Howler (Animorphs)
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Howlers are the alien shock-wave troops of the nearly-omnipotent Crayak, from the fictional book series Animorphs.
Howlers are vicious creatures with cracked black skin that looks like hardened lava; beneath the black, in the cracks and creases of the flesh, are bright, red lines. Humanoid in appearance, they have a sort of metal bearing half-way up their torsos which allows them to turn their upper body all the way around and keep the sharp, Wolverine-like claws on the backs of their hands in the fight. Their eyes are large and expressionless, although quite remarkable because of their unique ability to see through the bodies of their prey, making major organs visible and vulnerable. Their worst weapon, by far, is their howl. It targets mainly intelligent, complex brains, but the sheer force of the cry alone can destroy any creature who hears it for a long enough period of time. Howlers are also extremely hard to kill and very talented at combat; a single Howler once fought all of the Animorphs to stalemate. Howlers also regenerate very fast, so causing them permanent physical damage is very difficult.
Being the tools of Crayak, this race's sole purpose is to travel through the universe and destroy peaceful civilizations. But while Howlers may seem brutal in their killings, a point is made that they are not a race of purely-evil beings (a philosophical point of K. A. Applegate's), for they are in fact unaware of the severity of their actions; they seem to be unaware that the people they are killing are actually real, sentient beings capable to feeling emotions or pain. The Howler mind is, in fact, similar to the dolphin mind in its playfulness.
Howlers are not born — they are manufactured — and after three Earth years of childhood, they die. A collective memory among the species leads the childlike Howlers to believe they are playing a game, a game that cannot be lost — for, while defeat has indeed taken place in the race's history, Crayak has put forth an effort not to allow those memories of defeat to poison the collective pool.
The Howlers are mentioned in the tenth book in the Animorphs series, The Android, when the Chee Erek explains that it was the Howlers who destroyed the ancient Pemalite race. The creatures are first featured in book twenty-six, The Attack, when Crayak and the Ellimist have a contest between seven of the species and the Animorphs, plus Erek King. In the fight, the Animorphs manage to download their own memories into a Howler---this caused the Howler to realize that humans and other species are, in fact, sentient beings with feelings and emotions. Crayak quickly destroyed the infected Howlers, to keep this information from reaching the collective memory. However, one memory winded up being transmitted---a memory of Cassie and Jake kissing. The Ellimist informs the Animorphs that this, in effect, destroys the Howlers as a threat, as a memory of love makes them useless to Crayak. For Jake's role in this, Crayak holds him in particular animus, and has worked harder to destroy him than the other Animorphs.
The Howlers are known to have wiped out several species, including the Nostnavay, Gaffron's Children and most notably, the Pemalites. They can, in effect, be seen as the opposite of the Pemalites---who were created by the Ellimist to spread life---though both species, interestingly, are known for being playful and happy.
