Chapter Five

As people collected bets and filed away from the stadium, Qui-Gon went up into the stands to collect on his own bet. He walked over to Watto, who turned and pointed a finger accusingly at him. "You! You swindled me! You knew the boy was going to win! Somehow you knew it! I lost everything." He said angrily.

"You made a gamble, my friend, that you were going to lose. Bring the parts to the main hangar. I'll come by your shop later on so you can release the boy and girl," Qui-Gon said, turning to look out at the stadium.

"You can't have them! It wasn't a fair bet," Watto said, flying over to him.

Qui-Gon turned to look at the Toydarian and said, "Would you like to discuss it with the Hutts? I'm sure they could settle this."

Watto looked down in defeat. He looked up only to say, "Take them."

Qui-Gon merely nodded and walked away.

oooooooooooooooo

Anakin and Qui-Gon walked back from the stadium together. Sarali had apparently already left. As soon as they had arrived, Anakin ran into the house and said happily, "Mom! Sarali! We sold the pod! Look at all the money we have!"

"My goodness, Ani! That's so wonderful!" Shmi exclaimed, looking down at it.

Sarali came running to him a second later. She looked at the money before saying happily, "That's terrific!"

"And he and Sarali have been freed," Qui-Gon said.

"What?" Anakin exclaimed.

"You are no longer a slave," he said, looking between the two.

"Did you hear that?" Anakin asked, turning around to look between Shmi and Sarali.

"Now, you can make your dreams come true, Ani," Shmi said, smiling at him. "You're free." She then looked up at Qui-Gon and asked, "Will you take them with you? Is he to become a Jedi?"

"Yes. Our meeting was not a coincidence. Nothing happens by accident," Qui-Gon said seriously.

"You mean I get to come with you in your starship?" Anakin asked excitedly.

"Anakin," Qui-Gon said, kneeling down to look at him, "Training to become a Jedi is not an easy challenge, and even if you succeed it's a hard life."

"But I wanna go! It's what I've always dreamed of doing!" Anakin said excitedly. He turned around and asked, "Can I go, Mom?"

"Anakin, this path has been placed before you. The choice is yours alone," Shmi said seriously.

Anakin looked at her for a few seconds before saying honestly, "I wanna do it."

"Then pack your things. We haven't much time," Qui-Gon said, standing up again. He looked over at Sarali and said, "You can come, too, Sarali, if you wish to."

Sarali looked at him for a second, tears forming in her eyes. She looked to the side and shook her head before looking him straight in the eye and saying seriously, "That is the best thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Thank you." She smiled a genuine smile at him before turning and running to her room.

Seconds later, Anakin turned around and asked, "What about Mom? Is she free too?"

"I tried to free your mother, Ani, but Watto wouldn't have it," Qui-Gon said. A hint of sadness showed through his calm exterior.

"You're coming with us, aren't you, Mom?" Anakin asked, walking over to her.

"Son, my place is here. My future is here. It's time for you to let go," Shmi said to him.

"I don't want things to change," Anakin said.

"You can't stop the change anymore than you can stop the suns from setting," Shmi said seriously to him. She hugged him close for a few seconds before saying, "Now, hurry."

As Anakin left the room, Sarali came back in with a very small pack on her back. It couldn't be holding more than one other pair of clothes and a couple small belongings.

Shmi stood and walked over to hold both of Sarali's hands. She turned back to Qui-Gon and said, "Thank you."

"I'll watch after him, both of you," he said, looking directly at Sarali. "You have my word."

Shmi nodded before looking back over at Sarali. She said quietly, "Remember what I said."

"I will," Sarali said, nodding before releasing the other woman's hands.

Not much later, Anakin returned with a backpack slung on his back. It was larger than Sarali's. He followed Sarali and Qui-Gon right out the door. However, he paused not twenty feet from the house and ran back to Shmi. Sarali and Qui-Gon turned back to look as he and his mother hugged. As he did, Qui-Gon asked Sarali, "What did she tell you?"

Sarali turned to him and said simply, "Never look back, even if there's nothing to look forward to. Seconds later, Anakin came back to them and followed them to the outskirts.

Literally the second they reached the outskirts, Qui-Gon began to run. Sarali hung back for a second to scoop Anakin up and place him on her back. She then took off after him, easily keeping up a few steps behind him.

Soon enough, a large, silver cruiser came into view. However, Qui-Gon turned back to look at something and called urgently, "Sarali, drop!"

Obediently, Sarali threw herself to the ground. Anakin landed on top of her, pushing her torso farther into the sand. This helped because a black speeder flew over their heads straight at Qui-Gon.

The rider jumped off the speeder, igniting a red lightsaber as he did. Qui-Gon ignited his own green lightsaber milliseconds later. As soon as the rider had landed (on his feet), he attacked Qui-Gon.

"Go!" Qui-Gon called seriously. "Tell them to take off!"

By the time Sarali had jumped up, Anakin was already half way to the ship. Instead of following him, she reached into her pack and pulled out a foot long, curved knife. She leapt at the figure, bringing the blade down on his hand. Two lumps fell to the sand along with a shower of blood: fingers.

The figure dressed in black whirled around and kicked her away. Before she could right herself or even turn her fall into a roll, her head hit the sand hard enough for her to black out.

Seconds later, that very same ship was flying low overhead with the hatch open. Seeing this, Qui-Gon turned and ran flat out to Sarali. As he reached her, he scooped her up and jumped up to the ship.

As soon as he was inside, he collapsed on the floor, barely managing to drop her beside him. Even as they did that, the door opened and a man in brown and tan robes hurried into the room followed closely by Anakin. "Are you alright?" Anakin asked, hurrying over to them both. When he saw Sarali, he dropped to his knees by her side.

"I am, but she hit her head. She'll have a concussion," Qui-Gon said, struggling to catch his breath.

"What was it?" the man asked. If she were conscious, Sarali would have instantly recognized the voice.

"I'm not sure," he said, still breathing heavily. "But he was swell-trained in the Jedi arts. My guess is: he was after the Queen."

"What are we gonna do about it?" Anakin asked.

"We shall be patient," Qui-Gon said, coming up with a plan of action. "Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said next, gesturing to them.

"Hi," Anakin said as they shook hands. "You're a Jedi, too? Pleased to meet you."

Qui-Gon laughed for a second before turning to Sarali. "This is Sarali Linat," he said, gesturing to her as well.

Obi-Wan nodded and picked her up easily. She was, after all, quite short and small. He walked to the one-room infirmary, but he hesitated before laying her down. How was he supposed to lay her down, considering her tail? Would it hurt er to lay on her back? Perhaps her side was better. After a few seconds of thought, he set her down gently on her back. Her tail naturally laid out between her legs, though it curled to the side to peek out from underneath her leg and curl over the edge of the bed.

Next, Obi-Wan stood from the chair to check her head. He felt with his fingers along her scalp, going close to the base of her ears. There were no bumps, cuts, or even bruises. Puzzled, he opened one of her eyes. Sure enough, it was dilated. She had a concussion.

Just as he sat back down, Anakin bolted into the room, only stopping once he had reached her bedside. "Is she alright?" he asked, peering at her intently as though searching for any damage.

"She has a concussion," Obi-Wan said. His eyes had not yet left her. He continued to watch as Anakin reached out and gently pulled little clumps of dirt from the fur on her ears. As it fell away, her fur seemed to almost change colours. Before, it had seemed to be a plain brown colour, but the more clean fur was revealed, the more he could see that it was actually a smoky black colour.

Hesitantly, Obi-Wan reached out and touched the tip of her tail. He had no idea how he hadn't noticed the difference in colour of the two, for the tail was quite obviously black. All of the dirt must have been from her fall.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said from behind them. Both Anakin and the Padawan turned to see the tall Jedi standing in the doorway, observing the scene. "How are her head and wrist?" he asked.

"Her head will be better within a day or two, but what do you mean wrist?" Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon frowned and walked over. As he looked over both wrists, he said, "One of her wrists was sprained quite badly...It must have healed." From that, Obi-Wan knew she was one of the Force-sensitives that he had heard of.

"Watch over her," Qui-Gon said suddenly, turning to look at his Padawan. "She should wake soon. Anakin, come with me." His voice held a tone of finality that neither would question.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said at the same time that Anakin said, "Yes, sir."

The two of them left the room, leaving Obi-Wan alone with her once more.

For a minute, he simply studied her. She was slender and short. In fact, she would only come up to his chin, if even that. Her ears added nearly three inches to her height. The fur that covered her ears was somehow a different colour than her hair. That fact as well as how her features were only vaguely feline (minus the eyes) made him think that she was half-human. This was only a speculation, though, because he had only seen one other Cathar in the whole of his life. He also remembered how Cathar teeth protruded from the mouth as fangs. Hers did not. In fact, she might not even have fangs for all he knew.

Once again, his attention was drawn to her tail. It looked so soft, fluffy, and yet elegant. Hesitantly, he reached out and stroked the fur. The tip swished to the side. Instantaneously, Obi-Wan withdrew his hand and snapped his eyes toward her face. Her yellow eyes were partially open.

"It's alright. You may touch it if you wish. Just please don't pull it," she said quietly. She sounded half-asleep.

"It's better if I don't," Obi-Wan said dutifully, clasping his hands in his lap.

"No, really. It's fine. In fact, it helped me sleep," Sarali said, smiling at him. Despite her fangs, she still managed to make the smile soft and honest rather than harsh and sardonic.

"No. I should be going," the apprentice said nervously, almost stuttering as he tried to make an excuse to leave. He stood and turned toward the door.

"I was under the impression that you were to stay with me," she said, looking at him pointedly. Her smile had turned more lopsided. It was not quite a smirk, but it was close.

Obi-Wan turned back to look at the humanoid. His muscles tensed slightly, but he suddenly relaxed when he looked at her smile. He walked back over and sat by her side once again. This time, her smile was small, almost only to show her gladness that he was staying.

"I am Sarali Linat. Who, may I ask, are you, other than Qui-Gon's Padawan?" she said, closing her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, she studied him closely.

Bright, blue eyes were set in a tanned, handsome face. His features were well-proportioned and noble. Short, brown hair topped his head, and a little braid rested on his right shoulder. His tall, muscular frame was covered by traditional, brown and beige Jedi robes. His stance was balanced and firm, testifying his strength and skill.

"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said, holding his hand out for her to shake. The second she laid her hand in his, his large hand engulfed hers in a cocoon of warmth. This only accentuated her tininess. They smiled at each other, each face completely open and honest.

"Pleased to meet you, Obi-Wan," she said as her eyes met his. He said nothing in return, and he could not stop staring at her amber, feline eyes. They were strange. That much was sure, but he had already seen many strange things in his life. It should not have been such a great shock.

Finally, Sarali pulled her hand from his and sat up quickly. "You shouldn't be up yet," Obi-Wan said immediately.

"I'm fine," Sarali said confidently. A second later, she stood up and walked to the door.

"Are you sure?" he asked anxiously.

"Believe me, I'm fine. I heal quickly," she said, stepping into the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan asked, standing and hurrying after her.

"To find Anakin," she said, glancing back at him.

"Let me take you," he said, jogging to her side.

Sarali looked at him carefully for a second before saying, "Very well."