Running through the brush, I could see the hooded figure gaining distance. "Anakin! Keep on his tail!" I shouted, panting as I kept pushing through the pain. I glanced at Obi-Wan still ahead of me, but starting to lag behind Anakin as well.
"Curse Anakin and his long legs" I mumbled as I kept on running.
"Don't lose him!" I could hear Obi-Wan up ahead.
I can't do this much longer. I'm ok when it comes to sprinting, but long distance running is definitely not one of my fortes. As my mind started to justify slowing down, my will kicked in. I can't give up now! We've been hunting this sith for a good 5 months. Giving up now would add another 3 months onto it. And with strengthened resolve and the will of the force, I soon caught back up with Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan looked over, smiling with his eyes. Somehow knowing I wouldn't give up long before I knew it myself. "Keep going" Obi-Wan chided ahead to Anakin, letting him know we were still close behind.
Finding my rhythm I kept pushing right along side Obi-Wan. Though with every single step he took, I almost had to double, but such is the curse of a 5 foot tall Jedi.
Right as I seemed to find that perfectly focused state of mind, a large, beastly nexus jumps out in front of us, now blocking us from following Anakin and the sith.
Anakin sensing our danger, briefly turned around, asking mentally if we needed help.
"NO! Keep following him! We'll be alright. Whatever you do, DON'T LOSE HIM!" Obi-Wan passed back to him. Nodding, Anakin took off, leaving Obi-Wan and I to fend off the hairy beast.
Obi-Wan and I split from one another, each of us going separate ways to confuse the beast. But of course, me seeming like the weaker and more vulnerable target, was now being chased by the nexus. "IT'S BECAUSE I'M SHORT, ISN'T IT?!" I shouted back at the monster as he now had me cornered in a thick clump of trees. He slashed as I tried to force jump up to the nearest branch. He tore open my pack and I clung to the lowest branch. As he fell back to the ground, I took this opportunity to pull myself up higher.
Obi-Wan, took my 'distraction' as an opportunity to gain higher ground and he soon leapt onto the beast, piercing him with his blue blade. Chest heaving, he grinned as he now stood triumphantly on top of the now motionless pile of ratted fur.
"My hero!" I mocked down to Obi-Wan from up in the trees.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "If the nexus had chased me instead, I have no doubt you would've done the same for me."
I nodded, knowing full well Obi-Wan never doubted my skills. He even promoted them, often defying the popular belief that as a girl, I 'wasn't strong enough, or skilled enough'. I really needed to stop teasing him about it as he was the least sexist person I knew. He, after all, had chosen me to come along side him and Anakin to follow this sith lead.
"Can you see them?" He shouted up, hoping that I would have a better vantage point.
Climbing to the top of the tree, I peered out over the jungle. In the distance was a clearing and I could faintly see the sith run onto his ship. Anakin, not far behind, climbed into his own ship and took off after him up into space. I sat there knowing that Anakin and the Sith had just taken the only transports off this remote planet. "Well..." I sighed. "The good news is he didn't lose him." I peered back down at Obi-Wan. The look on his face gave away his nerves, as he came to realize the same conclusion.
I climbed back down to the lowest branch, which was still a good 15 feet off the ground. Not quite wanting to take that leap of faith, I just sat there, contemplating the best course of action.
"Do you want me to catch you?" Obi-Wan stood, amused slightly.
"Ha! Ha!" I stated as I found myself maneuvering the tree branch. Almost slipping, I clung to it desperately. I felt like a lame monkey, with my feet now dangling and my grip weakening. "ummmmm..." I glanced through the gap in my arms to the smug look on Obi-Wans face. "Actually..." And with a slip of my fingers, I found myself falling inevitably towards the hard ground.
"This is going to hurt", I thought to myself, preparing myself for the hard impact, squeezing my eyes shut. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard at all. In fact, it was kind of soft. I slowly opened my eyes. and looked up at the tree above me. "Wow!" I uttered, "That should've hurt more".
The groan underneath me brought me back to my senses. "Obi-Wan!" I jumped up, realising that poor Obi-Wan had used himself as a cushion for my fall.
"It's too bad you're not a little tiny thing" he grunted as he peeled himself off the ground.
I smiled at his sarcasm and sat down beside him. Grateful for his help regardless. "Thank you..." I whispered, realising that even with all of our sassing, it's nice to have a moment of genuine kindness.
He smiled, looking at me after running his hands over his face. "You're welcome" he nudged playfully.
We both sat there for a moment, collecting our thoughts in silence. "Well," Obi-Wan began "We still have a bit of sun left. How 'bout we find us some food and shelter."
I nodded in agreement and climbed to my feet. Reaching for my pack, it felt lighter than normal. Turning it around, I saw a huge gash in the front. "REALLY?!"
Obi-Wan stifled a laugh. "Some people just have the rottenest luck."
I huffed, and began moving in the direction of the clearing where our transport ship had once been, knowing that would most likely be the place that Anakin would look first. Obi-Wan followed closely behind.
We had been walking for hours now, and I could see the sun lowering.
"We need to find shelter soon" Obi-Wan seemed to read my thoughts.
I nodded silently in agreement. I trudged further ahead and thought I saw the clearing. As I moved towards it, the force seemed to shout at me to stop, but it was too late. Obi-Wan bumped into me and we both tumbled down into an open pit. As we hit the ground, rather hard this time, I moaned in pain. "Can I just have a day where I DON'T fall?!" Rubbing my head I sat up, looking for Obi-Wan. He had already stood, brushing the dirt off his pants. I gazed up to where we were just standing.
"Could we force jump it?" I asked Obi-Wan who was clearly contemplating the same thing. "No, not tonight at least. That's got to be a good 30 feet. The only reason we didn't splatter was the nice steep incline acting as a slide." He reached his hand out to help me up.
"Well that's just peachy" I grumbled, now surveying the stone floor around me. I could see the several caverns branching off the main pit floor.
"Maybe there's a way out. I'll go take a look. You start a fire" I nodded in agreement. Not wanting to walk much further. In a corner of the cave I noticed a dying bush and went to rid it of it's dead limbs. Yanking a rather stubborn branch from it's root, a pair of rats dashed out of the bush and ran towards me. I yelped and started whacking the ground mercilessly. Obi-Wan darted back into the chamber, lightsaber drawn. After finally coming to the conclusion that those poor rats would never again see the light of day, I ceased my assault.
Panting hard, I wiped the sweat off my brow and looked up at Obi-Wan, who in turn looked at me stunned and amused. "I found dinner!" I stated bluntly. Obi-Wan chuckled then proceeded back down the cavity that he came from.
Pleased with my skills, I quickly built the fire and began cooking the grub.
I sat there, staring at the flames dance across the logs. The sound of footsteps echoed through the caves passage. "Any luck?", I asked, turning the roasting rodent kabobs in the fire.
"Uhhhh... yeah..." The footsteps got louder. "Good news. No one is going to rob us in the middle of the night."
I looked up at Obi-Wan, covered in dirt and ash. "So I take it, there's no exit."
"You would assume correctly" he sighed. "We'll just have to wait 'til Anakin comes back for us."
"That could be days! All we have to eat is whatever vermin are down here and the decade old crackers Master Yoda put in my pack. Not to mention we have a limited water supply."
"OH! I almost forgot," He grinned matter-of-factly "I found a freshwater spring in one of the back caverns. It's rather nice actually. There's a small waterfall that trickles down into the pool. And the.."
"A pool?!" I stood up abruptly, handing Obi-Wan the skewer of rats. "I am going to go take a much needed bath. If I'm not back in an hour, leave me." I snatched my torn bag and the torch from Obi-Wan and headed off down the path.
"Don't get the water too dirty, I also need to bathe"
I looked back and nodded. "Yes. Yes you do."
He frowned slightly, "You're just as smelly and gross as I am."
"yeah, yeah" I mumbled, the darkness of the cave now closing in around me as I meandered through it's maze. "Which way?" I hollered, holding my torch up at eye level.
"Keep right!"
After a minute or so of walking, I heard the distant trickle of water and soon come upon a humid cavern. I reached into my pack, hoping that the beast did not consume my light stick.
"Aha!" I raised the stick in silent victory, then snapped it into life. Immediately the cavern filled with a blue glow. I gawked at it's brilliance. The stones in the walls reflected the light, making it seem as though I were gazing at the stars in the night sky.
Reaching the edge of the pool, I looked down into the dark water. Fumbling around my almost bag I found another light stick. Snapping the stick, I dropped the green light down into the water, illuminating the crystal clearness of it. The stick reached the bottom, about five feet down.
"Perfect" I grinned in satisfaction and immediately disrobed, sliding into the warm water.
"You're rat is getting cold!" The shout snapped me out of my doze.
"I'm coming" heading to the edge of the water for my pack, I looked for any spare clothes, only to find just a torn jedi cloak. "You've got to be kidding me."
Pulling the torn robe around my bare skin, I walked back down the corridor to the main cavern, where Obi-Wan sat cross legged in meditation. Careful not to expose any bare skin, I awkwardly oozed my way to the ground, picking up the last roasted rat. "I can't believe I'm eating this" not trying at all to hide my grimace.
Obi-Wan grinned, opening one eye to catch a glimpse of the look on my face. "It's really not that bad, once you get past the smell, and the texture, and the eyes"
I halted mid-bite. Trying to stop my gag reflexes from regurgitating all over my only clean robe.
Obi-Wan stood up, reaching for his fully intact pack. Rolling my eyes, why is he never the one to almost be eaten by strange creatures?"
"I'll be back in about 20." He left down the corridor, leaving me all alone with my rat. I forced the rest of it down, my stomach continuously fighting back against it with every ounce of dignity left.
As the fire slowly died, my eyes drooped close, exhausted by the days events. I laid my head on my pack and fell asleep.
I felt a pair of strong arms gently pick me up, beginning to carry me. Where to? I could almost care less. I moved slightly as I stirred from my slumber, brushing my robe off my now bare breast. I felt a hitch in his breath as he stopped abruptly. Now fully awake and aware of the situation, I kept my eyes shut, playing as though I was still asleep. The last thing we need at this point is an awkward situation between us.
He began to move again, gently setting me down on a soft blanket. I, 'mostly sleeping', rolled onto my stomach, concealing my now fully erect nipple. Scared to open my eyes, I listened to the sounds of his footsteps retreat, and the hiss of the almost dead fire as he poured water on it. I decided to chance a peek. Looking up I saw Obi-Wan, shirtless, facing the fire as he kicked dirt onto any remaining coals.
He slowly turned around and I shut my eyes, now relying once again on my listening skills. I heard him climb onto the other side of the blanket. I patiently listened as his breathing gradually slowed.
Minutes passed by and I am, at this point, wide awake. The image of Obi-Wan topless, plagued my mind. I decided to chance another peek at the man lying next to me. He faced away from me, his arms crossing his firm chest. The thought pops into my head of those arms wrapped around my chest. Without thinking, I whispered in my best sleepy voice, "Obi-Wan?"
I heard another hitch in his breath, "Yes?" he whispered back.
"I'm cold" I laid there in silence, my brain now racing with thoughts. What am I doing? We are both Jedi, It's forbidden. And Obi-Wan, the epitome of the perfect Jedi Knight. Why on earth am I tempting him? Why am I tempting myself? My brain suddenly halted as I heard the blanket rustle next to me. The warmth of his body now settling next to mine and I could feel his arms wrap hesitantly around me.
No! I thought in a panic. I have to stop this! But his warmth seeped into me and it felt so nice. It can be as harmless as I want. If he starts caressing me gently with his rough hands, then what's the harm in that. What if his fingers brushed delicately across my sensitive nipple, it's not that bad. "NO!"
Obi-Wan tensed at my sudden outburst. I turned to face Obi-Wan, gazing into his very wide awake eyes. Breaking down, "I'm so sorry Obi-Wan! I really was cold, but I had other motives. And now I've put probably the greatest and most respected Jedi Knight in a position that could ruin you. I don't know what came over me. I'm so foolish. Please forgive me." I looked up at him, his eyes still as wide as before. He looked as though he were holding his breath. We both stared at each other in silence. After a minute or two, I glanced at his arms still there around me. "Aren't you going to remove those and decrease the temptation?"
With an almost painful voice "I'm cold too", he shakily exhaled.
"Oh... ok..." surprised by his answer. "Are you sure?" I asked, searching his ocean blue eyes.
"Yup" He grunted, closing his eyes.
"Ok then..." I turned so that his chest now comfortably contoured against my back. "Well, g'night Obi-Wan"
"G'night" he strained.