Chapter 1: Survivor

Karis POV

My eyes narrow as I close onto my prey. I prepare to pounce from the tree I was hiding in but as I'm about to leap, the prey gets startled and runs away. Who ruined my hunt now? Suddenly in feel a presence on I had not felt since- I lock on to the presence's Force signature praying I'm wrong. I move silently through the trees. The Akul claws on the knuckles of my gloves helping quite a bit.

I crouch silently on a tree. The intruder was almost in position. One step more aaanddd I leap from my tree, kick the intruder square in the chest knocking her onto her back, then kneel on her with my Akul claws right at her throat. Her clear blue eyes widen.
"Is this how you greet your sister?" Ahsoka says a little bit of nervousness tingeing her voice.

"Ahsoka!" I get off her immediately "Sorry 'Soka, I felt your presence but I wasn't sure if it was you; pouncing like that is instinct"
"It's fine" She says getting up "Did have to be so harsh though?"
"You learn pretty quickly to be harsh out here" I say "How do you think I got my Akul claws?"
"Yes, I got acquainted with your claws" She says sarcastically.
"Speaking of Akul we better get to my cave, it's not safe to be out in the open if you're not hunting; eat or be eaten"
"Understood" Ahsoka says and I motion for her to follow me.

I leap over bushes and fallen trees with ease and silently. I stop at halfway to my cave and look back.
"Doin' okay 'Soka?!" I call back; Ahsoka appears a few moments later.
"I'm fine" She says.
"This is your home planet, I'm surprised you're having trouble keeping up" I say smugly.
"Why you!" Ahsoka exclaims but I take off running again. When I get to a cliff-face I jump onto it, then onto a tree, then I jump from the tree to the mouth of my cave. I walk inside and take a seat on the ground around my fire pit. A few minutes later Ahsoka shows up.

"I got scared for a second, I thought I lost you" I say
"You're not getting rid of me that easily" She says and I smile but then my expression goes grim.
"The Jedi promised they'd leave me alone, so tell me the real reason you're here," I says and I see her get uncomfortable.

Ahsoka POV

I feel a lump in my throat form. I had hoped that after three years, Karis would have forgotten the promise the Jedi made to her. She was so different now, so grown up. She wasn't the fifteen year old I knew on Coruscant, no now she was full grown. I had never noticed her when I was in the forest and when she attacked for a few seconds I actually thought she was an Akul, thanks to the cloak she wore and the fact the hood was the Akul's head. Even her gloves were the Akul's fore paws, she had changed it a little, so that they were fingerless gloves and the long claws were on her knuckles. I had been truly scared when I first saw her.

Me studying how she had changed was just postponing the truth.
"The Sith have risen" I say, she stands up and paces.
"So what does this have to do with me?" Karis asks.
"We need you to help us defeat them" I tell her.
"You mean you need my power; Ahsoka I left because of my power, so wouldn't hurt anyone, if you think I'm going back you're crazy"
"Karis what happened to duty and friendship?" I snap at her.
"What happened to TRUST AND LOYALTY?!" She yells at me and all of the animal pelts and crude furniture begin to lift up and a cold feel seeps into air. Karis almost immediately recognizes and drops them.

"It's gotten worse Ahsoka, my power, my Force attunement. Did hear about the five togruta who died not too long ago?" She asks me.
"Yes all choked, we assumed a Sith did it" I answer her and she shakes her head sadly.
"It was me. They crept up on me while I was hunting and tried to scare me off, all they did was piss me off and without meaning to I lost control of my emotions and…I Force choked them all to death" She says darkly and my eyes widen in horror "As I've gotten older my attunement to the Force has gotten stronger; and because of it I have to be careful of my emotions or I can easily kill"

Karis POV

I chuckle bitterly at the bitter truth; I could kill without so much as lifting a finger.
"I'm dangerous and going to a temple where I am sure to be judged harshly, is a recipe for disaster" I say cruelly. I shake my head and turn my back to her.

Suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder; I turn and look at Ahsoka, who had a look of sympathy on her face.
"The Jedi can help you control your emotions" She pauses "The bitter truth is, we need someone to help us who isn't restricted by the Jedi code. Please if anyone at all, help me Karis Kenobi you're our only hope" She says it with such truth and pain in her voice, I bow my head in defeat.
"You were always stubborn Ahsoka, age hasn't tampered that. I will help" I say sounding defeated. She smiles and we begin to make our way to her ship.

I get several odd looks by the togruta we pass but I ignore them and focus on following Ahsoka to the ship. We're almost there when a small togruta boy come ups to me.
"Are you the 'Wild child'?" He asks and I look him curiously.
"What do you mean?" I ask him
"We were told there was a wild human in the forest; are you her?"
"Yes and if don't get back to your mama, I'm going to eat you!" I tell him and he squeaks in fear and runs back to his family.
"That was mean" Ahsoka scolds in mock anger and I laugh
"I'm not the nicest person around if you haven't noticed" I joke and she laughs. I look at the Twilight in amazement.
"This grease-bucket is still flying?" I ask her.
"Got me here didn't it?" She says with a coy smile. I roll my eyes and follow her inside. It was weird being inside a ship again, after being in the wild for so long.

Once she's got the ship up and away I decide to take off my gloves…big mistake. I'm lounging in the co-pilot's seat, when Ahsoka looks at me and her eyes widen. She grabs my right forearm and looks at the inside of it where my marks were .
"Ahsoka! Let go!" I yell at her wrenching my arm from her grasp.
"What are those?" She asks shakily
"They're…my marks" She give me a look, that makes me spew out the truth "After I had killed those togruta I was so mad at myself I cut those marks into my arm. One marks for each person that died because of me."
"You only…killed five togruta" She says confused and I laugh with no humor.
"The first mark is for the first man I killed…my dad" I say bitterly and Ahsoka hugs me, which catches me off guard.
"You did not kill him" She says softly and pulls away. I nod and then realize something.

"What's happened since I left?" I ask Ahsoka and she groans.
"Yoda died in battle" She starts out grimly.
"I thought I felt his presence join the Force" I say glumly
"Luke was elected the new Grand Jedi Master"
"Really?" I say getting that fluttery feeling in my chest, at the mention of Luke's name.
"Yep and Anakin joined the Sith, he's now known as Darth Vader" She says sadly but my face turns hard as stone.
"I'm not surprised, not one bit" I say coldly.
"And last but not least, your mother joined the Jedi" Ahsoka says and I smile. The ship jolts as we come out of hyperspace and I put my gloves back on.

We know something is wrong, when we the smoke rising out of the Jedi temple.