Hey everyone,
I have the last chapter for you and I hope so much you enjoy it! Before I get into it though, I want to thank all of you who favorited and followed on here, I really appreciate it :) It's always so nice to open those emails and see your lovely usernames. So thank you so much for all your support.
And I also want to make sure to give shout outs to all you truly amazing people who left comments on the second chapter. Thank you so much to: the fantastically awesome She-Elf23, the amazingly wonderful EyesOfHorus82, the phenomenally astonishing Nanyin, the exceptionally incredible DinDjarin2005, the astoundingly marvelous HMTyping, and the magnificently glorious JohnGilbertVampirehunter. You guys make this process so much easier and more fun and I can never really say exactly how much your support means to me. You take the time to write reviews and they are always so uplifting to read. Hopefully, you guys enjoy this chapter and the conclusion to this story!
Well, that's about all I have to say for now other than I can't wait for season 3 :) (and literally every other Star Wars show Disney+ is putting out)
Alright, without further ado...
Enjoy!
Scrunching his nose and turning his head more fully into Din's shoulder, Grogu tried to ignore the grumbling turns of his stomach. The hunters who had taken him hadn't been particularly intent on feeding him and the last he had eaten had been with his buir, what felt like days before. Eventually, the annoyance pulled him to consciousness, and he winked open his sleepy eyes. Turning his gaze up, Grogu looked at Din's still sleeping, if distressed, expression.
Growling gently at him, Grogu sat up and pressed his hand to Din's cheek. Closing his eyes, he reached out and found Din just as exhausted and unconscious as he had been when Grogu fell asleep. Dropping his hand, he pressed lightly on his buir's shoulder and attempted to form the few words he had learned in Mando'a. It didn't work. The words were hard, and he found himself mumbling more than speaking. Grogu tried once more before he let his hand drop to his side. Passing his sad gaze over Din's face, he couldn't help the feeling of loneliness that was tapping at the back of his mind. Din had never left him alone.
Still, the rote feeling of isolation crept closer the longer Din suffered in silence. It caused Grogu's fear to gnaw at his stomach more than his hunger did.
Distraction needed; his gaze wandered to the food storage. He was hungry but getting to it would require him to move and that was currently unacceptable. Instead, Grogu pulled the blanket back over his shoulders and laid back down. Closing his eyes, he snuggled close and rested his claw against his buir's neck. As a diversion or on instinct, Grogu reached out. He could still feel the poison, but it was lessening. That seemed to correspond with the end to Din's twitching, which was comforting but far less so than him just waking up. Grogu's opened his heavy eyes with a sigh and stared a Din for a few more moments before he realized the man's head was still lying at an awkward angle against the metal floor. Anger flared unexpectedly in his chest, and Grogu rebuked himself for not thinking of this before. Carefully pushing away, he tottered to the sleeping platform and pulled the pillow off the bed. Using the Force to lift his buir's head, he slipped the pillow under Din's head before he slowly released his hold.
As if he had been unconsciously waiting for it, Grogu's ears dropped when Din didn't react to that either. The young Jedi's stomach growled a little louder but he actively ignored it and instead snuggled back under the blanket. The hold was quiet, save the creaking metal that had become a ubiquitous sound, but it worked to highlight the lack of conversation Din had always maintained when it was just the two of them. Loneliness shouldered its way into the back of Grogu's mind, bearing down on him in a way he hadn't dealt with for years. Grogu sucked in a shuddering breath that shocked him in it's overt despair. His wide-eyed gaze shot up at Din, expecting him to have made the sound. But his buir's expression and harsh breaths hadn't changed. In that moment, Grogu quietly admitted his fear and closed his eyes to ward off the tears threatening at the corners of his eyes. It didn't work. Sniffling, Grogu curled his claws into the cloak still clasped at his buir's neck and pulled it over his face.
He stayed that way, curled into his buir's side, his face hidden, until he fell back into an exhausted, restless sleep.
The next time Grogu grumbled awake, his belly was loudly growling. He curled over his stomach, tucking his arms over his middle, but the discomfort was enough to wake him up a little more and he realized that was not the only thing that woke him. Grogu groggily realized he was cold. His ears drooped as he frowned, trying to figure out why he was so far away from his buir. Still, it was easy enough to rectify. Shuffling forward, he tucked his head back into Din's neck. Only to pull back when he felt heat rolling off Din's skin. Scrambling back in a panic, Grogu watched in horror as Din tossed and mumbled incoherently. It took a moment, but his courage solidified and he reached toward Din hesitantly, pressing his hand to the man's neck. His buir groaned and shifted at the specific, cooling, touch.
Grogu turned and tottered as fast as he could toward the ladder. He couldn't wait any longer. It took some effort to get up to the helm, but he managed it before pulling himself into the pilot's seat. He froze as he saw the array of buttons and displays before him. It looked nothing like the Crest's controls. Grogu's ears dropped as his gaze darted across the unfamiliar console. He felt that overwhelming desperation crawling under his skin, and he couldn't help but lean over the arm of the chair, anxiously looking at the passage back. He wanted to hide. But he remembered Din's pain, felt it in the back of his mind, and forced himself to turn back to the console.
With his renewed concentration, Grogu looked at the mash of buttons and tried to reframe it from what he remembered of the Crest's controls. It slowly made a little more sense. He saw the landing equipment, saw the take off buttons, and then came across the communications array. Grogu cocked his head as he narrowed his focus. If the distress button existed, it should be somewhere near here.
He started to push buttons. Every button he could. At least every button he was sure wouldn't start engines or fire something. He ended up playing Luke's message, turned on some kind of external speaker, and opened up a com line to a nearby ship. Then, finally, he found the button he needed. As soon as he hit it, there was a small alarm that echoed for a short time before a blip appeared on a newly projected map to his left. Grogu narrowed his eyes and watched the blip for a few moments as he tried to figure out whether it really worked. In his desperation, it was mesmerizing. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but eventually that little dot moved.
Grogu's eyes widened as he watched the small dot slip through the blue projected map. Hoping that was enough, Grogu dropped off the edge of the chair and tottered back to the ladder. Job done, he crawled back down to the hold. Apprehensively, he crept back to Din, who was still quietly groaning. Settling in front of his buir, he considered him for a moment before he pressed his hands to Din's chest. Grogu leaned into his fear and stretched his senses, instinctively knowing, as every living creature does, that the heat was more dangerous than that poison, more dangerous than the puncture wounds. It was an insidious sickness burning its way through his buir's body and it needed to be stopped. He reached out to that wrongness, wanted desperately to dislodge it, but it wouldn't budge.
Slumping onto his bottom, Grogu dropped his hands into his lap and frowned, his ears drooping, as he watched the man continue to struggle. He wanted so badly to help, but he didn't know how. Growling at his own incompetence, Grogu finally let the tears fall freely. A small part of him hoped the distress would be enough to wake Din out of his stupor. When it didn't, Grogu hid again, tucking his face into Din's cloak. He sobbed into the fabric, wishing for a heavy hand to drop down onto his back because he desperately needed comfort.
It didn't. Instead, Din continued to mutter and mumble while he shifted in his discomfort. In an effort to do something, Grogu cooed and babbled, trying to fill up the oppressive metal box they were trapped in. But just like everything else he had tried, Grogu knew it wasn't enough. And he hated that it wasn't enough.
"Din." A muffled voice dragged Grogu out of his nervous pseudo-sleep and when it was followed by a loud thumping on the outside of the ship, he shot upright. Sure he recognized the voice, Grogu mashed his hands against the control on Din's wrist, looking up only when the ramp shuddered and started to open. Grogu was nearly sure it was Cara, but he still stepped in front of Din, pressing one hand to his boot to ground himself and holding one hand before him just in case he had misheard.
Thankfully, it was the former shock trooper who stepped onto the ramp. Her face scrunched in confusion when she caught sight of the prone body and small green creature, but she hid it. Covering the distance between them quickly, she knelt in front of Grogu and said, "Hey buddy." She couldn't seem to keep her attention solely fixed on Grogu and when her gaze flicked over the little one's head to Din, concern broke anew over her face. Dragging her focus back, she reached forward and ran her finger along Grogu's ear, before she quietly said, "What do you say we get this ramp closed and then we help out your dad?"
Grogu's ears raised slightly at the suggestion, anything to get Din help was alright with him. He reached forward and pressed the buttons that had worked to open the ramp. The metal groaned as the mechanics kicked into gear and, when it shut, the metallic sound echoed through the hold with a note of finality. Privacy ensured, Cara leaned over Din, pressing her fingers to his neck. After a few moments, she sat back with a huff of frustration, and quietly asked, "What'd you do this time, Din?"
Looking over at Grogu, she gently explained, "Your dad's in a bad way. We're going to get him onto the bed, get this armor off, and take care of him." Cara stood smoothly and sighed before she slipped her arms under Din's armpits. Carefully, she dragged the unconscious Mandalorian toward the open sleeping bunk. It wasn't as narrow as it seemed, with enough space for her to crawl onto it and lift him onto the mattress. As she did, Grogu collected the blanket and pillow, floating it onto the bed as Cara got Din situated. Without a word, Cara set about removing Din's armor. Grogu tried to watch from the floor even though he really couldn't see anything. But when Cara inadvertently shifted him, Din reacted in vocalized, groggy pain. Panic curled under Grogu's skin as he saw his buir shifting uncomfortably on the bed; he needed to see him. He growled loudly, demanding attention but when Cara didn't immediately acknowledge him, Grogu reached out in instinctive anger. The ex-shock trooper's movements froze involuntarily, her arms yanked to her side, until all she had left was to turn her gaze stiltedly to the small creature with his arm outstretched, a scowl written across his face. She managed to choke out, "Grogu, okay…okay…stop…I get it."
Grogu released his hold, his eyes going wide as he realized exactly what he had done. Dropping his arm, he still growled, but it had shifted from ire to anguish.
Cara turned her worried gaze to Din for a moment longer before she slid off the bed. Obliging, she picked Grogu up, and settled him on Din's other side. She slipped onto the other side of the bed, but her hands hovered over another piece of armor before she looked him in the eyes and sternly said, "I need to finished getting this armor off. You can't do that again. If you want him to survive, I need to do this." She nodded in his direction and waited for a few more moments before she went back to gently removing the armor.
Grogu fixed his gaze on his buir's face. The man was muttering under his breath, his hair plastered to his forehead as he continued to fight the fever. Grogu frowned as he laid his hand on Din's cheek. Closing his eyes, he acted instinctually, trying to touch his mind. It took some focus but eventually he felt the connection. He showed Din there were others there to help him, to protect him. Tried to demonstrate a calming aura he didn't quite feel. As Grogu held that connection, he felt a weak response. A dense knot of fear echoed back. In that moment, Grogu realized Din was scared. The young Jedi pulled back, almost dropping the connection; he wasn't sure how to deal with that response. For as long as he had known him, Din had never been afraid, he had always moved with purpose, always knew what to do, and yet Grogu could feel that dread bleeding through their connection. He hated it. But he pushed forward anyway, reaching out again in earnest and trying to ease Din's fear with stronger calming thoughts.
Finally, Din's weak tossing motions eased as he unconsciously settled in Grogu's direction. His mutterings didn't stop but they quieted as Grogu's pleas seemed to make it through the fever's fearsome hold. Grogu released the connection in time to see Cara slip the hardened protection, that sat under the beskar, over his head. Once the full scope of his armor was removed, it was possible to feel the heat rolling off him.
"Dank farrick, Din." Cara swore under her breath as she turned and grabbed the med pack off the wall. Digging through, she stacked the gauze before sliding off the bed. Grogu watched her go, but then turned her attention back to his buir. He leaned forward with a cooing purr as he snuggled into Din's neck. He tutted and babbled as he tried to fill the oppressive silence. It took time a decent amount of time before he felt Cara slip back onto the bed. Grogu looked up and noticed she had brought a bowl of water with her. He watched as she silently dipped the gauze in the water before pressing it to Din's forehead and arms.
Grogu quietly reached out as she worked to see if he could help with fever. But just like before, the cause slipped through his fingers. Instead, he fell back into the calming mantra from before. He kept that up until Cara's voice cut across the quiet, "You hungry, buddy?" Worry undercut her attempt to downplay the situation but when Grogu met her sad expression, she dropped her gaze and added, "We've got to get your dad to eat something or all of this is going to be for nothing."
Grogu wasn't ready to move and curled his claws more fully into Din's shirt.
Cara sighed and said, "You stay with him and I'll make us something." She leaned over Din to touch his head, "You have to be hungry." When Grogu looked up at her with tears in his eyes, her gaze narrowed and her hand lingered before she asked, "What happened to your head?" She moved her fingers to the dried blood on his forehead.
Grogu flinched when she got too close to the knot on his forehead.
Cara sighed again, her shoulders dropped as she leaned closer to Grogu's eye level, "I'm sorry I didn't notice that before. We'll get you cleaned up after I make you and Din something."
It was just broth, supplemented with some powdered protein, and warmed up to deal with some of the chill in the metal box. Nothing special, but for the unconscious man on the bed, something was better than nothing and this was something he could drink. Cara had talked to the bay owner when she had gotten there; they had already been there for five days. Too long for someone couldn't eat, let alone one with a fever. Two bowls later, she handed one over to the little creature still refusing to leave his father's side. Then she slipped back onto the bed and lifted Din, her arm behind his back. Din's head lulled away from her and she had to rock her shoulder to get him into a position where she could work to get some of the broth down his throat. It required far more delicate motions than she was used to, and Cara grumbled and cursed at him under her breath as she struggled to get something down his throat.
She managed to get most of it into his mouth and once she was sure he wasn't going to choke, Cara gently laid him back down and pulled the warm bandages off his skin. Wetting them again, she pressed them back to his forehead and arms in a desperate attempt to cool him down. Pulling the antibiotic shot out of the pack, she drove it into his leg and depressed the plunger. Finished with everything she could do; she fell back against the wall with a sigh.
Glancing over at the decimated med pack, Cara pulled a small bandage free before she looked up at Grogu and quietly said, "Come over here, buddy. I wanna clean up your head, but I'm not going to try and move you away from him."
Grogu had curled into Din's side, ignoring the rolling heat for want of closeness. The man was still mumbling, but the unconscious movements had ebbed for the time. The young Jedi watched him for a moment more before he looked up at Cara and raised his arms. The ex-shock trooper scooped him up and settled him in her lap. Picking up the corner of a spare cloth, she gently cleaned the blood off his forehead before pressing the small bandage on the wound. It was impossible to escape her sharp gaze as she examined him for any more obvious injuries. When she seemed satisfied at his otherwise acceptable health, she let him crawl under the blanket and curl into Din's chest. Her gaze slipped over his head and back to Din as she muttered, "Wish I knew what the hell happened to you two." Then she looked at Grogu as if she had just realized how strange it was he was there, and asked, "What happened to that Jedi of yours? Why isn't he here?"
Her question was met by a doubting coo as Grogu glanced over at Din. He gestured toward him and babbled in Cara's direction. When her inability to understand became obvious, he trailed off and looked back up at Cara with a sad grumble. Grogu decided to try something else, and he lifted his hand toward her. Closing his eyes, he twisted his hand and pressed forward with the Force. He reached until he felt her mind and then he gently touched it before showing her what he remembered. Luke leaving. Them staying at the temple. The attack. It went mostly black after that, but he wanted her to understand what little he knew.
Finishing the story, Grogu dropped his hand and opened his eyes.
Cara's frown made it clear she understood at least a good portion of it. She looked at him with a mix of gentleness and sorrow. "I'm sorry, buddy. So, you don't know how he got hurt either, do you?"
Grogu dropped his gaze, his ears drooping along with them, before he shook his head in the negative.
Cara leaned down so she was mostly on Grogu's level. Soothingly, she ordered, "Get some sleep." Then she quietly added, "I'll watch over him for a bit." She smiled as she watched the little creature slip under the blanket draped over Din's chest.
Turning his back to Cara, Grogu curled his claws into Din's cloak and snuggled his head into his buir's neck. Closing his eyes, he tried reaching out once more, offering support and comfort to the man, trying to keep him fighting, trying to help him get better. Because more than anything, he needed his protector back.
It took another three days of hard work and diligent care before Din came close to consciousness. Cara had been continuously wetting the bandages and replacing them while ensuring both had been able to eat something simple. Grogu continued to ease Din's mind, helping him to hopefully focus on healing and reminding him there were others there to help him.
When he finally groaned consciously, the only real evidence of his rousing was when he dropped his hand to his pounding head. The first thing Din noticed was that he was warm. Uncomfortably so. The next was that there was a soft pillow below his temple. But he wasn't dead, which was something. Din kept his hand on his head as he squinted his eyes open one at a time. It became immediately obvious he was in the Crest. How the hell had he gotten to the Crest? He shook his muffled head as he realized he was in the Horizon, the Crest had been destroyed. He tried to understand exactly what happened, but he couldn't quite fill in the blanks. He was groggy. And confused. And so incredibly exhausted.
Din closed his eyes, with every intention of falling back to sleep to try and deal with his, now raging, headache. At least until he heard a quiet cooing garble. Din's gaze snapped down to the weight he just realized was resting against his chest. "Grogu?" His voice broke on the simple word, but a feeling of relief blossomed in his chest. In time for the little creature to jump up into his face. He hurriedly pressed his claws to either side of Din's face, babbling excitedly as he looked him in the eyes.
Din smiled at the reaction. Pressing up on his elbows, Din groaned as the motion engaged sore muscles, but he forced his gaze to meet Grogu's. Unfortunately, his head started to spin and he closed his eyes tightly to gather himself before he croaked out, "I'm alright, kid." He forced his eyes open and passed his gaze over his small sleeping quarters before he added, confused, "I don't know how, but I'm alive."
Grogu tucked his head into Din's neck as he cooed happily.
Din curled his arm around him, satisfied at knowing his son was safe but a little shaky on why that particular concern had been weighing on him at all. Outside of the ordinary worry. He had just closed his eyes when an altogether unexpected voice cut through the hold. "I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up." Din's eyes snapped open and locked on the ex-trooper. He could see the worry still etched across her expressive face. His voice was stronger when he questioned, "Cara?"
"Were you expecting someone else?"
Din scrunched his face and realized he was very much without his helmet. Looking down, he also noticed he was stripped down to his underclothes. It was…an awkward situation. He immediately looked away from his friend and stuttered through an answer, "I…uhh…didn't expect to see anyone."
Cara frowned and dropped her own gaze before he offered, "Sorry about that. But I had to get your armor off, or we weren't going to get your fever down." Then she gestured at Grogu, "The helmet wasn't me though. The kid took that off before I ever got here."
Din glanced down at his son with a fondness that was impossible to hide, even if he had really wanted to. But as he watched Grogu relax into his arms, Din tried to remember what had gotten him into this position. But he couldn't come up with it. He looked up at Cara, confusion clear on his face and then he admitted, "I have no idea what happened."
"Got me." She shrugged, before uncrossing her arms and gesturing toward Grogu, "He doesn't seem to know either." She sat on the edge of the mattress, "I think you're the only one who can put it together, but don't think about it too much right now." She dropped her hand on his shoulder and became profoundly serious, "You need to sleep. We can figure out the rest later."
He considered forgoing her suggestion but the enervation pulling at his mind became increasingly hard to ignore. It didn't help that Grogu was comfortably tucked into his side, babbling quietly and continuously tucking the blanket into his neck like he was trying to make him comfortable.
The next time he woke up, he was far more coherent. His head was still throbbing, but it felt far less muddled than it was earlier. Winking his eyes open slowly, Din found he was still in his bed and Grogu was still at his side, the weight was impossible to ignore. Not wanting to wake him, Din was careful to only turn his head to try and get a better idea of what was happening. As he twisted to his left, he noticed Cara was still sitting at his side, her head resting against the metal wall. But her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be sleeping.
At least until she opened her sharp eyes. "Glad to see that earlier conversation wasn't a fluke." She smirked as she adjusted her seat, crossing her arms across her chest before she added some snarky levity, "You owe me."
Din gave a dry chuckle, "Don't I always?" He groaned and shifted a bit, inadvertently rousing Grogu. The little creature blinked up at him with wide eyes and Din quietly apologized, "I'm sorry, bud. Go back to sleep if you want."
When Grogu instead sat up next to him, Din carefully pressed himself up and shuffled back against the wall. It was a painfully slow process but once Din was settled, Grogu curled up next to his hip. Din settled his hand on Grogu's back as he snuggled close. Reaching forward, Din stiltedly pulled the blanket over his lap, enough to cover his son before he turned back to Cara, "Thank you for helping me. And for taking care of him."
Cara's mischievous smirk shifted into a knowing frown, "I'm not the one to thank for that. That's not what I meant." She looked down at Grogu, "You survived because of him. I just helped at the end." A smirk tugged at the edges of her lips and she added, "I meant you literally owe me." When Din shot her a questioning look, Cara smiled and added, "I had to pay off that bay owner of yours." Then she added, "Before I got here, did you know you were here for nearly a week?"
Din scoffed, but the realization made him a little queasy.
"Do you remember what happened?" Cara asked seriously as she tossed her head toward Grogu, "He doesn't know how you got hurt."
Din closed his eyes as the events of the last...week, apparently...flooded back. With a sigh, Din admitted, "It was a knife of all things." He met her gaze and elaborated, "A group of bounty hunters tried to take him, but there were a few more than I expected."
Cara's face scrunched in disbelief, "You got stabbed?"
"A few times." He said with a shrug. "The damn hunter was good, she targeted the weaknesses in the beskar." Din offered, before he explained the little he remembered after Grogu was taken. He covered the search and the station, but it became a little fussier as he moved through the story. He neglected to tell Cara exactly why that was probably the case, he was still a little self-conscious of how close he had come to getting his son killed because of his own failure.
Cara sat quietly as he explained what he remembered. When he finally finished, she said with begrudging respect, "She must have been damn good to catch you." She met Din's gaze with thinly veiled anger, "You kill her?"
Din nodded. "She left an opening."
Cara watched him carefully, her expression unreadable. After a beat, she added, "Good."
Silence settled over the small group. Din absentmindedly rubbed his hand over Grogu's back as his gaze fixed on the blanket on his lap. After a time, Din looked up at Cara, "How much longer are you able to stay?"
"Couple more days. You've been out for a while, Din. Eventually, someone's going to come lookin' for me."
"I understand. Thank you for coming when you did." His voice shifted and there was an added lightness when he asked, "What do I owe you?"
Cara smiled, "Nothin', just keep this in mind the next time I give you a call for some help with a Republic job." She shifted and slipped off the edge of the bed, "I'm gonna make us something to eat. I've had broth for the last few days because of you, I'm making something with a little more substance."
Din chuckled before he looked at her seriously, "Thank you for coming, Cara." And then he added, "And for dinner."
Cara smirked, "You say that now, but hold that thanks until you eat whatever I'm going to whip up." Without waiting for a response, she turned toward his food stores.
Left, mostly, alone with Grogu, Din continued to rub his son's back before he quietly said, "Thank you, Grogu."
Without any pretense, the little creature glanced upward with a quiet coo that seemed to almost brush off the sincere comment. Grogu regarded Din for a few moments before he closed his eyes and reached up with a clawed hand. Touching Din's mind, Grogu tried to explain his concern.
Din watched his son move into a trance before he felt the spirit he had become accustomed to tapping on his mind. Closing his eyes, Din allowed the thoughts in. There were no images, just feelings. And the overriding emotions he understood were fear and loneliness. Din tried to react to that, but the emotion quickly shifted to relief and excitement. And then that was it. Din opened his eyes and looked down at his son with a sad smile. He gently picked Grogu up and cradled him to his chest, "I won't leave you alone, not if there's ever anything I can do to avoid it."
Grogu tucked into Din's neck cooing and babbling as Din held him close.
As they sat in quiet comfort, Din felt his son's spirit touch his mind again but this time it wasn't fear or loneliness or excitement or relief, it was love. Din tucked him closer and tried to convey that same love when he said, "Thank you, ad'ika."
Cara left a few days later, once Din assured her he was healthy enough to get the two of them back to the Temple. If she made him climb into the cockpit and prove he was able to cook for the two she was going to leave behind, it was a small price to pay for his life. Even with the healing he had done, Din still moved stiltedly, sorer than he had ever been before but still mobile. Cara paid off the last of his debts and they were cleared to be in the air as soon as she cleared her own hanger.
As Din was slowly going through the steps for take-off, the blinking communications button caught his attention in a momentarily worrying déjà vu. Unconsciously, Din glanced down at the small creature in his lap, easing his irrational fear. Grogu turned his gaze up to his buir and cooed confusedly. Din smiled at him, "I'm guessing that's your Jedi." Realizing the poor man had no idea what happened in his Temple, Din figured he should at least listen to the message. He pressed the blinking communications button, unconsciously wrapping his free arm around Grogu as the small, blue likeness appeared to his left.
"Din, are you and Grogu safe? I returned to the temple a few days ago to find significant damage done. Do you need aid?" There was an undercurrent of concern that even the stoic Jedi could not quite hide.
Glancing down at his son, Din asked, "Ready to head back to your Temple?" He tried to keep the sadness out of his voice.
Grogu seemed to sense it anyway because he reached both arms up, his universal request to be picked up.
Din complied.
Once he was close enough, Grogu reached forward and pressed his claws into Din's cheek. He closed his eyes and touched Din's mind again. Once he created the connection, Grogu apologized for the sadness he had caused Din and the fact that he had to go back to his training. Then he shared his determination to learn as a way to protect himself but, more importantly, to protect Din.
Din opened his eyes and looked down at his son. He couldn't hide the tears building in his eyes and he cuddled Grogu into his neck. After a few moments, Din gently tipped him back and said, "He's waited this long, want to get something to eat before we head back?"
Grogu smiled and cooed excitedly at the suggestion.
Din flicked a few switches and set a course for a far safer planet than the last one they had visited before pulling back on the take-off lever.
And that's another story down!
Hopefully you enjoyed this little journey and feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews.
I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!
-Lily
