Chapter 4 - When One Is Pushed Too Far
Morning eventually came with a Tusken howling to awaken the camp just as the rays of sunlight danced across the sky. The camp was getting up and Anakin and Kitster just tried to stay out of everyone's way.
After almost an hour of being ignored the Chief emerged from his tent eying the two boys. He strode towards the two nodding his head in a direction walking past them, the two Tuskens behind him shoving the boys to follow the Chief. They walked towards the dead Tusken from the night before stopping at the body. The Chief pointed at Kitster before pointing at the ground.
"I don't understand." Kitster replied looking at Anakin for support. Anakin shrugged not knowing either what he wanted either.
The Chief snarled kicking the sand making a small hole in the ground.
"I think he wants you to dig." Anakin replied.
"Seriously?" Kitster raising an eyebrow to his friend. He then gets pushed forward to the Chief and begins digging. The Chief returns to his camp but the two of his guards stay with the two boys.
After almost an hour with his bare hands Kister has dug deep enough to stand up to shoulder height in the hole. "What now?" He ask the two standing by.
One responds by holding his hands up forming a rectangle shape, then pointing at the dead Tusken. "Oh hell no." Kitster replies climbing out of his hole. The second points at the dead Tusken, then at Kitster before running his hand across his own neck.
"Kitster they're saying he's your fault." Anakin said, looking up at the Tusken. "I'll help him." Anakin replied moving forward. The Tusken grabbed his shoulder before he took two steps miming again towards the Dead Tusken then Kitster.
"Forget it Ani I'm not doing this anymore."
The Tusken then pointed off into the distance, then towards Anakin and towards his camp site. After a few moments of puzzling what the meaning the Tusken howled in searingly anger at Kitster then then the distance.
"I think he means that he won't escort us back until you do it. Or we can go alone." Anakin said. The Tusken looked down at Anakin, the pointed at Kitster and then the distance. Then Anakin and the two of them Tuskens and the distance.
"You mean he'll escort you but not me." Kitster realised from the motions. "And if I do then you'll escort me as well?"
The Tusken nodded in approval.
"Ok." He moaned moving back towards the hole. Another few hours passed and another Tusken arrived with a black melon for Anakin. Kitster stared at it longingly as Anakin held it, looking down to his friend working in the heat of the day he passed it to him.
The two Tuskens eyed each other as the boy greedily guzzled its contents trying to cool himself. Anakin's lips were starting to crack from the heat and Kitster handed the melon back to Anakin but only few sips were left inside.
Finally another few hours later Kitster was finished as he'd now dug a large enough grave for the Tusken. The two Tuskens picked up the body and dropped in into the grave trying to be as gentle as they could. They then pointed to the mount of sand beside the hole.
"Yeah, yeah." Kitster sighed moving to put the sand back into the grave now. This however only took a few minutes compared to the digging. The two Tuskens clutched their hands together for a minute speaking in their language before turning their attention back to the two boys.
"Can we go now?" Anakin asked them.
The closest to Anakin eyed him up and down before motioning food and drink then the distance.
"I can get behind that before we leave." Kitster replied.
The two Tuskens ignored him before ushering them back to the camp. They provided them both this time with food and water, as well as the shade from a tent out of the sun. After the boys were done they again motioned to wait and rest which neither of the two felt like arguing against. Early afternoon the two were roused and motioned to follow the two Tuskens and a Massif following them both.
Hours of walking with no one talking in their group. The massif seemed to be enjoying its time out of the camp though, running around and investigating mounts of sands they passed.
A roar pierced the silence as the ground erupted underneath the Tusken leader of the group. The sand settled in a few moments as revealing a Sand Beast that was waiting for its prey to get close. The beast clashed down at the Tusken it claws pierced his lungs killing it on the spot. The second got to his feet shot a round at the Sand Beast's head seemingly only burning the hard surface of its skin.
The massif charged forward and latched it jaws onto the Beast's leg making it howl. It reached down and picked up the massif slammed it into the ground making the massif yelp in response. The first Tusken launched a few more shots to the Sand Beast and seemingly only irritated it as it shrugged off the shots. Turning to look at its attacker it growled looking at him. Anakin and Kitster were both backing away hoping not to get the attention of the Beast. The first Tusken stopped shooting and seemingly was aiming down its sight at one part of the Sand Beast as the two stared at each other. The Tusken howled and fired a single shot landing right on the Sand Beasts face, Anakin believing he must have hit its eyes. It howled it rage slamming its multiple fists in the sand all around itself as the Tusken let loose more rapid shots hoping this time to cause more damage.
The Sand Beast blindly charged into the direction of the shots hitting the Tusken and breaking his rifle and knocking the wind out of him. The Massif slowly got to its feet and charged again for the Sand Beast. The Tusken got to his feet dropping his now ruined rifle and unslung his gaffi stick and charging forward howling. The Sand Beast opened its eyes again, or as Anakin now noticed eye. Its right eye was closed and blacked now too damaged to be useable again. Its eye opened to Anakin and Kitster and charged towards the two boys. As it closed in the massif latched onto its leg again making it howl again and stop to look at the cause of pain. Gabbing the Massif the Sand Beast again pulled it forward to lift it up. Learning from the first time the Massif gripped even tighter and didn't let go. The Sand Beast howled in more pain as the Massif's jaws seemingly tore through the leg muscles of its own leg causing more damage to itself. The Tusken used the chance to run up to its wide open side and as hard as he could slammed the club into the open ribbed side of the Sand Beast. It fell forwards and collapsed into the sand as the Tusken ran forward aiming for the head of the Sand Beast. The Sand beast shot out its hand and caught hold of the Tusken locking his arms above his head with his club ready to swing. The Beast angrily slammed the Tusken into the ground repeatedly killing him. Then slamming both arms down crushed to Massif and releasing its hold on the Sand Beasts leg.
Having its victory the Beast howled into the sky before turning its attention back to the two boys. It charged towards the two as they turned and began to run as fast as they could but nowhere near as fast as was needed. Kitster looked over his shoulder and saw the beast directly behind them as its right hand swung down towards Anakin, then himself just beside him. In that second Kitster shoved Anakin to his right side and as he fell the Beasts hand narrowly missed him but its claw sank directly into Kitsters side.
Anakin looked up to see his friend get his side gouged into by the Sand Beasts claws as the motion pinned him to the ground driving the claws in deeper. No sound escaped Kitster's mouth as he seemingly gasped with the most pained look Anakin had ever seen.
"Kitster!" Anakin screamed as he was trying to get to his feet only for the Sand Beast to pull its claws back out of Kitsters torso and strike himself sending him flying backwards.
Painfully Anakin landed struggling to get even his head up. He looked to see the Sand beast staring at him to see if that blow was enough to kill him and realising it wasn't began turning to charge at him.
He saw his friend lying in front of the Sand Beast not moving. His eyes open towards his friend but not blinking or even moving for that matter. He know at that Moment Kitster was dead.
Everything slowed for Anakin.
All his emotions that he had tried to control and stay calm for the past few days gathered like dark clouds in his mind. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was meant to leave this planet one day. Free himself and his mother from slavery. See the stars. Meet the Jedi. Hopefully become one. Make friends on other worlds, and for once in his life be truly free.
Time continued on, but the sand sent up by the Sand Beasts powerful steps stayed suspended in the air. As it neared Anakin it suddenly froze, confusion on its face. Everything around Anakin began rising and being drawn towards himself.
The Sand Beast instinctively began pulling away from the unknown force that was drawing it towards the child in front of it, feeling the dark atmosphere had begun crushing down on it. Like it was staring into the mouth of a Gorog, the Sand Beast felt like it was the prey of an unstoppable predator that it had foolishly wandered in front of.
Then Anakin screamed out. Like an eruption of power with him at the epicentre of it all. Sand flew in all directions. The Sand Beast was blown away like a tent being caught in the wind of a sandstorm.
Anakin screamed and feeling something he's only every felt before but was never able to touch. The sensation flowed through him, uncontrollably but in the state Anakin was in he didn't care. Almost like he was the conduit for it, pushing it in a direction he desired. It answered and obeyed his command. It felt almost like a sandstorm was flowing into himself and he then used it to push everything around himself.
Not realising the extent of what he was doing the ground underneath Anakin began to shake. Tatooine itself was losing its own hold on staying stable.
The force itself rushed to Tatooine answering Anakin's call to it in his pained state. And soon the whole planet shook.