Prologue

My name is Tobias.

I was restless. Don't ask me why, I just was. So I flew.

There were no Animorph missions planned. The others didn't need me right then. So even though the sun was going down, I flew.

I flew toward the mountains. Toward the secret, hidden valley the Ellimist had showed me. Even now I had trouble finding it. Even though I knew exactly where it was. Even though, as a red-tailed hawk, I had vision far better than any human.

The Ellimist had concealed the valley from human eyes. How? Who knows? The Ellimist could hide all of planet Earth if he wanted to.

But knowing where the valley was, I could find it with some effort. I found the narrow gap between two ridges. I was not fooled by the way my eyes kept sliding away from the gap, as if some negative magnetism was at work.

I flew as the sun dropped and the air cooled and the lift beneath my broad wings failed. I had to flap harder to stay aloft. Stupid, really. Now I'd have to spend the night here in the valley. Then, below me, I saw a sight that made me glad to be there. A strange creature like nothing Earth has ever given birth to. It was four feet tall. There were razor-sharp blades at its ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows. There were two long, forward-raked horns coming from its head. It had a tail that ended in Stegosaurus spikes.

A young Hork-Bajir.

A young, free Hork-Bajir.

It was swinging, leaping through the trees like a monkey or a squirrel. Running through the tree branches, but happy-running, not scared-running.

I'd played a small part in the Ellimist's plan to create a free colony of Hork-Bajir. Not that the Ellimist interferes in the lives of other species.

So he claims.

Right.

In any case, the other Animorphs and I had played a role in helping two escaping Hork-Bajir find their way here. Jara Hamee and Ket Halpak. Like all Hork-Bajir, they had been infested by Yeerks. They'd been slaves of the Yeerks.

Somehow they had escaped. Don't ask me how. Ask the guy who doesn't interfere in the lives of other species.

They'd had a baby. That was him ... or her. . . cavorting beneath me. I still was not very good at telling the difference.

Hork-Bajir don't live as long as humans. So they grow up faster, too. I increased my speed and outraced the Hork-Bajir child. I found the nest of caves, six or eight, all close together, where we'd figured the Hork-Bajir would live. But to my surprise I could now see that the caves were unused. The adults were in the trees. But not just Jara Hamee and Ket Halpak. There were a dozen or more Hork-Bajir there now. All free. Many starting to raise families.

I realized then that I had not accidentally headed toward the hidden Hork-Bajir valley. It had been deliberate, even if it was subconscious. I'd been feeling kind of down. But now, seeing this fragile community of free Hork-Bajir. . . well, how can you see freedom replace slavery and not feel good?

These Hork-Bajir had been the unwilling shock troops of the Yeerk Empire. Now they were raising families, carefully stripping the bark from the trees, building a fire near the cave entrances.

I swooped down, down through the branches of a huge elm tree. Jara Hamee was in the high branches.

<Hi, Jara,> I said.

He waved. He smiled. Or what passes for a Hork-Bajir smile. Actually, it's an expression that would make you want to run, screaming "Mommy! Mommy!" if you didn't know what it was. The workday was about done for the Hork-Bajir. They invited me to the fireside as the night rolled over the valley and the stars appeared.

Like any wild bird, I'm a bit leery of fire. But I found a comfortable perch on a fallen log. Near enough to enjoy the light. Far enough not to feel too much heat. I was welcomed like more than a friend. The Hork-Bajir think I liberated them. Hork-Bajir are simple creatures. Not exactly the geniuses of the galaxy, I suppose. Talking to Jara Hamee can be like talking to a four-year-old. But they are decent, sweet creatures. Almost timid, despite their nightmarish appearance.

"Eat bark? Good bark," Jara Hamee said, offering me a slab.

<No, thank you,> I said. <l don't want to keep you all awake if you're ready to sleep.>

"Sleep?" Ket Halpak said. "No sleep. Tell story." Now, I hated to even think what a Hork-Bajir story might be like. Let's face it, sweet or not, Hork-Bajir are not big talkers.

<What stories do you tell?> I asked, cringing a little at the possibilities. I felt like I was asking Great-grandma to tell me about her youth, you know? Like the result wasn't exactly going to be Party of Five.

"Story of Father Deep. Story of Mother Sky," Ket Halpak suggested.

"Story of Jubba-Jubba," another Hork-Bajir said.

But Jara Hamee looked shrewdly at me. Well, once again, what passed for shrewd.

"Story of Yeerks and Andalites," he said. "Story of war." That perked up my interest.

The others all nodded.

"My father-father was a seer," Jara Hamee said. "Different. Not like other Hork-Bajir. Not like Jara Hamee and Ket Halpak. Like . . . like Tobias. Seeing far. Knowing much. Fatherfather learn story of Andalite. Learn story of Yeerk. Give story to Jara Hamee father. Jara Hamee father give story to Jara Hamee."

<l'd like to hear the story of the Hork-Bajir war with the Yeerks,> I said. I don't know what I expected. I guess I figured Jara would say something like, "Yeerks come. Bad. Fighting. Yeerks win. We lose."

But that wasn't it at all. Jara Hamee closed his eyes and began rocking back and forth. A weird gargoyle, bright orange and deep shadow in the firelight. He rocked for several minutes, while everyone waited patiently. And then he started to tell his tale. It was in the rough, stilted, limited speech of the HorkBajir. A mix of English and Hork-Bajir and languages I could only guess at. It was hard to follow at first. But I swear after a few minutes the words grabbed hold of my brain somehow. I could not only hear the guttural words, I could hear the original words as spoken by Jara Hamee's father father. And the others who played a part in the story. An Andalite female named Aldrea.

A Yeerk named Esplin.

The Hork-Bajir seer, Dak Hamee.

Maybe it was the firelight, or the way Jara rocked back and forth as if he were in a trance. But I soon forgot where I was. I was far away.

Far, far away.

I settled onto my branch, fluffed my feathers against the cold, and listened. 5

Andalite date: year 8561.Z

Yeerk date: Generation 685, mid-cycle

Hork-Bajir date: early-warm

Earth date: 1966