were raining in.
Tobias allowed Theresa to steer the camo-bug back to the resistance's camp. He was too tired himself, too high on nerves. They had found the escafil device. They had escaped - narrowly - from Visser One. And they were almost back at camp.
If he'd known how to, he'd have danced with happiness.
"Here we are," Theresa said finally as they flew through the shielding hologram and saw the camp stretch out before them.
Free humans and Hork-Bajir were gathered tightly on the ground, watching them. Kept watching as the camo-bug landed. Watched as Rachel opened the door and cheered as she stepped out.
Tobias was next. He held the morphing cube tightly clenched in both hands, but as he jumped out of the camo-bug, he raised it high above his head for everyone to see.
The crowd roared. Hork-Bajir and humans alike shouted and whistled.
Theresa stepped out and walked silently away to wherever the other Chee were. She was wearing a tired smile.
Tobias saw Jordan, Sara, Jake and Marco pushing through the crowd, accompanied by Ax. Tobias was glad to see Ax free, and put together with the happiness of finally having the morphing cube, the newly started day seemed perfect.
Marco didn't allow any time for celebrating, though. He took the cube and gave Jake a short look which said exactly what he wanted done.
Jake nodded. "Come on," he told Tobias and Rachel. "We don't have much time."
They pushed through the crowd, which slowly separated and went back to their duties, on strict orders from Jordan and Sara and the entire group of lieutenants. They hurried towards where Larynia lay.
Jordan barked an order over the crowd to a Chee who looked like an old woman, who nodded and followed them
"This is Penny," Jordan said. "She's a doctor. She might be able to help."
Marco glanced at the Chee, not wanting any delays. "We've got the morphing cube," he said. "All we need is someone near for her to acquire and morph."
"And how do you plan to wake her up?" Penny said. "She's unconscious most of the time, from what I've heard. An unconscious person - human or Andalite - will have a hard time acquiring anything."
Marco agreed, on hearing that, and the group continued.
Jake took the escafil device from Marco and grabbed his shoulder. "You should go somewhere else," he said.
Marco looked surprised. "But… I… Larynia… I don't…"
"Go," Jake said. "We'll handle this. You might interfere, you might ruin things… being to eager."
Marco complained, but Tobias agreed with Jake. And Rachel agreed with both of them. She hugged Marco, and said softly; "We'll take care of Larynia. Don't you trust us?"
Marco gave up and walked away, most reluctantly.
About half an hour later, nearing noon, Marco was still sitting where he had sat down to wait, with his back towards where the others had gone. And about that time, he felt something cold against his cheek.
He pulled his head away to see a tail-blade. An Andalite tail-blade.
Marco flew up, spun around, and laughed as he saw Larynia.
He threw both arms around her and hugged her tight.
Ehm, Marco?! Larynia said. Watch it! Not that tight! Andalite arms, remember? You'll crush my arms.
Marco hurriedly let go, took her head gently in his hands, and leaned his forehead against hers. "I thought you were dying."
I was dying, she said, placing her hands on his cheeks, smiling with her eyes. But now I'm better.
"Who did you morph?"
I preformed what Ax calls a Frolis Maneuver… mixed different DNA to a single morph. I've got my own human morph, now. Her blade swooped playfully through the air as she pulled away, rearing up on her hind legs and laughed. And I've got my tail back.
Joy had been born during the beginning of the first war, and when the defeat came she'd been six years old and very traumatized to find herself a slave to the Yeerk in her head. Two years after that, she was rescued by her older cousins and joined the resistance and refugee camp. She worked, as all the refugees, mostly with collecting food. But that night, just after sundown, she was the northwestern lookout.
Joy, now almost thirteen but very small for her age, felt very important where she sat hidden, gazing intently at the sky. She knew how important it was too keep watch, even on the north side of camp. If the Yeerks found the camp, they would all be killed - or caught.
Joy wouldn't want to be caught. She still remembered the horror of being a host. She had been a child, but some things are very hard to forget.
Actually, Joy's friend Gar Tepak was supposed to sit there with her. Lookouts were always in pairs. But Gar had been ill very suddenly, and they had agreed that it was best for him to return to camp and send someone else. She was waiting for that person now, hoping it wasn't Gar's brother, who was obsessed with having become a warrior. He wouldn't keep quiet about it, and the lookout needed to be quiet. Joy thought that a warrior should know that.
She shivered. The wind was cold, and she didn't have a good enough jacket to keep warm properly. She didn't complain; she was lucky to have a jacket at all. And she was used to the cold. She was mostly annoyed by her cold fingers. The thorny bushes around her barely left room enough to rub her hands, but she did her best. And at the same time checked that she still had the stolen dracon she had been given strapped to her leg.
She didn't dare move more then that. Someone might spot her. She would stay hidden in the thorny bushes, as she'd been told. As she knew she had to.
Being a lookout was important work. But cold. She shivered again.
She kept her eyes on the sky, looking for any signs of coming Yeerks. Maybe that's why she missed it. As she looked at the sky, shivering from the icy wind and afraid to move should she be spotted, she almost forgot to look down from her cliff. Everyone expected the Yeerks to come by air. Especially if they came from the north; the nearest Yeerk settlement to the north was several weeks' journey away. And the terrain was impossible.
But finally she remembered. She crept up, careful not to rip her clothes or face on the thorns. She glanced over the edge of the cliff. At first she saw nothing. But as her eyes grew used to the dark (she had been looking up at a full moon) she saw a slight movement.
She made out the shape of a Hork-Bajir. Only one. Joy was relieved at first; a lone Hork-Bajir might mean one belonging to the camp. As she saw the second Hork-Bajir, she still felt pretty secure. Two Hork-Bajir could be from the camp.
Then came the Taxxon. Joy felt as if the wind suddenly had frozen her to ice. There were no Taxxons in the camp; all Taxxons were voluntary hosts. Taxxons weren't freed, they were killed.
Joy noticed that she wasn't breathing. She started again, her heart beating very fast and her eyes peering into the dark. She was afraid. She had been glad about being trusted to be lookout, but she hadn't expected she would see anything. She wished that Gar had been there. Then at least she wouldn't have been alone. And Gar wouldn't have been afraid. Gar was brave.
More then a dozen more Hork-Bajir emerged very quickly, followed closely by a large number of Taxxons. Joy knew now; this wasn't a troop which ran into camp by mistake. They were too many, too organized, coming straight towards her.
Joy started creeping backwards, quickly. She needed to get to camp. She needed to warn camp. It was all up to her. Joy felt that this was a little too much responsibility. She could have managed with less.
But as soon as she had pulled herself far enough back, she dared up on her legs and began running. She ran barefoot, but her feet were used to the terrain and it didn't bother her. She wasn't bothered by the uneven, sharp rocks either. She knew the land well, and even in the dark she found no problems running through it.
Only one thought existed; get to camp. Get to camp! Get to camp, quickly!
Then suddenly a red beam of light tore down right before her. She stopped dead, and would have been shaking with fear if she wasn't too busy stopping. She spun around, turned her head upwards, and was met by the red glare of a dracon gun. A dracon gun on a Yeerk Bug fighter. She screamed.
The dracon fired, and that red light was the last thing she ever saw.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's note;
Okay, so now I've solved a huge problem by that last part. See if you can figure it out. I want reviews before I put the next part up!
(Author's note; Follows the series I've been writing. this is part nine, part eight is called "Visser One Again"...)
Jordan finished talking to the Hork-Bajir seer, Jal Omek, and walked away, thoughtful. More reports of Yeerks coming close. Too many, coming with less and less time between.
They would have to move again, soon. Her mind was already going through possible hide-outs. Immediately dropping most of them. Useless; they had hid there before. No; it was too well guarded. Certainly not; too close. Never; drinkable water wasn't found near enough.
They were getting trapped again. Jordan knew very well that one of the main reasons the war had been lost was that there had been no-where left to hide. And now she found herself facing the same problem.
Where to hide? Where would they be safe?
Nowhere.
She was running low on time. She wanted her army to grow; she wanted to have a large enough army to win ground… win land where they could at least be safe. Where they could live openly, not hidden. But her army was pathetic; puny, weak, and both badly trained and badly equipped.
The Hork-Bajir couldn't use wooden pikes or lances as they had done in Jake's time; there weren't enough trees. And you couldn't make pikes of rock or dust. The humans who weren't morphables would be completely defenseless if there was an attack. The two Andalites were weapons themselves. So were then Hork-Bajir, but she would have preferred to have them all equipped with dracon beams, maybe even bug fighters.
The camp of hundreds had a few dozen stolen dracon beams. Not near enough. And half of those they had went out to the lookouts.
Attacks to steal more were risky; attacks to save more people were close to impossible. Trying often lost her more troops then she gained.
Jordan sighed and stretched down automatically to scratch the large dog behind his ears. He lolled his tongue out, wagged his tail, and squirmed on the spot.
"At least one of us is happy," she said.
The dog barked loudly and took off to play with his friends. She couldn't help smiling.
Tobias closed his fist harder around the morphing cube. No Yeerk would ever get it. Never.
"No," he said.
Visser One's tail flew forwards. Tobias had been expecting it, and took a quick step back just in time to alter the attack (that would have split his head) to a slash across his chest.
But it still made him stumble away, clenching his teeth together as hard as he could to avoid screaming. He was holding the morphing cube tighter then ever before.
Give it to me! Visser One raged. His tail twitched. Tobias could hear a loud swoosh as it began…
No. Not from Visser One's tail. It came from behind him… flew over him…
A flash of yellow. Visser One cried out and Tobias lifted his face to see why.
Get into the camo-bug! Rachel yelled.
Rachel, a cheetah, had leaped at the Visser, and was now using all the speed and agility she could muster to keep him away - and to keep his tail away.
Tobias turned, grabbed the bottom edge of the doorway on the camo-bug - which was hovering two meters above the ground - and lifted himself in.
"We've got the cube?" the Chee called Theresa asked, standing at the controls.
"Yeah," Tobias said. "We've got the cube." Then he dropped the escafil device and threw himself after Rachel's dracon that was lying in a corner.
He grabbed it, turned, and leaned out the doorway. Hork-Bajir were advancing quickly from one direction. Rachel was keeping the Visser in check in the other direction.
If the Hork-Bajir came too soon, Rachel would be doomed. One cheetah against a dozen Hork-Bajir and Visser One? Not happening.
"Xena! Camo-bug! Now!" Tobias roared. And he aimed the dracon and fired at the Hork-Bajir.
Rachel leaped into the camo-bug, snarling something about I should have killed him while I had the chance!. As it accelerated, Tobias almost fell out through the open doorway. He pulled himself back in and closed the door, sitting down with his back to it, panting.
Rachel started demorphing. She had a badly bleeding cut across her face, but otherwise the only blood on her was Andalite blood.
"We did it," said Tobias disbelievingly. "We actually did it."
Rachel pawed at the escafil device, lying on the floor. She smiled with a half-human mouth, showing a set of glistening cheetah teeth. Yeah. Barely.
Jake woke up from someone shaking him. He opened his eyes, and looked up.
"Sorry," Marco said. "But you don't want to miss this. Ax is free!"
"The Yeerk died?" Jake said, and yawned, stretching his arms lazily. It had been a while since he had slept well.
"Yeah, and about time."
"Where is he?"
"He's watching over Larynia for the moment," Marco added. At that name, his voice grew empty. "They're cousins, you know. And I bet he's a bit angry about what he did."
"It wasn't his fault," said Jake sensibly, standing up. "It was the Yeerk."
"Ax is an Andalite. Very self-reproachful."
Jake nodded. "Any news from the cube-group?"
"No," Marco sighed as they started walking. "Jordan has told the lookouts to keep an extra eye on the sky, so we'll know as soon as they get close."
"Good."
"Let's hope they succeed."
They kept walking until they reached the place where Larynia was lying. Ax stood next to her, his tail held low and his head bent. But his stalk-eyes swiveled back as soon as he heard them arriving.
Marco. Prince Jake.
"Don't call me Prince," Jake said, smiling. He rubbed his temple and sighed. "For the last time, Ax; DON'T call me Prince."
Yes, Prince Jake, Ax said, just as normally as he would have done six years earlier, before the defeat.
Jake and Marco walked up closer, Marco sitting down and lifting up Larynia's head onto his lap. Ax turned his stalk-eyes back downwards, towards the lying Andalite.
"You okay?" Jake asked, peering at the Andalite. Ax had had a dead look in his eyes, just for a moment.
Yes, replied Ax. I will be.
"Sara! Sara! Commander Jordan!" someone cried. "They're coming! They're coming!"
Sara lifted her head first. She heard the voice, and flew to her feet, Jordan closely following.
"Who?" Sara asked.
"The camo-bug!"
"Where?" Jordan demanded.
The young girl who had been shouting stopped and pointed eagerly towards the hills. Jordan remembered something vague about her name being Joy. "There, commander!" she said. "They're coming!"
"Alert the camp and tell Jake," Sara instructed before Jordan had a chance. "He'll inform the others."
Joy nodded and sprinted off again. She was a fast runner.
"Do you think they succeeded?" Jordan asked.
"They got the cube," Sara assured her. "I don't think they would have returned without it."
"Maybe so," Jordan said. "Maybe so. Then again, maybe not." She was silent as they began walking. But then she asked the question that she knew needed an answer. "Sara, where are we going to hide next?"
Sara shook her head. "I think we need to move north," she said. "Far north. There's no other place to go."
Jordan nodded once, doubtingly. There was a valley further north… much further north. Her scouts had told her about it. It was far away from any Yeerk base, but as much as that was an advantage, it was a disadvantage for anyone who wanted to sneak into the base and free a few hosts.
And water would be hard to reach; they'd need to travel far to find it. The Yeerks had deliberately removed several rivers and streams just to make it harder for the resistance to hide. The result was that the land was dry and barren as well, but the Yeerks didn't care about that.
"Maybe north isn't good," Sara said suddenly, frowning. "One of the newly freed Hork-Bajir had heard something about plans for a new Kandrona up there."
"That makes it impossible," Jordan agreed simply.
She knew she had to find a new place to hide. She knew she had to do it fast. Further reports of Yeerks coming close to the camp were raining in.
Tobias allowed Theresa to steer the camo-bug back to the resistance's camp. He was too tired himself, too high on nerves. They had found the escafil device. They had escaped - narrowly - from Visser One. And they were almost back at camp.
If he'd known how to, he'd have danced with happiness.
"Here we are," Theresa said finally as they flew through the shielding hologram and saw the camp stretch out before them.
Free humans and Hork-Bajir were gathered tightly on the ground, watching them. Kept watching as the camo-bug landed. Watched as Rachel opened the door and cheered as she stepped out.
Tobias was next. He held the morphing cube tightly clenched in both hands, but as he jumped out of the camo-bug, he raised it high above his head for everyone to see.
The crowd roared. Hork-Bajir and humans alike shouted and whistled.
Theresa stepped out and walked silently away to wherever the other Chee were. She was wearing a tired smile.
Tobias saw Jordan, Sara, Jake and Marco pushing through the crowd, accompanied by Ax. Tobias was glad to see Ax free, and put together with the happiness of finally having the morphing cube, the newly started day seemed perfect.
Marco didn't allow any time for celebrating, though. He took the cube and gave Jake a short look which said exactly what he wanted done.
Jake nodded. "Come on," he told Tobias and Rachel. "We don't have much time."
They pushed through the crowd, which slowly separated and went back to their duties, on strict orders from Jordan and Sara and the entire group of lieutenants. They hurried towards where Larynia lay.
Jordan barked an order over the crowd to a Chee who looked like an old woman, who nodded and followed them
"This is Penny," Jordan said. "She's a doctor. She might be able to help."
Marco glanced at the Chee, not wanting any delays. "We've got the morphing cube," he said. "All we need is someone near for her to acquire and morph."
"And how do you plan to wake her up?" Penny said. "She's unconscious most of the time, from what I've heard. An unconscious person - human or Andalite - will have a hard time acquiring anything."
Marco agreed, on hearing that, and the group continued.
Jake took the escafil device from Marco and grabbed his shoulder. "You should go somewhere else," he said.
Marco looked surprised. "But… I… Larynia… I don't…"
"Go," Jake said. "We'll handle this. You might interfere, you might ruin things… being to eager."
Marco complained, but Tobias agreed with Jake. And Rachel agreed with both of them. She hugged Marco, and said softly; "We'll take care of Larynia. Don't you trust us?"
Marco gave up and walked away, most reluctantly.
About half an hour later, nearing noon, Marco was still sitting where he had sat down to wait, with his back towards where the others had gone. And about that time, he felt something cold against his cheek.
He pulled his head away to see a tail-blade. An Andalite tail-blade.
Marco flew up, spun around, and laughed as he saw Larynia.
He threw both arms around her and hugged her tight.
Ehm, Marco?! Larynia said. Watch it! Not that tight! Andalite arms, remember? You'll crush my arms.
Marco hurriedly let go, took her head gently in his hands, and leaned his forehead against hers. "I thought you were dying."
I was dying, she said, placing her hands on his cheeks, smiling with her eyes. But now I'm better.
"Who did you morph?"
I preformed what Ax calls a Frolis Maneuver… mixed different DNA to a single morph. I've got my own human morph, now. Her blade swooped playfully through the air as she pulled away, rearing up on her hind legs and laughed. And I've got my tail back.
Joy had been born during the beginning of the first war, and when the defeat came she'd been six years old and very traumatized to find herself a slave to the Yeerk in her head. Two years after that, she was rescued by her older cousins and joined the resistance and refugee camp. She worked, as all the refugees, mostly with collecting food. But that night, just after sundown, she was the northwestern lookout.
Joy, now almost thirteen but very small for her age, felt very important where she sat hidden, gazing intently at the sky. She knew how important it was too keep watch, even on the north side of camp. If the Yeerks found the camp, they would all be killed - or caught.
Joy wouldn't want to be caught. She still remembered the horror of being a host. She had been a child, but some things are very hard to forget.
Actually, Joy's friend Gar Tepak was supposed to sit there with her. Lookouts were always in pairs. But Gar had been ill very suddenly, and they had agreed that it was best for him to return to camp and send someone else. She was waiting for that person now, hoping it wasn't Gar's brother, who was obsessed with having become a warrior. He wouldn't keep quiet about it, and the lookout needed to be quiet. Joy thought that a warrior should know that.
She shivered. The wind was cold, and she didn't have a good enough jacket to keep warm properly. She didn't complain; she was lucky to have a jacket at all. And she was used to the cold. She was mostly annoyed by her cold fingers. The thorny bushes around her barely left room enough to rub her hands, but she did her best. And at the same time checked that she still had the stolen dracon she had been given strapped to her leg.
She didn't dare move more then that. Someone might spot her. She would stay hidden in the thorny bushes, as she'd been told. As she knew she had to.
Being a lookout was important work. But cold. She shivered again.
She kept her eyes on the sky, looking for any signs of coming Yeerks. Maybe that's why she missed it. As she looked at the sky, shivering from the icy wind and afraid to move should she be spotted, she almost forgot to look down from her cliff. Everyone expected the Yeerks to come by air. Especially if they came from the north; the nearest Yeerk settlement to the north was several weeks' journey away. And the terrain was impossible.
But finally she remembered. She crept up, careful not to rip her clothes or face on the thorns. She glanced over the edge of the cliff. At first she saw nothing. But as her eyes grew used to the dark (she had been looking up at a full moon) she saw a slight movement.
She made out the shape of a Hork-Bajir. Only one. Joy was relieved at first; a lone Hork-Bajir might mean one belonging to the camp. As she saw the second Hork-Bajir, she still felt pretty secure. Two Hork-Bajir could be from the camp.
Then came the Taxxon. Joy felt as if the wind suddenly had frozen her to ice. There were no Taxxons in the camp; all Taxxons were voluntary hosts. Taxxons weren't freed, they were killed.
Joy noticed that she wasn't breathing. She started again, her heart beating very fast and her eyes peering into the dark. She was afraid. She had been glad about being trusted to be lookout, but she hadn't expected she would see anything. She wished that Gar had been there. Then at least she wouldn't have been alone. And Gar wouldn't have been afraid. Gar was brave.
More then a dozen more Hork-Bajir emerged very quickly, followed closely by a large number of Taxxons. Joy knew now; this wasn't a troop which ran into camp by mistake. They were too many, too organized, coming straight towards her.
Joy started creeping backwards, quickly. She needed to get to camp. She needed to warn camp. It was all up to her. Joy felt that this was a little too much responsibility. She could have managed with less.
But as soon as she had pulled herself far enough back, she dared up on her legs and began running. She ran barefoot, but her feet were used to the terrain and it didn't bother her. She wasn't bothered by the uneven, sharp rocks either. She knew the land well, and even in the dark she found no problems running through it.
Only one thought existed; get to camp. Get to camp! Get to camp, quickly!
Then suddenly a red beam of light tore down right before her. She stopped dead, and would have been shaking with fear if she wasn't too busy stopping. She spun around, turned her head upwards, and was met by the red glare of a dracon gun. A dracon gun on a Yeerk Bug fighter. She screamed.
The dracon fired, and that red light was the last thing she ever saw.
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Author's note;
Okay, so now I've solved a huge problem by that last part. See if you can figure it out. I want reviews before I put the next part up!
