Sorry for not updating a while... Short information to the story: time is a slightly different timeline, but about at The Force Awakens. AND: the rebels (SW Rebels are still active!) So the Star Wars rebels time Line is just like it will go in in season 3, although it's a different timeline too. Complicated but yeah...

Chapter 4: The Past and the Present

Never had Zerah felt so relieved in her life. Now she had a chance, a chance to survive. She was not alone anymore. A friend came back for her.

"So, dear monster. It's two against one now. Got any questions?", Zerah said fiercely. This may sound unfair. But concerning the Katarns strength, weight, speed and agility, claws, beak and teeth, it really wasn't at all. Now the only thing different was that Zerah and Kkando now had the opportunity to actually defeat the Katarn. After all, it wasn't them starting the chase any the fight. Not at all. After the Clone Wars most of the wookies avoid battles and fight. As good as possible.

The Katarn snarled. Again. Thinking, that now, his meal would even be twice as big. He charged. Faster. Getting faster and faster. Charging towards Kkando. Kkando was ready. Ready to defend. Not to fight, but to defend himself. Only a foot away from his furry coat, the Katarn stopped.

He was being held away by a long and silver blade. A strong metal machete. Don't underestimate a wookie's strength. Never do.

The wookie just blocked him, blocked his way. The beast just couldn't go forward, because that was not possible at all. The Katarn backed off, but he didn't give up. Everyone who disturbed him, would pay. Now he growled and looked at the girl. The girl? Where was the girl? Gone! The girl was gone! The hungry animal looked around. That wasn't possible! He couldn't believe he had just lost part of his prey! The Katarn saw red. He snorted. Ready to charge again. Much faster and stronger than before. It would definitely work this time. He looked his enemy deep in the eyes, just like Kkando looked his enemy in the eyes, too. It was a face to face watch now. Two against two, or so the Katarn thought.

Suddenly, the Katarn saw black. Nothing. Although he did feel something on his broad and leathery back. Not much weight, but still a heavy weight. "Aahhrrh Zerrahh!", he could hear a wookie shout. "Good Zerah!", it meant, translated to basic. Yes, it was actually Zerah surprising the Katarn from behind. She always faced her enemies, and never ran away from a problem.

She now had successfully blindfolded the dreadful creature. Because the Katarn had sharp claws and no fingers, it was hard for him to remove it. He was jumping around, trying to shake the girl off. Zerah was holding on to his horns. Her legs were rapped around his body, holding on tight. "Try to grab his front feet and tie them, here's a rope!", she said and threw him a rope she had tied around her hips. Her plan was to tie his two front feet together just so tight that he couldn't run fast. The Katarn would later be able to bite threw the rope, which - after all - wasn't that thick, but Zerah and Kkando would be able to run back to the village.

Kkando caught the rope and slowly came closer to the wild Katarn, who was still seeing nothing. He had to be careful, because you never knew when the Katarn was going to snap. Kkando didn't make a sound, and so did Zerah. The Katarn shortly stopped jumping and tried to figure out where the big wookie was by listening. In that moment Kkando acted fast. In less than a few seconds he had already tied the two feet together. "Awwgh!", he growled proudly. "Nicely done, my friend.", Zerah told him and jumped of the creature. "Now let's get out of here!", she added. Zerah went up to the trees again, away from the big grass field. Kkando was below her, but above the Shadow Zone. Don't want to get in trouble again. Not today.

Soon Zerah saw the village. Small huts in the trees, connected to each other by wooden bridges. Many wookies were walking around, small ones playing, big ones keeping every thing safe. At last. As the other wookies saw Zerah and Kkando coming, a few came to welcome them.

"Ughgh aahnr arrraghw wrrhr?", you could hear one growl. "Where have we been?", Zerah repeated, trying to come up with an explanation. "Um, we've been chased by a giant monster. This big!", she told them, holding her hand over her head. The wookie looked at her, then at Kkando. "Weird, isn't it?", she added. The wookie crossed its arms. "Ahnr ughhuhr...". "Yes, really! Hard to believe, huh...?", she said, holding her hands and hoping the big wookie will believe it, but it didn't say a word, waiting for a better explanation.

"Not buying it, are you?", Zerah said under her breath. "We got chased by a male Katarn. And before you say anything, it attacked us, and we got chased. Not him", she mumbled. "I know we shouldn't go down in the Shadow Zone...". Silence.

She felt something heavy on her shoulder. "Uughr ahhwr.", she heard Kkando say. He told her to come with him. "So, everything is good?", she asked, looking at the wookie who was still staring at her, slightly confused, but the wookie smiled. "Thanks Shryhtaa!", she giggled and caught up with Kkando, following Kkando to their hut. The female wookie Shrytaa looked after the two climbing towards the village. Shrytaa was smiling, crossing her arms again. "What a dream team...", she was thinking.

Zerah and Kkando arrived at the hut. It was one of the highest ones, with an amazing view. You could see the whole village, the tree tops, and even the ocean with other islands. They unlocked the door and opened it. It was a big, wooden door, with a sign nailed on. 'Zerah & Kkando', it read.

Inside, there was a big table standing in the middle, a cabinet at the right wall and two chests standing around the table. There were three more machetes and two more knives hanging on the wall, and two sticks leaning against it. Also there were two more doors. The one room had two beds in it and the other one was the bathroom. Nothing other than an apartment in the trees.

Kkando took his bag and hung it next to the machetes. He put the one he was holding on the table. Zerah sat down on one of the chests and laid her head on the brown wood. "Oh god, and of course I forgot my bag in the woods. Just somewhere within a 5-mile radius. Stupid Katarns.", she moaned. She took a fruit from the chest she was sitting on and ate it.

"Late already, isn't it, Kkando?", she asked him. "Huurhr.", he answered. Yes, it was actually pretty late. Zerah wished him goodnight and went to her bed. Before she went to sleep, she got a book from under her bed. It had a dark brown leather book cover with a blue icon. An eagle-like bird.

She opened the book, and skimmed to the very first page. Letters and words were scribbled on the white paper. It was a toddler's handwriting.

hi future me! today some weird people picked me up. they found me on lothal. they asked me where I lived I said I don't know. I don't know my family I said so they took me with them and promised me they will find my family. A girl gave me this book. She said it is a gift from her to me. she said she made it her self. the girl can draw really pretty. She also drew the bird on the book. I think her name was Sabine. She is really nice and I like her. A boy with blue hair then showed me how to fight I think. He is really nice too. There is also a lady who gave me food. She also gave me a shiny ring and I always wear it. She says her name is Era or maybe Hera I don't really know. She also has a bed for me and I think they are all nice to me and I think they like me. I think I am staying with them.

She stopped reading. Zerah remembered writing all of these words. She remembered living with the first people who really helped her. What happened before she lived on Lothal and before they found her, she didn't know. But there was a lot of her past she did not now about. Her real home, her real family.

At about six years of age, she lived on Lothal. A nice place. She managed to get enough food, and always had a place to sleep. How she ended up living by herself, Zerah had no clue.

But then the other day, some people came to her. They asked her where she lived, how she lived, where her family was. The girl did not know. Zerah was actually lost at that age. She just managed to stay alive. The crew took her with them. Her life started to get better. A man with brown hair, a younger boy, a girl at about the boy's age, a Lasat, a Twi'lek and a droid took care of her. That group was known as a rebel group. Zerah was pretty lucky to be picked up by them and not by thieves. From her sixth to her eleventh year, she was trained by them. Zerah was taught different fighting techniques and mission strategies. Soon, she also knew how different ships, droids and weapons work. A mandalorian girl named Sabine especially took care of her. Zerah reminded Sabine of her home planet. In her first years, Zerah already had built her armor. But not alone, she remembered people had helped her. But that was a long time ago on a very different planet. Sometimes Sabine thought of her as a Mandalorian. After all, she definitely had the makings of one.

Zerah skipped more than a hundred pages and read a few lines again.

Today I helped them with a mission. Sabine and the Ezra had to go out and fight against soldiers. The soldiers were called Storm Troopers. Actually a pretty cool name, but they're on the dark side so I don't like them. I sat with Hera and was her co-pilot. That was fun because I could almost fly a ship. Of course Sabine and Ezra could save the people and I was very proud because they said to me they did it with my help.

Her first mission with the rebel group. Zerah would never forget it. That was her favorite mission, about at ten years of age. She was part of a lot for missions. Some where interesting, some boring.

She looked at her hand, her ring finger. There was still the dark grey metal ring Hera gave to her. The ring had the eagle icon carved in the metal. She was thinking about how he was missing the times with the crew. The ring was her symbol for her team. Her team that helped her develop into a strong, smart and brave girl.

Zerah skipped pages again, until there was no handwriting anymore. She skimmed a lot of pages with drawings and sketches. The mandalorian girl was really good at art. She inspired Zerah. Since then Zerah had been practicing and practicing. She stopped skimming and stopped by a rough sketch of a wookie. Beneath the sketch, she had written a name. 'Chewbacca'.

On the next page, there was written more:

'Myth of a hero, hero of thousands of innocent people and creatures. Part of the Resistance. Co-Pilot of famous Rebellion General Han Solo.'

She got a pencil from her desk and continued drawing, until she fell asleep.

The next morning she got woken up by loud sound. She couldn't describe it because she had never heard it before. It sounded like a ship. She went outside. Most of the wookies were already looking around and trying to figure out what the noise was. Zerah though she may new. She found Kkando standing on a bridge, looking in the woods nervously.

"Kkando.", Zerah said,"We've got company."