Chapter Fifty-Seven: Hunted

"Ahsoka, it's time to go." I heard Kalifa rousing the padawan, my head lifting immediately. I was used to sleeping light, even more so than Ahsoka was. She spent much of her life in the Temple, safe from harm.

Mine was spent with a sharpened piece of metal under my pillow, clenched in tiny hands.

"What's happened?" Ahsoka asked as she sat up. I adjusted my armor as I stood, brushing away the dirt and leaves stuck on it.

"The sun's almost up," the youngling explained, "Which means we clear out."

Ahsoka rose with us, following the younglings to the edge of the cave. "Where do you go?"

"We keep moving and keep those disgusting hunters from picking up our scent."

The padawan and I exchanged a glance. "That's your plan?" Ahsoka scoffed.

Kalifa turned on us, giving us glares. "If you really are a padawan, you would know that there's wisdom in experience. We've been here longer," she bit, but I could tell she meant well with her firmness. "You will learn if you listen, and only…." she glanced at me, "If you listen."

I frowned, but Ahsoka seemed to accept the terms for now, so I didn't give a fuss. We moved swiftly through the twisting vines of the forest canopy, the lithe bodies of the Jedi making it easy for them to maneuver. I could have gone without the slight reflectiveness of my armor. But….knowing the Trandoshan leader wanted it made me keep it on.

What could I say? I had pride issues.

By the time I felt we were far enough away from the camp to throw off the scent trail, Kalifa ducked quickly, waving her hand at us behind her. "Get down." She crawled forward a bit, peering over the edge of the curling branches we were perched on. "Someone's coming."

We all crawled to her side to see two figures below us-one of which I recognized. "Those two came in with us," Ahsoka whispered, noticing the male she'd talked to back on the transport. "We should help them."

She and I both shifted forward, but were stopped by the youngling arms on us. "No," Kalifa insisted quietly, "It's too late." Ahsoka and I frowned at each other, but said nothing as we looked down at the victims we couldn't save.

The male who'd explained we'd been kidnapped was gunned down first, the blast coming from somewhere to our right. We all leaned backwards, searching frantically through the canopy to find the source of the laughing hunter.

"Look at her run," the Trandoshan laughed as the second victim ran for her life. He followed her with a rapid spray of shots.

Ahsoka stood beside me, determined to help. Kalifa stopped her with a hand to her shoulder and a desperate shake of her head. Jinx gave me a look as if he expected me to jump up, too. I shook my head at him, looking back to watch the poor female be hunted.

I was a hunter myself. I knew when prey was cornered.

"It's your shot," the Trandoshan said to his companion. "Take her out." She was dead a moment later, her body falling lifelessly to the forest floor.

Kalifa and the younglings parted quickly, this being a common occurrence in what they'd come to call their normal life. Ahsoka was still staring at the Trandoshan's prey, anger in her eyes. I squeezed her shoulder gently, bringing her focus back to us so she could follow the group. She gave me a determined look with her cerulean eyes, making me smile only gently. I knew what was coming.

"We could have stopped them," she declared finally, when we were a safe distance away and higher in the trees.

Kalifa turned, looking weary. "No, Ahsoka. We're not saviors here. Here, we are survivors." She continued in her climb, the group following in silence as she muttered to herself. "If they had spotted us, we'd be dead now."

"We'll never get out of here if we just keep hiding," the Togruta insisted. "We have to act." I crossed my arms as the younglings sat before Ahsoka to rest. I agreed with her, but I also understood the fatigue that came with surviving on your own with no hope of being saved.

Jinx laughed darkly; it wasn't long….only a gentle huff of breath….but it showed great sadness. "There were other Padawans here that once thought as you do now," he sighed.

"Alright," Ahsoka chirped, perking up slightly. "Where are they?"

There was a rush of anger from Kalifa, sadness blooming from the two boys. "They all died, didn't they?" I asked quietly, feeling their grief. Kalifa stood angrily, crossing her arms as she looked away.

"Just because they failed doesn't mean we will," Ahsoka pushed, her leadership showing through.

It was O-mer's turn to speak. "You don't understand," he said, "It's not that we don't want to fight. We're younglings. They have every advantage."

I frowned, looking over their hopeless faces. And then in my peripheral, I saw Ahsoka hop away. "Wh-" Kalifa stuttered, rushing after the padawan. "Get back here!"

"I can't do that," Ahsoka responded smoothly at the edge of a dipping branch. "My master would never forgive me for running and hiding in a situation like this." She was right, of course. I knew Skywalker. He would be fighting as hard as she wanted to in order to escape.

"Don't overestimate your abilities," Kalifa insisted, her voice desperate. I could feel her fear.

Ahsoka glanced over her shoulder, looking over the group. I gave her a nod with a small smile. She knew I'd catch up. "I'm not," she said finally before sliding down the branch easily.

"Ahsoka, don't!" Kalifa cried, to no avail. I didn't move as they all watched her go, the young Togruta disappearing into the forest. "What will she do?" That was directed at me.

I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. "Knowing Ahsoka? Probably to go find herself a Trandoshan hunter to fight."

"Another padawan lost to this island," Jinx sighed, shaking his head sadly.

I arched my brow, popping my hip. "You're wrong, you know," I said to O-mer, earning their attention with surprise. "Being a youngling isn't a disadvantage. It's an asset." I walked forward, displaying my armor. It was lacking the usual gadgets, of course, but they got the point. "The Jedi have been feared and respected by many for ages. The Mandalorians even developed specific techniques to fight them." I scanned my hard gaze over all of them, putting on my bounty hunter scowl. "And that includes Younglings. These hunters have skills you don't, sure. Training you don't." I stopped, looking in the direction Ahsoka had run off in. "But you have training and abilities that they couldn't even imagine. I never met a Jedi that gave up. So if you all want to be more than just younglings one day," I looked them over with a scowl, "Maybe you should try acting like Jedi."

I leapt off my branch, landing deftly on one a few meters below before racing after my friend. Knowing her, she had already found herself a Trandoshan and was trying to fight him right now. But….also knowing Trandoshans, I knew she'd be having one hell of a fight right now.

As I ran, I recalled the story Cody had told me so long ago, about his own fight with a Trandoshan. Cody was a refined warrior who had the drop on the Trandoshan and Rex with him…..and he still almost died.

I picked up my pace a bit.

When I emerged, I saw Ahsoka fighting hand to hand against a Trandoshan. She was wrapped around his back, doing her best to choke him out. He was too strong, though, throwing her away and heading for his gun.

I pounced from the branches above as the hunter dove for his weapon. Planting my heel into his head as I fell. He careened away from the blaster as I landed, my knees bending to cushion the impact.

Ahsoka got up as I charged the Trandoshan, forcing him backwards towards her with a series of kicks and sharp jabs-Jango had trained me to fight large targets, considering I was a young human female and there were a lot of creatures much bigger than me out there. The padawan came up behind him, kicking out his knee and doing her best to try and choke him out again.

Claws dragged across my beskar, scraping loudly before falling off the edge and into my skin. I grit my teeth, doing my best not to cry out and alert nearby hunters. The Trandoshan threw his head back, slamming into Ahsoka's nose and throwing her backwards. He dragged my forward by where his claws clamped around my beskar and into my flesh, holding me in the air before him.

"It seems I get the Mandalorian and the Jedi," he hissed in my face.

And I became aware of another presence. One emulating with determination and anger. Darkness surrounded Kalifa as she approached with her fellow younglings, lifting her hand. The Force clamped around the Trandoshan's neck, the creature releasing me as he was yanked into the air.

I collapsed to the ground, hissing through my teeth at the throbbing in my right forearm. "Kalifa!" I heard Ahsoka cry as she ran to my side. The Trandoshan was still suspended in the air, the youngling's Force grip on his throat slowly killing him. I nodded at Ahsoka to tell her I was okay so she could run to the girl's side, smoothing her hand over Kalifa's to relax it. "Don't kill him out of hatred," the Togrtuta advised, wise beyond her years. "It's not the Jedi way."

The Trandoshan fell beside me as I finally found my feet, cradling my wound to my chest. Sure, they were Jedi and had their Code….but I still wanted to kill this shabuir. The creature threw back his head, letting out a loud, screeching call.

I kicked out, silencing him with a heel to the jaw. Still, he swatted me aside easily. Jinx and O-mer tried next, but were thrown away easily. Thankfully, I was familiar with some of the training the younglings received, since I'd spent time with Ahsoka. I knew the formation they would make around the Trandoshan, so I joined in, corralling him in. Jinx and O-mer teamed up again, this time taking my advice and using the abilities they have over the Trandoshan.

Together, the shove him with the Force, launching him into the base of a tree. He slumped forward, unconscious, his tongue sliding out past his sharp teeth.

"The others will be coming," Kalifa announced worriedly. We bolted. A part of me wanted to take the Trandoshan will us, in order to question him. I had my ways, after all. But getting a mostly unconscious lizard creature all the way back to our cave without getting caught? Especially after he sent out a distress call?

Not a chance.

Thankfully, I saw Ahsoka scoop up his blaster as we ran, though I doubted it would help. "I'm glad you all decided to come along," I huffed as we ran, leaping through the branches as the sun danced lower into the sky.

"If we hadn't," Jinx said back to me over his shoulder, "You'd both likely be dead." I wanted to retort that he was wrong….but I wasn't sure if he was. Sure, the act Ahsoka and I had put on was with the intent to inspire the younglings into action. That had worked, but maybe not as smoothly as we'd hoped.

That night, we crowded around a fire inside the youngling's cave. I sat near the edge, looking out at the hunting grounds under the moonlight. I was hidden, knowing Trandoshans could be night hunting somewhere still. But I didn't like being cooped up in the cave with the incredibly negative younglings.

"I don't understand," Ahsoka expressed from inside as she examined the blaster she'd taken from the Trandoshan. "Why won't this thing work?" I watched her from my place near the entrance.

My mind mulled over possibilities. A DNA encoding modification that only allowed their species to fire them? Or maybe they had them all rigged to a particular activation sequence.

Jinx answered for me from where he sat in his makeshift bunk. "The Trandoshans deactivate the blasters if we take them," he explained, frustrated. "That is why none of us have any." I certainly didn't appreciate his snark, but said nothing as I watched three birds nestling on single branch that led to our hideaway. Ahsoka threw the useless blaster behind her, pushing her knuckles against her forehead in frustration.

"It's been a long time since the Trandoshans captured another padawan and brought them here," Kalifa expressed from across the fire.

Ahsoka crossed her arms, scoffing. "Thanks."

"I didn't mean it as an insult," the youngling insisted, "I meant it as a sign, a mistake...on their part. Ahsoka, your energy. Your strength. It's what we've been lacking." Kalifa rose with excitement as I finally shifted further into the cave, drawing closer to the fire as the night grew colder. "And that they brought a Mandalorian warrior who happens to be on our side at the same time?" Kalifa continued as she paced around the fire. She seemed like she was on a roll, so I elected not to interrupt to say I wasn't actually a Mando. Even though my snarky side desperately wanted to. "We were beginning to lose hope and forgot who we are."

Jinx leapt down beside his fellow younglings as they looked across the fire at the dirtied padawan. "And who are you?" Ahsoka asked.

The group of younglings puffed their chests, straightening their backs. "We are Jedi," Kalifa announced, Ahsoka rising with a smile.

"About time," I said from where I leaned a bit outside the group, giving them each a smirk. They returned it, thankfully, already catching on to my humor style. "So," I continued, looking around the group. "What's our strategy?"

"What do you suggest?" Jinx asked Ahsoka.

"Well, what about a base?" my friend responded immediately, obviously forming a plan of her own inside her mind. "I mean, they must have a compound or something, right?"

Kalifa shrugged slightly. "Not that we've ever seen."

"So where do they come from?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, we don't know," Kalifa said, "We've only witnessed them hunting and in their hover pods."

Ahsoka turned from the younglings, looking at me as she thought through her plan. "If we're going to go on the offensive, we'll need to find out where they live."

"Those pods aren't made for long distance," I chimed in, earning their attention. "Wherever their base is, it can't be too far."

"Could it be off-island?" Jinx asked, sounding like he was being genuine, rather than snarky. Finally.

I chewed my lip while thinking, mulling over the parts of the island I'd seen already. "From what I've seen so far, probably not. They are pretty short range, meant for a lot of still hovering rather than constant movement. I haven't seen any other islands on the horizon, so any other land base is probably too far."

Ahsoka nodded, bedding down. "We'll start covering ground tomorrow." I couldn't help but smile at her tone, watching the younglings obey without question, crawling into their own places to sleep. Her master would be proud if he were here. Then again, if he were here, he'd be trying to lead everyone and we'd never see her shine.

I laid down, eyes scanning over our little group of survivors. I wasn't sure what it was, but I was a magnet for trouble. Maybe it was my Sith heritage? Or the Force trying to screw with me?

Or just really terrible luck.

My beskar was starting to make me sore where it pressed against my skin when I slept, but I didn't take it off. I knew the rule. You don't take off your armor until you're safe and don't need it anymore to protect you.

I was anything but safe here.

The Force trembled with darkness, the room flickering with orange and red light. For a moment, my heart leapt to my throat, my nerves aflame as I wondered if I was back in Darth Bane's tomb. My worry lessened only slightly when I heard the growling of Trandoshan's and the slamming of fists on tables.

"Dar! Dar! Dar! Dar! They chanted, endlessly.

I knew the name. He was the leader's son. The one hunting Ahsoka. I turned in my vision, willing it to clear. My stomach turned when I saw the trophies that decorated the hunter's walls. Full Wookie pelts. A stuffed Gundark. Skulls of every creature imaginable, many I knew to be sentient.

The Trandoshans were still chanting while I focused on them, watching Dar approach his father's throne-like seat through the flames of their fire. The leader stood from his seat, decorated with the pelt of a Wampa, grasping Dar's face in his massive claw. He threw back his head, letting out a long screech. The others joined in happily, drunk on their lust for blood.

I turned my head suddenly, feeling the Force ripple, to see Ahsoka's horrified face. She was gone in a moment and I knew she had awoken from the vision we were apparently sharing. I stayed a moment longer, willing the Force to keep me in place. Watching the Trandoshans cry out their excitement for murder, my eyes caugh something shiny sitting on the armrest of the leader's chair.

My lightsaber.

Looking up at the leader as he continued the ritual for his son's hunt, I again recognized how grateful I was that I wasn't a Jedi. I had no moral code to follow but my own. And right now, my moral coded wanted to murder this shabuir.

So I decided I'd do what I could in order to accomplish that.

"We've already covered the beach area and most of the briar on this side of the bay," Jinx lamented as we paused for a moment to rest. I was grateful for it. The climate was worn here and despite my armor being lightweight, it was still metal and long-sleeve. I was hot.

Ahsoka surprised them with a small laugh, but I only smiled, knowing what she'd say. "If it was easy to find, you guys would have found it before we got here."

"True enough," Jinx allowed, chuckling back.

Still, something still made no sense to me. If they'd lived there for so long, how had they never found anything? Surely they would have at least stumbled on some sign.

"Maybe we should try more inland?" Ahsoka asked the group as I crossed my arms, thinking.

"There's a lot more Trandoshans than just the ones we see here," I reasoned aloud, silencing the group. No one responded, knowing I'd continue on my own. "There has to be more hunting grounds. So do they really hunker down on the island?"

"What are you suggesting?" Kalifa asked, unsure. "I thought you said their crafts can't travel far."

"Guys," O-mer interrupted from where he lounged against the tree. "She's right. We're looking in the wrong place." He pointed skyward, our heads craning to see a massive ship emerging from the clouds. "That's their fortress."

The Force rippled in warning, little dots coming off the fortress like bugs out of a hive. "Yeah," I grumbled, shifting nervously. "A fortress that is raining hunters that want out skins."

"Split up," Kalifa cried, the group dividing.

I raced to my right, glancing sideways to see Ahsoka and Kalifa disappear in the other direction. Ducking behind the nearest tree, I watched as the leader and his son, Dar, raced after Ahsoka in their hover ship. I moved to follow, but leapt backwards as a spray of blaster bolts riddled the ground.

"Kida," O-mer yelled as he passed me with his fellow youngling. "Come on!" I turned and ran after them, the second hovercraft on our tails. We ducked below a series of low hanging branches, Jinx leading us into a clearing.

The hovercraft engine hummed as it dipped the hunters in front of us, blocking our path. The Trandoshan at the helm grinned.

"Move!" I managed to spit before diving sideways to avoid the spray of the machine gun mounted on the hovercraft. O-mer and Jinx broke out to either side, so I went straight under the craft, scaling the trees and vines that climbed into the air behind it. The Trandoshan was focused on the boys, allowing me to get above him in the trees.

"O-mer," I heard Jinx call from below. "This way!"

The hovercraft moved to follow the boys just as I got into position. I grit my teeth, maneuvering my way through the canopy with tiring legs. After a long day of searching the island-which I now knew was fruitless and I was pissed off about it-my muscles were shot. I needed rest. And a meal.

And maybe a shot of rum.

But I pursued, doing my best to keep my focus on the task again and not with the Force signature of Ahsoka that was fading as she ran the opposite way. I stopped at some point during my pursuit, panting as I tried to catch my breath. The day had been long, the sun already beginning to dip towards the horizon, glancing off the atmosphere of Trandosha. I knelt to look down at the ground below, sensing that the boys were resting somewhere ahead. As I watched the Trandoshan hunter below kneel and sniff at a puddle of something blue. It was blood. Twi-lek blood.

The Trandoshan had their scent.

It let out a wild howl as it hopped back into its hovercraft, cutting off any possibility of my surprising him now. I leapt after him as he pursued the younglings. He had them cornered, the boys searching around desperately for an escape. I lunged from the branches above, falling down to land deftly on the back of the hoverpod. The Trandoshan snarled as he turned, but I struck out hard with my leg as I jumped up and over him to land on the opposite bar.

The hunter swung wildly, catching me with the back of his hand and sending me flying off the hovercraft. My side slammed into a branch, my arms aching as I tried to catch myself, but failed. Slinking like a Lothcat down a few branches, I finally found my feet, finding the barrel of the Trandoshan's gun pointed at my eyes.

"Osik," I cussed under my breath, thankful I saved the younglings but wishing dearly that I wasn't about to die for my good deed. I bolted, choosing flight over fight. The blasts pelted the ground behind me, chasing me like terribly aggressive rain.

Two bolts caught me, one in the left thigh and the other in the chest. Thankfully, it was in the beskar.

That didn't mean it didn't hurt when it felt like I took a series of punches from a speeder, the skin at the edges burning slightly beneath my blacks as the heat resonated from the blasts. I grit my teeth, trying not to cry out as I stumbled and fell under the hit of the shots, falling down a few more branches to land heavily on the hard ground.

Well, this sucked.

I turned on the ground, panting hard through the pain of being shot, hitting the ground, being electrocuted a few nights prior, and the rather unhealed, poorly wrapped gash on my right forearm. Man, this was a tough mission for me, huh?

I fought the urge to roll my eyes in the face of death as the Trandoshan chuckled with a guttural growl. "The boss wanted your armor for his wall, but I'm your beskar will be making a fine addition to mine instead."

He was about to take the shot when Jinx appeared from the trees to the Trandoshan's side, leaping onto the hovercraft and kicking the barrel of the machine gun aside. O-mer appeared beside me, helping me up.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his brows crinkling when I winced as I stood.

I nodded, breathing through the pain as Jinx wrestled with the Trandoshan. I turned to see the Twi'lek thrown our way, landing beside us. "Time to go," I announced as we all ran together, rushing through the vines.

Still, as long as we ran, there never seemed to be an end to the Trandoshan hunter's determination to murder us. "This isn't working," O-mer panted as he pounced past me on a branch. "We need to lose him."

"No," I huffed back, earning confused looks. "We need to stop him." We ducked behind a thick twist of vines and branches, struggling to catch our breath in the setting sunlight. The Trandoshan hovercraft moved slowly through the trees in the distance. "He has your scent," I commented, nodding to the cut on Jinx's shoulder. "He's not going to stop and he'll lead all the others to us."

"I can't go back to the hideout," Jinx realized, keeping his voice down as he watched the hunter sniff the air. "I'm doomed."

"Their fortress is in the sky," I muttered, ginning. "We can't outrun him," I allowed, "But we can fight him. Three against one is something we can handle, especially if we surround him. Maybe we can even get his hovercraft."

They nodded, Jinx glancing me over as we shifted in our hiding place to stay out of sight a moment longer. "Are you alright to take the front approach? Your armor-"

"I agree," I cut him off, holding up my hand. I had the best armor. It only made sense for me to approach the most dangerous way as I had the highest chance of success. "Let's do this."

The split from my side without another word, Jinx heading downwind to try and keep his scent as far from the Trandoshan's seeking nose as possible. I waited a moment to let them make some ground through the trees before rushing out. I ran headfirst at the Trandoshan, seeing his sharp-toothed smile as he leveled his weapon at me.

Diving behind the first cover I could, I waited as he rained fire over where I was hiding. I kept my head down, waiting until I heard the blaster fire stop, Jinx and O-mer obviously engaging the hunter. I charged out, having to leap over O-mer's soaring body when the Trandoshan threw him like a projectile.

The Force helped me leap to the front of the hovercraft, glaring at the Trandoshan that had Jinx's head between his claws. He growled at me, his throat clicking. I gave him my best bounty hunter scowl before hurtling the front bar and planting my foot into his teeth. Jinx dropped beside me, falling into the controls. The hovercraft careened, all of us reaching for whatever we could. The craft slammed sideways into a series of branches, one of the engines blowing to make us spin even faster.

"Jump," I cried, but a claw clamped over my ankle, holding me back. The Trandoshan growled as he tried to pull me backwards. Fingers wrapped tightly around the bar, I twisted in the air as we spun, kicking out with my other foot to no avail.

Jinx appeared beside me. I'd told him to jump and I had half a mind to yell at him for not listening. Then again, I was grateful for him as he helped release me from the clawed prison. We jumped together, the Force propelling us away as the hovercraft crashed, exploding in a blossom of light and sound.

I wiped the dirt from my face as Jinx and I righted ourselves, O-mer rushing to our sides. The hovercraft burned amongst some of the trees, the smoke billowing up like a signal. "Thanks for the help," I offered, groaning slightly as I rose. I used the new height to peer into the flames, seeing a Trandoshan claw among the wreckage. "Looks like your scent is officially lost," I said to Jinx.

"Maybe," O-mer allowed, "But we need to go. Every hunter near on the island will have seen that explosion.

"Or the smoke," I agreed. "It's time to go."

We hurried off after I brushed off their insistence to tend to my wounds first. I knew my limits. My pain could be managed until tonight when it would be safe to take off my armor and look at the damage. I knew, as we ran, that so long as we stayed under the radar, we'd be safe for the rest of the day.

Still, while we hoped collectively to meet Ahsoka and Kalifa at the hideout tonight….I felt a darkness swirl in the Force while we ran. "I'll kill you!" I heard a familiar voice snarl through the Force, nearly making me stumble as I flinched mid-step. "You killed my son! I'll kill you!"

I brushed off the concerns of the younglings, glancing at the sky to see the sun was continuing to dip towards the horizon. Ahsoka was out there somewhere. The boys brushed past me as I paused to look over the island, the smoke from our little battle billowing in the distance.

"Kida?" O-mer asked, his face looking drawn beneath all the mud. "Are you coming?" It was weird how they had started to let me lead. Maybe it was because they were used to following Kalifa.

The thought of her sent a ripple of darkness over me, making me turn back to the horizon with worry. "Of course," I said, sliding down the small branch to catch up with the younglings. I didn't know for sure, so I said nothing….but I had a feeling Kalifa wouldn't be coming back to the cave that night.

MANDO'A

Shabuir- motherfucker

Author's Note:

I apologize if there was any confusion with the last chapter. It is not missing anything. "Pillow Talk Part Two" is a reference to Chapter 22, "Pillow Talk," in which Rex and Kida have their first discussion sharing a bed on Cut's farm. As some of you have likely guessed at this point, this will be a reoccurring thing every once in a while. Whenever they have a cute or important conversation before or after sleep via pillow talk, which will be some of their only time alone considering the war.

Again, sorry about confusion. As always, likes/reviews/reposts/comments/shares are always appreciated and encouraged!

-Ryder