Ask Kashyyyk Lost In the Woods

[Ruzaan Kai]

The Shadowlands of Kashyyyk were a dark, dangerous part of the planet that not even the native Wookiees dared go for too long... which meant that they'd called for Jedi assistance when one of their younglings had been snatched away and the trail lead into the seemingly haunted areas of Kashyyyk. Ruzaan had rendezvoused with a Jedi Knight and his good friend Samara, but disaster had befallen Master Ennias nearly instantly as the Orcolan was found to be allergic to the bite of the Deeiw-tcha blood-worm fly, and the two padawans were left alone along with a squad of heavily-armed Wookiees.

Ruzaan was trying to be brave, but for whose sake- the Wookiees, Samara's, or his own- he couldn't tell. The ambience of Kashyyyk creeped him out, as did the dead husks of burnt or dead Wroshyr trees that jutted like skeletons out of the ground. Unfamiliar sounds of wildlife- all of it presumably deadly- echoed through the gloomy air. The Togruta glanced over at Samara, wishing that he had some of the grace that she was showing, given their unfortunate circumstances: no Jedi Knight supervision, Wookiees who had already communicated their reluctance to continue much further, and a trail growing colder by the minute...

He had a bad feeling about this.

@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

Wookiees avoided the Shadowlands. It was an aversion as deep-rooted as the Wroshyr trees that had spread across Kashyyyk for over a millennia. Not even the sun, its rays warm and inviting, ventured this deep. An unnatural chill crept over the Padawan as the wooden lift, operated by a hand-made hoist, lowered. Thick coils of rope held it in place, tattered and worn with age. Dread settled in her stomach like lead, and if she could have willed the contraption to move faster, she would have. She wanted to get this over with.

The lift creaked, lurching to a stop, and everyone filed off. Violet eyes studied their surroundings, lit only by the torches the Wookiees carried. "I don't know about you," she said in a low voice to Ruzaan by her side, "But I wish one of those dooey cha cha bugs had bitten me, too."
Samara had thoroughly butchered the pronunciation of the insect, her foreign dialect wordlessly punctuated by an exasperated Wookiee behind her who rolled his eyes. He stepped past the teenagers, bowcaster leveled in front of him, and began to lead the way. Staring into the darkness ahead, through the low hanging branches and overgrown verdure that hid untold dangers, even Master Ennias' condition was enviable. He was probably still sprawled across the wroshyr cot where they'd left him that morning, warming himself by the flames as two elderly Wookiees waited on him hand and foot.

Master Ennias had told them that it was a great honor to be accompanied by Wookiees into the Shadowlands, since they only wandered this far for rites of passage. It begged the question—why were the Wookiees here? Had they simply taken pity on two young Padawans far out of their depth, or was there more going on here than the Jedi realized?

Clearing her throat, Samara crawled over a rotting log. "I heard you might begin your trials soon," she said to Ruzaan, still speaking in a low tone. She felt as if the trees had ears and hung to her every word. @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

As tense as the situation was, Ruzaan still snorted with laughter as Samara creatively pronounced the name of the insect that had brought Master Ennias low. The Chalactan always knew how to keep the mood light, and Ruzaan took a deep breath to remind himself that as much as he didn't want to be here, at least he wasn't stuck on Nar Shadda with a snarky Sith. Samara was much better company, and he could fully trust that she wasn't going to try to kill him at the drop of a hat.

Ruzaan tried to focus on that positive amidst what was becoming a tense mission already. Amidst this unfamiliar environment, he'd begun to clue off of the Wookiees' behavior as to which sounds or scents were worth worrying about. It'd worked for a while, but at this point even their guides seemed very on edge. As such, Samara's comment came as a welcome distraction.

Ruzaan tried not to blush, grateful for the dim lighting. The thought of becoming a Jedi Knight was still a strange one to him; even having watched countless friends obtain the rank, it still felt like a large step that he wasn't quite ready to take some days. "You've gotta be close, too" he murmured back. "This has got to count as a trial or something..."

Indeed, the lead Wookiee turned and groaned something in his native tongue. Ruzaan's Shyriiwook wasn't great, but he did his best to translate in hopes that Samara might confirm his suspicion. "I think they said that they won't go past that tree up there" he said, pointing out a jagged stump some 150ft in the distance. "And something about getting close to something's territory..."

(Rounds of Wookiees: 3, so through post #6)
@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

There was an overpowering odor in the air, nearly as thick as the hovering mist that prevented either Jedi from seeing more than a hundred feet in front of them. Its tang reminded Samara of the second floor dormitory laundry room on Yavin IV—the one all the girls avoided because it smelled musty and stale, like wet socks let to sit for days. The Chalactan wrinkled her nose but said nothing, choosing not to utter a complaint until something far more serious and potentially life-threatening came along. She just hoped nothing did.

"Me?" came her reply, vocal pitch rising. That surprised her, that Ruzaan believed her capable enough to take her trials, but decided she was more flattered than anything. "I'm not ready. Nowhere close." It wasn't false modesty, and she wasn't searching for compliments or assurance. It was the truth. She shrugged, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. "I've only been on one real mission, and it... didn't end so well."
Onderon. A collapsed building. Half the diplomats within her charge, that she was supposed to protect with her life, dead. Meanwhile, she lived. They hadn't been so fortunate, and that ate her to the core, down to her very soul. It wasn't right—for a Jedi to walk away while others paid the ultimate price for her mistakes. "I even broke the cardinal rule," she continued with a bark of laughter, not at all sincere. "I lost my lightsaber." Somewhere underneath the rubble, buried deep beneath Onderon's surface or snapped in two. That was something Ruzaan would understand. To a Jedi, a lightsaber was not merely a weapon. It was a part of their identity.

Hoping to move on, Samara cleared her throat. "Knight trials should be no sweat for an experienced shadow like you." There was a smile in her voice. @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan gave Samara as much of his attention as he could, given the circumstances. He definitely wasn't going to sleep very well for a few nights after this, as every shadow and strange sound seemed threatening. He wasn't exactly certain what their Wookiee guides were following, but they seemed confident in the direction they were taking the Jedi.

Still, the Togruta couldn't help but shoot Samara an empathetic glance as she revealed that she'd lost her lightsaber. One of his first missions had been in pursuit of one of the weapons, and Jedi were routinely reminded how important and respected the weapons were. "Hey, when I'm a Knight, we can go looking for it together?" he offered, surprising himself by promising something so quickly. For all he knew, her lightsaber could be anywhere in the galaxy by now.

The Chalactan's next words brought a smile to his face as she brought up an inside joke the two of them shared from their first meeting; the first of many morning workout/sparring sessions they'd shared together. Jedi shadows were a myth from a bygone age, anyways. "I appreciate your confidence in me, caf girl" he replied.

The aforementioned wroshyr stump, bathed in the mists of the Shadowlands, grew ever closer with each step, until a word in Shyriiwook brought them to a halt. "I wonder why we've stopped..." Ruzaan said, frowning and glancing around- they hadn't reached the tree yet.

@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

"Do you really mean that?" she asked, staring at Ruzaan with a softer gaze than she ever had before, violet irises practically glowing amidst the dark outlines of Kashyyy's shadowlands. He wasn't the first person she had told about her lightsaber. Naturally, her superiors had been informed as soon as she had returned from Onderon. He was the first Jedi, however, to offer to help her find it. To retrieve what was hers, if she could. He hadn't brushed it off like the other Padawans, and he hadn't stared at her with a disapproving gaze like so many Knights. An easy smile crept over her face. "I would like that. I would like that a lot," she said, walking with a little more bounce in her step.
This newfound enthusiasm was short-lived, as the pair of Padawans came to a stop short of the wroshyr stump Ruzaan had pointed out earlier. The Wookiee that had led them thus far into the winding forest turned around, his brown eyes fixed on something or someone over their shoulders. Samara's gaze followed his, settling on the rest of their group.

They were—at least from where she was standing—beginning to bicker amongst themselves, and the argument was becoming heated. Some of them pointed at Samara and Ruzaan, each of their voices growing in volume and fury. Samara didn't speak shryiiwook, but she didn't need to speak their native tongue to know that this disagreement was not going to end well, and, that if someone didn't intervene, it would turn violent.

"Can you understand what they're saying?" she asked the Togruta in a hushed voice, leaning closer to him.

Then, one of the Wookiees—the one closest to the Padawans—drew himself up to his full height, and even beneath all of that matted fur, Samara could tell that his muscles were taut with anger. His bushy eyebrows knit together. A blaster bolt rung out, green plasma striking the dirt inches away from Ruzaan's foot. A roar resounded, and a fight broke out. Samara stood there, helpless to do anything as the Wookiees struggled with one another—clawing at each other and as they growled in deep, guttural tones that sent shivers down the Chalactan's spine.

The fight was over in a matter of minutes, and two Wookiees lay on the earthen floor of their homeworld, their breathing labored and staggered. The rest of the Wookiees—the majority, as it happened—stood, blasters leveled at the Padawans. Ruzaan and Samara were to be their next victims. @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan had expected some kind of witty remark or banter from Samara in response to his promise to help her search for her lightsaber. Instead, he glanced over at his fellow Padawan and, after a split second of eye contact, just as quickly found himself looking away; grateful for the cover of darkness and a slight turn of the head to hide the coloring of his cheeks. Mentally, the Togruta scolded himself for it- Samara was his friend and he'd no reason to think otherwise- but he couldn't help but notice the subtle change in her gait, nor the smile that was slowly spreading on his face as he replayed the look she'd given him in his head.

The warm feelings wouldn't last long, however, as the Jedi along with their Wookiee guides reached their destination and an argument broke out. Ruzaan frowned in concentration as he tried to follow the argument, but the words were flying too fast for his limited Shyriiwook to even attempt to mediate or translate. "Jedi... betrayed... loyalty... vines!" Ruzaan put two and two together just as a bowcaster went off, nearly striking his foot and kicking off a full-on Wookiee brawl. Moments later, the number of bowcasters pointed at him and Samara made it apparent that those favoring the Jedi had lost. Not for the first time, Ruzaan mentally cursed Jade Hart.

Tension hung in the air, thicker than the fog that was so prevalent in the Shadowlands. Ruzaan slowly raised his empty hands in a placating gesture towards the angry Wookiees, simultaneously gathering the Force within him; something that Samara would certainly pick up on. [Force push on 3 and then run] he said, reaching out with his mind to touch hers; their experimentation with telepathy during their regular morning training bouts paying off. [1... 2... 3!]

Ruzaan released the Force from both hands, sending a blast of telekinetic energy rippling through the air and towards the Wookiees. Not even waiting around to see its result, he turned and dashed away from the Wookiees. He hadn't gotten far before an errant root tripped him up and sent him slamming to the ground, preventing him from putting as much distance between himself and the Wookiees as he'd have liked. Scrambling back to his feet, Ruzaan could only hope that Samara was having more luck than him as they dashed deeper into the Shadowlands.

(Force push roll: 7/20 (Success but some negative in doing so))

@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

"Vines?" she repeated. "Uh-oh. That can't be good." If this were one of those mindless reality holo shows that the Chalactan indulged in on Saturday afternoons when she didn't have homework, now would have been the moment when she'd look directly into the camera for added dramatic effect.
Unlike her moronic indulgence, however, this was real life. She couldn't hit the pause button to gather her thoughts or come up with a brilliant solution to their dilemma, and she couldn't change the channel just because she didn't feel like dealing with this right now. Death, larger than life in crises such as this, loomed in front of them.

The Wookiees gave no ultimatum. They weren't interested in parley. Even if Ruzaan hadn't translated, Samara would have known exactly what they wanted by the looks on their faces. There was no mistaking the intense, fevered glint in their eyes that, without words, spelled out the Padawan's doom. Ruzaan and Samara had been brought down here to be killed. To be hunted, of no more value than the arrawtha-dyr the natives hunted and hung above their fireplaces as mantles and conversation pieces. To pay the price for the mistakes of a Jedi they had never even met.

"We don't want to fight you," she began, face slack. The Wookiees made no response but bared their teeth, stepping forward. Instinctually, Samara stepped backward. She was about to reach for the training lightsaber at her side when she heard Ruzaan's commanding voice. He already had a plan—to push them on the count of three. That she could do. She hoped.

3...2...1... The Chalactan gathered the Force and pushed both hands forward, towards the approaching Wookiees, impelling a blast of concussive air. The Padawan's combined efforts were successful, and the Wookiees were sent flying. A few of them even struck the base of a great wroshyr tree. Master Sevrin's training was paying off.

Samara made a break for it, hot on the heels of Ruzaan. They jumped over fallen logs, burst through thorn bushes that cut their clothing and scraped their skin, and veered around saplings. Until Ruzaan's foot caught on a root protruding from the ground, and their escape came to a grinding halt. Not waiting for him to recover, the Chalactan seized him by the arm and pulled him into the hollow of a great tree. Side by side, pressed into the cavity of the wood, Samara raised a warning finger to her lips.

The Wookiees were coming.

Dice Roll: Force Push 16/20 @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Usually when Samara gripped his arm like that, he was about to be tossed to the ground- this time, however, the Chalactan hauled Ruzaan into the hollow of a long-dead wroshyr tree. The Togruta tried to control his breathing, hoping that the hammering of his heart inside of his chest wasn't leading the Wookiees right to them. As the initial rush of adrenaline faded, Ruzaan flexed his right foot experimentally; feeling his ankle protest where it had gotten tangled in the root as well as a rush of gratitude for Samara's unwillingness to leave him behind despite the fact that she'd given up on her own escape to do so.

"Thanks" he said telepathically to Samara, who was shoulder-to-shoulder with him. To his relief, the Chalactan didn't seem injured aside from the bruises and scrapes that he'd also accumulated during their mad dash though the Shadowlands; superficial injuries that somehow made Samara look even more badass than usual.

Before long, his montrals picked up the sound of their pursuers; not exactly hard to do, as it seemed like some of them had sacrificed stealth for speed in their anger. Samara would also be able to hear them roaring to each other as they crashed through the underbrush after the Jedi- the guttural language even more terrifying when one considered that they intended to kill the Padawans.

As Samara put a finger to her lips, Ruzaan nodded and furiously worked to shed his outer robe; throwing it over the two of them like a blanket when he'd finished. Ruzaan also pressed even closer to Samara, as if by doing so they could both vanish from sight. The dark brown color of the robe nearly perfectly matched the decaying bark of the wroshyr tree, and with some luck the Wookiees might race right on by.

Ruzaan didn't want to think about what might happen if this didn't work.

@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

The Jedi Padawans were rooted to the spot. Ruzaan literally, and Samara metaphorically. The Chalactan's heart was racing so fast that her chest began to ache. Her knees were wobbly, but she didn't dare shift her weight or move a muscle. If she wanted to make it out of this forest alive, she needed to stand as still and as silent as the dead wroshyrr tree they'd sought refuge in. Otherwise, they'd be dead, too.

Don't mention it, is what Samara would've said if she were at liberty to speak, but she wasn't, and she was in no position at the moment to channel her own thoughts. The Togruta's outer robes bathed the pair in darkness. Samara couldn't make out anything other than Ruzaan's wide eyes and the whites of his montrals.

Twigs snapped, and leaves shook violently as their pursuers tore through the forest and the planet's undergrowth. Excellent trackers and hunters, the Chalactan was sure that at any moment the dark robe would be ripped away, and she'd feel the hot, frothing breath of a Wookiee as it roared in her face. One of them ran right by the tree, nearly brushing against it, and Samara gulped down a breath, trying to stay quiet.

The seconds crawled, and the heavy footfall faded into the distance until there was nothing to be heard but the gentle rustling of the leaves in the breeze. "I think they're gone," Samara whispered to Ruzaan, amazed that they had not been discovered. She slipped out from under their covering but immediately froze. Twelve feet away stood one of the Wookiees that had been chasing them, the youngest of the group.
Leaning over a bush full of oblong leaves and burrs, he had lagged behind the rest of the group to relieve himself. At the sound of movement, he flinched and looked over his shoulder, his gaze falling directly on the Padawans. They'd been spotted.

Dice Roll: 8/20 for hiding @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Like a child trusting in the covering of their blanket to protect them from monsters, Ruzaan huddled under his cloak, as if its mere presence would do anything against the claws or bowcasters of their pursuers. His gaze locked on Samara's, trying to draw as much comfort from her presence as he could- Ruzaan hated feeling hunted. Wookiees crashed through the underbrush, feet pounded on the earth, and more than once Ruzaan was certain that they were about to be discovered... but after several tense moments and more than one close call, the sounds of their pursuers faded into the distance. Only then did Ruzaan's heart return to his chest where it belonged.

Ruzaan would've happily waited safely under his cloak for a few more hours, just to be sure, but he agreed with Samara's guess that they were in the clear. Unfortunately, it appeared that their hiding place had worked a little too well, as about a dozen feet away stood a young Wookiee answering nature's call; momentarily oblivious to their presence, but not for long as shocked eyes met. Although the bush and the Wookiee's angle gave everyone involved a measure of privacy, there was no question that they'd caught him in a compromising position. For just a moment, Ruzaan could see the fear present in the Wookiee's eyes; who knew what stories he'd been told about wild Jedi Padawans?

His initial fright at the Wookiee's presence more or less abated, Ruzaan felt his face burning in embarrassment. Bodies were bodies and he came from a people who didn't wear much clothing at certain times of the year, but there was something about interrupting someone going to the bathroom that felt very awkward. "Sorry" whispered Ruzaan, quietly, grabbing for Samara's hand and pulling her along with him as he broke into a run. He wasn't even certain which direction to go at this point- the Shadowlands were among the most disorienting places he'd ever been- but their path would at least take them out of sight of the one that had last spotted them before the alarm was raised. "Come on!" he urged Samara, hoping that they'd be able to gain some distance on the Wookiees.

(Disengage roll: 13/20)

@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

Hindsight is always 20/20. Why hadn’t she waited? Why hadn’t she stayed in the hollow of that wroshyr tree, beneath Ruzaan’s outer robes where they had been safe? Safe and unseen. Now she’s put both of their lives in danger.

A spiral horn sawn in half hung from the young Wookiee’s bandolier. It was similar to those that the elder Wookiees had carried, but it was not as embellished, with a bronzium coating but no gemstones or engravings etched into the keratin.

One of his hands reached for the horn, while the other hovered over the bowcaster slung over his right shoulder. He looked just as scared as they were.

”We’re not your enemy,” Samara spoke in a shrill voice, one last desperate attempt for their pursuers to see reason. He didn’t, and as his hand settled on the horn and a sharp tone echoed throughout the forest, summoning his friends, Samara could feel Ruzaan tugging on her hand and urging her to run.
The Chalactan allowed him to pull her away. Neither of them knew where they were going, and without a single sunbeam to illuminate their path, they stumbled in the darkness. Bumping into tree trunks, tripping over fallen logs, and running straight through thorn bushes and vines that tangled them up and exhausted their patience.

Both of them had to realize that they weren’t gaining ground, but pulling out their lightsabers or a torch, which would only benefit the Wookiees—an arrow that guided them directly to their prey—was out of the question. Not unless they wanted to stand their ground and fight.

Samara was beginning to think that was their only option, and would’ve suggested it if the ground beneath her feet hadn’t crumbled. At first she thought she’d rolled her ankle and would lurch forward, knocking into Ruzaan, but as she fell backwards, arms flailing, she realized that the ground beneath her feet had caved in.

The Chalactan cried out as her hand slipped from Ruzaan’s, and she disappeared into the darkness. The Padawans had happened upon a sinkhole. @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

There was nothing to hold onto besides Samara's hand: over roots that threatened to trip them up, past bushes that tore at their arms and clothes, around the massive wroshyr trees shrouded in wisps of fog, Ruzaan ran and held onto it. Behind them, the sounds of pursuit renewed again at the call of a horn, albeit more distantly. Doubts began to creep into Ruzaan's mind as he ran along with Samara. When faced with an opportunity to defend themselves, he'd chosen to run both times. Did that make him a coward? Would Samara think less of him because of it? Could he have handled the situations any differently?

Suddenly, the ground was collapsing, and Ruzaan felt Samara's hand slip away from his as a sinkhole opened up beneath their feet. Owing to his position just ahead of her the Togruta was able to lunge forward and grab onto the side of the sinkhole and avoid the fall (Dex save 10/20).

"Samara!" Ruzaan called out, suddenly heedless of drawing their pursuers closer to their location. He tried glancing around, looking for any sign of the Chalactan, and with a feeling in the pit of his stomach that rivaled the sinkhole he realized that Samara had fallen into the hole. (Hole depth roll: 44/100ft)

The sounds of the pursuing Wookiees grew closer- apparently, opening up a gaping hole in the middle of the forest tended to attract attention- and as the still-settling edges of the sinkhole continued to shift and rain smaller chunks of debris into the hole, Ruzaan felt the ground he was holding onto come loose and send him falling into the darkness (Dex save #2: 8/20).

@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

Loose dirt rained down, an unbroken clatter of pebbles and rocks striking stone and resounding, bouncing off the cavern walls until the noise gradually attenuated.

Remarkably, Samara hadn't broken any bones in the fall. The Force had served as her life net, snatching her just before she would have been dashed against the rocks. Muscles pulled tight during the fall ached, and her left wrist, which had instinctively reached out to catch herself, was swollen and stiff. Smeared across her clothing and blanched skin was blood and grime. She'd felt better, and she'd certainly looked better, but she was alive. She cupped the back of her aching neck and sat up, dislodging mounds of dirt around her, her other hand sinking into something cold and wet. She shivered.

An opaque stream wound its way along the floor of the cave, curving around stalagmites and boulders. It didn't babble or splash against the walls of the cavern like a freshwater brook but trickled over limestone and piles of wet leaves and sticks that had cumulated—stagnate and dirty.

"Ruzaan?" she whispered, coughing as she swallowed dust. She couldn't make anything out in the darkness, not clearly. For all she knew, one of the Wookiees that had been chasing them was down here, too. There was no answer at first, so she wriggled to her feet, sucking in a breath of air with each movement.
With a hiss, the training lightsaber she carried ignited, and the glow of its purple hue reflected on patches of condensation that ran down the length of the cavern walls. "Ruzaan?" she repeated, voice louder now that she gripped her lightsaber.

Dice Roll: Degree of injury from the fall 13/20 @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan tried to control his descent so that he was sliding down the side of the hole rather than free-falling into it, but he only got about halfway down the 40-ft drop before he bounced off of something and spiraled out of control down into the hole in a flail of limbs and screaming (Roll: Controlled descent along side side for 19/40 ft).

Near the bottom of the hole he landed on something protruding from the side of the hole- a wroshyr root, he would later discover. Ruzaan felt nearly unbearable pain blossom out from his lower back as it made impact with the root, before he tumbled the last few feet down to the bottom of the hole.

Ruzaan wasn't sure how long he laid there before Samara's voice roused him from semi-consciousness. The Togruta was almost disappointed; it was beyond tempting to just let go and slip into the darkness. However, the sound of his good friend's voice was enough to encourage him to hold on; the approaching light of her training lightsaber reminding him of his promise to her.

"Down here" Ruzaan said, his voice a hoarse whisper. Tears streaked down his face as he stared up at an approaching Samara, hardly able to voice what he'd discovered lest it become any more real by virtue of being spoken aloud. Ruzaan was prone on the ground, propped up on his elbows, and struggling to haul himself forward using only his arms.

"I can't feel my legs..."

(Fall severity roll: 1/20)

@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

A voice cut through the darkness, its urgency piercing deeper than a knife, its tone as rough and uneven as the ground Samara blundered across. Loose dirt and rocks that had fallen from above shifted and gave way under her feet, and she was forced to reach out more than once to cling to the knobby, wet stone walls of the cavern to keep herself from falling again.

"Ruzaan!" she called out, following the sound of his voice.
Violet flickered across the Togruta's face—dirty, bloody, and more terrified than she had ever seen it in their short friendship. The last time she had seen anyone look so terrified and helpless had been on Sullust. She swallowed hard. Hot tears fell from his eyes, streaking across the dirt that stained his face and onto trembling lips like raindrops across a dirty window pane.

The Chalactan wanted to say something—anything, but words dried up in her mouth, and nothing came out. She scrambled over mounds of dirt, feet sinking into the glacial, murky water as she bypassed stalagmites and small boulders, unable to take her eyes off of the Torgruta in her haste to reach him. When she finally did, she sunk to her knees and reached out to touch him, fingers trembling from the chill that clung to her and the feeling that her insides were quivering. She tried to make sense of what was happening by watching Ruzaan's facial reactions, but each expression of pain only made her mind jump to worst case scenarios.

"Are... are you sure?" she asked in a warbled voice, realizing how stupid it must sound.

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Thank the Force that Samara was ok. Out of habit, Ruzaan tried to stand up... only for his legs to betray him completely, leaving the Togruta staring up at his friend; even though she was on her knees next to him. Ruzaan's head sank, afraid to meet Samara's eyes. So much for being close to Knighthood.

"I tried to control my fall and then my back hit something and now my legs won't work..." the words spilled out of him like the tears running down his face. He'd had near-death experiences before, but now he felt half-dead... and wholly useless. Even worse was that he was crying in front of Samara, who probably had just lost all respect for him.

Funny how that part hurt just as much as his back did.

Ruzaan ran what remained of one of his sleeves over his eyes, doing little more than smear the tears and blood across his face. "I... I don't know what to do" he admitted finally, wishing that he could wake up from whatever hellish nightmare this was. He'd managed to crawl out of view of the edge of the sinkhole- perhaps it would be enough to satisfy the Wookiees hunting them that they were indeed dead- but the fact remained that the two Padawans were in deep trouble. "Any ideas?"

@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

Internal pressure had built up in the Chalactan's chest as she waited for Ruzaan's answer, somewhere deep within her gut already realizing what it would be, forgetting to draw in a breath until he spoke and confirmed her fears.

Now he looked to her for answers, relying on her to lead him out of the recesses of the abyss they had fallen into, and her heart sank under the pressure. She didn't know what to do. This whole mission had been a setup right from the beginning.

There had never been a missing youngling, and for all she knew, the same Wookiees that had offered to lead the way had also poisoned Master Ennias so that he couldn't accompany them. A Jedi Knight would have been a wrench in their plans, but two Padawans were easy pickings. Stuck in a cavern beneath the shadowlands where even most Wookiees dare not go. Some of the stalagmites that stretched toward the ceiling were taller than Samara and Ruzaan's heights combind, lekkus and all. No one had ventured down here for years. If ever. Hoping that someone would stumble upon them and rescue them wasn't even wishful thinking. It was foolish.

Samara felt smothered, as if the walls were closing in on her and the ceiling was caving in on her. Her clothing felt tight and constricting, chafing against her pale skin. "Don't move," she spoke in a strained voice when Ruzaan attempted to stand. If there was a chance that this was temporary paralysis, any movement at all risked permanent paralysis. Samara had to cling to that hope—the chance that they would make it out of here alive and that Ruzaan would walk again.
The Chalactan shuffled around on her knees, her lightsaber placed on the ground. Hands covered in dirt and sweat reached out to hold either side of the Togruta's head, holding it in place and not allowing his head or neck to shift. "Don't move," she repeated, sniffing. "Just lie still."

While what? While she figured something out? Came up with a brilliant plan to get them out of here? She fell still after that, her darting gaze attempting to absorb his condition and their situation. The last time she'd held someone like this, it had been a little boy. A little boy on Sullust. He had died in her arms, staring up at her with desperation in his eyes and blood trickling down his temple. Was that to be Ruzaan's fate, too? She looked down at her friend and bit her lip, holding back tears.

"You're going to be alright, Ruzaan." He had to be. @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

As terrifying as the situation was, Ruzaan couldn't help but chuckle grimly at Samara's insistence that he not move. "I couldn't even if I tried" he said, somehow finding the situation morbidly amusing. Now that he was past the initial rush of emotions that came with reuniting with his friend, his mood started to stabilize and his tears gradually tapered off; thanks in no small part to the calming sensation of Samara's hands cradling his head. Simply being with someone helped- Ruzaan much preferred company as opposed to being alone- and the fact that it was Samra was a big plus. The Togruta had to admit that lying on his back with Samara holding his head would've been quite pleasant had they not currently been in a life-threatening situation.

The Togruta brought his own hands up and gently rested them on top of hers, simultaneously trying to gather his thoughts as to what to do. "You're right... we'll be ok" he responded, feeling his breathing coming easier now. "I suppose there are worse people I could be stuck down here with..." he said, his tone betraying the humor in his statement.

Force Healing was the first thing that popped into his head, but Ruzaan wasn't confident in his ability to heal something as severe as paralysis... especially when he would be trying to heal himself. Still, they needed to consider any and all options at this point. "I can try to heal my back?" he said, even as he knew that doing so would require as much good fortune as he'd had bad luck thus far.


Edit: more cuteness/clarity
@llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

Ruzaan's hands were cold as they enclosed hers, but she didn't mind.

Were there, Samara wondered? Worse people he could be stuck down here with? She doubted it. Had it been Master Ennias—or any other seasoned Jedi, for that matter—he probably wouldn't have been lying there supine, staring up at the ceiling of the cavern where moss grew and thrived in the darkness. Not even the moonlight glimmered through the hole they'd fallen through.

Had it been anyone other than Samara, the Togruta probably would have already been healed—or at least able to move around a little bit. Force healing was a rare ability, as much as the public might have credited it to all Force users that called upon the light. It was a specialized ability, and except for those few with a natural aptitude, it could take years to master even the basics of it. Samara had yet to specialize or master anything—a Padawan with a lot of learning and a lot of growing that still lie ahead of her.

But Ruzaan was counting on her. She had to try. "No," she spoke up, her voice stilted and her face uncharacteristically absent of expression. Pain settled in the back of her throat. "I'll try."
Meditation was the key—that's what she'd always been told. That was nothing new to her, growing up as a Chalactan Adept and studying at the Temple of Illumination. Meditation came naturally to her. It was the application that didn't. Samara took a deep breath, pictured the oxygen filling her lungs and entering her blood stream, and rolled her shoulders back into a comfortable position.

Then she exhaled, using the natural mitigation of her diaphragm to center herself, focusing on the breath that left her nostrils, all the while aware of her surroundings. Of the wet soil her knees sunk into, of the liverworts that grew around her feet and the oxygen they let off. Of the continual drip of water that trickled down stalactites and fell into the pools below. Of movement—ten to fifteen feet to their left. A heat signature beneath collapsed rock, beginning to stir.

Ruzaan, if his eyes were open, would see her hands begin to glow—a faint, delicate light that originated from the palms of her hands—and the warmth that spread through each of her fingers. Then her eyes snapped open, and the hilt of her lightsaber, still ignited, flew into her outstretched hand. "You might as well come out," Samara snapped, "We know you're there."

There was silence—only the sound of the Padawan's own labored breathing—until a figure rose, towering above them. One hairy foot shuffled clumsily in front of the other, until they came face to face with a young Wookiee. The same Wookiee that had spotted them and sounded the horn. @SlagathorTheUnknown