Chapter Title: Run, Dashen, Run!

Series Title: Unlikely Brothers

Author: Obi the Kid

POV: Dashen (Tanner is 16, Dash is 22)

Chapter Summary: The boys get lost in the woods.

Summary: A series of non-chronological stories taking place in the world of my original characters Dashen and Tannerlin.

Rating: PG

Characters: Dashen Lesedi, Tannerlin Vai (Jedi)


"Damn it, Dash, we're lost!"

"We're not lost. Just use your Force thingy to point us in the right direction."

"It's not a navigational system, you idiot. I can't just point my head north and…"

"Well then, what good is it? Huh?"

I shouldn't say stupid things. It usually gets me into trouble. This time is got me a swat to the back of the head with a stick. A Force-driven stick launched and swung ten feet away from where my brother was actually standing. Damn Jedi.

"OW! Why, Tanner? Just…why?"

"You asked what use the Force was. Now you know. And anyway, you're the outdoors expert in this duo. Isn't there some rule about moss only growing on the north side of a tree or something?"

Tanner was actually serious. Me? Outdoors? Moss? Trees? I was many things. Nature Boy I was not. "My job forces me outdoors. I don't live there, nor do I know anything about moss and northward facing trees."

"The tree doesn't face north, it…"

"What does it matter? We don't even know what direction to go in, so knowing north from south is about a helpful as you using your creepy Force stuff to smack me in the head. Now…we need a plan because it won't be daylight forever."

"Come on."

I ran a hand through my long dark hair and blew out an exasperated breath, wondering how we'd gotten lost here in the first place. Actually I did know, but just didn't feel like admitting it. We were foolish and overconfident and taking this shortcut was going to save us about six hours of walking on this job. Some would call us typical guys. My boss, Virgil Colton, would just call me an idiot. But if I was an idiot, then my brother, Tanner, was right there with me this time. Sure I bested him by six years in age and about eight inches in height, and we were as different as night and day, but at times we were identical in being flat out stupid. And as Colton would say…stupid is as stupid does.

Yeah…I should never ever tell Colt about this. Not…ever.

Tanner stopped walking after two hours. Two very long hours. He stood and listened. I knew that stance well enough to keep my mouth shut until he heard what he was after.

I don't think he heard it.

"Well?" I asked.

"I got nothin'."

The ground looked dry, I sat. A few minutes later, Tanner plopped down next to me.

"Soooo, we really are lost, Dash. But didn't you say that you grew up in these woods? Something about you and your brother used to play hiding games here when you were kids."

My brother – my real brother by blood, Kossi, who had died when I was thirteen. Tanner was the non-blood brother that I'd found when I was fifteen and he was right about Kossi and I. We had roamed these woods…sorta.

"When I said we'd been in these woods, I didn't mean in, as in this deep. We played on the outskirts where our parents could keep an eye on us. We'd earn a smack on the butt if we ventured in too far."

"And now you earn smacks on the head instead," said my brother with a smirk and a gleam in his pale brown eyes.

"Funny, Mouse, real funny." The nickname would get him. Always did. I got another Force-swat to the head, sans stick this time. "Okay, fine. Let's camp for the night. There won't be much light though, the moons are in their dark cycle. Use your Force crap to light a fire, will you?"

"I'm just a tool at times, aren't I?"

"Yes, but a very useful one. Come on, Tanner, it's getting cold out there."

Didn't take him but forty seconds to spark a campfire to life. He'd become extremely fruitful at using the Force for the small things. It took him a lot of hard work and concentration, but he put the time in every day to figure it all out. A lot of abilities, he told me, remained far out of his reach. Without an elder, experienced Jedi to lead him through the most difficult training, some of those things would forever stay out of reach. It was disappointing to him, I knew. He held his Jedi values close to his heart, and he longed to be as well balanced and capable as his master had been before he'd been slaughtered by the Empire seven years ago. Never would he reach that goal completely, but it would never be from lack of effort or dedication. I respected him for that more than anything - his ability to stay true and committed to a cause long after most others would have let it lapse.

He was still a pain in the butt though.

The fire reached high and hot, crackling and popping as it matured. I halfway thought about sleeping, but decided against it. I wasn't much on becoming one with the weeds, dirt, bugs and filth. And besides…something was wrong. Tanner had that look again – listening for something in the distance. This time he did hear it.

"You got something, Mouse?"

"Quiet."

I obeyed and waited. And waited. Ten minutes passed when he finally spoke again.

"We need to run."

Okay, so I wasn't expecting that. "Uh…what?"

"Seriously. We need to run. Put the fire out and go. Do it now!"

"But…"

"NOW, Dash!"

"Okay, okay." I kicked dirt at the fire until reduced to coals and then was yanked forward into the dark.

"Stay close and keep running."

"I can hardly see you, Tanner. What the hell is going on?" I gasped. The sudden sprint already had me huffing. It's what I got for not keeping in running shape in recent months. "Tanner!"

"Monster…in the woods," he finally yelled back to me as we galloped and leaped and raced through the thick forest.

Wait. Did he just say 'monster'? There's no such thing as monsters. I mean real ones. Terra has predators sure, but monsters? I tried to tug my brother to a stop. He didn't stop, but instead reached around me with the Force and pushed me forward. I fell with the sudden power coming from my backside. He pulled me up and lessened the push a bit. We sprinted again.

"Tan…no such thing…as…monster…"

"You should…get out…more, big brother. Mon…sters…are every…where."

Not a hundred percent sure what he meant, but when Tanner got serious about something I tended to listen…most of the time. I wasn't sold on the monster thing yet, but I kept running. Eventually I started falling behind, even with the Force aid. My brother was small and slim. Perfect for navigating in situations like this. I was tall and lean and kept getting smacked in the face by branches hanging too low – or my head being too high. I fell again and was losing what little sight I had of Tanner. Then, I was upright, just in time to hear his voice sounding from the darkness ahead. "Run, Dashen, RUN!"

"Trying to…trying…if I get nailed by one more of these damn trees…ouch! Wait…what was that? Tanner?"

Everything went quiet; complete and abrupt quiet. No wind. No insects. No night birds. No brother. Just me. Alone. In the dark. "Tanner?" I called. My call went unanswered. Damn damn damn damn damn. Had the monster eaten my brother? Wait…what? No monster. There's no monster here. Not on Terra. Not in this forest. Just my imagination and the eerie silence…"Tanner? Where the hell are you?"

Still nothing…but me. Alone in the dark woods without a sound around me. I've been scared in the past. This was going to rival those times. I could actually feel my heart rate escalating as I swallowed heavily and tried to keep from freaking out.

Then, from next to me, a sound. A crackling of leaves on the forest floor and then…he was there.

"I told you to run, Dashen! Damn it, RUN!"

I about jumped out of my skin right then and there. One minute Tanner was nowhere, the next minute he was in my ear. My feet left the ground about three feet below as I jumped and fell backward. He grabbed me up and shook me…then stopped. Dead silent again. I opened my mouth to speak; he slapped a hand over it. I could see him now through the blue glow between us. It wasn't often that he used his light saber, or even brought it from the house, but for whatever reason, he had this time and I was beyond grateful. His right hand held it at chest level as his other hand was still slapped across my big mouth.

Finally the hand slid away and he whispered, "We're safe for the moment. But we can't stay here."

"Would you please tell me what the hell is going on? And where did you go? And where did you come from? How did you sneak up on me like that?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"Because I want a lot of answers; especially about the sneaking thing."

"It's simple. You were pre-occupied with being scared to death so you just didn't notice me."

"I would have had you said something. Don't do that again, you hear me? And what is this monster you're babbling about?"

"Walk and I'll talk. Just trust me, Dash, okay? For once, let me lead."

My brother wasn't a born leader, but more of a middle of the road type personality. Willing to submit and follow, but also willing to stand his ground if he believed in something. So when he did take the lead, it meant something. I submitted this time. "Fine, but I want a full explanation. And why didn't you tell me you brought your light saber along?"

"I had it hanging on my belt. I figured you could see it. It's hard to miss."

True. I made a face and wondered if I losing my focus on details in my maturing age. I mean once you hit twenty-two, it's all downhill from there, right?

"Dashen!"

I jumped again. A little less high this time though.

"Damn it! Stop that!"

"Pay attention. We need to find our way out of this forest before the sun comes up."

"Why?"

"The monster knows where we are, but it's limited by the dark. Once it has light, as long as we are inside the forest, it will find us, catch us and eat us. So we need to get outside the forest."

"I'm having a real hard time with the monster thing, Mouse. Can you give me a bit more detail please?"

"Giant lizard. Walks on all fours. It's about forty feet long and can eat anything."

Yeah…no. Just no. A giant lizard roaming a forest on Terra? Nope. Not believing it.

"I felt it before I saw it."

"You felt it? So the thing is Force capable?"

"No, but it's Force sensitive. Just as bad. It can zero in on me easier. It's why we need to run."

"Great, lost in the forest with a giant man-eating Force lizard. Just perfect. Is it too late to disown you as my brother? It's not bad enough you have the Emperor's target on your head, but now you're on the hit list of a colossal man-eating lizard?"

He started jogging away from me. "The more you talk the more energy you burn. I'll keep my saber lit in case we get separated again. Follow the blue light. Now run."

We ran. And we ran. And we kept running until my lungs felt ready to explode twice over. But it was working and we were moving in the right direction. I could see the light at the end of the forest in my sight. I could also just flat out see. Crap. Daylight. The ground immediately shook with giant footsteps closing in on us. The lizard had followed us as we ran, honing in on Jedi-boy's Force signal that he was waving around for the world to see. I had no lung power left, and I know he didn't either. But we kept moving. I pushed him forward when he wobbled and I picked him up when he fell; my turn to protect and defend. Gathering Tanner off the ground, I glanced back and saw the massive reptile head coming through a patch of dense brush, right at us. Tanner was up and running and again moving ahead. I was up and running and tripping all over my feet. The panicked voice in front of me screamed.

"RUN, DASH, RUN! DON'T LOOK BACK. TRUST ME. JUST…RUN!"

I felt hot lizard breath on my heels. The forest perimeter was ahead. Couldn't have been more than a hundred yards. The long tongue grabbed my tunic and I started slowing.

A sudden flash of blue and I was free. Running again. That was one ticked off lizard behind me though. At this point, it was now missing half of its tongue but that didn't stop it from lunging once more. Tanner was just outside the forest. I could see him only ten feet away as the creature was on me. In the next split second I saw my brother close his eyes, hold out his right hand, palm forward as his face scrunched into ugly. Milliseconds later, the beast's lunge was stalled a foot short of pouncing on my back and having me for breakfast.

The sensation of the soft grassy field smacking me in the face as I leaped and landed face down into it had to be the most welcomed feeling of my entire life. I stayed there, my nose planted in the soil, heaving deep, staggering breaths in and out of my burning lungs. Hands were on my back, pressing down, feeling for injury and making sure I was all right. Those same hands rolled me over onto my back and wiped the dirt off my face, before reaching around to hug me in relief.

"S'okay, Tanner. I'm…good. Jus…need a couple…new lungs….is…all."

I sat up with help and glanced back briefly at the forest. Sure enough the lizard hadn't stepped one single foot into the open field. Now I knew why our parents had kept me and Kossi so close to the edge. They knew what lurked deeper in. I was just a stupid kid at the time, and even if someone had told me about the lizard, I'd probably have either blew them off or would have wanted to actually go hunt it. Kids will be kids and kids will be foolish. Not this kid. Not anymore. No more forests for me. I looked over at my brother sitting at my side; breathing heavy, but upright, vertical and with no visable injuries. He was however, exhausted and empty. Empty from what he'd just done. I'd seen his power. It took everything he had in him (including the panic), but he'd pushed that lizard back about two feet - just enough for me to leap to safety. No idea how you practice for that. It's not often you have mutant reptiles roaming the streets just waiting for Super Teen-Jedi to start slapping them around. The kid had power and was learning to use it.

And to be honest, I think it startled him.

"You okay," I asked him gently as he struggled harder than I to regain his breath.

"I think so."

"You saved my life, little brother."

"I don't know how though. I've never moved anything that size…much less…pushed it…away. It's a lot different than pillows and rocks."

"Well, when adrenaline kicks in, people never know what they are capable of. Maybe it works the same way with the Force."

"Maybe."

"It's okay, Tanner. Wherever you called that from, you did well."

"It was a bit scary."

That was different. I prodded carefully. "Giant scaly lizard scary or just scary scary?"

"I didn't know I had that inside, but you were in trouble and…"

And he was scared as hell that he was going to lose me. I tucked an arm around his shoulders and squeezed, pulling him close enough that our temple's touched briefly. "You did good, kid, and I'm safe because of that. Try not to over think it, all right? How about we figure out the best way home? We'll drop this jewel thing at Kalla's place and get our money. Then home. We'll both sleep for a week. Come on, help me up."

His mood lightened as we walked the five hour trek home. Now in daylight and in the open, we could track the position of the sun and allow it to guide us to where we needed to go. Less than a mile from home, Tanner started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"You."

"And why would that be?"

"Your face has red whip marks all over it from all those branches that snacked into you. And you run funny."

"I'm tall, I can't help it. And if it wasn't for those trees getting in my way, I could have outrun your skinny butt without taking a deep breath."

"I could have slowed you down though."

"Cheating, Mouse? It's so below you," then a thought…"but, it's not below me. Race you home!" I shoved him down and ran as fast as my long legs would take me – which as it turned out, wasn't very fast and wasn't very far. I had nothing left after this latest adventure. Thankfully, Tanner didn't either and once he caught up to me a second later, we both slowed to what amounted to a walking crawl. A pace that we maintained for a few minutes more.

"Maybe I should have just let the lizard eat you."

"Eh, life would be pretty boring then, wouldn't it? No one to annoy, harass, or to just drive you crazy."

"That's true. And I wouldn't have anyone to do this to either."

Another Force-driven stick snuck up from behind and swatted me on my head as Tanner took off running…and laughing hysterically.

I ran after him (well, I tried). I ran, chasing him and laughing uncontrollably as I did.

Once inside our apartment, we both collapsed onto the couch, out of breath…no longer running, but still laughing.


The End.