I'm SO sorry it has taken me so long to update! Time has gotten away from me! Here's the latest.
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Obi-Wan woke up at his usual early hour. He did not feel the least bit rested. His eyes burned and his body cried out for more sleep. Obi-Wan pushed himself up anyway and got into his meditative position. He needed the Force to rejuvenate and calm him, as he didn't want to start his day with the disposition of a rancor. He hadn't slept well at all since the mission began, thanks to a certain padawan, and it was starting to wear on him a bit.
Obi-Wan used to think of himself as a pretty patient person – that is, until he got Anakin as a padawan. As Anakin grew older and more precocious, he wondered more and more where his patience had gone. And he's not even a teenager yet! In actuality, Obi-Wan WAS a patient person, in general. There was just something about his young apprentice that brought out generous amounts of…exasperation.
Qui-Gon had also had the ability to exasperate Obi-Wan at times. He could see similarities between his deceased master and his young padawan. Qui-Gon, however, had never been arrogant – stubborn as an Alderaanian mule, yes, but not arrogant. Anakin was growing more arrogant with time. He was all too aware that his power and skill surpassed that of many padawans older than him.
The fact that Anakin knew that he was thought to be the Chosen One didn't help. That had been an issue where Obi-Wan had completely disagreed with Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon's belief about Anakin being the Chosen One should never have been discussed in front of the boy. If Anakin was to be told at all, it should have been at a time when he was much more mature and grounded in his Jedi training. As it was, Anakin was already using his being the Chosen One as a reason he shouldn't be subject to the same rules and requirements as other padawans. Obi-Wan had to wonder if this was just a taste of what was to come. He shook himself from his thoughts and reached out to the Force.
When Obi-Wan came out of his meditation, he saw that Anakin was still sound asleep. He sighed as he got up. Being a young padawan certainly had its benefits. He knelt beside his apprentice and shook him gently. "Anakin, it's time to get up."
"Hmmm?" Anakin slowly opened his eyes. He stretched lazily. "What time is it?"
"Time for you to get up."
Anakin grinned. "Alright, Master." He sat up and noticed Obi-Wan's bedding under a tree some ways away. "Did you sleep over there?"
"I didn't actually get much sleep."
"But why did you move?" Anakin's voice sounded hurt.
"Because of a certain snoring padawan."
"I do NOT snore!"
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows at that. "I assure you, you do. My imagination could never conjure up sounds like that!"
Anakin pouted slightly. "Why didn't you just roll me over or something?"
"That wouldn't have been enough. You're a rather…violent sleeper, Anakin."
Anakin's face reddened. "What do you mean?"
"I probably have a bruise on my back that's just about the size of your kneecap."
Anakin reddened even more. "Sorry, Master."
Obi-Wan smiled. "I know it wasn't intentional. And at least ONE of us got some rest." He studied his padawan's face. "Your rash looks better."
"Good. It doesn't itch as bad, either."
Obi-Wan stood up. "Come on, let's get going. We can eat our ration bars as we walk."
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It was mid-morning and a light rain was coming down. The drizzle wasn't doing much to alleviate the stifling heat. Obi-Wan was really not enjoying this particular climate. The air felt like a heavy, warm, wet blanket. It made a person constantly feel sticky and sweaty – two things that Obi-Wan loathed.
Anakin was studying the vegetation and creatures surrounding him. He still marveled at the difference in climate and terrain from one planet to the next. So focused was Anakin in his perusal, he didn't notice that Obi-Wan had come to a sudden stop in front of him. He slammed into his master's back, pushing him forward. "Why did we sto-O-O-O-O-P-P-P-P?"
The soggy ground underneath them had suddenly given way. In a blink of an eye, they were careening down a steep, muddy incline. Obi-Wan, being the first one down, was clearing a path through bushes and leafy branches. The speed of his collision with the greenery made it feel like he was being whipped.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably no more than a few seconds, Obi-Wan was deposited in a pool of extremely muddy water. Before he even had time to register that fact, his padawan landed on top of him. Anakin's weight and momentum forced Obi-Wan underwater and deep into the enveloping mud underneath.
Anakin quickly moved to get off his poor master so he could get up for air. He quickly did, sputtering and flinging mud everywhere. Anakin watched as Obi-Wan wiped the mud off his eyes in a jerking motion. Those two blue orbs, stark against a face covered in dark mud, quickly fastened on the apprentice. If looks could kill, Anakin knew that he would now be one with the Force.
Obi-Wan glared at his padawan. "THAT is why I stopped." I will not kill my padawan. I will not kill my padawan.
Anakin looked extremely sheepish. He threw his thundercloud of a master a wan smile. "Well, at least we've cooled off."
"I can think of any number of preferable ways to do that." Obi-Wan looked down at himself. He was covered from head to toe in mud. Anakin fared better having not been torpedoed to the depths as he was. Obi-Wan used the murky water to try and clean off as much mud as he could – especially from his face, beard and hair. He then waded out of the muddy water hole onto more solid, though still soggy, ground. He watched as his filthy apprentice did the same. We are going to make quite a first impression with the scientists.
Considering Obi-Wan's mood, Anakin wasn't sure if he should bring this up or not. "Um, Master, you have some marks on your face."
What now? Obi-Wan dug through his soggy pack for his beard-trimming kit. He pulled out the mirror and looked at his face. He grimaced at the reflection gazing back at him. Dirty as his face and neck still were, he could clearly see a few nasty, red welts – courtesy of the flora he'd encountered on his little trek down the hill. "Beautiful." Okay, I officially hate the jungle!
Obi-Wan dug out the med kit, grumbling under his breath. He applied bacta gel to the welts and quickly stuffed things back into his pack. "Let's go. At this rate, we're not going to make it to the research station until tomorrow." He turned back to Anakin. "Kindly pay attention to where you are going. And know that if I've suddenly stopped, that I probably have a good reason."
"Yes, Master." Boy, was Obi-Wan in a bad mood! It wasn't THAT bad! It was actually kind of fun! Of course, Anakin wasn't the one who was hit by all the plants on the way down. And he wasn't the one shoved way down into the mud by another body landing on him. But still, it could've been worse!
Obi-Wan noticed that the rain had stopped. Just when they could have used a good downpour to help clean them off! He looked up. Force, can one thing please go right? Just one? Is that asking so much? After walking a ways further, Obi-Wan stopped. He motioned for Anakin to move off to the side, further into the greenery. He quickly followed. /Anakin, I sense a presence nearby – more than one, actually. Stay as quiet as you can and follow me./
/Okay, Master. Who do you think they are/
/I don't know, Padawan. But I somehow doubt they're a welcoming party./
