Force Combat

[Master Maverick]

OOC​

Rain pelted the light cloak of pale green a Togruta donned in the middle of a small clearing, a meadow almost, in the forests of Empress Teta just outside the Sage Halls. Not the best weather, clearly, but for this particular class Ashara couldn't have asked for anything more.

Deep meditation cleared the Sage's mind, allowing her to reach out quite a distance to sense her surroundings. The energy from the trees, the shrubs, the bushes, the grasses and flowers were intoxicating. The sentients in the Sage Halls, and when she touched the city some klicks away, were chaotic in comparison. At times they threatened to rip her from the serenity she found. She did not condemn this. Indeed, she hardly thought of it. It simply was, in her mind. There was nothing to think about.

It was here that she waited for the students that had signed up for this rather unique class, one that was long in coming. Quite a few had expressed interest and she was curious to see whether or not they would show up given the weather. They would be in for a lot worse, so it would only be for the better that they might not show up.

Or would it? It would be necessary to mold all Jedi into warriors in the defense of peace and freedom and all had to start somewhere.

Either way, there was no use in worrying over it. Whoever came would be who would be taught. No more and no less.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von walked through the forest, listening to the rain hit the leafy trees and cascade around her like little waterfalls. She loved the rain. It brought her peace.

After a while walking, she was sure that she'd gotten lost, but suddenly emerged from the wooded area into a small clearing. In the center of the meadow she saw a figure dressed in a greenish cloak. Gauging the sheer volume of Force energy swirling around this figure, Von guessed that this was the Jedi Master who would be teaching the class.

In all honesty, Von wasn't entirely sure why she volunteered for this class. It wasn't that she didn't need it, because Von's education in the more common forms of Force Combat were lacking at best. But that wasn't why she'd signed up. She just felt a strange inclination to do so.

Still, it would be polite to introduce herself.

"Hello, Master," Von announced calmly, "I'm Padawan Von Raythe."

 

[Maxx]

Ben emerged from the Sage Halls into the rain. He pulled his white cloak around him. Ben didn't mind the rain, it felt kind of soothing as some of it ran down his back and face. His hair dropped and some strands fell over his face. He headed for the forest where the class he would be apart of would take place. It was a kind of class Ben hadn't taken before, it being solely focused on using the Force in combat. Ben reached out with the Force, he could sense others emerging from the Halls for the same class. In the forest he sensed a force signature he had met before. That of Sage Master Ashara Vashee.

After a couple of minutes of walking through the forest he emerged into a clearing. In it stood the Sage Master, patiently waiting for the Jedi attending the class to show. "Hello Master Vashee."

 

[The Derp of Hooves]

Yuunda sighed with relief as his ship, the Ven'Jela made the docking bays in the Sage Halls of Teta. He had been attacked so many times now, that he had lost count. The Sith were really hell bent on getting him killed. However, he had managed to escape, mostly through luck, and without having to kill any of them. Probably a mistake on his part, but he didn't feel it was right. He was a Jedi after all, killing shouldn't be done unless in extreme circumstances. However, this was all something to dwell on for another time. Now he had a class to worry about. He had absentmindedly been going through the classes that were being offered by the Jedi and ended choosing one at random. Force combat was something he excelled at. He had found numerous ways to use the force to aid him in his constant battles. One way, he barely remembered doing, was cloaking himself in a blaze of fire and launch himself like a juggernaut at his opponents. It was quite frightening to see someone bathed in flames charging drunkenly at you. He smiled slightly at the memory, though he didn't think he would be able to use an attack like that today though.

He looked out of the view port at the rain pounding down on his ship. Yuunda was still unused to rain like this, having grown up on the desert planet Tatooine, then spending a lot of his time on Korriban. Those were dark times for him, and he quickly pushed them out of his mind and got up. He threw a cloak over himself and put the hood up before leaving the ship. His ever present krayt claw lightsaber swung from his belt as he headed towards the meeting spot. The trees helped block some of the rain as he made his way through them, though once he got to the clearing it came down upon him in full force. He lifted a tired hand and rubbed his face before going to the small group that had already assembled.

He was somewhat surprised to see the sage master there, but pleased all the same. He smiled all the same and introduced himself to the others, though he still looked rather tired, "Greetings all, I'm Yuunda."

 

[Vaatu]

As Vaatu emerged in the forest, he took in the sensation of the streaming rain hitting his face. While most creatures disliked rain, Vaatu quite enjoyed it. This is mostly because he is so unaccustomed to it. Having grown up on the lower levels of Coruscant, rain rarely reached there. Not in the way it did here at least. It were usually just streams found their way from the upper levels downwards, if at all. This coupled with the forested environment they all found themselves in made Vaatu feel very alive. Having never been off Coruscant before, since recently, he's been flooded with new sensations recently. Sometimes he wonders how he manages to get sanely through them all.

As he came up on the group gathered in the clearing for the Force Combat class, he lowered the hood of the traditional cloak most Jedi wore. His skin seemed a brighter green than usual because of the rain. As he slowly approached everyone, he greeted them. "Hello everyone. I'm Vaatu, a new Padawan." He felt partly at ease however he was also quite nervous. Not because he was meeting many of these people for the first time, but rather because his mastery of the Force was in the beginning stages. He hoped he wouldn't be holding back everyone during the class. He breathed out heavily, calming him down somewhat and figured he'd just see how it goes and cope with that problem once the time came.

 

[Fang.]

Fang walked at a steady pace, the light rain pelting against the hood of his cloak. He was going to a class, strange, he thought, that he would come back for classes, but then again, there is always something new to be learned.

Fang entered a small clearing where he saw Master Ashara sitting in the middle with several padawans already congregating infront of her. hm. perhaps Ill even get to teach a little. thought Fang, as quiet as FAng was, one thing he strangely loved to do was to teach and share his knowladge.

Greetings Master Ashara. padawans. said Fang adressing both parties. I am Knight Fang he spoke, more so that the padwans knew who he was as he had met the sage master once before. he waited for a response and to see if any more padawans or even knights would arrive before the Sage Master began the class.

 

[Vulpes]

Despite being away from Tatooine for many years, Arikka still found amazement and entertainment from the water which fell from the sky. It was a commodity that was sold on her home world, but here? It literally fell from the sky. Arikka made it an effort to not allow the rain to deter her daily schedule. This day, she knew of a class the Sagemaster was teaching, and Arikka thought it would be nice for her to stop by. The Knight was not certain of what the class was on, but figured she could help in some way, and if perhaps learn a thing. One of the most knowledgeable Jedi probably has some sort of tips I could use, right? She figured.

The Codru-Ji made her way to where the Jedi Master was, excited at the idea of seeing her once more. Even behind the professional demeanor that Arikka held, a childish-like idolization stuck towards certain members of the Order. With all four of her hands behind her back, Arikka approached the Master, as well as a few other Jedi. A modest bow was given to the group, as Arikka often began all social interactions. "Good day, Master Vashee, and fellow Jedi." She was not present for any of their names, and did not immediately recognize them, but assumed it would be ruder to not acknowledge them all together.

 

[Wolf231]

Arisa paused at the exit of the building she had been temporarily residing in, not having noticed the rain in her haste. Why did she always have to be running late? With a sigh, she turned and jogged back to her room to grab a brown cloak. Within its shelter, she made her way outside and towards the forested area she had been told the class would meet at. The cloak kept her mostly dry; at least for now. Soon enough it would be soaked through and then it would probably just get in her way, weigh her down and keep her good and soaked. At least it was a class on Force combat and she likely wouldn't need to move as much as she would in lightsaber combat. She parted her lightsaber, just to make sure she hadn't forgotten that too.

She kept moving through the forest and eventually came to the clearing, seeing that there was a decently sized group already gathered. She didn't think she recognized anyone as she moved closer, but then noticed Lucien standing amongst them. Her hand came up in a wave of greeting and she smiled as she came to a stop, looking around at the group for a moment before introducing herself. "Arisa Ikeli, Padawan. A pleasure to meet you all." She smiled brightly despite the rain, not willing to let it dampen her spirits. Even if it did dampen everything else. She was excited for this class, though unsure what to expect. This would be her first class that had more then just herself as a pupil.

 

[Rom]

A yellow blur shot down the halls of the Temple on Empress Teta, scooting by slow-moving masters and rambunctious groups of Padawans with high pitched squeaks of "Excuse me, pardon me!" Alistair cursed under his breath as he ran; he had only been on the planet for a day for this new course, and he had forgotten to change his chrono to the system time; hence waking up with five minutes to reach the class and having no idea where it was. Jumping up onto the wall and running against it for a few steps to get around a pair of protocol droids, Alistair slid on all four paws as he tried to stop, seeing a large door leading out into the forest.

To anyone who looked , they would only see a yellow blurry ball fly off the edge of the stairs and roll forward through the grass with muffled high-pitched curses coming as it slammed into a treel. Holding his head and grumbling, the kushiban Padawan stumbled into the meadow and looked around before bowing in the direction of the Jedi Master in the center of the room.

"Greetings Master, I am Padawan Alistair from Coruscant Temple, reporting for instruction."

 

[Lycanthorph]

Young Xan walked through the halls of the Empress Teta as he made his way outside the temple, towards the forest on the outskirts. He was summoned to a class that teaches the use of the Force in combat. Soon, he arrives to a meadow-like clearing in the forest, where the Jedi Master and other Padawans await.

He approached the Togruta at a slow pace and bowed down to her, saying : " Greetings, Master. I am Padawan Sulati, reporting for training. ", with a calm tone of voice. He then turned towards the other Padawans and bowed to them as well, showing equal respect to them. He smiled as he noticed Arikka, his Master.

 

[spagbog]

Joshua didn't like the rain. It dampened his spirits and dampened his clothes, making him feel miserable and cold. But this class was necessary, so he braved the storm and ventured outside. By the time he reached the meadow he was wet through, his long, now sodden hair coming down over his eyes, forcing him to occasionally sweep it aside. He came into the sort of room, and announced himself to the group, lowering the hood of his robes.

"Greetings. I am Padawan Silf. It is a pleasure." He said, slightly nervously, before bowing to both the Master and the group. Then he found a place in the small gathering and stood quietly.

 

[RobertCore]

Sky stood in a tiny clearing his eyes closed as he listened to the rain piter-patering on the leaves, and the rustling his brother caused, soon Sun fell threw a bush into the clearing.

"This is unpleasant."

"A jedi's life is not always comfortable." replied Sky as his brother stood up trying to wipe mud off his sleeves.

"So. . ." Sun looked around, "Are we lost?"

"No, its right over there." Sky pointed to his left, eyes still closed. Sun walked to the thicket of trees and stuck his head threw into a larger clearing with a few jedi.

Sky walked into the clearing as Sun tried to make sense of how his brother did things like that, "Initiates Sky."

"Oh Uh," Sun lept into the clearing, "and Sun." Who showed a look of surprise as he recognized Master Ashraa, someone who had thoroughly trounced him and his brother in a spar.

"Greetings to you all." Sky bowed, Sun mimicked.

"So that's why you wanted to come here." Sun whispered to his brother. Sky had experienced Ashraa's connection to the force and knew he had much to learn, he knew the trip to Teta would be worth it to learn from her.

 

[Master Maverick]

They spoke to her. Why? It seemed curious, they being so anxious to introduce themselves to her while she was hardly paying attention to such things. Their names were quickly forgotten. She'd remain motionless on the ground, her legs crossed but hidden underneath her plain yet pretty robes.

As the rain continued to fall, more arrived. While their names had been spoken, it was their auras that she paid attention to. Slight deviations in her own presence, in the Force that shifted around her being, were indecipherable to any lest they were actively looking for such things. It was a slow, gradual process. She merely followed the Force as it turned in its flows around each individual when they approached. It was through this method that she became familiar with her prospective students. Spending tens of minutes on each young Jedi, she learned about them on a rather intimate level. Their physique, their demeanor, their basic moods and personalities. Most importantly, at least for the immediate future, was whatever equipment they bought.

She would wait a bit longer for more to arrive, still. Neither would she stir nor awaken from her meditation. Hopefully the young Jedi would follow her lead and get ready for the trials she would put them through. They would be in for quite the surprise, however, if they thought this would be a tranquil training. A smirk would have formed on her face were she any less entranced.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von stood there, feeling a bit awkward and uncomfortable, as the Master didn't even remotely acknowledge her. Feeling a bit foolish, she then turned and walked a few meters away, and lowered herself to kneel on the ground. Drawing in the Force a little to calm her nerves, she unclipped her lightsaber and set it down in front of her.

"Alright," she thought, "I'll just wait here then."

Von then began to let her mind wander, and began listening to the rain. As each drop fell, she could feel the Force flow through each one, as if each rain drop had a specific purpose and it's entire life was dictated by the Force. The realization that she was like the rain drops was shocking and humorous at the same time. Shocking because the immensity of the Force once again overwhelmed her, and she was humbled by it. Humorous because Von felt she had more in common with a rain drop than she did with many people she met.

Her anxiety began to grow and eat at her again from this revelation, especially as the other Jedi began to arrive. She calmly tapped into the power of the Permafrost crystal in her lightsaber with her mind, it's soothing aura activating at the touch. The combination of the falling rain, the wildlife in the forest beyond, and the crystal's aura brought her nerves under control again.

 

[RobertCore]

There was a pause Sun looked at his brother and back at the master waiting for a greeting, Sky didn't seem to mind what to Sun was an inconsideration. "Well, best prepare ourselves."

"haaa?" Sky had knelt down and closed his eyes. Sun was confused, assuming his brother had given up waiting for a response and let his mind wander aimlessly.

Sky began to meditate, he tried to feel the flow of the force in the surroundings, each drop of rain calmed his mind. Sky reached out moving past his brothers thoughts of tropical fruit and into the forest around them. Once Sun's thoughts were drowned out he became overwhelmed by the volume of energy around him, Sky fought to maintain focus but could not get any clearer feel than the barrage of auras that made up the forest.

 

[Fang.]

Several more students arrived. this was quite the class. Fang noted that the master made little acknowladgement of anyone. Fang Noted that Arisa, his padawan, was there as well, he gave her a nod of acknowledgement, and then sat down on the wet grass, and closed his eyes, connecting himself to the force around him, reaching out and feeling the presences of each of the jedi around him, and then beyond. Allowing himself to jonnect his being into the flow of things within the force. It was said that Master Ashara always something special to teach, and for this class, Fang would be best prepared, if he was in perfect connection to the force.

 

[Master Maverick]

They settled in their respective places in time and it was then that she started her work. Whatever weapons they might have brought with them - lightsaber, vibroblade, blaster, staff or whatever it might have been - were located. Tendrils, faint and hardly noticeable, started to concentrate around the objects. She would find it curious again that they would bring such equipment with them. Was this not a class about Force Combat? What, then, did they think they would be doing with such things?

Of course not all had weapons, and she would commend them silently for their foresight. However, for those that simply acted out of habit were going to aid in the show she was about to put on.

It took quite a bit of time but she finally managed to grab hold of most of the weapons brought to the clearing. In unison they were unclipped, unholstered, untied and otherwise freed from whatever constraints kept them in their place. As one they flew towards the Togruta, under the dress of her skirt. With hardly a moment of hesitation, as the objects landed at her feet, her hands burst forth as she rose from her seated position to stand. Her eyes were still closed, but she called towards the lightsabers of the Codru-Ji and the Zeltron, as they were the only ones she had forsaken in the initial maneuver.

With the others, they disappeared underneath the skirt of her dress while a single branch grew from a random tree towards her position. It took a few moments, but the growth accelerated until it reached her location. In a smooth motion the branch shuffled under her skirt to grab hold of each weapon, growing and encompassing each within its woody confines.

The rain fell harder now, the droplets much larger and falling in greater volume. Once each tool was secured, the branch, high over the heads of the students, disappeared into the murky depths of the forest canopy.

Only after the shuffling of the branch ceased did the Sage raise her head to look at the Jedi gathered before her today.

"Good day," she started after looking at each for longer than might be considered necessary. After a pause about half as long, she explained, "You will not require such crude tools. They are only a hindrance and a crutch upon which you rely to make up for your weaknesses, your shortcomings." This, of course, was not really the case. They were simply lines that went along with the show. There was a bit of truth them, though, but even she were not so foolish as to forsake a good tool when she needed it.

"You will receive your weapons when we are finished or you are dismissed. If you have any hesitations, then..." She paused, her face impassive. "Then I suppose you will simply have to deal with it until we are finished." It was dry humor. Her tone was flat and she was quite serious.

"Now, let's see if you can keep up." Hardly had she finished uttering the last word than she was off, leaves kicked up where she once was.

This was to test their connection and control of the Force within their bodies. It was what all younglings and Initiates had to do in their growth as Jedi. She wanted to get a baseline for the capabilities of this particular group, though. She would test their speed, their dexterity, the power they could muster. Sharp, random turns were taken. Sometimes straight into trees that would have to be climbed, or run up if one was able. Jumping from branch to branch before launching oneself to the ground almost fifty feet into an instant sprint with a 120 degree turn after but two seconds into another jump into the mid-canopy.

While the forest was soaked, slippery and soggy, she seemed to float over the ground, the trees, the rocks and the roots. Her feet stuck to each surface as though they were suctioned to it. It would prove a challenge for many to keep up, especially the younger Padawans. That was the point, though. She needed to witness their limits before she could move on and properly start the class.

The game went on for ten minutes without break or waning of intensity. This would tire even well trained Knights. Not to the point of exhaustion, of course. Only a good workout more than anything.

Once she was finished she'd end up in the clearing again. Her breath would be relatively even while she waited for everyone to gather back around. A smirk formed on her face as she thought of what they must be thinking. An old lady prancing around the Forest in such a manner. She might have been just going on 60 standard years, but these young whelps would be hard pressed to out-perform her. It was then that her eyes finally brightened.

"A good warm up!" She exclaimed excitedly when they had all formed up. Looking around one more time, counting and trying to put names to faces, she paused for a few moments before continuing. "You have all elected to join my class on how to handle yourself in combat when you only have the Force. Meditation will be a small part of this course. Expect to be doing what we just did daily. You will push yourselves not only physically, but mentally far harder than you might have thought possible. We will be active, and idle bodies and minds will not be tolerated. This will be a crash course on the fundamentals of the use of the Force, to round out your training and give you the solid foundation you will need to perform as a Jedi should in the galaxy. If you have any hesitation now, then I would suggest you leave." Her eyes scanned over the group and would retrieve their weapons for them if they elected to leave. She would bear no ill will towards them - such activities were not for everyone.

"Now, I will not be going over what the Force is or asking what you think about it or what a Jedi is or any of that. You should already know. If you do not, then speak with your Masters about it, for that is their responsibilities. We are here to learn and grow to be able to defend justice and freedom in the galaxy." Again she paused, looking around to see if there were any question or curious looks on the faces of her students. She could be a drill sergeant when she needed to be.

"What we did just then was what is referred to as Art of Movement. As a Jedi you should master it. Control of your body is paramount, for how can you hope to effect anything around you when you can not control your own self?" It was a serious question, but one that did not call for a spoken answer.

"The Force can guide your movements, protect you from harm for unnatural death is what it seeks to avoid. As such, it will offer suggestions. All you must do is listen." She was under the impression that many Jedi did not listen to the Force as she thought they should. Sure, they meditated, but did they feel the nudges, did they hear the whispers? She'd find out soon enough.

They would find out for themselves soon enough.

"This is through reactive but also preventative methods. Visions of the future are not all the Force is capable of and not all that we sense. It can guide you to places, to situations that move you outside of potential danger, whether over years or fractions of moments. You must listen, though." With that, she sat on the ground and proceeded to meditate. This time she would not guide them through it. She was interested to see if they could be successful on their own, under their own power. No need to impose her views upon them when not necessary.

__________________________________

Hours passed and darkness prevailed even as the rain clouds passed. The humidity remained, so it was not terribly cool. However, they were all thoroughly soaked and the breezes that wafted through would probably make most of them shiver. It was only now that she spoke.

"You need not feel the biting cold of winter's night or rain-soaked darkness. That which connects life, that connects you to such life, can warm your body, can protect it from this cold. Warm your body, the Force that flows through you as the warmth of a blanket over your skin. As a hot soup deep within your stomach. From the inside out, and from the outside in, you can stave it off." She was curious to see how they would perform with that short explanation. If needed she'd explain further, but for now she wanted to see how quickly they caught on through this method of learning.

 

[Fang.]

Fang sat with his eyes closed, and he felt Master Ashara reaching out, and only a moment before it happened, he sensed her grab hold of his weapons and pull them out. Fang had expected that they would not need their weapons, and had predicted that either she would ask for them or simply take them, he slowly opened his eyes and watched as she hid them. the Sage Master stood, welcomed them and explained that she would return their weapons when the training had reached its end.

Now lets see if you can keep up She said just before she took off, Fang smirked, and a mere instant after the Sage Master started moving, Fang was already on his feet chasing after her, Using force speed to push him along faster, his initial movement nothing but a blur.

FAng did not follow her exact route but kept rather close, following her, all of Fangs movements seemed to flow together in one cohesive move except the sharp turns where he had to slow to change his momentum and direction, Fang let the force guide him, pulling him along to follow her routes, at some points running in the trees above her, sometimes when she took to the trees, he ran the routes closer to the ground, and sometimes he followed her route exactly, barely touching the ground, roots or branches as he ran. Fang tapped into the force allowing him to expend as little energy as possible as he followed along on this obstacle course.

Eventually they ended up back in the clearing, FAng arrived only a few seconds behind the Sage Master. Fang stood and took a deep breath, noticing that he was sweating a little bit, the Sage Master really inteded to test each of them, Fang wondered how difficult it was for the padawans for a moment, considering that it had given him a bit of a work out. As they waited for the rest of the participants to return, Fang eventually returned to an even breath. When everyone returned Fang glanced over towards Arisa, to gauge how she was doing before turning back to the Sage Master.

The sage master gave a short speech about what they would be doing in this boot camp of sorts, Fang gave a short Hmph Along with a nod of acknowladgement and agreement. She went on to talk a bit about the force and how it could guide a Jedi, Fang nodded racalling his own training. She then sat down to Meditate and FAng did the same sitting on his knees, with his eyes closed and hood up, as the rain continued to pour.

-----

They sat medittating for a hours, as the night moved on it began to get quite cold, the wet clothing did little to help. Fang began to focus, calling forth a heat, to warm himself from the inside, as he did so, his hands began to glow faintly of a orange color, like the warm glow of a fire. He was essentially preparing to use Pyrokenisis, which went along with the very basic use of convection. Pyrokenisis was not only a offensive ability, but a survival ability as well. Fang let the heat radiate throughout his body, as he meditated, the heat slowly drying off some of the inner layers of his clothing. Fang began to focus more on the altering of his body chemistry, trying to improve his use of convection to a more usable state. He knew that when used by masters of the technique, raindrops would evaporate before they touched you. Fang did not require that level mastery of the technique, but a higher level of convection would be less volitile than Pyrokenisis. But Fang was confident in his control of the technique, and was not worried.

 

[Rom]

Alistair raised a questioning eyebrow at the silence before shrugging and moving over to sit beneath a nearby tree with silver bark and bright golden leaves. Resting his back against the cracked tree and settling in a hollow between the roots, the Kushiban closed his eyes and fell into the embrace of the Living Force, his connection strengthened by the life surrounding them. Rain, trees, leaves, creatures of all shape and size. All were bound together in the Force, and he could feel those bonds pouring their strength into him. His fur bristled and stood on end, slowly turning a bright golden color as he fell into his own meditation, focusing on the thrumming of life through all the Padawans that surrounded the clearing. Some were meek, some were nervous, but all felt alive with an excitement and drive to learn; the thing that brought them all together here.

He did not react as his lightsaber flew from the specialized holster at his side, his connection with the crystals telling him he had nothing to fear from the loss. They were merely not needed for this lesson. He did not react physically to the instructors words when she spoke beyond the pricking of his pointed ears, his eyes closed loosely in concentration. He did not even react when she challenged them to keep up and disappeared in a rush, the Force surrounding her in a cloak of power and guiding her to the surest footing and the best steps.

Many other padawans only stared in shock for a moment, confused at the sight of the elderly Sage dashing off like a child in Spring. Alistair simply stood, shrugged the bandolier off of his body. He released his own anxieties into the Force, and with a soft exhalation of breath, moved.

The Force surged within him, powering his long strides as he dropped onto all fours, vaulting over roots and sliding under bushes as if it were the most natural thing to the young Kushiban. And it was; these woods were not unlike the woods of Kushiban where as a child he sped through the underbrush and trees racing other children, or the Works on Coruscant with it's many half completed constructions and warehouses littered with debris and obstacles where Alistair free-ran for hours to clear his head. He quickly pulled ahead of the other Padawans, appearing as a golden blur darting beneath the leaves and over the wet ground before vaulting high into the canopy, his jumps well times and his footing sure as he dug his paws and claws into the slick wood.

He quickly caught up to the Jedi Knight, his own natural skill in obstacle running and his speed enhanced by the Force putting him close behind the taller Jedi. Alistair's senses were fully extended, each touch on living bark and stone and moss lighting up a trail of sure footing and small murmurs from the Force telling him when to jump or roll, when to fall and when to dive through a seemingly unpassable bramble of bushes and tree limbs only to emerge on the other side unscathed. For a few moments he even came ahead of the Knight, simply for his agility and nimbleness; he could traverse paths the taller man could not, though he quickly fell just behind due to the others endurance and longer stride.

He stayed within sight of the sage, marveling at her speed and grace as she kept well ahead of them, seeming to glide over the tree limbs and muddy ground. At one point his admiration cost him his concentration, and nearly sent the small padawan skidding into a mud pool. He saved himself by cartwheeling into a forward flip, landing lightly on a tree branch and throwing himself forward into a high jump after running for a few feet. He soared through the air, clearing the canopy at one point and landed ahead of the Knight and just behind the Master before faltering, his exhaustion causing him to lag behind.

He emerged from the brush into the clearing, his golden fur streaked with leaves and mud and water, only a few strides behind the Jedi Knight. His previous training had well prepared him for this exercise; using his senses and following the will of the Force while free running across woods and the sprawling cityscape of Coruscant was his favorite way to relax when he was feeling stressed and anxious. He was panting, but not heavily. He had used the Force more than he usually did during his runs, it's soft suggestions thrumming through his mind powerfully and filling his limbs with heat and power.

Shaking himself to free the debris from his fur, Alistair settled in to wait, steadying his breathing as he waited for his compatriots to finish their runs. He didn't expect any praise or acknowledgement for keeping up; this was just a fun slightly strenuous hobby for the young Padawan.

~~~~
He rested on all fours, looking up curiously at the much taller Sage Master as she spoke and gave them vague explanations and instructions before settling in to meditate. Alistair kept his questions to himself; he preferred to puzzle over questions while he meditated and let the Force guide him to the correct answer, rather than the words and interpretations of others. He did pause to look up at the Knight, surprised by the slight arrogance he seemed to be showing. 'Well this is one Padawan you wont sneeze at, Ser,' the Kushiban thought to himself silently.

Dropping into his preferred meditation position, forepaws resting on his knees while sitting with his rearlegs stretched out in front of him, Alistair again fell into the strong embrace of the Living Force, each drop of increasingly cold rain falling to the ground and sending a shockwave of awareness through his mind. The Force whispered quietly to him, guiding his thoughts as he poured more energy and power from the surroundings into himself and back out into the world. He could feel himself flow through the mud and the creatures living within it, to the stone covered in moss and the flying creatures resting in the canopy sheltering from the storm. Alistair was everything... and everything was Alistair. The Force bound them all, and whispered wisdom for those who would hear it.

Alistair fell into the warm embrace, and to an outsider he would appear to be a sieve; the Force pouring into him and then pouring back out in one continuous cycle. He grasped to the wisdom and knew no more, falling into the depth of the Force to ponder the lessons they had learned and the beautiful world around him.

----

He was brought back into awareness to hear the words of his instructor, only noticing now the shivering that was happening beneath his matted fur. In the deepest meditations, physical discomfort had never bothered the Kushiban, but he certainly could not ignore this. Blinking partially frozen water from his thick lashes, the young Kushiban centered himself and tried to direct the Force into his limbs, to warm him and push the cold away from his bones and flesh. It worked for a time, a warm pit engulfing his torso and helping to stop him from shivering and begin to warm up. He could not however get the warmth to spread into his other limbs, and he continued to try and focus, though the cold sapped at his concentration.

Finally, he had to drop the rudimentary form of Tapas, unable to concentrate fully due to the lack of warmth assaulting his arms and head and tail. Breathing heavily, clouds forming infront of his body, Alistair turned to the guidance of the Force and his mind, wondering how to heat himself up. The Force supplied him, small murmurs of control and manipulation of his surroundings filling his head before his memory package clicked into gear, bringing up his knowledge of molecules, air convection and weather.

Alistair bit his tongue once to wake himself from the cold before reaching out into the living energy that surrounded him, feeling the Force thrum in approval as he slowly started to manipulate the molecules surrounding his portion of the clearing, pushing and directing them to move faster. The air slowly started to heat up; it didn't take much in the way of power, his energy coming from the multitude of life surrounding him; he only had to control it, and his knowledge of science guided his thoughts, aided by the nudging of the Force.

Soon the air around him was rather warm, like a pleasant spring day on Tython. The rock he was sitting on was warmed by the air, and Alistair had long stopped shivering. He kept his focus tightly on the molecules however, keeping them moving at the same rate with a durasteel grip; too slow and it would start to cool again, but if he allowed them to move too fast it would get blisteringly hot in the small pocket of air surrounding him.

Alistair smiled softly, his eyes closed in concentration. And to think his mother had once said stuffing his nose into books wasn't worth it. Alter Environment certainly would come in handy once he mastered it.

 

[The Derp of Hooves]

Yuunda clenched his right fist and forced himself not to react in any other way as Ashara took his saber from his belt. Apparently he hadn't read the fine print when was looking for classes to take, as this one did not require lightsabers. He took in a deep breath and let it out releasing the tension had been building up ever since he had made planetside. He didn't realize it, but he had been starting to get anxious for a while now. Maybe it was the fact that he was in such a large class, or the fact it was raining, either way it was there and he needed to get rid of it. When Ashara led them off into the forest, he smiled. He hadn't been near greenery such as this in a long time. Tired though he was from being sent upon by sith forces, he wasn't about to shirk his responsibilities and leave a lesson that he had signed up for. He would push on through and he knew he could take what ever the Sage Master could throw at him. Shedding his cloak, he limbered up in preparation for what was about to come.

While he noticed some had taken off right away, exerting themselves much more than need be, he had decided on trying his own strength and speed and only using the force when he needed to. He had thought that his prosthetic limbs would give him an edge, however, he was soon using the force to help keep up with all the sharp turns and twists that Ashara put them through. He had grossly underestimated what she might do in this lesson, however, he enjoyed the extra challenge. As he was starting to use the force more to aid in his movements, he started acting and moving almost instinctually though still keeping with his straight forward and direct movements. He obviously was not as lithe and nimble as some of the Jedi there, but he was as quick in his movements and reactions. He wasn't very light on his feet however he didn't allow it to hamper his movement through the forest.

After about ten minutes of the heavy exertion, Ashara came to a halt in the clearing that they had met in before. Yuunda was breathing, though not overtly so, he was use to strenuous exertion and quick movements. They were unavoidable if you were being attacked by Sith forces every other day. However, after a quick speech and explanation later, they sat down and began to meditate.

-----

Yuunda was more susceptible to the cold and wet than most others were, having grown up in a hot dry desert most of his life but he had been prepared for it this time around. His own skill with pyrokenisis was considerable and had been subconsciously putting it to use to keep his body warm and dry in the rain and cold. Hours had passed before he knew it though he had remained dry and warm. Perhaps this was a much better class then he originally thought. Though he wasn't using the force to combat other beings, yet, he was using it to combat the nature around him which would prove as useful a lesson as ever.