Chapter 5 - Survival
The forrest wasn't as dense as Obi-Wan had first thought, there were clearings and small ponds everywhere and he already had a full sack of fruits and meats. Looking up at the sky it was already getting dark and clouds were gathering. Wanting to get back to Padme he started back toward the crash site.
It was nearly dusk by the time Obi-Wan got back and Padme was no where in site.
"Padme?" He called and when he got no sound he searched for her Force signature. It was faint.
"Padme!"
Movement on his right caught his attention and he reached for his lightsaber.
"Obi-Wan what are you yelling about?" Padme asked as she came out from behind the escape pod.
Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief and put down the sack. "What were you doing?"
Walking over closer to him she picked up the sack and looked in it taking out a berry and putting it in her mouth. "Meditating." She said and closed her eyes to savor the taste of the tangy berry.
Obi-Wan nodded and walked around before finding a spot he liked next to the river.
"I think they're alive."
Padme's voice sounded sweet to his ears and he looked at her curiously. "What?"
"Our master's. I think they're alive."
He looked in her eyes, searching for the truth, but then again, why would she lie? "Why do you think that?" He asked, streatching his legs out.
"I heard my master's voice in my head." She said, trying not to let Obi-Wan see her face.
He did. Obi-Wan's eyes grew wet at the sight of her tears and he reached up and pulled her softly down next to him. When he wrapped his arms around her she buried her face in his chest and cried.
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The pain in his leg was dulling as the rain started to come down. Qui-Gon opened his eyes only to get a drop of water right in it. When the jedi master tried to sit up his head felt like it would fall off. Trying to remember how he got this way he probed his body for more trouble.
"Qui-Gon?"
A soft, strained male voice reached his ears. "Hiacho?"
Then he remembered. The ship, Obi-Wan and Padme, the explosion. Opening his eyes, now full of determination, he saught out his compainon. "Hiacho, can you hear me?"
"Yeah I can here you Jinn, I've been trying to get you up for a good hour. I didn't want to move you incase of a back injury."
The older master felt his body and concluded that besides the pain in his leg and the concussion he was sure to have, he was fine.
"I'm alright, help me up will you?"
Hiacho went to help the other jedi and when he got on his feet, Qui-Gon almost fell over again.
"Maybe we should rest a little longer before going to look for Obi-Wan and Padme." Hiacho said and helped Qui-Gon to the ground.
"That sounds like a plan to me. I felt Obi-Wan's presence anyway, he's fine."
"I felt Padme's also."
The two jedi sat in silence before Qui-Gon said what was on both their minds.
"I wonder if they know we're alive."
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Obi-Wan sat still as Padme slept. She had cried herself to sleep and he couldn't bring himself to move her. While he sat there however, he kept an eye on the clouds that were moving in. They looked like rain clouds and from what he read on the planet they never had light rain or drizzles, they had full blown storms with thunder and lightning.
After a few minutes he heard the distant rumble of thunder and softly laid Padme down on the grass, moving some hair from her face. Walking toward the waterfall he got right up to it and used the Force to feel out any caves that might be behind it. To his surprise there was and he went down to the escape pod to get the medical kits, food, and blanket.
When he was done taking all the items to the cave he went back to Padme. The rain had started to fall and she was waking up. "Obi-Wan?"
"Yes, it's me. I found a cave to stay in until the storm blows over." He explained then helped her to her feet and toward the cave.
It was damp and cold and Padme shivered slightly. She looked around and saw the makeshift bed Obi-Wan made in the far corner.
"You can sleep there, I probably won't get any sleep anyway." He said and she looked up at his blue eyes. They always seemed to bring her comfort.
"I want you close by." She said and looked at the floor. "I have a bad feeling about this entire mission, I don't want to be alone."
Obi-Wan smiled at her and the two walked over to the bed and sat down. Padme cuddled to Obi-Wan as he leaned against the wall. Her body heat was warming him all the way to his core, that was something he could get used to.
TBC
Thank you all so much for staying with this story. I got so many reviews about it and people wondering when I was going to update. I just have to say you guys give me a lot of motivation. It took two days to squeeze this chapter out of me, even though it's short. I'm on Spring Break!
