Part 10

~*~

And it did. I woke to the sound of the morning gulls making their first-light fish dives. Surprisingly I hadn't moved much in the night. Now though my rear end was numb, my left arm was numb and my neck ached. Looking down to my left, I saw the reason for the discomfort and I put the aches aside. Jaythen was sound asleep. As deep as I'd seen him in some time. It was a relief. But I hoped with all my heart that the music idea would work, because this current situation surely would not.

I felt the need to get up. I really felt the need. I had to go. And that urge eventually won over the risk of waking the slumbering boy. Thankfully he slept on after I maneuvered off the bed. I did my thing then walked outside to see the awakenings of the first morning from the covered porch of my new home. I ran right into a large basket of something. Eggs and freshly squeezed juice. Neela had come and gone this morning. Under the basket was a large iron skillet. Of course now that we had food, we needed something to cook it in. Thank goodness for the women of Kembar Lune. They think of everything. Us men would never survive without them. Although now I would have to polish up on my cooking skills. Jaythen often joked about them, but he was right. A cook I was not. Maybe he'd picked up a few of Neela's talents in the kitchen. I hoped.

I left the basket sitting there and went to check on the horses. They seemed content enough, not bothered by the change in scenery. I turned them out to the lush pasture. We built a large one with a small separate enclosure, just in case we did need to continue to separate the foal from Flash. The need was no longer there. The equine members of the trio were getting along perfectly fine. Inside the barn was a tack room that housed the saddles, bridles and such along with feed. Noma horses were hardy and thrived on grasses and berries mostly. But they did enjoy munching on hay from time to time. I spread a bale out along the pasture fence line. Then I made the short walk to the lake to fill two buckets of fresh water and hooked them around the fence posts. This would be one of Jaythen's daily tasks, but after a rough night, it was better for him to sleep as late as needed.

Late as it turned out wasn't too late at all. The smell of me attempting to cook breakfast roused him from his slumber and he shuffled his way into the kitchen. The fire-stove heated quickly. Too quickly for eggs.

"Master, I didn't know it was possible to burn eggs," said my padawan as he plopped into a chair.

"Well, honestly Jaythen, I didn't know that either. This may be an area where we'll be having some difficulty. You know I didn't inherit my anya's or Kaai's culinary skills."

He stared at me with a gleam of humor in his green eyes. I was happy to see it, even though he was teasing me about my cooking. Then to my surprise, he got up and took the tools from my hand.

"Master, please sit down. I will make us breakfast. But since we don't yet have any spices or…well, we only have eggs. So it won't be an exciting breakfast. I promise that it'll be edible." I pursed my lips, he laughed.

However, a few minutes later we had perfectly cooked eggs. The boy had talent. "Okay, yes, you are in charge of cooking. Good idea you came up with, Jaythen. Very good."

"Master, I didn't say anything. But I don't mind. We do have to get some variety though."

I had an idea. "We could go into the main village. Many a Noma woman will have set up stands for food and spices." Within the village, many Noma prospered in vegetables and fruits. And they would bargain their goods for very little. Jaythen's candles would probably do the trick. He hadn't made any of his own just yet, but if he took to that task this morning, they'd be set by evening and ready to barter away. He sensed it was another good idea. Although he wasn't sure about going into the village with me.

"What if people stare at me, Master?"

"They will stare. Because you're different. But you have similar coloring to us. Dark hair, darker than average skin. You're a lot thinner than Noma's and have those green eyes. But you'll probably fit in well enough. And if they stare, who cares! They'll get used to seeing you and before long will be shouting greetings to you like they do me. It's a friendly place, Jaythen."

Finally he agreed. We'd go tomorrow morning. I'd ask Neela along as well, to give him a little more to grasp onto if needed. Although I suspected he'd be more comfortable there than he thought. Today though, I told him to concentrate on the candles, so we had trade. He'd never been part of a place where money didn't change hands - where money had no meaning. The credits we had were packed away. We'd use them during our time on Coruscant and during missions. Here, we just needed a talent or a crop or an artistic skill. I'd have to polish up on something, as right now, I had little to bring to the table.

Jaythen started on candles. I started on a list of what we needed from the village. Food. Spices. Another pot or a pan. Cooking utensils. I'd start us out with dried meat, but eventually I'd have to do a little hunting on my own. Jaythen would stay well clear of that, I knew. He'd eat the meat, but he wanted no part of the killing or preparing of it. I refused to challenge him on his feelings and left the hunting chores to me. If wrapped properly, the meat would last a week before spoiling, so if all I had to do was hunt once a week, we'd manage fine.

My list done, I went to the transport to see about getting an audio music signal dialed into Jaythen's data-pad. Yoda's aide, Cressha, was a gem at just about anything. And within a few minutes, she had programmed him for three settings. Two provided different variations of music designed to sooth a mind, the other was recordings of various nature occurrences, such as rain storms, ocean waves and animal sounds. He could choose any of the three programs on any given evening just by pressing the assigned key on his data-pad. Jaythen was very excited by the music and set his data-pad up that evening on a makeshift nightstand I'd built that day. He chose the nature sounds. And it worked. There was no waking during the night. We both slept peacefully and soundly. He even woke before me and had eggs ready at the table before I made it to the kitchen.

"The horses have been fed, Master. I've hitched Saber to the cart and packed my candles there. I can't get the saddle on her though, I can't figure out how to adjust it around the cart harness."

The fact that he'd been able to harness the mare alone, with one good hand amazed me more than anything. I hadn't expected him to be so prepared this morning. "I can help you. It's a bit tricky. How did you manage the harness by yourself though? It's heavy and awkward." I looked at his partially limp left hand.

"It's still useful. I can't really grip anything, but those strength exercises that Terran taught me allow me to hold my arm up longer, so I can use my left hand as a brace. Oh and Spirit helped me too."

I shook my head at the last part of his sentence. "Spirit…what?"

"He helped me. I held one part of the buckle and he picked up the other end with his teeth and handed it to me."

I thought he was joking. I knew he was joking. He was joking, right? "Ah, okay. Jaythen, are you being serious?"

"Yes, Master."

His face was stone. No sign of a fib anywhere. "And how did Spirit learn how to do this?"

"I don't know. I was working with the harness, and then just for fun I told Saber to tell Spirit to bring the other end to me. She whinnied. Then he maneuvered it into his teeth and hooked it around my left hand so I could lift it up."

I still didn't believe it. "Jaythen, you wouldn't lie to me about something like this, would you? This seems very odd. This story. Animals don't do things like that."

"Sure they do. Remember our second mission together, Master. It was to Razaar. The governor's son, he was paralyzed from the waist down and had to spend all his life in that floating chair. But he had trained that kooba to assist him in daily activities. To pick things up for him. To press door locks. Even to help him get dressed."

"You remember that?"

"I never forgot it. It was man and animal working together like I had never seen."

"Kooba. I forgot that's what the animal was. Kooba's are one of Kembar Lune's native species, though they've been exported to other planets. Perhaps this is why. Amazing. So, Spirit seems to have those same abilities."

"Should we tell the Chief about all of this? Spirit will be his horse. He should probably know."

"He should." I finished off my eggs and the last of the chara juice that Neela had sent yesterday. "Although I still don't completely believe that a horse – a foal at that - can have this type of gift." Then another less than pleasing thought hit me. He would be a very valuable animal if ever he fell into the wrong hands. "We should tell Ihaani, yes. Neela too. But no others. If word gets out about this, he could become a target for thieves. When we go into the village today, be sure he's tied on a lead rope attached to the cart. He should seem a normal foal to anyone who sees or asks about him."

"I will, Master."

"Okay then. Let's clean up and be off."

~*~

The village never changed. Children ran here and there. Old women tottered along near their vegetable stands. Men moved bartered objects from one area to another. We'd picked up Neela on our way. She sat astride her horse, Cloud, a dirty white mare as sturdy as they come. Quilts and candles were loaded into our cart. Her quilts were always in demand, not only for the warmth they offered, but for the colorful beauty as well. Some used them as wall decoration rather than a wrap. Recently, she'd begun making smaller ones just for that decorating purpose. They were quicker and easier to make and Noma women seemed to adore them.

We retrieved spices and dried meat from the first stand. A load of fruit and vegetables from another. Fresh chara juice and barley ale also found our cart. Jaythen's candles were quite popular. The eight he'd made were disappearing quickly. He had one left as we rounded the bend to the last few kiosks. A boy stood alone at the final stand. Random healing herbs, ointments and wrappings were available. We traded Jaythen's last candle for a handful of basic aides to have on board for minor injuries and wounds.

The boy stared at Jaythen. He was of similar age. Perhaps a year older at most. More thickly built and several inches taller, of course, being a Noma. His hair was long and hung freely. It was decorated with white feathers only. It marked him as a healer - a medicine man. Me'da's apprentice?

He spoke softly. The voice of a healer. "You are Master T'narr and Apprentice Jaythen of the Jedi. Yes?"

We both nodded. He had to be associated with Me'da, otherwise he'd not know our Jedi titles. "We are."

"Me'da has told me much about you. My name is Eesyhn Nyjaan. I am Me'da's apprentice. In training to be a tribe shaman. I am years away from knowing all I need however. It's good to meet you both. He speaks very highly of you."

Jaythen for his part seemed enthralled with the whole 'apprentice' thing. And that immediately drew him to Eeshyn, as it had drawn him to Obi-Wan previously. They quickly developed an easy conversation. "How long have you been his apprentice, Eeshyn?"

"Only a year. I had to be of age before I could begin training with him. I was ten standard years when I began. I'm eleven now. I think we are similar age, Jaythen."

"We are. I'm ten. Master T'narr took me as an apprentice when I was eight. Where is Me'da now?"

"Oh, he's off healing people I suppose. I don't work with him all the time. Tribe law does not permit that. I must live with my parents until I am the correct age to leave. And I must maintain my home life as well as my training life. I work four consecutive days with Me'da, then no training for two days."

"So you don't live with your teacher?"

"No. I have a work room in his cottage. But it's very small and plain. Mostly I use it to study in. He tests me quite often on herb mixes and healing minor wounds. You must start very basic in this work and learn so much before moving on."

Neela and I wandered off to the stand across the way to see if there was anything there we needed. She had another quilt to trade and I knew we could find something we needed before we left the village. I smiled at the easy way in which Jaythen had taken to Me'da's apprentice, Eeshyn. I think it was relief I felt. A boy his age, also an apprentice – they already had things in common. Although Jedi customs with apprentices were different, the basics were the same. Learn the trade from the ground up. Listen to your teacher. Learn everything you can from him until you are ready to go it alone. The common ground drew them together. So much so that I hated to part them, but we did have things to do. Neela touched my arm as I stepped in their direction.

"Give them a few more minutes, Tana. This is healthy for Jaythen. And I'm sure for the healer boy as well. He's probably somewhat separated from others because of what he does. People don't generally like to see a medicine man unless they absolutely have to - for obvious reasons. He may be isolated to an extent, though he seems a well rounded boy." I nodded and agreed. I'd make a point to speak to Me'da bout Eeshyn when the man stopped by with a new batch of rubbing ointment for Jaythen's back. I wanted to be certain that their friendship was permitted. I didn't know much about that type of apprenticeship. Every tribe had their own way. I figured it was fine, but knew better to intrude without complete knowledge. Me'da was due to see us tomorrow, so it wouldn't be a long wait. I did eventually break them up though. Eeshyn offered me a gentle bow and held his palm up to Jaythen.

"You touch your palm to mine. That is how friends our age bid hello and farewell in the Noma tribe."

Jaythen placed his right palm to his new friends' and smiled broadly. "I hope we get to talk again, Eeshyn."

"I hope we can become good friends, Jaythen. Most other children stay away from those who work with medicine. They only want to see us when they really need us. You and I share something unusual, both being apprentices. Maybe you can tell me all about being a Jedi apprentice when we see each other again."

"I can tell you all about it. I hope we can be friends too, Eeshyn. Thank you for the medicines."

"Unali. Noma for friend. Goodbye, Jaythen."

"Unali. I'll remember that. Goodbye, Eeshyn."

We hauled our loot back home. Neela separated from us to go her own way. Saber had no problem hauling the heavy cart even with Jaythen in the saddle. Manual labor was her specialty. Spirit trudged along on his lead rope. Flash was a bit unhappy at the slow pace, but he tolerated it.

"Master, will it be okay for Eeshyn and I to be friends?"

"I don't see why not, but I would like to mention it to Me'da. I want to make sure we're not stepping on any toes in the course of his training. This is not an area where I'm especially knowledgeable. He's a nice kid though. I have to say that I'm pleased to see you so happy to meet someone you don't know. You need friends your own age to relate to. Even here. I know Eryck is your close friend and Obi-Wan, but you won't see them as often as you used to. So it's important that you not be afraid to make a new friend or two here."

Then he said something I didn't expect. "Do you have friends here, Master?"

"I do have a couple who I still see. Although not in several years. You've not met them. I would like you to though. I tried to see them as much as I could during my visits here as a child. Kaai made certain that I had time with them. Unfortunately our adult lives have been much more hectic and I don't see them as often as I would like. Perhaps we can visit them soon."

"I'd like that, Master."

My mind wandered to those friends. I had two who I was especially close to. A girl. Her name was Aleejha. She often flirted with me when we were Jaythen's age. I think I blushed once too often for her tastes. My other close friend was a boy named Esalii. They married once they were of age. I had been fortunate enough to have been on Kembar Lune at the time to celebrate their wedding. Again I had Kaai to thank for that. The last time I'd visited them was the last journey here before taking Jaythen as my padawan. I guess that would be about three years now. I owed them a visit, surely.

"Soon, Jaythen, soon. Now when we get home, we've some serious preparing to do. I'll show you how to store the different foods so that they last the longest. I can't cook them, but I do know how to keep them fresh," I grinned. He returned the look as we made the final strides to the house.

~*~

"We met your apprentice yesterday, Me'da," I said as the big medicine man removed the container of rubbing ointment from his satchel. "Nice boy. He and Jaythen had quite a talk."

"Yes, I heard this morning. Eeshyn is working on some mixtures for me this morning at my cottage. It was the first thing he spoke of. He was very animated about meeting Jaythen."

"I actually wanted to talk to you about him, to make sure their friendship was welcome. We don't want to disrupt Eeshyn's training."

"I'm glad for a friendship for him. He needs it. You may have guessed that being a tribal healer is not the most coveted job. It's special for those of us who have the magic for it though. He is isolated to an extent though he has a loving relationship with his parents and an older sister that he adores. They discovered he had a knack for healing when he was young, often creating his own mixes to treat his scrapes and scratches. They presented him to me when he was eight. I agreed to train him once he reached the age. And so after so many years of working alone, I had a student under my care."

"Amazing how quickly our lives change, isn't it?"

"Indeed. It's been something to get used to, but he's a fast learning child and well mannered. His parents have raised him correctly. He will be a great asset to the Noma tribe in a few years. But yes, he needs a friend. Jaythen and he are welcome to pursue their friendship."

I nodded my thank you. We spoke for a while longer and he told me about the slight modifications he'd made to the back rub ointment. With the pain being less, he'd changed the ingredients slightly to reflect that, but encouraged me to continue with the therapy once a day until Jaythen was pain free.

Once he'd gone I relayed the good news to Jaythen, he proceeded to launch at me with a hug. I'd never expected him to be so happy so quickly about this. Honestly, I'd expected more of a challenge, having to encourage him to come with me into the village time after time. Now, he was sure to be my willing shadow.

"Okay, Okay." I pried him off me. "You do have chores, do you not?"

"Yes, Master." He hurried off towards the barn. "Thank you!"

~*~

The weeks passed. Fall took a strong hold on Kembar Lune. Winter would soon follow. It promised to be a brutal one according to the ancient ones well known for their weather predicting abilities. Jaythen and I prepared accordingly. I made sure he had warm clothes. Gloves made from paca fur and boots to match. I allowed him to let his hair grow out of the padawan cut, but let him know he'd have to trim it shorter again for missions and our visits to Coruscant.

Jaythen and Eeshyn became good friends. Their time was sometimes sparse between the duties and chores that they both were expected to maintain, but they did manage to find time to spend together. I'd forgotten how entertaining it could be to watch two children play and explore. True they weren't small children, but they were still young. And they had energy. A lot of energy. Eeshyn introduced his horse, a stocky black gelding named Sable to our group. He was a natural fit. Whenever possible, they'd go out and ride the area. I cautioned them both about straying too far. I wanted them within eyesight of our home at all times. Me'da and Eeshyn's parents were trusting me to keep the boy safe while he was here. And so I would. Not to mention Spirit was horribly noisy when his mother got out of his vision.

Jaythen hadn't told Eeshyn of his traumas. I suspected a time would come when he'd feel comfortable in sharing that, but it wasn't now. I was glad for that as I wanted him to just enjoy the friendship and the happy time he was able to share with his friend. Without worry. Without thinking about his past. Without thinking about the bad.

Force therapy continued. Jaythen had almost completely regained his ability to touch my mind and visit there for as long as he wished. We'd made wonderful progress. The opposite wasn't so positive. Several times he deemed himself ready for me to touch his mind. And several times he rebelled as soon as I attempted. Frustration at the situation hit him hard. He couldn't understand why he couldn't allow me entrance to his thoughts. I began to fear that what Kloon did to him might have caused permanent damage. From my side of things, I felt a loneliness there. Our connection used to be so smooth and so pure. Now I could not reach him at all, or he would not permit me to reach him. For a stretch of days, he tried repeatedly to open his mind and allow a tendril in. We tried various physical locations. Sitting on the shore. Or in the company of Spirit. After a restful day. After a stressful day. After a good visit with Eeshyn. Nothing mattered. His mind was shut to mine. I could not reach him.

It reached a point where it so exhausted him that mentally he broke down and fled to the barn to spend hours with Saber and Spirit. I allowed him the time and went about my duties. I modified the training regime for him. We would be due at the temple in another month. Back there for the first time since leaving and I had to be able to show that Jaythen's training was on par with other padawans his age. He'd been studying hard and we'd worked on saber training and kata's. But some of the lessons had been avoided because they so relied on the force. If we could not demonstrate that he'd made improvement in those areas, the council could decide to take all of this from us. Jaythen guessed that as well, which is why he was being so harsh on himself for not being able to completely remove his fear of the force.

When darkness came and he'd not come in from the stables yet, I worried and went to find him. The candle I carried showed him sitting quietly in the corner of Saber's stall, Spirit lying next to him, head on his lap. Jaythen's head bobbed up and down as he dozed for several seconds before he woke himself. As I approached, Saber leaned her head down and nudged her colt. Spirit rose, nudged Jaythen in the face, and then moved to the other corner of the stall. I knelt down next to my learner. The tear tracks were dry, but evident. The flickering candle showed that the redness in his eyes hadn't receded. He looked miserable.

"Jaythen, come on. It's chilly out here. You need to get to bed."

His mouth turned a sad frown and he offered no protest. I left him alone to wash up and dress for bed. His shaking right hand accepted the cup of tea that I gave him.

"It will come, Padawan. It will. We just have to keep trying. There's something there that we can't get past. I don't know what it is, but it's there. Once we find that…"

Sad, tired eyes peered up at me. He was on the verge of tears again. "What if we don't, Master? What if I can never use the force normally again? What if I'm always scared of allowing myself to open to it completely? The council will make me come back. They'll force me to train until it breaks. I can't go back, Master. I don't want to lose what I have now."

The tea had cooled enough to sip and I encouraged him to take some. He sat sorrowfully on the couch. I moved to sit next to him. "You won't be losing anything, Jaythen. You know I will fight to keep this. And part of this is the council's fault anyway for Kloon doing what he did. You'd made progress before his actions. Yoda understands that. He'll be on our side. I think maybe you're worrying too much, perhaps that's why you cannot completely meld with the force." I paused before saying, "I miss being able to talk to you. I miss that part of our bond."

"I miss hearing you, Master. I mean, you are here of course, but when I used to hear you talk to me through our bond, it would immediately comfort me and settle my fears. I don't know what else to do. It shouldn't be this hard."

I took his tea as he leaned into me. I lowered it to the table with the aid of the force. My own tea set beside his. I held him as he cried soft sobs. I held him as we both fell asleep and didn't wake until morning.

~*~

Breakfast was ready an hour after dawn. It consisted of a spicy egg poach, two slices of elkon bacon and a mangus fruit. Jaythen placed a full plate in front of me. The presentation was so beautiful, I hated to eat it. He sat across from me.

"Thank you for helping me last night, Master. You always help me without making me feel bad about myself. I'm sorry you had to sleep sitting up in the couch though. I saw you trying to stretch out your back. It wasn't comfortable, was it?"

"No, but I'll live. How do you feel this morning?"

"Better. But still frustrated. Can we take a ride today? Go see some of those places you told me about?"

Now there was an idea. The weather was still nice. Chilly, but the beginnings of winter were still a month off. I wondered if taking that trip now might be just what he needed.

"Well, it's not a day trip. I thought three days would be better. That way we're not rushing home. If you'd like, we can go. You've gotten most of your strength back, so you should be okay with the ride. I'm sure Pai will ride up here to check on the place while we're gone. And he can let Me'da know we've gone, should Eeshyn be looking for you. Yes. Let's do this."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. We'll pack after breakfast. I've some saddle bags to take extra supplies. And Spirit is big enough now to carry something for us. I have many places to show you, Padawan."

The smile that filled his face was so opposite the emotions there last evening, it was hard to believe this was the same boy.

We ate our breakfast and made preparations around the house. I made certain the transport was locked up. We decided to take our light sabers - just in case. One never knew what to expect in the forest. The saddle bags were secured on the horses. Spirit grunted once when the weight was placed across his back, but he accepted his task willingly. All at once, we were ready to depart. A quick stop at my parents' house to let them know our destination and an estimate of when we'd return. Ihaani would ride up the next day for a quick house check. Neela wished us well. I suspected she was aware of one of the main reasons for this journey. I'd confided my worries to her about Jaythen's continued fear of the force. So she was pleased to see us both so excited about the trip.

The first day took us to the caves. My vertically challenged apprentice had no trouble wandering through them in an upright walk. As for myself, I began to sympathize with my old master Kaai the longer I spent inside these stone walls. An aching back from hunching over though could not sway the delight I felt at Jaythen's exploration. Several times, he found his way into my mind to shout out something he'd found. One of those times, I funneled my way to him in order to see what he was carrying on about.

"Master, these paintings on this wall. They're so different than any of the others. It's like they're carved into the rock. They remind me of something."

"They remind you of me," I replied plainly. "I made those markings. Well, Kaai and I did together, with the force. We merged color and depth to see if we could move rock with the force. And we did. That's why the designs don't make much sense. We had a meaning and purpose behind them, but it never did materialize in the final result."

"Yes it did. You just didn't see it then. I see it. These two here look resemble feathers. This first one - the small blue and the larger gray - that's you and Master Kaai. This one here, the blue feather is larger of the two now, and it melds with the tiny green one. The blue is you again, but as a master. The green is me. It matches the exact color of the painted feather on my right arm. See?"

He held is arm up, there was enough light in the cave to see that the colors did match almost identically. The color also matched those green eyes of his. The same exact emerald green. This was too strange. "Jaythen I was very young when Kaai and I did this. It was countless years ago. How could I have known…"

His finger traced the blue-green meld on the stone. "The force knew."

Indeed it must have. The force had known all along that this boy would one day enter my life and become a part of me. Perhaps that's why Kaai hadn't stopped our experiment with the cave markings after the first blue and white feather-like images had been created. He was being shown the future, almost as if the ancient Noma story-tellers would read the life from the palm of one's hand. The future was there, plain to see, if only you had the ability to see it. This was powerful discovery. My future had been set long before I had ever finished my training as an apprentice. I started to wonder how much Kaai knew of this. Had he understood the carvings we created? Had he understood what my future would bring? I doubted it, but he was a very skilled and resourceful force user. I smiled at the thought of him being part of bringing Jaythen and I together.

"Master?"

I became aware of Jaythen's voice after a time. I'd drifted into my own world.

"Sorry, Padawan. Just thinking about what all this means. It's quite overwhelming."

"Did you make any other paint-carvings?"

"No. This was the only wall we disturbed."

He pondered that for a moment then said, "These caves are built into the hillside. What's over the hill?"

"How about we ride and find out?" Relief for my back as we exited the cave and I stood straight. "I do know one thing, those caves were designed for the young and small, not the old and the tall." I stretched my back before gathering Flash and mounting up.

The hill was a stiff climb but these horses we meant for this ground and they appreciated the challenge. Up and over, we came to the dense forest beyond. "Some of these trees, it is said, have been here for ages. Years before any of the tribes on the planet. You'll see the largest of them toward the center of the forest. The diameter of the oldest rival the size of our horse barn!"

Wide eyes stared at me in disbelief.

"It's true. At least the size part is. The age of them, I really can't say. Some of the stories that the ancient ones tell can be a little exaggerated at times. You'll see for yourself how big the trees are though. Many an animal has made a home in the base of these trees. You'll see the dens of a variety of beasts. Including the kooba's that you were speaking of before. I saw a family of them here when I rode out last time. Now that we know what they are capable of, with the ability to be trained to aid and assist, it gives me a new respect for them. They're more than just pesky little red-furred yappers."

As we rode slowly, Jaythen's eyes followed the height and size of the trees. His head bobbed up and then down again as he followed the path of each barked monster to its sun-reaching vertical limit. I felt he was completely at ease. This trip would be the perfect opportunity to see if he would allow my mind into his. I would suggest it, but would wait for his cue for any attempt. For now though I got wind of a storm encroaching. The darkening sky was mostly attributed to dusk, but a smell in the air and a change of wind meant rain.

I had Jaythen stop and sense the area around him. Explaining to him the changes I felt and what it meant. Storms could sneak up quickly in this region of the planet because of the strong pull of the lakes and mountains. It was important to learn how to identify an oncoming storm quickly to prevent from getting caught in its wrath.

"Where should we shelter, Master?"

I pointed to one of the larger trees nearby. It was partially hollowed out with enough room for us to get ourselves and our packs inside and still have room. I'd show him how to construct a fire inside a ring of stones, just inside the base of the tree. It would allow us light and warmth without burning the tree to the ground. "This tree will work fine. It doesn't appear to be a den, although it was in the past. We'll unburden the horses and store our gear inside. The forest canopy is thick enough that they won't be wading in hoof deep water, but they will get wet." Jaythen frowned at the thought of the loyal animals being left in the weather. "Don't worry. They'll manage just fine. This planet breeds some of the hardiest stock around. They've seen much worse. Even with shelter, we'll be more uncomfortable then they will."

Now he frowned for himself and I laughed. "I suspect you'll survive too, Padawan."

The horses were unpacked and secured. We gathered several larger rocks and then a handful of small black stones. I piled them in circle a foot wide. They created a five inch tall chimney of sorts around the soon to be fire pit. "This design and the heat that comes from the black stones creates a fire that doesn't easily ignite things around it should a spark get loose. Pai explained the whole thing to me one time, but I was young and not concerned with knowing every detail of everything at the time, especially with Master Kaai impatiently wondering when we would be returning to the cottage. His mind always worried about how many more hours he'd have to spend on the back of one of those blasted horses." We both grinned. "So I'll spare you the entire story, mostly because I don't know it. But if you really want to know, I'm sure my pai would be…"

He held up a hand. "No, that's okay, Master. I'll trust your judgment on this that we won't burn the tree or the forest down with our little fire."

The first rain drops forged their way through the overhead leaves and we scooted into our tree shelter. We were both hungry, having only snacked along the journey, so I roasted two pieces of spiced meat over the fire. Even I could cook prepared meat this way despite Jaythen's expression thinking otherwise. That and a stew of vegetables quenched our appetite. We stuck to water to drink as it was easier than worrying about tea. Then we both sat back to listen to the rain soaking down around us and to watch the dancing flames of the fire in front of us.

It was dark now, aside from the fire. I felt no worry from Jaythen. Perhaps it was a good time to…

"Master, can we try the force therapy again?"

He'd beaten me to it. "If you would like."

"Yes. I think maybe I should face you directly this time though, rather than my back facing you. Maybe if I can see you as you try to reach my mind, I won't be so scared."

I turned, legs crossed in front of me. He did the same. Our knees touched and I felt the beginnings of tension.

"Don't think about anything negative. Think about all you've done and seen today. Think about all that you may see tomorrow. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your mind open. Know that the only thing touching your mind will be me. Now, find the most peaceful state you can."

I felt him there in the force. As gently as I could I inched a tendril his way. The mind that was open for a brief moment slammed shut at the first sensation of an intrusion. He relaxed again. Another tendril. Another impenetrable wall. After thirty minutes we retreated from the effort. Jaythen turned to lean back against the inside of the tree wall, miserable. Such a good day we'd had, I was certain we'd take a forward step with this. Instead we stalled in the same place.

"I'm sorry, Master," he said mournfully.

"It's not your fault, Jaythen. We tried. That's all we can do. We've another busy day of exploring tomorrow. Let's get what sleep we can."

I pushed back to find the most comfortable position I could, leaning into the tree for support. I let the fire continue its slow burn out. It would last a few more hours, giving us light until then. Jaythen to my surprise lay down on his side, his head pillowed against my hip but cushioned by a saddle bag. The small quilt he'd brought with him covered him snuggly. I placed a hand across his shoulder and stilled it there. We slept as the storm raged the night.

~*~

Tbc…