Innocent Pasts Pave Guilty Futures (Flashback)

[Sreeya]

As he laughed, it slowly dawned on her that he had completely made up the Fusia. Her eyes first went wide, and then narrowed considerably. She flung some mud at him, that would land across his face with a wonderful splat! She couldn't help but laugh as she watched him miserably attempt to get up from the mud. Unbeknownst to him, she was lightly tugging him with the Force to make him continuously slip in the same place over and over again. Andraste finally rose to her feet, wiping herself off and scowling at him.

"Me? You act as if I'm the one that gets us in trouble."

Rolling her eyes, she looked away, attempting to figure out a way to get back to higher ground. However, what caught her attention was a small incline downwards. Tall grass lined the area. Andraste took a few steps forth and peered ahead, spotting a small cave entrance. It wasn't big enough for a fully grown adult to fit through, but it had caught her attention. Andraste looked back at him, eyes wide with curiosity.

"What do you suppose is in there?!"

 

[Rev]

His somehow clean face would be wrecked with the mud she so playfully flung his way. Wiping the muck aside as he stumbled to his feet, something didn't feel right about his stance. It wasn't often he stood in the mud, so he attributed it to that, but the goop had qualities he couldn't place to gravity. Smirking at her comment he responded with a blunt attitude.

"I'm not acting Andraste."

Endar smiled with a coyness that only friends could share. The tone in his voice was riddled with a hint of sarcasm behind it, but they both knew the truth behind his words; they were both a bit of troublemakers. Her curious nature and his desire to learn and help others often put them in stick situations. If it weren't for the other they perhaps would stay out of trouble. But in the same hand if it weren't for the other they perhaps would not get out of some situations. As she stared blankly at the small opening he began to look into it, trying to see deep into the dark pit.

"Maybe it's a Force cave.. I heard about one of them from the Librarian once. She said there's only a few in the whole universe!"

His head would pop through the whole as she looked on, his own actions probably putting him in harms way if by only Andraste's mischievous nature.

 

[Sreeya]

"Wow, fascinating. That definitely doesn't sound like a place where we can't die at all."

Her words were dry, her tone dull. Andraste groaned inwardly, wishing she weren't plagued by insatiable curiosity. They would get into that stupid cave, that much was certain. That or she would spend the rest of her life wondering what treasures she had never unearthed. However, that didn't mean she had to dive right into it. Andraste quirked an eyebrow, looking at Endar.

"Well, since you're such a manly Jedi Knight prospect, what with all your exceptional healing and unmatched finesse with the saber...why don't you go in first?"

She stepped aside so he was facing the cave. Andraste applied a light push to nudge him closer to the cave. If he wasn't careful, it was enough to make him fall and tumble right into it. It would be a less than graceful entry, but it would serve its purpose. She would follow directly after.

 

[Rev]

The dry tone of Andraste found a way of catching Endar's attention everytime. He'd never been able to attribute it to anything until now. It had a familiarity to it, it wasn't what she said, but how she said it. Her mother had often spoken to his father that way in dire times, when she really meant to get something across without trying to make too much of a deal out of it. It was that thought dwelling within his mind which had his almost complete attention. It wasn't until a wave of invisible energy hit him in the chest that his focus would finally return. As the wall of Force momentum hit him at the core his body stumbled backwards, his foot catching on a rock which so 'luckily' jutted out.

Tumbling backwards his back would meet hard rock, the oxygen in his lungs quickly expelling outward as the breath inside him was knocked out. Rolling backwards his feet would come over his head putting him in a full swing, unable to decipher up from down in the pitch blackness. Reaching about himself for any help his hands were unable to grasp anything but dirt and dust. The cold stone offering him no aid until it finally disappeared into the darkness which embraced him. Suddenly finding himself in free fall he could do nothing but wait for whatever was to come, which only took moments. Slamming harshly into the hard stone below the sound of bone and flesh would fill the cavern with an ungodly sound. The sound which escaped the entrance's small opening was enough to send two small rodents into a surprised frenzy as they escaped into the forest.

Laying dormant within the dark confines he groaned out with pain and shock as realization to what had happened began to hit him. As the sharp spikes ran up and down his spine then finally to his legs he could only sigh in relief knowing that he was 'okay.' Soft laughs would escape his lips between the shortened breaths as he could do nothing else at the signs of his misfortune. Each breath was accompanied by the smell of stale air and cave mold, it was the soft rumbles which began to grow which got his attention. The strange rumble started to churn towards a more familiar groan before finally turning into the familiar growl of one of Tython's most deadly beasts... a Manka Cat moving closer with each passing second...

 

[Sreeya]

"Oh no!"

Andraste attempted to use the Force to stop his abrupt descent, but it only made matters worse. How she could confuse a push with a pull was beyond her, but one thing was for certain: she failed horribly under pressure. Andraste had a mini panic attack, wondering if she just killed Endar. She winced as she heard every dull thud as he hit his way down the seemingly endless path into the cave. Andraste stepped closer and heard his quiet laugh in the distance. Heaving a sigh of relief, she poked her head into the cave entrance.

"Um..I didn't mean that, I swear! Are you all right?"

Andraste decided it wasn't the best time to be asking questions. With a sigh, she descended into the cave. It was shockingly steep, and for some reason slick with mud. Andraste quickly lost her footing, and with a shrill cry slipped down the length of the entrance. Her fall ended with her landing directly on poor Endar, who was still recovering from his own fall. Andraste groaned in pain, clambering off him and promptly hitting her head on a jutting rock.

"What the hell is this? Why does it smell so bad.."

She shuffled around some more until she heard an audible crunch. Andraste peered closer to see what it was, her eyes slowly adjusting to darkness. Closer inspection revealed it to be a skull, though she couldn't tell what of. Andraste screamed and doubled back towards Endar, fear clear in her voice.

"What in the living hel-"

The growl. She heard it then for the first time. Sweat began to form across her forehead. She promptly forgot she was training to become a Jedi. At that moment, she was a terrified, helpless girl, with an equally useless companion. Andraste chewed her lip nervously.

"We're going to die."

She quietly muttered under her breath.

"...I'm going to die as a stupid padawan...not even a Knight.."

 

[Rev]

He'd heard the soft words of Andraste lightly chiming down the cavern entry. Those soft words were soon followed by the familiar sounds his body had audibly let out. Each bump, jut, and significant outcrop making their own sound through Andraste's flesh in some way or another. As his the laughter towards himself turned into laughter at her he'd be crushed by her delicate frame; the familiar pain returning.

"Shhh..!"

His trying to quiet her came across louder than he'd of liked, but it was more than enough to stop her outward thoughts. His hands reached for her, taking a firm grip of her robe at the shoulder before digging his nails in and taking a clump. With a soft tug he'd pull her next to him, his breathing finally returning once she was next to him. Judging by the sounds whatever it was had been irritated by their noisy entry, and it was eating dinner. Reaching his free hand out he closed his eyes and merely hoped whatever it was wouldn't get more agitated with what he was about to do.

The Force would escape his hands, wrapping itself around the cat and enticing its senses. He was trying to calm it, but he'd never actually tried it on anything other than the Gizka's the class had provided. He'd always had a strong connection to the living Force, and his Gizka had been the most docile after their 'taming.' Trying his best to calm the creature and get it back to dinner he wondered what exactly Andraste was doing with her free hand.

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste was, in fact, busily wiping the tears and snot from her face with her free hand. She was terrified beyond reason and had no idea how Endar wasn't having a nervous breakdown. She felt him reach out with the Force in an attempt to calm the Manka cat, which she found ridiculous. She whispered angrily at him through the Force.

"What are you doing, moron?! You're begging for it to come eat us!"

She could see that his attempts were clearly failing. The Manka cat appeared to grow more agitated. However, being beckoned meant that it now for sure knew which direction the two padawans were. Without hesitation, the cat perked up and suddenly rushed out from the narrow passage, out into the wider opening the two were in. The cat was clearly unaffected by the attempt to domesticate it, lowering its head and growling. It could no doubt smell the fear radiating off the two. Andraste backed up some more, tears clearly streaming from her eyes.

The Manka cat suddenly sprang through the air, swiping a clawed paw at Andraste. She ducked and rolled to the side, dragging Endar along in case he was stupidly marveling at his failures at the time. There was no other way to go but deeper into the cave, and she made for the narrow passage as the Manka growled behind her. The cat bounced off the wall and darted towards the two, intending to hunt them both.

 

[Rev]

He could feel his connection to the cat growing, the life force it let off entwining within his own when the worried words of Andraste pushed their way into his mind. As he listened to his pleading friend the focus the Manka cat needed was broken and it sent the cat into a fury. The next thing he knew he was darting down the passages of the cavern. His body slamming into jutting rocks and other overgrowth before they both hit cavern wall; trapped.

"Now look what you did..!"

His frustration was welling, but he could feel the emotion pouring out of his comrade. Taking in a deep breath it was in times like these he was told that a true Jedi would reveal them self. Turning to face the cat, Endar would stare into the darkness where glowing eyes came to a steady float. He knew exactly what the predator was doing, eying them both and preparing to feast on their meaty flesh. Gulping down the fear that formed in his throat he'd reach his hand out; pointing it directly at the Manka cat.

With a deep breath he focused the little energy his body had left in lifting the mighty beast. His brow formed beads of sweat as he worked at rising the creature. Each second it held in the air was a second of panic. Kicking and screaming the would-be lion tried to escape its fate, it wasn't until Endar's own energy deposits began to fade that fear took him over. Pulling on the beast's grasp he would bring it at them in its jumbled state, hoping to slam it into the wall behind them with enough force to allow them to escape.

 

[Sreeya]

"Me? You always blame me for everything!!"

Andraste kept quiet after that, watching him use the Force to slowly lift the cat. The animal growled and clawed the air. Her first instinct was to run, but she quelled the thought, curious at why she wanted to stay instead. She had been taught to only think for herself during her time with her Lord, so why did her gut tell her to stay and not abandon Endar? Groaning inwardly, Andraste moved up to stand next to him. She focused her own energy, pooling it in to amalgamate with his. With both their efforts, the Manka cat was easily lifted and hurled across the opening, slamming against the wall. The creature slumped down, dazed.

"Going out the way we came down isn't an option. We'll have to find another way out unless you can sprout wings and fly us out.."

She gloomily looked up at the chute like entrance they had fallen in from.

"Let's go."

Although she had said those words, she patiently waited for Endar to go first. Andraste appeared to suddenly be highly enthralled by the walls of the passage, so obviously Endar had to lead the way. Once the two would continue down the corridor, they would be met with a fork with two paths leading into darker tunnels.

 

[Rev]

"If that thing is at the start of the cave.. who knows that's deeper in it!"

He'd stare into Andraste's eyes for a long moment. The darkness of the tunnels not really giving him the true sight and gaze he had hoped for. He could tell not just by the Force but by her body language that her nerves had some say in what was going to happen. Taking in a breath of the damp air he stared at the light source they had plummeted from one last time before creeping deeper inward.

"I read some caverns go on for miles.. Carry you through worlds. You can go in one hole and come out thousands of miles away! Some thought they came out on whole nother planets!"

His eyes looked from one passageway to the next. His instinct told him to split up from Andraste to cover more ground, but given the circumstances perhaps staying together was the better option. Gulping down some of his pride he took his first step in the right direction before finally deciding left. Each step pattered with a consistent echo, it carrying deeper and deeper to the cove they crept into. It was his stare into the darkness that finally brought the question dwelling into his mind outward.

"but, what if there isn't another way o-.."

The roar of the Manka cat would scream down the passages. Each wall it hit causing the scream to carry out somehow louder. The sound alone sent chills up the Padawan's spine, yet it wasn't that sound that gave him the most fear. In the direction they headed a larger wail would cry in return, a roar that could shake palaces, temples, and even empires. Whatever it was it stopped Endar Rhetor in his tracks.

"..I have a bad feeling about this.."

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste's eyes widened as he spoke about caves leading to other worlds.

"Really? I want to go to Kashyyyk. You know, that's where those giant wookiees and whatnot are. I want one as a pet. Maybe make it fly my ship for me because I'm a terrible pilot.."

She continued to muse out loud. As Endar first began to walk towards the right, and abruptly switched direction, she bumped into him noisily. Andraste scowled at him, as if he had done it on purpose. She began to lecture him, but he was already walking in the other direction.

"Hey wait!'

She sped up to catch up to him. At the sound of the roaring, he stopped in his tracks, causing her to once again run into him. Andraste was far too terrified by the noise to care this time. She glanced back and saw shadows spilling against the walls, emerging from the floor and smoothly gracing up alongside the passage. She looked forward and saw the same thing. Andraste did not take a step in either direction, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

"What if..what if these are illusions?"

She didn't know what possessed her to ask the question, but somewhere in history she had heard about a cave that posed challenges to whoever entered it...

 

[Rev]

Endar's nerves were finally beginning to calm. Some of the exercises he had learned were actually starting to pay off he thought, a smile dawning on his face. As Andraste began to talk about Kashyyyk he began to wonder what it would be like to have a pet Wookiee. Looking at her as she spoke of one being a pilot her bit his lip as to not laugh at her. It had always been a thing that resulted in a slap..

"A Wookiee pilot..?"

He could no longer hold it, laughing through his bitten flesh. Shaking his head at her he voiced his opinion.

"You'd be better off flying yourself! I've never seen a Wookiee.. have you? They don't leave home.. Cause they're scared of flying!"

He chuckled as Andraste bumped into him for a second time. As the idea formed in his mind to lecture her on watching where she was going, and to be aware of her environment as it would help her in the future, but the roar spiked his nerves. Immediately pushing the thought out of his mind and to his belt, where his lightsaber was still missing.. Cursing himself in his mind he should have known by now he didn't have the damn thing.

"Illusions?"

Feeling the burn on his knees and hands he couldn't help but feel like everything they had just experienced was more than real. Taking a few steps deeper into the cave he pondered her own guess. His eyes focused on the growing shadows and an idea emerged with no time to spare. Gripping Andraste by her shoulder he pulled her into himself; holding her close. Turning he pushed her back up against the cavern wall, her body slipping into a crevice within the rock as he held her in place. His own robes and cloak, dark in nature, blended in to the dark brown rock, this action blending them into the stone around them.

"Shh..."

The words would almost inaudibly slip from his mouth as his finger reached up to cover her lips. He'd stare deep into the girls eyes despite her invisibility in the darkness. The scene erupting to life behind them. The roar of the Manka cat would fill his ears as it engaged the second creature. The sounds it let off were foreign to Endar, but his guess aimed towards a Horranth. Seconds felt like hours as one beast exchanged licks with the other. It was the inevitable flop of the Manka Cat which alerted Endar to its end. The soft sounds of flesh being torn would ensue, the sharp teeth of the carnivore filling the narrow passage as it devoured its prey. Pulling on Andraste once more he knew it was time to go..

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste bit furiously into the inside of her lip, drawing blood. She was about to whimper in fear, but Endar gazed directly into her eyes. It was a look that silenced her, and suddenly she felt as if he were far beyond his years. She still felt like a small child. She closed her eyes as she heard the sick tearing of flesh, biting back the urge to vomit. Andraste didn't notice that she had a vice like grip on Endar's wrists, terrified of letting him go. The darkness only further invoked her fear. She gasped when she felt him pull away, the action yanking her out of her thoughts.

The passage around the Horranth was even narrower, the thin crevice making it difficult to breathe. They were deep in the subterranean levels, air in short supply. Andraste followed him through the only available tunnel, a passage that forked off away from the main path they were on. She noticed that the path elevated slightly, giving her hope that it may be a way out. Andraste's steps quickened as they continued on the path, thought she kept her footsteps muffled.

Before they could reach the end of the path, however, she heard growling once again. She could barely make out a large shape, outlined by a thin ray of light shining into the otherwise pitch black tunnel. The creature reared back and leaped directly at Endar. It was another Horranth, having been awaiting the two prey. Andraste, however, had begun to mold her fear into energy. She did not do it consciously, but her emotions began to overwhelm her.

As the creature sailed through the air, Andraste's jaw tightened. Before she knew what was happening, adrenaline pumped in full force. Her hand jutted up, a crackling noise erupting from the center of her palm. From there, a burst of energy shot forth in the form of streaked lightning. It lit up the passage, darting directly at the Horranth. The lightning instantly shocked the heavy creature, tossing it off its trajectory. The carnivore groaned pathetically, its body still twitching and sizzling from the effects of the lightning. Andraste simply stared wide eyed, her jaw having dropped at the display. She looked down at her hand.

"I..definitely don't recall Master Cordatus teaching me that.."

 

[Rev]

As he stared into the pretty young girls eyes he'd feel a sharp pain course through his wrists. Managing to form a smile on his face despite the pain he knew exactly what it was: Andraste's nails. She had always found a way of tensing up at the worst times, and Endar always found a way of getting a scar to remember it. As he tugged on her to get away from the massacre the pain would subside, only to retain the subtle burns of an open wound. It was strutting down the narrow passage and coming to the incline which surprised him at first.

His hands had come in contact with something gooey, something foreign to him. His first reaction was to pull back, the sticky entrails coming with him as the goo dripped from his hands. Shuttering at the thought of it being some monster's poodoo or something worse he stumbled backwards. In reality it was the very Horranth which would jump at him's egg sac, a Matriarch protecting her 'hive.' As he went backwards he could sense the sudden outburst from Andraste, his eyes immediately looking to her in fear of something happening. His eyes would take in a sight unlike anything he'd ever seen.

Her hand would explode with light, beams of electricity entangling outward like the nerves of a brain. As it drew closer and closer to him he couldn't help but raise his hand, covering his face and closing his eyes. The heat which ensued was only comparable to molten durasteel, if not hotter. It was the smell that hit him first, reptilian flesh melting under hot lightning. The smoldering corpse which lunge across the cave before hitting rockwall and falling to floor was enough to stop Endar's heart if only for a moment. It's body sizzling until the electricity finally finished its route. Letting out the breath he never knew he held he looked to Andraste, his eyes as wide as they could have gotten.

"COOL!!!"

He practically jumped in the air, throwing his first in triumph. The goo from the egg sack still dripping onto his robes with a brownish green muck. Looking up the incline his eyes could see some light trickling in, the exit to the hell they found themselves in. Running over and grabbing her hand which hadn't shot lightning from it he started tugging her towards it.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew that?! You're gonna teach me right?! I mean, I'd totally teach you! I'll finally show you that lightsaber flourish Master Ravaar showed me!"

Pulling her out into the falling sun, his eyes couldn't help but look out at the horizon. The falls outside the temple were only a few hundred feet away and the sound of the water crashing against rock was filling his ears enough that he didn't realize he was shouting. Looking out over the forests, mountains, and vast fields he couldn't help but feel a rush of peace come over him despite everything that had just happened. Smiling at the darkening sky he squeezed Andraste's hand a little before exhaling.

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste was still in shock at what she had done, when Endar began to throw his fist in the air in triumph. The action caused the nasty goo to shoot off his hand and splatter the side of her face, which brought her focus back. She simply blinked in stunned silence, her hand going directly to the side of her face. A moment later, the look of shock turned into one of pure disgust.

"EW EWW EWWW WHAT IS THIS?!"

She hopped around, trying to fling off whatever gross gunk had landed on her face. She furiously wiped the sleeves of her robes on it, suddenly forgetting about the lightning. Andraste was once again distracted as he yanked her by the hand, taking her out of the cave.

"I didn't know I knew that! I don't even know what it was! It looked like thunder. Maybe it means I can control the weather!!! I'll try to make it rain next time.."

Once she saw the sky and smelled the fresh air, she couldn't help but collapse. She fell against the grass, kissing it numerous times.

"Oh ground..I'm so happy to see you. I'll never leave you again. I'll never go into stupid caves or bother manka cats and whatever that other monster was. I'll never use the Force to push Endar into a-"

Realizing he was right next to her, she coughed. Andraste quickly rose to her feet and brushed herself off, pretending like the slip up didn't happen.

"Now.. how do we sneak back into the temple without being noticed?"

 

[Rev]

Andraste becoming 'one with nature' as she kissed the ground was a pretty common occurrence he had come to learn. It was the outside world which would often bring the young girl to a realization of her mistakes, he'd never truly understood it but always accepted it. Watching her kiss at the ground only put a smile on his face as he fell into a light chuckle. Staring out across the valley his eyes focused on the Temple, the distance more than he ever wished to travel. Letting out a sigh he looked up to the sky once more and let his thoughts creep out.

"Do we have to go back to the temple?"

He only joked, finishing the question with a laugh. Her comment would earn her a glare, his mind finally remembering the weird shift before he fell, it was Andraste. Shaking his head he couldn't stay mad at her, letting the slight of anger pass aside. Taking a few steps in the direction of the temple he looked back at her.

"We'll just have to get in like we do every other time.."

His mind wandered at the tens of times they had snuck out. It was usually a different rout everytime, they had a way of finding their way around or manipulating the right Padawan into being on their side. Smiling as the thought of picking on poor Padawan Shiia Toan he offered the idea.

"There's always tricking one of the Padawan Night Watch into thinking there's a ghost again.. That worked pretty well!"