A mass of Dressellians stands around the ship. They watch the three of them with great interest. They don't seem hostile. A man appearing to be the leader speaks up. "Are you Mandalorian mercenaries?"

"So what if we are?" Din asks the crowd. They start whispering amongst themselves.

"Then, we'd like to hire you." The man walks forward. "We don't have much." He says. "But we will give you all we can." They watch him whisper to a woman. The woman whispers to another man then turns to the leader and whispers in his ear. "3,056 credits." The leader calls out, clearly nervous.

"What's the job?" Din asks as they finish walking down the ramp. Riye stands within a foot of him. A cool breeze blows.

The woman speaks up. "A creature has been stealing our livestock."

Another woman calls out. "And our children!" The first woman cringes and looks pointedly at her.

The leader shushes the crowd. "A creature has been coming through the town at night, taking whatever or whoever it can carry back to its lair."

"Have you seen this creature?" Riye asks.

A random man shouts loudly. "It has big fangs." He pauses for a moment as the other villagers turn to him. They watch him quietly. His voice starts to falter. "At least that's what my dear sweet Hethert told me before she disappeared."

"We find bones." Another man says, crossing his arms.

"I think it's taunting us." A shrill voice calls from the crowd.

"How long has this been going on?" Din asks.

They watch the group mumble amongst each other. The leader then answers. "Bout a year. Give or take." He trails off looking ashamed. "Give or take another year."

"So two years?" Din looks to Riye then back to the man.

The man pulls his hat off and nods towards the group. "Yours is the first ship to land here in a while. Ever time we try to send one of our own they don't return." The group looks expectantly at the mercenaries. "We've heard such grand stories about Mandalorians."

Another person finishes for the leader. "They are brave and strong."

They don't see many children in the crowd. The ones there seem to be afraid, clutching hard onto a caregiver. They see a little girl look up to them with hope filled eyes.

Riye and Din look at each other again, this time shrugging. "A Mandalorian never runs from a fight." She tells Din.

"We'll do it." He tells the crowd, eliciting loud cheers. Eventually the crowd disperses.

Riye and Din spend the evening refueling and restocking the ship. While in the market they're told that nights are dark and cold on this planet. The sun already starts to set as they finish loading the last of the supplies into the ship.

Feeling the chill set in. "We'll go in the morning."

"It seems to be nocturnal. It'll be hard to track while it's on the move." Riye agrees. The insulated ship already almost feels warm in comparison as they close the cargo bay door.

Riye adds the rubber balls back into the toy blaster and hands it over to Grogu. He takes it excitedly from her. "Help your father put away the supplies." Riye instructs and starts setting up a shooting range for Grogu in the holding cell.

Grogu walks after Din to the kitchenette. He helps him stack rations and other groceries into the cupboards. After they finish Din takes him to Riye in the holding cell.

She has set up many random items, ready for Grogu to take aim. Her and Din watch him move around the room, shooting anything that might tumble to the ground after. It takes a long while before they all start picking the items off the floor, placing them into a bin for future target practices.

Riye picks up the child and Din follows her to the living space. He watches her set Grogu on the counter. She starts pulling ingredients out of the cabinets. Things to make a simple pasta dish. Din starts cutting up the vegetables as Riye fills a pot with water. Once the water starts to boil she helps Grogu throw in the pasta. He seems to enjoy stirring with the long metal spoon.

Din sets the cut vegetables next to the pot and starts washing the cutting board and knife in the sink. He tenses slightly at the feeling of a hand pinching his butt. He turns his helmet to Riye, who looks busy melting some butter on a skillet. He notices a slight smirk drawn onto her lips. She turns her head to him and winks. Din feels his heart speed up.

They haven't been very intimate since that night a few days ago. They have been sharing a bunk and generally staying close, but they haven't repeated any of those risque actions. Things have been left mainly unspoken.

So the feeling of her hand touching him has reminded him of that slight buzz and the bravery it had allowed. Part of him wonders if he should go out and buy a new bottle of wine. He pushes the thought away and instead watches his son grab the chopped veggies in both hands. He tosses them into the skillet, listening closely to Riyes instructions. She lets him stir the skillet as well.

Din stirs the pasta before pulling out a piece to test. He splits it open and finds a small white core, indicating the right level of doneness. Riye gently grabs one of his hands. She draws his fingers to her lips and takes in the pasta. She nods her head, "Can you drain it?" He pauses for a moment too long and Riye turns the knob and takes the pot over to the sink to drain the extra water. She then adds the pasta to the skillet. They let it cook for a few more minutes before she shuts off the power to the burner. Din watches her closely.

"I have an idea" she tells him, setting Grogu onto the floor. She dishes out three bowls. She hands one to Din and holds the other two herself. "Follow me" she instructs, walking towards the bunkroom. Din does as he's told. Once inside, Riye points to Din's bunk and says "Eat in there." He watches her sit on her bed, her back to the wall separating their bunks, and patting the mattress next to her. Grogu takes the spot and Riye hands him his bowl.

Din sits in his bunk much the same way that she is. He closes his partition and removes his helmet. He has a small smile on his face.

"How's the food?" She asks.

Din takes a quick bite. "It's good," he tells her. She looks down into her bowl, smiling.

She holds her fork just before her lips.

"I'm glad."

Grogu shovels pasta and vegetables into his mouth with his hands. He eats quickly, giving the food his full attention. The other two eat their meals slowly, leaning their heads back against the wall.

"What kind of mustache?" Riye asks. Din's eyes close, remembering when he told her about it. He wants to tell her she's beautiful. He wants to gather her up into his arms.

"A brown one," he tells her simply, not sure how else to describe it. Maybe he should describe the shape?

"What about your eyes?"

"They're brown too." He wants to show her.

Riye smiles to herself. "You sound handsome."

He takes a while to respond. "Thank you."

"Gar're olarom." You're welcome.

Din tries to focus on eating, he doesn't want to be the last to finish. He doesn't want to wait too much longer to see them again. He takes a few last big bites to end the meal. Setting the empty bowl beside him he leans back, closing his eyes. He sits there breathing. He can imagine the wall gone, sitting back to back with her. Her hand reaches out and laces their fingers together. He can feel her lips pressed against his neck. He draws her face to his and kisses her deeply.

"Are you done?" He opens his eyes to the sound of Riye standing just outside his bunk. He pulls on his helmet.

"Yeah." He opens the metal panel. He stands and takes the bowls from her. She follows him to the sink. She puts away the food as he takes care of the dishes. Grogu jumps onto the counter and tries to help. Din hands him the long metal spoon. Grogu tries to follow Din's lead. He rubs the metal with his hands, confused by the lack of suds. Din squirts a little soap for him. Grogu watches the bubbles form with great interest.

It takes a little longer to finish washing up with Grogu's help. When they finish Din picks him up and follows Riye to the bunkroom. Din lays Grogu down in his bunk. Riye caresses his cheek and sings a soft ancient lullaby. Din closes his eyes, listening closely.

This song tells a story of a farmer. Her neighbors' crops were dying one year. After much consideration, she brought her harvest to the family, forgoing her planned profits. The family was very thankful. The following year a great flood ravaged the lands. The family pulled her from the water and up onto a floating platform. Together they built a ship. They shared everything, even when they caught little fish that day. Soon they became one tribe. They were strong together. They were Mandalorian.

Din steps back as Riye closes the privacy partition. They walk out of the room and Riye turns to him. "Should we train?" She asks him with a slight glint in her eyes.

Din nods in agreement and they walk to the holding cell. They set down their weapons on one of the bunks.

Din stands opposite Riye. They take a moment before either of them move. Din then asks "Can you show me that throw?" Riye smiles and takes a step towards him.

She puts her hands in place. "You want to start by knocking your opponent off their balance." She tugs him to the side. "Then you swing your leg forward. You hook their leg and pull it out from under them." She resets their position before showing him the full movement. Din falls backwards.

He stands quickly. "Show me that again."

Riye obliges, knocking him to the ground faster this time. She pulls him up. He tries to mimic her hand placement. He tugs her to the side and loops her leg. She balances on her other leg and fights being pushed down. "Try again," she tells him. "You have to use my weight against me."

He manages to get her on the ground this time, but his movements are much more clumsy than hers. He pulls her up, gripping each other's forearms.

"Try again. But this time make it fluid. I shouldn't have time to react."

Closer.

"Don't stop short. Follow the movement through."

Closer still.

"Try again."

He flips her perfectly this time, following her down. He pins her to the floor, out of breath. She doesn't move. She smiles up at him. "Now do that again!"

They practice a few more throws before Din lingers on top of her. "You picked that up pretty quick." She's looking at him with pride in her eyes. A moment of silence.

"Uh, thanks." Din gets up, holding his hand out. She takes it and stands.

"Are you tired?" She's picking up her things from the bunk now. Din starts to grab his belongings.

"I could sleep." He tells her. They make their way to their bunks. Riye stows her armor and climbs into her bed. Din lays down and closes his partition. He sets his helmet beside him. "Do you have any more moves like that?" He asks.

"Yes," she tells him. "I have plenty more." A moment of silence. "Do you want me to teach you?"

"I would like that."

A moment of silence.

Din can feel his heart beating fast.

"Ibic cuyir te ara" This is the way. Her voice is low.

"Ibic cuyir te ara," Din repeats.

Din imagines her training him. No armor. She pins him down. He feels her body pressed against his. Then he pins her, hovering his lips just above hers. She closes the distance.

He presses his hand against his face. His lips tingle. He tries to shake away the thoughts.

"Din?" He hears her voice in the darkness.

"Yeah?"

"Nevermind." They are quiet again. He rolls onto his side, remembering what it feels like to have her next to him. Eventually he does sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are we ready to head out soon? I want to finish this before the sun sets. I've been told tonight is a new moon." Riye looks at Din expectantly.

"I'm ready." He tells her, fixing his rifle to his back.

Riye turns to Grogu. "We'll be back soon. We need you to hold down the fort." He holds onto her leg, not wanting them to leave without him. He looks up to her with deep black eyes. "Your Jedi mind tricks won't work on me." She takes a knee and pats his head. "Cuyir kotir." Be Brave.

The two of them manage to leave the ship without a stowaway. Din never feels good about leaving Grogu behind, but this creature seems to have a taste for little children.

The village stretches out for a ways and it takes a long time to find the place most recently hit. Searching different farms and ranches, they ask every person they see if they're missing any cattle today. Everyone tells them no until they find a farmhouse on the outskirts. Knocking on the door yields a couple who point them to a structure off in the distance.

Eventually they make their way to a barn with the doors torn off the hinges. Feathers and blood splatter the inside walls. Din finds tracks leading out.

It seems about midday. Riye looks around at the bloodied walls herself. Din points in a direction. "It's a messy eater," she tells him, pointing at a lone beak in the dried blood.

"You can call it that" he replies. She walks close to him.

They start following the tracks. "What do you think we'll find?" Riye asks after a few minutes of silence.

"Apparently something with fangs."

"That's really not much to go off of."

"No, it's not."

They follow the trail for a while, leading to a grouping of large boulders jutting out from the flat rocky surface. Hearing a sound they dart behind one, crouching down low. Riye peers around the stone.

The Creature is sleeping out in the open, making loud snarling snores. She gestures for Din to look. It's a dull red in color, with scaly skin covered in peach fuzz. An eight foot tall monstrosity with long claws and longer fangs hanging out its mouth. They briefly wonder how the village has managed to survive two years with this thing on the outskirts.

Din starts to walk around the boulder, Riye walking around the other side. They decide to flank the Creature.

Standing on either side, they each point their rifles down. Din shoots first, followed by Riye. The Monster bolts up. The scales a natural form of armor, it seems angry more than anything. Standing up it faces Riye. It takes a powerful swipe at her, sending her flying.

Riye lands seven feet away. Hard. Her body unmoving, helpless on the ground. The Monster starts walking to her. Din blasts it with his flame thrower, successfully getting the thing to pay attention to him instead. It lunges at Din. Using his jetpack he dodges in the air, shooting it with his rifle the entire time. He lands on a tall boulder. The Monster flails its large arms at him, beating on the rock. Din continues to shoot.

The Monster shakes the boulder and Din slips backwards, quickly activating his jetpack again. He finds a more substantial rock to stand on. The Monster seems annoyed at the situation and turns its attention back to Riye. Din can't tell if she's breathing. He rushes down, using the flamethrower again. The Creature knows the trick now and ignores it, continuing its slow stomping movement toward the motionless Mandalorian.

Panicking, Din jumps onto the Monster's back. He tries to stab him with a dagger as it sways heavily from side to side. Din holds on tight, his blade unable to pierce anything. Eventually he's thrown off. He succeeded in gaining the Creature's attention again. He rolls out of the way when it tries to slam its fists down. Din dodges backwards away from the claws. He backs himself to a wall.

It lunges forward. Din flies into the air and over the Monster. He tries shooting again. The Creature's arm moves like a lighting bolt and smacks Din hard into a boulder. Din feels like he was hit by a bomb. His body hits hard against the protruding messy rock. This is it, he tells himself. He's awake but frozen. Not frozen by fear but by the force of the throw. He can't stand. He tries to lift his rifle. It's too heavy. Everything is too heavy.

Riye's body, hard on the ground, starts to twitch. She regains consciousness in time to witness Din's body crashing into hard jagged rock. Her own body wants to move slowly but she can't allow that. She needs to draw its attention. She stands and activates her jetpack. Filling the air with war cries she barrels over the Monster, standing now between it and Din. Din loosens his hold on the rifle, his mind swirling close to unconsciousness. The Monster's heavy steady steps draw him further down.

Riye lets out a smooth breath as she squeezes the trigger. Masterful aim. She shoots through the Creature's eye. It falls forward, bringing up clouds of dust.