The planet was ruthless and brutal. Soon enough I did not even know what day I was on, as there did not seem to be a constant pattern in which to tell time. Sometimes, the blazing days could last what felt like several rotations, and the freezing nights no time at all, but then they would reverse and the long nights would last forever and the day barely a few hours. I had to adapt and learn, figuring out ways to survive on the bare minimum that was on offer to me. Using strips of cloth from my own clothes I bound up the wound on my leg and disinfected it with what I had available in my utility belt, praying that it would remain clean until I could get it properly treated. I had to take risks with food, learning what I could and couldn't eat through sheer chance, hoping all the while that I wouldn't die as I continued to learn how to build my own shelter and find things to line it with so that I would be able to retain a little of my own body heat.
When a certain part of the river became overrun with mud dwelling giant worms with tooth lined mouths, I'd had to go around them for days in order to avoid being dragged down into the muddy dwelling as I had seen them capture prey in the form of a squat snouted little creature which squealed when it realised it had wandered too close to danger. It was easier to move in that region during the night, so I had to calculate how much time I had before it would become too cold even for me to continue moving and would have to put up my shelter, which I had woven together with twigs in order to make thatched folds which I could lock together to make a tent.
I'd wasted an entire day learning and teaching myself how to make them, and several times I had to find other ways to make them better. I was constantly improving, and more than mere survival, there was also the predators to fear. I called the Canines, as they were the opposite of the feline tribespeople from the jungle. Great furry beasts like the one that I had seen upon first waking up in the river, they came in several different forms. Some had tails with stingers or pincers, others paralytic saliva, and some were several times larger than the others. They hunted as a pack, but even from my careful observation from the safest place I could find, I saw no structure to the pack at all. They hunted, they killed, and they fought over the food.
Several times I had almost been caught by one on its own, a loner, and I'd either use my slingshot to cause it injury or use the Force to push it as far away from me as I possibly could, often launching them into the river where some other creature or beast would leap up and drag them down to a watery death. If it were not for the fact that everything alive on this planet was trying to eat me, I would have felt more sorry for the creatures. However, I viewed my survival as imperative, and the singular drive that pushed me forwards was the intense need to return home to Coruscant, to the temple, and to my master.
Many nights I would wonder where he could be, why he had not yet found me and worry if he had given up. I would tell myself that he could not merely scan the planet, as the atmosphere interfered with the instruments, but then, why could he not just reach through the Force to find me like he had done for those explorers? There had to be a reason. Master would not abandon me. He was still looking, I'm sure of it. This was a huge planet, after all. Perhaps he was still searching the jungle, or perhaps the river forked in multiple directions and he was still pursuing the others in search of me. I could not allow myself to despair, otherwise this would all be for nothing. No matter what, I had to continue moving forwards until I reach my goal. Nothing was going to keep me from that, and perhaps by the end of this, I will have grown stronger as a Jedi. Perhaps this was all meant to be, so I must continue with the Force as my guide, and allowing myself to be cultivated through this trial.
It was taxing, trying to maintain such a mind, but it was efficient. Every night I would practice my meditation, murmuring over and over again the mantra that I had developed for myself, willing to be guided by the Force whilst also reaching out, stretching beyond the stars in order to call out for my master. When sunrise broke, I would get up and continue moving, following the river back towards the jungle, though I was still yet to see anything other than empty desert wasteland around me. I hoped that the jungle would be hidden behind the distant mountains, and every time I saw something new and seemingly alive, I hoped that it was a sign of the jungle region approaching.
Every new plant or bush I would investigate thoroughly, and learned to observe my surroundings before getting too close. Often the behaviours of animals and creatures around me would show me how to best survive, as they knew where the dangers lurked already and knew how to avoid them. I developed means to hunt and trap food for myself when I could find nothing plant based to eat, as well as how to make fires out of flint stones and dried grass and sparse twigs I gathered, building up a fire during the day to cook my meat then erase all traces of it afterwards. I knew not to light fires at night, as the light attracted predators, and after I realised they were tracking me through my scent, I braved the mud land in order to scoop up mud and plaster myself in it to mask my own scent.
It worked, and the mud even proved to be an effective protective layer against the sun, cooling my skin and keeping me from burning under it so I was then able to use my clothes to make a hood for myself to cast shade over my face so that I was not constantly squinting. It was a slow, gradual process, but I was learning, every new day and night delivering a new lesson to be learned where I either adapted or was killed. I was adamant not to die, so survival was my only way forward. For countless days and nights I moved forward until gradually, the mountain range began to grow clearer and closer, patches of grass beginning to crop up as the desert turned more luscious, though with dismay, I soon realised that if I was to consider following the river, I would have to scale a sheer cliff that was easily over five hundred feet high. I couldn't even see the top.
How did I survive such a fall in the first place? I know I was unconscious whilst in the river, but that fall should have killed me. Rather sceptically, I mused to myself that it must have been the will of the Force that I lived. I'd gone so long without speaking to another living soul that I often talked aloud to myself just to fill in the empty silence, feigning the idea that I actually had company and someone else to talk to other than the mud-demons, Canines and stars knows what else lay out here. Standing at the base of the cliff, I craned my neck upwards, following a jagged path and finding places which jutted outwards from the rock surface which looked like feasible places for me to rest or even sleep.
"Well Theca, this won't be easy but so long as you just think of it as an extreme exercise, you can get through it. Just imagine Master Bondara is right there beside you, guiding your way. He'll tell you where to go, which ledges are safe. He won't let us fall." And so I began the climb, Force pushing myself up the first ten feet onto a ledge before then vaulting for the next. I scaled the cliff face, feeling the wind pick up the higher I climbed until it was howling against me, causing my fingers to go numb as I ached all over. I needed to stop soon, to rest, but the next ledge was still far above me and I couldn't risk going off course to move along and find one closer. Going back down was not an option, so higher I climbed, resisting the urge to just let go and fall before finally I grasped onto the ledge and hauled myself up, crawling along it before turning so that my back was pressed against the cliff, as far away from the edge as I could possibly make myself.
I rested for a few minutes, gasping for breath and wishing dearly that I had some water to drink, but I had had no means to carry any supply with me whenever I had found a freshwater spring or puddle. It was hard enough climbing this thing with my shelter on my back, but now it proved a most effective wind barrier as I set up a little camp and jammed one of the slats into a crack in the rock to block the wind so that it wasn't so cold and loud. The other I placed on top and secured down with the length of vine I'd scrounged to keep them together before then settling. The temperature dropped, signalling the end of the day so I curled up for a few moments, wanting nothing more than to just sleep deeply but knowing that if I did, I would only freeze to death, I forced myself to sit upright in order to meditate.
My mind sank into nothingness, where I once more tried to become one with the Force and reach out across the stars, not even just to my master, but to anybody who could help me, but I never felt anything other than the life on this planet. I even felt the life of the planet. The malicious, hungry, devouring life force that seemed to burrow deep into its crust from the interlocking network of plants and roots. Everything was carnivorous and ravenous, making me shudder each time I reached out until I grew accustomed to it. The sharpening of my senses allowed me to track things, such as the Canine pack which now crowded at the base of the cliff, waiting for me to fall, and the rushing rapids of the river which ebbed and flowed whilst tumbling down in a powerful rush. I could sense the life above me, so much more existing up there than the barren wasteland below, as if someone had scarred the planet and scourged it to suffer a blight upon its surface.
I listened and I felt, all the while murmuring with barely moving lips as my mantra flowed through me. "Guide me. Guide me…I am one with the Force. The Force is with me. Be one with the Light. The Light is with me. Be one with the Universe. The Universe is with me. Guide me…show me…show me the way…" Over and over again I whispered until the first rays of sunlight shone against the cliff, rousing me from my meditation where I sat and bathed in the warm glow as my frozen limbs slowly came back to life, my pulse and breathing increasing the more revitalised I became.
It felt like being reborn each morning, and as I watched the fiery sun break through the frozen glaciers of ice, the resounding cracks causing things to stir and awaken with the dawn, I too rose up, standing upon my ledge in order to take a moment and surrender myself to the beauty which I beheld. The orange gleam shone upon the dusty ground whilst the ice and water became a golden glow of shifting rapids, the sky dancing with rosy hues as I appreciated the feral beauty of this world despite everything. The sensation of renewal filled me as I remained standing upon the precipice, allowing myself to forget my situation for a few precious moments, and bask in the glory of sunrise.
Such precious moments as this would be what kept me going, the sparks of beauty, power and life which proved that there was still a reason for continuing all no matter how dire things became. I pressed onward, and the higher I climbed, the more urgent it became that I reached the top as soon as possible. Hearing the caw of a bird, I lifted my head to see a vulture like creature flying overhead, double headed with leathery wings and crooked boned body like a hunched spine. I thought nothing of it, as there was only the one, however after a few more moments, I noticed that several more had joined in circling overhead as I pulled myself up to rest for a moment though as I stood, I realised that I was facing an open mouthed cave. It was dark inside and, out of habit, I reached for my lightsaber in order to shine a light, but of course it was not there. All I had was the makeshift slingshot.
A sense of foreboding overcame me, and before I could react, the sound of horrible screeching came from inside. All at once there was a rush of black and wings around me, sharp beaks snapping at me in a bid to try and grab me, claws raking at my flesh as I grabbed hold of the thatched flaps and used it as a barrier as I cried out, cowering underneath them to provide myself a shield before thrusting out my hand to Force push the creatures away. They did not give in easily, diving at me every moment they got, trying to find ways to get at me as I quickly vaulted higher up the cliff, scaling it to try and find a better position to defend myself but soon enough, discovered that I had climbed right up into their network of caves and tunnels where they slept.
Soon hundreds of them filled the air, blotting out the sun as a mass of black bodies filled my vision and I quickly snatched at the slingshot and began to fire the stones at the closest bird creatures. Thankfully it didn't seem to take much to knock them down as they were rather flimsy looking, a stone to their heads able to render them immobile so that they plummeted from the sky. The only problem was I had a limited supply of stones and far too many predatory birds to deal with. Another swooped down upon me and tried to bury its talons into my shoulder but I swung my tent panels and knocked it away with a sharp yell, struggling for breath as my pulse raced erratically.
I was cornered, backing up into one of the caverns where I had to defend myself constantly. My mind raced, attempting to think of a solution but had nothing come to mind. I tried to think, wondering what my master would do in this situation, though it didn't help to know that Master Bondara would never allow his situation to become so hopeless in the first place. "Be one with the Force. When you are one with the Force, you are as nothing. A calm in the storm, a pivot to the lever. Chaos may rage around you, yet you are still." Repeating his own words helped me to think of him, and remember how easily he had moved through the jungle with very little opposition or attack. "Be one with the Force…be one…be one…"
Deciding to put all my hopes in my master's teaching, I took a very deep breath before holding out my hand, relaxing into myself as I closed my eyes and allowed to feel the pulse of the Force that surrounded me, drawing it in and allowing it to take root as a conduit for its will. It swirled and circled, gathering as I felt the unstable balance within me settle somewhat, and I began to understand what Master Bondara had said before about me being unstable within. There was too much conflict within me, too much doubt and fear. If I was to truly become one with the Force, I needed to let go.
It was something far more easily said than done, as I still felt that pang of fear, but it decreased rapidly and after a while, I began to realise that the creatures were no longer attacking me. Allowing myself to look, seeing them still flying above and around me but with a greater distance and seemingly a great deal calmer than before. It was uplifting, turning my hand in order to view my bruised and scraped fingers and marvel at my success until I saw the first drop of rain fall from above and land upon my palm.
A searing pain then followed as the raindrop hissed and sizzled at my skin, causing me to whimper and quickly shake it off, pressing my palm against me as the bird creatures all gave fearful shrieks and dove for their caves and homes. Yelping, I hurriedly thrust out my hand again and willed them to stay away from me, allowing me to keep this one cave to myself as the overlay of clouds continued to thicken, the crash of thunder rumbling overhead before the rest of the rain followed the first. Acid rain. I dove for the cave and quickly pushed myself as far away from the entrance as I could possibly go, but it was barely more than a few feet from the cave mouth. It was enough, however, and the ground was on a slight gradient so I did not have to fear the cave flooding with the acidic rainwater whilst I rested. It had never rained here before, so it was something else I had to add to my ever growing list of things to watch out for, though so long as I could depend on the wildlife knowing when it was about to rain, I could find myself shelter.
Out of habit and in need of the comfort of an enclosed space, I set up my thatched tent and curled up underneath it, allowing myself to properly sleep for the first time in days. No, more than days and rotations, weeks possibly. I had no idea, in truth. Time had become something of an abstract thought for me. It was either survive or die. Time meant nothing here. Still, it felt good to sleep and rest, though I was hungry and thirsty when I awoke, the rain still pouring and the night beginning to onset itself so that the acid froze as it fell, clattering in crystalline droplets which clattered like hail upon the rocks and created an almost musical sound for me to listen to as I huddled against myself, though this time I allowed myself the luxury of a fire.
There were no predators up here save the birds, and I knew they would leave me alone whilst it was still raining or hailing, and I seriously desired the warmth. Using the last of my supplies, I built up a fire and allowed it to blaze, eating the last of my food before then spending the rest of my waking moments devising an easier way to get to the top where I knew more dangers awaited, but also more opportunities for food, water, shelter and supplies. If I could only raid the campsite of those feline people…I'm sure I could steal some useful items, including proper weapons. They'd taken those blasters from the explorers, I could try to get them back, though I knew it to be unlikely I'd ever get close.
They were hunters, and could smell me coming at the slightest shift in the wind. I'd have to learn. Learn to be better than them, a true hunter, to disguise myself and hide from their sights, to build myself a defendable base whilst I searched for the remains of the ship that had brought the explorers and hope that the Force was with me and that I could reactivate their distress beacon. It was the only chance I had to get off this forsaken and deadly rock, and there was nothing I wanted more in the universe.