Chapter 2
"C'mon, Chewie! Hurry!" Han insisted, wrapping both his small hands around the Wookie's massive paw and tugging as hard as he could, unsuccessfully trying to make him walk faster. Chewbacca watched fondly as his little cub pulled stubbornly at his paw, as though he actually believed himself to be vastly stronger than a Wookie ten times bigger than him. Han Solo was only six, but already his confidence and enthusiasm were becoming strongly evident.
Grunting softly, Chewie gently increased his pace, giving Han the illusion that he was the stronger of the two. *Slow down, cub! You're going too fast!*
At last their destination came into view up ahead. "Chewie, look! We're almost there!" Releasing the Wookie's paw, Han ran for the door, calling back over his shoulder, "Can't catch me!" A second later he felt his feet leave the ground as Chewie scooped him up in his huge paws and swung him up on his broad shoulders. Running the rest of the way there, he came to a stop in front of the front door. Before he could raise a paw, Han leaned forward, giving the top of the door several vigorous knocks. Chuckling, Chewie lifted him down from his advantageous perch and set him down next to him. Just then there was a sound on the other side of the door, whereupon Han at once darted behind the Wookie to hide. Chewie shook his head, wondering how his cub could be so confident one minute and so shy the next. Oh well.
The door swung open as Han peeked timidly out from behind Chewbacca, curious.
"Oh. Hello, Chewie. Where's Han?" Anakin inquired from inside the doorway. Chewie, for answer to Anakin's question, at once produced a very bashful Han from his hiding place, only to have him dart behind him again a second later. Chewie shrugged. Evidently Han was under the impression that he was not there. Anakin chuckled. "Oh, well, if Han isn't here, I guess..."
He never finished what he was going to say, for at that moment Luke and Leia, having heard someone at the door, came running to the open doorway to see who it was. "Chewie!" The both of them exclaimed at the sight of the giant Wookie. "Han! Han's here!" Leia exclaimed, having caught sight of the dark-haired boy hiding behind Chewbacca's leg. At the sound of his name, Han emerged partially from hiding, though he still looked shy. "Leia?"
In the next second he felt himself suddenly bowled over as Luke tackled him. Wookie and Jedi master stood watching and chuckling as their energetic young charges tussled each other playfully. Luke held the upper hand for all of two seconds before Han took it from him. In less than a minute he had Luke floored and at once began tickling him mercilessly. As Leia scurried over to join the fray, Chewie, coming up behind her, scooped her up with one giant paw. Collecting up the boys with the other, he turned and carried his energetically squirming captives inside. Anakin followed, closing the front door firmly behind him.
