I meant to post this on Monday, but thanks to three essays and three projects that plan got scrapped. I know this is a bit past the date itself, but May the Fourth be with you all! :) Thanks for your suggestions; I've taken them into account and you may see them woven into future updates. Once again, thanks SO much for all of your support; you have cemented my feet to the path of being an author with all of your encouraging feedback. Please remember to review, follow, and favorite!

Chapter Ten

Zeff had imagined his death many ways. He had imagined the potential torture that the Togruta and her Senator friend could inflict upon him. The possibilities had slunk, unbidden, into his mind. A smoking blaster hole straight through his heart or head, a poison injected into his bloodstream by the GH-7 unit...His imagination had run away with him, until he had escaped into the blackness of sleep. Even then, the Clawdite's sleep had been plagued by nightmares, as his subconscious reminded him of the constant danger, the many ways with which his end could be delivered.

He had not imagined it would come at the hands of a furry, short, rotund animal.

The alien had awoken, fully expecting to be curled up on the hard, metal floor of his cage with his wrists holding him to the metal prison. The position wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, if slightly cramped, when he compared it to some of the places he had slept before he became a bounty hunter; however, he still longed for a blanket and pillow. He was surprised that his captors had brought him food, and so regularly, when they could have easily let thirst and hunger end his life. This made him wary; what did they want him alive for? To torture him? He had given them all the information he had- besides, the Clawdite didn't see them as cruel, just angry and determined, particularly Ahsoka. So when he had regained consciousness, and seen the furry face of a short, bear-like animal, instead of the walls of his cell, naturally he had been confused.

The animal was virtually unclothed, apart from a head covering that looked like a hood, made from a rough brown cloth. It held a spear in its hand, and was currently prodding two stirring figures nearby with its blunt end. When Zeff's surroundings came into focus, he realized that they were in some sort of wooden dwelling. The two figures were Ahsoka and her senator companion, and with a start the Clawdite discovered the three of them were bound head to foot with a coarse brown rope, rendering them unable to move. The ends of the rope were tied together and looped tightly around a wooden support that evidently stabilized the hut. The bear-like creature continued its relentless exploration of the two figures on the floor; curiosity emanated from its furry frame.

Zeff knew this made sense; he supposed that whatever species was native to this planet would have found them eventually, and with neither the ex-Jedi nor the Senator possessing the sense to post a guard (something that he certainly would have done), they evidently had been crept up on by these creatures. Which led him to his primary concern: what was the bear-creature planning to do with them? He doubted that it spoke Basic, as he had never seen anything like this alien anywhere close to the Inner Rim. They must be in the Outer Rim, where many exotic species made their homes. Was there more than just the one? The Clawdite took a quick glance around the well-constructed wooden structure and answered his own question. There was no way that a creature of that size would have been able to make a hut like this on its own.

The small bear gave a quiet huff as the Togruta and Human jerked fully awake, then waddled out of hut's minuscule opening quickly. Zeff desperately hoped that it wasn't to fetch his companions- if the three of them hadn't been tied up, he wouldn't have been worried, but with he and his former captors powerless, a large group of this bear like species could easily overpower and kill them with spears such as the one the Clawdite had seen in the furry paws of their guard.

In the dim light filtering through the tiny door and the cracks between the wooden boards of the hut, Zeff could see as Ahsoka and the Senator-what was his name, Lux?- struggled to sit up, realizing where they were and of the tightly bound ropes encircling their bodies.

Ahsoka groaned, trying to reach up to rub her head before their bounds reminded her that she was unable to do so. "...Lux? Where are we? What happened?"

Lux frowned, glancing around him as he took in his surroundings. "I don't know...how did this happen?"

Zeff cleared his throat, causing the pair to turn their confused gazes on the Clawdite. His chest gave a jolt of terror as he remembered his dreams of the two killing him. He pushed the fear to the back of his mind. It wouldn't help matters now to dwell on his nightmares. "Perhaps someone should have posted a guard. I thought you'd have more sense."

The Togruta's mouth twisted into a dry smile. "Didn't think you were capable of sarcasm, sleemo."

The Senator beside her let out a huff of impatient breath. "It's hardly the time to argue. What can we do about our present situation? Zeff, did you notice anything of importance?" Lux said the bounty hunter's name reluctantly, as if he were having trouble acknowledging that he required the information from his enemy.

The Clawdite considered keeping silent. In their current predicament, the two beings beside him could hardly threaten him with death. But he gave in eventually, sighing. After all, he himself didn't know what their furry captors were or what they had planned for the trio. It would be in his best interest to help his two former enemies. "Evidently, we were captured by a native tribe of creatures- I don't know what their species name is, but they look like small bears. Just before you awoke, one of them was in here, trying to bring you to consciousness. They clearly want us for something; I'm not sure what that is. It could be as basic as a meal."

Ahsoka made a disgruntled noise. "That's reassuring. Did you find anything else out?"

Zeff shook his head, glancing at the ropes binding the three of them. "If we had a vibrocutter on hand..."

Lux sighed. "But we don't, obviously. All right, I suppose we'll have to wait and see what they want us for."

Just as he was finishing his sentence, they heard several pairs of heavy footsteps outside the hut. Zeff could tell by the sound of creaking and groaning that the creatures were walking across some sort of support or bridge, most likely wooden due to the amount of complaint it was giving to having to hold the weight of so many bears. The Clawdite opened his mouth to relay this information to the pair beside him, but never got the words out before a group of the alien species entered the hut. Zeff counted at least four, but there could have been more waiting outside to restrain them should they try to escape.

The creature in front, who appeared to be the leader of the little group, chittered out an order to the others. The two burliest, who each held a spear, walked quickly to the post to which the captured trio were tied and began working the knots loose with their paws. Ahsoka and Lux both stared at them, looking as though they were trying to remember what the species was. The Togruta was the first- her eyes lit up with her discovery.

"Oh! I know what these are- they're called Ewoks! I learned about them during my training-" She wasn't able to finish her sentence before the bear closest to her stuffed a wad of brown cloth in her mouth, effectively gagging her and preventing any further speech. The other Ewok pulled more cloth from a small wooden shelf built into the wall above their heads and proceeded to gag Lux and Zeff.

Then the pair of aliens turned to the ropes, continuing to loosen them until there was just one long strand connected to the ones that bound the trio. It looked like a sort of leash; when the lead Ewok stepped forward to take the rope's end, Zeff's suspicions were confirmed. A shaft of bright light fell from a crack in the wooden ceiling- in the golden beam, the Clawdite could see it clearly. Grey and white striped fur covered the creature, the patterns running horizontally across its body. It wore a hood woven of the same kind of cloth that was currently barring Zeff's access to speech, except that the fabric was dyed black. A belt made of teeth rattled when the Ewok moved, the material straining to encompass the bear's wide circumference.

Zeff's neck gave a jolt of pain as the Ewok leader jerked sharply on the end of the rope, forcing the three to rise with difficulty to their feet and follow the creature out of the hut. The rest of the aliens surrounded the three captives, spears pointed inwards in case the trio had any thoughts of attempting escape. The Clawdite had to bend in order to exit the structure, his back aching from the effort.

Bright sunlight pierced Zeff's eyes as they stepped outside. It took a moment for his vision to adjust- once it had, he breathed in sharply. They were on a wooden bridge, just as the Clawdite had suspected. It was suspended tens of feet above the ground, providing a path between two platforms attached to the sides of massive trees. The hut they had just come from was one of many perched high in the forest. And for many miles above the forest floor, Zeff could see the treetop village continue. Many Ewoks went about their daily lives, each one busy with a task. Collecting water, preparing food...the Clawdite realized with a jolt that he and the other two captives probably were food. This indigenous species was very industrious, something Zeff wouldn't have guessed upon first glance at one of the small, furry creatures.

He noticed that beside him, Ahsoka and Lux were looking around them with identical expressions of amazement and astonishment. The Clawdite continued to look around him as they walked across multiple bridges. He was suddenly accosted by the acrid, thick smell of smoke, which rose up into the air in large grey plumes from the platform they were walking towards. A realization hit him, and glancing at the other two, he saw that they shared his misgivings. His worries were confirmed when the leader tugged them towards the fire, which was growing in size and strength as more wood was fed to the flames. Zeff could see large poles stacked nearby, each blackened by soot and ash as though they had been placed in the fire before, and his stomach dropped. He was right. They were lunch.

Yoda sat on a flat rock, eyes closed, absorbed in meditation. His long green ears flexed as they took in the sounds of the swamp planet around him. The contrast between Dagobah and Coruscant was tremendous, and as a Jedi he appreciated the variety. As he breathed in the humid air, he reached out with the Force, probing with an invisible arm to see if he could sense any new information. He waited patiently; the green Grand Master knew that if there was something to be seen, it would come to him eventually, however long it took.

The events of the past few weeks offered themselves to his mind first, the blood, pain, and smoke that had painted the trail of Anakin Skywalker tracing their way across his closed eyelids. The screams of the younglings he had killed in cold blood, the gasps of Padme Amidala as she died after childbirth, and the triumphant cackle of Palpatine swam in his mind's eye. Yoda breathed deeply, inward, outward, allowing the images to replay themselves but not linger.

After a period of time- it could have been an hour, three hours, a day (time was meaningless, now)- Yoda felt his mind empty at last. He used the Force as a pathway, reaching out to view what was currently happening across the galaxy. The future he could search for later; right now, the importance was with the present. The Master sought answers to his questions- how were Obi-Wan and the boy faring? And the girl- how were she and her adopted family getting along under the nose of the Emperor?

Yoda wasn't surprised when his first glimpse of the present showed itself in the form of a being other than those he had searched for. A familiar white pattern of markings shining in contrast on tan skin, a blue and white headdress, big blue eyes full of fear and hope...Ahsoka Tano was still alive. Close beside her was another face he remembered: Lux Bonteri. The third was unknown, a murky figure that appeared to be a Clawdite. Yoda sensed the danger dancing around them with quick, nimble steps, waiting with a slavering mouth to devour them. He was not concerned for their safety, however. He could sense a vessel of safety close by, its fate near, on a collision course with the trio.

Evidently, Vader knew nothing of his old apprentice's continued existence, or he would have sought her out, either to convert her or kill her. Yoda sighed, relieved, and relinquished his hold on the Force. His eyes fluttered open, and slowly he heaved himself up with the help of his walking stick. He felt hungry- perhaps a meal in his hut would not go amiss. As he walked through the forest unhurriedly, he smiled to himself. Obi-Wan and he were not alone.

Alrighty, hopefully I can start work on the next update soon so I can post it before I'm dragged under by all the work I have to do. My sincerest thanks to you all for supporting a budding author. :) Please remember to comment, follow, and favorite!