Author: When characters speak another language, it'll be in parentheses.
The camel stopped abruptly, nearly sending its rider onto the sand.
"What is it now, you stupid thing?" and looked down, following the gaze of the animal. He gasped and kicked the animal down to a kneel and jumped off, his sister and her husband watching him, confused and intrigued. He moved the bag on the ground to expose a child, nearly delirious with heat stroke. The child whimpered when exposed more fully to the sun, and Kklar murmured soothingly, making the boy focus old, tired, desperate eyes on him.
"Who are you, child?"
"Ben..."
"An off-worlder, huh?"
"Yes..."
"My name is Kklarh'del, but you can call me Kklar. May I help you?"
Ben smiled faintly, and nodded.
"Yes, please," he answered as he struggled to stand. Kklar helped support him as the boy tried to pick up a bag that was far too large and heavy for him.
"Let me take that."
Ben, looking abashed, handed the straps over to him and watched, almost in envy, at how he effortlessly picked it up and swung it onto the pack animal. Without giving Ben time to protest he picked him up as well and sat him on one of the smaller camels, a yearling that they had bought at the fair they were returning from. Ben looked vaguely annoyed but wasn't going to complain about kindness.
When they started off again, Rikka, Klar's sister, rode up next to Ben, who smiled at her.
"You came from off-world?"
"Yes. I must return there, too...But first I have to find my friends..."
"They're off-worlders too?"
"Yes. Their names are Anakin Skywalker and..." he looked pained when he said the next name, almost as if he wished it a curse, "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Rikka nodded, not questioning the why of his emotions. "Those are definitely off-world names. They look like you?"
"Mostly, but they're older. One should be around 20, the other middle-aged."
"Very well. If anyone happens to see them, we will know. But, come. We will take you to our village and you can recover before starting your search again."
Ben nodded and Rikka saw a disturbing flicker in his eyes that made her think that the mind was ill-suited to the body. She left him, a little nervous, and went to talk to her brother.
(You have picked up yet another stray, brother.)
(He is not a stray!)
(That is what you always say. You do have a knack for finding people in need.)
(Is this a bad thing? But, I think that this one is different. He has purpose, he is driven, not lost and confused like the other 'strays' I've saved.)
(He makes me uneasy, brother. He could be an evil spirit from one of the Cities.)
(I don't think so, but he may have had a run-in with one.)
(He is bad luck, then!)
(When did you start believing in those tales? Instead of bringing bad luck, he might bring good fortune.)
(What makes you say that?)
(He feels strange.)
(So?)
(He does not feel like a child. He might know some things that we have not dreamed of yet.)
(That feeling might be possession, brother! Be careful what you are taking into our home.)
Kklar whirled around, stopping his beast in front of hers, making it balk.
(Do you question my judgment? I have never been wrong before. The Powers I have call out to him. I will not abandon one who might be my kind!)
Rikka's eyes snapped in anger.
(You might be wrong this time! He is unnatural!)
(He will be treated as a guest, Rikka. No matter what you say. Now calm down. Your fear is clouding your better judgment.)
Kklar turned his beast back around and set him in the right direction towards their village.
Ben was looking down at his hands, nervous. They didn't trust him entirely. He couldn't quite make out all of the conversation, but the woman didn't like him. He wanted to snarl in frustration, to remove himself from this body, to claim what was rightfully his. But he didn't know the desert. He didn't know where to find water, or how to find tribes who weren't hostile to out-worlders. He sighed, and resigned himself to a long, difficult personal journey.
Ben was always aware of where he was in relation to those he was looking for. He felt them travel farther, than closer, as if teasing his senses. He felt Anakin being pulled down a road he did not want him to follow, and as he tried to sleep under the blue/silver light of the moons, he struggled to hold back the tears that came far too often. Every time he reached out to try and contact Anakin he was smacked back by the Darkness enshrouding him. One night, as the travelers that had adopted him (Kklar, Rikka, her husband Makki'el, their twin sons Kkri'tien and Kkm'ir, and Kklar and Rikka's father) were talking about what the weather was being forecasted as, how to handle the harvests, and what to expect of trade, Ben quickly stood up and walked stiffly over to the oasis they were resting near. Kkri't, who had befriended Ben, was about to follow when he felt his grandfather rest a callused hand on his shoulder. He looked back, about to say something in protest, but was silenced by the look in his grandfather's eyes.
Rikka watched him leave, frowning.
(I still feel uneasy about him.)
(There is something he is hiding, something that is tearing his heart apart, and he will not, or cannot, tell us) Kklar asserted.
(I don't think we could understand even if we tried.It is hard, not having someone who understands. He will not have peace until he finds his companions, even though he exudes comfort, calm, and peace. You have noticed that the twins have fought much less since he arrived.)
The family looked at the figure standing on a sand hill beyond the oasis, and even Rikka wished him comfort.
Ben breathed in the desert air, and was embarrassed, amused, and grateful for the kindness of those who had adopted him. He called out to the Force, asking it to help balance and strengthen him.
"There is no pain; there is only the Force." He found some security in whispering the old mantra, even though he was aware, even then, of his heart breaking. The Other enjoyed his pain, and constantly fed him thoughts, feelings, and images through their link, which Ben met with calm, perplexing the Other. Away from the notice of the Other, he struggled to retain that calm. He sighed, and sat down, and started to meditate. He would find Anakin and... Obi-Wan...and he would...he would...what? Destroy the Other? Take Anakin back? He scoffed at himself, but felt the Force reach out to him and wrap him in calm. Everything would work out. This ordeal was meant to teach him something. He hadn't figured it out yet, but it would make sense in time. His eyes gained their familiar stubborn glint and he silently snarled defiance, determined to find them.