Hello again faithful readers…Well, Qui needed a nice chocolate chip cookie, but all he got was a lighter part. ^_^ I hope you enjoy this, I had a great deal of fun writing this particular bit. A slight plunk of disheartened writers block has set in for the next part I'm writing, but part 13 should be up soon enough…thank you reviewers for all your support…you guys are super! ^_^
"There's no way of confusing it! I've spent three weeks on this planet, I think I'd recognize one of their ships!" Qui-Gon stated adamantly, giving the fire one last douse with a handful of dirt.
Tahl looked up from rolling the blanket they'd been sleeping on. "I'm not arguing with you, Qui-Gon, it's just..." she looked sad a moment. "...I wish it was one of ours..."
"Well, if wishes were anything, I would have gotten off this planet the second I'd been captured!" At the look she gave him, he smiled. "Oh come on! It will be an adventure..."
"What!? Didn't you have enough of it earlier, when you got captured? Or when I rescued you? Or the part where you almost died?" Tahl shook her head. "What sounds good to me is to 'adventure' on home, 'adventure' into a nice hot shower, and sleep in my own 'adventurous' soft bed-"
"Unfortunately we have no means of getting home, so I suggest you quit whining and come along. If the Muh-Hadden know we're here, it's best we keep moving." He swung her pack over one shoulder, winced, and shifted it.
Tahl laughed and took it from him. "Straps and sore shoulders don't mix well, Qui-Gon. Here, you carry this!" She dumped her armload of blankets on him.
Qui-Gon began folding them. "You really did a terrible job rolling these...no wonder they won't fit in the pack." he mumbled, looking up. "Tahl?" She had started out into the woods. "Hey! Wait for me!" he jogged after her.
"Calm down, I'm not going anywhere yet.. Do you remember where I parked the swoop? We should really hide it before we break camp..."
"What swoop?" His eyes were curious, as he watched her scanning the thick bramble.
"You know, like a speeder, but a little faster?"
"We had a swoop?"
Tahl turned and stared, incredulously. "You don't remember what happened, do you?"
Qui-Gon blinked. "Um...when?"
"When I got you out-remember, Li let me take a speeder-type thing, and then..."
"Li?"
The Muh-Hadden, stop being stupid." Tahl rolled her eyes.
"I'm not!" His eyebrows came together in a concerned line. "I think I was unconscious. All I remember is you showing up in the cell and then waking up here with you asking me how I felt."
Tahl shook her head. "But you were awake...and talking too. Anyway-it doesn't matter...we came in a swoop! And it was here and now it's not!"
"Tahl-" Qui-Gon's voice was quiet.
"I mean, where could it have gone? I left it in the open!" She ranted on, ignoring him.
"Tahl!" He said, with a little more force this time.
"Oh! Do you think someone was here while we were sleeping?" she whirled and gestured at the ground. "Or maybe-"
"HEY!" he yelled, startling her.
She turned, an irritated look on her face. "What? Qui-Gon I'm trying to think-" Tahl waved him off.
His face going slightly dark, Qui-Gon stomped over to her. "Look." He pointed to a thick tangle of vines and thorns. "Stop talking and *look.* Is that your swoop?"
Tahl followed his finger. At first, nothing met her eyes but a snare of green. Then, slowly, horribly, she realized what had caught his attention. Wrapped up in the vines, surrounded by green, was a hunk of crushed metal. It was as if the life around the swoop had over taken it, and utterly destroyed the foreign object. Tahl stumbled backward, knocking into her friend. "What-"
"The sacred forest." Qui-Gon breathed. He closed his eyes, and swore passionately. "Or Elii Mwet." The alien words sounded strange on the boys softly accented voice.
Tahl stared at him. "Qui-Gon..." she whispered. "What does that mean in Basic?"
"I'm so stupid." he swallowed. "I didn't...think...didn't stop for one moment and wonder why they didn't follow us in here..."
"What does Elii Mwet mean?!"
"We're done for this time-"
"Qui-Gon-"
He sighed. "Elii Mwet? It's what the Philomel call the forest." He swallowed. "Beautiful Death."
Tahl stared transfixed at the crumpled swoop. "Stupid Li. 'Go into the forest, Tahl, you'll be safe there!'"
Qui-Gon pulled her away from where the remains of the swoop. "Listen, we need to go, *now.* This is not a nice forest. It's considered holy by the Philomel. I only read a little about it before the mission-but enough to know we're going to be both dead if we're not careful." he broke off, shaking his head.
Tahl shivered. "But where can we go?"
"Well, let's follow the stream. We can't go wrong there. It widens upstream nearer to it's source, and the Philomel get their water from it. If we follow it, eventually we should find the village. And they're sure to have transports."
The girl let out a shaky breath. "Then let's get going."
They started off, heading toward the stream. An uneasy silence hung between them. They walked through the thick trees for several minutes, both thinking. Tahl, however, couldn't keep quiet for long.
"Qui-Gon!" she blurted out. "So what's so...terrible about this place?"
Her friend ducked under a low branch as he spoke, nonchalantly. "Well, mostly the plants. They've been growing here so long, and they're very wild. Some are carnivorous, some have toxins...you know, things like that..." He paused to caress a creamy white trunk, fondly, as if it were an old friend. "I'd suppose the trees are alright, though."
Tahl laughed, and the soft sound blended with the mirth of the birds. "You would." She caught the branch he swung into her, and ducked under it in turn. "So anything else to worry about beside homicidal plants?"
"That's just the beginning. There are creatures...big predator type animals...there are tribes deeper in, and..."he paused and colored. "Spirits...you know."
"Spirits?!" Tahl gasped, trying hard not to burst out screaming with laughter at the severity of his tone. "Qui-Gon, what in sith are you off about now?"
Qui-Gon frowned. "I'm not going 'off' about anything...The Philomel say there are spirits in here...and I saw a Shadow-creature in the cells! If one of those is around, anything could-"
"A shadow?" Tahl raised her eyebrows skeptically. "They're very rare, Qui-Gon. But I trust you." She turned back toward the stream. "Well, then. Let's hope we don't encounter anything!" she added with a grin.
~*~
The forest was quiet and heavy with the midday heat. It seemed even the birds had ceased their incessant chattering, the sticky air stifling their voices. Tahl could hear Qui-Gon panting, as she paused to wipe sweat out of her eyes. Her friend had been practically dragging her at first but now that they had been following the stream for hours he had lagged behind. She sighed, and turned around to look at him.
His cheeks were flushed quite pink. She reminded herself that Qui-Gon shouldn't really be doing anything but recovering, this little hike wasn't helping. "Let's take a rest." She suggested, stopping him with a hand.
His gray-blue eyes were weary. "Tahl, we shouldn't. The Muh-Hadden-"
"The Muh-Hadden will all die of heat stroke if they try to come after us. Besides, we're far enough in...now sit down before you faint or something..." She sat down and patted the mossy ground next to her.
Qui-Gon hesitated a moment, but then flopped down beside her. The ground was no less humid and steamy as when he had been standing, though. He sat for a moment, feeling itchy, restless and miserable. "Too...hot..."
"So go dunk your head in the creek." Tahl laughed, fanning herself. The sound died on her lips as the boy suddenly stood. "Hey-where are you-"
"Come on!" he whispered, eyes sparkling with mischief. He held out a hand to her, grinning.
"Qui-Gon, I was joking-"
"I certainly am not!"
Before she could reply, he gave her a wink and in a split second was hurtling toward the stream. Tahl stood, staring amazed as he dived into one of the deep pools, and disappeared into the crystal water. She watched the ripples anxiously. "Qui-"
Qui-Gon popped up out of the pool to laugh at her, treading water as he called, "Come on, Tahl, the water feels wonderful!"
Tahl raised an eyebrow at him. He just grinned at her, almost daring her to try it. She kicked off her boots and tested the water with one bare foot. "Sith! Qui-Gon it's like ice!"
"I know!" he called brightly.
Tahl shook her head. "It's a bit to cold for me-I don't want to get wet-" she began, but paused, narrowing her eyes as her friend started swimming towards her. "What are-Qui-Gon, *no!* Don't even-"
He caught her flailing foot, laughing. "Come onnnnnnn Tahl!"
"This is my only tunic-you stoppit right now if you know what's good for you Qui-Gon Ji-NO! You do and I'll KILL you, you think I won't hit you because your hurt you're so wron-EEEEEEEEEE!" she shrieked as Qui-Gon gave her foot a little yank and she toppled in.
The icy water drove the breath from her as she plummeted down into it. Her world was now one of deep blues and greens, and reflected light from the surface. Tahl spiraled down, farther and farther away from the light until she felt her bare foot touch the soft bottom. Bubbles danced above her, trailing after her body.
Qui-Gon was right. It was wonderful.
Tahl kicked off, rocketing to the surface again.
Her head broke the surface with a tiny splash. She treaded water for a few moments, regaining her breath. Then her green eyes found Qui-Gon's blue ones, narrowing.
His mouth was slightly open, as if he were silently laughing, and his eyes danced. "Nice, huh?"
In answer, she lunged at him, and both went down, back underwater. Qui-Gon popped back up, laughing, and splashed away from her. She was faster though, and in a few seconds she had hold of his foot.
"That's it-I'm going to drown you!" she shrieked, pulling him down with her.
"Catch me first-" He struggled to the bank and hauled himself up, kicking away from her and sputtering. Once Qui-Gon had caught hold of the firm ground he was able to wiggle up out of the water, and essentially out of her reach. "Ha!"
He laughed too soon. Tahl threw herself out of the water at him, hitting her friend in the mid-drift and pinning him. She wrestled his arms away, getting him restrained, and then practically sat on him until he ceased struggling. Finally Qui-Gon gave up, panting, and apparently trying hard not to laugh.
"Solah." he gasped, nodding his head in mimicry of the ceremonial bow Jedi Master's performed after dueling. "Now...please get off, before you crush my rib cage."
Tahl's face darkened slightly, and she tightened her hold on his wrists. "No. You pulled me in, you've got to be punished."
Qui-Gon laughed as best he could with Tahl sitting on his chest. "Oh no. What are you going to do?"
"Hmm. I could give you back to the Muh-Hadden..." Tahl shifted her weight a little, but kept her eyes on his.
"That's wouldn't be a very nice thing to do..." Qui-Gon breathed, wiggling a bit.
"Well it wasn't very nice thing to pull me in." she smiled, mischievously. "But no, I couldn't, I like you too much."
He winked at her. "Reassuring."
"How about I knot your padawan braid?"
"You'd have to move your arms off mine to knot it, and then I'd push you back into the water and run." he observed nonchalantly.
Her eyebrows narrowed. "Oh, would you? Huh. Well there goes that...I could push *you* into the stream..."
"I'm already soaking wet!" he attempted a shrug.
"This revenge business is too hard..." she quirked another smile. "I suppose we'll just have to make up!" Tahl put on her most superior look. "Now..." She cleared her throat. "Are going to say you're sorry?"
"Are you going to stop crushing my chest in?" Qui-Gon shot back, a small, reckless sort of grin in his face.
"What?!" Tahl choked indignantly. She went for the braid at the same moment that he made a lunge for freedom.
A small struggle ensued on the bank, as Qui-Gon tried to squirm out of her clutches. They rolled back and forth a bit, Qui-Gon gaining some mobility, and Tahl in turn thoroughly knotting his braid. They wrestled a few moments before both went tumbling into the cold water with a splash.
Both emerged laughing and sputtering. It was so easy to just be playing in the water, kicking and diving and generally enjoying life with your best friend. It had been a long time since they had anything to laugh about.