AN: Ta-da! Another chapter! Hope you like this one as well. I might be posting random one-shots (in the form of a multi-chaptered story). No worries though. It will NOT interfere with this story. There is a reason for Anakin's behavior in the following chapters. Kudos to those who pick out the signs and the clues. Onward March!

Two months later

Treeshadow sighed. Oh no. He knew the news wouldn't go over well with Anakin...but he hadn't thought it would be this bad. "Anakin…it's only for a month. It's not going to interfere with training at all." He was having a little trouble containing his laughter though. Perhaps he should have asked first before volunteering his friend for this assignment.

When he'd first gotten the Biology assignment from Master Shaak Ti, he'd been struck dumb. It was an easy enough assignment.

"You must take care of a baby Rill for one month. You have to feed it, make sure it has plenty water and gets plenty of exercise. You also have to make sure it stays at the proper temperature. You will have the help of one partner, whether he or she is in this classroom at the moment or not. In a moment I will come around to get your partners name and allow you up to the front of the room to pick up your Rill and your supplies."

When it came to be his turn, he'd said the first name that came to mind. "Anakin." Shaak Ti had nodded, wrote it down on a clipboard and told him to go to the front of the room and get his things. Given to him by a Knight helping to attend the class was a foldable pen, a heat lamp, bedding, a water bottle that attached to the pen and enough food for a week. After working it all into a manageable bundle he could sling over his shoulder on a rope he walked over to the large glass container on the floor.

Staring up at him were twenty-five pairs of glowing eyes of all colors. Allowed to pick his own Rill, he looked for one he would love. Most of the babies were in the center of the Pen playing about. But something caught Treeshadow's eyes. Off in the corner was a little white baby Rill with soft green eyes. All alone. Recalling his own first days at the Nature Reserve, Treeshadow picked him up gently and was met by a great lick on the face.

"You and me are kind of alike, huh?" He'd received a gentle cooing as his answer. "I'll take care of you. C'mon, little one." The Rill had made a gentle noise of happiness when Treeshadow had exited the room, Rill still firmly in his grasp. He had then set about finding his new, and reluctant, partner. When he'd found Anakin, the other boy had petted the little lizard happily, saying how cute he was.

Until Treeshadow told him the news anyway. He'd looked at Treeshadow funny for a few seconds before launching into a triad to put any Jedi Master to shame. His hysterical voice even put the famed Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose frenzied lectures and raving speeches were something to be feared, to shame with the way he was reacting. Over-reacting anyway, according to Treeshadow. Hence his situation now.

"Anakin. Shut up." He cut his friend off, holding up the hand that wasn't holding the Rill in a gesture of complacency. Anakin stopped for a moment, allowing his friend time to launch a counter argument. "You don't have to keep it in your room; you don't have to clean up after it. All I ask is that you play with it the one class of the day I have when you're free, you help feed and water it and that you help me take notes. Is that too much to ask?"

Anakin stepped forward, menace rolling off him in waves, frightening both him and the baby. The Rill burrowed into his tunics and Treeshadow backed up against a wall, despite Anakin matching him step for step, until he was pressed tight. For one so young and at only fourteen, Anakin already gave off a presence of power.

One which, when spiked, even Treeshadow feared. Like now.

As of late, since Treeshadow had gotten his cast off, Anakin had been acting very strange around Obi-Wan and he. He was easily angered, snappish, moody and even violent. Nobody seemed to know why either. Could it have been the failed mission to Malastare, which had almost resulted in their ship being blown up after a failed ritual during the Feast of the Suns at the High Chief's table?

No. Anakin had been in a fine mood after that. For a few days at least. Then it started; first he snapped at Obi-Wan for making him do extra chores, then it was violent mood swings all last week during free time and a few other incidents. Now this. Treeshadow, fearing for himself and the baby he held in his hands, slipped the rill into the pouch on his back and snapped it closed, putting it and the supply bundle on the ground and off to the side.

Better safe than sorry. He held his hands out to the side, displaying his chest, neck and belly in a show of trust. These were vital areas. If Anakin struck him anywhere in that vicinity, Treeshadow would drop like a rock. Anakin lunged, a growl bubbling deep in his chest, and slammed Treeshadow bodily into the wall with a thwack. His skull hit hard and he groaned as his head lolled forward, eyes drifting shut. Oww.

Anakin leaned forward and hissed a single word in his ear, voice dripping with all the malice of a thousand scorned men. "Hindrance." Anakin heaved and threw Treeshadow over his head into the far wall, causing his body to hit harshly.

Treeshadow was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Treeshadow groaned as he came to, noting the dull throbbing in the back of his head and the ache that was evident in all of his limbs. He opened his eyes slowly, wincing as he adjusted to the blinding lights in the ceiling. Surely he wasn't back in the halls of healing again! He looked around the best he could without moving his head or neck, which were stiff with pain.

No, not the halls of healing. Just a hall, the one near his own room and his Master's room. But what had he been doing on the ground unconscious? His memories came flooding back to him in a rush and he groaned again as his head began to thump with pain. The baby, the fight and Anakin's behavior, leading up to this.

Getting over his pain long enough to move, he looked for Anakin or the Rill he was supposed to be watching, nearly panicking when he saw neither of them or the supply bundle. He scrambled to his feet, wincing when a wave of nausea hit him like a speeder doing eighty. He'd forgotten about that little fact involving head trauma and its symptoms, one of the many involving nausea.

He staggered for a little bit when he walked, trying to regain his balance. He had to find Anakin and the baby. Hoping they would be where he thought they would be, he headed straight for Obi-Wan and Anakin's quarters. He wobbled but otherwise made it down the hall and up the one flight of stairs. He stood in front of the door and knocked.

He heard a shout of "Come in!" before the door was waved open by one of the occupants in the room. He stepped in and was met by one sight he hoped to remember years from now. On the floor was Anakin, sitting with the rill in his lap and smiling away like the Nexu who got the Peko Peko. On the couch, unconscious, was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

He put a paw over his muzzle in an attempt not to laugh as loudly as he so dearly wanted to and to fend off another wave of pain from any sudden motions of his head. "What happened to him?" He cackled in delight, leaning down slowly to pick up the Rill and the supplies. Anakin just smiled. "He came home from Saber practice with Master Windu, saw the Rill and fainted."

Treeshadow shook his head. Why wasn't Anakin acting weird now? Or apologizing like he'd done after the other incidents? Did he even remember what he'd done to Treeshadow? Or had Treeshadow dreamed the events? Were they thoughts supplemented by his brain after an accident he couldn't remember, like falling down the stairs? Treeshadow huffed with confusion. Never mind it then. If neither boy could remember what happened, then he shouldn't worry about it.

But then a thought hit him. If he'd fallen down the stairs and passed out from the head trauma, why hadn't Anakin tried to help him when he'd found him, instead of taking the Rill and the supplies and leaving? Why hadn't he called for another Jedi to help him instead of running off like he had? Treeshadow shook his head. He was over-thinking again, he needed to stop that.

Anakin looked up to him. "What's his name? It's for your biology class, right?" Treeshadow nodded. He hadn't much thought about names before, but it was easy enough to come up with his. "Cičati." He said, shifting the bundle back over his shoulder and the small carrying back onto his back. Cičati curled into his arms and crooned happily to his caretaker, drawing a wry smile from him.

"I'm sorry Anakin but it's getting late, Cičati needs to be fed and settled in and I need some ice for my head. I'll see you in class tomorrow." Without giving his friend time to protest, he left, closing the door behind him.

Back in his room, he was surprised again when he found his Master, Quinlan Vos, waiting outside his door patiently. "Good evening Master." He said, bowing his head. "Good evening Padawan. I was starting to worry. You're over two hours late and none of the other Masters called to tell me where you had run off to." His voice was quiet with concern but also stern.

"Padawans should never run off without informing their Masters of where they are going." He recited dutifully, if a little bit teasingly. "I'm sorry Master. I had a bit of an accident. I fell down the stairs. I think. I can't really remember all that well seeing as Anakin found me at the bottom of the stair well, not at all possessed of my wits." The last part was a lie. He'd had an accident alright. Except Anakin wasn't the one that found him there; nope he was the one that put him there. But no need to worry the Masters.

Quinlan put a hand on is shoulder. "You're alright then? You didn't jack out your leg again?" Treeshadow shook his head. "No Master. I just have a nasty bump on the head. Nothing some ice can't fix." He said, keying in the security code to his door, wondering why Quinlan hadn't done it himself and sat inside waiting for him. His Master followed him inside and watched as his apprentice set the supply bundle down, letting Cičati crawl up to perch on his shoulders.

"Would you like some tea Master?" He called as he wondered into the kitchenette attached to his quarters. "I would, Padawan. Thank you for asking." Treeshadow set about making a pot of his favorite Mandalorian green tea. While waiting he reached in to the freezer for a thing of ice, setting it against his head. Next to his ear Cičati chirped quietly.

"I'm sorry bud. You want to get down and explore for a bit and then maybe eat something?" He was met by a happy sounding croon in his ear and he smiled, reaching up and grabbing the little Rill gently, setting him on the ground. Cičati was off in the blink of an eye. Quinlan watched the little creature from his spot on the couch as Treeshadow brought out the tea things, sitting down next to his Master.

They drank in comfortable silence for about a half hour before Treeshadow got up, excusing himself and the supply bundle to his room to do a quick setup. The pen went next to his sleep couch and the lamp connected to it He set one of his older blankets down in the pen as padding and went back to the kitchen and grabbed two bowls, setting one down and filling it with the dried scraps of food the students were supplied and filling the other with water, setting that one down next to the other.

"Cičati!" He called loudly, standing behind the bowls. The little rill came racing in, faster than Treeshadow had ever seen such a small creature move in his life. Cičati stood in front of the bowl, eyes wide. "Eat up mister. It's off to bed with the both of us as soon as you're done." This didn't seem to bother the little lizard too much, seeing as he dug straight into his bowl with gusto.

Treeshadow wandered back over to the couch, sitting next to his master again in silence. For a few moments anyway. "Padawan. I have a question for you." Treeshadow looked up, ears flickering softly, catching the sounds of his room, mostly his Master's voice. "Yes Master?" He asked, turning blue eyes on him.

"I know the Healers have cleared you again for light active duty and I was wondering if you'd like to go on a mission tomorrow. It's a relatively straight forward assignment. Senator Amidala needs an escort back to Naboo. Her security detail thinks she's under threat again and wants her to be guarded on her return trip to see the Queen. The Council asked if we would take the mission today during the meeting."

Treeshadow looked at his Master with surprise, but delight. A mission! And so soon after recovering from injury! He was quick to accept it with a smile and a sparkle in his eye. "Of course I would Master! But what about…" His voice trailed off as he looked at Cičati. Quinlan followed his gaze and smiled.

"Not to worry, my young Padawan. I'm sure Anakin and Obi-Wan would be all too glad to watch him for a day or two." Treeshadow smiled, already seeing Obi-Wan's reaction to the request. "So we get to go?" He asked excitedly and Quinlan smiled and nodded, barely hiding his amusement at his Padawan's excitement.

"Yes Padawan, we get to go. Be at the docking bay by Eight O'clock sharp, prepared to leave, alright?" Treeshadow smiled and nodded, his tail wagging like a branch in the wind. He could barely believe it! His first mission!