I looked down at the dirt. There wasn't the slightest depression, the slightest clue to reveal what lay under there. I glanced back up to the edge of the forest, where I could just see the glimmer of a blade by moonlight. Toby. Or Ket. Waiting.
Hastily checking to see if anyone but my friends were around, I began to dig. I shoved the blade of the trowel into the dirt and pushed. Luckily it wasn't packed hard and it only took about two minutes for me to spot the glittering edge of a toy truck, nearly three feet underground. A toy truck in which, expertly concealed inside, sat the key to our future. My future. I pried the secret panel off of the side of the toy and looked inside. Relief, then dread swept through me. I had to hurry out of there. I tossed the truck back into the hole and filled it up. I patted the dirt to make sure it looked like no one had been there. Then I grabbed the cube and hauled out of there.
Let me tell you: stealing an escafil device in any case is nerve-wracking. But stealing an escafil device by digging a hole in the ground near an Andalite-Controller's living quarters deep in a dark forest in the middle of the night is toture. It's painful beyond imagining. Knowing that a fate worse than death awaits you if you make a sound loud enough to hear. I shivered as I envisioned an Andalite leaping out of its underground home and slamming it's tail blade against my head. It was not a good picture.
Note to self: don't steal any more escafil devices.
I ran through the forest as silently and quickly as my human legs would carry me. Fortunately, my friends weren't more than two hundred yards away. I signaled them to follow me and we silently (well, as silently as two humans and two Hork-Bajir can tiptoe through the forest at night) traveled to the cave where we had hidden Jara and Ket for the first time, weeks and weeks ago. Marco and I entered, crouching to fit into the entrance. I reached the back first, and felt around the walls. Nothing there. Good. Marco arrived about five seconds after me, muttering something about sharing a house with Swiss army knives.
Ket clambered in next, and Toby came last. There was a sort of dent in the back of the cave, a round-edged scoop. We all sat in it, on the dusty earthen floor. In the light coming in from outside and the glow from the cube, I watched the two Hork-Bajir as they settled down. They both looked rather apprehensive.
"Okay," I began, "let's do it."
A sort of snort came from Marco. He was probably thinking that even in this time of crisis, I was all gung-ho and ready for anything. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
I gently took the morphing cube out of the small sack. The cube was the same size on all six sides, about five inches, and very bright, baby blue. It seemed to be steadily glowing. It felt smooth, but it was warm to the touch. Like there was a lightbulb inside. I suddenly wondered how many of these existed. The Andalites couldn't have made many; there was no need. No matter what, I thought, it's the only one on Earth.
I hesitated, looked at Marco and said, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"Yeah," he said. "Besides, if these two get caught, which they won't thanks to my expert thinking power, then we're done for."
"All right then," I agreed, "here we go!"
For some reason, the tension in the room seemed to diminish. I moved the cube to the center of our little circle, and told Toby and Ket to place their hands on the cube. They did. They didn't seem too worried anymore, mostly curious. I put my right hand on the side nearest me, and concentrated. I really had no clue what to do, so in my mind I pictured the morphing power flowing into Ket and Toby. The power looked like the illustrations of wind in those little kids' books. You know, like wispy shapes. Except in my mind it was blue and glowing.
Ket gave off a little yelp. Toby's expression became concentrated, like she was trying to figure out where the tingling sensation was coming from. After about twenty seconds of concentrating, I took my hand off the cube. "That's it," I breathed. "We did it."
"Uh, no. Remember? We still have an entire mission ahead of us. Including getting them—" Marco jerked his head at the Hork-Bajir "—across a town."
I smiled and playfully whacked his shoulder. "Shut up." Turning serious again, I turned back toward Ket and Toby. Toby said, "I felt a prickling feeling go through my body. Do me and Mother have the morphing power now?"
"Yes," I said, "But you can't morph yet. First you have to acquire an animal."
Ooo! The next chapter is going to be oh*so*fun to write! LOL...