Now, forewarning, I have a little bit of an idea of where I'm taking this. But as of posting this, I only have three chapters written.
But I hope you Enjoy Careful Anger!
~Silverleone
I sprinted through the trees, my breathing quick and short as I focused on my surroundings. My green blade hummed its electrical hum as I held it beside me. I leaped over a fallen log and landed with a roll before leaping ahead once more, bouncing nimbly off a few trees before landing again, hardly slowing in my speed.
A blue flash of light off to my left came a second after a warning from the Force, making me lean back and drop to my knees, sliding for a second before righting myself. I spun and blocked an overhead strike, a smile on my face.
"Come on Kate, you can do better than that!" I laughed as I shoved the offending blade back and leaped away, ignoring the annoyed scream.
"Don't call me that!" I smirked as my feet pounded across the ground. I couldn't see her face, but I could hear the humor slipping through in her voice. Kalenta only allowed me to call her that when we were goofing off, and she was trying to take this seriously. I was supposed to be helping her train, which I was, but I had to have a little fun. I ducked to the side, pushing off a tree to fly to my left, out of the way of a flying tackle.
I spun around and we traded saber strikes, the clashes sounding loudly in our ears. I ducked under a high slash and grabbed her wrist. She switched her saber to her off hand and swung quickly. I backed off to avoid it and we continued trading strikes. I used an opening to hop back and we both sprinted to the side. We jumped, slid, flipped, and parried as our blades became blurs moving through the trees.
This went on for a short minute before I leaped high, landing on a tree branch. She followed with a roar, her black ponytail and Padawan braid whipping behind her. I blocked a wild swing, only for her to grab the branch I was on as she fell. With a grunt, she cut the branch between her hand and my foot. I let out a yelp of surprise and extinguished my lightsaber before falling heavily onto another branch below. I coughed before I dropped so I was holding on with one hand and fell the rest of the way to the forest floor.
"I had you! Get back here!" I looked up to see Kalenta sliding down the fairly angled tree trunk. She leaped at me and I brought my saber up, igniting the blade just in time to block her attack. Her momentum was too forward, and she ended up falling past me as I pushed up against her weight. She gasped but twisted around midair, only to land and kick out my legs. I gasped myself and landed with a cough. Her blade pointed at my nose, mere inches from it.
"There!" She said through her heavy breathing. I grunted and shoved my empty hand forward. Blood roared in my ears as I called on the Force. A small push, almost like a sharp breeze, knocked her off balance. She let out a short scream in shock as she landed hard on the ground.
I brought my legs up to my stomach and kicked up, bringing myself to a crouch. I lunged forward and pinned her arm with my right hand, and held my blade inches from her face, our positions now reversed.
"Pinned ya." She scowled at that before extinguishing her lightsaber, signaling I had won. I turned off my own blade and stood up, holding out my free hand. She took it and I helped her to her feet. "You're getting faster. You caught up in no time today."
"It's still not enough." She said, obviously disappointed. I put my hand on her shoulder.
"You're right. But you did pin me for a second. You definitely caught me by surprise cutting that branch." I reached down and clipped my saber to my belt. Kalenta nodded, though I could still see in her eyes it didn't quite pull her out of her funk. I looked up as someone else stepped into the spot of forest we were walking through. I bowed my head. "Master Plo Koon."
"Padawan Jondu." He acknowledged before turning to his own apprentice. "Kalenta, how did you do?"
"I had him down…for about a second." She started to say something else, but I gripped her shoulder a little. She liked to beat up on herself much more than most. I was trying to cut the habit, and so was her Master.
"She did well, Master. Much better than last time." I caught a hint of something from the younger human and focused on it. It wasn't quite resentment, but something didn't sit right with the look she had on her face.
"That is good to hear. Shall we return to the Temple?" Both of our eyes widened in surprise.
"Really?" Kalenta asked hopefully. I tilted my head, thinking about how much time had passed.
"Has it really been three months?"
"It hasn't but something in the Force tells me we need to return. I am needed at the temple for an unknown reason."
'That's…strange…we were supposed to be out here far longer than this.' I shook my head to rid myself of the thoughts. I shouldn't question a Master's decision. Especially someone as respected as Master Plo. I nodded and started walking towards the town we were staying in.
"Alright, let's get back then. I want to see my Master anyways. I've got something I need to discuss with him."
"And what might that be, Padawan?" I winced, knowing I shouldn't have let that tidbit slip.
"Ah, a uh, private matter, I'm afraid, Master Plo."
"Understood." The second or two pause before that single word told me all I needed to know. That was NOT the end of that conversation, I could tell.
We made our way back and packed our things, Kate and I quickly cleaning ourselves up after our training session. We boarded our transport and we were off before the hour was up.
««{{¤}}»»
We landed at the temple and departed from the shuttle. Master Plo Koon told us to head back to our rooms. I bit farewell to both of them and ran off. I waved at anyone I recognized as I headed towards the lift, then to my room. I dropped my stuff on my bed and quickly went to find my Master.
Master Requa Sebaal had been my master since I was 12 and we had grown as close as Master and Padawan could. A surrogate father if you will. He taught me almost everything I know regarding dueling and the Force, though I have obtained a few bits of knowledge on my own.
When I had first found something regarding Kyber crystals and their near sentience, he was pleasantly surprised. He did warn me to stick to the Jedi archives and not listen to rumors that floated around the temple. I had quickly agreed.
I soon found Master Sebaal resting near one of the fountains placed throughout the temple. I approached and stood in front of him.
"Master, I'm back."
"I know, I could sense your relief since you landed." I snorted. The charcoal skinned Twi'lek looked at me with orange eyes. Many were shocked when they learned he was very attuned to the Light side of the Force, given that shades of red, orange, or yellow eyes could be seen as results of a strong connection to the Dark side. But his eyes were completely natural.
"I was pleasantly surprised to find out we were returning early. How did your mission to Ryloth go?"
"It was, uneventful. Not a single issue."
"Or just none that you can tell me?" I deadpanned. He smirked and I rolled my eyes. He knew I hated it when he had to keep missions confidential. I wasn't a gossip but hearing of adventures from more experienced Jedi like him were always interesting.
"Is Kalenta improving?" He asked. I nodded.
"Though she won't admit it to anyone. She surprised me during our last session."
"I am impressed. It takes a lot to catch you off guard." I nodded, my smile growing in pride for my friend. My Master stood up and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I don't have any training planned at the moment. Shall we take that rare trip into the city?" My eyes brightened.
"I'm not going to complain!" He laughed and we made our way towards the temple entrance. We had just stepped outside when I heard my name being called.
"Jondu! Wait up!" I turned to see Kalenta running over.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Can I come with you guys? Master Plo has a mission that he can't take me on." She frowned. "He said something about a foreboding feeling…" She looked worried, so I put a hand on her shoulder.
"Well, I'm sure he'll be fine. He's one of the strongest Jedi Masters out there."
"I think it was the Force warning him about something. Something bad." I pursed my lips a little in concentration, reaching out and touching the Force. Nothing in the ways of a warning came through. Master Sebaal spoke up.
"If it is, Master Plo Koon is vigilant in the Force, he will be okay." Kalenta and I both nodded. I smiled and pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind.
"Let's go. I want us to forget for a while about those responsibilities." My Master shot me a look but I could see the humor in his eyes.
"Very well, my young Padawan." It was my turn to shoot him a look.
"I'm almost 20!" He laughed, louder this time, and we headed out.