Got you on the edge, don't I. Haha... well, here it is....

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAXXXXXXX!!!)

(Hang on buddy!!)

Suddenly... movement! From the left! It was... elephant! Robert! He was all right!

He barrelled into the Tahjinn, knocking it roughly off, then throwing his head and sending it flying out of sight.

(Robert! You're ok!)

(Yep. All good here) he went over to Ax, who was passed out on the ground.

(Ax, if you can hear me, I need you to morph. Morphing should counter the paralysing effect that things tentacles have. Rtaia, Rachel?)

(Yeah, I hear you. But... I can't... that creature could...)

(I've got that covered for now. Rtaia, get wings and help me out here)

(I... yes...)

I saw Rtaia changing. Feathers began to grow... then my attention was diverted to the other elephant as blond hair sprouted from its head, and she began to shrink. When she was small enough, Robert picked her up with his trunk and put her on his back.

Ax... was he all right?

(Ax? Are you ok?) I struggled some more, feeling the effect wearing off and starting my own shift to tiger. I needed night eyes, but I couldn't become the creature I needed to be just yet. I broke free of the net and leaped down, landing on my big kitty paws.

I saw Ax, skin become grey and leathery, then he began to grow.

(Oh thank god Ax! Are you all right? Did you...)

(I am fine. And I am... I am sorry for being so foolish) he replied as he got to his feet next to me to finish his morph.

(That's ok. You love Rtaia and... I understand, ok? Now lets just get this thing for good, ok?)

(All right)

I looked around, searching the darkness for the creature. The others did the same, and I saw Rachel slip off Robert, already growing big ears and a trunk. Nothing! We lost it!

(Damn! Where'd it go?!) Rachel snapped as she and Robert lumbered up next to us. Now I was surrounded by three very big elephants.

(I thought I saw something a moment ago... yet, I cannot be sure. Not even my owl eyes can see much under the cover of the trees) Rtaia said, and I noticed she'd took to the sky and was circling above the tree line.

(That's all right. Stay up there, as far as you can! Don't let it get you, but keep searching)

(I will)

I nodded, searching the trees until...

Movement!

(Come on! Let's go!) I yelled, bounding forward. The others lumbered behind me.

(Jade, I think it is best if we use cau...)

(AAHHHH!!) Something grabbed me! Pulling me up into the trees. The tentacles! The damn things tentacles had me! The ones that weren't paralysers! It pulled me up, towards the tree line, and with my eyes I could see...

(Oh no you bloody well don't!) Robert yelled, and all at once there was a trunk wrapped around my back leg, pulling. It was like a tug of war! Robert pulled! The Tahjinn pulled! And I felt like I was being ripped in half!

(It's all right! We've got you!) Rachel yelled, and in an instant two more trunks were wrapped around my bottom half, pulling with all their strength. The Tahjinn pulled back! But it was loosing! Nothing can fight the awesome power of the elephants all working together.

But... I was being stretched! Pulled apart at the seams! And my body was feeling the strain!

(Let go of me!) I yelled, letting loose a roar that would have grown men wetting themselves. It hesitated, but for only a second. And in that second my friends pulled me free! Rachel and Ax let go, and Robert placed me on the ground.

"No more mercy!" it hissed, then took off into the night!

(No! Not again!)

(Jade! I think it's time we brought out the heavy artillery!)

(Right! Hang back though! We don't want to give it a heads up or anything!)

(Gotcha!) He pulled back as Rachel and Ax lumbered after it, like they were supposed to, and Rtaia watched overhead. I closed my eyes and began my own change.

There was a saying once; fight fire with fire. I always wondered how you could really do that. I mean, fire? Against another fire? (keep in mind I was about eight or nine years old) but now... I was going to put that saying to the test. I was going to become a Tahjinn. And Robert was my trump card.

I felt my body become the oozing tar of the Tahjinn, and my arms and legs begin to reform... the tentacles that shot out from my back, and the sickening feeling as the tar reached my mouth, then continued to slime its way down my wind pipe as well as down to my stomach. My eyes became black pools, and my legs grew as big and thick and four toes spread out from each of the stumped ends. I stood up, looking around and suddenly seeing it was day. Night vision. And my tentacles... six of them were used to stun my prey, long enough for me to trap it and open my jaw... which I now found was a lot like a snakes jaw... and eat it whole...

I reached for one of the trees with my tentacles, amazed at how well it moved. Like an arm, or... a monkeys tail. I pulled myself up with five of my tentacles, finding how easily this creature moved. I'd pulled myself up and I hardly felt it!

I also! I smelled...

My friends! And... one new smell. Something... familiar to...

The Tahjinn! I could smell the Tahjinn!

Good...

I moved with ease, racing effortlessly across the trees, smelling the Tahjinn, knowing I was getting closer to that and my friends...

(AAHHHHH!!) I heard Ax scream, and I reached a clear patch of forest to see one of the elephants stumble back, falling as it did so. Then I saw why. There was tar in his eyes.

(It just shot some of that tar stuff at Ax! It... spat it or something!) Rachel screamed as she backed up a little, and I finally saw the Tahjinn. It was hanging off a tree with two of it's tentacles... it face masked in absolute fury. Then it saw me.

"Who are you?" It hissed "Thissss issss my food! MINE!!"

I didn't say anything. I only moved down off the trees and across to Ax.

(Jade?) Rachel asked me privately.

(Don't worry, it's me) I told her, moving around them to stand in between the Tahjinn and my friends.

"What are you doing? They're my food!!" It hissed, dropping from the tree and threatening me by waving its tentacles my way. I imitated it. It tried to 'spit' at me, but it missed.

And I just did it right back, before it could react. It hit its eyes, dead centre, and the Tahjinn wailed.

(Hey, you just showed me some really neat tricks. Thanks) I said, then zapped it the way it had zapped me and my friends. Good thing it had the same effect. I paralysed all its tentacles as it was still wailing and trying to scrape the goop out of its eyes with its human-like hands. But... well, it didn't help since its hands had the same things on it. Ironic really.

I zapped and zapped until I was worn out and the thing was in a heap on the ground, wailing and crying out in its own tongue now that it couldn't get up.

"It'ssss you, issssn't it? You are me" It said, and I leaned down with my very human waist and upper body, putting my face just inches from its own.

"Yesssss" I said in Tahjinn, almost gleefully. Well, my own insides nearly made me want to puke, but knowing I had it now... it just felt too good not to relish.

(Robert?)

And then the final act, turned up. It had eight heads, eight legs, and eight funny jointed arms. It was the thing that Visser Three had become once, when I first met him face-to-face, to try and scare me. Now, it was Robert.

(Everything ready here?)

(Yup, when you're ready, you can go for it) I said as I backed up next to Ax, now fully Andalite, and Rachel. The Tahjinn still wailed as it helplessly tried to flail its limbs.

Fight fire with fire.

(Alrighty then) he pulled one of his heads back, and launched a fire ball straight at the creature. It hit, and the whole thing ignited in flames. I guess being all tar you can kind of be vulnerable to... I dunno, say, fire?

It burned and writhed in agony, screaming in pain. Robert launched another fireball, and it burned some more.

(Okay, that's enough Robert. You can stop there) I said, as I watched it, feeling only the slightest trace of pity for it. But just the slightest.

Robert moved over to us, becoming human again, and I saw Rachel had done the same. Rtaia joined us as I returned to myself, feeling a little out of it, but I guess that was to be expected. We all watched as it burned... and burned... and burned, until there was nothing left of it, and we were once again in darkness, with only the stars to light our way.

"Let's go" I said, turning and walking out of the wooded area, with the others following. We walked towards where we saw the faintest of light. I knew we'd be safe there, and...

"Oh!" I cried, collapsing so suddenly it caught even me off-guard. I thought I'd tripped, but then...

I touched my stomach, suddenly finding a lot more blood than should be there.

"Your stiches! They've... oh my god!" Robert cried, falling to his knees beside me as I finally looked down and saw my shirt drenched with my own blood. I felt a bit light-headed, but then again, what was new?

"But... I didn't..."

"You probably did not focus hard enough when you were returning to your true form" Rtaia said, kneeling on the other side of me.

(If you like, I would be happy to take you back by...) I never heard the rest of what Ax said, because at that moment, I passed out.

I later learned that someone had picked me up and taken me all the way back to the ship, just carrying me. And that someone... was Robert.

Told you I was nuts. Good or what? Next chappie; did the other team make it? Next time...