In this chapter, Tusken is being spoken, however, since I know one word of it, it's in Basic- for your convenience.
(uli-ah is the Tusken word for child, btw.)
*Special mention to artemiswolfboy- if you didn't like the names last chapter, you'll hate me now! evil laugh*
I don't own Star Wars. My name is not George. Come to think of it, I don't even know a George- oh, wait! One in my old photography class...

This chapter is set close to 15 years since the prologue- in the year 7 BY, to be precise.

"Olive! Olive! Bring Quphi and get here now!"

"I'm coming, K'qui'ca'ck!"

The sand was swirling faster and faster. I pulled my bindings tighter around my face, turning to squint towards my SandMother. Quphi shuffled uneasily beside me. I stroked her long, shaggy fur.

"Easy, easy now. She won't get angry at us. Not for a while yet. Now, come on." I swung easily into my handmade saddle. This was the life. Racing sandstorms, out in the dune sea, atop my greatest friend, with a carer who never got angry...

"Uli-ah! If you're not here right now, which you're not, I will personally tear your head off with your bantha's horns!"

Right. Forgot about A'g'gaf'gt. That Tusken would pick a fight with his own bantha.

I shook the reins a little. "Ququ!" I called softly. She moved off swiftly, gracefully curving over the golden sand. Together, Quphi and I went like nothing else. Even A'g'gaf'gt was jealous of our skill. Mind you, it didn't shut him up about how he kept that human alive for six weeks before it died. Drawing up beside the mated adults, I sneered down at A'g'gaf'gt.

"Don't call me Uli-ah."

K'qui'ca'ck stifled a snigger.

I lay out on the warm sand, letting the tiny grains carried by the wind brush against me. My long hood partly obscured the view of two bright suns shining brightly, like two magnificent jewels dipping into the horizon. There was a shuffling beside me.

"Hi, K'qui'ca'ck."

She lay beside me.

"What are you looking at?"

"The sky. The suns. The distant dunes."

She gave me an odd look, tilting her covered head to one side. "Why?"

"I'm testing the wind. There's a strange scent..."

"Probably Hieln." I stared at her before laughing gutterally to match.

"So... why are you here?"

"Can't a SandMother come to see her uli-ah?"

"I'm not an uli-ah!"

"For a few weeks more, you are. A'lzale is, too."

"K'qui'ca'ck!" I wailed.

"What?"

We were interrupted by the Storyteller. "You two! It is time!"

My bloodrite was to begin tonight. Before I could set off to capture my prize, the entire clan was to be treated with a story.

K'qui'ca'ck escorted me to the fireside while the twin suns sunk lower, darkening the open dunes surrounding our camp. Hieln came and sat by my feet. I pulled a bone from around the fire and tossed it to him. His massiff jaws made quick work of it. A'lzale came and slumped next to me.

"Ready?"

"Of course. And I'll bring back better quarry than you."

He snorted in contempt. "I doubt it."

"And I'll keep it alive longer."

"You? Never."

I reached out and whacked the back of his skull. The Storyteller turned her back on us purposefully. We fell into silence.

"Apon the dunes of Tattooine, a clan made their camp. For generations they had returned to this place, always for the bloodrite of their uli-ah. One morning, a Tusken took a human. It lasted long against skillful torture, giving the uli-ah higher status every day. Alas, as the twin suns set on the captive's Last Day, the Desert Demon appeared. He could not be stopped- he was a Ghost. He took vengeance on the Tuskens, mercilessley slaughtering them all with his glowing weapon, the weapon of a Demon. None in the camp survived. The young uli-ah returned with a new-born she had merely been looking after to find her clan massacred. Taking up her Bantha, she rode far and fast to safety- the safety of our clan. And to this day, we protect the survivors of the Demon's wrath- K'qui'ca'ck and Olive."

The clan sat, mesmerised by her words. But then, she continued.

"It is tonight that the circle may be completed. Olive starts on her bloodrite this very night. May she find a worthy quarry, and perform her rite well. Then we can only hope the spirit will be laid to rest."

K'qui'ca'ck dragged me to my feet, urging me to walk to every Tusken. Each one bestowed a word of good tidings, which were repeated for A'lzale after me.

And then we were out of the circle, beside our Banthas, facing a dark planet and a great challenge.

I leapt swiftly onto Quphi.

"Ququ!"