Summary: The Animorphs are minus a teammate and alone in the wild. Then Rachel is rescued by a girl who could be the key to getting Ax back. WARNING: violence-gore, mild FF
Standard Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me. They all belong to Applegate. Except Talya. She's mine. latches
Violence Disclaimer: More detailed than the books; written for mature audiences.
Language Disclaimer: Some strong language.
Sex Disclaimer: None.
Thanks to: Meethrill. For encouraging me to continue this.
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Chapter 1: Flight
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POV: Rachel
We ran. We ran as hard and fast as our legs would allow us. Which, because we are human, wasn't fast enough.
Even though I knew we could never escape this being's grasp, I just kept on running. Branches hit my face like a thousand lashes, leaves cutting my cheeks like paper, underbrush and thorny vines tearing up my legs. But none of this mattered, because behind us not twenty feet from my heels was a beast that would have blown anybody's mind (well, any NORMAL human's mind). Why?
Because the creature looked like a mix between a lion and an elephant. Seriously. I'm not saying it was pretty -the thing was ugly as sin- but the teeth and claws on the monster was enough to scare any Earth animal into an out-right sprint.
Which brings me back to what we were doing here in the first place.
Well, it turns out the Yeerks had a base in a cave in the Rocky Mountains. Which explained why we were in Colorado. So, being the alien-invader-fighters that we were, we went after their slimy asses. Of course, they were slightly more prepared than we were when we got there. We stood and fought, and I still have blood on my hands from several of the men I killed. Well, they weren't men anymore. See, these Yeerks -a parasitic race of alien- get in your head and take over your body.
Anyways... we fought, we lost Ax -an Andalite (the good-guy alien race)- and now we were running for our lives while a Yeerk-infested monster we'd never seen before barreled through the shrubbery to kill us.
Just another day in the life of Rachel.
Of course, as we were flying across that mountain side, we were all praying that we'd somehow make it through this alive. And just as I was huffing out my prayer, my foot hit something -a root, a rock; it didn't matter what the hell it was, it tripped me all the same. A second later I was eating dirt.
My heart was in my throat... and so was bile. This was how I was going to die; not fighting some huge danger to save my friends, but thrashing on the ground as a weak and pathetic human. My reputation was down the tubes.
The creature came at me unafraid. That made /me/ afraid. Of course, I'd never admit that to anyone else. After all, I was Rachel!
I raised a hand to try and wound it in some unimaginable way, but the thing already had skin that was as tough as an elephant's. My nails bounced off harmlessly, leaving me cringing. Then the teeth flashed above me, and I was in the dirt again, thrashing and choking. Pain screamed in my right shoulder and neck. And I knew there was blood when I slipped in it and landed nose-first in it.
"Rachel!" It was Cassie who was yelling in fear of me. I had no time to reply as I found my feet and faced down this behemoth.
Damn he was a lot bigger close up!
Standing on my legs I started to find my grizzly bear form in hopes of scaring him off. As soon as the changing began he gave me a curious look and then snarled, lunging at my form. I was like a guinea pig trying to face down a guard dog. Putting my hands up in front of my face to shield myself from his attack, I looked away.
My sides heaved, and as much as I had anticipated that feeling of being hit by a freight train, it never came. Instead, I heard the sounds of a battle. No gunshots, no metal-on-metal; pure animal screams of fury and anger. Which made me wonder if the others had finally launched a group attack. I didn't think too much of these sounds as I got to my feet and found out I was a human again and Cassie's arms were around me and helping hold me steady.
Then I saw Jake and Marco moving through the foliage towards us. Tobias landed in a tree just off to my right. They were all accounted for, but the battle still raged behind me. Something clicked in my brain that said, 'This can't be right!'
My shoulder and neck were on fire, and blood was staining the top of my morphing outfit. Everyone else's eyes were huge -nigh as big as dinner plates- and their mouths had hit the ground. I didn't know if this was going to be something that I liked, but I turned around anyways.
After I closed my mouth and shoved my eyes back into their sockets, I took the scene into perspective.
A wolverine the size of my grizzly form was pissing the creature off so that it acted out rashly. And, although the lion-elephant was larger, heavier, and stronger, it was very slowly succumbing to the giant wolverine. Their harsh cries tore across the countryside, but it was the wolverine's growls that were the most nerve-racking. It was like hearing a stuck pig -except there was furious anger in the noise. Skin tore on both parties' bodies, sounding oddly like ripping paper. Blood was getting everywhere, and the battle grew even more vicious as it became clear the alien was loosing.
But then it was over in a final thundering bellow that was heightened by the dying scream of the Yeerk-controlled animal.
When the wolverine stepped back, it stepped back on it's hind legs several feet and then fell onto all fours heavily. It made no show of it's kill, but, instead, turned to face us -or, rather, me.
"It's too big..." I heard Cassie whisper. Then, "Wolverines can't walk on two legs!"
POV: Jake
Cassie was right: it was too big to be a normal wolverine, and it had just walked on two legs instead of four. Whatever it was, it wasn't natural. Or friendly. Why it wasn't attacking us now, I wasn't sure. Why it would have attacked THAT creature and NOT us, I was also unsure of.
"Rachel?" I glanced in her direction, hoping she'd be all right. As tough of an impression as she made, she wasn't the Wonder Woman she thought she was. She was still human; fragile flesh and brittle bone. There was no reply; she was too busy watching this newest threat. But she did have a hand over the gash to staunch the blood momentarily.
I would have done something to help, but Cassie was already there. Rachel and Cassie… I swear they're joined at the hip sometimes!
That was the moment the over-sized wolverine decided to move forward, once more rising onto it's hind legs. We all took a step back, unsure of what this thing was. As strange as this was already, it was going to get stranger.
Run.
For a moment, I wasn't sure I'd even heard it. But then I noticed Marco's eyes got even bigger. We turned and bolted, the over-sized two-legged talking wolverine close behind us. I was afraid. Why were we listening to this thing? What if it was herding us into a trap? But, though I was afraid, instinct told me to listen to it. And I did. I ran harder.
It wasn't long after we'd started running again that we heard trees snapping in half. I threw a look over my shoulder and caught sight of another lion-elephant coming up behind us.
Shit!
And even as I thought this, there was a sudden explosion. My ears hurt so much that I hit the ground with my knees, clutching at my throbbing ears. All the others were doing the same. Then I realized the wolverine was attacking this one, too. Except this time the wolverine was loosing. A huge hole gaped where there had once been flesh on its chest. Blood was gushing from the wound like a fountain, matting down the black and crème fur. And it was sustaining even larger wounds; slaps that cracked like thunder bruised flesh, teeth found arms or legs, claws sunk deep and tore. Well, while the thing was distracted, might as well run.
"Go!" I hissed to the group.
Rachel look at me in bewilderment. I notice she was still grasping at her shoulder. I could give no reply. I just wanted the hell out of this circus. And so we ran again. The bellows weren't as loud anymore, but they weren't faint in the least.
POV: Marco
I really wanted to piss my pants. I mean seriously. Right here, right now. I was so afraid that I thought it might relieve my nerves just a little... "Run!"
Of course, Mister-Leader-Boss-Man-Sir!
Not only was I running, I was spiriting. My lungs ached, my feet hurt as they got torn up, and all my muscles were crying. But it was a small sacrifice if I wanted to live and not be eaten alive. So, I ran on reserves.
We were running, leaving the two beasts behind to rip each other apart, until we nearly ran head-long into yet another lion-elephant. We scattered. Like cockroaches. I heard it coming after us. It wasn't far away at all.
Actually, I think it was following me.
Oh, lucky me.
Marco, the monster charmer!
POV: Cassie
After helping Rachel, my best friend in the entire world, I didn't want to leave her side. But I did. Instincts. All instincts. It was so annoying!
So I was going to try and find her. Reconnect. "Rachel!" I called out over my own panting, hoping to hear her reply.
"Cass!" Rachel's voice. Left. "I'm he--- ahhhhhh!" Pure, sheer terror. An animal's triumphant bellow shook the trees. And then silence. Stomach churning silence.
"Rachel," I choked on her name as I slowed, the booming footsteps having halted. Tears burned my eyes. "Oh, Rachel." I went looking for her.
POV: Rachel
It was on me, choking the air out of my lungs, one giant foreclaw on my chest, pinning me to the ground. I raked at the coarse paw with my human fingers, my vision waning. But then there was a horrific cry of joy (actually, I think it was a shout of glee), and the beast fell off me. I was choking, breathing hard, chest heaving, a hand grasping futilely at my shoulder as I cried out in pain. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the pain finally hit home. And though I was crying, I could see through the tears to the one who had, once again, saved my life. It was the wolverine, who looked like he'd gone through a paper shredder a few dozen times.
It staggered forward a few steps, looked at the corpse beside it, and then looked to his right as Jake, Cassie, and Marco came running over for me. They grabbed me up greedily, refusing to let me thank the creature. As weird and strange and head-spinning as this all was, this next thing was the frosting on the damn cake.
The wolverine stepped forward and then changed. LIKE US! Well, more smooth than we could manage. In the step forward it was like the wolverine fell in on itself, but left a girl standing where it had been. The girl emerged from the beasts hulking form, still carrying the wounds she'd taken during the fight with all three lion-elephants.
The whole "changing thing" was something we were used to, but this was a complete stranger! We'd never met another human with the morphing capabilities. She wasn't very pretty... exotic was more of the word I was looking for. Yes, exotic. Other than the strange color of her eyes and skin, she looked rather plain. She had gold eyes set in a fine-boned face framed by dark brown hair that fell straight to mid-back. Her figure was slim, but there were very obvious muscles beneath her tight, very pale skin. Scars criss-crossed her frame, her wiry limbs held at her sides. She looked a little malnourished, too.
Only then did it dawn on me she was wearing absolutely nothing when I stared transfixed at her wounds.
The gaping hole that had been torn into her chest was disgustingly obvious; the wound probably measured a foot running from her left shoulder, across her collar bone, and into her right breast, the blood ran in rivulets across her toned stomach, down her legs, and into the grass at her feet. I think I saw a small patch of white (rib cage, I think). There was also a laceration down the left side of her face, disappearing up into her hairline and at her chin. Black bruised patches and small scratches were myriad on her svelte body. I judged her to be around eighteen.
I thought for a second I might be sick.
Jake had that wide-eyed look on his face again, then tried to look away to give the girl privacy. Cassie adverted her eyes immediately, and Marco stared shamelessly (although I think he was more genuinely surprised than anything else -he wasn't drooling for once). Tobias was gawking as only a hawk could.