Part 11 – Final Part

~*~

I led us deeper into the forest where I'd seen the kooba family before. It was early, so I expected they would be soon be up and about. Flash was aware of them before I was and he stomped his right hoof to let me know that he was not pleased to be near them. Saber didn't seem to mind the encroachment. Spirit was as curious as a young colt could be. The adults emerged from the tree-den first. The male was the larger of the two sexes and held a rich red coat. The female came next. She was more petite in size with a thick orange coat and a while underbelly. Black tips marked their tails, paws and ears. Finally the babies poked their noses out of the den. Four of them. It was too soon to tell male or female just from color. All kooba began life orange. After a few minutes a fifth pup appeared. It was tiny. A runt perhaps. But it was gray in color. And the tips were white rather than black. There was a mythical meaning about a gray kooba, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. I recalled a story about a gray one. They were rare and held a sacred place in Noma folklure. But why, I couldn't recall.

Jaythen crouched low, having set Saber back several feet away from him so he could get a closer look at the animals. His eyes closed for a minute and sent a thought my way.

*Master, why is that little one gray?*

I shrugged my response. He accepted that I had no idea and smirked at me. I moved closer to him and we sat there. Far enough away for the animals to be wary, but not overly concerned. Kooba's had no real fear of people, but they didn't go out of their way to wander or live near them. We were content to watch from a distance that seemed fair for man and beast.

The gray one was smaller than his siblings. One of large ears had a slight flop to it at the tip. It gave him a silly look when he turned towards us, sensing us for the first time. Opening his mouth to pant and scent the air, he gave off a smiling impression. It was funny enough to pry a giggle from Jaythen both out loud and through our bond.

The family began the daily trek that would take it hunting for berries and orm nuts. The little ones followed closely, but in a staggered line. The tiny gray didn't follow. He stepped a few feet from the den, sat and starred at us. Behind, Flash stomped another hoof. I hushed him, or tried to. Glancing back I saw Saber nip at him. Problem solved.

"Don't move," I whispered to my apprentice. "This is his territory. Just let him explore as he will." Even as I said that, the little one stood and trotted over to us. A quick sniff to my knee, then to Jaythen's and he sat and starred again.

"He's a funny little guy, Master. Is it a boy?"

"I think so. I remember something about the gray kooba story. The gray ones were always males. He's as curious as Spirit. I wonder why he doesn't go with his family pack to hunt."

"Maybe he's too small?"

The gray made another move. This time to sniff Jaythen's dysfunctional left hand. He licked the fingers. Again he sat and starred. This time though he whined at the hand as if he knew something was wrong there.

Jaythen made no movement, but said, "Master, this is so weird. How does he know something is wrong with that arm? How can he sense that?"

"Smell maybe? Kooba's are known for that sense. It's thousands of times stronger than ours."

Then the gray poked his nose into the dirt, burrowed a moment with his paws and turned up a large worm that he chewed and swallowed. His nose covered in dirt, he lay his head down on Jaythen's leg, let out a deep sigh and starred again.

"Master, what do I do?"

"Be glad he's not a large predator who wants to eat your for breakfast?"

"That's not funny, Master."

"Yes it is. I don't know what to do. I've never seen any wild animal act like this. Try to get up, see what he does."

He stood carefully and walked the steps back towards Saber. Gray followed. Jaythen walked around in a big circle. Gray followed. Jaythen walked in figure eights through the horses as Flash pawed the ground again. Gray followed.

It reminded me of his quick bond with Spirit when they first met. "Do all animals just take to you and follow you? It's some sort of weird gift you have, but you don't know you have it."

"But that weird bird we got the other day for laying eggs didn't follow me. She pecked at my feet and screamed at me."

"Oh, the ostri bird."

"And that wooly baaing thing that we saw in the village. The puffy white one? I tried to pet it on the head and it tried to bite my fingers off."

"True. Okay so ostri birds and ewee's don't like you. But for some reason this little guy does."

"How do I leave without him following?"

"Not much we can do about it really. Just ignore him I suppose. He's too small to follow for long. Obviously his parents aren't concerned with leaving him behind. Maybe he's meant to go off on his own."

We mounted up, careful not to step on little gray who was left sitting alone and pondering our departure. His head titled to the side in curiosity as we plodded away. I thought I saw him following us at one point, but left it alone. It would be whatever it would be. Jaythen was becoming a magnet for baby animals. Qui-Gon had once told me that Obi-Wan often accused him of picking up pathetic life forms from time to time. Maybe this was the same type of thing, only in reverse.

Ahead in the distance I saw our next stop. A path that led to a river that ultimately connected to the lake we lived on. The river was known for its swift currents and raging waters and was in many places a quarter mile wide. At the peak of its roughness, the sound of rushing water was so loud it drowned out all other sound nearby. I cautioned Jaythen to stay several feet away from the edge and to follow close. The white wall of intense noise barreled into us and the next hours of our ride were completed in awe of the mighty river. When we reached just past the peak, on the other side of the roughest of the water, the noise quieted. The wildlife roused again. Nature was back to normal even as the rapids raged nearby. There was a clearing ahead, perfect to set up camp for the day. We could explore from here, let the horses rest while we did our thing on foot.

A small pool of water flowing down towards the rapids provided a perfect place to wash up and to fish for a meal. A small metal hook with an insect attached was ample enough to start the fish nibbling at our lines. Six fish later, we had plenty for two meals, but my success with cooking fish was not stellar. I'd let Jaythen cook this catch.

I'd stretched out in the sun for a brief time while Jaythen took Spirit and ventured out. He promised he'd stay away from the river and out of trouble. It felt good and I felt refreshed when I woke from my nap. It was evening. I'd slept far too long. Jaythen was not near, nor was Spirit. I called out to him, probably he was just out of my sight. He didn't respond. Sometime later, I'd done a sweep of the immediate area. No sign of he or the colt. I worried. It wasn't like him to wander off, at least without saying something. I walked over to Saber. "Saber, can you find Jaythen and Spirit? They're lost. Can you track them down for me?" A mother horse could smell for her foal over a distance. She could call out, which she did. There was no response there either. I set her down the path and followed. We entered cloud of noise and the world around me closed. My eyes were alert to all movement, but my ears were useless.

Then I felt something. A push against my mind. It was weak, but there. I reached for it and pushed back, scared about what that push might do, but knowing no other way. My link with Jaythen opened and his panicked voice screamed to me.

*Master! Please help me. Spirit slipped into the river. I grabbed him before he could fall away, and he's safe, but I'm here in the water. I hurt my head. I'm bleeding and my arm hurts from hanging on. Help, Master, please!"*

I concentrated on the force. I focused all my strength into sending a message to him through our bond. I made it as gentle as possible given the circumstances, but I had to make it an order at the same time. I had to demand he answer me as his life might be at stake. Either his mind would be closed to it, would repel it, or would accept it.

*Jaythen, I hear you. But I need to know where you are. Please keep your mind open. Tell me where you are. That's an order, Padawan Talari. Tell me where you are. Jaythen, do you hear me? You must do as I say. Don't disobey your master. Jaythen, tell me where you are.*

There was no response. My heart sank. I continued to try. Every few minutes I'd find our link and press the order into it. There was no response of any kind. Finally after many failed attempts and an hour of searching I became desperate. I pleaded to him. Not as a Jedi. Not as his teacher. But as a father.

*Jaythen, please. Please tell me where you are. I can't find you. How far down river are you? Can you see anything around you to mark where you are? A landmark of any kind? Please, Jaythen. I need you to hear me. I need you to find our bond again and talk to me. Please talk to me, Jaythen. Tell me you're okay. Tell me I haven't lost you. Jaythen…*

Silence reigned over the raging river here at one of its widest points. I stood there helplessly thinking he was gone. Hurting from the inside out. A pain I never thought imaginable. Hanging my head, I felt the force around me working to comfort me. I wanted no part of it. It became insistent. I pushed it away. Then something broke through.

*Master. I hear you. Are you still looking for me? I don't know how far down the river I am. My head really hurts. I don't see any landmarks. Everything looks white. The water is in my face. I haven't let go, Master. But you need to hurry. Something is barking, Master. Can you hear that? That sound? Master…*

Barking, there was a persistent barking sound. Kooba's made sounds like that. The little gray. It had to be him. He'd followed us. He was near Jaythen. I pushed down the river. I'd lost track of Saber, but it didn't matter. She'd find her way. I kept walking until I heard a yipping noise cascading over the river noise. It sounded like a bark. The yip was high pitched and wailed loudly. The river boiled on as I followed the sound. Soon I realized that I wasn't hearing the barking sound over the noise of the river. I was hearing it through the force. It wasn't until I got closer that I actually heard the vocals of the animal. He sat on the shoreline, front paws on a rock howling mercifully into the sky. I looked over from where he stood. Jaythen clung to a rock, water splashing into him. His left arm had somehow wedged in between two of the rocks probably saving his life.

I bent down and flopped onto my backside to scoot towards him. Thankfully, he wasn't in the middle of the river. I could reach him easily enough. Wiggling his arm free was difficult and he had no awareness that I was there. Waterlogged and limp, I pulled him across the rocks and a safe distance away where I sat clinging to him and scanning for injuries. He'd cut his face above his left eye. There were some minor scratches, but nothing more that I could find just yet. Bruises would probably surface in a few hours. I had to get him back to camp before nightfall. He'd been chilled to the bones in the wet clothes and I didn't need a sick padawan on top of a terrified and injured one. My attempts at waking him though were useless. Instead I lifted him into my arms and began trudging back to camp. Light was limited by the time we reached the clearing. Saber had found her way, having tracked down Spirit. There was no sign of the little gray kooba.

Jaythen shivered awake. I held him in my arms as I lowered him to the ground. His tired green eyes gazed up at me. "Master?"

"I'm here, Jaythen. I found you. It's okay now."

"I – I heard you."

I knew what he meant, and I could think of no verbal response, as I tilted my head down and pressed my brow to his. I've not cried so hard in a very long time. The relief of finding him alive and of knowing that our bond had survived - it overwhelmed me. His cold fingers found mine and squeezed. I came around finally, feeling that cold touch. I had to get him warm.

"Jaythen, I need to lie you down for a minute to find dry clothes. You can't stay in these wet ones, you'll get sick when the temperatures fall." Hurriedly I dug through a saddle bag, finding his extra pair of clothes. They were some of his warmer clothes – thankfully he'd packed as I told him. I pulled out his quilt and mine. I'd use mine to dry him and his to warm him. I reached his side and tossed a few kindling sticks together. I had a fire going in seconds. Then I stripped the boy bare, toweled him with my sleeping quilt and refitted him in the dry set of clothes. I fed the fire and put on a warming pot for tea. His quilt I wrapped tightly around him. When the tea was finished I poured two cups and set them aside briefly. I pulled Jaythen's shivering body back towards me. My back was pressed to a tree for support. With my right hand I lifted the cup of tea to his lips and encouraged him to sip carefully. My left hand rubbed his arm and chest to generate warmth.

Despite his chattering teeth, Jaythen sipped at the tea. He tried to talk, but the chills were too violent. Instead, his exhausted mind reached for mine.

*…was scared, Master. Thought you wouldn't find me. Sorry for wandering off. I didn't mean to. Thank you for finding me and for taking care of me.*

Without delay, I reached back. His mind remained open.

*You'll be okay. Just have to warm you up. I was scared too, Jaythen. I thought I'd lost you.*

*I missed you, Master.*

He didn't have to explain. Our bond was whole again.

*You have no idea how much I missed you, Jaythen. Take another sip of tea. It'll warm you.*

*So cold. Can't stop shaking.*

*I'll stay with you until you warm.*

*Did the little gray come back with you?*

*I haven't seen him, but I think maybe he saved your life. Without his barking and wailing, I would have never found you.*

*I felt him, Master. In the force. I don't know how. I heard his barking. I hoped you would hear it too.*

*I did. But I can't explain it. Perhaps we'll find out in time. I'm very grateful to him.*

*So tired, Master. My head hurts.*

*I know. One more sip. There. Now you can sleep, Padawan. I'll be right here.*

I set his cup down and hugged his trembling body to mine. The chills stopped sometime towards first light. Jaythen slept well beyond that.

~*~

The bruises had collected overnight but were concentrated on his left arm and upper chest. His upper chest having been slammed into the rock. I was more concerned about the bruise on his

face next to his left eye. It was as ugly a bruise as I'd seen from a blow to the head. And it easily explained his complaints that his head hurt. When he finally woke and vomited upon sitting upright, I was sure he was suffering from a concussion. How serious was the only question. The fact that he was awake and able to move was a good sign. His movements however were cautious and difficult. I needed to make a decision. Ideally I wanted to make for home. Realistically, there was no way he could manage on horseback over such terrain. If he was able to stand, I'd be happy. I knew this area though and knew that a short distance away was an area we could rest until he was well enough to travel. I just had to get him there.

I knelt to him and touched his shoulder. "Jaythen. How's your head?"

"Hurts. I'm dizzy and feel sick."

"I think you have a concussion. We need to move from this area into one that's safer. But we have to ride. It's not far."

"Can't ride. I just want to sit here. My head is spinning."

I felt for him, but there was too much dampness here in the middle of the trees and with the river splashing in all directions.

"I know you don't feel well, but we have to move. I've already packed the horses, except for the bag you were using as a pillow. I'll strap that to Saber. You'll ride with me on Flash, in front of me, so I can keep you steady."

"I'll throw up again."

"You will, but that's okay. Once we get to this other place you can rest all you want. I promise."

"…'kay, Master."

It didn't take long to pack the rest of the things and secure them onto Saber's back. I knew she'd follow and bring Spirit with her, so there was no need for a lead line. With the assistance of the force, I lifted Jaythen into Flash's saddle then boosted myself up behind him, securing him to me with my left hand and maintaining the reins in the other. He groaned a laugh.

"If I didn't feel so bad, that would have been fun floating up like that."

"You can try it when you feel better." I clicked to Flash and directed him up and past the river, leaning towards the west. Ultimately we'd go home the long way. It would take a half-day more, but the travel was smoother.

Jaythen rocked back and forth in my arms, pulling himself to the right twice to vomit whatever was left in his stomach from the day before. Finally he went limp against me. It made the remainder of the ride easier as he drifted into a semi-conscious state.

The area I aimed for was still quiet and open. It overlooked a small sun-bathed pond that I remember used to be a popular place for strange tiny lizards to lounge belly up, dive for snacks and then flip over to sun-roast their backsides. I hoped that Jaythen would find the same entertainment value in them that I did as his age. There were fewer trees here, but I found a double-trunked tree to set our gear. It would give us the right balance of sun and shade. The late autumn air was chilled, but sitting in the sun too long was probably not a good idea for a boy in his condition.

He offered no resistance as I moved him from saddle to ground. The grass was lush. The horses would be pleased. More importantly it would be softer bedding for all of us. I propped him against the tree. Spirit wandered off into the sun to lie down and stretch out. I'm sure his young legs were exhausted after the events of yesterday. Physically I didn't spot any injuries or wounds. Jaythen would be glad that the colt was unhurt.

I built a fire and managed to cook a not-to-horrible meal. Not once did I think about offering anything to my padawan. It would be water and broth for him today.

Mid-day came brought a bit of consciousness. That one side of face looked horrible, but he seemed more aware. He sipped water and asked about the horses and if I'd seen the gray kooba since yesterday. I hadn't. Another nap and he woke hungry. Naturally he wasn't happy with broth, but I didn't want anything in his stomach until the next day. I focused him on the tiny lizards that were playing in the pond. Now more steady on his feet, he moved towards the water. The small various colored beasts were everywhere. The insect supply under and on the surface of the water was enough to feed every last one of them many times over. Jaythen watched them until afternoon gave way to evening and the lizards vanished.

He slept through the night. I can't say that I did. Until I had an apprentice in my life, I never knew it was possible to worry so much over just about anything. What little sleep I managed was distracted and I felt it in the morning. I gave him permission to cook us breakfast, but told him to go easy on the spices. Bland was better. At this point he didn't care about spices, he just wanted food. The bruises were still ugly, but the redness around the facial bruise had lightened some. The concussion had been a minor one.

Fatigue continued, along with waves of dizziness. He was not yet ready to ride and I don't think we would make much progress with two of us in one saddle. So I planned for another night. The wind picked up as the sun went down. Sure sign that the temperature would drop lower tonight than the previous two. I wish we had more shelter than just the overhang of the tree. Jaythen was already shivering. His body still recovering, it worked hard to maintain a reasonable level of warmth. At some point during the night I must have taken pity on him and drawn him close to me because when I awoke sometime after dawn, he was curled into my chest, tangled in our quilts. His eyes slowly fought for life and he peaked out from the covering to look around. A thin layer of frost tipped the grasses. A cough escaped him as he pushed off my chest to sit upright.

"Cold this morning, Master."

"It'll get a lot worse this winter."

"That's a nice thought."

"I thought you'd enjoy that. You feeling up to riding for home today?"

"I think so. My head is only pounding a little. There's no dizziness yet. That's good. My back hurts though."

I hadn't thought of that. In all our explorations and then troubles I'd completely forgotten about continuing the ointment rubbing massage for the knots in his back and neck. The cold and awkward sleeping position surely had made it worse. "I'm sorry, Jaythen. I didn't even think about that. Me'da will have my hide, I'm sure. If you sit away from me, over there in the sun, I can try and rub the knots out. Depends on how bad it is, if you'd rather wait until we got home."

Sitting up he pulled his back straight and then bent over from side to side to stretch the muscles out. Easy to see how uncomfortable it was, I made the decision for him. "Come on. Move over there in the sun. I'll find the rub. Pull your shirt off."

There was no fresh bruising from the recent brush with death in the river, so I was able to do the normal massage, making sure the ointment was well worked into his skin. He bore the five minutes of warming pain after the fact. It was more intense than it had been in a while, due to my neglect. I wouldn't let it happen again.

"All done. Walk around and get your legs under you. Maybe take Saber and Spirit for a stroll. But don't lose sight of camp, understand me?"

"Yes, Master."

The horses were pleased to move. Saber walked on his right side. Spirit took to his left, almost as if they were waiting to support him if needed. It was a good feeling for me to see that they seemed aware of his current weakened state. The walk did him good and he came back feeling more awake.

"I think I'm ready to go home now, Master."

I smiled at his honesty. "We'll pack up after we eat something. We'll take a different path home. It's longer, but easier. You won't get bounced around as much. Depending on how much time we spend out of the saddle, we should get home in a day and a half. You can't ride all day and I really don't care to ride all day."

"I wish that whole river thing hadn't happened. I'm sorry for wandering off, Master. I was having such a great time on our journey until then. Despite that, I'm glad we came out here."

"Maybe the river incident wasn't such a bad thing. We found our bond again. That was the key. We needed something to trigger your walls so hard that you had to force yourself to hear me, no matter what. Could be we were destined to come to that river for that exact reason."

"I don't feel as empty now. When you couldn't speak through our bond, it was a lonely feeling. Even though you were right there with me, something was missing. I don't ever want to feel that again. It was almost as bad as the collar they made me wear. There I was shut off from everything. This time I could find you, but you couldn't find me. It's better now. Like it was meant to be."

With nothing else needing to be said, I put him to work at the fire to pan-fry a meal of eggs and elkon bacon that we'd preserved and wrapped. No sign of any nausea, Jaythen ate a strong breakfast. We were ready for the journey home.

~*~

It was a slow ride. The horses plodded along, Saber ever wary of her passenger. Flash decided it would humor him to act against the slow pace, tossing his head and grunting his displeasure. So when we got into a large clear area, I set him down to a fierce gallop for several minutes, making a large circle around the others. It did him good and humored my padawan as Spirit tried to give chase with his spindly legs. The little foal had some speed and was stronger every day, but couldn't yet match the strides of the long-legged Flash.

We camped overnight. It was uneventful, and we thought almost to the point of being boring. Didn't matter, I for one could use a little boredom after this adventure.

We did a quick pass of my parents' house to let them know we were safe. I'd save the details of the journey for tomorrow. Dusk was settling on Kembar Lune. The twin moons were out of synch. One was completely full, the other as a half moon. Usually that meant rain. And in the distance I could see a line of clouds moving in. An illuminated sky flashed yellow and white over the mountains. A storm was moving in.

The horses were secured, safe from the oncoming weather. Jaythen and slogged into the house, almost asleep standing up, though determined to heat enough water for a bath. The rain and water barrel we'd built outside the house allowed us to pump water directly into the water heating stove and then into the tub. A little advanced plumbing come to Kembar Lune. As longs as we had a good fire going to heat the stove, the water warmed nicely.

A weary padawan wandered out of the bathroom. His sleep shirt crooked and the wool slippers falling off his feet because he didn't pick them up to walk. I ordered him to bed and followed him in to make sure he didn't take any detours. With a wave of my hand I brought the candles to life. Jaythen climbed into bed with a deeply relieved sigh.

"Feels good to sleep on something soft again. I might sleep all day tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is a rest day for us, Padawan. Other than a few minor things, we will both take it easy for the day. So, if you feel the need, you have my permission to sleep the day away."

Reaching over to his nightstand, he touched a key on his data-pad and dialed into one of his music channels. A feeling of calm passed through the force between us. I reached for our bond. It was there, clear and clean. As if it had never gone away.

*Goodnight, Padawan.*

*Goodnight, Master. I love you.*

*And I you, Jaythen. Sleep well.*

~*~

We were all glad to rest that next day. It was a day of relaxation and visits. Anya came to see us. Mothers always worry, but she having just the tiniest fledglings of the force within her had known something was wrong while we were gone. Needless to say she was grateful to see us in one piece. I offered the tales of our journey to her. She was especially intrigued about the gray kooba that had latched itself to my apprentice for a time.

"That would explain why I saw a small gray furry thing roaming around our barn and digging holes in the garden. I almost set Cloud after it, you know how well kooba and horses get along." I thought about Flash's despise for the little beasts and imagined how an older mare like Cloud would have reacted. Though Saber and Spirit seemed unbothered.

"So, he's followed us. We wondered as we haven't seen or heard him since the trouble at the river. I guess he has no qualms about wandering away from his family, not that they paid much mind to him."

"And you both felt him in the force?"

"Felt and heard. It was an odd sensation, but very well could have saved Jaythen's life. No matter, his presence at that moment was most welcome."

We talked a bit longer before she made an excuse to leave. She never wanted to feel as if she was intruding. Her visit though was followed by Me'da and Eeshyn. I still hadn't gotten used to seeing our tall and stout shaman with a student trailing behind. But they seemed to fit well together. Resh spotted Jaythen at the paddock and hurried over. They exchanged a brief embrace and then went about whatever boys that age talk about. It was good to see they had become such good friends in such a short time. Me'da had come to see me and ask about things and to bring me some somber news. One of the two friends I'd told Jaythen about, Aleejha was terminally sick. She had been for a number of years, but the progression of the disease had increased in the last few months. They'd readied for this time. Their oldest daughter was twenty years and had been taking over her mother's duties recently. There were two boys of eighteen and sixteen. The youngest of the four children was a girl of five. The family would gather around their father, Esalii when Aleejha's death was imminent. They would mourn her greatly and for a period of three days be secluded only to themselves. I knew the smallest of the family would be well loved in these hardest of times. Me'da said Aleejha's time was limited. Her time was measured in months, not years. Perhaps three or four if her spirit stayed strong. I needed to see her.

We were due on Coruscant next week and with a three day flight, we'd be leaving at the end of this week. Once we returned, I would make time to see her and her family. I hadn't been here when my brother finally passed after a long battle. I still regret not seeing him in his last months. I vowed that I wouldn't let something similar happen to another person that I cared about.

I thanked Me'da for the news, as distressing as it was. He checked on the bruise Jaythen had suffered on his head and deemed it to be healing well. Then, he and his apprentice rode off to begin afternoon rounds. My eyes followed them, but my mind was elsewhere. Jaythen sensed that and distracted me.

"Master, are you okay?"

The concern in those green eyes was filled with sincerity. "Yes, I'm…no. No, I'm not. Remember Aleejha, I spoke of her and her family?" He nodded. "She's very ill. Her passing will come soon, within months." I explained further as we walked inside and sat in the living area. The windowed sun warmed the room. My thoughts fell away from me again and to my friend and her family. The tepid cup touching my hand startled me.

"Here, Master. Drink some of my elser tea. The spices are just right to help you relax. I modified the recipe some to work better. I haven't had any luck with it for my own worries. But it'll work for you. It won't make you sleepy, just will help calm you some. I think I got the mixture just right this time."

Looking up at him, the slight touch of playful uncertainty in his face made me grin. Suddenly I felt like a test subject. "Are you sure about this? I don't want to be throwing my guts up later tonight."

"Master!"

"Well, I had to know." I took the cup. It smelled tempting. I touched my mind briefly to his and felt the honest devotion there. "You look after me when I'm preoccupied. Thank you, Padawan."

So the tea was a bit spicy at first taste. It did do exactly what he said it would though. The edge came off me and I was able to think without a tense worry. My first concern had to be our upcoming trip to Coruscant. We had a list of things mandatory when we arrived, and then I wanted Jaythen to have time with Eryck if his friend wasn't off on a mission. I hoped to see Qui-Gon. I knew I'd see Kaai. I looked forward to the trip even though I dreaded what the council would have to say about anything. Most of my dealings would be with Yoda, but if the council felt that Jaythen's training wasn't progressing, or that his recovery wasn't where it should be, who knows what they would ask. I knew one thing for certain. I wanted Council member Kloon nowhere near my apprentice at any time. We would meet with the rest of them if that was necessary, but I would not submit my student to that terrorizing intrusion ever again.

More focused now, I plotted my next steps in my head. We would work on saber training in the next couple of days to sharpen us both. Force exercises to strengthen the progress Jaythen had made in the recent days. And then new force exercises in order to teach him things about the force hadn't yet learned. It would be a busy time added to the chores to keep us moving around the house.

Jaythen's saber technique was rusty. I'd failed in that I hadn't pushed him to maintain his skills since we'd settled on Kembar Lune, but I felt that other things had compromised that. Nevertheless we had to work to get him back on track. He wouldn't be quite to the level he was before his capture, but for a one handed, discomforted, emotionally unstable ten year old boy, he worked hard and did well. I was proud and pleased watching him throw himself into the effort and not allowing for any excuses. I'd never seen a Jedi battle with a light saber with only one good hand, although I knew there had been others. Perhaps never so young though. We realized that continued strength training in the right arm would be essential as it fatigued quite quickly. We needed to be better about physical therapy.

His mind was again completely open to mine. Whatever his captors and then Kloon had done to him to make him fear the force so completely had been calmed. I would always be wary that the issue might flare again, but for now my learner was content in the force. And much happier for it.

I taught him how to find that zone in which he could block out everything except a certain sound or a particular sight. And I taught him how to take a troubling emotion such as anger and release it slowly – deflating it. Ultimately it was a more stabilizing way to deal with negative emotions when you had to rid of them relatively quick, but without just tossing them aside. He was able to focus and lift certain sized things off the ground. The largest being a free-standing boulder. Bury that boulder partially in the earth though and it presented a far more difficult task. One for which he was not yet strong enough to complete.

We worked on everything we had time for and I knew he was as ready as he could be. He was as far along as he could be given the handicap of his left arm and the setbacks because of his capture. If the council wasn't satisfied, there was little we could do about it. My padawan had worked hard to recover what he'd lost with little help from them. I was proud of him if no one else.

~*~

My parents came to bid us goodbye. If all went according to plan, we'd be gone for almost two weeks, which included travel time. When we arrived home, winter would have begun. I made a mental note to have Jaythen pick up some extra clothes on Coruscant that would be helpful for the colder months. He had the fur lined clothes here, but knowing how compact and lightweight he was, even with the fur around him, he'd be cold. Neela would be caring for our horses, deciding to take them with her so she could manage them from her own home. Spirit seemed the most unsettled, but calmed when Jaythen went to him and cradled his head to his chest for a few moments. What he said – what he did, I didn't know. It had worked though and the growing colt went willingly with the others.

Jaythen had said goodbye to his friend Eeshyn the day before. He promised to bring him back some pala sweet cakes from Coruscant.

So we were set. Each of us packed a single bag. Then we sat on the ramp of the transport watching the world we were leaving behind. So much change had happened in these past months. Jaythen's kidnapping and torture had been that catalyst for change. But honestly, I'd felt change coming before then. He'd never been completely happy with his life as a Jedi. He never complained about it though. It was almost as if he'd awaited the one trigger that would allow that change to happen. Unfortunately that trigger came as a painful and terrifying period of time from which he struggled to recover. That event changed him just as the previous traumas in his life had changed him. I began to believe though that all of the bad things that had plagued him thus far plagued him for a reason. They had led him to me for one. I'd never considered or wanted the burden of an apprentice. Then Jaythen happened. He changed me in ways that I never thought possible. He changed me for the better. Before this boy, I thought I had been content. I had my routine and change was something I didn't much think about or care for really. Jaythen altered all of that. Events that followed altered that even further.

This more recent trauma had brought us together even more. He was no longer just my apprentice, he was my son. And I had been able to bring him home to a place where he could be free of some of the bad which beleaguered him at the temple. At least now he'd have a chance to enjoy the last parts of his childhood and eventually continue with a life of is own here as an adult, Jedi or not. But that was years away. Years that I hoped wouldn't hurry by.

"You ready?" I said to him finally.

He took a deep breath and one last look at Kembar Lune. At our home. "Yes, Master. I'm ready."

I ruffled his longer hair, reminding myself we would have to fix that once we arrived. I found myself looking forward to the trip. Mostly I looked forward to seeing friends. "Okay then. Let's start for Coruscant."

The ramp closed behind us. We both fought back the feelings of homesickness already starting. A laugh was shared when we both announced in unison that we were homesick before we'd even left the ground.

"We'll be back soon enough. And autumn will have changed to winter by then."

More change.

I found that the idea of change didn't bother me any longer. I only had to look back at the last few years to see what change had brought me.

He sat to my left and began procedures to lift away from Kembar Lune.

~*~

END

Much thanks to all those who stuck with me on this one. I so appreciate the time you gave me to read and offer comments on my story. Thank you!