Chapter 10

Street - rat's fear

Ezra's pov

I could feel Kanan watching me again for about the millionth time today and every time I went to see Hera about it, she would shoo me off with some excuse about something that needed looking at or working on but it is not like they needed or wanted doing. Something was up and it start on the morning that I woke up from the latest round of time in the temple with Kanan.

"The kid is that strong in the force? I don't believe it. The boss must have done it wrong, there is no way that the kid is stronger in the force than Kanan" Zeb said, not knowing that I was hiding around the corner at the time. "No it's true, the kid is stronger than Kanan with the force but cannot use all of it yet, actually I asked him whether there were Jedi stronger than him, whether now or in the past and he said he only of three that were stronger but whether they were still alive he wasn't sure,the only one he was sure about was master Yoda"Sabine finished.

I was getting a little tired of the way Zeb and Sabine were treating me like nothing about they learned about me was real. Zeb with his not believing someone like me can do some of things that I do, like I didn't have what I needed to pull them off and Sabine...well I wasn't so sure how she felt, like she was sitting on the fence about me, some ways this is good, means she thinks of me although what that was left me more than a little confused. so I left them to their discussion of me.

Deciding that I was going to talk to Kanan about the feelings that I felt from the others, I walked in to the cockpit to find Kanan and Hera looking at a hologram of a man I knew too well. Hera's head turned to me, then she waved me forward so that I could join in what they were talking about.

"So this is the man that has been hurting Ezra when he was little and he is still at it, he is still taking children. Ezra are you sure about this?" Kanan asked as he looked back at me as I looked up at him.

I nodded, my throat to thick to speak. I only had one glance at the man but it was him, his face was one I would never forget, it haunted my dreams. Well it did until I started working with Kanan...talking to him about some of this stuff and he talking to me about some of his stuff, it has all helped a lot, as if something as made us grow even closer.

A memory that he shared with me a few hours after the one about Kanan's first days about the man from the holocron, Obi wan kenobi. How Kanan had always asked questions of him and that had me laughing. He had always said that I asked to many questions, that I always wanted to know more but as he pointed out that's how I learn from him, Kanan wasn't any different when he was my age.

Right now none of that mattered...I was trembling...trembling so hard that I felt myself start to fall and would have fallen if Kanan hadn't been there to catch me, I even realized what was happening until he pulled me around to face him. One look in his eyes and I buried my head in his chest. I didn't think I could face him if just seeing a holo image or what would happen if force forbid that we went after him and I think Kanan knew that, I could feel his thumbs massaging small circles into my shoulders.

"Hera I know you wanted us to go on that supply run and do some digging up of information on this guy but I think that is still too soon for Ezra to go on a mission like that. So right now I think Ezra and I will have to pull out of this one, hope you don't mind." Kanan said now running a hand down my back calming me and maybe himself too.

"Kanan I understand and Ezra if you ever decide that a mission like this is too much, just tell us, we won't hold it against you. So will just have to divide the mission up, Ezra you and Kanan do the supply run, take all the time you need, we won't rush you and Sabine,Zeb and I will do the rest, something tells me that if Zeb gets a hold of that guy he is dead, he'll end him for sure"Hera told us,trying to make me smile at the end I was sure.

"That's fine, I hope Zeb does end him"I said a little muffled because my head was still resting in Kanan's chest. I know it wasn't very Jedi like to say what I did but at the moment I just didn't care about that,only that the man deserved death.

Ezra I don't blame you for that

Kanan. He was just letting me know that it was alright to think those things about that man, it was just the act of doing something about it that the matter that the Jedi in me and him that wouldn't like it. If Kanan can forgive me for that? what he need forgiveness for, what did he do or have done to him, in the past that he would someone dead.

"Ezra let's use this time for a little physical training as well. I think we both could do with a little saber practice don't you"Kanan said, forcing my head up with his hand on my jaw, my eyes then met his and then I quickly forced eyes from his.

I knew he could still feel my fear, not because I was going to go with the others to find information on him, it was because my friends were. What if they found something on him?what if they didn't? what if he was there and he did something to them and I wasn't there to help but then I thought it didn't matter, they could take care of themselves. Anyway even if I was there I probably would not have been any help to the rest of them.

I don't know about that padawan, you never know what you can do until you are asked to do it

I glared at Kanan for that but then "sure Kanan...can we take the bikes? I want to see if I can whip your butt in this one area at least" I said.

"What was that?"Kanan said raising his eyebrow.

"I might" I started to say then realizing that this was my master, and he knew a lot of things I didn't,I let it go " you will win, your better at everything than me,master"I said blushing slightly at it.

"That's what I thought" Kanan replied, leading himself and me out of the cockpit and down to where the bikes were and out of ghost, leading as only he could lead.

As we raced over the landscape I pushed the bike as fast as it could go, wanting to beat Kanan as well as getting my emotions out. Kanan said we could blast some loth - rats if we wanted too because it would reduce their numbers for the farmers. Not that the farmers would know we were doing this but still it helped them and helped me out too.

"Let's pull in at the top of this hill for a rest"Kanan said stopping his bike.

"Getting sleepy master in your old age?"I said stopping my own bike, which quickly earned me a whack on the head from my master for that, then he replied "one day I will remind you of this when you come across a cheeky kid that tells you your old". I nodded and then we rested, before going down to the village bellow for the supplies.

The village had most of what we needed but not all and on the way to the next village I could tell there was something on Kanan's mind, what it was I didn't find out until we stopped for a little training later on. He sat down on the grass and patted a spot beside him and waited until I was settled beside him before he told me what it was.

"Ezra I think it is time to tell you something, while I don't have a fire brand like you have and like I have said I have seen some people branded like you before, I do have my own brand of sorts"Kanan said.

"A brand...what kind of brand?"I asked.

"This type"Kanan replied and pulled up his shirt.

A long his side was a six centimeter scar. It ran from his right hip and point inward, it wasn't a straight scar either, it had wavy lines and half finished circles. Where did he get it? was it part of some kind of torture or something else?

"Kanan where..."I started to ask before he interrupted me "where did I get this scar?"and when I nodded he pulled down his shirt and continued " it's a story from my early days, when I first got my light saber and it is also a story I haven't told anyone else yet, so your the first".

An:sorry for the late upload but I was very sick all last week.

To Kazie I am not changing the count on Ezra's force signature because from what I have found out Yoda has 19,000 and only two others are higher than that and none of them is our lovable street rat, sorry and to kind of quote our green friend "Ezra is strong in the force but not that strong.

more next time.