Star Wars: Jar-Jar Binks
All SW related Gungans are © George Lucas and LucasFilms
All plants and animals are © Lucas Learning and George
Don't bother to sue me for this, you'll be wasting your time.
The Road to Otoh Gunga
When we last left off, Jar-Jar and Doyce had to find a needle in a haystack, actually it was a marked rock in a forest. With the threat of the looser not getting to eat, both Gungans raced and fought and even outran rancors to find that rock. With a little cheating, the sneaky Gungan boy Doyce Sydewynder retrieved the rock and got his dinner while poor Jar-Jar starved the night away.
This next chapter of Jar-Jar's childhood takes place three days after that day, early in the morning…
*******
"HEY! YOUSA LAZY BOYS GET UP! WESA GOT A LONG TRIP BACK TO OTOH GUNGA!" Tarpals screamed at the two boys in their bunks. They bolted out of their blankets and ran to stand in front of Tarpals. The Gungan captain snorted at them. "Well, whatsa yousa two waitin for? A bus? Yousa get downstairs and get your breakfast before mesa…" Suddenly, they dashed past him and down the stairs of the cabin. "…feed it to da kaadu." Tarpals finished, surprised. "Hm, guess dey not sick anymore."
**********
"Hesa in a better mood dan he was yesterday." Jar-Jar told Tarpals's wife as he got his kaadu from the stall. "Hesa wasn't as loud."
"Whatsa yous talking bout, Binks?" the Gungan woman turned to him as she herded four baby kaadu into the stall with Tarpals's kaadu. "Hesa scared all da kaadu in here, and if mesa got my biology right, hesa made some peko peko fly off with dat voice of 'is." Jar-Jar had to smile as he flopped the saddle on his personal kaadu, Honk.
"Issa he always like dat, mam?" Jar-Jar asked as he grabbed the reigns from a hook on the stall's wall.
"Well, let mesa put it to yousa dis way," Tarpals's wife said as she put a bucket of water in the stall with the mother and baby kaadu. "Hesa had one hellovan ulcer de past tree days." Jar-Jar smiled as he strapped the reigns on Honk, and tightened them.
**************
Jar-Jar, Doyce, Tarpals and his wife rode their kaadu outside, and started for the road to Oota Gunga. Tarpals's wife had packed some snacks in case anyone was hungry. Honk wanted to speed up when he saw open fields, causing Jar-Jar to get nervous. Jar-Jar could never ride a running kaadu, because he would get thrown in the dirt and end up chasing it to get back in the saddle. Doyce's kaadu, Stormcloud, was a problem too. He didn't have Honk's need for speed, but wanted to play the game his way. The word 'no' wasn't in his vocabulary, and would do whatever he felt like and not what his rider wanted to do. After several weeks of stubborn training, Stormcloud seemed a little better behaved until you weren't paying attention to him.
Honk started to moan and squawk a couple times, throwing his head around impatiently. He wanted to run, but Jar-Jar had different ideas. "Honk, stop it." Jar-Jar ordered, tugging the reigns. "Wesa wanna go for walk, not race."
"Since Honk feels a little impatient about da trip," Tarpals said to Jar-Jar, "why don't yousa take point, Jar-Jar?"
"Mesa, Captn?" Jar-Jar blinked, pointing to himself.
"Issa easy, Jar-Jar." Tarpals explained, pointing at a hill ahead of him. "Just over dat hill is da road wesa takin. It goes straight to da swamp where wesa got a bongo waiting for ussen. Keep on da road, and wesa be dere before yousa know it. Okieday?"
"Okieday!" Jar-Jar nodded, happily. "Let'sa go, Honk!" Jar-Jar spurred Honk once, and Honk took off running before Jar-Jar could get second thoughts. Jar-Jar was clutching Honk's neck and reigns screaming. "AAAAA! Hep me!"
"Mesa comin, Jar-Jar!" Doyce cried, cracking Stormcloud's reigns. Stormcloud raced after Honk over the hill. Tarpals's wife shielded her eyes with her hand as she watched the two boys race over the hill.
"Should wesa go after dem?" she asked her husband.
"No." Tarpals shook his head with a smile. "Theysa be back, and wesa got all da time in da galaxy."
************
Already a mile away from Tarpals and his wife, Jar-Jar and Doyce managed to slow Honk down to a stop, and got him munching on some bubble spore nearby. Jar-Jar rubbed his head with worry, still recovering from shock.
"Mesa no doin dat again." Jar-Jar vowed, trying to calm down. Doyce looked along the road ahead of them as Jar-Jar muttered to himself. Stormcloud waited for Doyce's command as Doyce looked on the path with sudden worry and sadness. He groaned softly and lowered his head. However, the groan was loud enough for Jar-Jar to hear. "Whatsa da matter, Doyce?"
"Jar-Jar," Doyce moaned, looking at his rival sadly. "Yousa really wanna go back to Otoh Gunga?"
"Uh-huh." Jar-Jar nodded. "Mesa miss my mama and papa." Then Jar-Jar's smile went to a concerned, suspicious frown. "Don't yous? Yousa wanna go back to yousa mama and papa too, right?"
"…" Doyce took his eyes off Jar-Jar and stared at the reigns of his kaadu.
"Don't yous?" Jar-Jar asked again. When Doyce didn't move or speak, Jar-Jar poked him in the shoulder. "Doyce?" Suddenly, Doyce spurred Stormcloud, and steered him off the road, and into the wilderness with a "Yaa!" "Doyce?! Where yousa goin?!" Jar-Jar spurred his kaadu's attention from the bubble spore, and followed Doyce.
"Leave mesa alone, Jar-Jar!" Doyce called as he raced away.
"Why for? Whatsa wrongo, Doyce?"
"Just leave mesa alone, nerf herder!"
"Just tell mesa!" Then, Jar-Jar spurred Honk, urging him to go faster. Jar-Jar hung on with all his might as Honk sped at his fastest speed after Doyce. Finally, Honk and Stormcloud were neck and neck, and Jar-Jar grabbed Stormcloud's reigns. "Just tell mesa, Doyce. Yousa no have to do dis."
"Yes, I do. Now let go, Jar-Jar!" Doyce shoved a hand at Jar-Jar.
"No. Mesa understand, if yousa just tell mesa."
"Jar-Jar!" Doyce yelled, pushing Jar-Jar hard with both hands. Jar-Jar lost his balance on Honk and fell off, holding on to Stormcloud's reigns. "Let go, dumdum!" Jar-Jar didn't answer, just panicked as he tried to match Stormcloud's speed on foot. Jar-Jar gave Stormcloud's reigns a tight yank, and the kaadu stopped with a quack of protest. Jar-Jar was hoisted in the air as Stormcloud raised his head trying to shake the Gungan boy off the reigns, throwing Doyce off his back and onto the ground. Jar-Jar finally let go, and fell on the ground on his butt, and Stormcloud walked around to find something to eat. Doyce got up and dusted himself off, then looked at Jar-Jar, who was nursing his sore fanny. Doyce marched over to him, and punched him in the face.
"YOUSA BASTARD! WHAT YOUSA GO AND DO DAT FOR?! HUH?" Doyce yelled. Jar-Jar fell over from the force of the punch, falling back on his butt.
"What?" Jar-Jar asked. "What mesa do?"
"Yousa got us lost. Dat's what yousa did." Doyce scolded. "But den again, dat's yer problem, and not mine. Mesa wanted to get lost in da first place." With that Doyce started to leave. Jar-Jar watched him, then got up and followed.
"Hey wait. Why yousa wanna get lost out here? Dere's lots of dangerous critters out here. Yousa crazy if…" Suddenly, Doyce spun around and slapped Jar-Jar clear on the nose.
"Don't yousa ever call mesa dat! Ever!" Doyce spat, then he turned back around and continued on. "Stormcloud!"
"Ow." Jar-Jar moaned, rubbing his nose. Then, he continued after Doyce. "Hey! Yousa can talk to mesa. Mesa yer friend."
"Yer no friend mesa wanna have, dumdum."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Why?"
"Just because. Now go away."
"Gimmesa tree good reasons why."
"Yousa clumsy, yousa stupid, and yousa can no do da Gamorean two-step without trippin over yerself. Now leave mesa alone."
"Doyce!" Jar-Jar ran ahead of Doyce and stood in front of him. "Yousa can at least tell me why yousa run off like dat."
"Mesa no tell yousa notin."
"C'mon. Don't yousa wanna go home to yousa mama? Mesa bet she missin yousa…"
"MESA NO HAVE A MAMA, DUMDUM!" Doyce screamed, turning away from Jar-Jar with his arms crossed. Jar-Jar blinked in surprise, saying nothing. Suddenly, Doyce started sobbing. "Yousa no know what it feels like, Jar-Jar…yousa got everytin yousa want." Doyce sat down on a nearby fallen tree, bending his head so he couldn't look at Jar-Jar. Jar-Jar sat beside him.
"Mesa sorry." Jar-Jar whispered. "Issa dat why yousa won't go back to Otoh…"
"No." Doyce choked, wiping his teary eyes. "Issa not mesa mama, issa mesa papa. Hesa no wanted mesa to be a warrior, hesa wanted mesa to be on de Gungan High Council since mesa baby. Mesa mama…my never knew her. Metinks shesa never gotta say in mesa future. Mesa granda took her place, and hesa say mesa can be whatever mesa wanted, and hesa support mesa. Mesa papa wanted notin but his dream to come true. Hesa pushed me into Law and Government, and all dat crap. Hesa wantin to be proud o me.
"Mesa no wanna be in da High Council, issa hard work. Mesa rather be a scientist or doctor, cause mesa smart, and mesa know bout dat stuff. But, if mesa being anytin, mesa gotta take warrior trainin cause everybody does. So, mesa made plans o not going back to Otoh Gunga. Mesa plan to live in da jungle, and rough it."
"Yousa bein outcast?" Jar-Jar asked.
"Mesa guess so. If dat's what my gotta do, but whatever my doin, my no goin back to Otoh Gunga. Never."
"But your granda…whatsa bout him?"
"Yeah, dat's one loss, but a small price to pay."
"Doyce," Jar-Jar began, standing up, "yousa know what mesa mama would say bout dis? Shesa say dat yousa runnin away. And if issa one ting mesa mama taught me, issa never run away when da goin get tough. Yousa gotta make a stand, and say what yousa believe. Yousa gotta tell yousa papa, 'My no wanna be on da High Council, mesa wanna be a doctor,' or sometin like dat. Metinks dat yousa no learn notin from Tarpals, cause yousa no can fight fer yerself. Yousa gotta stand up for yousa dreams, Doyce."
"Easier said dan done, Jar-Jar." Doyce muttered. "Yousa never met mesa papa."
"Whosa yousa papa?"
"Hesa bombad General Sydewynder."
"General?" Jar-Jar squeaked in surprise. "Whoa. And, uh, yousa granda?"
"Retired. Mesa papa got control over 'im."
"Doyce…"
"So yousa see da reason why mesa can never go back."
"Dat's no reason at all." With that, Doyce got up with another sob, and started walking towards his kaadu. "Now where yousa goin?"
"Didn't yousa listen to one word my say? My gonna get lost. Yousa no need to get lost. Yousa got a mama and papa back in Otoh Gunga who love yous. Mesa got notin."
"Yousa got yer granda."
"Shut up!" Doyce yelled, running off. Jar-Jar followed him.
"Doyce!"
"What?!"
"Mesa lost with yous. Can yousa hep mesa get back to Otoh Gunga? My promise, mesa leave yousa alone after dat." Doyce stopped to think about that, but Jar-Jar didn't stop in time, and plowed into him, knocking him into the muddy ground. Doyce flicked Jar-Jar's ears out of his face.
"Okieday, okieday. Mesa hep yous get back home, now get off mesa." Jar-Jar stood up and helped Doyce dust himself off.
**************
"Yousa sure wesa goin da right way?"
"For da millionth time, Jar-Jar, yes! Mesa no lost."
"Yousa positive?"
"Ow! Hey, yousa sittin on my ear!"
"Well, yousa keep kickin my shin."
Jar-Jar and Doyce were sitting on Stormrider, and riding back the way they came to get Jar-Jar back on the path. Honk wasn't anywhere to be found, so the two Gungan boys had to sit in the same saddle on the same kaadu. Stormrider would honk every now in then, to say something that would probably mean "Geez, that's a hutt and a half!" in kaadu. Doyce was up front holding Stormcloud's reigns while Jar-Jar was practically clinging to him in the back. Both boys weren't happy about seating arrangements, but neither of them wanted to walk, and this was the only alternative.
"So, uh, are wesa dere yet?"
"Jar-Jar!"
"What?"
"Of course wesa no dere, dumdum!"
"Can yousa go any faster?"
"If mesa go faster, yousa fall off, and yousa drag mesa with yous. Haven't yousa learned dat yet?"
"Mesa no fall off dis time."
"Yousa said dat four times already, and guess what happened four times ina row."
"Mesa no fall off dis time, my promise."
Doyce sighed angrily. Jar-Jar was just gonna complain until he got his way, then they would fall off Stormrider's back for the fifth time and…well, how would Jar-Jar get back to Otoh Gunga six feet underground?
"My dunno why, but my gonna trust yousa. Yousa better not fall off, okieday?"
"Okieday." Jar-Jar saluted with a smile. Doyce gave him a suspicious look, and turned back to his kaadu.
"Stormcloud, hah!" Doyce spurred, and Stormcloud switched from walk to run. Jar-Jar cried in surprise, clinging to Doyce in a bear hug. "Jar-Jar, calm down!" Doyce yelled as trees passed them in green blurs. "Wesa not goin dat fast, so simmer…HEY! Watch what yousa grabbin, tooke eater!"
"Slow down! Slow down!" Jar-Jar pleaded.
"Yousa wimp!" Doyce scolded. "Yousa can't even go dis fast?"
"Mesa not a wi…"
WHAP! A low tree branch whacked Jar-Jar in the chin, sending him flying off the saddle, taking Doyce with him. They landed on top of each other as Stormcloud continued to run off.
"Yousa Kowakian monkey-lizard!" Doyce spat, as he got up. "Ho no! Stormcloud! Yousa get back here, dumdum!"
"Hoy." Jar-Jar groaned as he sat up. "Dat hurrrt." Then he looked around, seeing Doyce running away from him. "Wait! Doyce! Don't leave mesa here!" As Jar-Jar ran after Doyce, he watched as after a few moments, Doyce stopped and kicked the dirt, swearing a word he picked up from downtown Otoh Gunga. "What'sa wrong?"
"Stormcloud's gone. Hesa went ahead of ussen." Doyce moaned. "If Tarpals was right, den hesa runnin back to da cabin."
"So he's gone?"
"If notin eats 'im, yep." Doyce nodded. Then he glared at Jar-Jar. "Hey, waitasec, yousa said yousa wouldn't fall off!"
"Mesa didn't." Jar-Jar shook his head, pointing back the way they came. "Da tree. Dat tree knock mesa off, mesa no fall."
"Yousa…aw, forget it. C'mon, wesa were goin dis way." Doyce started to walk off with Jar-Jar right behind him.
"Dis is bad, ain't it, Doyce?"
"Can't get no worse." Doyce answered, taking point.
"Are wesa gonna die out here?"
"Hey, Jar-Jar, whatever wesa do out here, wesa no gonna die."
"But…wesa got no kaadu, or path, or water. Howsa wesa gonna survive?"
"Wesa just remember Tarpals's trainin and wesa be okieday."
"Yousa sure?" That did it. Doyce stopped walking and turned around to face Jar-Jar, and stuck a finger in his chest.
"Looka here, yousa. Wesa off da trail, mesa no wanna go home but yousa do, wesa both loose our kaadu, and wesa lost. Whatsa else can go wrongo?"
Suddenly, a huge rancor lumbered onto the scene, reeking of sweat and a fresh kill. Jar-Jar panicked and jumped on Doyce. Doyce grabbed Jar-Jar's mouth to shut him up, and hissed at him. The rancor faced their direction and growled. Doyce frowned out of habit. He was ready to wet his pants, a rancor here on Naboo? What was with this jungle?
"Whadda wesa do?" Jar-Jar whispered through Doyce's hands.
"Yousa shut up." Doyce hissed. "Maybe it hasn't seen ussen yet." Jar-Jar watched in fear as the huge lumbering beast took one Naboo shattering step towards them.
"Mesatinks it saw ussen."
"Yeah, my agree."
"Whadda wesa do now, Doyce?"
"Uh…" Doyce tried to think, looking up at the huge monster. Suddenly, it roared. It was a loud and terrible bellow that shook Doyce and Jar-Jar's bones. Neither could help it, they both screamed and ran for their lives. The rancor was on their heels, swinging its huge lumbering arms tipped with claws. Jar-Jar was screaming as he ran, and it wasn't long before the rancor's chase led to an entire herd of ikopi and phalsepent, which stampeded away from the rancor as it chased the Gungan boys. Both Doyce and Jar-Jar found themselves caught in a huge stampede! Jar-Jar was in full panic as he ran.
"WAAAAAAA! WESA GONNA DIEEEEEEEEE!"
"Shutta da hell up, Jar-Jar!" Doyce yelled over the noise of terrified ikopi, "Just keep runnin!" Doyce and Jar-Jar kept running for what seemed like forever from that persistent rancor, who had already caught two phalsepent, and kept chasing the two Gungan boys as if the massive phalsepent were appetizers, which they probably were.
"Hesa no givin up, Doyce!" Jar-Jar squealed as they kept their run. "Mesa tired. When issit gonna…"
"Don't stop runnin, Jar-Jar. If yousa value yer life, yousa no stop runnin!" Doyce urged. Then, Jar-Jar spotted a cave as they ran past.
"Doyce…"
"I saw it, Jar-Jar. C'mon, issa oursa only chance!" Suddenly, Doyce grabbed Jar-Jar's arm, and stopped running. Jar-Jar plowed into him as the clumsy Gungan tried to stop. When Doyce got up, he guided Jar-Jar past the oncoming stampede, and started dashing for that cave. When he spotted it, the rancor was right in front of them, and reaching with one claw. Doyce quickly danced out of the way of the claw, and dragged Jar-Jar for the cave. They found an opening between two rocks wedged close together to form the opening. There was a crack big enough for the two boys to squeeze through one at a time. Doyce scrambled for it then realized it might be too small for them. "Wesa gotta go in one at a time. C'mon Jar-Jar."
Jar-Jar didn't hesitate. The rancor was heading straight for them! Jar-Jar wiggled through, but got his hips stuck in the cracks.
"Uh oh."
"Dat's not what mesa wanna hear, Jar-Jar!" Doyce said nervously as the rancor came closer with a roar.
"My stuck!" Jar-Jar whined, trying to wiggle free. Doyce looked between Jar-Jar and the rancor a few times in fear, then finally began to push Jar-Jar through the crack.
"C'mon Jar-Jar! Suck it in!"
"Ow! Dat's hurten me!"
"Well yousa da one with da fat butt!"
"DOYCE! LOOK OUT!" Doyce turned to see the rancor reaching for them with one claw. With a final scream, Doyce gave Jar-Jar's hips a final shove, and they both fell in the crack and into a large cavern. Doyce landed on top of Jar-Jar, and poor Jar-Jar landed face first on hard rock.
"Ow!" Jar-Jar moaned. "Hey, yousa get offa mesa!" Doyce rolled off of Jar-Jar, heaving sighs of relief. The rancor roared in defeat and frustration, and there were sounds of it reluctantly chasing what was left of the stampede. Jar-Jar sat up, and put a hand under one ear listening carefully. "My no hear anytin. Hesa might be gone."
"Seems dat way." Doyce nodded in agreement. "Whew, dat was da closest call mesa ever had." Doyce lay down and spread his arms in tire. Jar-Jar got up and peeked out of the crack. Then he looked back at Doyce with a smile.
"Hesa gone. Dere's notin out dere."
"Not even a nuna?"
"Nope." Jar-Jar shook his head happily. Doyce moaned and buried his head in his hands. "Issa dat bad?"
"Yes, itsa bery bad. Da rancor musta ate everytin in its path. Dere's no food out dere! How are wesa gonna eat till wesa find dat path?"
"Dere's gotta be sometin." Jar-Jar hoped, looking down at his grumbling stomach. "Maybe if wesa find some water, mesa can find sometin."
"Maybe. Yousa an okieday hunter…" Doyce thought over, then stood up. "Let'sa get outta here. Dere should be a river round here somewhere."
"Okieday." Jar-Jar nodded, starting to crawl through the crack. Doyce grabbed Jar-Jar's pant leg.
"Oh no yousa don't, fatty. My going first."
"Whosa yousa callin fatty, tooke eater?!"
"Nerf herder."
"Rancor bait."
"No more rancors for today, Jar-Jar. Go on, yousa first."
************
After three hours of a torturing walk, Jar-Jar and Doyce finally found a river under the shade of several zaela and hsburry trees. Jar-Jar let out a "whoo-ho!" of victory, and ran for the river. Doyce watched him leave.
"Jar-Jar, wait! Issa might being…" Doyce tried to warn, but stopped when Jar-Jar front flipped into the water, disappearing with a splash. Doyce sighed with futility. Before he considered trying to jump in after Jar-Jar to tell him this was the Nyork infested waters…
"NYORK!"
"YEEOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Jar-Jar jumped ten feet out of the water as at least seven Nyorks had clamped their shells on his hands and nose. Doyce couldn't help but laugh as the clumsy Gungan yanked the mollusks off him, and threw them on shore. Jar-Jar glared at Doyce. "Whatsa yousa laughin at, tooke eater?!"
"Captn Tarpals woulda loved to see dat!" Doyce said between laughs. Jar-Jar frowned, and threw a Nyork shell at Doyce.
"Yousa shut up."
"NYORK!"
"YEEOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Jar-Jar yelped again, then looked at his behind seeing a Nyork had clamped itself on his behind. "How rude." Jar-Jar growled at it, then made despret attempts to reach it. "Yousa let go, dumdum!" He shouted at it as he chased it. "My too big to be yousa dinna!" Doyce kept laughing as he pried open the Nyork shell Jar-Jar threw. Finally, Jar-Jar sat down to crush it, and the Nyork let go. Jar-Jar stood up, and ate the meat under the crushed shell. "Heh, heh. Tough meat."
"Da Nyorks round here have some sort o hankerin for Gungan rump roast, eh?" Doyce joked, as he slurped down some fresh Nyork meat. Jar-Jar didn't say anything. He picked up another Nyork to satisfy his stomach.
**************
"YAI YAI YAI YAI! Oof!"
Jar-Jar fell face first in the splinter weed, watching several motts run away from his noisy lunge. Doyce jumped out of the hiding place, steaming mad.
"Yousa can't catch notin on land, can yous?" Doyce scolded.
"I can! I can!" Jar-Jar claimed. "Issa just dat my never hunted tings with four legs before."
"Yousa no gonna make it in dis world, are yous?" Doyce sighed, walking off. "Yousa on yer own, Jar-Jar."
"WHAT?!" Jar-Jar yelped, running after him. "No, no! Yousa give mesa another chance!"
"I did."
"Well, give mesa second chance."
"Dat was yer second chance, knuckle head!"
"Well…give mesa a tird chance, please Doyce? Please?"
*****************
After a few minutes of back and forth "please" and "no"s, Jar-Jar and Doyce were stalking a wild kaadu, feasting on some blumbush. Jar-Jar hunched down lower as Doyce crash-coursed him in whisper.
"Okieday, stay low."
"Okieday."
"Keepin down wind."
"Okieday."
"Quiet, you'll scare it!"
"Okieday!"
"Alrighty. Now, when I say go…"
"Say wha?"
"Go…"
Taking that as the signal, Jar-Jar bolted out of hiding and chased the kaadu.
"YAI YAI YAI YAI!"
"JAR-JAR! NO!" Doyce stood up, yelling after him. Too late, Jar-Jar was off and running after that kaadu. Doyce ran after him, cursing himself for trusting that clutz. Jar-Jar made a leap after the kaadu to jump on its back, but instead grabbed the tail, and fell. He ended up getting dragged over the marshy ground, whooping in fear. "Dere goes da kaadu…" Doyce noted, keeping a respectable distance from the kaadu. "Dere goes da clutz…" Finally, Jar-Jar let go, and landed face first in a bowlump inhabited mud hole, and the kaadu ran off. "…Dere goes dinna." Doyce growled, stopping next to Jar-Jar.
Jar-Jar came out of the mud hole sticky with muck from head to toe. He sat down in the dirt to come to his senses, shaking his head to clear it.
"Mesa hate fast food." Jar-Jar muttered. Doyce finally marched off.
"Dat's it, Binks. Yousa on yer own." He announced, walking off. Jar-Jar bolted up upon hearing that, and ran after Doyce.
"Don't Doyce, please! Mesa gonna die out here without yousa help!"
"Good riddance." Doyce muttered. Jar-Jar grabbed Doyce's hand.
"Please Doyce, please?" Doyce growled deep in his throat, and yanked his hand from Jar-Jar's grip, using it to punch him in the face. Jar-Jar staggered from the blow, and fell down a nearby bluff, and into soft mud with a squishy splat. "How rude." Jar-Jar snorted up at Doyce. He put his hands on the side of him to get up, when he noticed where he landed. Fanbacks were all around him, standing over holes in the ground. Uh oh, Jar-Jar landed on fanback nesting grounds. "D-d-d-Doyce…"
"Yousa on yer own now, Jar-Jar." Doyce called from above, unaware of Jar-Jar's situation. Jar-Jar looked around nervously as a few of the fanbacks around him started hissing at him.
"Doy-oyce!"
"What?!"
"Hep me! Fanbacks! Everywhere!" That got Doyce running to the edge of the bluff, looking down at Jar-Jar and the threat at his every angle. "Whadda mesa do?"
"Don't move!" Doyce commanded, holding his hands out. "Uh…did yousa crush any eggs?"
"I don't tink so…" Jar-Jar looked around nervously as he was becoming surrounded. The fanback count went from four to seven. "…No…"
"Okieday. Yousa in no serious trouble," Doyce advised. "but if yousa make any sudden moves or noises, deysa be on yousa before yousa can kiss yer butt goodbye."
"Wha-wha-whadda mesa do, Doyce? Mesa scared." Jar-Jar whimpered, watching the fanback count rise from seven to twelve. "Doyce…"
"Hold on! Mesa comin! Don't move a mussel, Jar-Jar." Doyce turned around, and attempted to climb down feet first. Jar-Jar was on the verge of tears as one fanback leaned her nose close to his to get a scent of him. Doyce slowly slid down the bluff, landing quietly on his feet, and turned his head to look at Jar-Jar. The count went up to fifteen already, and more were coming. It was the biggest nesting area Doyce had ever seen of fanbacks. No wonder Jar-Jar was scared stiff.
The air was filled with the hissing of fanbacks that were becoming larger, and the hissing becoming louder. Doyce slowly turned around, and Jar-Jar huddled into a ball to protect himself however he could. Doyce bent down and scooped up some of the mud with one hand, and packed it into a ball. The hissing became the breathable air as more and more fanbacks came into the area now at a count of thirty. How big was this area anyway? Then, Doyce used all his might to throw the mudball at an unprotected nest of eggs. Several fanbacks turned their heads to it. Doyce made another mudball, and threw it at another nest. Suddenly, the fanbacks started to move to their nests to protect them. Jar-Jar watched them leave in confusion. Then, after throwing one more mudball at a nest, Doyce made a run for Jar-Jar, and grabbed his hands.
"C'mon, Jar-Jar!" Doyce called, pulling Jar-Jar off the ground, and getting him into a run. With a throaty roar, one of the fanbacks gave chase, and grabbed a leg of Jar-Jar's pants with her jaws and pulled. Doyce grabbed a hold of Jar-Jar's shirt, and pulled, starting a tug-of-war with a panicking Jar-Jar as the rope. "Oh, where's dat rancor when mesa need him?" Doyce growled, pulling with all his might. Suddenly, he got an idea. "Jar-Jar, hold still!"
"What?!"
Doyce reached over to Jar-Jar's pants, and tugged on the pantleg the fanback had a hold on, ripping the cloth. Finally, Doyce ripped off the entire pantleg, leaving the fanback with a mouth full of saago cloth, and the Gungan boy pulled Jar-Jar to safety up on the bluff. "C'mon, Jar-Jar. Let'sa get yousa outta here." The two boys started running like there was no tomorrow, and stopped at a grove of hsburry trees. "Jar-Jar?"
"Yeah, Doyce?"
"Can't yousa go one minute without getting inta trouble?"
"Huh?"
*****************
"Doyce…"
"What now?"
"Tank yous for saving mesa back dere."
"Yeah, yousa welcome…Jar-Jar…"
"Hm?"
"Dis isn't easy for mesa to say, but uh, sorry for punchin yous back dere. My didn't mean too, issa just dat, well, yousa can really get ona man's nerves…"
"Dat's what a lot o people sayin. Mesa doin notin, but mesa always getting in trouble."
"Mesa don know what yousa problem is, but mesa hopin issa phase…"
"Huh?"
"Oh, nutin."
"Doyce?"
"Yeah?"
"My forgive yousa for punchin mesa."
"Hey, tanks."
"Sure. Doyce?"
"Yeah?"
"Are wesa friends now?"
"Uh…my guess so. But, when wesa get to dat bongo to Otoh Gunga, issa every Gungan for 'imself, okieday?"
"Oh, okieday. Doyce?"
"Jar-Jar?"
"I love yous."
"Hey! Don't push yer luck, Jar-Jar Binks!"
**********************
Jar-Jar and Doyce spent the next hour looking for the path. They figured that keeping the setting sun to their backs would help them get to the path, since Tarpals's cabin was in the far north. Along the way, they found fallen peko peko tail feathers and had pinned them to their shirts. The feathers looked out of place on their muddy shirts and skin, the feathers were a baby blue with two streaks of bright yellow on either side of the stems. They looked like soft badges stuck to their shirts, or what was left of them. For five hours, they look like they haven't been washed in five years, and almost smelled older.
"Do yousa tink Tarpals issa lookin for ussen?" Jar-Jar asked Doyce as they climbed over a five-foot tall rutiger treeroot growing in the mud.
"Hesa should be." Doyce assumed, helping Jar-Jar over the root. "Issa been a long time since wesa ran away."
"How long have wesa been gone anyway?" Jar-Jar asked, looking back down at Doyce who was holding Jar-Jar's foot to push him up. "Issa seemin like ferever."
"Maybe a few hours, not a bery long time, Jar-Jar." Doyce calculated as he pushed Jar-Jar's foot over the top of the root. Jar-Jar swung his foot over the top of the root, and sat on it. He reached his hand down so Doyce could get a hold. Doyce grabbed a knobby handhold of the tree with one hand, and took Jar-Jar's outstretched hand with the other. "Wow, yousa got stronger." Doyce admired as Jar-Jar hoisted him up the root with one arm. "Yousa maybe a clutz, but yousa strong as a fanbaa." Jar-Jar smiled at Doyce as the Gungan boy sat by Jar-Jar.
"Hey, mesa got an idea." Jar-Jar announced, standing up on the root. "Why don't wesa climb up da tree to see where wesa are."
"Nota bad idea, Jar-Jar." Doyce smiled. "Yousa getting smarter too. Let mesa." Doyce stepped around Jar-Jar, and started climbing up the tree trunk to the branches above. Jar-Jar watched as Doyce reached the canopy, and peeked his head out of the leaves to look around. "Wow. Nice view." Doyce gasped. He shielded his eyes from the setting sun to get a better look. "Hey Jar-Jar!"
"Huh?"
"Dere's a bunch of Tassler Trees where we're headed. Wesa could be headin to da obstacle course!"
"Wesa almost dere?"
"Almost dere, Jar-Jar. Wesa almost dere." Doyce assured.
"Whoo-ho!" Jar-Jar cheered, jumping for joy…straight off the tree root and five feet into the swamp water.
**************
At least five more minutes of walking, and they made it to the deadly faynaa infested Tassler River. Jar-Jar and Doyce had to swim through the river as a training test. They had to outswim faynaa through a fast currented river ten feet deep and choked with Tassler tree roots making the river an underwater maze. "Hell underwater" Doyce called it after he was finished. The faynaa made the task especially difficult for Jar-Jar, since two of them chomped on his rear, and refused to let go.
They traveled up the river for another hour, joking and laughing about the days in Otoh Gunga, the good times mostly. Doyce got a kick out of Jar-Jar's story about his first game of gulliball, and laughed most of the way upriver. Soon, the stories stopped, and the laughing ceased as Jar-Jar and Doyce reached the fishing hole, the river's beginning headwaters. Jar-Jar smiled in disbelief, and started cheering. "Wesa back! Wesa back!" Jar-Jar and Doyce did a little victory dance before running up the hill to the training grounds, and the cabin beyond them. A few meters from the front door of the cabin stood Tarpals's wife on kaadu back, looking over the horizons. Jar-Jar waved to her, and ran for all it's worth, shouting to her.
"Hey dere! Mesa back! Mesa…whoof!" Jar-Jar fell on the ground and got up just as quickly. "He-ey!"
"Jar-Jar!" Tarpals's wife cried out, watching the Gungan boy running towards her. "Where were yousa? Where'sa Doyce?"
"Right here!" Tarpals came up behind Doyce, and grabbed him from the back of the shirt to hoist him up on the kaadu. Doyce looked up sheepishly at Tarpals, who completely took him by surprise. "Where were yousa boys? Wesa thought dat rancor got yous."
"Wesa got lost, dat's all." Doyce tried his best to lie.
"Yousa did not!" Jar-Jar called back. "Yousa ran off, cause yousa didn't wanna go back to Otoh Gunga, remember?"
"JAR-JAR!" Doyce yelled.
"Issa dat true, Doyce?" Tarpals growled at the Gungan boy.
"Uh…well…" Captn Tarpals or no Captn Tarpals, Binks issa dead da minute I get mesa hands on 'im!
**************
An hour later of traveling down the path to Otoh Gunga and confessing everything that happened, Tarpals and his students arrived at the bongo parked on the swamp bank. Among the waiting Gungans were Jar-Jar's mother, who Jar-Jar didn't hesitate to jump into her arms. Also, two Gungan elders were waiting: one was dressed in gray, and the other was in armor. They were Doyce's father and grandfather, who Doyce didn't look at right away. He finally reluctantly hugged both of them as they got in the bongo and said their good-byes to Tarpals and his wife. Tarpals watched the bongo move further out to the deeper end of the swamp, and dive below the waters.
The trip back to Otoh Gunga seemed gloomy to Doyce, who was going back to the lectures and his studies of Law and Government. He would have been happier as anything but a member of the High Council, but his father was the head of the house, and Doyce couldn't argue with him until he was grown up; and by that time his father would push him on the council…or worse, in an arranged marriage! Jar-Jar was lucky; he had a nice home with a father who loved him, and…a mother! That was the one true thing Doyce could never have in his life! Doyce hated him for that! That clumsy Gungan who couldn't even spell his name right had a brave, loving mother! That tooke eater would be lucky if Doyce didn't attack him the minute they got back to Otoh Gunga!
Landing in the bongo bay, Jar-Jar and Doyce had to go their separate ways. Before they left, they stopped to chat just by the bay exit.
"Yousa bombad, Doyce. Stay hot." Jar-Jar smiled, sticking out his hand for Doyce to shake. Doyce smirked back, and gave Jar-Jar's hand a squeeze.
"Yousa too, Binks. Hey, if dos bullies pick on yousa again, yousa know what to do. And if dat don't work, remember dat yousa gots a friend in Otoh Gunga." Doyce promised. "Wesa gonna meet again one day, my just know it."
"Yeah." Jar-Jar nodded. Then, Jar-Jar's mother started walking towards the two, and Jar-Jar looked at Doyce one last time, putting a finger on Doyce's peko peko feather. "Yousa don't forget mesa, okieday?" Doyce put a finger on Jar-Jar's feather as well.
"Okieday. Stay hot, Jar-Jar!" Doyce turned to leave and join his father's side. Jar-Jar's mother took her son's hand as they left the bongo bay to their house.
"Yousa learn a lot at trainin, Jar-Jar?" she asked.
"Uh-huh. Mesa learned a lot, mama."
"Yousa gonna teachin dose bullies a lesson at school tomorrow?"
"Yep. Mesa gonna teach em a ting or two."
"Yousa papa gonna wanna hear dat when wesa get back."
"Oh, mesa tell yousa all about it, mama." Jar-Jar promised, stroking the feather on his chest. The past three months were definantly something Jar-Jar would never forget.
Epilogue
Jar-Jar and Doyce wouldn't see each other again until the Namon War two years later. Then they would once again part, and meet again in the Battle of Naboo.
*************
Doyce sat on top of the lookout for any sign of the Naboo Royal Guard. Strange, they should have been back by now. It was getting late in the day, and that was getting him worried. What if Amidala's plan failed, and the Gungans would die? That wouldn't be pleasant.
Out of his binoculars, he saw several speeders with Naboo symbols on them. At last! He looked down at his post at the outlander boy named Anakin Skywalker. "Deysa comin!" Doyce called down to him.
"Okay!" Anakin called, running off to tell the others. Doyce stood up, and waved to the speeders, signaling them that they had reached their destination. Several of them looked like police guards; Doyce didn't know that the Naboo had a form of peacekeeper like the Gungans did. Maybe the plan wouldn't fail after all.
**********************
The droids were attacking, Gungans were falling, and Jar-Jar was running for his life from the attack. "Hep me!" he called as a kaadu rider ran towards him. "Gimmesa ride!" Doyce grabbed Jar-Jar and hoisted him on the kaadu, riding him back to the safety of the swamp. Suddenly, one of the droid tanks fired at them, blowing the kaadu off the ground and throwing Jar-Jar clear and onto one of the tank guns. Doyce wasn't so lucky; he was thrown straight to the ground where his arm snapped. The last thing he saw was the barrel of the droid blaster pointing at his face and the sound of thunder…
Jar-Jar keeps his and Doyce's peko peko feathers by his bed at night, remembering the first friend he ever had.
The End