Chapter 54
AN: Thanks for all the reviews everyone!! They are all very appreciated!
The snow was blindingly white. Even with the snow goggles on, Ari had to shield her eyes, and squint. It was much like a day on Tatooine with the glare of the sun. After a moment, her eyes adjusted and she took the reins in two hands, then clucked her on tongue to urge the snow lizard a bit faster.
Her job wasn't too hard. Just to check and make sure the sensors were working. More needed to be in place, but without Cal, it would be nearly impossible.
Taking a deep breath of the cold air, Ari felt as if her lungs were freezing from the inside. The cold seemed to always reach deep into her bones.
Her tauntum's movements didn't help either. The bouncing gait made her back ache after just a short time, but she ignored it. It was so nice to be out of the base. Away from the emotions that made her feel as if she was in a bad holonovel. She was so mad at Luke for doing this. However, she knew that he was as stubborn as her. She wasn't going to give into him. How dare he do this! Cal might be more than a friend, or he might just be a friend. It was her choice, not Luke's. Besides, he had been so busy with missions and the Princess, the first moment he had free and he was beating up Cal.
Shaking her head, Ari made it to the first sensor without a problem. Sliding into the snow, she wiped some of the snow off, then jumped onto the tauntum again, seeing that all was working. Making her way along the route, she noted that the wind was starting to pick up, and she tried to snuggle under her coat a bit more, glad she wasn't riding directly into the wind. However, it still whipped around her, making her cheeks numb from the cold, being the only part of her directly exposed.
After the first five sensors, halfway to the sixth, her tauntum froze, sniffing the air. "What is it girl?" Ari asked, patting the creature's neck gently. However, even as she reached to take the reins in both hands again, her tauntum gave a moaning cry and then started to dash, in an erratic movement. Ari lost her hold on the reins as she was tossed forward, then back before being flung off, the tauntum bucking.
Ari hit the snow hard, getting the wind knocked out of her as her head met a patch of buried ice. For a moment, she thought she would be alright. Then the pain started, and the hit of her head was enough to knock her out.
How much time passed was unknown as Ari slowly came to. She opened her eyes, dizzily with a moan. Her pack was missing, and the cold was so intense, she could barely feel her limbs. She was also covered by a light powdering of snow that must have started while she was unconscious.
Groaning, she rolled over onto her stomach, just to find her face buried in the snow, covering her mouth and nose. She had not even considered how deep into the snow she had fallen.
Finally, she sat up, and squinted, looking for her tauntum, goggles also having been lost in the fall. Her coat was also now unbuttoned and while she tried to button them, her shaking, gloved hands wouldn't allow it.
Giving up, through the still falling snow, she saw her tauntum a few dozen yards away. Forcing herself to her feet, she stumbled towards the still scared tauntum. What could have spooked it so bad? She couldn't think clearly enough to try and figure out what.
Finally, wading through deep snow, stumbling every step, she reached her tauntum. Hoping it wouldn't scare from her, she had to hold onto the saddle for support, shaking so bad.
Once she was sure the large lizard creature wouldn't bolt, she attempted to swing onto the saddle again. However, she failed three times before finally making it on. She knew she had to get back to base and managed to wrap one hand around the reins to hold onto.
All of a sudden there was a blood curdling howl and the tauntum bolted, which Ari hoped was back to base. She was too disoriented to understand. She knew what it was though. A wampa. A few other Rebels had found them when they had just started to set up base. That must have been what had scared the tauntum earlier.
'Force…don't let it get us, and don't let me die. Not like this…' she pleaded silently.
The ride back was silent except for a few cries from her tauntum. Ari was lost, uncertain of where they were going. It seemed like hours went by until Ari finally saw the generators and then the blast doors.
Sighing in relief, she saw that she was being waved in. She then realized her comlink was missing as well. Thankfully, she wasn't stopped and her tauntum was grabbed then slowed. With help, she slid off the saddle, shaking.
Luke was standing in the main hangar, waiting impatiently. He had meditated and calmed down a lot. He wanted to talk to Ari. Explain things to her. He was also very worried. Ari had been gone so long that he feared something had happened to her. That is when he spotted her, being helped down off her tauntum. It wasn't just help though like normal. One of the men was helping her to continue standing upright. Alarm slammed through him and he took off running down towards her. "Ari!!! Ari are you alright?"
Ari glanced up and saw Luke. She nodded, pulling her hat off, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. "Fine," she managed
Worry was all over his face, and he hurried over to pull of his own coat and put it around her shoulders. "What happened?"
"My tauntum decided I needed a snow bath," she gave a small laugh
"Let's at least get you warmed up," he tried to give a small smile back, but couldn't. He had heard of what could happen to people that were exposed to extreme cold for too long.
"We live in an ice cavern, how do you propose we do that? I should go to my room. It might help to change clothes," she answered her own question.
Luke nodded. "We'll get you some thick blankets and you can put something really warm on. Then let's go and get something hot to eat."
"I am not going to die," Ari gave a small laugh. "Maybe a cold, but that is all."
"That's bad enough," Luke said, brushing a strand of half frozen blonde hair out of her face.
"We'll see," she nodded as she got to her quarters and gave him back his coat as they both stepped inside.
Ari pulled off her own coat and outer layers of clothing before looking around in her closet for something warm to wear.
Luke reached above her and pulled out a soft wool sweater. "This looks warm..." he commented.
Ari nodded and took it, along with a few more things. "Can you check and see if I have another pair of boots?" she asked, as she stepped into the fresher to change.
"Sure," Luke replied, and began to search through the bottom of her closet, quickly coming up with another pair of boots, "Yeah you got some here," he called to her.
"Good," she answered as she came out, wet clothes in her arms and she started to lay them out to dry, taking the boots and pulling them on.
"Feel better?" Luke asked from where he stood in the doorway.
"Yeah a bit...just kind of cold still," she answered and glanced up as R4 beeped at her. Without even needing to check, she knew what the droid had asked and sighed. "I will tell you later ok?"
"Tell him what?" Luke asked, frowning.
"About what happened. Why my clothes are all wet. He worries as much as you," Ari smiled, patting the small droid on the head affectionately
Luke turned and grinned at the droid. "At least someone agrees with me."
"Except he doesn't worry about the same stuff you do," Ari added
Luke raised his eyebrows at the droid. "Is that true?"
The droid let out a few beeps and attempted to nod.
Luke just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Aw, what does a droid know anyway?"
R4 beeped at him a number of times and Ari checked the translator before bursting out laughing, along with a few coughs.
"What? What did he say?" Luke cried seeing Ari's response.
"You don't want to know," she answered, amused.
"That bad?" Luke asked giving the droid a funny look.
"He has a mind of his own is all," Ari smiled as the droid beeped and rolled out into the hallway.
"Well, he is of Artoo's kind," Luke grinned back.
"He likes to consider himself an individual so don't tell him that," Ari smiled, rubbing her arms and hands together."
"Let's go grab something to eat and maybe something warm to drink."
Ari nodded. "Ok, yeah."
Luke turned and opened the door for her.
"Thanks," she smiled at him, stepping into the hall, waiting for him.
Luke followed her out the door, shutting it, and smiling back at her, and they began walking down the hallway towards the cafeteria.
AN: I know it seems a bit of a sudden end, but it was the best part to do so for this chapter. Please continue to read and review!