Fantastic Beasts and Where to [Copyright]

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela smiled slightly. Her grandmother would have insisted on at least eating the dead things heart, but she wouldn't be making her padawan do that. Instead she simply watched for a moment. The Skreev seemed incredibly pleased with itself, almost happy.

The Marshall had almost completely withdrawn her touch now, though she still lingered just in case.

"You don't have to." Aela told Jamie. "Pet him."

That...well that might have seemed incredibly silly, but there was a reason for it. The Skreev was a wild animal, had never been trained or domesticated, and thus to make it more used to human contact it would need some...well introduction to what it actually meant. The creature was calm enough, and if Jamie initiated contact it would likely become more inclined to Jamie herself. The Jedi Master looked up at her padawan and then nudged her forward.

"Slowly." She reminded Jamie.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie used her non-dominant hand to do this. If she were to lose an arm today, it would be the one she used less frequently. Extending her left hand, with quite a helping of trepidation, the blonde placed her hand slowly atop the snout of the Skreev. At first it flinched, pulling back some, though due to the sheer size of the animal Jamie's hand still lingered atop of it as it settled back down, staring at her from its set back dark eyes. For a long minute she neither breathed, nor moved. She simply lingered there, watching it, as if anticipating the moment that she would lose that extremity.

When the moment didn't come her eyes shifted to Aela, almost seeking reassurance before slowly dragging her hand down and back up. The scaly surface of it's flesh was rough and generally uncomfortable, likely giving it substantial protection from other creatures it encountered while hunting for food or claiming territory.

As the animal breathed in and out the hot breath of its' exhale carried the smell of the meal it had been enjoying before she and Aela arrived. The Padawan briefly covered her nose with the crook of her arm before looking over to her master. "Oh, that smell is just awful."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"He likes you!" Aela declared with a broad grin.

That emotion was of course, a bit of a false notion. The Skreev would likely react rather negatively if Jamie were to suddenly yank control with the force away from it, but in time...well it would naturally come to trust the young padawan. That was the chief difference between this technique and what the Sith did. Though you could quite easily force something to serve and obey you, making something your friend, allowing it to grow comfortable, that was something entirely different.

"He's calm." She reiterated. "That's a good thing."

Didn't matter how much the creature smelled. Aela looked up at the Skreev, it's neck bending away slightly so that Jamie could keep petting it. "Now the next step."

Something Jamie would likely object to.

"Lead him to the exit of the cave." She told Jamie as she stood. "So you can fly him."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The smile on her face faded drastically when Aela suggested that Jamie fly atop a creature that not ten minutes prior would have killed her.

"Are you insane?!" She exclaimed. "I can't fly on him!"

Not only was she just barely controlling this thing, she was focusing rather attentively to doing so. Flying on something would require a whole new set of attention on top of maintaining her influence over it.

"I'll fall, or lose control, or both. I won't know how to direct it either!"

There was so much that could go wrong with this plan. "I'm not exactly trying to die today."

Being able to assert influence over the Skreev had already been more than the blonde expected to accomplish, but that was also on solid ground, despite her initial hesitance to do so cornered in the back of a cave. Flying however was a lot different, and being hundreds of feet above the ground meant that falling would entail certain death, while alternatively losing control of the creature would mean nearly the same thing for her. It was an ugly proposition.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"He trusts you." Aela said simply as though that were enough. She looked towards Jamie and then at the Skreev. The creature was delightfully standing there looking between Jamie and her master. It seemed...well almost somewhat dimwitted, but it clearly didn't mind what was going on in that moment.

"Flying is what comes naturally to him." Aela explained. "Like walking to you and I."

Aela wandered over to the Skreev and gently touched it's nose. The dragon like reptile nuzzled against her palm for a moment. "Flying is less about control for you, and more about letting him simply go with his instincts. This is about trust."

She glanced at Jamie.

"You won't be able to complete it until you fly with him." Her fingers scratched the Skreev's nose. "And if he doesn't trust you, you'll always need to be in his mind."

Which was of course not ideal.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"You are insistent." She said with a glare. "Fine. But if I die while doing this, it's all your fault."

The blonde stood from where she was knelt down, running her hand along the snout of the Skreev, down it's neck, and then across it's massive body, beneath the wings, as if directing it in some manner to turn around. And turn it did, with her it slowly wandered beside the girl towards the light that peered inside the cave from the entrance. By the time the two had reached the mouth of the cave the animal had outstretched its' wings, as if freed from the confines of the small space, lifting them high before folding them back down.

"I cannot believe I am about to do this." Her head shook, as if she understood that she was about to kill herself. "If I don't die, I will meet you at the bottom of the range. Otherwise, send my body back home please."

Clamoring up from the rear of the beast by the tail the Skreev didn't move an inch, allowing the Padawan to get settled, at least somewhat on its' back. The scales along its' body made for a somewhat secure grip, though they did serve to dig into her thighs some, making it slightly uncomfortable.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela watched with a certain amount of satisfaction. The Skreev of course didn't mind Jamie crawling onto its back one bit, the thing was big enough to carry her three times over.

As her Padawan moved into place of the creatures back Aela couldn't help but remember the first time she'd flown a Skreev. Her situation had been a bit more...extreme. It hadn't been on Dxun, rather, it had taken place on Onderon back at Halcyon Citadel. She had been twelve years old at the time and staying with her grandmother. Quietus, in her ever delightful way, had thrown Aela and Maleah off a cliff...literally. She and her sister had had to call a pair of Skreev to rescue them.

The experience had been...horrifying, but had made them learn quickly.

"I'll meet you down there." Aela said as she patted the Skreev's snout one last time. The last vestiges of her control slipped from the creatures mind, something that went almost entirely unnoticed save for a small blinking of the reptiles eyes. The Jedi Marshall smiled, then wandered past the beast, heading back down on the path that she and Jamie had used to enter the mountains in the first place.

As she wandered she gave Jamie one last glance.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Flying on top of a living, breathing animal was not something she could have really prepared herself for at any point in her life. It was both exhilarating and terrifying as the Skreev zipped through the air on its' own. Her knees dug into the sides to keep balanced as best she could, though she could feel the rigidness of the animal's flesh beginning to cause a number of sore areas between her thighs. Having no real saddle, and unsuitable pants for such a thing, it was rather inevitable.

For some time the Skreev would circle high above the trees, allowing Jamie to see Aela's small form move beneath the trees down the mountain, at times fading from sight. She could see smaller birds below, as well as a few familiar looking animals like the Boma. She spotted once again the tomb of Freedon Nadd as the Skreev descended from the peak of its' altitude, taking the girl down towards the ground at the base of the mountain. While she was atop the back, she exerted little influence herself over the Skreev, instead allowing it to take her where it wished, with the final destination being the sight of the location for Jamie and Aela's camp. That would be where the Skreev would eventually land to drop off Aela's Padawan.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela wandered in not too long after, finding Jamie sitting on one of the rocks with the Skreev laying down nearby, it's wings furled around itself as it slept.

"See?" The Jedi Marshall wore a wide grin on her face as she stepped into the camp, looking at the Skreev first and then glancing towards her Padawan. One couldn't really describe the smug look on her face, though it was clear that she was quite pleased with herself and what had happened.

"Not so bad was it?" She said as she stepped over towards Jamie. "Flying I mean."

Certainly something new.

She remembered the feeling well, soaring over cliffs, rivers, oceans. It was a feeling that wasn't quite like any other. On the back of a Skreev it felt like the entire world was at your fingertips. Trade that Skreev for a Drexl? Well, it was indescribable.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I don't have to pilot it. So it's better than a starship I suppose."

No controls. No mechanical parts, no harsh landings. It was much better than a starship. "Faster than a speeder too." Another thing she could do without.

"Might get many frightened looks though, from everyone." Jamie wasn't so certain the royal court back on Naboo would much appreciate one of their delegates utilizing a Skreev as her preferred method of transportation.

That, and it wasn't entirely tamed, so watch out roaming animals. She assumed these creatures had quite the appetite. Keeping something like this would be...Problematic. Still, she had to admit to Aela that it was exciting, and not all bad.

She wouldn't admit it directly though. Not while the girl wore that smug little look on her face.

"It was fine. I didn't die. This time. How was your walk?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Fine." Aela said with the same smirk. "A bit long."

In hindsight she could have simply tamed another Skreev, but that would have been too easy. For a moment the Marshall looked over towards the sleeping creature, her expression softening a bit. The poor thing was probably tired, and hadn't even gotten to finish it's meal just yet.

"You did it though." She walked over to Jamie and looked at the Skreev again.

"Think about how far you've come in just a few days." A harrowing few days, but just a few days nonetheless. "From passing out trying to train a Manka Cat to flying on the back of a Skreev. These things aren't simple, and even though I helped at the start it was you that flew it here."

That was more that significant. "I'm proud of you."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie passed a glance over to the sleeping Skreev, a warm, genuine smile appearing on her face as she looked at it. She almost felt guilty in a way that she would have to leave it here after forming some loose bond with the animal. Silly of course, as it would likely forget her shortly after they departed Dxun and it returned to its typical life, but she still felt that bit of guilt over it.

"It was with your help." She said with a nod. "Without it, I'd have been as lost as I was back on Spira."

More than anything she didn't want a repeat of that incident. That was a driving factor for why she so desired to learn how to do what Aela had shown her how to do.

And even though there were some bumps, that Terentatek for example, they did make it through. Perhaps another day would come where they could more freely examine that tomb, or another, elsewhere. The history behind ancient Sith fascinated her nearly as much as taming the very creature lying a few feet away from her and Aela at that very moment.

"Thank you."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She smiled. "There's still more to do."

Much more.

"This is just one technique." Aela reminded Jamie. "One skill.

There were so many more that Jamie could still learn, so much that Aela could teach her. It was odd to think about really given that she hadn't really gained control of everything either. There were a few things that she could do quite well, but certain techniques, certain aspects of the force were still lost on her. She supposed that meant she simply had things to learn as well, though when she would learn them...well she had no idea. Aela smiled and then turned to the Skreev. "Plus. I don't think you've mastered this yet either."

She would in time though, Aela knew that.

"You still have to do this on your own." Without her help from the start. "We can go back tomorrow. He'll help."

She gestured to the Skreev.