The Sun and The Moon
It was the way she walked that first drew their eyes; determined, confident, and yet surprisingly light. The subtle swaying of her hips suggested femininity, while the guns and fists on either side said she was all business. Inevitably eyes would trail all over her body, taking in the armor, burned and dented with use. The helmet covered her head and half her face leaving only pale skin and golden eyes glaring a challenge to any who dared to meet them. It was only when she removed the helmet that quick, curious, glances turned to outright gawking. What appeared to be hardened woman beneath the helmet, turned into a soft looking girl barely more than eighteen. Silver hair was cut short, resting just below her jaw. Slender eyebrows rested above almond shaped, golden eyes that claimed an age older than she appeared to be, followed by a small, delicate nose and full, petal pink lips. The girl shone like moonlight in a dark room, bright and beautiful. Every male Mandolorian tried catching her eye as she walked past, some flexed their muscles, some offered their most seductive appraisals, others flourished their weapons to display their deadly skill, and all failed miserably. She did not notice any of these things as she conversed with the darker woman beside her. It was only when she passed into the room off to the side that the silence was broken by whispers.
"There's no way a little hunter like that can be natural, she's had to have had some work done." Whispered the jealous girls barely older than she.
"I hear she stormed Lord Grathans estate and killed everyone just to find one Sith!" Said the young boy clinging to his mother.
"She's one of the hunters vying for the last spot in the Great Hunt. She keeps getting impossible marks and taking them down without any effort."
Every conversation began new rumors, and unlike most, a good chunk of the rumors were true. It was then that bets started flying, everything from how badly her armor was damaged to which pistol would deliver the killing blow. There was almost no doubt that she would win the Grand Melee. A few had already placed bets on other competitors and were regretting their hasty decisions. Conversations ended abruptly when the hunter passed through the main room again, returning her helmet to her head as she and her companion left the enclave. Everyone returned to their original tasks once the spell was broken by her departure.
Through it all a man stood staring after her, unable and unwilling to utter a word to any of his companions as they excitedly chatted about her once she'd gone. Each was left to his own fantasies when they all eventually fell into silence. Each one had the same question burning in his mind, voiced by a man speaking with a red haired woman.
"What's her name?"
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"She reminds me of a story I heard when I was a kid."
The red haired woman leaned back in her seat and thought a moment as the men gathered around the table leaned forward, eager for any story involving the pale hunter, even if it didn't exactly involve her. Crysta smiled at all of them, and realized only one wasn't staring at her with rapt attention. The blonde Mando with scars on his cheeks sat back in his seat, eyes closed, seemingly ignorant of the story she was about to tell. She closed her eyes and thought back to the story her mother told her when she was a child.
"Long ago, before space travel and technology, before we knew aliens existed, humans we confined to the planet of origin. The day was ruled by the sun and the night was ruled by the moon. Before humans had conquered the known world, animals ruled over the lands. Forests were green and healthy, rivers, lakes, and oceans were blue and clean and bountiful with fish. In the center of one particular continent, a pack of wolves roamed over the land, led by a large black wolf with golden eyes. During a hunt he separated himself from the rest of his pack and chased after the largest game he had ever seen. He gave chase for the three days and three nights, the waning moon lighting his path until he at last caught his quarry at sunset on the fourth day. That night was dark and moonless, so he wandered following the scent he and his catch had left behind back to his pack. In the darkness he heard a song, calling to the deepest forgotten parts of himself. So he dropped his prize and followed the song. Eventually he came upon a beautiful woman singing beside a river, she had long flowing silver hair and pale gray eyes, and when she looked upon him she glowed, exactly like the moon did during his hunt. When he approached her, he shed his wolfs skin and began to walk upright, just like a human man. Only when he reached her did he realize she was the moon, she had illuminated his path during his hunt, and even when she wasn't in the sky she still chose to show herself to him. That night the moon and the wolf lay together, and every night after, when the moon wasn't in the sky she would meet him by that same river and wolf would become man."
Crysta sighed and reached for her drink, taking a slow sip while her listeners waited for her to continue, noting that the blonde Mando was now looking at her, his blue eyes silently begging her to continue the story. She smiled and set her cup down, her tongue refreshed and eager to continue the story.
"One night he found the moon by the river just like before, but this time she held a bundle of white fabrics in her arms. And just like before he shed his wolf skin and became a man, he eyed her curiously when he got closer. And when he looked down there was a child wrapped in the linens, with beautiful pale skin and a mop of silver hair. He raised his hand and touched the child gently on the nose, waking her. And when the babe opened her eyes, he found his own staring back at him. At the end of the night the moon took the child with her with a promise to bring her back every moonless night. Months turned into years and the girl grew into a strong, fierce woman. Some nights she would spend with her parents, and return with her mother when the dawn came, other nights she would stay with her father and the pack, learning the joys of the earth without being confined to the endless sky. It was there that she met the sun. Bright and hot, he warmed her skin in a way the night never could, he watched as she hunted with the pack, played with other forest animals, and swam in rivers. Some days he wished he were like the moon, wished he could have one night where he did not have to be in the sky, one night to do as he pleased, one night to be with the one he loved."
"By this time, man had discovered the wild continent, and began to encroach on the wolfs' territory. One day a young hunter happened upon the girl as she played with one of the wolf cubs from the pack, he found her so beautiful that he attempted to capture her when her back was turned, the sun saw him and called out a warning to her. She grabbed the cub and ran before the hunter could get too close. Unfortunately the hunter watched for the girl every day and night, each time venturing farther and farther into the woods until he came upon the river where her parents met. At twilight the girl appeared with the great black wolf by her side. The hunter panicked and attacked the wolf as they got closer. The two fought for hours beneath a full moon, neither unable to get the upper hand, until finally, the wolf clamped his jaws around the hunters throat. In his last effort to live the hunter plunged his dagger into the wolfs heart. The wolf snapped the hunters neck and fell over dead. So great was the moons grief, that she fell from the sky and plunged the world into darkness. As she lay weeping beside her dead love, her light dimmed with her life, and as the sun rose that day her body faded and crumbled into dust. For one day the world was without a moon, and the girl wandered, numb to the singing birds, the packs howls of grief, and the suns consoling words. It was at twilight that she bid farewell to the sun, mourning the loss of his heat, his light, and all the happy carefree days she spent in his distant company. She returned to the river and when the night blanketed the world, she rose into the sky, a full, golden moon. She never returned to the earth after that, but she still guarded her old pack, and she still caught glimpses of the sun."
The room was silent, the air thick with the silent sadness the men did not wish to express. Eventually everyone thanked her for the story and began to leave, retiring to their own beds for the night, each hoping to catch a glimpse of Dromund Kas' elusive moon. When the room was emptied the blonde Mando turned to Crysta and asked the questions that had been burning in his mind since she began the story.
"That was a very sad story, why did you say the hunter reminded you of it?"
Crystas' smile turned sad as she considered her answer.
"'Cause if you take the time to really look at her, underneath all the armor, behind all the weapons, buried deep behind those honeyed eyes of hers, you'll see that she's just as broken hearted as the moons daughter."
"What's her name?"
Crystas' eyes widened for a moment and then she chuckled as she considered the intensity in his blue eyes and the meaning behind his question.
"Syriin. Syriin Embrium. What's your name sweetheart?"
"Torian Cadera."
With that he stood and walked out of the room before the older woman could answer. The streets were darker and quieter than when he entered the cantina. He walked back to the enclave alone, his companions having left just before him. He thought of the story, of the descriptive physical resemblance of the moons daughter and the pale hunter, Syriin. He could almost see her now as he did in the enclave earlier that day, ignorant of the men staring at her and trying to get her attention. The corner of her small mouth pulling up into a slight smile at whatever comment her companion had made. He shook his head clear as he mounted a speeder the the enclave. When he landed safely he found himself wishing for her safe return. A cool breeze blew the hair off his forehead, and when he looked up the clouds shifted, allowing him to view a full pale moon with a golden halo around it. Torian smiled, and silently bid the moon good night.