Chapter 2 – With The Tribe
Alright, the second chapter for my side story. In this chapter, Aisha begins to learn what she needs to know about the Akul. After that, it's time to practice.
Hope you enjoy.
;-
"Aisha? Come on sis, it's time to get up."
At the sound of the familiar voice, Aisha slowly woke up. She stretched her body and opened her eyes to find her sister looking at her. "Good morning," she said with a smile.
"Good morning Aisha, did you sleep well?" Ahsoka replied with a smile.
Aisha nodded as she sat upright on the bed. "These beds are really different from the ones back home, but they're pretty comfortable. It's also really quiet out here, it's a big change from the city," she said as she prepared to get out of bed.
Ahsoka nodded as well. "I know, it was a really big change for me as well when I was here the last time," she replied. "Going from the halls of the Jedi Temple to a tribal settlement like this took some getting used to, but I didn't regret coming here at all." She smiled with the memories. "Now then, you need to get ready for breakfast. After that, you'll join the hunters in their lessons."
"Alright!" Aisha said excitedly. Ahsoka gave her another smile and left to let her sister get ready.
;-
Ahsoka and Aisha sat together in the dining area of the tribe, enjoying their breakfast and preparing for the day. A number of the younger children of the tribe had stopped by to wish Aisha luck in her hunt. They had all heard that she was going to attempt the traditional rite of passage younger than most and they were very impressed by her.
Aisha had been a little embarrassed by the attention, but she smiled and thanked the children nonetheless. While the children had been impressed by her, one of the people that had stopped by them had also really impressed Aisha. The older woman was a veteran hunter of the tribe, wearing not only an Akul-tooth headdress, but also a necklace and bracelet adorned with Akul teeth. She had said that she was glad to meet the newest huntress of the tribe. Aisha had been smiling so much that it left Ahsoka wondering if she was going to hurt her face.
Just before they finished their breakfast, chief Thiros had stopped by them. The children of the tribe were very eager to hear a bit more about the Jedi Order, so he had asked Ahsoka if she could share some things. She had happily agreed to do so. The two sisters finished up their meal. Aisha then went to the warriors and Ahsoka followed one of the tribe's teachers to her class.
;-
Ahsoka smiled and resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she was introduced to the group of children. She still didn't really like the title of princess a lot. It just didn't fit her that well.
The children all had tons of different questions, about her family, Marina's wedding, what life in the city was like and, of course, about the Jedi Order. She had shared some stories with them about the different things that happened during her life on Shili and when she was still with the Jedi. The children all listened eagerly to everything she said.
One of the slightly older children of the group said he wanted to become part of the royal guard when he was older. He was very curious to hear more about the way that the Jedi fought and their weapons. He wanted to learn as much as he could so he could become a great warrior later.
Ahsoka smiled and asked the rest of the children if they also wanted to hear more about the way the Jedi fought. Her answer was a bunch excited replies and eager faces. She nodded and took one of her lightsabers from her belt. She pointed it to the side and ignited it, the cyan blade appearing and the eyes of the children going wide.
"As a weapon, the Jedi use a lightsaber," she told the group. "These blades can be used in a number of ways, such as deflecting blaster bolts or cutting through obstacles like blocked doors. You can be a shield for others and help them escape dangerous areas. Just like the royal guards or the hunters of your tribe, it's a Jedi's duty to protect others."
She deactivated her lightsaber and put it back on her belt. "By learning and following the Force, a Jedi can learn to make their own lightsaber and find everything they need to make one," she told the group. "The Jedi have a seven lightsaber forms in total, each with their own specialty. Form III for instance, is a very solid defensive form. People like to describe fighting a master of Form III as trying to tear down an unbreakable wall with your bare hands. And when you've finally tired yourself out, the wall will strike back."
Ahsoka paused a moment as the younglings laughed a bit.
"As you probably know, our people have some very powerful fighting styles as well. The royal guards are masters of our ancestors' forms. I have seen them fight and they never fail to impress me. I felt quite honored that I was allowed to join them in their training and learn the styles from them. The techniques are very different from the Jedi lightsaber forms that I'm used to, but they are very powerful."
She leaned in a bit and spoke in a slightly softer voice. "If you ask me, I think that some members of the Jedi Council wouldn't stand a chance against some of our warriors, but don't tell anyone that."
After the children had stopped laughing, she continued. "My sister Aisha and I are going to work on an idea that I've had for a little while: we're going to create a new lightsaber form that combines the ways of the Jedi with our people's traditional fighting styles."
The younglings gasped in a mixture of wonder and excitement at that.
"I can see that you like the idea as much as I do," she commented with a smile. "It's still a bit of a struggle, but I like to think that we're making some nice progress already." She could tell that that confused a few of the children. One of the girls raised her hand and Ahsoka gestured for her to ask her question.
"How come it's difficult? You know both, don't you?" the girl asked.
"Yes, that's true, I know plenty of both styles, but that's not the problem," Ahsoka answered. "The weapons used for both are very different." She held up her lightsaber and balanced it in her palm and activated the blade. Despite having seen it before, the eyes of the children lit up again at the sight of the cyan blade. "The blade of a lightsaber doesn't weigh anything. The only weight is in the hilt." She deactivated her lightsaber again and placed it back on her belt. "The weapons our people use do have blades that weigh something, sometimes quite a lot. The forms make great and effective use of the swings of the strikes that you do. If you move with your attack, you can use the energy and gravity of it to make your next attack even stronger. With those techniques, our ancestors developed very flowing and powerful attacks."
She paused a moment to make sure the children understood. All of them were still following her words with great attention.
"Do you understand the problem yet? A lightsaber doesn't weigh anything, so it's a lot more difficult to move in the same way. We have to find a way to use the techniques effectively with a lightsaber and combine them with the Jedi forms," she finished her explanation.
The children in front of her all nodded.
"We still have a lot to work on, but I think that we can create a strong new form of lightsaber combat," Ahsoka said with a smile. "Maybe once it's finished, we can return here and give you a demonstration." A large amount of smiles break out in front of her. "Now then, who wants to hear about one of my rescue missions with the Order?"
All of the children sounded their eagerness and raised their hands excitedly.
"Alright then," Ahsoka said with a smile. "The Trade Federation was trying to take control of the planet Pantora. To try and make them surrender, they kidnapped the daughters of Chairman Papanoida. In order to save them, the senator of Pantora, Riyo Chuchi and I, set out on a dangerous mission to infiltrate one of their blockade ship and try to find them…"
;-
Aisha was slightly nervous as she walked up to where the hunt master of the tribe and the other warriors. Even the youngest of them were a few years older than her.
"Ah, young lady Aisha," the hunt master greeted her. "Welcome, please join us and we will begin todays lesson."
Aisha smiled. "Thank you," she replied as she moved over and sat down with the group. A few of them gave her a few odd looks, but didn't say anything.
"Everyone, this is princess Aisha Tano. She will be joining us in our lessons so that she may hunt her first Akul," the hunt master introduced her, earning her some more looks from the others.
Even though she was adopted into the family, she too was given the title of princess. "Probably something that Zaa did," she wondered. Just like her sister, there were a few moments that it made her feel a little awkward as well.
The hunt master looked at her again. "I must ask, will you be using your own weapons or a spear and a bow, like we all do?" he asked her.
"I do have my lightsabers with me," Aisha said as she held them up in their combined form. "Using them might make the hunt a little bit easier, considering how powerful a lightsaber can be." She paused and clipped them back to her belt. "But I want to do it the traditional way, just like my sister did. I will be using a spear and bow as well, just like the rest of you."
The hunt master nodded, a satisfied smirk on his face. "I like your answer. We will make sure to teach you all that you need to know," he replied. "Now then, all of you new hunters, pay close attention. Now is the time to learn about the Akul. As you all know, for generations have the Akul preyed on us and we have hunted them in turn. Generations of hunting has taught us what we need to know about our natural foe. Heed the words of those who have gone before you and you shall succeed in your own hunts."
He walked back a bit to where a few paintings were displayed. They were images of the Akul, showing them in a few ways.
"Much like how the colors of our skin conceal us in the Turu grass, the Akul's fur can gift the beast the same cover. Do not solely rely on your sight when you are out in the fields. Unlike many other species, we have our montrals. We have a powerful sense of hearing that we can use to our great advantage, especially out on the hunt. If you wish to stand a chance against the Akul, you must rely on all of your senses. Always be wary of what is around you," the hunt master continued his lesson.
"The Akul's size makes it a to be both respected and feared. Do not take them lightly, it might be the last thing you do in this lifetime," he then warned the group. "It has powerful claws and strong teeth. It will not hesitate to use them against you. Be mindful of the beast's strengths, before you focus on its weaknesses."
One of the others in the group raised his hand. The hunt master gestured for him to ask his question. "So what are the weak points of the Akul?" the young man asked.
"Patience young warrior, we are just getting to that. Do not let eagerness make you overlook vital lessons," the hunt master replied in a slightly warning tone. "The Akul will take great advantage of any mistake you might make."
After a round of agreements from the group, he continued. "What you must keep in mind is that the Akul have a very thick hide over their body. If you just strike randomly, you will only anger the beast. You must always try to aim for the neck or the head." He pointed at the image of the Akul again. "Your strikes will deal the most damage there. If you use a bow, you can also aim for its legs. A well-placed arrow in the joint of the leg can cripple the beast, but be warned, this does not mean that you'll have an easy kill. The beast is still lethal and if you get overconfident, it will be able to kill you instead."
"Does everyone follow these lessons?" he asked the group. He received a number of nods and positive responses. "Very good, then let's recap what we have learned and move on to practice."
;-
Aisha held the spear in her hands. She carefully moved her hands over the wooden hilt. It felt slightly natural and familiar in her hands, similar to how her lightsabers felt when she held them. She moved her hands and held the spear like the warrior in front of the group was demonstrating. Two others and the hunt master walked around to give some pointers to those that needed it.
After a few minutes of instruction, everyone was holding their spears correctly, so the female warrior continued the lesson. "Do not just swing and stab your spear lightly. It will do you no good against the Akul that way. Weak attacks will not pierce its hide," she instructed the group. "You need to make sure to keep a solid grip on your spear at all times. If you don't, you will simply lose it and fighting an Akul without a weapon is not something I would recommend."
She moved into the combat stance herself and held the spear ready. "When you strike, move your entire body into the attack. Strike with your full might so that your blows will be lethal," she said as she moved to demonstrate how to strike. "The Akul will not easily give you a second chance, so if you have the opportunity to strike a lethal blow, you take it." She emphasized the last word with another strong thrust into one of the training dummies that stood in front of her.
She pulled the spear out of the dummy and stood in front of the group again. "That is the way to do it," she said. "Now, it's time for you to practice. Form up in rows in front of the training dummies. We'll direct you to strike. When you've landed your blow, move back to the end of the row to make room for the next. Don't worry, each of you will be able to get enough practice."
Aisha walked with the others and ended third in her row. She carefully watched the two in front of her strike at the training dummies. When it was her turn, she moved into the stance they had been shown and waited for the instructor to give the signal. When she did, Aisha struck swiftly with the spear. She felt a little satisfied to see its blade sink more than halfway through into the dummy.
"You are good on the footwork Aisha, but in the next strike, hold your right hand a bit more to the end of the spear and twist your body a bit more," the instructor told her.
"I will," Aisha said as she nodded and made her way back to the end of the row. She watched the others going through their strikes and listened to what they were told. When she struck again, she moved like the instructor said and felt the spear sink into the dummy a little easier. With a smile, she walked back to the end of the row.
;-
"So, how are your lessons going?" Ahsoka asked her sister as they both sat down for the midday meal.
"It's going pretty well," Aisha replied after taking a bite of the Thimiar meat. "We learned a lot about the Akul, what you should look out for and where you need to strike them. After those lessons, we've spend a few hours practicing with the spears. After the meal, we're going to practice with bows."
"Sounds like you've learned a lot already," Ahsoka said with a smile. "I'm sure that if you keep practicing and learn to what they have to teach you, you will do just fine in the hunt." She thought something over a moment. "Let's see if we can't squeeze in a meditation session after the evening meal. You'll need to keep a clear mind when you're hunting the Akul."
"Okay, that sounds good. I think I could use that, I'm getting a little nervous," Aisha admitted.
Ahsoka nodded. "Honestly, I would be worried if you weren't," she replied. "The Akul are dangerous and not to be underestimated. Being nervous is a good sign that you're not making that mistake."
"The hunt master also said so. He warned us about being careless," Aisha said. "And I know what you taught me about being overconfident of course."
"Good, keep that in mind," Ahsoka replied. "In the Order, we are also taught plenty about fear and nervousness. They are powerful emotions that serve to warn you, but if you're not careful, they can also overwhelm you and leave you incapacitated. The Order's teachings say to acknowledge the emotions and then release them to the Force, don't dwell on them. They say that for all other emotions too."
She looked up in thought for a moment. "Personally, however, after all that I've been through and living with my family now, I don't think that it's the right thing to do anymore," she admitted. "I used to think it was all so simple. Just release it to the Force and be done with it. But in the war I've seen so much and learned that it's never really that simple." She looked at Aisha again. "For Force users, emotions can be dangerous. It's easy to abuse your powers in a fit of anger or rage, especially if the Dark Side is whispering to you while you do so. It's really easy to get lost in your emotions that way and it can drag you down a dark path."
"The Council thinks it's a good idea to banish all emotions. Don't feel anything and there's nothing to worry about," she continued. "I've learned to disagree with that. Not feeling anything will just make you cold and heartless. That became very obvious in the way the Council treated me. They've forgotten compassion and everything else that Jedi are supposed to have." She shook her head.
"There are much better ways to go around it. Every living being has emotions. You can't just shut them off. It's better to embrace your emotions. If you learn to understand them instead of just erasing them, you will be able to handle them better. Also, several emotions will serve to strengthen the Light Side within you. I think that the Council could really learn a lot about handling emotions." She looked at Aisha again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go into a long story about the flaws of the Order."
Aisha giggled a bit. "That's okay, don't worry," she replied. "I like hearing what you have to say about the Force. You know a lot about It."
"I have learned a lot about the Force during my time with the Order and as Anakin's Padawan. After leaving the Order, I continued learning more about the Force," Ahsoka said. She had not told Aisha about Daughter yet. She would do that later on, once Aisha knew more about the Force. "We'll do some meditating tonight. The Force lessons will continue once we're back home. You should focus on the Akul lessons right now."
Aisha nodded. "I will. I'll pay close attention to what they have to teach me," she replied with a smile. "What have you been doing today?"
Ahsoka smiled. "I've been spending some time with the children of the tribe. They were very eager to hear what we do with the Force and the new lightsaber form we're planning to make. I also told them a few stories about some missions that I went on." She chuckled a bit. "One of their normal teachers told me that it was very rare for them to pay so much attention to their instructors."
Aisha couldn't help but laugh at that as well. "You're just a great teacher," she replied as they finished their meal.
;-
Aisha held the bow in her hands. She carefully drew back on the string a bit, testing the resistance. She had never used a weapon like this before, so she paid close attention to what the instructor was saying.
The veteran hunter demonstrated how to hold the bow properly first. He showed the proper stances and how to focus your aim. Once his explanation was finished, he swiftly nocked an arrow and showed the right way to hold it. With everything said and done, he took aim at the practice target and let the arrow fly. It hit the target right in the center, earning him some amazed reactions from the group he was teaching.
"Your best chance at using a bow against the Akul is when the beast hasn't spotted you yet. You can take a brief moment to take careful aim and make sure that your arrow strikes where it counts most," he told the group. "You can still try to use a bow if the beast has spotted you and there is still some distance between you, but do not misjudge the Akul's speed. It can reach you very swiftly if you are not careful."
He gestured at the targets behind him. "Which is why we will practice now. You need to not only learn how to use your bows, but also your own limits," he continued. "You need to know your own limits, how quickly you can nook the arrow, draw back and aim at your target. If you are not confident enough that you can be swift enough, I advise you switch to your spear and prepare for the beast to lunge at you."
He answered a number of questions from the group before they moved on to the practice. Everyone was given a quiver with a few arrows.
Aisha carefully fitted the quiver around her, making sure it was secured but that she could still easily grab her arrows. She moved into the line with the others. There were a few more archery targets, so the lines were shorter.
She was second in her row. They would each shoot three arrows before moving back. When it was her turn, she moved to the assigned line. She took an arrow and carefully placed it on the bow. She drew back, aimed and let the arrow fly. It hit the target, but in the outermost circle. She looked at the target slightly disappointed.
"Do not let it worry you, young lady Aisha," the instructor replied. "For a first shot, I have seen a lot worse before. For your next shot, take slightly longer to aim. Hold your breath a moment, then breathe out and let the arrow fly."
Aisha nodded at the instructor and moved to try again. She drew the arrow back again, but held it a little longer this time. She held her breath for a few seconds, then breathed out and let go of the string. The arrow hit closer to the center this time. With a slight smile, she nocked her third arrow and fired again in the same way. It hit in the same circle as the previous one.
"You have the basic technique down," the instructor said as she retrieved her arrows. "The rest comes with more practice." She nodded at the instructor and walked back to the end of the line.
;-
Aisha smiled as she took a bit of the small snack that she and her sister were having. The archery practice had continued for about an hour and a half. Her aim had improved a bit more. She could aim a little better now and had even managed to hit the center of the target two times. She was going to continue practicing with both the spear and the bow tomorrow. She and Ahsoka might also do some lightsaber practice, a slight spar, seeing as the children of the tribe were very eager to see more of their lightsabers.
They had just done a little meditation session like Ahsoka had suggested during their midday meal. She was right, it had been nice to do after all of the practice of the day. She hoped that they could do it again tomorrow as well. It really helped with her nervousness.
"So, how did you like the training Aisha?" Ahsoka asked.
"It's been pretty good! A little exciting too, considering what it's all for," she replied with a smile. "And in a certain way, it's feels natural to use these weapons, kind of like how it feels when I hold my lightsabers."
"Well, they are the weapons that our people have been using for who knows how many generations. It only makes sense to feel like that," Ahsoka said with a smirk. "I looked at both of your training sessions for a little while. If you keep practicing like that, you'll be ready for your hunt in a few days. I'm sure of it."
Aisha smiled widely at that. "I'll do my best!" she replied eagerly. "The instructors are kind and they really know a lot."
"They are veteran hunters. I don't know exactly how many Akul they've hunted, but they definitely know what they're doing," Ahsoka said as she nodded in agreement. "When it comes to hunting the Akul, I don't think you could have better instructors."
"Not even you?" Aisha asked slightly teasingly.
Ahsoka chuckled a bit. "Well, they probably know more about the Akul then me, but when it comes to the Force, they got nothing on me," she replied amused. Aisha laughed a bit as well at that. "Perhaps it's best if we go to sleep as well. It's getting late."
Aisha nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea," she said. "There is a lot more training to do tomorrow."
"You'll do fine Aisha, I know you will," Ahsoka replied. "Get some rest now, sweet dreams."
"Good night sis," Aisha said with a smile as she got up and headed to her room in the hut.
;-
That's the end of this chapter.
Aisha has started her practice with the hunters. She'll continue to practice with them for a few more days. Then it's time for her to hunt her first Akul.
The next update will be for Gift of Light again. I intend to make two more chapters for The Hunt and then finish up this side story. When it's done, I'll be continuing Tale of a Togruta and A Mirialan's Story again.
Until next time.