Youngling
Chapter One
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The head-carer put the little girl down gently next to another infant before walking off to process her form. He cast a quick glance at the two dozen children that littered the room. Another two carers sat talking quietly across the room, each with a sleeping child in their arms. His gaze went to the newest arrival, already poking her neighbour curiously. She was significantly smaller and younger than the boy next to her, her bright green head coming up to his elbow. Still, the carer watched as the boy tentatively held out a hand to poke her tail. The brown furry limb hit him squarely in the face. In retaliation he promptly pushed the girl over. The carer raised an eyebrow but didn't move to intervene when the boy sat her back upright in apology. Already he could sense that they would both have to be in the same clan.
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The youngling carers sat in their own form of council, a holo-file of each child open in front of them. They were deciding on the clans of each infant, trying to sense their future roles and abilities. The clan would become the child's family and go through the next ten years of training together.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi, human male," the head carer began. "I sense strength with the Force and some flair for self-defence. Yes, Sansa?"
A young fosterer spoke up timidly.
"I think he needs to be put with another youngling, Alethea Sirota. There's something ahead for them, training together would be important." The head-carer nodded.
"Then we sort them together. The Bergruufta Clan will take them." He turned to the next youngling, ready to move on.
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Thea wriggled around, kicking the carer who was trying to put her in her cot.
"For Force's sake, stay still!" the woman hissed, having lost her patience with the child. "Two more days and you're being transferred to the clan dormitories, see how they like you there." Thea replied by hitting her with her brown furry tail.
"No! You do not hit!" the fosterer snapped. "Bergruufta clan indeed, you're meant to be loyal and true of heart. More like a Dragon or Bear I think. Now stay in there and don't you dare make a noise! Go to sleep!"
Thea glared at her sullenly through her green mop, huge brown eyes watching as the adult walked away. As soon as the carer was gone however, she had shimmied across to stare out through the bars at the occupant of the next cot over.
"Fee-a!" the blond human girl squealed next to her, sticking an arm out. "Clan." Thea nodded seriously.
"Clan," she repeated. At what they assumed was two years old, she was most likely the youngest initiate given a clan. Not that they really understood what it meant, just that all the big people were talking about it. Even Sansa was talking about their clans.
"Heli..." the blond girl whispered, all she could say of the heliost clan. "Seye go Heli."
"Shh! Sleep!" Sansa hissed from the doorway. "Seyanne, Thea, go to sleep!" Thea, seeing an opportunity to not have to sleep as much, stood up and held out her arms as she began to whine quietly. Sansa moved into the room and picked her up.
"Shh, shh, come on, Thea, go to sleep now, okay?" Thea shook her head and snuggled into the fosterer's shoulder. Sansa rocked her up and down gently. "You're trouble, you," she said. "Just go to sleep, trouble." Firmly she put the girl back in her cot. "Mutter all you like, no one's coming back in here until morning."
Thea whined quietly but stayed put and when Sansa shut the door to the nursery.
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