'ello, peoples of the earth!
So I'm going to pretend that I'm posting this on time and you guys aren't mad at me, and we can all live happily together in a spirit of understanding. Cool? Okay.
So today I get to thank Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416, katierosefun, Zenkid100, NightwingNinja17, and Lux's Sister for their reviews and their awesome selves. Thank you guys so much! :)
So, at long last, I present to you chapter 5 of Style. Hope y'all enjoy! :)
When Kira, Depa, and Caleb started out, the early morning air was wet and cool. The jungle canopy above their heads provided shade from the sun, and a loud but not annoying murmur rose from the jungle floor where small native creatures tittered to themselves. Kira found their surroundings rather pleasant and would have liked to stay a while had they not been in such a hurry to reunite with Obi-Wan and the crew of the Fist.
However, the cool, pleasant morning gave way to a sweltering, humid, and generally uncomfortable afternoon. Sweat poured down Kira's back and made her itch, and her heavy tunic wasn't helping matters either. The sight of the smoke in the distance lifted her spirits whenever she could spot it through the thick foliage.
At last, the three were forced to stop, drink some water and rest for a while. Caleb, for once, did not complain or protest his Master's decision.
"Remember not to drink too much," Depa reminded the Padawans as they opened their canteens, which they had wisely filled up at the river. "We don't know if there is any water up ahead."
Nevertheless, Kira and Caleb drank greedily from their canteens. Caleb even poured some over his head to cool off. Kira, who sat nearby, flinched as he shook his head to get the water out of his hair. "Don't come ask me for water when you don't have any," she quipped, tightening the lid to her canteen.
"You know you'd give me some if I did," Caleb replied with a wink.
Kira pretended her heart wasn't pounding. "I told you before, I have no qualms about letting the gundarks eat you," she said, leaning back against a tree, stretching her legs, and hoping she looked like the picture of calmness. "You would meet the same fate if I refused you water. Which I would."
Depa raised an eyebrow and regarded the two Padawans. "Let's not talk about killing and other such subjects," she admonished them.
"Yeah, Kira," Caleb teased. He nudged Kira in the arm with his elbow.
Kira ignored Caleb and brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "Yes, Master Billaba."
Depa nodded her approval. "Good. Now," she said, standing up, "we should set out again. The smoke doesn't look too far away. We should be able to make it by nightfall."
"But it's so hot, Master," Caleb whined. "Can't we rest a little longer?"
Depa shook her head. "Procrastination is not an admirable trait, Padawan," she told Caleb. "The sooner we get to the smoke, the sooner we get to civilization, and hopefully some form of communication. I have a feeling you would rather sleep tonight in a bunk on the Fist than on the ground. Am I correct?"
"Yes, Master."
"Then let's get going."
Reluctantly, Caleb stood and extended a hand to help Kira up. She took it, and she certainly didn't miss the way his hand lingered on hers for a moment longer than it should have. For some reason, she decided not to chastise Caleb for the action.
"Padawans? I would like to sleep in a bunk tonight."
At Depa's call, the two teenagers sheepishly gathered up the supplies and hurried after her, eager to not get left behind.
Kira had lost track of time when the trio reached a clearing. All she knew was that it was late in the rotation, the heat was making her tired and sluggish, and she needed some water or she was certain she'd collapse from exhaustion. She stopped to lay down her supply bundle and unscrew the canteen at her side. After a few good, long gulps of river water, Kira was feeling better.
Depa looked on with sympathy. "I'm sure there will be some more water up ahead, Kira."
Caleb was standing a little ways away, looking down at something. "Water's closer than you think, Master," he called.
Curious, Kira ran over to see what Caleb was looking at. She almost slipped and fell on an unseen obstacle, and Caleb caught her arm and pulled her to his side just before she fell.
Kira's eyes were already wide from the fall, but they only grew wider when she looked down and saw where she would've fallen: down a steep, rocky slope into the rushing water below. "Long way down," she gasped.
"Yeah." Caleb let go of Kira's waist, which she hadn't even realized he had been holding, and looked her over. "Are you okay?"
"Just fine. Now can we back up, please?" They were standing a little too close to the precipice for Kira's liking.
"Sure."
The two backed away and met up with Depa, who had stayed behind to pick up the dropped supplies and hadn't seen Kira's slightly embarrassing fall. "What is it?" she asked, sounding concerned. "Kira looks whiter than a sheet!"
"There's a cliff, Master," Caleb explained. "A really, really steep cliff that we're going to have to climb down. And Kira almost fell down the slope."
"I can speak for myself, Caleb," Kira said, exasperated and almost certain her words would fall on deaf ears.
"Yeah, but you wouldn't have admitted to being scared."
"I wasn't scared! I was simply surprised!"
"You were definitely scar-"
"Padawans, if you could stop fighting, we have more important things to attend to right now," Depa interrupted. "We will need to be careful when climbing down this cliff. I would not like to lose you, Caleb, and I would not like to deliver news of your death to Master Kenobi, Kira. The only way we are going to survive is by working together, and that does not include fighting. Can you two please stop bickering at least until we reach the bottom?"
Kira suddenly found the ground under her feet quite interesting. "I'm sorry, Master Billaba."
"All is forgiven, young one."
Caleb didn't seem to experience any of the intended effects of his Master's scolding. Instead, he simply caught Kira's eye, poked his tongue out at her, and went back to the cliff's edge to inspect the view below and formulate a plan to get down there. Unsurprisingly, considering Kira's luck, Depa had not seen her Padawan's immature response.
A moment later, Caleb spoke again. "I think I found a safe route down."
Depa and Kira went to Caleb's side to see this supposedly safe passage. Sure enough, they saw some sturdy-looking rocks that even boasted some visible handholds. That was a relief to Kira, who didn't enjoy climbing too much.
Depa nodded in approval. "That seems as good a route as any," she said. "Still, be cautious. Looks can be deceiving. I'll go first, just to be sure." With that, Depa swung the supply bundle over her shoulder, lowered herself onto the first rock, and began to climb down the slope.
Caleb glanced at Kira. "Do you want to go next?"
Kira bit her lip nervously. "We can't start until Master Billaba gives the all-clear."
"I know, but do you want to go next?"
Kira shook her head. "Not really," she admitted.
"Then I'll go." Caleb peered over the side of the cliff to watch Depa.
When Depa called up to the Padawans to give them the all-clear, Caleb swung himself over the side and began to scramble down the cliff as if he was a Kowakian monkey-lizard. Kira bit her lip nervously as she lowered herself over the side to follow Caleb, wishing she could climb like he could.
Kira's climb was a slow one. Her hands shook as she tried to find decent places to hold on to, and she kept glancing down to find places to put her feet. She nearly lost her grip a few times, and this did not reassure her.
After what seemed to Kira like hours but was really only minutes, she had climbed halfway down the cliff. When she looked down, she saw Caleb not too far below her, apparently working to find another foothold. Kira was doing the same until a sharp pain shot through her knee, and she suddenly pulled her leg back up.
A call came from the ground. "Kira, what's wrong?"
Kira glanced down at Depa. "It's my knee," she replied, tightening her hold on the rock.
Depa looked concerned. "Do you need help?"
"It'll pass." Kira scrunched her eyes shut against the pain.
Ever since the fight on Kamino, there had been periods of time during which Kira's knee hurt her so much that she couldn't use it. Those periods had gotten shorter and less frequent as her knee healed, but they had still occurred over the past several months. Kira decided that her climb had to have been the most inconvenient time for one of these painful periods to occur.
"Can you jump?" Depa asked.
Kira glanced down again to judge the distance and decided that it wasn't worth the risk. At the very least, she'd botch her landing and break a limb. At the very worst, she'd break her neck. "It's too far, Master," she answered.
Caleb called up to Kira. "Are you sure you don't need help? I can climb back up."
"I appreciate the offer, Caleb, but that really isn't necessary." The pain was beginning to fade, much to Kira's relief. "Really, it will pass."
Caleb looked rather skeptical, but he acquiesced and climbed the rest of the way down the slope.
Meanwhile, Kira tested her knee. The pain had subsided substantially, so Kira began to climb again. Her arms shook from holding on for so long, and she climbed faster than before, eager to get off the rocky slope.
This was Kira's folly. On her way down, her foot found a not-so-sturdy rock to stand on, and the rock shattered in a shower of dust and gravel, taking Kira with it.
Kira gasped in shock and tried to turn her body to stick the landing, but her attempt failed. She found herself plunging toward the ground, closed her eyes, and braced herself for the blow.
None came. Instead, Kira felt two weights catch her under her shoulders and legs and heard a small "oomph!" sound. She opened her eyes and found herself hanging in Caleb's grip, his cerulean eyes sparkling with suppressed mirth. "Sure you didn't want any help?" he teased.
Kira gave Caleb a shaky smile as he set her upright on her feet. "Actually, help would be nice," she said.
"In that case, then I am at your service," Caleb said, playfully bowing, "provided you don't feed me to the gundarks."
Kira pretended to think about it. "Oh, all right," she replied, laughing.
Caleb grinned. "I knew there was a reason you kept me around."
A hand touched Kira's shoulder, and she looked up to see Depa standing next to her. "Are you alright?" she asked.
Kira nodded. "Thanks to Caleb, I didn't suffer a scratch," she reported.
Depa's features visibly relaxed. "Thank the Force," she breathed, obviously relieved.
Caleb spoke up. "We shouldn't have tried that at dusk," he said. "We probably should've made camp and waited until tomorrow morning."
"Well, we'll have a challenge in the morning," Depa said, gesturing to the river rushing by. "But for now, I believe we should stop for the night. This cliff should provide decent shelter for the night, and we certainly have enough water."
The latter comment prompted a cheer from the Padawans, and Depa smiled at their enthusiasm. "Now let's set up camp."
So that's what they did.
I'm starting to wonder if I'm making Kira get into trouble too much in this story ... then again, I always get paranoid about these sorts of things...
Kira: I'm not a damsel in distress. I just wanted to clear that up.
Caleb: Yeah, you are. :P
Kira: Stop that! I've had enough of you!
Me: Honey, you've got at least five more chapters to deal with him. I suggest you learn to suck it up and wait it out.
Kira: ARGH! *storms out*
Caleb: *calls after Kira* A Jedi doesn't show anger, Kiki!
*door slams in background*
Caleb: :(
Me: Ah, no worries. She'll learn to love ya soon enough. ;)
Caleb: I hope so.
Me: Meanwhile, you get to do the review notice! :D
Caleb: *sighs* Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. Thanks. Now can I pick the song?
Tablet: But I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door...
Me: ...there's your answer.
Caleb: ARGH! *storms out*
Me: And you're supposed to be the mature one cause you're older!
*another door slams in background*
Me: Okay then. Well, I suppose that concludes this meeting. Thanks for clicking in, and may the Force be with you always!