Chapter Title: Snow Monster

Series Title: Turn the Page

Chapter Summary: Stuck on Hoth, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan face a life or death moment.

Hoth. It was a frozen hell of a land.

Stranded on Hoth. That was death.

"Master, that cave monster you sliced open, you think it has friends?"

I shook the excess snow off my cold-weather boots, stomping them out. I pulled the the thick-fur coated hood of my insulated coat off my head. A foolish decision. This ridiculously short apprentice hair style of the Jedi, not the best for frigid planets.

"I think my braid is frozen."

My master, Qui-Gon Jinn, followed my lead. Hood down, taking in our surroundings. The ice cave of the creature he'd just killed.

"There are three tunnels ahead. If it did have friends, we may soon find out. Stay alert, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon moved his gaze to my shoulder. "And yes, it appears that your braid is frozen."

I frowned but stayed wary, lightsaber at the ready. I asked, "Should we venture into the tunnels?"

"I think we stick close the exit. Come daybreak, we'll need to find our way through the snow."

"Master, if a search party is sent, won't they assume we would head for the ice caves? Well, either that we'd been dragged to the ice caves and strung up for a monster's dinner."

"The second option is less than optimal. We may well be off the radar. That storm that stranded us here probably resulted in white-out conditions that may hinder their ability to pinpoint our location."

"So, we could freeze to death before they find us."

It was an honest question, though it probably came off as a complaint. Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. I knew that look. If my teacher had been an eye-roller, he would have rolled and walked right away from me. This being Qui-Gon, he offered me an honest answer.

"We could, yes. I would prefer not to freeze to death, but whether it's inside this cave or out in the elements, the temperatures will drop significantly in the hours ahead and overnight. This cave, it traps the cold within the thick ice walls. We'd are safe from the wind and snow only, not the cold."

"Maybe they will find us overnight then." My tone was hopefully doubtful.

"We should not count on that and we should figure out how best to stay warm. Let's explore the main cave. Stay out of the tunnels. The limited light we have now will vanish soon."

Our lightsabers ignited in unison. The cave was enormous. Tall and wide. The snow creature Qui-Gon had killed was massive. We just didn't know if these things lived solitary lives, in packs, or as part of family pods. Myself, I had guessed solitary, or rather, I hoped for solitary.

"Master, the tunnel entrances are of varying sizes." I noted as the beginnings of a pit began forming in my stomach. "If the same snow monster created all three, wouldn't it make sense that they'd all be of similar size? Or, ah..."

We wandered past the entrances for each tunnel. Spread wide from each other, in descending order of size. There had to be a reason for the difference in both diameter and height. Qui-Gon wasn't certain, but did have suggestions.

But first... "Obi-Wan, the creature is a Wampa, not a snow monster."

I knew that. He knew that I knew that. But snow monster was so much more fun to say. Especially if one of them might eat us during the night.

"Is it not the same thing? A Wampa is a large hairy monster that lives in the snow. So, snow monster."

"I see you did not study them when you researched Hoth prior to our mission."

Well, I hadn't. Not really. "I didn't anticipate being harassed by one. Our mission schedule kept us indoors."

"Missions can change."

Yes, Qui-Gon was not happy with me. He wouldn't say it, but I knew him well enough now to read the words between the words, his most subtle of facial expressions. He was a man who said a lot with very little. It had taken me a long time to figure that out.

"Very little is known about Wampas, other than the obvious. They are large, mean and hungry. No one truly knows how they live within their ice caves." He said to me.

"So, my lack of research didn't result in us not having the information we actually need."

Yup, that was a smart mouth reaction. I shouldn't have said it.

Qui-Gon glared at me through the green light of his saber blade. "And you just earned first watch, followed by meditation. Then you may sleep."

All of which added up to about two hours of sleep in the frigid cold of Hoth. One day I'd learn. "Yes, Master. I apologize. I suppose I'm a bit on edge." And cold. The cold was pressing hard on me now. So much so that I pulled my hood back up.

"You must learn to manage those feelings in the Force, Obi-Wan. I know you are cold. Your teeth have been chattering for ten minutes. We should find a good place to set up for the night. And my best guess for the size of the caves is one of two options; that the Wampa I killed made them as it grew, or that it lives with a family pod and there are two others we must contend with."

Yes, those had been my thoughts as well. I was glad we were on the same page. Option one was preferred. One Wampa. A dead Wampa. We'd heard no rumblings of other creatures, which meant absolutely nothing. They could still be hunting outside the cave.

I shone my blue blade off to the left, far from the largest of the three tunnels. "Master, there. A small alcove. It may provide us enough cover should there be other Wampas returning to the cave."

We checked it out. Enough room for the two of us to huddle together to conserve heat. A short bumped-out wall would hide us until the creature actually turned to look in that direction.

"This will work." Qui-Gon pulled his hood back up before he knelt to tuck into the corner. He was tired. We'd spent the day hiking through deep snow, shivering half to death and then slaying snow monsters. Even the greatest of Jedi would feel the weariness after all that. His slide down

from his kneeling position was most telling. There was a twitch in his movement. An injury somewhere.

I set down next to him. "Master, you are injured."

"Earlier today. I twisted my right knee. It's not serious. You're on first watch."

I nodded and slid in next to him. Reaching over, I adjusted his hood so it lay over his brow, keeping out any snow or ice that fell from the ceiling of the cave. He protested.

"Obi-Wan."

I ignored the protest and finished getting him settled. I set my hands on his right knee, massaging the area and feeling for anything obvious. Not that I was a healer, but if there was a clear break... Qui-Gon hissed in pain.

"Sorry. Maybe worse than just a twist. Stay down, Master. I will stay on watch all night."

No protest this time, and I'd be foolish to think that didn't worry me some. But I knew my mentor. If needed, he'd be up and fighting right alongside me, twisted knee or not. So long as we didn't freeze to death, we'd be all right.

Once Qui-Gon was set, I slid down next to him, tucked to his side.

"All things considered, Master, we've been in worse. Swamps. Desert. Bogs. Remember the rainforest with the birds that kept trying to peck your eyes out? No matter where we hid, they found us. You finally just gave up and slept with your face planted in the mud. Forgetting the fact that you almost suffocated, that was quite the adventure. This one, just another in our long line of adventures. I myself would rather not freeze to death or be eaten by a snow monster, but you take what life throws at you."

"Wampa," he mumbled to me.

"Wampa. Snow monster. It's all the same thing when they're out for blood."

I rambled for a while longer. He was trying to meditate. The cold not allowing for it. I suspect the knee pain also had a say, since every so often his face would clench up.

"Master, you should sleep. I will keep us safe."

Again, no protest. Worry factor, up another notch.

His hooded head leaned right and caught my shoulder. I reached an arm around him to keep the frigidness from getting between us. Under the thick gear, he shivered, much like I was doing. With a little help from the Force, I was able to guide him toward sleep, hoping it would help settle him.

Now, it was my job to keep myself awake. If I got us killed by a snow monster overnight, Qui-Gon would haunt me in my death.

Mostly, my eyes stayed open though I admit to dozing a few times. My belt pouch had a ration bar so I munched on that to keep me occupied. My saber next to me, powered down just enough to give us light while not announcing our presence for any incoming flesh-devouring beast. Qui-Gon's was on his lap, under his left hand.

At some point during the night, Qui-Gon began thrashing in his sleep. The biting cold having sunk deep into his bones. I got him calmed quickly enough. The noise though, something had heard us. Something was near. It was very big, very hungry and if Wampa's had any sense of family, then it would be infuriated at seeing it's friend's corpse at the cave entrance.

I whispered to Qui-Gon. "Master, there's a creature approaching. You stay down. I will handle it." The hilt of his saber still under his hand, I curled his fingers around it. Regardless of his condition right now, he'd be there to back me up if needed.

I stepped out to met the beast.

The snow monster, it was larger than the last. It's head almost to the cave ceiling. Shoulders twice the size of the dead one; the dead one that was being dragged along behind it. So, yes, there was an image burned into my brain forever. Had they been mates? Offspring? Siblings? No way to know and certainly there would be no conversation with the thing. Nevertheless, I was a Jedi. Yes, I was frozen solid, in an unfamiliar land and slightly concerned about Qui-Gon's condition. I was all of those things. But I had the Force. I had skills. I had years of practice to my credit.

Of course, none of those things mattered when a second (third?) Wampa clawed me from behind while I stood focused on the enormous creature in front of me. As I was yanked from behind, the other creature in front attacked. My saber was ignited and slicing at air as I was slammed onto the ice. Something cracked. It was either the cave floor or my shoulder. I'd find out soon enough.

The monster behind me released it's hold when I hit the ground just long enough for me to flip to my feet and stand on guard. I shuffled quickly toward where Qui-Gon still sat motionless, his hand having not moved to grasp his saber. Not what I expected. Or hoped. He must be out cold. So there was another problem. I couldn't leave him vulnerable. They'd claw him to death in a second if he was truly unconscious. I stepped backwards to defend his position. My feet planted firmly on the slick cave floor. My hands free of the thermal gloves designed to keep them warm and functional.

The larger of the two beasts lunged forward and hurled the dead one at me. A manipulation of the hand and I easily Force-pushed the bloody creature away while it lingered in mid air. I was careful to not fling it back at either of the living monsters. No, that would just be pouring blood on an opened wound and I didn't want that to be the last thing I ever did in my life. Nevertheless, my action irritated them. My brain took stock of the situation. Two huge irate snow monsters trying to tear me from limb to limb, my injured master still in black-out mode, icy ground under my feet, hands that were starting to go numb and oh, and my braid. Yes, it was still frozen.

I could handle this. I'd been in worse situations. Qui-Gon and I had once faced a rancor the size of a starship and managed to live through it. Certainly two snow beasts wouldn't get the best of me.

"Calm. Focus, Kenobi. This is nothing. A few leaps and parries and flips and quick side steps and you've got two dead monsters."

Was I convincing myself? Eh, no. And our goal as Jedi was not to kill things that were simply living their lives. Qui-Gon had not wished to kill that first one. He'd regretted his action even before he'd done it, but it was the Wampa or us. Given an opportunity, I'd leave these two to live. How exactly to do that? Absolutely, no idea.

"Look guys, I don't want to hurt you. We didn't mean to kill your friend, but he was going to eat us. How about we'll stay over here in this corner until daybreak and you stay over there and let us be on our way in a few hours. No one else gets hurt. There's no blood. Sound like a good plan?"

The monster's black eyes scowled.

A voice came from behind me.

"Obi-Wan, are you trying to negotiate with a Wampa?"

Qui-Gon. Ugh! Thank the Force he was awake. I stole a quick glance toward him, saber up, green blade glowing. He was still in a sitting position though.

"Master, can you stand?"

"I can manage."

Code for, he'd push all his pain into the Force and then collapse on it later.

"And yes, I was trying to negotiate with them. You never know. They may understand a little basic or feel vibes or something."

"Vibes?"

"Yes. Vibes."

"They are snow monsters, Obi-Wan."

"You told me to call them Wampas. Now they're monsters?"

I heard the shrug in Qui-Gon's voice. "When they try and eat us, yes, they then become monsters. What is your proposal now that your verbal discussion has not convinced them to back away?"

He was right. They were not backing off. They were grinding closer, communicating with each other in some sort of barking growl. Probably saying, eat the boy first, he's feisty and annoying.

"Well I was thinking about flipping behind the smaller one and stabbing it from the back. But then the big one would probably have clear aim on you, so maybe not such a good plan."

I kept studying the creatures. I kept thinking. At some point, while I was lost in all things me, Qui-Gon staggered upward and to my side. The Force was holding his leg together. Keeping him upright.

"How about, you take the big one and I'll take the smaller one." He said. Mind you the smaller one was less than a head shorter than the larger one, so size was really irrelevant. This was doable though and I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"That sounds like a good idea, Master. On three?"

On three we raised our left arms, reaching out and forcing the monster's backwards. They slipped and slid to try and keep traction. They were designed for life on ice, but with an opposing force working against them, it was a more difficult to find the footing they needed to come after us.

Qui-Gon and I moved forward. One, two, three steps. His strides were confident, though I could feel the acute pain through our bond. Never did it show on his face. Don't let the enemy see your weakness. He'd instilled that into my head countless times. Now he was leading by example.

We kept pushing them, hoping they'd surrender. They didn't.

"I do believe our time here is over, Obi-Wan. We can kill them, but would that be the right thing to do? We harmed the one because we had no other choice. Here, we have a choice."

Sure. Kill them and say relatively safe in the cave or let them live and run for our lives outside the cave while still the Hoth weather was still dark, stormy and hellish. I know what I preferred. I also knew what Qui-Gon would do.

"They are only defending themselves and their home. You are right, Master. Can we push them far enough to get to the exit?"

He didn't say anything in return. Instead he stepped confidently forward, knowing I would follow and together we forced the monsters to the far wall of the cave. The entrance to my right had been partially covered by snow after we'd fled inside, but the two Wampa's had cleared a path upon entering.

One last assist from the Force, we shoved them back and used what limited Force speed we could to blur our way out of the cave and into the deep snow. Our speed ran out somewhere in the middle of the white-out. At least I assumed it was a white-out, we were basically blind. Until Hoth's sun began to rise, this is what's we had; black-out conditions overlapping those of the white-out variety.

I reached around to find Qui-Gon, pulling my over my head in the process.

"Master?"

"Here, Obi-Wan." A green glow, he'd gotten his saber on. Mine was somewhere in the snow. I'd stepped on it, I think. The two feet of snow swallowed the hilt and it took me a while to dig it out then to get to Qui-Gon.

"Master, I've got you, hold on." I unstuck him from the snowpack and we stood with blades humming. "Suggestion on which way to go?"

He looked behind us. The cave that was somewhere back there. "Not that way."

Couldn't argue with that one. "Forward it is. If we keep the lightsabers on, it'll give the search party a chance to see us in the blackness."

We trudged forward. Progress was exceedingly slow. Normally, after such an effort, Qui-Gon would have mediated to regain strength. That wouldn't happen here. Freezing to death while meditating, just like being eaten by snow monsters. Also not a good way to go.

I kept a hand on his arm. Every few steps he faltered. We kept moving until we couldn't. There was the barest hints of light starting to show on Hoth's horizon. By that time, we'd been walking for hours. Neither us had much left.

"Obi-Wan, I have to sit." He panted out.

I didn't argue with him. No point in that. I tried to clear a hole for us, melting the snow near our feet with the lightsaber, plowing the rest away with my boots. It took a minute, but we had a place to rest. Two foot snow walls on either side. Minimal, but protection.

"It's good, Master. We can rest here. Keep your lightsaber lit. I stuck the hilts in the snow and packed them in tight. They'd stay upright and powered on and we could use our hands to do other things like try to keep frozen fingers from snapping off in the deep chill. The thermal gloves were helpful to a point, but they'd gotten wet inside and the fur within was partially frozen.

"How's your leg?"

"Something is definitely broken. It's worse now than before. I'll manage though."

Stoic and strong to the end. I envied my master. Even in the most trying of times, he never complained. It was only best that I try for the same.

"We will get you medical help soon. Think warm thoughts." Again, I pulled his hood back over his head. It kept flopping off in the wind. I turned us so our backs were against that wind. If nothing else, it would help keep the hood up.

"This certainly is a predicament." He said as I leaned him toward me. Body heat was our last hope of not ending up as Jedi icicles.

"It wasn't so bad at first, but it's definitely descended into one of our worst. Cold is always a killer." Bad choice of words, but he understood. "Maybe now I can lobby the Council about these foolish apprentice hair cuts." My teeth were chattering as I tried for humor.

"Why do you think I grew my hair long?"

My face cracked in a short grin. Movement of any type was becoming exceedingly painful. We'd had a moment though. That touch of humor and warmth between us.

More time passed. The sun rose and we could see each other without the saber light. I kept them powered on.

I was feeling everything now, every ache and pain and frost-bit body part. The fact that I'd not slept a single wink in who knew how long... normally I could fight past that. We sometimes went days without decent sleep. The constant bitter chill was the compounding factor this time.

"Master," I said tiredly. "I need to close my eyes. Only for a short time. I promise."

"It's all right, Padawan."

No judgement. Nothing to make me feel Iike a failure for giving into total body collapse.

That type of thing happened too. I'd seen it with a few Jedi teams. Berating of a young apprentice when a situation was at it's worst. Depending on the team and the species of the individuals, those incidents either blew up, ended in resentment or became their norm. I'd always found it discomforting to see that type of relationship between a teacher and their trainee. It was not supposed to be that way.

Qui-Gon was difficult and challenging. At times, he'd not think twice about correcting my errors, pointing out my faults, and on. But he was fair and he cared. His wish was for us to thrive as a team. To learn from each other and to allow me to grow and be the best of myself. I would never find solace in those other ways. Who know, maybe Qui-Gon sensed that and it was part of why he treated me as he did. In reality, I think he was who he was; fair, honest and sincerely wishing me to thrive under his care.

"D-Don't think I've ever been so cold. Next Hoth m-mission, l-let someone e-else take the j-job."

My words rattled out, actually making sense. I was proud of that. I leaned into Qui-Gon's side, my eyes falling shut. If they froze that way, there'd be issues when... if... no, when we were rescued. Because I knew rescue would happen. It had to. Being chased by snow monsters and then buried alive was not the way I wanted to end my apprenticeship.

My mind wandered while I slept. I heard someone talking to me. I heard a lightsaber hum. Blaster fire. No, that wasn't right. We didn't carry blasters. There was fighting and yelling and sounds I didn't recognize in my floating state. It all stopped at some point and there was the voice again. Arms around me. Warm. I felt warm. But I still shook all over. My head was cold again. Stupid hair cut. And then, my clothes were taken from me and that didn't seem right either. Bare skin on Hoth? No, no no no... what was happening?

"Obi-Wan, don't fight them. The medics need to get your body warmed quickly. The thermals are soaked."

That was Qui-Gon. My brain was starting to focus. Look there, my eyes even opened again. I'd been worried about that one. Through the slits, I saw people I didn't know. Actually, I saw droids I didn't know. No wonder their touch was so icy. Whoever's idea it had been to make medics out of droids, never had a droid's hand touching bare skin. Cold!

There were two droids and one person. Human-y. I think. She had bright red hair and sharp blue eyes and she set a heavy blanket on my embarrassingly naked body after the droids stopped their annoying poking and stripping. A form to my left. Qui-Gon. No thermals on him either. Pretty sure he was wearing a giant animal on his back though. No wait, that was a blanket. Thick and weighted. Like the one the medic lay over me once the droids backed away. The blanket was keeping me pinned to whatever I was lying on.

Qui-Gon leaned close. "The blanket is heated. The weight will allow the warmth to penetrate your body at a faster rate. That's why it's on bare skin. Keep still."

"W-wha... happen... ?"

"The rescue team saw our lightsabers. Problem was, the Wampa's did too. I killed the smaller one." Qui-Gon's eyes fell. He'd hated having to do it, but he wasn't about to let me die. "It was enough to distract the bigger one long enough for the team to grab us. We got back to base an hour ago."

"L-leg?" I sputtered out noticing that he wasn't standing, but sitting at my bedside.

"Wrapped and set. I will have the healers take a proper look when we get to Coruscant. It's rather useless at the moment."

"S-sorry you had to kill the s-snow monster."

"Wampa." He chided me. "That's two times I saved your life on this mission, young man."

"Heh. K-kept you from free-freezing to d-death twice. Beat that."

Kind eyes smiled at me and his hand set on mine. "Fair enough. We're even then. Let's not make this almost-dying thing a habit though."

"Deal. You said we're going home?"

"There's a freighter bound for Coruscant tomorrow. Medic Rasare here has secured us a ride."

That sounded nice. Going home. I couldn't wait to visit my warm bed and stay in it for a week. Or a day. No rest for the weary. Though we would have to wait for Qui-Gon's leg to heal before a new mission was assigned. Even with the amazing powers of treatment the Jedi healers had, it would still take time.

"Sleep for a week?" I asked him.

"You dream big, Padawan. Let's get home first and figure it out from there."

My free hand moved to fiddle with the blanket. Qui-Gon was right. The speed at which my body was being warmed was dramatic. I pulled it up to just under my chin. I'd have plopped the thing over my head if I thought it would help. My braid was there. Not frozen anymore. That was a positive.

"Braid's not frozen anymore." My thought repeated aloud. Figured Qui-Gon would want in on this good bit of useless news.

"I see that. The medic says we both have frostbite on our ears and you on potions of your head."

"Damn haircut."

My master chuckled, yes chuckled. It was like the adult version of giggling and it sounded good on him.

That was my last thought for a while. A good thought to end on. After that, I let the strange strangling powers of the blanket take me where it would.

—-

I woke up in my own bed in our own apartment on Coruscant. A bit of white-noise music playing softly nearby. A sound that always aided me to sleep soundly when times were most difficult. Only one person knew that. His leaning form was at my doorway. A walking cane in one hand, the other hand holding a steaming hot cup of my favorite tea.

Yes, we were Jedi. Yes, we traveled the galaxy to help others and to aid in disputes. Yes, we did not crave things that others did so freely - but we did need them sometimes. Our own warm beds. Our own special teas. A person in our lives that was worth dying for and who would die for you - even if the only options at the time were death by snow monster or death by freezing to death.

My life was challenging. Difficult. Even impossible on occasion.

I sat up and accepted the tea from Qui-Gon.

But it was a good life. One of training and adventure. Of rancor's and snow monsters.

Qui-Gon took a seat in the nearby chair holding his own cup of tea.

A life filled with good people. One in particular.

My master and I shared a smile, then settled into the comfortable silence that cemented our relationship not only as teacher and student, but as family.

—-

...turn the page...