Chapter 11: Dantooine Part 3
Dawn appeared on the ridge of a small hill. She was greeted by a long howl, followed by another. Out of the ruins came rushing three kath hounds, possibly the most ridiculous looking dogs she had ever seen. Their ragged fur was a horrible mix of brown, orange and grey and their deformed heads were covered in bony appendages, resembling horns but missing the sharp points to be of any danger. In fact, it was hard to come up with any practical use for the protruding bones, making her wonder if it wasn't simply a flaw of evolution.
Dawn spotted a fist sized rock and used the Force to let it float towards her, grabbing it out of the air graciously. She held it in her open palm of her outstretched hand and aimed it at one of the kath hounds. "Kaboom!" she yelled, as the Force propelled the rock forward with the speed of a cannonball. It landed squarely on the head of the first kath hound with a sickening crunch, causing it to drop down with a high-pitched whine.
The other two tried to flank her, but Dawn disappeared in a flash of green and reappeared five feet away from the kath hounds. The creatures clumsily recovered from her sudden disappearance and honed in on her again. "C'mere guys, let's play." The first one took a leap at her, which she nimbly avoided by stepping aside.
Her yellow blade surged downward in a long, sweeping blow, leaving a deep gash in the hound's neck.
From the corner of her eyes she saw the other hound charging her, but with a flick of her wrist a powerful wave pushed him off course. It let out an angry growl, letting his enemy know just what he thought about her killing his buddies. Said enemy couldn't quite care though, as Dawn went on the full offense with the last hound. Utilizing the first lightsaber form Shii-Cho – the basic form which all apprentices were taught – she sent a flurry of attacks his way. The poor creature was soon overwhelmed by the display of speed and it didn't take much effort to cut its head cleanly off.
Her gaze shifted to the ancient grove; it was time to convince the masters of her conviction. She slowly approached the structure, but before she was even halfway there, she stopped dead in her tracks when another creature exited it. This time it wasn't a dog though.
It was a cat.
Or, to be more precise, a catgirl. The alien that was approaching her was humanoid, but her entire appearance bore strong semblance to a feline on the hunt.
Much to her surprise the catgirl, a Cathar, was clad in Jedi robes, although a highly altered version of it. It consisted of a green catsuit combined with panels of brown leather. The fabric hugged the woman like a second skin, revealing long, toned limbs and a muscle clad torso that was completely free of fat, save from the small breasts. In fact, the entire woman was sinewy and lithe, like she consisted of merely bones, muscles and tendons.
The Cathar's face was quite long, with pronounced, aggressive features. The tone of her skin was sandy yellow, with a pattern of light brown stripes running across it. Her scalp was almost completely shaved, save from a single strand at the back of her head that was braided into multiple tresses held together by a yellow band. The bald head made the two long pointed ears stand out. Her lips were rather big and lush and of a brownish color, with a hint of pink.
But the most striking feature was the eyes. Her massive eyes arched down slightly, giving them an angry touch. The irises were of the brightest yellow and accentuated by long, full and dark eyelashes. The eyes were alive and expressive, Dawn felt simply drawn in to them. The face markings above the yellow eyes swept down like eyebrows that dipped deeply to the bridge of the Cathar's nose. It gave the woman a constant angry expression.
The Cathar drew not one, but two lightsabers and activated them, revealing two pristine blue blades. A regular sized lightsaber was held in her left hand, but in her right hand she carried a shoto, a lightsaber with a shorter blade.
This Cathar was a dual wielder and if she was wielding the shorter blade – the off-hand blade – in her right hand it could only mean she was left-handed. Immediately Dawn was on her guard, she had very little experience with dual wielders, as they were quite a rare breed. To top it off she had never faced a left-handed Jedi before and it would be her first encounter with a Cathar.
Dawn quickly crouched down in the Soresu opening stance, figuring she should be on the defensive at first to study her opponent's moves. Her body was positioned sideways in regards to her opponent, with her left hand outstretched in front of her and her right hand carrying her lightsaber arched backward, blade parallel to her body and pointing toward the Cathar. Her right leg was arched back as well, while her left foot was extended forward.
The Cathar meanwhile took on a stance that Dawn recognized as Ataru, the fourth lightsaber form, that focused on great speed, strength and acrobatics. A blue aura surrounded the alien and suddenly she took a massive leap, closing the twenty feet distance at once. Her two blades followed in a wide, powerful sweep.
Twin blues clashed down on lone yellow in a flash of brilliant white light. The shorter of the blue lightsabers came whirling toward her from the left corner. Dawn turned and parried, leaving her right flank exposed. The Cathar immediately exploited the opening by making an explosive strike with the longer lightsaber in her left hand. Dawn's yellow lightsaber moved…
…just in time to intercept the attacking weapon. The Cathar made a quick roll to her right, ending up on Dawn's left flank. Dawn turned once again to parry the enemy's blades.
It was all she could do.
The Cathar made a quick combination: main hand, off-hand, main hand. Dawn parried the first, barely managed to block the second, but was too late to intercept the last. The searing blade grazed her shoulder and left a shallow burn that hurt like hell. She gritted her teeth and desperately fought against the tears forming in her eyes. The harsh truth was starting to dawn to her.
Dawn Summers was getting her ass kicked.
Royally.
As she tried to recover and get back into Soresu's basic stance, the Cathar did a somersault over Dawn, landing a kick against her head somewhere along the way and landing gracefully behind her enemy.
The alien made it all seem so easy, like she had been doing this ever since she was born.
Before the feline had even landed, she was already turned towards her enemy again, weapons lashing out simultaneously. The blades cut through the thin fabric of Dawn's brown initiate's robes and left two nasty burn marks, accompanying the five other cuts she had already managed to leave there.
Dawn growled in pain as the blades mutilated her skin. She took a leap away from the feline, desperate to get away from her relentless blades. If only she could get away from her enemy long enough to recover and deploy her greatest weapon, the Force. But the feline gave her no respite, as she made another acrobatic jump in pursuit of her prey.
That meant it was time to use her secret weapon and she disappeared in a flash of green.
For a frantic second the Cathar scanned the area to see where she had gone, until a massive kick landed in her ribs. Dawn had reappeared at her left flank and used the moment of confusion to strike. All air left the Cathar's lungs and she nearly buckled over, dropping her lightsabers from the sharp pain. In a move she had learned watching Buffy, Dawn spun into a round house and kicked the Cathar knocking her to the ground.
"What reason do you have to kill me?" Dawn inquired carefully in an attempt to establish what was going on and more importantly; how to walk out of here alive.
"You killed my kath hounds." The Cathar spoke in Basic, but with a very strong accent.
"Your kath hounds? You're the reason they're turning vicious?"
The Cathar let out a low hiss. "They were not vicious, I trained them to defend this area."
"They tried to kill me," Dawn countered. "Look, I'm sorry about your hounds, but killing them was an act of self-defense. Can you honestly blame me for wanting to stay alive?"
"If you weren't trespassing in my sanctuary you wouldn't have had to kill them."
"I had no choice," said Dawn. "The Council sent me; this is my Padawan Trial."
"You're an initiate?" the Cathar asked in disbelief, eyes growing wide. She had assumed that when Dawn had disappeared in a flash of green that she was a Knight with a new ability given to her by the Force, like Bastila's battle meditation.
"I started training only a few months ago," said Dawn.
"It would make sense," she muttered to herself in Catharese, unaware that Dawn could understand every word. "Her skill with the lightsaber is sloppy and she doesn't handle herself as a knight."
Dawn stepped back and deactivated her lightsaber. "It seems the Masters intentionally sent me here to fight you," she said as she picked up the Cathar's lightsabers. She handed them back.
The Cathar glanced at her. "So that's how the masters think of me, sending a near-padawan to kill a near-knight."
"What makes you think I'm here to kill you?" Dawn asked cautiously.
"Don't play dumb, whelp," the Cathar growled. "They didn't send you after a Jedi killer to have a nice little chat." She let out a scornful snort. "Although the Council does love to talk."
"Jedi killer?" Dawn felt the icy claws of fear clasping her heart. "They didn't tell me that."
The Cathar regarded her for a long time, face still as expressionless and unreadable as before. "Just what kind of a lousy Jedi are you?" the feline finally asked. "You walk into a deathtrap without even asking what you'll be facing?"
"I asked, alright?" Dawn snapped. "I'm not some dumb sheep, I prefer finding out as much as I can beforehand. But for this trial they wanted me going in blind, so what am I going to do?"
"What are you going to do indeed?" the woman mused. "As incompetent as a whelp fresh from the womb. I don't have time for this. Crawl back to your masters to lick your wounds, whelp, and be glad I'm so merciful not to avenge my hounds."
"No," said Dawn. "You killed a Jedi and fled to this grove, training the kath hounds to protect you?"
The feline raised an eyebrow. "Look at that, the whelp is actually able to listen." She tapped her fingers impatiently.
"What happened?" Dawn asked.
"That is none of your business."
"Then let me tell you something," she said. "Something even the Masters don't know. This…" she disappeared in a flash of green to reappear five feet away. "Is called the Key. I have been learning to control it so that when I am done with what I am doing here. I and a friend of mine can return home. Back home my big sister is like the Jedi, well in the fact that she protects people. You see on my world demons and vampires actually exist; my sister was chosen to protect people from them. A couple of the moves I used on you, I learned from her."
The Cathar listened and through the Force she could tell that Dawn was telling the truth. "My homeworld was destroyed." Her words and face were completely void of any emotion. "The Jedi abandoned us, allowed Cathar to burn. Now death comes knocking on their door and they expect me to jump to their defense without question?"
"Believe me I know what that is like," said Dawn. "My sister was prepared to give her life for me. Instead I jumped off a tower so she wouldn't have to and I was sent into your universe from mine. Except for my sister's best friend who came to help me go home after I finish what I have to do here, I have no one."
"You understand nothing," the Cathar hissed. "To have your entire homeworld, race and culture wiped out in a single blow, and not a soul who cares. It's the epitome of betrayal."
"Then why did you join the Jedi you so despise?" Dawn countered. "Why are you so bitter?"
"I owe you no explanation, whelp."
It had been there for just a second, but Dawn had definitely seen a sliver of uncertainty in the feline's eyes. She knew she had to be bold now. "Look, whatever happened, I was sent here to help you. Apparently, they didn't want you dead, otherwise they wouldn't have sent… an incompetent whelp such as me. Why don't you talk to me? Or do you want to spend the remainder of your days as a bitter hermit in this grove? Watch how the galaxy crumbles around you while knowing you could've made the difference?"
The Cathar fell silent and regarded her for a long while. "The galaxy is crumbling?" she finally asked softly. "I may have been out of touch for too long. What happened during the last seven months?"
"Seven months… in that case you wouldn't have heard of Taris?" The Cathar shook her head. "The entire planet of Taris was laid to waste by the Sith Fleet, from what I heard it was in the same way they destroyed Telos. I… was there."
"You witnessed genocide similar to Telos and survived?" The feline looked like she didn't believe her.
"We managed to secure a fast freighter just as the first bombs started dropping. Through sheer luck we managed to escape the surface as the destruction began. It was… beyond terrible. The sound of a collapsing skyscraper, knowing there are thousands of souls inside, it's…" Dawn's voice broke, the images of that day clear in her mind as well as what the Force had made her feel, the deaths of millions.
"I see." How the alien could sound so even and calm was beyond Dawn. "And I take it the Order is doing everything in their power to stop the Sith?"
"It seems they've learned from their mistakes." Dawn finally looked up to meet the Cathar's yellow eyes. "They're meeting the Sith with full force."
"As much as I'd like to join the war, I can't." Shame cracked through the feline's blank expression and she turned away.
Dawn walked around her so their eyes would meet. "Why can't you join us? Someone with your skill would be a major asset." The Cathar turned her face away, but Dawn moved into her field of vision again. "Please talk to me," she pressed.
The Cathar regarded her for a long time. Finally, the woman seemed to come to a decision. "Fine. I'll talk. It's not like you'd leave until you're satisfied, unless I truly hurt you, which would put me to great shame." The woman walked over to the ruins and eased down in the grass with her back resting against a grey column.
Dawn moved after her and crouched down in the grass in front of her, watching the woman curiously. The Cathar lazily returned the look as started telling. "My race evolved from the ancient big cats on Cathar. Although we've become bipedal and capable of speech and complex thought, some of our feral habits have lingered within our genes. It is what we call the inner beast. In the event of massive stress, the inner beast can come out, like an evolutionary failsafe mechanism to protect us from harm."
"What exactly happens when it comes out?" Dawn asked.
"It's a frenzied state. We become a true predator, with the sole purpose of destroying every threat in the vicinity. It's uncontrollable." A shadow of pain crossed the Cathar's face. "Seven months ago, my master did something to me, something terrible. It triggered the inner beast." She looked at the Initiate in front of her coldly. "I killed her."
"Interesting," said Dawn. "I've been here six months. I would say it's possible she recovered."
"Don't tempt me with false hope, human."
"Since I arrived if a Master had been killed, there would have been talk wouldn't there have been? And yet there has been none."
A flicker of uncertainty crossed the Cathar's face. "Strange," she muttered. "But why would they make me believe I killed my master and leave me in my own misery in this grove?"
"Remember what I showed you?" Dawn asked as the Cathar nodded. "My master is one of three, now four, people that knows about it. She wanted me to learn to control it when it was discovered I had that ability. You see she saw the second time used it, I accidentally teleported leaving my clothes behind. Imagine my embarrassment arriving in front of my friend butt naked." The Cathar nodded as she listened. "It's possible the council wanted you to experience this inner beast so you'll be better able to control it in the future? Like I learned to control the Key. Imagine the damage you could cause if you went into frenzy surrounded by civilians. Perhaps they did this to help you conquer your inner beast."
"Conquer the inner beast?" The Cathar didn't sound very convinced.
"There have been other Jedi from your race before, right?" Dawn said, slowly trying to figure it out. "If all Cathar suffer from it I can imagine they've developed methods that allow them to better control this thing. They can't have their knights going out of control left and right."
"You know, that actually makes sense. If it's true the Jedi use crude methods for sure, to have me suffer through all that. Maybe they aren't as weak as I originally thought." She actually sounded pleasantly surprised; nothing indicated that she held a grudge against the Jedi for costing her seven months of her life. She got to her feet and started pacing around. "Has it worked?" she muttered to herself. "I did have more self-control the second time."
Dawn nodded in understanding. "It came out during our fight?"
"When you killed my kath hounds. I'm surprised I didn't kill you," the Cathar admitted. "Somewhere in my subconscious I must've concluded you were lower ranked; with the way you were stumbling around. My honor must've prevented me from slaying a whelp."
"The Jedi sent me into certain death," Dawn growled in disbelief.
"You sound surprised." The Cathar said evenly. "Get used to it, whelp, it's what you were trained for."
"That may be what they think they trained me for." said Dawn. "But I only agreed to the training to complete my destiny. Not to fight their war. You see when I came here, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was something I had to do before I could go home."
"Interesting," said the Cathar. "Your story sounds interesting."
"If you would like you can accompany me back and learn more," said Dawn. "Some of it will be fantastical though, but believe me it's all true."
The Cathar slowly nodded. "I would like that I think. What is your name?"
"Dawn, Dawn Summers."
"Juhani."
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As they approached the enclave Dawn was finishing up her story. "Thank you, Dawn, for your story," Juhani said. "Through the Force I could tell you were telling me the truth. To be separated from those you know is to a degree like myself and my home world after all. Your own culture and people are currently lost to you just as mine are lost to me. Now if you will excuse me Dawn, I must…"
"Of course," said Dawn as she watched Juhani head into the enclave passing Bastila on her way out.
"Dawn, where have you been?" Bastila asked with a voice full of concern.
"We took the long way back," answered Dawn. "She wanted to hear my story, all of it."
Bastila looked her apprentice over, spotting the bruised eye, the clasping of her tender ribs and the cuts and burns on her arms. "Force, what happened to you?" she gasped. "Did Juhani done this to you?"
"We fought," said Dawn with a sigh. "A misunderstanding. Kath hounds attacked me, they were her pets and so she attacked me in a frenzied state."
Bastila inspected the wounds on Dawn's back as she shook her head. "These aren't deep, but they have to be cleaned and healed before they get the chance to infect." She briskly wrapped her arm around Dawn's shoulders and gently guided her inside the enclave.
"How did Sarryn and Willow do?" asked Dawn.
"From what they said they did well," said Bastila. "But it will be up to the Masters of course if they are to be promoted." She brought Dawn to hers and Willow's quarters, not to the medical wing, possibly to protect her from any humiliation.
"Dawn?" said Willow as Bastila ushered Dawn into the room. She looked over her friend and saw the bruises. "Bastila?"
"She says she fought the one she was sent to for her trials," answered Bastila. "I brought her back here to get her cleaned up and her wounds dressed."
"I can do it," said Willow.
"I will go get her new robes," said Bastila as she left.
Willow ushered Dawn into the bathroom. "Strip, Dawn," she ordered. Dawn nodded and stripped down to her bra and panties as Willow busied herself with a bowl of hot water and disinfectant.
Dawn sat down sideways on the closed lid of the toilet, allowing Willow to reach her back. The redhead drenched a soft cloth in the hot water and tenderly started washing out the wounds. Despite her soft touch Dawn hissed when the antiseptic touched the searing wounds, but she didn't protest.
Willow cleaned out the wounds gently but thoroughly. While healing was more of the Sentinel's abilities. She had persuaded the Masters to teach it to her anyways. So, when Willow was satisfied, she used the Force to heal the open cuts one by one, effectively stemming the bleeding. When she was done all that remained were slightly red marks, which were just a bit sensitive and tingly. Nothing indicated that the skin had been severely mutilated a few minutes ago. She assured Dawn the red marks would be gone in a few days without leaving scars.
Willow then turned to Dawn's bruised ribs. A blue aura surrounded her hand as she assessed the damage. "No broken bones, just bruises. I can't do much healing to that, it's best to allow your body to recover naturally."
"Wish I had Buffy's healing," said Dawn.
"Yeah that would come in handy right now," Willow agreed as she moved her hand over the bruised eye and Dawn could feel the soft tingling of the Force. "Again, no fractures. You'll have an ugly black eye for a while, but to be honest you're lucky that's the worst damage."
"I'm glad," said Dawn. "By the way. I thought healing was a Sentinel ability."
"Traditionally it is," said Willow. "But I asked for the training anyways. I'm kind of a hybrid. I lean more toward Consular, but I did do some Sentinel training as well."
Bastila returned at that moment with robes in hand. "The Council will want to see us as soon as possible. Take a shower to make yourself representable."
"Will do," said Dawn as she took the new robes from Bastila. "Thanks."
"You are welcome, Dawn," said Bastila as she left.
"I will give you some privacy," said Willow as she followed Bastila out of the bathroom.
Dawn shed her last two pieces of clothing and stepped under the shower. Ten minutes later she walked out of the shower wearing fresh undergarments and the new robes.
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Bastila led Dawn into the Council chambers immediately when they arrived, meeting with the full Council again. Bastila had told Sarryn, Dawn and Willow that the Council had some questions to ask each of them for making their decision. Sarryn and Willow already had their individual meetings and now waited to be called back in when the Council made its decision on their promotions as well as Dawn's.
"Please tell us what you have learned today," said Master Vandar when Bastila and Dawn stood before them.
"I learned that I am of course mortal," Dawn answered. "That I could have died today. That I need the help of my team."
"Then the Trial has been a success," Vandar said with an approving nod. "We were concerned due to your standing as a Child of the Force that you might have progressed to quickly and the effect it might have had on you. By becoming a Jedi, you like your friend Willow, acquire power beyond anything you have ever experienced. There are many Jedi who are unable to cope with that evolution. They become arrogant and gluttonous for even more. The Sith provide an easy answer for them, luring them in with false promises of unrestricted strength."
"We can only hope today's battle has taught you enough caution not to do anything foolish on your journey," Master Vrook chimed in. "Knight Juhani has given us a detailed description about how you strutted into unknown territory and gotten defeated like an infant."
"May I point out I was not defeated. That I fought Juhani to a standstill. Then I talked her down, which means I carried out the task I was given successfully!" said Dawn.
"Indeed," Master Dorak replied. "I must say I'm impressed, not many are able to calm down an enraged Cathar enough to the point where they could talk to them, let alone help them conquer the inner beast."
"Was it really necessary to let her wither away in that grove for seven months?" Dawn asked. "Seems almost cruel from my point of view."
"To you it might seem like a long time," Dorak answered. "But in the lifetime of a Jedi it's almost nothing, and for the Cathar the rewards are worth the struggle. Some Cathar require years to overcome their berserker rage, so Juhani is quite lucky with her seven months. Which is a good thing, considering the war."
"So, this was all part of your plans," Dawn said with disdain. "What would happen if she had decided to embrace her inner beast rather than to conquer it, and run off to the Sith?" The human master shifted uncomfortably, giving her all the answer, she needed. "You would've hunted her down and killed her."
"If a Cathar is unable to cope with her feral nature, she can't be allowed to threaten the galaxy. Certainly not by defecting to the Sith."
Dawn got the impression that the Jedi Order was just like the Watcher's Council on Earth. That they both saw those they trained as weapons in which to fight their wars and not much else. If she had died fighting Juhani she was sure only Bastila, Sarryn and Willow would have shed a tear for her.
"So, what is this inner beast exactly?" Dawn asked.
"It's merely a name to give shape to something that isn't fully understood. Cathar are hot-blooded and passionate creatures, and this inner beast is the ultimate display of that. Some suffer from it worse than others, but once it strikes, they are overwhelmed by an uncontrollable rage. The test we put Juhani through forced the beast to come out, allowing her to experience it. These experiences coupled with her Jedi meditations will give her a greater chance of preventing it in the future, and give her more control if it does come out."
"What exactly did you do to her, to make her lash out at her master like that?" Dawn wanted to know.
"That is a matter between Juhani, Master Quatra, and the Council," Dorak answered. "But let her quarry be a lesson for you as well. Giving in to the inner beast for a Cathar is similar to a Jedi embracing the dark side. Juhani is both dedicated and true to the ideals of our Order, yet she was still vulnerable to these temptations, as are we all. She struck her master in anger and injured her greatly. But it was Quatra's choice to challenge the beast the way she did and it seems to have made its point. Juhani has been redeemed."
"Now it is time," said Master Vandar. "Show Initiates Rosenberg and Baill in."
Sarryn and Willow were led in and stood beside Bastila and Dawn.
"You three have passed your final tests," he continued. "Congratulations, Apprentices. Or should I say, Padawans? You three have proven yourselves worthy of joining the Jedi. Let me be the first to welcome you all as full-fledged members of our Order. There is little more for any of you to learn within this enclave, other than the theoretical. The time has come for all of you to go out in the field together with your master, to truly experience what it is to be a Jedi. Your aid to the Republic and the Jedi Order in the war against the Sith is highly necessary."
"Thank you, Master Vandar," Dawn, Willow and Sarryn answered politely.
"But for now, you all must rest," the sage said with fatherly concern. "Your individual trials no doubt worn each of you out." He turned Bastila. "Bastila, please return with your Padawans tomorrow at dawn, so we can fully discuss the details of your mission."
"Yes, Master Vandar," Bastila replied with a polite bow, before turning on her heels to leave. Sarryn, Dawn and Willow also nodded at the Council and followed their master.
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They returned to Bastila and Sarryn's room to be able to discuss the events of the day in private. "Congratulations all of you, your hard work has finally paid off," Bastila said.
"Couldn't have done it without you," Sarryn said with a shrug. "You were harsh yet fair, and without your reprimands and encouragements I wouldn't have been able to grow so fast."
"I think Willow and I can agree with that," said Dawn as Willow nodded in agreement. "On a side note." She looked at Sarryn and Willow. "As I mentioned to Bastila earlier. Juhani and I talked on the way back. She saw me use the Key."
"I believe she kept that a secret," said Bastila. "When we were talking about what happened with her with the Council. None of them made mention of it. And I am sure if she had told them, they would have questioned you and me both on it."
Sarryn gave Bastila a toothy grin. "I'd say you've passed your test as well. Maybe it's time they promoted you to Jedi Master."
"We've all grown in the presence of each other, but it would be too early for me to be promoted," Bastila smiled.
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Dawn found room 36 quickly and knocked on the door. After hearing some muffled movement behind it, the door slid open to just a crack and the Cathar peeked through it. When she saw who her visitor was, she groaned. "Your timing is dreadful, Dawn."
"Sorry," said Dawn. "I just wanted to check and see how you are and how things went with your Master. Also, I wanted to thank you, for not telling the Masters my secret."
"You are welcome," she said as she opened the door a little farther. Dawn noticed that she had shed the leather parts of her outfit, and all that remained was the catsuit that hugged her curves. "But it was not my secret to tell, even though I do agree with you on your reasons for not telling the Masters. I have heard how they exploit Bastila's battle meditation."
"Thank you anyways," said Dawn.
"And as far as my master is concerned everything is fine," said Juhani. "And the Council promoted me to Knight."
"Congratulations, I'm glad everything worked out," said Dawn as she smiled.
Hearing sudden movement behind the Cathar made Dawn aware of a second presence inside the small room. "Is that Initiate Summers, Juhani?" a female voice asked. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't immediately place it.
"Yes, it is, Belaya," the Cathar called over her shoulder a voice that was warm and commanding at the same time. Dawn recognized the name; Belaya was one of the guards stationed at the enclave. "The initiate was just checking up on me after our encounter."
"It's Padawan now," Dawn said.
"Congratulations," Juhani said as she turned back toward Dawn.
"I will let you get back to whatever you were doing," said Dawn. "I'm glad everything turned out alright for you."
"Thank you," said Juhani.