Chapter 4

"Dank farrick!" Din cursed as he looked down at the woman now lying unconscious on the wooden floor. Slowly, Din removed himself from the pinned position he held the woman in and kneeled next to her. He quickly scanned her body for a pulse and finding one he took a deep breathe. Din gingerly picked up the woman in his arms and carried her to the bed in the corner of the room. "Finally, he thought, she wasn't fighting anymore."

He had noted that this woman was stubborn and fiery. She had the look of a rabid massif at times. She was always ready for battle and never let her guard down. He noted that she was very skilled in hand to hand combat and quick on her feet. Her emotions, however, were clouding her judgement and skills. He wondered where the anger she possessed was coming from. Din stared down at her and took in her features. She had angular cheekbones and a narrow chin. She was almost Din's height with a slender build to her body. He knew she was well built with muscle hiding underneath the clothes she wore. Her hold on his arms had been constricting and her body had felt heavy in his arms.

Din scanned the small room and found a piece of cloth he had been looking for. He made his way to a wash basin along the wall still full of water. He dipped the cloth in and wrung the excess water out. Making his way back to the woman, he carefully laid the cloth over her forehead. She ceased to move even though the cloth was ice cold. "How in the galaxy am I supposed to get information out of you?" Din whispered. Din walked to the doorway and leaned against the doorframe keeping a close watch on the woman and the clearing outside.

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Anara groaned. She felt like she had been trampled on by a bantha. Her temples throbbed. She tried to remember what had happened. All the sudden, Anara remembered and opened her eyes. Sensing danger, she instinctively pulled her body to the farthest part of the bed, her back smashing into the headboard. Her eyes flashed toward the armored man standing in the doorway.

"Take it easy," Din instructed. "You passed out on the floor." Din noticed the fearfulness in the woman's eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you," he paused, "unless you want to try to slit my throat again."

Anara took a deep inhale to try to slow her breathing down. She eyed him wearily. Din walked closer to the edge of the bed.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"You don't need to know my name." Anara ground out through clenched teeth. Her temples continued to pound. She was glad to be sitting now.

"It would be nice to be able to talk to you in a civilized manner," Din stated. "Look, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now. I just want to talk."

Anara considered what would happen if he knew her name. Anara Zapal was not a false name. It was her name as a child before she became a foundling and a Mandalorian. It was safe to say he would have never heard it before.

"My name is Anara," she sighed.

Din nodded at her. "Anara," he repeated.

Anara relaxed her legs on the mattress. She rolled her head from side to side hearing a cracking sound in her neck as her muscles flexed.

"How long was I out?" Anara questioned Din.

"Awhile," Din responded.

"And you waited here the whole time?" Anara stared back at Din hoping to make him feel uncomfortable, but it clearly wasn't working.

"Yes, I did," he replied.

The air in the room around them was humid and felt thick with tension. Anara felt beads of sweat beginning to form on her forehead. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand. In less than a second, gloved hands wrapped around her waist holding her steady. Anara froze. Her body refused to react and her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Din's closeness stirred a feeling within her that she didn't recognize. Even though the temperature was warm inside the hut, goosebumps crawled along her skin. After a moment of trying to process what was happening, Anara regained her senses and shoved Din's hands off her body.

"I'm fine," Anara hissed. She knew he did it to steady her and it was probably just instinct to help but she reacted in the only way she knew possible. Push him away.

Din pulled his hands back moving away from Anara. "Let's go outside and get some air," Din suggested.

Din pulled the makeshift cloth door aside to let Anara pass keeping a close eye on her. On shaky legs she moved through the doorway onto the small platform that served as entrance to her home sitting down upon the steps leading up to the hut. Din stood behind her leaning against the doorway. Anara took in a deep breath of the forest air. Her lungs seemed to clear instantly.

"So, tell me, how do you know Mando'a?"

Anara took another deep breath. She needed to come up with a lie. Obviously, Din was smart. She needed to pull him away from thinking she was a Mandalorian. That would only lead him closer to who she really was.

"It's just a song I remember from my childhood. One of the village women used to sing it every day while working in the market stalls where I used to play. After hearing it enough times, I just memorized it and it has stuck with me ever since," Anara explained. The lie tasted bitter in her mouth.

Din didn't believe her but went along with her stories. "We live everywhere. Mandalorin isn't a race. It's a Creed. Where did you grow up?"

Anara remained silent. She wasn't going to let him get the information he sought.

This whole situation was suspicious. Din processed what he knew about Anara so far and the only thing that rang true was that she was a Mandalorian. However, she wore no armor and lived as if she was a regular civilian. She was constantly dodging his questions and creating falsehoods. This was not the way of the Creed. Even if she was on a mission or protecting someone, she wouldn't be living this way. She was hiding. Fate had been on his side this time in finding her at the plunge basin. He would have to tread carefully to find out more from Anara.

"I could use your assistance," Din stated. "You know how to fight well, and I could use a second hand on my mission. I've already been searching for six months with not much of a lead. She's been missing for a year and a half according to my sources. I will give you half of the payment in which the Clan is paying me. If we don't end up finding her, I will still compensate you for your efforts."

Anara paused before responding. She stared off into the trees in front of her. "Give me one day to make my decision."

Din was taken aback. He thought for sure she would outright refuse. Honestly though he wouldn't have accepted "no" as an answer. She was coming with him no matter what.

"Ok. One day and then I need an answer," Din replied.

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Author's Note: Sorry for the late chapter! I had writer's block, but I am back on track now. My favorite part of this chapter is how Din knows Anara is lying but plays along anyway. Can't wait to show you guys how their relationship evolves. Thanks for reading!