CHAPTER 8:

Luke Skywalker never thought he'd miss the dry deserts of Tatooine. The rain poured down hard on him and his friends, an almost constant, painful pounding that hindered their progress. Luke closed his eyes for a moment and focused on their mission: to save Chewbacca from the Grendolies.

"Stop!" Luke's eyes fell open.

"What?" Leia whispered, and her hand unwittingly found Han's.

Solo looked down at the small hand in his. This obviously couldn't be good.

Luke blinked a few times, "Someone's approaching."

"Someone?" Han repeated. "Not something?"

Luke crinkled his brow, "I don't think it's fair to call the Grendolies something."

Han pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes on the boy, "I'm not gonna argue semantics with you, Luke."

But Luke said nothing. Before Han knew what had happened, Luke ignited his light saber and took a protective stance in front of him and Leia. Han drew his blaster a half a second after Luke's light saber came to life. He wasn't going to let some wannabe Jedi kid outshine him.

Solo instinctively shoved Leia behind him as several Grendolies jumped down from the canopy above them, blocking their path. Then he heard rustling and grumbling behind him. Han whipped around to find that they were now surrounded by the Grendoli. Things didn't look too good for them or Chewie.

"Do yaw vahule dah life awv da Wookie?" the smallest one nearest Luke tipped his head to the left. It didn't wait for an answer, "Poohut yawher wepuhons awayee."

There didn't seem to be much of a choice. Luke immediately deactivated his saber and hooked it back onto his belt. Han hesitated, but Leia placed a hand on his blaster. He relented but kept his hand conveniently near his holster just in case.

"Whaddya want from us now?" Han demanded.

The smallest Grendoli stepped centimeters away from Luke. Luke did all that he could not to flinch under the scrutiny of the dark creature. Despite it being the smallest Grendoli that had them surrounded, it still towered over Luke by several meters at least. The Grendoli hovered over Luke for a few moments longer.

"Obviously, you're not very intimidating," Han drawled. "Can't even scare a human boy." Luke shot Han an indignant look, and Han just smiled. "You should let your larger pals do the intimidatin'."

"Han!" Luke yelled.

Solo gasped as a larger Grendoli behind him snatched up his head, threatening to snap his neck, "Doo nawt eynsawult mees kinsmawn."

"Stop!" Leia screamed.

The Grendoli holding Han turned his angry red eyes upon her. She lifted her chin, hoping that would give the creatures the impression that she was much taller and more threatening than she really was.

The smallest Grendoli approached her, "Thawheese ease dah oowane?"

The Grendoli released Han and took a step toward the princess, "Yuhess, dah guhirl ease dah oowane."

Both Han and Luke closed ranks on Leia, and the Grendolies laughed. At least, that was what Luke thought that horrid hissing and grunting noise they made was.

"Aye duhon't thuhink dah leethul oowane needs yawhur pruhotectshyion," one of them snickered.

Another Grendoli with a slimmer build and smoldering grey eyes pushed its comrade to the side, "Yawhoo keeled mees kinsmawns." It leaned in and peered into Leia's face, his mourning eyes flickering between gray and red as if it didn't know how it truly felt.

"Your kinsman was choking the life out of me," Leia stated. "The way I see it, I killed in self-defense."

"Sehulf-deefuhense?" The smallest Grendoli spat. "Wuhee hauve nawt keeled yawhur fuhurends."

"We don't know that, now do we?" Han jutted his chin out as he pulled the princess closer to him. "Where's Chewie?"

The Grendoli who had grabbed Han earlier waggled a finger from side-to-side, "Nahoo. Game."

"How do we know our friend is unhurt?" Leia challenged. "I see no point in playing a game without proof that the Wookie is alive and well."

"Dah leethul oowane keeled mees kinsmawns," the slim one shouted.

"Your kinsmen shouldn't have touched me or my friend," Leia narrowed her eyes, and to Han and Luke's surprise, she actually appeared quite menacing. "And since you didn't specify the rules of the game, then all is fair."

The slim Grendoli pulled his head back, and Han was certain he was going to strike the princess. Instead, it hissed and wheezed uncontrollably for several seconds before it recovered. "Dah leethul oowane haws ah pahoint. Ahull ease fahair."

Han, Luke, and Leia exchanged glances. The Grendolies surrounding them also exchanged looks amongst themselves, many of them with lips pulled back as if they were smiling. Han inhaled. This could be really good, or really, truly bad. Han noticed Luke's hand wavering over his light saber. He shoved Leia to the ground and drew his blaster, hovering over the girl.

But Leia wasn't the one who needed protection. Luke activated his light saber in one quick flash, but when Leia hit the ground, he turned toward her. "Agh!"

"Luke!" the princess screamed as one of the Grendolies snatched Luke up and started up the nearest tree. She grabbed his fallen saber and deliberated whether or not she should ignite it, try to protect Han. But the Grendolies closed in on them before she could even regain her feet. Leia silently cursed Han for putting her in this vulnerable position while she discretely clipped the light saber to her utility belt.

Han fired at the Grendoli who now dragged Luke by the scruff of his shirt further up the lower canopy. Even Han's quick reflexes couldn't match the speed and agility of the Grendoli. Another Grendoli slammed Han in the back of the head, and he fell upon Leia.

"Han!" The princess rolled out from under Han and hovered over him. "Han, please." She stroked his cheek until his eyes fluttered open. She exhaled and favored him with a small smile.

Han shook his head and then sat up next to her, "You okay?"

Leia rolled her eyes and then quickly caressed his cheek. Then she looked up, realizing for the first time that it had stopped raining. She could barely see Luke who now hung precariously from the dark creature's hand. "Luke," her breath caught in her throat as her fear for him consumed her. She searched out the smallest Grendoli, "Please don't hurt him. Please!"

Her voice was so shaky, so scared that Han couldn't help but wrap his arms around her. He wondered if she would react the same if he was in Luke's position. Maybe she wished that it was him instead of Luke.

The smallest Grendoli leaned over her, "Ahull ease fahair."

The Grendolies hissed and grunted. Their black lips pulled taunt and their tales swished rhythmically.

"Luke!" Han yelled as Luke fell through the branches. Leia gasped and buried her head in his chest, but Han could do nothing to console her.