So SORRY. Words cannot express my sorrow at not updating at a regular rate. I'll try get more chaps up soon! Merry CHRISTmas!

Chapter 11

Boba was fuming. How in the galaxy had he gotten into this mess! In his whole career, no one had EVER escaped him more than once in a single hunt. Yet this wapper-jawed youngster had. Twice. And that irked him. This better not damage my reputation. If it does, that Masdon is going to get it—bounty or no…

"I need a swoop, a fast one."

Crack. Fidel jumped involuntarily. Man, I'm getting jumpy. That lack of sleep must be getting to me… Yeah, that was it. He wasn't scared. He was just—tired. Of course, being out in the middle of some jungle with no transport, and no blaster, and it getting dark, could have that effect on you. Alrighty, I can either stay put and set up what could pass for a camp, or I can walk through the dark, scary jungle. Hmm… Fidel opted for the camp.

There he was. Right ahead of him, attempting to build a fire. Boba almost grinned. It was almost amusing catching one's enemy with their proverbial pants down. Boba drew his blaster before stepping out into the small clearing.

"Masdon. So nice to see you."

The man in question jumped three feet in the air when he heard the hunter's voice.

"O-oh. It's y-you. I know, I know, I'm putting my hands up. And no, I don't have any weapons."

Boba walked over to Masdon, alert for any tricks the young man might try to pull, before carefully frisking him. Satisfied, Boba stood and looked Masdon in the face, who had an almost relieved look to him. Boba wasn't sure he liked that.

"Walk in front of me. Move."

Boba guided Masdon through the thick undergrowth, careful to keep a strong grip on him. As they neared the small clearing where Boba's swoop was, Masdon suddenly stopped.

"I said mo-"

Boba stopped mid word—there in the clearing was his swoop, alright. Sharp teeth marks indented the machine in tens of different places, some of which had obviously punctured the fuel tank, since there was a small puddle of liquid beneath it, and the fact that the smell of gasoline invaded the air. Other parts of the swoop had been torn completely off the bike—Boba could see the steering handles about ten feet from the speeder-bike. Whatever had done this had been big, too—real big. A mélange of animal prints criss-crossed the area, some of them bigger than Boba's two hands put together.

"O—kay, well I guess that means we're staying here, huh, Fett?"

Boba didn't respond. He was trying to think of what to do. Fixing the swoop was obviously out of the question, and walking through a monster-infested jungle at night didn't sound very smart. So the only logical alternative that he could think of was staking out here—and that didn't sound too smart either.

It slunk, its body undulating with every step. Everything about the animal was graceful and slender. But its lithe build belied its strength. Silver-gray scales covered every inch of its body, making it gleam when light shone on it. That was why it hunted on dark, moonless nights such as these. Suddenly, it stopped, nostrils flaring for a scent. It exhaled slowly; smoke exiting from its nose and wafting away in the cold, night air. Its dainty ears perked when it also heard its quarry's movements. It bared its teeth, seeming to smile at the prospect of a meal, flicking its slender tail in seemingly primeval anticipation. The little rodent it was stalking continued to browse in the thick under-foliage, unaware of its danger. Yellow eyes tracked its movements, as if trying to read its mind. The predator tensed, getting ready to strike.

Fidel was shivering. Partly from cold, and partly from fear. Fidel never realized how loud it could be in a jungle at night. There was a riot of noises, some from birds and insects, and some, well, he didn't really want to go there.

"Hey Fett, what's the time?"

Both knew what he was actually meaning. When is it going to be light? Fett didn't answer. Closing his eyes, Fidel tried to sleep. After all, Fett wouldn't dare lose his bounty… Fidel suddenly jerked upright, feeling a cold sweat form on his forehead. Fett glanced at him, raising his blaster simultaneously.

"Don't even think about it, Masdon."

Fidel wasn't listening to him. He had felt something. He swallowed hard as he felt anxiety well up in his chest, and fought to keep calm. What was wrong with him? He'd been in worse places than a jungle. But it felt as if someone was watching them. Orsomething. Fidel turned to Fett, unable to shake the chilling feeling.

"Uh Fett, I think something's out there."

Fidel watched as Fett slowly lifted his head and looked at him. Despite his fear, Fidel felt his face grow red. It was the jungle. Of course there was 'something' out there.

"Really?"

"That's not what I mean, Fett. It feels like something's, well, watching us?" Fidel finished, his sentence sounding weak even to him. He closed his eyes again. If Fett wasn't worried about it, then neither was he. Snap. Fidel's eyes shot open. A dark shape emerged in front of him. Recoiling in fear, Fidel was about to jump up and take off like a scared vrelt, when he heard Fett rasp, "Stay on the ground, unless I tell you otherwise."

Does he not see the stang thing! Fidel threw himself back down, trying to press himself as deep into the ground as he could. Fett was facing in the direction where the sound had come from, blaster ready and every muscle alert for danger. But it was not enough.

It circled around the clearing. For the first time in its life, puzzled. It had never seen creatures such as these, before. Experimentally, it snapped a branch. One of the creatures leapt up while the other just flinched. Its ears perked when it heard one of the creatures' voices. Slinking downwind of them, it inhaled deeply, saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth. Meat. The predator gave an almost imperceptible sound of ecstasy. The rodent it had eaten before hadn't done much to curb its appetite. Slinking silently to the edge of the clearing, it focused on one of the creatures' minds', trying to tell it that it wanted to turn around—that something might be behind them. The creature standing shook its head slightly, but didn't move. The predator did a stronger, more urgent 'suggestion'. The creature slowly turned around so that its back was to the Predator, who crouched, looking for the perfect moment to strike….. It sprang.

Fidel didn't have time to call out a warning. With incredible speed, a silver blur shot out of the forest, cannoning into Fett. Fett never had a chance in keeping his feet. Caught completely by surprise, he was knocked to ground and held there by a large reptilian-looking animal. Fidel was frozen to the spot by utter shock. His first impression of the creature was that it was a snake with legs. But now that he could see it, more or less, he could see that it was in fact was quite different. It had a long thin tail, almost whip-like, that was thrashing around, trying to itself wrap around Fett's legs. Its four legs were slender, each one's 'paw' having a set of razor-sharp, retractable claws. At first glance, its torso seemed too long, thus impairing the creature. But instead of being a handicap, it helped the predator, enabling it to twist and maneuver itself into seemingly impossible positions. Its blue head was long and slender, and could be called dainty, if it were not home to a set of cold, merciless eyes. Its head was attached to a long, slender neck, which at that moment was swinging around in an almost hypnotic fashion. Fidel watched in fascination, as the reptilian creature tried to bite into Fett. Fidel heard the creature's sharp teeth clang against Fett's chest armor. That snapped him out of it. Leaping to his feet, Fidel looked around frantically for something, anything, to use as a weapon. Startled by the sudden movement, the creature's elegant ears immediately swiveled around to face him, its head following shortly after. Oh boy, now I've done it. Fidel had a split second to think before the creature attacked him. Fortunately, Fett was one step ahead of him. Bringing up his blaster, Fett aimed at the creature's chest and filled the night with round after round of blaster fire.

Hmmmm... I'll try to update with a BIG chapter before Christmas!