As the sun began to set, Gabriel quickly gathered his fishing pole and fish and began the short trek back to the village. His father had brought him to Dantooine only a few months earlier to visit an old friend. He knew there was an underlying reason, as there was on all of the journeys throughout the galaxy. Either his father had run out of credits again, or yet another crime boss he had entangled himself with needed some sort of favor. He wasn't going to ask questions though. His father never liked to talk about his personal business with Gabriel. He seemed set on the fact that if he never talked about it, then Gabriel had no idea what was really going on. Even though Gabriel was only 12, he had a keen sense of things around him. Whether it was a physical threat or something less physical, he could sense it.
He kept a close eye over his shoulder, as he knew kath hounds had been spotted in the area recently. He made it to the edge of the village and felt himself stop. It was as if something had placed it's hands on his shoulders and held him in place. It wasn't a forceful grasp, but one more of warmth. He felt a rush of heat rise from the bottoms of his heels to the tips of his fingers. He slowly turned and faced the blank darkness of the forest behind him. His eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. He then felt an undeniable connection with something just beyond his sight, what he didn't see was what it was. Then, in an instant, it was gone. He momentarily lost his balance and stumbled backwards, dropping the fresh fish he had been carrying.
Hearing the noise made by the boy, Koly, a native Dantari, and friend of his father's, peered out from his tent. He saw the boy staring blankly back at him and he stepped out and towards the boy.
"Ah, Gah-bril, what is it now?" He reached down and picked the boy up, brushing the dirt away from him. Since the arrival of Jetto and his son, Koly had felt something change throughout the settlement. Almost as if a permanent cloud had settled over their heads.
Gabriel shook his head and looked up at the large, thick-skinned being standing before him. "I......ahh....I don't know...I tripped."
Koly felt the lack of truth in the boy's statement. Despite the reputation Dantari had for lacking intellect, Koly had made it a point to educate himself, spending hours reading and studying various worlds and civilizations. Regardless of Gabriel's human-like appearance, he felt the presence of something else in him. Something that felt anything but human. This was something that Koly had chosen to ignore. What harm could a human boy do? "Your fath-ah is waiting for you."
With that, Gabriel picked his catch up and ran off towards a tent on the far side of the makeshift circle they had created. They had recently centralized their tents after scattered reports of kath hound attacks, trying to scare them off with numbers. They even went so far as to place a sentry on guard throughout the night, which had become more of a sleeping guard by the second night of watches.
Gabriel reached the tent and stepped inside. His father was sitting in his chair in front of the large fire he had built for dinner. He turned his head as Gabriel approached him and smiled, smelling the fresh aroma of the 4 large fish he had caught.
"Excellent work ma' boy." He stood up and took the fish from Gabriel's shoulder. "We're gonna be eatin' like kings tonight." He skinned and gutted the fish and threw them on the hot skillet above the fire. He then took a seat again, in the large chair they had made together the previous month. He leaned back and placed his hands behind his neck.
Gabriel took a seat across the tent next to the window. As he sat, he began humming. As he continued, the humming turned into a melody, which to him seemed so soothing. He could feel his eye-lids grow heavy. As the melody grew in volume, Jetto caught a whisper of it. His eyes opened and he tilted his head towards the child. He began to make out words scattered here and there, but couldn't quite pick up their full meaning.
Jetto now stood. He could now make out the words. They were that of what he thought was a lost race. If they could be called a race at all. As the words continued he felt his body freeze and grow colder. Unwillingly, his body reseated itself and his eyes closed.
Gabriel's eyes widen as he saw the first hound appear from the shadows of the forest....and then the second.....and the third, each making their way to the entrances of each tent in the village....and his eyes blinked and the hounds howled and entered the tents. His eyes reopened as he heard the first scream. He felt the warmth he had felt before throughout his body, but now it was far more intense. The screams continued for only seconds, but Gabriel felt like he stayed in this state for days. He rose from his seat and stood at the entrance of his own tent, just behind the kath hound hide that made the door. He brushed it aside and stepped out into the moonlight. He was now face to face with the largest of the hounds. It was at least double in size. Their eyes met and locked, almost feeding off of each other as the rest of the pack devastated the village.
When Gabriel awoke, he was laying in the center of the encampment, surrounded by tents on all sides. His head was throbbing and he was somewhat off balance as he stood. The village seemed eerily silent as he walked back to the tent. He brushed aside the door and squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness inside. He drew open a window and the light reached inside. He then noticed his father, still seated in his chair. His eyes were open and he could see his chest rising and gently falling. As he drew nearer his chest rose and fell quicker and when he placed his hand on his father's, his father ripped it away and looked up at him in horror. He tried to speak, but couldn't....he tried to stand, but couldn't. Gabriel stumbled back and caught himself in a chair. He quickly tried to recount the events of the previous night, but couldn't. He had had a nightmare that seemed so real, but it wasn't possible that it was real......it couldn't have been.
He finished packing all of the necessaties they'd need and created temporary wheels he attached to his father's chair. He wasn't aware of what was happening and couldn't bring himself to approach one of the neighboring tents, for fear of what he might find. "It was a dream....only a dream." He told himself over and over as he quickly passed through the encampment.
He felt the presence of nothing as he made his way back to the landing pad, where his father's ship had been stored. Quickly securing their gear and strapping his father in the copilot seat, Gabriel set coordinates for the farthest reaches of the known galaxy. His father had taught him how to fly in some detail and now he was about to test his skill, whether they were good enough or not.
(Comments Welcomed)
Lady Arden
The pacing is pleasing. It was a good read.
Darth Thrax
I give you props for that.
Supreme Commander Alor
you may have a future in this kind of thing...
((when you are able, may i suggest joining the council for Lore and Censorship...))
