Saria's Story

Disclaimer: I do not own Animorphs or any related titles. Used a little bit from the Andalite Chronicles, Animorphs #1, #8, and some other books that I probably can't remember anymore. I don't own them, and I don't gain any profit from this story, so don't sue me please.

Chapter 1

My name is Saria-Semitur-Darcon, daughter of Alloran-Semitur-Corrass and Jahar-Escarn-Darrath. I am an Andalite Warrior, and the first female in the military. I have a promise to keep, a vow to fulfill, a mission to be accomplished. This is my story.

Three Months Before...

"The killing blow must be graceful as it is fast!"

I stood facing Sofor, an old Warrior and my trainer when it came to tail-fighting. I stood light and easy on my four hooves, thinking about where my weight was centered, and whether the tilt of my upper body signaled when I was going to strike, and whether the grass under my hooves was uneven, and whether my hands were out of the way, and whether the power behind my strike would be equal to that of the male's, and about a million other things a warrior should know for tail-fighting. Of course, it took little conscious thought. I had been training hard for a month now, and much of this came naturally.

Sofor was a full warrior, while I was just a lowly aristh—a warrior-cadet. The first female, to be exact. If this had been an actual battle, Sofor would have had the advantage of experience and power. He could have sliced me up twenty different ways in less than a second.

Maybe. Females were faster than males, due to our smaller build. I often found my instructors surprised at many of my feats, since I was the first female they had trained. And I calculated that if my life depended on it, I could win against any opponent.

In any case, Sofor was not my enemy—he was my teacher.

"Watch my eyes, not my tail," he said, although I didn't need to be reminded.

I watched his main eyes, ignoring the large scar running just beneath his left eye. I focused all my thoughts down to nothingness, as I had been taught.

Suddenly...FWAPPP!

I fired the muscles in my tail. The bladed tip cracked the air. It moved so fast, barely visible, arching over my head toward Sofor.

Then...SWOOP! FWAPP! FWAPP! FWAPP! FWAPP!

He blocked my tail blade with his tail, turned it aside, and struck with his own. But I was faster. I easily side-stepped his attack and delivered three lightning blows of my own; one to each side of his head, and a third that left my razor-sharp tail blade pressed right up against his throat. I stopped each of the blows just a hair from cutting his skin. If I had so much as twitched, I could have removed his head from his shoulders.

"Well done, Aristh Saria." As Prince Elfangor made his way over, I pulled my tail away from Sofor's throat and stood at attention. "Very nice work. You're becoming quite the tail fighter. I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Prince Elfangor." Even as I spoke, I stood at attention, stalk eyes scanning the large grassy dome, tail poised, unmoving.

"She's one of the best arisths I've ever trained," Sofor said with a smile in his stalk eyes.

"And with good reason," the prince added, his gentle main eyes settling on me. "Could you come with me, Aristh Saria?"

"Of course, my prince." I fell into a slow trot beside him as we headed for his private quarters.

"You are the most amazing young fighter I have ever seen," he told me as we reached his quarters. He beckoned me inside, and I quickly complied, remaining at attention. "At ease, Saria. No need for formalities in here. You may speak freely."

I relaxed a bit, scanning the room with my stalk eyes while keeping my main eyes on Elfangor. I couldn't think of anything to say. I'd never been much of a talker, which was part of the reason I'd joined the military. There normally wasn't much talking to do. But there was something I wanted to know from him.

"Prince Elfangor...would you consider us to be shorm?"

His main eyes blinked at me in shock. I continued.

"What I mean is...you have told me everything. About Arbron and the Taxxon home world, about Earth and Loren and your son, about Visser Three..." I trailed off. I rarely talked about the Visser. War-prince Alloran-Semitur-Corrass was my biological father, although I hadn't seen him in years. He became the first and only Andalite-Controller some years back. My mother worried about him every day back home. He was the reason I had worked so hard to get into the military. He was the reason I pushed myself so hard in my studies and my training. I had promised my mother that I would bring him back home, no matter what it took.

"I suppose we are shorm," Elfangor replied, shaking me from my thoughts. "Of course, that doesn't mean I favor you or anything..."

"Good," I interrupted, sounding a bit harsher than I had hoped. "I want to be treated as an equal. I want things to be the same as if I were male. I do not want to be treated as inferior or weak because I am female."

For a while, he just stared at me, and I wondered if I'd overstepped my boundaries. Perhaps I'd receive a verbal reprimand or some other form of punishment.

To my surprise, his stalk eyes smiled at me as he placed a delicate hand on my shoulder. No normal Andalite would have done something like that. But I knew from the stories Prince Elfangor had told me, as well as my own studies, that it was a human gesture of comfort and support. Elfangor often acted human around me ever since he told me about his past.

"You are a great warrior, my young friend," he said quietly, raising his tail blade with a sense of pride.

I gave him a quizzical look. "Forgive me, Prince Elfangor, but I am an aristh, not a Warrior."

He shook his head—another human gesture. "The Captain is proud of your success so far. He himself made you a full Warrior."

I was speechless. One month, and already I was a Warrior? It was too good to be true. If he was telling the truth—and he had no reason not to—then this was the fastest promotion in the history of the Andalite military. And what's more, I was paving the way for all females who wished to join the military.

I realized I was staring at him, and quickly shook myself back to my senses. "I...I do not know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything. It is a promotion you deserve. Because you are a great Warrior."

"But I have never been in an actual battle before. I have never fought a real enemy. How can you call me a Warrior?"

"You are, Saria. Your training has proved it. You have beaten Old Sofor with moves he has often used on arisths just like you. You think like a Warrior, fight like one...even speak like one. But as a Warrior, I must ask you a very serious question."

It was coming. The question I had known I would be asked eventually, but I had always avoided the thought of it. I didn't know how to answer it, but now I'd have to.

"You are the eldest child. The burden of revenge is on you. You know your father's destroyer. Do you, Saria, Warrior of the Andalite fleet, take up the burden of avenging your father?"

My tail twitched involuntarily, and my hands started shaking slightly. But I forced myself to remain calm and complete the ritual of death. Even though my father still lived, all Andalites saw him as dead. Any Andalite would rather die than be a Controller.

"I do, my prince," I said quietly, forcing my thought-speak to sound firm. The ritual was complete.

I cried inside, in my hearts. Now, I had two vows to fulfill: the vow to my mother that I would return my father to her alive and well, and the vow to my prince that I would avenge my father's destruction. I found myself torn between what I wanted to do and what it was my duty to do.

But I knew I would have to make a decision soon.