Halomir- Nalie-Excem

Tired, I plodded on, calling, searching for my children.

I fell onto my belly, weeping in my hearts.

(Eloridir! Eloridir! Help me Eloridir!) I was covered in wounds and painfully trying to continue. To move on. To find them.

I stood and rose to keep walking. And stepped on something.

I looked down.

My little one!

I screamed and pulled my leg away. My Runji!

Dead. His little body rotting, maggots moving in and out of him already.

I screamed and began to cry hysterically

I turned away, and there lie my daughter behind me! My little Dodi!

Her torso and head were gone.

(Aaaaaah!)

Eloridir was grabbing me now, shaking me.

Speaking in a young human voice. "Quiet Halomir! Quiet! It's just a dream. Just an awful dream! Just a bad dream okay lady?"

I shook my head and pulled away from him so, so slowly. Like moving through melted silver or metal.

(No it's not, it's real, my children!) I could see them there! I could smell them rotting! (I've failed them, they're dead! Oh forgive me Eloridir!)

I turned.

To see a Taxxon feasting on my third child Washju. Nearly his whole lower body was gone.

I screamed again, and as I did, another Taxxon, red eyed and mouth foaming and fanged came out of a bush, to leap at me and eat me, my tail blade for some reason didn't work!

(Aaaaaaah!) I screamed, sitting up in my sleep. (My little ones, I've failed them! Forgive me Eloridir, forgive me!)

"Shhh! Hey it's just a dream! Shhh!" said the young human Marco as I awoke and looked into his big brown eyes.

I shook with sobs. "Hey, are you okay?" he said softly, patting my shoulder.

"Of course she's not okay stupid. She was having a nightmare!" a female human named Rachel said.

"Well excuuuuse me." he muttered and moved away.

Cassie, a the most compassionate human of the group, moved closer and took his place to comfort me. Though a hand with five fingers is strange, I enjoyed the feeling of it on my shoulder. It reminded me of my husband, Eloridir.

My hearts ached, thinking of how if he had been here, he would have comforted me.

These young humans had found me and we were now in the woods, near the free Hork-Bajir colony. I was sleeping in these woods, outside of a scoop. I didn't want to be in a scoop, though Aximili had offered me his.

Scoops offered too many memories of my family.

Though I yearned for a nice, warm, secure scoop. I told myself that when we found my children, I would dig a nice little scoop for us in celebration. Eloridir would be proud when he saw it...

I sat stunned. Eloridir...

I felt my body shake with sorrow again. I thought that I'd had no crying left to cry. But I did. I still did. Even after all this time.

My little ones. It had only been a few days now since I had seen them, held them, but oh it felt like years since then. I would have given my tail to have them back!

Just then, the nothlit Tobias flew up to us. The humans who called themselves Animorphs who had been given the power to morph by Prince Elfangor had come to visit me at the free Hork-Bajir colony today, and I had just been resting. Or, considering my nightmares, not really resting so much as slipping into exhaustion. I found it hard to sleep with my children gone from my side.

Tobias was trapped in morph because he overstayed his time in morph. He is now a red tailed hawk. But I was told that he was given the power to morph again by an Ellimist. Now he can become human again for only two hours at a time. He could stay and be trapped in his regular human form, but he wants to continue fighting, so he stays red tailed hawk and only morphs when necessary.

He had been out hunting just now and had come back to tell us something! I could tell it was important news!

"What is it Tobias?" Rachel said.

(Guys, you're not gonna believe this, but I've found them!)

I stood quickly, feeling dizzy afterward, but steadying myself nonetheless.

(You've found my little ones?) I squeaked weakly, barely audibly.

(Yes!) he said.

(Well where are they?) I cried urgently, feeling my desperation growing. I had to run and find them! I was ready to go and get them!

He hesitated a moment. (They're with a controller. Hork-bajir.)

(No!) I cried, horror welling up in me. (The Yeerks have them!) I pictured my little ones, far from their mother and being taken away by some Yeerk filth to a dark, cavernous pool to be invested and began to tremble.

(Yes, but it's just one Yeerk. I think we could take him,) his bird eyes turned to his Prince, the human Jake.

The Animorphs looked at eachother and at me. I felt desperate suddenly. Even if they refused to help me, I would take this Yeerk myself! I had little experience in combat and no training besides the self-defense tail moves my husband had taught me years before, but I would do whatever I had to to save my children!

"Let's do it!" Rachel said eagerly. Cassie and Marco smiled.

"We have to at least try." Prince Jake said. "Okay, come on guys! Let's get this mom back her babies!"

I eye smiled deeply, gratitude filling me. (You will help me?)

"Of course!" Cassie said softly. "Why wouldn't we?"

My hearts were full of joy. (T-thank you.) I said, far too emotional for words. (My husband...he would have...been so grateful to you...) I found my arms crossing over my hearts again, as the pain welled up.

(Please,) said Aximili, the young aristh and brother of Elfangor who had been shipwrecked here, like me, but way before I had. (Do not be distressed. We will have your children back soon.) he smiled at me. Sometimes I think the young one has a bit of a softness for me - perhaps because I am the only free Andalite on the planet and he has been alone so much. I felt pity for the Aristh.

"Right," Prince Jake said. "Let's go!"