JTL's Animorph Series! Chapter 11, an animorphs fanfic

Animorphs 37 The Worst

Author James the Lesser

I do not own the characters, Applegate and her many Ghost Writers do! But I do hope any who read this will enjoy, even if I change things up!

Sorry for the long delay between updates!

I'm Rachel. Rachel. Funny to think I can't use my last name. Why? Because if this fell in to the wrong hands... Well, it would all be over.

What would be over? Earth. There is a war going on. Roughly seven vs millions.

Is it on the news? No. Internet? Nope. Why? Because we fight in secret. Who is we? A bunch of teenagers. Sure some are teenage aliens or teenage birds but still just teenagers.

I was just a normal teenager at the mall with my, friend. I don't feel comfortable saying boyfriend since he isn't a boy. After all the stuff we've been through I don't think any one would describe him as a boy. That and he's usually a bird.

We had just eaten and were going to leave when we noticed every one stopped. You could see the dropped cup hang in the air between the hand that had held it and the floor.

You could see some piece of popcorn a girl was throwing at another frozen in mid air.

"You know what this means."

Tobias was right. I knew exactly what it meant. "Ellimist."

Yes.

The mall disappeared and we were in a field with bright red grass and a greenish sky. This might have shocked most people. For me? I've been off world before.

I see Ax, our resident Andalite, step gently on the grass. Andalites don't have mouths. Instead they eat through their hooves. He was probably eating right now.

Jake, my cousin, stepped forward in to the field. "So? Why are we here?" He took control. He always took the lead. We never voted on it we just sort of looked to him.

Crayak wishes to create a new shock troop. One he hopes to be even deadlier than the Howlers. I decided to play a game. If he wins he can create them. If he loses I will choose to save another race.

I doubted he meant us.

You are saving yourselves.

Of course he could read my mind. And sure we were saving ourselves. Seven teens versus an army.

My cousin spoke back up. "And you're choosing us?"

Yes. Eight warriors to fight his new shock troops.

I couldn't believe it. The Howlers could kill us with just one. Now Crayak was making newer, deadlier, shock troops and Ellimist wanted us to fight them?

I was too busy being mad to notice that the Ellimist said eight. "So who is the eighth member of our group?"

You decide.

"Erik?"

No. Crayak has made a rule that you may not use a Chee. It must be an organic being. Any thing organic. Some thing that can bleed and suffer. You can choose any organic being. Any.

"And what rule did you make?"

That his warriors could not use weapons of any kind.

We all remembered the Howlers. They didn't need weapons.

You do not have to choose the eighth member yet. You will go forth one member short until you decide. If you decide to help me.

Ellimist and Crayak. Some might see one as good and one as evil. I saw them as two sides of the same coin. They were both super powerful beings who used us so called lesser beings as pawns in their ever lasting war.

"Why? Why should we help you? You could end the war with the Yeerks right now."

By giving Crayak some thing he wanted. I will not sacrifice one race for another.

"You'll just let us be enslaved?" I had some choice words for him.

Choose now please. You are my first choice. I know you can stop them. I fear for any others I may be forced to ask.

"We have to do it. We can't let Crayak make another even worse race than the Howlers." My friend Cassie said this.

Were we still friends? We used to be. Really, we were. Even though I was the glamorous blonde and she was... I wouldn't say plain just not, we are friends. If we weren't I wouldn't work at finding nice words to describe her would I? She just got on my nerves with her wishy washy thoughts on the war with the Yeerks.

Hell, all of them but Ax and Tom annoyed me with that. Ax knew what was at stake and was willing to do what was needed, if Jake let him. My other cousin, Tom, had been a host for years. He hated the Yeerks. He'd kill any one it took to win the war.

I see the others nod with agreement. "Fine, lets do it." If we had no choice we may as well do it.

We popped back on Earth. Now I was shocked. "Uh, we all said yes didn't we?" I looked around and saw as people started to move again.

"I thought we did."

Three Days.

"Great." The last three days of summer vacation would be spent worrying about going off to some alien planet.

I didn't know what to do. I had three days to do, what? Prepare for facing off against some monsters stronger than a Howler? How could we fight that? Who could we choose to join our side that could fight such a thing?

I needed to talk to some one who, who wouldn't, what? Judge me? Think I was a psycho? I know the others do. When they need some thing brutal done who do they turn to? Me. Gah, this was why I saw a shrink.

Of course I couldn't go to an ordinary shrink. No, I had to go to a shrink that wouldn't throw me in a straight jacket for talking about nightmares that involved turning in to a bear and fighting a monster from another planet that spit fireballs.

That left a Chee. He's been doing this for years. Decades. Hell, probably centuries. I could complain, bitch, about the others with out them knowing about it. I feel hate, a lot of hate, and anger, and know I'm a basket case. How the others aren't, no idea. Cassie, the peace nick, is she as messed up inside her head as I am?

"I wasn't always like this."

"I understand. War changes people. I've seen great men become warped by war. I've also seen boys, children, become great. Cowards take command and go out saving the lives of others. Large, strong men, cower in fear hiding behind children."

More psycho babble. Of course war changed people. I know though it wasn't the war with the Yeerks. No, it was some one else who was changing me. "Not until the Ellimist had us save another race of aliens. Then Crayak decided to torture me. He is always there in my sleep. Watching me, taunting me, offering me freedom."

"Freedom? In exchange for what?"

"He wants me to kill Jake. He's offered me the world if I just kill Jake. Literally, he would save the world from the Yeerks. He'd have an asteroid or some thing take out the Pool Ship. I don't know how he'd do it." I was already borderline... If I killed my cousin then I'd cross that border and become a monster.

"One life for the lives of billions. Not just human but every thing. Trillions of lives."

"I know!" I shouldn't yell. Yelling wouldn't help. "I can't do it. I'm already messed up as it is. When this war is over, if I'm still alive, I don't know if I can go back to being me. I don't even remember what I was like before. It is like trying to watch a movie with scenes missing."

"Repression, PTSD, these are all serious problems. Talking helps but you may need more."

"More?"

"Humans have discovered the benefits of drugs for thousands of years. Even before we got here. It is one of the things that brought you up from a simple animal to what you are today."

"You want to put me on drugs?"

"No. I want you to want to take a medication developed by us."

"The Chee?" He nods. "Why would you make drugs?"

"We need money. It isn't cheap running several houses and taking care of so many dogs. The medical field is the new gold mine." I see him smile. I could hear the warmth in his voice. I couldn't fake that kind of warmth if I tried and I was human. A living being. A Chee was an android. Yet he showed more warmth and love than I could even with Tobias.

"I, I could try it." If it could help me sound like he did when he talked about dogs. "Any thing to make it so I don't see Crayak in my dreams."

"For that you would need a very powerful tranquilizer. I don't feel comfortable giving you some thing like that."

"Any thing weaker?"

"Yes. Unfortunately I don't feel any thing short of a comatose state will stop you from seeing Crayak. Even then he could break through."

"Could we try tonight? I only have one more day until we get swept off to some new world. I need a good night's sleep. A night with out Crayak watching me."

I watch him tap his paper pad with a pen before he writes some thing. "Take this to the pharmacy, the small one not attached to a major chain, and we'll give you one pill. Just one. This stuff is powerful."

He rips the paper from the pad and hands it to me. "Do you wish to continue? You seemed anxious when you got here."

"Just nervous about going off planet again. It is so weird. Last time when we came back nothing had happened here. Time stopped or what ever."

"The Ellimist works in mysterious ways. He could have saved our Creators. He could have saved the Pemalites. Instead he saves others. He offers you a chance to save your planet. He never gave me the choice."

The sadness, the emotion, I didn't, couldn't feel that any more. He was an android yet he was going to cry if he could. "If he would have saved the rest of the Pemalites would you have killed your Creator?"

"If I was allowed to commit violence, if I was allowed to end a life, to save every one else on our planet and the life on it. No. I would become a monster if I killed the one who created me. I wouldn't deserve to exist. I'm sure you feel the same way about Jake."

"Yes." I had killed Jake before. In another time, dimension, I wasn't sure what it was. "I need to go. If this stuff is as powerful as you say it is I should take it early."

"Be careful. I made sure to write down that they will only give you one."

I walked out of the office building he had his practice at. To think all these people going to him for help and he wasn't even human. Then again, was I human any more? What did it mean to be human? Humans could be evil, cruel, or good and caring.

I got home from the pharmacy and took a shower before telling my little sisters I was going to bed early. "I have to get ready to get up early for school."

"Loser!"

I took the pill and curled up on my bed hoping to sleep with no nightmares for the first time in a long time.

When I woke up it was past noon. I had slept for over fourteen hours. My body hurt every where and I was starving.

Today was my last day before we went off world. Would it be to the planet with red grass and green sky? Or a totally different one? Would these things have the same rule as the Howlers had about not killing the natives? Worrying about tomorrow sapped away my appetite.

I morphed in to a Bald Eagle and took off once I made sure no one was watching.

The freedom of flying usually made it all go away. When you could float over the city, the clouds, the stress, it went away. Except the weight of the Ellimist and Crayak almost made it impossible for me to fly.

I flew out to see Tobias but he wasn't at his meadow.

If he wasn't there then he could only go one other place.

Sure enough, he was at Ax's Scoop. Ax had television. As much as Tobias was a hawk and wanted to be one, he was still human, and wanted entertainment. Maybe mind numbing television would make it go away.

(Hey.) I landed near Tobias. (What are you watching?)

(News break.)

Ax turned one of the eyes on his stalks towards me. (Your election is interrupting these messages.)

(Uh, sorry.) I didn't care about the election. I had a few more important things to worry about. (Tobias, want to fly?)

(Sure. How long have you been morphed?)

(I'll demorph and remorph again.) I landed and demorphed before remorphing and took off with Tobias.

We landed near his meadow and both became human. We had gotten over being around each other in skimpy clothes. It was more uncomfortable for him I'm sure holding hands as he usually didn't have any.

"Are you as scared as I am?"

That came from out of nowhere. "Scared? Of what?"

I loved seeing his smile. He rarely did it even when he was human. "If these things are as bad as Howlers, worse, what do we have that can fight them?" I shrugged my shoulders. "The Ellimist has faith in us at least."

"Screw him. Ever since we helped him Crayak has been after us. Me."

"He's also helped us as well. We've gotten better than lucky. We've done real damage. We killed members of the council. We've destroyed Kandronas. We freed Tom. We haven't had such good luck ever. The closest was what, getting the Pemalite Crystal, or stopping that dust monster. It is because of the Ellimist."

"You don't know that. We've been more active and had more help."

"The Chee help us because we wiped out the Howlers."

Tobias owed the Ellimist every thing. He could morph again and now stay past two hours. "Because of the Ellimist. If we hadn't been there because of him the Chee wouldn't help us as much now."

I didn't owe the Ellimist a damn thing. But I could see where Tobias came from. "What ever. I don't want to worry about tomorrow." I leaned over and kissed him.

It finally lifted the weight of Crayak and the Ellimist away. Under the Sun of a blue sky, on green grass, with Tobias.

We were kissing, and things, when a voice popped in to our heads. (Prince Jake has called a meeting.)

Tobias and I pulled away from each other. "Uh, ok, now?"

(Yes.)

Why couldn't he have called for a meeting tomorrow? Or later tonight? I just had to hope Ax hadn't seen any thing.

Tobias and I morphed and flew out to the barn at Cassie's farm. I couldn't figure out why he was calling a meeting. The last thing I wanted to do today was think about tomorrow.

Every one else was already there. (Tobias, please, please, tell Ax not to tell any one...)

(I've already thought of a way to explain it to him.) Had to remember Ax wouldn't understand why he shouldn't tell any one. I mean, we weren't really doing any thing just, the others, definitely Marco, didn't need to hear about it. Immature punk.

Jake was next to Cassie. I could see they were holding hands. I had demorphed but Tobias had staid in his hawk form. "I've been thinking about who we can add as our eighth member. If we can't have Erek then we need a warrior. I thought maybe a Hork Bajir but if these guys are being made to replace Howlers I'm not getting a Hork Bajir killed. Any ideas guys?"

Marco raised his hand. "Visser Three?"

(No!)

We all flinched when Ax yelled in thought speak.

"Calm down Ax-Man. Visser Three has more morphs than any of us. Also, if he gets killed, what do we care?"

Marco clearly hadn't thought this through. "And if he doesn't die? Then he knows we're human and that's that for us." His only response as to give me a dirty look. "Hey, it took me all of five seconds to realize why your idea was stupid."

Jake steps between us. "I thought of that as well but also realized who we choose doesn't have to listen to us. I've thought about getting some thing like that one eight headed monster of Visser Three that spits fireballs. Any animal or alien that could give us a chance if we acquired it. But that thing might set us on fire before we have a chance to acquire it."

"If these things are replacing the Howlers it has to be stronger and more dangerous than any thing else out there or else Crayak would just be using that." We could all hear the fear in Cassie's voice. I didn't want to be scared but when you could hear it like that it was hard to not let it creep in.

(Choose one of these new creatures, attack it as soon as it appears, and as it lays dying we acquire it. If we can harm it enough to acquire it, Prince Jake.)

"That was my other idea." Jake shook his head, slumped his shoulders, and looked defeated. If he was supposed to be our leader what were we supposed to do?

The most powerful morph any of us had was my elephant. They were big, strong, and amazingly quick for some thing their size. Their hide was thick. Maybe if we all, no, the elephant was not the most powerful morph any of us had. "Howler."

"What?"

"I choose Howler. We all get Howler morphs we might stand a chance. We've all seen what Jake could do with just one."

Marco nodded with approval. I looked up at Tobias. (These things are replacing Howlers. But you're right. Those things, Jake, didn't you say they could see the weakpoints of their opponents?)

"Yes. If, with all of us as Howlers, we could do it."

I saw my cousin Tom nod as well. "I vote yes on it. I've only seen Jake as one and well, that wasn't a battle."

"Why we shouldn't use them! They're monsters!" Of course Cassie was against it.

"That's exactly why we should use them! We know they've slaughtered every thing in their path. What ever Crayak throws at us we'll howl and rip them apart."

"I, I won't do it. You can acquire them but I won't."

"Fine, what ever. I want a Howler morph and this is probably my only chance to get it. I'm tired of Jake having this kick ass morph and refusing to use it."

"He doesn't use it because those things are monsters."

We both looked over at Jake. I already knew whose side he would take but I was right no matter what he said.

"They weren't monsters. They, they were like dolphins, so happy. They didn't now what they were doing was murder. I knew that but I still lost control. If we can control ourselves we can use the Howler morphs for good. To fight Crayak. Since they've been made peaceful it won't attack us."

"Jake, no."

He leaned down and whispered some thing to Cassie. She just turned away and walked out of the barn. "So, except for Cassie, we all agree we're getting Howler morphs."

Finally! I've watched him destroy the Yeerks. Yes he lost control and killed a few humans but in the end what did it matter? We might just stand a chance of winning this war. If, you know, Crayak's newest creation didn't exterminate us.

I woke up earlier than I wanted to. I didn't take a pill since I had only been given one and sure enough Crayak had taunted me the entire time.

But today, today I would get a chance to fight back. That's all I wanted, needed. In my dreams he was just a giant eye watching me. Now I could get my hands dirty.

I showered, enjoying the hot water, not knowing the next time I'd have the chance to experience it. I ate a bowl of cereal enjoying the milk. I hoped what ever was there we could eat and drink.

I sat in the living room watching what ever was on when time stopped. "About,"

I couldn't even finish my sentence before I was on the planet with red grass and the green sky.

Have you chosen your eighth member?

He had to already know. If he was as powerful as he claimed to be wouldn't he already know?

I do. I just want to give you a chance to change your mind.

I forgot he could read our minds.

I saw Jake shake his head. "It is the only chance we have. The Howler is the most powerful morph I have. If we all have one then we might just stand a chance."

You can choose any organic being and you choose the Howler? Very well.

The red being with bright blue eyes that was the Howler appeared next to me. It turned, saw me, and attacked.

"Get it off of me!" It was kissing me all over my face. I tried to push it off but I couldn't.

"Acquire it."

I got a hand on its chest and focused. Soon it went in to the trance that one went in to when being acquired.

The others got their hands, or talon, on the Howler and acquired it.

In the seconds it was stunned I was able to get away from it.

Marco, being Marco, had to make a joke. "Who's your new boyfriend there, Rachel? Isn't Tobias going to get jealous?"

(Shut it, Marco.)

"Ooo, already jealous."

(You're about to need a shower.)

I saw Tobias fly over him but Marco kept moving.

Cassie was the only one who wouldn't acquire it. When she held the Howler's arm she wasn't doing it to acquire him. "Now what? We, we've made the Howlers defenseless. If those things the Crayak made find him he'll be killed."

"So? It isn't,"

"Human? He's still a living being. You've never been in their mind but Jake has. He says they're like children. They never knew what they were doing was wrong."

"Then why won't you acquire it?"

"He is a sentient being. I want his permission." The Howler starts trying to kiss her.

"Is that permission?" For once I laughed a little at Marco's joke.

Jake grabs her by the arm. "Cassie, we need the strongest morphs possible. These things we're fighting are to replace Howlers."

"I know but, it," She is interrupted by the Howler trying to kiss her. "Get off of me!" She pushes on the Howler.

"Acquire it." I see the Howler go limp before she pushes it away successfully. Hypocrite.

"I'm sorry."

She was apologizing to it? "Now what do we do with it?"

"That's what I was saying! We can't let it go."

"We can't hold its hand and, hey!" Marco was now dealing with the kissing.

Jake turns towards Ax. "Ax, I hate to say this but we can't let it, get it off of me!"

Marco laughs as the Howler tries to kiss Jake. "The only one it hasn't tried to kiss is Ax."

I thought it was a stupid joke but I guess I wasn't paying attention. "He's right. The memory was of you, um, kissing me. Kissing a human. Maybe it will only kiss humans?"

(I can look after it until you find a way to deal with it.)

Now we were on a foreign planet with a Howler to babysit.

The grass was edible for Ax. There were smaller animals for Tobias to eat. The rest of us were taste testing a couple different types of berries we found. Cassie may be a pacifist in the middle of a war but she knew about surviving in the wild. "Eat one or two berries and then wait an hour. If there are no ill effects eat a couple more. Do this for the rest of the day to make sure these aren't poisonous."

So we ate the various berries and waited for ill effects. For the first day on this alien planet it wasn't very exciting. I wanted to fight. I wanted to use the Howler morph and rip these new Crayak soldiers apart. Instead we munched on some berries while Tobias flew around.

The Howler was a little annoying but it saved our life.

It was getting dark. I hadn't noticed the Sun was setting to the east until Ax pointed it out. I doubt any of us had.

The Howler must have heard some thing and walked off in to the woods we were next to. We had stuck in the grassy plains so we could hopefully see any thing before it was too close.

The next thing we heard was a scream. It was inhuman. It was the Howler.

Tobias flew towards the scream before coming back shouting in our heads. (Huge green giant monsters just ripped the Howler apart! Morph! Fly!)

"We're here to fight!" I focused on the reddish skin, the blue eyes, the changes happened quickly.

(Rachel, these things are huge and just ripped the Howler to pieces! Morph an owl and get out of there!)

"Morph birds and retreat."

The others started to sprout feathers. If I was the only one who didn't I'd be killed. I stopped morphing the Howler and demorphed before focusing on the owl in my blood.

We were up in the trees when we saw them. At least nine feet tall, covered in muscles, their green skin reminding me of the sky. (I don't think we need to worry about the natives. These are the natives.)

I wasn't the only one who noticed the skin matching the sky.

I also wasn't the only one who noticed their mouths. Filled with fangs and able to open wide enough they could swallow a beach ball in one gulp. Their bright red eyes almost glowed even as the Sun set. (Do you think they can see us?)

What the hell were we going to do? These things would tower over a Howler. Our only hope would be to use the howl and hope it crippled them long enough we could get close.

(I think they're separating. If we're lucky maybe we can ambush one.)

I flew from my branch and landed on another to see one of the monsters break the tree line. (If we can injure it enough maybe we could acquire it.)

(Wait. We don't know what powers this thing has. A Howler could cripple any thing with its howl. What could this thing do? Tobias, did you see any thing?)

(No Jake. They just, by the time I got to the Howler, they had already ripped it apart.)

We followed the monster maybe half a mile before it turned around and started walking back towards the trees. (Now's our chance!)

I landed and started to demorph. I ignored Jake telling me to stop. This might be our only chance to kill this thing.

I staid low hiding in the grass. I saw the others land. (Rachel, you could be getting us all killed.)

I couldn't respond. I had to morph before I could thought speak. Tobias had to know this was our best chance. The Ellimist chose us to fight and we would fight, now.

I started morphing the Howler. I'm not small, kinda tall actually, but I wasn't as robust as a Howler. My leotard stretched as much as it could before it ripped.

The Howler mind was surprising. Jake described it as a dolphin and he was right. How could some thing so powerful and deadly be so happy? So child like?

The monster must have heard my leotard rip and turned towards me. It roared. It was like a tiger but it didn't hurt.

I howled back. The monster didn't even flinch. This was not good. I howled again thinking I had done it wrong but it didn't work.

(This is not good.) The Howlers most powerful weapon did nothing on this thing.

The monster started to charge me. (I need help!)

A red blur attacked it from the right. I saw the monster throw off the Howler as easily as I would smack a fly.

(Every one try Howling at the same time.)

I heard one and then another and joined in.

The monster finally reacted. We howled again and I saw it fall to its knees.

(Attack!) I rushed forward and punched the monster in one of its glowing eyes. A Howler was strong, fast, and together we could kill this thing.

We moved on it like a pack of wolves attacking a wounded deer. I was lost in the bloodlust of the Howler to notice there was no blood.

The monster roared and swung an arm hitting one of the other Howlers in the chest knocking it away.

It reached out with the other massive arm and grabbed the arm of another Howler pulling. I could hear the bone pop out of the socket.

I threw punch after punch hoping to hurt the monster. (Howl!)

I don't know who said to do it but I listened and howled. The monster cringed from pain but kept fighting back. How I didn't know. When we were hit by the Howl it crippled all of us. This thing was being hurt but not like we had been.

(Watch out!) I felt some one push me before seeing a Howler with a rock.

It swung the rock hitting the monster on the skull. The sound of bone cracking was met with a roar of pain from the monster.

The Howler swung again and I saw the monsters head cave in.

I grabbed one of its arms and pulled. I ripped it from the socket before I could see the arm tear away from the shoulder completely.

We continued attacking the monster. (Stop! Stop! We need to acquire it!)

He, she? Who ever said it was right. I had to calm down and demorph so I could acquire this thing. It took all of us to kill it. Seven of us to kill one of these things. With this morph we could fight the others one on one.

I was the last to demorph. I placed my hand on the monster as it struggled to get back up and fight.

There was only one problem. "Uh, guys, I don't think I acquired it." I had placed my hand on its back but when I tried to acquire it nothing happened. You always felt a little tingle but this time there was nothing.

(I do not believe I have either. Prince Jake if you would like I could try morphing it now.)

"Go ahead Ax."

We stood and watched Ax. Nothing happened.

The monster, with one arm, was starting to get back up. "Ax, finish it."

(Yes Prince Jake.) His tail whipped forward and cut the head off.

It took all of us to weaken it. It took all of us to bring it to its knees. If there had been another one we would have lost.

Now we were huddled together too scared to sleep. Who knew if those things needed to sleep?

I was looking at the dead body. I swear it moved. When I saw it move again I couldn't help but scream.

The others looked at me like I was crazy. "It moved. The body, it moved, I swear." I started to morph. I wasn't taking any chances.

"Rachel, you're insane. It doesn't have a head any more."

When I was morphed enough I replied to Marco. (It moved. It is still moving!) I saw the arm still attached to the body reach for the head.

I grabbed the head and saw the eyes open. (It's alive!) I threw the head away from the body.

With the improved vision of the Howler I could see the body raise up. By now every one knew I was right.

I also saw that there were these vines connecting the body to the ground.

I went and attacked those vines. When the last vine was cut the body fell back to the ground.

I saw the vines move and try to reattach to the body. I grabbed them and ripped them out.

The others joined me in attacking the body again.

One of the others must have grabbed the head. The jaws moved like it was trying to bite the one holding it.

(How do you kill this thing?)

How the hell would you kill some thing that if you cut their head off it still lived? (Rip its brain out?)

(Ew.) Cassie, it was Cassie who had the head, dropped it.

I went over and looked down at it. (How do we kill you?) Its only response was to snap its jaws at me.

I kneel down and grab at the top of the head. The Howler was strong. It could rip through the scalp. This was so disgusting. We had to dissect a frog and even a cat in anatomy class but this was totally different.

Way different. I got to the bone. I used the strength of the Howler to crack it open. There was no brain inside just, some thing. I didn't know what it was. (Ax? You're our alien expert. Any idea where the brain would be?)

One of the Howlers came over. (If it is not in the cranium then I would not know. This being seems more like an organic sentient plant than an animal. It would explain why we could not acquire it.)

Whoa. (So these things are trees with mouths? What do we do with them then? Burn them?)

(Uh, that's not a bad idea Rachel. We just need some thing to set a fire with.)

(If we use the rock from earlier I could use my tail to create the spark.)

(Ok. Ax and Cassie demorph. Cassie morph an owl to make sure those other monsters don't see us while Ax makes a fire.)

It took Ax a few tries but we got the fire going. The monster went right up. I threw the head on the fire and we watched it burn.

Now we knew more about the enemy. They weren't animals. Why the howl barely worked and only when we all did it. And unless you burnt them to ash they would, I guess, regrow? Crayak had outdone himself.

I was exhausted. I don't know when I fell asleep but I did.

When I woke up the Sun was high above. "How long was I out?"

"Awhile." I turned and saw Cassie had a bunch of berries. "Hungry?"

"Yes." I grabbed a handful and stuffed them in my mouth.

"So ladylike."

I tried to tell Marco to shut up but my mouth was full.

After eating Jake called a meeting. "These things are I guess plant based. If we could set the whole forest on fire we might get them."

"Or if we had that eight headed monster that spit fireballs..."

"Shut up Marco." Now I could say it.

"It took all of us as Howlers just to hurt it. If there had been another one there we'd be dead. If we could spit fire we'd have a chance."

"How would we acquire it before we were cooked alive?" It was nice to hear Tom defend Jake. He barely spoke since we'd freed him. Almost like he was afraid to. He couldn't speak freely for years. Who knows what kind of psychological damage had been done to him.

(It would not be feasible to set the woods on fire Prince Jake. It would take a dry season or two for the trees and underbrush to be dry enough for what little spark I could create to set the forest ablaze.)

Jake looked at us. "Any ideas?"

"Hope they keep splitting up so we can take them out one by one?"

(I doubt that Marco. We got lucky once.)

"Make a flame thrower?"

(No weapons are allowed.)

"By them. We weren't allowed to have a Chee but they weren't allowed to have weapons. We can." I never would have caught that. This is one reason why I wasn't the leader and Jake was. "Except I have no idea how to make a flamethrower."

(I have read many of your books and noted several fire making techniques and different ways to apply the fire. Napalm seemed very effective, Prince Jake.)

"No idea how to make it. I doubt there is a gas station on this planet either. We have to cripple them before we can set them on fire."

"Which means getting close." I saw when Cassie got closer to Jake she held his hand. I looked up and saw Tobias flying around in a lazy circle keeping watch. I couldn't hold his hand.

We walked back towards the woods. Except for Tobias we all morphed wolves. (Any one smell any thing weird?)

(Every thing Tobias. No way to tell what is them and what is just random alien world smell.)

We ran through the forest as a pack and found nothing. As big as they were they were good at hiding. Or we were just bad hunters.

Before dark Jake had us stop and chose who would sleep and who would stay awake. I volunteered and so did Tobias. "What do we do?"

(I don't know Rachel. One down seven to go.)

"Think the reason why Crayak didn't want us bringing a Chee wasn't because he wanted some one who could feel pain but because a Chee could crush these guys? They're plants not animals."

(Maybe. If we had known what these things were maybe we would have been better off trying to acquire that fire spewing monster of Visser Three.)

"Before or after it turned you in to light meat and me in to dark meat?"

(Before.)

We kept talking as it started to rain.

The rain came down heavier and heavier. The others woke up before the first crack of lightning was followed by a boom of thunder. "That was really close."

I was huddled under a tree trying to stay dry. "At least we're not out on the plains. We'd be easy targets."

"Ha, death by the elements and not by alien monsters. How ironic would that be?"

(I don't think that would be ironic Marco.)

I saw a bolt of lightning. It was more greenish than those on Earth. The thunder sounded the same.

The rain and thunder hide the noise of seven monsters coming. If Ax couldn't look around at all times we would have been butchered.

(They're here!)

(No, uh, wolves! Too wet for flying.)

Jake was right. We had to run, not fly, away.

I started running even before I had morphed. When I fell forward it was because my hips shifted to that of a wolf and not a human.

As soon as I could again I started running.

I knew the others were with me but where were we going? (Do we go to the plains?)

(We're small and low to the ground. I think we'll be safe.)

We listened to Jake and ran for the plains.

The grass whipped at my face as more and more rain fell. My fur was getting soaked but a wolf could run and run for miles. I've thought about getting a cheetah morph before. To be that fast would be amazing but they didn't have the stamina of a wolf.

There were at least five of the monster behind us. Five was about three more than needed to kill us. Even as wolves, hell, as wolves one could probably kill us all.

A bright flash almost blinded me. I could smell burnt fur. Was it mine? No, I was still running. Was some one else hit? (Was any one hit?!)

(It was close but I'm fine.) Tom, he was the one I was smelling.

(Just keep running and hope these things get tired before we do!)

So we did. Farther in to the sea of grass. How far did it go? I was too low to the ground to see over the grass.

There was another lightning strike close to us and then another. I heard some thing scream. It wasn't a wolf. (I think one of them was hit!)

One of the others stopped and turned to look. (It was! He's on fire. I think the others are trying to put it out.)

We started to stop and look as well when Jake yelled. (Just run. Forget about them and run.)

And so run more we did. We ran, and ran, and ran until our time limit was running out. As soon as we demoprhed we remorphed and continued running.

The grass sea ended at a series of valleys. We ran down in to the nearest one as fast as we could.

There was a cave we ran in to. It was deep and dark and by the time we stopped we couldn't see the entrance.

We demorphed and huddled together in the cave. I heard crying. I heard more crying followed by more. We were tired, our muscles hurt from all of the running, and we were terrified.

The Ellimist chose us for this. He said he thought we could do this. He was wrong. We were going to die. When we died Earth would be lost to the Yeerks. The Andalites would show up and unleash the Quantum Virus killing most of the hosts. Most of the humans.

I joined the others in crying.

We all fell asleep, eventually. When I woke up I didn't know what time it was. I didn't know if it was day or night. We were so far in the cave we couldn't see the outside.

Crayak wasn't there when I slept. Was that part of the rules? He couldn't taunt me while we did this? I hoped so. We were all messed up as it was I didn't need him doing any thing else to me.

Ax was the first to leave the cave. (I believe we are alone and the water appears clean.)

The rest of us followed him out and saw the river flowing in front of us. It was then I realized just how thirsty I was.

I went to the river and used my hands like cups to get the water to my mouth. It wasn't enough so I just stuck my face in to the river.

I wasn't the only one. When I pulled my head up from the river I saw the others were doing the same. Even Tobias.

After a few minutes of drinking I rolled on to my back and looked up at the sky. The green sky was foreign yet comforting. It almost let me forget the horror of the situation.

I turned my head and saw Tobias preening his feathers. If his feathers were dirty it would be harder for him to fly.

I looked down at myself. I was covered in dirt and sure if I paid attention smelled. "I need a bath."

Tom splashes water on his face. "We all do."

"Communal bath?"

Cassie and I both glared at Marco. "I think Cassie and I will go downstream." I got up and started walking.

Cassie followed me until the river took a turn and we'd be hidden. "Too bad we can't have a lookout."

I heard Cassie laugh. "Ax wouldn't care. Or understand." She dipped under the water. I could see the cloud of dirt and grime float above where she had gone under.

I went under and scrubbed at my hair as best as I could. I knew I'd have the same cloud of dirt above me so I swam a little off to the side.

After washing myself and my leotard I got dressed and waited for Cassie.

She started walking back when I grabbed her arm. "You don't know they're done yet."

"Oh, right."

I saw the smile on her face. "You just want to see Jake,"

"No!" I started laughing. "Shut up I wasn't even thinking about that."

"Then why were you smiling?"

She just looked away and told me not to tell Jake.

We waited a few more minutes before going back up the river.

The others were thankfully done washing up.

We sat around next to the river. "Now what?"

We just looked at Jake. None of us knew what to do next.

We didn't even know for sure if the monster struck by lightning had been killed.

Tobias and Ax went around looking for food for the rest of us.

We had clean water and the cave let us hide. The few berries we had weren't filling but kept us alive.

I was sitting with my feet in the water when I saw a fish. As much as one could call it that. It was more like an eel. "Guys, uh, guys?"

Tom looked over and saw it. Since he was standing he had a better view of it. "Uh, lunch guys? Ax, think you could kill it?"

(Yes.)

We watched Ax walk in to the water a few feet before striking with his tail. Blood filled the water as Tom and I grabbed the eel thing from the water.

It was much heavier than it looked. I hoped that meant it had more meat on it.

Now we had a new problem. We didn't know how to skin a fish. Scale a fish? Tom was brave enough to hold it while Ax used his tail blade to try and get the scales off.

We ate what we could. We ignored that this thing was alien. We ignored the alien world around us. We ignored the mission we had been sent on. How long could we do this? We were all too scared to leave this little valley.

But we would have to. We had to kill those monsters Crayak made. It was the only way we could make it back home.

If we could make it back home.

Tobias and I flew out of the valley. We flew towards where we had come from.

The monsters weren't any where we could see them.

We did see the corpse of the one struck by lightning. The vines were in the ground. It was recovering. We had to kill it for good.

(Tobias, fly back and get the others. I'll tear the vines out and make sure it doesn't recover any more than it already has.)

I landed and demorphed. I didn't think it was safe to stay human so morphed in to a Howler.

I ripped the vines out a couple of times before the others made it. (It was struck by lightning and can still come back? Man, I'm glad we're down two of them now.) I watched Marco demorph.

(That still leaves six.)

"So? We've killed two in two days. I think we're doing pretty good."

We waited for Ax to use his tail and a rock to set the monster on fire. I stood and watched it burn. I lost track of time and where I was watching it. It took Cassie hitting me to snap me out of it so I could demorph.

We went back to the valley and hid for a couple of days. We killed an eel when ever we had a chance. Tobias would fly overhead keeping watch for us.

It wasn't the worst life one could have on an alien world. It could almost be like a camping trip except we had six monsters left.

Tobias saw two of them coming towards the valley. We could run or we could fight. I of course chose fight. "We were sent here to fight these things."

Cassie disagreed. "We can barely fight one let alone two. We need to hide."

"And if they find us in the cave? We'll be trapped."

I was surprised when Marco chose both sides. "We hide in the cave and lure them in there. Those things are so big only one could get in there at a time. We lure them in and fight them one at a time."

Tom was the first one to point out a flaw. "Brilliant plan except we'd be two wide at best in Howler morphs."

"If we all howl, the echo in the cave, heck it might intensify it. We fight them one at a time. That or we suicide mission this and hope for the best like we normally do."

"Marco's right. We lure them in to the cave. Marco and I will fight them first."

"Jake, it, this is too dangerous. What if the howling causes the cave to collapse?"

"Even better. We lure them in there then seal the cave off. If they do get out hopefully they'll be tired or too weak to fight us."

"Lets do it!" I started to morph.

As soon as I could I contacted Tobias. (Lure them down here. We're trapping them in the cave.)

(How?)

(Uh,) I hadn't thought of that. (We'll figure it out. Just get them down here.)

Soon Tobias flew down towards us. I saw the two giant green monsters right behind him.

Thankfully he could fly down faster than they could climb.

I howled getting their attention. One reached down and grabbed a rock and threw it at me. (Doesn't that count as a weapon?) The monster roared at me as it grabbed another rock. (I guess not.)

I ran for the cave entrance and the two chased after me. I went inside and ran as fast as a Howler could.

The brutes had to slump down to fit and were even slower than when they had climbed down. It gave me plenty of time to demorph and remorph in to a fly and leave the two monsters inside.

(I'm out!)

The others howled and attacked the walls. It didn't take long for the roof to collapse locking the monsters inside.

I demorphed and looked at the cave in. "Now what?"

(If these monsters are plant based then one would assume that they need the Sun for energy. With out sunlight they should die.)

"Should Ax Man. I don't think we should stick around to find out."

(I've looked up and down the valley and didn't see any other caves.

(So have I. I think we need to leave this valley and look for another one, fast. I don't see any more of them but we can't be too safe.)

We morphed birds and left our little home with two of the monsters trapped inside.

We flew a couple miles before landing. The valley we found had a smaller river and no caves but was lined with berry bushes. We ate and rested hoping we would be safe.

We checked on the collapsed cave a few times a day over the next three days. The monsters never came out.

We had four more to go. We had four more monsters that could kill us unless we tricked them or got them alone.

Meat and berries. Meat and berries. No cheese, no milk, no bread, just meat and berries. Even Cassie caved and started eating meat when she was getting sick.

If we kept this up we'd probably die from malnutrition. We had to find and kill these things.

I got Jake alone. "We can't keep this up. We have to kill the last four. We'll never go home unless we do."

"I know. I've been thinking of a way to do that. Waiting for another thunder storm might take too long and we can't control the lightning. Tobias has been looking for other caves and found none so we can't try that trick again."

"Why not make weapons? We can use them. Spears or some thing."

"Against those things? We'd need full automatic tanks."

"We have Howler morphs. When we get back we can end the Yeerks."

"How? Full out attack? And when Visser Three decides he doesn't need to use a secret invasion? The Council gave the order for a secret invasion. With half of it destroyed and the civil war going on he might ignore those orders if we press him too hard."

"Then what are we doing? I thought we were fighting to win."

"I'm fighting to live. Until the Andalite fleet shows up."

"And when they use a Quantum Virus on us? If we're good we can take the Pool Ship, reveal it, and prepare ourselves."

"The Andalite fleet isn't the enemy. Ax says,"

"Ax says yes Prince Jake. What will his people say?"

"This isn't the time for this Rachel. We'll worry about this once we're back on Earth."

"If we make it back."

"We will. As long as we play it safe."

"Safe? We're fighting against these monsters made by Crayak. We got picked for what ever reason and now we have to risk our lives not for Earth but for some random race of aliens of the Ellimist."

"If we keep him happy maybe he'll help us again."

"Maybe." I walked away before morphing in to a bird and taking off.

I needed to get away. Flying was the best way. The freedom of flight. With out it I didn't know what I would do.

Flying with Tobias helped it go away. The anger, the rage, and the fear. A Bald Eagle didn't feel fear. It was the king of the air.

On the ground was a group of monsters that would rule any where. With out weapons that is. If we had flame throwers or missile launchers we might have stood a chance. The power to morph was an incredible weapon. I'd take a flame thrower or a Dracon Beam over that right now.

We landed and I demorphed. "Tobias, can you morph?"

(It isn't safe. I need my eyes.)

"Do you see them now?"

(No.)

"Then they aren't close."

I saw him land and soon he became human. It was the first time since coming to this planet that he had. I hugged him. I started to cry. I didn't want to but it just came out of me as soon as I hugged him.

I hoped we weren't going to die. I had to tell myself we weren't going to die. But facing these things... Crayak made them. He made them to be monsters. They were. I'm sure they were even more powerful and dangerous with weapons. If the Ellimist hadn't made the rule of no weapons, for them, we'd probably be dead.

When I stopped crying I kissed him. "Thank you. Don't, please don't tell the others."

"I won't. Of course I won't."

We spent the rest of the day looking for Crayak's monsters. We didn't see them.

When we flew back we saw the others were trying to cook another eel thing. "There's the two love birds."

(Shut up Marco.)

"Whoa, bird boy isn't in the mood today."

(Neither am I.) I was still a Bald Eagle. I could hurt Marco.

"Sorry. You know I'm the one who has to tell jokes."

(No one voted for that.) I landed and demorphed.

I tore at the meat with my teeth. It was tough and dry but it was food. No, it wasn't food. It was all we had to sustain us but it wasn't food.

"We can't keep doing this. We have to end this soon." I didn't even realize I said it out loud at first.

"How? Those things, alone we can win, more than that and we're dead."

"I don't know how Cassie. The Howler, gah, one of them versus all of us could have killed us. These new soldiers could probably kill them one on one. The howl did little to nothing. It took all of us just to make it flinch.

(If we could discover a way to set the forest on fire then we might be able to flush them out. If separated we could strike.)

"Great idea Ax. I'll just use my mom's credit card and buy a few hundred gallons of gas."

(There more than one way to set a fire Rachel.) Even I couldn't miss the annoyance in Ax's thought speak.

"Fine, let me get some twigs and a couple of sticks and start rubbing them together."

(If there were another storm we could find a way to draw the lightning to a tree and start a fire. There may be metal deposits in the mountains east of here.) I shrugged my shoulders. (Prince Jake says we should try it starting tomorrow.)

"How long will this take? We have maybe another week of eel and berries before we feel too sick to fight." They knew I was right. We were all feeling weak.

"It's a plan Rachel. Better than us trying to fight those things and getting killed."

"The Ellimist chose us to fight those things. He didn't vote for us to sit around and dig at rocks."

(And when do you do what the Ellimist does?)

I couldn't fight the smile. Tobias knew how much I hated the Ellimist. "I don't." I took another bite of eel. "Fine, lets play mine for metal tomorrow."

I fell asleep with a stomach full of eel and berries. I saw Crayak watching me. It was the first time since we came here. "What do you want? You watch, you taunt, but you never fight me. Coward!"

Coward? You are dead you just don't realize it.

What did he...

My eyes opened. I heard footsteps. "Wake up!"

My mind was clouded with sleep but I started to morph.

(I'm awake.)

When I was morphed enough I replied. (Then how did they get so close?)

I didn't realize how dark it was. No moon to help Tobias see.

(Morph! I can't howl until you morph.)

My Howler eyes could see them. All four of them. They were almost on top of us. (I'll distract them.)

I ran up the valley and made sure to make noise.

I heard the roars. They were coming after me.

I ran and jumped to the top of the valley before turning around. I howled and saw the monsters ignore it. I did see they were moving in a straight line.

I waited until they got closer before leaping from the top and kicking the lead monster in the chest.

It tipped over backwards and fell in to the one behind it. Both fell in to the next who fell in to the next.

The four tumbled back down the valley towards the others.

I ran after them hoping the others would be morphed.

I saw the four monsters crash at the bottom and leapt nearly twenty feet to land on top of one. Its jaws opened and tried to bite me. I howled right at it and grabbed it by the head. (Die!) I twisted and pulled until the head came free from the body.

Now the Howler bloodlust was going. My bloodlust was going. I threw the head in the river and looked to see which monster I would attack next.

I saw two Howlers on one of them. Another grabbed a Howler by the arm and lifted them off the ground. (Let them go!) I tackled the monster and aimed for the arm holding the Howler.

It threw the Howler down before grabbing me by the leg and throwing me easily thirty feet up the valley.

When I recovered I saw another monster pound one of the Howlers in to the ground with a big fist.

We were losing. (Howl!) I howled but only one other joined me.

I saw another Howler thrown in to the river.

I grabbed a rock and threw it at the monster pounding the Howler in to the ground. It turned and roared at me. (Come get me!)

It took a couple steps before the Howler it had been pounding on got up. (I'm tougher than I look Rachel.)

(Don't act tough now Marco.)

(Then I won't act.) I saw him grab another rock. It looked like it had been broken and had a jagged edge.

He stabbed the monster from behind. It turned and grabbed the arm that held the rock. Even from where I was I heard the bones crack and break.

I howled and Marco howled. The monster flinched and let go of his arm.

Another monster hit Marco from behind. With his broken arm he couldn't catch himself.

I saw a monster grab a Howler by the head and start to twist.

I saw another monster pick up a rock and hold it over its head. (You can't use a weapon!) It blinked out of existence.

Not it was down to two of them. (If we can make them use weapons they'll disappear!)

(They don't need weapons!)

My cousin Tom, which one was him? I didn't know. I just attacked.

There were two left. It was one too many.

I howled, a couple others did, it made the monsters flinch but little else.

I saw one Howler on the ground not moving. I saw another half in the water also not moving. Were they dead? I hoped not.

One monster held a Howler under the water. I jumped on his back and aimed for its eyes.

It tried to throw me off but I held on tightly with one arm while punching with the other. I thought I might actually be hurting it when a fist caught me square in the chest knocking me off.

It turned and stomped on my chest. It leaned down and roared. I howled back.

It punched me several times. I couldn't fight back. I was going to die unless some one saved me.

No one would. The others were hurt, unconscious, maybe worse. I howled again hoping it would do something. Make the monster back off. It didn't.

I felt the ground get wet. Was it my blood? It felt awfully cold for blood.

The wetness got higher and higher when I realized it was water. Where was it coming from?

I never saw it. I don't think the monsters did either. A wall of water came through the valley and washed us all downstream.

I was able to grab on to the branch of a tree. I didn't know where the others were.

When the water receded I looked for the others.

Instead I found one of the monsters. It looked hurt and I attacked. I went for the head.

It stabbed me with some thing. Not its fist but a rock. (Weapon!) It disappeared.

I was bleeding now. I was hurt, weak, tired, and must have been near my time limit. I had to demorph.

My DNA wasn't damaged so the bleeding stopped. I was still weak and tired but I wasn't bleeding. I had to focus on the good things.

I remorphed the Howler as soon as I could. My mind and body were ready to give up but my heart wasn't.

I found another Howler and shook them. They didn't move. (Wake up! Please, please wake up.) I shook them again but still nothing.

(Rachel?)

I looked around and saw Ax. He had demorphed. (Are you ok?)

(I think so. I found Prince Jake, Cassie, and Marco.) He walked over and saw the Howler I was with. (Who is this?)

(I don't know.) I could hear the breathing. They were alive they just wouldn't wake up. If it was Tobias it would be ok. He could stay morphed longer than two hours. If this was Tom he'd be trapped forever.

I hit the Howler twice, three times, before finally the eyes opened. (Demorph.)

He didn't answer. He started to change and demorphed in to Tom. "Ow. What happened?"

(I don't know.)

We met back up with the others. Tobias was with them now. "Rachel, go ahead and demorph. You must be close to the limit."

(I already did and remorphed. I got rid of one of the monsters when it used a weapon on me.)

"Which means we have one more to go."

(Two. I ripped the head off one but we didn't destroy the body.)

"Good luck setting a fire to any thing now." Marco leans against a rock. "I think our howling caused the flood."

(How?)

"Probably a small dam up the valley. Our howls bounce around the valley and cause the dam to shift. Water comes in, wipes the monsters out, and the Animorphs climb up the spout again."

(We should find the one that is missing its head and destroy it before it recovers.)

I saw Jake sit on a rock. "Rachel, we're all tired." He leans back a little and I notice him looking at Cassie. "But you're right. We have to make sure it doesn't recover. Owl morphs."

I remained in the Howler morph while the others became owls.

We found it and destroyed it. I finally demorphed when the others looked and didn't see the last monster.

We went up the side of the valley and collapsed. I had gotten maybe a couple hours of sleep and after the morphing and fighting I was lucky I had made it up the valley.

The heat of the Sun woke me up. I saw Ax was up and walking around on the grass.

The others were still sleeping. "Ax, how long have you been up?"

(I have not yet slept. I know you and the others needed sleep.)

"Then, go to sleep. I'll keep watch."

(Thank you Rachel.)

Eventually the others woke up and I told them why Ax was still sleeping.

We had lost our camp twice now. We had lost the berries we had saved up. We wouldn't starve in the next few hours and we weren't looking forward to foraging for more. We would though. We had to.

I was flying with Tobias when we saw the monster. It had changed. It had four arms now.

When we got closer we saw why. We found the body of the monster that I killed by ripping the head off. We hadn't found the head that I threw in the river. This monster had and attached it to its chest.

It was even taller now, easily twenty feet, and even more muscular. We could barely kill them when they weren't like this. (Tobias, warn the others.)

(Don't attack it.)

(I won't. Yet.) I'd wait for the others. I had to.

I landed at the top of a tree so I could keep an eye on the monster and see when the others were coming.

The monster was moving towards my friends faster than I thought and I had to fly to keep after it. Tobias would reach them first since he was flying but would we have enough time to plan? What plan could stop this thing? Jake would figure one out, I hoped.

I kept flying and didn't see the others. Where were they? There were rocks and trees in this valley. Good for hiding but I should still be able to see them. I was a Bald Eagle.

The monster went around a bend in the river and I lost sight of it.

I flew around and saw a rhino. (What are you doing?)

(Watch.) It was Jake.

Jake stepped out from a group of bushes and the monster saw it. It roared at Jake.

I saw Jake start to run. For such a large animal the rhino was pretty quick. The horn was a good weapon against any animal it faced in Africa. This monster was deadlier than any lion or leopard.

Jake slammed in to the monster knocking it backwards.

I heard the sound of rocks falling and looked to see three Howlers were pushing boulders down at the monster.

The monster saw the rocks and moved out of the way. (Ok every one, run!) I saw Jake turn and run back up the valley.

The monster was close behind him and gaining.

Jake made it past a rock and that's when I saw the blue blur that was Ax's tail cutting the monster on the leg.

The monster fell with the severed foot left behind.

(What are you doing?!)

(Keep going up the valley. All these rivers come from the same lake.)

I turned and saw an Osprey. It was Marco. (So?)

(We have a plan.)

I looked down and saw a wolf running away from where the Howlers had been. Behind it were two more keeping back to protect it just in case the monster saw them.

(What plan?)

(Uh, Jake isn't sure. We're to lure the monster to the lake. He and Cassie saw it when they were looking for a new camp.)

What ever his plan was I hoped it worked. I could see the monster grab the severed foot and place it back on the stump of the leg it had been attached to before. I also saw how the skin reformed and soon the toes wiggled. You could cut these things apart and they could just put themselves back together.

Jake demorphed and remorphed in to a wolf as the monster started chasing after him again.

I got to the lake before Jake and saw two wolves. Where was the third one?

I saw the Osprey that was Marco. I flew closer to him. (Any idea what is going on?)

(Nope. Just trust in Big Jake that he has an idea.)

Trust, hope, two words I had to rely on a lot even though I didn't believe in them.

The monster made it to the lake and I saw Jake demorph. "Hey! You big freak! Come and get me!" He turned and ran to the water diving in.

The monster raced after him. (Maybe they can't swim and Jake's trying to drown it?)

The monster was almost waist deep in the water when I saw the dolphin fin. Jake had become a dolphin. Which was good for swimming but fighting this thing?

The monster reached for Jake but he was too fast. He went off to the side. Why was he sticking close to the beach? He should go deeper.

Some birds of prey hunt mice. Others fish. I was a Bald Eagle and they ate a lot of fish. They were good at seeing through water. I saw some thing the monster clearly didn't.

It wasn't the largest animal in the world but it was the biggest any of us had. A humpback whale.

It breached through the water as gracefully as a dancer. It turned in the air and landed on the monster. (Did I get it?)

(Yes, yes you did Cassie.) She had done it! She had killed the final monster. She had crushed it like an insect. (Good job.)

I landed and demorphed. The others demorphed as well except for Cassie who staid partially above the water while still on top of the monster. (Tell men when twenty minutes have passed Ax.)

(Four minutes of your minutes have already passed. Do I count twenty more from then or from now?)

(From when I first flattened this monster.)

(You now have fifteen of your minutes.)

We stood and watched. To be so close to a whale was amazing. She was partially in the water but the part sticking out was massive. I thought I was big and strong with my elephant morph. That was a flew to this thing.

When twenty minutes passed Cassie demorphed and swam to shore. "Now what?"

The weird bird being thing that was the Ellimist appeared. You've done it.

"Yeah, we did." And now some other race would be saved instead of us even though we did all the work.

Not all of the work. I made sure they couldn't use weapons.

I forgot he could read minds. "Because we couldn't have Erek with us."

I think it is obvious now why Crayak did not want you bringing a Chee. Of course I was a little disappointed when you chose a Howler as your eighth.

"It was the most powerful creature we could think of that wouldn't kill us before we could acquire it."

That may be true Jake. But I am more powerful than any thing you could acquire.

"What?" I was confused as the rest.

Crayak worded it that you could choose any organic being. It may not appear so but I am not a machine. You could have chosen me.

My anger, my rage, weeks of therapy out the window. "You bastard! You could have ended this the second it started!"

If you had chosen me but you didn't.

"We didn't know we could choose you." I heard the anger in Jake's voice. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I said any. It is not my fault you did not choose me.

"Aaaa!" I started running at him. I could have morphed a Howler or elephant but no, I wanted to use my hands on him, and, "Hey!" I was suspended in the air.

Attacking me will do you no good. I am sorry you did not catch my subtle hints but I could not volunteer as it would not be your choice then. The rules were very specific.

Marco started to laugh. I didn't get what was so funny. "We should have read the fine print better. When you look back at it he was really wanting us to choose him."

The Ellimist set me back down. I walked back to the others knowing there was nothing I could do to hurt him.

You have done well again. The races you have saved will save others. Crayak will have to wait to make new shock troops.

"Just not us." I crossed my arms and glared at him daring him to correct me.

Not directly.

I blinked. When my eyes opened I was at home, in bed, and it was dark.

School would start in about six hours. I should sleep. I didn't.

I took a long, hot, shower and went downstairs to stuff myself with any thing that wasn't berries or eel meat. I drank soda, juice, milk, any thing that wasn't water.

I went to the couch and turned the television on. I didn't care what was on just that I could watch it. The couch, not some grass or floor of a cave, was like a cloud and soon I passed out.

When my mom woke me up I may have said a couple things I shouldn't have. "I'll let it go this time since you're just waking up."

"Sorry." I went upstairs and brushed my teeth. To think, I just fought some monsters for a week or so. Yet here on Earth only a few hours passed. Now I was going to school. Why was school the weirdest part of my life?

I saw the others at lunch and sat with them. "School food." I poked at the so called salisbury steak with my fork. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see and eat it."

"I'm just glad we all made it back." I couldn't see but if I could I'd bet that Cassie was holding Jake's hand under the table.

"We do the work and get no reward."

"Not directly. Remember to read the fine print Rachel. If we had we would have spent all of five seconds on that world."

I wanted to yell at Marco but he was right. The Ellimist and Crayak played by rules and deals. If we had paid attention better we would have chosen him. I wouldn't, we wouldn't, have the DNA of the Howler in our veins.

After school I went to the Chee. I had to get every thing out of my head. "We have the Howlers in our blood now. We can use them to fight the Yeerks."

"And how do you propose that to go? Seven Howlers versus the Yeerk Empire?"

"I don't know. If we went full out against the Yeerks then Visser Three might decide on full out war. Unless we could get to the Pool Ship itself. If we destroyed it some how then maybe it would end the war. There might be some Yeerks on Earth but with out the life line of the Pool Ship they'd be crippled."

"What stops you from doing this?"

"The others would never go for it. They'd say I was insane. But weren't we all a little insane after all of this?"

"There are varying degrees of sanity. You are no more or less sane than a soldier who has seen the ravages of war. Many never cope with it. You are at least trying."

"I guess."

I was there to talk but I was so lost in my own head. Jake was waiting for the Andalites. I used to before I found out their little exterminataus plan. Wait for the Yeerks to concentrate their forces on Earth and then unleash a Quantum Virus. They weren't going to save us they were going to exterminate us.

Maybe we shouldn't destroy the Pool Ship. We might need it to save ourselves from the Andalites.

If we lived long enough. Gah, now that we were back on Earth we had to worry about that stupid energy detector of the Yeerks. Maybe it would be worth it to kill Jake.

"Would I be able to cope with killing my cousin even if it saved Earth?"

"That is a question I do not have an answer to."

I didn't know the answer either. I wanted to fight, I was good at fighting, but could I fight Jake? Or would I kill him when he wasn't looking? I couldn't think about it. If I did the idea would fester in my mind. I might slip up and actually do it. Then Crayak would win and as much as I hated the Ellimist I hated Crayak more.

A/N This may be the longest one yet! A look in to the deteriorating mind of Rachel. Crayak torturing her in her sleep. Thinking about how easy it would be to just end the war with killing Jake. Or fight the Yeerks with the Howlers and hope it didn't lead to open war.

I liked the idea of a plant based monster. Pretty much just Orks from Warhammer just a little taller, stronger, and more plant like. Anyways, again, sorry for the long, Looooong, delay between updates and don't expect another one for who knows how long.