An Author's Note: So its time for the review count, as is tradtion for my fics.
And no reviews. Big 0. First time that has happened.
Ah, well, gonna forge on here.
Enjoy.
Chapter 5
Everything was burning.
Surrounded by fire, she could hear chemicals in beakers exploding, the roof cracking above her, the bangs as parts of the ceiling fell. Somewhere a bear growled, and a tiger roared, but she couldn't see them.
Someone was behind her, she turned and gasped at the sword aimed at her throat. Falcone. It had to be that…
She was backing away into the vault because she knew if she didn't, he'd try to stab her, or Nosedive. Wait, where was Nosedive? Where was Duke, he was supposed to be with them. Why weren't they there? Why was she alone?
The figure moved, thrusting its sword in her chest, but it wasn't Falcone. It was Duke.
He was saying something, but it wasn't his voice. Tanya heard only one voice but coming from behind her. A familiar voice. DeCoy's voice. "Traitor."
The bear charged from the flames and swept Duke away.
And she was alone again.
Tanya woke up with a sharp inhale. She took a moment to breathe in the filtered air of the Aerowing, mentally reassuring herself she wasn't in a burning lab or in a vault slowly losing air. The vault dream wasn't new. She had never told anyone, but that particular brush with death had shaken her. She never brought it up because she really didn't want Mallory to start ragging on Duke again, but the fact that he had abandoned her and Nosedive to die hadn't exactly been the most comforting incident. Granted he hadn't known they were there. That wasn't the point. It didn't change the feeling of being abandoned. It had gotten better, but apparently the whole…thing with the Animorphs had brought those feelings back.
Only this time, she was the one who abandoned them. This time, she had left them to their fate. She didn't even have the excuse of not knowing what happened to them. She knew. She knew and she left them.
Just like always.
Tanya closed her eyes and shook her head. This wasn't like before. She couldn't do anything alone. All she had was the Aerowing, the Mask and the power to morph into a pigeon. And it wasn't like they were being held in a typical prison. If so, she would have been able to get them out without an issue. The hard part would have been releasing them in that case. Once free they would be able to fight back. Even with mind control, typical mind control, she could find a way to free them. But creatures inside their heads, piloting them like they were some sort of cartoon robots, that was much harder to deal with. Their bodies would be actively fighting her all the way, and it was clear that at least Duke's Yeerk didn't care to restrain itself. She needed the kid's help. She couldn't do this alone.
It still felt like she was abandoning her team.
Laying and staring at the Aerowing's ceiling wasn't going to help. She needed to concentrate on what was important. Other than freeing her friends there were a few…other concerns. She had to focus on what was needed in the short term, things she could take care of now. She needed to check what was in the Aerowing. She needed to make sure she had enough fuel to keep the Aerowing hidden. If not, she'd have to find someplace else to hide. It wasn't as if she could keep the cloak running indefinitely. It wasn't the Raptor after all. She needed to make sure she had enough food. Water.
Food, water, shelter. The basics. Then she could move on to other things.
She took care of immediate needs first. Restocking the Aerowing had involved some shopping, but she and Mallory had done a pretty good job. Mallory may be horrible with machines, but at the very least she knew how to pack a shelf with nonperishables and water in an emergency where she might be without power or technology. In fact, Tanya thought Mallory liked the idea of roughing it in the woods with nothing but the portal stove that Tanya had built and a bunch of cans of precooked pasta, beans, soup, and granola bars. Mallory probably wouldn't have used the stove though. If Mallory was the free one, she'd be outside building a fire and cooking beans the old-fashioned way. Completely ignoring the fact that Tanya built a hand sized heating system perfect for heating canned goods and providing fire. The power source didn't even need to be changed out. It would run for years. And it did a pretty good job of heating up a horrible tasting canned pasta things for breakfast. Not anything she ever wanted to eat on a normal day, but what was she going to do, order take out?
Their efforts hadn't been wasted. She probably had enough food and water here to last her a few months. That was good. She didn't think it would take months to free her friends. She doubted it would take a few weeks. It would be fine. Everything would be fine. They'd free her team and by this time next month they'd be laughing about it.
But just in case she should probably make alternative plans in case it took longer than she thought.
The Aerowing had plenty of fuel for now, but not an infinite amount. She couldn't keep it running for months. Probably not even the rest of the week. She would need to find some other place to shelter in, temporarily. The best solution, in Tanya's mind, was a cave. She was an engineer, not a construction worker. She couldn't build a base on her own. She could, however, find an alternative shelter. Underground would be best, because it would be harder for the Yeerks to spot her from above. But she didn't have the benefit of Phil's money and couldn't hire someone to build her an underground base. Converting a convenient cave would be best. There should be something around here. If not a cave than some sort of abandoned building with a basement would work as well. She could do a few low scans of the area with the Aerowing. It might take some time, but even landed the ship could scan the immediate area. Once she found a place that she could convert to a temporary shelter she could find a better place to hide the Aerowing. If she could find some way to get some equipment, or scavenge human electronics, she could outfit the hypothetical cave into something livable. She'd prefer to buy things, but she knew the moment she tried to step into the Anaheim mall she'd be swamped in Controllers. Heck, she'd be surrounded if she tried to sneak into the local Radio Shack. She wasn't going to steal things. She wasn't Duke.
Humans did have the tendency to throw perfectly good equipment away though. She'd be horrified when she learned from some of the mangers at her favorite shop that they just junked all the excess inventory they couldn't sell. It was like humans had never heard of recycling. She managed to convince them to let her take whatever leftovers they had. It was amazing how much you could accomplish with a simple human pager that no one wanted because they were now 'uncool'.
((Hey, Tanya, you awake in there?))
Which one was that one again, it was one of the girls…oh yeah, the tall one. Rachel. Oh boy. She had thought that maybe they had forgotten about that weird shopping fixation from last night. Maybe not.
A quick scan with the Mask confirmed there were two glowing birds outside. Both birds of prey. No one else. As soon as she confirmed that she stuffed the Mask into a safe compartment. She would never actually take it out and use it in combat. She only tried it that one time because it was an emergency, but it was Wildwing's. It was for leaders. Duck leaders. She could keep it safe. Keep it protected until Wildwing was free. Even use it in an emergency. But it was not for people like her.
She poked her head out of the Aerowing and looked up at the two birds. One was a familiar one. A bald eagle. Humans in this territory loved bald eagles. She had to admit they were impressive. The other was a small bird, probably another hawk, but not Tobias.
"S-s-chool's out?" She asked.
((Yep. Poor Vice Principal Chapman wasn't there. He no longer has a car.)) Rachel's voice laughed.
((Rachel it was not funny. I almost went through the windshield!)) That voice was Cassie's. She must be the other bird.
((I mean, yeah, that would have been bad, but…come on. It's a little funny.)) Rachel said. ((Anyway, Tanya. We're taking you to the mall. Right now. There's a two for one sale going on at two stores and we are going to take advantage of that. Set up your human morph and your normal body with a morphing outfit. Maybe get some other things for when you want to go out as human. Please tell me you know your sizes as a normal person, because otherwise we might have to be a bit creative with the changing rooms.))
"By normal person y-you mean?"
((I mean your normal body.)) Rachel said. ((I really don't want some random mall rat to bust in on your changing room and you're all feathery.)) The bald eagle ruffled her own feathers. ((There's…ah, they've already started looking for you. The Yeerks I mean.))
"What?"
((It was on the morning news.)) Cassie said. ((I got a glimpse of it as I was getting ready for school. The duck's manager was on, telling the reporters that you've been abducted by a crazed lunatic fan and held against your will. I figure they don't want people to think you're a full blow criminal at this point in case they manage to infest you, so they are claiming you've been kidnapped.))
((Yeah. Sucks, but it's a good thing you got a human morph now. Come on. I've gotten my allowance and we are going to have a good time. Forget about that for a few hours and have some fun.))
"I really don't want you to p-pay." Tanya started, but Rachel cut her off.
((Look, you won't owe me. You're one of us now. You're going to be fighting and bleeding and turning into gross bugs with us before too long. I help you; you help me. We're an Animorph family. Besides, if you want to pay me back later that's cool too. But right now, we can't have one us without a morphing outfit, and we might as well get a few other things to blend in as well. Now I have to be home by six or my mom is going to ground me. So please stop being difficult, go human and follow me. Okay?))
Damnit that was a logical argument. How in the world were human hatchlings this mature?
Because these hatchlings have to be. You know that. Don't be obtuse. You saw this back home during the occupation. She's right. Stop giving them problems.
So, Tanya started the human morph.
((We're going to have to come up with a name for when she's human.)) Cassie pointed out. ((We can keep calling her Tanya, but I really want to drop as few hints as possible…))
((Do ducks have middle names?)) Rachel asked.
"Yes, but the ducks know it. It's Gertrude, actually."
((…isn't that from Shakespeare?)) Cassie asked.
"Is it? Not familiar with it." Tanya said as her beak sort of retracted into a human mouth. Why were their noses so damn ugly. Ugh. "An-and like I said, Wildwing knows my middle name. I only said it in passing once, but it's still a risk." She thought for a moment. "Charlie."
((Eh, could be short for Charlotte, so it works. Why that one?)) Rachel asked.
"It's my half-brother's name." Tanya frowned. "Mallory knows I have a brother, but she doesn't know his name. Honestly, his name is the least interesting thing about him. Half the time he goes by Gerhard anyway, so a lot of people don't know his first name. Wildwing's seen him, but they never actually talked. Canard was really the only one who knew both of us from before, and he's not around to tell anyone."
((Wait wait wait…you're brother goes by…Gerhard…and your middle name is Gertrude, I…did your parents theme name you? Are you twins or something?)) Rachel asked.
Tanya frowned. "Yes. No. He's my half-brother, remember? We were both hatched pretty much at the same time, but he has a different father."
((So-))
"Don't we have a mall to go to?" Tanya growled and headed for the general direction of civilization.
((But-)) Whatever Rachel was going to say was cut off. Probably Cassie. At least Cassie seemed able to take a hint.
As it turned out Rachel had not only calculated how long it would take them to reach a handy bus stop, but where to change buses to get them to the mall in about thirty minutes with almost no fuss. She was a bit grateful for that. Bus travel stopped anymore questions about Charlie. She had successfully not thought about her brother for almost a year. Or at least not thought about him in relation to their parents.
No, no. Concentrate on the human mall. Don't think about it.
Usually at the Anaheim Mall she'd get a lot of stares and whispers and eventually a few bold people walking up to her to ask if she could get them Mallory's or Nosedive's or Wildwing's autographs. Sometimes they'd ask for hers, but it was mostly those three. If she was lucky this wouldn't be followed by inane questions about the team or if she ever took the costume off. Neither she nor Grin got many of the same flavor of fan that the three most popular of the ducks did, which they both were just fine with. Most human interactions ended up with Nosedive doing most of the person to person interacting, because he was the most extraverted. Duke and Wildwing both handled most interviews because Wildwing was able to at least fake confidence when he needed to, and Duke was charming to even humans, Mallory was pretty (even though she could and would toss people into walls if they pissed her off enough) while Tanya and Grin just sort of filled out space. Grin only talked to dispense impenetrable wisdom and Tanya was sure that he did that as his gentle way of getting people to leave him alone. No one talked to Tanya after a few tries, but she wasn't sure why.
Walking around in a human morph was a totally new experience. No one looked at her, at least not really. The younger ones about her morph's age would either sort of sniff or snort at her (she wasn't sure why) sort of blink at her in a puzzled way or ignore her. Most of them paid more attention to Rachel, who sort of glided through the place like a duck on ice. The mall was clearly Rachel's hockey rink, and she was the star player. Within moments she had herded both Tanya and Cassie, (who had the patient yet exasperated look of one resigned to their fate of a long doctor's visit) into a store that Tanya didn't catch the name of. She really didn't care about the name anyway, as she was currently being mentally assaulted by a teenaged human talking a mile a minute about clothes. Things about her complexion and bone structure and what went with her eyes and her hair and while Tanya and never considered herself bad at shopping Rachel was apparently some sort of fashion savant. She could only imagine this was how other people felt when she got excited about quantum mechanics or upgrading an engine to a more cost-efficient fuel source.
Cassie didn't participate except when Rachel turned her way and started insisting she try a certain pair of jeans because they would stand up to most animal claws and were dark enough to not stain as badly as Cassie's current pair.
At one point Rachel herself left them outside the changing rooms to go find some top she really wanted that she knew was seventy percent off.
"You holding up okay?" Cassie asked quietly after a few minutes of Hurricane Rachel passing them by.
"…she's a little…forceful."
Cassie chuckled gently. "It's how she shows she likes someone. I know she looks like an airhead fashion model, but she really is just trying to help."
"Y-yeah, I just…I don't know. It's a little overwhelming." Tanya shrugged. "I don't know why but the human brain is really nervous around her."
"Is it?" Cassie asked. "Is that why you're being so quiet?"
"Partly."
Cassie said nothing more, but she did give Tanya a little comforting pat on the knee.
It shouldn't be that way. She shouldn't need emotional support from a child.
Thankfully, Rachel soon declared the clothing she had picked out as acceptable. The only thing that they were a little uncertain on was the adult leotard for Tanya's true form. Rachel decided to risk a shade of purple close to what Tanya would normally wear, which she was grateful for. The one for the teenaged human body, however, was a simple black one. At some point Tanya had lost track of which of the small pile of clothes was the ones that Rachel picked out for her, because the blonde human had taken the liberty of buying something for herself ("It is a half off sale!") and pleading with Cassie to buy the jeans.
In the end Cassie bought the aforementioned jeans but insisted on going to the bookstore to buy a book about African predators.
After that, with Tanya sneaking into the bathroom of the mall and quickly refreshing the human morph, Rachel dragged them all to the food court. Somehow, she managed to get Tanya to confess that the only things she had to eat in the Aerowing were canned foods and food bars. Honestly, Tanya didn't mind that at all. An under ten-dollar meal at the food court of a mall was better than eating another pasta can.
If Tanya ever found that Chef Whats his name, she was going to teach the guy how to really cook pasta. The beefaroni looked more like worms than the actual worm dishes back home.
Now that she was away from the clothing stores and getting used to Rachel being Rachel at a mall, she could almost admit that it hadn't been a bad time. Weird, but not bad.
"Getting ideas for a battle morph?" Cassie asked softly as she let Tanya flip through her animal book.
"Maybe…" Huh. Unlike what certain movies Nosedive insisted they watched wanted you to believe, hyenas were hunters, not scavengers, and lions often stole their prey, not the other way around. Interesting.
"We can get fly and cockroach easily enough for you." Cassie said quietly. "Seagull too, but we just released the merlin we had, so we don't have any birds of prey at the moment."
"What's the big deal with them anyway?" Tanya asked.
"Better flyers than pigeons and they have better eyesight." Cassie said. "Just wait, you'll be amazed at what you can see as a bird of prey. And the flying…it's nothing like being in a plane, trust me."
It was probably best to trust them, for now.
Surprisingly enough the rest of the trip went by without further incidents. Or really any incidents.
However, while they were walking back to the bus stop that would get them closest to the area of woods that Tanya had hid the Aerowing, they walked past a shop seeing a bunch of televisions. Of course, the news was on. Of course, there was a reporter, right there.
Interviewing Wildwing.
Tanya really couldn't help herself. She ended up brushing past Rachel to peer into the store and listen in on the tvs. She almost instantly regretted it.
"We don't know who has her, but we know the basic area where she vanished. We'd like to ask everyone in the following cities to keep an eye out. We're offering a reward for any evidence of her, and any evidence of where someone might be hiding her. We suspect they might be in the forests somewhere. Hiding one of us would be hard in the city."
She knew it was happening, but it was so surreal. Again, the Yeerk was mimicking Wildwing perfectly. She would never have suspected he wasn't exactly who and what he claimed he was, a concerned team captain looking for his missing teammate. It was almost convincing enough for her.
The shop owner looked up at the tv and snorted. "You'd think they'd take off the dumb masks if one of their people was being held hostage…"
For a second Tanya didn't know what to say, then she chuckled. "Maybe it's a promotional stunt. You know, like wrestling."
"Hey missy, wrestling is real." The shop owner said, btu his grin suggested that he was just joking.
"Yeah, right." Rachel had popped in at some point and was giving Tanya a look. She probably shouldn't have said anything. Or come in here. But at least she wasn't giving anything away. Hopefully.
"You lookin to by a tv?" The owner asked.
"Maybe, how much?" Tanya figured inquiries about tvs would cover the reason she had come in.
"Probably more than your allowance, kid. Go bring your parents." The man said, busying himself with something behind the counter.
" Yeah, sure." Rachel grabbed Tanya's arm, and she let herself be dragged off. The other two were whispering as they headed for the bus stop, saying something about telling Jake and keeping an eye out in the woods. It wasn't just Tanya they would have to look out for. Tobias and Ax stayed there as well. It was now a threat to all three of them.
She'd have to find a new place to settle in sooner than she thought. She was not going to put the kids at risk. Not if she could help it.
During the Change
The next morning the scans revealed several possibilities. A small cave system, an abandoned shack out close to the highway, and an equally abandoned campground near the cave system with a basement storage area under the former owner's cabin. The campgrounds might be the best option. It would already have a way to connect water to the cabin. All she would have to do was convert a puck rifle to a digging tool and carve out a few places to connect water and electricity and then find ways to power things. If she was right, she could carve out an escape and entrance route from the cabin basement to the nearby caves and make a way to go in and out without being seen. It would be even easier if she had her omnitool but she didn't, so she'd have to get…creative. But at the very least she would have access to a shelter and running water.
When the thought speak voice came again, it was only about an hour or two after the one yesterday. ((Hey, Tanya. We got an emergency meeting Cassie's barn. Come out, I'll show you the way.)) It was Tobias. ((Sorry, you're going to have to go as a pigeon.))
As she hoped out of the Aerowing, already a pigeon, she felt a jolt of fear at the sight of the hawk glaring down at her. To the pigeon Tobias was a clear and present threat, and she really would rather have flown away from him rather than follow him. But, she could easily override the pigeon's fear and in a few minutes was struggling to flap her away behind Tobias' more easy, almost effortless looking glide. She was starting to see why they wanted her to get a bird of prey. If anything, she'd be able to keep up better.
((I really hope no one is watching the sky.)) Tobias laughed. ((We look like an airborne Tom and Jerry skit.))
((Wouldn't one of us have to have a mouse trap on a wing…or claw or something?)) Tanya asked.
((You've seen Tom and Jerry?)) He asked.
((Yeah.))
((Cool…Ax almost never knows anything about Earth culture.))
((We've been here longer, and Nosedive is obsessed with certain things. Mostly comics and video games and cartoons. He watches it. I'm not really a slapstick person. It's just…I don't know. Seems cruel to the poor cat.))
((Maybe, but the mouse has to try and live too, right? I mean, I'm more the Tom in this situation, but I can understand wanting to stay alive.)) Tobias mused thoughtfully.
((What do you mean you're the Tom?)) Tanya asked.
((I hunt as a hawk. I'm trapped in this body, and it's a predator body. So, I live as what I am.)) Tobias said. If he was upset or angry about it, he did a good job of hiding it.
((Ah.)) Subject change, subject change now… ((Can you tell me what is going on, or do I wait for when we get to this barn?))
((Ah, it's cool. Rachel and I were flying around this afternoon, and we found a couple of Hork-Bajir running from the Yeerks. We helped them escape, or at least one of them escape. Apparently the one we lost is the other one's wife. He said that, by the way. My wife.))
((Hork-Bajir are?))
((Oh, you saw them…might not have gotten a great look at them. They were those tall, green bladed monsters back when we first met you. The ones that helped the ducks attack the Aerowing? They're the shock troops of the Yeerk empire. According to Ax they used to be really nice guys, but every single one has a Yeerk in their heads. Entire species, just conquered like that. But this one might be free. Well, two.))
Tanya tried to remember them. It had been dark at the time, and she never got a good look. But she could remember creatures that looked almost like Saurians, with huge claws and blades and beaks. ((The ones that look like Saurians, right?))
((I guess. They are kinda lizardy.))
((Oh. Great.))
More Saurians. Just what the universe needed. She wasn't sure she bought the theory of them being nice before the Yeerks. Saurians were not nice.
Tanya, for the most part, stayed out of the conversation at the barn that followed. She knew nothing of Hork-Bajir and was not confident in her position on this team. She kept near the cages of the barn, listening in and trying not to react when one of the kids brought up the idea of being the only one of two left free on this planet. At least this lizard might still have his 'wife'. He was doing better than her in this regard.
That night found her huddled in a tree in a brand-new morph. An owl. They had been in the barn, and there was still a handy barn owl for her to acquire. Not the same great horned owl that Cassie had, but still an owl and 'better than a pigeon' according to Tobias. Although they made sure to remind her that she absolutely needed a diurnal bird of prey, not just an owl. That probably made sense. Owls slept at night. But they were correct about the bird's abilities. The barn owl flew much better than the pigeon. It was totally silent in flight, like a feathery owl version of Duke on the prowl. It could see everywhere, and everything as the light faded into darkness, and so Tanya had a perfect view when Jara Hamee, the Hork-Bajir, crawled out of the cave he was hiding in at Tobias' instructions. Now she had a perfect view of what a Hork-Bajir actually looked like.
She nearly fell off her branch.
The thing that stood before her was seven feet of tall, long necked lizard. Blades from the wrists, ankles, elbows, knees, and a tail with a blade and more coming from the forehead. A sharp beak, ripping talons and long claws. All of that, on its own, would have given a normal duck pause, even a duck somewhat used to and accepting of Scaleborn. But that wasn't what startled Tanya.
Jara Hamee looked like almost an exact copy of her half brother, Charlie.
Charlie was, the last time she saw him, almost the same height as Jara. Same long neck. Same long claws and long tail. If you just got a glimpse of him, he might have been mistaken for a Hork-Bajir. There were some major differences. Charlie had no blades, and was more a golden color instead of green. He had a duck's bill (her bill, their mother's bill), dark brown hair, and very duck-like eyes. Unlike Tanya, who was perfectly duck looking aside from her own unnatural eyes, for Charlie he could have never blended in with normal society. He would, and had been, always been considered a freak and a monster. It was ridiculous. He was one of the kindest people Tanya knew.
Jara Hamee began to speak, and Tanya noticed another difference, but also something the same. Jara talked…well Tobias was right in that he was no genius. But there was something about the way he talked about his mate that reminded Tanya of the way Charlie would talk about the other Scaleborn. Like they were the most important people in the world to him. It was so different yet just enough the same that Tanya couldn't help but feel sympathy for Jara.
Maybe that's why, when someone brought up morphing Jara to lay a false trail for the Yeerks, Tanya volunteered at about the same time Rachel did.
((No way, I called first)) Rachel had already landed on the ground in her eagle morph as was going back to human.
((Why not both of us?)) Tanya reasoned. ((One more of us as him will divide their forces even more, and I don't have any other morph than a pigeon, a human, and now an owl. If there's a fight you have a bear.))
((Good points. Do it. But go in opposite directions.)) Jake said.
Whatever banter that might have gone on between the Animorphs at that point, Tanya didn't notice it. She was too busy noticing that Jara didn't have the same sharp pointed golden scales her brother did. Maybe she needed to stop comparing the two. It probably wasn't a great idea. This wasn't her brother. This wasn't a fellow Scaleborn. This was an alien lizard.
But as she grew to the height of a Hork-Bajir, as blades came out of her arms and legs and head and as she grew long, powerful tail she couldn't help but think, at one point in the morph, she might actually finally look like she was related to Charlie.
But then she was fully Hork-Bajir.
And there were two other big males right there.
She roared and slashed an inch or two from one of the other male's neck. He was big. Strong. She had to show she was strong as well. She wasn't sure why. She wasn't trying to kill the other males. The thought of using her blade to slice them open never crossed her mind as a possibility. It was a contest of strength and skill. Show how close she could get to the other males with her blades, show how fast she was, how loudly she could roar…
((Tanya, Rachel, you're out of time.)) Jake's voice somehow managed to penetrate through to Tanya's brain, and she jerked back from Rachel and Jara. Rachel blinked at her as well, as if waking up. Neither of them had expected the Hork-Bajir's instincts to be that powerful. At the moment they had been much more overwhelming than the pigeon or the human or the owl. The human instincts had been…there, but mild. In the background. Humans were mostly civilized, so none of their instincts were initially overpowering. Tanya thought they were there, just not as intense. Neither were the pigeon's instincts overpowering. It was more of a mellow presence, just existing. It wasn't a dumb bird; it just didn't care unless there was something immediately startling. The owl just wanted to hunt mice in the dark. There was none of Jara's memories, but the instincts had been there and had taken Tanya by surprise.
She felt a very strong urge to get out of there. It was embarrassing. Sure it was only her fourth morph but she was still a bit annoyed with herself.
((I'll go this way. See you guys later…)) Tanya turned and headed off as the kids were still talking about…something to Rachel.
((I will fly with you and watch your path.)) Said Ax. He must be morphing into another bird. Tanya wasn't sure what he might be morphed. ((The others are chasing the Controllers that just showed up with Rachel.))
((Wait! Do I need to go back? I'm not abandoning them-)) Great, she managed to not only lose control of the morph but run off from the others and leave them behind.
((No, you're fine.)) Jake's voice sounded further away. ((We are going to peel off soon anyway. Just keep going where you're going. Leave a trail. Go on))
Tanya noticed an owl, it must be Ax, swooping in close above her. ((If you keep going this direction you will manage to avoid running into a group of Hork-Bajir Controllers. They will most likely give chase.))
((How many?))
((Three. If necessary, I will demorph and aid you.))
((Right.)) There was no time to argue. She would just have to keep going forwards.
The Hork-Bajir moved through the forest like it had been born to do it. Maybe it had. All these blades had to be for something. Maybe hunting. She could easily imagine this creature running down a prey animal and slicing into it with the blades. But she could also see them being used in territorial disputes, like the one she performed before.
She decided to lay a bit of a trail for the Yeerks, occasionally slashing down a branch or a sapling when they were in her way. They cut through wood like it was nothing. They could probably easily cut through bone. The creatures of whatever world the Hork-Bajir came from must be very dangerous for them to have this kind of offensive weaponry. And if they were as peaceful as Ax said then they must have been the apex predators of their kind.
((They are gaining…Watch out! Your left!)) Ax warned.
Tanya spotted the other Hork-Bajir coming up on her left side. Instead of dodging she lowered her shoulder and leaped, driving the Controller into a tree like she would have knocked another player into the boards. The Hork-Bajir yelped in shock as Tanya clumsily swung a blade and gouged a deep cut into the other Hork-Bajir's face. She heard something crack behind her and she turned, swinging her wrist blade at the other two approaching Hork-Bajir. For a moment she instinctively attempted to activate the omnitool's lasers but then realized she didn't have it on her. She also didn't have a gun. She just had the Hork-Bajir body and blades.
It suddenly occurred to her that never in her entire life had she ever fought hand to hand, at least not extensively. She'd thrown punches and pushed things away before, but never an extended fight with nothing but her own body as her weapon. But maybe, if the Hork-Bajir was as much of a predator as she thought, then its instincts could guide her the same way the pigeon's had guided her in flight. She tried to mentally reach into the Hork-Bajir's instincts to give her a hint on what to do. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was as if the Hork-Bajir brain had never processed the idea of fighting another Hork-Bajir.
Clumsily she slashed and clawed and kicked at the other Hork-Bajir, who were slowly herding her until her back was at a tree. She wasn't doing that badly, she had managed to land a few hits on the Hork-Bajir Controllers, but they were clearly more used to their bodies, and she was clearly going to lose.
Until a flash of blue and tan leapt from the trees. With three precise strikes the Hork-Bajir were suddenly missing heads, and Ax was giving her a cold look.
((You will have to adapt quicker than this if you want to live.)) He began to change back into an owl. ((Let's go. We should catch up with the others.))
Tanya tried very hard not to look at the dead Hork-Bajir. She almost felt like throwing up, but she knew she couldn't do that in front of Ax. It had been so swift, so practiced. The Andalite was clearly used to killing Hork-Bajir, so used to it that it was almost second nature to him. She had struggled to land a single blow on the Yeerks, yet this little arrogant blue deer alien had taken out three huge lizards like it was a stroll out in the park. How did they do it? What kind of person could just kill three other living creatures like that so casually? And then just critique her like a strict coach telling a hatchling that they would never play unless they learned how to skate like the rest of the class. It was galling and sickening at the same time.
((You act as if you have never fought to the death before.)) Ax said, still sounding like a disappointed coach.
((I haven't)) Tanya said, her thought speak voice flat as she went from Hork-Bajir to duck and back to barn owl. ((Dragaunus uses robots, and I've destroyed plenty of them. I've destroyed his weapons, his ships, his robots. I've taken down hundreds of machines but no. I've never…I've never killed another sapient being.))
Ax paused to look at her, and for a brief second, she thought he might be giving her a look of pity. It was almost as galling as the cold tone from before.
((You will have to get used to it. The Yeerks will show you no mercy. You should have none to give them.))
((Killing isn't something ducks do!)) Tanya argued. ((It's what Saurians do! Saurians kill. Saurians murder. Saurians dominate. Not ducks. We aren't murderers!))
Ax paused, now fully owl, as was she. ((Then, you will have to tap into the side of you that is Saurian. You won't be a murderer. It's not murder if it is self-defense.)) Somehow, he managed to convey a whole ship's worth of contempt for her in a single sentence. ((If you can't keep up, you will be a liability. And there will be no one to help your friends.))
She wanted to argue, but she really couldn't. The worst thing was that he was right. She had no way to help them without the morphing power, and the morphing power meant that she couldn't just hack and sabotage her way through the Yeerks. She would have to, at some point, fight them. And she would have to do it with teeth and claws.
She had no idea how she could live with herself.
If Ax reported her poor performance to Jake, the Animorphs leader didn't bring it up. She had expected he would have. Wildwing would have. Probably not to tell her to start stepping up her body count but if she had started to perform badly on the ice or in combat, he would have nudged her aside and asked what was wrong and how he could help. Jake didn't do that. Either Ax had, in a move of compassion Tanya wouldn't have expected from him, not said anything to Jake, or had told him and Jake decided not to bring it up. She had no idea what the second option might mean. Maybe Jake was willing to give her time to get used to how the Animorphs fought. Maybe he was contemplating kicking her off. Or, maybe just not bringing her into combat anymore. She wasn't sure and that was very…unsettling. These human children were the most close-lipped group of people she ever met.
Thankfully they had found Jara's mate, a female named Ket Halpak. Now the only question was what to do with them.
And that, incidentally, brought up an issue that Tanya had sort of missed the first time around in the barn. Apparently, Tobias kept finding himself in the exact right place to help the Hork-Bajir. He and Rachel hadn't meant to be in the area where they first found the escaping Hork-Bajir, and just now Tobias had found and rescued Ket from the Yeerk leader, Visser Three. Just happened to end up flying right where he could be the most use. That…worried Tanya. It was illogical and it couldn't happen just on its own. Something was going on, but she had no idea what.
So, when Ax and Tobias volunteered to stay behind and watch the Hork-Bajir (he apparently knew some valley where they could take them. Very convenient, almost suspiciously so), she did the same. Ax didn't raise any real objections, but the look he shot at her was enough. Deciding she wanted to spend as little time with the Andalite as possible, she ended up sharing the cave with the two Hork-Bajir.
For about ten minutes she watched the Hork-Bajir, who watched her. Occasionally they would whisper to each other in their own language, and Tanya stayed at the other end of the cave trying too not be intrusive.
Finally, the female, Ket, sort of edged closer to Tanya, head tilted in slight puzzlement. "You new bird folk? Like other bird folk. All not free. You free?"
It took Tanya a second to realize what Ket was trying to communicate. "Yeah. I'm a duck. My name's Tanya."
Ket tilted her head the other way and edged a bit closer. She crouched down, huddling like a gargoyle on a building, lowering her head to look Tanya in the eyes. "You free. Only bird folk free. Like Ket Halpak free. Like Jara Hamee free."
Tanya sighed and nodded. Great. It was like talking to a toddler. "Yeah. I-it's only me."
Ket reached out with a claw and gently touched Tanya's arm. "Ket has Jara. You have no Jara. Only one free. Hork-Bajir have two." It took all of Tanya's self-control not to make a comment about giving the Hork-Bajir a gold star for her math skills. "Ket is sorry."
Tanya blinked. "Sorry for what? You didn't do anything."
"Ket has Jara. Tanya has no Jara. Ket is sorry." Ket repeated, as if Tanya was the slow one. "You hurt."
Tanya shook her head. "I'm not h-hurt."
Ket shook her head. "No. Hurt here." Ket pointed at Tanya's forehead. "Hurt here." She pointed in the general direction of Tanya's chest (no, it was her heart, she knew what Ket meant she just didn't want to admit it). "Tanya hurt. Ket Halpak is sorry."
"I…there's nothing you can do." Tanya said.
"Ket knows. But…" Ket sighed and shook her head again. "Can feel what duck folk feel. Even if it not happen to Ket. If Ket lose Jara…" Ket shook her head again.
"It's alright. I get it. You don't have to…ya know, I got it." Tanya said. "You won't lose Jara. We're going to help you."
"But who help you?" Ket asked. Unless Tanya was very much mistaken the Hork-Bajir sounded a bit distressed. Was she just upset at the thought of losing Jara or something else. Tanya wasn't sure.
Before Tanya could even think of answer Ket's question Tobias' voice called from outside the cave.
((Tanya, you guys, we have to go. Taxxons are coming.))
Tanya remembered Ax mentioning Taxxons before, but she had no idea what they were.
"What's a Taxxon?"
It was Ket who answered, as Jara had stepped outside to talk to Tobias.
"Taxxon bad. Like Hork-Bajir. Not free. No want to be free. Friend of Yeerks. Very bad. Eat everything." Ket shuddered.
"Ummm, that doesn't tell me a lot…" Tanya said as Jara urged them out of the cave. This time Tobias explained.
((They're a lot like centipedes. Giant ones. They're cannibals. When Ket said they eat everything she means everything. We've seen them turn on their own kind and devour them alive. We are going to have to move and move fast. Can you make it, or do you want to go back to your ship?...actually, can we just take your ship?)) Tobias asked.
"If you could give me the exact coordinates of this valley?" Tanya asked.
((I…no. I just…I'll just know when I get there." Tobias said.
"Then no. If I just start circling around mountains there's a risk it'd be discovered. I'll, just, umm, do the owl again. Maybe I can guide you guys through the forest."
((You'll have to morph every two hours, it'll drain you.))
((Maybe.)) Tanya was the owl now. She flapped up and perched on the slightly baffled Ket Halpak's shoulder. ((I can make it. Won't be the first night with no sleep.))
((Alright then.))
They marched, Tanya guiding them with her excellent owl vision. Eventually, at some point, Tobias paused their march, after learning that Jara had heard some mysterious voice telling him to run and escape from the Yeerk pool. At first Tanya wasn't sure what was going on…then there was a sort of…blip. A kind of stuttery moment in the universe. Tobias was frozen, eyes staring blankly into what was for him a dark forest.
((Tobias?)) Tanya asked. ((You okay?))
((The Ellimist. The Ellimist has been doing this.)) He said, as if in a dream.
((Uh, the who?))
((Some Andalite legend. A creature of unimaginable power. Keeps claiming he can't interfere, but he showed us how to destroy the Yeerk's Kandrona, the power source they use to rejuvenate themselves every three days. It's like a miniature sun for them. The Ellimist told us our fight with the Yeerks was hopeless, even saw us what he claimed was the future, where we lost, but in doing so he showed us where the Yeerks were hiding the Kandrona, so we were able to find and destroy it. Now, he's back, and he wants me to help guide the Hork-Bajir))
((I…can honestly say I've never heard of anything like this before.)) Tanya said. ((Why is this creature so interested in the Hork-Bajir?))
((Yeah. I don't know. He's jerking me around. He has some angle; I just don't know what it is…but he did agree to make me human again.))
Tanya turned her owl gaze on Tobias. ((Did he?))
((Yep))
((Tobias, what exactly did he say? Did he say 'Sure, Tobias, I'll turn you back into a normal human right after we get the Hork-Bajir to safety.' Is that what he said?))
((Well, no, but he implied-))
((Tobias, have you seen Wishmaster?))
((No, what's that?))
((Horror movie. It's about a creature called a Djinn. Like the genie from that other Aladdin movie but instead of cracking jokes and doing impressions the Djinn grants wishes like 'I want to be pretty forever' so he turns the wisher into a pretty statue for all eternity. Or something like that. You don't give things with the power to grant wishes blank checks. What did the Ellimist promise you?))
((That he'd give me what I want! What I want is to be human again!)) Tobias cried out.
((Tobias he can easily claim that 'what you want' deep down, is something different than what you mean. Lots of things go through our brains subconsciously that we don't acknowledge an-))
((No. No, I'm going to be human. End of discussion!))
((Tobias-))
((Shouldn't you be concentrating on keeping us on the right track?)) Tobias snapped angrily.
Tanya dropped it.
The rest of the night was a small nightmare of riding through the darkness on a giant lizard, only pausing to morph and remorph. Tobias had been right. It was exhausting morphing so many times, and Tanya thought the only reason she got through the night was due to her time in the Resistance on Puckworld and the long hours of practice on the ice. She felt like she had been running practice after practice and game after game nonstop all night, but she managed to keep it together even as the sun finally started to rise. Tobias finally called for them to stop and eat breakfast.
To her surprise, breakfast for Hork-Bajir was tree bark. Tobias had been just as astonished. Neither had known that those deadly, sharp blades on the Hork-Bajir had been for the simple task of stripping tree bark. It was…unusual. How in the world did a species evolve to eat tree bark of all things? Maybe she could have bought the Hork-Bajir as herbivores. It would explain nicely how the Hork-Bajir morph had no killer instincts. She maybe could have bought them as creatures that ate only fruit and vegetables, but tree bark? It was just so…specialized. It was odd. Like they had been designed not by nature but by something else.
Tobias flew off to find his own breakfast, and Tanya took the opportunity to lay back against a tree and rest for a minute or two.
She felt a poke on her shoulder and she opened her eyes. Jara was leaning above, long neck bent as he peered down. She almost jumped out of her skin, for a moment he looked more like a looming dinosaur than a peaceful, simple Hork-Bajir.
"Tanya hungry? Want food?" Jara offered her a neatly sliced portion of tree bark.
Tanya shook her head. "No, just tired."
Jara frowned. "Should eat. Keep strong. Won't leave behind."
"Ducks don't eat tree bark."
Jara tilted his head. "Eat nasty smelly thing like human folk?"
"Ummm…yeah."
"Don't have nasty smelly human food."
"No, no nasty human food here." Tanya chuckled. Why were these giant seven foot tall monsters so damn adorable?
"Will find. Somewhere." Jara looked around, as if a burger stand would pop up so he could point it out to Tanya.
"Tobias go. Go find nasty smelly food?" Ket asked.
"Well…probably for him." Tanya said.
"Bring for both?" Jara asked, clearly getting frustrated.
"Yeah, look, you guys. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I don't need you to look after me." Tanya said.
"We help. Tanya friend. Tobias friend. Hork-Bajir help friends." Jara insisted.
She nodded. "I'll find something, don't worry." It was weird, it was like having a parent.
Tanya really couldn't eat bark, but there were things around the forest she knew she could eat. She had researched and tested the local flora and fauna around Anaheim to find things they could survive on, should it be necessary. Well, now it was necessary. So, while the two Hork-Bajir started to talk among themselves about…something, Tanya found a rotten log and upturned it. She would have preferred to cook the worms, but it would have to do for now.
She scooped up a nice helping of the squirmy little Earth worms, as well as some berries that she knew her kind could eat. She thought they might be inedible to humans, but she wasn't going to test that out.
By the time she managed to make a sort of impromptu 'plate' of bugs and berries Tobias finally dove back towards them, with the other Animorphs.
((Hey, I…Tanya are you eating worms?)) He asked.
"D-do you see a handy Waffle House?" She asked.
((Well, no, but…ewww.)) He said.
((Oh, oh man, that's just gross. I didn't need to see that.)) Marco said.
Tanya rolled her eyes at him. "Th-this coming from people who pluck chickens bare and roast them slowly over fires. Just naked chickens…spinning around on a spit right there where everyone can see. In your supermarkets."
((That's different, that's finger lickin good.)) Marco said. Tanya just stared at him. She slowly popped the last worm in her mouth and swallowed. Very deliberately.
((Gag.)) Marco groaned.
((You know in other parts of the world that's considered a delicacy…)) Cassie paused then gasped. ((Tanya, those berries are poisonous-))
"To humans. They are poisonous to humans. Not to ducks. I checked. It's fine." She finished the last three berries.
((Remind me never to have dinner at your place.)) Rachel laughed.
"W-we don't keep worms and poisonous berries at the Pond. This is just because I didn't have any other options right now."
((Speaking of running out of options, we need to morph. Now. The Controllers are all over the forest and we need to demorph…if the Hork-Bajir are caught…))
((Jara, the Yeerks are coming, if you are caught-)) Tobias started as Jara and Ket approached. The big male bellowed.
"No! No more Yeerk! Jara Hamee and Ket Halpek free! Free or dead!"
This seemed to mollify the humans, and they began to demorph to the shock of the Hork-Bajir. They took it well though. Even Ax's arrival and slight disproval of the reveal didn't deter the Hork-Bajir's enthusiasm for their new call. Tanya recognized a rallying cry when she heard one, even as Rachel began to enthusiastically mirror it. Even as the other Animorphs began to respond to it. She did as well, she couldn't help it. It was the first time that this group seemed more like a team to her. The first thing that felt normal, that felt right. Like right before or right after a game, or right before a battle.
Free or dead. It wasn't as familiar as 'ducks rock'. It was crude, direct, simple words from a simple mind. But a simple mind that knew a fundamental truth.
For the first time, Tanya felt like she was on solid ground again.
Tanya had no shoes, and her feet would probably have ended up in shredded tatters if she tried to walk over the mountain rocks in the morphing outfit. That was going to be the first thing she fixed. There had to be a way to either morph shoes or invent a fabric that could morph with them but still at least hold up to ground and changes in temperature. She would make them a nice, coordinated color. Maybe have them vote on colors like they were picking colors for a team. Maybe have them design a logo.
Thinking about uniform options was a better use of her time than listening to Marco complain about the trip upwards.
"I'm just saying, if Taxxons are basically worms, why not have Tanya simply eat them?" Marco asked.
((Pretty sure as I am right now, they would eat me.)) She commented. She was in pigeon morph again. The owl wasn't a daylight animal. Maybe she could have used it, but if she needed to fly off they didn't want a random birdwatcher to wonder why a barn owl was flapping around in the mountains in broad daylight. Personally, she thought that any birdwatcher would have to worry more about the Yeerks than the barn owl, but she was fine with the pigeon.
If only Marco would shut up.
"At least one of us can have lunch." Marco gripped.
This had been going on for almost an hour.
((Okay, can I just take five minutes to stretch my wings a bit. I won't go far.)) Tanya asked, looking over at Jake.
((Alright. Go ahead.)) Jake said amiably. ((Don't go where Ax or Tobias can't see you.))
Tanya flapped away from the group in an attempt to clear her head. She went ahead of them, not wanting to be to slow and be caught up by the Yeerks behind them. According to the kids the Yeerks had brought out everything they could to find the free Hork-Bajir. Every type of Controller. It was insane. There were only two of them. But it gave her a glimpse of what could happen if she was too hasty to free the ducks. A swarm of Controllers relentlessly chasing them wherever they went. Constantly trying to stay one step ahead. As much as she hated to leave (abandon) her team, this show of force was frightening. Again, it was only two Hork-Bajir. What would the reaction be with five ducks?
For a second she rested on a rock, listening to the call in her mind leading back towards the Pond. Back home. Back to her room with her books and her small projects and her friends. Nosedive and his comics and his television. Mallory and her enthused sparring. Grin's quiet, calming meditations. Wildwing and his determination to find Dragaunus. Duke's stories from back home. She hadn't even been separated from them for a week and she felt as if parts of her had been carved out. But the pigeon knew the way home. She had a feeling it would always know exactly the way home.
If only she could go there.
She almost missed the shadow over the rocks. By the time she turned it was almost too late. She flapped her wings and tried to escape, but the grey hawk's talon landed on her own wing, ripping into it, and sending her to the ground. She attempted to flap away, but the wing was useless now.
((Gah! Why always the wing!)) She looked up to see the hawk, it was definitely not Tobias, looming over her when, for the second time in two days, a certain blue pain the butt flung itself into view. Again, the tail blade flashed, but this time her attacker was not cut in half. Instead, Ax pinned the hawk to the ground with the flat of his tail blade.
((You seem to be in the habit of needing my aid.)) Ax wasn't as contemptuous as he was last night. In fact, he seemed almost amused. ((You should probably demorph. I will let the hawk go when you have.))
Tanya looked at the hawk pinned to the ground. Wait a minute. ((Keep it down for a bit. I'll acquire it.))
((Really?)) Ax asked.
((Well, everyone seems to think I need some sort of hawk.)) Tanya demorphed as fast as she could go. She was starting to slow down a bit, but she knew her limits. She could do more if needed.
((Ah. Very true. This one seems very maneuverable and swift, from what I observed. It should work well as a bird of prey morph.)) Ax gently held the hawk down. ((I…must apologize for my attitude yesterday. I was trained as a warrior since I was small. I can only assume you were not. The Animorphs were already seasoned warriors when I met them. I have never had to fight beside someone who has never seen combat.))
((It's not like I've never been in combat, I have. Shooting someone from far away is just…))
((I can only assume it's harder when you are only trained to fight from long range. An Andalite is trained to fight both with shredders and tail to tail. If you were only taught to fight with a shredder but no tail…then it makes sense…I still think you will be a liability if you don't adapt, but I am willing to give you time.))
She probably should just take the apology for what it was.
The bird made a very earnest effort to peck her hand and claw at her arm, but it was unable to fight her off with an Andalite tail blade pinning it to the ground. And as soon as she started to acquire it the hawk settled down. When she was done, she backed off and Ax released the hawk. The bird squawked indignantly and flapped into the air, off to find a pigeon that didn't have a giant deer alien around to rescue it.
((Perhaps you be better trying the hawk. The pigeon seems particularly helpless in this environment, and who knows when the Yeerks will show up.)) Ax said, his tail twitching.
"Yeah, why not?" Tanya shrugged. Might as well. She had been an owl this morning then the pigeon. Now she might as well try the hawk.
The hawk in question had been a dark grey on its wings and back, with white feathers underneath with dark barring. The hawk morph proceeded very much like the owl and the pigeon morph, wings, a tail, a beak. But the hawk's beak was sharp and curved, and it reminded her uncomfortably of Falcone. At least the beak came in close to last. She could handle the thought of looking like a giant pigeon or a giant owl. Looking like a female Falcone left her with a slimy feeling.
But then the eyes came in, and Tanya finally realized that the kids had a point about the eyesight. She could everything, for miles around. The rocks, the trees, the river snaking through the trees. The kids. The Hork-Bajir.
The helicopters.
((Ax, the Yeerk's have helicopters!)) She took flight. ((We need to get to the others and warn em!)) For a second she thought she heard Tobias calling the same warning from the distance, but she wasn't sure.
The Animorphs, bless their paranoid hearts, had either heard her frantic calls via thought speak or Tobias' from wherever he was. They were already morphing into bears and wolves. One of the wolves raised its muzzle and looked puzzled.
((Tanya? How did you find a northern goshawk?)) Cassie's voice asked.
((Oh, is that what this is? It tried to eat me as a pigeon. Ax helped me, but I figured since you guys were so dead set on a bird of prey I might as well take advantage of it. Honestly, I can see why you like them so much. These eyes see everything!))
((It's a good hawk. They're used a lot in falconry)) Cassie said.
((Yeah, great. Next time we're in jolly old England having tea and falcon hunts with the queen we'll make sure to bring her along. Right now, we have Yeerks on our butts.)) Marco commented. ((We got to move.))
((We don't know where Tobias is. Tanya, you keep a look out on the sky for us. Be careful, if you start to get shot at come down. Let's go!)) Jake ordered as he turned to the forest.
((Umm, guys, I see smoke. I think they just lit the forest on fire)) Tanya focused her new hawk eyes. Yep, that was smoke. She launched herself into the air and cleared the trees, scanning the area in the hopes of spotting Tobias. Mostly what she saw was an army of Controllers sweeping through the area, on alert for the missing Hork-Bajir.
((Okay, they're coming in from behind us, and they're also flanking from both sides. You really need to move or we're going to be encircled.)) She dipped down back into the trees as one tiger, two wolves, a bear and Andalite and two Hork-Bajir fled towards the mountains.
She tried to flap after them, but she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Instinctively the goshawk reacted, dropping down back into the trees as a Dracon Beam fired where she had just been hovering. Flapping again, she began to fly through the trees, her short wings and long tail helping her easily dodge through the forest. She paused briefly on a branch, flew up and checked around again. Good, they were going to avoid the Controllers. She dropped back into the trees before the Yeerks could fire on her again and went back to flitting through the trees.
She had managed to catch up to the Animorphs, breaking through the trees where they had paused and almost collided with a familiar red-tailed hawk just coming to land on a log. She turned up and managed to avoid crashing into Tobias.
((Oh man, now a goshawk?! I am SO not in the mood!)) Tobias' feathers bristled.
((Sorry, still trying to get used to this.)) Tanya turned and attempted to grip her own branch.
((Oh, it's you. Nice, you're finally in the raptor club! Welcome!)) Tobias said, sounding happy for her.
((Uhhh, thanks. Always wanted to be in 'the raptor club'.)) She couldn't help the little trickle of sarcasm. ((But we're almost surrounded, and it doesn't look like the Yeerks are going to give up…))
((I know. I have a plan.)) Tobias replied.
Tobias' plan involved all of them. Jake and Cassie on the ground in wolf morph, Marco in a ravine in gorilla morph. Rachel, as Jara Hamee. Tanya, up in the air in Tobias' old spot.
And Tobias would morph Ket Halpak.
Just as Tanya had thought, the Ellimist had pulled a Wishmaster on the boy. 'Gave him what he wanted'. The power to morph, not his real human body. He could morph but would remain a hawk. She didn't say anything, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed at the Ellimist. He was taking advantage of a young, hurt kid dealing with far too much and put in a situation where he would always regret the outcome. It was wrong. It was unfair.
But that was how life was. It was just easier to be angry at a being that could be pointed as the source of the unfairness of it.
But they had to focus on the matter at hand.
It was a lot like reading out an image on a scanner, only instead of reading out figures and calculations she was reading out points on a map. She had never been able give out so much information without stuttering or pausing to think before. All she had to do was think of what she needed the kids to know, and it just came out. It must be the way thought speak worked. She didn't have to try and spit out her thoughts from a beak that just refused to let her get the words out. Like a middle man had been cut out and now she could get her ideas across clearly.
Then they got closer to the ravine, and things got messy. Rachel and Tobias ended up having to fight, and for a moment Tanya wasn't sure what to do. Should she go down there and fight, like she'd seen Tobias do against Wildwing at the construction site? Fighting hadn't been going well for her, but she couldn't just stay up here safe while the two of them fought.
One of the Hork-Bajir had Tobias on the ground.
For the first time she felt the goshawk's instincts rise up in her mind. She wasn't sure what triggered it. Maybe it was because, despite the fact that she'd only been around them a short time she was already feeling protective of these kids. Maybe it was because she was just as angry at the Ellimist. Maybe it was just the after effects of a really bad few days. But for some reason she was overwhelmed with the goshawk's fierce desire to protect its territory. She had never felt something so overpowering before.
She wasn't even aware she was diving until she was halfway down. With a fierce, instinctive cry she raked her talons against the Hork-Bajir attacking Tobias, slashing at the Controller's eyes and making him reel back. Tobias broke free and knocked the Controller down, then went to help Rachel. Within secs the two were off and running for the ravine. Well, Rachel was running. Tobias was limping on one leg.
((Thanks! Nice save!)) Tobias said to Tanya as he hobbled after Rachel. ((Couldn't have done it better myself!))
((Umm…thanks…)) She tried to focus through the smoke as Rachel finally reached the end of the ravine and jumped off. She could see, down below, a large gorilla hand grab her and pull her into an alcove to safety.
She blinked. Wait, it couldn't be. No, it wasn't. It, he, was older, bigger, and there was something…wrong.
((Um, Tobias, there's an Andalite right in front of you. I don't think it's Ax.))
((Oh no. Tanya, don't say anything to him. Not a word. It's him. Visser Three.))
The smoke cleared and Tanya finally got her first look at the infamous Visser Three.
At first, she wasn't that impressed. Maybe it was the angle, but Visser Three wasn't that physically intimidating to her as Dragaunus was. She was looking down at an Andalite like Ax. There was no doubt that Andalites were deadly, but they didn't look as frightening to her as a giant red Saurian with a loud bombastic voice and a tendency to smoke from his nostrils when angered. Again, it might have been the angle. She was above, and Dragaunus had always made a point to stand tall and tower over them. So as Tobias went through with the rest of the plan and charged and fell over the edge, where Marco was waiting to catch him, she wasn't that concerned.
But then Visser Three spoke, and everything changed.
She didn't exactly remember what he said. It was gloating. Gloating at the Hork-Bajir he thought he had killed. Gloating that there was no escape from the Yeerk Empire. It was almost, standard. Something Dragaunus would say. But, there was something…wrong with it. It wasn't even that it was as loud or booming as Dragaunus, but there was a deadly, horrifying quality to it that sent a chill down her spine. Dragaunus was a monster, but even then, there was a feeling that even he might have lines he wouldn't cross. Not that she had ever seen evidence of those lines, but he didn't cause the bone chilling terror that Visser Three did. Somehow, she knew that the Visser was insane, just from having his voice in her head for a few minutes. It was inexplicable, and not really something she could explain with logic. It was just a deep instinct from somewhere that told her this thing in front of her was dangerous in a way that no Saurian or human lunatic had been before.
You could banter with Dragaunus, even as he was trying his best to kill you. Visser Three was something…different. Tobias didn't have to tell her not to talk to Visser Three. She didn't want to. She didn't want him to notice her.
((Hey, we're cool down here. Get out of sight. Don't want the Yeerks to see you and take a pot shot at you.)) Jake said from down at the floor of the ravine where he was pretending to eat the two free Hork-Bajir. Tanya was more than happy to fly to a branch nearby and settle down. Quietly she watched as the Yeerks began to pull back. Soon enough, they were gone, taking the terrifying creature that Ax had called the Abomination with them.
It was a pretty accurate nickname.
Tobias found the Hork-Bajir's new home. Just as he said, just as the Ellimist had shown him. It was a beautiful place, even Tanya had to admit that. Honestly, she almost wanted to sleep for a month here, but she didn't want to intrude on the Hork-Bajir's happiness. Not only were they free, but they also were expecting a hatchling (although Tanya was fairly sure they weren't actually laying an egg). It would be the first free Hork-Bajir child in a while. A very good thing.
"Tanya go with human folk?" Jara asked her, giving her a strange, concerned look.
"Uh, yeah. Where else would I go?" Tanya said. The others were in the middle of morphing to birds for the flight home. This time, they all would have a bird of prey…a raptor, to morph.
"Ask Tobias to come back. Will ask you. You come back. Visit. Meet small Jara Hamee when comes." Jara said.
Tanya blinked at him; a bit startled. "I didn't do much-"
Ket came a bit closer and pointed at her again. "Still hurt. We understand. Less hurt, but still much hurt. You hurt like Hork-Bajir hurt. We help."
She wasn't sure how she could tell these kind aliens that there was absolutely nothing they could do to help. She figured if she did they would be talking in circles all night, and she didn't really want to linger.
"I…okay. I'll come back." Tanya promised. And she would. Why not? Sure she wouldn't be getting any intellectual conversations with them, but…there was something so calming and relaxing about them. It would be…nice. Probably boring, but nice.
She could live with boring.
((Hey, come on up, Tanya. This'll be your first time riding a thermal. It's great, you'll see. Being a hawk is great.)) Tobias thought spoke to her from the air. She wondered if he was half trying to convince himself. Trying to ignore the fact that his hopes for getting his human self back were dashed. If that was so she wasn't going to bring it up.
So instead, she morphed the goshawk and, for the first time, truly joined the Animorphs and Ax in the air.
Tobias was right.
Thermals were fun.
That night she flew back and forth through the burning trees in her nightmares, fleeing from the voices of her team. Begging to come back. Pleading for her to turn her goshawk body around and come back to them. But she couldn't. She couldn't.
"Traitor". DeCoy whispered to her.
"Traitor."
A/N: It would not be Animorphs without everyone having crazy nightmares. It's like a requirement.
Ax will eventually stop being an ass. He's just dealing with the fact that there's another, smarter alien around that isn't a cadet like he is, so he's overcompensating a bit by being extra harsh when he sees Tanya doing anything that might be less than what a perfect Andalite warrior would be able to do. He still has the same reservations he did before but now he feels that since she can't seem to fight that well he was right about letting Tanya on the team.
Meanwhile, the others are just trying to deal with a bad situation. They are responding a bit better to Tanya than they did with David because it's clear she's actively trying to be useful, even if she's never had to fight like an Animorph before. And she's not as abrasive as David was.
I kinda assume that Hork-Bajir are high wisdom, low intelligence to put it in tabletop games terms. They are not smart like Tanya or Ax is, but Ket can still take one look at an alien clearly suffering from loneliness and dealing with the fact that she without her family and empathize with that alien. Now, Ket doesn't know how to communicate that in a way that's clear and understandable, but she does try with what she has. I honestly love the free Hork-Bajir. They are wonderful.
I chose the northern goshawk because I was on the Audubon website looking up raptors in California and the goshawk was pretty. It was only later after researching it a little with Professor Google I found out they are known for being very aggressive and very maneuverable. They can apparently just flit around and fly through the trees for their prey. Pretty cool birds.
I did not plan for the alien duck to have all the bird morphs but somehow Tanya ended up with pigeon, seagull, barn owl and a goshawk. Still no battle morph yet. That comes soon enough.
Hope yall enjoyed the madness.
The madness will probably continue next week.
I cannot promise that all of the added scenes will be as long as this monster but here you go. The shopping trip took up more space than I thought it would, but Rachel cannot be denied. She will buy you the best damn outfit you ever wore and you will like it.