Private Wolf Song

[Braze]

TAGS: Bernard

After the Empire of the Lost's invasion, Braze hadn't been able to return to Lothal for some time. Following the Invasion of Coruscant, he decided to head back to the planet where he'd gone on his first official mission with Jasper Kai'el ; the very same mission that led to his transition from Initiate to Padawan under the Sentinel of Harmony himself. He was very shy then, and he was still shy even now. He had lost his initial bravado when Aliris Tremiru stole the Emerald Tide Lightsaber Crystal his father had given him when he was but a child. This was the planet where he ran into her again and helped her, the same planet where Loomi seemingly convinced her to join the Jedi, and the same planet where he also lost Aliris Tremiru to Alina Tremiru 's vile deeds. And now, all he could do was visit her as Aliris lay in a seemingly endless sleep. He wondered if he had done the right thing... maybe her life would be different if he had never met her in the Sith tombs that fateful day.

He'd retrieved the Emerald Tide kyber crystal from her present caregivers and had brought it along with him, along with other corrupted and bled crystals: the one from Teresa Zambrano | Darth Pellax and the one Lord Kalrath had bled on Tython. Braze hoped to seek solace in his sanctuary within the trees and work on purifying them.

He arrived on the planet accompanied by his ever-present watcher and confidant, leaving Aether of the Iron Order at the ship. Braze wanted to clear his head and check on things here. Coming up to the place where his treehouse was, he was puzzled by the sight. The massive structure he'd worked so hard to build was gone, and there was a large crater in the earth where it once stood. He frowned. He had a lot of good memories here... what happened to the treehouse? It wasn't destroyed, per se, it was just... gone.

He had met and spoken to so many people here, and now it was gone... gone like Thelma Goth , the little seamstress whose life had been flipped upside down at this very spot. He didn't really have a chance to get to know her or really talk to her before things changed drastically.

Braze stood at the edge of the crater, his eyes scanning the area where his treehouse once stood. The structure, which had been a symbol of his growth and the friendships he had forged, was now nothing but a memory. He crouched down, running his fingers through the disturbed soil, trying to piece together what might have happened. For a moment, he was in denial, feeling the loose soil between his fingers. It wasn't burned to the ground or left in pieces... it was as if someone had torn asunder the whole area and just removed it. He couldn't fathom why anyone would do such a thing. He thought about the gardens he had cultivated here and the little ponds and moat of fish he'd started... what could have happened to it all? It just didn't make sense to him.

He took a deep breath, the air on Lothal still fresh despite the changes the planet had undergone. The memories of his first mission with Jasper flooded back—those early days of uncertainty and shyness, and how much he had grown since then. He had been less interested in this place then, but now... there was a hole in his heart. Something else had been ripped away.

"Why would someone do this?" Braze murmured to himself, his brow furrowed in contemplation. He felt a deep sorrow settle in the pit of his stomach, and it grew, welling up inside him. The treehouse had been a sanctuary, a place where he had found a sense of belonging.

His ever-present watcher, Aether of the Iron Order , was a silent but steady presence, observing him from a distance, giving Braze the space he needed. Braze stood up and dusted off his hands, trying to shake off the initial shock. He couldn't linger in despair; he needed to understand why this had happened and what it meant.

Braze couldn't help but reflect on all the loss he had experienced lately. Lothal, Tython, Coruscant... nothing seemed safe anymore. There was no peace, no stability in his life. The empty, desolate sight of the fields, now missing their centerpiece, struck a deep chord within him. He felt his heart sink, and his eyes became glassy with unshed tears. The weight of his memories and the current reality felt almost too much to bear. Tears began to spill over, but he quickly wiped them away with the edges of his long sleeves, fussing with the fabric as he tried to regain his composure. He took a deep breath, finding his center even as the corrupted serenity crystal he carried tried to work against him. He was no longer that scared, nervous, awkward little boy he was nearly a year ago. He was something more now.

"I need to find out what happened here," he said, his voice stronger now. He knew that Lothal held many secrets, and perhaps the destruction- no, abduction of his treehouse was tied to something bigger.

With a final glance at the crater, Braze turned and headed back towards his ship. There were people on Lothal who might have answers, and he was going to uncover the truth.

His journey on Lothal however, was far from over.

As he made his way through the familiar terrain, Braze heard a distant howling, a sound that sent a shiver down his spine. The howling grew louder, more distinct, and Braze recognized it as the call of the Loth-wolves. The legendary creatures were said to be guardians of the planet, and their presence now could be a sign.

Braze paused, listening intently to the howls that seemed to echo through the very air around him. The Loth-wolves were often seen as harbingers of significant events. Deciding to follow the sound, Braze ventured deeper into the wilds of Lothal. The terrain grew more rugged, and the vegetation denser, but he pressed on. The howling served as his guide, leading him towards an unknown destination.

As Braze neared the source of the howling, he sensed a disturbance in the Force. The air felt heavier, charged with a dark energy that made his skin prickle. Suddenly, he heard new sounds—harsh, guttural tones that contrasted sharply with the natural sounds of the forest. He crept closer, using the trees for cover, until he saw them.

A group of corrupted beings, twisted by the dark side, surrounded a pack of Loth-wolves. Their once noble forms were now shadowed, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light. The creatures hissed and snarled, brandishing weapons and dark energy in a menacing display. Braze recognized them as Sith spawns, corrupted by the influence of the dark side.

The Loth-wolves were cornered, their growls a mix of defiance and fear. Among them, Braze spotted a small pup, its eyes wide with terror as the Sith spawns closed in. His heart pounded in his chest as he assessed the situation. He knew he had to act quickly to save the wolves and stop whatever dark ritual the Sith spawns were performing.

Drawing his lightsaber, Braze took a deep breath, centering himself in the Force. He leaped out from his hiding place, the teal blade of his lightsaber igniting with a hiss. The Sith spawns turned towards him, their eyes narrowing in recognition of a new threat.

"This ends now," Braze declared, his voice steady and filled with resolve. He moved forward, ready to protect the Loth-wolves and confront the darkness that had plagued these lands.

The Sith spawns snarled, advancing on him.

Amidst the chaos, Braze saw the small pup, cowering behind one of the larger Loth-wolves. He knew he had to reach it before the Sith spawns could. With a burst of speed, he dispatched the nearest attackers, clearing a path to the pup. As he neared, a particularly vicious spawn lunged at the defenseless creature.

"No!" Braze shouted, his voice carrying a fierce intensity. He intercepted the spawn with a powerful strike, sending it reeling back. The pup looked up at him with wide, trusting eyes, and Braze felt a surge of protective instinct.

He scooped up the pup with one arm, holding it close as he continued to fend off the Sith spawns.
The dark energy pulsed with malevolence, overwhelming Braze. Struggling to keep his footing, he fought desperately against the relentless Sith spawns. The two larger Loth-wolves battled beside him, their fangs and claws striking fiercely.

Despite their bravery, the wolves were overpowered and fell one by one. But the dark forces were too many.

Knocked to the ground, his lightsaber out of reach, Braze faced the encroaching Sith spawns. The injured and dying Loth-wolves' howls and the pup's whimpers echoed throughout the lands. Cornered and overwhelmed, Braze braced for the final assault, hope fading as darkness closed in.

 

[Bernard]

A vibroblade suddenly burst from the chest of the lead Sithspawn. The creature growled in surprise, but its growl quickly turned to a gurgling before it ceased entirely. The lifeless body fell into the dirt, kicking up dust.

Bernard stepped out from behind its shadow, a phantom brandishing a bloodied vibroblade in one hand and a clean one in the other. He gave the blades a twirl, blood flying free of its edge, and turned to face the crowd of bewildered Sithspawn.

Six of them still stood. The Padawan and wolves had thinned the crowd, but nearly paid dearly for it. The Sithspawn stared at their dead packmate for a long moment, before their eyes settled on his murderer. Bloodlust rushed back into their faces.

Bernard readied himself, bringing the twin blades up to point toward his foes. Before they'd made their first move, he reached out through the Force to take hold of their weapons and pull.

Their weapons went flying high through the air, harmlessly clattering to the floor behind the Padawan. Their bloodlust mixed with confusion, then comprehension. The man who'd appeared in their midst was Jedi. They snarled, blinded by hatred, but didn't charge. As much as the dark side had muddled their senses, they were far from stupid creatures. Bernard watched the recognition in their eyes give way to bitterness, feeling their future intents in the Force. They would run away, tails tucked between their legs. Their instincts were likely warning them of the death that awaited now that they no longer faced down easy prey, but that self-preservation instinct hadn't quite won out against the deep haze of bloodlust.

Bernard took advantage of their hesitation, leaping forward with blinding speed. He brought his blade to bear on the first Sithspawn, killing him in one precise cut, and incapacitated a second Sithspawn with the other blade. Before their bodies had begun to fall, he already bore down on the next pair, dispatching them with the same ease.

The last pair of Sithspawn registered the deaths of their comrades through the blur of Bernard's attacks, and their hesitation disappeared in a flash of panic. They ran, dropping to all fours as their massive paws struck the ground.

But Bernard didn't intend for them to leave. One moment the Sithspawn charged away, the next they froze motionless in their tracks. Their bodies were locked in a stasis summoned through the Force. Two clean cuts dispatched of them as well.

With the Sithspawn dead, Bernard finally acknowledged the kneeling Padawan for the first time.

"Your bladework. It needs refinement," he spoke with an impassive tone.

Bernard approached the Padawan, kneeling to his level some good distance away. He began cleaning the blades.

"Are you injured?"

His white hair had grown longer, worn tied back and currently stained by a several droplets of blood. He wore a black eyepatch over his right eye, and his left was a faded, pure white, though it didn't look injured, nor did it resemble a blind man's. There was keen awareness behind that pupilless gaze.

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Bernard

By the time Bernard turned upon Braze, he saw the smaller figure attempting to heal one of the larger wolves with one hand, but it was too late. His blade, somehow back with him, was latched to his hip, and he held a pup in his other hand. Despite his efforts, he wasn't quick enough.

"Your bladework. It needs refinement,"

Those words cut deep. Braze's somber jade green eyes turned to Bernard with a stunned, bewildered, and incredulous expression. He was silent for a few long moments, internalizing the criticism. The words solidified his self-doubts, hitting him hard as someone who practiced beyond reasonable expectations, striving obsessively for unattainable perfection. A flood of emotions surged within him, leaving him seemingly in a state of shock. He fell back onto his rear, realizing his Force healing wasn't helping the large wolf he was trying to save. He felt drained.

The small wolf pup in his arms squirmed free, whimpering and nuzzling its parent before licking Braze's hand with sorrowful sounds. Braze gently petted the pup's head and stood up, pulling the smaller wolf with him. He shifted his gaze back to Bernard.

"Are you injured?"

"I'm fine," Braze replied, though his voice was terse, carrying a sharp edge of upset. The blade hilt at his hip was an unusual design for a lightsaber. It resembled the hilt of a fencing saber, complete with an ornate cage and finger rings below it. It didn't appear to have any buttons on it either. Though and emitter was certainly clearly in place on one end.

Braze looked around the devastated landscape, the weight of his mission pressing down on him. "I came back here hoping to find some peace, but it seems the fight never ends."

He then turned his attention to the pup in his arms, his voice softening. "I'm sorry I couldn't save your parent. I promise to protect you and make sure you never face danger alone again. I'll refine my skills until there's no weakness left."

 

[Bernard]

Bernard bit down against the curl reflexively forming at the edge of his lips. It wasn't a smile or grin, per se. There was no humour behind it, just the ironic recognition of an all-too-familiar attitude.

"You'll always have some weaknesses left, kid. There's no such thing as perfect baldework," Bernard sighed, his gaze rested on the dying wolf. He'd faced six foes, but the most difficult task still lay ahead of him.

The beast's chest heaved, a small red puddle pooling by its front paws. A deep gash ran the length from its chest to the side facing the ground. A fatal wound.

Bernard moved next to the wolf and knelt by its side, sticking both blades into the ground next to him. He placed a hand on its fur, feeling the fading warmth. The wolf barely managed to turn its head, its eyes fixed on the Padawan who held its pup. It let out a soft whine. There was nothing more Bernard could do for it. The wounds ran too deep, and he wasn't a trained healer by any means. What little medical supplies he had wouldn't even make a dent.

"You did everything you could," Bernard said, an faint edge of regret in his voice. His presence in the Force elevated a moment, and the wolf's heaving stopped. The rustling of leaves replaced the pained sounds as tree branches swayed in the calm breeze.

Quiet sorrow faded as the distance grew, and worldly concerns forced their way back to his attention. Bernard waited for a long moment before he spoke again.

"It should be safe now, for you and the little one at least. Do you need an escort to your ship?" Bernard asked, falling back into the impassive tone.

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Bernard

"No weaknesses anyone could possibly see," Braze stated, his tone clarifying his intention. He knew the hand was faster than the eye, and he knew that was possible.

He carefully scooped the small pup into his arms, offering it soothing pets to console the small creature. His green eyes widened as he watched what the man was doing. Unfamiliar with the technique, Braze didn't seem to know exactly what it was, but he sensed its purpose. It made him somewhat wary, but there was an understanding that perhaps it was done to spare the creature suffering.

"Nothing is safe anywhere," Braze said simply, as if resigning to a fact.

"I haven't found where my tree house went or why someone decided to steal a trio of trees and a housing structure..." He trailed off, looking back the way he came. "I'm not allowed to talk to strangers; so you better tell me who you are mister." Braze added, eyeing the man from head to toe with a wary look. "I'm Braze... " he asked.

The puppy nosed at the hand Braze was using to pet it, seeking more attention.

Notably, Braze had an odd arm brace contraption that looked like some kind of cage over his left shoulder and arm. It appeared to be supplying his arm with electric shocks to keep it functioning.

 

[Bernard]

The Jedi Padawan's arm bore evidence of a significant injury, only held together by pseudo-cybernetic enhancement layered on top of his existing biology. The contraption around his arm seemed a curious design, non-standard and seemingly hand-crafted. It was both a relief and a point of unease that it lent credence to the theory that this wasn't a youngling fresh out of training.

"That's a silly rule for a Padawan of the New Jedi Order to be held to," Bernard arced his brow. He picked up his blades, sheathing them at his sides.

"It's good we won't have to talk, then. You just need to show me the way to your ship," Bernard's gaze shifted to the wolf's remains where it lingered a moment, before he turned to the Sithspawn.

"Greater beasts than these lurk in this area."

And they were the reason he'd come to Lothal. Saving the Padawan's had simply been an interruption of his hunt, and he intended to resume it sooner rather than later.

Bernard crossed his arms, waiting for the kid to start leading the way.

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Bernard

"That's a silly rule for a Padawan of the New Jedi Order to be held to,"

"I imagine that's because it's not a rule the NJO has issued me," Braze responded simply, giving Bernard another once-over. His mind absorbed information rapidly, like a dry sponge dropped into a bowl of water.

"My dad doesn't want me to talk to strangers," Braze added, observing Bernard's appearance, the way he walked, talked, every fiber of muscle that moved, the number of fingers he had, the shade of his skin, the hue of his eyes. "But then again I never was one much for rules~"

"It's good we won't have to talk, then. You just need to show me the way to your ship,"

"Greater beasts than these lurk in this area."

"I know. I have fought them," Braze stated simply but did not elaborate, remembering the terrifying beast that Aliris Tremiru seemingly tried to tame and how Jasper Kai'el came to their rescue. That had not been a good day.

"I never mentioned having a ship... let alone one nearby," Braze said warily. "You're a suspicious stranger who wishes to remain anonymous; A rude one at that. I even introduced myself first and used my manners. To me it seems like you have some explaining to do Sir Patches. " he added, eyeing Bernard uncertainly. He didn't feel like a Sith, at least not any he had met so far, but he was well aware of how conniving and devious they could be. He didn't seem too thankful for Bernard' heroic deed as he coddled the pup.

Braze's somber jade green eyes shifted to the vibroblade, then the eyepatch. He couldn't rule out the possibility that Bernard was a Sith. For all he knew, this man could have summoned or corrupted those creatures in a ploy to lure him out and earn his trust.

"You walk in front and head that way then," Braze decided, not wishing to give his back to the strange man who did not identify himself.

 

[Bernard]

Bernard grimaced, something caught between surprise, confusion, and annoyance.

"Stranger? Suspicious?" He raised an eyebrow at the lack of recognition in the Padawan's eyes. He may have lacked manners, but he'd assumed he'd still be known enough among the order that even the newer generation would recognize him, if not by name, then by sight.

"Have the New Jedi stopped teaching their order's history to its younglings? Or did Dracken's kid burn down every record in both libraries?"

Bernard sized the Padawan up. It had been a few years since his exile-in-all-but-name to the Unknown Regions, but it couldn't have been long enough for a full generation to grow up without ever having known the history of their council. Though, perhaps the Padawan's ignorance was more fortune than curse. That history, and the baggage that came with it and his most recent choices, were complications he didn't quite want to dive into, certainly not with a kid who'd barely assembled his lightsaber.

"And unless the Order developed some way for their Padawan to survive in hyperspace without a ship, it's easy enough to guess you must have come here aboard a ship one way or another," he changed the subject.

"The diversion to get you on a path back home to Alliance space will take long enough, and I have a hunt to return to," he added.

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Bernard

Braze offered a curious tilt of his head looking at the man. Draken? maybe he meant Dracken Pryce ? "Master Gabriel Pryce burns libraries? That doesn't sound like him. . . He's a good history teacher; I'm just a poor student. I hate history class... it's so boring.. I think that's why he tends to give me absurd amounts of work in the form of research essays. " Braze started. Truth be told he did wear a neatly kept, and highly decorated padawan braid, Complete with gold and black beads. A tradition most of his peers seemed to ignore, that felt like was dying out. Oddly enough his long white braid held a single long plume that was jet black tipped with red. a small gift of favor perhaps from Teresa Zambrano | Darth Pellax , or maybe even a war trophy...? Hard to tell by looks alone.

Sure, here's the text with the coding preserved:

"I have survived the vacuum of space from Tatooine to Nal Hutta." Braze stated with a frown, his gaze shifting to his arm in the brace, vividly remembering the harrowing experience.

Braze looked relatively young. He was small, standing only at 5'2'' or 1.5 meters tall, and had a thin, wiry frame, yet with defined musculature. He resembled someone with a fragile dancer's build or that of an agile swimmer. His skin was near lily white, and his hair was snowy white. He looked almost every bit an Echani, except for those odd pale jade green eyes. They were a muted tone of green, denoting some other heritage mixed in. But he was an Echani who had turned 14, something Braze likely took very seriously.

If Bernard's gaze was particularly scrutinizing, he might even pick up on the Jedi Crusader Pendant, containing an unfractured crystal that had once belonged to Revna .

"I'm not going back to Alliance space. Not anytime soon." Braze stated firmly. It didn't take long for them to find a smaller ship that resembled a Delta-7 Aethersprite-class interceptor, though it had doubled in size, with the familiar figure of Aether of the Iron Order standing by it.

"What are you hunting?" Braze asked curiously, pausing by the snare of the forest.

 

[Bernard]

While Braze was short, Bernard stood tall, by a whole foot. The thin, wiry build Braze had also contrasted with the tall, and wider frame of Bernard, whose life as a Jedi soldier on the frontlines still cast its shadows in the way he carried himself. But with sufficient disbelief and a healthy dose of squinting one might assume the two to be distant cousins. Arkanians and Echani had remarkably similar traits to their appearance, at least when put relative to your arbitrarily chosen alien species originating from different star systems.

"I'm not taking you on this hunt," Bernard pre-empted the line of thought the Padawan was going down. He couldn't be certain that was going to be his next question, he was no precognition specialist, but the kid's appearance and behaviour told him enough to be wary.

He came to a halt several feet away from the landed ship, taking in the starfighter. An old model that still found its uses, almost a millenium after its designs had first been put on paper. Not unlike the lightsaber, a Jedi's tools tended to be designed to last. Though more interestingly, he caught the sight of a droid—an Iron Knight, he corrected himself—next to the starfighter.

A slight smirk found its way to Bernard's expression. He nodded toward the Iron Knight.

"This your droid?" He asked Braze.

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Bernard

Braze adjusted the small puppy cradled in one arm, its soft whimpers lightly heard as he offered a bright-eyed grin. "You're not my master, are you?" he quipped, the grin widening as he gently soothed the pup. His free hand emphasized his point, his voice carrying a touch of cheeky defiance. "Besides, I'm the captain of my own fate here." He looked from the puppy to Bernard, his expression playful. "So go ahead, keep your secrets—I and my furry friend here can deal with out the constraints of some forgotten master. " he added.

Braze's gaze shifted to Aether of the Iron Order , who was standing vigilantly beside the ship. The question hung in the air, "My droid?" He echoed, his tone reflecting a contemplation deeper than the simple label suggested. Aether wasn't just a mechanical aide; he often played the roles of a saber forms instructor and a guardian, always there to assist when asked. More than that, Aether was a steadfast overseer of Braze's safety, entrusted by Jasper Kai'el .

There was an undeniable bond between them, almost as if Aether owed Braze a life debt. But it was more complex, more familial.

"He's my friend," Braze finally declared, his voice carrying a note of definitive clarity as if he had just resolved an internal debate about how best to describe their relationship. Aether's role was akin to that of a governor or a guardian, someone tasked with rearing and tutoring, yet the simple label of 'friend' seemed to encompass it all more truly at that moment.