THE HUNTED
Chapter 1 Jake
My name is Jake.
And I was just a tiny, little itsy-bitsy bit angry.
Sorry. That was a lie.
I was VERY angry.
At everything, including the parasitic aliens called the Yeerks who are slowly but surely taking over our planet… and every single human being on it.
The ones my friends and I are trying to stop. By using a weapon, the power to morph into animals, that had been given to us by an Andalite Prince called Elfangor. Elfangor was dead, killed by the Yeerks. We were alive. Though sometimes I thought it would be easier dead.
I was pacing back and forth in the hall, muttering to myself and the walls. Angry. Very, very angry.
I had just come home from a mission. I was the only one in the house. I had checked. So I could be angry without having to worry about anybody seeing me.
The thing that made me angry was simple; the mission had failed. We, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, Ax, Tobias and I, had barely escaped with our lives from the masses of Hork-Bajir who had stormed in from nowhere.
And it was my birthday!
Not even today had I been taking it easy. Not even today had I been able to take a break form saving the world. Instead I had been a tiger, fighting alongside an alien, a gorilla, a grizzly, a hawk, and a wolf, and we had been getting our butts kicked!
On MY birthday!
The phone rang from upstairs. I stopped pacing. Then I rushed up the stairs, still muttering, and picked up the receiver.
"What?" I demanded sharply.
"Sorry," a voice replied, sounding hurt.
Cassie.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. This wasn't like me. I don't usually get angry about this little.
Then I said; "What's up?"
"I was just wondering if you're okay," Cassie said. "I mean, being your birthday and all."
"Yeah. Thanks. I'm fine," I lied.
But Cassie sounded worried.
"Don't do anything stupid," she told me. "Maybe they'll cancel the presents."
I forced a laugh. "Don't worry," I said. "I'm fine."
"Well," she sighed. "Happy birthday."
There was a click at the other end. Cassie had hung up.
I had to stop myself from slamming the phone down. I placed it down gently, and then;
"Yes, it's my birthday!" I roared.
I did something silly. I lost it completely, shouting and raving and I have no idea what I said. I was beating the walls and kicking on things and I don't know what else.
"I don't want to fight the Yeerks! I don't want to run for my life as a tiger! I don't want to kill Hork-Bajir and human-Controllers!"
At that point I grabbed a chair and threw it down the stairs. Then I drew my breath, realising what I had done.
"I want a nice, quiet life, thank you!" I hissed at the phone. "And a happy birthday."
That's when I heard the voice. The whispering voice from the kitchen.
"Yes, I'm sure…"
Tom's voice. My brother. A Controller, with a Yeerk in his head, controlling his every move. The enemy. The person in my house that absolutely couldn't be allowed to overhear anything.
I strained my ears, instantly alert. And afraid. He must have entered the house while I was shouting and raving. Had he heard anything?
"He said Yeerk," Tom continued. He was most probably talking on the phone. "I'm positive. He knows something. Too much, I'm afraid."
A chill sped through me. Thoughts raced in my head. What could I do? What should I do?
"And he mentioned tiger, too," Tom whispered from the kitchen. "Isn't it a tiger that has been attacking with the other Andalite bandits?"
Sneak out. Yes, that was it. Warn the others. Quickly.
How?
A window. I could morph the peregrine falcon.
Yes, that was it. A falcon. I could make a clean getaway. I could warn the others.
"Yes! Yes, please, get over here at once!" Tom whispered urgently.
"The Visser?" he said, after a pause, frightened. "You're right. We must notify the Visser. He'll be mad beyond belief."
Visser Three. Enemy number one. The Yeerk general, leader of the invasion of Earth. That meant trouble. The only Yeerk ever to infest an Andalite. The only Yeerk with the power to morph.
Hurry! I ordered myself. Hurry!
But I couldn't move. My legs wouldn't carry me. My feet were glued to the ground.
"A dracon beam? I think I have one, somewhere…."
No! Not a falcon! He'd notice me and shoot me.
What could I do?
I heard a dog bark from outside.
Of course!
I could morph Homer, my dog! Tom would never be able to tell the difference…
I started the changes quickly. My tail sprouted out, fully furry and wagging. My ears grew hairy, and then they changed into the flip-flop ears of a golden retriever. I was going down the stairs even before I was even half finished.
Fur spread over my body. As my neck grew thicker, my T-shirt was stretched and ripped. As my hands and arms changed to the paws and front legs of a dog, my ribcage also changed shape. There went the rest of my T-shirt. It just snapped. And then my legs shortened and grew thinner. My jeans simply fell of. They were left on the steps.
But by then, I was a dog.
Morphing doesn't apply to any clothes except skin-tight stuff. So everything not skin-tight that is too small for your new shape is shredded. Shoes? Forget shoes. Probably impossible. But as usual, I had my "morphing outfit" under my normal clothes. And that outfit wasn't shredded. It was skin-tight enough to be morphed along with the rest of me.
And in typical dog style, I was HAPPY!
Not a worry, not a care!
HAPPY!
But hungry. I wanted to find food. You could find food in the kitchen. I could smell it.
By the time I reached the kitchen, I was fully into the "Homer mood".
Aha!
There was a bowl!
There was a human!
I jumped up at him, and licked his face quickly!
Then I fell down on all fours, and nudged at the bowl.
"Not now, Homer," Tom said. "Have some water to begin with. I'm busy, and you're always hungry anyway."
I wanted food. I wanted food. Food! Food! FOOD!
I was hungry. Food ruled my world.
I looked at the bowl, and licked my nose.
Then, from the thing he was holding in his hand, came a voice;
"Who's Homer?"
I snapped out of dog-world.
And I recognized the voice. It was Mr. Chapman, Assistant Principal at our school, and a very important Controller.
"Homer's my host's family's dog," Tom replied.
"Are you sure it's him?"
Tom looked at me, suspiciously.
I wagged my tail, staring intently at the bowl. Playing the part perfectly. You see, not only were the dog instincts screaming orders, but also I know my dog pretty well.
"Yes."
"Better kill it, anyway," Chapman's voice said. "To be sure."
Uh-oh. Trouble. I flew up at my brother who wasn't my brother, and knocked him down. The phone was still in his hand.
Now, Tom, drop the phone, I told him slowly and clearly in thought-speak, which is used when one is in morph.
He stared at me, horrified. Surprised, maybe.
I snarled. Drop! It! NOW!
He let go of the phone.
My teeth were centimetres from his face. I could kill him with one bite. Yes, I was a dog, but I had some serious teeth in my mouth. I could end my brother's misery with one, quick bite. I could end my brother with one snap of my jaws.
But I was weak. Kill Tom? I would never do that. I could never kill my brother, enemy or not.
And I convinced myself I would gain nothing from doing so. The Yeerks would still know about me. Sparing Tom wouldn't cost me anything. So I leaped away from there, leaving Tom and his Yeerk behind. I sped towards the outer door, and grabbed the handle in my teeth. I pulled it down, and the door opened.
I was demorphing quickly. I needed to morph something else, something that could be of use fleeing.
I took one step outside…
Chapter 2 Cassie
My name is Cassie. I'm the animal-loving, tree-hugging environmentalist. I'm also, sort of, Jake's girlfriend.
So I know him pretty well. Well enough to know that he had been lying to me. I hadn't said anything. I thought he needed to be alone to think, alone to be angry. And I couldn't go over there, even though I wanted to. I had chores in the barn - also known as the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. There was a new animal, a young hawk, who had a broken wing and several diseases. He needed meds - medication - many times a day.
But after some time, I decided to call again. To make sure Jake was okay. And to calm my nerves. I was feeling tense for no reason at all. I just needed to be sure.
I dialled the number. The signal barely got through before…
"Chapman?" Tom's voice asked urgently.
Aha. A Controller waiting for a phone call from another. And on top of that, Jake's brother waiting a phone call from the most important Controller we know of.
Aha again.
"No…" I said. "It's Cassie. Is Jake around?"
Tom's voice changed tone instantly. "No. Jake went out."
"Okay… when will…" I started.
"Don't call again, I'm waiting important calls here."
That's when I knew something was seriously wrong. Somehow, I knew. Something in Tom's voice. My mind put a part of the puzzle together. Then my thoughts started tumbling.
"A girlfriend?" I managed to say, my voice suddenly dry.
"None of your business," Tom snapped.
He hung up.
I did, too. And dialled Rachel's number with trembling fingers.
Rachel is my best friend. We have almost nothing in common, but we are, still, best friends. As in she'll drag me to the mall in chains and force me to buy some decent clothes.
"Rachel?" I said when she answered. "I think we've got trouble."
"What?" she said.
I had to make up a reasonable lie, in case anybody was tapping the phone.
"I… I… I forgot Jake's present at the mall."
Ooo-kay.
That must have been the worst excuse in history.
"Silly. But I'll come over as soon as I can and we'll go look for it. Call Marco, maybe he found it."
She hung up. I hung up, and dialled Marco's number.
Marco is, I should say, Jake's best friend. They hang out at the mall wasting quarters on games all the time. Marco refers to himself as Dazzling Marco, or similar. He is cute, but he isn't as cute as he thinks he is. I mean, nobody is - or could be, for that matter.
Nora answered. Nora is Marco's step-mom. And a teacher at our school.
"Hi…" I said. "Is Marco there? It's Cassie, I'm a friend of Jake…"
I added the last part because Marco and I had not known each other that well before the Animorphs thing. Just in case the phone was tapped, again. Maybe I was being overly precautions, but I was sensing something… and I didn't like it. I definitely didn't like it.
"Sure, he's here…" Nora said. Then, not into the phone; "Marco! It's a friend of Jake's."
After just a few seconds Marco came, and said; "Who dares disturb me when I'm doing… well, nothing at all!?"
"It's Cassie," I said weakly. I sat down on a chair. My thoughts were tumbling again.
"Yeah, yeah. What?" he asked. I'm sure he sensed something from the tone of my voice. Marco is smarter than people think. "Something's wrong?"
"Yes…" I croaked. "I forgot Jake's present at the mall…"
"That's not very smart of you," Marco laughed.
"Rachel is coming over to help me look for it…"
"Let's see… if I help you look for it…"
"Then Rachel will leave your kidneys in place."
"I'll be right there," Marco said quickly. "See ya."
"Bye," I said, and hung up before my voice failed me. Then I buried my face in my hands. I didn't cry, but I felt like it.
I KNEW something was wrong.
And I didn't like it one bit.
Chapter 3 Marco
My name is Marco the Magnificent.
Or maybe it's just Marco. I keep forgetting.
But I wasn't really my gorgeous self at the time. Maybe I had a sixth sense or something. Which is highly unlikely. Or maybe it was because I had been scared to death and running for my life just an hour or so earlier, and now Cassie called and something sounded terrible.
Well, the life of a hero.
I hate it.
Cassie called. Cassie? Usually, Jake was the one who called, to keep up the act of playing "still normal kids here, nothing weird here… and especially no fighting slugs from WAY outta this world".
If anybody ever found out we spent our free time kicking butt on and hauling butt away from the invasion-ists, we'd be so worse than dead that I could die of horror thinking about it.
"Damn those Yeerks," I muttered. Then, as a thought struck me, "And damn Elfangor too. He couldn't just leave us alone, could he?"
But I took that back instantly. Elfangor had been trying to help us. He had been trying to give this planet some hope, and a way to defend itself.
Five kids. Yeah, some hope. And now, we were at four kids, a hawk, and a lunatic alien called Ax saying things like "Oh. Maybe we should flee in panic. That monster is large".
I mean, it's a completely hopeless battle.
On the Earth side, we have Rachel; a very beautiful mall-rat who loves trouble and kicking butt, anyone's butt, her idol being Xena: Warrior Princess.
And Cassie; the nature-loving animal expert and conscience of the group, who can't decide if she wants to worry about the humans or the animals on this planet.
There's Ax; who's real name is impossible to pronounce and who is the lunatic Andalite (that would be a blue centaur/scorpion/ a lot of other things) mentioned above.
Then there's Bird-Boy; Tobias, who used to be a blond boy who everyone picked on. Now he's doing full-time as a red-tailed hawk.
And Jake; the undisputed leader of the Animorphs, and your average serious, responsible guy. He's also my best friend, and I'd trust him anywhere, anytime.
Then there's me; I'm the unnaturally cute one, always surrounded by girls. At least I would be if I had any time for it… I'm the joker of the group. I'm constantly turning things into jokes, and when I'm not doing that, I'm complaining my guts out to anyone who will or will not listen.
Now I sound serious again. I hate that.
Moving right along…
On the Yeerk side; technology, numbers, weapons, space-ships, and everything else I'd rather they didn't have. And Visser Three. The only Andalite-Controller in the galaxy. The Yeerk who keeps turning into alien monsters to make us run away screaming. A guy you don't have to see to know he's coming; you can feel the evil swarming from him before you see him.
Scared yet?
Don't worry. You'll get used to it.
But we have one, small advantage; the Yeerk has to leave its host to swim in the Yeerk Pool once every three days. To soak up nutrients and artificial Kandrona rays. Kandrona rays come from the Yeerk home sun, but travelling Yeerks need them too, so they bring along artificial Kandrona sources. Basically, if someone has a Yeerk in their head, you can starve it out. It'll die of Kandrona starvation after three days.
Not that that helps much. I mean, we can't go around trapping Controllers and keeping them locked up for three days.
I looked out through the window. The rain was pouring down. A very nasty weather to fly in.
Fly?
Yes, fly. I would morph an osprey - a small predator bird - and fly to Cassie's barn. That was the fastest way.
But I hate flying in hard rain.
I sneaked towards the door.
"I'm going out," I called in a neutral, please-don't-notice-me voice.
"No, you're not!" my father replied from his place in front of the computer screen. "Not until you've done the dishes."
"What? Me? Dishes? No way!" I answered and opened the door quickly. But not quickly enough.
"Listen to your father," Nora said, appearing in the Gate of Nightmares - or in other words, the kitchen doorway. "You're never at home, so now while you are… just do the dishes."
Nora is my step-mom. Everyone, almost, "knows" that my real mom is dead. She isn't. She is the host of Visser One. But she's been gone for over two years now, and my dad has re-married. Some day, I'm going to rescue my mom. That's why I'm fighting this insane war.
I looked at the ceiling with a perfect "why-me" expression. I could make up a pretty good excuse, of course. But Nora was a teacher. She'd heard them all.
"Do the dishes," Nora ordered again. She pointed into the kitchen. "Now, Marco."
I could sneak out, and run. They wouldn't follow me. Sure, I'd get punished for it, but…
"Otherwise you'll be responsible for walking the dog for two weeks!" my father added.
"The dog?" I whined. "Not that poodle again!"
Let me explain. That poodle of Nora's is in the dictionary under "Annoying". And possibly under "Overly disguised as cute", and "Pain on a leash".
I did the dishes.
And I didn't even complain that much about it. The poodle was in the kitchen. I felt like I was doing slave-work with a sword held threateningly my head. The poodle was the sword. And it was biting and pulling at and generally trying to make Canine Minced Meal of my pants, as usual.
One question; whoever invented that poodle, call me; I'll sue. For disturbance of hero. Preventing me from saving the world. And, most importantly, causing me to do the dishes.
Chapter 4 Ax
My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.
I am an Andalite aristh. Aristh means warrior-cadet, for those of you which are unfamiliar with the Andalite language. Prince Elfangor was my brother.
Visser Three killed Elfangor. So I, as his brother, must avenge him and kill Visser Three. As humans would say; "Easier said than done."
I reside in the forest beyond Cassie's farm. It is not too bad; I get by. But often I miss my home. Then, I look up at the stars that form my ceiling night-time.
I was in my scoop, an Andalite version of "house", watching TV. At the time, the TV was showing was my favourite shows; These Messages. They are the shorter shows between the longer ones. The ones that usually annoy my human friends, since they enjoy the longer shows more.
It was growing dark outside, and rain was pouring down. Tobias had just left, and returned to his territory - a beautiful meadow. That is, by Earth standards "beautiful".
Tobias is a nothlit. He is trapped in morph. There is a two hour limit to morphing. Tobias stayed longer than that. So Tobias is, although the Ellimist gave him back his morphing ability, a red-tailed hawk. Therefore the "territory".
Not soon after Tobias had gone, Prince Jake arrived. Prince Jake is my Prince now, while I am here on Earth. He is taller than the other Animorphs, and is distinguished by that.
"Hi," he said. For all that have never met a human, that would be a standard way of greeting a friend.
I turned one stalk eye towards him. We Andalites have for eyes; two stalk eyes on top of our heads that can be turned to view surroundings, and two main eyes that are found on a similar location to that of human eyes.
I noticed that Prince Jake was not wearing a "rain coat". Humans are expected to wear certain artificial skin, by them called clothing, at certain occasions. When it is raining, they are expected to wear a rain coat. And complain a lot about the weather.
Prince Jake didn't seem to mind the weather. Something important had come up. A new mission?
Has something occurred? I asked in thought-speak. Since we Andalites have no mouth, thought-speak is our natural way of speech.
"Yes, in a way," Prince Jake replied and shrugged. "Let's head over to the barn."
Bird morph?
"No, we'll walk," Prince Jake said, very quickly. "We can't fly in this weather, anyway."
I turned the TV off and folded down my scoop. That way, nobody would notice it, even it they walked straight over it.
We started walking. I let my stalk eyes swivel in every direction as usual, and I would be instantly alert if I found any signs of danger. But in the rain and dark I couldn't see much. And the sound of the rain falling drowned many other sounds.
We walked. But in the wrong direction. I decided to mention that.
Prince Jake, are you aware that we are walking the wrong way?
"Don't call me Prince," Prince Jake said, for about the millionth and seventy-ninth time. "But yes, I am aware of that. But I came that way. You had to wade through a lot of water because it's rained so much. I thought we'd walk around it."
If something is important, then I must insist that we take the shortest route, I said. And the grounds we are heading towards have a lower altitude than the ones on the shorter route. So they should, according to all logic…
"Ax, please, not now. I've got enough to think about."
I was surprised, but I stopped talking.
We kept walking in the wrong direction.
And there was no logical explanation for it.
Prince Jake was very concentrated with something. As if he was arguing with himself.
Only a moment or so after was when I noticed a swift movement amongst the trees. Very close. I had not seen it earlier because of the rain.
But there was no mistaking what it was.
Hork-Bajir! I hissed.
Hork-Bajir were, before the Yeerks enslaved their entire species, a peaceful group of bark-eating, sentient but not too advanced, tree-living aliens. They look, unfortunately, like monsters. Their arms and legs and tail and even head are equipped with blades. For carving bark, actually, but the Yeerks use them for fighting. The two-meter tall Hork-Bajir are the shock-troops of the Yeerk empire.
"Yes, Hork-Bajir," Prince Jake said. He started morphing. He grew a tail. Orange and black - and some white - fur spread over him. "I know."
I was puzzled. Are they from the colony? I asked. There is a colony of free Hork-Bajir. All the others are Hork-Bajir-Controllers, with a Yeerk slug in their heads.
But then, why would Prince Jake be morphing?
Nope, he answered. He was almost completely a tiger. They are all Controllers, I hope.
That sentence made me realise what had happened. My stalk eyes went wide as they stared at him. Yeerk!
Prince Jake was a Controller.
Again.
Yes, Yeerk, the Yeerk answered. But this time, Andalite filth, you noticed it too late.
Prince Jake's laugh rang through my head as the Hork-Bajir tightened their circle around us.
Maybe I should run, I advised myself. But by then, it was too late. The Hork-Bajir had surrounded me… accompanied by the tiger.
For all Andalites who have never visited Earth; the tiger is a large and very beautiful killing machine. Graceful, fast, smart, with excellent senses. Sharp teeth, and sharp claws. And a tiger can see much better then us Andalites in dark places.
I assumed fighting stance, but knew I did not have much of a chance against that many. I even pondered if I had a chance against Prince Jake's tiger morph.
It was quite simple, really, the Yeerk continued. This idiot had morphed his dog to try and get away. Even though it fooled his brother, it didn't fool Chapman.
The tiger crept together, its tail twitching. I knew what he was intending to do. I prepared myself to leap away… if only I was fast enough.
But when he came out through the door, at this point the Yeerk paused… flashing a tiger grin with a row of perfect, white teeth He saw all those Hork-Bajir and Taxxons and human-Controllers, and our glorious Visser, so he decided to give up.
I knew he was lying. But all my shock and surprised vanished, together with my common sense. It was replaced by anger… and fear. Lots of fear. Fear can make you lose your concentration. It is, at times, very frustrating.
So then, I did a very dumb thing.
I attacked.
FWAP!
My fast, deadly tail stung the tiger's face.
Maybe I should explain to any humans who have not seen an Andalite. My tail is similar to the tail of an Earth species called a scorpion. But I am not poisonous. And my tail is long and smooth, and agile, not divided into segments.
I am sorry, Prince Jake, I told the tiger. But I know you'll understand.
FWAP!
I missed! For the tiger leapt at me, extending his claws… I side-stepped quickly. A Hork-Bajir blade slashed at me, and I received a deep gash in my side. The tiger hit my other side, and almost caused me to fall into the Hork-Bajir again. In the moment that it took me to regain control - and avoid another few Hork-Bajir blades - Jake had leaped again, and landed on my back. My tail SWOOSHED, as his claws dug in deep into my skin. Then teeth closed around my tail, gnawing and ripping. Hork-Bajir blades slashed at me from all sides.
I couldn't use my tail as accurately and as quickly while teeth were slowly but surely gnawing it of. And my arms were useless.
And I couldn't keep standing up on my delicate Andalite hooves with that extra weight. A tiger is a very large, very heavy animal. So my legs began to give way, and I fell over.
I fell. Unable to keep standing up, and unable to stop my fall, I fell. As I landed all air was blown out of me, and one of my arms was crushed under me. I'm sure it was broken. Andalite arms are very weak.
Aah… the Yeerk who controlled the tiger said. There's nothing like victory over an Andalite. Even one who is weak enough to attack in anger. Foolish, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. Very foolish. And for that, you'll have to pay a price.
The tiger sat down, keeping me pinned to the ground. I had no chance of standing up again. My tail was almost useless. Instead of being the normal blue of my fur, it was covered in blood. Instead of the usual strength I could feel in it, the courage I could draw from its presence, now there was only pain.
Then the Yeerk looked about. He must have said something, for five Hork-Bajir came forwards. Two of them grabbed my shredded tail. One grabbed my front legs. One grabbed my shoulder and the arm that still was unharmed.
I was hoping for a quick death. The alternatives were too horrible.
Then, one grabbed my head. Holding it in place.
My hopes died.
I started screaming, in thought-speak.
Bring the Sub-Visser, Prince Jake's Yeerk said.
No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I shrieked. AAAH! HELP!!!!! NOOO!
I fought. I tried, at least. I couldn't move my head. I couldn't move my arms. My legs kicked a little, but not enough. My aching tail barely twisted.
Tobias! I screamed. Tobias was probably the closest. Tobias! TOBIAS! CASSIE! MARCO! RACHEL! NOOO! Please, anyone, I might need some assistance!
Scream all you like, you fool Andalite, the Yeerk hissed. Don't you think we've secured the area? There isn't a living thing within thought-speak range. Not even a single termite.
My stalk eyes swivelled around. I saw a Hork-Bajir coming closer, carrying a small box with see-through sides, filled with water. In it was a Yeerk.
What was surely meant to be my Yeerk.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's Note;
If there's any interest in this junk the next part will be up soon. So if you want to read more, review, tell me so, and I'll see if it's worth the trouble to upload the next part.
Chapter 1 Jake
My name is Jake.
And I was just a tiny, little itsy-bitsy bit angry.
Sorry. That was a lie.
I was VERY angry.
At everything, including the parasitic aliens called the Yeerks who are slowly but surely taking over our planet… and every single human being on it.
The ones my friends and I are trying to stop. By using a weapon, the power to morph into animals, that had been given to us by an Andalite Prince called Elfangor. Elfangor was dead, killed by the Yeerks. We were alive. Though sometimes I thought it would be easier dead.
I was pacing back and forth in the hall, muttering to myself and the walls. Angry. Very, very angry.
I had just come home from a mission. I was the only one in the house. I had checked. So I could be angry without having to worry about anybody seeing me.
The thing that made me angry was simple; the mission had failed. We, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, Ax, Tobias and I, had barely escaped with our lives from the masses of Hork-Bajir who had stormed in from nowhere.
And it was my birthday!
Not even today had I been taking it easy. Not even today had I been able to take a break form saving the world. Instead I had been a tiger, fighting alongside an alien, a gorilla, a grizzly, a hawk, and a wolf, and we had been getting our butts kicked!
On MY birthday!
The phone rang from upstairs. I stopped pacing. Then I rushed up the stairs, still muttering, and picked up the receiver.
"What?" I demanded sharply.
"Sorry," a voice replied, sounding hurt.
Cassie.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. This wasn't like me. I don't usually get angry about this little.
Then I said; "What's up?"
"I was just wondering if you're okay," Cassie said. "I mean, being your birthday and all."
"Yeah. Thanks. I'm fine," I lied.
But Cassie sounded worried.
"Don't do anything stupid," she told me. "Maybe they'll cancel the presents."
I forced a laugh. "Don't worry," I said. "I'm fine."
"Well," she sighed. "Happy birthday."
There was a click at the other end. Cassie had hung up.
I had to stop myself from slamming the phone down. I placed it down gently, and then;
"Yes, it's my birthday!" I roared.
I did something silly. I lost it completely, shouting and raving and I have no idea what I said. I was beating the walls and kicking on things and I don't know what else.
"I don't want to fight the Yeerks! I don't want to run for my life as a tiger! I don't want to kill Hork-Bajir and human-Controllers!"
At that point I grabbed a chair and threw it down the stairs. Then I drew my breath, realising what I had done.
"I want a nice, quiet life, thank you!" I hissed at the phone. "And a happy birthday."
That's when I heard the voice. The whispering voice from the kitchen.
"Yes, I'm sure…"
Tom's voice. My brother. A Controller, with a Yeerk in his head, controlling his every move. The enemy. The person in my house that absolutely couldn't be allowed to overhear anything.
I strained my ears, instantly alert. And afraid. He must have entered the house while I was shouting and raving. Had he heard anything?
"He said Yeerk," Tom continued. He was most probably talking on the phone. "I'm positive. He knows something. Too much, I'm afraid."
A chill sped through me. Thoughts raced in my head. What could I do? What should I do?
"And he mentioned tiger, too," Tom whispered from the kitchen. "Isn't it a tiger that has been attacking with the other Andalite bandits?"
Sneak out. Yes, that was it. Warn the others. Quickly.
How?
A window. I could morph the peregrine falcon.
Yes, that was it. A falcon. I could make a clean getaway. I could warn the others.
"Yes! Yes, please, get over here at once!" Tom whispered urgently.
"The Visser?" he said, after a pause, frightened. "You're right. We must notify the Visser. He'll be mad beyond belief."
Visser Three. Enemy number one. The Yeerk general, leader of the invasion of Earth. That meant trouble. The only Yeerk ever to infest an Andalite. The only Yeerk with the power to morph.
Hurry! I ordered myself. Hurry!
But I couldn't move. My legs wouldn't carry me. My feet were glued to the ground.
"A dracon beam? I think I have one, somewhere…."
No! Not a falcon! He'd notice me and shoot me.
What could I do?
I heard a dog bark from outside.
Of course!
I could morph Homer, my dog! Tom would never be able to tell the difference…
I started the changes quickly. My tail sprouted out, fully furry and wagging. My ears grew hairy, and then they changed into the flip-flop ears of a golden retriever. I was going down the stairs even before I was even half finished.
Fur spread over my body. As my neck grew thicker, my T-shirt was stretched and ripped. As my hands and arms changed to the paws and front legs of a dog, my ribcage also changed shape. There went the rest of my T-shirt. It just snapped. And then my legs shortened and grew thinner. My jeans simply fell of. They were left on the steps.
But by then, I was a dog.
Morphing doesn't apply to any clothes except skin-tight stuff. So everything not skin-tight that is too small for your new shape is shredded. Shoes? Forget shoes. Probably impossible. But as usual, I had my "morphing outfit" under my normal clothes. And that outfit wasn't shredded. It was skin-tight enough to be morphed along with the rest of me.
And in typical dog style, I was HAPPY!
Not a worry, not a care!
HAPPY!
But hungry. I wanted to find food. You could find food in the kitchen. I could smell it.
By the time I reached the kitchen, I was fully into the "Homer mood".
Aha!
There was a bowl!
There was a human!
I jumped up at him, and licked his face quickly!
Then I fell down on all fours, and nudged at the bowl.
"Not now, Homer," Tom said. "Have some water to begin with. I'm busy, and you're always hungry anyway."
I wanted food. I wanted food. Food! Food! FOOD!
I was hungry. Food ruled my world.
I looked at the bowl, and licked my nose.
Then, from the thing he was holding in his hand, came a voice;
"Who's Homer?"
I snapped out of dog-world.
And I recognized the voice. It was Mr. Chapman, Assistant Principal at our school, and a very important Controller.
"Homer's my host's family's dog," Tom replied.
"Are you sure it's him?"
Tom looked at me, suspiciously.
I wagged my tail, staring intently at the bowl. Playing the part perfectly. You see, not only were the dog instincts screaming orders, but also I know my dog pretty well.
"Yes."
"Better kill it, anyway," Chapman's voice said. "To be sure."
Uh-oh. Trouble. I flew up at my brother who wasn't my brother, and knocked him down. The phone was still in his hand.
Now, Tom, drop the phone, I told him slowly and clearly in thought-speak, which is used when one is in morph.
He stared at me, horrified. Surprised, maybe.
I snarled. Drop! It! NOW!
He let go of the phone.
My teeth were centimetres from his face. I could kill him with one bite. Yes, I was a dog, but I had some serious teeth in my mouth. I could end my brother's misery with one, quick bite. I could end my brother with one snap of my jaws.
But I was weak. Kill Tom? I would never do that. I could never kill my brother, enemy or not.
And I convinced myself I would gain nothing from doing so. The Yeerks would still know about me. Sparing Tom wouldn't cost me anything. So I leaped away from there, leaving Tom and his Yeerk behind. I sped towards the outer door, and grabbed the handle in my teeth. I pulled it down, and the door opened.
I was demorphing quickly. I needed to morph something else, something that could be of use fleeing.
I took one step outside…
Chapter 2 Cassie
My name is Cassie. I'm the animal-loving, tree-hugging environmentalist. I'm also, sort of, Jake's girlfriend.
So I know him pretty well. Well enough to know that he had been lying to me. I hadn't said anything. I thought he needed to be alone to think, alone to be angry. And I couldn't go over there, even though I wanted to. I had chores in the barn - also known as the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. There was a new animal, a young hawk, who had a broken wing and several diseases. He needed meds - medication - many times a day.
But after some time, I decided to call again. To make sure Jake was okay. And to calm my nerves. I was feeling tense for no reason at all. I just needed to be sure.
I dialled the number. The signal barely got through before…
"Chapman?" Tom's voice asked urgently.
Aha. A Controller waiting for a phone call from another. And on top of that, Jake's brother waiting a phone call from the most important Controller we know of.
Aha again.
"No…" I said. "It's Cassie. Is Jake around?"
Tom's voice changed tone instantly. "No. Jake went out."
"Okay… when will…" I started.
"Don't call again, I'm waiting important calls here."
That's when I knew something was seriously wrong. Somehow, I knew. Something in Tom's voice. My mind put a part of the puzzle together. Then my thoughts started tumbling.
"A girlfriend?" I managed to say, my voice suddenly dry.
"None of your business," Tom snapped.
He hung up.
I did, too. And dialled Rachel's number with trembling fingers.
Rachel is my best friend. We have almost nothing in common, but we are, still, best friends. As in she'll drag me to the mall in chains and force me to buy some decent clothes.
"Rachel?" I said when she answered. "I think we've got trouble."
"What?" she said.
I had to make up a reasonable lie, in case anybody was tapping the phone.
"I… I… I forgot Jake's present at the mall."
Ooo-kay.
That must have been the worst excuse in history.
"Silly. But I'll come over as soon as I can and we'll go look for it. Call Marco, maybe he found it."
She hung up. I hung up, and dialled Marco's number.
Marco is, I should say, Jake's best friend. They hang out at the mall wasting quarters on games all the time. Marco refers to himself as Dazzling Marco, or similar. He is cute, but he isn't as cute as he thinks he is. I mean, nobody is - or could be, for that matter.
Nora answered. Nora is Marco's step-mom. And a teacher at our school.
"Hi…" I said. "Is Marco there? It's Cassie, I'm a friend of Jake…"
I added the last part because Marco and I had not known each other that well before the Animorphs thing. Just in case the phone was tapped, again. Maybe I was being overly precautions, but I was sensing something… and I didn't like it. I definitely didn't like it.
"Sure, he's here…" Nora said. Then, not into the phone; "Marco! It's a friend of Jake's."
After just a few seconds Marco came, and said; "Who dares disturb me when I'm doing… well, nothing at all!?"
"It's Cassie," I said weakly. I sat down on a chair. My thoughts were tumbling again.
"Yeah, yeah. What?" he asked. I'm sure he sensed something from the tone of my voice. Marco is smarter than people think. "Something's wrong?"
"Yes…" I croaked. "I forgot Jake's present at the mall…"
"That's not very smart of you," Marco laughed.
"Rachel is coming over to help me look for it…"
"Let's see… if I help you look for it…"
"Then Rachel will leave your kidneys in place."
"I'll be right there," Marco said quickly. "See ya."
"Bye," I said, and hung up before my voice failed me. Then I buried my face in my hands. I didn't cry, but I felt like it.
I KNEW something was wrong.
And I didn't like it one bit.
Chapter 3 Marco
My name is Marco the Magnificent.
Or maybe it's just Marco. I keep forgetting.
But I wasn't really my gorgeous self at the time. Maybe I had a sixth sense or something. Which is highly unlikely. Or maybe it was because I had been scared to death and running for my life just an hour or so earlier, and now Cassie called and something sounded terrible.
Well, the life of a hero.
I hate it.
Cassie called. Cassie? Usually, Jake was the one who called, to keep up the act of playing "still normal kids here, nothing weird here… and especially no fighting slugs from WAY outta this world".
If anybody ever found out we spent our free time kicking butt on and hauling butt away from the invasion-ists, we'd be so worse than dead that I could die of horror thinking about it.
"Damn those Yeerks," I muttered. Then, as a thought struck me, "And damn Elfangor too. He couldn't just leave us alone, could he?"
But I took that back instantly. Elfangor had been trying to help us. He had been trying to give this planet some hope, and a way to defend itself.
Five kids. Yeah, some hope. And now, we were at four kids, a hawk, and a lunatic alien called Ax saying things like "Oh. Maybe we should flee in panic. That monster is large".
I mean, it's a completely hopeless battle.
On the Earth side, we have Rachel; a very beautiful mall-rat who loves trouble and kicking butt, anyone's butt, her idol being Xena: Warrior Princess.
And Cassie; the nature-loving animal expert and conscience of the group, who can't decide if she wants to worry about the humans or the animals on this planet.
There's Ax; who's real name is impossible to pronounce and who is the lunatic Andalite (that would be a blue centaur/scorpion/ a lot of other things) mentioned above.
Then there's Bird-Boy; Tobias, who used to be a blond boy who everyone picked on. Now he's doing full-time as a red-tailed hawk.
And Jake; the undisputed leader of the Animorphs, and your average serious, responsible guy. He's also my best friend, and I'd trust him anywhere, anytime.
Then there's me; I'm the unnaturally cute one, always surrounded by girls. At least I would be if I had any time for it… I'm the joker of the group. I'm constantly turning things into jokes, and when I'm not doing that, I'm complaining my guts out to anyone who will or will not listen.
Now I sound serious again. I hate that.
Moving right along…
On the Yeerk side; technology, numbers, weapons, space-ships, and everything else I'd rather they didn't have. And Visser Three. The only Andalite-Controller in the galaxy. The Yeerk who keeps turning into alien monsters to make us run away screaming. A guy you don't have to see to know he's coming; you can feel the evil swarming from him before you see him.
Scared yet?
Don't worry. You'll get used to it.
But we have one, small advantage; the Yeerk has to leave its host to swim in the Yeerk Pool once every three days. To soak up nutrients and artificial Kandrona rays. Kandrona rays come from the Yeerk home sun, but travelling Yeerks need them too, so they bring along artificial Kandrona sources. Basically, if someone has a Yeerk in their head, you can starve it out. It'll die of Kandrona starvation after three days.
Not that that helps much. I mean, we can't go around trapping Controllers and keeping them locked up for three days.
I looked out through the window. The rain was pouring down. A very nasty weather to fly in.
Fly?
Yes, fly. I would morph an osprey - a small predator bird - and fly to Cassie's barn. That was the fastest way.
But I hate flying in hard rain.
I sneaked towards the door.
"I'm going out," I called in a neutral, please-don't-notice-me voice.
"No, you're not!" my father replied from his place in front of the computer screen. "Not until you've done the dishes."
"What? Me? Dishes? No way!" I answered and opened the door quickly. But not quickly enough.
"Listen to your father," Nora said, appearing in the Gate of Nightmares - or in other words, the kitchen doorway. "You're never at home, so now while you are… just do the dishes."
Nora is my step-mom. Everyone, almost, "knows" that my real mom is dead. She isn't. She is the host of Visser One. But she's been gone for over two years now, and my dad has re-married. Some day, I'm going to rescue my mom. That's why I'm fighting this insane war.
I looked at the ceiling with a perfect "why-me" expression. I could make up a pretty good excuse, of course. But Nora was a teacher. She'd heard them all.
"Do the dishes," Nora ordered again. She pointed into the kitchen. "Now, Marco."
I could sneak out, and run. They wouldn't follow me. Sure, I'd get punished for it, but…
"Otherwise you'll be responsible for walking the dog for two weeks!" my father added.
"The dog?" I whined. "Not that poodle again!"
Let me explain. That poodle of Nora's is in the dictionary under "Annoying". And possibly under "Overly disguised as cute", and "Pain on a leash".
I did the dishes.
And I didn't even complain that much about it. The poodle was in the kitchen. I felt like I was doing slave-work with a sword held threateningly my head. The poodle was the sword. And it was biting and pulling at and generally trying to make Canine Minced Meal of my pants, as usual.
One question; whoever invented that poodle, call me; I'll sue. For disturbance of hero. Preventing me from saving the world. And, most importantly, causing me to do the dishes.
Chapter 4 Ax
My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.
I am an Andalite aristh. Aristh means warrior-cadet, for those of you which are unfamiliar with the Andalite language. Prince Elfangor was my brother.
Visser Three killed Elfangor. So I, as his brother, must avenge him and kill Visser Three. As humans would say; "Easier said than done."
I reside in the forest beyond Cassie's farm. It is not too bad; I get by. But often I miss my home. Then, I look up at the stars that form my ceiling night-time.
I was in my scoop, an Andalite version of "house", watching TV. At the time, the TV was showing was my favourite shows; These Messages. They are the shorter shows between the longer ones. The ones that usually annoy my human friends, since they enjoy the longer shows more.
It was growing dark outside, and rain was pouring down. Tobias had just left, and returned to his territory - a beautiful meadow. That is, by Earth standards "beautiful".
Tobias is a nothlit. He is trapped in morph. There is a two hour limit to morphing. Tobias stayed longer than that. So Tobias is, although the Ellimist gave him back his morphing ability, a red-tailed hawk. Therefore the "territory".
Not soon after Tobias had gone, Prince Jake arrived. Prince Jake is my Prince now, while I am here on Earth. He is taller than the other Animorphs, and is distinguished by that.
"Hi," he said. For all that have never met a human, that would be a standard way of greeting a friend.
I turned one stalk eye towards him. We Andalites have for eyes; two stalk eyes on top of our heads that can be turned to view surroundings, and two main eyes that are found on a similar location to that of human eyes.
I noticed that Prince Jake was not wearing a "rain coat". Humans are expected to wear certain artificial skin, by them called clothing, at certain occasions. When it is raining, they are expected to wear a rain coat. And complain a lot about the weather.
Prince Jake didn't seem to mind the weather. Something important had come up. A new mission?
Has something occurred? I asked in thought-speak. Since we Andalites have no mouth, thought-speak is our natural way of speech.
"Yes, in a way," Prince Jake replied and shrugged. "Let's head over to the barn."
Bird morph?
"No, we'll walk," Prince Jake said, very quickly. "We can't fly in this weather, anyway."
I turned the TV off and folded down my scoop. That way, nobody would notice it, even it they walked straight over it.
We started walking. I let my stalk eyes swivel in every direction as usual, and I would be instantly alert if I found any signs of danger. But in the rain and dark I couldn't see much. And the sound of the rain falling drowned many other sounds.
We walked. But in the wrong direction. I decided to mention that.
Prince Jake, are you aware that we are walking the wrong way?
"Don't call me Prince," Prince Jake said, for about the millionth and seventy-ninth time. "But yes, I am aware of that. But I came that way. You had to wade through a lot of water because it's rained so much. I thought we'd walk around it."
If something is important, then I must insist that we take the shortest route, I said. And the grounds we are heading towards have a lower altitude than the ones on the shorter route. So they should, according to all logic…
"Ax, please, not now. I've got enough to think about."
I was surprised, but I stopped talking.
We kept walking in the wrong direction.
And there was no logical explanation for it.
Prince Jake was very concentrated with something. As if he was arguing with himself.
Only a moment or so after was when I noticed a swift movement amongst the trees. Very close. I had not seen it earlier because of the rain.
But there was no mistaking what it was.
Hork-Bajir! I hissed.
Hork-Bajir were, before the Yeerks enslaved their entire species, a peaceful group of bark-eating, sentient but not too advanced, tree-living aliens. They look, unfortunately, like monsters. Their arms and legs and tail and even head are equipped with blades. For carving bark, actually, but the Yeerks use them for fighting. The two-meter tall Hork-Bajir are the shock-troops of the Yeerk empire.
"Yes, Hork-Bajir," Prince Jake said. He started morphing. He grew a tail. Orange and black - and some white - fur spread over him. "I know."
I was puzzled. Are they from the colony? I asked. There is a colony of free Hork-Bajir. All the others are Hork-Bajir-Controllers, with a Yeerk slug in their heads.
But then, why would Prince Jake be morphing?
Nope, he answered. He was almost completely a tiger. They are all Controllers, I hope.
That sentence made me realise what had happened. My stalk eyes went wide as they stared at him. Yeerk!
Prince Jake was a Controller.
Again.
Yes, Yeerk, the Yeerk answered. But this time, Andalite filth, you noticed it too late.
Prince Jake's laugh rang through my head as the Hork-Bajir tightened their circle around us.
Maybe I should run, I advised myself. But by then, it was too late. The Hork-Bajir had surrounded me… accompanied by the tiger.
For all Andalites who have never visited Earth; the tiger is a large and very beautiful killing machine. Graceful, fast, smart, with excellent senses. Sharp teeth, and sharp claws. And a tiger can see much better then us Andalites in dark places.
I assumed fighting stance, but knew I did not have much of a chance against that many. I even pondered if I had a chance against Prince Jake's tiger morph.
It was quite simple, really, the Yeerk continued. This idiot had morphed his dog to try and get away. Even though it fooled his brother, it didn't fool Chapman.
The tiger crept together, its tail twitching. I knew what he was intending to do. I prepared myself to leap away… if only I was fast enough.
But when he came out through the door, at this point the Yeerk paused… flashing a tiger grin with a row of perfect, white teeth He saw all those Hork-Bajir and Taxxons and human-Controllers, and our glorious Visser, so he decided to give up.
I knew he was lying. But all my shock and surprised vanished, together with my common sense. It was replaced by anger… and fear. Lots of fear. Fear can make you lose your concentration. It is, at times, very frustrating.
So then, I did a very dumb thing.
I attacked.
FWAP!
My fast, deadly tail stung the tiger's face.
Maybe I should explain to any humans who have not seen an Andalite. My tail is similar to the tail of an Earth species called a scorpion. But I am not poisonous. And my tail is long and smooth, and agile, not divided into segments.
I am sorry, Prince Jake, I told the tiger. But I know you'll understand.
FWAP!
I missed! For the tiger leapt at me, extending his claws… I side-stepped quickly. A Hork-Bajir blade slashed at me, and I received a deep gash in my side. The tiger hit my other side, and almost caused me to fall into the Hork-Bajir again. In the moment that it took me to regain control - and avoid another few Hork-Bajir blades - Jake had leaped again, and landed on my back. My tail SWOOSHED, as his claws dug in deep into my skin. Then teeth closed around my tail, gnawing and ripping. Hork-Bajir blades slashed at me from all sides.
I couldn't use my tail as accurately and as quickly while teeth were slowly but surely gnawing it of. And my arms were useless.
And I couldn't keep standing up on my delicate Andalite hooves with that extra weight. A tiger is a very large, very heavy animal. So my legs began to give way, and I fell over.
I fell. Unable to keep standing up, and unable to stop my fall, I fell. As I landed all air was blown out of me, and one of my arms was crushed under me. I'm sure it was broken. Andalite arms are very weak.
Aah… the Yeerk who controlled the tiger said. There's nothing like victory over an Andalite. Even one who is weak enough to attack in anger. Foolish, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. Very foolish. And for that, you'll have to pay a price.
The tiger sat down, keeping me pinned to the ground. I had no chance of standing up again. My tail was almost useless. Instead of being the normal blue of my fur, it was covered in blood. Instead of the usual strength I could feel in it, the courage I could draw from its presence, now there was only pain.
Then the Yeerk looked about. He must have said something, for five Hork-Bajir came forwards. Two of them grabbed my shredded tail. One grabbed my front legs. One grabbed my shoulder and the arm that still was unharmed.
I was hoping for a quick death. The alternatives were too horrible.
Then, one grabbed my head. Holding it in place.
My hopes died.
I started screaming, in thought-speak.
Bring the Sub-Visser, Prince Jake's Yeerk said.
No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I shrieked. AAAH! HELP!!!!! NOOO!
I fought. I tried, at least. I couldn't move my head. I couldn't move my arms. My legs kicked a little, but not enough. My aching tail barely twisted.
Tobias! I screamed. Tobias was probably the closest. Tobias! TOBIAS! CASSIE! MARCO! RACHEL! NOOO! Please, anyone, I might need some assistance!
Scream all you like, you fool Andalite, the Yeerk hissed. Don't you think we've secured the area? There isn't a living thing within thought-speak range. Not even a single termite.
My stalk eyes swivelled around. I saw a Hork-Bajir coming closer, carrying a small box with see-through sides, filled with water. In it was a Yeerk.
What was surely meant to be my Yeerk.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's Note;
If there's any interest in this junk the next part will be up soon. So if you want to read more, review, tell me so, and I'll see if it's worth the trouble to upload the next part.
