TITLE: First Knight - Part Seven
------------------
As Onara followed the Katarra she brushed away the branches of a tree that was hanging in front of her. Then she looked at her hand. The hand he had touched. Even now it still tingled, her heart still raced, and she was still confused. She stopped just short of the edge of the trees that surrounded the glade. The moonlight poured onto the dark green grass, and the wind rustled through the leaves, the breeze soft and cool on her arms. She could smell the thick scent of honeyroses in the air and, far off, the soggy reek of the Malia River.
Obi-Wan caught up to her and moved to her right. She looked over at him. He peered through the trees at the glade, the light from the moon shining on his hair, the green and gold flickers of the Katarra as they gathered glimmering across his face. He turned and looked over at her.
Onara's throat tightened as he gazed into her eyes. Yes, she was very confused because she was not supposed to be feeling this way. Not at all. As she continued to look at him, he moved closer. He lowered his head and his mouth just brushed her ear as he whispered into it.
"Would it be best if we stayed here?" he asked.
Onara closed her eyes as his warm breath flowed across her ear. She was tempted to move her head a little closer, just so he could touch her ear with his lips, but she didn't. Instead she opened her eyes and nodded.
"I'm not sure how they will react to us," she said softly. "It would be best, I think, if we were to remain here."
Obi-Wan returned her nod and moved away. He looked back out at the glade. Onara clenched her hand. No, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. But it was. She had wanted him to kiss her ear. And more. She quickly looked away from him and out at the glade.
There were at least a dozen of both male and female Katarra flying about. When she was a little girl there had been hundreds of them, so it was true the war had decimated their population. She would speak to her father about it and see if something could be done to increase their numbers. They were very important to the Ahjane ecosystem.
As Onara watched she saw they were beginning to pair up. It didn't happen right away, however. The golden colored females tended to be quite selective and, if they did not care for a male, quickly flew away, seeking another.
Because there were so few Katarra, the Dance wasn't as awe-inspiring as it had been when there had been hundreds of them dancing, but it was still beautiful. Onara held her breath, watching as they floated and drifted and glided away and around and towards each other.
Looking over at Obi-Wan she saw he appeared completely entranced but, she thought sadly, he was not seeing the Dance as it should have been. Feeling her eyes on him, he looked over at her and smiled. Onara returned his smile, then looked back out at the glade.
Now all the Katarra were finally paired. Then she noted there were three stragglers, a female and two males. The males darted about the female, both competing for her attention. Finally, the female chose one. The remaining male flew about still hoping to find a mate, but there were no more females left and, with what looked to Onara like a melancholy flicker of his green- lighted wings, he flew off alone into the forest. The rest of the paired Katarra were also flying away and soon, the glade was empty.
Obi-Wan turned to Onara. "What happens now?"
Onara laughed softly. "They've all gone off to mate, of course. They'll do it all night. Then the females will fly away to lay their eggs in new colonies."
"And the males?"
Onara cleared her throat. "Ummm, well, I'm afraid they all die after mating with the females."
She suppressed a smile as a grimace crossed Obi-Wan's face.
"Oh, I see." He frowned. "That seems to be customary in a great many species."
Onara shrugged. "What else is a male good for?"
Then she laughed to let him know she was joking. He smiled at her as he moved closer.
"Did I hear you right? That they will mate all night?" he asked.
Onara nodded, painfully aware of how close he was standing to her, of how she could hear his breath as it moved in and out of his lungs, feel the heat rising from his body even through his clothes, and how his scent was a mixture of both his natural masculine musk and something that reminded her of incense.
"Yes," she whispered, her throat working, as she gazed up at him. "They will mate all night."
"Interesting," he murmured as he moved closer.
Onara swallowed heavily. "P-p-p-perhaps, we should be getting back," she stammered. "It'll be dawn soon."
She moved to turn away but Obi-Wan grabbed her arm. His touch sent a shockwave through her.
"It won't be dawn for hours, Onara."
"Really?" she said. "I...I wasn't aware of that. But, you must be tired. It's been such a long day. For both of us."
"I'm not tired. Are you?" he asked, his voice full of concern.
"No, no," Onara answered quickly. "I'm not tired at all. I'm too...too.."
She stopped and bit her lip. Although they were no longer in the bridal chamber, she was still alone with him, in a moon-washed glade in the middle of a dark forest. They could just as well perform the blessing ceremony here, she realized, both of them lying on the soft, star-sparkled grass, their arms about each other, only the moon as witness as they....
Onara quickly blinked away the passionate image that had blossomed in her mind. An unwelcome blush crept into her cheeks. Where had such a thought come from? She looked at Obi-Wan. He was peering intently at her. As he continued to look silently at her, his hand clasped about her arm, she noted his gaze moving from her eyes to her shoulders and down to her breasts. Then he looked back into her face. Onara's cheeks burned hotter. She quickly lowered her eyes, her thoughts whirling.
"You're trembling, Onara," Obi-Wan noted, his moonfilled eyes gazing down at her. "Are you cold?"
Onara mutely shook her head. The breeze had gotten cooler as the night wore on, but it wasn't the night air that was making her tremble. It was him. Onara had never had a sweetheart or a lover. She had spent her entire life trying to live up to the expectations of her father and grandmother and had had no time for such things.
But here, in the dark forest of her childhood, with the moon's light streaming like a river of ivory onto her and this Jedi whom she had swore she would not let touch her, she felt herself overwhelmed with emotions she had never imagined feeling.
However, as Obi-Wan continued to hold her arm and look deep into her eyes, Onara remained silent, revealing nothing of what she felt. Then, she saw something move behind his eyes as if he, like she, had weighed his options and come to a conclusion. He released her arm.
"You're right. We'd best be getting back," he said.
Onara stared at him for a moment, then nodded. They turned and made their way to her father's manor.
-----------------
As Obi-Wan walked alongside Onara it took all of his Jedi training to regain his composure. Because, as he had stood beside her watching the mating dance of the Katarra, a part of his awareness had been on the glade, but another part had been focused on her. He had been conscious of everything about her; the rise and fall of her breasts as she took in and released a breath, the stirring of her hair as the wind played with it, the color of her skin in the moonlight, the way she unconsciously licked and bit her full, ripe lips, the sweet scent of her body. And, when she had turned to go back to the manor, he had not known until he did so that he was going to reach out for her. He had grabbed her arm, wanting....
Obi-Wan shook his head. He wasn't sure what he had wanted. He frowned. No, that wasn't true. He knew exactly what he had wanted. He had wanted to pull her to him, kiss her mouth and see if her lips were as warm and sweet as they looked, feel the softness of her body pressed tight against his as it had been when they had landed on the ground outside the manor.
But he hadn't kissed her. First, because Onara was a married woman, or would be come morning. Second, he was a Jedi Knight, sworn to the Jedi Order and to the service of the Republic. Third, he was master to an apprentice who, with each passing day, was becoming more powerful and, therefore, more of a handful. And, most importantly, she had made it quite clear she did not want him in that way. He sighed and, as he walked next to her, looked up at the sky. Iron-colored clouds raced across the stars and moon, but he noted they were becoming thicker and longer.
"It's going to rain, Onara."
She glanced up. "Really? It doesn't look like it."
"I can feel it. However, we should make it back to the manor before it does."
"Good. I hate being wet."
Obi-Wan was about to tell her so did he, when he stopped. While he and Onara had been in the woods he had sensed much of the wildlife around them. It had been primarily small nocturnal creatures flying through the air in search of prey or digging blindly in the dirt for grubs. But what he sensed now was something different. Something larger.
"Onara, are there any predators in these woods?"
She had stopped when he had. She looked up at him.
"Predators? No, there haven't been any dangerous animals in the forest for years. Why do you ask?"
"I sense something."
"What?"
"I don't know," Obi-Wan said as he slowly turned around. "What's odd is that I'm not sensing it through the Force, but I can hear it. It's very near and it's following us."
Onara glanced nervously around. "Following us?" She moved closer to him. Then she gasped.
"Oh, no!" she cried as she reached over and clutched his arm.
"What?"
"I just remembered! When I arrived home from the Cloister the other day, Simtro mentioned the valkons."
"The valkons?"
Onara nodded, her eyes wide and bright with fear.
"They're carnivores. They live in the Larab Mountains beyond the Malia River. However, because of the war, Simtro said it looked as if some of them had been displaced from their habitat and had crossed the river. He said their spoor had been seen in the forests."
Obi-Wan quickly unhooked his lightsaber.
"Stay close to me," he told her as he took her arm and led her through the trees.
Onara fell into step beside him.
"What are these valkons like?" he asked her.
"They're man-sized," Onara panted as she struggled to keep up with him, "and covered with thick black fur. And they have a long snout filled with sharp teeth."
"Do they hunt in packs?"
Onara shook her head. "They're solitary hunters. But, they're fast. Very fast."
Obi-Wan nodded and that's when the darkness roared and crashed into him, knocking him to the ground.
To be continued....
------------------
As Onara followed the Katarra she brushed away the branches of a tree that was hanging in front of her. Then she looked at her hand. The hand he had touched. Even now it still tingled, her heart still raced, and she was still confused. She stopped just short of the edge of the trees that surrounded the glade. The moonlight poured onto the dark green grass, and the wind rustled through the leaves, the breeze soft and cool on her arms. She could smell the thick scent of honeyroses in the air and, far off, the soggy reek of the Malia River.
Obi-Wan caught up to her and moved to her right. She looked over at him. He peered through the trees at the glade, the light from the moon shining on his hair, the green and gold flickers of the Katarra as they gathered glimmering across his face. He turned and looked over at her.
Onara's throat tightened as he gazed into her eyes. Yes, she was very confused because she was not supposed to be feeling this way. Not at all. As she continued to look at him, he moved closer. He lowered his head and his mouth just brushed her ear as he whispered into it.
"Would it be best if we stayed here?" he asked.
Onara closed her eyes as his warm breath flowed across her ear. She was tempted to move her head a little closer, just so he could touch her ear with his lips, but she didn't. Instead she opened her eyes and nodded.
"I'm not sure how they will react to us," she said softly. "It would be best, I think, if we were to remain here."
Obi-Wan returned her nod and moved away. He looked back out at the glade. Onara clenched her hand. No, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. But it was. She had wanted him to kiss her ear. And more. She quickly looked away from him and out at the glade.
There were at least a dozen of both male and female Katarra flying about. When she was a little girl there had been hundreds of them, so it was true the war had decimated their population. She would speak to her father about it and see if something could be done to increase their numbers. They were very important to the Ahjane ecosystem.
As Onara watched she saw they were beginning to pair up. It didn't happen right away, however. The golden colored females tended to be quite selective and, if they did not care for a male, quickly flew away, seeking another.
Because there were so few Katarra, the Dance wasn't as awe-inspiring as it had been when there had been hundreds of them dancing, but it was still beautiful. Onara held her breath, watching as they floated and drifted and glided away and around and towards each other.
Looking over at Obi-Wan she saw he appeared completely entranced but, she thought sadly, he was not seeing the Dance as it should have been. Feeling her eyes on him, he looked over at her and smiled. Onara returned his smile, then looked back out at the glade.
Now all the Katarra were finally paired. Then she noted there were three stragglers, a female and two males. The males darted about the female, both competing for her attention. Finally, the female chose one. The remaining male flew about still hoping to find a mate, but there were no more females left and, with what looked to Onara like a melancholy flicker of his green- lighted wings, he flew off alone into the forest. The rest of the paired Katarra were also flying away and soon, the glade was empty.
Obi-Wan turned to Onara. "What happens now?"
Onara laughed softly. "They've all gone off to mate, of course. They'll do it all night. Then the females will fly away to lay their eggs in new colonies."
"And the males?"
Onara cleared her throat. "Ummm, well, I'm afraid they all die after mating with the females."
She suppressed a smile as a grimace crossed Obi-Wan's face.
"Oh, I see." He frowned. "That seems to be customary in a great many species."
Onara shrugged. "What else is a male good for?"
Then she laughed to let him know she was joking. He smiled at her as he moved closer.
"Did I hear you right? That they will mate all night?" he asked.
Onara nodded, painfully aware of how close he was standing to her, of how she could hear his breath as it moved in and out of his lungs, feel the heat rising from his body even through his clothes, and how his scent was a mixture of both his natural masculine musk and something that reminded her of incense.
"Yes," she whispered, her throat working, as she gazed up at him. "They will mate all night."
"Interesting," he murmured as he moved closer.
Onara swallowed heavily. "P-p-p-perhaps, we should be getting back," she stammered. "It'll be dawn soon."
She moved to turn away but Obi-Wan grabbed her arm. His touch sent a shockwave through her.
"It won't be dawn for hours, Onara."
"Really?" she said. "I...I wasn't aware of that. But, you must be tired. It's been such a long day. For both of us."
"I'm not tired. Are you?" he asked, his voice full of concern.
"No, no," Onara answered quickly. "I'm not tired at all. I'm too...too.."
She stopped and bit her lip. Although they were no longer in the bridal chamber, she was still alone with him, in a moon-washed glade in the middle of a dark forest. They could just as well perform the blessing ceremony here, she realized, both of them lying on the soft, star-sparkled grass, their arms about each other, only the moon as witness as they....
Onara quickly blinked away the passionate image that had blossomed in her mind. An unwelcome blush crept into her cheeks. Where had such a thought come from? She looked at Obi-Wan. He was peering intently at her. As he continued to look silently at her, his hand clasped about her arm, she noted his gaze moving from her eyes to her shoulders and down to her breasts. Then he looked back into her face. Onara's cheeks burned hotter. She quickly lowered her eyes, her thoughts whirling.
"You're trembling, Onara," Obi-Wan noted, his moonfilled eyes gazing down at her. "Are you cold?"
Onara mutely shook her head. The breeze had gotten cooler as the night wore on, but it wasn't the night air that was making her tremble. It was him. Onara had never had a sweetheart or a lover. She had spent her entire life trying to live up to the expectations of her father and grandmother and had had no time for such things.
But here, in the dark forest of her childhood, with the moon's light streaming like a river of ivory onto her and this Jedi whom she had swore she would not let touch her, she felt herself overwhelmed with emotions she had never imagined feeling.
However, as Obi-Wan continued to hold her arm and look deep into her eyes, Onara remained silent, revealing nothing of what she felt. Then, she saw something move behind his eyes as if he, like she, had weighed his options and come to a conclusion. He released her arm.
"You're right. We'd best be getting back," he said.
Onara stared at him for a moment, then nodded. They turned and made their way to her father's manor.
-----------------
As Obi-Wan walked alongside Onara it took all of his Jedi training to regain his composure. Because, as he had stood beside her watching the mating dance of the Katarra, a part of his awareness had been on the glade, but another part had been focused on her. He had been conscious of everything about her; the rise and fall of her breasts as she took in and released a breath, the stirring of her hair as the wind played with it, the color of her skin in the moonlight, the way she unconsciously licked and bit her full, ripe lips, the sweet scent of her body. And, when she had turned to go back to the manor, he had not known until he did so that he was going to reach out for her. He had grabbed her arm, wanting....
Obi-Wan shook his head. He wasn't sure what he had wanted. He frowned. No, that wasn't true. He knew exactly what he had wanted. He had wanted to pull her to him, kiss her mouth and see if her lips were as warm and sweet as they looked, feel the softness of her body pressed tight against his as it had been when they had landed on the ground outside the manor.
But he hadn't kissed her. First, because Onara was a married woman, or would be come morning. Second, he was a Jedi Knight, sworn to the Jedi Order and to the service of the Republic. Third, he was master to an apprentice who, with each passing day, was becoming more powerful and, therefore, more of a handful. And, most importantly, she had made it quite clear she did not want him in that way. He sighed and, as he walked next to her, looked up at the sky. Iron-colored clouds raced across the stars and moon, but he noted they were becoming thicker and longer.
"It's going to rain, Onara."
She glanced up. "Really? It doesn't look like it."
"I can feel it. However, we should make it back to the manor before it does."
"Good. I hate being wet."
Obi-Wan was about to tell her so did he, when he stopped. While he and Onara had been in the woods he had sensed much of the wildlife around them. It had been primarily small nocturnal creatures flying through the air in search of prey or digging blindly in the dirt for grubs. But what he sensed now was something different. Something larger.
"Onara, are there any predators in these woods?"
She had stopped when he had. She looked up at him.
"Predators? No, there haven't been any dangerous animals in the forest for years. Why do you ask?"
"I sense something."
"What?"
"I don't know," Obi-Wan said as he slowly turned around. "What's odd is that I'm not sensing it through the Force, but I can hear it. It's very near and it's following us."
Onara glanced nervously around. "Following us?" She moved closer to him. Then she gasped.
"Oh, no!" she cried as she reached over and clutched his arm.
"What?"
"I just remembered! When I arrived home from the Cloister the other day, Simtro mentioned the valkons."
"The valkons?"
Onara nodded, her eyes wide and bright with fear.
"They're carnivores. They live in the Larab Mountains beyond the Malia River. However, because of the war, Simtro said it looked as if some of them had been displaced from their habitat and had crossed the river. He said their spoor had been seen in the forests."
Obi-Wan quickly unhooked his lightsaber.
"Stay close to me," he told her as he took her arm and led her through the trees.
Onara fell into step beside him.
"What are these valkons like?" he asked her.
"They're man-sized," Onara panted as she struggled to keep up with him, "and covered with thick black fur. And they have a long snout filled with sharp teeth."
"Do they hunt in packs?"
Onara shook her head. "They're solitary hunters. But, they're fast. Very fast."
Obi-Wan nodded and that's when the darkness roared and crashed into him, knocking him to the ground.
To be continued....