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Chapter 3

When Kai woke later that day, or maybe she slept into the next day as the sun told her that it was noon, she got to work to build a certain schedule.

She sniffed, wincing at the stench that emanated from her body.

"Oof! I need a bath!" Kai exclaimed. She perked up and muttered in a sing-song voice, "And I know a place where I can bathe!"

After draping her still damp raincoat onto a craggy rock to dry while she was out, and placing a couple of large branches over the entrance of the cave to hide her starfighter, Kai gathered a few things.

A small piece of soap, a makeshift towel and, of course, her lightsaber was all she needed.

Kai was going to get a quick bath before making a temporary camp. Though she got the feeling it wouldn't be as 'temporary' as she hoped.

The teen started to move, wincing at the mud that caked her boots, the legs of her pants and the edges of her robes.

Overall, she looked like a wild child.

She followed the 'x's she made the day previous, making her way to the stream she was going to be bathing in. The air was a bit chiller than the day before and the ground a bit too wet. Kai was slipping and sliding as she went down the hill as she got closer to the stream. There was a fear, not yet prevalent in the forefront of her mind, that winter was going to be upon her at any moment. She could do cold weather, but that was only with protection.

And, unfortunately for her, she didn't pack a heavy-enough jacket for the winter that was coming.

Kai shook her head as she continued her trek.

She would figure that out later, she supposed. Right now, survival compelled her to focus on the moment she was in. Besides, the weather was still a bit warm as the chill dissipated as the sun moved passed its zenith.

Kai yelped as she lost her footing, falling with a splash in the mud. She growled in annoyance. Her stomach growled angrily, making known that she hadn't had anything to eat since she had that ration bar.

And with all the pushing she did the night before…well she might as well try to find some food to satiate her hunger while she was at the stream.

The sounds of a largeish waterfall greeted her ears as she approached the stream. She smiled as she started to strip down to her underwear. Kai tossed the filthy clothes into the stream that was more like a pond at the bottom of a waterfall before leaping after them, shouting, "CANNONBALL!"

Her splash echoed throughout the quiet forest. Kai didn't hear it, as she floated just below the surface, enjoying the feeling of being submersed before she kicked upward and broke the surface. She grabbed her clothes, which had started to float and got to work in scrubbing them free of dirt. Kai hummed a wordless tune as she scrubbed her robes, boots and socks.

It took her a while since the mud was quite caked on there and she had to conserve the small amount of soap that she had.

But eventually, the mud stains disappeared and Kai turned to her body. She tossed her wet, but clean clothes onto the nearest branch before submerging herself under the water. Kai instantly swam off to explore the little nooks and crannies that every river and lake had.

It was interesting.

She didn't find anything that was noteworthy from her exploration, but she did manage to grab some fish for supper.

The stream was just full of fish. It would help keep her full of energy during her little exile.

After drying off and getting redressed, Kai started a small fire to cook the fish. She gathered as many pieces of firewood as she could find and put them into a pile on the edge of the bank. With expert hands, Kai started a decent-sized fire just as the last rays of the sun vanished.

As soon as the fire was going, and her clothes were getting dry, Kai stared to skin the fish that she had caught. While Nautolans did prefer their fish with scales, Kai didn't.

Once all the scales were off, Kai speared her catch and started to roast them on an open fire. The scent had her licking her lips in anticipation.

The first real bit of food she had.

"Oh, my goodness. I am SOOOOOOO hungry!" Kai grunted. She turned the spit, growling impatiently. "Come on! Hurry up and get cooked already! Maybe if I stick the fish into the fire, it'll cook faster?"

Though something nagged in her mind that it would only give her charred fish for her to eat.

Kai simply just sat there, bored out of her mind for about thirty minutes before the fish cooked to the minimum amount. Even though it was just slightly raw, Kai took it off the spit and started to devour it. She gasped and cursed when it burned her tongue but nothing a little ignoring wouldn't help. Without any seasoning, which she was okay with honestly, the fish was a bit salty and it made her smack her lips. Otherwise the fish was delicious.

And she was totally relaxed.

With her herself being clean and relatively clean of dirt, her belly full of food and the fire warming and keeping her company made Kai sleepy. She shook herself awake, knowing that she would have to trek back to her starfighter.

…..Or maybe she could just set up a temporary camp and make the trek tomorrow.

Her mind made up, Kai stood and made to gather some leaves, shaping them into a bed. While it wasn't the most comfortable, Kai had honestly slept on harder. She hunkered down, making sure that she wasn't too close to the fire to get burned by stray sparks, the Nautolan wasn't too far from the fire where she wouldn't get too cold.

Pretty soon, her eyes had flickered shut and Kai slipped off into dreamland.