Good day all,

In the chaos of days, writing has given me a bit of an escape. I hope this chapter finds you all well – from here, events begin to snowball. There is a lot of critical information contained within this chapter, some hidden from your eyes.

Stay safe and healthy, my friends.

Happy Writing,

Eliana

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The setting sun warmed the walls and roofs of their makeshift camp, and by the time it set and gave way for the glowing stars and moons the two padawans found sanctuary atop the roof of one of the taller buildings. They rested back against the old stone cover, eyes studying the glowing constellations that were, incrementally each day, becoming blocked by debris and the growing blockade around the planet.

Ahsoka had fallen silent a good time ago as her younger friend spoke, knowing well that if she stopped the words he carefully ground out that he would never start again. He had described all manner of things to her that she had asked about – his time with his master, what he had been learning since they had last spoke, the shadow that stretched over them now … a huge bubble leaked out the smallest bit of air, and she got at least some answers.

She had exchanged his experience with hers so that it was fair (at first), but when she had finally, cautiously, pressed on the still-sealing wound that Tombur had pulled open earlier that day she had been surprised that he was willing to indulge her. He spoke at a distance, but distance was enough. She had to focus on Djibourdi in order to hear him and understand his words since he couldn't find it in himself to speak in anything more than a fleeting whisper… but if that was the cost for her to be able to give him an edge of peace, she was willing to do it.

When he grew silent with a deep breath, she took her own. Finally, she softly ran her tongue over her lips so she could articulate her words and spoke softly.

"I've…never heard the story of a Jedi told that way. He really is evil…"

Her companion gave a hum of thought, then surprised her.

"…not wholly evil, Ahsoka. Lost."

That drew her to raise her upper body onto her elbows and lean to face him, expression contorted with disbelief.

"You can't really believe that, Dji," she almost sounded as though she was chiding him, "What he did was evil – you didn't tell me much and I already think that. There's nothing 'lost' about causing that kind of torture to someone, no one deserves that-"

She cut herself off before she could finish the statement the way she had wanted.

Especially you.

The softly glowing golden eyes gazed upon her warmly, her friend's face giving her a wise look.

"Insanity is not evil, but all evil is insane."

At her quirked eyebrows, he offered an amused – yet sheepish- smile.

"You think he was insane?"

"IS insane," he softly corrected, eyes wandering back to the glowing stars above them. She had thought that was all she would get out of him that night, and so was surprised when he offered: "Please accept my condolences on the loss of your friend."

She treaded lightly into that zone.

"And the same for your grandmaster."

She didn't miss the slight change in her friend's eyes before she laid herself back again, tenuously tapping his signature through the Force and finding it thrumming softly. Normally. There was enough space for her to push a bit, she decided.

"What did you mean this morning?"

He didn't answer.

"I trust you, your master trusts you, I don't doubt that my master trusts you or he wouldn't have let you go for me and Kachi alone….so why don't you trust yourself?"

He was still silent, so she allowed the inquiry to float heavily in the air. After a long pause she heard him take a breath and shift slightly, so she tried again.

"Your grandmaster trusted you too, I'm sure."

"That was his first mistake."

She almost choked on the air she sucked in at that statement…but Djibourdi didn't move. She felt his signature pulse suddenly with a mix of emotion before it was quickly quashed, and settled herself in as he clenched his hands where they had been resting on his stomach. When she turned her head to look at him she noted the shadow, and when she offered a soft bit of peace through the Force he finally began to whisper to her again.

"The battle we had finished was the largest one we had been involved in… Warren had taken me with him while we went out to make sure the civilians were settling back into their homes. We were on our way back when something called my attention to the field behind us."

She didn't expect him to laugh, but concerningly he softly did.

"I still don't know what it was. I should've easily heard them coming, I always have before…that's why Warren brought me with him, I think. I didn't. They filed in from all sides – we never stood a chance."

All he could hear was the wind screaming in his ears as the rain soaked their bodies, both he and Warren sprinting, as fast as their bleeding and exhausted bodies would take them, back toward the battlefield that lay in the distance. The blood streaming from the Master's stomach wound was nothing compared to the torrent that had dyed Djibourdi's clothes red from where it leaked from his torn lekku. The lightheadedness was beginning to set in fully now, and his grandmaster had a firm grip on his right arm to keep him upright as they ran.

One desperate strike of a blue lightsaber felled one of their pursuers and their hound before both Jedi shot into the trees. They didn't make it very far before the Togruta tripped on his own feet in a daze, pulling them both to a halt and forcing Warren to catch him before he went straight to the ground. The human took a quick assessment of his surroundings and situation and, with a deep breath and an accepting nod, he pulled the weakened teenager to the remains of a transport that had been wedged deep into the undergrowth. He swiftly swept the younger off of his feet, lifting him and setting him into the intact holding space with a finalizing grunt.

Djibourdi let out a few confused clicks when his foggy mind cleared and he realized the space wasn't big enough for the two of them – and that melted into terror that Warren shushed as he reached out to him. The younger let his grandmaster frame his face with drenched hands, not understanding that smile that graced his lips before the master leaned forward to press their foreheads together. In the distance, Djibourdi could hear their attackers coming… and his grandmaster must have as well as he pulled back, leaning up just a bit more to plant a feathered kiss to the drenched red forehead. The padawan was grateful for the human supporting him since he had begun to shake and tremble with the shock of blood loss, but the slowing stream of blood from the back of his head picked up speed with the anxiety that sped up his heart. He didn't understand – he wanted to demand to know what Warren was thinking, but that time would never come.

Warren let his thumbs trail his grand-padawan's cheeks one more time before he suddenly let go, reached over to grasp the top of the open blast shield, pulled it shut, then jammed it with a destroyed piece of durasteel that lay not too far away. His eyes were squeezed shut against the crying wails of protest from the teenager that he had trapped – and then they were open with a light of determination as he turned and charged up the hill right to where their attackers approached, one blue lightsaber meeting their weapons with unvented fury.

All Djibourdi could hear when the swings of the lightsaber grew silent were screams…and he wasn't entirely sure who they belonged to.

"By the time I had finally gotten back out I had bled out pretty bad," his voice sounded far away, accent heavy as his eyes locked on one of the moons above them, "I went up to go find him. They had…tore him up. He wasn't really there anymore and… I probably should have just put an end to that pain, ja? He couldn't breathe right, he was too far gone for me to really help."

Ahsoka watched him raise a palm to the space above his face as if to study it.

"But when it came to that, when it was time…" he trailed off, then rested his hand back onto his stomach, "I couldn't do it. I just had this feeling that he wanted to go out on his terms….and I guess I was right. He just smiled at me one more time then the light was gone from his eyes. When more of those guys started coming back looking for me, I just wanted to rip them up like they did him. I wanted their blood on my teeth so badly that it's shameful."

"But you didn't," Ahsoka phrased it almost like a question, and frowned at the blip of shame that she felt echoing from him.

"No. I couldn't do it in anger… Warren's honor meant more to me than that, and I couldn't hardly see straight with that hit I took. So I just… pulled him onto a piece of scrap from the wreck nearby and ran."

He grunted the last word.

"I ran…. Like a coward. Tombur thinks I got that wound because they attacked us afterward. I don't remember much after I ran into our patrol besides the feeling that I didn't belong in his presence."

He gestured vaguely to the fight going on in space above them all.

"He's onboard the Renaissance. We transferred control of that ship when we landed here – Tom wants to take him to Coruscant for an honorable burial… he doesn't understand why I wouldn't present his weapons he would be buried with. I shouldn't be given that honor."

"And what does your master say about you tearing yourself apart like this?"

When he offered no answer Ahsoka was quick to sit up, turning herself so she could look down at him. When he wouldn't meet her eyes, she suddenly understood.

"You haven't told him."

Her friend's head shook in a negative response. She wanted to grab him by the collar of his shirt and drag him to his master right then to clear up that misunderstanding – instead, she swallowed her emotion and chose to softly chide him, hoping to stir him into action.

"Dji, he would never blame you for something that wasn't your fault – why haven't you told him?!"

"Warren was his master."

"That makes it more important!"

"Just as important as you telling Master Skywalker of your feelings of shame surrounding your friend's death? Do you not believe me to want you to relieve yourself of that burden as well?" his eyes had finally moved to look into hers. He had a solid point – and she clamped her mouth shut firmly at it. His voice was weary when he continued, "What kind of closure will it bring to him for me to tell him the truth, Ahsoka? That I was trapped like some wounded animal while I heard my grandmaster get ripped to shreds… and then ran like a deserter? I think the modicum of peace that came with him finally seeing the little bit that he did is enough."

"I don't agree," she ground back, a huff leaving her chest. After a second she could hear the 'click' of the proverbial lightbulb above her head go off, "Okay, what about a deal?"

Her friend's quirked eyebrow ridge and curious expression below her prompted her to continue.

"I tell Sky Guy about Steela, you tell Tombur about Master Stilicho."

It was a hard sell. To her joy, after a heavy moment of consideration he gave her an exasperated glance. She had won. She reached her right hand over him to offer a handshake, and with humored roll of his eyes he reached out and accepted.

"Alright then. When we get them alone again, we have to spill….wait, why did I sign up for this?"

He gave her a loose shrug, clearly mildly amused that she had weaseled herself into a corner. He turned his face to the roof hatch to both of their right, spying a set of montrals pop up after the hatch was open. Cautiously Eddy's head popped up and swiveled around and then, spotting them both, he gave a relieved sigh.

"Listen, both of you can't go disappearing at the same time. I'm too old to be trying to keep track of three kids," he offered, climbing the rest of the way onto the roof and pulling up a small crate behind him.

"Probably too old to be climbing ladders too," Ahsoka shot back, grinning at the snort that her friend unintentionally allowed to escape.

Eddy feigned clutching a wound as he drew closer with the crate, pouting at her.

"Your words wound me deeply, young lady. How could you speak to me like that? And you, mister," he nudged Djibourdi's shoulder as he pulled himself upright, "I thought we were on the same side, here."

"Dji just picks the winning side," Ahsoka informed him, crossing her arms with a finalizing nod before gesturing to the container, "What is that?"

"A few things," the doctor told her cryptically, pulling it open and allowing the alluring scent of food to hit the air, "first is dinner because both of you decided to not join us – your master says you're skipping meditation tonight and if you protest I'm supposed to yell at you," he informed Djibourdi before pulling the food out and rummaging through the rest, "and I brought a light and a book. A holiday is coming and I was thinking you would both like to learn about it. What do you think?"

Ahsoka's enthusiastic agreement and Djibourdi's shy half-smile were enough for him, and he passed them both their respected meals, settling himself with a bit of jerky and listening to Ahsoka's amusing tale of what the two had been up to that day. She had helped her friend with his herbs and learned a bit of their uses (she didn't find this overly exciting but had gone through it with an endearing effort), and she had taught him a bit of mechanics and the internal workings of the gunships she and her master were trying to repurpose into electrical hubs. She had found out rather quickly that machines…were not his forte.

Just as they had finished their meal Kachina's upset cries met their ears, and Ahsoka grinned over the edge of the roof where she watched Anakin attempt to figure out how to settle her down again. He was failing badly, and after watching him flounder she took pity on him.

"I'll go get her. I'll be right back," she told them both, flinging herself right off the side of the roof – much to Djibourdi's amusement and Eddy's chagrin.

"Jedi," the doctor whispered to himself aloud, moving to set up the little lamp he had brought behind their heads on the roof.

It took him a moment to realize that his present company was completely checked out, sitting with his face toward the moon and his eyes glazed over in some form of deep thought. He was clearly still thinking about something, Eddy told himself as he noted the twitching nerves of his face and neck, and whatever it was… was not his friend. He allowed the teenager a few more moments to muddle through whatever he was seeing, then called out to him.

"Dji?"

The padawan didn't respond.

"Djibourdi? Lene?"

His hand barely brushed the cloth-covered knee but it was enough to bring his young friend crashing back into his body with a startled gulp of air, arms jumping in front of him in defense.

"Woah, steady," the doctor's voice spoke evenly, his hands raised in a gesture of peace. When his companion relaxed, he did too, "Where did you go?"

Golden eyes blinked at him before they turned back to the moons, the slightest of frowns turning the red lips downward.

"I don't know."

That wasn't the answer he had been expecting, and he tested the boundary by lightly tapping the younger's knee again. It wasn't rejected. Djibourdi's statement wasn't a dodge – he had been completely sincere in what he said, and now Eddy could only watch his eyes wander back to the moons above. He went to speak again but stopped when Ahsoka came landing back on the roof, Kachina held securely to herself as she stood straight again.

"I swear, you boys would all be lost without me," she mused.

"I don't think any one of us would argue that, dear one," Eddy told her with a laugh, moving himself so he sat fully to Djibourdi's right and Ahsoka moved to sit to his left. The book the doctor had brought with him was retrieved and he brought it to rest on his lap, "Now then, what say you all to a little story time?"

"I say yes, only because you seem so into it," the older padawan told him, sitting Kachina against her so that she could hold the toddler upright.

"Alright then. I found this in one of the crawl spaces in the huts," Eddy told them all, reaching behind them to flip on the warm light and illuminate the old hard-covered book, "It's a book of legends and history, and there's one in particular I thought you all would enjoy. But first, I would like to introduce you both to the ancestors."

He pulled open the heavy book to a marked page, fingers smoothing out the creases so that they could all see the images scrawled on the pages. Old world Togruti was beautifully penned all around the pictures of the Togruta that looked back to them, and with a note of fascination Ahsoka noted that each person had an animal near them. There were nine – five male, four female… all so very oddly familiar.

"These are the Elders. The Chosen," Eddy told them warmly, "those that preceded you three. Every Jedi and every Force sensitive in the world descends from them – and those that inherit the atavism of Endrati are the closest related to them. The first –"

He flipped the page to reveal a man.

"Is Karaci. He is the guardian spirit of the waters of our planet, blessing us and our world with life-sustaining gifts. His totem is the tulupi heron-hawk of the western mountains. Then comes Loren."

He moved to the next page.

"He is the great guardian of the snows that coat our mountains and keep our planet cool – his familiar is the tersian polarsaber, the saber-toothed hunter of the arctic."

The next page showed two Togruta.

"Then the twins, Nuet and Geib. Nuet is the guardian of the skies with her totem being the emerald-feathered Mesanon, and Geib is the great guardian of the earth. His totem is an ancient creature we call the thresher… it's said that it can crush mountains in its jaws."

"I remember that creature," Ahsoka told them all, reaching across Djibourdi to tap the picture of the four-legged bird on the page, "Anakin and I rode one to the hospital those years ago."

"Yes you did," was the affirmation, then Eddy gave a slight nod to Kachina, "this little one's maternal DNA links back to Nuet."

The next page showed an animal none of them really expected – an akul.

"Kremus is the guardian of tribes, he brings them together by reminding them of the dangers of solidarity. His totem is the akul."

Another parge turn showed two Togruta, one male and one female.

"Brother and sister, Shaos and Shalima. They are the guardian spirits of the moons and the stars, and both of their totems are kybuck."

Ahsoka recognized the animal on the next page… and it surprised her almost as much as the Akul.

"Galadria is the guardian spirit of the hunt – she is represented by the raxshir."

He paused for a moment to look at all three of the younger faces near him, and posed the question: "Do you all remember Aarent?"

"Yes, the woman who helped us."

"That's right," he smiled at Ahsoka, tapping the image again, "her ancestor is Galadria."

The eighth page showed a man who stood in the shadow of a bear.

"Beiren is the guardian spirit of protection – he reminds us that loyalty and courage always stem from our ability to face fear. He is represented by the great roxbear."

The last page he turned to had Ahsoka breathing out a sigh, her eyes captivated with what she saw drawn on that piece of paper. The hand-drawn image of the woman looking back to her was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen… and the birthmarks that the artist had given her made her look all-too-familiar.

"Oh, she's…" Ahsoka had to take a breath, "She's beautiful."

"Funny enough that you would say that," the oldest of the group told her with a wry smile, "She is special for you and Dji."

"Is that her?" Ahsoka asked the other padawan next, and he gave her a small nod and a half-smile.

"Ma'dra Anari."

That was his only answer, but it echoed through her mind. Anari… she seemed so different than the others on the pages before, and it took a moment before Ahsoka pinpointed the first oddity.

"She has two animals," she stated to no one in particular, then looked to Eddy, "Why?"

"Anari is the guardian spirit of many things in our world Ahsoka. She is viewed as the giver of life and the guardian of the light, but also the guardian that protects us in the passage of death… and as the Harbinger."

"The Harbinger?"

"Yes," the eldest offered, bringing the book a bit closer so that they could all see the writing on the page, "She has two totems depending on which path she is guiding you on: the trumeti wolf or the scarlet fox. The holiday that will be here in a few days is the celebration of both sides of Anari and what she guides us through – and legend says that she will pick which path will come for not only our world but the children in the universe as well."

He skipped a couple pages to the next bookmark, showing them the text that was printed there.

"If she sees that the light is coming, she will take on the form of the wolf and lead all of us, her pack, to that sanctity. If she sees that the darkness is coming, she will call to the fox to defend our people and outwit our enemies – I honestly can't tell you much about what the Harbinger is….it is mentioned here but it doesn't specify. Tocarra would know more."

The amount of information that was presented here was enough to make Ahsoka's head spin. She was learning so much about her people – so much about her own history that she had so long been denied. Casting a glance behind her, she gestured to her companions.

"Let's go lean up against the chimney… holding Kachi is making me a bit tired."

They agreed and all scuttled a bit further up the roof to lean back against the chimney, Kachi suddenly reaching out and grasping toward the second youngest among them.

"I think she wants to be with you for a little while," Ahsoka told her friend as she stood in front of where he sat, giving him a firm look at his nervous one, "You won't hurt her, Dji. We all trust you."

After a moment he hesitantly accepted the sleepy toddler, still skiddish when she curled against his torso and chest and mumbled tiredly. Ahsoka, satisfied, planted herself back to his left side, watching Eddy move to prop the book atop Djibourdi's knees that were drawn toward his charge. She reached out through the Force to soothe her friend's hesitation, finding happily that he had already released it on its way.

Eddy's voice was a warm baritone as he read them through the scripture on the approaching holiday, one that would be marked when the four moons in front of them formed a diamond in the sky with all of their neighboring planets visible in the center. It hadn't happened in centuries, he told them, so they might be fortunate enough to see it. It was calming to hear his words hum through the night air, even soothing as he softly sang through the ballad that he said was called 'For the Honor of the Harbinger'.

Stars and spirits of our blessed Elders

Calls us all to this sacred place

Each guardian bows to honor

Bringer's rise and reign

Far from their mark and their deepest anger

Smitten down with righteous blaze

This sunrise is your freedom calling, to run your race

Strike the bells and hail the thunder

Call together to our fallen kin

The clash of steel and the crush of thunder

Bound their sin

Ooh, the echoes of all eternity

Oh, the spirits call to thee

Ooh, we honor your great destiny

Oh, the spirits call to thee

Honor be to thee

The doctor noticed not long after that two of his young friends were sleeping softly now, and a calm smile painted his face – no such blessing found the younger padawan who sat, Kachina snoozing on his chest and Ahsoka resting on his shoulder, staring off into the mountains in the distance. He looked concerned, defiant, and worn all at once…so when he spoke again, voice quiet and humble, it spoke loudly to his protector.

"Eddy?"

The doctor convinced himself that the teenager kept his voice low to not wake his sleeping friends, but something in him knew better.

"Yeah, bud?"

Djibourdi, not tearing his eyes from the forests and mountains in the distance, darted a tongue over his lips anxiously then pressed out:

"Can you…can you just keep reading, please? It's…"

He couldn't finish that statement but when his arms squeezed Kachina a bit tighter and he pressed himself incrementally closer to Ahsoka, he didn't need to. Eddy felt his expression soften.

"Of course I can," he moved to set the book down, then explained, "I've gotta move you a bit closer, I need both hands."

When they settled again Djibourdi's head leaned back against the junction of the doctor's collarbone and shoulder, Eddy's arm wrapped around the side of his ribs and grasping the book in front of him.

"Is this okay?" came the question, and at the slight bob of the teenager's head his other hand reached out to open the book again, "Now, where should we start?"

A gesturing finger from Djibourdi had him softly reading the words from the page in elegant Togruti, hoping the change in language would ease the frayed nerves that were echoing next to him. He couldn't see the thing that caused that gnawing worry – the two sets of eyes that stared them down fell like a dense stone through water before they reached him. But to his young companion who desperately told himself that they weren't there, stared straight back to them both, one on the mountain and one in the trees, with a defiance and dare that he prayed he would never have to substantiate.

When they finally, incrementally, heeded his warning and vanished he finally fell into a tense sleep with only Eddy's vibrating chest giving him a grasp of reality.

Below them, Anakin and Tombur shared a look.

"Should we call them down or leave them?"

Anakin's question didn't need to be asked – but he had become so accustomed to the straight-lined ways of his fellow Jedi that he often forgot that Tombur was too much like himself to ignore.

"Leave them… I'll wait to call the rank until he's up in the morning."

"He did well."

"As did Ahsoka."

They shared an odd look, and then Tombur asked:

"Feel up to a spar in the morning, Iron-Hand?"

"Oh you're on, old man."

"Old?! I'm younger than you, you walking soda biscuit," Tom faux-snarled to him as they began their journey toward his room.

"Yeah…the white hair throws me off."

"It's genetic."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, gramps."

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I hope you all enjoyed it. There is a mass of detail here that is critical to the future – read through again carefully!

Happy Writing,

Eliana