The following morning
After waking up, Karel and Hamar went straight to meet with Tarfful, who was having breakfast with most of his warriors. Informing the chieftain of his findings, Hamar advised to wait for the right moment to strike, to which Tarfful agreed. After finishing their meal, they walked with Tarfful when an elder male Wookiee approached them. His dark brown hair was visibly greying, an indication of his old age. He held firmly to his walking staff using his right hand and stopped in front of the two humans and the Chieftain. When he reached them, Tarfful and Hamar bowed. Taking the hint, Karel did so too. Noticing the elder approach him, Hamar bowed again.
"He saw it," he said, looking at his son still with his head down. Karel looked up shyly to see the elder Wookiee looking down at him. Noticing his son's confusion, Hamar intervened. "It's okay. This is Grakabukk, he's the leader of the Tree Carers. They are a family responsible for protecting the forests."
"Uhh, hi," the boy answered, laughing nervously. Grakabukk looked at him before growling and turning away. Karel turned to his father, who was almost as confused as him. He seemed to have sensed his unsaid question.
"He said we have to go with him. He has to talk to you," he explained, not turning his gaze from the elder Wookiee walking away.
"This is about the shyyyo bird, isn't it?" Karel asked, plainly.
"Most likely, yes," Hamar replied. Karel sighed as his father turned to talk to Tarfful.
"If you'll excuse us," said Hamar. The chieftain nodded and the two Mandalorians left with Grakabukk. They followed him in silence outside the tree and towards Tree Vikkilynn, another one of the inhabited wroshyr trees that made up Kachirho. He led them to a large branch near the top of the tree until they arrived at a small home where the rest of the Tree Carer family awaited for them. They entered a small room and Karel took a moment to appreciate his surroundings. The walls were covered with all sorts of artifacts and some kind of seeds, but what stood out was a shrine at the end of the room, where a small flame was kept alight. As he attended to the flame, Grakabukk growled. Hamar quickly sat down and set his helmet to his right, with his son sitting at his left. Now sitting in front of the pair, Grakabukk spoke and Hamar translated for him.
"To sight the shyyyo bird is a rare thing indeed, especially for an outsider. What is your name?" the shaman asked. His gaze was fixed on Karel, indicating that his question was directed at him and not his father.
"Karel," he whispered, barely audible to the Wookiee.
"Karel, son of Hamar. The trees told us you would come. We have been expecting you."
"M-Me?" Karel asked, confused.
"Indeed. The balance of our world has been devastated, and it is your destiny to reestablish it."
"Mine? But I'm just a kid," Karel answered. He felt small compared with the mighty Wookiee he was talking to. Although old it was clear that Grakabukk had seen many things that would be best left to the imagination.
"Perhaps, but even the greatest warriors were once children. To fulfill your destiny you must first unlock your rrakktorr."
"What is that?" he asked intrigued.
"Your inner strength and fire. It is the essence of the warrior. Just as the katarn taught us how to unlock ours a thousand generations ago, we will teach you to find yours. Only then will you be able to restore the balance of our world and drive away the invaders."
A heavy silence filled the room as Karel turned his gaze to the floor.
"I can't do this," he thought to himself. Noticing how distraught his son was, Hamar laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. Pulled out of his trance and turning to look at his father in the eyes, the last words that his grandfather ever said to him echoed through his mind. "You are a Mandalorian. You are a warrior."
Karel turned to look back at Grakabukk, who was patiently waiting for an answer. With a determined look, Karel spoke without hesitation.
"What do I have to do?"
He might be a child, but he is a Mandalorian after all.
**********
Reflecting on the recent events, Karel couldn't stop thinking about the responsibility bestowed upon him. Over the past three months or so he had basically absorbed all he had been taught by the Wookiees. He had learnt their main language of Shyriiwook, as well as the lesser-known Thykarann, and how to hunt and survive in the jungles. For the task of today he had been ordered to climb the Origin Tree, the tallest tree in Kashyyyk. Cursing under his breath for not having claws like the Wookiees to help him in this endeavor, he stopped to take a brief rest as he reached a large area big enough to easily hold the Hawk.
"And here I thought veshok trees were tall," he muttered.
He panted for air as he reached inside his bag for his canteen and a piece of haarshun bread his father had cooked for him. He soaked the bread in the water to soften it before devouring the ration and taking another swig of his fresh water. He was already exhausted and there was still at least another quarter to go if he wanted to reach the top of the tree, not to mention the climb back down. As he started walking around the area he noticed something white laying on the floor. Picking it up he noticed it was a feather, leading him to deduce this was some sort of nest. The soft feather was just barely smaller than his torso and he couldn't stop asking himself what kind of creature would have feathers that big.
As if on cue, a thumping sound came from behind him, followed by a loud shriek that harmed his ears. Karel froze in shock before slowly turning to see the shyyyo bird. For some odd reason, Karel wasn't afraid when he observed the creature in all its glory, an honor only a few must have had in all of galactic history. He was blinded by its magnificent snow-white feathers, paralyzed by its spear-like horns, and dumbstruck by its elegant posture. But he was not afraid. What he found most captivating of the creature were its crimson eyes. Karel was so fascinated by them that he forgot for a moment that those very same eyes could be the last thing he ever saw. The bird shrieked again, bringing Karel back to reality as it slowly approached him making great strides. Realizing what was happening, a brief rush of fear ran through his veins before he quickly composed himself.
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, not like I could anyway," he said calmly. He carefully set the feather down and raised his arms in front of him, trying to show he meant no harm. The shyyyo bird stopped in front of him and stood tall and menacing, blocking the sun from view as it looked down upon him. "I'm sorry if I bothered you. I-I didn't know this was your home."
The bird looked to be contemplating his words, almost as if it understood him. Karel closed his eyes fearing the worst would happen to him. The last thing he expected was for the bird to lower its head to his height, pinning him between its horns as he stood just a couple of meters away from its head. Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself once again enthralled by those of the bird, which now seemed to have a core of yellow in them, and Karel felt they were looking right into his soul. Karel took a few careful steps and slowly reached with his right hand, trying not to scare the creature as if that was even possible. Carefully, he touched the bird's beak and a low sound of approval came from it as it blinked slowly. He carefully moved his hand through the surprisingly smooth surface, before traveling to the slightly more gritty texture of the horns. Not wanting to overstep the boundaries, he lowered his hand and smiled at the bird. The creature stood tall again, before unclipping its wings and taking off. Karel looked as the creature disappeared back into the clouds and laughed to himself.
"They're going to love this," he muttered. He picked up the feather he had found and carefully put it in his bag. Deciding that he had climbed enough for the day, he started his long descent back to the base of the tree.
**********
Reaching the base of the Origin Tree, Karel could see that many Wookiees were gathered there. His father stood out wearing his Mandalorian armor and as the only human waiting. He appeared to be speaking with Tarfful and Grakabukk. Some of the other members of the Tree Carers and a handful of Tarfful's warriors had also accompanied them.
"So, how was it? Did you reach the top?" Hamar asked, smirking.
"Not exactly. I got... distracted." Karel answered, not wanting to ruin the surprise.
"Distracted? By what?"
"By this."
Karel reached in his bag and slowly took out the feather of the shyyyo bird, holding it out for all to see. Shock overtook everyone and Grakabukk almost dropped his staff.
"Is that... a shyyyo bird feather?" Hamar asked in disbelief.
"It is. I had almost reached the top of the tree when I got to what I think is the nest of the bird. And that's not everything," Karel said, walking up to Tarfful and Grakabukk.
"There's more?" Hamar asked as Grakabukk carefully picked up the feather. He examined it for a moment before handing it over to Tarfful.
"I... I touched the bird. I was at the nest when it landed and it spotted me. I thought it would attack me but instead it let me touch it. After it left I took that feather and came back here."
Tarfful and Grakabukk looked at each other in disbelief, the latter turned and growled loudly for everyone to hear. Karel smiled knowingly as he heard the announcement.
"He is ready."
