WOOT! Tenth chapter! (The prologue doesn't count)
This chapter's a tad on the short side, but meh.
(I think I've used that exact same sentence before. Again, meh.)
I'm so thrilled to see all these reviews! A HUGE thankyou to all my lovely readers for making me so very happy.
I may even stop nagging in my ANs. Maybe.

Okie-day, let's get on with the disclaimer. Ooh, actually, gungan dialect seems like fun...
Mesa no ownie Star Warsa. Speking so would be bombad. Mesa no bombad, mesa happee!
Let us never speak of this again...


I began to shake uncontrollably. Unaware of anything else, I collapsed to the floor.

My life had fallen apart.

Darkness clutched my senses. Nothingness guided me into oblivion.


"Olive? Olive!"

Someone was calling my name. A hazy face came into view. It was Obi-Wan. Seeing my eye open, he propped up my head and cradled it gently. Beru held a cup to my lips.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

I began to cough. She drew the cup away.

"I'm not," I hacked, "A sweetheart."

"She's okay." Obi-Wan said in his wry fashion.

"I'm sorry to break that so harshly, Olive." Owen spoke without his usual hostility.

"It's alright. I just… I've never done that before."

I looked to Obi-Wan. He always had the answers for me. All I got was a shoulder squeeze. I assumed it was a friendly gesture. Comforting, maybe.

"Some fresh air, maybe." Beru suggested.

I nodded feebly. Obi-Wan helped me to my feet. I wavered, unsteady still, but then my arm was being wrapped around a shoulder. Owen's shoulder.

"Come on, then." He said softly.

I was grateful for his care. But was it real affection, or just what he felt was right?


We walked up to the top of the tall dune, where I sank to the sand, letting the warm grains trickle through my fingers. Obi-Wan sat beside me. We enjoyed the silence for a moment while my head cleared. I confided in him quietly about Owen's change of attitude towards me, hoping for advice on human behaviour.

"So, you're not sure whether it was brotherly love or chivalry."

"Shee-vul-rye?"

He explained the new word. I still couldn't pronounce it properly.

"I've got to have the worst family relationships on Tatooine." I sighed.

"I don't know… mine's not fantastic."

"You have a brother you hardly know?"

"Yes, actually. And he's called Owen, too."

"You're not my brother, are you?"

He laughed. "What do you think, Olive?"

I tried to join his laughter, but it came out as the wrong thing. Tears slid down my face.

"I wish you were my brother, and not…"

I couldn't say his name. The demon. I dissolved into a crying wreck. Again.

What had happened to the strong uli-ah of a month ago?
I had an answer to my own question.
That uli-ah had become human. And she had become me.

"We should go inside." Owen was back to his curt tone.

"Just a while longer, Owen. She needs time."

"Look, old man. Look out there and tell me if she needs more time."

Obi-Wan looked in the direction of Owen's pointed finger. His eyes widened.

Beru hurried towards me, pulling me up gently.

"Come on, Olive."

"What? What is it?" I protested.

"Bantha."

"Klait Lightdarker was taken almost two months ago." Owen explained quickly. "We found him last month. The sandpeople will be out for revenge. We have to move now."

I wasn't paying attention to his words, though. A bantha. I cleared my eyes from the salty tears and scanned the sands. It was her.

"Quphi," I breathed.

She had followed. Obi-Wan shot me a glance. I nodded. His already-large eyes expanded again. I didn't know the reaction, but if mine was anything to go by, it was joy at seeing her. She was my best friend, had been since we had met. Somehow she had timed her arrival perfectly. I pulled away from the others and began to run down the dune towards her.

"OLIVE!" Owen screamed out behind me.

I ignored him and kept running.

"Quphi!" I called out. She bellowed.

We fell into each other. I snuggled into her thick hair, letting any tears that hadn't been dried by the wind wipe off in her coat. She snuffled a greeting. Without realising, I slipped into Tusken.

"Quphi, oh, I've got so much to tell you… I'm glad you came… how did you find me? You're such a clever girl…"

"OLIVE!"

Owen's voice rang out again, closer. I whipped around to see him not ten feet from me. He was heaving, taking in great gulps of air.

"O-Olive?" This time it was soft. He tilted his head slightly.

"This is-" I stopped, mentally slapped myself. Basic. Speak Basic! "This is Quphi. My friend."

"Friend?"

I realised my mistake. Humans didn't have best friend banthas.

"I… uh…"

Quphi nosed my shoulder blade gently. Then harder. The third time she made me stagger. I turned to scold her, but saw why she was doing it. Across the flat sand, something was coming. It was big, low to the ground… oh, no…

"Krayt!" I shouted.

"What?"

"Krayt dragon! Look!"

He looked. He said a word I didn't know. I didn't bother to ask for classification, due to our impending probable doom. I looked back to where Obi-Wan and Beru were trying to catch us up. They looked like tiny blobs on the side of the dune. One blob stopped and caught the other's arm. They had seen the dragon.

"Go back! BACK!" Owen yelled to them.

He grabbed me. He was going to try running for it, but it wouldn't work. We had to get away. I knew the only thing fast enough to get us to safety.

"We have to-"

I broke away and jumped onto Quphi's back.

"Get on!" I called down, reaching out my arm.

"Are you mad?"

"You want to get eaten?"

He pulled himself awkwardly onto the saddle behind me.

"Ququ!"

Quphi shot off, heading nowhere in particular. It gave me an idea. If she had run into a storm once… I scanned the horizon for swirling sand. There. If we could reach that, we could lose the dragon, keeping everyone safe. If we survived the storm.

"You're right, Owen. I'm mad."

I directed Quphi towards the storm.