Where I Belong
By: Swissalo
Prologue
xXx
On a plain street, in an equally plain neighborhood a man sat patiently in a large tree. Having been drawn to this planet and this location for reasons unknown. If he could he would have left, but something had called him here and here he would stay until he found his answers. Studying his surroundings once more he noticed how everything was the same each house identical to one another, even their land vehicles were the same. During his first survey of his location he'd noticed a grey cat lurking around, but had thought nothing of it. But the cat was drawn to one house in particular, just like he was. The feline had been nothing but persistent in it's study of the house and the humans inside it. More so than a normal cat, he could tell, normal animals go where they are wanted but this feline kept returning to a house where it wasn't. It was during his study of the neighborhood that he noticed that the street was suddenly getting darker. Moving slightly he watched from his perch as the lights on the street were suddenly extinguished one by one. With the new darkness he watched as an old man, dressed in robes of purple and with long white hair and beard, appear. He drew back further cloaking his presence as the man approached the grey cat who'd been perched on a stone fence some ways from the house.
To anyone else, it would have been a surprise to see the cat suddenly transform back into a human. But nothing surprised him anymore, and it explained why the being was so persistent with the one house. The reason, however, remained to be seen. It was the sudden sound of a motor that caused him to shift slightly in the tree, the two on the street didn't seem worried at being discovered so he assumed it was one of their own. Watching as a large man rode in on a flying speeder of some sort, he looked at the older pair they were having a disagreement of some sort though it appeared that the woman was losing the battle. Hearing the blubbering coming from the large man, he shifted trying to see what the man was holding so closely. The large man didn't seem to have any desire to hand the bundle over but finally gave in to the older man. It was times like this when he wished he'd had better hearing, just to understand what was really going on. He watched as the older man ran a hand over the bundle before walking up to the very house the cat woman had been studying all day. Laying the bundle down the old man walked back to his companions and watched silently as they both left. It was then that the old man lifted something that allowed the lights to come back on one by one.
Watching the sorcery take place below him, he waited to see what the old man would do. It was with a nearly silent pop that the older man vanished from the street, leaving the bundle on the stoop in front of the door as if it was nothing. Sitting in the tree for a while longer he waited to see if anyone would return, when none did, he jumped from his vantage point. Robes swirling around him as he landed silently on the ground, those people were completely unaware of their surroundings. Looking around the neighborhood he walked over to the door, the feeling of urgency that he'd been feeling for months now drawing him in like a moth to a flame. It guided his actions, letting him know that the choice he made would be the right one regardless of what anyone else thought. There was a destiny here, something far more important and so completely clouded that it was a wonder he could tell this was right.
Looking down a the bundle on the stoop, he bristled the only show of emotion on his person as he bent to pull the blankets away. Looking at the dark haired youngling that lay in the blankets he growled lightly as the pull intensified, only relaxing once the youngling was enclosed safely in his arms. Whoever these people where, they didn't seem to care about the safety of the youngling they had left or else they would have realized that leaving a child in the cold was anything but smart. Feeling something crumple under his hand he pulled a note from the confines of the blanket. A note of explanation, but common decency should have stated that they ask in person instead of abandoning a youngling without knowing if the residence were even willing.
Standing with his back to the house, Jedi Knight Mace Windu stared down at the youngling, the little one was strong in the Force. Studying the sleeping youngling he gazed over the tufts of black hair that covered an angry jagged scar, from it radiated darkness. Only a small blip on the brightness of the youngling's pure Force presence, a trip to the healers would have that darkness removed with relative ease. Pushing a bit of the Force to the wound, he felt the darkness wane slightly at the pureness of the Force, healing the wound. The youngling shifted slightly but did not wake, wrapping his robes securely around this tiny bundle, Mace spared a glance at the house before walking out into the street. He had been pulled to this planet by the Force for this very reason; he was meant to take this youngling back to the Temple with him to be trained in the ways of the Jedi. Making his way to the field where he'd left his ship, Mace felt the approval of the Force as he boarded the ship.