Animorphs: A New Beginning

[Chad32]

((It's been previously agreed that Hu will use the Drought, and save Kelran. However, Hu will go later than the rest.))

"I know, right?" Emily said as Nichole talked about not wanting to touch a bug. She also agreed with Nichole that Cody and Hu should stay. Yarin got Nicho,e a morph, and they left.

Now Cody and Hu were alone in Yarin's ship. Silence filled the room.

((I'll let you guys decide if they take the cloak or not. Hu will convince Cody that they need to go help Kelran, and they'll find a way in.

[Cloak]

((Alrighty, then.))

Hu remained within the ship, but he wasn't a happy cat.  An nagging voice kept telling him, You're a dirty coward.  Allowing others to face dangers while you wile your time in safety.  Coward!

"Cody, I can't take this anymore.  We've got to go." Hu said, breaking the silence from the room, fastening his cloak fast.  It had been about two earth hours since the others left.  Hu was riddled with guilty feelings of cowardice and the fact that cold metallic surfaces of yarin's ship made him uncomfortable.  "We cannot stay here!  At least, I cannot."

((Hu will take the cloak with him, but will have to discard it when he -- changes.))

[Chad32]

"Yeah. They're taking too long. Let's go."

Using the cloak, they managed to get into the pool. Once there, they began searching for Kelran and Hu's satchel.

[Cloak]

It took about an hour, but Kelran nor Bened, who Hu was sure was still in possession of the satchel, were seen.  But then luckily, Hu saw Bened overlooking the viscous fluid of liquefied filth that he was told was the Yeerk Pool.  He was watching humans and other such creatures being dragged to the pool.  Gaining a Yeerk.

He was holding the satchel rather tightly. And he was smiling.

[Kelran-Isthinar]

The roar of the impacting rounds of particle cannon were dronwed out by the scream and sonic thud of the cruisers that had just delivered them.  The great ships, while graceful, were hardly designed for subtlety inside a planets atmosphere, but then again Gryphons were seldom subtle in battle.
Milling around the cruisers by the thousands were fighters both theirs and the enemy, the sky was lit up like noon despite the fact that it was evening. The stray weapons blasts and falling debris cut huge irregular swaths into the ground, a danger to all troops from both sides.

If there were thousands of fighters, there were millions of troops.
Kelran was one of the few still flying just below the morasse of weapons fire from the ships, he spotted a target, dived, took of his head in a slash, targeted with his disruptor, and fired just in time to kill four more.
He swung back with the butt of the pistol and cracked open another Kelbrid's head, then brought his sword down into another.
Pivoting he slammed his wings into more of the scum, breaking every single bone in their bodies with the force of the impact.

He was in it very very deep now. Turning he ripped the throagt out of one of the scaly creatures with his beak, slashed another to ribbons with his back talons, and took aim at another group.
The blood, sweat, and screams.. the whine of hyper-impulse engines, the searing heat of nearby cannon impacts...

Then his brother was there. As always. to pull him out..

This time it was Kressillet's turn to break the memory...
<yes you loved your brother.. very much>
Was that a note of.. fear? that Kelran detcted in his voice?
<Oh yes, that was quite the battle eh? Aside from the fact that you died, your's pales in comparison. I know I risk showing you some things inadvertently, but now do you see why I do not fear the so called might of the Yeerks? in comparison to our own enemy who we have defeated time and again, your weapons are childs toys, your troops are fools and children themselves, your leaders are lumps of black clay with no tactical skill, and your military prowess is laughable at best.>
..........Silence.. ..
<but you are alone.. but one single Gryphon. You are all mine...>
<oh. I dont think so. not yet.>

[Chad32]

"We have to isolate Bened. If we could knock him out somehow, I may be able to aquire and morph him. He's likely stronger than a Hork-Bajir, and we'll need brawn to drag Kelran out." Cody said.

[traycon3]

<Ok, so what's our plan of action?> Nichole asked. She was still a bit grossed out by the fact that she was a bug, but she was dealing with it.

[Chad32]

<We need to find Kelran without getting seen. Then we somehow bring him down without killing him, and take him out. Preferably without being seen on our way out. I guess it will be kind of like when we went after Bened that one time, except with possibly less fighting.> Emily said.

[Cloak]

"Cody, you're forgetting what happened when I tried to acquire the morphing magic," Hu whispered.  "Acquistion might be different, might have ths same consequences, or be reversed.  All I know is that morphing magic and Smilodites don't exactly mix."

Hu gazed at Bened intently.  "Besides, I have an idea."

Hu snuck up behind Bened, invisible.  Making sure not to get shoved or pushed or do anything to give himself away.  Tapped Bened on the shoulder opposite of the arm holding the satchel, he relaxed his grip just enough for Hu to snatch the satchel away, underneath the cloak.

Of course, this wasn't Hu's brightest idea.  Bened now knew something was going on.

[Chad32]

Cody saw Hu snatch the satchel. Bened began swiping the air viciously, but noo strike connected. He then sniffed around. Meanwhile, Cody hung in the shadows. Since his face had been seen, it wouldn't be good to show it in public anymore. Especially not the pool area.

[Cloak]

Hu checked his mental inventory of his satchel, and decided that the Disorientation Dust would do.  So he sprinkled minute amounts into Bened's face.  Bened's movements became more wild and frantic, and eventually he fell and held his head, as if to clear it.

[Kelran-Isthinar]

((*NUDGE*   ))

[Cloak]

((I was waiting for someone else to post, Kelran.  Can't double post, and all.  And I thought that the Gryphon Kelran was going to attack Hu or something. *looks at the others* You alive guys?))

Hu did not expect what happened next.  Bened roared, "Intruders!  Intruders in the complex!"

That caused a shift of frantic energy amongst the parasites.  Hu thought that he might take the possible attention away from the others.  He became visible again, and sneered, "Very clever, little brother.  Took you long enough."

[Chad32]

((Maybe they're all visiting their parents. I didn't want to post, for fear of doing again what we three did before. Even though that was plenty fun.))

In the frenzy, Cody grabeed someone and pulled them around the corner. He knocked the guy out and took his Dracon beam, then acquired him. He melded into the crowd that was forming, until he got close to Hu.

"We have an intruder. But we can't shoot him, because of the Gryphon's agreement!" Cody said loudly. Everyone kind of stepped back, and was unsure of what to do. They didn't want to anger the Visser, but they couldn't just let Hu stroll through the pool complex.

Subtely, he began demorphing everything but his head. He stood near Bened, and acted like he was trying to pick the guy up. What he was really doing was acquiring Bened. He just hoped trying to morph the guy wouldn't go wrong.

He then yelled at Hu to run, while keeping up the act of being on the other side.

[Cloak]

((Well, might have as well have something new for them to read.  It's been at least three days since . . . huh?  Hmmm, nah.  Couldn't be.))

Hu didn't like to run, and leave Cody there alone.  But he knew that Cody had nothing but his best interests at heart.  Hu was hesitant also, in part, because the look on Bened's face didn't indicate that he was going into the so-called "acquiring trance" that Hu noticed on the other animals that the others have acquired.