Elijah slowed his speeder bike to a halt. The brown stone wall lined the city's outer area, protecting the city like a fortress. The smell of sulfur wafted Elijah's senses, making his nostrils flare. Elijah could only guess that someone had started a fire. But where the smell came from remained a mystery.

Elijah turned off the engine, leaving his speeder bike in the bushes, before someone saw it. He sighed, missing his speeder bike already.

"I'm going to miss you. See you later," Elijah said, moving his pale-skinned hand down the speeder bike's yellow plates. He couldn't help missing his speeder bike, but he knew he had to go. "Goodbye." He said, kissing the yellow plate.

Right, this was getting strange. He wandered away from the speeder bike, making his way down the nearest alleyway. The doorway was open and there weren't any guards around, guarding this passageway. He leaned in, spotting a few scarred lionesses conversing with each other over important matters. He sighed, wondering if it was safe to traverse the city at this hour.

Elijah looked up at the sky. The clouds rolled in, leaving a low rumbling sound bellowing from the cloudy sky. A storm was coming. Elijah didn't want to be outside when the rain came, but what about his speeder bike? Elijah looked back at the bike, wondering if it was safe to leave it outside. Leaving the speeder bike outside in the rain could ruin the leather. Oh, what was he to do?

He looked back at the stone building. Well, no one was bothering him. And what good did it do to sneak around? He sighed, charging towards the door, leading inside the stone building. He looked again at the scarred lionesses, seeing their faces turn to him. They were angry. Did they know he was intruding? Either way, Elijah opened the door, entering the stone building moments later.

.

Elijah climbed down the stairs, finding his way inside a cantina. So, it wasn't any ordinary building, for there were many creatures found here. From faeries to alien creatures, to even the domestic cats and dogs, Elijah wondered if he entered the wrong building.

He neared the stairs when the two scarred lionesses, so named because their fur had long jagged scars across their furry bodies, stopped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Interesting. We find new flesh here," one scarred lioness declared. "What should we do?"

"I believe this one is trouble. What with the talking animals ditching us and Scar-ra on the loose, I hardly say it's necessary to come this way," the second scarred lioness declared.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble," Elijah stated, nervously.

"Then you shouldn't have come. Sneaking around, are we? What would anyone say to that?" the second scarred lioness declared, ready to strike him.

"All right, that's enough!" a third scarred lioness declared, furious with her two scarred lioness companions. Elijah stared at his savior, wondering who she was. The scarred lioness who saved his life smiled at him, "I'm sorry, Scar-ra's my name. Although, my previous name was Qua'ra Holdo. My husband's dead, but Aslan's hoping to reincarnate him into whatever form he wishes."

"Qua'ra? You're the same scarred lioness who was with Parker Dooley, when the Shadow Empire fell," Elijah stated, smiling.

"You know your history," Scar-ra said with a smile. She gestured to one of the tables, "Come on. The scarred lions and lionesses are still in hiding. Drink?"

"Um… no thank you," Elijah said, taking a seat.

"You'd better get something. I hear the water is nice and pure," Scar-ra said, looking through the menu.

"What will you have?" the waiter asked, leaving Elijah stumped.

"A water for me and my friend, here," Scar-ra said, as the waiter walked away. Scar-ra smiled at Elijah, grateful to see a friend on her side. "So, you must be Parker Dooley's ally? How is he?"

"He's doing well… well, as well as he can be," Elijah said.

"What do you mean?" Scar-ra asked, cautious and concerned. "I'm sorry. I worry for him."

"So do I," Elijah said. He asked her, "Did you hear about his realm? The Dragonoid Realm, that is?"

"Here you are," the waiter said, bringing Elijah and Scar-ra their water.

"Thank you," Scar-ra said, just as the waiter walked away again. Scar-ra returned her gaze to Elijah, saying, "No, I didn't. Is the realm safe? Does Parker still have it?"

Elijah shook his head. "No, we fled that realm. We had to flee! Zombies entered the Dragonoid Realm and wreaked havoc upon it. Parker's still ashamed his realm got destroyed."

Scar-ra gave it some thought. "I will talk with Parker, see what I can do."

"What do you mean?" Elijah asked.

Scar-ra chuckled. "Well, after I lost the planet Zafna and the Shadow Empire fell, I figured I might get back in touch with Parker, see what we can do." She sighed. "So, Parker and I are trapped without a realm to call home. The scarred lions and lionesses were finally having peace in the Shadow Empire!" She shook her head. "This is unbelievable!"

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Elijah asked.

"Well, you got your speeder bike, bring it back here, and then we'll talk. I know just the place," Scar-ra said, right as the thunder roared outside. "We'll have to hurry, before the storm comes. I have a garage where you can store your speeder bike."

"Really?" Elijah asked, curiously.

"Yeah, come on. Let's go," Scar-ra said, finishing her water, just as Elijah did the same. They fled the cantina, returning to the city in no time. Scar-ra waited until Elijah returned with his speeder bike, a little damp, but in good condition, before leading him over to her speeder. Elijah sighed, grateful to see she had a place to store his speeder bike.

"Wow. You've thought of everything," Elijah said.

"Well, it beats traversing through town in the rain. Come on. Let's park your speeder bike in here," Scar-ra said, helping Elijah haul his speeder bike inside her speeder. A few minutes passed, before they were ready. "Come on!" She climbed inside her speeder, waiting for Elijah to step in with her. Once they were seated, Scar-ra pressed a button, closing the speeder's doors. "Ready?"

Elijah nodded. "I'm ready."

Scar-ra smiled. "Good. Let's go." She turned on the engine, driving her speeder away from the cantina, smoothly.

.

Scar-ra's home was a two-story stone house, complete with its own stone tower, and a garage. She parked her speeder inside the garage, before helping Elijah take his speeder bike out from her speeder. There were so many tools in the garage, Elijah hardly knew what to do. There was also a drum set and a guitar. Elijah's passion for music returned to him.

How was he supposed to start a band, if he couldn't find the right people to help? He looked at Scar-ra, wondering what she was doing.

"I'd like to start a band," Elijah said.

"I thought Syrena wanted you to be High King?" Scar-ra asked, curiously.

"If the bigger animals are in charge, then they won't want another king to mess with. It's for the best," Elijah said, somberly.

"It's not what you want to do?" Scar-ra asked, somber.

"I want to be me. That's all," Elijah said. "Syrena won't understand. This isn't even our home."

"You grew up in humble times. Didn't you?" Scar-ra asked.

"I don't even know the first thing about being king, let alone High King!" Elijah said.

"Well, maybe we can find someone to help you out," Scar-ra said.

"Thanks," Elijah said, wondering if this really was the best option.

*.*.*

References:

Cantinas come from the "Star Wars" galaxy.