"Yes" their leader said. "How did you find us?"
« Luck, basically.» I started. « I was planning to eat some grass around here when I heard Cassie's voice while I was flying around to make sure I wouldn't be seen. I landed here and turned into a human after hearing her telling you to go inside the barn. »
I looked at the friendly twoleg. « So, don't worry about your herd. I didn't find you because you left some clues behind but because we happened to be at the same place at the same time. »
I looked back at the herd's leader.
« And, before you ask, I didn't talk to anyone and nobody noticed me. I live a wallow humans don't visit very often and turn into a bird whenever I need to hide. Rest assured, apart your herd, nobody know I'm still alive. Not even my own herd. »
Again, I saw the friendly twoleg look a little uneasy when I mentioned my herd. I was getting a little worried, now. Had something happened to my herd in my absence?
" That's nice to hear. " The leader asked me. "How did you survived?"
« I'm not sure. I just woke up in the middle of the Dark… night. The last thing I remember is seeing a bright white flash and some sort of silent lightning falling next to me. I was severely wounded but, as you probably know, transforming heals the injuries. »
"And what did you do afterward?" He asked, apparently understanding what was that silent lightning.
« I searched for a place to live and was lucky enough to find one before the end of the night. » I explained. « Since then, there's nothing really interesting. I just passed most of my time trying to learn your language so I could find you and ask more details about what happened that day. Mostly because it's the best way to protect my herd from the other herd but also because I'm curious to know more. »

I looked at the friendly twoleg – the one who had saved me even if we weren't in the same herd.
« I also wanted to thank you and make sure you didn't felt bad for going away. » I said in private thought-speech; the others didn't look too happy to see me and I didn't want her to be in trouble because of me. « Like I said before, it was the right thing to do. Protecting your own herd is a lot more important than protecting someone from another herd. »

"And what do you know so far?"
I looked back at their leader.
« Practically nothing. I know the other herd is bad, that they shoot some sort of silent lightning and that they hate you. As for the transformation thing, all I know is that touching an animal sometime gives me the ability to turn into it. »
I stared at the strange group around me – twoleg, deer-twoleg and bird. I didn't have to know how to read their expressions to understand what each members of the herd wanted to know.

« Look, your herd isn't in danger. I didn't discover you by following some clues of any kind and nobody noticed what I was doing. Apart the day we met, this is the first time I talk to anyone or use my human form in front of another human. » I said before staring at Cassie. « I didn't come here to attack or anything. I just want to know more about the other herd and if they pose a threat to my herd. »
"Are you sure nobody saw you?"
I looked back at their leader.
« I'm absolutely certain. » I started. « I never took any risks. I didn't want the other herd – or anyone, really – to know I was still alive and well. I even made sure not to leave any clues of my presence in my own wallow just in case anyone visited it while I was away. »
There was a long moment of lull as the herd's leader stared at me in silence. Although I wasn't the leader of my herd, I knew what he was doing. He had asked all the questions he wanted and reflecting on what my answers meant; like any leaders worth of the name, he was trying to see if his herd was in any kind of danger and, if it was the case, what should be done to eliminate the danger. I just had to hope he wouldn't conclude I was the danger.

« If you don't have any other questions, can I ask some too? » I asked. « I just want to know about the other herd and if my herd is in danger because of them. »
I turned toward Cassie before continuing. I knew, being the friendly twoleg, she was the most likely to answer my question.
« And, optionally, how the transformation work. I think I figured out most of it but there's still a lot of aspects I can't understand or don't know. »

"We can answer some questions, but not all." The friendly twoleg said after the leader had authorized her. "But you have to promise us you won't tell anything to anyone except us."
« Yes, sure. You have to keep your herd safe from the other one. »
"Exactly." The friendly twoleg explained. "So, the other herd isn't what it look like. Surely, you remember seeing humans and green creatures covered with blades?"
« Of course. » I answered, nearly offended. « I would never forget something that might threaten my herd. »
" Right. None of them are really part of the herd." She continued, obviously having some difficulties finding a way to explain it in a way I would, as a buffalo, understand. "The real herd was hiding inside their heads. "They're called yeerks. They're an alien parasite trying to invade the earth. Without a host, they look a bit like slugs."
She look a short pause, clearly indicating she was getting at the "serious" part.
"When they find a host, they enter in their head trough their ear channel, flatten themselves on the host's brain and tap in their memories and thoughts. At that point, the host essentially become a prisoner of his own body. The yeerk simply take over his body and have total control over his actions. The unfortunate host can do nothing except watch the yeerk impersonate him and trap other persons to have them infested."
« So, like the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis? Except it's slug-like and attack humans? »
Cassie's blank stare told me she didn't know what I was talking about.
« I learned about it by observing a university. It's a parasitic fungus. It takes control of an ant and makes it hang on a tree above the nest so it can infest even more ants. »
"Well, yeah, I guess you could compare the yeerk with them. Except the yeerks are invading this planet rather than an ant nest."
« How many are they? »
"Tens of thousands. Possibly more."
I was shocked. I didn't know how large that number was but I knew it was very large. Much more than I could ever hope to handle. With such a large herd, even barehanded twoleg cubs could beat my whole herd. I already knew the other herd was huge and too strong for me, but I had no idea it was that strong; I was convinced I would be able to protect my herd, even if I might not be able to destroy the other herd.
But, with tens of thousands members and lightning-throwing weapons? It would be suicide to attack them – even if my whole herd was there to help me.
Which meant I had to work with the transforming herd if I wanted to help mine. If I wanted to protect my herd, I had to make sure Cassie's herd won the fight against the yeerk's herd.
I had to fight with them. Not just by fighting a common enemy but by collaborating with them.

« Can I propose my help? » I asked to the herd's leader « The yeerks are threatening my herd too and there's no way I can deal with them by myself. The best way I can help my herd is by helping yours to fight the yeerks. »

"No." Said the aggressive female to the rest of the herd. "Last time we tried to recruit someone, it ended very badly. I don't want to deal with another David."
« What's a David? » I privately asked Cassie. « Are they a bad thing? »
"Later." She whispered to me before addressing her whole herd. "But we can make it right, this time. We don't have a huge mission like we had with David. Plus, he's a buffalo. He wants to protect his herd. He won't attack us."
"Exactly." Said the calf thinking I couldn't learn. "He's a buffalo. We can't take the chance of recruiting him. I'm sorry, Cassie, but its too risky. He might warn a controller by mistake."
« I would never do that. » I knew I wasn't really supposed to intervene in their discussion. I knew Cassie probably wanted me to wait until the end of it, but my herd was at stake. Assuring the well being of my herd was much more important than respecting the friendly twoleg's request. « I'm not stupid. Granted, I'm far from being as intelligent as a human but I'm still smart enough to know I can't fight the yeerks alone. I know the best way I can help my herd is by helping your herd fight them and I also know it begin by making sure no one know your identity. I might not know how to create cars or radios, but I certainly know how to hide from someone. I did that for the last TWO moons and, obviously, no one noticed I was still alive and spying on the humans. » I turned toward the calf who thought I could only mimic. « Beside, I learn fast. You can easily teach me whatever skills or knowledge I lack. » I turned back toward the herd's leader. He was the one I needed to convince. « You don't even need to tell me everything. When you make a plan, for example, you just need to tell me what I have to do. I can easily fight without knowing the whole plan or why I have to do whatever you want me to do. That way, even if I get captured or betray you, I wouldn't have a lot of information to give. As your own species say, I can't say what I don't know. »
"Good point." Said Jake – the herd's leader. "Ax?"
As I didn't hear any answer, it was safe to assume Ax (whoever that was) had used private thought-speech – meaning I wouldn't know what that Ax thought of me.
« Is there a time limit for the transformation? » I asked Cassie. « So far, I've always made sure to turn back into myself every now and then but it's tiring. If I don't need to do it, it would save me a lot of energy. »
"Yes. Two hours and you get stuck forever." She answered.
« In that case, can I go back in my wallow while you discuss the issue? I'm exhausted. I wouldn't mind sleeping here but I'm too big to hide in a stall and, if someone were to come, I wouldn't have enough time to morph. »
"Seriously?" The aggressive calf asked, clearly annoyed.
« I transformed a lot today and I always tried to make it as fast as possible. I don't know if it's the same for your species but transforming quickly is exhausting for me. I wasn't planning to meet you, today. I was returning to my wallow because I was too tired to spy on the humans any longer. » I took a short pause. « It won't take a lot of time. I just want a short nap, nothing more. »
I heard a heavy sight from Jake. Obviously, transforming was tiring for the twolegs too.
"How many times did you morph today?"
« No ideas. I can only count up to four. I was more focused on learning to speak human than learning how to count. » I took a short pause to think of what I could say. « I swear I want to stay but I know my limits. If I stay here, I'll have to turn back into myself at some point because of the time limit. Then, I would need to transform into a bird again to communicate and fly back to my wallow, at which point I would need to transform into myself again. I'm really sorry but I can't transform three times in a row like that. I'm too exhausted for that. »
"Fine." The leader said after rolling his eyes. "Cassie? You want to go with him?"

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next. Thought I had transformed so many times before, I had never witnessed it on someone else with the amazing eyesight of a whiteface. It was disgusting. I wish I could describe it but I didn't know the twoleg's language well enough to give a decent idea of the horror happening in front of me. It was too disgusting for words – for the ones I knew, that is.
« Whenever you're ready. » Said the friendly Cassie after she had transform into a bird I didn't know.
« Let's go, then. » I answered, happy the transformation was over.
We both took off at the same time and flew toward my wallow. Unfortunately, as we needed to stay away from each other in case a yeerk would be watching us, we didn't have an opportunity to talk to each other until we had landed in my wallow.

"So this is where you lived all that time?" She asked after turning back into herself.
« Yes. » I answered. « Can I transform back or is there something you want to talk about first? »
"No, it's fine. Take your nap, I'll tell you if there's anything."
I turned back into myself as quickly as I could – losing whatever energy I had left in the process – and stood up. I was tired, sure, but I knew I wouldn't stay here for long. I was here to rest a little, not to sleep.
"Don't you want to sleep? I can wake you up when it will be time to come back."
I shook my head sideway.
"Just a nap, then?"
I shook my head up and down before closing my eyes. It didn't take long for my exhaustion to overcome my stress and make me doze off; since I wasn't a twoleg, I didn't need to worry about falling down: my anatomy allowed me to rest even if I stood up.

"Wake up." Cassie said. "It's time to go, now."

I opened my eyes and stared at here.
"You had a good nap?"
I shook my head up and down. Despite being shorter than I would have wanted, I had napped(?) long enough to transform a few more times.
"Let's go, then." She said as she began to transform into a bird.
I shook my head once again and began to transform into a whiteface. As soon as we were both ready, we took off and flew back to Cassie's herd.

"You had a good rest?" Asked the leader shortly after I landed next to him.
« Oh, yes. Thanks for asking. » I said. « Have you decided what to do about me? »
"No, not yet." He said before looking at the friendly twoleg. "We were waiting for your vote."
« I say yes. He already showed us he could learn and his help could be useful. »
"So we have a tie."

A tie.
I knew what it meant.
Half of the herd wanted me to fight with them while the other half didn't want to and, somehow, the leader wouldn't make a decision.
Depending on how you saw it, it meant I was one vote short of being accepted or one vote away from being rejected. A good news and a bad news.
Although the leader might very well decide to push the balance toward the "yes", I didn't want to take any chances: my herd was at stake. I had to find a way to make one of the "no" change their mind.
But how?
I didn't even know who had voted for the "yes" and for the "no".
I could guess the calf thinking I could only mimic and the aggressive calf had voted against, but I had no idea who was the third "no".
Probably the bird or the Deer-twoleg: when I had left, the leader had seemed interested in me joining the fight.
Not that it really mattered. If I wanted to convince one of the "no", it had to be the aggressive calf or the "mimic" one – I didn't know what was the opinion of the bird and the deer-twoleg.
No. Not even. To convince the aggressive calf, I would need to show so much aggressiveness toward the yeerks that the friendly twoleg might get scared and change her mind.
Which left the "mimic" calf.
He was afraid of the risk. He was afraid I would accidentally make the herd discovered or attacked. Should I swear, again, my loyalty? Show I was smart enough not to put them in danger? Promise to keep my distances with them and only meet them – in morph – for essential communications only?
No. That wouldn't work.
Maybe making myself so valuable that the risk would be worth it?
Perhaps.
But how? How? How?
The friendly twoleg had given me intelligence and the ability to transform. I had to use it! I was smart enough to learn their language in two moons, so why couldn't I think of a way to…
Of course.
I had to use, indirectly, the other herd. The yeerks. The mean herd.
I could transform into their leader.

« I think I can transform in the yeerk's leader. » I said without bothering to give the context. « I'm confident I can learn how to mimic his voice and impersonate him in front of his own herd. »
I knew it had worked. Despite not having a lot of experience in reading twoleg expressions, I could see the "mimic" calf had changed his mind. He still thought accepting me was risky but being able to transform into the yeerk's leader made me extremely valuable – enough to justify the risk.

"Ok." Said the leader. "You can fight with us. But you will need to follow some rules."