(Are you all right?)

"I am well," I answered. "Why?"

(Because you've been staring at your breakfast for the last fifteen minutes instead of eating it.)

That wasn't entirely true. I hadn't actually seen the strip of bark I held in my hand until Tobias told me it was there. Partly because I couldn't see well in the early morning twilight, but mostly because I was lost in thought. Feeling slightly awkward, I took a small bite.

(Seriously, what's wrong?)

"Why are you so sure something is wrong?"

(Because this is the only time it's ever taken you more than five minutes to eat a meal.)

I didn't answer them, but continued to stare at the half-eaten morsel.

(Still nervous about the mission?)

"Yes," I admitted, "And I will continue to be until it is over. I've done everything I can to alleviate that feeling, but it persists. There is nothing left to do but let the emotion run its course."

(I'm sorry.)

"Why? It is no fault of yours, and no amount of regret on your part will affect how I feel."

(No, I mean... it's just how people express sympathy.)

"Thank you."

(I wish I could go with you,) Tobias added, after a few minutes of silence. (Being a hawk is cool and all, but the way those dolphins cruise through the water looks like a lot of fun.)

I couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt. It was partly for my sake that Tobias had been trapped in morph and permanently cut off from their old life. No matter how much she claimed to enjoy being a hawk, it was still a great sacrifice for such little reward.

On the edge of my peripheral vision, I became aware of something coming towards us through the trees. I turned my head, and saw four small, black birds approaching. One of them landed at the bottom of my tree, while the others perched in nearby branches. Then the one on the ground began to twist, contort, and melt, steadily growing larger until it was replaced by Lee. He moved to climb the tree, but before he could start, he suddenly doubled over and began whimpering. I was on the ground in a matter of seconds, completely unsure of how to tend to an ill or injured Human but unwilling to let a friend suffer alone.

"Not again," he groaned, before forcing himself to stand up straight.

"Are you all right?"

"Don't worry, I've been worse." Lee's pale face was drenched in sweat. "Ugh, I hate this body."

Tobias fluttered down to a branch just over my head. The three birds that had arrived with Lee cackled nervously, but stayed in place.

(What are you doing out here so early?) he asked. (And what's with the ravens over there?)

Lee smiled, and a bit of color returned to his face. "You got it right this time! Yeah, these ravens just keep following me lately. Usually they're more solitary, but I've had a small flock shadowing me everywhere lately. I think it's because they saw me morph, and they're trying to figure out what I am." He paused for a moment to catch his breath. "Anyway, I've got a message from Jake. I know this is really short notice, but we need to move up the timetable for the mission. We're going to have to do our test with the dolphin morphs today."

"Today? Why so soon?"

"Because I just found out the Yeerks are about to start looking for the Andalite, too. I was um, eavesdropping on my parents earlier, and Dad was complaining about something that Visser Three wants him to do."

Both of Lee's parents were Controllers. As far as ordinary Humans knew, they worked for the Esplin Foundation, a scientific laboratory that researched the ocean floor. But we knew that the entire group was a cover for Yeerk activity. The name was a dead giveaway - 'Esplin' is very much a Yeerk name, and the group had probably been named to satisfy somebody's ego - safe in the knowledge that no Human would ever suspect extraterrestrial involvement. Exactly what the Yeerks were doing there was unclear, but our best guess was that it involved rocks in some capacity - Lee's parents were geologists. And now, for some reason, Visser Three had taken a personal interest.

"What did the Visser want of him?"

"Well, I guess the Foundation has a ship they use for surveying the seabed, and Dad was annoyed because they want him to stay on the ship for a while. He doesn't even know for how long, just that he's leaving tomorrow. And he said something about an Andalite. So it's a safe bet that the Yeerks are looking for the same stranded Andalite that we are. I already talked it over with Jake and Marco, and they should be passing the word on to Rachel and Cassie by now."

(So we're going in after school, then?)

"Actually, we're going in about an hour," Lee said. "School is cancelled today. Apparently some old water pipes rusted through, and there was some serious flooding. Which is fine with me, I still need time to rewrite my book report."

My heart raced, beating so fast it felt like it would tear itself out of my chest. My arms and legs became numb, freezing me in place.

"One hour? So soon?"

Lee shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you want the Yeerks to get there first? I don't. One Visser Three is bad enough, I don't want to risk dealing with a second. But right now, we might be able to get a head start over them by at least a few hours."

Tobias shifted around on his branch so he could look me in the eye.

(I know you're worried about this, but we could use your help, Toby.)

A bit of feeling returned to my numbed limbs.

"All right. Let's go."