While helping Grogu find a Jedi, an accident on Tython turned Din Djarin to a Force sensitive. Caught at a crossroads, he went back to Calodan to become the padawan of Ahsoka Tano but…Din's other life has caught up with him.
~(o.o)~
A/N: I love the story of Din Djarin and Grogu. Also I am writing this because of the force of my inspiration Pedro Pascal and not for monetary gain. I have spoken. This is the way!
1 : Yuno, Din's attendant would look like kid on the side of the road from Season 2 Episode 15-The Believer.
2: On Pinterest see Din Djarin's cute cottage in Calodan under the name Acer Wolfe at Silver Moon Inuyoukai board. You can also see the picture of the Mantis, Din's new vehicle.
Kindly leave a review to bolster my confidence and muse and tell me what you think. Thank you!
PADAWAN
CHAPTER 29
MAND'ALOR THE BEAST MASTER
'Having the ability is meaningless if one doesn't possess the will.'
-Mandalorian Wisdom, True Mandalorians (FB)
The danger that comes from being a Mandalorian and bounty hunter is a normal part of life for Din Djarin. He had met all kinds of adversaries of various skills, some were paltry and some even with better skills than his yet none of them had gotten him this unsettled.
It shocked the battle-hardened man how a voice could bring this much dread.
There is a kind of fear that is so intense it makes the muscles vibrate like a stringed instrument. The sensation then travels deep inside the body and turn the internal organs into a knotted mess.
"Yuno…" As always the teen is just by his elbow; like his shadow, never far behind.
Yuno had to uncurl the boy's tiny fingers from the master's cloak. "Let go, Grogu!" Grogu starts to screech in protest; he didn't want to leave his father. "No, we have to go!" He and Jem ran to where Din pointed. As soon as they moved near the wall Yuno nodded to the Mandalorian.
Yuno took a deep breath when Din strode off. The teen copies Din's stance and squares his shoulders to look relaxed, confident. If I want to be a Mandalorian I have to do as he does. Be like him. This is the way!
-o-0-o-
"Last night? Din showed his face to you?" Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at her counterpart, strong arms crossed tight around her chest.
"Uh…." The Jedi pulled in an uncomfortable breath. He fully regrets that slip of the tongue. "Din….uh, I've already seen his face."
"When?"
"It was when I took Grogu." With a gulp the young Jedi looked away. "At…at Moff Gideon's ship…." Luke fiddled with the holo puck to avoid Ahsoka's accusing stare.
"Oh."
"Grogu wanted to see his face…. you must understand, lady Ahsoka his creed…"
Ahsoka presented the younger Jedi a glare as intense as an ignited light saber. "You don't need to remind me. I know about his creed and their laws."
Luke nodded respectfully then turned away. "I am sorry…huh? What's going on?" Luke went down the veranda and to the middle of the path. "What's happening?" There are people going past the guest cottage gate, shrieks of terror and panic in the air. "What's going on?"
Ahsoka gasps. "Din!"
-o-0-o-
"Din Djarin!" the playful voice turned everyone's head. "Why are you leaving without me?" The voice echoed around them….it bounced around the trees, it echoed at the wall of the fort and anywhere solid.
"Who-who said that?" Gov. Wing grabbed is tunic with shaking fingers. "Who is that?"
"Up here!"
A frightening looking creature landed with a big shake of the ground. Its size is bigger than the slow walking herbivore on Calodan. No one has seen this kind of animal on Calodan or on planet Corvus: it has grotesque limbs with terrifying looking claws for hands. It is hunched and its lumpy head sit between shoulders full of rippling muscle.
There was a collective pause. As soon as they found their wits the townsfolk scatter and run. The mothers turned around; they pick up their children and turned back into the fort as fast as their legs could run.
The security people readied themselves. The poor guys haven't had any formal training apart from their first day basic orientation from Din but they are going to defend their home from this threat ready or not.
The appearance of the beast was not the reason why the people got scared; well, the animal is scary as hell with its blood-red eyes but it was its rider that sent them in alarm: the woman rose up to the air and landed to the ground.
"Oh…by the goddess…" The elder shuffles towards Din, as scared as the people who are in a panic behind him.
"Goddess!" The pale woman raised her hands to the heavens in glee. "Ooh! I like that!"
"I'm not talking about you…." The elder hissed at the woman after making a religious gesture as if to ward her off. He almost grabbed Din's arm. "Wh-who is that, master Djarin?" The Mandalorian's arm shot out to the side holding him back.
"Just stay back, governor." Just like in the caverns when they first met Din stood still as Kalon of Dathomir stops in front of him. He is affected by her and not even a blaster held against him would make Din admit it. For some reason the thought angers him.
"Miss me?" She's amused as she taps the short whip on the side of her leg generously exposed in the high slit of her dress. The front is plunged low and Din had a momentary dirty thought of where else those silvery tattoos had been etched on that body.
The whip raised Din's chin up, "You can't talk to my leg, ner cyar'ika."
"What the hell did she say?"
"Oh, you didn't catch it?" Kalon raised a pale brow at Aylith. "I said…"
"Why are you here?" Din moved between the two women. "What do you want?"
"You," She gave him a throaty giggle, "Of course."
"What DO you want?"
"Where are we going?" The witch gave Din a charming pout, a slim finger traces the beskar chest plate.
"We?" The witch's pout lost its power; it failed to melt the man's icy core.
"I heard." Her mouth curved low even more because the Mandalorian plucked both her arms away from his waist as if they were disgusting and contaminated.
"Just me and Grogu."
"Oh? " she tried again using her pearly whites. "Can I invite myself?"
"No." Like moving away from an annoying insect Din immediately steps aside when her hands began to move up towards the helmet.
"Master…master Djarin….look!"
-o-0-o-
"Yuno…I'm scared." Jem whispers as they huddle in a corner of a support buttress near the gate.
"Yeah, I'm scared too but we have to stay calm." He looks down at his two charges. Grogu makes small squeaks of concern and would fitfully squeeze Yuno's thumb, his eyes never leaving his father. To calm himself, Yuno grips the hilt of the weapon Din gave him. The blade is almost as long as his forearm. The solid object makes him feel like a part of being a Mandalorian. It keeps him alert. "The master will not let us down." Yuno said with conviction.
"Kids….hey," The boys look up at Grogu's teacher, "are you okay?"
"Yes." Jem nods, holding the wooden spear the other boys made for him. Most of the other boys have been making a copy of their own wooden spears fashioned after Din's Beskar weapon. "Yuno is here to defend us."
Luke gave the older boy a curt nod. "Good to know." Then the man looks intently at Grogu. "I will, Grogu." The Calodan boys have grown used to these quiet interactions either with master Din, mistress Ahsoka or the blonde man. "Don't worry guys." Luke assured the other worried boys.
Yuno frowns at the woman; the one who talks quite familiarly to his master. "Master Luke, who is that?"
The Jedi's jaw hardened, "Trouble."
-o-0-o-
Din smirks as the sword flared to life-on its own. Are you excited to cut up a rancor, Darksaber? He'll be damned but did the blade shimmer? Was that some sort of a reply? Nah, I'm just tripping. Din sized up his opponent with tilted head. In broad daylight and outside of that volcanic cave the size of the animal looks different. Hell, the goddamn thing's twice the size of a mudhorn and totally much deadlier.
The animal has its nose on the ground; its breath blowing the soil out, dust curling around the arms. It slowly lifted its head looking for a scent in the air. It looked as if it was smiling. It opened its slobbering mouth wider and a rumbling sound came from deep its throat. It turned its ugly head: it has found its prey.
The huge paw tore up a huge gash on the soil; the sharp claws balled up a mound of soil and tossed it aside. The animal's mouth dripped thick drool between stake-like teeth. Like a terrible smile it opened wide with a growl; challenging him. Its great paws creating tremors in every step.
Man and beast face each other.
-o-0-o-
"Alert! All squads!" Her fingers shaking Aylith clicked all channels on the coms. "Acknowledge!"
The coms beeped. "Council…."
"All hands planet-side! NOW!" The woman looks up, stopping near the Mantis to get a better signal.
"What is happening, council woman?"
"Intruder alert!" She looks back. Her heart began pounding madly. In the distance the Mand'alor casually approaches the monster. Fuck! Oh shit! "Fuck!"
"Fuck! What the hell is that?"
"Bring reinforcements! Quickly!"
-o-0-o-
The rancor only has one thing in his sights. Anytime now…the quarry will turn around and begin running then the chase will begin. That is the good part. The other good part is catching it. It would struggle in its claws. It would fight back. Some would use their weapons to hurt him, to make him let them go. But, there's no letting go when he catches them. That is the end.
He tastes the air.
The animal tensed. Instead of running away as often the case its target begins to walk toward him. The beast took a step back, a little confused. It only stopped for a moment assessing its opponent. A deep growl builds up in its chest as its quarry brandished that weapon at him. He remembers that weapon. He doesn't like it. It makes his eyes water. It has sounds that hurt his ears.
It is it.
It is back.
He doesn't like it.
The beast lunged…he's going to end that sound. The voices…voices! The claws slammed down at the prey with a force that could demolish a full grown tree and squash anything. Dust spewed out of the crater from where Din Djarin stands.
Finally. It's dead!
-o-0-o-
"NO!"Alarmed, Yuno and the boys removed themselves from the safety of the wall. "No!"
"Watch out!" Jem grabs his head in shock, eyes wide on the spot where his new master stands.
"Master!"
"Stop! You can't help him." The boys almost bumped against someone.
"But he's going to be…" The three kids went speechless when they looked up.
"Din is the best. He has this."
"But that thing is huge!" Yuno sweeps an arm toward the fight.
"The Mand'alor has battled a mudhorn and a Krayt dragon before."
"What's a Krayt dragon?"
"Something that is twenty times bigger than that." The armorer thumbs the rancor. "It's like a giant sand snake." She nods at the bigger boys when they gaped in wonder. "My husband…"
"It's riduur in Mando'a!" Yuno smiled when the woman nods, she seemed surprised.
"Yes. My riduur trained Din Djarin when he was a young boy."
"Oh! So you were like his aunt?" Jem smiled up at the tall woman with the gold helmet.
"Yes. Something like that." The woman sounds like she's smiling back. "I heard you want to be one of us." The woman told Yuno as she crouches down to the three boys.
"Yes, mistress." Yuno nodded smartly at his master's covert leader.
"Have you heard about the Precepts of Mandalore?" In unison the boys shook their heads. As she herds the three boys inside the fort the armorer looks back. "Gotal'ur bic a jate kyr'amur, ad."*
-o-0-o-
"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" Aylith's armored arm aims at the chest of Alrich Wren. "Get out of my way!"
"Hear me out, councilwoman." The man holds his hands up. "We talked about this last night, remember? The council wants proof of his capability, right?" Alrich Wren points towards the Mand'alor. "There it is."
"Let the Mand'alor fight alone? Are you insane?!"
"The clans need someone to look up to; someone strong, someone capable…" The head of Clan Wren speaks fast. "…someone powerful."
"He is! He has bested an Imperial officer…"
"Many can do that. But he's not just 'anyone', am I right?" Alrich points out with a raised brow.
"But if he dies…"
"Then he wasn't worthy." Almost as one the Mandalorians nod their agreement.
"I can't believe you're saying this!" In disbelief Aylith looks around and sees she's outnumbered. "This is treason!"
"No councilwoman, this is the way of the Mandalorian."
"I will hold you all responsible…." The ground shakes under their feet. They all turn as one.
The fight has begun.
-o-0-o-
It's dead. Dead! An off rhythmic sound rumbles deep in the rancor's chest. It is laughing. The annoyance is gone! The animal howls its victory. It lifts its claws to see what's left in the ground.
"Am I there?"
Shocked, the rancor quickly turned around looking for the bored-sounding voice.
"Hey, I'm here!"
It looked down and it was surprised at Din standing behind him. Whole. The rancor examined its claws to make sure but there's no blood or bits of mangled flesh anywhere on it. With a vicious snarl the long arm swipes to the left. There was a movement that caught its eyes going to the right. The rancor tried to follow the movement but it almost lost its footing at the pain that shot through its leg. In agony over the searing pain it went on all fours favoring its right leg.
-o-0-o-
"Din! Don't!" Kalon had finally got over her shock when her beast howled in pain.
"Stay where you are, witch!" The end of a glowing weapon bars the way.
"Let me pass!" Kalon was surprised when her attack was deflected. "Jedi…!" the witch spat the words like she bit something bitter.
"Why are you here?"
"Certainly not for the two of you!" The witch's eyes and hands glow. "Get out of my way!" She opens her hands towards the two Jedi.
-o-0-o-
"Stay down!" Din stands back to assess the cuts he made; there's a straight gash on the fleshy part of the rancor's hind leg. The large wound has been cleanly cauterized so there's minimum blood loss. The injured limb shakes and the animal tried more than once to try to stand up. It would not be able to because he angled the blade a little deeper in the muscle to properly incapacitate the beast. "I said stay down!"
A snarl was the answer Din Djarin got from the beast.
"Dank Farrik!" Din sighs as three whistling birds slowed down the beast but only for a moment. Even on three limbs it still manages to move although not as fast as before.
Then what the beast did next gave Din goosebumps; it starts sniffing the air towards the fort. "You don't want to do that." The beast looks at him before it changed direction as if to say 'Try and stop me'.
-o-0-o-
At the fort the guards look at each other in terror. The monster turns and begins to head towards the fort. The alarm had been rung. Up at the ramparts the security men took position. Weapons pointed at the monster. Outside the gate the captain had ordered the metal gates shut as soon as the son of their commander in chief and his group were safely behind its walls. The captain and his remaining men will protect the gate in case…in case their military chief fails.
-o-0-o-
"Okay…I warned you." Din sighed as the rancor limps towards the fort. "You asked for it." Again, on its own, the darksaber receded in its hilt as if knowing Din's next move.
The rancor snarls in surprise when its limbs would not move. Then slowly it was pulled back. It tried to fight it by digging its heels in the soil.
The pull stopped.
It let on a short howl as it was yanked back. The animal went sliding and turning along the burnt ground and into the forest. It slammed against a thick tree stump but as soon as movement stopped it quickly tries to get back on its feet.
-o-0-o-
"The gods…" The leader of clan Wren could only gape. They stand at the fort for a better view and to lend assistance. In case. The rancor's snarls of anger turned to a shriek as it was lifted up high, turned on its back and slammed down back to the ground.
"Is that enough 'proof' for you, alor Wren?* Aylith still fumes even when it was obvious who is dominating the fight.
"How is he doing that? Lifting the beast hands-free? Moving that fast?"
"He wields the Force." Aylith simply states. "It gives him the speed and the strength."
"What do you make of that…?" Alrich Wren points then made a gesture.
"The 'flame'?"
"Yes."
"The Togruta Jedi told us it's the manifestation of the Force."
"Hm…intriguing." The man turns to the councilwoman. "Is that permanent, do you think?"
-o-0-o-
"Muk!" the woman gasped as the rancor trashes on the ground, gasping for breath. She looks aghast at the blackened cuts on her beast. She became distracted as the two Jedi have separated her from her steed. All she could hear were its howl of pain. "What have you done to him?!"
"Kalon!" She turned at the sound of her name.
"What's happening? Why …" the woman gagged, shaking fingers went up at her slim throat as if there were hands around it, tightening, choking out the air. Her eyes bugged out when she was lifted off the ground. She floated and was dragged towards Din until all she could see is the opaque slit of his visor. "What…what are you?" she gasps, shaking as she felt something from him. "Who are you?"
"Mark my words, Kalon, if that animal comes near anyone….or my boy, I will kill it! You understand me?"
"N-n-no D-di-din. He won't. I will not let him," Kalon got scared at the animal's condition; it had singe marks of all sizes all over its body and the right leg has a deeper wound. "Muk is just testing you."
"Testing?" The Mand'alor snarled at her, not even the helmet could hide the growl. It sounded animalistic.
"We didn't know." Her eyes turned desperate as the choke gradually tightened. "Wait! Let me explain."
"I didn't like what you did to me in that cave. I didn't like it that you followed me here! If you do something…." The helmet tilts to her pet, on its side on the ground, gasping for air. It is now surrounded by Mandalorians with some heavy artillery. "You both die."
"I won't…Din…" she tries to reach for him but she was roughly force pushed towards her beast. "Please…please!"
"Talk." Kalon couldn't see what Din did but Muk's struggle lessened. "Now."
"Muk wants to… give you a gift."
"What are you talking about?" Din gave her a 'shake'.
"Muk has cubs…"
"Cubs?"
"What the hell is she talking about?" Aylith came over, one of her vambrace pointed at Kalon.
"Offspring, you idiot!" She snapped.
"That beast is going to give its spawn to the Mand'alor?" Luke went to Din's right, he holds the light saber away from his side.
"Why?"
"That's what he wants."
"Who is this, Mand'alor?" Aylith nodded to the woman.
"Ah…Aylith Hyru. Watch out, cyar'ika." Kalon manages a smirk despite being choked. "She's the jealous type."
"What are you talking about!?" The Councilwoman sputtered.
"Why are you really here, Kalon?"
"I told you already!" Suddenly Muk started trashing again. "No! Stop! Stop Din!"
"State your purpose. Please."
"You know, I like it better when you're rude." She grimaced when the man remained quiet. "Fine. I won't do anything. Just release Muk, please?" she said the last word silently, pleadingly.
"I don't trust you."
The governor slowly stepped forward, "Who is this, Master Djarin?"
The Mandalorian growled, "Trouble."
"Old man," Kalon tilts her head, a wry smile on her face when the elder almost hid behind Din Djarin. She focused her pale eyes on him. "you're scared that I will take away your protector…"
The governor gasped. "A-are you? Why?"
"I need him."
"To do what?"
"Will you stop me?"
"Kalon!" Din had to grab the woman's arm. "I'm warning you."
"I can take you from here and none of them can do anything about it, Din Djarin!" Kalon swept the whip in front of the Mandalorians and the Calodans. "I can take you here. Now." The witch clicks her fingers.
-o-0-o-
Mando'a:
Alor- leader
Gotal'ur bic a jate kyr'amur, ad- Make it a good kill, son.