A/N: Hey all! Sorry about the wait on the post, but I've been busy with homework. I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you all like this one. BTW: Skeleton Key…great movie!

Chapter 30

Rachel

I followed Jake and Cassie, feeling a slight pang in my heart. I know they don't mean to, but every look they share, every time their hands touch (not that I don't get jealous over that anyway) is a reminder I may not be able to look into Tobias's soft human eyes once again or the fierce hawk eyes that I have grown accustomed to seeing him with. Heck, even Marco seemed to be doing well with a relationship on this planet. I knew I would be more into the strange colors and the similarities between us and the Isriska if my mind was trapped in the moment. But it's not. Its a billion miles or more back in the woods behind Cassie's house, letting myself be lost in Tobias's gaze, and hoping we weren't already too late.

I mentally shook myself. I needed to get my head in the game. Being distracted is only going to make matters worst, but every time I tried to push the image of Tobias's face away, the way he looked before and after the illness struck him down, I began to feel guilty that I wasn't thinking about him.

((Rachel?))

((Yes, Cassie?)) I asked, knowing what the next question was going to be.

((Are you))

((No, I'm not fine!)) I snapped at her. Everyone stopped and looked at me and I realized I had said it out loud. I tried not to let my head droop, but under everyone's gaze, I couldn't help but feel ashamed.

((Rachel…)) Cassie said but this time not privately.

((It was a dumb question Cassie!)) I said to everyone and added privately ((Of course I'm not fine! I wouldn't be here if he hadn't wanted me to be. I can't stop wondering if that was the last time I will ever see him and I didn't)) I stopped. I couldn't finish my sentence. Had I been human, I would have cried. You didn't tell him you loved him. A voice in the back of my mind accused. I had no defense and let those words echo through my mind.

((Ax, how long do we have?)) Jake asked.

((In Earth hours, we have just over 2 ½ hours. In Isriska hours, we have roughly 6 hours, but I am not certain as the planets rotation patterns seem to change, so it is only a guess.))

((Ax, you're guesses are as good as Einstein's Emc2.)) Marco stated.

((You actually know what)) Jake started to say but Marco cut him off.

((I pay attention in science…sometimes.)) Marco objected.

((Uh-hu.)) Jake said.

((He probably read it on the back of a Captain Crunch box or something.)) I muttered.

((Hey! It was in our science book!))

((So, you actually read the book? Marco, I'm impressed!))

((Hey, I read it!)) Marco protested.

((I have to agree with Rachel. I mean, who can possibly pull a 6 on a test?)) Jake asked, and added ((Who has actually read the text book?))

((That teacher hated me!))

((Marco, everyone hates you.)) I said.

((Oh! And she got me again!)) Marco said, dramatically.

((Did you guys hear that?)) Cassie asked.

((Marco's bad acting?)) I asked.

((No, shh.)) Cassie said. We all went silent.

I felt the adrenaline begin to pump in my system. My ears twitched and tuned into the silent forest.

"Oh, Oh no!" Nomikna said, looking visibly shaken.

Before we could ask her what happened, we each had been hit by something so fast we couldn't see it. I was thrown into a tree five feet away, Ax was sprawled on the ground, Cassie landed neatly on her feet, Jake was also recovering from a tree hit, and Marco was on his side some distance away, tangled in some kind of bush. Nomikna was no where to be seen. Ax was the first to recover. His tail was ready and his eyes searching.

((What the hell was that!)) I demanded as I struggled to righted myself. Nomikna came back into sight.

"It's a Nekasrof!" She said, visibly shaken.

((Translation…?)) Marco asked. I felt a whoosh of air and felt rather than saw a rough tail and or tentacle knock me aside. I heard the ribs of the wolf morph crushing on impact and I flew feet dozen feet into the air and landed with a thud on the dirt packed path. I tried to get up, but the pain was too much.

"The Nekasrof is an incredibly fast creature. It moves quickly and almost silently. It likes to…play, if you will, with its prey." Nomikna flew up a few feet. "It cannot fly too high, for its mass is too great, but near the surface…" She shuddered.

((Jake, I have to demorph.)) I said, pushing the pain aside to try and get up, but I knew I couldn't battle like this.

((Yeah, ok. Marco, cover Rachel.)) Jake said and muttered ((God I miss Tobias, his eyes would be helpful right now.)) I felt a pang of sadness hit me and I pushed it aside. Now was not the time to get emotional. Now was the time to prove myself and I wasn't going to let Tobias down. I concentrated and began to demorph. Before I had completely finished, the Nekasrof came back and Jake and Cassie were failing miserably to attack it. Ax was also morphing his injuries away.

Marco left me and leaped to help Jake and Cassie but was thrown into a tree with a yelp. I frowned, now fully human. We weren't going to be able to beat the thing as we were. That much I knew. A voice in my head said if you can't beat em, join em. I was going to mentally retaliate with our battle with the yeerks. No way was I going to let myself become a controller.

Jake and Cassie were knocked aside and I could see a blur of dark green coming towards me. Come on, Come on, closer, closer…I thought and as the tentacle thing went to shove me aside, I held on with all of my might. It hit me in my midsection and I held on and concentrated on the slimy yet soft texture of the creature. It slowed and finally stopped as the trance hit it.

It was actually a cute creature in a hideous kind of way. It was completely dark green, probably a forest green or a similar shade, soft fur-like scales covering it's body. It had large feathered wings midway on its back. It had the body of a crocodile, the head of a kangaroo, the wings of a giant bird, the legs of a horse, and the tail of a dinosaur. It was probably four feet in length and two feet tall. I backed away from it after I had my DNA and Ax followed my lead and did the same.

((Good thinking Rachel.)) Jake stated.

"Thanks."

Marco was already demorphed and Jake and Cassie began to demorph. Marco took Ax's place then Cassie and lastly Jake.

"So, do we try out the new morph?" I asked, as the Nekasrof decided it had enough and flew off. Nomikna landed when it was long gone.

"Ax, how are we on time."

((Approximately 2 earth hours left.))

"How far are we to the Rewolf?" Jake asked Nomikna.

"About an hour or so, my time."

"OK, let's take a short break." Jake stated. I glared at him.

"Rachel we're all tired, we need to rest, including you."

"I'm fine."

"Rachel?"

"What!" I snapped at Cassie.

"You're bleeding." She said her voice an eerie calm. I glanced down and noticed my morphing suit was torn where the tail had hit me. The wound was deep and bleeding heavily.

Funny, how I hadn't noticed it before now.

"Rachel, you need to morph." Jake said, his voice was loud, like it gets when he's panicked. My head felt woozy and my vision began to blur. Morph, my mind said. To what? Something answered back. The last thing I remembered before the darkness was hearing Cassie's voice in the abyss of white noise.

Pronunciation Guide:

Nekasrof- Neck-as-rof

Rewolf Explained:

OK, I want to make sure everyone understands how I see the Rewolf. The Rewolf is raw power. It is greater than the Ellimist and the Crayak. Now, why wouldn't the Ellimist or Crayak use it to destroy each other? Because before they were even created, the Isriska history was beginning. The early Isriska's became power hungry and nearly destroyed their whole race. One leader, a queen, decided to put a magical charm on it, if you will. Only a person with good intentions can use the Rewolf and its power. If you are planning on using it to destroy, you will never be able to find it and essentially, you will go crazy. Ellimist and Crayak cannot touch the Rewolf no matter how much they want to. They would use it to achieve ultimate power and destroy the other and it is against the parameters set by the ancient Isriska. So, if you have a good intention, like healing a friend, then you can use the power of the Rewolf. Pretty much, you can't use it for self gain or selfish reasons. Make sense?

So, Why don't they turn back time and take it then? Because it would be against the rules of the game and neither Crayak nor the Ellimist can break that rule. Why don't more Isriska seek out the Rewolf? Because the majority of them have never seen it and it is a story passed down generations and most believe it to be a folk tale; Hence why not even the Andalites have heard of such a plant.

I hope that helps some. It might have arose more questions then answers, but I want to make it clear how I see it…

Reviews: (I abbreviated, got lazy...)

C101: lol! It's ok, I completely understand about getting the 'mojo' back. ;D

GD: No, I am happy to help. I hope that explained your questions more thoroughly.

Q: Thank you.

LN86: Sounds like fun. :D I'm glad you enjoyed; hope this chapter lives up to expectation.