Ask Naboo The Sun and the Shade

[Quin Leonkri]

The gualama blinked a few times as it looked between the two Padawans, and Quin could feel the fear radiating off of it as clearly as he’d heard Elidan’s voice in his head earlier with the poachers. He briefly wondered why his friend was whispering now before he realized that his rather loud voice was likely scaring the baby.

“I think you’re right,” he whispered back. If the mother wasn’t here already, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that she and the rest of the herd had moved on, however much she might have wanted to stay.

At Elidan’s plan to approach it, Quin smiled and gave his friend a quick nod to show that he understood.

“A tried and true method. Let’s do it.” With that, he reached out a hand toward the gualama and closed his eyes, concentrating on the fear emanating from the creature. His own heart and breathing started to speed up as he felt the gualama’s terror wash over him. With an effort, he took a couple deep breaths to steady himself for the next step, slowly quelling the fear and sending out waves of calm instead. The gualama seemed to relax as the panic began to dissipate, and he opened his eyes to look at Elidan.

“I think it should be okay for us to approach now,” he said quietly. “You go ahead. I’ll stay here to make sure it doesn’t freak out.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

After Quinn agreed with his plan, Elidan turned to look at the frightened gualama. While it didn’t seem hurt, the half-Annfyn would only be certain of it after seeing the animal from close. He hoped that the hunters wouldn't have touched this poor creature. A baby like this one didn't deserve it.

He watched Quin reach out at the animal with his hand, in the same way that Elidan had shown him in Glee Anselm. The half-Annfyn could feel how the other boy had connected with the gualama through the Force, this time he did it faster than during their last missions. He wondered if the other Padawan had practiced it after Glee Anselm.

“Yes, it seems calmer now.” Elidan said, after Quin ended his connection with the gualama. The animal was still among the roots, but it wasn’t afraid anymore. The baby seemed to be more curious about the two Padawans, than fearing their presence. “I’ll do it.” the half-Annfyn started to walk toward the gualama.

Rather than fleeing from Elidan, the gualama left the protection of the roots and approached him. The half-Annfyn stretched his hand and touched its head, petting it. The animal made a sound that the auburn-haired boy understood as being a signal of pleasure. He smiled at it, the Padawan couldn’t believe that someone would want to hurt it.

After seeing that the gualama wasn’t hurt, Elidan picked it up and walked to where Quin was. "It's so small, probably it was born a few days ago. Also, I think that it's female." the half-Annfyn showed the gualama' underparts to his friend. "We need to find her mother, she will probably be hungry soon."

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

“Mostly thanks to you,” Quin responded with a grin as Elidan started to approach the gualama, which was now as calm as could be. After trying out the ability on Glee Anselm, followed by a couple training sessions with his master and plenty of practice on Balamak with the Wookies, he’d noticed a pretty good amount of improvement with this particular skill of calming.

He stood to the side as Elidan spent a few moments petting the gualama before picking it up and carrying it over. As his friend told him a couple details about the baby, he nodded and looked down at the little creature. When it looked up at him, he scratched it under the chin before focusing back on what Elidan was saying. The other Padawan had brought up a good point about returning her to her mother, where she would be cared for best.

“Well… I guess the best place to look is where the herd was. Maybe her mother’s there,” Quin suggested, glancing in the direction of the path. “But I find it strange that she hasn’t come looking for her already,” he added thoughtfully. Maybe she had been preoccupied with something else? He had a feeling that wasn’t the case.

“Although, there’s no harm in trying.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan blushed when Quin said that it was thanks to him that the other boy had become good with this Force ability. “Thanks, but I only showed you the way to do it. You did most of the work by studying and practicing.” the Padawan wasn’t good at receiving praise. He still preferred to give it to others, rather than being the focus of them.

“Yes. She could have got scared when the criminals were hunting the herd.” the half-Annfyn said, while he watched Quin scratching the gualama under her chin. The Padawan wanted to stay positive about the possibility of them finding the animal's mother, but he feared the reasons why she didn’t return to the cub.

He was prepared to carry the gualama toward the direction that they left the herd when the animal once again became agitated on his arms. It jumped and ran toward some bushes on the right side of the clearing. Then, the pup started to vocalize, as if it wanted the two Padawans to go after him.

“I have a bad feeling about it.” Elidan said, before rushing to where the gualama had gone. Once he moved the bushes out of his way, the half-Annfyn could see the small animal cuddling next to a dead adult gualama. “I think that we found her mother.” poor baby, like him she was also an orphan.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

When the gualama started to squirm in Elidan’s arms, Quin drew back his hand, thinking he’d irritated it when it suddenly sprinted into the bushes. He was about to go after it, but perhaps it had found its mother? He’d thought that was the case, but soon it began to cry out again, and it didn’t sound good.

“Let’s check it out,” he agreed with his friend, and quickly made to follow the other Padawan toward the gualama. The sight on the ground in front of them made his heart drop. “Oh no,” he whispered.

By now, the baby had stopped crying out, and instead was reaching forward with its neck and nudging the body of what had to have been its mother. Quin walked over and knelt down beside the gualama, not touching it, before looking back at Elidan in worry.

“Do you think the herd will still accept her back?” he fretted, though deep down he doubted it. Without a mother to feed her baby, it would become a liability for the herd, and it would be in the group’s best interest to move on… even if it meant leaving behind an individual. Looking down at the gualama, it didn’t look like she was in the mood to leave either.

“Now what do we do?”

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

It was sad to see the gualama trying to make her mother get up. The hunter probably wounded her but she was able to escape before dying. This was the only explanation for them not having collected her skin. It was a shame that people would kill such an amazing creature only because of some credits.

“I don’t know. I never heard that females gualamas would adopt pups. She is also too young to remain alone.” looking at the animal still trying to wake up her mother, Elidan thought that if they left her alone, she would probably die without food. With her age, she wasn’t prepared to ingest solid food. That or she would be killed by a predator.

“I think that we could bring it with us. I know that some Jedi have pets, so it would not be a problem.” it was relieving to know that the Jedi Order wasn’t so rigid with the idea of attachments, if it was still the case, they would need to leave her here. “We could search in the Holonet on how to help a gualama grow up.”

“Or we could leave it in some farm here in Naboo.” all these were options of things that they could do to help her. Whatever they chose, Elidan only wanted to give the gualama a change to survive.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

“You really think… they’d let us bring her to Yavin?” Quin blinked, looking in surprise at Elidan. The idea had crossed his mind before, but he didn’t know if he was prepared to take care of such a young creature. Not to mention what the others would say if they showed up with a gualama pup. But… He turned to look at the gualama again, and the truth was clear as day, even if he didn’t want to admit it. The baby would never survive on her own, and the herd was likely on its way back to the grasslands already. If they dropped her on a farm, there would be no guarantee that the farmer would treat her well either. Yavin seemed to be their only option.

“We could. Taking care of her could help us learn… responsibility.” Quin gave Elidan a slight grin. “She could be a part of our training.” That was stretching it a little, but he did want to give the gualama a loving home where she could survive and be appreciated.

“You know what, I think we should do it. It’s a Jedi’s responsibility to help those in need, and this little one needs us,” he said to Elidan, looking at the gualama in front of her mother. He would never forgive himself if he’d simply left her here to starve, and he was fairly certain that Elidan would feel the same. “Let’s bring her back to the ship, and see if we have any food. If not, we could pick something up in Theed.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”If anything, I think that the Jedi Masters would at least help use find a place where she could live in peace.” Elidan doubted that they would refuse offering help to the Gualama. The Jedi mission was to protect life, and this animal is a victim of the ambition of evil people and needs to be protected.

Elidan found Quin’s idea of using the Gualama to learn responsibility funny. However, the half-Annfyn felt that this idea wasn’t completely silly. When they became knights, the two would need to take their own Padawans. Perhaps taking care of the animal could give them the knowledge to do it.

“Yes, I think that it’s a good idea!” the half-Annfyn said to Quin, before a smile appeared at his lips. “We can also say that for the Masters when we talk with them. I think that they would like to know that we are trying to be responsible.”

The auburn-haired boy felt happy when Quin finally agreed that they should bring the Gualama with them back to Yavin IV. “Yes! Maybe there is a shop in Theed where we could buy milk for it. Do you know anything of this type in the city? Like a shop for things used for farming.”

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Hearing Elidan’s enthusiasm about taking the gualama back to Yavin was making him a little giddy about it too. But the fact remained that they would be responsible for caring for it, and the first place to start was with food. At his friend’s question, Quin frowned in thought, trying to think of anywhere that could possibly sell what they were looking for.

“I can’t say I’ve been to one before,” he began slowly, looking at the gualama as if it would somehow give him the answer. “But…” He turned back to Elidan, his eyes brightening. “Maybe the central marketplace has a farmer’s shop. It won’t hurt to check.” That being said, even if there wasn’t a shop and someone saw the two boys with a baby gualama, there was a chance they might offer some help. The Naboo did love their animals.

When Quin looked back at the baby though, he realized that it was still sitting in front of its mother. He didn’t want to separate them so abruptly, but time was running out. Their confrontation with the poachers from earlier and the rescuing of the gualama had taken out a large chunk of their day, and if he and Elidan wanted to get back before nighttime, they would have to hurry.

He bent down, patting the gualama gently on its back. “Hey. Everything will be alright. Elidan and I are going to help you.” He wasn’t sure it understood, but when he picked it up, it didn’t try to resist. “Okay. Let’s get moving.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan nodded in agreement when Quin said that they could search for a farmer shop in Theed’s central marketplace. The half-Annfyn was certain that they would find something like that here. Naboo was famous for its fields and pastoral culture. It was impossible that there was no shop of this type on the planet.

The auburn-haired boy watched his friend comfort the baby gualama, before picking her up. The poor animal had stayed all this time in front of her mother, probably trying to wake her up to feed her. They needed to get back to the city and find some food for her immediately.

Once Quin was holding the gualama, the two would start to follow the path that would return to the city. “It seems that we aren’t going to finish our trail.” Elidan said, breaking the silence that had arisen after they had started to walk back. It was still strange for him to see how talkative he could be during some situations. “Maybe we could finish it another time.”

While their free time had been ruined because of the problems that they faced during the day, the result ended up being good. Elidan shuddered thinking about what could have happened with the gualamas if the two Padawans weren’t walking at the trail. The hunters probably would have killed all of them.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

“Heh. Definitely not,” Quin agreed at Elidan’s statement about not finishing the trail. “But it’s for a good cause.”

As they headed into the city, the sun was already starting to set beneath the mountains. They would have to move fast to make it before the shops began to close. Fortunately, when people in the streets saw two urgent-faced, roughed-up looking boys moving quickly in the street carrying a baby gualama, they had the sense to let them through without getting in their way.

When the pair arrived at the marketplace, Quin immediately spotted a Duros man in a large hat beginning to pack up a stand whose sign read “Farming Supplies”.

“That’s the one! I hope he’s still willing to sell us some gualama food,” Quin exclaimed, looking quickly over at Elidan. “Let’s check it out.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan nodded in agreement to what Quin had said. “It ended up being better this way. If we didn’t come here, these guys would have killed all the gualamas of the herd.” while they could make a trail again later, the lives of these animals would not be able to be replaced.

They arrived on Theed when the sun was already setting. The gualama had started to groan some time ago. The half-Annfyn considered that it was an attempt by the animal to signal that it was hungry. He doesn't blame her, the Padawan would like to eat something too. Elidan didn’t eat anything since they started the trail hours ago.

When Quin found the shop of farming supplies, the half-Annfyn turned to look at it. The place was still open and there were some items used in farms outside. Elidan nodded in agreement, this place seemed to be perfect for them to find food for the gualama.

After they entered the shop, a woman approached the two Padawans. “Hello, darlings! What do you two want?” Elidan turned to look at Quin, expecting that he would answer her question. The half-Annfyn wasn’t prepared to talk with strangers.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Looking at the gualama, she seemed pretty eager for some food. She had that half-tired, half-hungry look in her eye that Quin had seen plenty of times. Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to wait long once they entered the shop. He and Elidan were greeted almost immediately by a woman, who presumably ran the shop.

“Hello ma’am, would you happen to have some gualama milk for our friend here?” Quin asked, showing her the baby in his arms. The woman smiled, gesturing for him and Elidan to follow her.

“Of course. Right over here.” She went into the back of the store, pulling out a large container from the conservator. Then, she rummaged around in a box nearby and took out a small bottle, showing it to the two boys before giving both items to Elidan. “This is what you’ll have to use to feed your gualama. Normally I would charge someone for this, but since you two darlings look like you’ve just walked through the woods to get here, I’ll say it’s on the house.”

Exchanging a partly embarrassed glance with Elidan, Quin took the gualama and followed the woman to the front counter. He looked down at his clothing, and he really did look like he’d crawled through a thorn bush.

“Thank you, ma’am. You’re too kind,” he said before giving her the necessary credits. Once they left the store, all that was left was to feed the gualama.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

The half-Annfyn watched his friend talk with the woman, asking her for milk for the gualama. For his relief, she has. Elidan saw her retrieve the container with the milk and the bottle, before happily accepting it from her. Now they could feed the small animal and she would not suffer from hunger anymore.

A great smile appeared on the auburn-haired boy’s lips when the woman said that it was on the house. While the idea for them to go to the shop to buy food for the gualama was his, Elidan doubted that the few credits that he had in pockets would be enough for them to buy all that.

He stared at Quin, before shrugging. The half-Annfyn disliked being dirty, but he would ignore it if being this way helped them get the food for the gualama without needing to pay. “We can clean after we finish feeding the gualama.” he said to the other Padawan through their telepathic bond.

However, Elidan felt bad when he saw that Quin had decided to pay for the products. It made him conclude that it was wrong to accept it for free, the woman probably would need money to maintain her store. The half-Annfyn picked the few credits that he had in his pocket and offered it together with his friend. He gave a smile at the woman, showing that he was grateful for what she did.

When they left the store, Elidan turned to look at Quin. “We need to find a calm place where we can feed her. Do you know where it could be?” the half-Annfyn thought that it wasn’t correct to feed the gualama in the middle of the street. People were already looking strange at them, it would only make it worse.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin had just been about to ask Elidan for the milk and give it to the gualama when he realized that Elidan had a good point about it drawing too much attention. It was already enough that passers-by could see the boys were Jedi from their lightsabers, not to mention carrying a baby gualama out in the middle of the street. They already had enough eyes on them, and they didn’t need any more.

“Right,” he answered, half-embarrassed as a staring couple passed the pair of Padawans with wide eyes. “We could take her back to the ship. It’s quiet there, and we have space for her in the cargo hold. Not to mention clean water for a bath.” He looked in the direction of their ship. It wasn’t too far from here, since they’d landed it in between the trail and the city. “Unless you can think of someplace better, that’s all I’ve got.”

When they decided on wherever they were going to go, Quin suddenly felt just how tired his arms were from carrying the gualama and set her down. He’d put her down once or twice on the way to the store, but his muscles were aching now. The thing was, he didn’t know if she would follow them if he wasn’t going to carry her, and he briefly regretted not asking the shopkeeper for a leash of some sort. Now it was up to the gualama.

“Hey, uh, baby gualama…” He tried calling her after taking a few steps. She didn’t even glance at him. Well, that’s not going to work. Then an idea popped into his head, and he turned to Elidan.

“Do you think she would respond better if she had a name?” he asked thoughtfully, half to himself. “I think it’s worth a try. You want to do the honors?”

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”I agree. The ship is the best place.” Quin was right, they didn’t know anyone else in Naboo. Well, there were his friend’s parents, but they weren’t very friendly with the Jedi. There would be more problems for them if they went there, the last thing that he wanted was to deal with anti-Jedi people while they needed to feed a small gualama.

After deciding where they should go, the two Padawans walked toward the ship. While Elidan carried the gualama’s food, Quin was the one doing most of the work by carrying the young animal. The half-Annfyn was so distracted by the way that the people were looking at them that he didn’t even remember asking if his friend wanted help.

When they finally arrived at the ship, Elidan went to put the milk inside the recipient, which looked exactly like a baby bottle. While he did it, Quin was placing the gualama on the floor. Once he returned to where his friend was, the half-Annfyn saw that the other boy was trying to talk with the animal.

“Yeah. I think that would be better this way.” he answered Quin’s question. By giving a name to the gualama, they would strengthen the bond between them and the animal. “I can do it.” then, he turned to look at the gualama. He was deep in thought, trying to think of what could be good to call her.

“What do you think of Nyssa?” Elidan said, after some time of contemplation. He had read this name in a holobook and always thought that was nice. Maybe it could fit for the gualama.

@Sicadorito