Dreams - Part 1

Life on Dathomir moved along slowly, imperfect, cold days and colder nights among the marshes and red fog, but life all the same for the Night Brothers and the Nightsisters. During the days, when the Great Mother was not instructing her, Zaiya would look after the two little brothers, at least until they got their tattoos. Maul seemed to be a special case, his magick had made Talzin allow him to stay a little longer with her clan as she tested him. The fact he could use this power and that Talzin acknowledged him as her son… he was definitely different. She just hoped he was being looked after in the Nightbrother camp. He seemed as much whenever she managed to sneak away to visit him under the guise of training. And she was training… just… not where she said she was.

Morra returned when called, having seemed to have taken a liking to the little Sister and was willing to take her back and forth between the villages. It was no speeder, but it was definitely helpful. She made sure to bring the beast a treat to eat every now and again, Morra seemed to like that. She knew to avoid the hunting grounds, the villages and other Nightsisters, but it seemed that wherever the big girl went, it wasn't far away.

She was learning so much more magick now, how to summon the green ichor as flames into her hands. It was weak for now, and did not linger, more often turning to smoke before she could do much with it. Mother Talzin always pushed her further, harder. Clearly she could see that Zaiya could do more, be more. Had more power inside her. She pushed the girl to battle against the older Sisters, ones that had taken the trials and become fully fledged Nightsisters, having earned their Crimson robes. Zaiya was excited to learn more, to become powerful like Maul was. He always seemed so powerful, she just didn't understand so much of why so many of these rules existed. She had to wonder if it would make sense when she got older.

Another thing she noticed the more she trained, was the strange dreams that came to her. Strange moments as real as life, yet… not. She saw images that made no sense. There was a dark figure in many of them, hooded and cloaked, she could not see their face, but there was a growing feeling of dread that settled over the child, it grew everyday and sometimes she awoke in fear, lying in the dark alone and paralysed with the feeling of doom that urged her to take action. To do something. But she didn't know what it was. She didn't know what to do. She told her dreams to Mother Talzin once, when her concentration lapsed in the spell she was casting. The Nightmother assured her they were just dreams, and that she should not worry about them. That they would pass. Zaiya hoped that were true.


There were times when Zaiya was able to sneak her friend along with her. Morra was unsure about the extra passenger, but she promised the huffy rancor an extra treat. She encouraged Maul to draw closer, reach out his hand and pet the big grunting creature. He was hesitant until Zaiya had moved to stand beside him and took his free hand.

"Clear your mind, don't be afraid." She instructed.

"I'm not scared." He huffed with a frown.

"Good. Now show her." She gestured at the rancor that towered over the two children. After a hesitant moment, he closed his eyes, scrunched up his nose and reached out and laid a warm black and red hand onto the snout of the giant beast. Whatever he had been anticipating, didn't happen and his pale blue grey eyes opened. He looked surprised to not be squashed it seemed and Zaiya let out a bubbly giggle. "See? Easy!" She grinned. His tattooed face turned to look at her with an incredulous expression. She just giggled again.

It had been a few times she'd nearly been speared while riding Morra, apparently only she could tell her rancor friend apart from a wild one. She's decided to fix that with a special adornment. She'd found a bright yellow ribbon and tied it to Morra's wrist… or foreleg… or whatever it might be called. That way the Nightbrothers would know not to attack that particular rancor. Morra had sniffed the ribbon, apparently pleased with her new gift. If a rancor could be a pretty girl, Morra certainly was, and Zaiya was not shy to tell her so either, leading the large beast to let out a few happy gurgles and shake her head back and forth proudly.

Once Morra was used to him, it seemed that having a second Dathomirian child to lug about was not such a difficult thing. The female rancor moved quickly through the strange flora and the two zabrak children had to duck down to ensure they weren't being smacked by leaves and hanging moss.

It was not often she could whisk him away, but she knew she had to bring him back towards the Nightsister village so he could see his little bug brothers. She showed him a special place where they could hide in the marshes or in a secret place in the rocky cliffs and just be together. More often than not it was a chance to test their abilities against each other, and see how far their training had come, whether Zaiya could beat him in a fight yet. Everytime she was thrown back or stumbled against his relentlessly fast attacks. None of the sisters were quite as fast as he was, and she enjoyed learning the way he moved, the way she too could get better and faster.

Once the sparring was done and the two dropped in a sweaty and tired heap, Savage and Feral would come over trying to imitate the things they had watched their older sibling do.

"Why do you look after them?" He asked one day, "They are Nightbrothers."

"No, they are your brothers." She replied. "Or, our brothers?"

"A Sister has sisters and a brother has brothers." Maul muttered with another frown.

"Well that's dumb. I would be happy if you were my brothers!" Zaiya huffed in response, she folded her arms and blew out a puff of air in quiet defiance. Then she noticed Feral crawling over to her and picked him up gently, her frown smoothed away at once. "You would be my brother, wouldn't you?" She asked the infant who just cooed and garbled, his pretty yellow skin bright in the light.

"Maybe I don't want you to be…" Maul grumbled. She turned to look at him, eyes narrowing.

"Why not?" She asked, she felt an ache in her chest when he said that, though she didn't know why.

"Because you can't!" Maul retorted with a hiss. Zaiya was so confused, was he angry with her?

"But why not! I want to!" Her voice rose a little and Savage, who was sitting between the two, turned to look at them, a big worried look on his little face.

"Well you can't! The sisters won't let you!" Maul argued hotly.

"I don't care! I will do it anyway!"

"You can't!" The boy shouted, sounding angry. Savage scooted away and Feral squirmed.

"You're upsetting them." Zaiya muttered and looked down. A feeling of sadness came over her. Why was he being so mean all of a sudden? Feral seemed very upset by the mini argument and began to cry. Zaiya gasped softly, her expression becoming worried. "It's okay… You're alright, I'm here…" She whispered softly, caressing his face with the backs of her fingers as she had seen the mothers do for their daughters in the village. She began to rock him gently, making sure he was in a secure hold. Not knowing what else to do, she tried a lullaby, the words coming from somewhere deep in that music only she was able to hear.

"Sweet child that cries, you have no need to fear,

No matter what frightens you, I am always here,

As you grow and learn to walk, to take your steps away from me,

I will listen to you talk, and guide your steps in reverie,

Never is anyone so proud as I,

To see you grow and watch you shine…" She hadn't heard the song before but the words just came to her across the stars so she could calm the sweet tiny baby.

"Always know, in both your hearts, that you are safe with me,

A treasure worth more, than silver or gold, as you will always be,

When you close your eyes tonight, know I will be here,

To protect you while you rest, and dream of stars, up there…" The child seemed to settle, even Savage had calmed and seemed a little sleepy, her hands caressing over his head and his blunt little horns gently. After the song faded in the air, there was a heavy silence in the air. She didn't look at the red Zabrak, though she could feel his eyes burning into her.

"You can't call us your brothers…" He muttered quietly, and she was about to round on him and tell him to shut up when he continued. "If we were your brothers… then you would be a Nightbrother too… And then the Sisters would be cruel to you." Slowly, she turned to look at him, a slight frown of confusion on her brow. That was why he didn't want her as a brother? He stared into the dirt, drawing patterns with a stick he had picked up.

"They don't like me anyway." She replied. "Not really. Only when Mother Talzin helps me." She held Feral a little tighter and turned to face him. With her free hand, she laid it upon his own. "I won't tell them if you don't?" She offered with a hopeful smile. There was a pause, she could see him weighing her words in his mind, an unsure look in his eyes but then he nodded, the corner of his lips turning up with the slightest of smiles.

"Alright… we just won't tell them." He agreed.


The little red zabrak boy had not been able to forget the music… or more accurately, the feeling it left him with. The strange tingling in his brain that seemed to satisfy an itch he didn't know he had. He didn't understand it, just like he didn't understand her insistence to come and see him. The Nightbrothers warned him that the clan of witches were nothing but cruel and powerful beings that he had to respect, else he would be severely hurt. He had to make sure he would be a strong warrior, powerful in order to be worthy to be a mate.

Even then… once the Nightsisters chose a mate and that mate gave them a child… the Nightbrother would die. It angered him, the point of becoming so powerful was to be chosen… just to be discarded again afterwards?! What was the point?! He gripped the staff he was training with a little harder. The leather wrap creaked slightly under his small hands.

It made Zaiya's strange fascination with him all the stranger. Why was she so insistent? She knew what would have to happen! Was she just messing with him? Was she just tormenting him in some game? Making the memory of that music echo in his head? Was she using his brothers as pawns? Making him feel strange and warm and make him like her smile and her laugh…?

He struck at the wooden post with painted markings on them, he faltered in his strikes, the movement no longer the trained precise set he had been practising, this was rough and violent and full of anger. Anger for his fate, for his position and for the confusion that raged through his mind. He let out a roar, one too loud and beastial for his small form, and yet it echoed around the training ground. The staff he held was not in pieces, destroyed in his rage. The wooden pole he faced was cracked up the middle. Whatever that feeling had called up, he had unleashed it upon his surroundings without even meaning to. He panted, his shoulders and chest heaving. He could hear the others around him, shuffling feet, hesitant to approach him. The Nightbrother unlike the other Brothers. Skin too bright, too red, power too much like the Nightsisters… And because of him, the Sister kept coming to visit, putting them all in danger.

Maul threw down the shattered staff and stalked off, stomping into the marsh to be alone. It wasn't his fault he was like this. It wasn't his fault Zaiya kept following him around. She kept coming to find him, it's not like he sought her out. Did she do it on purpose? Did she torment them out of some game? Putting them at risk of the Sister's wrath for some sick kind of amusement?

No… He knew better. He had looked into her eyes and seen the way they lit up when he spoke. They way she held Feral and Savage, defying her own clan just to see him. He was… kind. She had no right to be. Why was she different? Why was he different? Maybe the answer was the same for both of them? Maybe they were both different… so that neither of them would be alone.