Chapter 1 – Arriving at the Tribe
This is the first chapter of my side story for Tale of a Togruta. Ahsoka takes her sister Aisha to the scrublands of Shili so that she can do her first Akul hunt.
This chapter was delayed somewhat because of a well-needed vacation followed, unfortunately, by very busy days at work. This story will be about four or five chapters, depending on how large the chapters get. I'll switch between this story and Gift of Light for now. Once this one is completed, I'll be continuing Tale of a Togruta and A Mirialan's Story again.
Hope you enjoy the chapter.
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Aisha Tano smiled excitedly as she sat in the speeder with her sister Ahsoka. Two months had passed since Marina's wedding and the two of them had been doing a lot of both Force and lightsaber practice together. She was getting a lot stronger and she had grown more confident in herself every day. She did make sure to always keep her sister's warning about growing overconfident in mind.
Ahsoka had told her about how she was caught in an airlock by a bounty hunter because she rushed ahead too quickly. She had underestimated the tricks that the bounty hunter had up his sleeves and she had gotten into some serious trouble. Her master had been there to help her thankfully, but it could have ended very badly with her being sucked out of an airlock.
Aisha had decided that she would remain cautious at all times, especially of her own feelings and abilities.
She looked over at her sister who was currently piloting the speeder. Ahsoka herself had grown a lot stronger herself as well. She knew her sister was special, she could tell that through the Force, but she didn't know how exactly. The other Jedi that she had briefly met on Ilum were all beacons in the Force. Ahsoka however, when they meditated together, she always felt more like a sun. It felt great to be around her.
Ahsoka had spent a lot of time training with the royal guards as well, learning more and more about the fighting styles that they used. She was already working on a way to create the new lightsaber form that she had been talking about. It would be a difficult process to combine the Jedi Forms with the warrior's styles, but she felt that Ahsoka would be able to do it and Aisha would provide whatever help she could.
But right now, they were headed on their way into the scrublands of Shili. It had been a big surprise to her when Ahsoka had told her that her big sister felt that she was ready to hunt her first Akul and craft a headdress of her own. She had been incredibly excited ever since.
She had heard a lot of stories and rumors about the Akul hunt, one of their people's most important rites of passage. One of the best stories she had heard was from a travelling Togrutan warrior. The man had taken to travelling across the galaxy to test his hunting skills against different types of prey on different types of worlds. She had been on a trip with her school class back then and they had run into the warrior while he had been camping in the woods close to where their camp had been. After some pestering from the class, a great deal from her as well, he had shared some of his experiences, the main story being that of one of his Akul hunts.
It had left a very powerful impression on her and now it would be her turn.
Ahsoka chuckled a bit next to her. "I can sense your excitement. Are you looking forward to this?" she asked.
Aisha turned to her and nodded excitedly. "Yes, I am," she replied. "I've heard several stories and I know how important it's to our people. I want to do it."
Ahsoka smiled as she looked at her sister. "I'm sure that you'll get your chance and I'm know that you'll be able to succeed. You're grown a lot stronger and smarter already."
"All thanks to you teaching me," Aisha replied with a smile.
"Don't give me all the credit," Ahsoka said. "You're a great student. I've seen plenty of others that don't work anywhere near as hard as you do."
Aisha smiled at the compliment. "Where exactly are we headed?" she then asked.
"We are headed into the scrublands, to the area where the Zalanos tribe lives," Ahsoka answered. "I completed my rite of passage with them as well several years ago. They are kind people and their leader is an honorable man."
Aisha nodded, curious to see what their tribe would look like. For now, she eagerly looked around the area as they flew through it.
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Aisha smiled and looked around with wide open eyes as she and Ahsoka walked through the scrublands. It was wonderful to see the wide plains and the trees sway in the gentle wind and feel the earth beneath her feet as the turu-grass tickled her legs lightly.
Ahead of them, the settlement of the Zalanos became visible. It blended in nicely with the surrounding area. They had landed their speeder some ways outside the tribe's area. Ahsoka wasn't too sure about how much technology the tribe used, so she made the decision to walk the last bit to their settlement. They had landed the speeder away enough that it wouldn't be in the way of anything, but close enough that they wouldn't have to fear being jumped by Akul.
On their way to the tribe, they encountered two sentinels standing watch. They seemed to recognize Ahsoka as part of the royal family as they both bowed her head. Ahsoka nodded at them, but Aisha could sense some annoyance from her sister. She knew that Ahsoka didn't like that kind of attention. She smiled a bit as they continued to the tribe.
After Marina's wedding, Ahsoka made a point of telling the royal guards and others of the palace to just address her as 'Ahsoka' instead of 'princess' or similar titles. Her sisters, however, made their own point of telling everyone that they had to call Ahsoka that. It had led to a few arguments between Ahsoka and her sisters, which had been very entertaining for Aisha to watch.
They walked into the settlement and made their way towards the hut that belonged to the tribe's chief. A number of the tribe's people recognized Ahsoka and waved to her. A few of them stood out, they were obviously trained fighters and carried weapons. One of them gave Ahsoka some form of salute to which she gave a friendly smile and a nod.
"That's the hunt master of the tribe," Ahsoka told Aisha. "He guides and trains the warriors of the tribe. You'll be spending some time with him and the other warriors I imagine. He'll teach you what you need to know about the Akul before you hunt them."
"Okay," Aisha replied. "He looks really experienced. I'll make sure to pay attention."
"That's good," Ahsoka said with a smile. "The Akul are dangerous. Facing them without having any information about them is not recommendable." She looked ahead. "Ah, that's the tribe's chief, let's go," she said as she pointed at an older male Togruta, wearing some form of jeweled necklace. Aisha nodded and they walked up to him.
The male in question smiled when he noticed them and walked up to them. He bowed his head when he reached them. "Princess Ahsoka, it is good to see you again," he greeted them. "Welcome back to the Zalanos."
Ahsoka smiled and bowed her head as well, Aisha copying her. "It's nice to see you again, chief Thiros," she replied. "But please, do call me Ahsoka. My sisters are the princesses, I'm not really comfortable with that title."
Thiros seemed a bit surprised, but nodded nonetheless. "As you wish, we will do so then," he said. He then looked at Aisha. "And who is this with you?" he asked, noticing the lightsabers hanging from her belt.
"This is my little sister Aisha," Ahsoka replied with a smile. "She's also my apprentice when it comes to the ways of the Force. She's been doing very well and she has grown a fair bit stronger, so I decided to bring her here so that she can hunt her first Akul and fashion her headdress."
Thiros nodded. "I see," he said as he turned to Aisha. "Welcome to the Zalanos Aisha. Your sister surprised and impressed us quite a bit when she last visited us. If she has faith in you, then I believe that you will do the same."
"Thank you, I will do my best," Aisha replied.
Thiros smiled at her. "You seem to have the same strong spirit as your sister does," he told her with a kind smile. "Now then, it's almost time for the evening meal. Please join us as our honorary guests."
"Thank you chief Thiros," Ahsoka replied. "I think that we will gladly take you up on that after the long trip here."
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"So, what do you think of the tribe so far?" Ahsoka asked Aisha as they sat down in the guest hut where they would be staying. After the meal, Thiros had shown them around the tribe. He had also introduced them to the hunt master and the healer of the tribe, but Ahsoka hoped that they wouldn't need her help during this visit.
Aisha smiled at her sister. "It's really different from the city, but this looks like a nice place to live. The people seem really kind," she replied. "I can't wait to see what kind of things we'll do tomorrow."
"After breakfast, we can look around a bit more. The younglings of the tribe might like to hear some stories about what we do with the Force or my stories about the Jedi," Ahsoka said. "I might stay to help with the younglings in their other lessons, but you'll be joining the warriors when they assemble. The hunt master will teach you all you need to know about the Akul: how they act, how they hunt and how you need to strike."
Aisha nodded. "I'll make sure to pay close attention to what he says. A travelling Togruta once told my old class about his hunts. He said that being prepared is incredibly important," she replied.
"It really is. The Akul are not to be underestimated. Bad things have happened to those that did," Ahsoka said as she shook her head a little. She then smiled at her sister. "But I know that you'll be careful and prepare well. I'm confident that you will succeed."
"Thank you Ahsoka, I'll do my best," Aisha replied.
"I know you will," Ahsoka replied with a smile. "You always give everything your best. I wish some of the other Jedi I grew up with had your motivation." Aisha giggled a bit at her comment. "For now, maybe you should go to sleep. It'll probably be early tomorrow."
Aisha nodded. "Alright, good night sis," she replied as she stood up.
"Good night Aisha," Ahsoka said. She watched as her sister went through the curtain of woven turu grass. There was still a twinge of nervousness around her, but she handling it well. Their practice with the Force was really paying off for her. "It's going to be interesting to see her in a few years," she thought amused.
Ahsoka stayed there to briefly meditate and think back to her own Akul hunt. After a few minutes she too retired for the night.
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That's the end of this chapter.
Ahsoka and Aisha have arrived at the tribe. The next day, Aisha will begin to learn everything she'll need to know about the Akul.
The Zalanos tribe belongs to Count Mallet. They are from his story When Cultures Collide, part of his Ahsoka's Legacy series. It's a very nice series to read if you're not familiar with them.
I'll work on a new update for Gift of Light next. Ahsoka is now queen of her home planet and is now busy meeting people and organizing all kinds of things to help her people.
Until next time.