A/N: Inspired by the lothcat scene at the beginning of Star Wars Rebels 1.7, "Empire Day"—with a dark side twist.
Content note for implied child abuse.
Apex
o.O.o
You are still a child, shivering in the chill of a misty morning, up to your ankles in mud. Water spills down from the canopy high above as swollen leaves bend and twist under the weight of last night's rain. And there are things out there, half-glimpsed shadows in the fog that oozes and crawls over the jungle floor.
They know you're here. You feel it, their awareness of something small and frightened and alone. You blink furiously, eyes hot, cheeks wet, hands shaking. You're prey to them, nothing more, their hunger gnawing at your belly.
"The Force connects you to every living creature in the universe. Seize it. Use it," Meliah said, and you did, you are, you're trying, you are. And then she said, "You are weak. They will sense it. Master your weakness, or don't bother coming back. Master them, or they will kill you. Master yourself, or I will kill you."
You saw how she—you don't want to die like that. You don't want to die.
The predators circle you, growling. You reach out to them, bright threads tangled around your hands and around their throats.
All you have to do is tighten your grip.
And then they're the ones afraid of you.
o.O.o
end