Animorphs Reborn #1 The Sanctuary (Sequel to Animorphs #54)

Animorphs Reborn #1 Chapter 6

The photo was of Jake and Cassie, back before we had to move out of our houses to protect ourselves from the Yeerks. They looked younger, more happy. I knew immediately why Jake had kept this photo, and hidden it. I didn't know how to tell him the photo was okay without letting him know that I had seen it.

I decided to just tell him.

At that moment, Menderash was looking through the hole in the side of our cabin. "It has done quite a bit of damage." He told me. He wasn't surprised at all that I was a duck, and he paid no attention to the photo on the floor.

Then I heard Jake's voice, "It has, but the hole that reached into our cabin was only small. All of our possessions are gone, but they couldn't have fit through that tiny hole. What happened?"

I was surprised to hear Santorelli reply, cutting off Menderash before he started explaining. "Because there was a breach, when we went into Zero-space anything that was not connected to the ship was left behind, to wander in space. Your cabin couldn't hold your possessions inside it while we traveled through it."

"Okay then. Menderash, when do you think you can have her fixed?" Jake asked.

"Well, we're going to need some alloys to replace the damaged part of the ship. And probably basic metal working tools. After we have those, it should only take a day or two to repair."

"We'll try figure something out." Jake said, then he addressed everyone, "Everybody, we need to try find a place to hide Rachel. Can you all morph birds of prey and meet back here in an hour and a half?"

"That's not such a good idea, Jake." Menderash said.

"Why?" he asked, and I could hear the confusion in his voice. But I had figured it out, that's what had forgotten before. I was jealous that Menderash had noticed, but I hadn't.

"Your entire morphing arsenal would appear alien to the creatures here, you wouldn't blend in at all. In fact you'd gain attention, and that would be a negative influence on our search."

"I never thought of that," Jake admitted. "Okay, stay close by, try find something to morph in the forest, but don't move out of sight of the ship. Tobias, stay under cover of the trees."

"Yes sir, Captain Jake." Santorelli and Jeanne said. Tobias just obeyed.

"Call me Jake, please, there's no time for formalities." Jake said. I was expecting that, he didn't want to feel like he was above us in any way, even if he was leading us.

<Jake?> I called out to him privately. I was still a duck.

"Yes?" he said. The others might still be able to hear him, but they couldn't hear me.

<I found your photo. It's still here. She's still here.> I told him, <Sorry. I know you didn't want anybody to find it, but I won't tell anybody.>

"Thanks, Marco." He sounded relieved, happier, even if it was just a little bit.

I started to demorph, I needed to pull my weight too, and help in finding something for us to morph.

After I regained my human parts, I left the ship, and started searching the forest.

The plants were unusual. Besides all the plants being brown, their leaves were shaped irregularly, and there was no symmetry. It was as if someone barfed all over the floor, and the leaves decided to use the shape of the splat on the ground for their leaves. And each leaf was different. The flowers were brown too, if they were what you would call flowers. They looked more like flower buds. The crevice that showed where the petals parted spiraled around the plant. It was actually pretty cool. The flower buds were the shape of a stretched ball, a weird kind of the three dimensional oval. And unlike the rest of the plants, the flowers looked as if they were made by living creatures. Their shape was so perfect. The lines forming the spiral around the flower were all parallel, not wavering even a little.

"It's so beautiful..." I murmured to myself.

"Yes, it is." Jeanne said.

I jumped. "Woah! I didn't see you there."

"I noticed." She smiled at me.

I was too stunned by beauty to bother with mimicing her this time. Beauty that was both hers and the flower's. I sighed instead.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter."

"That just means it does matter." she pointed out.

"It doesn't matter to you." I emphasised the 'you' to get my point across.

"I still want to know."

"Well," I was still deciding whether to actually tell her what was bothering me, when we were interrupted by Tobias.

<I found something!> he was excited.

I was too.