Private The River Sings

[Inanna Harth]

Which was more dangerous, Lao-mon or Kashyyyk?

Inanna had grown up on the Shi'ido homeworld, where nearly every other species was a predator willing and able to kill her in any number of gruesome ways. But there was hope to be found in the knowledge her parents gave her. They taught her the monsters' weaknesses, gave her the tools to defeat them.

But Kashyyyk was unknown to her. She didn't know what she was looking at half the time, let alone how to deal with it. Yet here she was, heading down into the Shadowlands.

This was supposed to be a similar trip to Akiva, with her and Resh venturing into the wilderness to practice the skills they had learned from Master Avis. But as the elevator descended, sinking deeper into the impenetrable darkness, Inanna began to have second thoughts. Maybe this was a little too advanced for them.

Who was she kidding? Resh had already been in his first skirmish on Lazerian IV. Inanna hadn't been with him because she wasn't qualified to fight, and considering the fear she felt now, it wasn't hard to see why. Every unfamiliar call of an animal in the jungles made her want to transform into a plant and just sit there until the danger passed. She couldn't avoid the triggering of her instincts, but she was doing her best to control them, even if only for her apprentice's sake. And her dignity.

At last, the lift came to a stop. Their Wookiee guide uttered a low growl, gesturing for them to get off. Inanna stepped down onto rich soil, smelling ozone and plant life and disturbed earth. It was humid; you could see the water droplets floating like mist in the air, suspended on the narrow, faint shafts of light that just barely penetrated the forest canopy high above them. "Well," she murmured, glancing over at Resh. She wanted so badly to give this boy a chance, to foster his interests and bring out the best in him, even if it meant scaring herself into an almost primal state. "What do you think? Is this... the kind of thing you're into?"

Resh​

 

[Resh]

This was now the second time Resh had been to Kashyyyk, and in a relatively short span. Their first visit had been much more jovial, taking part in local celebrations with the Wookiees. But today, they were scratching beneath the surface, quite literally. Inanna seemed very committed to Resh's training, particularly when it came to the regimen they started with Master Avis. Resh appreciated it, as it was by far the thing he showed the most promise and interest in.

The many strange sounds they heard on their descent into the Shadowlands vied for the Palawan's attention. He seemed more intrigued by them than afraid, as if such an instinct were absent from his young and inexperienced mind. To him, it was all much nicer than the sounds of war that filled his senses on Lazerian IV.

"What do you think? Is this... the kind of thing you're into?"

Resh stepped down, his feet squishing a layer of malleable peat moss. He breathed in, "Hmm… Yeah. I guess so." The life surrounding them was vibrant and dense, but also intermixed with darkness. In a way, it sort of reminded Resh of himself. And in a way, he found sympathy in that. "So where are we going?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"So where are we going?"

“Not too far,” Inanna replied. “Just far enough to find a creature bigger than a Kowakian monkey-lizard, practice on it, and move on.”

If there was nothing else to keep them there, she would start walking, trekking through the thick underbrush. Kashyyyk was verdant in a way that even Lao-mon wasn’t—everywhere they looked, there was life in one form or another. Where other Force Users would become overwhelmed, Inanna’s sense seemed to improve in such surroundings. She was a far cry from being able to pick out individual beings amid the sea of sensation, but at least she could feel something for once.

It wasn’t long before they encountered something big enough to count. Unfortunately, the wyyyschokk was already dead when they found it. The giant arachnid lay on its back, legs curled up, yellow blood splattering the foliage around it. “Gnarly,” Inanna muttered, looking the corpse over in an attempt to guess what had killed it. “I don’t think it fell to its death, though the trees here sure are tall.”

Deep slashes scored its body, the wounds at least semi-fresh. Inanna held up a hand, her fingers morphing to fit the shape of the claw marks. “Something big killed it. We probably shouldn’t linger here too long.”

Resh​

 

[Resh]

That seemed agreeable enough to Resh. He followed his master as they began to hike deeper into the undergrowth, finding himself to also be preoccupied by the sheer volume of life energy down here. The further they went, the more dense it was. Even for Resh, who was entranced by nature, found it a bit overwhelming; Especially given his hesitance to utilize the Force in its full capacity.

They soon came across a very large, and very dead, arachnid. Resh studied it with morbid curiosity, his nose wrinkling at the stench. Inanna tried to gauge the size of its killer by morphing her own hands to fit the gash wounds in its thorax. Resh's eyes widened as he came to the same conclusion, "Too big," He admitted outright. "Have you been down here before, Master?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

With the possibility of encountering a large predator now looming over them, Inanna and Resh got moving, heading away from the mangled corpse.

"Have you been down here before, Master?"

Inanna hesitated. Resh was already understandably on edge after finding the wyyyschokk, and she didn't want to frighten him even more by admitting that this place was just as unfamiliar to her as it was to him. "No," she finally answered. "But I did my research, talked to the guide, and I'm semi-fluent in Shyriiwook. That's the language of the Wookiees." She shrugged. "If all else fails, I'll just—"

She broke off, feeling a vibration in the ground beneath their feet. It was staccato, like a drum beat. Thud, thud, thud...

Resh would probably sense the terentatek long before it appeared. Huge and hulking, it lumbered toward them with surprising speed, a silhouette covered in jagged scales and spikes. Inanna used the Force to push her Padawan out of the way of the charging beast, while she leaped in the opposite direction. The terentatek crashed into a nearby tree trunk, the wood cracking and splintering against its hard skull.

It shook its head and roared. Sharp teeth gnashed, saliva glistening in the darkness. "Stay back!" Inanna called out. She was already beginning to change shape, growing larger, sprouting claws, wings, fur and fangs. But she needed time to complete the transformation, and this monster wasn't going to wait before it charged again...

Resh​

 

[Resh]

Their journey through the Shadowlands was cut short by a new threat. Its presence was first marked in the shaking ground, and the eerie presence in the air. Resh wasn't particularly scared of the dead wyyyschokk. Nature, even in its scariest forms, was just that a cycle of life. But this was more than just a dangerous natural predator. This was dark. Unnatural.

Even with such a clearly announced arrival, there was little Resh could do when it came crashing through the trees in pursuit. He was thrown aside by his master's quick thinking, and he landed unceremoniously in a tangle of thick gnarled roots. Inanna morphed herself into a more imposing shape, apparently intent on taking on the beast herself. Resh pushed himself back to his feet, but there was nothing he could do. Even if he could bring himself to lift his weapon, it wouldn't be enough. Nor would his powers. Or at least, not the power he could bring himself to use. Frozen in fear, Resh could only watch as the creature charged again.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

The form Inanna chose was from Dathomir: the chirodactyl. Any other animal, upon being faced with an apex predator of such size and ferocity, would have backed off. But the terentatek was no ordinary beast. It was driven purely by a hunger for Force Sensitive beings, to consume their blood and imbibe their power. That singular focus made it among the most dangerous of creatures a Jedi could face.

It charged at Inanna. Flapping her new wings, she managed to fly out of the way in the nick of time. The terentatek skidded to a halt, reared back, then turned toward Resh. Its huge feet created impact craters in the forest floor as it thundered toward the frozen boy.

There was no cutting through the scaly hide of the terentatek. So Inanna swooped down, not to rend flesh, but to scoop up her Padawan. She seized Resh in her talons—but the terentatek took a swipe at her with its claw as she scraped past. The blow connected, tearing deep gouges in her side.

Inanna was immune to poisons and toxins, but not venom. Within seconds she was dizzy, floundering. Through blurred vision she arced upward, flying toward the sky, hoping to reach a high, sturdy branch or… or…

She blacked out at around fifty feet up. With Resh still loosely clutched loosely in her grasp, she began to plummet back down toward the earth, where the terentatek awaited its helpless prey.

Yet the impact with the ground never came. Something had stopped their freefall, leaving them levitating just out of reach.

There was a rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs as below them an exodus of forest creatures exploded out of the undergrowth. This unnatural army descended en masse upon the terentatek in wave after wave. It slashed at them with its claws and snapped its jaws at wyyyschokks, slyyygs, kinrath and creeping saava, but with each animal or plant it shredded or envenomed, more would take its place. Finally the terentatek was driven back, overwhelmed by their sheer numbers, and with a roar of impotent rage it fled.

And then, stillness... until the silence was suddenly broken by the voice of an old woman, resonant with power and wisdom. "You there, boy," the voice commanded. "Who are you, and why have you come to this part of the forest?"

Resh​

 

[Resh]

Inanna took a rather frightening form herself, but the Terentatek was second to none, and remained undeterred in the face of a rival apex predator. Its focus eventually settled on the weaker prey, Resh, and it began to charge once more. Resh shut his eyes and recoiled, like a child hoping to hide away from a bad dream. When he opened his eyes next, he was being lifted up into the sky by his master's bat-like form. He looked up, and saw nasty injuries left by the monster. Whatever it had done to her, she couldn't fight it for long, and as soon as they had gone up, they seemed to be going right back down. Resh tried to wriggle himself from her claws, to wake her up with his shouted pleas, but there was nothing she could hear, and nothing he could do.

Resh closed his eyes again, and again, the impact never came. He looked down to see the Terentatek being driven off by a veritable swarm of local wildlife. When it was gone, a voice broke through the quiet forest.

"H-huh?" Resh tried to look around for a source, "I-I don't know. We were just trying to explore, we swear."

"…Who are you?" He dared to ask after a pause.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Rani Baros]

"H-huh? I-I don't know. We were just trying to explore, we swear."

"You picked a rather dangerous place to explore," the voice replied. Her tone was fairly mild, more amused than scolding. "The Shadowlands are nothing to trifle with, though it isn't every day that one encounters a terentatek down here. You and your friend just got unlucky."

"…Who are you?"

A small bird flew up close to Resh, flapping its wings to hover in place before him. Astride its back was a tiny humanoid figure, only a few inches tall. She had long pale blonde hair and was dressed all in blue. The figure spoke, her voice amplified with the Force: "My name is Rani. I live here. And I suppose it goes without saying, but I'm a Jedi too."

Now that the coast was clear, their mysterious rescuer began to slowly lower them back down to the forest floor. Inanna was struggling to breathe, gasping and choking. Rani remained calm as she began to draw the terentatek's venom out with the Force. "There, now. She'll be all right. Are you injured?" she asked Resh as Inanna began to stir, her breathing normalizing again.

Resh​

 

[Resh]

"My name is Rani. I live here. And I suppose it goes without saying, but I'm a Jedi too."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks for saving us…" Resh replied, his tone weary and out of sorts. When the tiny woman first appeared on the back of a bird, he almost thought he was imagining it. But there she was, talking to him and holding him aloft the whole time. When he was lowered back to the forest floor, he didn't bother standing up, instead landing and remaining in a seated position.

"I think so," Resh assessed without much thought. Adrenaline was still burning through his veins. He'd probably be a bit sore after this, but he wasn't feeling much right now. At the very least it didn't seem like he had any serious injuries. "Why do you live down here? How do you live down here?"

Rani Baros​

 

[Rani Baros]

The young man appeared to be in shock, no doubt still running on adrenaline. Once he confirmed that he was uninjured, Rani gave him time and space, not bothering him as he sat and got his bearings, busying herself with tending to his companion.

"Why do you live down here? How do you live down here?"

"What interesting questions," Rani remarked amusedly. "I was born down here. I'm too small and quick for most of Kashyyyk's predators to bother with, and, well... It's home."

Inanna began to return to consciousness fairly quickly. She gave a little cough, lifted her head to look around blearily, then slowly began to shrink and shift back to her typical human form. "What did I miss?" she muttered, evidently not too surprised by Rani's size.

"You were attacked by a terentatek," Rani explained. "I had my forest friends chase it off, but you were hit by its venomous claws. Luckily for you, I'm a healer."

Resh​

 

[Resh]

"I guess that makes sense," Resh replied.

Inanna woke up shortly after, seemingly unperturbed by recent events. Or she just didn't remember. "What is a terentatek?" He asked.

Rani Baros​

 

[Rani Baros]

"I guess that makes sense."

Rani laughed, finding the boy's casual acceptance of it all endearing.

"What is a terentatek?"

"That thing we just fought," Inanna replied.

"They are beasts of the Dark Side who hunger for the blood of Force Sensitives," Rani added. "It would have eaten you both, if it had caught you." Which it nearly had, though that went without saying.

"Shouldn't we leave before it comes back?" Inanna asked urgently. "Or at least get away from its hunting grounds?"

"I can take you back to the lift, if you wish to leave the Shadowlands behind," Rani offered. "Or we could head to my place. It's not big enough for the two of you, I'm afraid, but the area is well protected. Your companion said that you were here to explore, and I wouldn't want this little incident to put a damper on your trip."

Inanna hesitated, glancing at her Padawan. She couldn't tell what he was feeling. "What do you think, Resh?" she asked. "Do you want to go back, or...?"

Resh​

 

[Resh]

Rani's description of the terentatek was enough to make Resh freeze up. It hunted Force-sensitives specifically? No wonder it was after them so intensely. He kinda wished he'd known that was even a thing prior to all this…

Rani offered them a chance to stat around her home, which was decidedly not their size, but it was at least protected, whatever that meant in this case. Inanna asked for Resh's opinion, and he weighed the options with uncertainty. It seemed a waste to leave now. They'd barely gotten anywhere. Then again, that creature would have been the end of them without Rani's interference.

"…We can stay. If she's okay with it," He answered, looking at Rani.

Rani Baros​

 

[Rani Baros]

"…We can stay. If she's okay with it," he answered, looking at Rani.

"It would be strange if I offered you shelter and wasn't okay with it," Rani said, eternally amused by the boy's interesting questions. "But now that you mention it, I must ask a favor first." Something in her tone suggested there was more to what she was asking than just proper introductions.

"What's the favor?" Inanna muttered.

"What are your names?"

"I'm Inanna, and this is Resh."

"Inanna Hoole?"

Inanna blinked. "It's been Inanna Harth since I got married." Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know that name?"

"I know of you. Back when the Silvers were the main Jedi Order in the galaxy, there was a Master on the Council, a Shi'ido. He spoke of you fondly, and how he had helped you defect from the Sith Empire."

Inanna's expression faltered, grief apparent on her face. "Yes," she confirmed. "I know who you're talking about. We... used to be close. He died on Tython."

"I am sorry for your loss." But then Rani raised a tiny, barely perceptible eyebrow. "He also said that you were in love with a Sith Lord." Her gaze flicked to Resh. "And I confess I have never met a Pureblood who wasn't Sith."

"That-The Sith Lord is dead too!" Inanna put her hands on her hips, indignation overwhelming any embarrassment she felt. "Resh is my Padawan. We're Jedi, same as you. Just what exactly are you implying?"

Rani held up her hands in peace. "Merely speculating. I thought perhaps you might be mother and son. Master and apprentice was my second guess. Very well, you have answered my questions. My home isn't far, but it is best to start early."

She directed her bird-mount to fly between the trees, circling around occasionally to make sure they didn't lose sight of her, until they reached a clearing beside a lake. The lake was fed by a waterfall which trickled down from a small ridge. No sooner had Inanna taken her first step into the clearing, she sensed a change come over her. It was as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders, leaving her at peace. The Force was at work here, making whatever creatures stepped within the circle more docile.

"Here we are," Rani announced. "Home sweet home." Though where exactly she lived inside this circle wasn't clear.

Resh​

 

[Resh]

Inanna introduced the both of them for Rani, who promptly recognized the Shi'ido. Or had at least heard of her. She made an interesting claim about Inanna being in love with a Sith Lord, which made Resh do a double take, and then another double take when Rani pointed out his Pureblood reputation. The boy's demeanor shrunk even as Inanna defended him. Rani was right. Purebloods as a whole didn't exactly fight the stereotypes of their species. They had an innate symbiosis with the Dark Side, after all.

"Merely speculating. I thought perhaps you might be mother and son."

Resh did another double take, this time looking between himself and Inanna. Did they really look alike at all? Sure, a Shi'ido could theoretically shapeshift into whatever form they desired, but he found the woman's hypothesis puzzling. All the same, Rani seemed satisfied by their answers. She took off on her avian mount, making sure to stay in their line of sight as they followed.

Rani's home seemingly wasn't exactly a domicile in the traditional sense. It was an idyllic little clearing that stood out amongst the dark undergrowth of the Shadowlands. Inside of it, Resh felt a sense of ease and tranquility he had not quite experienced before. "It's very nice," he assessed, "But where is your uh, house?"

Rani Baros​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Rani flew her bird up into a tree, where she dismounted and hopped from branch to branch on two little bare feet. The clearing was quiet and peaceful; it wasn't hard to see how it had become a safe place. Any wildlife that wandered within the circle would be practically tranquilized.

"It's very nice. But where is your uh, house?

"Inside this tree stump," Rani replied. Using the Force, she enhanced her final leap, landing gracefully atop an old stump. "You can't see it from outside, but I've hollowed out the inside. This is the entrance." She pointed down between the tangle of roots. "I apologize for the lack of lodgings in your size."

"Why don't you apologize for what you said earlier?" Inanna said, crossing her arms over her chest. Even after entering the circle, she hadn't fully let go of her indignation and annoyance over Rani's "speculation" about them. "I get that you wanted to know our intentions, but you didn't have to make it weird. Talking about my personal history..." She glanced at Resh and bit her lip, recalling how the boy had hung his head when she brought up his Pureblood heritage. "And making accusations based on appearances isn't a good way to make friends."

"Well, I figured your Padawan would know about your past already," Rani said. "But you're right, it was unkind of me. I am sorry."

"I don't like talking about who I was or what I did before I became a Jedi," Inanna said, more for Resh's benefit than Rani's. "The past is the past. It's over and done with. But..." She sighed begrudgingly. Rani had opened up a can of worms, and now it was her job to close it. "Many years ago, I pretended to be a Sith while trying to find the person who hurt a friend of mine." She spat the word person as if it were an insult. "I wound up in over my head. Was taken in by a Sith Lady who wanted me as her apprentice, developed feelings for a Sith Lord who didn't give a damn about me, asked for help from a Sith Alchemist who just wanted to use me for his own ends. In the end, I had to be rescued from the mess I had gotten myself into by the same friend I was trying to avenge. I don't think I've ever felt more stupid and useless in my life."

Those feelings had lingered in her, festering, up until the invasion of Lao-mon by the Mawites. Only then did she feel a sense of higher purpose, a calling above and beyond taking care of herself and her family. Once again, it had cost her everything...

"And yet, here you are," Rani commented after several moments of silence, during which Inanna had become lost in thought. "A Jedi Knight with a Padawan. I don't think he finds you stupid or useless." She side-eyed Resh. "At least, I hope not."

Resh​

 

[Resh]

Resh followed Rani to the tree stump, trying to get a peek inside before realizing it was futile. It made sense that a tiny person like her would have an equally tiny house, he supposed. Inanna wasn't quite ready to let go of Rani's previous accusations. For what it was worth, the woman did apologize, even if she was a bit too relaxed about airing out private matters. Inanna took it upon herself to explain that which had since been revealed. Resh wasn't planning on pressuring her to do so, at least not yet. He was also quite happy to leave the past in the past.

"A Jedi Knight with a Padawan. I don't think he finds you stupid or useless." She side-eyed Resh. "At least, I hope not."

Resh glanced between the two of them, suddenly nervous that he was giving off the vibe that he did in fact think of Inanna as stupid or useless, "N-no!" He said, "I think you're nice. And it sounds like you tried to do the right thing..."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"N-no! I think you're nice. And it sounds like you tried to do the right thing..."

Inanna chanced a small smile at her apprentice. "Sometimes trying to do the right thing isn't enough. Maybe for other people, but not for yourself. A person can't get by on trying. They have to accomplish something, or else they're just a failure. You know what I mean?"

"I think I get the gist," Rani said. She had been observing their little exchange in silence, sitting pretty on her tree stump. "Speaking of overcoming failure, how would you two like to learn how to defeat the terentatek?"

Resh​

 

[Resh]

Resh seemed a little perplexed by Inanna's do-or-do-not attitude. She was speaking about herself, which already made Resh feel bad, as he felt she was undeserving of her own critics; But Resh also took it against himself. Would he be a failure in her eyes, if he failed to succeed?

"Speaking of overcoming failure, how would you two like to learn how to defeat the terentatek?"

Resh turned to the small Jedi with surprise, "Defeat it? That sounds—" Impossible? He corrected himself, "…Really hard."

Inanna Harth​