Distant Dreams 6 By: Olivia Narrator: Zizih Nuttypeanutbuddy@aol.com I sat at the plastic table my family always sat at in the food court, but the Animorphs were busy and let us go with twenty dollars made of green paper. Aximili was up in line with Estril, waiting to get delicious cinnamon buns and Chinese food. I sat quietly, watching many people walk around in different clothing and stopping to look in stores. I felt my second child move and contort inside of me. I shuddered and softly groaned, hating the thought of Visser’s son’s progeny actually alive inside of my body. A man stood out in front of Target in a black suit, holding a wooden rectangle with paper held on by a metal clamp. I felt like he, making me uncomfortable and fidgety, was watching me. He saw me staring and walked over to my table. " Hello, ma'am! I'm taking a survey and I wanted to know if you'd like to do one, and there's a great prize for- " Aximili walked over with more than ten cinnamon buns, his eyes wide and smiling. May I add there was no spicy chicken on the tray that he sat down in front of us, making me slightly glare up at him. He ignored my face, but noticed the man and straightened up, trying to stop himself from looking like a fool with half a cinnamon bun in his gullet. The man reached out his hand, smiling at Aximili, waiting for him to shake it. Aximili just stared. The man's face fell in sadness and put the wooden plank and metal clamp down on the table. “I’m Jack, I’m taking a survey, and I’d like to know if you’d like to take the one for couples. A great prize is in store for people like you! " He smiled and Aximili glance at me with a confused look on his face. I shrugged and agreed. Jack placed a piece of paper in front of Aximili and I from the wooden plank. " Okay, just fill in the bubbles and return it to me." I did not hear a word he said as we sped through the questions, Estril peaked over our shoulders, devouring a cinnamon bun nosily. Aximli gave his back to Jack as I finished up. I turned my in, Jack smiling, grinning even at Aximili's score. " Wonderful! You qualify, and the pretty young lady does to! You are today’s..." He stopped as Aximili shoved two cinnamon buns in his mouth, icing coated on his face and hair as Estril began to laugh loudly. Jack cleared his throat and turned to me, trying not to laugh at Aximili. " You are today’s winners! Your prize is one free marriage plan! " Aximili stopped and looked up slowly to Jack, myself confused of what marriage was. Estril also stared. " What? Already married?" Aximili slowly shook his head. " No, I am... surprised that you would be offering that sort of services for just a short and easy test. " Jack handed us a paper, showing us the phone number to call in less than ten days to say we were interested and walked away, leaving us completely confused and dazed. Aximili did not eat anything, either did Estril. I asked for a box and sighed. " Aximili, what was he talking about married and marriage?" Aximili sighed also, staring down at the cinnamon buns on his plate. " It is a courtship of love. They join a male and a female with a simple band of metal and shiny rocks. " I smiled at the sound of it. Estril shook her head looking down at the circle of golden metal with what she called a diamond on top from when she was to be married with Raphael. The box was delivered to our table and I loaded the buns into the container, demorphed behind the mall, and morphed birds home, my talons holding the heavy box. Aximili told Jake about the test's prize when he contacted his prince and Jake called for a meeting. Jake's eyes widened. " Oh my God! What a prize! Hey Cassie! Wanna go to the mall? " Cassie smiled and laughed. " You wish." Jake frowned, but insisted that Aximili and I do it if it was free. Aximili nodded, not fighting with his prince and looking slightly depressed. He gave Jake the paper and Cassie led him into the house. Marco started to laugh and ask Rachel if she wanted to get to the mall. Rachel glared as Marco walked over to her, holding his arm out as if to take her hand with his lips puckered. Rachel lifted her leg and her foot landed where his legs connect to his body. I believe this was painful to him as he bent over, held himself, and sat on a hay bale across the room, groaning and cursing. Jake walked out, followed by Cassie. " Well, the new church is open, and that's where it's happenin'! " The Animorphs cheered, I wrapped an arm around Aximili's upper waist, his face sad. I lowered my voice to a whisper, making sure only Aximili heard me. < What is the matter? You should be happy for us. > However, his face still was sad. Rachel and Jake flew with us to the mall to look for clothes to wear for our marriage. We had everything done except clothing. Rachel walked up to the counter to talk to the man behind the counter as I looked at all the beautiful white dresses hanging by metal hooks on the walls. Rachel patted my back. " Pick one you like and tell me. I'll be over there. " I quickly picked a favorite dress, covered in beautiful shiny beads. Rachel smiled. " Sure! We'll get that tailored to fit you and we can be ready by Friday. " The man typed in the code for the dress and measured me with a long yellow string covered in numbers. He sighed as he measured my belly. " That might be a problem." He explained that he never had a customer that was expecting a child so soon. Rachel nodded, saying her cousin could do a better job, walking out in rage. I stepped out with her, thanking the man. We met with Aximili and Jake in another store, Jake and Aximili trying to get a suit on without fighting and ripping the clothing. Short yelps and calls came from the room, making Rachel and I giggle. “ God, Ax, suck in your gut! I am not paying extra for a extra large. “ Jake stepped out and pulled Aximili out, making Aximili spin around and show us the suit. I was a calming black that matched his curly hair with a red bow at the neck, the bow almost as red as Aximili’s face. I smiled, but Aximili did not smile back. He constantly dug at his neck, trying to loosen the tight bow, a miserable look on his face. Jake shoved him in the stall, taking the suit off with the same cries and wails as last time, getting the original yellow shirt and black jeans he wore back on his body. I sat on the bench outside the suit store, sighing with Rachel by my side. Rachel cleared her throat, her right thumb lightly tapping rhythmically on the armrest. " So, when is the kid gonna be here? " I sighed, not wanting to find out the truth. " I am guessing soon, knowing about three years have pasted." Rachel nodded, getting up and joining Jake and Aximili. I stood beside Aximili, holding his hand, but his hand stayed limp in mine. I slightly glared at him. " Why cannot you be happy? Nothing will change, we shall still be together." He nodded. " I know, but I have a bad feeling about this marriage. Something will go wrong, I can tell. " I frowned and cuddled closer to him, Aximili still ignoring my affection. I forgot about it, letting my hand drop and stepping away from him. Rachel's cousin did make me a beautiful white dress, many beautiful beads that were colored as spilled oil strung on by white string. Rachel invited me over to her home to try it on the day the marriage was to be. It fit perfectly, the middle wide enough without too much pressure to make me uncomfortable, but just enough to make breathing a struggle. Rachel's mother laughed as I fooled with the beads. " Oh, my Zizih! You look good enough to be a king's wife! But I wish we could hide her belly. " I smiled, but hurt inside that Aximili was not going to be happy. Rachel's mother drove to the large beautiful church. Aximili stood outside, waiting for me as he dug at his throat and his cheeks increasingly red. I stepped out, and his eyes widened as he smiled. " You look wonderful. " Rachel stepped out in a beautiful dress, a shining green as Aximili's eyes. I looked up to the tall brick church, a large cross on top of the building. I now knew what Aximili was talking about. Nervousness quickly flooded me, a deep sinking feeling inside my chest as my child squirmed. We walked in, hearing low toned music for us. I peeked in the door and saw more than twenty people, making me even more nervous. I stepped back from the door and snuggled next to Aximili. " I am not feeling well." Aximili looked down and smiled, his face turning a bright crimson. “ I am also nervous. “ He rubbed his hand up and down my back, making me feel better, but I started to feel even worse, my stomach churning and my pulse racing. A man's head poked out of the doors, looking so familiar with brown hair streaming down into his light blue eyes. " Excuse me, but it is time for you to walk in the door's, bride. " Jake stood beside me smiling, holding his arm out for me to take. I took his offer and walked through the door. Flashing lights blinded me as I walked up the stairs, tripping once and standing in front of the man with the brown hair and pleasant eyes. Aximili walked through the door and quickly walked down the isle. He stood beside me, his face set in a sad frown, looking around the room as if something will kill us any second. The man said something from a book, boring everyone. Rachel's mother wiped her eyes with a tissue and choked back a sob. I was not listening to the man, but noticing the time on our morphing limit. Only one hour stood between me and becoming a nothlit. Probably no time until my child would be ready to come into the world. I sighed and stared into Aximili's eyes, wondering what he was thinking. I was feeling too nervous to do anything as the courtship finished up. The man cleared his throat and I looked surprised as he said to kiss Aximili. I turned to him to ask Aximili what kiss meant and his lips quickly met mine and pulled away. The group clapped and cheered. Aximili blushed deeply and looked away. We walked down the isle, my eyes still wide, and quickly got in Rachel's car. Aximili turned to me. " I am sorry." I smiled and laughed, Aximili glaring at me. " It is alright. I did not pay attention, you just surprised me." I turned his head and kissed him back as I should have back at the church. Aximili was surprised also as I felt his lips tighten, his heart going crazy. However, I refused to let him go so easily. Rachel drove us to a small hotel as she called it for an after party, complaining about the lipstick smeared on Aximili’s lips and chin. She heatedly wiped it off before we trampled out of the red convertible Aximili seemed to dazed to care as we demorphed and remorphed in the bathrooms and made our way to the big room filled with all the people that were in the neighborhood. Five tan tables stood before us covered in fancy tan cloth, all filled with people, one with the Animorphs sitting with two empty chairs for us. We quickly raced to the table. " Hey, hey, hey! Wait up, new couple! Come one down for a dance or two!" The male behind a small booth called out to Aximili and I over a loud speaker on a small table covered in electronic equipment. Jake and Rachel grabbed both of us and drug us onto the linoleum part of the gray-carpeted floor. Jake wrapped Aximili's hands around my waist, Rachel wrapping mine around Aximili's neck and shoulders. Jake and Rachel whispered that we just stood here and swayed while the music played. I felt sick as my child contorted even harder, embarrassed at the most as the horrible music played over the speakers. My stomach flip-flopped as I stared into Aximili’s green eyes that were now dull with nervousness. Aximili's face was nothing but red with embarrassment as he chewed his lower lip. < This is absurd. Yet somehow pleasant. > I looked down to his small dark lips, surprised that he spoke in thought speak. I weakly laughed, nodded, and laid my head on his chest, listening to his heart. The pain was sudden, making me want to demorph and have my child in front of mere humans, but I fought the urge. I doubled over in pain and screamed loudly, Aximili trying to hold me up, asking what was wrong. The humans started to gasp, talking quietly. Jake and the others stood up, ready to come to my rescue. Cassie raced over, helping me get to the door. Cassie grabbed my hand as I howled. " Zizh, we need to-" Someone screamed, then other cries followed. " Monster!" I saw Jake turn to the table and a surprised look crossed his face. The humans screamed and ran for the door, the Controllers pausing, but not wanting to make their family suspicious, ran out the door, fake screaming. < I knew something Andaltie related was in the marriage! > I looked up, ignoring my pain that was replaced with astonishment and saw the abomination. His deformed body was going from human to Andalite. He laughed, enjoying seeing everyone cower under his threatening gaze. < I see you are surprised, Andalite, and I am surprised that you took up the offer of the marriage. Especially so close to your own mate’s due date! How irresponsible. > Aximili demorphed, destroying his suit to mere shreds as his tail blasted forward to cut the loose chest part of the suit. < Be quiet, monster! Leave my family alone! > Visser laughed and started to morph. His fur became purple and eight long tentacles shot from his fattening body, growing suction cups the size of baseballs. His eyes went blank, his stalk eyes sucking nosily back into his disgusting skull, then became a deep red, his mouth filled with dreaded fangs the length of five daggers put together and just as thick. He was a shifting blob of purple gooey mass. Cassie shuddered, remembering the last time she faced this creature. The windows broke and Hork-Bajir jumped in, stepping beside their master. Aximili held my human body close, the others morphed battle animals quickly. Visser pushed the tables toward us for the beginning of the war. Cassie's wolf was blown back along with Jake and Estril. Aximili quickly sliced the tables in half that flew to us, myself just wailing loudly from fear and agonizing pain. Jake, Cassie, and Tobias quickly started to destroy the Hork-Bajir one by one. < Zizih! Catch! > I heard Marco call to me and threw a Dracon Beam at me. The beam landed at my feet, and I quickly bent over and grasped the handle. I wasted time just trying to bend over, my thick pulsating belly in the way, but I finally got before my legs could give out. I aimed at Visser, Aximili cutting his tentacles fiercely. Visser saw me and launched three tentacles at Aximili. < Ahhh! > Aximili cried out as Visser wrapped a tentacle around his belly, his tail tied against his back, letting the red poison leak from his suction cups. I aimed the beam at Visser's head, my hand shaking as the pain inside me increased. I wrapped an arm around my wide belly and softly groaned, but kept the weapon leveled as my hand shook, making the beam waver in the air. < Ah,ah,ah Andalite! Kill me and you kill your new husband! > I stopped, not wanting to hurt Aximili. < SHOOT HIM, ZIZIH! > I looked Aximili in the face, Aximili glaring and bucking as he heatedly tried to lop the tentacles off, but they just grew back with more and more poison littering the carpet. I closed my eyes and shot. I heard Visser cry out, and my eyes shot up. His monster was moaning loudly, Aximili stood in front of Visser, facing me with a surprised look plastered on his beautiful face. I ran to him, more of a hobbling stagger than a run. Visser demorphed as wrapped my arms around Aximili's upper waist. He just stood there, staring into space. " Aximili?" I looked up into his face. He froze, just standing there. I shook him lightly and his upper body fell on me. I screamed and backed away, seeing the black blue blood pool form around him from the two-foot hole in his belly. He fell on his side, his eyes wide with not surprise, but dreaded fear. I was shaking, from fear and pain. Now I do not have Aximili, our promise to be together forever has been broken, a mere lie now. I felt human tears fall from me eyes as I started to sob. I felt the cold blade of an Andalite tail. < Aw, tears for your loved one. Maybe you should join him in his journey to the beyond! > I will let him kill me, I decided, but he stopped, his tail still raised at my throat but he did not fall over as if he was dead. The room was deadly silent, nothing to be heard but the sound of my pounding heart. My eyes widened, knowing who was coming. I looked around the room. " Go away! Do not help me, I will die with Aximili! " The man laughed as he stepped out of the shadows, the room frozen in time and space. " Yes, you will die with Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, but not now. You both need to live for the sake of the Earth, for the sake of the Andalite race. Your family will grow, and you will need Aximili in the future for… well, I will let you enjoy that moment. " I stepped away from Visser's blade and ran to Aximili's body. " Stay away! " The Ellimist smiled and Aximili's body shifted and stood. A spasm raced through his body as the blood on the floor disappeared and reappeared inside his belly. His eyes blinked, alive as he was minutes ago. I called out his name and wrapped my arms around his upper waist, the silence filled with my loud sounds of sobbing. < Zizih? Oh, my Zizih. > His hand ran up and down my back, letting his head lay on mine. < Are you all right? We need to get you- > He stopped and stood tall as his gaze rested on the Ellimist. < Why are you here? > I explained to him that he died and the Ellimist brought him back. Aximili's eye stalks swerved back and stared at his belly. < Thank you, Ellimist. > The Ellimist smiled and nodded. " I will push you back to when you were dancing. Stay away from Visser's human morph, and get Zizih away from the fight quickly to Cassie's barn. " I started to feel sleepy, and I passed out with Aximili by my side. < This is absurd. Yet somehow pleasant. > I looked up in his face, surprised that he spoke in thought speak. We were waiting for my child. I braced myself for the pain. I quickly doubled over with a short yelp, Aximili holding me up. The talking and gasping began, then the human yelled for everyone to notice Visser and ran as the Hork-Bajir stomped through the windows. Aximili demorphed and helped he get on his back, trying to get away from Visser. < Ah,ah,ah Andalite! Trying to run away with your new bride? Sorry, but the party just stared! > Visser launched a tentacle our way and picked me up by both of my wrists. I cried out in pain us I looked down at the floor about five feet below me. < How about we make this a little harder for your lover? > Visser slowly waddled his way to the windows, holding me out the window with the ground twenty stories away. I had one solution. I started to demorph. my tail ripping out of the back of my dress. Lavender fur poking out from my arms and legs. Finally, I was fully Andalite in the middle of the day hanging out by my two small wrists of a twenty-story window. The tentacle started to hang low, my wrists slipping. < What?! > Another tentacle shot out and held my back legs and tail. He smeared the poison on my belly and legs. The poison quickly got to my skin, my skin instantly bleeding as my child contracted. I cried out for Aximili, bucking and screaming. < AHHH! AXIMILI! > I heard the clopping of his hooves in the building, his blade slicing through soft tentacle with a soft swish. I started to morph bird, my arms and legs shrinking into my body, making Visser drop me. I heard him cry out and curse in surprise as his tentacles felt around the building wall. < MORPH! > I yelled at myself, my fur growing into feathers, the ground shooting up at me quickly. I was less than two feet away from the ground as I opened my wings and flew away. I flew back to the window, wanting to help Aximili, but the Ellimist said to stay away from Visser and get to Cassie's barn. < Forget the Ellimist, Zizih! > I told myself as I zoomed in. Aximili was coated in the red substance, breathing hard and softly moaning in agony. I quickly dive-bombed the abomination in my crow morph. He cursed and tried to grab me, but I clawed his red eyes. < Zizih, listen to me! Get to Cassie's barn and ask her father for help. I will be there as soon as I can! Go! > I did not listen to Aximili as I dive bombed Visser and made him blind. I turned to the Animorphs, flaring my wings and landing on the back of a chair. < Everyone go bird and get out of here! > Cassie's wolf eyes focused on my black-feathered body. < Zizih! Get out of here! You can't hold that kid forever! > She was right. My pain was intense, my child putting forth effort to make me miserable even in an egg. I was glad that the earth bird did not give live birth. I needed to get to the barn and rest before the time came. < No, Cassie! We need to get out of here! > Tobias answered for me, flying skillfully and dive-bombing Hork-Bajir. < We all need to get out of here! More Hork-Bajir coming in through the window about thirty miles away...Twenty-seven! GET OUT OF HERE! > The others and Aximili started to morph bird, my bird body trying to keep Visser away from my family. He cursed and groaned as I dive-bombed his ugly head, making it impossible for him to see me and the others that were demorphing and remorphing to bird. Soon, the Animorphs flew out of the hotel and to their homes, leaving my family and Cassie to get to the woods and to her barn. I was exhausted, totally beat as Marco called it as Cassie demorphed outside behind her home and carried my crow body inside. She was extremely quiet for a human, her bare feet quiet on the dirt floor of the barn. She snuggled my body close to her and tried to sneak inside without her father noticing the crow that was an Andalite expecting the birth of her second child any minute now. But her attempts failed as her father stepped into the barn right after she had began to lay me inside the stall " Hey, Cassie, what'd ya find? And why are you trying to put something that small in a stall? " Cassie stuttered as her father took my weak body from the warmth of Cassie’s flawless hands to her father’s wrinkled and calloused palms. " Aw, poor bird. Where'd ya find it?" He checked me over, rubbing my wings and my body as Cassie stuttered again. I fluttered weakly and cawed softly like most of the birds I had seen Cassie handle. " Whoa, what do we have here? An egg? Poor momma bird!" I gasped mentally as he ran his rough hand over my bloated exposed belly. < Argh! Stop, please! > I fluttered my wings and tried to wriggle out of his grasp. He jumped and looked at Cassie with a confused look on his face. " Is this Ax or something? You playing a joke on me? When did he start sounding like a girl? " Cassie sighed and explained the situation. Cassie's father petted my head, making me slightly feel better. Cassie finished the conversation with " Her name is Zizih." Cassie's father held my bird body at eye level to look him in the face, his weary brown eyes focusing into mine. " Is this true?" I let my bird head hang low, then I ruffled my black feathers in his hands. < Yes, sir. > Cassie's father sighed and told me to demorph, then spoke quietly to Cassie. He let me lie in the quiet stall, soft quivers of nervousness and fear running up and down my spine. I softly sighed, listening to Cassie and her father clatter objects together. I paced the stall slowly and awaited the birth of my second child. *** I groaned again, pacing the stall. My brand new child slept on the floor in the corner on a comfortable black blanket filled with down feathers, his fur still slightly wet and his eyestalks limp. I waited for Aximili, my body throbbing from my sore muscles. Cassie sat on the blanket with my child, carefully petting his arm with a small rag. “ What’s his name? “ I did not look up from the ground nor did I speak as I turned and walked to the other wall. Cassie stood up and patted my shoulder. “ Zizih, calm down! Ax’ll be here. He loves you more than anything, but he could be late. Estril would literally hate Ax for the rest of her life if she let him just sit around while her brand new brother was having his first moments on earth. God, that was a mouthful! I’m sounding like Jake when he’s making a speech. “ She acted like she had a large hat atop her head, pulling on the front of her dark blue jacket as she cleared her throat. “ Four scores and seventeen years ago… Oh god, now I sound like my history teacher! What has puberty done to me?! “ I pulled the hair on my right hand nervously, pulling away from Cassie with another moan as my body tightened in pain. < But what are they doing?! If they are not here in the next minute, I will- > I heard a soft ruffle of cloth and feathers. I swung my eyestalks to my child quickly. He stepped off the blanket slowly, his hour-old legs still getting used to the gravity of earth. He stumbled forward into my arms, his main eyes slowly staring up into my stressful face. His eyes were a bloody red, making me want to cry out loud and run the other way. I smiled down at him and embraced him tightly, my body responding in a muscle spasm. I let him go, Cassie smiling at both of us as she sighed heavenly. I heard a soft knock on the stall door, Cassie’s father poking his head in with a wide grin. “ Ax and Estril are about to die out here. Can I let them in before they demolish the barn and the people with it? “ Cassie laughed and nodded. Cassie’s father stepped away from the doorframe before being ran over by Aximili and my daughter as they pushed through the door. Aximili smiled widely and gripped me tightly, Estril watching her brother with wide eyes. < I am so sorry. I fell asleep and time got away from me. Estril had to wake me up. > Estril pulled away from her trance and swung her eyestalks to her parents. < Yes, it was like trying to wake the dead with earplugs. > We all laughed. I did not care if he had to run half way around earth. I tucked my head deep within his fur that was warm with sleep. He smelt of cinnamon and the wonderful scent of sleep, making my spine tingle with pleasure. And his hearts, oh, his hearts! Cassie stepped out off the room. Aximili pushed me back and laid his hand on my cheek in an Andalite kiss. < Are you feeling better? You are going to scare me until I am off the face of the earth, are you not? Is that your goal? > I nodded with a playful smile on both of our faces and looked down at the child that stood beside me, Estril smiling down at him and talking slowly. < Hi, brother. > I softly laughed, then Estril turned to me, her eyes glittering wildly. < What is his name, Mother? > I looked up into Aximili’s emerald eyes. < He still needs a name, Aximili. > Aximili turned his eyestalks back to his youngest child, staring at him for a long time until the child glared and cocked his tail high, Estril taking a step back in surprise. < Ruiroep Bikklid Ymotana. > I sighed, but smiled at the same time as Ruiroep hid behind me as Aximili took a playful step towards him, Estril also standing behind me with a soft giggle, her father then turning the other way and making her squeal as she ran to the right away from Aximili, Ruiroep following. What a family. The End