Most of the afternoon was spent in silence, with Phaelon considering Kyp's question. She hadn't expected such a poignant question from the rogue Jedi Master. Normally it would have been a simple answer – because Master Luke is the head of the order – but now that she was thinking about it she began to wonder if questioning was such a bad thing.
The sun was setting when the silence was broken by a cough! Phaelon scowled as her quiet sadain shied violently and attempted to bolt. Kyp was riding ahead of her, and his mount was also clearly terrified.
Instinctively, she reached for her lightsaber. Before she could take hold of it, however, something large and six-legged erupted from the grass with a feral hiss. Front and middle clawed paws collided with her, knocking her off the sadain to the grass. Phaelon got an eyeful of razor-sharp serrated teeth as the shanh's momentum carried it tumbling past her. Silently, she cursed herself for not being aware of it in the Force.
In the moment it took the predator to turn, she had activated her lightsaber, and was in a crouch facing the creature. The silver blade was reflected in three large red eyes. It hissed again.
Without taking her eyes from the first shanh, Phaelon sent a Force-shove behind her, catching the second creature in mid-pounce and sending it sprawling. Just as this happened, a third was stalking towards her side. It emitted a rising hiss and charged.
Phaelon ducked away, nearly into the path of yet a fourth carnivore. This one pounced straight at her and her upraised saber. She batted it away, the saber biting deep into its chest, but not before its claws had ripped down her side from her shoulder to her hip.
She cried out. The wound didn't look too deep, just bloody and painful. Much more of this and even a Corellian wouldn't bet on her.
I wouldn't be too sure about that, said Kyp through the Force. He was nearby, blade glowing, but yet another shanh had turned its attention on him.
How many of these Sith-spawned things are there? she demanded to herself as she used the Force to shove one shanh and slashed low with her saber to slice the feet out from another. She spun in time to see Kyp's blade meet a charging creature right behind its head.
The sole creature left standing fixed them with an insolent stare before fading back into the growing darkness. She followed it with the Force for a moment, assuring herself it was retreating and not circling around for another attack.
Heaving a sigh, Phaelon deactivated her saber. Only when she clipped the saber to her belt, did she remember she was injured. Three long claw marks had sliced through the flightsuit and filleted her skin into a bloody mess.
I'm fine, she returned, pulling her robe close around her and feeling Kyp's touch through the Force. Drawing more of the Force to her, she focused on the wounds, and the blood slowly began to clot and the sharp pains dulled. It looks worse than it is. The last person's sympathy she wanted was Kyp's.
Ignoring his suspicious glance, she walked over to where the sadains had taken up grazing on the thick grasses and collected its reins. The animal was no worse for wear. The shanhs had been too busy trying to eat Phaelon to pay much attention to the fleet prey animal.