Ask [Myrkr] Hawk Eyes and Fox Ears

[Haldir Eressëa]

Confusion rang clear in the Force as his Padawan watched the illusions, bewildered. It reminded the Arkanian Offshoot of the particular notification sound his datapad would make when an error was found either in the system or in the data he would input. The thought nearly made him chuckle, but his focus on the half-Annfyn didn't waver. Elidan's expression shifted from confused to contemplative, the gears on his Padawan's mind working – as always, perpetually, even before they first met.

Haldir had already gotten the impression that Elidan was a curious person by nature, and it would not be a surprise if the Padawan picked up so many bits and pieces of knowledge from people he must have met. For someone who kept to himself the half-Annfyn was sharp, so, when after a moment's pause from watching the three illusions, the Arkanian Offshoot returned Elidan's smile as the latter figured out that none of the three was the real Knight.

Haldir remained seated on his perch, smiling proudly at Elidan as the latter signed a question about Force Illusion. Of course he would teach the half-Annfyn, but first a praise was in order for the latter doing a good job.

"You found me, indeed. Well done, Elidan," he told the young Jedi, pride and approval gleaming in his eyes. Not only did his Padawan trusted the Force, he also trusted himself and his instincts. As a former Sector Ranger it saved Haldir's life a handful of times, and he would make sure to teach the same principles to both of his Padawans. Because who else could they trust when all else failed, but the Force, themselves, and each other?

With a wave of his hand the illusions dissipated into thin air. Hoisting himself back up on his feet, the Knight nodded in response to Elidan's inquiry.

"Of course I will, and anything else that you want to learn as long as I am able. I will teach you what I know, and I will learn things I still don't know alongside you and Willa. Learning is ever continuous, is it not?" Haldir told Elidan with another smile, though it was quickly replaced by a stern expression when the Knight heard a discordant tune in the Force.

Lifting one hand at chest level to motion for Elidan to stay where he stood, Haldir wrapped the Force around the two of them and cast an illusion around them both, rendering them invisible to the multiple presences that were making their way towards their direction. A piteous howl pierced through the forest's natural sounds, silencing bird song within and out of the two Jedi's immediate vicinity.

A small pack of vornskrs rushed past the tree Elidan and Haldir were perched on. The creatures seemed to be running from something – or someone, it seemed.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan's smile grew when he heard Haldir praising him. By this point the Padawan was already getting used to receiving compliments from his Master, but his cheeks would still be a bit flushed. The half-Annfyn started to think how it was good to receive the approval of his Master. It made him feel happy with himself, because this showed that he was a good student.

He watched his Master getting up in the branch and waving with his hand. Immediately, the illusions that he had created disappeared, as if they never were there. This ability amazed the Padawan. It could be very useful during missions. The Padawan couldn’t wait to learn how to do it.

The half-Annfyn nodded in agreement to what Haldir had said about learning. Like his Master, he also believed that the process of learning never ended. For Elidan, every second of his life was an opportunity to learn something new. Due to that, he would always try to leave the Temple on missions with other Knights. The Padawan saw these occasions as opportunities to learn.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of several things moving through the forest. He turned to his Master in time to see his smile being replaced by a stern look. When he saw Haldir gesturing for him to stay in silence, didn’t think twice and did what the Arkanian asked. Soon, he felt the Force covering them, hiding the two from what was coming. With his hearing, the half-Sephi could hear howls and the sound of several paws crushing dead leaves. It was getting close.

From behind some bushes appeared a small pack of vornskrs. The creatures were howling and running in panic, something had scared them. The Padawan frowned, these animals were the apex predators of Myrkr. They didn’t have natural predators. He wondered what could have caused them to act this way.

After most of the pack had passed, one last vornskr came running. Elidan noticed that it was running slower due to something white that it was carrying on the mouth. He noticed how the creature looked behind and then stopped near the roots of the tree where the two Jedi were. It left the white thing hidden among the roots and prepared to run after the rest of the group.

However, before the vornskr could go too far, a red blaster shot hit it in the neck. The half-Annfyn stared in shock and horror while the poor animal dropped dead on the floor. Due to it being Force sensitive, the Jedi would have been able to feel its death far more than if it was a common animal.

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Haldir Eressëa]

Death came as a metallic, grating sound to Haldir through the Force, his wide-eyed gaze following the vornskr as it fell to the forest floor. The creature was dead, but the Knight felt a spark of life just below the tree he and Elidan were hiding upon.

Ahead of the two Jedi came the sound of raucous laughter.

"You make too much noisssssse, damn it! Ssssssendin' the pack runnin' away! Idiot!"

A trio of armed Trandoshans burst from the bushes just a few moments after the vornskr pack passed by the two Jedi's tree, and subsequently the lagging vornskr's death. Haldir tapped Elidan lightly on the shoulder then pointed towards the direction the dead vornskr seemed to have dropped something. It was small and white – a pup? The Arkanian wasn't sure. But if it was, odd it might be since the creatures were mostly grey and black, the pup needed protection from the three hunters that killed its parent (if the dead vornskr was one).

Go see what the vornskr might be trying to hide, he quickly signed to his Padawan, referring to the white thing nestled between the tree's roots, before jumping off from his perch. The illusion of invisibility vanished as Haldir's booted feet touched the ground, but the technique continued to keep Elidan hidden from the startled Trandoshans. It would be a bit of a task keeping his Padawan invisible and facing off against three poachers at the same time, but the Knight knew that he simply had to do so.

"Holy sssssshiiii–"

Two of the Trandoshans misfired, startled by the hooded Knight's sudden appearance. With a swift move of his hands, Haldir's lightsaber flew from his belt, igniting midair. Catching the weapon, he deflected the red bolts back to the two, hitting both on a leg each.

"Yowch!!!"

"Aack!!!"

"J-Jedi?!"

Haldir scowled at the poachers beneath the cover of his hood. "Poachers," he almost spat back at the three. Knowing what these kinds of scum do to living creatures, the Arkanian had no desire to make things easy for the startled Trandoshans before him.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan watched the vornskr fall lifeless on the forest floor. The poor animal had no chance to avoid the blaster shot. The half-Annfyn wondered how someone could be so cruel to kill such a creature. Besides that, they were also protected by the law of Myrkr. Killing them was a crime.

Then, he saw three Trandoshans coming from behind the bushes. The Padawan recognised one of them from the village. It was the same one that he accidentally bumped into while buying things for their walk in the forest. Elidan felt furious with how they acted as if the vornskrs were nothing. For him, all life was important because they were connected by the Force.

When he felt Haldir’s hand on his shoulder, Elidan immediately turned to look at his Master. He nodded in agreement and watched the Knight move against the Trandoshans. The half-Annfyn felt the Force illusion be removed and the poachers starred in surprise when the Arkanian appeared from nowhere. The Padawan smiled, now the criminals would receive what they deserved.

While his Master was dealing with the Trandoshans, Elindan jumped from the tree and landed where the vornskr hid something before it was killed. To his surprise, among the roots was a small white cub. It was staring at him with blue eyes, a signal that the animal had leucism.

Kneeling near the cub, Elidan tried to connect with it by using the Force. He could feel the Vornskr fear and tried to project calming feelings. After some time, it would calm down enough to allow the Padawan to pick it up. Soon the auburn-haired boy noticed that it was female.

With the cub safe in his arms, Elidan would turn to see if his Master needed help with the Trandoshans. They deserved being punished for turning the poor animal into a orphan for no reason beyond the pleasure of killing.

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Haldir Eressëa]

While the half-Anfynn tended to the vornskr cub, Haldir pondered on the judgment the three poachers deserved. He took one menacing step forward, indigo blade crackling in time with his beating heart. The third Trandoshan who still kept their blaster raised said weapon and fired just as the Knight lifted his blade to strike.

Red blaster bolt met plasma blade, Haldir redirecting the bolt away from him and Elidan. The injured Trandoshans were quick to provide backup for the third. With a quick nod of understanding thrown each other's way, both drew throwing knives and launched them at the advancing Knight and the Padawan still tending to the cub. One of the knife-wielding Trandoshan's aim went a little off, though, and before the weapon slid past Haldir's ear he blocked it with an open palm. The other he swatted with his saber, the broken pieces falling harmlessly to the ground.

The third Trandoshan hadn't been idle, but they proved no match to the fully-trained Jedi Knight. With a push from his injured hand he used the Force to knock the Trandoshan down. Ignoring the pain from his bleeding palm, knife still stuck in his hand, Haldir locked the three poachers in a stasis, the Force coiling around the three firmly but not enough to badly injure them.

The death of the innocent vornskr and the feat emanating from the cub in Elidan's arms still stung, though. More so than his injured hand.

Haldir glanced at the knife stuck in his palm, decided to leave it there to temporarily abate further bleeding, then turned to face Elidan. He kept his injured hand hidden in his robe's sleeve before approaching his Padawan. Pale blue eyes assessed the half-Anfynn, checking if he was alright, then over to where the fallen vornskr was, before they fell to the vornskr cub in the young Jedi's arms.

There was another lesson to be learned here, and it would test how Elidan would fare when given responsibility over a life not his own.

"The cub's pack are long gone. They will never let themselves be seen again, at least not for a while, knowing that there are beings that hunted them." He deactivated his lightsaber and pocketed it. With his uninjured hand, he let his palm hover just shy of the poor cub's tiny head. Haldir's expression was that of sympathy. "It wouldn't survive for very long on its own."

He let his fingertips gently caress the cub's head, but it shied away from him and burrowed further into Elidan's arms. Haldir was not offended – the poor vornskr was now alone, and it seemed to find safety in the half-Anfynn's presence.

"These poachers would hunt again if given the chance. We could hand them over to the authorities, but they might worm their way out of incarceration. They killed, and will surely kill again. Elidan – how would you deal with these three?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan turned in time to see his Master blocking a knife with his bare hand. He stared wide eyed at the scene, wondering how Haldir was capable of doing it without even flinching with pain. The Padawan was certain that if it was him, he would curl and cry on the floor. Hurting a whole hand seemed to be terrible.

Even with the knife embedded in his hand, Haldir continued fighting against the Trandoshans. Well, fighting wasn’t the term that Elidan would give to the scene happening before him.It was more his Master easily subduing all the poachers without any trouble. It only made the Padawan become more impressed with the abilities of the Arkanian offshoot.

After Haldir had immobilized all the poachers, Elidan saw him walking toward him. He noticed how his Master had hidden his wounded hand inside his sleeve. It ended not being much effective, because the half-Annfyn could still see how the blood was starting to drip from here.

“Then we should bring it with us.” he said telepathically to his Master. The cub was strangely calm on his arms and the Padawan could even say that it was preparing to sleep here. “We can’t leave her here to die. Maybe we could take care of her until she was old enough to return to nature.”

He turned to look at the immobilized Trandoshans. While Elidan considered them to be monsters for hunting animals only for fun, he already knew the right punishment for them. “We should give them to the police in the town. I don’t think that the authorities will be happy to see their laws broken. Even less by a bunch of outsiders.”

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Haldir Eressëa]

Haldir's expression gave nothing away the moment he heard Elidan's voice in his head, though it was betrayed by the brief widening of the Knight's eyes. He watched his Padawan hold the vulnerable creature in his arms and saw how calm the vornskr felt in the half-Annfyn's presence. Though the cub had lost a parent she seemed to find comfort in Elidan's arms, wide eyes blinking up at the young Jedi before falling shut in contentment. She burrowed even closer to the Padawan's chest, let out a soft huff, then promptly fell asleep.

He couldn't refute Elidan's observation, given how he shared the former's thoughts. Since the cub already seemed comfortable with Elidan, Haldir wouldn't be surprised if the vornskr refused to leave the Padawan in favor of another caretaker. His Padawan was a gentle soul, and from the way he carefully cradled the creature in his arms Haldir was sure that she would thrive under Elidan's care. The Knight himself would offer to help care for the creature, given how he was one of the witnesses to her parent's death.

Pale blue eyes shifted from the Padawan and the cub to his injured hand. Haldir raised his hand and, with his uninjured one, swiftly pulled the knife embedded through his flesh. A quiet, pained hiss escaped the Knight but he quickly tamped it down so as to not worry Elidan. At once he focused on healing the wound, instructing his own body to mend and knit torn muscles and blood vessels with the use of the Force. He glanced at his Padawan and gave the latter an assuring smile as if to tell him not to worry. Haldir had suffered injuries worse than a knife sticking through his hand, but he would not bore the half-Annfyn with the details.

His Padawan's sense of justice was strong, and his heart was on the right place. Though handing the poachers to the authorities was the right thing to do, Haldir knew people who would simply kill these criminals outright to permanently prevent them from committing crimes in the future. If he wasn't a Jedi, if he had let the crueler side of his family - so intent on upholding justice that they were not afraid to dirty their own hands - indoctrinate him with their views Haldir knew that he most likely would have killed these poachers on the spot. But he wasn't that kind of man, and even if he was he wouldn't set a bad example for his Padawan.

"Well said," he then told his Padawan with a kind, understanding smile. Already the future seemed bright if the Order was taking care of youth like Elidan. The galaxy needed kind people even if the galaxy itself seemed unkind most of the times. The Knight wiped the blood off of his healing hand, attention falling to the immobilized Trandoshans. "You heard my student. You're lucky we're the ones who caught you. I feel like the local authorities wouldn't be kinder."

There were people who simply shot poachers on sight, so Haldir's words held truth. Beckoning at his Padawan to follow, the Knight shifted his full attention to the trio of hunters and waved a hand in front of them. His next words were laced with the power of the Force, his intent brooking no argument from the Trandoshans.

"You will follow us back to the village. You will surrender to the authorities. Whatever judgement they will give you, you will comply with."

Three sets of reptilian eyes glazed over, each poacher nodding at Haldir's words. The Knight then tugged at one of the Trandoshan's coat and offered it to Elidan. "Here, you can bundle her up with this until we can find a better replacement." Haldir smiled, one hand gently and carefully petting the vornskr's head. As he led his Padawan and the poachers back to the village, the Knight couldn't help but ask, "What are you going to name her?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan watched Haldir inform the Trandoshans that they were going to be given to the local authorities. The mention of it made them panic, but there was no way that they could flee after their fight with the Jedi Knight. The Padawan was very aware of what their fate would be, but it wasn't going to be a summary execution. It would be their punishment for breaking local laws.

The half-Annfyn grabbed the coat that Haldir gave to him and rolled it around the cub. She was so small and frail that the Padawan feared that any movement could hurt her. “I’ll call her Lyssa.” he said telepathically to him. The presence of the Trandoshans was enough to make him avoid speaking.

“Can you hold her, please?” he offered the cub to his Master. Once the Arkanian offshoot picked the bundle from his arms, Elidan walked toward the dead Vornskr. While it was too late to help her, the Padawan at least decided to not leave the body this way to be ravaged by animals or other hunters.

Using the Force, he summoned the blaster of one of the Trandoshans and used it to dig a hole in the ground. It would take some time, but in the end he would finally make it deep enough to place the Vornskr inside. Then, he covered it with soil.

Once he finished it, the Padawan walked back to his Master. “We need to return to the city to give them to the authorities.” he picked Lyssa from Haldir’s arms. “We need to find food for her too.”

@Forsythe Crowholde