I might change this chapter. I dunno yet. Tell me what you think and i'll decide, ok?
And thankyou for reviewing my story so far, here goes...
It all looked like someone had hit pause. The Vissers' blade was no more than a foot away, and the two Hork-Bajir's guns were levelled at me, in case I decided to try something.
Then I saw my salvation. A cheetah, Robert, was frozen in the air, leaping for the throat of one of the Hork-Bajir. A panther, Amanda I guessed, was about to take out the other one. And on the ground, about to bite into the Vissers' back leg, was a cobra. It was in a strike position, inches away from the flesh.
You're all too late...I thought as it all finally went fuzzy, and then blank. I was in a black void, and before me, appeared what looked like a projector screen.
An image appeared. An image of me.
Flashbacks?? I wondered fuzzily. But... no. This looked like someone had taken a photo of me. I was twelve, and I was out on the rink, skating. The smile on my face... and the pure joy in my eyes... it made me want to start crying again.
Then another image appeared. This time from one of the battles. I was becoming a white tiger, about to be sliced into two by a Terinan. Behind me, were two Chanaibens, both no older than about four. They had been caught in the crossfire on their planet, since the Terinans tried to attack them full force. It was one of the worst battles I'd ever been in.
I knew what had happened next. Amanda, a polar bear, had barrelled into him, knocking him away, her scream in my head full of pain and fury.
Then, another image. Happy again. It was just after Phoebe was born. I was holding her, looking straight into her eyes. The smile on my face was spread from ear to ear. And she... she was reaching up to my face, touching my cheek.
"What's going on?" I muttered, as another image came up. This time, it was right after the last battle. I was on my hands and knees, beating the blood-slicked ground with my fists. I was crying and screaming all at the same time, after finally realising what I had done.
I remembered that day. It was the day that I had cost two Chanaibens their lives. And all because I froze in the heat of battle. I had flown back, behind our lines, after a scouting mission. But as I became human, the fight enveloped me, and I was caught in the crossfire. I could have run, or changed into something useful so I could fight them, but I didn't. I just kneeled there stupidly, watching as they used their laser guns and their own body's defences to slice each other to bits. I was nearly impaled by the Terinans tail spikes, but one of the Chanaibens stopped him. Amanda got me moving gain, but I fell into the mud, and another had grabbed me. The second Chanaiben stopped him, using his own body as a shield.
They'd both died that day, all because of me. And when it was over, I cried for them, and screamed at myself for being so stupid...
A hand on my shoulder nearly made me jump. I turned my head, my human head, to see Robert looking down at me.
"I wasn't your fault Jade" he said softly. I realised then that I was crying, and wiped the tears away with the back of my hand.
"What wasn't?" Came another voice, and I looked to the right of me to see Marco.
"Oh no... but, I'm dead! How can you be here!" I was afraid that I'd done the same thing again; that I'd gotten them both killed. But something felt.... wrong. I could still feel, and I knew that Robert had been about to attack one of the guards.
"What happened? Why are we seeing all this?" Marco asked, patting his chest and arms just to make sure he was still alive.
"I... I... I don't know" I turned back to the screen, which was now blank, realising that there was a light coming from somewhere else. I looked up to see a single yellow bulb glowing above us.
(Ellimist) came another voice, and before my eyes Ax trotted into view, followed by Amanda and Ithiell. A bird was perched on Amanda's shoulder, and I guessed it was Tobias.
"Does anyone know what's going on?" Ithiell asked.
"It's a creature called the El-" Marco never got to finish, because at that moment a voice boomed,
CHOOSE.
"Choose what?" Robert asked.
Then, something emerged from the dark that looked like a dried prune mixed with a small dinosaur. And it was smiling.
"The Drode" Marco said angrily.
(Then that means that the Crayak must be...)
"And you'd be right little bird. My master has brought her here to choose" he pointed at me, and the others just stared.
"Ch-oose what?" I stuttered, knowing from Ax and Marco's reactions that this wasn't good.
"Why, who lives and who dies of course"
"Who... dies?"
"Either you... or one of your friends here" I was speechless. Either I would die or... or one of them?
"Now how can you ask her to choose that?!" Marco yelled.
"It's a simple choice. Either we put you back there and let you get your head cut off, or we can spare your life, but at the cost of one of your friends"
"That's what all the images were for. So I would be forced to choose..." I was finally understanding it now, but I still didn't like it.
"But that's not fair!" Amanda cried, and I think she knew my answer before I did.
"It's more than fair. Or maybe you'd like a wider variety to choose from" He smiled again, and in an instant there were four more faces than before.
"Hey, what...?!" Rachel cried out.
"One minute we're flying, and the next..." Rtaia looked down at her hands. Her own hands. They were all back to themselves.
"The Crayak" was Jake's only words as he stared at the prune creature.
"You got that right man" Marco muttered.
"Now, will you choose from these?" The thing they called Drode asked, as if he was asking me to choose from a menu.
I looked at each of them. Cassie looked terrified, as if she knew something I didn't. Then again, about half of them knew about this creature. Jake... he seemed tense, and I saw something else in his eyes, something I'd seen in my friends eyes more than once. Rtaia's eyes were on Drode, cool and calculating, as if trying to figure it all out. And Rachel... well, she looked like she wanted to beat this thing into a pulp.
"How can I? Even if I don't know half of them, how can I choose which one will die so I can live?" I heard Cassie gasp, and Rachel swore.
"It's either them or you" he said, now looking a little annoyed at me.
For a moment, I actually considered it. I mean, I didn't want to die. But then I thought of what I had been fighting for. Five years... and just to give up on everything I believed in so I can live? It all just didn't seem... well, it was selfish. To give up someone else's life for my own? No, I wouldn't. All life was precious, and if I had to die to save another's life, then...
"I won't choose any of them. I'd rather die than do that" I said firmly, even though my lower lip trembled a little as I said this.
"No Jade!" Amanda cried, and I caught the others looking at me with utter shock
"No, pick me! I deserve to..." Robert began, but I shushed him.
"No, no one will die because of me. No more..." I told him, and the thing called the Crayak laughed, its booming voice nearly splitting my head open.
YOU HAVE CHOSEN. YOU WILL DIE.
Break
And then I was back, in my real body. Rtaia's form, but my body.
The Vissers blade was raised, ready for the attack.
You're not yourself, came a voice from deep within me.
Yes, I know I'm going to die as...
No you idiot! You're not in your own body...
My own... I know... then it hit me, all at once.
As the blade came slicing down, I whipped my own tail forward, catching it inches from my throat. My thick tail wrapped around his, just under the blade, pulling it back and away from my face.
Alive! I was alive!
(Let go of me!) He tried to yank his tail back, but I held on, seeing that Amanda and Robert had taken out the other two guards.
(Ahhh!) Visser Three screamed as the cobra struck, sticking it's fangs into the left leg, looking like a whip as it did. It pumped the venom into his leg, then slithered off.
"I told you Visser Three, looks can be deceiving" I said, watching as he began to weaken, and I let go of him, backing up as I did so. He stumbled and fell backwards, nearly squashing the snake.
(Hey!) I heard Marco yelp, and I knew it was him. I picked him up, making sure he wasn't hurt, and he curled himself carefully around my neck and arm. His face was next to mine, his forked tongue whipping out every few seconds.
"Hey yourself" I said, looking up to see the fighter above us.
(Glad you're not dead) he said, trying to sound nonchalant, and I smiled.
(I'm glad too)
(Prince Jake just told us that the troops of Hork-Bajir Visser Three sent out are coming back)
(Apparently they heard the commotion) Robert said, coming out with Amanda to stand beside me.
(What about the other Hork-Bajir?) Amanda asked him.
(They were nearly found out, and if it hadn't been for the commotion back here, they would have been caught) Ithiell said, and I knew he had to be in another form.
(So... I did do some good after all) I whispered, knowing the others could probably hear me, but still not caring.
(But they're fine. Rachel and Cassie are staying with them, leading them up to the mountains apparently) he added.
(I guess I was wrong Jade. I'm sorry) Robert said privately to me, and I nodded.
(The Crayak just wanted you to play his game. He wanted... he wants a life) Marco explained, and I had the feeling I knew where this was heading.
"Who's life?"
(Jake's)
(Come on guys, we've got to get out of here before the guards get back) Jake said, and I saw a peregrine falcon and a pigeon hawk fly past.
(You Andalite bandits! I'll... I'll get you for this!) Visser Three snapped as the fighter came in low, landing in another clearing not far off.
"As I said before, I'm not an Andalite, I'm a Chanaiben" I turned back to look at him one more time, before I walked off with the others, knowing this wasn't the last time I'd be seeing Visser Three and his forces.
I walked up and into the hatch, where we all returned to our normal selves. Robert gave me a funny look, and Jake didn't seem to know what he thought. Marco was smiling at me, and I smiled back. Amanda nearly killed me, wrapping her arms around me, crying and telling me how she thought she's lost me. Ithiell and the others... well, I couldn't tell what they were thinking.
We found Cassie and Rachel, both wolves, leading the small band of Hork-Bajir, and after Tobias explaining about the little 'trick' this Ellimist had used to keep the Yeerks from finding a free colony of Hork-Bajir, we all went down there, all as wolves, to help keep them safe. I followed at the back of our little band with Rtaia and Cassie, but soon Cassie and Marco switched places, and soon I was walking beside him.
(Are you all right?)
(I'm... fine. Knowing about the Crayak and the Ellimist sure makes me feel... insignificant)
(Yeah, I know) was his response, and we both fell silent for a while.
(Could it... is it possible that they had a hand in the Chanaiben/ Terinan war? And us... Amanda, Robert and me, becoming... what we are now)
(Probably. Who knows with those two. I honestly don't know who's worse)
(Great) I sighed a little sarcastically.
We finally reached the valley where the free colony were, and by half an hour later, Ithiell had made sure they were truly clear, before we all started heading back.
But it wasn't over just yet.