(A/N) Hello all of my faithful readers. I love you all soooo much for all
of the reviews and help that you gave me. It's been a long road and I
regret to say that this is the last chapter of written in the stars. But if
you want I can continue Stella's story once I've read a few more of the
Animorphs books. Simply Sara, thanks for reviewing all of these chapters.
I'm really glad that you stumbled upon this story too. Qenies9, thanks for
reviewing again. Sharina Silverstem, formerly known as earth guardian,
thanks for reviewing. Tabatha, thanks for reviewing again. You actually
survived all of those chapters? You need an award or something. You all do.
Qwerty, thanks for reviewing. I'm touched. I really am. *cries* does
anybody out there have a tissue?
Sorry about that. Okay, I'm in control again. Angel-of-Darkness25, thank
you much for reviewing. I'm also glad that you checked the Animorphs
section. *Trying to sound like Will Turner/ Orlando Bloom* A craftsman is
always pleased to hear her work is appreciated. Okay, I'm not a craftsman
but I just love that movie and I'll use any excuse to use a quote from it.
Couldn't resist mate. *trying to sound like captain Jack Sparrow and
failing miserably* Okay I'll quit rambling now. But really, I'm really
grateful that you all took the time to read this. You all rock! Hugs!
Written in the Stars
Chapter 12: Through the Night
"I hid Gwyn in the barn before we came to the battle. My parents are out tonight so they won't have found her. With any luck she'll be asleep by now." Cassie said as she lead us out of the rain and into her barn.
As we walked in I noticed Gwyn lying on a pile of hay. She'd probably made a fuss at being left by herself but she wore herself out in the end. She was now sleeping soundly. I knelt down beside her and hugged her. I could feel the eyes of the other Animorphs on my back. I could tell that they were itching to ask me what the Ellimist had shown me. But they also knew that I wasn't ready to talk about it. I would tell them someday, but not now. I was worn out.
Besides, there were some things that I probably shouldn't tell them.
"So what are your sleeping arrangements for tonight? It's raining out." Jake asked Ax and I.
But at that very moment I began to notice that I no longer heard the pounding of the rain drops on the roof of the barn. We all poked our heads out and saw that it had indeed stopped raining.
"I guess the forest is still going to work. We'll probably have to come up with some sort of arrangement for when it rains all night though." I said as I walked back inside to pick up Gwyn.
"Any meetings planned for the near future?" Rachel asked as Ax and I left the barn.
"No. I think it's time for a little break." Somehow I knew that Jake was nodding in my direction even though I didn't turn around to look.
There was no one around so Ax was in his true form as we walked back to the forest.
When we finally reached the clearing I laid Gwyn in her sleeping bag. Cassie had brought her a second one to use in place of mine. After I had done that I walked away from the two of them. I stared blankly out into the forest. I breathed in the sweet scent of the recent rain.
I had let Visser Three escape. I hated myself for it and yet something inside of me told me that I had done the right thing.
{ Stella, are you all right? }
"No." I answered softly.
As I turned to face him again I realized that he was morphing to human. When he was finished I ran to him and flung my arms around him. Almost for no reason at all. I simply needed him to be there. He was my grip on life after seeing so much death. I clung to him and rested my head on his chest. What the Ellimist had shown me had completely numbed me. A part of me had died. I was an empty shell. I needed Ax to make me whole again.
For awhile the two of us just stood there, holding each other tightly. We didn't speak. Finally I looked up into his eyes. His face came closer to mine. His lips brushed against mine with a frightened searching.
"Ax, I need you so much. Promise me that you won't ever leave me. Don't leave me alone like all the others did."
"No, I could never leave you. I swear it."
With that he pulled me even tighter into his embrace. All coherent thought left me as we joined our lips in a passionate kiss. Once again I felt that wonderful sense of abandonment coursing through my body. His kisses fell all over my face and my neck. I exchanged kiss for kiss, touch for touch. As we pulled apart for a brief moment I drew a ragged breath. I just wanted to lose myself in him and forget my pain. The air around me had suddenly grown warm. Too warm.
I clutched at him desperately. He pulled me closer and he kissed me again. I leaned my head back and moaned loudly as he dragged his lips down my neck. He lifted his head up when he reached the fabric of the T-shirt that I was wearing.
"Stella, there has to be more to it than this. This is wonderful but it just isn't enough anymore."
I knew how he felt. Without tearing my gaze away from him I pulled my T- shirt up and over my head. I tossed it aside like a dirty rag. He didn't seem to understand what I was doing but he did the same. Then he took me in his arms again. I ran my hands up and down his bare back. He wasn't too terribly muscular but I didn't care. All I cared about was being so close to him. Of him exploring me so intimately. As we kissed again he gently raised his hand and brought it to rest upon the lacey fabric of my bra. He pulled the fabric aside and rested his head on my chest. I brought up my own hands and held his head there for awhile.
"What is the purpose of this part of your body Stella? I have noticed by the shape that only human females have them."
I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Ax obviously didn't understand the concept of "ruining the moment". But what could I expect? I had fallen in love with an alien for crying out loud. I giggled softly and pulled his face back up to mine.
"You'll know someday Ax, but this probably isn't the best time to explain it."
Ax didn't press his question any further. He simply continued to caress my face. I closed my eyes as we sank to the forest floor. At that moment I didn't care if Visser Three was still monitoring my emotional state. All I cared about was exploring every crevice of Ax mouth with my tongue.
"Love me, Ax....love me." I begged him in between kisses, desperately wanting to obey the hormones that coursed through my system.
Ax just moaned in response.
{ Man, this is a good movie. Who's got the popcorn? }
"WOAH GOD!" I shrieked as I tore myself away from Ax.
I quickly raised my arms to shield my bare upper body as my eyes darted around the clearing. Four great horned owls spilled out of the trees along with a red-tailed hawk. As the four owls demorphed I stared at them in rage. When the owl that was Marco was fully human he spoke.
"No, no. Don't stop. You guys were giving us quite a show."
I didn't answer to this. I felt a muscle in the right half of my face begin to twitch. I launched myself at Marco and knocked him to the ground. I now had him straddled beneath me. I raised one fist up to his face and I used the other to deliver a blow to his chest.
"I swear, Marco. If you weren't a fellow Animorph, I'd kill you right now!"
"And believe me, nobody appreciates that more than I do." Marco said nervously. But as he gazed up at me his look turned from one of fear to one of interest.
"Man, how far had you guys gotten before we showed up?" As he said this his gaze drifted away from my face, down past my neck....
Instantly I felt the blush spread all over my face. I backed away from him and picked up my scattered bra and T-shirt. I quickly pulled the T- shirt back on. As I moved to stand beside Ax I saw a strange look on his face. Ax hadn't completely mastered human facial expressions but I took the look on his face to mean the same anger that was now building up in my gut.
"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" I demanded, pumping anger into every syllable.
"Just thought we'd check up on you guys." Marco replied sardonically.
{ Couldn't control yourself, huh, Ax-man. } Tobias said.
"Even though I don't have a problem with you guys.....um.... But I'm gonna have to warn you to be more careful during your little......moments." Jake said hesitantly.
"Okay, Marco. I would expect this from him. I would expect it from Tobias. I might expect it from Rachel. Maybe even from Jake. But you Cassie? I thought you had more respect than that." I said as I turned to face Cassie.
"Well.....I....had to make sure these guys didn't give you too tough a time." Cassie mumbled as she turned away from me.
"Prince Jake." Ax spoke suddenly. The tone of his voice scared me a little bit. "You are my prince and I honor you. But regardless of that, I will not have you spying on us like this. Stella and I have a right to privacy. I'll have to ask you all to leave now." He said calmly.
Even Marco didn't have a snappy come back for this. Ax is always polite and reserved, but when he gets to talking like this you start to take him seriously. Slowly they backed away until the only one remaining was Tobias.
{ Have fun you two. But keep the noise to a minimum. And Ax, I'm sorry about that. }
"It is all right, my friend. You are forgiven." Ax said as Tobias flew off into the night.
"I think it's time we get to sleep." I said softly. The magic had suddenly drained out of the night.
"Of course. If you think it best, Stella." Ax said as he started to demorph.
Once Ax had completed the transformation I crawled into my sleeping bag and switched off the lantern that Cassie had leant me.
I drifted off to sleep with the tingling sensation of Ax's lips still on my neck. As I slept I dreamed.
* *
*
The dream was so real. I was standing in a huge room. Huge as in you could have played a decent game of football in there with space to spare. An old Andalite male stood at the end of the room. In front him were two guards. Both held shredders up at the two young Andalites that stood in front of them. One was female and the other was male.
{ Leave at once. You are not authorized to be in here. } One of the guards said as he raised his shredder even higher.
{ I refuse to leave. Not until I've spoken to Lirem. } The Andalite girl said calmly.
{ It is Lirem-Arrepoth-Terrouss to you, you insolent runt! } the other guard fumed.
The girl didn't respond to this. She simply brought her tail blade forward and severed the hand that held the shredder. The guard cried out in pain. Before the other guard could even react the girl turned on him. Faster than I could track, her tail blade was flying through the air and the guard's arm lay on the floor, still clutching the shredder. Suddenly the older Andalite spoke.
{ You two, get medical attention immediately. These two children want an audience with me. They shall have it. }
As the two guards rushed from the room the girl spoke again.
{ That is the last time that you will underestimate a female. }
{ Now, Arrow, is it? Arrow-Sirinial-Mahil? What is it that you wish to speak to me about? }
With that the Andalite girl stepped towards him. The Andalite boy was more hesitant but he eventually followed her.
{ What did you do to them? } the boy asked in a shaky voice.
{ Them? }
{ My mother and my sister, Janisari. } the girl who called herself Arrow demanded angrily.
{ I assure you I have no idea what you are talking about. }
{ Where are they, Lirem?! } She practically shouted.
{ Do not address me with such insolence, you half human brats. I am Lirem- Arrepoth-Terrouss! Head of the council! } Lirem thundered.
{ I don't care who you are! You are not great leader to me. Once you have committed murder you are no longer worthy in my eyes. You are not worthy to lead our people! } Arrow accused.
{ Be careful what you accuse me of, Arrow. I can see the two of you dead. I have never committed murder. }
{ Yes you have! You condemned our father to death! You kidnapped Janisari. I am certain that you would not hesitate to kill her. Just because of what she is. Just because of who our mother is! }
{ What do you mean when you say 'our people' ? You are no true Andalite, human scum. If your mother and Janisari die tonight it will be no more than they deserve! Your father deserved what he got! Your mother has no right to live. She knows too much. The very existence of you, Elfangor, and Janisari is an insult to the Andalite people! }
{ Where are you hiding them! } Arrow demanded. As she spoke she leapt forward.
But before she could raise her tail blade to attack Lirem brought forth his own tail blade and placed it on her throat.
{ Stupid girl! I could see you dead right now. You are a fool. }
{ Leave my sister alone! } the Andalite boy suddenly stepped forward, his tail blade held high.
{ Elfangor, stay out of this. } Arrow told him calmly.
{ Elfangor. You have no right to bear the name of such a great Prince. You were both fools to come here! Your mother and Janisari will die. It has already been decided! It is the council's decision! } Lirem crowed triumphantly.
{ No. } the Andalite boy who called himself Elfangor whispered in a shocked voice.
{ I swear on my father's grave we will not allow it to happen! } Arrow hissed up at Lirem.
{ In that case you are both under arrest. } Lirem sneered at them.
As a fresh group of Andalites poured into the office I woke up.
* *
*
The instant I opened my eyes I shut them tightly against the glare of the dawn. The light of the sun was slowly flooding the clearing. I rolled over in the sleeping bag and reached into my backpack. I pulled out the tiny digital watch and found that it was only 6:30 in the morning. None of the others would be awake yet. Namely Cassie and Ax. Tobias might be awake but it wasn't him that I was worried about. I had a mission to carry out. One that I preferred to finish on my own.
Quickly and quietly I crawled out of the sleeping and pulled on a sweater over my morphing suit. Thankfully Ax was still sleeping.
I walked over to him and gazed upon his sleeping face. It was so different from my own human face. How had I come to love it so much? We were so different.
I stroked his face gently with one hand before running off into the still sleeping forest. I carried only one thing with me: a bobby pin.
By the time I arrived at Cassie's barn I was completely out of breath. I collapsed on the grass and I lay there for a few minutes, breathing in the fresh morning air.
Finally I stood up again and made my way to the barn door. As I suspected it was padlocked. Fortunately for me the lock wasn't too big and I would be able to undo it with my bobby pin. I had long ago learned how to pick a basic lock and this particular lock was about as basic as they came. When I finally managed to undo the lock I pulled it down and undid the chains around door latches. I quietly pulled open one of the massive barn doors. It was squeaky but not loud enough to wake anybody up.
I crept inside the barn and emerged with the morphing cube a few minutes later. Quickly I morphed to falcon and snatched up the morphing cube in my talons. The cube was somewhat heavy for being so small. Almost as if it was weighted down with the immensity of it's powers.
Instead of flying straight to the construction site I flew the round about way and flew over Jake's and Marco's houses. I felt somewhat lonely thinking about all of them at their homes, sleeping in their own beds. Knowing that their parents were close by. Even Tobias might still be able to reach his mother if he tried. She might still be out there somewhere. Ax would more than likely see his family again, even though they were thousands of light years away. But I was different. My family was gone. I could be as sad, as scared, or as angry as I liked but I could never reach them again. I was an orphan.
As I passed over Rachel's house I saw Tobias perched on her windowsill. Neither of them saw me passing by. They were too absorbed in whatever conversation they were having.
As I flew onward I thought about the dream from the previous night. What had it meant? I was more than certain that it had been on the Andalite home world. Ax had once explained to me who Lirem was. He hadn't gone beyond telling me that Lirem was the head of some high and mighty Andalite council. But who were the two young Andalites? Arrow and Elfangor. Why had Lirem called them half-human? The only being that I knew of with Andalite and human parentage was Tobias. Who was Janisari? Who were the parents that they spoke of?
When I finally reached the site I flew to the spot of last night's battle. As I demorphed I began to see the hoof marks that still covered the ground. They were mingled in with all sorts of other prints.
I gathered a few pieces of stray concrete and hurried to hide the morphing cube in a small corner. When I had finished, the little thing was completely invisible. As I knelt there I started to wonder whose destiny was still tied to it. Would this new person come to the Animorphs just as I had? Broken and alone.
Slowly I backed away from the small shrine that I had created. I should be heading back. The others would be waking up soon. Cassie would eventually discover that the morphing cube was gone. They would all freak out. Until they learned what I had done. Hopefully they would all understand.
As I flew back to the forest I thought. Where would I be when this war was over? I no longer had a life on this planet. Visser Three had seen to that. The day would come when Ax would return to his own people. What would happen to me then? Would he leave me here? No! Never! He had given me his word. All the same I knew that now was not the time to be thinking about this. I had my victory over Visser Three. He wasn't dead but I had still triumphed.
But what of Ax and myself? I knew that one day those stolen moments would become much more than that. There were many out there that would call me a tramp for those stolen moments. But was it so wrong to express my love now? How many tomorrows would Ax and I have?
As I flew higher I began to see Cassie's farm and the forest beyond it. When I saw the forest I felt warmth spread through me. It was home. Wherever Ax was, that was home. I knew that he would just be waking up now. At that thought I flew faster. I suddenly wanted to see him. Wanted to be with him.
I, Stella, the Star, the seventh Animorph, end the first chapter of my story. Maybe I am still broken, but no longer alone.
* *
*
(A/N) Well, should I write the sequel? Do tell. Reviews please ( Thanks to all of you who have stayed with me all the way.
Written in the Stars
Chapter 12: Through the Night
"I hid Gwyn in the barn before we came to the battle. My parents are out tonight so they won't have found her. With any luck she'll be asleep by now." Cassie said as she lead us out of the rain and into her barn.
As we walked in I noticed Gwyn lying on a pile of hay. She'd probably made a fuss at being left by herself but she wore herself out in the end. She was now sleeping soundly. I knelt down beside her and hugged her. I could feel the eyes of the other Animorphs on my back. I could tell that they were itching to ask me what the Ellimist had shown me. But they also knew that I wasn't ready to talk about it. I would tell them someday, but not now. I was worn out.
Besides, there were some things that I probably shouldn't tell them.
"So what are your sleeping arrangements for tonight? It's raining out." Jake asked Ax and I.
But at that very moment I began to notice that I no longer heard the pounding of the rain drops on the roof of the barn. We all poked our heads out and saw that it had indeed stopped raining.
"I guess the forest is still going to work. We'll probably have to come up with some sort of arrangement for when it rains all night though." I said as I walked back inside to pick up Gwyn.
"Any meetings planned for the near future?" Rachel asked as Ax and I left the barn.
"No. I think it's time for a little break." Somehow I knew that Jake was nodding in my direction even though I didn't turn around to look.
There was no one around so Ax was in his true form as we walked back to the forest.
When we finally reached the clearing I laid Gwyn in her sleeping bag. Cassie had brought her a second one to use in place of mine. After I had done that I walked away from the two of them. I stared blankly out into the forest. I breathed in the sweet scent of the recent rain.
I had let Visser Three escape. I hated myself for it and yet something inside of me told me that I had done the right thing.
{ Stella, are you all right? }
"No." I answered softly.
As I turned to face him again I realized that he was morphing to human. When he was finished I ran to him and flung my arms around him. Almost for no reason at all. I simply needed him to be there. He was my grip on life after seeing so much death. I clung to him and rested my head on his chest. What the Ellimist had shown me had completely numbed me. A part of me had died. I was an empty shell. I needed Ax to make me whole again.
For awhile the two of us just stood there, holding each other tightly. We didn't speak. Finally I looked up into his eyes. His face came closer to mine. His lips brushed against mine with a frightened searching.
"Ax, I need you so much. Promise me that you won't ever leave me. Don't leave me alone like all the others did."
"No, I could never leave you. I swear it."
With that he pulled me even tighter into his embrace. All coherent thought left me as we joined our lips in a passionate kiss. Once again I felt that wonderful sense of abandonment coursing through my body. His kisses fell all over my face and my neck. I exchanged kiss for kiss, touch for touch. As we pulled apart for a brief moment I drew a ragged breath. I just wanted to lose myself in him and forget my pain. The air around me had suddenly grown warm. Too warm.
I clutched at him desperately. He pulled me closer and he kissed me again. I leaned my head back and moaned loudly as he dragged his lips down my neck. He lifted his head up when he reached the fabric of the T-shirt that I was wearing.
"Stella, there has to be more to it than this. This is wonderful but it just isn't enough anymore."
I knew how he felt. Without tearing my gaze away from him I pulled my T- shirt up and over my head. I tossed it aside like a dirty rag. He didn't seem to understand what I was doing but he did the same. Then he took me in his arms again. I ran my hands up and down his bare back. He wasn't too terribly muscular but I didn't care. All I cared about was being so close to him. Of him exploring me so intimately. As we kissed again he gently raised his hand and brought it to rest upon the lacey fabric of my bra. He pulled the fabric aside and rested his head on my chest. I brought up my own hands and held his head there for awhile.
"What is the purpose of this part of your body Stella? I have noticed by the shape that only human females have them."
I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Ax obviously didn't understand the concept of "ruining the moment". But what could I expect? I had fallen in love with an alien for crying out loud. I giggled softly and pulled his face back up to mine.
"You'll know someday Ax, but this probably isn't the best time to explain it."
Ax didn't press his question any further. He simply continued to caress my face. I closed my eyes as we sank to the forest floor. At that moment I didn't care if Visser Three was still monitoring my emotional state. All I cared about was exploring every crevice of Ax mouth with my tongue.
"Love me, Ax....love me." I begged him in between kisses, desperately wanting to obey the hormones that coursed through my system.
Ax just moaned in response.
{ Man, this is a good movie. Who's got the popcorn? }
"WOAH GOD!" I shrieked as I tore myself away from Ax.
I quickly raised my arms to shield my bare upper body as my eyes darted around the clearing. Four great horned owls spilled out of the trees along with a red-tailed hawk. As the four owls demorphed I stared at them in rage. When the owl that was Marco was fully human he spoke.
"No, no. Don't stop. You guys were giving us quite a show."
I didn't answer to this. I felt a muscle in the right half of my face begin to twitch. I launched myself at Marco and knocked him to the ground. I now had him straddled beneath me. I raised one fist up to his face and I used the other to deliver a blow to his chest.
"I swear, Marco. If you weren't a fellow Animorph, I'd kill you right now!"
"And believe me, nobody appreciates that more than I do." Marco said nervously. But as he gazed up at me his look turned from one of fear to one of interest.
"Man, how far had you guys gotten before we showed up?" As he said this his gaze drifted away from my face, down past my neck....
Instantly I felt the blush spread all over my face. I backed away from him and picked up my scattered bra and T-shirt. I quickly pulled the T- shirt back on. As I moved to stand beside Ax I saw a strange look on his face. Ax hadn't completely mastered human facial expressions but I took the look on his face to mean the same anger that was now building up in my gut.
"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" I demanded, pumping anger into every syllable.
"Just thought we'd check up on you guys." Marco replied sardonically.
{ Couldn't control yourself, huh, Ax-man. } Tobias said.
"Even though I don't have a problem with you guys.....um.... But I'm gonna have to warn you to be more careful during your little......moments." Jake said hesitantly.
"Okay, Marco. I would expect this from him. I would expect it from Tobias. I might expect it from Rachel. Maybe even from Jake. But you Cassie? I thought you had more respect than that." I said as I turned to face Cassie.
"Well.....I....had to make sure these guys didn't give you too tough a time." Cassie mumbled as she turned away from me.
"Prince Jake." Ax spoke suddenly. The tone of his voice scared me a little bit. "You are my prince and I honor you. But regardless of that, I will not have you spying on us like this. Stella and I have a right to privacy. I'll have to ask you all to leave now." He said calmly.
Even Marco didn't have a snappy come back for this. Ax is always polite and reserved, but when he gets to talking like this you start to take him seriously. Slowly they backed away until the only one remaining was Tobias.
{ Have fun you two. But keep the noise to a minimum. And Ax, I'm sorry about that. }
"It is all right, my friend. You are forgiven." Ax said as Tobias flew off into the night.
"I think it's time we get to sleep." I said softly. The magic had suddenly drained out of the night.
"Of course. If you think it best, Stella." Ax said as he started to demorph.
Once Ax had completed the transformation I crawled into my sleeping bag and switched off the lantern that Cassie had leant me.
I drifted off to sleep with the tingling sensation of Ax's lips still on my neck. As I slept I dreamed.
* *
*
The dream was so real. I was standing in a huge room. Huge as in you could have played a decent game of football in there with space to spare. An old Andalite male stood at the end of the room. In front him were two guards. Both held shredders up at the two young Andalites that stood in front of them. One was female and the other was male.
{ Leave at once. You are not authorized to be in here. } One of the guards said as he raised his shredder even higher.
{ I refuse to leave. Not until I've spoken to Lirem. } The Andalite girl said calmly.
{ It is Lirem-Arrepoth-Terrouss to you, you insolent runt! } the other guard fumed.
The girl didn't respond to this. She simply brought her tail blade forward and severed the hand that held the shredder. The guard cried out in pain. Before the other guard could even react the girl turned on him. Faster than I could track, her tail blade was flying through the air and the guard's arm lay on the floor, still clutching the shredder. Suddenly the older Andalite spoke.
{ You two, get medical attention immediately. These two children want an audience with me. They shall have it. }
As the two guards rushed from the room the girl spoke again.
{ That is the last time that you will underestimate a female. }
{ Now, Arrow, is it? Arrow-Sirinial-Mahil? What is it that you wish to speak to me about? }
With that the Andalite girl stepped towards him. The Andalite boy was more hesitant but he eventually followed her.
{ What did you do to them? } the boy asked in a shaky voice.
{ Them? }
{ My mother and my sister, Janisari. } the girl who called herself Arrow demanded angrily.
{ I assure you I have no idea what you are talking about. }
{ Where are they, Lirem?! } She practically shouted.
{ Do not address me with such insolence, you half human brats. I am Lirem- Arrepoth-Terrouss! Head of the council! } Lirem thundered.
{ I don't care who you are! You are not great leader to me. Once you have committed murder you are no longer worthy in my eyes. You are not worthy to lead our people! } Arrow accused.
{ Be careful what you accuse me of, Arrow. I can see the two of you dead. I have never committed murder. }
{ Yes you have! You condemned our father to death! You kidnapped Janisari. I am certain that you would not hesitate to kill her. Just because of what she is. Just because of who our mother is! }
{ What do you mean when you say 'our people' ? You are no true Andalite, human scum. If your mother and Janisari die tonight it will be no more than they deserve! Your father deserved what he got! Your mother has no right to live. She knows too much. The very existence of you, Elfangor, and Janisari is an insult to the Andalite people! }
{ Where are you hiding them! } Arrow demanded. As she spoke she leapt forward.
But before she could raise her tail blade to attack Lirem brought forth his own tail blade and placed it on her throat.
{ Stupid girl! I could see you dead right now. You are a fool. }
{ Leave my sister alone! } the Andalite boy suddenly stepped forward, his tail blade held high.
{ Elfangor, stay out of this. } Arrow told him calmly.
{ Elfangor. You have no right to bear the name of such a great Prince. You were both fools to come here! Your mother and Janisari will die. It has already been decided! It is the council's decision! } Lirem crowed triumphantly.
{ No. } the Andalite boy who called himself Elfangor whispered in a shocked voice.
{ I swear on my father's grave we will not allow it to happen! } Arrow hissed up at Lirem.
{ In that case you are both under arrest. } Lirem sneered at them.
As a fresh group of Andalites poured into the office I woke up.
* *
*
The instant I opened my eyes I shut them tightly against the glare of the dawn. The light of the sun was slowly flooding the clearing. I rolled over in the sleeping bag and reached into my backpack. I pulled out the tiny digital watch and found that it was only 6:30 in the morning. None of the others would be awake yet. Namely Cassie and Ax. Tobias might be awake but it wasn't him that I was worried about. I had a mission to carry out. One that I preferred to finish on my own.
Quickly and quietly I crawled out of the sleeping and pulled on a sweater over my morphing suit. Thankfully Ax was still sleeping.
I walked over to him and gazed upon his sleeping face. It was so different from my own human face. How had I come to love it so much? We were so different.
I stroked his face gently with one hand before running off into the still sleeping forest. I carried only one thing with me: a bobby pin.
By the time I arrived at Cassie's barn I was completely out of breath. I collapsed on the grass and I lay there for a few minutes, breathing in the fresh morning air.
Finally I stood up again and made my way to the barn door. As I suspected it was padlocked. Fortunately for me the lock wasn't too big and I would be able to undo it with my bobby pin. I had long ago learned how to pick a basic lock and this particular lock was about as basic as they came. When I finally managed to undo the lock I pulled it down and undid the chains around door latches. I quietly pulled open one of the massive barn doors. It was squeaky but not loud enough to wake anybody up.
I crept inside the barn and emerged with the morphing cube a few minutes later. Quickly I morphed to falcon and snatched up the morphing cube in my talons. The cube was somewhat heavy for being so small. Almost as if it was weighted down with the immensity of it's powers.
Instead of flying straight to the construction site I flew the round about way and flew over Jake's and Marco's houses. I felt somewhat lonely thinking about all of them at their homes, sleeping in their own beds. Knowing that their parents were close by. Even Tobias might still be able to reach his mother if he tried. She might still be out there somewhere. Ax would more than likely see his family again, even though they were thousands of light years away. But I was different. My family was gone. I could be as sad, as scared, or as angry as I liked but I could never reach them again. I was an orphan.
As I passed over Rachel's house I saw Tobias perched on her windowsill. Neither of them saw me passing by. They were too absorbed in whatever conversation they were having.
As I flew onward I thought about the dream from the previous night. What had it meant? I was more than certain that it had been on the Andalite home world. Ax had once explained to me who Lirem was. He hadn't gone beyond telling me that Lirem was the head of some high and mighty Andalite council. But who were the two young Andalites? Arrow and Elfangor. Why had Lirem called them half-human? The only being that I knew of with Andalite and human parentage was Tobias. Who was Janisari? Who were the parents that they spoke of?
When I finally reached the site I flew to the spot of last night's battle. As I demorphed I began to see the hoof marks that still covered the ground. They were mingled in with all sorts of other prints.
I gathered a few pieces of stray concrete and hurried to hide the morphing cube in a small corner. When I had finished, the little thing was completely invisible. As I knelt there I started to wonder whose destiny was still tied to it. Would this new person come to the Animorphs just as I had? Broken and alone.
Slowly I backed away from the small shrine that I had created. I should be heading back. The others would be waking up soon. Cassie would eventually discover that the morphing cube was gone. They would all freak out. Until they learned what I had done. Hopefully they would all understand.
As I flew back to the forest I thought. Where would I be when this war was over? I no longer had a life on this planet. Visser Three had seen to that. The day would come when Ax would return to his own people. What would happen to me then? Would he leave me here? No! Never! He had given me his word. All the same I knew that now was not the time to be thinking about this. I had my victory over Visser Three. He wasn't dead but I had still triumphed.
But what of Ax and myself? I knew that one day those stolen moments would become much more than that. There were many out there that would call me a tramp for those stolen moments. But was it so wrong to express my love now? How many tomorrows would Ax and I have?
As I flew higher I began to see Cassie's farm and the forest beyond it. When I saw the forest I felt warmth spread through me. It was home. Wherever Ax was, that was home. I knew that he would just be waking up now. At that thought I flew faster. I suddenly wanted to see him. Wanted to be with him.
I, Stella, the Star, the seventh Animorph, end the first chapter of my story. Maybe I am still broken, but no longer alone.
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(A/N) Well, should I write the sequel? Do tell. Reviews please ( Thanks to all of you who have stayed with me all the way.