Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
T W I N S A B E R S
Chapter Nine
Composed by, The Nova Scribes
Aln-Mai reclined on his bed, relaxing after having taken a refreshing shower, enjoying the feeling of cool air on his skin. He was immersed in an epic novel that he had borrowed from the Jedi Academy's library. Although Aln-Mai was partial to history, he enjoyed fiction every now and again.
He was considering a nap when there was a knock on the door, bringing him out of his thoughts. He set the book down, carefully marking his place and grabbed an open-necked robe from his wardrobe, quickly pulling it on. He depressed the button next to the door, and it swooshed open to reveal Kir, looking somewhat excited and pleased.
"Hi, Kir. Did you just finish your training session with Tionne?" he asked.
"Yes. It was a very good lesson, as well. I have a better understanding of the Force and how it relates to me," she answered, her tail curling slightly. This was her third lesson with Tionne, and she was learning everything she possible could about the study of the Force.
"Hang on, I've got to finish getting dressed," Aln-Mai said, closing the door and quickly grabbing a comfortable brown tunic. He retrieved his lightsaber from a high shelf by levitating it down, and clipping it to his belt, he opened the door again.
"Hey, what would you say about going on a little excursion?" Aln-Mai asked.
Kir's ears perked up, and she looked somewhat interested. "What kind of excursion?"
"Well, I want to make some sort of sheath for my lightsaber, because I'm going to develop a bruise on my right knee if it hangs where it is now," Aln-Mai said.
"Where will you find the materials to make a sheath?" Kir asked.
Aln-Mai winked. "We'll have to go find them." He walked out of his room and down the hallway, heading towards the exit to the jungle. Kir followed, her curiosity piqued.
"By the way, do you have your knife on you?" Aln-Mai asked as he turned a corner, coming into the main entryway.
"Yes, it is in my bag," Kir said, now extremely keen to know what Aln-Mai had planned. Her left ear flicked, betraying her interest.
Aln-Mai walked outside, stepping into the bright mid-afternoon sunlight. He scanned the skies for a moment, then cupped his hands and gave a long, shrieking call. Almost instantly, a figure detached itself from the upper trees surrounding the temple and streaked toward Aln-Mai. Kir recognized the figure; it was the bird-being, Turro, whom she had met several days before.
Turro alighted in front of Aln-Mai, glancing at Kir then back at him.
"What is it, Tek?" Turro asked, and Kir wondered who he was talking to.
"Want to tag along? I've got to find some mynocks for clothing material," Aln-Mai said, "and why do you insist on calling me Tek?"
Turro ruffled his feathers, a twinkle in his eye. "Just my nickname for you, Aln-Mai. One less syllable, too." Kir realized that 'Tek' must be a shortened version of Aln-Mai's last name, Tekmi.
"Sharpened your talons recently?" Aln-Mai asked.
"Just this morning. I also happen to know of a cave near here. Follow me," Turro said, before taking flight and circling upward.
"Try to keep up; Turro's going to go pretty fast," Aln-Mai said, holding his lightsaber so it wouldn't fall off. He began to jog, Kir keeping pace easily. A bird-like call, similar to the one Aln-Mai had made, echoed down through the canopy, and Kir spotted a flying form through the leafy ceiling.
"Here we go!" Aln-Mai said, beginning to sprint away, obviously using the Force to aid his speed. Kir abandoned all pretense of propriety and dropped to all fours, hoping that neither Aln-Mai nor Turro knew that it was somewhat childish within her culture to be seen racing thus. She began to leap after Aln-Mai, realizing that she could keep pace without too much difficulty.
Aln-Mai continued to run through the dense forest, making surprising jumps over fallen trees and thick undergrowth. Kir leaped over them as well, digging her claws into the wood and launching herself forward. She ran slightly behind Aln-Mai, marking where he was going so she wouldn't fall behind.
The bird-like calling would echo through the trees ever so often, and Aln-Mai would change direction, heading toward the noise. Kir continued to follow him, half-wondering to herself if Aln-Mai did this every day when he went for a run.
Minutes later, Aln-Mai began to slow down slightly, and the calls grew different in their pitch. Kir surmised that they must be getting closer to the cave that Turro had mentioned.
Aln-Mai pushed his way through a large thicket, and emerging on the other side, Kir spotted Turro standing in front of an ominous black hole in a rock face, leading into the side of what appeared to be a small mountain.
"Okay, just remember, we only need two or three. Let's try not to attract the whole flock," Aln-Mai said, igniting one end of his lightsaber and going first into the cave.
Kir followed uncertainly, Turro bringing up the rear. She reached into her bag and found the hilt of her ornamental dagger, grasping it tightly. Turro walked up next to her, fidgeting slightly.
"Um...about the other day...sorry that I startled you," Turro mumbled, looking at the ground as he spoke. His speech was musical and lilting, Kir noticed for the first time, and he tended to whistle on 's'.
"There was no lasting harm done to me, and Aln-Mai was not upset about his book," Kir replied, still watching her surroundings, trying to peer through the darkness by the light of Aln-Mai's saber.
"What exactly are we doing?" Kir asked Turro, glancing at him, the fur on her tail beginning to fluff as her senses went on full alert.
"We're hunting mynocks," Turro said. "They're carnivores mostly, but they'll eat just about anything, including each other and even industrial material."
"Why are we hunting them?" Kir asked, looking around again.
"The fabric of their wings make excellent material for clothing, and if you condition it, it will make a rather good belt or other binding," Turro explained. "It's used a lot by students for that purpose."
"So what do you use the rest of the animal for?" Kir asked.
"You don't. You sever the wings and leave the rest of it. The other mynocks will eat it," Turro said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Kir's ears went back; she was repulsed. "That's disgusting!" she said, lashing her tail.
"Well, my sympathy for them is limited, since they'll eat you if they get the chance," Turro said.
Kir wasn't paying much attention to where she was going, and she bumped into Aln-Mai's back.
"We're surrounded," Aln-Mai said, holding his lightsaber low and ready to strike.
"I was afraid you'd say that," Turro said, lowering into a defensive crouch, spreading his wings slightly.
Kir peered through the darkness, averting her eyes from Aln-Mai's lightsaber. Her pupils expanded, and suddenly she could see hundreds of winged creatures dotting the walls. She tightened her grip on her dagger, the hackles on her neck rising.
"Turro, grab one for Kir, she'll get its wings. I'll get another. Hopefully we can leave before the scent of blood gets them all going," Aln-Mai said, bracing himself. He spared just one moment to catch half a breath… "Now," he said, and both he and Turro made sharp movements with their hands.
Two of the creatures detached themselves from the wall, both obviously attempting to return to their perches but being pulled through the air by an invisible force.
As soon as the first one was within reach, Aln-Mai swung his lightsaber up and severed both wings from the creature in one swift white-arched movement. The creature dropped to the earth, and a purplish blood began to ooze where Aln-Mai had cut it. He deactivated his lightsaber and quickly gathered up the wings.
The second mynock landed right in front of Kir, and was pinned to the ground by Turro's talons, it's wings outstretched. Kir quickly placed her knife under the wing joint where it joined the body and sliced it in two.
She quickly severed the other, and Turro picked up the two wings, folding them and handing them to Aln-Mai, who placed them in a cloth wrapping that he had brought with him.
"Let's get out of here," Aln-Mai said, pointing the way back to the speck of light that was the exit of the cave. Kir began to walk towards the light, but a flurry of wings made her stop in her tracks, hackles rising further.
"Go!" Aln-Mai said, tossing the cloth wrapped bundle to Turro and re-igniting his lightsaber. He swung up above himself, slicing a descending mynock in half. Kir could see dozens of mynocks detaching themselves from the walls, dive-bombing the trio and emitting shrieks as they were cut down.
Kir slashed at a mynock as she ran, severing one wing and causing to drop to the ground. Turro snatched up the wing and continued to run, using the Force to propel creatures backward from him. The cave was too enclosed for him to take to the air, but he managed to sprint all the same toward the exit.
Kir heard Aln-Mai cry out and looked over her shoulder to see Aln-Mai's lightsaber go skittering away across the cave floor, a mynock attached to his arm. Aln-Mai was beating his free hand against the head of the creature, attempting to dislodge it.
"Aln-Mai!" Kir cried in dismay, turning to run back and assist him. She stooped and grabbed his lightsaber as she ran, fumbling for the power stud.
Aln-Mai grunted, and with an enormous effort, he yanked the mynock's head off of his forearm. There was blood soaking his tunic, and it was shredded where the mynock had bitten him. With a colossal push from the Force, he sent the mynock and a dozen others soaring backwards. Aln-Mai clutched his forearm to his chest, continuing to run for the cave exit. Kir pivoted and also ran, having abandoned her attempt to wield Aln-Mai's lightsaber.
"Turro!" Aln-Mai yelled, an unspoken command in his voice. Kir felt a distinct oppressive force building up, the air literally crackling with the power of it. Kir could see Turro standing at the exit, holding both arms out. Just as Kir and Aln-Mai ran past him, there was a tremendous shock wave of pressure, and all the mynocks that had been pursuing Kir and Aln-Mai were hurled forcefully back into the darkness of the cave.
"Let's keep moving!" Aln-Mai said, still holding his bloody forearm. He turned and plunged into the jungle, still running as if the mynocks were pursuing him. Kir again dropped to all fours, placing Aln-Mai's lightsaber in her teeth before following him. Turro picked up the bundle of mynock wings, grasping them in his talons before lifting himself into the air with powerful strokes of his wings.
They ran for several minutes, Turro keeping pace far overhead. The sun dipped low on the horizon, staining the sky a crimson red. When Aln-Mai finally slowed and stopped in a small clearing, he was thoroughly out of breath, and although Kir would not have admitted it, she could not have kept up for much longer.
Turro landed gently next to Aln-Mai, the wrapped bundle dropping to the ground. He went over to Aln-Mai, a stern expression on his face.
"All right, Mr. Heroics, let's have a look," he said.
"Why did we run when they were not chasing us?" Kir asked, having removed Aln-Mai's lightsaber from her jaws.
"Because mynocks are nocturnal. If we stayed next to that cave, we would have been ambushed again. It's not too early at night for them to decide to hunt down an intruder," Aln-Mai said.
Kir watched as Aln-Mai uncovered his forearm. There was a ring of tooth marks on his arm, and the flesh as well as the tunic had been ripped apart by the mynock's bite.
"I have some bandages in my bag," Kir offered.
Aln-Mai shook his head as Turro closed his eyes, passing his hands over Aln-Mai's wound. There was a look of intense concentration on his face, and Kir could feel the Force around her being drawn and directed.
The bite-shaped wound on Aln-Mai's arm slowly stopped bleeding, and to Kir's astonishment, the skin began to close, slowly re-knitting before her very eyes. Both ears perked forward as she watched the wound slowly vanish, leaving nothing but a mangled tunic as evidence of the attack. Turro opened his eyes, and seeing Aln-Mai's healed arm, nodded in satisfaction. Aln-Mai grasped Turro's arm, a silent gesture of thanks.
"How is that possible?" Kir asked.
"Turro has studied the Force in relation to living beings quite extensively. He's learned how to use the Force to mend wounds," Aln-Mai explained, picking up the bundle of wings.
"Let's get back to the temple. Master Skywalker will give us all a reprimand if we're not back before dark," Aln-Mai said, taking his lightsaber from Kir and clipping it on his belt again. The light had all but disappeared from the sky, and Kir knew that they had precious little time to return to the Academy.
They ran as fast as they possibly could, Turro leading the way as he had done before. When they finally broke through the jungle foliage surrounding the Jedi Temple, Master Skywalker was standing at the entrance, his arms folded, a look of knowing on his face.
"Master Skywalker!" Aln-Mai said, obviously trying to explain the situation. "We had gone to see if..."
The Jedi Master held up a hand. "I don't need to hear about your little adventure with the mynocks right now, Aln-Mai. Just go inside. You too, Kir."
Aln-Mai nodded glumly and trooped into the temple, a look of dejection on his face.
"Will you be punished for this?" Kir asked, secretly wondering if there be any consequences for her.
"No, but he'll probably scold me," Aln-Mai said, turning a corner.
"What about Turro?" Kir asked.
"He gets in and out of the temple from the upper levels...Master Skywalker probably knows that he was with us. I imagine that he'll talk to Turro as well."
"At least you obtained what you set out to get," Kir pointed out.
"Yeah..." Aln-Mai said half-heartedly. "If there's any leftover material after I cure it, I'll give it to you, or Turro can have it, if you don't want it."
"Why are you so depressed?" Kir asked, whiskers quivering in mild irritation.
"Because, I want Master Skywalker to think of me as a responsible person, and this little adventure certainly won't have that effect on him," Aln-Mai said, finally reaching the area the housed the students.
"Well, good night," he said as he opened the door to his room, his manner still unhappy.
"Good night, Aln-Mai," Kir said, her tail looping around his wrist in an unconscious gesture of reassuring. He gave her the tiniest of smiles, then let the door close behind him as he entered his quarters.
Kir walked down the halls to her room, pondering the recent events of the last few days. As she thought about it, she could not quench the feeling that she was poised upon the brink of one of the most exciting and challenging times of her life.
A/N: Well, it has definitely been a while since we last posted, but this chapter will hopefully tally well with the previous ones. Tell us what you think!