Fog drifted across the damp earth, the immediate path ahead lit by the faint glowing light if an old lamp.

Jax stepped over dead and decaying twigs, his hand occasionally brushing against a wet headstone. "So far, so clear," he muttered to himself, nothing interesting having come up for the past mile. Despite his annoyances, he continued on, occasionally stopping to read the name and date on a crumbled headstone.

The farther back he traveled, the older the headstones and markers in the cemetery grew. He was beginning to reach the graves that had been filled during the Plague, the epidemic that had wiped out much of the population on Coruscant. Passing yet another child's grave, he changed his course of direction and headed west, toward where a line of spindly and naked black trees stood, almost leaning against one another for support.

He stepped between the trees, sweeping his lamp from side to side. At that moment, his daily walk wasn't going so well. At first, he'd gone out to clear his head, but now Jax was coming to sorely regret his decision.

Just as he was moving to head back to town, a startled cry shot through the deep silence. He spun back around, adrenaline spiking with concern. "Hello?" he called out, his voice escaping into the heavy fog.

No answer.

Jax stood still, his barely-there breath coming out in quick puffs from his mouth. He called out into the darkness again. "Is anyone there?" He could feel eyes watching him, small, cold pinpricks racing down his spine. Jax spun around, aiming the light in another direction. A figure was highlighted in the dark, shrouded in a grey cloak and pressed behind a tree. It gasped, whipping to its left and sprinting further west. Twigs and sticks snapped loudly under as whoever it was fled the area.

"Hey!" Jax took off after whoever it was, scraggly, sharp branches belted his face. "Stop!"

They didn't stop, twisting and turning through the forest with a sort of expertise that suggested they knew their way around.

"I said stop!" His boots pounded against the damp leaves and earth.

The person swiveled their head. Jax watched as they went down with a surprisingly feminine yelp.

He quickly closed the space between them. Just as the hooded person scrambled upward, Jax's full weight brought them both to the ground. A knee slammed into his stomach as she squirmed to get away—yes, the runner was most definitely female; he could feel softness under his chest and hand.

Jax almost lurched backward. "I'm not trying to hurt you—"

"Get off of me!" she yelled, bringing up another knee into his groin.

He groaned and shifted his weight off of her. "Wait! I don't want to—" She kicked his kneed and he was down again. The woman was up and running again, a feather floating in the humid air before Jax as he took off after her. A new rush of adrenaline pumped through Jax, erasing the throbbing pain in his knee.

It was too late; he'd lost her.

He continued on anyway through the forest, following the trail of broken branches and crushed underbrush.

And feathers.

The smallest trickle of trepidation crawled down Jax's spine and into his stomach, settling heavily like a metal ball.

There were more feathers the farther along he went. He'd long since lost the lamp, but his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Jax followed the sleep back feathers that marked the direction the woman had gone in. He stepped lightly, barely making a sound in the already silent burned forest.

Through the wet black trees, he could see a small clearing, only a few meters wide. A small cave made of boulders and tangled tree roots stood parallel to him. Two blankets were set up in the cave, one folded on top of the other. In the middle was a shallow fire pit, and he could see frayed ropes strung between gaunt branches. Tattered clothing ad under things hung limply on the ropes, nowhere near dry in the humid air.

And in the center, she sat with her back to him, crouched over the fire pit. Her grey cloak had been removed and hung from one of the ropes.

From Jax's position, he had a clear view of the woman's back and arms. He had a clear view of the black feathers that hung from her pale skin.

The small fear he'd felt earlier tripled and writhed uneasily in the pit of his gut.

The feathers were sparse, but they were there.

She was Cursed.

Jax's heart leaped into his throat, perspiration dampening the palms of his hands. The Cursed were never welcome in any town or on any planet, their feathers, horns, claws, and othermalformations marking them monsters of society. His sweaty hand gripped the rough tree bark as he slowly shifted his body away from behind the tree. Every muscle in his body pulled taught when he rested his boot on the ground.

The Cursed ones were unpredictable and violent, so he'd been told—and taught. They were always dangerous and were not to be trusted.

Any and all Cursed were either to be turned in to the authorities or killed.

Jax shifted his weight to his other foot, craning his neck to get a better look.

A twig snapped.

The woman spun around with a gasp, whatever she'd been holding clattering to the ground. She screamed, loudly and piercingly, and frantically tried to scoot backwards against the dead leaves and stones on the ground. "No! Stay away from me! Stay away—"

Her reaction made him jump. "I'm not trying to hurt you," Jax said, stepping out in the open. He put his hands up on either side of his head. "I'm not armed; I won't—"

She screamed again and pressed herself against the rough rock wall of the cave. "Please don't hurt me! I'll pack up and go, I promise! Just don't hurt me!"

He could hear the woman's hyperventilation from across the clearing. He took careful steps toward her, keeping his hands away from his body, where she could see them. Humid, cold air stuck to the thin layer of sweat on his skin. Dead foliage crunching under his boots was the only thing heard above her heavy breathing.

"Listen." Jax hoped the slight stern edge in his voice would at least get her to calm down. "I won't hurt you."

She looked at him, eyes wide with fear. Trembles shook her body as her screams momentarily stopped. "You…" Her voice was soft, but her fear rang loudly. "You can do whatever you want to me, but please don't kill me."

Jax stop dead in place, his eyes boring straight into the woman's. A new sense of dread took over the fear in his stomach, one that nauseated him and left his throat dry. He didn't know what exactly it was that had made him freeze—the fact she was not as fierce and terrifying as the stories about the Cursed said was, by itself, shocking and confusing.

But the fact that she had said "do whatever you want to me" and meant was worrying frightening.

Jax's subconscious mind noted the shiver that raced down his back and under his skin. His ears picked up the noises of the forest; tiny things he wouldn't have noticed had adrenaline not been pulsing in his veins. Somewhere off to his left, a small creature skittered through the underbrush, and beetled clicked to each other from the trees. Moisture gathered on the twisted branches and pooled in small droplet, hanging precariously at the tips before falling to the ground.

All of these things he heard, but he couldn't hear the almost breathless noises of the terrified woman.

Jax softened his voice, searching her face. "I promise I won't hurt you, alright?" He took two steps forward, noticed her recoil, and stopped advancing. "I'm not going to touch you."

The woman spread her fingers apart, moving her hands away from her face. Small parts of the fear that covered her features ebbed away. A new look of wariness stretched through her eyes. She changed her position against the wall, leaning forward slightly. Scuffed and dirty hands pressed firmly against the slick walls of the small cave. Her eyes flickered to his side, and she lurched backward.

He stood in confusion before he remembered the DC-15 blaster at his side. Slowly, so she could track his movements, he placed his hand on the holster.

She gasped and pressed herself against the cave wall again.

"I won't hurt you," Jax said, drawing the blaster. "I'm not going to hurt you. Remember I promised that?"

"Y-You lied!" She started shaking again, her hands flying up to cover her face as her breathing quickened.

Jax dropped the blaster on the ground, the weapon falling with a clatter. He kicked it to the side, where it landed under a bare bush. "See? I'm not armed; I won't hurt you." That seemed to be all he was saying. Jax took a few more steps toward her, aware that the small feathers on her arms were beginning to puff outward.

Cursed.

Anxiety pricked his innards, although he wasn't sure what had elicited the reaction. Jax was only a meter away from her now, hands still up and on either side of his shoulders. "I won't hurt you," he said softly. From his position in front of her, he could see her eyes clearly despite how dim it was under the cave. Small specks of gold lined the outer edges of her purple irises. The woman had no pupil, but the sclera of her eyes were clear and white.

And in the light cast from the full moon above, Jax could see that her skin was not a deathly pale color like he'd originally assumed—she was blue, pale blue, to be exact. She wasn't human. He wasn't exactly sure of the species, but as far as he could tell, she was humanoid.

For a few moments, neither of them moved. Past her matted, dirty hair, and dry, mud covered skin, she was almost…attractive. Something lurched and fluttered in Jax's chest. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

She still sat and stared at him. He could feel her eyes studying every feature of his face, slowly tracing over every part of his body. Jax was sure he had no other weapons on him other than a vibroblade—but that was in his boot. She couldn't see it.

"What's your name?" she said suddenly.

"Huh?" He hadn't been paying attention. Something about her eyes—

"Name." Her voice had a certain smoothness to it that caught Jax off guard. He couldn't quite shake the mental image of all Cursed being rough, muscular, and ugly. "What's your name?" The majority of her fear had been replaced with caution.

"Oh…I'm Jax." Jax's arms slowly lowered to his sides. "What's, um…what's yours?" Already, his shyness and lack of class around females was beginning to show.

The woman was silent for a moment, seemingly chewing over the decision. Then, she spoke. "Kiki."

Jax suddenly didn't know what to do; he could leave, or he could report her as the law said she should. "Are you hungry?" The completely random question startled the both of them. He felt his face begin to burn. "I have a few ration bars, if you like."

Kiki stared for a moment, then slowly nodded her head. "Yes, please."

Jax reached into his back pocket and pulled out the dry, plasti-wrapped food bar. He half stepped forward, holding it out. The silvery wrapper crinkled in his fingers. "Here."

Kiki examined the package before snatching it from his hand. She hastily pulled off the wrapping and forced half the bar into her mouth, not even cringing at the bland taste.

Jax cautiously closed the last meter of space between them. He crouched under the low ceiling of the cave and huddled by the wall on the right, a good meter away from Kiki. He watched as she finished the ration bar, crumbs scattered across her mouth. It was bland, dry, tasteless and almost completely texture-less, but Kiki had practically swallowed it whole. She looked at him expectantly until he gave her another one.

"You're going to turn me in, aren't you?" she said, her gaze intense and boring into his.

Jax looked away. "That's what the law says." He immediately wanted to punch himself in the gut for saying it, but it was true. If he didn't turn her in and it was discovered that he knew there was a Cursed woman roaming about, he faced a court-martialing and definite prison time.

Kiki scowled, throwing the wrapper on the ground with slightly shaking fingers. He realized she wasn't shaking entirely out of fear; it was cold out. She rubbed her arms, wincing as her hand passed over a scrape. "I won't let you do that." She shivered, but there was a solid determination in her words.

He sat in silence for a moment. The Cursed were to be turned in to authorities no matter what, although the only thing Kiki had done—as far as he knew—was squatting on public property.

"Please don't turn me in." Kiki looked at Jax, her lips pursed. "I'll leave and I'll take everything I have with me."

Jax didn't say anything, instead choosing to eye the frayed ropes with dirty clothing, the dented pot and bowls that lay strewn on the ground, and the little cave the woman beside him was forced to call home. His senses of guilt and compassion were at war with his senses of duty and fear. Kiki shouldn't have to be forced to live in such a way—no one should have—but getting in trouble with the law was not something he wanted to risk.

"I haven't done anything wrong," Kiki mumbled when the silence became unbearable.

"How have you been eating?" Jax asked, pinching and invisible flaw on the knee of his pants.

She features twisted as if she'd been offended, and Jax instantly felt guilty. "I didn't steal food. Most Cursed don't steal food."

"There are other Cursed here?"

"Of course."

Jax stared into the line of black trees. The full moon above cast a strange glow on the plants around them. It would be spring soon, and everything would be covered in a multitude of bright greens.

"I'm not turning you in." Jax gazed up at the bright, round moon, mentally tracing the slight differences in its surface.

"What?" Kiki's head spun toward him. "You're not?" The third ration bar was momentarily forgotten in her hand.

He shook his head. "I'll figure something out, but I'm not turning you in; you haven't done anything." Jax sighed, a puff of vapor hovering in the air before him. He didn't notice how much the temperature had dropped. It must have been close to midnight.

Jax jumped up without warning, almost slamming his head on the ceiling of the cave. "Osik, I missed curfew— sorry…" he said when Kiki yelped at his outburst.

"Will you get into trouble?" she asked, tightening her grip on her arms. Her eyes traveled to the blankets on the ground.

"Yes, but there are others who stay out drinking all night…" he trailed, following her eyes. For a moment, he looked down at the standard issue sweater he was currently wrapped in. Before Jax could change his mind, he pulled the sweater over his head and tossed it ungracefully into Kiki's lap. "Use that to keep warm…" he said, feeling his face flush with red. He was now standing in a grey short-sleeved shirt, goose bumps rising on his tanned skin. His hands rubbed his arms up and down. Jax's eyes were already scanning everywhere but Kiki as his typical shy personality started to appear.

Kiki stared at the sweater in her lap, pinching the thick grey fabric between her fingers. She looked up at Jax, trying and failing to meet his eyes. "You want me to have this?" she asked, unbelieving. Her brows drew together, lips puckering at the thought of receiving something that wasn't meant to hurt her.

It only then occurred to Jax that Kiki might not have ever been given a gift before—if that was what the sweater could be called. Something in him twisted, painfully sharp and hard. "Yeah. Keep it. It's a little big, but…"

Kiki's face twisted into a strange mix of uncertainty and fear. She pulled the hem over her head, struggling a bit with the sleeves, but managed to get the sweater on. Stretching her arms out before her, she examined her wrists, where the sleeves went up to her palms. The shirt was baggy, and the collar hung down a bit low. Her features re-twisted into something else.

Jax's gut sank. She didn't like it. He didn't know why that had upset him so much, but Kiki's not liking the sweater meant—

"Thank you…" Her voice was soft and almost shy—suggesting that she'd never accepted a gift before. A smile slowly formed on her lips until it reached her eyes, making her skin glow despite the dirt. "It's…It's nice. Thank you, Jax." She immediately curled into herself, pulling her knees up to her chest.

Jax's entire body flushed with warmth, temporarily erasing the goose bumps on his arms. "Oh. I'm glad you like it." He shuffled in place, toeing a small pebble. Again, his gaze caught on the damp clothing, dented and broken bowls, and meager area in general Kiki was forced to call home. "I'll…see you again?"

Kiki's head snapped up, and for a second Jax thought that she must have been falling asleep. "You're going to come back?" An odd combination of hope and fear rippled on the surface of her words. "That would be…" She didn't finish her sentence.

Jax didn't know when things had suddenly become awkward for them. Up above, the moon hung heavily in the sky, casting its white light on the land. "I need to get going," he rushed out.

"I think it's one in the morning by now." Kiki tried to look awake, but her lids were drooping heavily over her purple irises. With slightly sluggish movements, she spread out a grey, thin blanket on the cold ground. "You don't want to be late…good night…" The second blanket, light blue with darker blue spots, was wrapped around her shoulders.

Jax felt guilty for leaving Kiki in the middle of the empty forest. He was by the edge of the clearing when he heard her voice call out to him.

"Jax?" Her gaze was intense. "Thanks. For the food and the sweater." She smiled again, lighting her eyes up.

His gut curled in a weird way, making Jax immediately wrap his arm around it. "Y-You're welcome." And there was the stutter.

Kiki finally closed her eyes, rolling over to face the cave wall. Her body sagged as she fell asleep.

A small part of Jax knew just abandoning Kiki was wrong as he made his way back through the forest. His boots crunched on sticks, his hand occasionally brushing away a branch. His mind was made up: he would see her again. Bring more food, maybe even some blankets and a sleeping bag.

This wouldn't be the last time Jax saw Kiki. Deep down, he was determined to make her life better.

I've had this word document sitting here for a while. I originally started writing Crow during class when I was supposed to be paying attention to the lesson (I couldn't help myself). But, at last, here it is! I've only a vague idea what I'm going to do in the next chapter, but it'll come out.

Reviews and comments would be appreciated!

AAx