The Refugee
Chapter 5- Cassie
I was flying over Feralae's house that night when I saw Mr. Tidwell pull up to the house. This was both unusual and worrying. Mr. Tidwell was a spy for us, a controller, but a spy nonetheless. He got out and Feralae's father came out to meet him. They spoke for a moment, something that I couldn't catch. I couldn't help my curiosity, so I said to Mr. Tidwell in private thoughtspeak. Illim, if your friend there is a peacenik, make your right hand into a fist.
Tidwell's hand balled into a fist, as he said something through gritted teeth. Okay, I'm coming in for a landing. I landed in a tree and demorphed. I slithered down the elm tree and walked over to the pair of them.
Feralae's father and Mr. Tidwell turned to me. "Hi Cassie. I thought I smelled your handiwork." Illim said with a smile.
"Yeah, just to let you guys know that Feralae is safe. She managed to get most of her belongings out." I said with a smile. "I'll be going back to her camp in the morning. We're bringing her to the hork bajir valley." I paused, then, in a low whisper I asked. "Did Visser 3 take Feralae's mother?"
"Yes, he did, or rather, she did." Illim answered.
"Cassie wasn't it?" Feralae's father said tentatively. "Can you do me a favor? I've packed a travel bag for her; toiletries and some pieces of Andilite technology that can't get into Yeerk hands. There's a letter for her in the front pouch, and some sandwiches, crackers, and soda. You'll need to hurry. Visser 3 will be back any moment."
"I will Illim." I answered and set off down the road.
That night I hid the bag in my closet. It was a present for Feralae and it would remain her present. But there was something about Feralae that I couldn't get out of my head. I kept thinking of her, alone in the night. She was beautiful, so beautiful.
Wait a minute! I wasn't supposed to think of Feralae as beautiful. She's a girl isn't she? Isn't she? So strange, but her presence had woken something up inside of me that I couldn't explain. It was so weird, yet so new, and I liked it.
Then fear welled up, because I knew, on some deeper level, that something was wrong. What, I couldn't tell, but something. I got up from my bed and looked in the mirror. Nothing seemed to be different, nothing that I noticed at least. Yet when I got near Feralae, it was the oddest sensation. It was a swooping, soaring sensation. Not even Jake gave me that feeling.
So what was going on with me? Maybe the Drode had interfered again? I felt it last time, a sensation of something wrong.
No, that was a different kind of wrong. When space-time had been altered it was more of a… a feeling… that there was something that I was supposed to be doing and wasn't. This was a different kind of wrong from a reality warp.
But if not Drode's interference then who's? The Ellimist? "No, he appears when that happens." I told myself. I sighed, getting up and going down to the barn. I slipped into my morph outfit and focused on the horse.
Morphing usually took the worries away, especially my first morph, a horse. It was my favorite mare. I finished the morph in about thirty seconds and blew out of the barn, running and running. I leapt fences, gates. The air whipped my mane and caught the breath in my chest. I ran past the final fence and demorphed.
I was panting, tired. But the feeling of something being wrong didn't go away. Running didn't take it away. I morphed owl and flew on the night, circling the woods. I picked up my watch at the barn door and flew with it clutched in my talons. I could keep better track of the time this way.
Finally, three hours and several morphs later, I landed in the barn, exhausted. I redressed in my pajamas and went back up to bed.
The next day was the last day of school. We had a half-day and almost immediately after we'd gone home we left it again. It was risky to fly side by side, but we did anyway, because we knew that the Visser had a half a day head start on us. I went on the ground, carrying the back pack in hork bajir morph.
We reached the canyon to find it deserted. I did, however, see hoof marks on the ground. I saw a series of dots and dashes drawn on the ground with a stick. Wow, she's good. Marco said as we demorphed and remorphed. "She used Morse code. The message says that she decided to move on at a slower pace to graze the animals."
"Well then." Jake said, as he focused on peregrine falcon again. "Let's get going shall we?" He asked.
Five minutes later we were airborne once again. We had a pretty strong tailwind and some killer thermals coming off the mountain. It took almost no time at all to locate Feralae.
She saw me and screamed. Easy! Easy it's me! I cried.
Feralae sighed in relief. "Sorry." I began to demorph.
"Your father gave me this." I said. "He's a peacenik. I told you about them right?"
"Thank gods. But my mother is still Visser 3. It looks like I won't be going home for quite awhile." She said with a heavy sigh. "It figures."
She beckoned to me. "Come on up!" She helped me up on the wagon bed.
"Wow." I exclaimed. "You don't just ride, you drive too?" I asked, as we started off.
"Yup." Tobias and the others kept watch over head. "Alloran, how are you doing?"
Quite well. I'm actually rather happy to be free. I just hope that Feralae is not upset. He said calmly. I have acquired a good morph for the job. Unfortunately it appears to be a family pet.
Alloran morphed Feralae's Great Dane. This morph is actually rather happy.
"Yup, that's dogs. They think that everything is a game. We're not sure exactly why, but we think it has something to do with the Pemalites."
The creatures who created that crystal? Alloran asked.
"Yeah, we found some of their records." I lied. "They were destroyed by a race called the Howlers, but the ones who remained integrated their 'Essence' into wolves. The result was dogs. But as you can see, they aren't as sentient enough to qualify as beings. Too bad, I would have wanted to meet one." Then, "Have you acquired a bird of prey morph yet?" I asked.
Yes, I have acquired a Harris Hawk. Why is it called Harris?
"It was named for the person who discovered it I suppose." I said with a shrug.
I looked over at Feralae. How many morphs did she have? I knew that she had gone on an acquiring spree at the Gardens, but I wasn't sure what she had acquired. Again I felt the little swoop in my stomach. Stop it Cassie. I urged myself. Just stop it.
Then Feralae dramatically wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Come on Cassie! Sing with me! We've got fresh, open mountain air." I shivered inwardly before pulling back.
"Sing what?" I asked.
The hills are alive, with the sound of music! Marco sang.
Marco shut up! Rachel growled.
Why should I?
Because I'm an eagle, whereas you're an osprey. Who do you think would win? Rachel asked with a growl.
I will shut up. Marco said simply.
"How far to the Valley Tobias?" I asked.
Not far, and I see no sign of the Visser.
"That's good at least." Feralae said with a sigh. I got the impression that she was still not used to the whole situation.
Hey I've got a question. Marco said suddenly. How do we get the wagon into the tiny pass that marks the entrance to the valley?
I thought for a moment. "I could probably break it down into pieces, or hide it in a cave. I know how to shore things up pretty well. Nobody would see it if I could help it, and it might throw the Visser off if he saw it, no, she saw it. Talk about a gender bender!"
A what? Ax asked.
"A story where a girl becomes a boy and a boy becomes a girl by some sort of magical or scientific means."
Like in Ranma ½ Ax. Tobias supplied. Remember that?
Yes, I was not sure why Ranma changes gender, is that common in human literature?
Feralae laughed. "Not really Ax. People don't really like that sort of thing. I mean, some people can identify, but not many."
When we came to the Valley I was looking up at a sheer wall. Tobias flew over the top with the falcons. They wouldn't attack unless Feralae told them to. The dogs drove the sheep and horses through the pass in the valley wall. Feralae unhitched the horses and sent them through too. Alloran, demorphed by now, followed her.
"Toby!" I called as we entered the Valley.
"Cassie, Tobias, Jake, Marco, Ax, Rachel, welcome all." Toby said, grinning her welcome. Then she paused, eyes narrowing as they rested on Feralae, who was covered in dirt, and Alloran, who she'd recognized instantly as the host of Visser 3. "Who is this, and what is HE doing here?"
"Toby, meet the newest Animorph, Feralae. She freed Alloran from Visser 3, but the Visser took her mother instead." I explained.
"Well then butcher." She addressed Alloran curtly. "Let me set down the lines. My father and I are the leaders here. You follow our rules. They're simple ones, but you follow them anyway, otherwise you're out."
Of course. Alloran seemed to droop.
"What, did you think that we'd welcome you back with open arms?" Toby demanded. "After what you did to our people. We could have won if you hadn't messed things up."
Feralae took a deep breath. "I think I should start unloading. Alloran will you help me? I want to get the wagon unloaded and broken down in case the Visser follows us."
Of course.
"I'll go too." Marco said cheerfully.
They morphed and left. "Jake, we have a problem." Toby said, sitting on the ground with a sigh. We followed. "We have located a yeerk BioBase, and we've found out that they have a rather unusual group of prisoners." Toby explained.
"What's a BioBase?" Rachel asked.
"It is a place where Yeerks breed hosts. In this case hork bajir. We've been keeping a discreet eye on them and we've discovered that they've captured some odd prisoners. We're not sure exactly what they are. The yeerks aren't exactly sure. They look very similar to Earth Butterflies." Toby explained. "When I infiltrated the place myself I found out that the yeerks took them prisoner not so long ago. There were six ships, they only caught one. They haven't tried infesting them yet. They're waiting for Visser One to give them the go ahead. She's on the Anati world now, analyzing the data that the yeerks at the base sent to her. According to yeerk laws, any Visser except Visser One cannot make these decisions. If Visser One is currently, as you humans put it, a 'Lame Duck' or is disabled then the decision is made by Visser Two." Toby explained.
"So what do they do? Clone hork bajir?" Rachel asked.
Toby shook her head. "You do not want to know what they do. There are two types of Biobases, ones that adapt animals for use as controllers, and ones that breed hosts of a given species."
"You're talking about rape?" I asked, turning pale.
Toby nodded softly. "Not quite, if the hork bajir in question does not have a mate, then they are artificially inseminated. If they have a mate then the hork bajir are allowed to… to copulate. The male is reinfested as soon as the yeerks receive confirmation of… that the female hork bajir is carrying. The female is confined to the base until they have come to term. It is not a happy place. I was conceived at such a base. The Ellimist then guided my parents in escape." Toby shivered visibly.
"Do you have any specific data on these creatures that the yeerks have captured?" Jake asked, worriedly.
"None."
BUT I DO. Said a voice that seemed to fill the very universe with strength.
"ELEMIST!" Rachel hissed. "Puppetmaster show yourself!"
Toby was looking around. She had never seen the Ellimist, I guess she was curious.
The Ellimist appeared in his usual form, a saintly old man. But this time I could sort of… see something different in him. He was trembling, upset. I AM SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, BUT THOSE SPECIES ARE CALLED KETRANS. I HAVE COME TO YO ANIMORPHS ABOUT THEM. I IMPLORE YOU TO SAVE THEM.
"Why, what good does it do us?" Rachel demanded. "You push us one way and pull us another. You move us around like pawns on a chessboard, and for what? So that we can make improvements that we won't see for another three hundred years? So that Tobias gets to choose between fight and live? What do we get out of it?"
UNFORTUNATELY NOTHING, NOTHING IMMEDIATE. HOWEVER, THESE KETRANS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.
"And they are important why?" Rachel asked, arching an eyebrow in irritation.
There was silence, the Ellimist didn't want to answer. Then it hit me.
It really hit me. "Oh my God, their your species aren't they?" I asked.
Jake looked at me curiously. "But I thought he was an Ellimist, not a Ketran."
I chuckled. "We make screen names on the Internet, why can't other species do the same? I'm willing to bet that somewhere along the line the Ellimist was a Ketran, but something happened to him that threw him into space time, separating him from his species, but something happened to these Ketrans didn't it?" I asked.
THEY ARE IN THE TWILIGHT OF THEIR TIME, THE LAST OF THEIR KIND. LIKE THE HORK BAJIR, THEY FACE BOTH ENSLAVEMENT AND POSSIBLY EXTINCTION. THE OTHER KETRANS WILL COME FOR THEM, BUT THE YEERKS WILL CATCH THEM WHEN THEY DO.
Tears fell down my face. The sadness in the Ellimist's tone made me sure. He was upset, saddened, because he was watching his species die. Ax dropped his stalk eyes and tail in a gesture of mourning. Tobias was silent in the trees. Toby had tears in her eyes too. I never knew that hork bajir had tears.
"Ellimist, thank you." I said softly. "Thank you for giving us warning."
Jake looked at me, then the others. "We'll talk it over Ellimist, but I'm pretty sure that we'll decide to do it."
THANK YOU JAKE, ANIMORPH.