Desert Mishaps
AN: While this story can be read without reading the others, it is a prequel to some of the characters of "The Unsung Hero" and can be considered a sequel to "Beyond this Night".
I do not own any of Star Wars, it all belongs to George Lucas and Lucasfilms. However, Arianna, Saber, Katri, Derin and Jett Narabe are my own characters and are not to be used without permission.
I also had this posted just the other day, but after I did, I realized I made a few grammatical mistakes, so I will add the reviews from before with this new edited version.
"Settle down. No no…Saber!" Eleven year old Ari tried to get the small candido pup to stop squirming in her arms. "If you don't behave, Dad won't let me keep you," she tried to warn the canine. In response, the sand colored candido just licked her hand.
Ari was sitting in the back of the speeder with her six year old brother, Jett, while her mother Katri, piloted the speeder. Their father was in Mos Eisley on business, getting what he needed for their moisture farm.
While usually moisture farming required a lot of time and energy, it was not the harvest season, which meant there was some time for other activities aside from work. It was because of this spare time that the two children and Katri were piloting to the Lars' moisture farm, which was next to their own.
The feisty candido Ari was holding had been found just days before by Ari's father, Derin, when he had gone to Anchorhead. The pup had been wandering the streets, barely old enough to be on her own. He had felt bad for the animal and also thought about the good it could do on the farm, in case the Sand People got too close. He had told Ari the pup's large paws proved she would grow to be a fairly large size.
Ari had immediately been drawn to this pup, considering it more of a pet than anything else. She had wanted to name the candido Lightsaber, even though it was discouraged to speak of Jedi. It was because of that her parents told her to choose a different name. After a little thought, Ari decided to name the pup Saber, she claimed it was because it had the same color coat as saber tooth sand panthers. In her mind though, she kept the name Lightsaber, but no one else had to know that.
When they pulled up to the Lars' home, Ari got out with some difficulty since she was trying to hold Saber at the same time. When the pup tried to jump from her arms, she lost balance as she climbed over the edge and fell into a small pile of sand while Saber went trotting around on still wobbly puppy legs, tail wagging hard, and tongue panting.
"Saber," Ari muttered as she got to her feet, brushing the sand off of her. Even after a few years, she was not used to all the sand on this planet.
"Ari, are you alright?" Katri asked. She had one bag over her shoulder and was holding Jett by the hand.
"Yes," she answered as she scooped up Saber before the pup could cause any more trouble.
"We really should have left her at home," Katri remarked.
"No, I want to show her to Luke," Ari answered. That had been the reason she had brought Saber. She thought it might be fun, since neither of them had ever owned a pet before.
"Alright, well then keep a close eye on her. You don't want her to get into any trouble."
Ari nodded as she shifted the pup once more in her arms. She knew that if Saber was too much trouble, her father would not let the candido stay, so she had to make sure the pup behaved.
"Katri," Beru came up the stairs when she heard the sound of the speeder, then her smile turned to the two children. "Ari, Jett, it is good to see you both as well."
"It is good to see you," Ari greeted her. "Look! We got a pet!" She held up the wiggling ball of fur, whose tail was wagging.
"Adorable. What is his name?" Beru asked.
"He is a girl. Her name is Saber. Dad wants to keep her to chase away Sand People, but not until she is older," Ari remarked. "I wanted to show her to Luke, is he here?"
"Yes. Windy is here too. I am sure they would love to see Saber," Beru told her. "Why don't you all come in? It looks like it is going to be a warm day." She paused and lifted her hand to protect them from the glare of the twin suns, looking out over the desert. "We might get a sand storm too, but I don't think it will be a bad one," she added. The Narabes were still not completely used to sand storms and the raids that the Sand People sometimes made on the moisture farms. They were learning quickly though and adapting more and more each day.
Ari gave a nod to the two women, hurried down the stairs and then through the home to Luke's room, Saber in tow. She knew the pup wanted to explore but she had made a promise to her mother to be on her best behavior and keep Saber out of trouble. She would do so because she wanted to keep the candido.
As she came to Luke's room she could hear two familiar voices, Luke's and Windy's. Windy was a son of a moisture farmer that also lived nearby. There were not many youths in the area, but Ari knew of three others. Deak was another boy around the same age as Windy, and he lived on the other side of Anchorhead. The second youth was Camie, who the only other girl around Ari's age in the area. The other boy was Biggs Darklighter, who was a few years older than Ari and Luke. However, Biggs and Luke were quite close from what Ari had seen. They planned on joining the Academy together as soon as they were both old enough. Ari had never been interested in the Academy, which was good since they did not accept females. However, she had dreams of leaving Tatooine, as she knew the rest of her family did too.
"Hey Luke, Windy," she called as she entered Luke's room. They were on the floor playing a game from the looks of it.
"Oh hi," Luke greeted her with a smile, though he let it fade slightly when Windy glanced at him. Sometimes Windy and Deak would tease Luke about Ari being his girlfriend.
"Hello," Windy greeted her as well after giving a smirk in Luke's direction, and then he glanced at Saber.
"This is our new pet! Well, she is supposed to scare off the Sand People when she gets older."
"What is it?" Luke asked as Ari set Saber on the floor. The candido looked at the two boys and then sauntered over to Luke.
"A candido," Ari replied as Luke pet the pup. "Her name is Saber."
"Saber?" Windy repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, Saber," she replied, in matter of fact tone. She liked the name and would not change her mind. As it was, the candido was already answering to that name.
"I think it is a good name," Luke complimented then gave a small laugh as the pup started to lick his fingers.
Ari smiled at this and picked up Saber once more. "Thank you."
There was a moment of silence between the three of them, almost an uncomfortable silence. Neither Luke nor Windy invited her to join their game, nor did Ari just want to sit down without an invitation.
"Well, it was good to see you Ari, but Luke and I have things to do," Windy told her after a moment.
"Like what?" Ari countered. She was dressed in similar pants and tunics like they were, yet she often felt like an outsider since she had only been there three years and all the others had lived on Tatooine their entire lives. Not only did she feel like an outsider, but the youths often treated her differently too.
"We can't tell you," Windy countered. "Boys only," he declared.
Ari frowned and looked over at Luke, who looked somewhat torn. He could be nice, but he was the nicest when it was just the two of them. With others around, he acted differently. While he had grown up on Tatooine, sometimes he was treated like an outcast, which Ari could not understand.
Just as she was about to speak up, she heard her mother calling her from the kitchen area and Ari sighed. Shifting Saber, she left the room and went to see her mother.
Katri was sitting at the kitchen table with Beru, both sipping some blue substance from cups in front of them while Jett sat on the floor, playing with a few of his toys.
"Do you remember that bolt of fabric I said I was bringing? I looked in the bag but did not see it. Can you look and see if it is in the speeder?" she asked. "I hate to take you away from your friends, but it is much easier for you to look under the seats."
Ari nodded and set Saber down with Jett, then hurried outside. She wanted to get back to Windy and Luke to find out what they were planning. She was a bit upset her mother had called her away, but she had been right. She could find a lot of things if they were missing and could easily slip into places, like under speeder seats. She had to squint as she found herself under the heat of the twin suns again. While she was getting more used to the heat and brightness, it was still difficult some days, especially bright ones like this.
Climbing into the speeder, Ari searched the floor and then under the seats before finding the small bolt of fabric. Sliding back out from under the seat, she brushed herself off. There was always sand no matter where Ari went and it seemed to always be clinging to her clothes.
As she stood up to jump out, she saw Luke and Windy outside, walking rapiedly away from the house. They were so busy glancing to make sure no one was coming after them that neither of them saw Ari.
Ducking low, she watched them carefully to see which direction they were going and until she had long enough to get back to the kitchen without them seeing. Once Luke and Windy seemed certain they would not be caught and stopped glancing over their shoulder, Ari grabbed the fabric and bolted back inside.
"Here," she handed the fabric to her mother and then grabbed Saber, who was dozing as young animals do. However, the candido allowed herself to be picked up and just snuggled in Ari's arms before closing her eyes again.
Ari started to run to the stairs that led outside when her mother spoke up. "Ari, where are you going in such a hurry?"
Pausing, Ari tried to think of what to say. "Just to play with Windy and Luke," she replied and then dashed out before Katri could stop her again or try to convince her to bring Jett with her. She did love her brother, but it would be impossible to catch up with them if he came too.
She continued to run, even though it was hard to do on sand. Her boots slid slightly in the sand, taking more effort to run than it would if she was on more solid ground. Saber gave a few whimpers as the pup felt the somewhat unsteady footsteps of the young girl. "Shh, it is okay," Ari told the candido as she continued. Luke and Windy had been walking and it was possible she could catch up. She could still see them and she was quickly shortening the distance between herself and them. However, that meant if they turned they would see her as well.
As it was, it was not long until Windy glanced over his shoulder. When he saw her, Ari was close enough to see his shoulders slump as he turned to Luke and said something to him.
Luke turned as well and saw that was catching up to them. However, he did not look upset like Windy did. She saw them say a few things to each other, but she could not hear them. The wind was blowing, scattering their words all over. Even as she got closer, it was hard to hear what they were saying.
Their body language said it all though. Windy did not want Ari coming and Luke was trying to convince him that she should be allowed to come.
As she neared them, panting due to the heat and running after them, she managed a small smile. "Hi," she greeted them as she took a few deep breaths of the dry, hot air.
"Oh great, she brought the animal," Windy groaned.
"Well…she is…coming…" Ari replied as she started to finally catch her breath. She was still getting used to having so little humidity in the air. It felt as if it dried her throat even more with each breath she took.
"Well, then it is not my fault if she gets eaten by a krayt dragon," Windy replied and Ari just rolled her eyes. He had been spending some time at Tosche Station with the Laze Loneozner, who understandably went by the nickname The Fixer, who was about twelve years older than them. However, Windy had adopted him as an idol and was apparently trying to act like him. She was sure this was the case, because while Windy had teased her before, he had never been this rude. The Fixer was the only one would be so rude.
"So where are we going?" Ari asked.
"There are some wild dewbacks in the area and we want to go check them out," Luke replied before Windy could make any more smart remarks.
"Really?" Ari asked. She had seen a few tame dewbacks from a distance when they had first arrived on Tatooine and she had always wanted to see one close up. They were large lizard creatures, but unlike their cousins the krayt dragons, dewbacks were omnivores instead of strictly carnivores. They also were said not to be as aggressive and were used as mounts by some farmers for hauling different materials.
"Yes, but you have to stay quiet," Windy told her. "And don't let it make any noise," he motioned to Saber.
"She has a name," Ari muttered, but decided not the press the issue. "So where are the dewbacks?" she asked after they started to walk. She did not know the area well and knew if she was on her own, she might end up going in circles.
"Somewhere between here and Jawa Heights," Luke remarked. "We don't know where exactly, but they should be in that area."
"Wait, how can there be a group? I was told they live on their own. Not in a herd or a pack or anything," Ari remarked.
"They come together once a year for mating season. Guess what, this mating season," Windy answered, not pausing in step at all.
Ari nodded, shifting Saber in her arms. Maybe it was not wise to bring her, but what could she do now? They couldn't go back, and she refused to miss out on such an adventure.
The trio continued to travel northeast toward a rocky area known as Jawa Heights. Ari was not certain as to why some of the places had certain names, but this name was not too difficult to figure out. She assumed that Jawas might have been there at some point though she had been told they were nomads, much like the Sand People, just less dangerous.
The relentless suns were beating on them for the hour that they hiked and Ari wished she had brought water. While the two boys did not complain, she could tell they were hot as well. Saber was panting, clearly wishing for more shade than the young girl could offer.
Just when Ari wondered if Windy was wrong as they went over yet another sand dune, the three of them paused and then they all took a small step back in surprise. Ari knew she was staring, but seeing a whole heard of dewbacks was amazing.
Some where sleeping while sunning themselves while others were moving around almost lazily. They were much larger than Ari had thought they would be, but she was not afraid of them. They looked gentle and she wished she could pet one, but knew that would not happen. While not aggressive, she, Luke, or Windy could be hurt if the animals got scared; after all, they were wild.
Moving in a line, Windy leading, Luke in the middle, Ari following, still holding Saber, they snuck along side some of the creatures, keeping as low as they could as to not be seen. They were going to try to get a bit closer to the animals without scaring them, if that was possible.
"Look at that one," Luke motioned to one that looked a bit larger than the others. It made a strange rumbling sound in its throat.
"That is the biggest one I have seen," Windy remarked.
"I have always wanted to ride on one," Ari admitted.
"Well, we could," Windy replied and looked closely at the large dewback.
"Windy, they could crush us," Ari insisted, forcing herself to speak quietly so they could not be heard. She shifted Saber once again. Her arms were getting tired from holding the candido, but she worried about setting the pup down. Saber might scare the dewbacks and then there might be some type of stampede.
"You're such a baby," Windy muttered and Ari frowned at this.
"I am not," Ari protested.
"Prove it," Windy replied.
"Fine, I will," Ari answered.
"Go jump onto that dewback," he dared, pointing to the largest one. Ari paused and looked at it. Then she glanced at the Luke and Windy again.
"You both have to come with me," she decided.
"What?" Windy looked surprised while Luke looked almost amused.
"Well, if I do it and you don't, it will prove that you are the baby, not me," Ari replied simply.
"I'll do it," Luke offered and Ari smiled over at him, which he returned. She was glad he was there to back her up, though she had a feeling he did not think it was a good idea.
"So what do you say?" Ari asked Windy, who look from them to the dewback and back to Ari.
"Alright," he finally nodded though it was clear he had not been expecting to be forced to join her. In fact, he had not planned on her even taking such a dare.
The trio of children snuck closer to the dewback who seemed to be dozing near a large rock. They made it to the rock without being seen and Luke climbed up first with ease. Then he glanced back at the other two. The rock was not too large so they would have to be careful not to fall off of it.
Ari handed Saber to Luke before pulling herself onto the rock as well. It was a bit more difficult for her, but she was glad she had not needed help. It was hard enough being a girl with mostly boys around that she didn't need to give them anymore reasons why she should not be able to do things with them. She took Saber back after giving Luke a smile of thanks.
Windy followed right behind her and then looked at the dewback who was unaware, or at least uninterested, in the three children. It just continued to sleep, groggy from the effects of the hot suns.
Windy, Ari and Luke glanced at one another then slowly whispered in unison. "One…two…three." When they reached three, the trio leapt onto the back of the beast. If they had jumped onto the dewback one at a time, they doubted the creature would wait for them all to get on.
Luke landed on the front, Ari behind him, Windy behind her. The boys landed without too much trouble, but Ari started to slip since she only had one hand to hold herself steady on the animal, the other arm holding Saber. That would not have been a problem if the candido had not started to squirm, clearly not liking what was happening and Ari was finding it difficult to get situated on the dewback and hold onto Saber at the same time.
As she slid, Ari grabbed onto Luke's tunic. She tried to get back into place as the dewback gave a surprised sound then started to turn one way and then the other, trying to shake off the intruders.
"Luke!" she shouted, feeling herself start to slip a bit more. She did not want to pull Luke with her if she did fall, but if she let go, she knew she would fall.
"Windy, take the pup," Luke shouted to him as Ari slid a bit more on the clearly aggravated animal. If she fell, not only would she possible break a bone from the fall alone, but she could be killed if the dewback stepped on her.
Windy grabbed Saber as the pup was gave a small howl sound, clearly scared, but she did not fight as Windy took her. He held on with one hand, the other holding the candido.
Although Ari now had both hands free to grab onto the dewback, the large reptilian creature was now even more frantic to get the unwelcome riders off. Ari found herself continuing to slide further down and side to side because the smooth scales gave her nothing to grab onto.
She saw that the other dewbacks were getting upset by this, stirring awake, and Ari was worried that there could be a stampede.
The young girl was trying to pull herself back on the giant lizard, but when the dewback started to run, she gave a scream, feeling herself starting to fall. She scrambled for something to grab and her hand met Luke's. He was reaching one hand to her, the other holding on as best he could. She managed to grab his hand, her fingers going around his wrist, his doing the same to hers. It took Luke a few seconds of pulling and using some of the momentum of the running dewback, but he managed to pull Ari up so she was in front of him, but facing backward.
"Are you okay?" he asked, having to speak loudly because when their dewback started to run, the others did too, the sound of stampeding all around them.
Ari nodded and held onto him, hands on his shoulders, until she got used to the movement. Then, with Luke's help, she turned so she was facing the front again. Once she was settled, she glanced behind them and saw Windy was still there. He was inching his way up so he was behind Luke, then handed Saber to him.
"Here Skywalker."
Luke took Saber and then passed her to Ari who held the pup. Saber licked her hand and then curled up closer to the girl, clearly feeling safer with her than with Windy.
"What can we do now?" Luke asked as he glanced around, seeing other dewbacks racing around them even as their unwilling mount continued to run, still trying to shake them off.
"Hold on," Ari answered, glancing over her shoulder at him. "If we jump off now, we'll be trampled for sure."
Luke just nodded and the trio fell silent at the animal continued to move. Every now and then one of them would speak up and mention a landmark, though it did not mean much to the Nubian girl. After all, since arriving she had not gone far from home and when she did, she did not take note of the landmarks. Usually it was just sand dune after sand dune of shifting sand.
Ari did not know how much time passed before the dewback started to slow, clearly tired. She was certain that they had been traveling for quite awhile though since the suns had changed in position a bit and now were starting their descent to the horizon.
"This is strange," Luke remarked as the other dewbacks came together as well, starting to form a circle of some sort.
"Why?" Ari asked, glancing around at them. They did not seem any different from when they had first found the herd, except now all the animals were tired and breathing heavily.
"They are coming together as if to protect each other," Windy remarked.
"See?" Luke pointed to the group, motioning to show Ari what he meant. "The younger, smaller ones are put in the middle and the older ones stand around them to protect them."
Ari nodded after a moment. "I can see that. What could they be protecting each other from though?" she asked, now a bit nervous. They were so large that it would have to be a very dangerous predator for them to be afraid.
Luke and Windy shared a look. "Well, animals know before humans if there is a storm coming," Luke spoke. "So perhaps there is a sandstorm coming."
Ari nodded and glanced around. Things seemed normal, but she remembered how fast the other sandstorms had occurred. It was amazing how quickly they arrived and how terrible they could be.
"Or perhaps there is another animal. There are krayt dragons," Windy remarked, clearly trying to scare her.
Ari rolled her eyes. "I know there are, but not even one of them could attack all of these dewbacks. It would have to be crazy or-"
Her sentence was caught off by a loud, nearby sound that sounded like a howl or the cry of an animal. Ari tightened her arms around Saber as she heard this and the three of them looked around the area, eyes wide, searching for the source of the sound.
"What should we do?" Ari finally whispered, seeing how scared the animals were as well, stamping the ground restless, eyes wide.
"We need to get away from the dewbacks. If it has to decide between them or us, it should choose them, more to eat," Luke whispered.
"Or it could decide we are easier prey," Windy whispered.
"You are not helping," Luke hissed at him.
"Was that a krayt dragon?" Ari asked them, stopping them before they could start to argue.
"I think so," Luke nodded. "I've only heard such a thing once though," he admitted. "But let's not sit here talking."
Ari nodded and moved forward slightly so that Luke could slid off first, which he did without a problem. He reached up then and took Saber from Ari before she slid off the dewback as well. Luke let her grab onto his arm since her legs were a bit shaky after riding on the lizard.
Windy landed next to them a moment later and Luke handed Saber back to Ari. "So where should we go?" Ari asked. She did not know where they were and only had a vague knowledge of which direction they had come from.
"Should we risk going home?" Windy asked and looked up at the sky, frowning slightly.
"Why wouldn't we?" Ari questioned. She was certain that Beru and her mother would be very worried about them.
Luke paused and closed his eyes for a moment before nodding. "I think something is coming."
"You mean the krayt dragon?" she asked, scanning the area. There were canyon walls on two sides of them, but she did not see any sign of one of the infamous giant creatures lucking around, ready to attack them.
"No, I think there is a storm coming." Luke grabbed Ari's upper arm and started to lead her through the canyon, Windy following.
"Home is the other way though. We can get there before the storm arrives," she protested, though she was not complete certain of that. She heard that storms could occur with little or no warning.
Windy shook his head as he fell into step with them. "It is safer to just wait it out somewhere else. There should small caves around here that we can stay in. Usually the storms are not too long, only a few hours, so we should be fine."
Ari nodded and was pleased to note that Windy was no longer acting like a miniature version of the Fixer. He was more like himself, which was nice, especially if they were all going to share a cave.
At that moment, Ari noticed that Saber was whimpering and sniffing the air. The pup looked from one side to another before glancing at one area, ears perked, tail not wagging. Ari did not see anything there, but trusted that the candido's nose was picking up on something.
The other two noticed how the candido was acting as well, and searched the area for a place to hide from whatever it was. The three of them spotted a large boulder that was close to the canyon wall and could hide them all if they stayed closer to each other. As silently as possible, the three of them managed to hide behind it, though it was a tight fit between the canyon wall and the large rock.
"Hey, watch it," Windy whispered as Luke stepped on his foot by accident.
"I am trying," Luke answered in the same hushed tone.
"Shh!" Ari instructed them sharply, moving one arm enough to get her hand raised slightly and she held a finger to her lips. She knew that most predators could find them by scent, but perhaps whatever it was would be too focused on the nearby dewbacks if the children were quiet.
They all stayed silent and Ari was certain the pounding in her heart was louder than any bickering between Luke and Windy. She could not see much, but she kept looking over Luke and Windy's shoulders, to see what had scared Saber so badly.
The pup was shaking even more, but since Ari was holding her so protectively, Saber did not make a sound.
While it seemed like hours, it was only a minute or so that passed before they heard a rock move, skittering across the rocky ground. They all looked and held back gasps as a large krayt dragon appeared. Saber gave a whimper and Ari put one hand around the candido's muzzle to keep her quiet. She did not believe in being cruel to animals, but if the dragon found them, there was no way that they would be able to escape from their hiding place. They would be trapped.
Ari then started to pet Saber with her other hand, hoping to keep the pup calm. She was desperately trying to keep herself calm as well, though she knew she was not doing well because each breath was faster than the one before and she could feel her heart pounding.
The dragon scanned the area and then sniffed the air and Ari had to bite her lip to stop any sound from escaping. The dragon was even more terrifying than she had thought it would be. The creature's eyes were scanning the entire area and the five pointed horns on its head were very pronounced. It had a ridge that ran all the way down its neck to its tail, though Ari could not see that at the moment since it had not fully emerged from around the curve in the canyon. The four clearly powerful legs showed strong, sharpened claws. However, the two most frightening features were the things that stood out right away to Ari. The first was the size of the dragon. It had to be about forty five feet long, maybe even slightly larger. It made a bantha look small. The second was the large, razor sharp teeth. Ari saw a flash of red on the yellowing teeth and she realized that the red was actually blood on the pointed teeth. This realization caused Ari's heart to skip a beat before it started to race again.
Each moment seemed like an hour as the dragon made its way through the canyon. It seemed to be taking its time, sniffing the air every few feet. When it came closer to their hiding spot, Ari felt herself stiffen, just hoping it would not see or smell them. She could feel Luke and Windy stiffen as well since they were now all pressed together, trying to get closer to the center of the boulder so there would be less of a chance of them being seen.
The dragon stayed by the children for a few more moments, still sniffing the air and Ari could see the wide eyed looks on both Windy and Luke. There was nothing they could do but wait.
Please don't let it see us. That was all Ari could think as the dragon sniffed the air once more before a low, grumbling sound seemed to escape its throat. Ari bit back a small whimper, the sound was quite frightening and she could certain she could feel the hot breath of the dragon on her skin.
Perhaps it was the wind direction, perhaps it was the fact that the children smelled a little like dewbacks, or perhaps the creature had no interest in the strange smell. Whatever the case might have been, the dragon continued on its way, moving a bit faster since it could smell the dewbacks.
When the end of the ridged tail disappeared around a bend in the cavern, the three children let out a collective sigh, though none of them knew that they had been holding their breath.
Ari pulled her hand away from Saber's muzzle and then hugged the pup a little. "I'm sorry I had to do that," she whispered to the candido. "We are okay now." Saber did not seem upset by it, but the pup was still shaking from the close encounter
Luke and Windy were discussing something in whispers between one another while scanning the area carefully in case the krayt dragon came back.
"So what are we going to do?" Ari asked them after a moment, voice still a whisper. She was worried that the krayt dragon would return and hear them. Also, her throat was still tight with fear and she doubted she could make herself speak any louder.
"The wind is already picking up," Luke remarked after a moment. "Even if we wanted to go back now, we wouldn't make it. We'll have to find a place to wait out the storm here."
Windy scanned the area and then managed to slide out from between his place between the boulder and the canyon wall. "We should hurry. I want to be out of here before the dragon comes back or the storm hits, whichever comes first"
Both Ari and Luke nodded, following him out from behind their hiding place. "We should go further into the canyon; I didn't see any places when we walked by and there could be some small caves further in," Luke remarked.
Staying close to the canyon walls, the group continued to search for a place to hide from the storm and the eventual return of the krayt dragon. There were a few openings in the walls, but they were not big enough for all of them, nor were they deep enough to keep any of them safe from the blowing sand that made the sandstorms so deadly.
The wind was picking up, whistling through the canyon, sand started to blow around them. Ari knew they only had a short amount of time before the storm arrived. This was only a taste of what was to come.
"Look," Luke motioned to a branch off from the canyon. It was a smaller canyon than the one they were in, but perhaps there would be a place to take shelter for a few hours.
"Bildor's Canyon," Windy added, recognizing the smaller canyon immediately
"What canyon is this?" Ari asked, looking around the canyon. She did not like being unable to see the top of the walls. She was worried about another krayt dragon appearing, or behind a tribe of Sand People.
"This is just part of the Jundland Wastes, not a canyon" Windy remarked.
Ari blushed slightly. She had considered it a canyon, yet it was clear that she was wrong, in the eyes of Windy. It was clear she still had a lot to learn about her adoptive homeplanet.
"It is basically one big canyon," Luke whispered to her and Ari gave him a smile back, glad for his kindness.
As they started down the smaller canyon, they looked for a place to hide, but without any success. Instead, they found themselves facing a rocked wall that spread around them on three sides.
"Now what?" Luke asked. "We have to find something and we have to find it now."
At that moment, Saber became more alert, sniffed the air, and then started to bark. While the barks were those of a puppy, small and high pitched, it was still very loud.
"Saber, shhh," Ari tried to hush the pup who was now struggling to get out of her arms. She worried that the krayt dragon was coming back, and that the barks would give them away.
"Ari, get it quiet," Windy told her firmly.
Ari moved her hand to try and cover the pup's muzzle at least for a moment to get Saber to stop barking. However, with only one arm to hold Saber, the candido took that moment to jump out of Ari's arms.
"Saber!" she shouted and moved to grab the pup that was slightly dazed from her fall to the ground. However, Saber was not dazed for more than a moment, and moved out of reach, racing back toward the entrance of the canyon which lead to the main 'canyon' they had been in before.
Three times Ari reached for the pup and three times Saber dashed away, still barking, though it was a muffled sound, from being tossed by the wind.
Windy and Luke followed Ari after a few moments when they realized that Ari was unable to grab the pup, but by then Ari and Saber were almost to the main canyon again. Ari heard them call out to her, but she had to catch up to Saber. As Ari rounded the corner, still following Saber, she was no longer in Luke or Windy's range of vision.
"Saber, stop, just come back," she tried to coax the pup back to her. She crouched down and shuffled a bit closer, trying to get Saber to come back to her. It had worked before, when she had taught Saber to come when her name was called.
The pup looked at her for a moment and then dashed around another bend in the canyon.
Groaning, Ari got to her feet and followed. When she went around the bend, she stopped short to keep from running into the being that was standing there. For a moment, she was speechless, not having expected to see anyone else in the area.
The figure in front of her was wearing a plain brown robe, the hood covering any facial features. In fact, all features were hidden by the large robe. It was not until the figure spoke that Ari came to the conclusion it was a man.
"Have you lost something, little one?" his voice sounded kind, sounding as if he was joking as he held Saber, whose tail was wagging so fast, her entire small body was shaking.
"Yes, Sir. She is mine," she replied as she took the pup back from the man. While she was always taught to be wary of strangers, there was something about this man that she trusted, even if she could not see his face. She could not place her finger on it, but even after all that she had been through, she now felt calm.
"What are you both doing so far from home?" he asked, and then pulled back his hood a bit and Ari could see an old wise face with white hair and a white beard. His blue eyes showed faint amusement at her reaction, but they also showed had seen much sadness in his life.
"Well, we," she motioned to herself and Saber "were with Windy and Luke. We all rode a dewback and ended up here," she explained.
"Ari!" she heard Luke shout over the wind.
"Over here!" she called back. "That is them now."
The man nodded and gave a small smile as Windy and Luke appeared. Windy stopped so short in surprise, Luke bumped into him. They both them stared openly at the older man for a moment.
"Hello there," the man greeted them. The wind picked up and Ari had to close her eyes for a moment so that the sand would not get into her eyes as it swirled around her. She felt her hair whipping around her face for a moment until the gust died down.
"I think we will have time for introductions after we find shelter. Come. There is an empty cave close by," the older man motioned for them to follow.
Ari glanced over at Windy and Luke, both seemed hesitant. "We should go with him," the girl told them.
"We don't know him though," Windy pointed out.
"I don't think he is dangerous. And what other choice do we have?" she asked and as if to prove her point, the wind picked up, the whistling sound was more like a howl now.
With a quick shared look, Luke and Windy were soon briskly walking next to Ari, who was following the man.
After only going a distance of about a hundred years, the man paused and then motioned to a small opening in the rock wall. He had to hunch over slightly to enter and, after a moment, the three children followed.
In the cave, they noticed the cave was larger than they had first though. The older man was able to stand upright again it was large enough for all of them to fit, almost comfortably so.
"Is anything going to come back here?" Luke asked, glancing around the empty cave, not seeing much in the faint light coming through the cave's entrance.
"We are quite safe, I assure you, Luke."
"How do you know my name?" he looked surprised, and a bit wary.
"I told him," Ari admitted. "He asked how me how we got here."
"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to talk to strangers?" Windy piped up, glancing over at the blonde hair girl, who was holding Saber. The pup no longer looked anxious to jump out of Ari's arms again.
"Well, we should fix that. My name is Ben Kenobi. Now I am no longer a stranger," the man introduced himself as he lit a small glow rod. It was enough to cast some light in a four foot radius and the children went closer to it and deeper into the cave. On the edge of the ring of light, Ari could see the back of the cave. She was thankful to see there was not another opening that as large enough for a krayt dragon to enter through.
"Well, as you know I'm Luke Skywalker," Luke spoke first. "This is Windy."
"And I am Arianna. Oh, and this is Saber," Ari introduced herself and the candido. She knew she could share her last name, but her parents had told her to always be careful in case she ever met an Imperial. She did not know much about why that would matter, but still remembered their late night escape from Naboo. She did not want to go through such an experience again, especially if it meant she would once again lose another loved one, like she had lost her beloved Aunt Sabe, who, while not related at all by blood, was as much a part of her family as her parents and brother.
"Well, it is nice to meet all of you. You might want to make yourselves comfortable. I am guessing while this storm will last at least an hour or so," Ben remarked.
Ari sat down cross legged on the ground, Saber in her lap, the others sitting close by as well.
"Why were you out here?" Luke asked Ben. "There is no settlement for miles."
"I live a short distance away because I like my solitude. Sometimes I come this way when I am going to town or just to think."
"But there are krayt dragons and Sand People out here," Luke pointed out.
"I am careful to avoid conflict if it can be helped."
"And what it can't?" Ari piped up.
"Well, as all of you know, being from this planet, sometimes it is necessary to defend yourselves."
Ari nodded. "My mother and father always tell me to try to work things out without fighting."
"Your parents are very wise indeed. It is true; violence is never the answer and fighting should occur only when there are no other options."
"I was told if I saw a Sand Person, to attack first and ask questions later," Windy remarked.
"Ah, but you see young Windy, if you provoke them, they will want revenge. It is a vicious cycle."
"So what would you do?" Luke questioned.
"Stay out of their way and since they are easily startled, try to scare them off without causing any harm. They are only doing the same as the rest of the beings on this world."
"What is that" Ari asked.
"Trying to survive," Ben answered.
Ari stirred and opened her eyes slowly, then gave a small start until she remembered where she was. She glanced around the cave and saw that the glow rod had faded a considerable amount, which meant a few hours had passed.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Luke next to her and Windy on the other side of him. All of them were covered with a cloth that Ari instantly recognized as Ben's robe. While Tatooine was usually hot, inside the cave, it was a little chilly, so she was thankful for the warmth the rough cloak offered.
Windy and Luke were still asleep, Saber curled up between Luke and Ari. The pup wagged her tail once before closing her eyes again. Ari gave her a pat on the head as she slid out from under the makeshift blanket.
She started for the entrance of the cave to see if Ben was close by. She hoped he had not left them just yet.
"I was just about to wake you," he spoke as she came out of cave. He was standing just outside of the cave's entrance, looking at the now clear sky where hundreds of stars shone brightly. While the walls of the canyon were still in place, there were mounds of sand from the blowing winds that had howled outside of their safe haven. Sometime during the storm, Ari, Luke and Windy had fallen asleep.
"Our families are going to be so upset."
"Perhaps. But they will be happy to see that you are alright," Ben remarked as he led her back into the cave.
Saber had already woken up Luke, who was now shaking Windy awake as well. Both had needed a moment to remember all that had happened before sitting up, stretching as they did, muscles sore from their ride on the dewback.
Ben picked up his robe and pulled it on once more. Ari saw the flash of a metal cylinder on his belt and almost gasped. She looked up at him in question, but he either did not notice her gaze, or pretended not to.
"Come, I will take you back home."
"My mother and brother were with Luke's aunt. They are probably still there waiting for us to come home."
"And I can go there as well and contact my parents," Windy spoke. The truth was that he was worried about how upset his parents were going to be and thought they might be less angry if he gave them time to cool down before they picked him up.
Ben nodded. "Well, come then. It is still quite a distance, but we should not have any problems. I am sure many of the creatures that could trouble us are still hidden after such a storm.
He was right. The group met no opposition as they walked through the Jundland Wastes. They were mostly silent, as if even whispers would be too loud in the silent night air.
As they left the Wastes though, passing Jawa Heights, which meant they were getting closer to home, they started to speak in hushed tones. They were all sand covered, tired and hungry. While baths were common on Naboo, where people could take two of three a day if they wanted, on Tatooine water was very expensive. However, Ari hoped she could still have one since she could feel sand in her hair and in her mouth, making her tongue feel gritty.
She fell back slightly from the group as she looked up at the stars and noticed that Luke was speaking quietly to Ben. It was clear that the boy was curious about whatever it was that the man was saying.
Ari was curious and picked her up pace ever so slightly, straining her ears to hear what they were saying. There as a pause in conversation for a moment before Ben turned and glanced over at her and gave a small smile. "You can come up here and join us," he offered.
Ari blushed, since he knew that she had been eavesdropping. However, being invited, she fell into step beside Luke. Windy was walking a bit behind them, still looking slightly dazed as if he was still half asleep.
"Ben was pointing out the different planets," Luke explained. "And I am going to go to them all," he stated.
"I see you doing great things," Ben smiled at Luke. Then he glanced over at Ari. "And you as well, young Ari."
Ari smiled in response to this. While she had not been on Tatooine long, she hoped to one day return to Naboo and stay there. She missed the water and the trees and having different colors, the green of the grass and the variety of flowers that could be any color of the rainbow. On Tatooine, it was almost always brown or tan due to the planet being covered mostly by rocks and sand.
"Do you hear that?" Windy spoke up, interrupting their conversation, and the others paused, listening. Even Saber had her head cocked to one side and ears perked, hearing the sound as well. It sounded like a motor, like one that would be in a speeder.
A few moments later, a speeder did appear, moving somewhat quickly. Upon seeing the weary travelers though, it stopped quickly and Owen Lars jumped out of the speeder, rushing to them. He ran to Luke and hugged him, something he was not known for doing, and then he took Luke by the shoulders. "What were you thinking? Your Aunt and I have been worried sick about you." He then turned and looked at Ari and Windy. "Your families have been worried as well." His gaze then rest on Ari. "In fact, your father came back early when he heard that you were missing." Upon hearing this, Ari looked down as he boots, feeling slightly ashamed though what had happened had not been something in her control.
"Uncle Owen, we ended up further away than we thought and then we had to hide from a krayt dragon. They are even bigger than I thought. Then the storm came and we couldn't find a place. Ben found us though and-"
Luke was cut off as Owen turned abruptly to Ben and the two men were looking at each other very intently. Owen looked hostile while Ben still looked calm. Ari wondered for a moment if anything ever bothered the older man.
"Luke, Ari, Windy, go wait in the speeder."
"But Uncle Owen-" Luke started to protest.
"Now," Owen almost snapped at them and the three children got into the back seat. Ari pet Saber as she settled into her seat next to Luke, Windy on his other side. Both Luke and Ari looked over at where it appeared that Owen and Ben were having an argument of some sort.
"Why are they fighting?" Ari asked.
"I don't know. He saved our lives," Luke replied. "Uncle Owen should be thanking him."
They were silent for another moment, trying to hear what we being said, but being unable to since they were too far away. Instead, they could only hear Owen's angry tone, and while they saw Ben speaking, his voice was so calm they could not hear it.
"Ari?" Luke spoke up, voice barely above a whisper so that Windy would not overhear him.
"Yes?" Ari answered in the same tone. She stole a glance over to Windy to be sure he was not listening. He was already falling asleep again and Ari realized they might not have to be as quiet as they thought.
"I just wanted to tell you that you were brave today."
"You were too," Ari smiled. "And you saved my life."
"Well, that is what friends do, right?"
"We are friends," Ari nodded, happy to hear him say that. She had always considered Luke a friend, but he had not said that to her before. "I know we will be grounded for a long time, but afterwards, maybe we can play again."
Luke nodded. "We might be adults when aren't grounded anymore, but okay."
"Just us?" She stole a glance at Windy before looking back at Luke. "I don't want to do anything crazy like that again. I don't want to be grounded forever."
"Just us," Luke nodded and the two friends smiled at one another.
They looked away from one another though when Owen gave a final bellow and stormed back to the speeder, powering it up.
"Uncle Owen, what is wrong?" Luke asked.
"Nothing, just stay away from him. He's a crazy old hermit who could have put you kids in a lot of danger."
"He didn't though," Ari insisted. "He ran into us and then took us to a safe place to wait for the storm to pass."
"Stay away from him," Owen muttered as they started back to the Lars' homestead where the Narabes were waiting for Ari as well as Windy's parents who had been worried about their son.
Ari knew she would be in trouble. Her father would be upset, though her mother would be relieved to have her home safe and sound.
She turned and stole a glance over her shoulder at Ben and she raised her hand as a sign of farewell. Ben did the same and at that moment, Ari was certain she could hear his voice, even though he was not speaking. We will meet again.
Ari gave a small smile at this and turned back around to face forward, not wanting to watch the lonely figure disappear as they sped away. She had a feeling she would see him again, though she was not certain when that would be.
Even though she dreaded going home, she rested her head on Luke's shoulder and gave a yawn. It was late and she knew she would need this time to think of what to say to her parents.
While the speeder disappeared quickly, Ben stayed there a few more minutes before heading back to his home near the Dune Sea. He had wanted to talk to Luke about his father, but Owen had come before Ben had gotten the chance.
Ben touched the lightsaber at his side and sighed. Luke was important, but something told him that Ari was going to also play a part in the events that would soon follow. While uncertain of what the future held, since it was always in motion, he knew that their lives would be full of failures and victories. However, they were not ready for that yet. No, they were still children. They had a little more growing up to do, and he would wait for the right time before approaching the topic again. The situation would present itself at the right time.
Glancing at the star that was Coruscant, where the Temple lay in ruins, Ben, who had once been known as Obi-Wan, gave a sigh before starting his long trek, disappearing into the night.