"Elfangor's luck ran out."
Yes. We must hope yours does not, Prince Jake.
"Don't call me Prince."
Yes, Prince Jake.
Ax and I fell silent, and just walked. Walked in silence, but... companionable silence. Good silence, not bad, tension-filled silence.
It gave me time to think.
Ax and I have a few things in common, I realized, listening to the steady clop-clop of his hooves. We're both fairly serious at times. Like to stay out of arguments.
We both lost a brother to the war.
My brother was my role model. Mr. Perfect. Good grades (usually), basketball team, generally a nice guy. We were friends. When his friends were over, he didn't send me out of the room. Sometimes I was allowed to hang out with them, listen to them talk about things like getting their driver's license, girls, sports, anything. And he was nice to my friends, he helped them if they needed it. Our cousin, Rachel, once said that if she was as good a big sister as Tom was a big brother, she'd be the best sister ever.
Of course, she was four, but whatever.
Ax's older brother was Prince Elfangor. Apparently, from the way Ax speaks of him (if ever. Ax isn't very talkative.) he was legendary. I met him once, and I thought he was a hero. Brave. We knew now that Elfangor had broken a major law by giving us the means to defend Earth. I think that's pretty brave.
"Hey, Ax-man, can I ask you a question?"
Of course, Ax said, turning one of his bright green eyes towards me. He has four, two of which are on movable stalks.
"You might not like it..." I said, hesitating a little. Ax wasn't usually eager to volunteer personal information. A few months, and I still barely knew the guy.
I will not know that until you ask.
"Yeah..." Might as well get it over with, huh? "Um, what was your brother like?"
Ax's eyes suddenly turned skyward. All four of them. Ax frequently admits to not understanding human facial expressions, and let me tell you, the reverse is true. I don't have a clue when it comes to Andalite facial expressions.
But I had a pretty good guess.
"Look, man, I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to offend, or anything, I was just a little curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want."
No, no. It is not that. Ax paused. Gathering his thoughts? With him, who knew? I sometimes... have... trouble... believing he is dead. That's all. He did one of those Andalite smiles, which just involve the eyes. But it wasn't a pleased or happy smile. A sad one. It is foolish, but I keep thinking that his fighter will suddenly come down from the sky, and take me home.
"That's not foolish," I said. "That's wishful thinking. I feel the same way."
This time, I was on the receiving end of a look from both stalk eyes. Do you?
"Yeah," I sighed. "I keep thinking (hoping, more like ) that my brother will come home, minus an alien slug in his head. And all will be right."
Yes, well, there is a chance that may happen, Ax said, not able to hide the bitterness in his unspoken voice. However slight.
I cringed a little. "Sorry, Ax-man."
He scuffed his hoof at the ground. Andalite-ese for impatience? Their version of a sigh? Wish I knew. I am also sorry, he said. I did not mean to be bitter towards you.
I grinned at him. I think it surprised him. "Ax-man, you have every right. If I was in your position, I would be very bitter. So would Rachel, Marco, probably even Tobias."
What of Cassie? he asked. I think I saw a slight smile playing in his eyes.
I shrugged. "I think she is beyond bitterness."
That would be nice, he remarked. To be beyond such trivial and unattractive emotions and feelings. To be...
"Enlightened?" I suggested. "Some people, some humans think there is a special path to enlightening. Only one, though, and anyone who does not follow it is eternally condemned."
Many of my people share the opinion, Ax replied. I used to believe so. But thinking about it... and reading some very interesting human books on such subjects... I wonder if perhaps that is incorrect.
"I think it's wrong," I said.
Yes, Ax said. But I do not recommend saying so.
"Why?"
From what I have read, humans who do not share this opinion could react violently. Pause. Andalites, too, perhaps. Another pause. And certainly Yeerks. He said 'Yeerks' so violently and quickly, that I think he wanted to get the word out of his head, as if it were the real thing.
"Yeah," I said. "My dad's family is Jewish, and Jewish people are always being hated or killed by someone because they believe differently."
Rachel's as well? He questioned.
"Yeah, her dad is my dad's brother. And our grandparents on that side are always telling us stories about it... Grandma sits us all down, me, Tom, Rachel, Sara, Jordan and our other cousins, Saddler, Brooke, Justin and Forrest, and they tell us about all the terrible things that were done to our family."
Ax nodded gravely. That, that I recognized. I guess he's picked up a few things from hanging around humans. My grandparents also will tell of times like that, he said. War stories and the like. I never liked listening to them, he admitted, but sometimes, now, I wish I had. Perhaps I'd feel better prepared.
I sighed. "I don't think anything could prepare you for war."
A wry smile, Andalite-style. My brother had a saying about that, he remarked.
I grinned at him. "Ax-man, I'm beginning to think your brother had a saying for everything! What was it?"
I do not know, he said. I just know he had one.
I laughed, and the Ax-man just smiled.
Yes. We must hope yours does not, Prince Jake.
"Don't call me Prince."
Yes, Prince Jake.
Ax and I fell silent, and just walked. Walked in silence, but... companionable silence. Good silence, not bad, tension-filled silence.
It gave me time to think.
Ax and I have a few things in common, I realized, listening to the steady clop-clop of his hooves. We're both fairly serious at times. Like to stay out of arguments.
We both lost a brother to the war.
My brother was my role model. Mr. Perfect. Good grades (usually), basketball team, generally a nice guy. We were friends. When his friends were over, he didn't send me out of the room. Sometimes I was allowed to hang out with them, listen to them talk about things like getting their driver's license, girls, sports, anything. And he was nice to my friends, he helped them if they needed it. Our cousin, Rachel, once said that if she was as good a big sister as Tom was a big brother, she'd be the best sister ever.
Of course, she was four, but whatever.
Ax's older brother was Prince Elfangor. Apparently, from the way Ax speaks of him (if ever. Ax isn't very talkative.) he was legendary. I met him once, and I thought he was a hero. Brave. We knew now that Elfangor had broken a major law by giving us the means to defend Earth. I think that's pretty brave.
"Hey, Ax-man, can I ask you a question?"
Of course, Ax said, turning one of his bright green eyes towards me. He has four, two of which are on movable stalks.
"You might not like it..." I said, hesitating a little. Ax wasn't usually eager to volunteer personal information. A few months, and I still barely knew the guy.
I will not know that until you ask.
"Yeah..." Might as well get it over with, huh? "Um, what was your brother like?"
Ax's eyes suddenly turned skyward. All four of them. Ax frequently admits to not understanding human facial expressions, and let me tell you, the reverse is true. I don't have a clue when it comes to Andalite facial expressions.
But I had a pretty good guess.
"Look, man, I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to offend, or anything, I was just a little curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want."
No, no. It is not that. Ax paused. Gathering his thoughts? With him, who knew? I sometimes... have... trouble... believing he is dead. That's all. He did one of those Andalite smiles, which just involve the eyes. But it wasn't a pleased or happy smile. A sad one. It is foolish, but I keep thinking that his fighter will suddenly come down from the sky, and take me home.
"That's not foolish," I said. "That's wishful thinking. I feel the same way."
This time, I was on the receiving end of a look from both stalk eyes. Do you?
"Yeah," I sighed. "I keep thinking (hoping, more like ) that my brother will come home, minus an alien slug in his head. And all will be right."
Yes, well, there is a chance that may happen, Ax said, not able to hide the bitterness in his unspoken voice. However slight.
I cringed a little. "Sorry, Ax-man."
He scuffed his hoof at the ground. Andalite-ese for impatience? Their version of a sigh? Wish I knew. I am also sorry, he said. I did not mean to be bitter towards you.
I grinned at him. I think it surprised him. "Ax-man, you have every right. If I was in your position, I would be very bitter. So would Rachel, Marco, probably even Tobias."
What of Cassie? he asked. I think I saw a slight smile playing in his eyes.
I shrugged. "I think she is beyond bitterness."
That would be nice, he remarked. To be beyond such trivial and unattractive emotions and feelings. To be...
"Enlightened?" I suggested. "Some people, some humans think there is a special path to enlightening. Only one, though, and anyone who does not follow it is eternally condemned."
Many of my people share the opinion, Ax replied. I used to believe so. But thinking about it... and reading some very interesting human books on such subjects... I wonder if perhaps that is incorrect.
"I think it's wrong," I said.
Yes, Ax said. But I do not recommend saying so.
"Why?"
From what I have read, humans who do not share this opinion could react violently. Pause. Andalites, too, perhaps. Another pause. And certainly Yeerks. He said 'Yeerks' so violently and quickly, that I think he wanted to get the word out of his head, as if it were the real thing.
"Yeah," I said. "My dad's family is Jewish, and Jewish people are always being hated or killed by someone because they believe differently."
Rachel's as well? He questioned.
"Yeah, her dad is my dad's brother. And our grandparents on that side are always telling us stories about it... Grandma sits us all down, me, Tom, Rachel, Sara, Jordan and our other cousins, Saddler, Brooke, Justin and Forrest, and they tell us about all the terrible things that were done to our family."
Ax nodded gravely. That, that I recognized. I guess he's picked up a few things from hanging around humans. My grandparents also will tell of times like that, he said. War stories and the like. I never liked listening to them, he admitted, but sometimes, now, I wish I had. Perhaps I'd feel better prepared.
I sighed. "I don't think anything could prepare you for war."
A wry smile, Andalite-style. My brother had a saying about that, he remarked.
I grinned at him. "Ax-man, I'm beginning to think your brother had a saying for everything! What was it?"
I do not know, he said. I just know he had one.
I laughed, and the Ax-man just smiled.