Enormous padded feet picked their delicate way through the tangled masses of clones that lay sleeping in the barracks, all piled together on the open floor — except for those who preferred to sleep high up, in the ring of connected bunks secured up on the walls.
Only five times on the being's way from his nest against the far wall towards where Hisak waited for him at the door had he lacked a clear place of floor big enough to set his feet. Twice he simply gathered himself on powerful hindquarters and leapt landing neatly in the next clear space. Twice he'd been forced to nudge a clone awake with his paw, or his muzzle.
He was always greeted with a sleepy smile and the pass of a hand through his long fur as they shifted enough to make room for him. Wrecker had tried to pull him down to cuddle into soft fur for the night, and while normally he might have been obliged, not this night. Wrecker whined sleepily when a pass of a rough tongue over his bare scalp was the only answer he got, but shifted enough to let the being through anyway.
The last time, he'd faced the expanse of clones too dense and broad to step through or jump, and had tossed a quietly amused Hisak a look before very carefully stepping onto the suddenly solid-seeming air above their sleeping forms, walking carefully over them without placing his weight on any of them.
When he finally reached Hisak, he settled his feet to the ground again, moving to sit at Hisak's side, his long tail curving around and just brushing Hisak's boots, head even with his, the tufts at the top of his twitching ears actually topping the other's height.
"General," Hisak greeted, nodding carefully and resisting the urge to sink his own fingers into the silky-looking fur at his General's ruff. His men, who had served with the General for most of the war now, had permission to be informal, got to sleep in a pile around their General, stroke over his soft fur whenever they were not on duty, got to be lain upon and feel the ground shaking purr rattle their bones.
He, who had only transferred in to take command of this Company within the last week, did not feel he had that right yet.
What has you awake at this hour, Commander? That was another oddity of this General, though not one that Hisak particularly minded. His general's vocal chords were not suited to the production of Basic, so he communicated primarily directly to Hisak's mind, when clarity was needed. Otherwise, his range of growls, purrs, and other sounds were amazingly effective for conveying intent.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, General, but I had some urgent questions about our next campaign." Hisak told him quietly, not to disturb the sleeping brothers.
Then by all means, Hisak, let's get them answered. General Si-Yarl answered, turning away and walking down the corridor to find a briefing room.
The answers Hisak needed were urgent, but brief, and they got them settled away, and the orders sent out quickly. Slightly to Hisak's surprise, rather than being dismissed so the General could return to his rest, the conversation moved quickly from the campaign into more personal topics. Hisak's last company, the ways in which it was different, and, eventually, the ways that General Si-Yarl was very different from any other Jedi that Hisak had met.
Si-Yarl yawned his huge jaw, indolently showing off powerful fangs and a broad, curling tongue.
Some tried to say that I could not become a Jedi, his voice said in Hiska's mind. He moved onto carefully grooming enormous paws, tongue scraping over long fur casually showing off those powerful teeth with every pass. Even long after my master took me as a padawan, when I was still just a kit. Because I could not wield a lightsaber. Because I had no hands like so many bipedals. Because I could not hold a lightsaber. Like other aspects of the Force are not just as central to being a Jedi as a Lightsaber. Like a lightsaber is all there is to being a Jedi.
He gave his feline laugh, jaws opening wide, chuffing loudly and showing off his fangs again, holding up a paw for Hiska's consideration, flexing enormous, retractable claws, as everything not bolted own in the room except for the chair that Hisak was sitting in drifted gently up from gravity's hold. Do I look like I *need* a lightsaber?
"No," Hisak answered him, slightly breathless in the face of the sheer power that radiated off his General.