"They're alive," Marcel said after he and Paddy landed on the ground. For almost thirty minutes, they had been scouting the Banff area, looking at the rogue wolves.
Tom Rake heard Seelah sigh of relief."But he is surrounded by a pack...even larger than your own." Paddy informed.
Tom quickly activated his lightsaber, showing the crimson blade. The wolves and birds looked impressed."Well, they're no match for the Sith!"
Devore nodded."Kriffin' A!" Devore activated his own lightsaber."How fast can we get there?"
Later, after almost an hour of running, they decided to walk the rest of the way."You smell any bears?" Yaru heard the pup named Claudette ask her brother.
Yaru then heard Stinky take a long, loud sniff, probably smelling something nearby."Yeah. Kind of."
"What do you mean, kind of?" Claudette questioned."Your snout is never wrong."
"This one is different." Stinky admitted."Only a small whiff of a bear."
"Hi, guys." Said a quiet voice.
"A very small whiff." Stinky said as he turned around to see a small, brown bear cub. Yaru grabbed his lightsaber hilt and noticed Tom did the same thing.
"How cute!" Came Claudette. She then realized what she had just said."Uh, for a future predator."
"No." Humphrey said quickly."No-no-no, no, no. Keep going, kids. They're all really cute and cuddly when they're that age."
"Come on, pups." Kate also warned."Your father and I had ourselves a bad experience...after he played with a cub."
Humphrey nodded in agreement as he moved his children away from the bear cub."It wasn't pretty. And neither was her breath."
"Hey, can I come with you?" The cub asked.
Humphrey shook his head."Talk to the paw. Go home." He told the bear, but the cub ignored him and walked with the pups. Humphrey noticed this and quickly blocked the cub."What is this, a parade?"
The cub stood there as Humphrey, the wolves, the Heroes, and the Sith left."So you're just gonna leave that cub alone, in the forest?" Asked a young voice. Yaru turned to look at a porcupine?.
I guess every animal in this forest can talk...
"Who are you?" The grey omega asked the young porcupine.
The porcupine ignored the question."Do you what will happen to that cute and adorable little cub?"
"What are you, his agent?" Humphrey asked. Yaru also found this Porcupine to come out of nowhere to be random."Do you get 10 percent of his cuddliness? Come on."
"You know the rules of the forest." The porcupine argued.
"I know the rules of survival." Humphrey retorted."The-" Humphrey quickly shook his head."Why am I having this discussion with you?" They moved on until the porcupine sent a prick to Humphrey behind."Ow!" He yelled in pain.
"Sorry. It was a reflex." The Porcupine apologized."Karma, my frien-"
Suddenly, Devore used the Force to snap the porcupine's neck. Everyone looked at him, his hand raised, horrified. He then brought out his lightsaber, jumped to the bear, and cut the cub's head off."Now, shall we continue?" The Sith miner asked. Yaru didn't even bother to berate his brother.
Seelah had already set her mind on leaving Ludo Kressh before he executed her family. It was trivial; his ankle had been injured in a battle, and she had failed to stop the infection. He'd killed her father the first night, and his leverage lessened considerably after that. Seelah found her chance to go a few days later, when one of Sadow's mining teams stopped on Rhelg to refuel. She didn't have anybody left by then, anyway.
Devore Korsin had been her escape. She saw his immaturity and recklessness, but she also saw something there to work with. He, too, strained against the invisible chains limiting his ambition. He could be her ally. And in Sadow's service, at least, something could happen...as long as Devore didn't foul it up.
And if he did, well, there was always their son...
"Uh, what took so long to get through the forest?" Marcel asked as he and Paddy landed on the ground again.
"We had to deal with something," Devore said. Seelah knew that Devore did the right thing, getting rid of that annoying cub and porcupine.
"You pups stay here with Paddy." Kate told Stinky and Claudette.
"And we mean it," Humphrey said firmly.
"You guys stay here as well." Devore told them."Me, Yaru, and Tom will follow Kate and Humphrey to scout it out."
Seelah nodded. They then left."Totally unfair." Came Stinky."We couldn't go the extra mile. An injustice!"
"This is so wrong." Claudette agreed. Claudette noticed the one named...Varner Hilts, if Seelah remembered his name correctly, was reading something."What's that?"
"Huh? Oh, just a message." Hilt's said casually.
"Well, you may as well read it." Said the one named Chrysalis, a four-legged bug horse."We're going to be here a while."
Hilt's shrugged and read the note.
"I know you tire of hearing of my visions, my son. If you do as you always have, I expect you won't read this until your mission is well under the way. I'm pleased that you've been given command of an important assignment for Naga Sadow-even as it grieves me, as it does all our kind, to know that your victory is for his alone.
"Yes, I've had another of the visions. I saw our descendants ruling a great people one day-free from the Red Sith. We will have something that will be our own. When they are guided well, I see new horizons opening-up-new places to conquer.
"Yaru, only you are wise enough to guide our people. Devore will be his own ruin; I sense the strength in his chosen mate, Seelah, but that is not enough. You alone know how to manage the ambitions of many-how to shape your anger, and sculpt it to fit the purpose ahead.
"You do have a purpose. Take care. If you guide our people well, they will always have a mission."
They all just stared at Hilt's."What did any of that even mean?" Asked Applejack.
How does that woman even now me? Seelah wondered. She had never met Devore's mother before...
"Okay," Marcel told them. Tom had a bad feeling about this."Now, prepare yourselves."
Tom looked to see..."That too many," Tom admitted, seeing many rogue wolves."Even for me." Yaru nodded in agreement.
"I see them!" Devore pointed Runt and little baby Jariad.
"So, how are we gonna get them?" Tom asked.
"This is never gonna work." Tom said as he looked at Humphrey, who was standing on top of Garth, pretending to be a big Alpha.
"King, the omega is gone!"
"Told 'ya," Tom told Winston. Tom quickly grabbed his curved lightsaber.
Winston shrugged."At least we got Runt. The distraction couldn't have lasted forever. Now, let's get going."
They ran back to the place where everyone was resting."Runt!" Said Lilly, noticing them.
"Take the pups to the north side!" Winston ordered.
"The human roads?" Kate said, unsure.
Winston nodded."It'll be okay. You've done it before." He reminded them.
"Come on, pups. Quickly!" Humphrey said to his kids.
"Wait," Stinky said."I smell something..."
"You smell the Sith, kid!" Said a familiar voice. They all turned around to see the big Houk named Gloyd, Sith soldiers, Sith miners, and the Massassi."And we smell some wolves that messed with us."
"Hey, Tom, you mind if I stay here? I want show those rogue wolves the wrath of the red army." Sarge said. Tom nodded before Sarge looked at his teammates, Grif and Simmons."Grif, I'm not gonna bother asking you, so Simmons are-"
"Sorry, sir, but I think I'll stay out of this one." Simmons quickly answered."I don't think I want to celebrate Christmas by killing a bunch of wolves."
"I'll join." Said the Jabiim Separatist Command, Alto Stratus."I just want to make sure my skills aren't rusty." Alto then unsheathed his sword and brought out his black and grey blaster pistol.
"For Jabiim and the Separatists!"
"For the red army!"
"For Naga Sadow and the Sith Empire!"