Per my coworker's request, I've posted another chapter. Looks like it's gonna be a whole story... Anyway, on we go.

Chapter 2: Start of a Journey

Jorak had been very young when he was captured by the slave traders. Young, cocky, talented and enthusiastic, the Ewok had only just managed his first solo kill when the slavers ambushed him and his friends. Jorak had had high ambitions to be the lead warrior in his tribe, the Shadowy Thorn tribe, and then build the best hut he could, and marry a beautiful but strong female.

Jorak clung to that idea as he was shuttled off to a slaver camp to be sold to the highest bidder. He couldn't speak Galactic Standard like his captors, but he soon learned to identify a few key words by paying close attention to the droid as it translated between them. His weapons had been taken from him upon capture, as had every other Ewok's. But Jorak held strong to the belief that he and the other Ewoks could kill the humans who had captured them, if given the slightest chance. The problem was that most of the others were little more than woklings… scared and largely helpless, having just acquired their hoods and being way out of their depth.

"Are you ok, Kirit?" he asked quietly after his best friend returned from what looked like a very brutal punishment for what was, according to the droid, disrespecting his betters.

"I'm fine; I'll heal."

"Did you see anything we could use as weapons?"

"If we could surprise them, we could take their strange things that shoot light and kill them," Kirit murmured. "But everything else that I touched wouldn't move, like they were rooted to the ground like a strong tree. How about on this end? Do we know how to get past the magic wall of pain?"

"Not yet…" Jorak bared his teeth in frustration. Much as he hated to admit it, the humans had obviously had much experience in keeping his kind captured.

"Would you look at that?" one of the humans asked amusedly, seeing the Ewok's snarl. "Looks like we haven't broken the spirit out of that one yet. I suppose it's your turn, Paul."

Paul was a large, fit, darkly-skinned man with black hair and azure eyes, and he was frowning at Jorak in thought. "I'm not sure we'll be able to break that one, Earl. He's had beatings as least as much as the others, and he always fights back. I think we might need to make an example out of him."

"Aw, seriously? An Ewok like that can fetch a good price in certain places, you know. Maybe he just likes to fight. I'm sure we can find a betting ring for Ewok matches."

Paul shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Too much time, too many chances for an Ewok to escape. They're deceptively strong, you know. Like little bears, really. And one that can't or won't give up is more trouble than its worth."

"If you say so. I'll go ask the boss."

Paul watched Jorak, who met his eyes and bared his teeth again. "I will get loose from here," Jorak promised. "And then you will die as painful a death as I can imagine."

"Sir, the prisoner is making threats on your life," the droid reported.

"Hmph. There's no way it can get out. Tell it to go ahead and try, that its execution will be scheduled shortly." Paul turned around and began monitoring the messages on the console.

Jorak snarled in response when he got the message. "Coward!"

"Listen!" Plon, one of the other Ewoks from a different tribe who had been captured shortly before Jorak had, whispered to the outraged Ewok hastily. He was young, but rather clever and inquisitive – Jorak had immediately assigned him to trying to figure out how to counteract the strange barrier. "I believe we have a way to get a couple of us through the magic wall."

"What is it?"

Plon pointed up towards the ceiling, where there was a thin thing glowing above where the fence was. "I think the wall is more like a waterfall. If one were to block the painful magic from above, then the Ewok below would be able to get through. If we can get one of us through, we can shut it off from in there." Plon pointed discreetly towards the console he'd seen the humans touch when manipulating the strange invisible boundary. "The problem is that whoever is above will probably die."

Jorak nodded curtly. "It's a good plan. We need to hurry– there's only one human here right now, but we don't know when that will change. So who will carry who?"

"You should be the one to go," Kirit suggested. "You're the only one of us who has managed to kill something by yourself… you've got the best chance."

"Use me," an older voice suggested firmly. This Ewok had been captured before Jorak had, and had never given his name. He was old and battle-scarred… enough so that his left leg was a stump a short ways below the knee. When questioned about it by one of the younger Ewoks, the old warrior had explained that a friend of his had been clever enough to attach a strong wooden branch to his stump with vines, cutting it to the right size so the warrior could still get around and be an effective member of his tribe.

However, the artificial leg had been taken away so as to cripple the once proud warrior. "Use me as your shield," the old one said again, being supported by another Ewok so he could approach. "I am useless to you without my leg. Let me have this last honor."

Jorak nodded. "Thank you. I will use you as my shield. I will make your sacrifice is honored when the story of our return is told."

The old Ewok nodded determinedly. "Then let's go. Good hunting!"

"Good hunting," Jorak agreed. With a heft, he picked up the elder and held him over his head. With that, he ran straight for the barrier.

The elder did not make a sound as the shock hit him at full blast, much to Jorak's pride and respect – his hands had been shocked painfully as well from the current, so for the old Ewok to bear that pain without a single yelp was worthy of respect.

And then… he was through! Dropping the Ewok with no name, Jorak silently lunged for the human who had kept him imprisoned, claws extended and fangs bared. Hearing the thump of a falling body, Paul began to turn around. But there was no time to scream, as Jorak simultaneously jabbed his short right claw into the man's eyes and ripped the man's throat out with his left claw. Blood spattered his fur gloriously, but there was no time to revel in such a perfect kill – he had a job to do.

Bounding over to the control panel, he looked back at the others. "Which one should I push?"

"The blue one, to your right!" Plon suggested.

Doing just that, Jorak grinned victoriously when he heard the barrier fizzle and fade. "Plon, protect the young ones. Kirit, you're with me. Let's go hunting."

And there we go, another chapter posted. Hope you enjoyed the start to this strange and bloody journey. You don't ever mess with Ewoks. Ever.