Chapter 18
"Luke! Have you seen or heard from Jacen?" Han asked as soon as he saw him.
"No. Not since we got here. Why."
"The kid's not responding to my calls and I can't find Katie either."
Suddenly, C-3PO and R2-D2 walked into the room. "Master Luke! Artoo says that he has a message from Master Jacen."
"Oh. This ought to be good," Han mumble.
Artoo activated his holoprojecter and a miniature figure of Jacen appeared before them. "I'm sorry to run out on you two, but Katie won't be able sense the Sith before it's too late. I have taken her to a planet on the Star Search where she can learn to use the Force and will be safe. Don't worry about us. We'll return soon."
The figure disappeared and Luke looked to Han. "They're both Jedi Knights and you won't be able to stop them." Then Luke smiled and said, "And remember. You did crazy things when you were in love with Leia. He's not much different than you."
Han glared at Luke but said nothing because he knew it was the truth.
*
"Jacen," a soft voice called to him. "Jacen. It's time to wake up."
Jacen's eyes opened slightly and he looked up to the figure before him. He rubbed the sleep from them and Kat's form became clearer.
Kat wore a light green shirt and a dark green pants with her wing feathers glistened a metallic green. Her hair fell to her waist with one braid dangling in front of her right ear. "We're almost to Endor."
"How long have I been asleep?" Jacen asked as he got up to stretch.
"A little over three hours."
Unexpectedly, an alarm went off, signaling that it was time to leave hyperspace. Jacen walked to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot chair and Kat sat down in the copilot chair, her wings wrapped around her shoulders.
Jacen laid a hand on the levers and pulled back on them. Immediately, a green planet appeared before them.
"It's beautiful," Kat breathed. Jacen smiled and looked over to Kat, seeing her eyes filled with excitement but suddenly changed to worry and fear. "But I feel cold and death," she said, looking over at Jacen.
"The Emperor died here along with the last Death Star."
"The Death Star?"
"Sorry," Jacen apologized. "I keep forgetting. The Death Star was a weapon the Empire built twice. It destroyed Alderaan before the Rebel Alliance destroyed it. Then the Emperor ordered to build another one above Endor. My uncle, Luke, was taken to the Death Star and faced the Emperor and Darth Vader before it was destroyed."
"Oh."
Jacen led his ship into the atmosphere and looked for an opening in the trees. He found one after five minutes of searching and set the Star Search down. "Will you shut down the systems while I go change?" Jacen asked.
"Sure."
Jacen left the cockpit while Kat went over the system checks, trying to remember what her father had taught her.
"You ready to go?" Jacen voice asked from the hall a few minutes later.
Kat got up from the copilot chair and walked to the hatch that led outside. Jacen stood right beside it, wearing a light green flightsuit with his lightsaber hanging on his right hip. Under Kat's wings, her hand fell onto the lightsaber she had.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Kat answered.
Together, the two Jedi Knights walked out onto the forest planet. The humid air was heavy with the smell of tropical flowers and decay.
"I've never been on a planet like this," Kat said, looking around.
Jacen walked off the ramp and looked around. "There doesn't seem to be much life here."
Without warning, a spear lanced toward Jacen but seemed to bounce off an invisible barrier. Not knowing what had happened, Jacen looked at Kat, seeing a surprised expression on her face.
"I didn't even see it until it was too late," she said. "My Force senses just activated without warning."
Jacen walked over to the spear and picked it up. "My mother came here to destroy a shield generator. She said that they made 'friends' with some of the Ewoks. I must have set off one of their traps."
"I guess we need to be a little more alert about traps," Kat said, flashing Jacen a spirited grin. She opened her wings, ran to a tree, and jumped to it's lowest branch with the help of the Force. From there she jumped higher into the tree with out stopping.
Once she was near the top, she stopped and looked out into branches. Suddenly, she jumped away from the tree into empty air. Jacen quickly tried to think of something but before he could, Kat opened her wings their full eight meter span and glided to the ground.
"I was unable to find anything from up there." Kat looked around, her Force sense alert to any unwanted visitors that might be near.
Cautiously, they moved forward, watching for other traps. After a while, the Jedi Knights explored the forest with relaxation.
Every time Kat stepped into a patch of sunlight that managed to break through the trees, she became more captivating to Jacen. Her green wings reflected the light so that it danced around her. The brown in her hair gleamed with a dull reddish color while the gold radiance the brilliance of the sun. Kat's beautiful face reverberated the sun with the glitter that she had inherited through the blood-line of her family.
To Kat, Jacen's mood had brightened and every time she looked at him, a childish smile radiated from his face, showing the five year old he had once been.
Each hoped that this trip would be peaceful and enlightening, helping their Jedi powers grow stronger.
After two hours of walking, Jacen and Kat came to a clearing, nearly deserted.
"What do you think happened here?" Jacen asked, walking toward the middle of it.
Kat looked more carefully, wary of traps. Suddenly, she saw a rope go across the middle. Kat ran forward, trying to catch Jacen. "Wait, Jacen! I don't think this is-"
Suddenly, a huge net made of thick rope pulled them up from the ground.
"-safe," Kat finished, about three meters in the air with Jacen.
"How was I suppose to know this was a trap?" Jacen asked.
"With the Force," Kat replied sarcastically.
"All right." Jacen squirm within the net, trying to grab his lightsaber. "Now, if only I can activate my lightsaber. . ."
With out warning, a blue-white blade appeared and disappeared just as quickly. Jacen and Kat fell to the when Jacen's lightsaber had cut through the bottom.
Jacen quickly got up and went to where Kat had landed. With his help, Kat got back up.
"I think I sprained my ankle," she muttered as her wing opened to help maintain her balance.
"I'm sorry," Jacen apologized with an embarrassed grin on his face.
"Don't worry," Kat replied. "It should heal by tomorrow. Let's just continue to explore the woods."
The two Jedi Knights walk on until it grew to dark to see. They stopped in a small clearing for the night to get some rest.
"At least we can get a fresh start in the morning," Kat said as she sat on the ground, leaning against the trunk.
Jacen just smiled and looked into the sky, seeing few specks of star light through the dense cluster of leaves and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 19
Jacen stirred from a light sleep in the middle of the night, feeling a disturbance in the Force. He looked to where he saw Kat last and found her missing. Swiftly, he opened his mind to the Force and found her presence in the forest, but distracted.
Jacen got up and crept toward her. He found Kat staring off in the distance, her stone burning a bright crimson red in the dark. Her wings slightly opened and reflected a scarlet shade in the dim starlight, not the green he saw before.
Jacen walked up to Kat and laid a hand on her shoulder. Kat spun around at the touch, pulled her lightsaber from her belt, and activated the blue-violet blade in one smooth motion.
"Kat! What's wrong?!" Jacen asked mildly, careful not to make any sudden moves. Kat's eyes showed confusion and her stance wavered. Her wings turned back to green and Kat abruptly deactivated her lightsaber, immersing them back into darkness.
"What just happened?" Kat asked uneasily.
"I found you out here, staring off in the distance," Jacen said, shrugging his shoulders. "What did you see?"
"I don't know," Kat said, her eyes filled with puzzlement. "But it seemed that someone was trying to call me."
"Let's hope not."
*
Kat awoke early in the morning to discover that Jacen had disappeared, but with a quick check with the Force shown that he was near. Kat got up, stretched, and started to go the direction where she saw a lake from the trees.
She walked for thirty minutes than stopped, finding herself at the edge of a thirty meter drop and a deep lake at the bottom. Kat opened her wings and jumped off the cliff and glided safely to the bottom.
Kat walked up the lake, sat down at the edge, and cupped her hand and took a sip from the cool, sweet lake water. She stood up but stopped half way.
Abruptly, she jumped to her right side and something flashed past her and into the lake with a loud splash.
"That's no fair!" a soaking wet Jacen yelled from the cold lake.
Kat giggled, took of her black boots and socks, and went into the lake, wading up to her knees to help pull Jacen out. "Need a little help?" Kat asked sarcastically, holding out a hand.
Jacen just smiled sweetly, grabbed her hand as if to get up, but pulled her into the lake with him. Kat let out a short cry before she was drenched in lake water.
Kat's streaked hair laid around her in wet clumps and Jacen couldn't help but laugh. He got up as soon as he could control his laughter and offered Kat a hand out. She took the offer, but as soon as she was up, she pushed Jacen farther into the lake where his feet was unable to touch the bottom with the help of the Force.
Jacen glared at her for a moment then grasped Kat with the Force and took her out to the middle of the lake, where it was the deepest. Jacen caught a glimpse of a horrified look on her beautiful face before he released the hold on her, dropping her into the lake with a loud splash.
After a few minutes of not appearing from beneath the water, Jacen began to worry.
While under the water, Kat went through some small changes. Gills grew on her neck so that she could breathe, her eyes adapted to let her see through the water, and her wings went from green to a mixture of blues. Soundlessly, she swam to a spot where a pair a legs dangled beneath the surface, a meter above the bottom. As soon as she was close enough, Kat grabbed on to Jacen's right foot and pulled him under the water.
Jacen barely had enough time to get a lungful of air before he went under. As soon as his eyes adjusted to see under water, he saw Kat in front him, her hair floating around her head like a halo and a childish grin on her face.
Kat pulled Jacen farther into the lake, soon far from the lakeside. Jacen had been under to long and was out of reach of the surface. Jacen signaled to Kat that he was running out of air. Calmly, Kat swam closer to Jacen, put her lips against his, and blew air into his lungs, enough to last him a few minutes.
Together, they swam up to the surface, bursting from the calm surface, sending a shower of lake water into the air. Jacen started for the shore and got halfway back before Kat dived back underwater. A minute later, Kat resurfaced beside Jacen and reached out to hold his hand. He took her hand and together, they swam the rest of the way to shore.
Once on dry land, Kat transformed back so that she breathe air. Her wings went back to their green color to blend in with the trees. Jacen laid breathlessly on the grass and Katie laid down right beside him, her wings drying in the sunlight that filtered through the canopy of the trees.
"How does your ankle feel?" Jacen asked as he propped himself on his elbow to see Kat as he talked to her.
"A whole lot better," Kat replied, putting her hands behind her head and closed her brown eyes as the sun fell on her body, the glitter in her skin shimmered, making it appear as if she wasn't real and would disappear.
Once again, Kat's beauty drawn Jacen's attention, making Kat the only person in the Universe that mattered to him. He leaned over and kissed Kat gently on her lips.
Kat's eyes flew open with surprise but soon closed again, forgetting everything except Jacen. He felt Kat tremble, put a hand under her head and pull her closer to him, kissing away the doubts of ever loosing Kat.
After a minute or so, they parted for the need of oxygen. Jacen looked down to Kat and saw the faintest smile on her lips and her gold-streaked eyes shown brightly with wonderment. But the wonderment quickly changed into fear.
"What's wrong?" Jacen asked, alarmed.
"I sense a presence near," Kat said quietly.
"I guess we need to get back to the *Star Search*," said Jacen, getting up and helped Kat. By then, their clothes have mostly dried but still was damp from the lake. Quickly Jacen and Kat started into the woods and came to a path that led to the top of the cliff.
"Race you to the top," Jacen said, challenging Kat. She just smiled, opened her green wings, and jumped into the trees. She was halfway to the top before Jacen could think of starting up the trail.
By the time Jacen got to the top, Kat was relaxing in a tree, waiting for him. "What took you so long?"
"Very funny. Let's race to the ship."
"Say when."
"When," Jacen said and took off running through the woods.
Kat just smiled and jump from tree to tree and soon caught up with Jacen. Kat jump into another tree when suddenly a net covered her. Her ring fell off and she managed to let out a small cry for help before something slam into her head, rendering her unconscious.
Jacen, hearing Kat cry for help, turned around and saw no sign of her. He walked to the tree he last saw Kat in when something on the ground caught his eye. Jacen crouched down and picked up ring. The red, blue, and purple stone gleamed in the sunlight.
"Kat?" Jacen looked around but saw no sign of her. "KAT!"
Chapter 20
Jacen walked for hours, holding the ring in his hand, hoping for sign of Kat. Every once in a while, he would feel a tremor in the light side of the Force but it would disappear the next minute.
Jacen suddenly felt Kat's presence very near and ran toward it before it flickered out. Not seeing where he was going, Jacen got himself stuck in another Ewok net.
Jacen reached for his lightsaber but stopped. *Why do I even bother,* Jacen thought. *I'll never see my beloved again*. He put his hands over his eyes, feeling the despair eating away at him.
Suddenly, the net dropped to the ground, freeing Jacen for the moment. But before he could move, a bunch of furry Ewoks surrounded him, pointing spears at him. Jacen surrendered quietly, not caring what will happen to him.
The group of Ewoks led Jacen up into the tree where he could see a network of bridges. After a while, they came to a village in the trees.
Jacen saw Ewoks working together, taking care of little needs and big problems. The Ewoks led Jacen to the middle of the village where they would pass judgment him.
Jacen didn't defend himself. While the Ewoks talked, Jacen just hung his head in sorrow.
After a while, the Ewoks took Jacen to a ledge on the tree city and pointed out into the forest. Jacen knew that they wanted him to step off and into the air, as if to test him.
Silently, Jacen stepped out into the still air and fell toward the ground below.
"JACEN! NO!" Kat ran out from behind a hut dived into the air after him. Kat grabbed hold of Jacen around the waist and opened her green wings, and glided back up to the village.
As soon as their feet touched the ground, Jacen turned to face Kat. Her hair was braided into individual braids, each stripe a different braid. Her stone glowed a bright red and her face was more angelic than ever.
Jacen put his arms around Kat's shoulders and held her close to him as if she would disappear. Kat laid her head on Jacen's shoulder, happy to be reunited with him, her wings flashed back into their gold color.
"I never want to lose you again," Jacen whispered.
"Neither do I," Kat replied quietly. She looked up and into his eyes, seeing tears. "Why are you crying?" she asked and wiped away a tear.
"I'm crying because I'm happy," Jacen said and looked back down to her. He embraced Kat even tighter and she smiled.
Suddenly, a group of Ewoks surrounded them and spoke in their language.
"They think I'm some sort of goddess," Kat said.
"You can understand them?" Jacen asked.
"Yeah." Kat looked back down to the fuzzy creatures and listen. "They're talking about being visited by a golden god before a great battle."
"Golden god? Great battle?" Jacen thought for a moment, then it hit him. "They're talking about the Battle of Endor. My mother said that they had thought that her gold protocol droid, See-Threepio, was a god. She said that they helped blow up a shield generator so that the Rebel Alliance could blow up the second Death Star."
"They also say they know the quickest way to the *Star Search*," Kat said.
"That'll be nice."
*
Twenty minutes later, the Ewoks waved good-bye to the ship as it blasted off into space.
"How did you meet them?" Jacen asked once they were in hyperspace.
"They accidentally captured me and knocked me out. When I woke up, I explained to them what I am. I showed them my Force powers and how I can change my wing colors and they thought I was a goddess. I was never able to convince them other wise." Kat looked out of the cockpit and watched the streaks of hyperspace fly by.
"Oh. I found something that you might want." Jacen reached into his pocket and pulled out something hidden in his hand. "Let me see your left hand."
Kat's hand reached over and Jacen carefully held her hand in his. His free hand turned over so that when he opened it, whatever he was holding wouldn't fall to the floor. Right in the middle of his palm was Kat's ring. Carefully, he took the ring and placed it on her left middle finger.
"I was wondering where that went."
Still holding Kat's left hand, Jacen reached back into his pocket with his free hand. "I also have something else for you." He placed another ring onto Kat's ring finger and released her hand.
Kat looked at the ring closely and saw two hearts on it, one with a deep blue stone in the middle, the other had a red stone.
"Will you take this symbol of my love to you?"
"Yes Jacen," Kat said, looking to Jacen with tears of joy in her eyes. "I will."
"Luke! Have you seen or heard from Jacen?" Han asked as soon as he saw him.
"No. Not since we got here. Why."
"The kid's not responding to my calls and I can't find Katie either."
Suddenly, C-3PO and R2-D2 walked into the room. "Master Luke! Artoo says that he has a message from Master Jacen."
"Oh. This ought to be good," Han mumble.
Artoo activated his holoprojecter and a miniature figure of Jacen appeared before them. "I'm sorry to run out on you two, but Katie won't be able sense the Sith before it's too late. I have taken her to a planet on the Star Search where she can learn to use the Force and will be safe. Don't worry about us. We'll return soon."
The figure disappeared and Luke looked to Han. "They're both Jedi Knights and you won't be able to stop them." Then Luke smiled and said, "And remember. You did crazy things when you were in love with Leia. He's not much different than you."
Han glared at Luke but said nothing because he knew it was the truth.
*
"Jacen," a soft voice called to him. "Jacen. It's time to wake up."
Jacen's eyes opened slightly and he looked up to the figure before him. He rubbed the sleep from them and Kat's form became clearer.
Kat wore a light green shirt and a dark green pants with her wing feathers glistened a metallic green. Her hair fell to her waist with one braid dangling in front of her right ear. "We're almost to Endor."
"How long have I been asleep?" Jacen asked as he got up to stretch.
"A little over three hours."
Unexpectedly, an alarm went off, signaling that it was time to leave hyperspace. Jacen walked to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot chair and Kat sat down in the copilot chair, her wings wrapped around her shoulders.
Jacen laid a hand on the levers and pulled back on them. Immediately, a green planet appeared before them.
"It's beautiful," Kat breathed. Jacen smiled and looked over to Kat, seeing her eyes filled with excitement but suddenly changed to worry and fear. "But I feel cold and death," she said, looking over at Jacen.
"The Emperor died here along with the last Death Star."
"The Death Star?"
"Sorry," Jacen apologized. "I keep forgetting. The Death Star was a weapon the Empire built twice. It destroyed Alderaan before the Rebel Alliance destroyed it. Then the Emperor ordered to build another one above Endor. My uncle, Luke, was taken to the Death Star and faced the Emperor and Darth Vader before it was destroyed."
"Oh."
Jacen led his ship into the atmosphere and looked for an opening in the trees. He found one after five minutes of searching and set the Star Search down. "Will you shut down the systems while I go change?" Jacen asked.
"Sure."
Jacen left the cockpit while Kat went over the system checks, trying to remember what her father had taught her.
"You ready to go?" Jacen voice asked from the hall a few minutes later.
Kat got up from the copilot chair and walked to the hatch that led outside. Jacen stood right beside it, wearing a light green flightsuit with his lightsaber hanging on his right hip. Under Kat's wings, her hand fell onto the lightsaber she had.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Kat answered.
Together, the two Jedi Knights walked out onto the forest planet. The humid air was heavy with the smell of tropical flowers and decay.
"I've never been on a planet like this," Kat said, looking around.
Jacen walked off the ramp and looked around. "There doesn't seem to be much life here."
Without warning, a spear lanced toward Jacen but seemed to bounce off an invisible barrier. Not knowing what had happened, Jacen looked at Kat, seeing a surprised expression on her face.
"I didn't even see it until it was too late," she said. "My Force senses just activated without warning."
Jacen walked over to the spear and picked it up. "My mother came here to destroy a shield generator. She said that they made 'friends' with some of the Ewoks. I must have set off one of their traps."
"I guess we need to be a little more alert about traps," Kat said, flashing Jacen a spirited grin. She opened her wings, ran to a tree, and jumped to it's lowest branch with the help of the Force. From there she jumped higher into the tree with out stopping.
Once she was near the top, she stopped and looked out into branches. Suddenly, she jumped away from the tree into empty air. Jacen quickly tried to think of something but before he could, Kat opened her wings their full eight meter span and glided to the ground.
"I was unable to find anything from up there." Kat looked around, her Force sense alert to any unwanted visitors that might be near.
Cautiously, they moved forward, watching for other traps. After a while, the Jedi Knights explored the forest with relaxation.
Every time Kat stepped into a patch of sunlight that managed to break through the trees, she became more captivating to Jacen. Her green wings reflected the light so that it danced around her. The brown in her hair gleamed with a dull reddish color while the gold radiance the brilliance of the sun. Kat's beautiful face reverberated the sun with the glitter that she had inherited through the blood-line of her family.
To Kat, Jacen's mood had brightened and every time she looked at him, a childish smile radiated from his face, showing the five year old he had once been.
Each hoped that this trip would be peaceful and enlightening, helping their Jedi powers grow stronger.
After two hours of walking, Jacen and Kat came to a clearing, nearly deserted.
"What do you think happened here?" Jacen asked, walking toward the middle of it.
Kat looked more carefully, wary of traps. Suddenly, she saw a rope go across the middle. Kat ran forward, trying to catch Jacen. "Wait, Jacen! I don't think this is-"
Suddenly, a huge net made of thick rope pulled them up from the ground.
"-safe," Kat finished, about three meters in the air with Jacen.
"How was I suppose to know this was a trap?" Jacen asked.
"With the Force," Kat replied sarcastically.
"All right." Jacen squirm within the net, trying to grab his lightsaber. "Now, if only I can activate my lightsaber. . ."
With out warning, a blue-white blade appeared and disappeared just as quickly. Jacen and Kat fell to the when Jacen's lightsaber had cut through the bottom.
Jacen quickly got up and went to where Kat had landed. With his help, Kat got back up.
"I think I sprained my ankle," she muttered as her wing opened to help maintain her balance.
"I'm sorry," Jacen apologized with an embarrassed grin on his face.
"Don't worry," Kat replied. "It should heal by tomorrow. Let's just continue to explore the woods."
The two Jedi Knights walk on until it grew to dark to see. They stopped in a small clearing for the night to get some rest.
"At least we can get a fresh start in the morning," Kat said as she sat on the ground, leaning against the trunk.
Jacen just smiled and looked into the sky, seeing few specks of star light through the dense cluster of leaves and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 19
Jacen stirred from a light sleep in the middle of the night, feeling a disturbance in the Force. He looked to where he saw Kat last and found her missing. Swiftly, he opened his mind to the Force and found her presence in the forest, but distracted.
Jacen got up and crept toward her. He found Kat staring off in the distance, her stone burning a bright crimson red in the dark. Her wings slightly opened and reflected a scarlet shade in the dim starlight, not the green he saw before.
Jacen walked up to Kat and laid a hand on her shoulder. Kat spun around at the touch, pulled her lightsaber from her belt, and activated the blue-violet blade in one smooth motion.
"Kat! What's wrong?!" Jacen asked mildly, careful not to make any sudden moves. Kat's eyes showed confusion and her stance wavered. Her wings turned back to green and Kat abruptly deactivated her lightsaber, immersing them back into darkness.
"What just happened?" Kat asked uneasily.
"I found you out here, staring off in the distance," Jacen said, shrugging his shoulders. "What did you see?"
"I don't know," Kat said, her eyes filled with puzzlement. "But it seemed that someone was trying to call me."
"Let's hope not."
*
Kat awoke early in the morning to discover that Jacen had disappeared, but with a quick check with the Force shown that he was near. Kat got up, stretched, and started to go the direction where she saw a lake from the trees.
She walked for thirty minutes than stopped, finding herself at the edge of a thirty meter drop and a deep lake at the bottom. Kat opened her wings and jumped off the cliff and glided safely to the bottom.
Kat walked up the lake, sat down at the edge, and cupped her hand and took a sip from the cool, sweet lake water. She stood up but stopped half way.
Abruptly, she jumped to her right side and something flashed past her and into the lake with a loud splash.
"That's no fair!" a soaking wet Jacen yelled from the cold lake.
Kat giggled, took of her black boots and socks, and went into the lake, wading up to her knees to help pull Jacen out. "Need a little help?" Kat asked sarcastically, holding out a hand.
Jacen just smiled sweetly, grabbed her hand as if to get up, but pulled her into the lake with him. Kat let out a short cry before she was drenched in lake water.
Kat's streaked hair laid around her in wet clumps and Jacen couldn't help but laugh. He got up as soon as he could control his laughter and offered Kat a hand out. She took the offer, but as soon as she was up, she pushed Jacen farther into the lake where his feet was unable to touch the bottom with the help of the Force.
Jacen glared at her for a moment then grasped Kat with the Force and took her out to the middle of the lake, where it was the deepest. Jacen caught a glimpse of a horrified look on her beautiful face before he released the hold on her, dropping her into the lake with a loud splash.
After a few minutes of not appearing from beneath the water, Jacen began to worry.
While under the water, Kat went through some small changes. Gills grew on her neck so that she could breathe, her eyes adapted to let her see through the water, and her wings went from green to a mixture of blues. Soundlessly, she swam to a spot where a pair a legs dangled beneath the surface, a meter above the bottom. As soon as she was close enough, Kat grabbed on to Jacen's right foot and pulled him under the water.
Jacen barely had enough time to get a lungful of air before he went under. As soon as his eyes adjusted to see under water, he saw Kat in front him, her hair floating around her head like a halo and a childish grin on her face.
Kat pulled Jacen farther into the lake, soon far from the lakeside. Jacen had been under to long and was out of reach of the surface. Jacen signaled to Kat that he was running out of air. Calmly, Kat swam closer to Jacen, put her lips against his, and blew air into his lungs, enough to last him a few minutes.
Together, they swam up to the surface, bursting from the calm surface, sending a shower of lake water into the air. Jacen started for the shore and got halfway back before Kat dived back underwater. A minute later, Kat resurfaced beside Jacen and reached out to hold his hand. He took her hand and together, they swam the rest of the way to shore.
Once on dry land, Kat transformed back so that she breathe air. Her wings went back to their green color to blend in with the trees. Jacen laid breathlessly on the grass and Katie laid down right beside him, her wings drying in the sunlight that filtered through the canopy of the trees.
"How does your ankle feel?" Jacen asked as he propped himself on his elbow to see Kat as he talked to her.
"A whole lot better," Kat replied, putting her hands behind her head and closed her brown eyes as the sun fell on her body, the glitter in her skin shimmered, making it appear as if she wasn't real and would disappear.
Once again, Kat's beauty drawn Jacen's attention, making Kat the only person in the Universe that mattered to him. He leaned over and kissed Kat gently on her lips.
Kat's eyes flew open with surprise but soon closed again, forgetting everything except Jacen. He felt Kat tremble, put a hand under her head and pull her closer to him, kissing away the doubts of ever loosing Kat.
After a minute or so, they parted for the need of oxygen. Jacen looked down to Kat and saw the faintest smile on her lips and her gold-streaked eyes shown brightly with wonderment. But the wonderment quickly changed into fear.
"What's wrong?" Jacen asked, alarmed.
"I sense a presence near," Kat said quietly.
"I guess we need to get back to the *Star Search*," said Jacen, getting up and helped Kat. By then, their clothes have mostly dried but still was damp from the lake. Quickly Jacen and Kat started into the woods and came to a path that led to the top of the cliff.
"Race you to the top," Jacen said, challenging Kat. She just smiled, opened her green wings, and jumped into the trees. She was halfway to the top before Jacen could think of starting up the trail.
By the time Jacen got to the top, Kat was relaxing in a tree, waiting for him. "What took you so long?"
"Very funny. Let's race to the ship."
"Say when."
"When," Jacen said and took off running through the woods.
Kat just smiled and jump from tree to tree and soon caught up with Jacen. Kat jump into another tree when suddenly a net covered her. Her ring fell off and she managed to let out a small cry for help before something slam into her head, rendering her unconscious.
Jacen, hearing Kat cry for help, turned around and saw no sign of her. He walked to the tree he last saw Kat in when something on the ground caught his eye. Jacen crouched down and picked up ring. The red, blue, and purple stone gleamed in the sunlight.
"Kat?" Jacen looked around but saw no sign of her. "KAT!"
Chapter 20
Jacen walked for hours, holding the ring in his hand, hoping for sign of Kat. Every once in a while, he would feel a tremor in the light side of the Force but it would disappear the next minute.
Jacen suddenly felt Kat's presence very near and ran toward it before it flickered out. Not seeing where he was going, Jacen got himself stuck in another Ewok net.
Jacen reached for his lightsaber but stopped. *Why do I even bother,* Jacen thought. *I'll never see my beloved again*. He put his hands over his eyes, feeling the despair eating away at him.
Suddenly, the net dropped to the ground, freeing Jacen for the moment. But before he could move, a bunch of furry Ewoks surrounded him, pointing spears at him. Jacen surrendered quietly, not caring what will happen to him.
The group of Ewoks led Jacen up into the tree where he could see a network of bridges. After a while, they came to a village in the trees.
Jacen saw Ewoks working together, taking care of little needs and big problems. The Ewoks led Jacen to the middle of the village where they would pass judgment him.
Jacen didn't defend himself. While the Ewoks talked, Jacen just hung his head in sorrow.
After a while, the Ewoks took Jacen to a ledge on the tree city and pointed out into the forest. Jacen knew that they wanted him to step off and into the air, as if to test him.
Silently, Jacen stepped out into the still air and fell toward the ground below.
"JACEN! NO!" Kat ran out from behind a hut dived into the air after him. Kat grabbed hold of Jacen around the waist and opened her green wings, and glided back up to the village.
As soon as their feet touched the ground, Jacen turned to face Kat. Her hair was braided into individual braids, each stripe a different braid. Her stone glowed a bright red and her face was more angelic than ever.
Jacen put his arms around Kat's shoulders and held her close to him as if she would disappear. Kat laid her head on Jacen's shoulder, happy to be reunited with him, her wings flashed back into their gold color.
"I never want to lose you again," Jacen whispered.
"Neither do I," Kat replied quietly. She looked up and into his eyes, seeing tears. "Why are you crying?" she asked and wiped away a tear.
"I'm crying because I'm happy," Jacen said and looked back down to her. He embraced Kat even tighter and she smiled.
Suddenly, a group of Ewoks surrounded them and spoke in their language.
"They think I'm some sort of goddess," Kat said.
"You can understand them?" Jacen asked.
"Yeah." Kat looked back down to the fuzzy creatures and listen. "They're talking about being visited by a golden god before a great battle."
"Golden god? Great battle?" Jacen thought for a moment, then it hit him. "They're talking about the Battle of Endor. My mother said that they had thought that her gold protocol droid, See-Threepio, was a god. She said that they helped blow up a shield generator so that the Rebel Alliance could blow up the second Death Star."
"They also say they know the quickest way to the *Star Search*," Kat said.
"That'll be nice."
*
Twenty minutes later, the Ewoks waved good-bye to the ship as it blasted off into space.
"How did you meet them?" Jacen asked once they were in hyperspace.
"They accidentally captured me and knocked me out. When I woke up, I explained to them what I am. I showed them my Force powers and how I can change my wing colors and they thought I was a goddess. I was never able to convince them other wise." Kat looked out of the cockpit and watched the streaks of hyperspace fly by.
"Oh. I found something that you might want." Jacen reached into his pocket and pulled out something hidden in his hand. "Let me see your left hand."
Kat's hand reached over and Jacen carefully held her hand in his. His free hand turned over so that when he opened it, whatever he was holding wouldn't fall to the floor. Right in the middle of his palm was Kat's ring. Carefully, he took the ring and placed it on her left middle finger.
"I was wondering where that went."
Still holding Kat's left hand, Jacen reached back into his pocket with his free hand. "I also have something else for you." He placed another ring onto Kat's ring finger and released her hand.
Kat looked at the ring closely and saw two hearts on it, one with a deep blue stone in the middle, the other had a red stone.
"Will you take this symbol of my love to you?"
"Yes Jacen," Kat said, looking to Jacen with tears of joy in her eyes. "I will."