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I know I said I would only be posting twice a week (Mondays and Fridays) but I also told myself that as soon as I got either 10 reviews, favorites, or follows on this first chapter - (there are 12 following this story at the moment) - I would post a bonus chapter to say thanks! So...

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Don't worry, there will still be a chapter on Friday.

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Chapter 2

~X~

"Mandalorians don't make threats...we make promises."

~Canderous Ordo~

Ravana stood there for a moment, trying to determine if the Mandalorian had truly lost consciousness, or if it was simply a trick. Yet the creature in her arms wouldn't allow her to delay long and urged her on with his desperate cries. Setting him down, she knelt beside the prone man, cringing as she saw the gaping wound in his leg, an obvious souvenir from a battle with a danker. She quickly scanned the area, but not seeing any signs of the beast, she figured he either fought it off…or killed it. Ravana hoped it was the latter, for the last thing she needed was to worry about being attacked while she rendered aid.

The child's ears were lowered, giving it the look of great sadness as it waddled closer to the armored man, reaching out it's hand to touch him.

"No, little one," she told it, gently pushing him back. "He's not dead. Just hurt, so don't touch him." Ravana could see his chest rise and fall beneath his beskar breastplate, indicating that he was still breathing. "But it looks like I need to tie off this wound or he might end up bleeding to death before he comes to." Here she reached up and removed the shoulder bag she carried, and after cutting off the long strap, she moved towards his leg. Yet, the moment she touched him, he jerked awake, sitting up with such speed that it made her fall back on her hind end. His blaster was instantly in his hand and pointed at her once more.

"Woah! Hold on," Ravana protested, raising her hands in surrender. "I thought we agreed that no one was going to shoot anyone," she reminded him. "I was only attempting to cinch this around your leg to help stop the bleeding. Honest."

The Mandalorian stared at her for a few more seconds – or at least she assumed he was looking at her, it was hard to tell what was going on behind his dark visor. Then as if he remembered the past few minutes, he lowered his blaster, giving her a nod of compliance.

"Thank you," was all he said, yet it was enough to get Ravana back in motion, slipping the strap around his upper thigh and tying it off. He gave a quiet hiss of pain, but that was his only reaction. She had just finished when he spoke again. "I would also like to thank you for finding my little friend here." At this, he reached out his hand to brush his fingers against the child's ear, apparently relieved to see him safe and unharmed. "When that beast chased after him, I feared he would come to harm."

"He managed to hide from the danker inside an old log," Ravana informed him as she further inspected his wound, pleased that the bleeding has slowed somewhat. "I found him, and then he led me back here to you. Is he yours?"

"We are…clan-mates," the man explained, yet his tone made Ravana believe that their situation was something new to him, something he was still unsure about. "I'm charged with his care until I help him find his true family."

"That's…very nice of you," she told him, though she didn't sound any surer of her words than he had. A Mandalorian taking on the care of an alien child? That did not fit the description of the ruthless hunters she had heard them to be. Still, with the way the little thing was looking at the warrior, it was clear that he trusted him…possibly even loved him. And that was good enough for Ravana. "Your leg is going to need patched up, and as soon as possible. I have medical supplies back at my house, but I'm not sure you would make it that distance under your own power," Ravana deduced, also knowing that she would never be able to carry him either.

Yet, just then there came a mechanical humming noise behind them, accompanied by the sound of rustling bushes. This time not only did the Mandalorian raise his weapon in the direction of the sound, but Ravana did as well, both prepared for battle. Yet, when a metal land-sled came hovering out of the foliage, she gave a short laugh, having completely forgotten she had called for it to pick up the danker's body. It had continued to follow the signal, bringing it right to her, and not a moment too soon by her way of thinking.

"It's mine," she explained, lowering her own weapon and indicating that he should do the same. "I sent for it to carry the animal I killed a little bit ago. Though now it can carry you instead."

"Just as long as you don't attempt to eat me in its place," the man responded, his tone deadly serious, yet his words betrayed a glimmer of humor.

"Nah, your armor would make you a bit too difficult to digest," she replied flippantly, taking out the controls and navigating the sled closer to where they were. Once it was on the ground, she aided the man to slide onto the flat surface, making sure he was steady before having it rise back into the air. Reaching down, she picked up the green alien and placed him in the Mandalorian's arms, figuring there was no way he could keep up on his own, and she needed both hands free just in case they came upon any more wild animals. "What is he?"

"The kid? I don't know," he answered, laying back on the sled and setting it on his chest. "Which will make finding its own kind a lot more difficult."

"Does it have a name?" was her next question.

"I'm sure it does, but so far it hasn't told me what it is," the man replied.

"Then what do you call it?" She wasn't sure if he was purposefully being uninformative, or if this was just his way of speaking.

"The kid," he stated simply.

"I see," she sighed. This was getting her nowhere. "What about you? Do you have a name, or should I just call you the man?"

"Most refer to me as Mando," he told her. "You may call me that."

Mando. Obviously short for Mandalorian. Not very imaginative, but she figured it was better than nothing.

"My name's Ravana," she offered in return. "And my home isn't too far away, so hang in there and we'll get you patched up as soon as possible."

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Din hated being at the mercy of others, yet with the throbbing pain in his leg, he knew he wouldn't have made it five steps without help. During their journey to this woman's home, the kid tried several times to crawl down to his wounded leg in an effort to touch and heal him…or at least he assumed that had been its intent. But each time, Din pulled him away and shook his head, telling him no. The last thing he wanted was for more people to know what the kid was capable of, and if that meant suffering through a bit of pain, then so be it. Having such deep gouges suddenly heal themselves would definitely be a conversation starter, to say the least. So, he grit his teeth, kept hold of the kid, and just hoped they were almost there.

He used their travel time to study the woman who walked beside the land-sled, grateful for the fact that his visor hid his eyes from view. It was easy to keep his helmet straight ahead, while observing her unnoticed. She was of average height, with wavy chestnut hair pulled up and pinned against the back of her head. He found himself wondering just how long it was when taken down, but quickly dismissed such ideas.

She had a trim figure, but not so thin to suggest that she didn't eat well, or often, yet from the looks of her hands, she apparently worked hard for each meal. From her worn, work-a-day jumpsuit it was obvious she was no pampered princess. Though to Din's way of thinking, with a face as lovely as hers she could pass for a lady of nobility on any planet with just a fancy new dress. And the way she carried herself, proud and confident, showed she both expected and deserved the respect of others…including him. Granted, the kid must have done a lot to clean up his reputation in her eyes – or that of his kind. In fact, his little green friend was probably the only reason she was helping him at all. Yet, she was helping, and Din appreciated it a great deal.

When they at last arrived, coming out of the forest and into a small clearing, he marveled at the well-maintained dwelling and other buildings before him. It appeared to be an established homestead, probably many decades old, but everything around the place was neat as a pin, speaking very highly of her skills as a caretaker. He really hoped that she didn't use droids to help her run the place, for he wasn't up to dealing with them right now. Still, IG-ll had gone a long way in softening his opinion of his long-time dislike for the clankers. Or…perhaps she wasn't the only one who lived here, this thought putting Din instantly on guard. Dealing with one lone woman was one thing, but if she had a husband, or others in her family, he would need to be prepared for anything.

When she stopped the sled at the entrance of the house, she turned to look at him questioningly.

"Do you think you can make it inside if I help you?" she asked. "The sled won't fit through the door."

"I can," Din nodded, setting the child down beside him before swinging his good leg over the edge and bracing himself on one foot. If required, he would have hopped inside just like that, however, he was grateful for her assistance in supporting his left side as he did. Together they hobbled inside the domed structure, the furnishings and décor just as tidy and meticulous as the outside had been.

There was a table and chairs, a kitchen set up at one end of the home, with a few modern conveniences tucked away here and there, but mostly it was only basic furniture he saw. Yet, when he noticed there were two beds – each on opposite sides of the room, he began to wonder if his previous concerns had been correct. Did she have a mate? Would he now be required to defend himself and the kid from someone who might take offense to her bringing a wounded man home? Din was not looking forward to doing so, especially in his current state.

"Do you live alone?" Din found himself asking, figuring it was best to find out now than be caught by surprise.

"I do now," she nodded, leading him towards one of the beds. "My uncle died about six months ago."

"I'm sorry," he said, offering the customary response, though he hadn't known the man and didn't feel an ounce of regret over his passing.

"It was from old age," she said. "He lived a good long life and he was ready to go. I miss him, but I'm used to him being gone now."

Din didn't say any more, seeing no need to if she was not going to get all teary-eyed over the issue. Women honestly confused him, for he never knew how they might react to something; be it with tears, yelling, throwing things, or any one of a million other emotions. However, when the woman helped him sit down on the bed and turned around, the cry of fright she gave startled him. Din's hand immediately went for his blaster, ready to address whatever it was that had scared her, but he let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was only the kid. She had apparently almost tripped over him, only catching herself from falling at the last moment.

"How in the blue blazes did you get down from the sled?" she gasped, not having expected such a feat from such a little fellow. "You sure move fast…and quietly!"

"He's very agile," Din explained, having asked many a similar question himself about the kid and his strange abilities to get around.

"It would seem," she hummed, sidestepping his diminutive friend as she moved towards a cabinet, one where she must have kept her medical supplies. Returning to his side, she set out her arsenal of tools. It was only the most basic equipment, and Din knew he had more modern stuff on board the Razor Crest. However, his ship was quite a distance away, and he was not about to allow her, or anyone else, unsupervised access. No, what she had would handle the job…though not as quickly or efficiently as he would have liked.

"First I'll need to cut away the remains of your pantleg," she explained, holding up a small pair of sheers. When she received a nod of compliance from him, she began to snip at the tattered and bloody cloth that now barely covered his leg. Thankfully, the beskar shield that had once protected his thigh had not been completely ripped away by the beast, and after freeing it from the tattered cloth, she laid it aside. Once the wound was completely exposed, she picked up a small canister of sterilizer. "Now it has to be cleaned with the steri-spray. You just never know where the claws of that danker have been."

"Most recently, in my flesh," Din told her, gesturing to his leg and a few other bloody scratches on his person.

"Right," she sighed, giving him an apologetic look. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt," she warned, holding up the spray and giving him a moment to prepare.

"No worse than it already does," he nodded, bracing himself.

"Don't count on it," Ravana muttered, before coating the open wound with a healthy dose of the sterilizer. She flinched when he did indeed let out a low grunt, it being the only sound he would allow to pass his lips. "I know this stuff stings something fierce, so I wouldn't judge you if you yelled out," the woman told him. "Or even if you let loose a few choice words."

"Not in front of the kid," was all he said, though to be perfectly honest, if he chose to swear in Mando'a, it was highly unlikely either she or the child would understand him.

"Let me know when you're ready for the bacta-spray," she told him, reaching for the second container. "I'm sorry it's not the latest formula, we don't get supply drops very often on the outer-rim planets, but I promise it will heal you…just maybe not as quickly as you're used to."

"It will be fine," Din assured her. He had suffered far worse with much less before and had still healed well enough. "I'm ready."

And so she administered the spray, which thankfully stung a lot less than the last one, and almost immediately Din felt a little better. Not much, but a little. Once it had been applied, Ravana took out some clean bandages and carefully wrapped his leg, before giving each of his other smaller cuts and scrapes a bit of attention as well. When he was fixed up as best as she claimed she was capable of, she stood up and stepped back.

"Would you like something for the pain?" she offered, gesturing to a few more of the bottles in her small kit.

"Maybe later," was all he could think to say, not wanting to get into the whole not removing his helmet thing at the moment. Yet, it appeared he didn't have to.

"Oh, right, your kind never take that off," she muttered, gesturing towards his headgear. Then, after looking around as if she was contemplating something, she spoke again. "I…I could leave you alone for a bit, if that would help." She narrowed her eyes and gave him a stern glare. "Just don't you go abusing my hospitality and mess the place up while I'm gone, you hear? I'm trusting the kid's judgement when it comes to you, and if I return and find even the smallest thing out of place, I'll kick your sorry hide halfway cross this planet, you hear?"

"Yes, ma'am," he agreed, glad that she couldn't see his wide grin beneath his helmet. Din liked a woman with spunk, and this one had it in spades.

"All right, then," she nodded. "I'm going to take my land-sled and go fetch that danker I killed before I got distracted with the two of you." Here she pointed towards him and then the child, who still stood on the floor, watching them both with a great deal of interest. She then walked to the kitchen area and returned with a few containers. "Here's something to eat and drink, and I'll leave the medicine right here as well. It's not a sign of weakness to take something to ease the pain, if that's what your worried about. It shouldn't take longer than an hour for me to get there and return, but in the meantime, I would suggest you rest and let the bacta spray do its job. Understand?"

"You're the medic," Din told her, more than willing to follow her every order…at least in this case.

"A very poor one, I'm afraid, but the only one you've got it would seem," she grinned, bending over and lifting the kid off the ground, placing him on the bed beside Din. "Now, make sure your friend here takes a nap," she told the child. "And a bit of rest wouldn't hurt you either, I believe." When the kid smiled and cooed at her, her grin grew even wider. "I think you just might be the best medicine around, with those cute ears and big eyes of yours." She must have realized she was getting a bit mushy, in front of him no less, and she quickly sobered. "Well…I'm going now. Rest up." And then she was gone, shutting the door behind her as she went.

Din eased his head back onto the pillow, feeling as if every muscle in his body had suddenly turned to jelly. The kid waddled to his side and stared down at him with concern in his eyes.

"I'll be fine," Din assured, giving him a pat on the head. "And I know you want to help, but it's not the wisest idea. We don't know anything about her, or this planet's affiliation with the Imperials. The last thing we need is for your abilities to become the talk of the town. My leg will heal on its own. I promise."

This seemed to placate the kid, and after helping himself to some of the food Ravana had left, he soon snuggled down beside Din. He could only imagine how worn out the little fellow was after such an ordeal. A nap sounded rather appealing to him as well, and after he was sure the kid was fast asleep, Din removed his helmet. He then downed a bit of what he found was a pleasant tasting tea, a bit of the painkiller, and a few bites of the food as well. When his face was once more securely hidden, Din laid down to rest, his mind whirling with both questions and concerns.

The battle with the creature – what had she called it…a danker – had been almost too close for comfort. And he found himself counting his lucky stars that the kid was curled up beside him, safe and in one piece. When had he become so attached to the little womp-rat, its wellbeing his one and only concern? He knew it had come long before the Armorer had forged him their signet and declared them a clan of two. Yet, from that moment on, Din had no longer felt alone in the universe. Yes, it was his duty to either find its people, or train it himself, but right now all he wanted to do was close his eyes, listen to the kid's quiet snores, and rest his battered body.

And that's exactly what he did.

Shhhh, Mando and the kid are sleeping.

So now you have a bit more information about the situation. And like I promised, more dialog - though I'm trying to keep Din's words to a minimum...he's not that much of a talker, and that's hard to write for. ha ha. He might have to step out of his comfort zone and speak more now that he's got someone to talk to.

Thanks again for all your support! Reviews mean a lot to a writer.

T.O.W.G.

Guest Reviews:

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