The Andalite looked around with his stalk eyes and then advanced on the young Prince placing his scythe bladed tail at his throat. "He's the Prince's son. If you kill him it could cause a war," Lex warned.
The Andalite hesitated and then withdrew his blade. "For the sake of his father," he said disgusted.
"I have this under control. Continue with surveillance," Lex requested of the Andalite.
"Very well," the Andalite said and then morphed back into the eagle.
Once the Andalite was gone, Lex confronted Wayra. "You're staying with me," she ordered.
"You do not give me orders. I outrank you," Wayra said arrogantly.
"Whoever is strongest has the greatest rank," Lex said. She had taken all of Wayra's weapons and attached them to her gear while the Andalite had kept him at bay. Only his mask and armor remained.
"I will need a weapon to defend myself," Wayra protested.
"I am sure you have a small blade somewhere hidden in your armor," Lex said dismissively.
The Hork Bajir stopped moving with Lex and started slicing off bark off the trees. Lex watched in fascination as the harmless dumb creatures sliced the bark off with deadly precision. If they were ever utilized to slice flesh they would become the most deadly of close combat soldiers. Even Wayra watched in awe. As they continued, there was a sudden commotion.
Hork Bajir were thrown down to the ground by an unknown force. Lex scanned the area and saw nothing on her scanners indicating the source. The Andalite could use his telepathy to talk with her but not the other way around. Finally, Lex saw the source. A tree roughly eight feet tall swung a large bark arm at a Hork Bajir knocking it out. Other trees uprooted and began fighting the Hork Bajir.
"What is this, Lord of the Rings?" Lex wondered.
"What?" Wayra demanded.
"Never mind," Lex ignored him.
The humanoid trees were winning the fight despite Hork Bajir slicing off pieces of their bark. Lex targeted the trees with her plasma cannons and fired on them. Bark limbs were blasted off on impact. Lex continued to fire as her mask automatically targeted the next target. Wayra simply watched as plasma bursts shot through the air at rapid speed. Suddenly an arm from the side smacked Lex hard knocking her to the ground a distance away. Wayra engaged the tree with his wrist blades and avoided the powerful but slow swings. Wayra struck his blades into the tree but then got stuck. The tree punched Wayra down stunning him.
Lex got back to her feet only to be picked up by a ten meter long arm. She was thrown up and down, side to side, and then smacked into a large tree. Lex extended her whip that wrapped around the tree arm like a snake. The bark shattered as the whip continued to tighten releasing her. Lex then fired on the tree but the tree had already created a shield of branches across its arm. Lex detached her Frisbee of death and threw it out towards the tree. The Frisbee sliced into the tree but was stuck in its chest not going all the way through.
"That's new," Lex muttered.
She took out a net gun and fired at the tree. The net wrapped around its eight foot frame and pinned it against a large normal tree trunk. Lex then walked up to the humanoid tree. "What is it?" Wayra wondered.
"Groot," the tree said through its humanoid head.
Lex could see the tree had eyes and a functional mouth. Was it possible that Hork Bajir were actually predators of a different sort? Lex didn't have time to contemplate the issue. A large two story creature that seemed to be made of rock engaged the trees and started crushing them. The creature stomped on them flat and punched others across the forest. Lex disengaged her net from the humanoid tree and gestured for it to leave. "Groot," it said and ran off.
Once the battle was over, the rock creature shrank down into the Andalite warrior. "Let's move," he said sternly. "We have wasted too much time."
Lex acknowledged the Andalite's concern and then rallied the Hork Bajir together. Some were fatally wounded as a result of the battle and had to be left behind. Others struggled to walk from their injuries. "They are slowing us down," the Andalite said.
"The Yautja do not kill defenseless prey. If you want to kill them go ahead," Lex said.
The Andalite hesitated and then morphed back into his eagle form departing from her.
The Prince placed his mask on and connected the tubes allowing him to breathe easier. All around him were Hork Bajir and Yautja corpses. His uniform was stained with green and red blood. The only surviving among his team, he reactivated his cloak and walked off through the forest.
Meanwhile, the small Andalite force battled Hork Bajir assaults. Surrounded, the Andalite force resorted to using their morphing technology on friendly Hork Bajir warriors. The Hork Bajir would morph into a bird and then morph back perfectly healed. Dak and Andrea taught the Hork Bajir slowly but surely how to concentrate on the bird and then reform back. Some of the Hork Bajir could not understand the concept and were trapped permanently in the form of a bird. Alloran watched all of this with some disdain.
"It is unfortunate we have resorted to sharing our technology," he said to Elfangor.
"It is the only way for them to resist the Yeerks," Elfangor said defending his idea.
"After this war is over, the Hork Bajir capable of morphing must be killed," Alloran ordered.
Elfangor said nothing and merely stared at Andrea with his stalk eyes wondering if he should resist the order. "As you wish Prince," he replied.
Lex and Wayra walked side by side not speaking to one another for long periods of time. Finally, Wayra broke the silence with his alien step-mother. "Why did father choose you above all other humans?" he asked.
"He didn't choose me. We were brought together by accident. I was changed illegally into a Yautja by warriors long dead," Lex replied.
"What was your human station on Earth?" Wayra asked.
"I was a tour guide for those who wanted to climb high mountains," Lex said.
"You were not royalty or nobility?" Wayra asked surprised.
"No, the opposite. I was a descendant of slaves. My father and I became successful by our own efforts," Lex said resentfully.
"So, your were a servant for nobility who wished to climb high mountains?" Wayra clarified.
"You could say that," Lex replied.
"Perhaps you could guide me after this mission is complete," Wayra said arrogantly.
Lex grabbed a hold of Wayra. "Look, while your father isn't here I hold the highest rank around here," she said angrily.
"You are a commoner," Wayra shot back.
"I am your father's wife," Lex argued back.
Wayra became silent, and Lex let him go. From his facial expression, Lex could tell that Wayra was flustered. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
"This hunt was not honorable. My memories will show defeat," he said depressed.
"Do what your father does and simply erase your memories," Lex said simply.
"My father does this?" Wayra asked amazed.
"Yes, it prevents the Court from ever convicting him of a crime," Lex said as if it were obvious. "It seems your society has forgotten how to solve crimes without it."
"What do you mean?" Wayra asked.
"Like collecting forensic evidence," Lex suggested.
"These memory erasers will make a farce of our justice system," Wayra realized.
"I have the impression it already has," Lex said.
"You are not concerned about this?" Wayra asked offended.
"You're a race of murdering hunters. You kill innocent creatures for sport. Why should I care about petty crimes?" Lex asked.
"Humans hunt as well," Wayra pointed out.
"When we hunt, we use the animal to eat," Lex said.
"You speak like a Red Yautja," Wayra said.
"A what?" Lex asked confused.
"It is a clan that is gaining adherents to its philosophy on hunting. They believe that they should eat that which they hunt," Wayra said.
"Sounds reasonable," Lex said.
"On Earth, they would not only hunt humans but eat them whole as well," Wayra reminded her.
Lex stared at Wayra. "That's disgusting."
"They may one day turn on the rest of us just as the Black Yautja have," Wayra said.
Lex shook her head. "What does it matter how many adherents they have if they're not the King?"
"There are rumors that one of the top princes is sympathetic to their movement," Wayra said.
"You know which one?" Lex asked curiously.
Wayra shook his head. Lex figured she would ask the Prince if he knew. At the very least, he wouldn't be able to deny their existence. A blur suddenly landed out of the corner of Lex's eye. Her mask tracked the movement. "Look around you," Lex told Wayra.
"I see it," the Andalite said from the skies.
"Give me a weapon," Wayra demanded.
Lex hesitated but handed him a plasma cannon, which he then held like a rifle. The figure landed between Lex and Wayra. Immediately, Wayra put his rifle down. It was the Prince. "You're still alive," Lex noted.
"Disappointed?" the Prince asked.
"Father," Wayra addressed bowing his head.
The Prince's uniform was blood soaked with green and red. It was also covered in dirt and green vegetation that acted as a camouflage. "Your cloak is not functional?" Lex guessed.
"I have learned to not rely on it," the Prince replied.
"Very human of you," Lex said disrespectfully.
Wayra stared at the two of them confused. "We used camouflage to hunt when you were still apes," the Prince shot back.
The two stopped arguing once the Andalite trotted towards them. "I assume you are the only survivor," he said.
"Yes, the odds are less favorable now," the Prince admitted.
"My company was also destroyed," Wayra reported.
"We are survivors," the Prince said placing his hand on Wayra's shoulder.
The Prince then turned to the Andalite. "Do you have a plan for the Yeerk threat?"
"War Prince Alloran intends to use a quantum virus that will kill the Hork Bajir on a sub-atomic level," the Andalite revealed.
"Why not target the Yeerks with the virus?" Lex asked alarmed.
"The virus would only kill the Yeerks present on the planet. We cannot risk another Yeerk invasion of this planet. Therefore, the Hork Bajir must be exterminated," the Andalite said.
"I agree," the Prince said.
"And give up on hunting them?" Lex asked the Prince.
"These herbivores have low intelligence. They are not worthy prey," the Prince said.
"What have we been doing leading these Hork Bajir to safety then?" Lex demanded of the Andalite.
"We thought we could win, but it would seem that is not possible now. While in the air, I have been communicating with my people," the Andalite said.
"And you didn't think to tell me anything?" Lex asked outraged.
"I have no obligation to tell your people anything especially one without rank or power," the Andalite said arrogantly.
"You have done well to keep these Hork Bajir away from the enemy. Now, we must return to the ship," the Prince said.
Lex threw her hands up in defeat. "Lead the way."