Attention: There will be minor descriptions of hunting-related gore (bleeding) in this chapter.
"Alari, wake up," Ahsoka whispered as she nudged Alari's left shoulder.
Alari, visibly disoriented, rolled onto her back as she opened her eyes.
"Huh? Oh, hey master," she replied before yawning.
"I know we're not on a mission, but it's time for you to wake up. Breakfast is almost ready."
As much as Alari wanted to roll back over to sleep again, she nodded her head.
A few minutes later, the pair sat down to eat. Ahsoka sighed as she took one of her anti-gas pills. Although the Zalthane seemed to prepare their thimiar meet to taste less bitter, she still didn't enjoy what the native delicacy did to her stomach. Alari, on the other hand, immediately dived into her smoked thimiar patties. Ahsoka was about say "Are you sure you're my daughter?" before she caught herself. Alari, however, noticed her master's odd facial expression.
"Are you okay, master?" she asked.
"Yeah. I still can't believe you actually eat that stuff with no ill effects."
"Can I help it if my stomach is stronger?" Alari asked with a teasing smile.
Ahsoka shook her head and did her best to clear her mind. The last thing she needed to do was say the wrong thing.
Alari asked, "So, what will you be doing today?" she appeared oblivious to the thoughts going through her master's head.
"I was asked to sit in on lessons again."
"Our language?"
"Actually, they'll be discussing the tribe's history and how to do basic tasks. These are going to be older younglings."
"Oh, I see. I was invited to learn how to sew and how to cook. So I may be making lunch."
"Wonderful," Ahsoka answered.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure your thimiar is thoroughly cooked."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes as she walked off to find the younglings and their teachers.
Alari finished making a simple stitch. Although it didn't start as perfectly as she would have liked, she felt satisfied with the end result. Above all, she did it without pricking her fingers.
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Yelene asked. She had helped Alari with her sewing technique.
"That was easy once I got started. I thought it would be harder," Alari replied.
"Anything is easier once you learn how to do it. Is it not that way with being a Jedi?"
Alari thought for a moment. "I guess you're right. I never thought of it that way."
"In the tribe, we all have our purpose. I imagine it's the same with you – except that the Jedi is your tribe."
Alari pondered the woman's words, when a male ran up to her.
«Come. We need you now. The hunt has started again,» he said a bit frantically.
Alari tried to translate his words. However, Yelene helped her.
"Go! They need you to defend against the akul." she told Alari.
Alari quickly got up and ran for the scrub lands. She reminded herself of the spot where warriors left their weapons readily available.
The warriors worked quickly in the scrub lands. During a combination of a walk and a lesson, a group of younglings and their adult chaperon found themselves in the middle of charging akuls. With the group now safe, the warriors had to drive the beasts away, if not slay them.
With Alari joining the fray late, she had no idea what had happened up to that point. However, she knew what she had to do. Today, though, she chose not to hide in the turu-grass. She sought a more active role. She joined the middle circle and did her best to remember the different instructions she heard. Fortunately, the male next to her recognized her and helped her with gestures that directed her where to go.
Those in the group with bows and arrows shot them at the akul. While they wouldn't be lethal to the beat, the warriors needed to drive it away from the canopy forest and back into the scrub lands. The action proved successful at first until the beast turned and made a vicious swipe with its clawed front feet. Only swift reflexes prevented serious injury to those in that part of the circle.
«Attack!» someone called out. With an unpredictable – and visibly angered – akul, it was better to try to kill it before it killed any of the warriors.
The circle loosened a bit so to avoid any injuries from a crossfire of spears. The akul avoided most of them, and the handful that struck it missed the vulnerable portion of its neck.
Alari did her best to sense the beast's movements. However, time was now of the essence. Without much thought, she threw her spear with all of her might. As she released the spear, though, she immediately grabbed her right elbow and screamed in pain.
As she grimaced, she didn't notice that her spear hit its target. As the sharp tip of her spear embedded itself into the akul's neck, it started to bleed profusely. It was only a matter of time before it would fall dead.
One of the group called out, «Someone hit it – stay safe!» Until the akul fell dead, it would be more unpredictable and potentially more vicious. The circle became more of a loose perimeter to keep the beast contained. A short time later, the beast fell to the ground with a large thud.
Two of the three akuls fell dead. The third retreated. With the scrub lands now free from imminent danger, that group chose not to pursue the remaining akul.
Alfaros felt pleased that his warriors responded as quickly as they did. Not only did they help direct a small group to safety, they made two kills. As he moved to the other dead akul, he found Alari kneeling on the ground clutching her arm.
"Hey, what happened?" he asked her.
"I hurt my arm when I threw my spear," she replied between deep breaths.
"You and you," Alfaros told two of his colleagues, "take her to the healer while I find out who made the kill."
"If you please, she did," one of the males stated.
"Alari, is this true?"
"I … don't know. I threw my spear and it hurt. I didn't see what happened."
"I can attest to her kill," another warrior stated. "I saw her throw the spear and hit the akul."
"Very good," Alfaros replied. Turning to Alari, he added, "We will take care of things here. Go see the healer."
After being escorted to the healer's hut, Alari thanked her colleagues and went inside.
"What can I do for you?" the healer asked.
"I hurt my arm throwing my spear at the akul," Alari replied.
"You must have done something wrong for it to hurt."
"Oh. I suppose I should tell you that when I was a youngling, I hurt my arm and it never healed properly. That's why I wear the brace. But it still hurts now and then."
"That makes more sense. I might have something to help, but I'll need to remove the brace first."
"Please, let me. I can do it so it doesn't hurt as much."
The healer nodded as Alari removed the brace and placed it next to her. The healer opened a small chest and looked for something inside. Upon finding what she wanted, she removed a small measure and placed it into a dish.
"So, did you succeed?" the healer asked.
Alari turned to look at the woman. "Excuse me?" she asked politely.
"Did you get the beast?"
"I did, but I didn't get to see it."
"While you'll be recognized later, let me be the first to congratulate you. It's no easy task, especially for off-worlders. You have every right to be proud."
"Thanks," Alari replied. As she watched the healer work, her curiosity got the best of her. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Where the forests and scrub lands meet, there's a low-lying plant. Its herbs appear to be able to ease swelling and pain. So, I've mixed some with water to make a paste for your arm."
"Oh, I see."
"I'm ready to put it on. I'll try to be gentle, but if I inadvertently make it hurt more, I apologize in advance."
Alari nodded as she thought, "She's friendlier and more pleasant than a few of the impersonal healers in the Halls of Healing." Although it stung a little, Alari did her best to not pull away or squirm.
After she finished, the healer wrapped a small bandage over the paste. "You may want to put your brace on over it," she suggested.
Alari nodded and did as she was asked. She stood up and thanked the healer as she gave a small, respectful bow.
A short time later, she rejoined her master.
"There you are! I heard the big news. Are you okay?" Ahsoka asked.
"I should be fine. I wish you wouldn't worry about me so much, master."
"As long as I'm your master, I'll always worry about you."
Alari sighed before telling Ahsoka, "I wish you weren't so overprotective."
Shaneen interrupted the conversation.
"There you, I hope you feel better," she said.
"I feel a little better."
"Very good. Come with me. I have something else to teach you."
"Shouldn't I be helping with the preparations?" Alari asked.
"With your injured arm, that might make it worse. I have something more rewarding for you to do."
As Alari sat down, Shaneen handed her a pouch. Alari reached in side and pulled out teeth from her kill. She also noticed a silver chain.
"What do I do now? How many should I use?" Alari asked.
"I'll show you, don't worry. I think four to five would be best for a necklace. Three wouldn't be enough, I think. And, five or more would be too many."
"What about the rest of the teeth?"
"Those are yours. Now, let me show you how to do this."
Alari was impressed to learn that Shaneen not only taught the younglings, but that she was an artisan as well. The latter showed the former how to put small eyelets in the teeth so that the silver necklace could be threaded through them.
"I'd like you to have this as well," Shaneen said. She handed Alari what looked like an amethyst jewel.
"Are you sure? What's it for?"
"It will accent your necklace nicely, I think. Let's put it in between the teeth – two on each side."
Shaneen looked at the necklace. "Very nice ... Simple, but beautiful," she stated before she put it over Alari's neck.
Alari looked at the necklace and smiled. She had to admit it did look rather elegant on her.
Ahsoka finished her dinner. She was rather pleased to eat meat from Alari's kill; It was a pleasant respite from the steady diet of thimiar. She felt puzzled, however, as to why Toshir asked Alari to see him after she finished eating.
As people slowly finished eating and the usual din faded, Toshir reappeared with Alari and two other individuals. Everyone grew silent and focused their attention on their chief.
"Tonight, I have the honor of presenting two of our who that have proven themselves as warriors again with additional kills. The spirits of our past Zalthane warriors were truly with them," Toshir stated.
Everyone made a respectful gesture of congratulations that was customary to recognize those that killed multiple akul in their lifetime. Toshir continued to speak.
"And, we had the privilege of seeing another prove herself as a warrior for the first time. Alari Bonteri came to us as a Jedi guest, but she will leave us as a Jedi – and a warrior." «Congratulations, brave warrior.»
Everyone offered congratulatory applause. Ahsoka couldn't help but look on in pride. Despite her status as a Jedi, she did her best to avoid shedding a tear for joy. Still, the fact remained she was pleased to know her padawan – and her daughter – had completed her Togruta rite of passage.
After one last breakfast and exchanging good-byes with the Zalthane, Ahsoka and Alari returned home to Coruscant.
"It was nice of them to speak so highly of us," Alari said as the trip home neared its end.
"Keep in mind, there aren't that many Togruta in the Order, my padawan. There's Master Ti, Ashla, you, and me. It truly is an honor for them to see one of their own as Jedi"
"I'm only half-Togruta."
"That still counts from my perspective," Ahsoka replied with a small smile.
"Master, do you think my mother would be pleased with me?" Alari asked.
Ahsoka froze. It was a reasonable question to ask. Ahsoka merely had to choose her words carefully.
"I'd like to believe she'd be as proud as I was when you were presented last night."
Alari smiled, but Ahsoka spoke again.
"How's your arm today?"
"It feels a lot better. I'm surprised that stuff really worked."
"Our people may live simply, but they're very skilled and resourceful. I hope you can incorporate that in your future training."
Alari bowed slightly. "I'll be mindful of what I learned, master," she promised.
"After we land at the temple and we've checked in with Master Yoda, I want you to go to the Halls of Healing. I have something I need to go do while they check your arm."
"Master, didn't you just say our people were resourceful? Why do I have to have my arm checked again?"
"I'm not questioning our people's ways. I just need to be sure your arm doesn't need further treatment. For all we know, we may have to go to battle again rather quickly. If I remember, Anakin and Obi-Wan were tasked with tracking down Grievous again. We may be asked to assist."
"Yes, master."
"Oh, I have something to give you, too," Ahsoka stated. She then handed Alari what looked like a leather item all rolled up.
Alari unrolled it and looked at it curiously. "What's this?" she asked.
"It's not quite the same as mine, but it's a Togruta sash. I thought you might want one to help you remember your milestone. I received mine after I made my kill, too."
Alari looked at the stitched pattern on the sash as she answered, "I don't know if I want to wear it in battle, though, master. I'd rather save it for any formal occasions."
"That's fine. I hope it reminds you to be proud of your heritage and your accomplishments."
«Thank you, master», Alari replied as she bowed respectfully towards Ahsoka. Fortunately, this was a phrase that didn't require lekku movements.
Ahsoka smiled. While she hoped to see Alari make her kill, she didn't expect the teen to embrace her Togruta culture as much as she did.
Suddenly, the ship's console chimed as it dropped out of lightspeed. Ahsoka slowly navigated the Coruscanti traffic before landing at the Jedi Temple. They were home at last.
Alari made her way to the Halls of Healing. She was hopeful she'd find a healer with a decent bedside manner. That said, she preferred any living being over one of the medical droids; those weren't exactly known for their compassion or conversational skills.
"I wish Ahsoka's friend Barriss was here, I know she'd be nice to me," Alari thought.
"Padawan Bonteri," a voice called.
Alari stood up from her seat and stood next to the healer. She seemed familiar, but Alari couldn't recall the last time she may have seen her.
"Let me guess, your arm again," the healer stated.
Alari nodded. "The tribe's healer used some sort of paste on it until we could make it back. It seemed to help."
As Alari sat down in an examination room, the healer carefully removed the brace and bandage.
"They did this? I'm impressed."
"Us Togruta are very resourceful," Alari stated proudly.
Alari grinned as the healer did a double-take. She didn't expect Alari to speak as if she was a full-blooded Togruta.
Elsewhere, Ahsoka entered Lux's apartment. She didn't know if he'd be there or if he'd be in the Senate Chamber on business. In that case, Ahsoka would leave him a recorded holo-message and rejoin Alari in the Jedi Temple.
"Hey!" Lux's voice called out from alongside her. He then hugged her from behind and kissed one of her cheek markings.
"We made it back not too long ago," Ahsoka said.
"How did it go?"
"She did it. I wasn't sure if she would, especially after her first attempt was unsuccessful, but she completed her rite of passage."
"That's nice."
"It's more than nice, Lux, it's wonderful. She's a warrior just like me now. Not only that, it seems to have helped her confidence some. This is a very big milestone for her. Maybe now she won't always question or doubt herself."
"I'm still not sure why you had to take her," Lux stated plainly.
"She's never had the chance to learn about her Togruta self. Even I got to do that. Is it too much to want my daughter to know more about her heritage."
Lux sighed and held Ahsoka around her waist. "It's not that. Really, it's not. I'm happy for her. But it's not fair she can't know you're her mother. I wish you didn't have those stupid attachment rules. She deserves to know everything about her heritage, not just the important parts."
Now it was Ahsoka's turn to sigh. "Trust me, I almost told her a few times during the trip, including once or twice by accident. But if I told her now, it would cause too many problems – for her, for me, and for us. I'm just glad I get to train her as my padawan."
Lux nodded. "I suppose you're right. I'd never want you expelled just for having a daughter. I'd rather not put you in that situation." Changing the subject, he asked, "Can you stay?"
Ahsoka shook her head no. "I have to go back. Alari is probably waiting for me, and we may have another mission waiting for us."
Lux caressed one of Ahsoka's lekku before kissing her on her lips. "Be safe. I love you," he whispered.
Alari left the Halls of Healing to return to her quarters. It was rare for her master and her to spend any time here anymore. Alari took pride in the fact her healer was pleasant to her and had genuine interest in her experiences on Shili.
As she turned the corner, she nearly bumped into someone else. She looked on in surprise when she recognized who it was.
"Louis?" she asked in disbelief. Her colleague was Obi-Wan's padawan. The last she had heard, the pair was away on a mission.
"Alari?" he asked in return. It was rare for both of them to see each other in the Jedi Temple now that they were padawans.
"What are you doing here? I thought You'd be off somewhere else."
"The council granted a few days of downtime to my master and I. What are you doing here?"
"Master Ahsoka and I just got back from Shili no too long ago. Do you notice anything different?"
Louis looked at Alari. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Did you cut your hair?" he finally asked.
"No, silly! Look again," she told him as she idly ran her fingers against her necklace.
Louis always thought Alari was an attractive peer, but he was too shy to ever admit it. Besides, Jedi were supposed to control their emotions and feelings. As a result, he felt a bit awkward being asked to look at her. He tried not to blush when he spotted Alari's new necklace.
"That's a nice necklace. Where'd you get it?" he asked.
"I earned it. I passed my rite of passage. Those are akul teeth," Alari replied proudly.
"You really did it? Was it hard?"
"Yeah, my first time, I missed completely. Thank the Maker I got another chance. I hurt my arm, but at least I killed the akul anyways."
"That's awesome, Alari. Good job."
"Thanks. I just wish Master Ahsoka didn't worry every time my arm acts up. She can be so overprotective sometimes."
"If I didn't know better, she sounds more like a mother than a master."
Alari glared at her colleague. "Louis, don't say that! I wish she didn't react like that, but a master is supposed to look out for her padawan. Doesn't Master Obi-Wan look out for you like a parent would?"
"I guess you're right. I never thought about it from that perspective before. Sorry."
"It's okay. I better get going. Master Ahsoka is probably waiting for me."
"Alright. See you soon. Who knows, maybe we'll get to be on a mission again soon."
As the teens parted ways, Alari couldn't help reflecting on Louis' words.
"What would my mother think of me right now?" she thought. However, she couldn't dwell on it or her recent accomplishments. It was time to prepare for her next mission, whatever it might be. ▄
END
Commentary: I'm glad to finally write this. I'm grateful to LeafStem for allowing me to write this and for her help as an unofficial beta reader by previewing these chapters before I posted them. This story definitely got me out of my comfort zone a bit, but it was fun to write.
For anyone who read my story, Shaak Ti: Warrior Sister, the differences in how the two tribes handled the rite of passage were intentional. With no specific details in canon, I'm under the impression different tribes would recognize such a milestone with small variations. Some tribes might have a formal banquet. Others might recognize new warriors simply. The rest might fall somewhere in between the two.
Clearly, the fact that Ahsoka has to keep her true relationship with Alari a secret is stressful for both of them. Alari is naturally curious, as I imagine any Jedi might be, about their parentage. Ahsoka seems to want to reveal the truth – her close calls notwithstanding – but knows it would cause more harm than good for the both of them, so she reluctantly keeps the truth hidden. Even Lux is frustrated by this and the Jedi's seemingly archaic rules regarding attachments.
Finally, I'm glad to post this final chapter today. In my own Star Wars writing, Ahsoka becomes a parent on September 15, 2014. It seemed fitting to wrap up another story about Ahsoka as a mother today.
