Author's Note: Chapter's a bit short but the next 2 will be much longer. That's right, 2! So enjoy this one (and speculate about it) while I work on those.


-Chapter 129: Curious Happenings-

Location: The Jedi Temple

"Some transformations are less natural than others."

Among the dozens of rooms and facilities available within the Jedi Temple, the training dojos were perhaps some of the most popular. During a time of war, it was crucial for every Jedi's skills to be honed and sharpened to peak efficiency less their own incapability reduce them to a prisoner or a casualty of war. No one wanted that... least of all the zealous and eager Padawans. While some were more than ready to prove themselves through trial by fire, some simply viewed exercise and physical training as a means of improving their condition and connection to the Force, a Jedi who could endure was strong indeed. The three women currently occupying one dojo were from all across that spectrum.

Myri Lachiec, dressed in tight-fitting shorts and a tank top, slowly stretched out her body and held a pose as she worked her thigh and calf muscles. She stood on a mat, separate from the rest of the workout equipment as she focused on a cardiovascular interval training routine. Beside her, dressed in a plain t-shirt and shorts and mimicking her moves, was her friend and fellow Jedi Barriss Offee. Hands on their hips, the two women were already physically fit thanks to their constant activity as Jedi, so these routines were more of a weekly 'tuning' for their fitness levels.

"Legs feeling noodly yet?" Myri asked with a slight smile.

"This is not nearly as hard as it looks." Barriss replied, using the Force to centre her body and keep her stamina in check while her muscles went through the ringer.

"Yeah, there's definitely worse routines to go through." Myri agreed, rocking her body from side to side as she stretched out her sides and lower back. "Although, I wouldn't mind trying some of the exercises those Coruscant Ballet dancers go through. Some of the moves they have to pull off are really intense, might actually come in handy on the battlefield." The Twi'lek confessed.

"I can only imagine what their core routine is like." Barriss agreed after a moment of thought. Switching poses, the two women lay on the floor before executing a plank, working their core muscles.

"Probably a lot more intense than this." Myri joked and her olive-green friend lightly chuckled in agreement.

"Oh, I don't know. Have you seen some of the stuff Master Secura does on a daily basis?" A third voice asked, Myri and Barris turning to the side to look at her.

In the same dojo, over on the pull-up bar, was their mutual friend Ahsoka Tano. Clad in a sports bra and matching gray leggings, with her hands wrapped up, the Togruta had been in here well before her Mirialan and Twi'lek friends had arrived. Even as they went thought their full-body routine, Ahsoka was somewhere between 25 and 50 reps in. Her orange skin layered in a sheen of glistening sweat, the Togruta did not seem to be tired in the slightest, something that surprised her friends. Usually someone would be showing the signs of prolonged physical activity and start to slow down after repeated exercises. In truth, Ahsoka was still riding the high from her conversation with Dynnal the other day and thrumming with excitement at the possibility of getting to see him again sometime soon. That excitement she converted into energy, hence her rather continuous workout routine.

"No, but I do know Master Luminara has her own vigorous workout." Barriss responded.

"Why do I get the feeling she's a total bodybuilder under all those robes...?" Ahsoka mused with a giggle.

"Oh please, she's not a diehard." The Mirialan retorted. "She just wants to keep in shape like we do."

"Bodybuilding is totally for overachievers." Myri agreed. "Like Shin'na. Ugh, I can't stand her." The Twi'lek grumbled as she straightened up.

"Go easy on her, Myri. You know it's been hard for her since Master Ketz died." Barriss chided.

"Yeah, but she could at least show some vulnerability. Instead of being a total uppity nerf-herder about it." Her friend complained as she stood. "You think she'd be sad or depressed, but nooooo, now she's all 'holier than thou' about literally everything."

"No kidding. I worked with her once when we were checking out that Separatist space station. No thanks! Never again!" Ahsoka agreed as she dropped down from the pull-up bar.

"You two should really be nicer to her." Barriss snapped as she finished her plank.

"You be nice to her after she tells you your species should never be Jedi because they have 'emotional vulnerabilities'." Ahsoka retorted with a huff, furiously chugging some water as memories of the indigo-skinned adolescent Twi'lek clouded her mood. "I'd like to see her reduce an entire column of battle droids to scrap. How's that for emotional vulnerability?!"

"Believe it or not, you're proving her point." Barriss remarked.

"Alright, enough about mood-ruining Shin'na." Myri cut in. "Let's find something more pleasant to talk about."

"Agreed." Ahsoka said as she toweled off her forehead. "How's your little 'special assignment' going, Myri?" Her friends knew she had been put in charge of a super-soldier's rehabilitation, but neither of them knew the true extent of her situation.

"Arec is... doing okay." Myri slowly replied, remembering the admittedly handsome man she met with on a semi-daily basis.

"Ooo, he has a name, does he?" Ahsoka teased.

"Says you 'person of Wraith's affection'." Myri shot back with a grin. Ahsoka feigned offence,

"Oh come on, Myri! That's not fair! You know me, I'd rather scrap Seppies than date one of them." She retorted, which was a total lie when it came to Dynnal.

"When you're not trying to save one of them." Myri ribbed to which Ahsoka rolled her eyes.

"Enough you two." The older and seemingly more mature and stoic Barriss interrupted. "Myri, cross-ups." The Lethan Twi'lek relented and began to follow along with Barriss as raised knees touched opposite elbows, going back and forth. Ahsoka, meanwhile, leaned back against a wall to watch, sipping from her water bottle. Myri eventually took notice of her friend's apparent lounging around.

"You know you're supposed to do things in a dojo, instead of just watching." The Twi'lek remarked, between heavy breaths as the exertion of her workout was made known. Ahsoka fixed her with a steady gaze and raised a brow marking as if to say 'oh really'.

"I'm sorry, have you done any curls today? Back extensions? Sit-ups? Pull-ups? How about some presses or deadlifts?" Ahsoka shot back with a grin. "No? Because I have. When your workout routine exceeds mine, then you can tell me not to watch." She cheekily added.

"You're a little firecracker today, aren't you?" Myri huffed, noting just how energetic Ahsoka was. The Togruta shrugged nonchalantly. As Myri and Barriss finished their cross-ups, the Twi'lek approached the Togruta with a determined look in her sapphire eyes. "Alright you, if you're such a fitness nut today, I challenge you to an endurance contest." She stated, dropping to the ground. Ahsoka recognized the position immediately.

"Oh, a push-up competition, eh?" She wondered, rolling her shoulders in preparation. "Rules?" She asked.

"First one to stop loses." Myri replied. Ahsoka grinned.

"Game on." She agreed, dropping to the ground beside Myri. Little did the Twi'lek know that Ahsoka had beaten several of her own Clones in push-up competitions before, and chuckled at the memory of Fives' expression when she kept going after they'd finished 100. Another memory sprouted, one of her benchpressing more than Rex and Sixshot combined. She'd used the Force a little for that one, but the looks on their faces was still priceless. Ahsoka knew she was a strong and physically fit woman, always game for a chance to prove that a fact.

"Barriss, would you referee?" Myri asked. The Mirialan seemed rather disinterested in this 'petty' contest, but Myri's steady stare eventually wore her down.

"Fine." She relented. Myri turned to Ahsoka.

"No holding back." She instructed, getting into a ready position. Her friend copied it.

"I never do." Ahsoka replied with a smirk.


The next day...

Ahsoka wound up winning their little contest... an even 500 to Myri's 402. That had been enough for her to call it quits and she left the dojo as Myri recovered. Quite spent after her workout, the Togruta slept soundly that night and it was only when golden sunlight warmed her body the next morning that Ahsoka awoke.

A yellow glow seemed to fill her quarters from the open window, making everything feel cozy and her single bed seem all the more comfortable. But as much as she would've preferred to stay in bed, Ahsoka knew she needed to get up and go about her day. She was thankful the 501st had yet to be sent anywhere, which granted her some much-needed downtime at the Temple... and she was going to need today after after her workout yesterday.

Pushing herself up and feeling out just how sore her limbs were, Ahsoka stretched out, releasing a loud yawn as she did. Fully sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched a little more, her motions not unlike a feline in some ways. Now more awake, she looked around her simple yet modest accommodations, all of her worldly possessions tucked away within this little space. In a way, it felt lonely without someone to share it with ('someone' namely consisting of Dynnal). But she supposed this really wasn't the right place for any romantic pursuits with her boyfriend. The Masters would probably frown on that. She thought sarcastically.

Climbing out of bed, Ahsoka realized her room really was aglow with light and marveled at how bright the sun was today. Still feeling a little sluggish and sleepy, Ahsoka ambled over to her personal refresher and passed by the mirror she propped up against the wall. It was her way of ensuring her clothes were on straight, for checking her face over for any unsightly blemishes, and for ensuring she looked pretty before going to see her boyfriend...

But today it revealed something else about her appearance.

As Ahsoka walked past, she casually turned to glance at herself. Within the glass, she saw her own reflection... followed by a set of brightly-glowing wings.

"WHAT THE KRIFF?!" She shouted, stumbling backwards and falling flat on her bottom. In her half-asleep stupor, her motor functions were not at peak functionality yet... but she was definitely awake now.

Surprised and shocked, Ahsoka sat on the floor for a moment in wide-eyed disbelief. Surely she had imagined that, right? Half-asleep, just waking up, that couldn't be real. Convinced that was the case, she picked herself up. But once she was before the mirror, she again saw her reflection framed by wings of light... four of them. "Eep!" She squeaked, recoiling again. Moving out of sight of the mirror, as if that would make them go away, Ahsoka reached behind her and felt around for these new appendages. She could feel nothing, not even the warm sensation of her hand passing through concentrated light. "What is going on?!" She asked herself, now well and truly freaking out. Looking over her shoulder and turning around in circles, she could not see these wings for herself, which further befuddled the Togruta. Her quiet morning now definitely disturbed, Ahsoka realized there was only one place she could get answers.

Scrambling to get dressed, she used the Force to subdue her soreness before she made a beeline for the Archives. Thankfully it was early and there were very few Jedi in here, so she felt safe in procuring a terminal off in some quiet corner and quickly keying in the terms 'glowing wings'. The search results revealed mostly articles relating to Diathim, or 'angels' as spacers nicknamed them. There were also a few references to certain insects, but from the brief glances she'd gotten, Ahsoka knew the wings around her were more bird-like with feathers. As she attempted to key in a different search, a soft cooing drew her attention to a nearby shelf.

To her surprise, there sat a convor.

Ahsoka knew full-well what a convor (or convoree) was, given its similarities to the 'Kiros bird'. But while Kiros birds possessed pink and blue feathers, convors had brown and gold ones... but not this convor. Unlike any member of the species Ahsoka had seen, this one had a golden belly but green feathers and matching green eyes, possessing a far more vibrant hue that stood out in stark contrast to its dark surroundings. Ahsoka's hands left the hardlight keyboard as her gaze lingered curiously on the bird, the convor itself regarding her before briefly preening itself and then looking back to her with a subtle head tilt. "How... How did you get in here?" Ahsoka wondered aloud. The Temple had no menagerie and as far as she knew no one kept pets as those were filed under 'no attachments'. They were a popular and common household pet, but that still didn't explain what it was doing in the Jedi Temple.

Swooping down from its perch with a gentle twittering, the convor came to rest right by Ahsoka's hand, still regarding the Togruta in an almost curious manner. "You're a bold one." She pointedly observed. This one might be house-trained or possibly even raised in captivity, given how unafraid of her it was. As if in response, the convor chirped a little and hopped around in a circle. "Did you get lost?" Ahsoka asked with a smile, amused by its actions. The convor suddenly took flight again and began to circle around her head, its focus entirely on her. "Why me?" She wondered aloud, watching the convor. Her eyes zeroed in on its wings and several pieces began clicking together. Looking down at her keyboard, a sudden though hit Ahsoka. "Why me..." She repeated, drawing a distinct connection all of a sudden. Her fingers back on the keyboard, she typed in 'wings - Shili'.

Those two keywords brought up a single article.

It was a detailed report on the existence of a single tribal legend that originated from Shili: the Huntress and the Demon. Arching a brow, Ahsoka opened the file and skimmed through it, hovering over a few select sentences. 'Due to the legend's place in oral tradition, it is often subject to some differences depending on the tribe. Some have included wings of fire in the demon's description...' Further on, 'Some suggest that there may be a correlation between this demon of Shili and the purported 'Iron Demon' prevalent in many legends and myths pertaining to the downfall of the Infinite Empire...' "'Iron Demon'?" Ahsoka repeated quizzically. For a moment she hovered over the term, a hotlink appearing that led her to a separate and independent file. Curious, she followed it.

The image that appeared before her was enough to startle Ahsoka, the convor hovering in place and staring at the image along with her.

A pair of red eyes, cloaked in shadow and flame, reached out towards her with a clawed metal hand. In its opposite, a blade of flame shot high to pierce the darkness all around, the image vivid and astonishing to behold. Surrounding the figure were great flames, drawn in such a fashion that the viewer might mistake them for wings. Her eyes darting back and forth to memorize every inch of the image, Ahsoka couldn't help but stare awestruck for a moment. It didn't really answer why she saw wings around herself, but she'd never heard of an 'Iron Demon' before. The convor's repeated chirping stirred Ahsoka from her mild stupor, shaking her head as she could feel something tapping against her mind. It were almost as if the Force was reaching out to her, attempting to communicate with her...

Then it happened, a burst of images all plucked from her psyche. Memories of events early on in the Clone Wars. She realized with a gasp that she'd seen the Iron Demon before. A black, horned face, comprised of shadowy and indeterminate features save for glowing red eyes, gazing upon her during the attempted Blue Shaodw virus outbreak on Naboo. That same face, holding her close to a firm and solid body as she nearly froze onboard the medical frigate during the Geonosian Brain Worm outbreak... and then another image, one vivid and clear and dating well before the Clone Wars... she was just a child, just three years old, about to be found by Plo Koon... but not before the Demon found her. This memory was far more vivid and detailed, Ahsoka recalling his gentleness, how he spoke her native tongue and was careful with her. He left, for reasons unknown even now, but Ahsoka knew that the Demon had been there for her, watching over her, like some guardian of darkness... "Someone who cares about you very much." He'd said. "Someone who wants to make sure you're safe."

"My own personal guardian..." she muttered, recalling the words she used aboard the frigate. The convor suddenly started chirping again, now directly beside Ahsoka. "Do you know him?" She asked on a whim, not expecting an answer. She received none and Ahsoka slumped in her chair. What did it all mean? "Just because... w-wings suddenly show up doesn't mean I'm related to him... does it?" She asked aloud. She did not know, but also did not think so. Demons were one thing, Togruta were another. So this had to be a Force-related thing... but was it related to her meeting with the Demon? When he saved her on Naboo, had he some how imbued her with wings?

All of these conjectures... and not a single one seemed closer to the truth.

The convor landed on her desk and looked to Ahsoka, fluttering it wings and cocking its head towards her. The Togruta hesitantly reached out and gave the bird a pet, the convor closing its eyes and cooing in enjoyment. Ahsoka smiled a little, giving her newfound friend a gentle ruffle on the head. Retracting her hand, it settled across the keyboard as Ahsoka devised a new search. She had to figure out what these... 'light wings' were all about...


Author's Note: Man, puberty can be sure weird sometimes lol

In case I can't post something for Life Day, I've devised a little present for you all: an invitation to a Discord server dedicated to readers of this story! You can chat with me directly, find out exactly when I'm posting a new chapter, see the awesome artwork made by Spartan1203 and maybe, just maybe, get exclusive teasers for future chapters... if you have Discord just follow this invitation discord .gg /e3rMUgm9BQ.

Again, my apologies for the short chapter. But what's next, you ask? Well, its Season 5, episodes 2 & 3!