But at the same time, there was another truth: I had to destroy this technology. I had bro ken the law of Seerow's Kindness. I had given the humans a huge advance in technology!

"Ax, Rachel asked you a question," Prince Jake said tersely. "What is this? What's up with you?"

My duty was clear. I could not tell my human friends what I had done. I had to erase the damage.

40 But before I did that. . . would it be wrong to contact my family? Would it be so wrong to once again see them?

"I am not hiding anything," I lied. "Nothing at all." 41 Chapter Eight

They left, and I ate. I feed at dark whenever possible. It is not the way I would do it at home, but I must always be very careful not to be seen.

When I run in the open spaces it must either be dark, or Tobias must watch over me.

My friends tell me that from a distance I look like a normal Earth animal. A deer, or perhaps a small horse. But if any human saw me clearly, he would immediately know that I am not an Earth species.

So I eat at night, running wildly through the open grassy fields where Cassie's farm meets the edge of the forest. I run beneath a single moon, so different from the moons of my own world. The moon of Earth rises and sets. On some nights it cannot be seen at all. There are always at least two moons in our sky. And when all four moons are in the night sky, it is nearly as bright as day.

Home. Billions of miles away. Sometimes I hurt from thinking about my home. A warrior has to overcome that. But on nights when I stood alone in the forest, or ran alone in the fields, I couldn't help but think of home.

And now it was worse. So much worse, thinking that I could talk to them, if I really wanted to.

I could turn the humans' radio telescope into a Z-space communicator. But if I did, I would have broken our own law. I would have given the humans an advanced technology.

I couldn't do it. I wasn't Elfangor. I couldn't just decide to break the law of Seerow's Kindness.

And yet, in the back of my mind, there was another thought. I had already accidentally transferred the software to the humans. It was an accident, so I hadn't broken the rules. And if I went to the observatory to wipe out the software ... I would actually be doing the right thing.

I could go to the observatory and erase the software. But before I erased it, I could use it to call my home. Would that be wrong?

In my memory I saw myself with my father and mother. And Elfangor was there, too. He was alive in my memory.

I remember when I was very little and Elfan-gor, who was already a great warrior, came home on leave. I barely knew him. I'd seen his communications, but I'd never met him face-to-face. He had been away when I was born, off fighting the Yeerks.

But we went running together, just the two of us. Me all clumsy. Elfangor like some creature from an Andalite myth, so fast and so powerful.

It was kind of a shock to me. Until then, I guess I'd thought I was the most important person in the family. But it was hard to feel very important with Elfangor around.

He didn't say much to me. He didn't give me some "big brother" lecture. He was just himself.

He talked to me the same way he talked to my parents. He never treated me like a younger 42 Andalite, and that was great. After that, there was never any question in my mind what I wanted to be when I grew up: I wanted to be a warrior. I wanted to be like Elfangor.

And now he was gone. My parents might not even know. For sure they didn't know I was still alive.

I slowed my run. I was far across the fields. I could see the lights from Cassie's farm.

Foolish! I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I had grown careless.

I turned to head back toward the forest.

"You might as well hang around for a while," a voice said.

"Cassie?"

She loomed up from the darkness. How had I missed seeing her? I looked closer. Cassie began to change. She kept her own human face, but the ghostly gray-white mane of a horse.

And her legs ended in hooves, not human feet.

"You morphed a horse," I said.

As soon as she was fully human she responded. "I do that sometimes. I like running. But don't tell Jake. He'd be mad at me using morphing for personal things."

"I don't believe he would be angry," I said. "I am no expert on humans, but I believe Prince Jake has a special affection for you."

Cassie laughed quietly. "I doubt it. I'm just a friend. And a fellow Animorph."

"Then why do you sometimes hold hands and intertwine your fingers?"

"Oh . . .well, you weren't supposed to see that."

"Why not?"

"Um, it's kind of a long story," Cassie said. "Just forget it, okay? How is your study of humans going?"

"I have read the World Almanac."

"So, what do you think?"

"I think humans are interesting."

"Uh-huh. What do you really think?"

I hesitated. She seemed to want a more complete answer. But you can never be sure with humans. Often they become offended by small things.

"I think there is a second reason why the Yeerks wish to enslave your species," I said.

43 "Aside from being able to have a lot of human hosts? Why?"

"They're afraid of you."

"Afraid of us? Why?" She laughed. "Have you been reading all the stuff about wars? Humans aren't just about fighting wars. It may seem that way, but - "

"Every species fights wars," I said. "In the past, Andalites made war on other Andalites.

And the Hork-Bajir used to have a biological time clock that set them all warring every sixty-two years. As for the Taxxons . . . they are cannibals."

"Yeah, well, we humans haven't been exactly perfect."

"Every species has something to be ashamed of," I said. "Every species carries some terrible guilt."

She looked closely at me. I could almost see her wondering whether I meant Andalites as well. But she decided not to ask that question. Instead she asked another. "So if it isn't the wars that bother you, what is it?"

"You discovered radioactivity in 1896. In 1945 you exploded an atomic weapon. Forty- nine years. In 1903 you flew for the first time. Sixty-six years later, you landed on your moon."

"You really did read the World Almanac, didn't you?" Cassie said with a smile. "You're saying we do things quickly?"

"I'm saying that if the Yeerks don't destroy you now, they know that fifty years from now, humans will be capable of faster-than-light travel. And a hundred years from now . . . who knows?"

"How long did it take you Andalites to do those things?"

"I...I don't remember," I lied.

"I see," Cassie said. I believe her tone of voice is called "disappointed."

"I..."I hung my head. "I am bound by my oath as an Andalite warrior. We must never give Andalite technology to any other species, and we try not to, you know, talk about ourselves to other species." It sounded pathetic, even to me.

"Not even if it might help us beat the Yeerks? But isn't that what your brother did, when he gave us the power to morph?"

I could not think of an answer. It was true, of course. Elfangor had broken our laws.

"Did I say something wrong?" Cassie asked.

"I'm not Elfangor," I said finally. "I'm more like you. Just a young one. Elfangor was a great prince. My people might understand and forgive what Elfangor did, because he was an important person."