Hello all! So I technically still have one more final exam, but I just finished a monstrous exam and wanted to celebrate by writing! Since this was written on an adrenaline high and at 2-4 in the morning, there probably will be grammar errors - I'll fix them later. Either way, enjoy the update! :)
Sultry music floated in the air from the radio as the sound of crashing waves tickled her ears. A breeze blew, playing with her fur and causing her to fluff it a little. Her tail swished lazily as she took a deep breath and stretched briefly before resuming her previous lounging position.
Blast, vacations were nice.
It was funny how after hundreds of years Kita had realized she had never had a vacation. She never really considered needing one – most of her work was too fun for her to want a respite. Still… this was pretty wonderful.
Kita heard rustling beside her, and she stood to examine her charges.
With this new war just starting up, the Council had decided to give some of its most overworked Jedi a break. However, part of the plan went awry when a top secret mission needed to be done. Even Kita didn't know the details, but she wasn't going to worry over it; the Jedi assigned to it were very capable. In the meantime, however, that left three Padawans without a Master to watch them. The Council was just going to call the Padawans home and let them stay in the Temple until their Masters returned, but Kita had insisted that they still get their relaxation time. She knew that the Temple wasn't really much of a place to be able to just lounge and do nothing, and considering it was in the heart of the Republic everything around it would constantly remind the Padawans of the war. So the Council had allowed them to go to Ferrasco. However, they still needed someone to mind them – all three of them were teenagers, after all.
So Kita had volunteered.
Having never been to another planet before, Kita was extremely excited to finally be traveling somewhere. On top of traveling for the first time, Kita had heard that Ferrasco was quite a wonderful planet. Much of its land was in the central area of its equator, making for a mild semi-tropical climate. The area they were going to was in late spring, allowing them some lazy warm days to do absolutely nothing. Ferrasco was relatively neutral to the war, but the Ferrascons had a fondness for the Jedi, so there was a training dojo on the planet.
One of Kita's charges stirred again, and she licked his face gently and used the Force to soothe him back to sleep. He responded to the action, immediately calming. Kita smiled. She hadn't seen such a serene look on his face since… well, ever.
As Anakin took a deep breath and settled back to sleep, another charge stirred and then awoke, sitting up before Kita could get to her.
"This place is really pretty," she said loudly with a huge grin, but Kita quickly shook her head.
Not so loud, little pup, she said hastily, causing the girl to flinch.
"Sorry," she quickly whispered, but the damage was done; the other two Padawans were immediately awake, Anakin reaching for his lightsaber while the other whipped his head around to figure out what had awoken him.
Kita immediately caught their attention. Hey, easy! It's okay; it was just Ahsoka.
"What…?" Anakin said vaguely, his lightsaber held tightly in his hand. His breathing started to slow when his mind finally registered what she had said, and he quickly flushed in irritation. "Could you possibly be any louder, Tano?"
Unfortunately, Ahsoka Tano, a thirteen-year-old Togruta, was as quick to anger as Anakin. "Hey, I didn't mean it!"
The third Padawan, a Human teenager named Harry Polant, sighed heavily as he watched the two bicker. Kita sighed as well and sat beside Harry.
"Those two really don't like each other, do they?" Harry grumbled. "I wish they'd just get over themselves; they're both stubborn and irritable."
Ahsoka and Anakin paused, having heard Harry's statement. Before the fight could escalate, Kita quickly interrupted. All right, all right, enough arguing. You three were so relaxed just a few minutes ago. Why don't you boys go back to sleep?
"I'm not tired," Anakin snapped, jumping to his feet and walking away. Kita sighed again.
"I don't know what he's being so grumpy about," Ahsoka said. "I mean, yeah, I woke him up, but seriously? It's not that awful."
Harry remained silent, looking away. Kita examined Ahsoka. She was young, full of energy, and excitable. The instant they had arrived on Ferrasco she had immediately run to the beach and played in the ocean the entire afternoon before quickly returning to the dojo saying she wanted to explore. There was nothing wrong with her behavior, really; it was typical for her age. She did tend to be a little too eager to pick a fight, though… and that clashed really badly with Anakin's short temper.
How many campaigns have you been on, Ahsoka? Kita asked.
Ahsoka paused, and she suddenly looked grumpy and embarrassed at the same time. "Well… I kind of… I haven't been on any campaigns. I've been on missions, though, and it's not like that's anything to laugh at!"
Ahsoka demonstrated great pride in what she had done, daring Kita to say it was worth nothing in comparison to the other two Padawans who had been dealing with the bloodier aspects of the war. Kita chuckled and wagged her tail gently. Relax, Padawan; I'm not judging you for not going on a campaign. In fact I think you're better off than the boys.
Ahsoka shook her head. "No I'm not. I want to go on a campaign. I want to destroy some clankers and win a battle for the Republic! I want to make a difference!"
"You really don't want to be in a campaign," Harry replied, causing Ahsoka to bristle.
"You haven't been on one either, you know," she argued.
Harry's face flushed slightly and his emerald eyes flashed a warning. Kita quickly intervened. Enough. Ahsoka, Harry lost a friend to the Separatists; don't make light of his dealings in the war. Now let's stop talking about this and just relax; it's why we're here, after all.
Ahsoka looked surprised, not having known about Harry's friend. As she started to apologize, Kita nodded her head as the angry knot in the Force began to smooth out. She still sensed another throbbing sensation in the Force, burning in the back of her mind like a bad bruise; Anakin was still brooding.
Kita had learned to stop questioning her connection with Anakin. The pup by far had the most powerful connection in the Force Kita had ever sensed, even more so than Master Yoda. This meant that if Anakin happened to be on the same side of the planet as Kita she could essentially feel everything he felt… at least when the emotions were slightly heightened. If Anakin was just having a bad day Kita would get the slightest inkling. If Anakin was miserable, however, she would immediately sense it. The strange part about this connection, however, was that sometimes Anakin would completely disappear from her sight in the Force. She didn't know if this was a trick he had learned or if she was just so busy with hundreds of other Jedi that he became white noise in her mind… either way, it had happened a few times on Coruscant after the war had begun, and it worried her a little… especially since it often coincided with him vanishing from the Temple.
Either way, Kita could sense his anger now, and it mingled with grief, paranoia, and anxiety, mixing like two salts mix to create an acid that burned the back of Kita's mind.
Trotting along the wooden balcony, Kita could sense the pulsating mix of emotions on the other side of the dojo. Arriving at her destination, she saw Anakin leaning against the railing watching the city lights twinkle off in the distance.
Anakin, what's the matter? You wouldn't be this grumpy just from being woken up. Kita said.
Anakin's shoulders sagged, and he looked tired as he turned to watch her briefly. "It's nothing, Kita."
Kita snorted.
Sighing irritably, Anakin said, "Fine, it's not nothing."
Kita stood there, waiting, but nothing followed. Rolling her eyes, she approached him and nudged his side with her muzzle. Well…?
"Where do you think my Master is?" Anakin suddenly asked. Kita wasn't sure if this was what was bothering him or if he was changing the subject on her. He had lately become very good at dodging her questions; she had a feeling he'd rather talk to somebody else about them… or perhaps he was afraid she would talk to somebody else about them. She didn't know. "I should be out there helping him."
You needed rest, pup. Kita explained. Your Master will join you here for a few days when he finishes with his mission.
Anakin looked annoyed with her remark, but he didn't comment. The conversation was interrupted when Harry suddenly yelled loudly and ran over to them.
"Anakin! Anakin!" he shouted, getting Anakin's attention immediately; although they were three years apart in age, the two had essentially grown up together and were close friends.
"What is it?" Anakin stood up straight, his muscles tensing.
"Ahsoka found this enormous seal lounging on the beach! Come and see!" Harry said excitedly.
Anakin cocked his head to the side. "A seal?"
Harry nodded enthusiastically, frantically motioning for Anakin to follow him. "Yeah, come on!"
Harry ran back to the other end of the dojo, which faced the beach. Anakin paused for a moment before smiling and running after his friend, bringing relief to Kita. At least Harry could help relax his friend. Then a thought occurred to her as she was just about to stretch.
"Now Kita, please keep my trouble-prone Padawan safe," Obi-Wan had said before he left for his mission. He had given her a gentle smile; whether it was out of sympathy or relief she hadn't been sure. "You do know that the most abundant animals on the beach are seals, and they have venomous teeth that will kill instantly… don't you? Be vigilant."
Venomous-toothed seals?!
Panicked, Kita tore after the puppies. They quickly came into sight just as Anakin was standing on the edge of the beach. Harry was goading him into the sand.
"Come on, it won't kill you!" Harry laughed.
Anakin shook his head vigorously. "No. You know I hate sand. You're going to be picking it out of your toes for the next week."
Beyond the boys Kita saw Ahsoka, who was slowly approaching a massive blob of blubber with enormous eyes and an explosion of whiskers around its snout. It looked like it was lounging, lying on its side with one of its fins lazily sitting atop its fat belly.
Ahsoka, wait! Kita called out in a panic, catching Anakin and Harry's attention. Ahsoka ignored her, reaching her hand out towards the seal, who had noticed her presence.
Kita bounded forward. Stop! Anakin, Harry, stop her!
Anakin and Harry exchanged glances, but Kita's panic immediately made them alert and no longer concerned about anything except following her orders. The two immediately ran to Ahsoka, grabbing her just as she was about to touch the animal. Ahsoka yelled out. The seal simply blinked and lowered its head, returning to its lazy slumber.
"What was that for?!" Ahsoka snapped. "I was just going to pet it!"
You can't do that! Kita replied, panting for breath. Those things are poisonous!
All three Padawans stared at her. The only sound was the ocean, and yet Kita felt like their silence was more deafening. Growing annoyed as they continued to give her the same bizarre look, she growled a little. What is it?
"They're not poisonous," Anakin said.
"They eat tiny fish," Harry said.
"They're in petting zoos here," Ahsoka said.
Kita blinked, confused. But… but Obi-Wan said…
Anakin and Harry started to laugh. Ahsoka looked bewildered.
"Why would Master Kenobi lie to Kita?" she asked.
Lie? What? Wait… that smile when he had said those things… that was blasted amusement!
Kita didn't know whether she should be inordinately ticked off for being duped or flabbergasted that Obi-Wan had actually played a prank.
To add to the humiliation, the seal suddenly noticed them again and began to bark as if it were laughing as well. It jumped up and down, its blubber undulating, and it smacked its flippers together in what seemed to be delight. The three Padawans roared in laughter.
Anakin's laughter quickly subsided, however, as the ocean tickled his feet and he suddenly remembered where he was standing. "Oh, for the love of—Kita this is all your fault!"
"Oh it's not the end of the galaxy!" Harry rolled his eyes. "It's just sand!"
The seal laughed all the more. Anakin shot it a baleful glare. "Oh shut up you pile of blubber!"
Laughing all the more, Harry Force pushed Anakin, making him land face first into the sand. Ahsoka fell over from laughter, clapping her hands alongside the clapping seal. Kita sighed heavily, shaking her head and sitting beside the seal, which paused from its actions and glanced at her. The two exchanged stares for a while before Kita said, Padawans.
The seal nodded with a bark and then began to roll around. Meanwhile, Anakin had leapt up, throwing Harry into an incoming wave from the ocean. Ahsoka continued to enjoy the spectacle alongside her new friend while Harry and Anakin began wrestling on the beach.
After a few hours' play with the three Padawans, Kita finally sent them back to the dojo to clean up, have dinner, and go to bed. All three were in a very cheerful state, leaving Kita feeling satisfied with the day. She was going to get Obi-Wan for that prank, though; honestly, making her look so foolish in front of those puppies… she really needed to study other planets more.
After a delicious dinner, Kita ensured the three Padawans went to bed (much to their annoyance, particularly Anakin) before she finally settled on the deck facing the beach. Curling into a ball, Kita took a deep breath of the salty sea air and fell asleep.
As the wonderful relaxing darkness snuggled her in its restful embrace, Kita suddenly felt a red hot knife stab through her peace and she jumped awake, startled. Through the Force the knife was still searing in her mind, but its pain started to dull quickly; something was wrong with one of the puppies.
Running inside, Kita followed her instincts to the boys' room to find Harry fast asleep. Anakin was nowhere to be found. Kita searched the dojo for a time before finding Anakin perched on the roof. How and when he got up there was beyond her, but she quickly used the Force to leap up beside him.
Anakin avoided eye contact, but he acknowledged her nonetheless. "Hey, Kita."
Kita licked his face. Hello, pup. Why are you awake?
Anakin shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, well… just…"
Shrugging, he shifted the conversation. "I can't believe you didn't know seals weren't poisonous."
Kita didn't take the bait. What's the matter, puppy?
Anakin grew annoyed. "It's—it's…"
Kita waited patiently as the nineteen-year-old Padawan's irritation faded to an empty ache that sat heavily in her mind. "I haven't been able to sleep for a long time. I can't—I just… I keep seeing the battlefield every time I close my eyes."
Kita felt sadness fill her. No one deserved to be dragged into a war, particularly a puppy. Have you talked to your Master about this?
Anakin shook his head. "We haven't had the time. He's noticed I can't sleep, but whenever he brings it up something always gets in the way."
Wars are funny like that. Kita's fur ruffled in frustration. The two had been working hard at actually being civil to each other for more than a few days after years of Anakin's adolescence causing a rift; why did the war have to interfere?
After pausing for a little while, Kita finally prompted, Well, do you want to talk about it?
"No," Anakin immediately replied softly, sounding exhausted. "I just want to sleep."
You should at least talk to Master Kenobi about it. Kita insisted.
Sighing softly, Anakin conceded. "Fine. I'll talk to him about it when he gets here."
Kita nodded. Good. Now, you want to try to go back to bed?
Even in the dark, Kita could see Anakin's face pale slightly at the concept, although his bloodshot eyes held such a yearning for rest it almost hurt to look at them. He slowly shook his head.
Kita pondered the matter for a moment before shrugging. She had dealt with puppies who had been disturbed by nightmares before; granted, this case was especially grim with the war, but it was still a puppy with a problem she could solve. Well I tell you what: you can sleep on the hammock on the deck and I'll be right there with you.
Anakin looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like a five-year-old who needs cuddling?"
Yes. Kita immediately answered. Anakin gave her a sour look.
"I'm not a baby," he grumbled.
You are to me. Kita gave him a sly look. Until you hit four hundred two years old like me, that is.
Anakin gave her an irritable glare before finally groaning. "Fine."
Smiling, Kita leapt to her feet and nudged Anakin to make him stand. The two strolled down the side of the roof and then leapt onto the ground before clambering on the deck. Anakin dragged his feet miserably over to the hammock, weary but not wanting another nightmare. After he got comfortable, Kita leapt onto the large hammock as well, stretching out beside him so he could scratch behind her ear. Kita sighed in contentment and sent soothing waves to Anakin through the Force. The scratching eventually slowed and then stopped as Anakin drifted back to sleep. Kita followed suit.
Kita was disturbed a little later when the hammock jerked suddenly. A small moan was heard behind her, and Kita rolled on her back to face the other side. Anakin's brow was furrowed, and his breathing was starting to quicken. Kita quickly licked his face, calming him through the Force. He eventually relaxed. Kita only had to repeat this a couple more times through the night before Anakin had finally settled into some semblance of peaceful slumber.
The next morning, Kita shifted a little as the ocean breeze blew her fur in all directions. The gentle sound of Anakin's quiet breathing tickled her ears, and she lazily stretched her senses into the Force to ensure he was fast asleep. After confirming that that was the case, Kita stealthily slipped off the hammock and was about to check on the other two Padawans when she heard a yelp beneath her paws. Jumping, Kita noticed the same seal from yesterday; it had apparently wiggled its way onto the deck just beside the hammock.
Kita heard Anakin jump slightly at the seal's protest. He mumbled, "Kita?"
Hush little pup, Kita said a little louder than she intended; seeing the seal had caught her off guard. Go back to sleep.
Surprise and amusement rippled through the Force as Anakin peeked over the hammock. "Wow. Looks like we've got quite the party."
It's just the same blasted seal from yesterday. Kita grumbled. How did he get up here, anyway?
"Uh, Kita…" Anakin poked Kita on the head, motioning to the rest of the deck. "I meant that party."
Kita looked straight ahead to her eyes widened. The seal had apparently invited some friends. About twenty of them.
Ruffling her fur, Kita stomped one of her paws. She'd had just about enough of these seals. That's it! Everybody off! This isn't a tanning parlor! Off! OFF!
The seals all stared at her, blinking their huge eyes. Then they all started barking. The sound was deafening.
So was Anakin's laughter.
"I think they like you!" he said.
Harry and Ahsoka ran onto the deck, disheveled and confused. After taking the scene in, however, they were joining Anakin.
"Kita, what did you do?" Harry asked.
Heck if I know! Kita grumbled as the seals continued to bark. Shut up!
All the seals suddenly grew silent. The Padawans paused, bewildered. Kita, however, took advantage of the situation. Good. Now get off the deck!
The seals watched her for a moment longer before the first one—the one from yesterday—lowered its head and started to slowly, almost sadly, waddle its way off the deck. The other seals followed suit, going in a sad procession. Kita's ruffled fur started to smooth out, but she felt a little guilty. Wait, why was she feeling guilty? They were a bunch of seals!
"Kita," Ahsoka said in a scolding tone. "You hurt their feelings."
Kita rolled her eyes. They're animals, Ahsoka.
The Padawans looked at Kita pointedly.
I'm Force sensitive! She protested. That's a notable difference, thank you!
They continued to look at her pointedly before Anakin took matters into his own hands. Whistling, he caught the seals' attention and then motioned towards the dojo. "It's okay, guys; come back. We've got plenty of fish inside."
To emphasize the point, Harry ran inside and then quickly returned with some raw fish that was going to be prepared for dinner. Kita was about to protest, but any thought she might have had was blown out of her mind by the thunderous raucous caused by the excited seals.
Kita leapt onto the hammock to avoid getting run over as the three Padawans ran inside, leading an entourage of thumping and waddling seals. Wait—no—get out of there!
The seals continued to bark and leap joyfully inside the dojo as the Padawans began to display all the raw fish they had stored in their refrigerating unit. Just as Kita was about to protest further, however, she heard footsteps behind her, and then:
"What in the blazes is going on here?"
Kita whirled around to see the Padawans' Masters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, and Siri Tachi.
"Master!" the three Padawans called in delight.
"Why is the dojo overrun by seals?" Siri raised an eyebrow as Obi-Wan folded his arms and looked at Kita reproachfully.
Kita immediately shook her head. Don't look at me like that – it was their doing!
"Kita, how is it you are reduced to sounding like a Padawan?" Plo asked, sounding thoroughly amused.
"Because Anakin's involved," Obi-Wan sighed. "All convention gets thrown to the wayside when he enters the equation." Then he looked at Kita with a great amount of seriousness. "Kita, these seals could hurt the Padawans. Remember what I told you?"
Kita's fur bristled. Oh, yes, I remember. You said they were poisonous.
"And so they are," Obi-Wan nodded. "Well, I should say detrimental, at least… certainly to the fish."
Kita glared. You lied!
Obi-Wan shrugged innocently. "I merely told it from the fishes' point of view."
With that the Masters entered the dojo and eventually managed to coax the excitable seals outside. Although they had lost their entire supply of raw fish to the blubbered mob, they made up for it by going on a fishing trip (all the while waving to the seals who had once again followed them), and they ended the day with a lovely feast before packing to leave for the next day.
That night, Kita patrolled the dojo to ensure no seals were making a stealthy infiltration. As she patrolled the hallway before getting ready to exit the dojo, she glanced into the bedrooms. Plo was fast asleep in his own room, as was Ahsoka. When Kita looked into the room shared Harry and Anakin, however, Anakin was nowhere to be found. Growing a little worried, Kita began to trot quietly down the hall to head outside, but she passed Obi-Wan's room first. Glancing hastily, Kita suddenly paused and took a better look.
Anakin was sound asleep, held safely in Obi-Wan's arms. His face was completely placid, and his hand was on Obi-Wan's chest, his fingers gripping the man's shirt slightly as if to know he was there. Obi-Wan shifted slightly, rubbing his Padawan's arm reassuringly before opening his eyes to see Kita.
No words were needed in that moment. Whatever the two had talked about, it had managed to smooth the edges that the war had started carving into them. Obi-Wan gave Kita a gentle and sleepy smile before closing his eyes once more, and Kita smiled in reply before exiting the room and resuming her anti-seal patrol.
Yes, vacations were a very nice thing indeed.