The sun begins to set on the cave as snow once again starts to fall.
"I'm shivering cold. It's colder than it was last night, even with the heat," says Ezra.
"It may dip down to zero tonight. I don't think this is enough heat to keep us alive."
"Well, I have no ideas."
"Help me move these big rocks. We'll create an enclosed hole alongside the wall."
"Kind of like a make shift coffin?" asks Ezra.
"We'll heat the rocks up and they'll serve to also block the frigid air. Maybe that'll be just enough warmth."
They both work as quickly as possible to move the rocks.
.
Hera and Sabine sit in the chairs of the cockpit.
"Heard from Rex yet?" Sabine asks.
"An hour ago. None of his sources heard about any prisoners taken. Nothing about the experimental craft either. Must not have been reported yet."
"How much longer until we leave?" Sabine asks.
"Should have left already. I guess I was holding out hope. Better tell Zeb we're heading for a fight," Hera reluctantly presses some buttons.
"Maybe if I just wished upon a star, like that twinkling one over there."
"Wait – what twinkling star?" Hera asks her.
"Over there, see?" Sabine points.
"Sabine, stars twinkle because of atmospheric particles and atmospheric layers – we're out in open space, shouldn't be any twinkling stars. I'm going for a closer look…"
Hera steers the Ghost over toward the twinkle. She stops when she hears little knocks on the hull.
"What is all this?" Sabine asks.
"That's metal alloy. These are ship parts."
"No – you don't think they exploded?"
Hera scans, "Too localized. And they all appear to be heading away from us. It's like a trail. Do you think you can plot a trajectory? There's only two planets and four moons nearby."
"Absolutely. Did something similar once tracking a ship threw a disturbed debris field."
"Good, give it to me when you got it."
.
The sun has since set. Tensions are high as they time the creatures have not left and are building a wall of snow around the entrance.
Ezra comments aloud, "I think they're gonna attack soon. They're trapping us in here."
Kanan looks up after seeing his shadow being faintly cast onto the ground by blue light. Above them where the heat from the rocks in the hatch is rising to, worms gather on the ceiling, energized by the heat and bioluminescing a neon blue.
"At least we have more light," says Kanan.
"You ate those things – you're poop is gonna glow blue."
They both look over quickly when they hear sounds from the back of the cave; growls and the sounds of rocks being broken.
"They're working their way threw the seal. It won't be long now. Ezra, only you have a lightsaber now."
Ezra stands up, starting to panic, "What if I tried controlling their minds?"
"Remember what happened with the giant spiders?"
"Well, what about your communicator bead?"
"No good. Not enough parts or power. The Ghost would have to be in the atmosphere and over this land area to pick up its signal."
"We can't do nothing!"
"If you got a better idea, now's the time," Kanan replies.
"Well, I don't have one!" Ezra yells.
"Ezra, calm down. If you don't focus, you'll die for sure."
They hear the sound of pieces of rocks hitting each other as they fall, from the back of the cave.
"We got probably a minute or so before they're in. Take your lightsaber out of the wall and get ready?"
As Ezra removes his lightsaber out from the wall it was hearing, Kanan stands up. They stand back-to-back.
Kanan speaks up, "You take the big ones, I'll take the smaller ones – they'll be easier to Force push."
"Right."
Suddenly Ezra's lightsaber hilt crackles and sparks and then with a hiss of smoke, shuts off.
"NO!" Ezra exclaims, trying the button again and again.
The warm fuzzy red and light neon blue from above barely provide enough light to even see their attackers.
"Ezra, I'm proud of you."
"That's we're gonna die talk!"
The creatures at the front start inching closer and closer. The sound of large pieces of rock falling echo in the cave and then the unmistakable sound of growls from now inside the cave.
The small creatures from the back come running around the curve, snarling loudly and making other screams.
Kanan Force-pushes a couple, knocking others with it. Another creature screams as it runs and leaps at Kanan; he lifts it and slams it against the cave wall, splattering guts. More run around the curve.
"Ezra help! There's too many!"
"On it!"
Ezra turns sideways and Force pushes with both hands, trying to protect both flanks. Kanan shoots one back, knocking others over like bowling pins. The fuzzy big creatures give bellowous roars and charge them. Ezra pushes a couple back but can't handle them all or fight both at the same time. They swamp Ezra, who covers his face.
"NO!" Ezra yells out. After a couple of seconds of no attack, he opens his eyes to see a young creature looking at him, then running away. He lowers his arms and looks at the back of the cave. The creatures violently attack the snarling small ones, punching, kicking, swinging them into walls. One smaller one kicks one down, steps on it, and grabs its arms and rips them off.
"They're not eating me!"
"But they others are trying to – use the Force!" Kanan reminds him.
A creature jumps on Kanan, knocking him down. With its razor-sharp teeth it bites down into one of his shoulders and gnaws back and forth violently at it.
"OW!"
"Kanan!" Ezra yells.
The small creature looks up and Ezra motions at it and raises it fast, slamming it into the ceiling, splattering some of the worms.
A loud noise thunders from outside.
"Ezra, I can barely move."
Ezra comments, "I think something bigger wants to come in and eat us."
They hear the sounds of laser gun fire and see the snow wall being blown to pieces.
"Kanan!" Hera yells.
"Hera!" he yells back.
Zeb rips down snow and he, Hera, and Sabine dash in, warm coats on and laser guns in hand. The Ghost hovers behind them, spotlights casting their shadows in and lighting up the cave.
"Don't shoot the big ones! And I can't move," Kanan yells out.
"Got you. Zeb, get Kanan!" Hera commands.
"On it," Zeb runs over.
More nasty small creatures with shark-like teeth pour into the cave, outnumbering the big creatures.
Hera and Sabine stand beside each other and fire repeatedly, blowing to pieces the creatures as they rush them. Ezra uses the Force to yank one off the furry white creatures, and smacks it repeatedly into the side of the cave. Zeb slings Kanan over his shoulder, and runs him to the Ghost's opened hatch.
"How'd you find us?" Kanan asks.
"Sabine followed your ship's crumb trail and all that hot air you were making, rose up out of the cave and created a smoke stream – kind of stood out. Gotta go shoot things now."
"Wait – get Ezra a couple of medium-yield miniature explosives."
"Right."
"Ezra, we could really use a lightsaber right now," Sabine yells out.
"Both of them broke!"
Ezra joins by their side and starts using the Force to toss about the blood-thirsty creatures. Zeb joins them and they move in at a quick pace, firing, Force pushing and sending the creatures into retreat. They start scattering toward the curve and to the tunnel.
"Kanan told me to give these to you," Zeb pulls out the explosives.
"Hell yes! Cover me!"
They make their way to the end of the cave, firing on remaining creatures. The rest hop into the hole; Hera and Sabine fire into the hole; Ezra motions for them to stop. He activates the explosives and sets the timer for ten seconds.
"Eat a boom, your pieces of crap!" and he Force throws them in after pressing the timer ignition button. "Run!"
They run fast around the curve and passed the big furry creatures which are eating the smaller dead ones. One of the heated rocks in the hatch, replicating what he had seen Kanan do with worms.
BOOM! BOOM! The cave rattles. Some smoke from obliterated rock wafts around the curve.
Ezra pauses as he nears the hatch to the Ghost, "Thanks for not eating me!"
Once they're all in, Chopper closes the hatch. Hera gets down and looks at the bite marks on Kanan's shoulder.
"Must be some kind of temporary paralyzing agent – look at the wound colors."
"I am starting to feel a little stiff," says Kanan.
"Careful, I might take that out of context," Hera says quietly to Kanan. She opens a medical kit Sabine has walked over, "This should counteract the neurological agent," she injects him with a jetstream injector, requiring no needles.
Zeb asks Ezra, "What about the experimental ship?"
"A total bust. Shot up and shorted out, and buried in the snow."
Hera comments, "At least you two are alive. Speaking of snow, I better fly us out of here before it accumulates on the Ghost and weighs us down," Hera gets up and heads for the cockpit.
Sabine and Zeb help Kanan up and put both his arms around their shoulders, steadily helping him to his quarters.
"Thank you," says Kanan.
Ezra follows.
"So, what did you two do while you were down there?" Sabine asks.
"Freeze," says Kanan.
"Freeze," says Ezra.
"That's a shame. If you had just traveled another five hundred miles, you'd have been in the summer zone. We flew over it; looked nice," Sabine comments.
"Oh, man – why can't we ever be in peril in some tropical paradise?" asks Ezra.
"I'll try and make reservations with the Empire next time," Kanan says as he slowly climbs the ladder up to the second story deck.
"Anything interesting happen?" Zeb asks Ezra.
"Kanan ate bugs!"
Ezra follows them up.
"Ew!" we can hear Sabine's voice on the second deck.
The Ghost flies out of the planet's atmosphere and into space.
Down below, the furry creatures cuddle in the warmth and protection of the cave, finally able to take up residence now that the hole has been sealed.
-THE END-