Dear Qui-Gon,

There has been some major developments since I last wrote. Time seems to be slipping away from me, and I find myself writing in this journal less often - I'm not sure if that is a good sign, in that I am more secure in myself and less in need of your guidance, or whether I want to avoid too much self-examination.

I had given Beru a comlink in case of emergencies and thus far it has not been required. However today she called me in great distress, although I felt uneasy all morning and luckily was already on my way to the Lars homestead to check on Luke. However I was not the only guest - the Darklighters had been visiting from their farm and unfortunately their dewback had been injured while Luke and the Darklighter boy Biggs were riding her. Beru told me tearfully that the beast's leg had been severely broken, and Huff Darklighter had decided to put the beast out of its misery. Luke started screaming and clutching his own leg, as if it too was injured. I was not surprised, since I had observed Luke to be Force receptive to the feelings of others, sensing their distress as if it was his own. It is not common for Jedi to be so with sapient beasts, at least without rigorous study, but I was aware that Luke was very fond of the gentle dewback.

When I got there the boy was in hysterics, throwing his body over the poor beast and begging Darklighter not to shoot her. I can still hear the young boy's panicked screams - don't kill her, don't kill her! - over and over. Beru was in tears, trying to reason with Luke that the animal was in too much pain and that the act was actually a kindness. Owen was trying to physically pull Luke away from the dewback's side to no avail; the boy held firm. The Darklighter boy Biggs, a few years older than Luke, was watching with distress.

I approached as Luke held the beast's leg gently in his arms and pressed his cheek against it, his eyes shut tightly and tears streaming down his face. "Don't kill her."

"Luke," I said gently, trying to pry him away. "There is nothing you can do."

"She can get better," Luke insisted, keeping his eyes tightly closed and gently rubbing the scaly hide of the animal's leg as she whined and moaned in agony.

"I'm sorry, Luke," Huff Darklighter said gruffly, yet his face was filled with regret. "She's in too much pain – she can't even stand." He threw a somewhat accusing look at Owen, as if to chastise him for not exposing Luke to the harsh realities of farming life.

"No," Luke said, still stroking the animal's leg and scrunching up his face tighter. "She can get better, I won't let you hurt her, I won't give up." He mumbled the words as if like a mantra, his child's mind unable to comprehend anyone's explanations. It was a child's faith – he believed he was right, and would hear no opposition.

What happened next was so thrilling and yet so dangerous even now, hours later, I am still anxious. I sensed a tremor in the Force and stepped back, and Qui-Gon, you would not believe it - or perhaps you would, but I certainly did not - the beast stopped her pitiful crying. She lay her head against Luke's tiny back, as if to comfort the child, as if he was one of her own young who required her protection.

We all stared dumbfounded as Luke laughed, hugging the creature tightly before scrambling up onto her back. Beru stepped forward, her mouth open as if to rebuke him, but she only gasped when the dewback pawed experimentally at the sand and then stood.

Not only had Luke felt the dewback's pain as if it had been his own, he had healed the creature. She showed none of her former agony, walking around with Luke riding on her back, quite happy for him to do so and with an energy that beguiled her age. I know that I could not have performed such a precise and effective healing technique even though I trained with the Masters at the Jedi Temple, but it seems that Luke's power is stronger than even I anticipated.

He willed it, and so it happened. The thought is equal parts thrilling and frightening.

"How is this possible?" Darklighter asked, shaking his head as if he didn't quite trust his eyes.

Beside him, the boy Biggs was grinning and pumped a fist in the air. "Yes! Way to go, Luke!"

In the boy's enthusiasm I saw only danger – what would happen, if the tales of a four year old child performing a miracle spread through the farms and Anchorhead? And it would, they are hungry for gossip. It would not be long before Luke's anonymity was compromised, and the news reached Jabba. That could not be allowed under any circumstances.

I glanced at Owen and Beru, who looked stricken and shocked and would clearly be no help. "She must have only twisted her leg," I suggested, reaching into Darklighter's mind and that of his young son, planting the lie there. "And only needed a moment to recover."

Huff Darklighter nodded, as if dazed. "Yes, that makes sense."

"An event so inconsequential," I added with a wave of my hand, "that there will be no need to mention it to anyone."

"No need to mention it to anyone," Huff and Biggs both repeated, and I released their minds. Thankfully they left soon after, although it took some coaxing to pry Luke away from the dewback with the promise that they would return tomorrow and he could ride her then. I, however, was again left to make my explanations to Owen and Beru.

I seem to be making a habit of this.