Miri
hiked all the way to the top of a large mountain and decided that it would be a
perfect place for her tent. She started to unpack it from her backpack and set
it up. Once it was up she set off to find a subject to study. She meandered the
forest until she came upon a large bear type animal with three cubs. She lay
down on her stomach and started to take notes and sketch.
In about two hours one
of the bear cubs hobbled up to her and nibbled on some grass right in front of
her. She knew that the bear didn't see her as a threat and wouldn't if she
didn't move. Her mind was racing with thoughts about this animal. She had never
been this close to an untame predatory animal larger than her.
One of the cubs
pranced up and pushed it's nose on to hers. The adult bears head shot up and it
huffed and chutted at its cub in a disciplinary manner. It grabbed the cub by
the scruff and started to run. The other two cubs were keeping pace pretty
well. She couldn't believe what had just happened to her. She sat up and closed
her sketch book.
"Kess is going to be so impressed!" she exclaimed
but then remembered that she shouldn't be thinking of him. And she wasn't going
back to the Jedi temple. She understood why Adi Gallia and thrown her out,
because she was falling for Kess and it was against the Jedi code. But she
didn't think Kess had fallen for her and she wasn't a Jedi so as long as it was
her feelings only, it shouldn't have mattered. She started making her way
towards a deeper part of the forest. It was so dense that she could outstretch
her arms and be touching a tree with each hand. She found a perfect spot where
the light shone through a thin layer of mist and clearings in the leaves above.
Small rays of light were shining in dappled parts of this area. A pair of large
birds were resting on the floor. One was grooming the other with a large curved
beak. A hoofed animal trotted up and started to tear up grass with its flat
squarish teeth. She began to draw and describe the animals. After three hours a
few more animals had come and gone.
She started to stand up. " I should
probably be getting back to the tent before it gets dark.". She looked at
her watch. "ah it's only four o clock. I could take a quick nap and then
head back to the ship." She laid down and rested her head on her arms and
drifted into a much needed rest. Then sticks broke and leaves rustled a few
yards away but she was already catching some shut eye and didn't here a thing.
- Kess was in the healers office. He absolutely
hated healers but knew that Drey didn't like it when Hawke was being bossy so
he knew how to shut him up. Drey was always respectful of the healer but Hawke
was either hitting on them or being mean to them.
Aria Munde walked over to him
casually and searched his face for any signs of physical pain. "Let me
guess you only came here because you had to and you would rather be having your
head slammed in a ship door over and over until your skull is broken into a
million pieces." "you know me so well" he said with a devious
smile.
Aria at least had a light sense of humor and respected him a lot more
than the other healers did. She was the least mean out of all of them. Kess
thought that she could have chosen a different path but was grateful that she
wasn't like the head healer or Barriss Offee.
She put a small piece of paper in
front of him. "Just sign here, here, and here. And fill out the
rest." He did as he was told this time because he was too tired to argue
or get into trouble. After a good twenty minutes he left.
"Thank the force
that's over." He walked into Drey's room and sat down next to Hawke and
Drey at the kitchen table "she gave me a clean bill of health and said
that my brain was working normally." Hawke started " I hardly believe
any of that was true and-wait did you say she?" "Yes, Aria
Munde" "dude I've never seen a healer named Aria Munde." Drey
added "maybe it's because you never go to the healers" Hawke just
tried to ignore him the best he could. But it was pretty difficult. "Look
we have a special mission tomorrow so let's just get some rest for tonight,
plus I'm beat." Drey and Hawke both looked a little disappointed but then
agreed. Hawke clicked on the tv and turned it to slow music, turned the volume
down until you could only here it if you were quiet, and then got comfortable
on the floor.
Kess and Drey burst out in a fit of laughter. "What?"
asked Hawke "dude" Kess began "you are like the toughest and
most arrogant, headstrong, and rough and tough Jedi and then before bed you
turn on slow music from like forty b.b.y." "Don't judge me" he
grumbled and then fluffed his pillow. They all fell asleep soon after and were
perfectly content.
Miri was sleeping soundly until about midnight. Her head jolted up and she
jumped up out of bed and grabbed a gun when she heard sticks snap and leaves
rustle. She then swore at herself for being so jumpy "ah kriff Miri it's
probably just animals hunting and minding their own business." but she
didn't sit back down or even put the gun down.
She had this gut feeling that
something was wrong but she couldn't describe it. A silhouette of a tree showed against the
moon start to tip. A loud cracking noise split the sky and the tree collapsed
to the ground with so much force her tent shook. The moon was so bright and
full she could see pretty well.
A trail of tipping, and cracking trees were
headed her way. She was seething with anger at first thinking that someone was
mowing down a protected forest in the middle of the night just trying not to
get caught, but her mind changed instantly when wing tips were shown towering
above the tops of trees. The scales glimmering in the moonlight like running
water on river stones. Then her heart practically flung itself right out of her
rib cage when the head of the dragon like creature rose above the trees and its
neck followed thereafter.
Once it rose to its full height on four legs the
wings looked small in comparison. But it didn't stop there, after its neck was
stretched all the way it hoisted its front legs off the ground and stood on its
back two legs. This dragon was different than any she had seen in 24 years of
life.
Armored plating was covering certain parts of this dragon's body. Its claws
were encased in metal and sharpened to a point as sharp as a dagger. Metal
plating covered its chest. And it had a giant metal collar on. The top of its
head was protected by armor and each of its legs had a metal band on it.
Perhaps the scariest looking thing about this dragon was the tail that was
tipped off with a giant metal ball covered in spikes. This giant beast wasn't
only scary to look at but its roar was like a battle cry that everyone in the
galaxy could have heard. No matter what size the dragon was it was still moving
with incredible speed for its weight and mass. She could barely believe her
eyes. This creature was a monster she hadn't dreamt of in even her worst night
mares.
