Chapter 7

Days of rolling thunder

Kanan's pov

What Ezra had learned about me in the past months meant nothing compared with what he must know now. That I was just like him at the same age, I lived for myself because just like Ezra I could trust anyone else not to betray me to the empire,not to hurt me in anyway, everyday and every night I lived in fear for my life but like Ezra that was how I survived. I will tell him one day, how that changed.

"How you survived?"Ezra asked,his voice raised in disbelief.

We were leaving his memory just after we saw him come into my room and hand me back my lightsaber and joining the crew to be trained by me in the way of the Jedi. Going out into the hall, I knew I didn't need to see what else happened that day, the deciding of where the kid was going to sleep and things like that. I should have taken the boy to stay in my room as soon as he joined but at the time while I liked the kid I just didn't want him under foot all the time.

"Yes how I survived Ezra...I too lived day to day,doing odd jobs around the galaxy when I could, not staying in one place too long if I could help it, always on my own, well that was until I met Hera but I think that is a story for another day. From what I feel from you Ezra I think you need to really sleep soon and this type of training does drain the user's mind of stamina and energy but don't worry kid we will pick this up again in a day or two depending on how you recover from this. Just let go Ezra and you will come out of it"I said as the temple faded away for me.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Ezra's eyes close again. I knew he wouldn't stay awake very long after coming out of the temple but I did see from his position on his bed that my training had worked. Ezra was not in a frozen curled ball anymore, he was laying stretched out his breathing was easier, everything looked like it was going to be alright. I looked at our joined hands and thought, that's right I am here for you my padawan.

I waited for a little bit to see if he would return to what he was before even though I knew my training had worked, still I had not been sure that the nightmares wouldn't return to hurt the boy,I was glad to see that they didn't, so I slipped my hand from his and got some sleep myself because it was not only Ezra who needed sleep after this training.

The next day Ezra was back to his wise cracking street rat ways, and even though I would never admit this to Ezra he did make me smile. Right now I was watching Chopper and Ezra chase each other around the ship knocking things into the wall, making Zeb yell and chase them too but I secretly knew he didn't mind playing with them, and in a way Zeb and chopper were giving Ezra something that he never had before...older brothers too mess around with.

"That's better boss" said Zeb stopping beside me as the others continued to play "Kanan what ever you did to that kid has healed him"he finished,chuckling as Ezra clean jumped over the droid which made the droid slam into the wall.

But what the big lasat didn't know,couldn't understand was that Ezra wasn't healed. What we did last night was only the start and we hadn't even really got to the worst of the memories to really start the healing process "Zeb I really wish it was that simple"I told him.

"What do you mean by that?" bid guy asked.

"I mean that Ezra has been all alone for eight years after being sheltered by his parents for the first seven years of his life, learning very quickly that he couldn't trust anyone and who knows what else happened in that time. Ezra keeps his worst secrets close to his heart,and what he shared with me was only a few memories, those memories were light almost happy in some of them. To heal, he needs to start telling me of his dark past"I said watching chopper get his own back on Ezra by dumping him into a pile of boxes.

The poor kid gave a yell as things fell on him too and once he untangled himself from all of that, Zeb, chopper and even I could not help but laugh out loud. The kid was covered head to foot in Sabine's paints and came out of it multi colored but also something told me that Sabine was not going to be happy about it when she found out about it, which was likely to be in...3...2..1.

"What the kriff is going on?Ezra if you did this, the force is not going to be able to help you" Sabine yelled out as she came into the room, causing the kid to try and hide behind me but of course that didn't work, so I decided to help the kid out.

"To be honest Sabine it wasn't the kid's fault. It was our favorite metal friend over there that did this to Ezra"I told her pointing to where Chopper. The droid was trying to get away from the scene of the crime.

"Ezra why don't you go get cleaned up and I will help you out once I made sure that Sabine doesn't disassemble the droid. Chopper why don't you and Zeb fix this mess up"I said as Ezra disappeared down the hall to the refresher.

"Why do I have to help Kanan?"said Zeb crossing his arms.

"Because it didn't help when you joined in the chase"I answered only to continue when chopper started beeping at both Sabine and I "and don't you beep at me Chopper, we both know you did it on purpose. Sabine why don't you watch these two and if you need anything else done I am sure they will be happy to help. I am going to see how Ezra is".

I was sure that the boy was going to be washing paint out for a while if he didn't have some one to help him out. So finding him with his shirt and jacket off washing his hair, made me stop and stare. It was the first time I saw Ezra with his top off, usually he hid when he came in here and now I could see why. What I saw on his back and shoulder...all I could think of was what a life this kid must have had up until now.

On his back there were many scars of different types,so many that I couldn't count how many there were, it was as if the kid was always being punished for something but as bad as that was, I kind of expected them. I knew from his first nightmare that made us start on this journey that it looked like his back was being hit but what I didn't think I would ever see again on anyone, is a firebrand.

Firebrands are marks that some slavers put on their property or their slaves,so that no one would take what was theirs and to make sure that the slaves always remembered who they belonged to,not that they could ever forget, For in this case like I sure it was for others, it was burned right into Ezra's skin.

Ezra's brand was some sort of animal,but it was hard to tell what it was because the kid at some point before he met us he had tried to get rid of it himself. The brand was in a spot where it was difficult to reach, high on the right shoulder the kid really couldn't do anything about it himself,but he had obviously given it his best shot.

Then something clicked into place,it was like a clue I was looking for without knowing I was looking for it. This was why Ezra had been like he was when we first met him...Sometime, maybe in his first years of living on his own, Ezra had been taken from the streets of lothal and forced to work as a slave.

Could that have been what I saw that day when this all started? Somehow I knew I was right,that first nightmare that must have been the start of it. I had to leave now before he saw or sensed me and tell Hera about this, maybe she could get back to Fulcrum about this slaver and we could get some kind of peace for Ezra and the others that he had hurt.

"Are you sure about this love?" Hera asked, once I had got to her and told her of what I had seen on Ezra. I could see she wanted to go and comfort Ezra at once but I didn't think it was a good idea for her to do that as I had walked in on the kid,he didn't tell me himself. I had to remind her that I had only just got Ezra to open up to me, tell him that I had seen it and you might back that trust.

"Hera just get the information to your contact, that is how you can help Ezra because once the slaver is off the streets Ezra will feel better and there will be no more children being taken from people that care about them" I said and then I saw her nod then leave only to have her seat taken over by Ezra.

"Master I know you saw it" he said eventually.

"Saw what my padawan?"I answered trying to play off that I hadn't seen the firebrand. Then Ezra glared at me and I had to continue "yes I saw it, and it wasn't the first time I have seen a firebrand either. Ezra you don't have to tell me how you got it yet if you don't want to but I do have two things to tell you first".

"Okay what are they then?" Ezra asked, crossing his arms like he was trying to protect himself, which was probably something he learned when he was a slave.

"Ezra before I start I didn't want to tell you yet that I had seen them but I knew something had to be done to help you recover" I said, then noticing that Ezra was calmer I continued "first don't get angry but I told Hera about the brand. She has the connections to do something about it and I know she won't tell the others about it until you are ready for them to hear".

Ezra sighed and flopped in the chair, his arms hanging loosely by his side "you won't find any information on him,...I was the only one to get away"he told me.

"You don't know Hera's contact, they will get the information...I just know it and that will stop any more children going through what you went through, what ever you went through"I replied,feeling the boy calm even more.

"I suppose there is that. Kanan what is the second thing?"he inquired.

"Second thing?" I asked, smiling at the sight of the glare Ezra sent my way.

"Yes you said you had two things to tell me. If one was Hera being told about the brand, what is the other?"said Ezra sitting up now, getting a little nervous.

"Okay the second thing is that, this is not the first time I have seen a firebrand on a kid"I said,watching Ezra's eyebrows disappear into his hair.

An:so what do you think of the chapter?when do you think Kanan saw the other firebrand?oh and tell what you thought of "the siege of lothal" I just thought it was just the best. oh and I thought cats landed on their feet. more next time.