Chapter Five: Travelling Alone
Time passed, another year according to the markings Sans had made. Fluttershy was nervous to set out on her own, yet she wanted to see if she could find her way to Coruscant. ‘Then maybe check on Hondo.’ she told herself as she looked at the ship. It was her first time travelling alone, but Marr had advised her to practice in case an incident like before happened again. Fluttershy made sure her supplies were packed as she climbed aboard the ship. She petted the kitten, which she had lovingly dubbed Belia. According to Master Satele, Belia seemed to have been a combination of the Flame Tygah she had encountered and a Gryphon. She wasn’t sure how it happened just yet but told Fluttershy to keep an open mind and to reflect on her actions.
“stay safe out there.” Sans said, he was one of the few that did not feel safe with Fluttershy going out on her own. Mir’grok, not being fond of space travel, had said that travelling the mountains alone was a sign of strength among the Flesh Raiders. Asriel was with Sans, he didn’t want Fluttershy to be by herself on what was going to be a simple errand. In the end the decision rested with her. Fluttershy placed a hand on Sans’ shoulder as she replied. “I will, I trust that you will take care of everything here.”
Though Sans’ face was still in the same grin, his eyes were downcast. Fluttershy extended her wing, her feathers brushed against his face saying. “We can talk when I get back. Now I have to go before I change my mind.”
Fluttershy turned ready to leave when she felt Sans’ place his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes widened for a moment as he said. “just promise me that you’ll be careful.”
“I promise Sans.” Fluttershy spoke quietly before she moved to the ship. She knew it was her decision, but as she sat in the pilot’s seat she was beginning to regret it. Her hands shook as she reached out and began to power it up. They would rarely take out the ship, as they had no money and didn’t want to waste fuel. She made sure that the area was clear before lifting the ship off the ground piloting it towards space.
Fluttershy flew a ways away from Tython reaching out through the Force. She was seeking guidance to where she was needed the most. A whistle echoed in the back of her mind as she placed her hands against the controls. A planet, a location, the whistling grew more desperate as if it was a bird in distress. Her mind chased after it, finding a path through the stars as she entered the location through instinct rather than knowledge. She saw the coordinates entered and activated the hyperdrive taking a massive breath. She sat there for a little bit after the jump, she honestly wished she had a copilot. Fluttershy closed her eyes as she began to meditate. She listened for the whistling again just as the computer beeped at her letting her know that they arrived at their destination. She got straight to work, going through the steps that she was taught. She watched as her ship exited hyperspace, a planet covered in ice and snow appearing in front of her.
“Let’s hope I can find and help whoever needs help down there.” Fluttershy mumbled under her breath as she began to enter the atmosphere. It was bumpy, she did feel a little bit sick, through all of that she stuck through it. Panic began to well up when she realized she had to land the vessel in a safe area so she wouldn’t get trapped. Her eyes scanned the surface before she noticed another ship. ‘I want to land close, but not too close. I don’t want to mess up and cause that ship damage.’ she told herself mentally.
The landing was a bit rough and Fluttershy found that it actually got her closer to the other ship than she wanted. Yet there she was safely on the ground, in the cold. Her wings drew closer to herself just to block out the wind. Closing her eyes Fluttershy focus, listening for the sound, the whistling grew stronger. Her wings flared out as she turned locating the direction and took off. Her teal eyes scanned the area before spotting a hole in the ice. She landed close by listening for anyone still alive down there.
“How are you feeling?” a man’s voice asked, Fluttershy couldn’t tell who it was directed to. She could see who was speaking, it was a human male with long brown hair wearing robes.
"I seem to have twisted my ankle Master, but otherwise I am fine." A younger male with short hair and a braid responded as he grasped the injured foot. Fluttershy was about to call out to them but knew that the term Master was generally meant for a student and teacher. Force Users. She watched as the Master examined the foot before scooting back as he turned to look at the hole. She laid against the ice before she began to focus. She had better control over her transformations to her pony form but this would have been the first time she succeeded in taking it.
"Master Qui-Gon, I sense that we aren't alone." The young boy said to his master. "What do you think it is?"
“I’m not sure Obi-Wan.” Qui-Gon replied before hearing a sound as a small creature poked its head over the side watching them. It let out a sound before jumping down the hole onto the boulders beneath it. The creature walked over to them and let out its call one more time fluttering two wings at its side.
Obi-Wan tilted his head to the side as he looked at the creature curiously. "Well hello there!" Obi-Wan said with a smile. "Now what might you be?"
The creature blinked up at them before letting out a cry. It began to sniff the air looking around almost tripping over a long mane. Qui-Gon reached out slowly watching as the creature ducked its head. He smiled saying calmly. “Easy there, your mane.”
The creature merely sniffed his fingers instead though it flicked its head to the side moving the mane out of the way slightly.
"Have you seen anything like it before Master?" Obi-Wan asked, looking up at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon examined the creature as it sniffed around as he answered. “I have not, not on Ilum but there is much that we haven’t explored. It could also be a pet of some kind.”
The creature made a noise like a squeak before looking around once again sniffing the air. It wandered a bit before walking back then walking a bit further. It returned each time as if afraid to go alone.
"It looks like it wants our help." Obi-Wan pointed out to his master. "What should we do? I can't move too well as I am."
The creature paused, Qui-Gon had a feeling that it understood what Obi-Wan had said as it approached him. It brought its head forward sniffing the wounded area before nudging it lightly with its head.
"Ow!" Obi-Wan winced as he pulled his leg back. "Careful there!"
The creature looked startled for a moment almost ready to fly away with how its wings were spread. Qui-Gon spoke calmly. “Easy now, I am sure it was just a mistake.”
The creature looked at the wound again before reaching out with one of its wings brushing against it lightly. That was when Qui-Gon felt it, a shift in the wind and a strong presence in the Force. Obi-Wan looked at the creature before looking at Qui-Gon in surprise. "You felt that too right?"
Qui-Gon nodded his head as the creature took a step back. It looked at the leg before looking at Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon knelt by Obi-Wan asking. “Try moving your leg slowly.”
Obi-Wan did what he instructed and let out a gasp of surprise. He got up on his feet and winced a bit. "I don't know what it did but, I feel a lot better. Still feels sore but I can walk."
The creature was walking away again before it got startled and ran back behind Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon chuckled a bit before looking at Obi-Wan saying. “Walk carefully, it seems to want to lead us somewhere.”
The creature walked around them before leading them into a tunnel it had found. Qui-Gon had seen it before but he couldn’t leave his Padawan’s side.
"I suppose we should follow it Master?" Obi-Wan asked. Qui-Gon nodded his head as he said quietly. “Be wary, I do not sense hostile intent with this creature but we do not know where it came from or how it came to be here.” Obi-Wan nodded as he followed closely behind Qui-Gon. The creature walked close to them sniffing once in a while before finding what it was looking for. An underground hot spring, it glanced before nudging Obi-Wan towards the spring.
"You want me to go into that spring?" Obi-Wan asked the creature. The creature just looked up at him before nudging him again. Qui-Gon observed the situation, the more he watched it the more he came to the conclusion that this creature was strong in the Force.
Obi-Wan walked towards the spring and took off his robe as he settled in it. "This feels great!" He cheered as he relaxed. The creature looked away as Qui-Gon said. “Thank you for leading us here.”
He watched as the creature hid behind its mane before its ears twitched. It looked back down the tunnel for a moment. Qui-gon walked forward to peer down but he sensed no presence in the area besides them. He knelt down and petted the head of the creature saying. “It is alright, I will take a look.”
The creature watched him walked away before walking over to Obi-Wan. It sniffed at his robes before crawling underneath them. Obi-Wan looked towards the creature as he said. "What's going on?"
“It seems to have heard something, I’m going to check it out.” Qui-Gon informed Obi-Wan seeing the lump in the clothing move around. Obi-Wan nodded with a "Yes Master."
When Qui-Gon Jinn left the creature poked its head out before looking at Obi-Wan. It nudged what it found over to the side of the spring: Obi-Wan’s lightsaber.
"That's my lightsaber, I would be careful with that." Obi-Wan said as he grabbed it. "If you aren't careful you could get hurt."
The creature back away before hiding behind a rock. Obi-Wan motioned for it to come back. "It's alright, I won't hurt you."
The creature walked back around and sat by the spring. It watched the entrance to the tunnel as if waiting for Qui-Gon to return. It glanced back at Obi-Wan, its ear twitching as Qui-Gon walked in. Obi-Wan looked at Qui-Gon, curious on what he had to say. Qui-Gon smiled saying. “There is no one else down here. There is a search party looking for us, I gave them our position.”
Obi-Wan looked at the creature before looking back at Qui-Gon. "While that's good news, I feel like there's more to why the creature is acting the way it is. Are you absolutely certain there's no one else?"
“I’m certain, the other way was blocked off and I heard nothing digging.” Qui-Gon replied watching the creature move towards the exit. Once he was certain the creature was out of earshot did he say. “It does not act like a typical animal.”
"What do you mean Master?" Obi-Wan asked curiously. Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan before looking at the lightsaber explaining. “The way it reacted, it showed that it listens, it lead us to this place, it brought you your lightsaber. How did it know to push this to you?”
"I thought it was just curious as it found it while hiding in my robe. With all respect Master, might you be overthinking it?" Obi-Wan asked as he got out of the spring and shook himself off. Qui-Gon chuckled lightly saying. “Perhaps, but we must be mindful of all things. Even the smallest of beings can be some of the most powerful.”
Fluttershy landed at the edge of the hole watching as a ship landed closer to their position. She took off quickly heading back towards her ship. She knew she couldn’t stay long and she had to return Hondo’s coat to him. She glanced back seeing Jedi moving to aid their comrades and smiled. That was when she felt a chill and looked around. She noticed a figure upon the cliff watching the scene as well before turning his head and looking directly at her. Panicking Fluttershy flew as fast as she could towards her ship. Once inside she locked the door and focused on returning to her bipedal form. Her heart was pounding as she thought. ‘Who was that?’