The Notary and the Child

Author's note: This volume is a rewrite of volume 23. Knowing in advance what happens in this volume only brings spoilers, so I won't say more.

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Still disturbed because of what I had just learned, I got out of the pool and took possession of Tom's body again. Once I got back to the car, I started it and asked him:

Do you think it's normal that I have so little desire?

(Huh, hey what?) replied Tom eloquently.

(All the other beings in the galaxy only think about jumping on everything that moves except me.)

Are you still fixating on what happened last week? Once again, as long as you're in my... Well, as long as the war lasts, there's no way I'm going out with anyone. And besides, Cynthia isn't that pretty. She has lots of freckles. Very pretty freckles...

I interrupted him knowing that it could last quite a while and that he always became bad-tempered when he indulged in this kind of daydreaming.

(No, it has nothing to do with it. But I insist that it would be good for you to date someone.)

(So, what's the problem?)

I read in his thoughts a very strong desire to change the subject, which suited me very well, so I did not insist.

As Jack asked me, I inquired about this notary who is looking for Tobias everywhere. He is indeed an inspector. I spoke to the brother of the member of his triple. While cleaning his office, he found a letter from Prince Elfangor to be given to Tobias on his 18th birthday.

Are you waiting for Prince Elfangor? You mean Aximili's brother? The one who commanded the fleet that came to liberate Earth and who died just after giving their powers to Jack and his friends?

This is the great and noble war hero Elfangor. The only Andalite prince to dare to come to the battlefield and share the daily life of his troops. The prince entirely devoted to the service of the noble cause of exterminating theYeerk wherever he is in the galaxy. The one I had faced so often that I ended up respecting him despite everything. I knew that Andalite propaganda hid dark secrets about him, but I didn't suspect that one of them was that he regularly visited primitive planets to have sex with anything that moved.

(Huh?)

He used his morphing powers to take the desired shape then he ...

Stop, it's okay, I understand, no need to spell it out for me. Well, okay, it's surprising, but I don't see why it shocks you? Wait, were they consenting?

Why her? I doubt he limited himself to just one gender.

Are you sure this is real information? It really looks like fantasy. ... Are they fantasizing about the Yeerk?

I ignored his second question and replied:

Given the source, it wouldn't surprise me if the story had been distorted. But what is certain is that ...

I stopped, because I had just seen a very familiar bird eating a dead opossum on the road? I checked that I was alone on the road, then I braked urgently and got out of the car. As soon as it saw me, it took off. I began to wonder if I had been mistaken. In doubt, I shouted anyway.

Tobias come down, I need to talk to you urgently.

He made a few circles in the sky seeming to hesitate, then landed on a branch of a tree next to the road.

<What is so urgent?> I heard echoing in my head.

Without being able to stop myself, I then asked the question that had been burning on my lips since I had met him.

What exactly are you? I mean, are you really a hawk?

"I would really like to know," he said sadly before taking off. Then, before I could stop him, he headed towards the mountains in the distance.

Wait! I shouted uselessly.

(I feel like you hit a sensitive spot.)

And shit.

I then took the wheel again.

Could you give me back control? The road is empty, I'm not at risk of having an accident. And besides, I would like to go to the beach to meet Arnold.

Finding that it would be good for him to learn to drive, I pulled over to the side of the road and then handed him the control.

First, I need to inform the Animorphs of what I have discovered. Go to Rachel's, she's the closest.

Frankly, can it wait? I don't see what's so urgent about spreading gossip about Aximili's older brother's sex life.

The letter says that Tobias is Elfangor's son. After reading it, Visser-12 got it into their head that he is in contact with the Andalite bandits. The notary wants to lure him by spreading the rumor that he has a distant cousin wishing to adopt him. Of course, she will be a Controller, and as soon as she gets her hands on him, he will end up with his head in the pool. Visser-12 will discover all his secrets, including ours.

Tom braked suddenly.

(Why didn't you start with that?)

(Check that there is no one behind you before looting). I admonished him.

(There is no one.) He fumed.

(How could you know, you didn't look before braking?)

(There, that's exactly what I wanted to talk about. Why do you insist on talking about insignificant problems and not vital emergencies?)

(Frankly, I have no idea. I was curious, I guess. And then I didn't think he would get upset and run away right after.)

I don't see why you're asking questions. It's obvious that it's a hawk. Well, a hawk-Andalite hybrid.

Apparently not. In any case, Visser-12 is looking for a human named Tobias.

(So Elfanghor didn't sleep with a falcon?) Tom asked.

(Frankly, I have absolutely no idea. And that's not what shocks me. Whether it's with a falcon or a human, it's still zoophilia) I replied.

(Did it seem to disturb you quite a bit too?)

(No, that's not what was bothering me. Well, not really. It's just that... I don't know how to say...)

For the first time, I regretted that he couldn't read my mind as I was struggling to articulate my thoughts. In fact, it probably wouldn't have helped much if he could read my mind, as I wasn't sure myself what I was feeling. After a while, I sensed an impatience that Tom could no longer suppress. He hadn't waited until today to dislike that I was the only one in our duo capable of keeping secrets. On a whim, I finally decided to ask:

Do you think it's normal that I've never wanted to form a threesome?

Uh, I'm not sure I understand the question. Does that mean you've never had sex? I mean the equivalent of sex for the Yeerk.

(That's a bit like that)

(Yes well, like that, we're two. No need to make a big deal out of it)

(However, you already did it with ...)

(It doesn't count. It was a slug, not a girl) Tom interrupted me, violently.

I didn't quite understand what difference it made, but I thought it more prudent to change the subject.

(In any case, it has nothing to do with it. At your age, it's common. Not at mine. And then you, you want it all the time)

(Hey! I don't feel like it all the time) Tom contested.

However, he quickly understood the futility of his denials, for he sighed mentally:

(Damn!)

(You know, there's no shame in it. It's normal at your age. Some of your dreams, in the morning, are ...) I tried to reassure her before he interrupted me:

Stop! New rule. We do it like we do in the bathroom. For pity's sake, act like you didn't see anything.

In short, I never had any desire to do it. It's not for lack of watching others, but nothing.

(Whoa!!! Wait, what do you mean, you watch the other Yeerks making love?)

Oh, please, if they don't want to be watched, they just shouldn't do it in the middle of the pool. And then it would be hard to miss them. At the same time, it's true that when the screens are already taken, there's not much else to do during the two hours of nursing.

Wait, are you talking about THE pool? The one where you eat? The one where the guards dunk my head every 3 days!? he exclaimed deeply disgusted.

Well yes. Since we were driven from our home world, only high-ranking individuals like Jera456 can benefit from enough space to isolate themselves or even have a private pool.

He remained silent, but his thoughts were clear enough: "It's disgusting." At the risk of annoying him by pointing out once again that he couldn't hide anything from me, I commented:

(There's nothing disgusting about it. It's nature. It's you who have strange standards about managing your fluids.)

Leave the fluids where they are. Ah! When I think that I believed it was mud sticking to my hair when we came back from the pool.

(It is probably magnesium.) I corrected. (The pool is oversaturated with it to accelerate the absorption of kandrona rays by the yeerks.)

This seemed to calm him, as he added more calmly:

Listen, I don't know if it's normal to not have sexual desire for a Yeerk. In fact, because of all this alien nonsense, I've long given up on the notion of normal. No one is normal. We're all anomalies of nature, more or less deviating from the average. Asking if we're normal makes no sense. The only thing we should ask is whether our anomalies prevent us from being happy or harm others. Since Yeerks die when they reproduce, I think you can consider that you've won the genetic lottery.

His response surprised me so much that I was left speechless. Then, without asking my opinion, he resumed the road. I quickly forgot my worries and exclaimed with concern:

(This is not a reason to drive so fast. And don't hug the white line so much. And look in the mirror when you ...)

Stop! I know how to drive. Tom shouted angrily.

I spent the rest of the journey holding back with all my might from taking control again. Then the following hour holding back from shouting: 'I told you so' when he scratched the door while parking.

oOoOoOoOo

The next day, we were all gathered in the barn, anxiously waiting for Tobias to arrive.

Jack held in place an eagle that the forest rangers had brought to Cassie's father's veterinary clinic while she changed its bandage, casting him languorous glances (those two really needed to declare themselves). Meanwhile, Marco tried to stop Aximili, in his human form, from putting everything lying around into his mouth (the behavior of Andalites in their private life was really disappointing me). Rachel, for her part, was pacing back and forth.

Despite our searches, none of us had managed to find Tobias. However, we knew he would come to this meeting. At least if Visser-12 hadn't already gotten hold of him.

I asked:

You really have no idea where he could be?

No. Usually, when he's not feeling well or feels lonely, he comes to my place. Rachel replied.

By the way, I've been meaning to ask you for a long time. What exactly is he? Is he a falcon or a human? How did he get the power to morph and the ability to speak through thought?

Rachel was about to answer when Tobias finally landed in the barn, perching on a rafter.

Are you already here? Good, I have something important to tell you. What? he said, seeing that we were all staring at him.

Rachel spoke.

Tobias, we have something delicate to tell you, in fact (....)

No matter, transform yourself, we have to leave immediately. Ket's son has run away. Everything suggests that he is wandering somewhere in the forest. We must find him before he encounters a human or a controller.

Forgetting all other considerations, they all immediately began to transform into birds. Once their transformation was complete, they indicated to me through thought the location of the forest surrounding the valley where the small group of free Hork-Bajir founded by Jara Hamee and Ket Halpak was hiding. I watched them take off, assuming they would explain the situation to Tobias during their flight.

In the meantime, I handed control back to Tom and asked him to go to where we had locked up David. I needed his body to be able to intervene without risking being surprised by another Yeerk.

oOoOoOoOo

We had spent the rest of the day and, in my case, part of the night searching for the missing Hork-Bajir baby. Three of us on the ground transformed into wolves tried to track its scent and three others in the air. However, despite all our efforts, it remained untraceable and we didn't have the slightest lead. Or rather, despite the efforts of the others.

I thought my loss of control during my first transformation was due to the difficulty of resisting the dog's instinct. I thought the hunting instinct of a bird of prey would be much more familiar and easier to master than the surge of happiness and desire to play that a dog constantly felt.

And it is true that was the case. This time, I did not forget that I was a Yeerk and not a golden eagle. However, I couldn't focus on tracking the Hork-Bajir. Instead, without realizing it, I started looking for rabbits or rats. Regularly, I began to dive down on prey I had spotted before pulling myself together.

Nevertheless, I would have undoubtedly mastered this form better without the presence of David's spirit. I had been with Tom for so long that I had lost the habit of controlling an involuntary host. Or maybe it's that David hates me much more than my former hosts. In any case, I had never experienced such a bad time with a host. The first time I controlled him, his main feelings were visceral fear and a sense of confinement. But after several days drugged, then locked alone in a cage, he felt nothing but an unparalleled hatred towards me (and the other animorphs) which was the only thing preventing him from sinking into a bottomless despair. He spent his time insulting me and trying to fight me. Of course, he had no chance of regaining control, but it was extremely exhausting (both physically and emotionally). When I regain control of Tom, I will have to tell him how great a host he is (though I'm not sure it will please him).

It was with relief that I left David that evening, to return to Tom's body. Before leaving him for peace of mind, I asked him if he preferred that I continue to possess him rather than having to return to his cage. He responded with a flow of insults and death threats that made meLose all hope of improving our relationship. I had become the scapegoat for everything that was wrong in his life (and the list of his problems was as long as my arm). Whatever I did, I could never convince him to cooperate. I had nothing that interested him enough.

I fell asleep well before Tom, trusting him to guide our body. I remembered just before falling asleep that I had forgotten to tell Tobias what I had learned. I hoped the other animorphs had been more mindful than me.

oOoOoOoOo

The next afternoon, I rushed to take possession of David urgently. Lacking any leads to find Ket's child, Tobias had apparently spent some time with Rachel spying on her fake cousin (the two of them spent a lot of time together). In any case, they followed her to a sort of freak show that boasted of having captured an alien in the forest. The poor Hork-Bajir was locked in a tiny cage and displayed like an animal to extract a few dollars from tourists convinced it was a hoax.

I transformed into a bird and took off as quickly as possible to join the others. We had to hurry if we wanted to arrive before the forces of Visser-12.

Despite my efforts, I was the last to arrive. I was quickly informed of the plan that had been put in place. It was quite basic. Jack would enter the zoo with Marco, pretending to be two kids out for fun. While Marco distracted the manager, Jack would sneak into the technical room to cut the power. Once the lights were out, Rachel, transformed into an elephant, would break through the wall leading to the Hork-Bajir's cage and create a diversion by freeing the other animals. Tobias would then take the form of Ket and try to convince the child to follow him. We hoped that instinctively, he would obey his mother. Cassie, Ax, and I would stay nearby as reinforcements. Specifically, we had to watch the road and block it if we saw a convoy of vans arriving. Indeed, it was only a matter of time before, warned by Tobias's 'aunt,' Visser-12 would send a group to seize the Hork-Bajir by force.

A boring role for a simple mission. Patience had never been my strong suit. To distract myself, I asked Axe:

By the way, what species is Tobias?

Humans call it red-tailed hawk.

No, but that, I knew. What I mean is how it is that he thinks like a human, has the power to morph into Andalites, and can speak through thought. And why is Visser-12 looking for a human named Tobias?

It's very simple. Initially, it was (....)

But he was interrupted by a panicked cry from Rachel that resonated in our heads:

The place is swarming with controllers, they're shooting at us. We need help.

Immediately, I transformed into a huge lion and without even consulting the others, I started running at full speed towards the dilapidated building that constituted this shabby zoo, without even paying attention to the panicked humans fleeing from it. For once, the instinct of the animal I had morphed into wanted the same thing as I did: To kill those who dared to attack my pack. However, as soon as the blood started to flow and the dracon gunshots rang out, David's cries of hatred turned back into cries of fear. No matter, he was nothing.Faced with our determination to destroy all those who would stand against me. The lion did not become the king of predators for nothing.

The initial confusion quickly dissipated and despite their losses, the Yeerk forces showed their professionalism by retreating behind an improvised barricade from which they were firing at us. Their goal was clearly not to defeat us, but to slow us down while waiting for reinforcements. After a few unsuccessful attempts to escape, which ended with the tearing of one of Marco's pant legs (fortunately transformed into a gorilla at that moment), we had to resolve to confront them. In the form of various aggressive animals, six of us charged to dislodge the human-controllers from their barricade, while Tobias (in his Hork-Bajir form) would escape with the child who had immediately clung to him upon recognizing his mother. In any case, with his burden, he would be completely useless to us in combat.

We advanced with difficulty, but when we were in morph, we had an overwhelming advantage over our opponent that more than justified my abandoning my beloved Dracon beams: we didn't need to be careful about not being hit. If we were injured, we just had to revert to our original form to instantly heal all our wounds (you now understand why Yeerk soldiers hate Andalites). We were all injured to varying degrees, but we had finally broken through the obstacle and the first controllers tried to flee.

We had almost won when the walls began to shake and a mental scream from Tobias assailed us. Immediately, Jack ordered us (Rachel and me) to rush and see what was happening, while the rest of the team stayed to cover us.

We rushed to the entrance and saw an adult Andalite surrounded by an aura of malice mutate very quickly. As its body grew to exceed Rachel's elephant in size, its head shrank and stretched forward until it resembled that of a seahorse. Its neck elongated. Two enormous wings sprouted just behind its head. From its torso, a fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth leg emerged. Very quickly, I recognized a Kaftid, one of the most fearsome predators in the galaxy. Visser-12, the only Yeerk to have succeeded in enslaving an Andalite, had just arrived. And at its feet was a Hork-Bajir kneeling on the ground, begging Visser-12 to spare it. A repulsive sight.

I let out a roar capable of making the walls tremble on its own, which distracted Visser from that coward Tobias. But I revised my judgment of him when, the second Visser-12 turned his back on him, he sliced off two of his eight legs. I then realized that the child was clinging to his belly. Tobias detached him and ordered him to run towards the forest. Then he prepared to attack Visser-12 in a pincer movement with us. I still didn't know if he was a hawk or a human, but one thing was certain: if not a warrior, he was a hunter who would stop at nothing to corner his prey.

The rest made me painfully realize that unlike us, Visser-12 did not rely solely on his morphing powers to win. From one of his tentacles, he grabbed a Dracon beam he had brought with him and aimed it at Ket's child, who had not yet had time to reach the edge of the forest. As if in slow motion, I then saw Tobias position himself between the Dracon beam and the child. What a fool. He was the only one of us the child would listen to. Once out of play, how could we convince him to obey us and avoid getting caught? I used all the lion's agility to leap over the creature and pushed Tobias out of the trajectory. Then everything went black.

oOoOoOoOo

Thevenin demorphs quickly. Your two hours are almost up.

Do you think he will make it? He has lost a lot of blood.

I woke up with difficulty. I looked around me. I was in the middle of a forest in the dead of night. The place was incredibly dark, but by the light of the moon, I could make out threatening shadows surrounding me. In my head, the same word repeated unvaryingly with 5 different voices: 'Demorph'

I wanted only one thing, for the voices to be silent so I could die in peace. I gathered what strength I had left to obey them despite the headache that was assailing me. Then I felt my body begin to change. My claws retracted until they disappeared. My bones reorganized with a sinister clicking, and little by little, my headache lessened.

But my pain was then replaced by a hatred and disgust that almost convinced me to cancel the metamorphosis. Fortunately, I was already sufficiently healed to think clearly and understand that I had to see it through to the end.

Once I regained human form, I felt every square inch in search of an injury. I was unharmed. 5 seconds earlier, I was about to die and now I was in perfect shape. Andalite technology is truly miraculous. Then I remembered the reason I almost died and looked at my companions. There was a gorilla, an andalite, a tiger, a grizzly, and a wolf. In a word, they were all there, except Tobias.

Where is Tobias?

He escorted the child back to his mother. After you fainted, Rachel and he managed to distract Visser-12 enough so they could escape. Then, Marco grabbed you and we fled in turn, Jack explained to me.

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