A/N: I would like to dedicate this story to my friend VV, who has been in the hospital for a serious condition since December 23rd, and I just learned today, January 9th because I was on vacation so much during the break. She might die, and she is only fifteen. She is one of my best friends, so I ask you to pray for her, or if you do not pray, wish, or hope, or do whatever it is you do when you want something to happen. VV is not an Animorphs fan; she has not ever even read a book or watched the (horrible) TV show, but she is great. We are all scared to death about her, so, please, pray for her or something.
Also, thank you to the following for replying to my email begging for help in getting out of my writer's block (If you still have not replied, I am still open to suggestions! My email is MyLittlePony204@hotmail.com) :
Morpherkidvb
Shawna (Ami of Destiny)
Chapter 6
I could almost feel the hatred radiating out of me. I could not believe what the Murkra had just told me. They kidnapped my species' ancestors to keep as pets. Then they left them to evolve, letting them become warlike monsters. I hated them for what they did to my prehistoric people. Prince Jake had managed to calm me, so that I was no longer on the verge of trying to massacre Captain Miaker, but I was still angry. What Prince Jake said made sense, but I could not, did not want to see it through my rage. With realization of where we were and who the new Hork-Bajir were also lessened the original fire of the my hate, and I managed a smile, but the site of the Garatron ship only made my mood dark again. I was going to have to fight against my own kin. And it was the Murkra's fault.
I don't think that they've seen exactly where we are yet, have they? Otherwise they would have landed closer, Tobias commented.
"I think Tobias is right," Prince Jake told us. "If we keep moving, perhaps we will be okay for a while."
"You welcome stay in trees with Hork-Bajir," said one of the four that had come to investigate us. I believed it was the one Toby had said was the mixture of the people on earth.
"We would like to, please," Toby said to them. She was quite happy about meeting some of her people.
"Thank you," said Sandra with a smile.
We started following the Hork-Bajir, who introduced themselves as Fed Aree, Lorn Alpaf, Ink Kelpak, and Burg Erkin, but it was difficult because they swung through the trees whereas we had to walk on the severely tilted ground. At one point, we considered acquiring a small animal we saw in the trees that the Hork-Bajir called a chadoo, but because Sandra, General Doubleday, Menderash, Toby, Guide, and the many hundred Murkra could not morph.
As far as I was concerned, we should have left the Murkra where they were for the Garatron to find. I was still seething.
Slowly, we followed Burg, Fed, Lorn, and Ink to their tribe's camp. The entire time, we looked cautiously towards the Garatron's landing site, half expecting them to jump out from behind one of the monstrous trees and kill us all. My own cousins would do that.
As we walked, I could more clearly see the destruction caused by the Yeerks. There were large fallen, decaying trees in many places we passed. The ground was scarred with scorch marks. Shrubbery was few and far between.
When I looked down, I saw a viscous purple gas at the bottom of the valley. I decided that beneath it was the Arn cities, and that that was the barrier where the fabled Jubba-Jubba and other monsters lived. About one thousand feet below us, I saw the first of a series of platforms rising up into the sky attached to the trees. Hork-Bajir clung to the trunks and sliced off bark, which they handed down, or up, depending on where exactly on the tree they were, to other Hork-Bajir who placed the slices onto specified platforms. Occasionally, I could catch snatches of their guttural language. They all looked extremely busy.
When we passed by them, they became quiet stared at us. Especially at Yahal and me. You could almost see the wheels turning in their slow heads: are those the Andalites, the creatures who killed us off? Are those some new host bodies? Have the Yeerks come back? They shied away, giving us space.
Suddenly, Fed jumped onto a tree trunk and climbed up a few feet to the closest platform, and called out. Two other Hork-Bajir dropped what they were doing and came over to where we were.
"Hi," one said. "Luk is oldest Hork-Bajir. Fed say you from other place. Say you friends." When the Hork-Bajir said "Luk," he pointed at himself.
"Yes," Toby said to the speaker, "We are from another flower of Mother Sky. The Yeerks took my father-father from here, and now I am here with my friends trying to escape more bad people. Is there any way that the Hork-Bajir of this place could help us?"
"You different!" Both of the new Hork-Bajir marveled. Obviously, her sophisticated speech had tipped them off to the fact that Toby was a seer. They stared at her, star-struck. "Last different Hork-Bajir was Dak Hamee. Dak dead. But son-son-daughter of Dak is different. Toby not here. You Toby?"
Toby smiled, a fearsome sight on a Hork-Bajir. "Yes, I am Toby. How did you know about me?"
The second Hork-Bajir answered. "Arn tell us after we born. You come help us?"
"Do you need help?" Toby asked, worried.
"Yes. Other Hork-Bajir just tell Luk and Indi new monster come from Mother Sky. New monster look like Andalite. New monster kill Hork-Bajir and make dead Hork-Bajir go away. New monster look like Hork-Bajir." I figured that Indi was the other Hork-Bajir's name.
I saw Prince Jake's hands tighten, and Cassie moved closer to him. Marco's lips pursed for a moment, which I took for a sign of frustration. I am getting very good at reading human emotions. Tobias fluffed his feathers, and Rachel's eyes narrowed. The rest of the people with us shuffled nervously, except for Guide, who had no idea what was going on.
"The One," Prince Jake said.
I nodded, a very human gesture, in response.
"Luk, Indi, we know this monster that you are talking about. That is who we are trying to get away from. Do you know where it is?" asked Toby.
Indi nodded. "Come. Indi take you. Luk go back to other Hork-Bajir."
"You know," Marco said, "Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, our lives have gotten slightly INSANE ever since Elfangor came to Earth? Just maybe? I mean, here I am on another planet light-years away from home with my best friend and his supposedly dead brother, my best friend's fiancé, her best friend, who, by the way, is supposed to be dead, her boyfriend who is actually a talking bird, his uncle which is a four-eyed blue deer/centaur/scorpion. I'm also with six walking, talking Salad-Shooters, an annoying alien from the planet of annoying, parasitic salespeople, a girl who was kidnapped by aliens, a human who is actually an alien stuck in morph, another deer/centaur/scorpion who is the son of the host-body of my old worst enemy, two more semi-normal people, except for the fact that they can turn into animals at will, and one normal guy, except for the fact that he helped us fight off brain-stealing aliens. Not to mention a few hundred prehistoric crabs that created mutant Yeerks and Andalites. And now, here we go, off to find and fight an all-powerful, evil pain-in-the-butt who has already beat Crayak, so that we can help some Salad-Shooters. And one of the Salad-Shooters is going to guide us to him. And, you know, instead of doing all of this, I could be home in the pool with some lovely Hollywood honeys, who-"
He stopped as Sandra gave him a dirty look.
"I mean, uh, I could be home in my pool with my friends here playing Marco Polo. Haha, get it? Marco Polo? Haha…" he smiled brightly, but no one else laughed. Sandra was still glaring at him, but her face had softened a little and a grin was tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Yeah, you're right," Prince Jake said. "We could be back home. But remember, you were bored out of your mind. Anyway, won't it be fun fighting incredibly fast aliens led by a jerk and a galactic pain-in-the-butt?" He smiled sarcastically.
Rachel smiled crazily.
"Oh, yeah, great fun," Marco muttered.
"Fed. Burg. Lorn. Ink. Come with Luk," Luk said. The four Hork-Bajir went off, following Luk.
"Captain Miaker, most of your people should stay here, where it's safe. If you do choose to come with us, please only bring a few Murkra. And you will have to keep yourselves hidden at first, if we want to negotiate with Captain Barvaritun Larumian Hartar. I don't think the Garatron would have a very good reaction to seeing you."
At this, Rachel exploded. "You think you can negotiate with those creeps? They slice and dice you before you even have a chance to say, 'We come in peace!'"
Prince Jake pursed his lips. "We can try, at least. Captain Miaker, what would you like to do?"
Inwardly, I was seething. Prince Jake wanted the Murkra scum to help us.
I will come with you, and bring two of my soldiers. Leenear! Raikon! We will help Jake and his friends get rid of the Garatron. The rest of you, stay here, I'm sure the Hork-Bajir would be more than willing to have you for a few hours. As he said this, Indi was nodding in agreement. We walked away from the settlement, following Indi.
Good, I thought, we were rid of most of the Murkra for now.
There were now only eighteen of us, being the ten humans, three Murkra, Tobias, Toby, Guide, Yahal, and I with the Hork-Bajir Indi. And we followed him to the place where we believed the most dangerous creature in this part of the universe was.