Chapter Twenty-One:
Kam was the first one to the door, and he grimaced.
"Blast it!" he cursed.
"What?" Leia huffed as she and Han caught up.
"I forgot to lock the door." Kam admitted sheepishly. "I was so upset earlier because I thought Luke was being a martyr."
"Well, that just means we can get in there that much faster." Han soothed.
"But someone has to seal if from this side." Kam said, glancing between the Solos.
"There is no way Leia is going in there without me!" Han almost hollered.
"And I know Yaul, so I believe I have the best chance of finding the boy." Kam returned.
"Three of us searching for the child will be much more efficient than one on one with Luke." Leia joined in.
"Perhaps I can seal it, then." Cilghal said as she exited the newly arrived turbolift.
They all turned to see her carrying three small aerosol canisters.
"This may or may not slow Luke down, but they will be better than nothing." She handed one canister to each of the three humans. "It's pepper spray."
"Pepper spray?" Leia exclaimed. "But…"
"Would you rather have to take him out by killing him if this works?" Cilghal cut her off harshly. "You are not the only one who cares about your brother, Senator. You would do well to remember that."
Han placed a calming hand on Leia's shoulder. "She's right, Sweetheart. The spray, if it works on this creature Luke has become, will only cause temporary pain. And no, I do not want to have to resort to killing him."
Leia sighed, backing down. "Alright."
"Do not let him bite or scratch you." Cilghal warned. "That is what happened to Luke, and it must be how he was infected. If he transfers DNA to you in his wolf form, then you will also become like him."
Han and Kam both shuddered at that thought. Kam opened the heavy door, Han helping him as it lumbered along gigantic hinges. A faint scream echoed to them, and Leia sucked in a breath.
"We are running out of time." Kam insisted.
"I will wait for you to comm. me to reopen the door." Cilghal said before she used the Force to help her shut the ponderous portal once more, sealing the humans into almost complete darkness.
Once the door shut with an ominous thud, Han and Leia looked to each other.
"Here we go." Han muttered.
Kam gestured for them to follow and they loped down the tunnel, grabbing glowrods off their equipment belts. It was several minutes before they reached a junction. Kam paused, and Leia felt him stretch out with the Force.
"I feel him, but it's quite far away." Kam murmured distractedly. "I don't know which direction is correct, so we will need to split up."
"Leia and I will go right." Han offered.
"Fine. If you locate the boy, get him to safety. That is the priority here." Kam looked into their eyes in the gloom.
"Agreed." Leia said.
Han took her hand and they jogged right, leaving Kam to go left.
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"Stupid!" Yaul huffed as he scrambled back up the tunnel, hearing the creature trying to tail him. "Idiot! What were you thinking?"
He thought back to when he'd first suspected something was wrong with Master Skywalker. He had come to the Jedi Master with the story of his homeworld about the mythical werewolf.
He had not been expecting Luke's reaction to his information… or to be interrogated about the finer points of the tale. So he had of course promised silence to deflect any suspicion Master Skywalker might have of Yaul's intentions.
His hunch had been confirmed when, a few days later, Master Cilghal had called him discreetly into her office to again discuss the myth, but in far greater detail.
So Yaul had eavesdropped on the discussion Master Skywalker had held with Master Cilghal. And while he had not heard much, he had very clearly heard them talking about the tunnels.
That in turn had led to Yaul sneaking deep into the tunnels with a recording device. He had been eager to prove the existence of the werewolf, and gain the favor of his people for it.
He was no coward as many of his 'friends' from Cato Neimoidia thought!
"No, but you are a fool!" he chastised himself.
He had indeed spotted the creature, and had caught a pretty good video of Master Skywalker's new form when he'd accidentally fallen from his chosen hiding spot. Had he not, he knew he would not be on the run now, with a very hungry werewolf on his heels.
A loud howl reverberated from close behind, and instead of looking back he forced himself to continue onward, albeit at a much faster pace. But his legs ached and his lungs burned; he was not used to such exertion.
And his skin was meant to be moist. It was drying out too much to keep him going a great deal longer. He needed to find a source of water, and soon.
Yaul passed a large opening and skidded to a halt: he back-pedaled and then shrieked for joy. There, in the center of a large cavern was a pool of water! What luck! He saw it was steaming and knew it would be hot, but he had to get moisture or he would not make it back to the Temple.
Yaul leapt into the water, careful to keep his camera dry. He splashed about, grateful for the revitalizing effects of the liquid. He heard scrabbling feet and Yaul knew the wolf was close.
Yaul leapt from the water, but slipped on the smooth rock floor, which was now slick from his wet feet. With a startled cry, Yaul went down amid his own puddle… just as the wolf entered form behind.
Yaul screamed as he turned to see the wolf leap clear over the pool to land beside him… and go slipping and sliding into the wall as he too, lost traction. The wolf yelped as he slammed into the partition, but didn't slow down for long when Yaul scrambled back to his feet and scampered from the room.
It snapped at his feet as he passed, and Yaul let out another terrified shriek.
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Leia and Han knew they were going the right direction when the continued shrieks of the boy carried to them loud and clear.
"Yaul!" Han shouted down the tunnel. 'Where are you?"
"Here!" came the not-so-distant reply. They turned a rounded corner to see the Neimoidian teenager racing toward them.
He only got a few steps closer when he suddenly went down screaming. At first Han and Leia didn't know what had happened… but then they saw the wolf with its jaws about the child's ankle.
"HELP!" Yaul wailed hysterically. "PLEASE HELP ME!"
The wolf spotted them and snarled before turning and racing back down the tunnel, its prey being dragged like a wooden puppet. Han cursed as he and his wife gave chase.
Leia whipped out her comlink and called Kam. "We've got them both, but Luke has Yaul!"
"Where are you?"
Leia checked about them and saw that they were almost to an underground pool.
"We are nearly to a cavern with a hot spring." She informed him. "We are trying to catch up, but the wolf is too fast!"
"I'll be there as soon as possible!" Kam sounded like he was already racing their way.
"Solo out." Leia replaced her comlink and followed Han, who was a few paces ahead.
They finally reached the room and spotted the wolf take a side tunnel, the boy still flailing helplessly in its clutches.
"LUKE!" Leia called, hoping to get his attention.
Han drew his blaster and took aim, firing a set of blue stun-rings towards the wolf. But the creature ducked down a new tunnel just before they reached him.
"Sithspit!" Han shouted. "How the hell are we going to get to the boy? We can't gain any ground!"
"Maybe I can use the Force like Luke tried to teach me." Leia put actions to words, and indeed found herself moving faster.
"Leia!" Han yelled in concern.
But she didn't listen, instead rounding the corner to find the wolf had stopped as if to gather his bearings. It spotted her and dropped Yaul's profusely bleeding limb to growl dangerously at her.
Leia scrambled clumsily to a halt, nearly slamming into the creature since she had little practice with Force-use. Leia cried out in surprise, and froze when the wolf came face-to-face with her.
It gazed angrily into her eyes, and Leia waited for the killing blow. But it just stared at her, and then Leia heard a faint sniffing noise and realized Luke-wolf was smelling her. He circled her very slowly, his enormous frame ensuring she couldn't get away.
But when he paused behind her, she felt his nose shift downward, and Leia felt her cheeks burn. She whirled about; face red with her own anger.
"Oh no you don't!" she shouted, making the wolf lift his head in surprise. "We are not going down that road again!"
The wolf snarled, and Leia surprised herself by slapping his muzzle. The wolf actually jerked backward in shock, and then it bared its huge teeth. His muzzle wrinkled frighteningly, and the wolf rose up onto his haunches.
Leia gulped, realizing her own stupidity might just be her end. She heard a different whimper, and spotted Yaul.
"Yaul, get behind me!" Leia ordered.
"I… I can't move Senator!" Yaul sounded weak from blood loss.
Leia met the wolf's eyes, realizing that somehow they were Luke's eyes, which was even more disturbing than him being a wolf. It was her twin brother glaring at her, and yet it wasn't.
Leia risked inching closer to the injured student, and the wolf tracked her, his snarl increasing as he realized she intended to take his food away. He snapped at her in warning, coming far too close for comfort, but she did not back down.
"Luke, I know you are in there somewhere!" Leia called. "Wake up!"
The wolf lunged, and Leia cried out in sudden fear. Instinct and adrenaline kicked in and she dove away so that the wolf missed her by mere inches. He skidded to a halt and made to charge again when Han finally caught up.
"HEY!" he roared. "LEAVE MY WIFE ALONE!"
He leveled his canister at Luke-wolf and let loose an accurate spray. The vile-looking mist hit the wolf precisely in the eye. He howled in sudden agony, rubbing hectically at his face with his paw.
Leia reached out for Yaul, but the wolf again saw this with his good eye and, now enraged, he snapped at her again. The beast's jaws opened and closed multiple times as he chased her furiously away. He didn't stop until Han squirted him again in the right eye.
The wolf howled loudly, backing away in sudden fear of Han, and then it turned tail.
"Leia!" Han cried when she attempted to get back to Yaul. "Leia get away from Luke!"
"But the boy!" Leia insisted, even as Luke-wolf reached Yaul, who saw him coming back.
Yaul gathered enough energy to shriek his last chords of life. Luke-wolf yapped and then went for the jugular, ending the child's life. Leia cried out in sudden nauseating horror as the wolf dragged the now limp Yaul from the room at an unsteady pace.
"NO!" she shouted as she again made to give chase.