the ocean

[instar]

Five pigeons, one with a beetle glued to her foot, fly to Seattle and find the aquarium and the orca tanks.

There is one with just one orca in it.

Five pigeons land on the glass edge of the tank.

Comments

[aeskhyne]

<Elfangor. I liked him.>

[morphbox]

The shark still does not do body language; but it slows down, for a moment.

<No one could kill Elfangor. He is the greatest - the best warrior - Visser Three killed my brother?>

[morphbox]

<He was your brother?> asks Bella. <I'm sorry. He was mortally wounded; he had time to give us morphing and tell us a few things and then Visser Three - killed him.> She pauses just short of specificity.

<Poor Elfangor,> sighs Andi.

[aeskhyne]

<I'm sorry too,> says Trouble. <I really did like him.>

[morphbox]

<He died fighting,> Bella adds. <And giving us information so we could fight too.>

[morphbox]

Ax is silent for a moment, then says, <My brother was a great warrior. Beloved by his cousins and feared by his enemies. I do not understand why he gave you the ability to morph - it is never done - but it seems like he has.>

[aeskhyne]

<I'm pretty sure he was out of other options,> says Trouble. <Why's it never done?>

[morphbox]

<It... Andalites do not share technology.>

[morphbox]

<Except when they do, apparently?> says Andi.

[aeskhyne]

<Huh,> says Trouble.

[morphbox]

<Well,> says Bella, <Elfangor morphboxed us all, and we kept the box and added Charlie since then.>

[morphbox]

<How do you ensure that someone you wish to "add" is not a Controller?> asks Ax suspiciously.

[morphbox]

<In Charlie's case? Cornered him till we saw the Yeerk leave,> says Bella. <We knew he was one, and knew we could trust him once we fixed that.>

<I'm Bella and Andi's father,> Charlie clarifies.

[morphbox]

<Oh.>

[aeskhyne]

Trouble... is silent.

[morphbox]

There is the shore. The Swan family beaches itself and demorphs.

[pandion]

"Oh - Aximili - can you understand English?" Andi asks when she's almost done, pitch-black hair sprouting from her head and assuming its usual color like a bizarre salon product commercial.

[morphbox]

<I have a translation implant. It has this language already,> says Ax, demorphing and wading out of the water onto the beach. He shakes his hooves once he's out of the surf and standing all four on sand.

[instar]

"I don't suppose there are a bunch more of those in a box in your Dome that we could go and get?" asks Bella.

[morphbox]

<They're surgically installed, and that isn't done aboard ship.>

[aeskhyne]

Trouble and Robin and Ethan beach and demorph.

"So hey," says Trouble, "is there a limit on the number of morphs you can acquire?"

[morphbox]

<...What? No. There is not.>

[instar]

"Fuck yes."

[sundayfish]

"Bella."

[instar]

"I stand by my profanity. Unlimited morphs."