The Bridge Left Burning

[Jabonicus]

1900 Hours
Shili
​

Over three weeks. It had been over three weeks since Asheek first felt horrendously compelled to return to Shili. She had not known for what, but the sense of her gut weighing her down had grown too much for her to ignore. Requesting for some of her trusted friends to join her, she embarked off the way she had first left. Public transport. A Togrutan returning to Shili through transport ships was not uncommon, and would be glanced over by any suspicious eyes.

The hard, stone like feeling in her gut did not cease as she first stepped off that shuttle. If anything, when her bare feet touched the grassy ground, it increased, all but immobilizing her. Her face felt sour, and she felt as if she wanted to leave once more, without finding the source of her invisible anguish. Walking past many of the street vendors, and renting a taxi, she begun her journey to the outskirts of the larger populations.

It took quite a few hours, but by using series of traveling systems, Asheek stood at the edge of a smaller town. Tall red and white grass stood in front of her, the last pathway between her and the place of her birth, and the tribe she had left. It felt like a lifetime ago, even though it had only been a number of years. Taking a deep breath, Asheek began moving into the grass, a path she had memorized when she had first begun to stray from her tribal lifestyle.

Despite everything she told herself, she was not convinced that she was ready for whatever pulled her there.

 

[Ral]

When Asheek had come to Kai to ask him to return with her to her homeworld of Shili, the Jedi Master only had to think for a few moments before he answered that he would, rather emphatically, too. Joining the Togruta female on the transport which would effectively sneak the Jedi back to her homeworld, Kai did his best to look innocuous. Ditching his more traditional Jedi garb to look like something between a spacer and a bounty hunter, only with less weapons and armor.

The journey to Shili wasn't so bad considering the transportation they had taken. The meals were decent and the lodgings were fair for the price. When they finally arrived and the transport set down, Kai was welcomed with fields of rolling grass that came up to his chest, and a pleasant breeze blew across his face. Turning to face Asheek, though, Kai could see that she wanted more than anything to be there just by the almost disturbed look on her face, like she had just eaten something that she disagreed with.

As Kai accompanied the young woman through the towns and fields until the reached the edge of one of the smaller towns. Noticing the deep breath Asheek had taken, the dark-haired human glanced at her for a moment and tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Hey, whatever happens, I'm sure it'll be alright. I'm here with you, just remember that, Asheek." Kai did his best to sound comforting as he gave her a confident pat on her back before moving forward with her.

 

[Jabonicus]

She gave a fake, half-hearted smile in response to his comforting. She knew that Kai had her back, he always had. She just didn't believe that everything was alright. This feeling of... Dread? She had felt it before, a long time ago. But not to this extreme. It was a feeling of loss, a feeling of lines being severed, ones that should not be faulted. Walking forwards once more, she counted the steps until she entered the territory she grew up in. A perimeter set up so city or towns dwellers would know to stay out. Pikes and symbols hung on far-spaced poles, done by expert craftsmanship with primal tools.

She motioned for Kai to follow her, letting her voice leave her, at first sounding shaky, before becoming solid as she composed herself. "T-These are the limits. It was part of a deal with the city and town governments, we mark our land, they keep out." She clarified. Minutes passed, and Asheek began to worry. By now, they should have ran into someone, into something. A guard patrol, a domesticated animal guard, something. But no, nothing.

Kai would not really understand her anxiety at this point, she seemed shaky, but why would she? No doubt it was a large territory, surely it wouldn't be abnormal to miss a patrol?

But that was wrong. Asheek had entered and left this area countless times, entering town and leaving. Not once had she managed to leave or enter without running into a guard or domesticated guard animal. She changed her path slightly, turning just a tad to the left. The tall grass was almost hard to see over, and her montrals peaked over them, the white almost blending in with the rest of the grass. If she were to move too quickly, Kai would have a hard time keeping track of his red and white friend amongst the red and white grass.

That's when she saw it, the one thing she was anxious to find, the one thing she was desperate to have left untouched. Buildings lay before them in a clearing, with grass cut short enough to just hide their feet. The buildings were made of wood, built in simple designs to hold small families like individualized huts. This had been where Asheek was born, where she had grown, where she had left.

And it was all gone.

Most of the buildings were in a ruined state, collapsed in on themselves, knocked over, or just flat out strewn across the grass. The air was tinted with sickly, sweet smell. One that Asheek knew, one that she could not forget. The smell of decaying flesh. Whatever had happened here, it was at least a few days ago. Her hands went to her mouth, covering it as well as her nose. What had happened here? What had happened to her home?

 

[Ral]

Despite his attempt to comfort his friend, Kai could see that Asheek didn't really believe everything would be alright herself. Still, he gave her another friendly rub before they moved on. Through the Force, Kai could sense that Asheek was on edge, something that became much more apparent the closer they got to wherever they were supposed to go. As they came to a line of tribal-looking pikes, each one looking unique and exotic works of art. Turning to look at the Togruta as she explained that this was the boundary between her homeland and the cities of Shili. She seemed hesitant in her explanation, like she wasn't sure if that was still true or if they would find something she didn't want to see on the other side. "Well, it certainly has a sort of exotic and primal beauty to it, but I guess that could be said for everything from here," he looked at the female and gave her a playful wink.

They continued on and Kai could sense Asheek's growing unease as they progressed. Though he had no idea why she felt so uneasy, all he could do was make guesses at this point, but he noticed how steadily her unease grew with each passing step. As they walked through the almost oddly quiet fields of tall grass, a quiet Kai practically missed for he was too worried about Asheek at the moment to focus on much else, the dark-haired master got a cold chill that ran down his spine.

Kai did his best to keep up with Asheek as they moved steadily through the grassy plains, often using the Force to find her when she sped up a little too much, but thankfully it wasn't too hard because Asheek remembered to slow down for him. It didn't take long as they moved quietly through the tall grass and towards her home. Following her out into a bit of an opening where wooden huts had been laid out and arranged in a small sort of village. Was this where Asheek had been born and raised or just a random collection of houses? But Kai knew better, he could feel the anxiety rolling off of Asheek like sweat on a humid day, she was almost panicked and Kai walked up to place a hand on her shoulder.

That's when the smell hit him, the smell of death. It was a smell he had, unfortunately, grown a bit more accustomed to in recent times with the war so he didn't immediately gag, but he could understand why she had covered her nose now. Looking at the huts they seemed to either have been abandoned a while ago, or had been torn down in a more recent conflict.

"Asheek," Kai whispered as he gripped her shoulder, "Calm yourself, remember your training. Together we'll find out what happened, I promise you."

 

[Jabonicus]

Asheek seemed to be in some sort of shock. It was no wonder, all that building stress, all that anxiety over the pass few weeks. And this, out of anything, this had been what she was ignoring. It was almost too much to take, but she had to. She couldn't just collapse to the ground in tears, she could do that later. Preferably on a soft bed or in a shower where her tears wouldn't be noticed. But not here, not while there was work to be done.

Walking forward, taking slow, cautious steps, she looked around slowly. Not a word slipped from her mouth, not a word. They passed by the nearest hut, one that was on the verge of collapsing, many holes and scratch marks across it. It was one of the sources of the putrid scent. Asheek couldn't bring herself to investigate further. If Kai could, he would find the corpse of a Togrutan, male, seemingly of older age. Four large gashes went across his chest, each one deep, tearing through his rips. From the level of decay, it seemed only a few days old.

There was no fire, no signs of a raid or something similar. Just death, just a massacre. Suddenly, Asheek froze, just a bit ahead of Kai. Suddenly, she ran forward, between a set of barely standing huts, vanishing from his sight. He could hear frantic talking, from multiple sources. It seemed they weren't alone. As he would no doubt follow her, he would find a very odd, if not sad scene.

Five togrutans, some old, some young, sat in a roofless hut. One was missing his lower left arm, another had one of her headtails heavily bandaged, a large section of it missing. The one missing his arm was obviously the eldest, his skin wrinkled, his back hunched. He was talking sternly to Asheek, a firm expression on his pained face. "-didn't know it was even here, young Rosh. None of the scouts saw it, and by the time we realized it... It was too late." It seemed that he was explaining what had happened to Asheek.

Then they noticed Kai, the tired, hungry, and hurt expressions turned to him, including the teary eyed face of Asheek. These were her people, she probably knew each of their names, if not their personalities. "...And you bring an outsider. Perfect." One of the younger males added, his voice in an accent with a strength rivaling Asheeks. His tone was mocking, distasteful, as if strangers or foreigners were frowned upon.

 

[Ral]

Kai followed the unnerved and apprehensive Togruta female through the wrecked remains of her home town. The Jedi Master could see that internally Asheek seemed to be beating herself for waiting so long to return here, for ignoring those feelings she had been having, to dismiss them because she was busy or simply didn't want to return home yet, and now here she was. Too late, it seemed, to do anything important like save her village. The guilt must have been wracking her as they started walking through the ruins.

As they started walking into and through the town, they passed many ruined houses, looking inside a few of them, Kai could see the horrors of the aftermath of some desperate struggle. The house with the slain Togruta male was saddening to Kai, then death mask of his face burning into his retinas. His body was starting to decay; flies had gotten to it and began laying their spawn, and the putrid smell of rotting corpses filled his nose telling him this was not recent, but not so long that the body had begun to bloat.

Continuing to follow Asheek deeper into the village, Kai shook his head sadly. It was the same image, the same story repeated again and again no matter where they looked. Finally, Asheek stopped suddenly and Kai nearly ran into her backside. Without a word she took off, leaving the human man standing there momentarily confused. Not one to stand around and wait for too long, Kai tool off at a sprint to follow Asheek. He followed her to a pair of barely standing huts where some Togruta were talking to each other. Walking in and overhearing the conversation, Kai looked around at the faces. Kai's eyes flashed with a burning flame for a moment as he glared at the young Togruta who seemed to have an attitude. Looking to Asheek he asked, "Are you okay?" He approached slowly playing a hand on her arm. "Can you tell me what happened here?"

Looking to the rest of the Togruta present he added, "I'm Asheek's friend. I found her and brought her to the Jedi... I'm just hear to help. My name is Kai, Kai Sera."

 

[Jabonicus]

The Togrutans didn't look happy about Kai's arrival, that, or they simply weren't in a good mood. It seemed a bit hard to tell at this point. Either option seemed likely, or it could be both. Asheek turned to Kai, wiping away the tears that accumulated in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, so her voice wouldn't shake, she attempted to repeat what she was told. "An... Akul attacked. Destroyed the village. No one saw it coming, only ten people survived. The others went to hunt it, for revenge. That was days ago. They didn't come back."

The eldest, holding his stump for an arm close to his chest, slowly stood, his feet shakey. "I'm... Sorry, Jedi. We've never been on good terms with outsiders, but we remember the stories, though many we scrutinize." He claimed, taking a few steps towards them. As he approached, there was something awe inspiring about him. This man was old, seemingly ancient. He was tired, wounded, yet he stood with a pride that Kai had seen before.

"I will not lie, we are in bad shape. But I will not beg for help. If you came with young Rosh, then I suspect I know what you will do." His misty eyes turned to Asheek, an untelling grimace going across his face. "Asheek, I wish to speak with your friend in private, please." Asheek seemed confused by his words, but she did not take long to leave the hut, going out into the open, catching her breath that she did not she was holding.

Turning once more to Kai, the old togrutan sighed. The others seemed to have a reverence for him. Despite some not agreeing with his acceptance of the situation, none of them spoke out, none of them challenged him. "Jedi, I do not know how long you have known Asheek. But by now you've seen that she has determination. But it can get to her head, and I'm afraid, today, it will. She wants to hunt down that Akul, Jedi. She wants revenge. We all do. But you need to protect her, keep her from going too far. I've seen many people like her in my days, and if you aren't careful... You won't be leaving with the same woman that you arrived with."

 

[Ral]

Ignoring the many harsh or otherwise indifferent glares cast his way, Kai stepped up to where Asheek was standing and wiping away her tears. Listening to her accented voice as she slowly managed to repeat the information that was relayed to her with her voice quivering from the fear and adrenaline that was no doubt coursing through her veins. When she finished, Kai didn't really know what to say or do before the village elder began speaking to them as he stood. Turning to face the old, wrinkled Togruta, Kai listened attentively to the words that were being spoken. When the ancient alien had finished speaking, the Jedi Master seemed to pause as he considered what had been said and what it exactly meant. Finally, after a minute of complete, but thoughtful, silence he spoke quietly looking to where Asheek had wandered out into the open.

"I have known Asheek for sometime now, or at least it feels that way to me. I know she can be quite hard-headed and tenacious, but there's a heart of a Jedi underneath it all. I can't blame her for wanting revenge, but if I'm here I believe it is because the Force wanted me here to help Asheek work through this. I believe you when you tell me if I'm not careful something will happen to her. I care for Asheek, I just hope I can get through to her and prevent her from making a decision she'll regret, one which will change her for the worse. Thank you for your wisdom elder, I do not feel I can get her to give up this quest of hers, but perhaps I'll be able to focus her, get her to remember her training." Kai shrugged as he bowed to the elder. "If there is something I can do for you or the rest please ask. I live to serve."

Nodding one last time, Kai joined Asheek out in the open. Opening his arms up he wrapped the red-skinned Togruta in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry Asheek. This must be a hard pill to swallow. I know you want to go out looking for what did this, but you need to remember your training. Jedi do not seek revenge, if that's the reason why you need to meditate and clear your mind..." Kai had an idea as to a compromise, but he wanted to see what Asheek would say first.

 

[Jabonicus]

The elder simply nodded to Kai has he left, sitting back down on his original spot.

In the short time that Asheek had been alone outside, she had been trying to make up her mind of what to do. As she saw Kai approaching, she made up her mind, now, she was angry, she had to be, she had to go out, she had to take.... Then Kai hugged her, embracing her, and her thoughts fell apart, and she began to sob in his arms. She hadn't planned for this, she didn't want this, she didn't want any of this. Yet here she was, in the ruins of her home. She wanted to push him away, to get angry, to do... Something besides sit here. But she couldn't.

"N-No! We n-need to go a-a..." She couldn't even complete her sentence. She didn't know why, every time in the past, when something came up, she could always push through it. But here? She couldn't. Not alone. As much as she hated to admit it... She needed help. Asheek continued to sob into Kai's arms.

 

[Ral]

"Shush," Kai muttered in a whisper when Asheek attempted her protests. He could feel her sorrow, her anger, her desire for revenge, the need to get out and do something through the Force. Being a friend with someone for that long tended to make them a bit easier to read through the Force. He could understand and sympathize with her, but he knew he couldn't let her do this on her own, or let her follow her own dark desires. So he held her. Kai held her tightly in his arms, even as she started to sob and fall apart. Even when she tried to insist that they needed to leave, he simply shook his head and held her tighter, more compassionately.

After several minutes, Kai took her red hand, and led her out of the ruined village into an area of tall grass where they could be alone together. Just the pair of them without worrying about one of her people seeing them. Sitting down, Kai pulled on her hand so she'd join him. It was an insistent pull coupled with a determined look on his face. "Sit," was all he said in a commanding tone that spoke more of the Master he was than the friend at that moment. Once she had joined him he would take a deep breath and position himself across from her, taking both of her red hands in his. "Talk to me Asheek, I know you're angry and want revenge, but what does the Jedi code tell us to do? Think and meditate, don't act impulsively. The akul won't be going anywhere we can't go, I promise you that. For now talk to me. Get it all out."

 

[Jabonicus]

She followed him with no resistance, allowing him to lead her out into the grass. She sat down with him, and it took a few minutes for her to calm enough to stop crying. After her sobbing had ceased, she took several minutes, taking deep breaths and closing her eyes, trying to contain herself and calm down. After a while, she finally looked up to reply to Kai's inquiries. "...I know, Kai. I can't do it for revenge. But we need to hunt it down anyway, if it isn't dealt with, it will come back, and it will hurt more people."

The clouds had been slowly gathering over them, at it was at this time that a soft drizzle began to fall over them. The now weighted grass swayed gently in what little wind there was, giving a soft mist from the rains impact against it. "...I remember a few spots, places we marked for where Akul's might stay. Their sleeping habits bring them to caves, so that's where we need to check first." Her voice was beginning to clear, but still had a bit of a stutter from her crying. As she stood up, she turned to Kai, a grim, yet serious look in her eye. "Kai, when we're done here... I'm going to stay for a little while. Make sure things go a bit smoother for them. I can't just leave them... But, I will come back."

 

[Ral]

Sitting on the soft earth, Kai waited patiently for Asheek to give a response. He didn't press her as he could see his red-skinned friend was just taking the time she needed to collect herself before speaking. After many minutes passed, after she had stopped crying and she collected herself, she did speak, her voice still wavering from the sobbing she had just been doing minutes earlier. Smiling, Kai held on firmly to her hands. When she was done he nodded. "I'm not saying we shouldn't. In fact I think it would be incredibly selfish and unbecoming of Jedi if we didn't do anything. So we will stop it, but for the right reasons; to prevent this from happening to anyone else. Not for revenge. Never for revenge."

As the rain started to pour, Kai simply smiled as he enjoyed the feeling it brought him. He whispered, "I love the rain." As the rain fell and the tall grass began to sway he looked back to Asheek who was still sitting across from him as she began to speak of going to where the acul might be so they could kill it. Nodding in agreement, he let her finish, noting that her voice had become more confident. He hummed when she finished. "Alright... I believe you will... do you know how long you'll stay for? I... I could stay here with you, to help, and learn. I feel it would be just as negligent for me to leave here when I could help you and help your village." Taking he breath he added, "But only if you remember your training and don't strike this thing down out of revenge. That's my only rule."

 

[Jabonicus]

Beginning to walk, she kept a slow pace, stepping through the tall, colorful grass with a redefined purpose. She did not go fast, if anything, she was making Kai go slower than normal, trying to keep her emotions from controlling how she acted. "I'm not sure how long I'll stay. It depends on how bad things really are. We might just have to guide them into another allied tribe, if they're the only ones left." She replied, thinking of what to do. Though she knew several of the hunters who had left to hunt the Akul, she knew how dangerous the Akul could be. They were viscous creatures, capable of turning the tables on even the most capable hunter.

She knew this very well, after all, her father was one of the best hunters in the village, up until the day he-

... She wasn't going to dwell on that. It's not like it could possibly be the same Akul... Right?

Well, there was only one way to find out, and she wasn't going to tell Kai, at least not until it was over. She just had to look for a certain marking. A missing left eye, and a long-healed gash across its ear, next to one of the skulls weak points. The chance was small, but Asheek just couldn't assume it wasn't the same one. It had left the area before any of the hunters had defeated it. They had never told it what it looked like, she was much too young to be involved at the time. But that didn't keep her from snooping. She picked up a few details, and she had killed an Akul once before. She would know, if it truly was.

Over an hour passed, and the rain just got heavier, something that Asheek didn't seem to mind. The way the rain and moisture rolled over her shoulders, in the darkened field, it would have made it harder to keep track of the camouflaged huntress, if she was moving beyond her slow pace. After the hour had passed, the grass began to thin out, as the ground became rockier, and a few stone structures began to appear before them. Small boulders or stones jutting out. They were close, Asheek knew this much.

Before them stood several caves, some with small entrances, others with larger, gaping entrances, that seemed to go on forever into the rocky structures. "Should be in here, one of these, anyway." She observed, her voice solemn, trying to hold her emotions down.

 

[Ral]

Humming, the master nodded, "That sounds fine to me," Kai remarked, pausing for a moment before continuing on, "What you're doing is noble, and honorable, I can't deny that, Asheek, these are your people and you're showing them compassion. I hope you find something that will work, and if I can help in any way I will." He gave her a smile as the continued on, thankful that the young woman was walking with him at a slow clip so he wouldn't lose her. After a few moments, he felt something odd coming from Asheek, like she was feeling a pang of grief or thinking of a sour memory. He was curious, but she didn't say anything, so he though he would ask her later.

They continued walking as the rain fell, pelting the clothes the young Jedi was wearing and making him thoroughly soaked. As he looked to Asheek, Kai wondered how she felt about the rain. She typically wore less clothing than he did, and would probably be more soaked than he was unless she had one of her pelts to cover every part of her. Finally, they came to an area where the tall grass gave way to a rockier, open area. As they drew close to one of the small boulders, Kai started to wonder what this place was. Looking to his red-skinned friend as she neared a large, dark, open cave entrance, Kai took in Asheek's words. "One of these?" he asked, curiously, "Are they all interconnected, or are they separate caves?" Kai was genuinely curious as it might affect some of the things he ends up doing and planning.

Moving towards the nearest entrance, Kai took out his silver-bladed lightsaber and looked to Asheek, "Are you with me as a Jedi, Asheek? Will you remember to control your emotions, no matter what we find in there? I... I don't want to lose you to your own anger. I care about you too much to let you fall to revenge." It was an honest remark, completely sincere. Kai did care about Asheek, just like he cared about a great deal many other people. She was one of the first people he met that he brought into the Order, so she naturally meant a great deal to him, regardless of how he felt about her aside from that.

Entering the cave, Kai stretched out with his feelings, using the Force to sense what was around him, to see if he could pick up on any life signs that way. Pulling out a handheld light, he illuminated the way in front of him. Turning back to Asheek he asked, "So, what's the best way to kill an Akul?"

 

[Jabonicus]

Asheek thought for a moment, she had never deeply explored the caves, but she knew them well enough. "Most of them are interconnected. Some of the connections are tight squeezes though, and... Be careful, keep track of where you go. There are a lot of branching paths in there, and some are hard to get back through." She replied, stepping into the tunnels, lightsaber pike in hand. As his question came, she found that she wasn't ready for it, she stopped just within the entrance, taking a deep breath, composing herself before she dared to reply. "I'm with you Kai." Was her response. Simple, and, for the moment at least, true.

As she walked forward, her footsteps began to do something odd, something only she would notice. They began to echo, ringing out silently as she could seemingly feel what was around her, how the ground sloped, how it bended in almost unnatural ways. Echolocation, as most called it, a gift bestowed by the large structures upon her head, her montrails. As much as she appreciated the light Kai was making, she didn't really need it, not at the moment, anyway.

"To kill one? It's very difficult, but not impossible. I've done it before." She replied. She didn't quite explain that she had killed a younger, weaker Akul. "Six legs, long body, hard to get underneath. Not much point in doing it anyway, their entire hide is thick, takes a lot to break the skin. Its biggest weakpoint is a soft spot in its skull, between its eyes. About an inch wide. Issue is that getting that close to its head is very risky. What we usually do is trap it, bind its six legs in some form of contraption meant to not let go, then pin its head before piercing its brain. But if it is down here... We might not have that luxury." She went on to say.

"And pain... Pain isn't going to stop it. What's the word you use for it.... They're... Adrenaline junkies. Pain, if anything, makes them stronger. One of the reasons why immobilizing traps are the easiest way to kill them." She thought for a moment, following the larger openings in the cave as they appeared, opting to stay out of the innumerable, small gaps that led into inky blackness. "...We could cause a collapse, possibly. find some weak structure in here, lead the Akul to it. Better yet, if we can lure it out... We can topple one of the exterior structures or.." She sighed, glancing back at Kai, a look of desperation in her eye. "...I'll be honest Kai, I don't know how we're going to kill it."

As she thought about it, a thought came to her head, one that was absolutely absurd. "But... There is an ability I've been practicing, to some degree. Animal allegiance, or... Whatever its called. I've done it with small animals, rodents and such but... With an Akul? I don't think I can figure out its mind.... It's worth a shot though... Right?"

 

[Ral]

Nodding at Asheek as she answered him about the tunnels, Kai hummed an affirmation back at her. "Then we best not get lost then, eh?" He chuckled slightly. Kai was rather surprised when she stopped to take a deep breath before facing him and telling him she was with him. The master felt the sincerity in her words, and he nodded back at the Togruta apprentice again. "Well, I'm glad to hear you say that, Asheek."

As they walked, Kai listened to her describe how an Akul was incredibly hard to kill, it gave him some pause. It reminded him of the Terentatek he fought. No doubt they would have to work together as a team to defeat it. Once she moved on to how pain often made the Akul stronger, more dangerous, Kai wondered if they could use the Force on it. Stopping and grabbing Asheek's arm when she told him she honestly didn't know how they would defeat it, he gave her a encouraging smile. "You're starting to think like a Jedi, my dear Asheek. The Force will guide us through this. You have a good idea to try and use the Force to calm it down and make it friendly. If that doesn't fail though, we will need a more aggressive option. We can use the Force to bring down part of the cave on top of it, alternatively, we could try and choke it. Akul's still need to breathe, yes? Well, I'm sure that we will think of something when the moment strikes. Just remember, put your faith in the Force..."

Releasing her arm after he gave her another pat, Kai walked with her down the cave, feeling whatever he could feel through the Force. After a few minutes he thought he detected something coming from in front of him, but way off in the imperceptible black. "You feel that, Asheek?"

 

[Jabonicus]

Whether it was intentional or not, as Kai showed his pride in her for her thoughts, her heart fluttered, her intentions reaffirmed and her courage soured. She had forgotten just how much Kai's words could do. Her headtails flashed in color for a brief moment, the dark blue rapidly shifting between a dark and light color, before settling on a shade just slightly lighter than what they were. Kai would recognize it, a Togrutan blush. Kai had managed to get quite a few out of Asheek in the past, but she hoped that, for the first few times at least, he hadn't realized what it was.

With a rekindled determination, Asheek nodded, moving deeper into the caves, her hand tight around her lightsaber pike. They were deep underground, and it wouldn't take much to disorient the pair on where they were headed. That was, until, Kai had spoke up. Asheek frowned, pushing her own mind forward, sensing for-

...

She recoiled, not physically of course, but her mind pushed back to where it was.

There was a kind of culture shock, where one would find a way of thinking so obtuse, so foreign to them that it could shock them, and that was exactly what Asheek felt. She had felt how the Akul formed its thoughts, she had felt how it made decisions. It was not simple find resources, it was a type of thinking she was horrified to meld her mind with. It was the way of life the Akul lived, to destroy threats before they arose, to kill, or to be killed.

She frowned, her courage wavering as she was tempted to push her mind out again, to find out just how distant the creature was. But as she tried, fear compelled her, no, forced her to repel from the creatures thoughts. "Yeah... I feel it." She responded, her voice uncertain, lacking the determination that was present just a few minutes ago. She ignited her lightsaber, the two bright, yellow blades piercing the darkness with a brightness that the walls had never experienced. "...I'm afraid, Kai."

 

[Ral]

Even in the darkness, Kai could see the blush as her lekku changed colors thanks to the light he was carrying. It wasn't the first one he had seen from her, and given that he had spent more time with Togruta lately, he was starting to pick up on the signs It caused him to smile a little, but he didn't say anything. If he could feel her slight embarrassment she could probably sense his giddiness through the Force. Walking on, Kai felt that Asheek was more confident after what he said, and was happy to have helped her. After a little bit, he noticed something from Asheek, she had sensed something he was sure.

Glancing to her when she told him that she felt the presence with a voice that either spoke of uncertainty or worry, the Jedi Master began to worry a little himself, not about himself but for Asheek. Something must have happened, he thought as she activated the blades of her lightsaber. When she confessed that she was afraid. Looking to her, Kai didn't hesitate. Placing a hand on the back of her neck at the base of her lekku, he drew close making sure they didn't get skewered by her blades. Leaning in he gave her a kiss, acting on the positive emotions they had felt and shared earlier. "You'll be fine, I believe in you. Do you trust me?" He whispered looking into her bright eyes.

 

[Jabonicus]

There was a lot of things she was expecting. A pat on the back, a reassuring word or two, possibly even a hug. There wasn't a single part of her that expected for him to kiss her. As he did, the tense feelings of fear that had enveloped her nearly vanished, replaced, once more, with a level a determination. It felt as if her heart was skipping beats, and she gave him a small grin in response to his question. "Of course I trust you."

Her heart still feeling as if it were skipping beats, she strode into the darkness once more, right as the cave opened up into a large, oval shaped area. Several natural pillared filled the area, and it was quite obvious that the Akul resided here. Many tunnels, going up, down, and in twisting chasms existed along the floor, walls, and ceiling. Her breathing slowing, her lightsaber pike still ready, she searched for a sign, of where it was, of what it was doing. And then she heard it, right as Kai stood next to her.

The breath of the beast, reverberating throughout the cave, a deep, guttural sound pushed from muscular lungs. It stood in front of them, and Asheek pushed her lightsaber pike forwards, and found exactly what it was doing. It was facing them, rows of teeth glistening in the unnatural light, its orange fur dull in the darkness, four glinting spots above its maw, of what they could only assume to be teeth. For the moment, the beast did not move, it simply stared, large and imposing, it's four legs hunched close to the ground, yet it still towered over them.

"Kai, I'm going to try it." Asheek said, the waving tone in her voice just barely present. Pushing the small button on her lightsaber, the two blades hissing as they vanished. This seemed to be enough to set the beast off, as it sprung in a fashion similar to a large cat. Its paw rotated, claws ejecting a frightening distance from their sheath, before they swiped upwards, catching Asheek in her belly. The dim light made it hard to see just how badly she had been hurt, but she held her pike steady, and it caught the momentum before the swipe damaged her further, sending her hurtling into one of the natural stone pillars.

 

[Ral]

"Good, it's important to me that you do, I want you to know that you can always trust me and know I'll be with you when you ask me to," Kai stated, smiling happily at Asheek before letting her go of her. Activating his own lightsaber, its silver light reflecting off the cave walls and mixing with the yellow light of Asheek's blade. Holding it up he looked at Asheek and stepped forward with her, "Let's see what's ahead of us then."

Moving deeper into the cave, Kai heard the beast's heavy heaving breath as it stirred. As the beast came into view Kai began gathering up the Force as he readied himself for whatever intense fight surely awaited them. Taking a deep breath, he looked to his friend and partner as she told him that she was going to give it a shot. Nodding he waited, only to feel a twinge of alarm as she deactivated her lightsaber. He was about to call out to her when he saw the Akul move and slam a clawed paw into Asheek's midsection. Cringing, he shouted her name. With what power had already gathered he threw the beast back into the far end of the cave, buying him time to check on his dear friend.

As he rushed up to her he examined her wound to see how bad it was. If it was bad he would have to get her out of there. He couldn't risk Asheek dying while he fought the beast, if it wasn't bad he would fight the beast. In either case, Kai would turn about to gather up what Force power he could muster and direct it at the large Akul, either to buy him some time to gather up Asheek and make a break for it, or to start the opening stages of his counter attack. He knew he had to keep it away from Asheek, but just by himself that might be a bit more difficult than he imagined. Clenching his jaw, Kai waited for the beast to attack again so he could pin its legs to the ground with the Force, or failing that risk a cave-in by dropping part of the ceiling on it.