CHAPTER 2:
Han Solo hated nothing more than being wet, and the way the rain came pouring down, he was soaked to his underwear despite the rain poncho he was wearing. "Aw, to hell with this!" He pulled the poncho over his head and discarded it without another thought. They better find Luke and Leia alive or he was going to be really pissed.
Chewbacca shook his head, spraying water on his shorter friend, and if it weren't for the pouring rain, Han would have chewed his head off. Chewie shook his head a few more times and smiled to himself.
Han rubbed his fist over the handheld thermal sensor. Fortunately, Reeiken gave them the best equipment he had available. Reeiken also sent out a few more rescue parties, but unfortunately their equipment was limited. Chewbacca suggested that those rescue parties stay within the base perimeters, and that it might also be a good deal to pack this base up. The Gendolies were the reason this island was inhabited by sentient beings, and it was obvious that no sentient being escaped alive to warn others about them.
Han and Chewbacca would search beyond the perimeters since Chewbacca was the most knowledgeable about the Grendolies. Chewbacca would have preferred to conduct the search alone, but he knew Han wouldn't have that. Despite his reluctance to admit it, both Luke and Leia, mainly Leia, have become quite important in Han's life.
"Reeiken said that this one was the last sensor placed," Han toed the sensor embedded in the wet soil.
Chewbacca scrutinized the sensor and then looked out into the jungle. He raised his nose and sniffed. It was difficult to get a good lead on the missing rebels because of the precipitation, but Chewie concentrated hard.
"Get something?" Han's voice perked up when Chewbacca's head swiveled to the right with great force. Chewie shrugged. "Well, maybe it's somethin'."
Han followed Chewbacca, doing his best to ignore his discomfort. The rain had lightened, but it was still a hindrance. With a sour expression Han trudged after Chewie. When they found those two, he was going to give them a piece of his mind. If they found them…
Han shook his head. There was no way he was giving up on finding them even if they had to search the whole island and fight off every Grendoli they crossed. Even if it rained the whole time. Han swiped his hand over his face in a futile attempt to wipe away the rain.
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"There it is again," Leia whispered. Her large eyes narrowed as she tried to penetrate the thick foliage.
Yeah, there's definitely something out there," Luke whispered back.
Leia slid her blaster from its holster and prepared for an attack.
"Wait," Luke placed his hand on her blaster and gently pushed it down. "I don't think we'll need that."
"But you saw that…that thing," Leia re-aimed her blaster. "This is our only protection."
"I'm not sure what I saw. Are you?"
Leia pursed her lips, "No, but that's my point. A blaster right now might come in handy."
Maybe," Luke breathed as he pushed her blaster down. "I still don't think we need that right now."
The leaves and branches shook, and Luke and Leia shrank lower behind the tree root that they hid behind. Leia squeezed Luke's arm, unwittingly digging her nails into his skin, as a low growl resonated around them. They watched the rustling of the rainforest, tracking the movement of whatever was approaching them.
"Luke…" Leia prepared to fire her blaster.
Again, Luke put his hand on hers and forced her to lower it.
"Are you crazy?" Leia responded, but then her eyes widened with fear as she realized her voice was way too loud.
Luke said nothing, but he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her lower behind the giant tree root. And then there was more rustling. Luke hoped his feelings could be trusted. Maybe Leia was right. Maybe they were now in more trouble than before because of him. Maybe…
A guttural howl had never sounded better to Luke's ears. He grabbed Leia's hand and pushed his way out of their hiding place. "Chewie," Luke whispered just in case there were other beings around to hear.
Chewbacca expelled a muffled Wookie laugh as he rushed to his lost friends. He ruffled Luke's hair and pulled Leia off her feet into the biggest Wookie hug he could muster up.
"Han!" Luke reached out his hand to the foul-looking man. To Luke's surprise, Han pulled him into a short hug.
Chewie put the princess down, and she smiled at Han, "Captain Solo."
"Your Worshipfulness," he mock bowed before her.
"Boy, are we glad to see you," Luke sighed.
Han scanned Luke's extremities and then grabbed Leia's arm, "What happened to you two?"
"Can't this wait?" Leia pulled her arm out of his reach. "I just want to get back to the base and wash this guck off of me."
"'Fraid we can't do that," Han folded his arms.
"Don't tell me," Leia matched his stance. "You two are lost as well."
"It's too dark," Han smiled down at her. Chewbacca grumbled and worffed, and Leia looked up at Han to translate. "Too dangerous to travel at night. There are some unsavory beings wandering around out here."
"You mean besides you?" Leia quipped.
"Nice," Han responded. "The things lurking out here are much more unsavory than me."
"Then that sounds like a very good reason to get back to the base," Leia argued.
Chewbacca shook his head. Han smile widened, "No can do, Your Holy Bossiness."
"And why not, Captain Obnoxious?" Leia's eyes narrowed on Han.
Luke recognized that look and stepped between the two, "Maybe we should listen to Chewie."
Leia rolled her eyes, "So you want to spend the night out here, too?"
"No, but there must be a good reason Chewie says we can't go back to the base," Luke placed a hand on her shoulder, and Leia slightly relaxed. He looked at Han, "Right, Han?"
"I was just getting to that," Han continued to glare at the princess. Chewbacca swiped Han's head with a hairy paw, and he turned his angry eyes at the Wookie. "What's lurking out there is Grendolies."
"Grendolies?"
"Yeah," Han glanced around. "And they're not very friendly."
The princess crossed her arms and leaned on her left hip, "Have you seen them out there?"
Chewie howled and hit his own head. Han shook his head, "No."
"So you don't know they're out there," she reasoned.
Han inhaled slowly, "They know we're out here!"
"Leia, maybe we should…"
"How do you know they know were here?"
"Besides your loud mouth?" Han stepped close to her, bending over at the waist so his eyes were centimeters from hers. "One killed some poor guy back near the base."
Leia opened her mouth and took a step back, but she didn't say anything.
Chewbacca raised his head, sniffed the air, and emitted a low guttural growl. Han sucked in a breath, "Come on. We can't stay here."
"What's wrong?" Luke asked, but Han was already pushing him along in front of him and pulling the princess by her arm. He had seen the handiwork of the Grendolies up close. He didn't want to see it again.
Chewbacca was in his element. He picked up the pace, and his three friends struggled to keep up. He leaped over gnarled roots and used the thick vines hanging from the aged trees to help him move faster. Han and the others tried to mimic Chewbacca's moves, but they couldn't quite get it right. Once in a while Chewbacca would stop and sniff the air, looking in all directions. His friends would catch up and have less than a moment to catch their breaths before Chewie headed off in another direction.
When his human friends were ready to give up, Chewbacca stopped in front of a thick tree that stretched kilometers up to the sky. The tree was as thick as the base of an AT-AT, and the trunk resembled the cut sinewy legs of a long limbed Shelopy.
Chewbacca barked orders and then scaled the thick tall tree, carrying the survival kits with him.
"Here, Luke," Han tossed the boy a shovel he had excavated from one of the survival kits. "We need to dig a trench five meters around the tree and at least a meter deep, so start diggin'," Han knelt down and began digging with another shovel.
"Where's Chewie going?" Luke watched Chewbacca ascend the tree.
"Where does it look like he's going?" Han scowled at Luke.
"Why's he doing that?" Leia asked, hoping the Wookie was just getting a look around.
"Aw!" Han threw the shovel down, "Look, we don't have a lot of time here. Luke get back to digging."
"What can I do?" Leia asked.
"Get up that tree with Chewie!"
The princess looked up the length of the tree. Chewbacca had just scaled the lower canopy of the tree and was swiftly making his way up higher. She could barely see him, "I mean, what can I do down here to help?"
Han took a second to look up at the girl from his digging, "Huh?" He returned to the task at hand. "Nothin'. Get up there with Chewie."
Leia knelt down beside Luke and began digging with her hands.
"Leia!" Han snapped. "Have you seen a Grendoli up close?"
"You know very well I haven't."
"And you don't want to! Now do as I told you!"
"Captain Solo," Leia's fists flew to her hips. "I am not going up there until you two do so you might as well give me something to do so we can all get to safety!"
"Stubborn, little, royal pain in the ass," Han muttered.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say anything because of our dire circumstances," Leia jutted her chin out. "So if you just tell me what still needs to be done…"
"I don't have time for this!" Han growled at her. But when she resumed digging with her hands, Han relented, "Aw, fine! Take the explosives in that bag and put 'em in the trench we're digging. Carefully."
Leia pushed herself to her feet, "Captain, I'm always careful, especially when you're around."
"Just do your job. Make sure you space 'em out some. We don't have that many."
Leia began placing the small disc-shaped explosives in the trench Han and Luke were still working on, making sure the trigger of each was facing up. Once Luke and Han had finished their parts, they wrapped twine around each explosive to make certain that if one explosive was triggered then they'd all ignite.
"I think something's coming," Luke stood up, the hair on the back of his neck rose. He stared into the dark ahead of him. He had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't noticed how dark it had gotten.
Leia's mouth opened slightly, and she looked to Han. Han gulped, but when he felt Leia's eyes on him, he shrugged callously, "I suppose this is a good of time than any to go join Chewie. I'm sure he has dinner ready for us."
Luke examined the tree trunk, scrutinizing the nooks and knobs and twists. Once he felt certain he solved the puzzle, he pulled himself up and climbed the tree with the agility of a young Wookie cub. Leia bit her lip as she watched him.
"What are you waiting for?" Han had already scoped his path out and was beginning his ascent.
But Leia stayed frozen where she stood, "Why are we going up there?"
"Chewbacca knows what he's doing! Now get going."
"Do Grendolies climb trees?"
"You'll have to ask Chewie!"
"Are you sure we'll be safe up there?"
"Come on, Your Worship!" Han yelled. Chewbacca roared from above. "Leia! There's no time left. Let's go!"
She looked up the tree. The safe haven Chewie had prepared looked awfully high, perhaps even higher than the cliff she and Han scaled a while back. And that didn't go too well. "I…"
Han scowled and jumped back down, "What's the problem?"
Her large brown eyes stayed focus up the long trunk of the tree, "I can't go up there."
"Whaddya gonna do?" Han yelled. "Stay down here and die?"
The girl ran her teeth over her bottom lip, wrapped her arms around herself, and looked out into the darkness. The rustling and heavy breathing loomed close.
"Come on, Leia," Han grabbed her arms. "I'll be right behind you. I won't let you fall."
He whisked her over to the tree, but she still didn't make a move to climb it. Han turned her around and held her face in his hands, "You can do this."
Leia's large brown eyes glanced up the length of the tree, and she shook her head so subtly that Han barely caught it.
"You have to do this!" He tried to ignore the hissing and grunting that grew louder. He brusquely turned her around so that she was facing the gnarled tree, "No time to go soft on me, Your Worship!"
Leia flipped her head around and her fiery eyes burnt holes into Han's, "I am not soft, Captain."
Han rolled his eyes, "Tell me about it."
"What was that?" Leia snapped.
"Will you just get up there? Or are you afraid?" Han folded his arms over his chest and stared down his nose at the angry girl, all the while his senses alert.
"I am not afraid of anything," she leaned forward and growled, but her eyes told otherwise. And she knew Han knew the truth.
"Here," he said quietly as he bent his knees, "I'll give you a foot up."
Leia put her hands on his shoulders and then her foot into his hands. He gave her a boost, "I'll be right behind you."
The princess pulled herself up the tree using the random knots and grooves to aid her in the climb. Just as Han promised, he was right behind her, ready to catch her if she slipped. She just hoped she didn't slip. The last thing she wanted Han to think about her was that she was weak or that he had to catch her one more time either physically or emotionally.
Han's patience was wearing thin. He was certain one of those fierce creatures was going to jump out and tear them off the tree. He wished the girl would pick up her speed, but he also feared that if she was careless she'd bring both of them down.
Leia grabbed a think branch at the lower canopy and straddled it as she caught her breath. Han swung himself up next to her with more grace than she thought he possessed. He flashed her a lop-sided grin, "Just like that cliff, huh?"
Leia expelled a breath that sounded more like a short laugh, "Nah, this is easier."
Han raised his eyebrow. He doubted her words, but he admired her bravado. He studied her muddy face. Her jaw was clenched as if she was trying to look tougher than she really was, but all it did was make her look like a defiant teenager. Han laughed and lightly tapped her nose, "Ready?"
Leia wrinkled her nose under his touch but didn't snap at him. She looked up, "Might as well finish this."
The lower canopy of the aged tree was easier to climb since it had numerous branches that allowed the pair to move faster. Although there was less chance of the princess slipping, Han still stayed behind her and watched her every move. As they neared the upper canopy, the climbing became more difficult than it had been when they started.
Leia's eyes searched out Luke and Chewie, but both had reached the shelter Chewie prepared and had disappeared inside. The shelter still seemed so far out of reach, and the girl froze where she was.
"What's wrong, Your Most Holiness?" Han managed to expel as he caught his breath.
But the princess said nothing.
"Leia?" Han pulled himself so that he was right next to her. "We're almost there."
"No we're not," she whispered.
"We can't go back down, even if we could!"
"I know!" Leia snapped, but she didn't start climbing.
"Come on," Han positioned himself flushed behind her. "Put your arms around my neck, carefully."
Leia moved one hand, hesitated, and then released her other hand, squeezing Han's neck.
"Ease up, will ya'?" Han croaked.
Leia loosened her grip and then swiveled her hips around so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Although she felt secure in his arms, safe even, she still feared she'd cause both of their deaths.
"I'm going to make you fall," she breathed into his ear. "This isn't a good idea."
"Since when was one of my ideas not a good one?" Han whispered back.
"I don't think you want me to answer that," she responded with a smile on her face.
Han began the last leg of their climb. Leia held her breath and rested her head on his shoulder. Just like before when they scaled the cliff, she squeezed him close to her, and Han had to will himself to focus on the climb. If I can't get her up there, she'll die, he had to repeat to himself to prevent her closeness from distracting him.
They were halfway up the upper canopy, giving Leia a bird's eye view of where they came. "Oh!" she breathed as she caught sight of the movement below. She couldn't see anything definite, but there was definitely something down there, "Please hurry, but be careful."
"Doin' the best I can, Sweetheart," Han grunted. "We're almost up there."
Leia knew Han was overestimating their progress, but she decided to close her eyes and just trust him as much as she could trust anyone. He had gotten her out of worse situations than this, and this time Chewie and Luke were here, too.
However, when the four of them were together, things didn't usually go so well for them. She squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could and locked her ankles around Han's waist even tighter. In a way, going up felt much more secure than going down. But then Han did have a bit of practice since the last time. Maybe he was getting better that this. Or maybe scaling a tree is much easier than climbing down a cliff since there wasn't much danger of foot holdings and ledges falling apart under their weight. Or maybe she was getting used to trusting him.
"Grab her, Chewie," Han ordered.
Leia's eyes popped open, and Chewie lifted her into the shelter he had created in a deep crook that branched out in several directions. Leia slightly shivered, missing the warmth of Han's embrace. Han pulled himself in to find Luke leaning against the thick branch across from him. Chewie had secured an emergency shelter tent to the branches so it was as if they were sitting in an upside down umbrella. Despite the sturdiness of the material used for these shelter tents, Chewie thought it was best to stay close to the branches. Above them, the Wookie spread another emergency tent to keep out the precipitation for which the rainforest was famous. If it weren't for the danger below, this safe haven of sorts was quite comfortable.
Han settled in across from Luke and opened the med kit. Still in Chewie's charge, Leia paled as she looked down below. Han pulled out some wipes and synflesh and signaled Luke to move closer. Because they couldn't use any artificial light, they relied on the light of the two full moons that penetrated the cloudy sky. Chewie just hoped that the moonlight wasn't too bright. He focused his steely blue eyes over the edge of the shelter, his sharp vision catching just glimpses of what lurked below.
Han had scooted close to Luke and wiped away the dirt from Luke's superficial scratches. Han then sprayed synflesh on Luke's scrapes, "Anywhere else?"
Luke examined his body, "Nope, think that's it."
Han looked at Leia who was sitting close to Chewbacca, "Hold out your arms."
Leia held out her arms but not for the reason Han was asking. "I can do it myself, Captain," she stared defiantly into Han's hazel eyes and waited for him to give her the wipes and synflesh.
Han scowled. Only a minute ago she was clinging to him while he carried her to safety one more time. Now she's taking that tone with him?
Luke interceded, "Leia, Han's just trying to help you."
She gritted her teeth and her eyes flashed with ice as she stared into Luke's innocent eyes, "I don't need his help."
Chewie rolled his eyes and grumbled. Han narrowed his eyes on Leia, "My help was good enough for you not only a few seconds ago!"
Leia's lips pulled into a pout, "Well, I don't need your help now. I can take care of myself."
"Fine!" Han gave her the synflesh can and wipes.
Everyone stared off into different directions as an uncomfortable silence fell upon them. Leia used the wipes to clean herself up but had trouble aiming the synflesh on the harder areas to reach. Han stole glances, growing angrier and angrier each time she failed to aim the canister in the right direction.
Chewbacca must have noticed the same thing. But then, he was the one sitting closest to her and being sprayed every time she missed. He gently took the canister of synflesh from the princess and finished the job for her.
The princess waited for the Wookie to finish his ministrations, and once he was finished, she crawled away from him to find herself a nook of her own.
"You okay?" Luke leaned in her direction.
She pasted a diplomatic smile on and looked at the kid, "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
Luke opened his mouth, but Han shot him a warning look, and Luke decided to let it go.
"Anyone hungry?" Han pulled out a pack of rations.
Chewbacca roared and reached out. Luke also took a couple of ration bars. Han looked at Leia whose arms were wrapped tight around herself. Han slowly inhaled and pressed his lips together as the usual inner battle went on inside him. The girl just snapped at him for no reason after he had been nice to her. Was he going to risk being humiliated again? He looked at her forlorn face and rolled his eyes, "You hungry, Your Worship?"
Leia's eyes met Han's, and he gave her a small smile, "We have cardboard rations and cardboard rations. Which would you prefer?"
Although, Han's attempt at humor brought smiles to the rest of the group, Leia just looked at her choices, "I'm not too hungry."
Han shoved the rations back in his pocket, his cheeks aflame with embarrassment and anger. Why did he try?
Han sighed. He was a glutton for punishment. "How 'bout some water?" Han pulled out a water pouch.
"Thank you," she whispered and held her hand out to him.
Han's eyes found Chewbacca's. Chewie subtly shrugged, and Han handed Leia the water pouch. She held the pouch between her hands and just stared at it. Han leaned back and watched her. Other than her usual bitchiness pointed at him, she didn't seem like herself. She wasn't handling this situation very well, and that wasn't like her. Maybe their last experience with high places made her fear heights. Or maybe she had issues with the dark. She couldn't possibly be afraid of things that lurk in the night. Han couldn't imagine that the Grendolies were worse than Darth Vader.
Han handed a water pouch to the others, and he opened one himself. They ate their dinner in quiet, their ears attuned to the noises of the rainforest. Han leaned back and crossed his legs, "So, it figures you two would get yourselves in trouble on such an easy assignment."
Luke shrugged, "We didn't plan on rain."
Han laughed, "It's a rainforest!" Chewbacca chuckled along.
"Well," Luke hunched his shoulders and looked down, "No one ever told me about flash floods."
"Ah! The misinformed excuse."
"It's not an excuse," Luke whined. "We were washed down a hill or somethin', and we lost the GPS." Luke waited for Leia to tell Han the reason they were lost in the first place, but she stared out into the wet night.
"That explains the mud," Han laughed, but when his eyes fell on Leia his mirth dissolved. He wanted to ask if she was okay, but he knew she'd never be honest. Suddenly, he wasn't so angry at her.
Luke sensed Han's concern and turned his attention on Leia. "Hey, Leia," Luke's voice was filled with cheer. "What was your favorite part of the day?"
Leia snapped out of her small trance and favored Luke with a forced smile, "Oh, I don't know. Getting pummeled by the grossest smelling water I've ever come across, I think that was the highlight of my day."
Han forced a chuckle in an attempt to keep her spirits up, "Well, that explains the disgusting smell rising off you two."
Leia raised an eyebrow and tipped her head toward Han, "We certainly smell much better than you do on any given day."
Han's face screwed into mock-offense. He held up his hands, "What? You don't find my cologne enticing?" He waggled his eyebrows.
Leia bit her lip to hide her smile, "Captain, I find very little about you enticing."
"Aw," he smiled smugly at her, "So you do find something about me enticing."
Luke and Chewie rolled their eyes, but now Leia smiled openly, "You are incorrigible."
"I do try," Han chuckled, pleased with himself for getting a normal response from her.
Leia unbuckled her belt. She started to remove the mud covered rain poncho, but Chewie mumbled something.
"Leave it on," Han translated.
"It smells disgusting," she complained.
"That's what probably kept you two alive this long," Han shrugged. "A Grendoli's sense of smell is pretty acute. You two probably blend in with the other smells of the rainforest."
Luke glanced over the edge of the shelter, "Do you think they're still down there?"
Chewbacca and Han exchanged glances. Han raised an eyebrow, "Why don't you go down there and find out?"
Luke's nose wrinkled and he pulled his head away from the edge, "I think I'll stay right here."
"Good thinking, kid." Han smiled and then looked over at the princess, "You hungry now?" He pulled out another ration bar before she answered, "I saved the best one for you, Your Most Holiness."
Leia's large brown eyes caught the light of the moon as she gazed into Han's, and his heart skipped a beat. She smiled, and his heart's rhythm began to beat out of sync, "How sweet of you, Captain Solo. I think I'll take you up on that offer."
Their hands brushed against each others as Han handed Leia the ration bar. Leia thanked him, but held the ration bar in her hand without opening it. This didn't go unnoticed by Han, and although he was concerned with her appetite, he was elated that she recognized his small gesture and accepted it. He decided not to press the issue of her actually consuming the ration bar.
"So Chewie," Leia twisted the ration bar around in her hand, "What do you know about Grendolies?"
Chewie sighed and shared all the knowledge he had about Grendolies. Han was kind enough to translate, "They are definitely intellectual beings with very honed hunting skills. They mostly hunt the indigenous animals on the island, but they prefer to hunt sentient beings." Han shrugged, "More of a challenge, he guesses."
"But I thought this island was uninhabited by sentient beings?" Luke sipped some water from another pouch.
Leia and Han simultaneously rolled their eyes. "Why do you think there aren't any sentient beings on this island?"
"Oh."
"Yeah, the Grendolies are good at what they do," Han's eyes fell to the middle of their shelter as he remembered the fallen rebel. Not many things shook him up, especially not death. Death was always on his heels. But the damage the Grendoli did on that rebel….Han glanced at Leia.
Leia felt Han's eyes on her, and she returned his stare with a quizzical smile, "Anything else we should know?"
Chewbacca explained more as Han translated, "They hunt in teams, herd their prey, trap them, the usual."
"Then all we have to do is not let them trap us," Luke's voice was full of optimism. Han, Leia, and Chewbacca looked at Luke with pity. "What?"
"They know were not stupid," Han speculated. "Chewie's dealt with them before."
Leia looked at the large Wookie, "Where?"
Chewie moaned and looked out into the rain. Han bit his lip, "Grendolies inhabited Kashyyyk hundreds of years ago. The Grendolies and Wookies avoided each other, but their conflicting belief systems caused problems. The Wookies believe in preserving nature and respecting life. Grendolies are blood-thirsty beings who practice genocide. When the Grendolies attacked the Skitrelas—"
"Skitrelas?" Luke looked at Chewie.
"Yeah," Han answered. "They were meek and scrawny—" Chewbacca howled. Han rolled his eyes, "They are scrawny, and as history proved, not very strong." Chewie shook his head. "Come on! They weren't exactly intimidating." Chewie shook a fist. "Fine," Han huffed. "Anyhow," he continued, "The Wookies couldn't sit around and let the Grendolies kill off all of the Skitrelas, so they went to war."
Han peered over the edge of the shelter, "The Wookies managed to wipe out most of the Grendolies. They don't come near the Wookies anymore, and no one knows if they're even on Kashyyyk anymore. But the Wookie elders still educate their young about the Grendolies, just in case…" Han's voice trailed off.
"So we're safe in the trees?" Luke asked.
Han shifted and looked out into the dark, his voice quieted, "We're not Wookies."
Luke and Leia exchanged uneasy glances. Chewie's steely blue eyes softened as he looked at Leia, and he worfulled. Han smiled, "Chewie's got our backs."
Luke's eyes rolled and he muttered, "I hope he's got our fronts, too."
The group laughed, and Han added, "Chewie'll watch yours. I'll watch Leia's."
"You just be mindful of your own, Captain," Leia's eyes narrowed on Han, but a small smile played on her lips. "With that mouth of yours, you're going to be the one needing the protection."
"Who's the one with the mouth?" Han quipped.
"Both of you are equally irritating and obnoxious!" Luke answered, and Chewbacca chuckled.
A loud crack and an electrical current caused all of the tree dwellers to jump. Chewbacca peered over the side, Han drew his blaster and moved next to Leia, and Luke's hand wrapped around his light saber.
There was another loud crack, and the sky lit up before it came falling down on them. All of them breathed a little easier as they exchanged embarrassed glances.
"More rain!" Luke held his hand out, "I've never been to a place that rained this much."
"That's cos you haven't been much of anywhere," Han resumed his relaxed position but stayed close to Leia for reasons he didn't want to admit.
Luke shrugged, "Can't deny that."
Han reached over and mussed Luke's hair as Leia laughed. Chewbacca was the only one that didn't join in their mirth. He sniffed the heavy air and peered down at their warning system. Then he tugged on Han's sleeve. Han looked over the side as well.
"Sith!"
"What?" Leia turned her laughing brown eyes at Han, and he wished he had better news for her.
"The rain ain't too good for our explosives down there," he pulled himself away from the edge.
Chewbacca pushed Luke and Leia's heads down, and Han dropped his as well.
Leia's fingers wrapped around Han's bicep, "What's going on?" she whispered.
Han responded to her by wrapping his other arm around her shoulders.
Chewie crouched down and leaped to the tree next to theirs. He clawed and chewed away at a large, heavy branch until it came free of the trunk. With all his might, Chewie threw the branch west of where he and his friends were perched. Then he repeated the process, this time throwing the torn branch even farther than the first. He hesitated for a moment and then repeated the process again, each branch flying farther than the last.
Chewbacca dropped back into their makeshift shelter to find Luke, Leia, and Han huddled in the center of the shelter. Chewie expelled a sigh combined with a low grumble.
"Hopefully, that'll throw 'em off," Han translated and removed his arm from Leia when she released her hold on him.
Despite her relaxed demure, Chewie sensed that Leia remained uneasy. Chewbacca moved next to her and gently stroked the side of Leia's face. Han watched the princess, whose eyes focused on nothing. With each flash of lightning, he could see the fear in her eyes and feel Luke tense up despite the distance between them. Han sighed as he stole glances at the girl. Chewie cooed softly as he stroked her head. She yawned, and her eyes became heavy. Han could see that she was fighting a losing battle. He had seen Chewbacca used this technique on his young son Lumpy when Lumpy was agitated or refused to go to bed. It was an effective technique, and it looked to be more effective on humans.
Han could help but be jealous of Chewie, though he shouldn't be. Chewbacca only had Leia's best interests in the matter. But Han felt he should be the one comforting her; he wanted to be the one. Like he had…But that was a long time ago. Months ago seemed like a life time. The two of them fought and avoided each other more than they interacted peacefully. Why did they always end up hurting each other? Han sighed loudly, catching the attention of Chewie, Luke, and Leia.
"What?" he waved his hand at them and then folded his arms over his chest.
Chewie glanced down at the girl in his care. Han's agitation caught her attention and her eyes stayed focused on him. She ran her bottom lip between her teeth as she tried to figure out just what Han was upset about. She blinked and looked down. This whole situation they were trapped in was upsetting. Nevertheless, her anxiety rose with his agitation. She wanted to do something to calm him down, but what? He didn't even seem to like her much lately. And she hadn't been too nice to him either. She glanced over at Luke whose blue eyes remained focused on the falling sky.
The princess slowly slid her hand in Han's direction. She held her breath and looked away from him, but she kept moving her hand toward him. Then her eyes focused on her own hand as it crept closer to his. When her hand made contact with his, she found her voice. "Maybe we should get some rest, take shifts or something?" she whispered in his direction.
An electric shock ran through Han's arm, and he knew it wasn't caused by the lightning. He didn't look in her direction, and he fought to keep his expression neutral. He would have loved to tease her about who should be resting with whom. But the moment was too delicate, too fragile, so fragile that he couldn't even turn his fingers over to lace with hers.
"That's not a bad idea," Luke broke the secret spell between Han and Leia.
"Chewie and me will take the first shift," Han volunteered. "You and Leia could use some rest."
Luke looked out into the night, "On second thought….I'm not sure I can sleep."
"You should try," Han ordered.
Leia lied down, curling herself into the smallest ball possible nearest to the center of shelter. Luke shrugged to find a comfortable reclining position. Han glanced down at the princess. She was curled away from him, but her hair, which had come undone through the day, snaked around and lied just centimeters from his reach. He glanced over at Luke whose eyes were now closed. Then Han shifted his eyes to his best friend. Chewbacca's senses were completely focused on their surroundings, so Han felt it was okay that he was a little distracted. He stroked her long tail first with one finger and then more boldly with two.
Despite all the mud and gunk tangled in her tresses, Han still got a small thrill as he twirled her hair around in his fingers. He wondered what she would do if she knew he was touching her hair. Yell at him, most likely. Make him feel less than the dirt that which she was covered. Han moved his fingers away as if he were burnt.
But his eyes stayed focused on the matted mess. Maybe she did know he had played with her hair. Maybe she even liked it. Han chewed on the inside of his cheek and ran the back of his fingers over her hair. He lifted his hand, bit back a smile, and moved to repeat the action.
A thunderous crack made Han jump. He looked up at the sky but then realized that the light was coming from below. There was a round of continuous booms that rattled and shook the tree. Without realizing it, Han had Leia in his arms, and he wasn't sure if he was the one to grab her first or visa versa.
"What was that?" Luke's voice squeaked.
Chewbacca roared and pulled Luke to his feet. Han and Leia followed suit, "Our friends down there just set off our explosives."
"Wasn't that the point?"
Chewie roared again and pulled Luke toward the edge of the shelter. Luke's wide blue eyes caught the angry flames licking the aged tree trunk, "They set the tree on fire!"
"Really?" Han drawled.
But Luke was oblivious to the older man's sarcasm, "Yeah, and it looks like they used our explosives."
Chewbacca growled and grumbled, and Han nodded, "We've got some more climbing to do."
"Great," Leia muttered.
"Chewie, lead the way," Han ordered. Then he looked down at the princess. Instinctively, Han grabbed her hand, and to his surprise, she didn't pull away.