Ask Between Friends and Foes

[Senin Ravelo]

”No, I was distracted too.” he said, while looking at the woman who was still crying and screaming. She was holding a pale blue hat, while some members of the boat’s crew were trying to calm her down. “I was trying to understand what was happening and from where the Force presence was coming. But it was too fast.” the woman was still screaming in panic.

The Acolyte approached the woman, wanting to hear what she was saying. Between her screams, Senin could understand that her husband went to walk near the jungle border alone. After she heard the whistle, she went after him and only found the hat. It got weirder and weirder.

“It's the work of the Kuru’pir! He wants revenge!” one of the members of the crew said, he was obviously scared. The mention of this mythological creature sparked Senin’s interest. “Shut up! You are going to scare the tourists with your superstitions!” another crew member made the other stay in silence.

Senin was always fascinated by these mythological beings and their possible existence. He wondered if this creature could be behind these disappearances. He would be thinking in silence about it until the rescue boat arrived to bring them back to the city. While they boarded it, Senin turned to his friend. “Malou, would you like to investigate these disappearances with me? I think that there can be something big behind it.” if she refuses, he would not force her to join him, but he would go there alone.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Kuru'pir? Malou had never heard of whatever that was. Though, granted, she was on a planet that largely spoke a language she did not know. There were a lot of words she'd never heard of, but in that context, it sounded like a name.

And of course, Senin wanted to investigate. It wasn't so much that she didn't want to find out what it was, but she really didn't want to go trekking through a muddy forest filled with bugs and other things. But, since she didn't know what else they would do, the Mirlukan just shrugged and said, "Okay, sure." Anything would be better than waiting around to get rescued.

Malou surveyed the people around them, and when the ship personnel wasn't looking, grabbed Senin's wrist and used the Force to quickly slip into the forest. The last thing she wanted to deal with was explaining why they wanted to go chase after whatever that thing was.

"So, what is this 'Kuru'pir' thing?" Malou asked once they were out of earshot.

tag: @LouJoVi

 

[Senin Ravelo]

When he asked if she wanted to investigate these disappearances with him, the Acolyte had thought that they were going to return to the city and then enter the jungle from there. Senin didn’t expect that Malou would grab his wrist and jump inside it from there. Now he wondered how they would return to the city.

Senin never was someone superstitious, but when Malou pronounced the name of the Kuru’pir he noticed how some birds that had started to sing after the man disappeared, suddenly became silent. It was as if they respected this name. “It’s a creature of the Arandu Mythology. The Arandu were a near-human species that lived in G’wenee centuries ago.”

“According to the myths, this creature is a shapeshifter, being able to become any creature of the forest. But it always maintains three characteristics: white fur or skin, bright yellow eyes and a mark on its forehead.” while he talked, Senin started to have the sensation that they were being watched. “The Arandu believed that it was the Guardian of the Forest, with the power to create power illusions. It used its abilities to protect this place against the Darkness and from hunters who took more than they needed from the forest. Is said that with its eyes, the Kuru’pir can see all your secrets.”

“Everyone believes that it’s a myth, but there are rumors about it being real. One of these say that during the time of the Old Republic, a Jedi called Domiter Clamhos met this creature deep in the jungle. Allegedly, the Kuru’pir taught him several secrets.” by this point, Malou would have understood that there was the possibility that this creature was a Force user. “But no legend said that it would kidnap people.”

Before he could say anything else, Senin once again felt the Force presence from before. Soon, the high pitched whistle also sounded across the jungle, this time even louder. The Acolyte covered his ears with his hands. When it stopped, some bushes started to move and from behind it came a creature with white fur, bright yellow eyes and a mark on its forehead. Senin stared at it with wide eyes. Looking at the two Sith was the Kuru’pir, and it didn’t seem to be happy.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

So it was a creature of mythology. Malou knew pretty damn well that myths always had their start from a truth of sort. She wasn't sure how plausible a shapeshifter was, but if it was a manifestation of the Force in some way, she was sure it was at least possible. If it came about from a Jedi, she could be almost certain it had connections to the Force.

"Maybe its something else then-" Before Malou could finish, the cervidae-like creature appeared before them with narrowed eyes. She could not see its colors, so to her, it just looked like a large deer to her. Senin's expression mixed with the unmistakable aura of the Force surrounding it led her to believe otherwise. Her hand slowly dropped to her pocket and she wrapped her fingers around the concealed lightsaber inside. Malou would hold off on attacking for now, but if this thing was kidnapping people, it would not be wise to assume it was friendly.

tag: @LouJoVi

 

[Senin Ravelo]

Senin stared in disbelief at the creature in front of him. This could only be the Kuru’pir. Even if according to the legends it could change forms, the deer-like being had the three characteristics given to the Kuru’pir in all the myths. He could feel the Force surrounding the creature, it was strong and different from anything that he felt before.

On other occasions, he would have been ecstatic to discover that the Kuru’pir was real. One of the several mythological creatures was real! However, this creature could be responsible for the disappearance of several people. This wasn’t the moment for him to get distracted or he could end up being captured by it.

The creature remained for some minutes only staring at them and this made Senin think that perhaps the Kuru’pir would go away and leave him and Malou alone. At this moment, the Acolyte noticed that the Miralukan was slowly moving her hand toward her pocket, probably where her lightsaber was hidden. Unfortunately, the creature also noticed this movement and turned its head directly at the girl.

Before any of the two Sith could react, they would feel the Force spreading from the Kuru’pir and covering their surroundings. In Senin's opinion, it was a very oppressive feeling. Then as if listening to the creature’s orders, roots would come out of the ground and move toward the Acolyte and Malou. Like serpents, it would coil around their legs and arms, trying to immobilize them.

While Senin struggled to fight against the roots, he heard a voice that seemed to be speaking directly on his head. “How dare you enter this place? If it wasn’t enough for the hunters that were defiling this forest, now I feel the stench of the Darkness coming from you two!” was with great surprise that the Acolyte noticed that it was the Kuru’pir speaking. He wondered if Malou was wearing that too. “Tell me, are you the ones called the Sith, which friend Domiter talked about?”

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

The creature sent vines up her legs and spoke in her head. She understood its words, but they were layered over a thousand others she could only assume to be the same ones in other languages. It asked her why she had come here, and why there was the "stench of Darkness" coming from her. Malou's hand was fully on her lightsaber now, but she still held back for Senin's sake. Who knew if striking this thing down was even possible and if Senin would even want it.

"We're just looking for lost people," came Malou's reply. Her voice was convincing, imbued with false concern. Senin would know it was fake coming from her, but he would probably find it convincing. Even her body language changed. If the nobility were good at one thing, it was faking concern.

tag: @LouJoVi

 

[Senin Ravelo]

Senin remained in silence while the creature spoke, being more busy trying to free himself of the vines. This reminded him of the ability of some Jedi to control the plants. The G’weneen wondered if it was what the Kuru’pir taught Domiter. After the creature called this Jedi as a friend, confirming that the rumor about this meeting was true.

After Malou finished answering the creature, Senin heard an amused laugh. “Please, I can feel that you don’t care for these people. Those that follow the Darkness rarely care for others.” Kuru’pir had turned its eyes directly to the Miralukan. Even with her wearing a blindfold, she would feel as if the creature was looking directly at her eyes. “They aren’t lost. I took them as punishment for their crimes.”

“The people that I captured were part of a group of hunters that came here to kill the creatures of the forest.” Senin could notice how the creature seemed to be furious with this fact. “I took one by one in the same way that they killed innocent animals.” the Acolyte would see flashes of the hunters killing animals in very cruel ways. “Unfortunately, after I captured some of them, the others started to avoid the forest. When the animals told me that one of them was in a boat at the river, I asked for the assistance of a friend to force him to come to the forest.” he wondered who this friend was that the creature was talking about.

“Now only two remain. Even with your Darkness, you two did nothing against this place. I decided to let you go.” rather than feeling relieved by it, Senin suspected that there would be a condition for this. “However, if you still want to save those individuals, I’ll have no choice rather than leaving you two in this forest forever.”

“I don’t mind! You can have them!” Senin said as soon as the creature stopped talking. He really didn't care if these people were going to die. It’s their fault for pissing off the Kuru’pir. The G’weneen turned to Malou, waiting for her answer. Hopefully she would also agree with him.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Damn, okay. Malou listened without expression as the creature monologued its intentions, then finished by giving them the choice to go.

"Yeah, we'll just head out," Malou said plainly, very much aware of the rough vines holding her down. Malou also didn't care, especially if caring meant they had to throw hands (hooves?) with some weird Force creature hell-bent on revenge. More power to them, she figured.

The creature narrowed its eyes, then let them loose from the vines. "Then leave, now. Your rescue boat is arriving." Before it had a chance to change its mind, Malou took hold of Senin's wrist and drug him with her back in the direction they'd come from. They broke out into the river bank's clearing and rejoined the group as if they'd never left.

"Fuck that," Malou murmured as she lined up with the rest of the stranded boat-goers to get onto the rescue ship. "Let's go back."

tag: @LouJoVi
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