"Younglings no more, you are, children." Yoda stood at the front of the room, his small frame pacing back and forth as the small clan of children sat in reverence before him.
Petro, Katooni, Byph, Ganodi, Gungi and Zatt sat among the gathering of students. Their faces transfixed on Yoda, excitement coursing through their veins as he gave their graduation speech.
"The pride of a Master, his Padawan is. Serve, grow, but most importantly, learn, is the task of a Padawan, and take lightly this task, you must not. Gifted you all are in the Force, but..."
Petro felt his attention drifting, his eyes shifted to the large windows the temple room had afforded him for daydreaming. Coruscant traffic had always been an interesting distraction, and as he watched the passing speeders, he let his mind race with the upcoming prospects of his new potential Master.
He hoped he would be assigned to Master Kenobi. The Jedi Master had proven himself to be kind, focused, and patient teacher, although after carefully observing Obi-Wan, Petro was sure that studying under the man would be no easy task. Obi was one of the best, and not only was his great-great- great grandmaster Yoda himself, but he was on the council, and trained Anakin Skywalker, who had proved himself to be a gifted and powerful Jedi.
His pride flared. A challenge would be no real difficulty, he thought as he smirked slightly. He was graduating top of his class, with special honors granted to only the smartest and talented of students.
His fingers drifted to the hilt of his lightsaber, out of habit. He was gifted all right. Not only had he mastered various forms of lightsaber combat but had studied tactics and multiple pieces of literature dedicated solely to the art of war for the past years.
Of course, he had done so with one goal in his mind. He was going to the battlefront.
His clan had all recognized him as the strongest of them all, aside from Gungi, or course. Their recognition was the praise that had spurned him towards his dream of fighting alongside his Master on the battlefield, protecting the Galaxy and defending the Republic, despite the obstacles that the current Clone Wars presented. He chuckled. Master Kenobi would be blessed to have him as a Padawan, Force willing! A Master could always use a capable and strong Padawan by their side, and Petro was sure he was the perfect choice for his prospective Master.
"Rise, Padawans!"
Petro's gaze flickered upwards and he stood abruptly as Yoda had instructed.
"Use the Force, you must, to find your new Master. Close your eyes, Padawans. Feeling, you must use, to find your new teachers."
Petro closed his eyes, he sensed someone, but couldn't tell who it was. He did, however, see the temple library in his mind's eye, and remembered that Master Obi-Wan frequented the Archives in his constant pursuit of knowledge and understanding. He opened his eyes and turned to his peers.
"I'm going to be the first to find him!" he whispered to his clanmates.
"Him?" Katooni replied, her eyes still closed as she reached out. "You are that sure who it is already?"
"Not entirely, but still, I've been dreaming of this since before The Gathering. I'm pretty sure I belong with Master Kenobi."
Zatt turned to him, his dark eyes skeptical. "Don't get caught up in a dream, Petro. Be quiet and let us all focus!"
Petro sighed as Byph chirped in response. "Wait with us until we sense our Masters!"
Katooni nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Petro. We should all leave together. Besides, we should savor this time, shouldn't we? I mean, this is the last time our clan will be together before we all get caught up in assignments and our Padawan duties. Let's just enjoy this while we can."
"Sure," Petro sighed. Closing his eyes again and reaching out into the Force another time. This time he felt his friends' presence, the close bond that they shared, and made them stronger. They were all the top of their clan, and they were the only people in the whole galaxy that Petro knew he would miss from his time as a youngling.
He remembered how they played when they were kids, how they had all dreamed under the same stars and learned to meditate in the same temple gardens. They had grown stronger together, and almost shared the same rhythm, sensing each other's emotions and feeling through all the trials they had experienced.
He focused on Zatt, his closest friend. He felt him shifting his focus throughout the Temple, searching. He followed his friend's search, through the common areas, to the briefing rooms, and the private quarters. He felt nothing, and finally he resolved to shifting his own focus back to the Archives, reaching out for the presence that was calling to him. He found the presence, on one of the holo-computers where he had spent countless hours studying. Excitement raced through him and he couldn't bear it any longer.
A frustrated sigh escaped him. "You guys take too long!"
Katooni opened her eyes. She had just felt as though she had been getting somewhere until Petro's outburst had disrupted her meditation.
"Petro, be quiet!" Ganodi stomped one of her feet in annoyance.
"Petro we all aren't as fast as you are," Katooni whispered, silently pleading that he'd slow down for them. "We need extra time, just wait."
"No," Petro said, taking a step back towards the exit. "You all enjoy your last few moments of being younglings, but I'm ready to leave childhood behind. It's time for me to go!"
Katooni let out a breath of air. "Patience, Petro. We would be done already if you hadn't distracted us."
Byph nodded, and Gungi gave a growl of agreement.
Katooni sensed Petro's excitement and knew he wouldn't listen to them. It was just like The Gathering all those years ago, Petro's pride never allowed him the ability to be patient with others who needed more time. He had run off and left to find his crystal without them and had almost abandoned her in trapped in the icy cave with his hastiness. She shook her head, knowing his ambitiousness would be his downfall one day, but he was only a Padawan, he had a lot to learn.
"I have to go," he said, softer now. His eyes pointed at her, sensing her reluctance.
"These are our final steps as a clan," she whispered, savoring their collective presence for the last time. "May the Force be with us."
Petro nodded and raced away, only looking back once as the door glided shut behind him and he headed for the elevators. Katooni felt sadness descend over her as she watched Byph, Gungi, Ganodi, and finally Zatt leave with only a small nod of farewell. It was hours later until Katooni, finally felt the Force's direction and left the room alone, walking down the evening lit corridors of the Grand Temple.