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Obi-Wan dug through his pack for the med kit. "Anakin, stop scratching!"

"I can't! I've never itched so bad in my life!"

"Out of all the plants in this jungle, you had to pick the poisonous one!" Obi-Wan picked through the med kit, looking for something that might help his padawan.

"I didn't do it on purpose! Believe me, this in NOT my idea of a good time!"

Obi-Wan threw Anakin a bottle. "Put that on. It should help with the itch." While his padawan lathered himself with lotion, Obi-Wan took the opportunity to scan through the directions again. They were on track, but were not making good time.

"Alright, Master, I'm done." Anakin did feel better, but the urge to scratch was still strong.

"Do not scratch anymore. You'll just make it worse." Obi-Wan had to work really hard not to smile at the sight his padawan presented. His face, neck and hands were covered by a nasty, red rash. On top of that was a chalky-white layer from the lotion.

Obi-Wan put the lotion back into the med kit and shoved the kit into his pack. "Before we go, look around and see if you can find the kind of plant that did this to you." He followed behind Anakin as he searched.

"There, Master. That big bush."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Good. Now I know what to avoid. Let's get going."

Anakin suppressed a groan. All he wanted to do right now was take a bath in anti-itch lotion. I hate the jungle!

A couple of hours later, they stopped to eat. Obi-Wan suddenly felt a tingle of a warning from the Force.

Anakin's eyes went wide as a snake seemingly came out of nowhere to hang right behind his master. He didn't even have a chance to let out a warning. Instantly, there was a green flash as Obi-Wan whipped his lightsaber around in a graceful arc. Anakin blinked in wonder. Obi-Wan hadn't so much as glanced behind him or changed his seating position by an inch!

Obi-Wan now took the opportunity to look behind him. A green, headless snake now lay in a large pile of coils on the ground. He let out a breath. That's the biggest bloody snake I've ever seen!

Anakin scooted over to take a look. "Look at the size of that thing! He was big enough to eat you for lunch!"

"So I see."

"That snake didn't stand a chance, though, fast as you moved!" Anakin grinned proudly.

Obi-Wan gave Anakin an ironic smile. "It might have if the Force hadn't of warned me." He glanced back at the deceased creature. "Snake meat, anyone?"

Anakin threw Obi-Wan a horrified look. "No, thank you, Master!"

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Obi-Wan wiped the sweat off his forehead for the umpteenth time. His damp clothes were plastered to his skin. The late afternoon sun was mostly blocked by the foliage, but it was still hot and extremely muggy. He yearned for a nice, cool shower in a nice, clean fresher.

After walking a while longer, Obi-Wan entered into a clearing. A smile crept onto his face to see the small pond settled into a rather idyllic setting. The pond was being fed by a trickling stream. All around it were blooming flowers and hanging vines. Birds chirped happily and other creatures seemed to make sounds of contentment. "Thank the Force!"

Anakin came to stand beside Obi-Wan. "It's beautiful here! I haven't seen anything so pretty since leaving Naboo."

"I agree. Are you up for a swim?"

"No, thank you, Master. I don't want to wash off the one thing that's keeping me from tearing off my skin."

"Suit yourself. While I'm cooling off, why don't you fill up our canteens from that small waterfall?"

"Alright, Master."

Obi-Wan pulled off his boots and his tunic. He waded into the water and quickly went under. The water felt wonderful! He came back to the surface and floated for a while. There wasn't much time to dilly-dally, but he was going to savor these few moments.

Obi-Wan reluctantly stood up and walked back onto the shore. He noticed Anakin studying him, wide-eyed. "What?"

"Master, there's something on you – or should I say, some THINGS."

Obi-Wan looked down at his arms and his chest. He was covered in little, black, slimy creatures. Leeches! He tried very hard not to panic. He quickly started picking off the little parasites. "Padawan, will you kindly pull the unwanted guests off my back?"

"Eeew, Master! How can you be so calm with those things sucking on you like that?"

Because somehow, I think that my running around and screaming for you to get them off of me just might diminish me in your eyes. "Discipline." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at his own answer. I'm really beginning to hate the jungle.

Anakin quickly brushed the leeches off his master's back and neck, trying not to touch them any more than necessary. "I think that's all of them."

There were red marks all over Obi-Wan's skin where the leeches had latched on. Obi-Wan grimaced. "I better go make sure there aren't any more hiding anywhere else." As he walked into the surrounding greenery, he sincerely hoped that the start of this mission was not an indicator of how the rest of the mission would play out.

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"Master, can we stop for the night?" Anakin was tired, itchy, cranky and wet. It had been raining for the last hour and all of the anti-itch cream had been washed away.

"We will soon, Anakin. We need to find the right spot." Obi-Wan was grateful for the rain. It was helping to keep him cool and refreshed. He certainly had no intentions of entering another body of water on this planet, so rain was his best bet. Obi-Wan brushed his wet hair out of his eyes. He kept his eyes peeled for a good place to bed down.

"This will do." Obi-Wan pointed out a spot underneath a huge tree. The large leaves created a kind of canopy that helped to keep the rain at bay.

"Finally!" Anakin threw himself down on the ground. "May I have the anti-itch lotion again, Master?"

Obi-Wan dug the lotion out and handed it to his apprentice. Mirth now danced in his eyes. "This has certainly been a memorable mission so far, hasn't it?"

Anakin couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, it has! I just hope we can have an uneventful night's sleep."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Agreed." While Anakin went off to find a hopefully non-poisonous bush, Obi-Wan made up a bed of leaves. He laid his cloak over the leaves and nestled in for the night. He had the feeling that he wasn't going to sleep well. The humidity was stifling. Eyes closed, Obi-Wan could hear Anakin gathering leaves for his own bed. His eyes popped open as his padawan's weight landed on his arm.

"Oh, sorry, Master."

"Anakin, is there a reason you are sleeping so very CLOSE?"

"This jungle is not friendly, Master. We should stick close together."

"Close does not have to mean ATTACHED." Obi-Wan inched away from his skittish apprentice.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tried to relax. Within just a few minutes, he could sense Anakin was asleep. He steadied his breathing and welcomed the hazy feeling of nearing slumber. A sharp, snorting sound brought Obi-Wan promptly back to alertness. He turned to find his padawan in a deep slumber, mouth partially open.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes as Anakin snorted again loudly. Anakin then settled into a more steady and exceedingly annoying snore. Obi-Wan moved onto his side, back towards his noisy apprentice. He tried covering his exposed ear. That barely even muted the cacophony.

Obi-Wan had managed to get to sleep before Anakin on both nights while onboard the garbage scow. That had been the only way he had gotten ANY sleep. And even then, he'd been woken up a few times. Obi-Wan now lay wide-awake, sleep an elusive wish. He turned to lie on his back again. I need to add earplugs to my list of things to pack for a mission.

Obi-Wan finally, finally started to drift off. He had been asleep for no more than five minutes when, SMACK! His eyes flew open and focused enough to show Anakin's arm flung across his chest. Grumbling quietly, Obi-Wan not-so-gently moved the arm back over to its owner. Unfortunately, it didn't wake the slumbering apprentice.

Still grumbling, Obi-Wan turned back onto his side. After Force-only-knows how long, he was finally able to get to sleep. "Umph." Obi-Wan came awake at a sharp pain in his back. He turned to find Anakin's knee nearly imbedded in his spine. "That is IT!" He got up, picked up his cloak and tossed it to the side. He grabbed his leaves in a big wad and moved them over to another nearby tree. He laid them out, threw down his cloak and plopped himself down.

Fully awake and now very irritated, Obi-Wan decided to reach out to the Force and release his emotions. He paused as an even louder chorus of snores filtered through the air. One. Two. Three. Four. Five…