Hi guys, I'm back again. I didn't publish this scene yesterday because I was working on Crystal of Hope. So here it is now, this story is not yet finished, I don't know how long it's going to be, but I haven't planned everything yet, there's room for inspiration. Hope you'll like this one too!

TS


The first coyote didn't even have time to reach them because Rex took care of him with his blaster. The rest of the clones stopped two other creatures the very same way. But it's the fourth that managed to get close enough. Sinker jumped to the side to avoid the numerous claws and fangs that shot in his direction. For animals that big those coyotes were pretty agile and Ahsoka didn't like that one bit.

She tried to get on her feet as quickly as possible but she had to lean against the wall for support at least until the world around her stopped turning. She ignited her lightsabers, the green and yellow blades glowing in the shade like swarms of fireflies. She assessed the situation: there were around six creatures left but they were so close they might rip off the troopers' heads any minute. She had to do something to help them! They were her comrades, her friends!

She walked away from the wall, slightly trembling at first but it was alright after a few steps. When one of the coyotes jumped at her she pushed it back with the Force and slashed at another one, but these simple efforts made her wince and stagger. No matter how many times the blasters were fired, the animals still managed to avoid them. It seemed that the closer they were, the more confident they got and soon the troopers began to tire. After all, they just spent most of the day in a deserted canyon under a blazing sun and with very little supplies, all of that after surviving a crash that killed most of their comrades.

Ahsoka was next to Booth when two coyotes jumped him at the same time. The first one was shot in the chest and stepped back, staggering, before Sinker finished him, but the other one managed to pin Booth to the ground. His helmet fell under the shock of the fall and the trooper's arms were being held by the powerful paws whereas the coyote was trying to bite his head off.

"Booth!" yelled Ahsoka.

She sliced at the coyote on top of the clone, cutting a deep gash on its side before plunging her shoto in its head. But as she was doing so, another one jumped on her and pinned her to the ground too. She gasped as the air was being knocked out of her and screamed when the claws ripped her top. She had the impression that her already broken ribs just shattered into thousand pieces. Just as Booth, her arms were pinned to the ground and she wasn't able to wriggle her lightsabers out to use them. In fact, they even fell out of her hands and extinguished themselves. Ahsoka was starting to see dark butterflies on the edges of her vision and some of the coyote's saliva dripped on her face. She was sure it was the end when she saw the huge open maw descend towards her with a profound growl.

At that moment, Trend shot the coyote and slammed his backpack into it so it wouldn't squash the Padawan under its weight. The remaining beasts weren't that much of a challenge afterwards and the troopers wiped them out. As Rex was looking around to see if more could be coming, Trend knelt to Ahsoka but the Togruta pointed to the clone lying next to her while her other hand was covering her stomach.

"Take care of Booth first," she said through gritted teeth.

Comet was already above his comrade and when his fingers started looking for a pulse, Ahsoka's heart sank. Alas, the trooper sadly shook his head. Ahsoka couldn't detach her gaze from Booth's face. He seemed so peaceful, with his eyes closed and if not for the wide bloody bite on his neck, he could have been sleeping. Ahsoka couldn't believe she lost another one of her comrades. She was supposed to lead those men to safety not demise!

She had been gripping her top at the place it was torn from the moment Trend had pushed the coyote and now she looked at the wound, which automatically brought the medic's attention and he took out some more supplies. It wasn't pretty and she was losing more and more blood every second. Three deep cuts could be seen above her navel and just below her chest bandages. She knew it didn't look good but she just couldn't do a thing about it. The Force allowed some small healing but she was too exhausted, weak and inexperienced in this branch of the Force to do anything. Her head started swimming again and she closed her eyes while trying to breathe in and out as calmly and deeply as possible.

"Comet, Sinker! I need your help over here!" yelled Trend.

"What can we do?" Both clones were immediately at his side, looking anxiously at Ahsoka but trying their best to hide it.

"Comet, keep the Commander awake for as long as you can. Sinker, I need you to hold back the pieces of clothing while I wash the wound."

Ahsoka knew the best thing to do would be to raise her top above the wound to wash it properly, but they couldn't since it was at the same time her shirt and skirt, even though she had some thin pants underneath. The second best solution would have been to cut out the clothing around the injury but they had no scissors or anything to cut it with. Trend's orders quickly faded to some background noise in Ahsoka's mind. She didn't protest when Sinker gently put her hands away and they fell on the hard ground at her sides as Comet shook her shoulder.

"Commander, please open your eyes. I know it's hard, but you've got to stay awake."

Comet's voice forced her out of her daze and it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the light again. Sweat was still glued to her forehead and lekkus, staining the bandages which weren't white anymore.

"Don't worry, Comet. I'm not going anywhere."

She attempted to smile but frowned and winced instead when warm water reached her injury and wet her top, making her shiver in the shade and despite the heat. She lifted her head in a reflex but Comet gently eased her back in a lying position and grabbed her hand which he squeezed from time to time. All the while her wound was being washed, she squirmed and winced, sometimes a small cry of pain escaping her parched lips.

Once the wound was closed, Comet brought the bottle to her mouth. The water was disgusting but she forced herself to drink anyway. She was thirsty, hungry, sad and above all tired. Her head was spinning ever so faster and her eyes closed again just as Rex was coming back from his sweep of perimeter.

"Commander…"

But she didn't respond. Even her hand lost all strength and fell limply next to her hip as she drifted into unconsciousness again.