Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.

Shin groaned quietly. Her whole body was cold and aching. She forced her eyes open, and immediately became aware of three very alarming things. One, she was in a cave. Two, she was hanging upside down. And three, the Empire had killed her mother. Nothing could be done about that last one, and now wasn't the time to think about it. Shin looked up and saw that she had been suspended by what looked like a thick white string tied around her ankles. Except that string wasn't string. Shin felt slightly nauseous when she realized that she was mostly likely in a spider-wolf den. Or maybe she was just nauseous from hanging upside down. Not too far away, was a stalactite. If I start swinging, Shin thought, maybe I can grab onto it. It took a few minutes of figuring out, but she eventually managed to get herself swinging. She reached for the stalactite, and missed, then tried again and managed to grab it. The webbing that had been holding her up snapped and she lost her grip on the stalactite. She fell, thankfully not too far, and landed with a thud. From within the shadows of the cave, there was a low growl. Shin scrambled back towards the cave entrance as a large spider-wolf emerged, followed by other slightly smaller ones. The head and body of a wolf, the legs and eyes of a spider. Adrenaline coursed through Shin's veins, but she didn't know what to do. Though she didn't know why, she found herself reaching for that strange spark feeling. Instantly she felt it ignite within her, and the spider-wolves stopped growling. The alpha drew closer, lowerd its face to level with hers, then it licked her. Hesitantly, Shin reached out and began to gently pet the spider-wolfs head, "Hey there," she said quietly, "Are we friends now?" The spider-wolf responded by linking her again. After petting it a few more times, Shin turned away and walked to the cave entrance. It was dark out, the stars twinkled in the sky and the moon cast a pale glow on the freshly fallen snow. She inhaled the freezing air, catching the scent of smoke on the breeze. Though it was some distance away, Shin could see the bright glow of the flames. Her town was burning, and she was willing to bet that it was because of the Empire. But...they had been looking for her, which meant that it was all her fault. She walked back into the cave, unable to stand the sight anymore. Kneeling in front of the alpha again, she spoke, "I know you probably don't understand me, but I need to leave this planet before I cause anything else to bad to happen, can you help me?" The spider-wolf lowered itself so that it's belly was almost on the ground.

It barked.

"You want me to ride on your back?"

Another bark.

"Okay." Shin climbed onto the spider-wolfs back, clinging tightly as it stood to its full height and began to venture deeper into the cave. Darkness completely obscured Shin's vision and she somehow felt safe enough to close her eyes.

Shin awoke to a crimson sunrise, and bitterly cold wind stinging her face. She got up, brushing snow from her clothes. Only now did she realize how inadequately dressed she was for being outside. The spider-wolves were gone, but she was now on the other side if the mountains, and the capital city was in sight. She trekked through the snow for awhile, then snuck past security and into a dark alley. She wandered aimlessly for awhile, since she didn't know her way around, but eventually stumbled across the spaceport. Without thinking, she snuck on to the closest one and hid behind a stack of boxes. She remained silent when she heard people coming aboard, and had to suppress a surprised squeak when the ship took off. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but she was sure it had been at least an hour. Her stomach growled, she hadn't eaten since lunch the day before. "Did you hear that?" A modulated male voice asked. Although she tried not to, Shin couldn't stop the small squeak that escaped.

"Yeah...let's check it out," Another modulated male voice said. Stormtroopers. Shin was stuck, backed into a corner. The sormtroopers found her.

"A stowaway," the first one said, "What should we do?"

"There's nothing we can do," the second one said, "They can take care of her when we land." Shin didn't have the energy to protest when they hauled her to her feet, and she remained silent as she sat between the two troopers for the remainder of the trip. Once they landed the troopers escorted her off of the ship and took her to a woman in an officer's uniform. The troopers explained the situation, and she dismissed them.

"Well, a stowaway," the woman said, "Such rebellious behavior is against the law you know. I think a little bit of structure and hard work are just what you need."

Baylan walked through the charred ruins of the town. He had arrived too late, but he knew Shin wasn't dead, he could barely feel her. But he felt enough to know that she lived. He searched the Force, but he couldn't pinpoint her location. The last time he'd seen her, she had just been a baby, they hadn't really formed a bond. But he would find her, no matter what.

A/N: Anyone who wants to know how Shin keeps getting so lucky, let's just say luck has nothing to do with it. She's being guided by the Force and just doesn't know it. Anyway, I apologize for any grammar mistakes. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.