Having developed my own system for marking time, I was able to determine that it took me at least a month by Coruscant standard time to find the jungle, then longer still to locate the abandoned explorer ship. The Force was my guide, becoming more responsive to it as it showed me the way to go whilst avoiding being hunted or caught as I knew I was now back in feline territory, and Chieftain Nar'Tja would probably not take kindly to my return. I had to stay out of their sight, which meant utilising all the skills I had learned to keep myself from leaving scents or tracks. Once or twice I caught sight of one of his people, stalking through the trees so I hid under the roots below, remaining calm and invisible until they had left so that I could then continue on my way. I knew better than to hope for a perfectly working ship once I finally found it, and I was glad I hadn't risen my hopes up, because it truly was a wreck.

It had been ripped and stripped of many parts which were flung about from where the tribespeople must have scavenged it. There wasn't even a hull on the starboard side, just a gaping mess, but still, there was enough integrity to at least salvage more for myself. Since I knew technology, I knew what to look for and I went straight for the cockpit in order to search for the distress beacon. This was the only instance where I allowed hope to get the better of me, but when I arrived, I saw deep slashes had torn through the communications board, wiring ripped out and scattered, with everything being completely destroyed. This ship would never fly again, not without a complete refit, something I didn't have.

For a moment I just collapsed, sitting there and staring with the sense of failure and abandonment. I was truly lost, and I did not know what to do. There was no communications, no distress signal, no beacon, nothing. Those tribespeople had literally ripped the ship apart, and barely anything salvageable was left. So for the first time since arriving on this odious rock, I allowed myself to cry. Curling up in the corner, I sobbed and webbed whilst feeling utterly hopeless, and some very dark thoughts entered my head.

I felt anger towards my master for failing to rescue me, disgust towards the cowardly explorers who had not reached out to help me, hatred for the tribespeople and blamed them for my predicament as I couldn't even fly this ship out of here. I wanted to hurt them, to take revenge for condemning me to a life of constant fear and helplessness. The rage burned in my chest and I felt the first touch of the Dark Side of the Force upon me. It was like a soundless whisper, compelling me to extract revenge, to make the tribespeople pay for what they had done. If they had not attacked, then I would have been on that shuttle and back on Coruscant right now, I would not be living this life if it weren't for them. I should make them pay, make them suffer, feel the fear that I did and become their ultimate nightmare.

And I wanted to. I wanted to do it, but even as I began plotting and planning in my head, I felt myself become shocked at my own self. No, this was not the Jedi way. We did not take revenge on any creature, no matter what they have done. We act without passion and with calm, to not allow our emotions to cloud our judgement and act with the Force as our guide. Even if I had the means, I couldn't condemn those people for acting through their own instincts. It was their way, and I could only blame myself for not being able to hold on longer, to have not been more skilled to protect myself and those explorers.

Recognising that my thoughts were dangerous and dark, I forced myself to sit up, dragging myself from the corner and uncurling in order to sit and meditate, to cleanse myself and find peace. Somehow. I needed to remain rational, it was the only way I was going to survive this. Recklessness would only hasten my demise, and I refused to give up hope yet that there was not a means to summon help. There was technology all around me, despite the remains, there had to be a way to build my own beacon. I had my writs comm. which had to count for something, though I knew very little of how to build and fix things. I would have to learn, just like with everything else. I would try and try again until I succeeded, and once someone hears my call, I could only pray that they would come looking for me. I will not give up, I will not be weak. That time is passed, and now I have things to do and plan.

I must search this ship for anything and everything that could keep me alive. There would be supplies that the tribespeople had not thought to take or unable to find, explorers always came prepared, and anything they did take and had not already eaten would be back at their camp. I merely needed to find a means to raid it and escape without their knowing. I needed to scout the area, to learn more of its properties and discover safe places to build camps and rest, to avoid danger and keep myself alive. I needed to focus, I could not afford to lose my head now. Not after coming all this way.

And so I began to loot what I could, finding an entire container full of preserved food which almost caused me to cry once more. It was tasteless, but it was packed full of nutrients that I needed, so I began to hoard everything and ration what I would need. There were better containers for water and medical supplies, ropes and grappling wires, utility belts and clothing that I could either wear or make into something else. I found blankets and boots, oxygen masks and thermal generators. It truly was a trove of treasure, most being hidden away within the private quarters or behind doors that required a code to open, and it didn't take long to link my wrist comm. into the ship's feed as I at least managed to return some power to basic functions.

Survival now seemed much more feasible, so I allowed myself to fill up several canteens with water that the ship still carried and even washed myself to become clean, tending to my injuries and injecting myself with several boosters to combat the possible infections I had picked up. Once clean and dry, I felt like a whole new person, and with new clothes taken from one of the explorer's, I felt a great deal better still. The clothing was much more suitable for the terrain I was in, with thick boots and light, fitted clothes that formed the shape of my body but allowed full movement and flexibility, I then finished with a rather worn looking jacket of dark brown, pulling it one so that now, only my face and neck were left open to the sunlight.

Using a pair of their gloves, I cut off the tips of the fingers so that I would have a better means of gripping but would protect my palms from damage if I needed to climb trees or rocks quickly. They were already covered in light scars from scratches and wounds I had sustained in my numerous cliff climbing endeavours. According to my senses, I judged that it was now about sunset, so I sealed the door to the captain's cabin and powered down everything else except the functions of the room, keeping it warm so that I could sleep on a real bed for the first time in weeks, refreshed, fed and watered. It was a luxury I would never again underappreciate.

I woke intermittently due to remaining on high alert, every sound and creak stirring me to become fully awake and ready to either run or fight, but mostly it was nothing and I would return to sleep. I knew that I would not be able to stay at the ship because it drew too much attention and I couldn't run the risk of being caught here. It was not defendable as it was in an exposed location and it had too many openings for intruders to get in. I would have to find somewhere else to make a base and move all of my supplies, though to where I could not think. This whole planet was infested with dangers and deadly beings, part of me wanted to never leave this place.

However, my instincts pushed me to leave at first light, so after securing all of my gathered supplies in a safe place where they wouldn't be found, I allowed myself a light breakfast of a protein pack then began to scour the ship for more things in order to try and fix the distress beacon or at least build a new one. What I wouldn't give for an astro-mech right about now, they would know what to do, I could barely make sense of anything in here. More so, I wish I wasn't alone. I knew several other padawans back at the temple who would know exactly what to do with all this. I knew of one, an Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was exceedingly good and building things. He'd make short work of this, I had no doubt despite the fact that he was several years younger than I was. Aayla would also have a better understanding of the ship, and Aurra Sing would no doubt have mastered this planet by now and established herself as a top predator not to be trifled with.

I was so desperate for company, I found myself thinking I wouldn't even mind having Aurra here, because then at least I wouldn't feel so alone, though that being said, she'd probably have left me for dead long ago in order to keep some hunter busy eating me so that she could escape. It would be just like her. I could not understand how she had been found and brought to the temple, and even had a master of her own to train her, she was nothing like a Jedi in her manner and thoughts. She was arrogant, conceited, violent and desperate to prove herself as stronger than all the rest of us. I wonder what her master was like. All I knew of her was her name, the Dark Woman. Perhaps they were a perfect pair, I just hope Aurra tempers herself before being made a Jedi Knight.

Refocusing my thoughts, I looked to all the parts in my hands and began to try and fit them together. I had the distress beacon, now I had to try and wire it back into the ship's system. There was a lot of fumbling about and confusion, several times I shocked myself with a spark, but I continued, learning as I went although my results did not prove at all hopeful. I spent hours sat upon that floor, working away and trying to find means to make this work, fiddling around, changing wires and sometimes, I would hear a faint whir of life before it faded and it would invigorate me to keep on trying, feeling that I was getting closer to my goal.

Night returned and I had to give in, taking the panel back to the captain's cabin in order to deactivate the rest of the ship and redirect the energy to the room in order to keep it from freezing over. I slept fitfully, nightmares waking me as the noises of the night until I woke up at dawn and continued. Every few hours I would leave in order to scout, making sure that nothing was coming and assuring myself for the time being that I was safe before returning. Several days passed in this manner, all the while on edge and fully aware that the longer I stayed, the graver the danger became for me.

Often I would fall asleep in that room with the panel in my lap and a tool in my hand, still trying to fix it with no better luck than before. Several times I gave up, throwing down my tools with an outburst of frustration where I would abandon the goal and despair in the corner, growing darker and darker within myself before something would spur me to try once more. Just one more time. One more time, I'd tell myself. It couldn't hurt, and who knows? Perhaps this time will be it. So I would get back up and continue once more, zealous and focused upon my task.

At the very least I was comfortable here and allowed myself proper rest, with food rations and fresh water, though I refrained from drinking too much as I wanted it to last as long as possible. All the same, I should have moved elsewhere sooner, because after a long day of fruitless endeavours, I had awoken in the early hours of the morning having overslept past dawn to sense that something was near. I was up like a shot, however the sudden movement caused me to knock one of the tools off the bed and with a clatter, it hit the floor. The presence quickly turned and approached my room, and I knew without even needing to see that it was one of the tribespeople. I could hear the growl from the other side of the door.

I launched myself across the room to seal it, locking myself in then hastened to gather together everything I could carry into my bag in order to escape. Food, water, tools, weapons and a blanket, I stuffed everything inside and abandoned the rest as it was too much to carry, I'd have to come back for it when it was safe. Already the tribesperson on the other side was trying to break their way in, heavy thuds hammering against the door as I heard the tear of metal as they used their claws to try and rip the door open. It wouldn't last long, which meant I had to leave, and my only option was the ventilation system. Thankfully I was small and skinny enough to fit, throwing my bag in first then jumping up, pulling myself in and closing the hatch behind me just as the door buckled and it was blasted off its hinges, the feline creature snarling and calling out to others in order to summon them.

I froze in place, looking down through the hatch in order to watch the feline enter and begin to prowl, sniffing in order to catch my scent and I mentally kicked myself. My scent would be fresh, they'll know I was here. Knowing that I had to go, I crawled as quietly as I could through the ventilation shafts in order to escape the ship, which was now overrun with the tribespeople. I could hear them moving as the ship shuddered and creaked, the clattering of their claws as they dug into the hull of the ship. The ventilation shaft allowed me to leave the cabin and drop out near the canteen, where the ship had been ripped open to allow me to escape it quietly and make for the tall grass in order to become lost, however just as I dropped down and started to run, a loud yowl came from behind me and when I turned, a pair of vibrant orange eyes were staring at me.

They seemed to fill my vision, the hunger and bloodlust striking through me as I turned and ran for all I was worth as the responding cries called for a hunt, with me as their prey. I dove for the tall grass, hoping for some cover and ran for all I was worth, gasping for air as I hastened to grab at mud and cover myself in it, hoping to quickly cover my scent. The feeling of being hunted was terrifying. I remember playing chase as a youngling with everyone back at the temple, where we would run to hide until the person chasing us would find us, and the sharp thrill of being caught always ended in laughter. Although the principle was the same, there sense of enjoyment was absent and the consequences of being caught far more dire.

I heard the sound of their panting breath, imagining I could feel it sometimes on the back of my neck as their bodies cut through the grasslands with an agile grace and quickly outstripped me. One launched himself out of the grass and I gave a shriek before I hit the ground with a slide to evade him, disappearing back into the tall reeds and heading towards the river where I knew I could lose them, because I was fairly certain these people either did not like water, couldn't swim or both. It was my only hope, and as the sound of rushing water filled my ears, I increased my speed with a final burst of energy in order to launch myself towards the ravine, returning to the cliff where I had fallen before only this time, I ran alongside it, looking down as the hunters continued after me.

Upon seeing a way down, I wasted no time in launching myself over the side just as the feline creatures sprung from within the tall grass only to see me dive over the side and disappear from sight. My hand caught hold of a tree branch and I quickly pulled myself up, hanging there whilst curling my knees into my chest and tugging another branch down to hide me from view as the felines above me all snarled and whined. The clattering of stones being pushed from above came down along with dust and dirt, their claws shifting the weight of the earth before they decided that it was not safe to be so close to the edge.

I listened and waited, the newfound strength in my arms able to hold me for a good long while as I found balance upon the branches, hiding there until the sun started to set and I could be certain that the felines would return back to their clan in order to escape the devastating cold of night. I could already feel the chill creeping in, so I Force propelled myself back up to the ridge and climbed up before once more running, searching desperately for a place to hide and make camp for the night as the last rays of sunlight fell below the horizon and the pale moon rose above, shivering and frigid. They knew I was here now, knew that I was alive. Now I was the object of their latest sport, and every day they would leave their jungle to come and hunt me, pushing me further and further into unknown regions where I lived in constant terror of being captured or killed by something. The hunt began at dawn's first light, and I would move constantly, ever to evade their claws, but they were indeed great hunters, and often I would have to fight for my life, scale the tallest trees and use the plants and other creatures to my advantage, though often I would almost fail. It was nothing more than a sport for them, whereas for me it was life and death, and although fear was not the Jedi way, I was terrified of dying, so I continued. Clawing for every breath and pulse of my heart until the old ways of my life were left far behind me, this planet cultivating me into something completely new.