AN: My first idea was, of course, a weird one. But I hope you enjoy it none the less. Feedback appreciated.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Treeshadow cursed as he trekked through the dessert that surrounded him on all sides. Nothing but sand for miles as he moved at a shuffling pace through the dunes, twin suns beating down on him, his pitch black absorbing all the heat they had to offer, much to his chagrin. "How did I end up here!?" He snapped violently, shaking grains of sand from his face. "Where is here anyway!?" He shouted at no one in particular as a vile curse slipped past his tenuous control before he continued on his way.

Hours passed and yet he still marched on, hoping any kind of civilization would pop up. His wish was answered as he crested a dune and a small igloo of sorts was just barely visible over the quickening wind. He trotted forward faster now, hoping against hope the hut was abandoned and that he could take shelter until there until this blasted sandstorm passed. Operative words: Hoping against Hope.

He had just stepped foot within touching distance of the door when something long and hard made contact with the back of his head. He yelped and spun around, face meeting the same abuse that his head had, "Ack! S-stop!" Another whap, this time at his hip. "Ack! Stop damnit! Gah!" The last sound that left him was a strange gurgling as another shot was delivered to his forehead.

He sank to the ground, stars dancing before his eyes with a fanciful light.

*~*~*~*~*~

When he awoke next, the first thing that he noticed was that now, instead of irritating sand under his back, there was a soft bed, cradling his abused body. Now how in the name of all that was Holy did he end up here? This wasn't his den back at the zoo or the one in the nature reserve either. The only reason he recognized this as a bed was because his trainer would sometimes let him sneak into his back at the reserve. And this wasn't the sandy dessert of his dream either.

It was a dream though, right? It had to of been. A world of twin suns and stretching dessert? Impossible! He shifted softly in the...bed. And nearly screamed. Last time he checked he did not lie on his back, did not have paws that looked like hands but still looked like paws at the same time. And he did NOT wear pants!!! Next to him there was a sudden jerking movement and he whipped his blue eyes to the left. Sitting in a chair was a young man of maybe thirty, sandy brown hair framing a weather worn, but ruggedly handsome face.

A booming voice and laugh jumped him out of his reprieve. "Good to see you awake young one! We were worried you would never wake." We? Who was 'we'? He glanced about the room, nearly jumping under the covers when he saw three others, two other human males and one blue...thing with what looked to be tentacles on her head. At least he guessed it was a she. All were looking at him with a large amount of concern over his reaction to their presence.

"Padawan Oc'Tvo? Are you alright?" One of the males spoke and Treeshadow turned his piercing eyes on him. He wasn't old but yet he wasn't young, caught in between it seemed with a boyish face, auburn hair and worried blue-gray eyes. But Treeshadow had a different thought at the moment. "What did you just call me?" He asked, voice pitched and gravely from sleep. One man turned to the other, then both to the woman, who stepped forward, taking one of his paws...uh, hands in her own. "Bixa? Do you remember where you are? What you were doing?" She asked, looking at him with soft doe eyes which shone out against her bright blue skin. He shook his head, nearing anger. "Should I?" He asked, blue eyes flaring.

Another look passed between the gathered people, the farmer-type person having left the room shortly after Treeshadow had wakened from his slumber. The last man, a boy still really, no more than maybe twelve or thirteen, poked him square on the end of his muzzle. "C'mon now Bixa! This is not a funny game to be playing. You might make people think you actually got hurt from that fall from only halfway up the side of Beggar's Canyon." As if just realizing what he had said he slapped a hand over his mouth, guilty blue eyes looking at the other man. "Oh...? Something you forget to tell us earlier, Anakin?"

Anakin nodded softly, trying to look repentant. "Yes Master Obi-Wan. Bixa and I were rooting around Beggar's Canyon yesterday and Bixa climbed up the side of the lower end of the canyon. But a Rill scared him and he fell. He got right back up though and said he was fine!" He blurted out on the end, looking worriedly from Master to Master, then to Treeshadow. "You didn't actually get hurt, did you?" Blue looked into blue, worry washing them a dark sapphire instead of the usual light-hearted lapis color the others were used to seeing.

Treeshadow was about to snap another retort when a pain lanced up his temple with a fury. He cradled his head, a startled gasp escaping him. He was dimly aware of a name being called off to his left, where the blue woman was still sitting by his side. "Bixa!" But it sounded far off, small and almost frightened. Black sleep lapped at the edges of his vision as he sank back into the pillows, blue eyes closing slowly.

But before unconsciousness claimed him fully, a voice, so near yet so far away at the same time shouted at him.

"Run! Run away and never look back!!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Darkness surrounded him, engulfed him, yet offered him solace, quiet from the raging torrent of energy that howled outside. Where was he now? Sure in all honesty this was better than the many places he had been so far, whether they be dreams or otherwise. Here was warm, quiet, peaceful. Here was....

"Here is the Force."

A voice murmured close to his ear, which twitched as a warm breeze seemed to brush past its sensitive skin. He whirled in place, half expecting to find another sentient being standing right next to him, but yet there was none. Only the calming darkness that danced around him. If that wasn't creepy, then his perception on reality was beginning to slip with an alarming rate.

"Don't fear it Treeshadow. Embrace the Force. Let its power surmount your fear and nervousness. Listen to its ebb and flow. Absorb all knowledge it offers. It's pertinent you understand this."

"If you don't you will both be lost."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Treeshadow woke with a start, accidently throwing off his blanket in the process. He was moving. Actually everything was moving. Something hummed furiously beneath him and he could tell without even having to look that whatever it was, was something powerful. He glanced around him, noticing the boy from before, Anakin, and the blue woman were sitting in rather uncomfortable looking chairs off to his left, the other man, slouched rather haphazardly on the ground near the door.

He shuffled into a sitting position on the bed, well aware that he was very well sitting on his own tail, but slightly surprised that it did not hurt at all, unlike before at the reserve when it had stung to sit on his own tail. His shuffling brought about the awareness of the boy named Anakin who turned sleep heavy eyes on him. "You're finally awake Bixa. Thank the Force" He whispered, not wanting to wake the two Masters. Treeshadow cocked his head. There was that name again! And what did he mean "Finally"?

"What did you just call me?" He questioned again. When he had asked before all he had gotten were concerned looks and no answers. Maybe this time Anakin would give him some answers. "That's your name Bixa. You don't remember it?" Anakin sounded crestfallen as Treeshadow shook his head. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. My name is Treeshadow." But this declaration seemed to upset the young teen, so he switched the topic to his other pressing question.

"What did you mean, "Finally"? Surely I haven't been asleep that long." He stated, blue eyes settling to look at ones so like his own. "Bixa…you've been unconscious for over a week now. Master Kenobi and Master Lorgeana have been running themselves rampant trying to get us a ship back to Coruscant so you could be seen by the temple medics. Neither of them has slept since then until about two hours ago. I think the medics might'a slipped something in their tea to tell you the truth." He chuckled and Treeshadow couldn't help but join in quietly. So maybe these strange people weren't so different from his pack back home after all.

"A week? Really?" Anakin nodded. "Yup. From when you passed out at the farmers house to now. We're almost to Coruscant though, shouldn't be any longer than another two hours or so." Treeshadow nodded and leaned back into his pillow, tanking him quietly as Anakin threw his blanket back over top of him. "So where is this…"Corooskant"?" He asked, stumbling over the pronunciation like a youngling pup would.

Anakin's face seemed to fall but he perked up again seconds later, though not fully happy. "I guess since you can't remember anything I should start filling you in before we get there so you don't suffer shell shock on top of your amnesia." He grinned and Treeshadow tried to grin back. "Alright. Coruscant is a giant planet that covered almost completely by a city, except at its poles, which are almost uninhabitable for some reason no one can figure out." Treeshadow nodded, starting to listen with interest. If he was stuck here he might as well figure out what "here" was.

"Do you remember the Jedi Temple?" Anakin asked, looking out the viewport to their left. Treeshadow cocked his head to the left with a quizzical look. "What's a Jedi?" He asked, leaning forward, belatedly noticing a bandage on his hip. Anakin sighed heavily. "I'm a Jedi, Masters Kenobi and Lorgeana are Jedi. You're a Jedi Bixa. We're people with special "powers" that we get from the Force." At first, the word 'Force' passed over Treeshadow's brain with no special meaning. Until the dream part of his brain picked the word up and ran with it.

He gasped as a voice shouted in his head.

"Listen Treeshadow!! This is your chance!"

Anakin watched as Treeshadow gasped, caught in the flames of a dream remembered. But also the gales of a prophecy to come, images dancing and flickering before his eyes with rapid intent, showing him what was, what is, and what will be if he continued his path of ignorance. Yet they showed him snapshots of what could be, should he choose to follow the path that had now opened to him.

He groaned loudly as he fell back into his pillows, Anakin's voice echoing off to his left, loud in his now murky surroundings.

"Dr. Sharri!! Come quick it's happening again!!"

Treeshadow grabbed fitfully at the bedsheets, looking for any kind of anchor as more images flashed before his eyes. A strange gurgling sound escaped him as he sank into the depths of a forced sleep once again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Treeshadow."

"Don't fear it Treeshadow. Embrace it. Embrace the Force and accept you destiny, young pup. Your view of the world is to be greatly altered soon and only you can control whether or not that change is good or bad.

"Find us, Treeshadow."

"Your lives depend on. Both yours and Bixa's."