Fantastic Beasts and Where to [Copyright]

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela gave her apprentice a funny look. ”You carry something that burns at over four thousand degrees, and you need a lighter?”

Lightsabers were useful beyond their primary function as a weapon.

Aela shook her head and dug around the trunk for a few seconds, eventually pulling out a small camping lighter. She tossed it to Jamie with a smirk, though didn’t say anything else. Instead she wandered over towards the shield generator, quickly setting it up so that it would activate if anything approached within sensor range.

”Tomorrow we’ll start.” Aela told Jamie. ”It won’t be easy, and you’ll want to quit before its done, but just trust me.”

This world would test her padawan, Aela only hoped that it wouldn’t break her.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I...." She rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. "Isn't there a rule or something about the right tools for the job?" Jamie squinted and shook her head towards Aela, her nose scrunching at the same time. "A lightsaber isn't for campfires." The blonde caught the small lighter and with tongue pressed between teeth set to work starting the fire within the brush while Aela started the generator.

It wouldn't take much in the way of effort to get the fire started, the wood being rather dry it caught almost immediately and spread to an even burn. The smell of wood as it caught flame was a welcome one for her, as she frequently enjoyed open flames back home in the form of festivities frequently held in Theed for various celebrations and faires.

"I guess we'll see, huh?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela only nodded.

Night fell swiftly. On Dxun the days were odd. Though there was a night time and a day time as everywhere else, there was never true darkness save for a rare few hours. This was mostly due to the light that reflected from the sun off of Onderon, bouncing and illuminating Dxun enough that even during the night you could see fairly well.

It helped you getting around, but it also meant one had to be more weary. The predators of Dxun did not often sleep through the nights, and thus one had to tread carefully. Luckily for Jamie and Aela they had their shield generator, and as they settled down for the night Aela felt at least somewhat secure within the cavern.

A rare thing on this world.

The next morning came swiftly, and as one would expect Aela was up with the sun. Dawn was oddly beautiful on the jungle moon, bright rays of light casting over the far trees and mountains. In the distance she could see a Drexl, or perhaps a Skreev, floating through the sky, likely heading back towards its nest.

”Up and at ‘em.” Aela called to Jamie as she restoked the fire. ”Lots to do today.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie heard Aela call, and for a brief moment the girl opened her eyes, staring blankly towards the wall of the cave that she was then facing. Her attention could only be held for a second or two, which following a yawn and a grunt, was immediately relinquished and again her eyes clamped shut, her body rather intent on going back to the wistful slumber that she had been enjoying, along with a rather exciting dream of a certain somebody doing certain things to evoke a certain kind of feeling to her.

A bit of light forced its' way into the cave, making her shift slightly to avoid the rays of daylight bothering her as she tried to force herself back to sleep.

It was too early. Why is Aela already up? Why is she always up so darn early?!

Jamie tried to push it aside and return to sleep.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

As soon as she rolled over Jamie would feel a swift kick in the rump. ”Come on!”

Her voice boomed loud enough to make some of the birds around them squawk. Dxun was not a planet that you slept on, it was not a planet that you rolled over on, it was a planet that you tried your best to survive on. Aela knew that her padawan had a love of sleep and dreams, but now was neither the time, nor the place.

”We have a lot to do today.” She told Jamie as she wandered back over towards the fire, a low flame already beginning to settle into place on the kindling that she had added to the small pit. ”Get dressed.”

The warmth of the sun was already pressing into the air around them, it would be a hot day.

Aela frowned slightly and began to dig through the cargo packs again, pulling out two rations for her and Jamie so that they could get the day started. ”Either you get up, or I find a snake to toss into your sleeping bag.”

She was sure there were plenty.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"OWCH! HEY!" She shouted, feeling Aela's foot kick her. "RUDE." She added, her hand finding the offended area to massage away the pain as she narrowed her eyes towards her master. "Some warning next time maybe." With a shake of her head and a roll of her eyes she leaned up to look towards Aela, a heavy yawn made its' way out before she started to rub the sleepiness from her eyes. A simple grunt was her response to the older girl's demand of her to get dressed and up.

She was not at all for this early rising business that Aela seemed so fond of.

"Alright, alright! I'm up!" Jamie cursed, flipping the front of the sleeping bag forward and off of her. "Feth you're persistent."

The girl quickly pulled on a pair of dark, form fitted pants that stretched to her calves, and a dark green training tank top before lacing up the pair of boots she'd typically worn for hiking and such back on Naboo. "You're so cruel. I hope you know that."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela chuckled at that.

”If you think I’m cruel, remind me to introduce you to my grandmother.” Her Oma was something else when it came to training. She had actually thrown her father off a cliff when he’d first learned the use of the force...or was it before even that? Aela couldn’t quite recall. She frowned for a moment and then shook her head.

”I told you, Dxun will not be pleasant.” She looked over at her apprentice with a smile. ”Nor shall I.”

There wasn’t time for that here.

She tossed Jamie the ration back as soon as the padawan was finished dressing.

”Eat up. We’ll be heading west today, towards some old ruins that were once occupied by the Mandalorian Clans. Boma’s make their nests in the ruins now.” On the way she would help Jamie get into the mind of a Cannok. The creatures were simpletons, and unlike the Manka cat that Jamie had encountered before, a single Cannok was...well it wasn’t even smart enough to recognize what was and wasn’t food.

She was confident Jamie could tame one.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie silently mocked Aela by imitating her talk in a goofy manner before sitting back down to eat.

"You could try being a little more pleasant. If everything here is trying to kill me I don't need you making it easier for that to happen." She stuck out her tongue before taking a few small bites of the rather tasteless food. The water in the canteen was almost more flavorful than the food in these strange little packs. "Is this what they feed to military folk? It's rather...Disappointing." She said with a small laugh. "And that's being generous I think."

Deciding it best to take the alternate approach, Jamie ate through it as quickly as reasonably possible.

"Is there anything still left of the clans there?" Maybe there was something interesting to see while they were training, assuming it hadn't been eaten away by the forces of time and nature.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Calling Military rations disappointing was probably one of the most underrating statements ever. The rations were barely food, and she had seen animals that wouldn’t eat the stuff. It was all very nutritious though, and that was something. Perhaps later she would take Jamie hunting, though for some reason she doubted that her padawan would enjoy such activities.

”Not to my knowledge.” Aela said quietly.

”The Mandalorians didn’t form an official clan here, but rather held Dxun in secret thousands of years ago.” She always loved history. ”A long time ago, after the Mandalorian Wars, their culture was broken, splintered. One faction in particular took up residence here on Dxun.”

The story had first been told to her by her father. ”They rebuilt here, then later went on to reclaim Mandalore itself.”

She had never met a Mandalorian before, but she knew enough about their culture and their history to say that they were dangerous.

If she and Jamie were to encounter any here...well it would certainly make for an interesting conversation.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Hm." She mumbled, slightly disappointed that there likely wasn't anything left to really see. Still, there was a small glimmer of hope that perhaps she might be fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of something from eons long since past. Even if it was something as simple as a tool, it would be something worthwhile. "Well, let's get going then I suppose. I can walk and eat this, whatever this is" She said, looking at the packaging for something that might indicate what exactly the food was that looked more like a brick than anything.

There was little sense in sitting around if they had quite a bit of traveling to do. It wasn't like she would be leaving behind a full course gourmet prepared breakfast or anything. Her backpack sat nestled against the wall of the cave where she had left it the night before. Taking it into her hands she shoved inside a change of clothes, some water, and another food brick for later, in case they didn't make it back for some reason before nightfall.

Turning back to Aela she gave a quick nod. "Ready."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela of course was already dressed. She didn’t need to get anything else though she did take a backpack with some extra supplies. She took two days worth of rations for both of them, a small tarp, rope, as well as some other small things they might need just in case they got stuck somewhere in the jungle.

Lastly she slipped her sabers into their place on her thighs, knowing that they would likely have to use the weapons before the day was done. ”Alright.”

Aela said adjusting the straps of the bag.

”Stay close.” She had said this before. ”Don’t touch anything that moves, and try not to look up.”

The last part was a little vague, but as they moved further and further into the jungle Jamie would soon understand why. Snakes, spiders, and half a dozen other creatures made their ways through the treetops, generally it was best to simply ignore them.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde cast a single look back to the camp, making sure she hadn't dropped anything or forgotten anything, or worst of all, left something out. Animals were curious creatures, and if anything was left out, it might not be there when they got back. She had learned that lesson the hard way back home, leaving the first datapad she'd ever gotten out in the gardens while she ate dinner, only to come back and find it in the mouth of a rather large and curious bird that promptly flew off with it.

"Okay" She said, hopping in line behind Aela, her hands wrapped around the straps of her bag by her shoulders, carefully stepping through the jungle.

The density of the trees provided a bit of shelter from the harsh sun rays, but it did nothing to relieve the humidity. The higher the sun rose in the sky the more oppressive it became. As the two walked Jamie made a point to stop and tie her hair back and up away from her neck and face to try and keep cool.

Dxun sucks already... She thought to herself. Her lower lip pushed forwards slightly blowing a puff of air up towards her forehead while using the back of her arm to wipe the beads of sweat off.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Time seemed to slow, it always did with the heat. They traveled through the jungle for some time, forging their own path until eventually they fell upon more well worn ones. Animal tracks littered the walkway, deep boma tracks and more subtle paw prints from Malraas and other smaller animals.

”Okay.” Aela said as she looked up between the canopy. ”Let’s rest here, see if we can’t lure out one of the cannoks.”

She let a heavy breath escape her. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and it was clear that she was more than a little hot. The pack that she had brought went dropping onto one of the nearby logs, her hand fumbling towards a water bottle so she could get herself some refreshment. When she finished drinking, Aela glanced over towards Jamie.

”Alright. The most important thing to remember is what I taught you on Bastion. Patience, concentration, and self-control.” This was about subtlety, not brute force.

”Get on that boulder.” She pointed towards a large rock. ”I’m going to go find one of the beasts and bring it here. When I do, I want you to stop it from attacking me.”

Crash course.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie followed suit, pulling free a bottle of her own water and releasing the rest of the pack to fall on the ground beside her. Several sips were taken before the cap was secured and placed back into the bag, her forearm being used once again to collect the sweat that had gathered on her forehead and face, her hands freeing her neck of the remaining water.

The BO later is going to be awful. She thought to herself, almost laughing at the idea. "Okay."

As Jamie was instructed she pulled herself up on to the rather large rock, sitting at first as she listened to Aela. "Okay" She said again. "I'll try..." She held up a finger as a precaution. "Just....You might want to have your lightsaber ready. You know...Just in case."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela looked up at her apprentice, then she slowly plucked her sabers from their holsters on her hip. She pressed them together and then put them on the log beside her backpack. ”I have every bit of faith in you.”

She very pointedly left her lightsabers by her bag.

There was a dynamic to this. First she was adding pressure on Jamie to perform, something that her experience was pretty much required for the girl to do much of anything with the force. Second, she didn’t want the Cannok to be afraid of anything, and that meant she essentially had to make herself appear like prey.

With a nod to Jamie, Aela stepped into the jungle.

She moved carefully at first, stretching out her senses to look for any blip of life.

Her eyes flickered over the surfaces of the jungle, and after ten minutes of searching, she heard the loud grunting slobber that could only come from a Cannok. Aela let out a sigh, slowly approaching where she heard the noise from.

There she found a grunting hunchbacked ugly little beast chowing down on what appeared to be the ancient wreck of a starship. Aela looked at it, shaking her head and picking up a small rock. For a second she wheeled back, then threw the rock at the creature.

The Cannok wheeled about almost immediately, roared...or rather snorted, and then began to immediately chase its attacker.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The girl's blue eyes widened in bewilderment. Clearly Aela wanted to die today, and this was just her way of going about getting the job done. The 5th Legion weren't going to appreciate hearing that their leader killed herself on Dxun because her apprentice couldn't wrangle down a Cannok. She could already see their faces staring her down.

Before Jamie had a chance to rebut Aela had already trotted off into the jungle to find one of the beasts.

"Great." She said to herself, sitting on the rock, kicking her legs with puffed out cheeks, staring in the direction Aela had gone.

I don't know how I am going to stop this thing...I don't even really know how I did what I did. And then there's the whole blackout thing...

The Padawan sighed again, staring down at the dirt while she waited for Aela to return.

Several minutes would pass in silence, her fingers fidgeting in her lap until she heard the rustling of brush from a ways away. At first it was all she could hear, but slowly the noise became footsteps, the sound of running, as well as the sound of something close behind. Jamie quickly stood up on the rock, her heartbeat climbing in paces. Next came a pair of shadows, then the rushing feet of Aela with the animal trailing a short distance behind her.

Kark. Kark. Kark! Here we go.

In much the same manner as she had on Spira she closed her eyes, focusing on the Cannok this time, rather than the Manka. That same, strange feeling and emotional turmoil she'd felt then returned, if this was the connection Aela had been referring to it was in fact, incredibly alien feeling to her. It sent a trail of goosebumps down her neck. Though how this animal was supposed to understand subtle or direct influence was still a complicated idea to her.

Rather than plead with the animal not to attack Aela like she had back on Spira with Kurt, she instead tried to direct it's thoughts instead to the idea of needing water, being exhausted, and tired. It wasn't much, but if what she had done before caused her to pass out, a different approach was obviously needed.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela turned on her heel towards the beast. It was an immediate spin to face the cannok within the clearing.

For a second she thought it would rush her, but then its odd lope...turned into a jog...then a walk...then a single step.

It stopped within the middle of the clearing, smacked its ugly lips, looked around. It saw Aela, undoubtedly saw her, stared right at her in fact. The odd googley eyes on the side of its head seemed to watch her for a moment more, smacking its lips another time, then another, and then slowly it began to turn around.

Almost lazily it waltzed back towards the Jungle.

”See if you can get it to lay down.” Aela’s words were quiet, almost a whisper.

She knew that Jamie was using the force, she could feel it, and clearly it was having an effect on the creature. It was something, something significant, but she wanted to see just how far Jamie could push the Cannok.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie could hear the thing making its' rather obnoxiously loud noises. It made her nearly laugh and lose focus. For a second the animal appeared to change its' own mind, before Jamie gathered herself once again. She heard Aela's comment, or rather request. But the idea of suggesting an animal to lay down was strange, because she needed a reason for that suggestion. If what she had done before was wrong by demanding the animal do something, she needed to figure out a reason why it would want to lay down then.

For an entire minute Jamie fought between the struggle of maintaining her rudimentary control over the animal as well as figuring out a way of doing what Aela wanted.

Then she had an idea. If the animal was exhausted, perhaps it needed to think it needed a nap. Right there. Regardless of Jamie and Aela's presence. They were no threat, after all, she tried to to reason. At least if it plopped down onto the soil for a minute or two she could consider that a victory of sorts. Still her own excitement for what she was doing was beginning to grow on her, and she wasn't entirely sure how long she could maintain something like this before her concentration broke.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

For a second more the Cannok seemed to peer about, looking from Aela to Jamie, and then at the forest.

The Jedi Marshall could practically feel the strength sap from Jamie, or rather, the concentration. She glanced at her apprentice, and then slowly reached out with her own thoughts. A bit of her strength would pour into her Padawan. Aela gave Jamie a nudge, a small push of confidence, strength, and power.

The Cannok shifted, and then plopped itself onto the ground.

With another slobbering growl the creature put down its head on a nearby rock, curling up, and quickly falling into a deep snooze. Aela watched it for just a moment more, and then released the force, slowly looking up at Jamie with a wide grin.

”See?” The Marshall grinned. ”All the confidence in the world.”

It was a small step, but a step.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Mhm." She said, opening her eyes to see the animal fast asleep. "Thanks for the help." She said, knowing what Aela had done. "I lost focus. Got excited."

She knew something like that, if it were something like a Drexl, or similar, could have very well been the end of her. That thought alone made it feel more like a failure than anything. She wasn't able to split her focus without losing concentration, meaning that she had, in her eyes, accomplished very little between then and Spira, aside from the general understanding of what she had done, rather than building on that.

"I let it get away from me, that could have been dangerous."

Jamie tried to sound upbeat about what she had done, but there was an apparent disappointment to even what she had accomplished, especially knowing that Aela needed to help her maintain her efforts, rather than her doing it solely by herself.

[member="Aela Talith"]