Hey guys. So sorry for being gone so long, I've just been so busy lately. But I feel that you guys at least deserve a chapter the next two days. So here is one of them.
Chapter 3- Another Youngling
While Rex and Cody argued over the bugs, Padme wandered off. She crossed the river on a log, and tumbled off, rolling directly into a young boy. He snarled at her confrontationally, and continued growling.
"Who are you, pridelander?" the boy asked.
Padme didn't answer, but kept jumping from side to side, training saber at hand. She faced the boy at all times, saber pointed at him. The boy kept growling menacingly, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"My father says to never turn your back on an Outsider," Padme said.
"You always do what daddy says?" he teased.
"No!" she said.
"Bet you do. Bet you're Daddy's little girl! Haha!"
The boy moved away, hopped on logs across the river.
"An Outsider doesn't need anybody. I take care of myself," he bragged.
"Really? Cool!" Padme said awed as she followed him.
The boy looked back at Padme, and noticed a huge goober fish rising up behind her its mouth gaping. The boy cried out in terror. Padme turned to see the goober fish. Padme screamed.
"Run!" She yelled. They ran away from the fish. The fish's teeth crunched just behind them. "This way!"
They narrowly escaped, leaping from rock to rock across the river and out of reach of the goober fishes jaws as more and more rose up out of the water. They rested on two unmoving "stones" further down, and began to pant and giggle.
"That was a close one," the boy said.
"Yeah," Padme agreed.
The stones they were sitting on rose up and revealed themselves as more goober fish heads.
"Whoa!" They both cried.
Padme ran up a tree limb, getting out of reach; however, the boy ran past her, leaping from goober fish to fish down the river.
"Hey, what about me?" Padme asked.
"You gotta take care of yourself," he said. "I'll distract them. Run!"
The boy slipped off the last fish into the water; as he came up, gasping for air, the fish loomed over him.
Padme swung at the fish with her lightsaber, it barely cutting them.
"Look out!" She called.
The boy was paralyzed by fright; the gaping mouth in front of him was suddenly clamped shut by Padme leaping on top of it.
"Move it!" she said.
The two younglings scrambled up a branch and up onto the back, out of the reach of danger. From the top, they panted and rested for a few moments, then moved back to look over the edge. The goober fish were massing below, furious at being cheated of their meal.
"I did it," Padme panted. "I did it!" She stuck her tongue out at the fish below.
"Hah!" The boy gloated.
The younglings moved back from the edge and recounted their adventure.
"Whoa, man—did you see the size of those teeth?" Padme said excited. "They were going "Rar rar"," She fell to the ground laughing. "He was just totally eating you up right there, and I jumped on his head and I bopped him so good…" she took a breath. " We make such a great team. And you…you were really brave."
"Yeah…you were pretty brave too," the boy said. "My name is Anakin."
"I'm Padme," she said blushing.
She then crouched down playfully; she reached out and batted him.
"Tag ! You're it!"
She jumped back, laughing; instead of chasing, Anakin just looked at her silently. She tried again.
"Tag! You're it! You're it!"
Still no response; he just stared at her.
"Hello? You run, I tag…get it?" Padme asked. "What's the matter? Don't you know how to play?"
Getting an idea, she crouched down and went back to playing his style, with bared teeth and growled. He got the idea and mock-growled back, but suddenly he found himself growling at Obi-wan's leg. Obi-wan activated his lightsaber in front of him, and suddenly an elder woman came out of the grass and a staff magically appeared before her.
"Mother Talzin," Obi-wan said.
"Obi-wan," Mother Talzin said.
Satine, Rex, and Cody arrived behind Obi-wan, with other Jedi.
"Satine," Mother Talzin said.
"Mother Talzin," Satine said looking furious.
"Rex, Cody," Rex said. "Great. Now that we all know each other. Get out of our Pride Lands!"
"Your Pride Lands?' Mother Talzin asked. She snarled, making Rex jump backwards behind Cody in fear. "These lands belong to Dooku.
"I banished you from Pride City," Obi-wan said. "Now you and your youngling…get out!"
"Oh… haven't you met my son, Anakin?" Talzin said. "He was hand chosen by Dooku to follow in his foot prints… and become king!"
"Pbb. That's not a king," Rex said. "That's a fuzzy maraca!"
"Anakin was the last born before you exiled us to the Outlands,' Talzin said. "Where we have little food, less water…"
"You know the penalty for returning to the Pride Lands," Obi-wan said.
"But the child does not!" Talzin said. "However… if you need your pound of flesh…here."
Mother Talzin nudged Anakin toward Obi-wan, daring him to show either ruthlessness or cowardice.
"Take him and get out," obi-wan said extinguishing his lightsaber. "We're finished here."
Obi-wan picked up Padme. Mother Talzin walked over to obi-wan and looked down at a terrified Padme.
"Oh no, Obi-wan… we have barely begun," she said.
She glared wickedly at Padme then turned and picked up Anakin. He and Padme watched each from over their parents shoulder as they moved apart.
"Bye," Padme whispered.
"Bye," Anakin whispered back.
How cute! They meet at last! I love Rex and Cody's role in this story sooo much!
