Big Idols *

Characters: Aximili, Elfangor, Forlay, Noorlin

Aximili was very small, though despite his lacking in height (because of such a young age), his imagination was quite large. The nets didn't help either, nor his worried and excited parents who watched them obsessively. His mother was more apparent, she appeared almost frail as her many fingered hands grasped her chest, watching. Noorlin was less obvious, almost fooling the andalite child, but his eye stalks quivered every so often, and he seemed more agitated than normal.

The first telecommunication happened only a few weeks ago.

{It is as if he came back from the dead,} whispered his mother. His father placed a gentle, calming hand at the base of her torso.

His mother and father would talk to him every so often, Aximili standing shyly behind them as he watched his brother talk. Before then, his parents had never spoken about his brother that often because they had thought he was dead. Now information about him come in all the time to their home from the andalite military, and even from the electorate.

Images of ancient Gods formed in the little andalite's mind: his brother defied death, fought back evil. A strong and brave warrior. His parents watched their eldest son from the holos, and Aximili watched their eyes glazed over. His older brother was perfect.

As soon as word got out that Elfangor was alive, appearing in the middle of a battle that was thought to be long lost, he was put immediately on leave. After the same battle he was promoted from nearly losing his life again in the face of the Yeerks and he became an instant hero to the people. One of many, but one of the very few who were still alive. Aximili, had he listened closely to his parents, would have been shocked to hear, that they didn't truly care if he came back a hero or not—their son was alive.

Even though he was sent a few days after the battle, it would take a few weeks to get home. The family back on the home world awaited his arrival nervously and eagerly. The child andalite worried that he would find out that he didn't have a brother, or one that wasn't a god. His parents worried that something would happen to the transport, and they would yet again hear the news that their son was lost.

But he came, after the days dragged slowly by. Between those days, Aximili's parents worked slowly, making sure that they kept up with the work load despite the chaos going on around their homelands. His father, though getting older, worked to make more space in their scoop so it could hold the family of four instead of three. The andalite youth spent most of his time with their Garibah tree, talking to it for hours about how he felt, though remained quiet around the presence of his parents unless directly spoken to.

Un-traditionally, instead of taking a short range transport to the sky port to meet him, Elfangor came directly to the home lands. Aximili saw the bright yellow transport from a distance, moving closer and closer to the scoop. The young andalite ran to catch up with the small hover craft, seeing three warriors aboard it, tails raised high. He strained all four eyes to see which one could be his brother, but they were still too far. His parents called to him, and he rushed on his four stubby legs even though his hearts begged him to slow down.

Brother, brother, brother, he whispered to himself, his hands gesturing distractedly as he breezed passed the tall grass, just outside of their lands. The transport moved swiftly, easily making it to the scoop where his parents were. The young male cried out in frustration and he pushed his tiny hooves faster, the scoop coming into view. He could now make out the shine on the warriors' fur glistening in the sun.

One of them stepped out, his fur metallic and he stood heroically. That has to be him! thought Aximili as he continued running. The transport left, and he saw his brother moving into the ritual of honor and welcome to his parents. The older brother's stalk eyes scanned the area around him, and Aximili hoped that he was looking for him—but did he even know that he existed?

A chill ran down his spine—what if he didn't know who he was? What if Elfangor didn't know that he had a younger brother?

The andalite youth made a sharp turn, so that instead of reaching his brother first, he would be able to stay behind his parents. Despite the great golden aura that his brother was casting, Aximili was still shy and nervous: his parents would be safe and he knew them, a shield against the unknown no matter how awesome it was.

Fifty feet! Forty! Thirty!

{Yaaaaaaaaahhhh!} he screamed. His front hoof caught onto a root, sending him flying before he had the time to register it. The rest of his body continued to move at the speed he had been running, and he was sent tumbling. As he rolled, he saw the hooves belonging to his parents getting closer and closer, and he struggled to slow himself to a stop with his tail and useless hands.

He stopped in a heap between Noorlin and Forlay as they looked at him, at first stunned, but then more amused than anything else. Aximili quickly righted himself, just before the embarrassment registered. His main eyes widened, as his stalk eyes drooped as his audience of three watched him. He waited to be admonished and for the permission to look up, but no one said anything. Slowly, his stalk eyes spied a long glance at his older brother, who loomed in front of him, the sun glowing above him as if he controlled the sun with his power.

Elfangor slowly stepped forward, and it was as if he walked on air as he moved easily towards the young andalite. Aximili watched him very carefully, how he placed his hoof on the ground, how he carried his tail. How he held the posture in the rest of his body. He was a hero from one of those adventure holovids. A hero right out of myth. He was taller than his father, his fur metallic blue, eyes glowing. Elfangor was smiling the andalite child realized.

And laughing at him.

Aximili moved his upper body backwards from humiliation and irritation, believing himself to be more dignified than that. His mother scooted him forwards with her tail, and unwillingly he was forced to step closer to the warrior. His idol.

But the young male forgot all of his emotions, as well as his breath, as his older brother fell to his knees. But not from losing his balance. Aximili watched him, stunned. Warrior Elfangor wrapped his strong, big arms around him.

{My brother,} he said, still chuckling softly in the youth's mind.

He noticed me! the awestruck andalite youth thought, even though he did not understand the strange gesture. Aximili very much didn't mind it nonetheless.

Elfangor finally stood after a few moments, facing his parents once more, while his younger brother stared into nothing. Aximili suddenly realized that Elfangor hardly knew his own fame-heroes do not notice such lowly andalites such as himself! His idol stepped forward towards his parents, as the couple stared at him in disbelief. Elfangor spread his arms, but still they watched him, confusion evident on their faces.

Realizing that he was truly home, he slowly lowered his arms, though his eye stalks drooped just slightly. Aximili saw it and was confused. What was going on? Was everything all right? Finally his father stepped forward, and they were able to continue the ritual of greeting, as the young andalite still watched his older brother with awe.

It was the first and last time his idol would embrace the youth like that.

AN:

Thanks for all of the Aloth reviews, Hotpinkcoffee, Caralin942, and Alikat522! I try not to be too gruesome for anything that I write because I find it just tacky-plus the imagination of the reader is much more brilliant than the writer's, lol. I kind of imagined Aloth having a sort of duelistic personality, and that's just one side of it.

Totally write it Alikat! I'll list it up on here, when you do! I kind of want to list some of my favorite Andalite fics that I like or was influenced by on the drabbles in the AN's, but I don't know if that's allowed. I might message the writer's and pray that they do reply. Or even a soundtrack here and there 'cause I'm lame and mooshy. Yes. Mooooooshy.

Green armadillo, thanks for your review! And Gold Morning was an old snippet of mine the old account, so you are right. So it is a lot like it, because it's exactly like it, save for some edits. I couldn't bare to delete the account and the stories (because people had favorited a good number of them), but I wanted a new name, so I just packed up and moved. I always got quite bummed on places like Deviantart as well as when artists deleted their accounts or stories, so I make an aim not to do that despite my wishy washy emotions and outside flaming that some artists seem to get. lmao. Some of them are terrible or quite embarressing!

PS: I did a fanart, for this particular snippet, just cause I can. I haven't yet scanned it, but look out for it on (www . nivaeus . deviantart . com)