Stars are not small or gentle.
They are writhing and dying and BURNING.
They are not here to be pretty.
I am trying to learn from them
-Caitlyn Siehl
"Master, I can't just leave you here! You'll run into trouble." Anakin said desperately.
"I'm not staying here, Ani. I'm going to Illum, with Master Yoda and the younglings. Do you think I could run into trouble out there?" Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.
"We ran into a snow panther when we went for my crystal." Anakin pointed out.
"And the every time I've gone since, the snow panther has shown me her pack." Obi-Wan retorted. "I think her name is Shandina. She believes I am her alpha. It is... an interesting experience."
"You will doubtlessly run into trouble. It always happens, Master." Anakin said matter-of-factly.
"Master Yoda will be there. Do you trust him to keep me out of trouble?" Obi-Wan asked, amused.
"No." Anakin said bluntly. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Only I can keep you out of trouble. And Master Qui-Gon, and Master Tahl. That is it. AND you just got back from being captured by a sith."
"Anakin, I will be fine. I swear it."
Anakin snorted.
Obi-Wan walked down to the Halls of Healing. He hadn't been able to visit Qui-Gon in a while, and he missed him. He missed him anyway, but that was beside the point.
He walked into Qui-Gon's room and sat down. As usual he took Qui-Gon's hand and studied it. Sometimes he spoke, but sometimes he would just sit here and memorize his master's hand. It was comforting.
Right now, he simply wanted that comfort.
After his visit to the Halls of Healing, Obi-Wan went down to the creche. He needed to pick up the necessary equipment for the journey to Illum. Equipment being younglings.
He walked into the creche, and was swamped by miniature people. He grinned and laughed.
"Master Kenobi! Master Kenobi! You're here! Did you bring candy?" the younglings asked.
Obi-Wan laughed and passed out candy until a large white panther came up and nudged the children back to their activities. The panther, Lanthia, had insisted on returning to Coruscant with Master Yoda on their second trip to Illum. She had been a part of Shandina's pack, and he supposed she still was, but now she stayed and helped out in the creche. Occasionally she would follow Master Yoda around, but that was mostly when he had to talk to Chancellor Palpatine.
When she had finished with the younglings, Lanthia walked over to some of them and nudged them towards Obi-Wan. This was another thing that she did. She would be the one to pick the younglings who would go to Illum, and if anyone objected, they got a faceful of angry panther. She usually picked the best younglings though, so noone would object anyway.
"Thank you, Lanthia." Obi-Wan said, and the panther ducked her head. Obi-Wan knelt, and Lanthia walked over and licked his shoulder. Obi-Wan had learned that that was a sign of respect, and many of the panthers would do that when he spoke to them directly. He smiled and stood up.
"And what do you say to her...?" Obi-Wan asked the younglings.
"Thank you, Lanthia." the younglings chorused.
One of the younglings, a young rodian, slipped a piece of jerky out of her pocket and gave it to Lanthia. The panther took out of her hand and ate it. She licked the rodian's hand, and nudged her leg. The youngling giggled and patted her head.
"Goodbye, Lanthia. I'll see you." The panther padded up to Obi-Wan, and stood up on her hind legs. She licked his face, and rubbed her face on his, then dropped back down to four legs.
Obi-Wan smiled and walked out, the younglings following.
"Master Yoda, I think that Anakin is ready for his Trials." Obi-Wan said while they were en-route to Illum.
"Yes." Master Yoda said.
"Well, he is- wait, did you say yes?" Obi-Wan asked, flabbergasted.
"Ready he is. No reason to say no, there is." Yoda smiled. "A good master you have been. Believe so, the other would not. Take a padawan knights do, to learn themselves. Needed a padawan, you did not. Knew yourself, and others, you did after captured you were. Believe no one would. Except your master."
Obi-Wan blinked. He had never thought of it that way before. "I-I don't know what to say, Master. I am not that good of a master."
"Think so, do you? Easy to teach, Anakin Skywalker was not. Yet succeed you did, where fail another would. A good master."
Obi-Wan stared at Master Yoda in unabated shock. He wasn't that good a master. Really. He still had trouble with the Living Force. He told Yoda so.
"Have a pack, you do, Obi-Wan. Good with the Living Force, you are. Ready your padawan is, and a master you are. Always."
Shandina lifted her snout, and breathed deeply. She could feel something reverberating through her. There was a scent in the air and... cubs! Firefur's cubs were here!
She roared at the pack, and they all stood, shaking the snow off their fur. Shandina started running, heading towards the Metal Bird. She could here the pack starting to run behind her. She didn't know if Firefur was going to be here this time or not, but she liked Rare. Rare was small and a very strange color, but he always had treats for her.
In the distance she could see a group of creatures. The cubs. She growled at the pack, and they split, running towards the cubs. As they got closer, Shandina could smell something. Firefur! He wsan't always here, but when he was the whole pack was happy to see their alpha.
The panthers surrounded the cubs, rubbing up against the colder ones to keep them warm. The cubs giggled, and some of them rubbed the head of the one rubbing them. Silly cubs.
Shandina padded up to her alpha and rubbed up on him. He smelled nice, but he never smelled enough like pack. She growled slightly at him, and he smiled. Message received.
He straightened, and whistled. The pack started moving forward, towards the Cave. For some reason, every time the cubs came, they went into this cave. Shandina didn't understand why, but she believed it had something to do with the fire that Firefur held in the metal under his fur.
Shandina walked next to Firefur and wondered if any of the panther cubs would choose. Sometimes when Rare brought the cubs to the Cave, a panther cub would choose them and go away with them. Like Lanthia, who had chosen Rare.
Firefur stumbled, and Shandina felt alarmed. He was hurt. He had been hurt before he came here. Shandina huffed. Firefur was stubborn. She stopped and roared at the pack. Her roar meant, Alpha hurt. I will help.
Shandina crouched down, and nudged Firefur. Hard. He muttered something in his speech and got on. Shandina stood up, pleased. Her alpha was hurt, but healing. For now, she would carry him so he wouldn't hurt himself. That way he could join the hunt later.
She stood up, and the pack continued moving. The pack started moving again.
Soon they reached the crystal cave, and cubs walked in. She let Firefur down, and he knelt in front of Rare. The first time she had seen him do this, she had been shocked. He is an alpha! Then she saw that it was respect for Rare, who was much older. She had felt shock, and pleasure. He was not degrading himself. He respected his elders. It only made her respect him more.
He finished speaking with Rare, and stood up. He walked towards the pack, and Shandina showed her teeth. Hunting time.
She roared, and Firefur roared with her. The pack started running, Firefur racing alongside Shandina. She smelled the air, and the scent of elk filled her mouth. Growling, she turned and headed towards the scent. The pack would eat well this night.
The elk was alone, and Shandina let the Alpha attack first. He would not eat himself, but he would always hunt for the pack when he could. Shandina felt that this was what made him a good alpha. Her pack before this would let the alpha eat first, but Firefur always put the pack first.
Firefur jumped on the elk, and she could feel his life flare, and the elk went down, despite Firefur being so much smaller. Shandina roared and the pack raced forward to kill. The pack surrounded it and when they were done, several panthers roared, signalling the rest of the pack, the one that had stayed at the cave with the cubs.
They soon arrived, and as always, Firefur let the cubs eat first. After they finished, Shandina gat to eat first. She took enough to satisfy herself, but no more. The rest of her pack needed to eat.
After a while, when she was lying on the ground cleaning herself, Firefur signalled for the pack to get up. The cubs were finished in the Cave. Shandina stood up and picked up a cub. Firefur picked up the cub he had been helping clean and stood up as well. The rest of the pack also stood, mothers picking up cubs, and some maiden panthers helping the mothers.
Then they ran, the pack heading towards the Cave. Firefur lead, Nalina in his arms. She had a feeling that Nalina would be one who would choose.
When they arrived at the cave the panthers holding cubs stepping forward and placing the cubs on the ground right in front of the Cave. Firefur placed his cub right in the middle, and stroked her head. He stepped back and Nalina mewled, and stumbled towards him. Shandina stepped forwards and nudged her back into the group. She needed to wait to choose. She licked her head, and Nalina calmed, understanding. Smart cub.
Rare and the cubs walked out of the Cave, the cubs chattering excitedly. They stopped when they saw the panther cubs, and Firefur stepped forward. He spoke to the cubs and she could see their lives flare. They were excited about the choosing.
Telena, Nalina's sister, stumbled towards a thin snouted cub. She was the same color as Rare, and her eyes held stars. She smelled like water and salt, and she seemed ecstatic when Telena climed up her leg.
Firefur smiled. His life flared, and Shandina watched his life. His life had always reminded her of stars, burning, and warm. So many creatures believed that stars were gentle, but they weren't. They burned, and they gave warmth to the pack. Firefur did the same.
Then, as Shandina expected, Nalina padded forward, but instead of choosing a cub, she climbed the alpha. Everyone stared. Shandina did not know how Firefur would react to being chosen.
Firefur smiled, and held Nalina, cradling her against his chest. Shandina could feel his happiness flaring. He had wanted to be chosen ever since the first cub had been, but had believed that he had to be a cub. Shandina wished he had been chosen sooner, it would have made him happier sooner.
Shandina stepped forward, and rubbed herself on Firefur's leg. They were leaving soon. She knew that Firefur would return, but the pack would still miss their alpha.
Then, Shandina stepped back, and Firefur roared, little Nalina roaring with him, her pink mouth open wide. The rest of the pack roared with them, and their call rolled over the snow, warning other packs that they were here.
And they always would be.
When Anakin returned from his mission, he walked in and hugged his master, then went to put his stuff away in his room, just as he'd been taught. Then he stopped dead in his room.
"Master?" Anakin called.
"Yes, Ani?" Obi-Wan answered innocently.
"Why is there a panther cub asleep on my bed?"
Anakin stared in shock at the braid that Obi-Wan was holding out for him to take. He still couldn't believe that he was a knight. He looked at the braid being offered to him, and reached forward. Instead of taking as Obi-Wan obviously wanted him to, he folded Obi-Wan's hand over it. Obi-Wan hed taught him everything. HE deserved the braid.
Obi-Wan looked slightly shocked, but smiled and accepted it. He understood. Anakin wasn't exactly traditional, but Obi-Wan was. Obi-Wan still had his braid and would give it to Qui-Gon when he woke up. It was nothing Qui-Gon didn't deserve he would say when asked about it. Anakin felt the same about Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon may have rescued him from Tatooine, but Obi-Wan was the one who had rescued him from himself.
"I still can't believe that you knighted me." Anakin said numbly in their quarters. Or was Obi-Wan going to kick him out now that he was knighted?
"You deserve it. And I'm not going to kick you out. When you get a padawan yourself or I get another, then you will leave. That, or we will ask for bigger quarters. I will not just kick you out, Ani. It's uncivilised."
Anakin laughed, but he still hesitated on one thing his master had said. "Me, have a padawan? I just became a knight, Master. I can't get a padawan."
Obi-Wan smiled. "You have a lot to teach. I don't think you'll be getting a padawan just yet. Come on. We can go out for celebratory drinks with Padme and Bail."
Anakin smiled. That seemed like a good idea. "I'll comm Padme. You can comm Bail. He likes you more. Should we invite Master Tahl too?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "She's off planet. Someone had to take my troops."
Anakin nodded and went to comm his friend.
He still couldn't believe Obi-Wan thought that he could possibly teach a padawan anything.
About six months and several battles later.
The Battle of Christophsis
Anakin looked up as Obi-Wan entered his tent, Nalina's small form following.. "Need something, Master?" Technically Obi-Wan wasn't his master, but the title didn't feel wrong. It would never feel wrong.
"The supply ship has arrived, and there is supposed to be someone meeting us. The council sent her themselves." Obi-Wan said.
Anakin looked up excitedly. "Master Tahl?"
"Sorry, Ani. I don't think so." Obi-Wan said regretfully.
"Oh, well. Let's go." Anakin pulled his pant leg back down over his boot and stood up. Didn't want to be late. And he could see Nalina staring at his shoelaces.
They walked towards the land ship, and Anakin felt relieved that they now had reinforcements. He grinned at Obi-Wan, happy and not afraid to share it.
Obi-Wan grinned back, and they could see the door on the transport opening. Obi-Wan, Anakin and Nalina stopped a few feet away from it.
A young togruta stepped off the transport, and walked towards them. Nalina sat down, wrapping her small tail as far around herself as possible. The togruta girl stopped in front of them.
"I am Padawan Ahsoka Tano. I came here to deliver a message." she said.
Obi-Wan smiled. "It is a pleasure. Whose padawan are you?"
Padawan Tano smiled. "Master Yoda said that I am to be Anakin Skywalker's padawan."
Anakin felt his jaw drop, and shock run through him. Beside him, he could here Obi-Wan laughing at his reaction.
He had not expected this.
