The Generation
Chapter 12- Max
The next two days passed in a haze. I spent them in the Hork Bajir valley, but I lost my interest in the Andilite morph. I practiced my lion morph instead, leaping upward, leaping forward, attacking bundles of sticks shaped like Hork Bajir and Taxxons. Ax didn't mention anything more about the call. I slept late. I used my wolf morph to hunt food. I used the bird morph to fish in the river, even though red tailed hawks aren't very good at fishing. I survived, I listened to the Hork Bajir tell their stories by the campfire and helped them gather wood. I acquired a Hork Bajir and learned how to strip bark from them. The others had all acquired a Hork Bajir before they left, probably because Rachel and Tobias each had one. I wasn't sure, and I didn't care.
Ezimili trained with us. We went into the mountains on Tuesday morning so that she could acquire morphs. We got her a wolf, a Hork Bajir, a mountain lion, and a Big Horned Sheep, sturdy mountain animals. I acquired the cougar and the sheep, but I didn't think that I'd need them.
I waited until Tobias came sailing into the Valley Wednesday Morning at around eleven. //Hey Max! Ax! And Ezimili is that you?//
//Yes, you must be Tobias, I read about you in Elfangor's Hirac Delest. Have you come to bring us to Cassie's barn?//
//Yeah, I mean, Max and I will be flying, and probably Ax too, but you might want to acquire something more powerful than a red tail in the air.// Tobias called down. //Come on up Max! The thermals are fine!//
"Gladly!" I shouted upward. "I could use a fly!" And I began to morph.
//Hey Toby! Good to see you! Jake says that its okay for Max to go back now.// Tobias shouted down, before he landed on Toby's horns.
"I am glad to see you Tobias my friend." Toby said with a smile.
"Friend Tobias, good to see!" Jara Hame grinned. I had almost gotten used to Alien expressions.
But the suspense was too much. As soon as I could use thoughtspeak I asked. //Tobias, is my mom a controller?// I asked.
//Nope! Didn't go anywhere near any of the yeerk pools. But you want to be careful, she almost walked in on Erek.//
//I will.// I answered as I lifted off into the sky. Tobias followed. We soared over the barrier and waited while Ax and Ezimili squeezed through the narrow pass into the valley.
//Here we go sis.// Ax grinned with his eyes. We ran and flew. Tobias circled in the direction opposite me.
I asked Tobias. //Do you think you could track the All Starz for me first?//
//Sure, Jake is thinking that bringing Beyblade teams into the fight may be a good idea. If that's it then we'll start with the ones in America. Especially since the yeerks haven't penetrated as far as Japan, for example, or China. They haven't even gotten as far as New York yet, as far as we know.// Tobias screamed for the sheer joy of being alive.
I followed his example, weaving and ducking around the air currents, and when I got high enough I dove, a bullet! The wind whipped my feathers and I screamed in joy. I was a hawk on the breeze. In this realm of sky and forest and mountain there was nowhere I couldn't fly. I looked down at every rock and tree. I saw them. Flashes of familiar faces in familiar places. Were these my mother's memories?
I couldn't help but think that the whole thing was crazy. The elemist probably just wanted me to do something to help the andilites. That was probably it. Just a crazy dream given by a crazy omnipotent alien. I wasn't really an the son of an andilite nothlit.
//Yo! Max! Time to demorph man! You've got fifteen minutes left!// Tobias' comment about time jerked me out of my trance.
School had just let out when we made if back to Cassie's farm. "Hey Max! Glad you're back!" Tyson said happily. I ran to him, throwing my arms gratefully around his neck.
"Tyson! I missed you so much! Guess what? I got three new morphs! And Ezimili got a wolf morph, a big horn sheep and a mountain lion! Ax acquired the big horn and the mountain lion too! And we all got a Hork Bajir morph."
"Welcome to the team Ezimili." Cassie grinned. "Have you checked out your new morphs yet?"
//Yes. I am glad to be here. This will be my first combat position.// Ezimili explained. //The mountain lion has superb reflexes, but I believe the wolf has more endurance.//
"That's true." Cassie smiled. "The wolf is my combat choice, but so far we've been trying not to go for repeats if we can." She was bustling about the cages, checking bandages, food and water, making notations in the margins of the clipboard. "You'll need a bird morph, a human morph, and a combat morph that's slightly more powerful than the mountain lion. An insect morph might be a good idea, but you can get that just about anywhere."
//Why not? If one morph works why not have a few of them?//
"That was Kai's idea actually, to keep shifting combat forms." Jake nodded respectfully at Kai. "He thought that it would keep the yeerks guessing about our numbers."
//That makes sense.// Ezimili answered. //Prince Kai appears to have great common sense for a human. From what I saw from human transmissions in orbit, it is a trait that many of you seem to lack.//
Rachel snorted. "Yeah, like Marco here."
"Yeah like Rachel here." Marco said at the same time.
Ezimili laughed. //I enjoy unpredictability actually. It makes a nice change from the same old thing.//
Kenny chuckled. "Unpredictability is the name of the game."
//What game?// Ezimili asked, searching the cages for a bird of prey morph.
"The game, its an... idiomatic phrase." He said, pausing to find the right term. "That's why we usually send Tyson in last. His tactics are unpredictable and his Bit Beast is our most powerful."
//Ah, what bird morph would you suggest Cassie?// Ezimili asked.
"Well, we've been thinking of sending you to keep an eye on the Blade Breakers, so I'd suggest either the Peregrine Falcon or the Golden Eagle, they've both got a pretty much world wide range. The Peregrine falcon is more agile and easier to control. The golden eagle is less maneuverable, and has stronger instincts, but it has very good endurance." She explained.
//Ah, but Tyson and Rei both have a golden eagle. I think I will pick the falcon.// Ezimili answered.
"Cool!" Jake exclaimed. "Kai and I both have one."
//Then it is indeed the right choice.// Ezimili said with an eye smile as she moved over to the cage.
Ezimili finished acquiring the falcon morph. //If its alright, I think I will retire to the scoop with my brother and catch up on news. Tomorrow I'll try the falcon morph.//
"Great." Jake gave her a friendly thump on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow then."
I made it back home and collapsed on the bed. I lay there, absolutely exhausted, and cried.
~Emily~
I was heading downstairs that night to get a drink when I heard something stirring in Max's room. I opened the door a crack to see. Max was thrashing in his sleep, moaning, "Alloran no! Aldrea come back! Dak where are you! Please don't die!"
I slipped into the room. "Must... get out... they're coming!... Yeerks coming... They have... Aldrea... Virus... can't let... demorph... now do it now!"
I sighed, the scene of Max babbling in his sleep had gone on enough. "Max wake up!" I hissed.
"Aldrea?" Max murmured.
"No, Emily you idiot baka-yaro! Wake UP you were having a NIGHTMARE!" I snarled.
Max sat up in his bed. "Emily?" He gasped. The look of fear on his face was evident. It was like I'd witnessed something forbidden. "How much did you hear?" He demanded guardedly.
"Something about Aldrea, Alloran, and Dak. Something about a Virus and demorphing." I answered.
Tyson stirred in his sleep, right leg motoring away like a dog. Max looked anxiously over at him. "Thanks Emily, its probably just a meaningless nightmare."
Then why was the look an Max's face so frightened?
~note~
Short I know, but this is the calm before all Hell breaks loose.
Also, delayed reaction disclaimer: I do not own "Ruins" by Melissa Etheridge.
Chapter 12- Max
The next two days passed in a haze. I spent them in the Hork Bajir valley, but I lost my interest in the Andilite morph. I practiced my lion morph instead, leaping upward, leaping forward, attacking bundles of sticks shaped like Hork Bajir and Taxxons. Ax didn't mention anything more about the call. I slept late. I used my wolf morph to hunt food. I used the bird morph to fish in the river, even though red tailed hawks aren't very good at fishing. I survived, I listened to the Hork Bajir tell their stories by the campfire and helped them gather wood. I acquired a Hork Bajir and learned how to strip bark from them. The others had all acquired a Hork Bajir before they left, probably because Rachel and Tobias each had one. I wasn't sure, and I didn't care.
Ezimili trained with us. We went into the mountains on Tuesday morning so that she could acquire morphs. We got her a wolf, a Hork Bajir, a mountain lion, and a Big Horned Sheep, sturdy mountain animals. I acquired the cougar and the sheep, but I didn't think that I'd need them.
I waited until Tobias came sailing into the Valley Wednesday Morning at around eleven. //Hey Max! Ax! And Ezimili is that you?//
//Yes, you must be Tobias, I read about you in Elfangor's Hirac Delest. Have you come to bring us to Cassie's barn?//
//Yeah, I mean, Max and I will be flying, and probably Ax too, but you might want to acquire something more powerful than a red tail in the air.// Tobias called down. //Come on up Max! The thermals are fine!//
"Gladly!" I shouted upward. "I could use a fly!" And I began to morph.
//Hey Toby! Good to see you! Jake says that its okay for Max to go back now.// Tobias shouted down, before he landed on Toby's horns.
"I am glad to see you Tobias my friend." Toby said with a smile.
"Friend Tobias, good to see!" Jara Hame grinned. I had almost gotten used to Alien expressions.
But the suspense was too much. As soon as I could use thoughtspeak I asked. //Tobias, is my mom a controller?// I asked.
//Nope! Didn't go anywhere near any of the yeerk pools. But you want to be careful, she almost walked in on Erek.//
//I will.// I answered as I lifted off into the sky. Tobias followed. We soared over the barrier and waited while Ax and Ezimili squeezed through the narrow pass into the valley.
//Here we go sis.// Ax grinned with his eyes. We ran and flew. Tobias circled in the direction opposite me.
I asked Tobias. //Do you think you could track the All Starz for me first?//
//Sure, Jake is thinking that bringing Beyblade teams into the fight may be a good idea. If that's it then we'll start with the ones in America. Especially since the yeerks haven't penetrated as far as Japan, for example, or China. They haven't even gotten as far as New York yet, as far as we know.// Tobias screamed for the sheer joy of being alive.
I followed his example, weaving and ducking around the air currents, and when I got high enough I dove, a bullet! The wind whipped my feathers and I screamed in joy. I was a hawk on the breeze. In this realm of sky and forest and mountain there was nowhere I couldn't fly. I looked down at every rock and tree. I saw them. Flashes of familiar faces in familiar places. Were these my mother's memories?
I couldn't help but think that the whole thing was crazy. The elemist probably just wanted me to do something to help the andilites. That was probably it. Just a crazy dream given by a crazy omnipotent alien. I wasn't really an the son of an andilite nothlit.
//Yo! Max! Time to demorph man! You've got fifteen minutes left!// Tobias' comment about time jerked me out of my trance.
School had just let out when we made if back to Cassie's farm. "Hey Max! Glad you're back!" Tyson said happily. I ran to him, throwing my arms gratefully around his neck.
"Tyson! I missed you so much! Guess what? I got three new morphs! And Ezimili got a wolf morph, a big horn sheep and a mountain lion! Ax acquired the big horn and the mountain lion too! And we all got a Hork Bajir morph."
"Welcome to the team Ezimili." Cassie grinned. "Have you checked out your new morphs yet?"
//Yes. I am glad to be here. This will be my first combat position.// Ezimili explained. //The mountain lion has superb reflexes, but I believe the wolf has more endurance.//
"That's true." Cassie smiled. "The wolf is my combat choice, but so far we've been trying not to go for repeats if we can." She was bustling about the cages, checking bandages, food and water, making notations in the margins of the clipboard. "You'll need a bird morph, a human morph, and a combat morph that's slightly more powerful than the mountain lion. An insect morph might be a good idea, but you can get that just about anywhere."
//Why not? If one morph works why not have a few of them?//
"That was Kai's idea actually, to keep shifting combat forms." Jake nodded respectfully at Kai. "He thought that it would keep the yeerks guessing about our numbers."
//That makes sense.// Ezimili answered. //Prince Kai appears to have great common sense for a human. From what I saw from human transmissions in orbit, it is a trait that many of you seem to lack.//
Rachel snorted. "Yeah, like Marco here."
"Yeah like Rachel here." Marco said at the same time.
Ezimili laughed. //I enjoy unpredictability actually. It makes a nice change from the same old thing.//
Kenny chuckled. "Unpredictability is the name of the game."
//What game?// Ezimili asked, searching the cages for a bird of prey morph.
"The game, its an... idiomatic phrase." He said, pausing to find the right term. "That's why we usually send Tyson in last. His tactics are unpredictable and his Bit Beast is our most powerful."
//Ah, what bird morph would you suggest Cassie?// Ezimili asked.
"Well, we've been thinking of sending you to keep an eye on the Blade Breakers, so I'd suggest either the Peregrine Falcon or the Golden Eagle, they've both got a pretty much world wide range. The Peregrine falcon is more agile and easier to control. The golden eagle is less maneuverable, and has stronger instincts, but it has very good endurance." She explained.
//Ah, but Tyson and Rei both have a golden eagle. I think I will pick the falcon.// Ezimili answered.
"Cool!" Jake exclaimed. "Kai and I both have one."
//Then it is indeed the right choice.// Ezimili said with an eye smile as she moved over to the cage.
Ezimili finished acquiring the falcon morph. //If its alright, I think I will retire to the scoop with my brother and catch up on news. Tomorrow I'll try the falcon morph.//
"Great." Jake gave her a friendly thump on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow then."
I made it back home and collapsed on the bed. I lay there, absolutely exhausted, and cried.
~Emily~
I was heading downstairs that night to get a drink when I heard something stirring in Max's room. I opened the door a crack to see. Max was thrashing in his sleep, moaning, "Alloran no! Aldrea come back! Dak where are you! Please don't die!"
I slipped into the room. "Must... get out... they're coming!... Yeerks coming... They have... Aldrea... Virus... can't let... demorph... now do it now!"
I sighed, the scene of Max babbling in his sleep had gone on enough. "Max wake up!" I hissed.
"Aldrea?" Max murmured.
"No, Emily you idiot baka-yaro! Wake UP you were having a NIGHTMARE!" I snarled.
Max sat up in his bed. "Emily?" He gasped. The look of fear on his face was evident. It was like I'd witnessed something forbidden. "How much did you hear?" He demanded guardedly.
"Something about Aldrea, Alloran, and Dak. Something about a Virus and demorphing." I answered.
Tyson stirred in his sleep, right leg motoring away like a dog. Max looked anxiously over at him. "Thanks Emily, its probably just a meaningless nightmare."
Then why was the look an Max's face so frightened?
~note~
Short I know, but this is the calm before all Hell breaks loose.
Also, delayed reaction disclaimer: I do not own "Ruins" by Melissa Etheridge.