My name is Cassie.

  Just Cassie. At least that's all I'm going to tell you. It's not because I think I'm so special I only need one name. I know I'm not Jewel or Brandy or Beck.

  I'm actually pretty ordinary. If you saw me walking down one of the halls at your school, you probably wouldn't give me a second look. Unless it was one of the days when I had a little bird poop on my jeans from working with my dad in his Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. If it was a birdpoop day, you might give me a second "oh-gross" look.

  But I really am your basic, average girl. A first and last name plus middle initial kind of girl. Ex1

  cept for the fact that I spend most of my time trygreat Andalite prince named Elfangor gave us the ing to stop the Yeerk invasion of Earth. power to morph into animals. He knew he was That's why I can only tell you my first name. If about to die, and he didn't want to leave Earth the Yeerks knew my last name, I'd be dead. No, completely defenseless against the Yeerks. Later worse than dead.

  we were joined in our fight by Elfangor's younger Let me give you the Cliffs Notes version. brother, Ax. Aximili-Esgarrouth-lsthill. Fact: Yeerks are alien parasites that have the Usually the six of us work as a team, but appearance of small gray slugs. They enter their tonight I had a secret mission, and I didn't want hosts through the ear canal, then spread their too many people around. I asked Rachel if she'd soft bodies into the crevices of their hosts'

  be my backup, and of course she agreed.

  brains.

  You should see Rachel. She's like Stone Cold Fact: The Yeerks have already enslaved many Steve Austin crossed with Miss Teen USA. Unlike species, including the Hork-Bajir, the Gedds, and me, Rachel is someone who could pull off the the Taxxons, although the Taxxons submitted whole l'm-so-special-I-only-need-one-name deal willingly. Now the Yeerks have targeted the entire even if she didn't have to keep her identity a sehuman race for use as hosts. cret.

  Fact: You already know someone who is con"So are we going in or what?" Rachel asked trolled by a Yeerk. You just don't know you know me.

  someone who is controlled by a Yeerk. Yeerks can I stared up at the old Victorian house. A sinaccess their hosts' memories and make them act gle light burned in one window. A loose shutter exactly the way they always have. A human host, kept swinging back and forth on its hinges. The called a Controller, cannot move a single muscle screeching sound made the hair at the back of unless the Yeerk in his or her head gives the order. my neck prickle.

  Fact: The Animorphs may be your only hope

  "We're going in," I answered, ignoring the of escaping becoming a human-Controller yourprickling sensation. self.

  "This plan of yours is . . . what's the word I'm The Animorphs are me and four of my

  looking for?" Rachel asked. "Oh, yeah. Insane. friends — Jake, Rachel, Marco, and Tobias. A As in Looney Toeowww —"

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  Rachel's words turned into a high meow. Her My nose and mouth stretched, merged, then vocal cords had started to change first. re-formed. My teeth sharpened. A wave of dizzi"We have to do this," I told her as her nose ness engulfed me as I fell toward the ground, my narrowed and sprouted fur. "It's life and death." body shrinking to the size of a . . . of a rat. My I watched Rachel for a few more moments. hairless, ropey tail appeared and I was done. She was going to use her cat morph to go into the

  Rachel announced it couldn't hurt to give her a little head start. in thought-speak.

  That way she'd be in total control of her cat brain My little rat heart was racing. My little rat before I became all small and delicious. brain was ordering me to run, run, run away from When a fluffy black-and-white tail sprang the cat. I clamped down on my new instincts. It's out of Rachel's rear, I decided I'd waited long easier when you've already morphed a particular enough. I focused on the rat DNA inside me, and animal before, as I had done with the rat. The instantly felt my hands begin to wither. first time can be tough, though.

  Morphing is easier for me than anyone else in

  I answered.

  the group. Maybe it's because I spend so much Rachel took off across the lawn, her body low time around animals. I don't know.

  to the ground. I scurried behind her. The grass But even for me, morphing isn't a smooth transbrushed up against my belly and tickled my formation. It's not like my body shrinks first, then nose.

  grows hair, then shoots out whiskers and a tail. Without a sound, Rachel slipped through the No, morphing is a lot less logical than that. dog door. Grosser, too. Like right now I had little tiny hands, I complained. I gave the door a head butt. It and I could feel coarse hair popping out on my opened wide enough for me to scramble through. back. But otherwise, I still looked like me.

  I reminded Then my ears rolled up to the top of my head, Rachel. and my eyeballs contracted until they were the We beat feet to the staircase. It would take size of BBs. I felt a sloshing, twisting sensation me forever to haul myself up all those stairs. I as my internal organs began to shift and shrink. decided to take the rat ramp instead. I dug my 4

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  claws into the wood and climbed the side of the middle with a really dorky cupid drawn next to banister. Then I ran straight up.

  it.>

  Of course, Rachel still got to the top before

  I followed her down the hall to the lighted room. I warned Rachel.

  hoped we hadn't gotten here too late.

 

  I took a quick peek inside. Yes! My math

 

  teacher was sitting at a desk grading papers. At Rachel laughed and leaped down off the desk least I knew this was the right place.

  with the sheet of paper in her teeth. you're my best friend. So not one word. EspeEEEEEEE!

  cially not "Awww, isn't that sweet?" And defi Rachel cried. nitely not "Cassie is in lo-ove, Cassie is in

  I shot back. She'll be coming out. Hide!>

  I pressed myself tight against the wall. I squeezed my eyes shut tight so she wouldn't see them glistening in the shadows.

  I felt the floor begin to vibrate. Did she see me? Did she see me?

  No. Her big feet walked right on by.

  Rachel said. She darted into the room and leaped up onto the desk.

  I stammered. I tried to climb up the desk leg. But it was metal. My claws couldn't get a grip.

  Rachel answered.
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  That was totally clear when we kissed. Yes, even though we don't walk around groping each other like some couples, we have kissed a few times. Usually right after we've managed to survive something horrible. It's usually an "l-can'tbelieve-we're-alive!" kiss. Not that I'm complaining. Well, not exactly. I have to admit it would be nice to kiss Jake after a movie instead of after a battle or some other near-death experience.

  I dropped one wing and made a sharp turn. The back of our barn came into sight.

  Hork-Bajir!

  The distinctive nightmare shape moved

  The cool night air fluttered my owl feathers through the shadows that were bright as day to as I flapped toward home. I tightened my right me. Just one. One was enough.

  talon around the doodle. There was no way I was Shouldn't be here! Couldn't be here! The going to lose it again.

  Yeerks, they had to know everything!

  I still couldn't believe I'd turned it in to a No!

  teacher. Was love turning my brain to mush, or The image of my parents being ripped to bits what? I wondered if Jake ever did stupid stuff beby the Hork-Bajir's blades blasted into my brain. cause he was daydreaming about me.

  Images of other Yeerks rounding up my friends. We never talked about things like that. We'd Doors kicked in, Dracon beams firing, flashing never even used the " L " word to each other. blades. Rachel. Jake.

  That's what Rachel calls it. The " L " word. No! NO!

  But even though he'd never said it out loud, I Couldn't worry about them. Not now. Focus! Had knew that Jake loved me. And I knew Jake knew I to stop this one Hork-Bajir. Just this one. Then . . . loved him, even though I'd never said it out loud, Land on the other side of the barn, demorph, either.

  then morph to wolf, attack, attack!

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  No time. It would take too long. Too late! The This Hork-Bajir wasn't a Controller, wasn't a Hork-Bajir could . . . what was a lone Hork-Bajir creature of the Yeerks. It was Jara Hamee, one of doing here? One by himself? Irrelevant! Focus!

  the tiny group of free Hork-Bajir. I'd almost What would Rachel do? Attack right now. She blinded him. The thought made me nauseous. wouldn't wait to morph. She'd swoop down and But my entire universe was being put back in rake the Hork-Bajir with her talons.

  place in my mind now. No attack on my parents. Attack now.

  The Yeerks did not know about us. No violent a sI focused on the Hork-Bajir and flew straight sault to seize Jake and Rachel, Ax and Tobias for it. I'd aim for the eyes. While it was staggerand Marco. ing around blind, I'd morph from owl to human to None of that was happening. And eventually wolf. Or polar bear. Then I'd go for the throat. I my heart would stop hammering like it was trying could almost taste the flesh already.

  to get out of my rib cage.

  Closer. Closer. I stretched out my talons, I concentrated on my own DNA and demorpreparing to strike. A noiseless night-stalker dephed as fast as I could.
  here, Jara? It's too dangerous for you to be away I flew between the light above the shed and from your valley.>

  the Hork-Bajir. The Hork-Bajir spun, alerted by The colony of free Hork-Bajir live in a hidden my shadow. He would slice me in half!

  valley created for them by a being called the ElThen, in the light, at the last possible molimist. Even if you know exactly where it is, it's ment . . .

  hard to find. Your eyes just seem to slide away

 

  from it. Your mind just seems to want to forget it. I jerked my talons back and spun my body It's the only place that the Hork-Bajir are at all hard to the left. I crash-landed in the dirt a few safe from the Yeerks. Or from humans for that feet away from the Hork-Bajir. I wasn't hurt but I matter. Most humans who saw a Hork-Bajir was definitely shaking.

  would shoot first, ask questions later. It's not I lay there on my side in the dirt, a wing hard to understand why. The Hork-Bajir look as if crumpled beneath me. I said. they were designed to kill. But they are among

 

  the gentlest creatures I've ever encountered. 10

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  They're even vegetarians. The razor-sharp blades on their ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows are for stripping bark off trees. That's what they eat. Bark.

  "Need help," Jara answered. "Toby say, 'Father, get human friends. Bring.'" I emerged into fully human form. "Why? What happened? What's wrong?" I demanded. Amazing how now my human heart was still beating way too fast from the adrenaline rush of sheer terror.

  Jara rocked back and forth on his big T. Rex feet. "Alien come valley."

  "The Yeerks? They found you?!" I cried. "Did they attack you? What's the situation?"

  Rachel wondered. to a four-year-old. Which was fine usually. But

 
  two years. He buys up a bunch of copies here,

  "Not Yeerks," Jara explained. "Arn. From the takes 'em home, makes a fortune.>

  old world. Arn . . . make . . . Hork-Bajir."

 

  Marco said.

  The whole group was in bird-of-prey morph. It was the fastest way to get to the Hork-Bajir valley. The night had passed. The sun had come up on a new day. A beautiful, cool Saturday morn12

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  ing. The deep green forest foothills below us, the the trees they depended on for food. They did towering cumulus above. It was almost hot in what came naturally. Did what the Arn designed the direct sunlight, cooler under the shadow of them to do.

  the Mount Everest-sized clouds.

  Then came the Yeerks.

  Rachel continued. ers when they saw the Hork-Bajir. They saw an

 

  took the peaceful creatures away from their Rachel wasn't being totally accurate. The home planet and began using them as killing maHork-Bajir were never slaves on their home chines, shock troops of the Yeerk Empire. planet. Not exactly. It's not like the Am made the There's a longer story there, but that's the Hork-Bajir wait on them hand and foot.

  short version.

  What we knew of all this came from Tobias,

  Towas a terrible cataclysm on the planet we call the bias said.

  planet was populated only by the Am. It shatTobias is the expert. Tobias is, or was, trapped tered the planet's crust and stripped away much in red-tailed hawk morph. He regained his ability of the atmosphere. The Am who survived needed to morph, but he's chosen to consider hawk as trees to provide oxygen. Lots of exceedingly large his true body.

  trees. They didn't feel like taking care of the trees Long story there, too.

  themselves. Solution? They used genetic engiI stretched open my wings and caught one of neering to design creatures of low intelligence those thermals. The warm air lifted up my osprey who ate tree bark: the Hork-Bajir.

  body.

  An elegantly simple solution for the Am who A couple of thermals later I spotted about were masters of genetic manipulation.

  twenty Hork-Bajir clustered together in the cenThe Hork-Bajir just lived their lives, utterly ter of the valley. Adults and kids. Seeing the kids unaware that the Arn even existed deep down in was especially cool. They were the first Horkthe impossibly steep valleys. They took care of Bajir in generations to be born into freedom. 14

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  We circled down from the clouds and landed, like diamonds lit from within. Their intensity dazone by one. All of us demorphed, except Tobias. zled me.

  Toby Hamee moved away from the group to

  I blinked a few times, and began to take in greet us. Toby is the daughter of Jara Hamee and more details of the Arn's appearance. He had Ket Halpak. She's what the Hork-Bajir call "diffour legs, two elongated arms, and a pair of short ferent." She's what the Am call a freak of nature. wings. He was about half as tall as Ax and his She is a seer. A Hork-Bajir whose intelligence skin was a vibrant emerald-green.

  matches that of the Arn themselves.

  I stared at the Arn. We'd gotten almost used

  "Thank you for coming. We felt the need of to seeing alien races: Hork-Bajir, Taxxons, Andayour advice." lites, Howlers. Almost. There was still something

  "No problemo," Marco said. "It was either unsettling about seeing something, someone who this or wash my dad's car."

  was so definitely not from around here.

  "The Am landed last evening in a small Yeerk And even by the standards of aliens, the ship. We nearly killed him, thinking he was a Arn was bizarre. He stood, surrounded by sevenController. He has some sort of plan in mind. We foot-tall nightmares, watched by a deceptively told him to wait so we could bring you to advise peaceful-looking Andalite, a hawk, and a gaggle us."

  of badly dressed kids.

  "We're flattered," Jake said, "but you don't And he was still the strangest being there. need us."

  And all the more strange to me because I could

  "I do need you," Toby said. "I especially need see, or felt I could see, a deep, unreachable sadyou," she added, looking at Ax. "If I understand ness behind those glittering, unhuman eyes. his goal, we could use an Andalite's opinion."

  "These are humans," the Arn said, nodding.

  "Let's see what he's got to say," Jake said.

  "Yes. I spent a day waiting in orbit, learning your We followed Toby over to the Hork-Bajir. They languages. You have many interesting languages moved closer together to make room for us in the but your biology is not at all remarkable, I'm circle.

  afraid. Two arms, two legs, a most unstable platThe Arn stood in the center. The first thing I form. And entirely lacking in physical innovation: noticed about him was his eyes. They glittered simple bilateral symmetry for the most part." 16

  17

  "Yeah, nice to meet you, too," Rachel said.

  "What are you up to, what do you want?"

  "I am Arn."

  Tobias said.

  If the glittery-eyed creature was shocked at being addressed by a bird he didn't show it.

  "I am Quafijinivon," he said. "The species you claim to know is no more. And I am the last of the Arn.

 

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