Here is another chapter of my new story. I'm happy to see a few of you have read it! I know it's different and I don't know alot about Wookiees or Lasat, but I'm trying my best. It is fan fiction after all!

Chapter 2 Traditions and Training

Zeb stood at the railing surrounding the main village in the large wroshyr tree. It had been two days since the purification ceremony and the Lasat noticed that his senses were more heightened: sight, smell and touch in particular. He took a deep breath taking in the scents of the trees , flowers, water and an herb-like smell he never noticed before. Suddenly he felt two arms wrap around his waist and a familiar scent come to his nostrils.

It was Orla.

"Garazeb," she said in her seductive voice, "What are you doing?"

"Just taking in all the sights and smells around here. They are very...pleasant."

Orla gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You have changed, beloved."

"Changed?"

"Yes, the sacred pool has changed you."

"I see things differently," the Lasat said taking a deep breath, "Everything around me is more...vivid; sights, sounds, smells and touch."

"Your eyes have been opened to our world," Orla said wrapping her arms tighter around him. Feeling the soft fur of his bare torso against her body made her feel warm.

"What's that mean?"

Orla pulled her arms away from around him and looked into the big green eyes.

"My beloved," she whispered brushing her lips to his cheek, "You are seeing through a Wookiee's eyes. You are seeing our world for the first time."

Zeb's eyes widened knowing she was right.

"Come, it is time for your visit to the healer..."

Later that day, Orla took Zeb for a walk around the village. Bufaloo and Katsi, Orla's younger siblings came along. The two Wookiee cubs adored Zeb and fought to sit up on the Lasat's shoulders.

"They really like you," Orla said seeing the two cubs cuddling up to their new "big brother".

Zeb didn't answer. He just embraced the two cubs, giving them kisses on their heads making them squirm. Katsi growled and pushed Zeb's face away. Orla laughed at what the cub said.

"Katsi says your nose feels strange."

Zeb laughed and gave the cub a nuzzle to the top of his head, a Lasat sign of brotherly affection.

"Tell him my nose is different because I'm a Lasat and not a Wookiee."

Orla barked back and Katsi dissolved into giggles. He reached over and kissed Zeb on his slitted nostril nose. Orla swallowed hard before speaking. Katsi barked again.

"Katsi says he doesn't care. You are Wookiee in your heart and now part of our family clan. Bufaloo loves you too."

Zeb blinked his eyes and gave the cubs another hug.

"Let's go see the warriors training," Orla said, "In a few days, you will begin to train with two of our best warriors."

"Who's that?"

"General Tarful and Wullffwaro."

The names sounded familiar to Zeb and then he remembered.

"Wullffwaro is the Wookiee warrior that my...family and I rescued from the spice mines of Kessel," he said to Orla, "We rescued him along with his son Kitwarr and a group of other Wookiees."

"Yes," Orla answered, "Wullffwaro speaks highly of the strange family clan of human, Twi'lek and Lasat. He is glad that you will be training with him, but..."

"But, what?"

"General Tarful is another matter," Orla said taking his hand in hers, "He doesn't think you can become a Wookiee warrior."

Zeb frowned knowing the sound of racism when he heard it. He was used to the hatred the Empire had for alien races, but he never knew the Wookiees felt that way.

"General Tarful doesn't like Lasat?" Zeb asked his frown deepening.

"No...no... beloved. General Tarful is very hard on new recruits. Because you are a Lasat he will make it harder for you. If it makes you feel any better, the general helped defeat the Imperials when they attacked both my planet and yours."

"I'll prove I can become a warrior," Zeb said placing his left arm across his chest, "After all, I was a captain in the Lasan High Honor Guard."

Orla smiled at his words and kissed him on the mouth.

"Yuck," both Bufaloo and Katsi said so Zeb could understand them. He laughed and Orla did too.

Later by a community fire in the twilight of a Kashyyyk evening, Zeb was introduced to General Tarful, Wullffwaro and two other older Wookiee warriors. Compared in age, Zeb was a child next to the four old Wookiees.

When introduced, Wullffwaro squeezed Zeb in a warm hug. The other two warriors gave the Lasat punches to his good shoulder. General Tarful stood looking down at Zeb, his brown eyes stern. Zeb swallowed hard and tried to look intimidating but failed next to the much larger Wookiee. Tarful growled showing his teeth and barked in a menacing tone.

Zeb stood his ground, even though his knees were knocking. Taking a deep breath, he frowned, bared his teeth emphasizing his Lasat incisors and gave the tall warrior a vicious Lasat growl.

Orla stood, ready to jump in if Tarful chose to attack the smaller Lasat. Her worries were for nothing. Tarful growled again and punched Zeb on his right shoulder nearly knocking the Lasat off his feet. A big laugh erupted from the old Wookiee and he smacked Zeb again but not as hard. Zeb's frown and fear left as he realized the old warrior was teasing him.

Tarful uttered a couple of barks, Orla translating.

"General Tarful says you are one tough cub and will be fun to train."

"What's that mean?" Zeb asked not quite understanding.

"Garazeb," she crooned kissing his cheek, "The general likes you. When you stood up to him, you proved yourself worthy of training. He can be tough on Wookiee cubs, but you being a Lasat, he will be tougher."

"I'll show him how tough this cub can be..."

"Oh don't worry about that now. Let's just enjoy the company of our family clan and the others..."

She wrapped her arms around him making a few of the younger Wookiee males stare in awe. A few had tried to win her over but she never showed interest, until the trip to Kswah Prime and a chance meeting with a clan of humans, Twi'lek and...Lasat. When Orla returned to Kashyyyk, she showed her potential suitors that she had found the love of her life.

A Lasat named Garazeb Orrelios.

Orla felt their stares and looked back baring her teeth in warning to back off. They bowed their heads in respect of Orla's intended. Zeb looked over at them giving them one of his crooked smiles. That showed them who he was and that he was part of Orla's clan. Zeb had just won more friends with the Wookiees.

Early the next morning, Orla saw Zeb practicing with the bo-staff mode of his Lasat weapon and she watched with interest. Seeing the Lasat's rippling muscles under the fur excited her and she couldn't take her eyes off him. He moved with the skill of a Wookiee warrior but with more finese. His loincloth moved in a breeze and she caught sight of his bare buttocks and she felt her heart beat faster.

"What are you looking at, daughter?" a translator feminine voice sounded. It was her mother Rukalo.

"Uh...I'm watching Garazeb training with his Lasat weapon," came the younger Wookiee's response, "He is quite a warrior in his own right."

"He's also very handsome...isn't he?" Rukalo said in an amused tone seeing the flush of seduction on her daughter's face.

"Y...Yes, he is," Orla stammered and changed the subject, "I hope Garazeb will learn to fight like a Wookiee warrior and survive the test of getting the Rancor tooth."

"He will, Orlaruk," her mother said embracing her, "Garazeb is a strong young Lasat and from what I've heard, he is a skilled warrior amongst his own people. Don't worry. He will become a warrior among Wookiees and will get that tooth. He is not a quitter."

Orla hugged her mother more, hoping her words rang true...

The next day, Tarful barked loudly cuffing Zeb along the head when the Lasat missed the target for a spear he had just thrown for probably the hundredth time. The training had started...

Orla watched from the sidelines to translate for her Lasat intended.

"Tarful says to relax your shoulders more and use your lower arm to aim the spear. Here, I'll show you."

Orla jumped down from the wroshyr tree branch she was sitting on and walked over to stand next to Zeb.

"Here, beloved, like this..."

Orla took the spear and with her left arm launched it to the target hitting smack in the middle of it. Tarful grunted with respect.

"Orla, I can't throw with my left arm," Zeb said looking over at Tarful who was crossing his hairy arms across his chest in annoyance.

"Use your right arm. Which arm do you use your Lasat weapon with?"

"My right arm...most of the time."

"Try that then."

Zeb picked up the spear and readied to throw it.

"No...No," Orla said moving behind him, "Take the spear and bend your arm at the elbow."

She moved up next to him and he felt her shaggy fur against his bare torso. Shaking off the feelings he felt at her closeness, Zeb let her take hold of his arm to position it for the spear throw.

"Try that."

Zeb threw the spear and missed. Tarful, Wullffwaro and the other two Wookiees barked in laughter at the Lasat's failure. Zeb's ears drooped in embarrassment.

"Garazeb, try again. Relax your shoulder a bit. Tighten up your stomach muscles."

She patted his stomach and he smiled at her touch.

Frowning with concentration, Zeb stood, knees slightly apart, took several deep breaths, lifted his arm, and threw the spear. It hit dead center splitting Orla's spear in two. Zeb's green eyes nearly bugged out of his head seeing what he had done.

Orla threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the lips. Zeb hoped to kiss her back, but was lifted off his feet by General Tarful in a big Wookiee hug. The old Wookiee soldier ruffled the shorter fur on the Lasat's head and growled. Orla translated.

"Tarful says for a cub, you show promise. He wants to see you use a bolo sling next."

"What's that?" Zeb asked hoping the big Wookiee would put him down. Tarful finally did with one last ruffle to Zeb's head.

The Lasat was shown a bolo sling next and he caught on quick having used something similar as a child on Lasan. Tarful had Zeb try to knock over a wooden Wookiee statue a long way off. To the old Wookiee's amazement, the Lasat knocked it over the first time he tried.

"Tarful sees you are good with a bolo sling. Now he wants to see how you handle a bowcaster."

Zeb tried to use the Wookiee weapon and hours later still couldn't get the hang of using it. Tarful growled and slapped him around until blood flowed from the Lasat's nostrils. Uttering growls of his own, Zeb threw the bowcaster to the ground and ran off into the forest. Tarful turned to Orla and in Shyriiwook told her to go after him.

"You are too hard on him," she growled back. Tarful barked back and gave her a tiny smile.

"I know," she said, "Garazeb is a Lasat, but he is trying. He is willing to learn the ways of the warrior. It will just take him longer than most."

Wullffwaro came forward, laying a hand on her shoulder. He grumbled a response.

"Thank you, Wullffwaro," she said, "Garazeb won't fail. He will become a Wookiee warrior even if it kills him."

She ran after Zeb and found him sitting on a fallen log, hands over his face. Orla sat down next to him, pulling his hands away. The Lasat's nose was smeared with blood and his right eye was becoming a deep purple on the upper lid and swelling up. There were tears drying on his cheeks. She reached over to kiss the tears away.

"I failed," he whispered his voice shaky, "I'll never become a warrior so we will never be joined."

Orla's eyes widened at his words. She put her hands on the sides of his face to turn his head to face her.

"You listen to me," her voice stern but loving, "You will become a warrior. It takes time. You are trying too hard. Relax more."

"I...I can't."

"Garazeb, my love, you will not give up. I won't let you! This is not like you! What I know of the Lasat people, they are not quitters, even after the Empire nearly wiped them out. You are a Lasat, are you not? You will succeed, my love, because I will be standing by you all the way."

"Orla," he whispered feeling more tears fall. He leaned against her more.

"You are a mess," she said drying his tears seeing them mixing with the blood, "Let's get you to the healers..."