List X, Page 2

2. The Beginning’s End

  A completed ending to the Animorphs Series written by K. Weikel

  The Animorphs won the battle of the Yeerk invasion. It had started with six, ended with four.

  They were walking through an abandoned construction site from the mall and ran across a dying Andalite named Elfangor. He explained to them about thought speak and the Yeerk invasion. That they looked like big, grey slugs. How they crawled through your ear canal. How they controlled you. About the Andalites. About the morphing cube and how to use their powers. To never stay in morph for more than two hours.

  Rachel, the beautiful, blonde, reckless, one-of-a-kind, Tobias' only love, died, fighting the odds against two lionesses, a cape buffalo, and a polar bear.

  "Tobias. He had morphed. He was his human self once more. He'd done that for me. And because he was crying... Humans cry, hawks don't. ""I love you," I said to the screen. I was" "dead and missing my unlived life... dead and Tobias was mourning.

  "I tried to smile. For him.

  "The polar bear said,

  "Then he killed me with a single blow." Q1

  Tobias, the shy nothlit trapped in the body of a hawk.

  Cassie, the sweet loving Cassie that understood everything and knew what to say when times got rough, or to calm Rachel down.

  Marco, the annoying smart- mouth whose impromptu jokes kept the group hopeful. And who argued with Rachel every time he got the chance.

  Jake, who made all the hard decisions for them during the war.

  Ax, Aximili-Esgarrouth-lsthill, the cross between a deer, boy, and scorpion, who was a prince and is part of The One. A creature who took him and made Aximili a part of him.

  Ax was kidnapped by Yeerks, and Jake, Marco and Tobias went to find him. They ran into the Blade ship, a ship that held the Yeerks. It ended with them ramming the blade ship.

  "Full emergency power to the engines," Jake said. "Ram the Blade ship." Q2

  I'm Tobias. I grew up living between aunts and uncles around the globe and when I was trapped in morph, well... no one missed me. Rachel is what kept me going, I guess. Then she died. I was strangely related to Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill (an Andalite) because his brother, was my father, which I didn't know until my so called "cousin" Aria showed up, and I was read to from a file my father left me. Then Ax let me morph him. Oh, the suspense! Anyway...

  I looked at Jake, and saw a flash of Rachel, his cousin, in him.

  "Are you insane?!" Marco yelled. "Ram the blade ship?! We're all gonna die!" he whined.

  I could put up with Marco's whining, but it'd be best if I didn't complain, besides he's saved my butt many times... and you learn to respect that.

  I muttered.

  "No. There is no way my butt is going to get burnt by a-"

  There was a loud thump as we took off towards the Blade Ship. The Rachel hit it with a loud crack like thunder.

  My talons slipped off the metal and I flapped my wings for support. Everyone screamed, even the ones who were asleep in the rooms. I landed with a hard thud on the ground. My lungs were burning for air, and I couldn't help it. My hawk body was getting old. I slid against a wall, and it knocked the air that I had tried so hard to breathe in, out.

  Suddenly everything went dark... and I knew I was dead.

  I wasn't.

  I was a breathless hawk.

  Hork Bajar. I had to morph the Hork Bajar. If I didn't, the impact on my hawk body would kill me. I felt the changes begin.

  I shouted.

  I asked.

  Marco screamed in terror as another shock from the Rachel hit.

  I saw him. He was on his back on the floor. He slowly stood up, and walked over to Menderash. He looked up at the view screen then back at Menderash, and whispered something in his ear.

  I got up on my large Hork Bajar talons and walked over to him.

  Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. The Hork Bajar is a big alien, and as a walking razor-blade... let's just say it's hard not to cut something when you're doing something.

  I heard Marco say.

  I asked.

  I looked at the view screen. The One, the face of Aximili-Esgarrouth-lsthill, the face that belonged to our friend, which had split wide open across the bottom and revealed a new formed mouth full of red-rimmed teeth, was watching us carefully.

  I walked over to Jake.

  I asked Jake.

  Marco said.

  I really wished Rachel was here. She would be nagging on how we could beat them, and would be all up in The One's face. If only...

  But she was dead.

  Dead as dead can be.

  I felt another nudge as we went full speed towards the Blade ship. Faster. Faster. Ship!

  "We hold on," I heard Jake say in a strange, but calming tone.

  I was pinned against the wall, and my blades shredded through the counterfeit silver walls, and were stuck, like a fly in honey.

  I heard Marco say.

  I was starting to demorph. Arms to wings, blades to feathers, deadly ripping tail to tail feathers...

  I quickly remorphed and looked around for Jake. He was struggling to get on his feet.

  He let out a cry of pain and grabbed his leg.

  I cried.

  Marco turned towards Jake as soon as he got on his feet. he yelled at Jake.

  Jake groaned. "I... fell on my leg wrong when we hit again," he grunted.

  Marco said.