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Hugglepup

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  1. Hugglepup stumbled backwards as he was swept over first by the terrorized aura of his traveling companion and moments later by her physical being as she charged up the stairs. The young naturalist did not have much time to react as a flurry of rounds pinged off the duracrete steps and metal railing. “Gaaah!” He cried out in surprise as his eyes widened in shock. he scrambled backwards on his hands and feet until he was atop the stairwell and rolled to the side out of range, at least temporarily, from the maniacal murderous three-headed bot. ”Bird!” he called out as the massive falcon leapt clear from the blaster fire. With a single beat of his massive wings sending plumes of dust into the charged air, Bird was off the ground. The creature knew what Hugglepup was implying even before the Zabrak pointed at the Anomid; a benefit of bonded minds. The winged beast lunged forward, two sets of scaly clawed limbs grasping the woman about the shoulders, the second set extended to keep her from flailing and grabbing anything but his legs. With a beating of his wings, Bird took to the air. Grabbing his staff, he rolled, laying on the packed earth alongside the slotted railings that jutted above the ground. He waited as the strange self-amalgamated three headed robot charged up the stairs in pursuit. By the will of the force, or maybe a little luck, Hugglepup jammed his staff between the slots just as the droid erupted upward out of the stairwell. The staff snapped beneath the robot’s shin. The machine still tumbled forward, crashing into the few remaining stairs and faceplanting. Hugglepup did not stop to see what damage was done. He leapt to his feet and began to run. He broke into a sprint, his muscles burning after days of malnourishment. He ran even so, toward the train station as thunder rumbled, nearer this time. A lightning bolt arced across the sky eightening the landscape in an evil green hue for a mere moment. Bird screamed in the air as he dove toward the station as the rain began to fall. Crashing into the station, Bird pulled up before slamming @Blest Fate into the polished glass covered floors. Hugglepup ran, the force speeding his steps and nourishing his body. The rain began to pitter patter on and around him, quickly turning into a downpour of torrential waters across the packed ground. Thunder rolled across the sky and as if by premonition the Zabrak leapt into a dive just before lightning struck where he was. Tucked into a roll, the Jedi Apprentice rolled and tumbled into the station, the glass crunching beneath him.
  2. “Well that just happened,” Hugglepup commented with a raised eyebrow as he watched @Blest Fate tumble out of sight. Out of view he could hear his companion banging angrily, more so he could sense her negative emotions carrying upwards. Worse, Bird could sense it too. It radiated like a beacon of danger greater than the storm. the great raptor turned sharply on a draft his wings beating the air like thunder as he swooped in instinctively, protectively. The avian cried out as the four clawed feet snapped at the hole above Blest. He would purge the darkness. In a world like this, danger needed to be dealt with swiftly and finally. “Whoa Bird!” Hugglepup cried out as he stumbled backwards and tripped falling on his backside out of range of the massive thrashing Bird. Scooting backward, the Zabrak tried to calm his mind, the ravages of the wild animal’s instinctual raging blurring the edges and making the Jedi’s attempt at calm all the more challenging. Still, he triee, searching for that aura of peace, the stillness of nature, the calmness of the forest on a clear sunny day. Extensing his hand, Hugglepup tried to pass some of that to Bird. It took several minutes, but finally Bird stopped trying to dig Blest from the hole she had fallen in, retreating a few feet off. Ever watchful he kept an eye on the small access stairwell, wary of the darkness he still felt lingering. Slowly, Hugglepup carefully picked himself up. Cautiously he crawled towards the stairwell, “Hey!” He called out hesitantly. “You down there? You ok?” When he did not receive an answer he continued. “Bird doesn’t do well underground.” He looked around. In the distance an enclosed shuttle tube system stood mostly intact. Even if they couldn’t take a train, they could get out of the approaching storm. Maybe they could even walk down the tubes, just avoid the gaping holes until after the storm passed. “The sooner we give the shrubbery to your new friends, maybe they can get us off planet. There’s a train station a half click away. If you come out now, we can make it before the rain. Might be fun to watch the storm roll in.”
  3. Hugglepup’s face broke into a wide smile sensing Fate’s annoyance. He shrugged as he pulled the plant in close and tucked it into his robes. Leaning forward he happily whispered, “Well it worked on me at first and on you. Its worth a shot. Although….” He looked around warily his voice loosing its playful edge and growing more concerned, “we probably better have a backup plan. Ya know, just in case.” Straightening back up, Hugglepup adjusted the plant beneath his robe. He waived Bird off. The massive predator leapt into the air with a fierce downward draft sending plumes of dust rolling outward. Bird swept out low over the ground a fierce cry emanating from his sharp beaked maw. “We might as well get moving. I don’t know how we are going to find our shadowy friends anyway.” Hugglepup did not have any idea where to go. He had no doubt that the mysterious sect were not going to wait around, not at some abandoned bombed out mall no less. On a city-scaped world devastated by a planet/sector spanning war, billions killed, displaced, or evacuated, it was hard to wonder where to even go. “Perhaps we can find our way towards some bombed out palace or temple somewhere,” he paused to look around before pointing the direction Bird was flying. It was almost as if the raptor knew something. “That way. Much more fitting a place for such a powerful group of eclectics.” ”Come on.” The Zabrak waved, beginning the slow trek of picking his way through stories of fallen structures haphazardly constructed and reinforced over lifetimes. In the distance a wicked thunder pealed across the horizon as flashes of green-tinged lightning illuminated the sickly acidic irradiated rains that bathed the devastated landscape rusting metal and stripping the chrome from gleaming bits of ship, burying themselves into sizzling holes within the duracrete. The wind kicked up, the storm was heading toward the Jedi. It would be upon them within the hour.
  4. Hugglepup nodded in agreement, still pondering what exactly he may have seen. They were starting to potentially become a problem. The Zabrak watched his traveling companion turn and walk away. He smiled as the angry apprentice stalked away. Hugglepup turned the other direction towards a small bank of storefronts, their front windows all blown out. “Hear that Bird? We’ve got to see what we can see. Do you see anything up there?” He spoke calmly shooting a glance at the hawk circling widely high overhead. There was no way the avian could have heard him; and yet, the creature let out an echoing cry from far above. “Yeah. I thought not,” he shrugged as he ducked under the first collapsed awning. Inside, the naturalist’s boots crunched the glass beneath them. He peered into the gloom. Some sort of pharmacy of sorts. Hugglepup raised an eyebrow. The place was a mess and it looked like a fair bit of it had been looted already. As he gingerly moved about the counter he spotted something though, an industrial sized pack of bacta patches. Quickly he scooped them up along with a few bottles of painkillers. Finding nothing else of use, Hugglepup moved onto the next store. Office supplies. Reams of flimsiplast had their place, but in a post apocalyptic world, even the looters had found little reason for the stuff. The only thing touched here was the cash drawer, which had been unceremoniously ripped open and tossed to the floor. Ever the opportunist, Hugglepup found a jar of lollipops in a back office and dumped them into his pocket, unwrapping one and popping it in his mouth. He winced. “Sour Shuura,” he snapped his mouth as he processed the tart taste. Happy with his discovery, he smiled with his sweet and moved onto the next business. It had been an aquarium, a place of bright lights, exotic sea life, and decor ranging from castles to miniature rancor skeletons and algae covered star destroyers. Now it was a place of broken glass, the spilled gallons long since evaporated in the hot hellfire that had been the world’s atmosphere. It smelled like death, the dried out carcasses of fish and other exotic water-bound creatures rotting in the air. Hugglepup’s eyes bulged at the odor as he sucked feverishly at his sucker to try and ward off the odor. Finding a bag, he knew what he needed to do. Flapping it open, Hugglepup began to pick up the rotting carcasses. At least Bird would eat well. It was then he saw it, there amongst the broken tank fronts. What else might be here? Perhaps their quarry was at hand. He heard the mechanized voice of his travel companion call out. It had been barely ten minutes. Maybe she found something useful. Sighing, Hugglepup eyed the tank and a mischievous smile crossed his face for a moment. Reaching in, he grabbed the decoration and hurried out to meet @Blest Fate. Clasping the faux-stone base, Hugglepup waved the life-like plastoid bright green flowering plant in the air. “Look what I found!” He shouted as he ran towards Fate sure that his fellow Jedi would be irritated over something stupid yet again. He could hardly contain his smile at the joke. Overhead, Bird swooped in low coming in to land with all four clawed feet grasping the edge of the large deactivated neon sign over the strip mall.
  5. Hugglepuff smiled as Fate caught up with him, her irritation radiating from her in waves. As she berated him for running out into the wasteland, his thoughts drifted to her apparently sheltered life within the temple walls. Clearly, his understanding of the real world was limited. “Of course,” he smiled as Bird circled overhead. He pointed at the iridescent flash of feathers. “Where else would one find a plant hearty enough to begin the rebirth of this world? Beside my allies are the force and Bird. We have survived thus far.” The Zabrak looked out over the ruined cityscape and began to trek towards the horizon, picking his way through the chunks of massive stone rubble. In the distance, beyond where sight would carry, he pointed. An indefinable pinprick against the glowing sky, “If you could get to them before they depart, then perhaps it would have been of use to bring it up. I, for one, did not think the Mandalorians that ravaged the people of this world were keen on giving a couple Jedi safe passage offworld. The Imperial rescue craft were gone by the time I got to them; their camp empty and stripped.” His voice dripped with sarcasm as he shook his head at the foolish thoughts his traveling companion voiced in her frustration. He turned from where he pointed towards the horizon to face Fate squarely. “It seems like right now we are fated to remain here. Perhaps it is the will of the force. Perhaps our work here is not yet complete. When the time is right, maybe we will become one with the force, maybe we will be rescued.” Behind the horned humanoid a shadowy robed figure, his head adorned in a horn-clad helm seemed to apparat into existence, bits of shadow convalescing into someone, a stone’s throw further up the rubble behind Hugglepup. The air grew cold for a moment, a stark reminder of their quest. Overhead, Bird gave a surprised and hostile cry, breaking into a dive; a streak of glinting rainbow-reflected light shooting towards the sudden arrival. As Hugglepup whipped around, the wraith-like being broke apart into shadow carried into the sky. In a moment, the being was gone and Hugglepup pulled up, his quarry suddenly gone. Hugglepup whipped around, unsure of what he had just seen, the warrior-monk barely registering in his peripheral vision before it was gone. He looked at @Blest Fate hoping for confirmation for what he may have just seen.
  6. Hugglepup smiled through the pain. He was glad to be alive. Bending down he picked up his staff and used it to lean against. “A bit of a joke. I did see some ships in the distance though.” He did not have much time to ponder as Blest continued to speak. “Poola Blossom? Where’d that come from?” His question was in earnest. It was an odd thing to talk about on wartorn Nar Shaddaa, even if they were going to go questing for a shrub. Hugglepup shook his head, “Naaaaah. No. No way. I’m not going underground. Bird doesn’t like it. No way. We’re trying to get off this world, not get into it. Whatever lives down there can just stay down there.” Slowly the Zabrak backed away, fear prickling at the back of his neck through the pain. There was no way he was going underground; even if this strange Jedi learner suddenly had the idea to. They weren’t going to get off world by going underground. “There has got to be a shrubbery somewhere in one of these buildings.” Turning, Hugglepup ran towards the maw that opened unto the apocalyptic world. He raced out under glowing cloud-filled sky. Overhead Bird screeched, his calm echoing across the empty worldscape. In the scrub and rubble silent eyes watched, shrouded within the chaos of the planet, shrouded within the force itself. Masters of survival, vanishing and reappearing on random worlds across the galaxy.
  7. The Zabrak, put a hand over his chest, trying to calm his anxiously beating heart at the sound of his companion’s voice. Maybe she had been the source of commotion. Still, that meant this place was not entirely structurally sound. How could it be? How could anything on this hellscape of a planet be? Hugglepup let out a large chuckle as he heard Blest’s query. It was not an easy answer to explain the intricacies of he and Bird’s relationship, not with more pressing matters at hand. And just because Bird could fly did not mean Hugglepup could. No. Not at all; although, the suggestion made him think. He thought of all the times he and Bird had been sailing through the air and he had fallen. Sometimes he tumbled from a short distance, other times it was quite high.Sometimes Bird caught him i. His claws. Once or twice, Hugglepup had landed on Bird’s back, altogether more desirable a landing although Bird’s spikey spine-ridges did little favor to the Zabrak’s body. There had been times though, when he and Bird did not feel entirely in sync or when they were too focused on their quarry that Hugglepup had plummeted to the ground below. It was not always a garden when he hit either. He still was not sure that gardener on Naboo had bieged him for crushing a prized-flowering bush in bloom. No, more than once it had been hard packed earth or even stone. Hugglepup had walked away bruised each time; but more than once he knew he should have broken something, maybe even died. But Blest’s comment made Hugglepup pause. Maybe it had not been his harsh Zabrak physiology like he always accredited it to. Well, not just that. Maybe it had been the force too. Without giving a look, Hugglepup took two accelerating steps towards the railing that blocked the walkway from the abyss. Grasping the railing he vaulted over and plummeted into the shadowy air. The wind whipped by him as he fell, cool and biting in it’s intensity. See, he thought to himself, just like falling off of Bird, and then he looked down. The ground below was quickly racing up to meet him and it was not a garden. No, it was not even packed earth or smooth stone. That would have been preferential; but alas, the ground that raced up to meet the free falling Jedi trainee was sharp and jagged. Shattered duracrete intermixed with jutting twisted fingers of shorn rebar haphazardly mixed in. Hugglepup swallowed hard. In the distance, somewhere out of sight, the alarmed cry of a Bird of prey seemed to echo in surprise and fear. Hugglepup did not have time to think. He did not have time to fee or even consciously act; for in those few moments he plummeted towards what certainly could be his end; if it wasn’t, having a broken and mangled body in a post-apocalyptic world was as much, if not more, of a death sentence to him and his companion. No, all he had time to do was close his eyes, at least consciously. He did. Ot clench them. He simply closed them not wanting to witness his own demise. Instinctively, he grabbed at his knees and pulled them towards his chest trying to tuck himself into the smallest shape possible, if for anything, to not be impaled multiple times on rusted and jagged bits of zig-zagged metal. And then he hit the ground. The top back of his right shoulder first. His momentum carried his body forward in some sort of haphazard rolling tumbled bouncing on and over the shattered surface until he came to rest sprawled upside down w his feet in the air against a column, or half a column at least. The Zabrak lay there for a moment. Bot did that hurt. His whole body seemed to cry out in pain and the world seemed to swim before him for a moment. Blinking his eyes, Hugglepup looked up towards where Blest was above and offered a lopsided grin, stretching his fingers wide he called out “tada!” At least nothing seemed broken. Thank the force nothing was broken. As his legs sagged to one side, the apprentice slumped in a heap. He hurt. As he started to stand, his body cried out in protest. It seemed a much better option to lie there until Blest finally got back down. Who knew, perhaps if he was lucky it would take three or so weeks and he could just lie there and bask in the stillness of not moving. After all, he was a Jedi right? This had to be some sort of meditation. It was not to be, even as he finally heard Blest picking her way towards him, Hugglepup slowly stood, grimacing in pain the entire time. “Well,” he said waggling an eyebrow at Blest, “I jumped.” It was a joke, and even in the apparent pain in his voice, his smile could be heard through it. “Now about that fern you say those guys wanted. Maybe we can flag down a rescue ship and they give us that little grass skirt their dancing hula girl on the dash is wearing.”
  8. The sky had grown from a shrouded black to a dull but lighted gray as the Zabrak and his companion had slept. The breeze across his face, as irradiated as it might be, felt pleasant and was a lulling presence upon a barren landscape. Sometime in the morning before anyone had awoken, Bird had roused himself, spread his wings, and soared off into the air. Breakfast did not wait for anyone. So when Fate shouted upwards, Hugglepup slowly opened his eyes and stretched. “I think so!” He shouted back pleasantly as he mentally evaluated his tensed muscles before standing. Grabbing his staff, the Jedi made his way towards the edge of the rooftop to pear down at the other, “Only, it might take me a few minutes. Bird seems to have gone off on his own. He does that sometimes.” Disappearing from the edge, Hugglepup turned to surveil the rooftop before him, a jagged piece of durasteel plating that could only have come from a starship shedding itself as it plummeted towards damnation pointed skyward. The rough edges and the slick coating of oils and who knew what other foreign engine fluids made it seem entirely undesirable as a means of egress., even if it had caved the rooftop in where it had impacted. Egen walking towards it, the roof began to give way beneath Hugglepup’s feet causing him to beat a hasty retreat. That would not do. Wandering around a bit, he finally found the rooftop access door. Of course it was locked from the inside; so when he tried the handle, Hugglepup found it inaccessible as well. The bit of green weeds that seemed to grow within the frack of the frame attested to how little the door was used. Had Master Sinf been there, she would have been able to influence the weed to grow, to burst the seams of the door at the will of a woody tendril. Hugglepup had tried that before. He did not seem to quite possess a firm enough grasp for such a thing. Causing vines to bear fruit or flowers to bloom on the other hand came easy enough, but massive growth? Not likely. Turning, he surveyed his landscape, there was not much else of use. Turning back to the door, he jabbed at it, hard, with the end of his wooden staff. It did little but put indiscernible dents in the oxidized outer layer of the door. The door rattled, clearly no longer sealed against the elements, but it held fast. He shook his head, leaning on his staff as he pondered the door, it’s gaping gaps on the top and bottom large enough for a mkuse to squeeze through but little else and of no seeming use. The door seemed like the only feasible option to getting off the roof without Bird and Hugglepup knew better than to bother the bird of prey without some sense of urgency. He shook his head and sighed before walking back to the edge. “Oy!” He shouted over the edge. “There’s a locked door on the access stairs, can you go unlock it?” He pointed in the direction of the door hoping Fate could figure out how to get to the thing. Then he turned and strolled back towards it himself fishing a slightly smashed twinkle cake from his pocket. He regarded it for a moment, shrugged and took a bite. By the time he made it back to the door, the Zabrak was licking the last bits of squished cream filling from his fingers. He smiled for a moment before his demeanor turned serious as he stared at the door. He poked it with his staff and it rattled and clunked and thats when he had an idea. Jabbing his staff in the gap beneath the door, Hugglepup used it as a fulcrum, leaning on the other end. The staff bowed and flexed before the door shifted with a loud clang. As loose as it was in it’s frame, the lock did it’s best to hold. Finally the bolt securing the door and frame together, scraped and screeched free from it’s hone and carved a groove in the metal as it popped open. The door swung open revealing an inky black maw that descended down the stairs. Huggelpup regarded it for a moment before gently stepping into the darkness. He felt each cold metal stairstep on his way down. He tested each step to be sure it would hold his weight. There was no sense crashing onto who knew what beneath. Eventually, he came to the bottom of the stairs. It was pitch black and slow going, even with the force giving him a limited idea of his general safety and direction. Lots of small rooms, most likely offices, all pitch black; a pair of refreshers that Hugglepup unceremoniously banged his shins upon both sets of porcelain thrones, and some storage closets with mops and buckets and the like; that seemed to be all before he came to the door at the end of the cooridor. Of course, this one was locked too. At least it was locked from the inside, so once he found the handle, the door swung open onto a wide open walkway that connected a myriad of stores on the top level. The faintest of lights cluld be seen streaking in here and there were a window existed in the distance or the shell of the structure had been pierced. Not wanting to bypass Fate if she had made it this far, the Zabrak called out, somewhat hesitantly, “Are you there?” Something toppled a little ways off in the dark. In the stillness it might as well have been a grenade as it broke the silence. Hugglepup swung his staff up defensively out of instinct as he heard the scurry of small clawed feet fade into the blackness. His heart was beating a hundred miles a minute as he squinted out into the murk. What else might be lurking out there? Hadn’t those strange cultists been hiding somewhere within? What if they had just retreated back into the blackness? Were they here still? Hugglepup reached out on the force hoping to feel something, a presence, anything really. He was disappointed, as fast as his heart was beating, he felt nothing.
  9. The Zabrak slowly blinked at the surge of emotion that seemed to emanate from his newfound traveling companion. He tensed at the presumption that he was useless and this strange Blest Fate bait had been the reason they were still alive. As Blest stalked off, Hugglepup picked himself up and shrugged. Grabbing his staff he shook his head in disgust muttering, “A Jedi does not fight for no reason. Master Sinf taught me that.” He scratched Bird’s head before swinging a leg over the muscled bird’s back. “She helped me find Bird too. We know how to make due,” he reiterated as Bird gave a harsh, almost threatening cry as his large wings beat down in an outward plume of wind driving the wild animal and his bonded companion upward into the darkness. Circling upwards, the duo spun about the multi-stories chamber. Even though they could have easily landed on the broad rafters and hung oit there for the night, Hugglepup was irritated at his fellow Jedi. It bothered him being able to look down and see her ‘standing guard’ like they’d die without her watchful eye. As much as he wanted to suppress it, his pressed thin lips betrayed his frustration. It wasn’t like the guy had many other options around here. Zipping out the smashed sun roof, the pair circled into the night sky before comping to land atop the parapet’s flat rooftop. The breeze had a slight bite to it against the warm night air. Hugglepup dismounted. He looked out at the distant horizon. Something blinked, probably a ship. “Not like its the first one I’ve seen,” he grumbled as he walked over to a jutting duracrete platform that held a non-functional ceiling-based temperature control unit for the mall. It was true, he had seen a few ships after the battle. Several had been Mandalorian in origin. Not like I wanted to join up with those Sith affiliates. He thought as he remembered the warships as they seemed to scan the surface looking for something. He and Bird had noped right out of there. One other time, he had witnessed what could only have been some sort of evacuation. The young Jedi had seen several Imperial transports descend in the distance. Try as he might, he could not connect with anyone via the force and they were far too distant to get there before the entire fleet took off and disappeared into the irradiated sky. Not that they had not tried. Laying back on the duracrete roof, Hugglepup tucked his hands behind his head as he stared out at the sky. “We’ve come this far haven’t we Bird? Sleeping in the jungles of Felucia and all.” His animosity towards the Jedi far below was bubbling to the surface, but then it slowly began to dissipate as his mind traveled back within his memories, reliving countless nights of waking up before a storm unleashed it’s natural fury or a predator crossed their path. Sometimes it had gotten a bit sticky, but between he and Bird’s combined senses, the force, and the natural world around them, they had come out just fine. Hugglepup smiled as he moved his hand along Bird’s feathered wing, feeling the broad soft iridescence feathers atop his muscled form. He trusted the creature with his life and Bird seemed to care for him too. They’d made it this far and from here, anyone coming would be easier to sense than in the rubble down below. “Everyone thinks we’re dead Bird. Thats why nobody has come looking. Master Sinf, entire battlegroups. Geez whole buildings got disintegrated right in front of us. I’m not sure how we’re going to get out of here alive. Just keep moving and hope some scrappers find us and give us a lift. Probably need to get rid of these Jedi robes.” Hugglepup lay there in the dark with Bird for a long time. He talked for hours. The falcon responded occasionally with coos or squawks of affirmation. Wether he could understand the Zabrak was anyone’s guess, but Hugglepup felt heard and that was enough. Finally, sometime in the wee hours of the morning, they duo drifted off into a light sleep.
  10. Hugglepup yawned and plopped back down. He shrugged. He did not know what the plan was. At this point anything beyond survive and find a way off this world seemed like it might be a bit more planning than was useful. “I mean, where did they even go? Did the big one say anything about what happens if we don’t find him this plant? His friends sure were not shy about taking swipes at us with those swords.” “Doubt there is a transmitter anywhere on this world that isn’t smashed beyond recognition. I doubt the whole galaxy is gone, at some point, someone has to come looking don’t they? Until then,” he shrugged again, “Bird and I know how to make due. Why don’t you stick with us. The more the merrier.”
  11. Huggelpup chuckled softly between bites. Swallowing he interjected. “Plants are sort of my speciality.” The Zabrak thoughtfully took another bite of processed snack cake as he pondered what his comrade was explaining. “They were certainly creepy,” he responded in return to Blest’s assessment. “Maybe he was a Sith gardener. The Jedi have had entire agricultural units, why not the flip side? The galaxy has got to eat.” Stooping forward to a squat, Hugglepup dug through the quickly dwindling pile of snacks. Finding a packet of gummy slugs he plopped backwards with his arms on his bent knees. He spoke as he opened the packet, “I’m sure there is some doomsday bunker somewhere on this planet. Don’t most planets have them nowadays? At least the rich crazy types?” Beside him, Bird gave what could only be equivocated to an irritated yawn. It was late and the creature was not thrilled with all the activity and being kept up late. Beside that, the teriyaki just did not seem to be sitting right. ”Yeah Bird, I agree.” Hugglepup looked at @Blest Fate “Where do your kind like to sleep?” He and Bird would find a high perch; but he doubted Blest was willing to trust the large raptor to not eat him in the night.
  12. Hugglepup chuckled softly at the other’s annoyance as he took a thoughtful bite out of a second Twinkle cake. Chewing slowly he waggled his head to show he was pondering the situation. “Sometimes people talk to much when they should be listening.” He finally responded with a shrug before taking another bite. The large bird of prey cawked a query as he downed the last of his jerky, eying the pile hungrily. The Zabrak kicked at the pile revealing another baggy of meat stuff. Slouching forward, he grabbed it and tore it open, dumping the contents on the floor between he and the massive avian beast. Bird shuffled forward hos presence towering over the seated Jedi trainees, his four taloned feet clacking menacingly on the duracrete as he delved into the second course. Reaching out a hand, Hugglepup ruffled the feathers on the back of the animal’s head. “This here is Bird and he is not my pet. He is free,” he paused. “and wild,” he added as an afterthought. “Our spirits are bound within the force. We can sense one another, feel each other’s desires. He’s a scavenger, mostly, or so they say. His presence at the Temple causes a bit of a stir so we usually stick to the jungles on Felucia.” The bird interrupted with a cry of surprise as he looked up having tasted the new meat he was tearing apart. His cold eyes passed over Blest and settled knowingly on Hugglepup. The Zabrak chuckled as he flipped over the bag the jerky had spilled from. “Ahh. Teryaki. Little different eh Bird?” The Padawan’s jovial response and soothing aura seemed to reassure the creature as he took to returning to sniff and tear at the meat cautiously optimistic. Hugglepup scooped up a fallen iridescent feather. “Legend says the feathers of a Mantellian flutterplume bring good luck to the bearer.” He extended the bit of plumage to Blest. “We probably need all the luck we can to get out of here. Although maybe we’re already lucky. What did those sword-swinging gentlemen say to you? Bird was busy keeping me from getting sliced up myself.” He pointed up to the rafters several stories up as he tore open another snack cake and plopped it cheerfully into his mouth. If anything, the crackling fire and refined sugars were boosting his mood in this radioactive wasteland.
  13. Hugglepup careful wove his way through the debris with a carefully stacked armful of flammable chunks when he saw it. It was just a glint, a stray ray of moonlight reflecting of the broken duraplex in a pile of rubble. The rotund yellow cakes in their cellophane wrappers stood out against the dullness of the world about them. With a clatter, the young Jedi dropped his armful of tinder and hurried forward, carefully kneeling against the duracrete slab that had interjected itself into the front of the vending machine. Correction: vending machines. Hugglepup smiled. Twinkle cakes stuffed with creme, Corvus spiced nerf jerky, and a half dozen bottles of bright red Aqua Alien Power Juice populated the vending machines. Several other foodstuffs had been crushed or forces open, dry against the still air. Those still wrapped, with their artificial preservatives, were still perfectly edible. Shoving what he could into his pockets, Hugglepup loaded up all that he could carry. Beneath the other snacks, he found an even greater variety. In a world where one’s next meal was not guaranteed, it was important to not skimp when a feast presented itself. It was then that he heard his mute comrade’s shout. The Zabrak smiled. “It was nice while it lasted,” he mused with a smile. Picking up his haul, he hurried back towards the atrium, intent to share the feast he had found. ”You talked.” He shouted with a smile as he climbed over the lip of the empty fountain that now held their roaring fire. “Look what I found. A feast fit for an emperor.” He deposited the pile of individually wrapped foods and drinks on the floor. “Lets eat!” Above, Bird let out an echoing call. With the flapping of his great wings, he descended on the air to settle atop the lipped fountain edge. The great falcon snapped his beak, staring through the gloom at the pile of what he knew to be food of some sort. ”Oh yeah buddy,” Hugglepup tore open a package of jerky and tossed it towards the great avian overlord. “I wouldn’t forget about you.” Bird dove into his portion with feral abandoned, using large claws expertly to pin the chunks of meat and tear at them with his beak. It was a site to be seen. Grabbing a Twinkle cake, Hugglepup tossed it towards his comrade. “Dive in Bate, you’ve got a lot of explaining to do. Left me to do all the talking the last few days. Tine to catch up.” He smiled as he popped open his own and bit into the soft airy exterior.
  14. “Oh yeah,” Hugglepup sighed. “For some reason you cannot talk. Did you get hurt in the bombing or something? Oh yeah . . .” He smiled sheepishly. “A fire? You want me to build a fire. I’m sure I can something in this place to burn. What if those . . . people . . . come back?” He pondered as he shuffled into the leaning dilapidated mall. Bird circled and came in for a landing as he glared hungrily down at Fate. If anything, it meant the Jedi was the tastiest morsel on the horizon; so nothing out there worth noting, at least for a large carrion, or soon-to-be-carrion, scavenger. The Zabrak picked his way through the rubble and debris. With the night sky outside, it was dark inside. Probably too much to hope for lights. But still, it was no worse than any of thr myriad of caves Hugglepup had taken refuge in. He reached out feeling, trusting the force to carry safely. Shuffling onward the lost Jedi Padawan did not stop until his boots crunched on broken glass before a devastated department store. The destroyed storefront displays had a variety of toppled mannequins and furniture. Hugglepup shrugged as he stooped and began to load his arms up with pieces of faux high end furniture. Synthetics ought to burn easily enough. Once laden, Hugglepup began to shuffle back towards the yawning atrium. In the dried out fountain, the naturalist deposited the armful of debris with a clatter. As big as the ceiling was and with all the broken windows smoke should not be a problem. Kneeling, Hugglepup began assembling the junked chunks of furniture into a teepeed shape. When he was done, he reached for his broken lightsaber hilt. Holding it to the base of the pyre, Hugglepup tapped the activator switch several times. Every other time, the broken hilt sparked, jumping to the pile and catching the synthetic cloths and woods. Deep choking smoke began to curl upwards as flames flickered to life. “Hey!” He shouted at Fate pointing st the flickering light. “I’m gonna go get some more flammable stuff!” And with that, Hugglepup set off to make a half dozen more trips back and forth with arm fulls of broken furniture and mannequin limbs.
  15. Even without his eyes, Bird’s senses were super attuned. The changes of air currents against his feathers, the subtle changes in air pressure as his wings best the air against nearby walls, an overall spatial communion with the world about him. It was instinctual. It was something even the radiating fear could not take away. Hugglepup clung to Bird’s muscles shoulders. He focused on hanging on, on breathing. The force was there, even amongst the fear. He could feel it as if it was just out of reach. The air ripples through his clothes, across his horns. He pressed himself against Bird willing the creature to find safe purchase somewhere in the pitch black. And then in happened, Bird’s outstretched talons found a rafter high above. He pulled himself into land as Hugglepup fluidly dismounted and held onto a beam with one hand as his eyes strained in vain against the darkness. Still, he could feel everyone below, as if a sixth sense could pierce the blackness. The chanting continued until the stillness of both Jedi was nigh absolute. The voices faded into the darkness as each Knight regained their composure, their magical blades held once again at the ready. The fear hung in the air, but it did not surge, it merely clung like a fog. The voice boomed from the darkness as the charismatic cult commander’s eyes seemed to smolder in the darkness. “Lest you seek to leave this place, you must do for us these quests three, first, upon these ravaged lands you must bring to us the last of the greatest shrubberies, shalt you seek to flee this place and make it not your eternal grave.” The giant’s voice echoed unnaturally against the darkness, growing more and more hollow with each word until it seemed more ethereal than bodied; and then the darkness began to fade. Outside the night sky billowed with the clouds of nuclear winter setting in. The results of war wrought upon a world taking its toll. The darkness that had seemed to last for minutes had in fact lasted for hours and where the grayed afternoon sky had been, it was now late night. Hugglepup squinted. She could make out the outline of Bate below, but that was it. The unnatural darkness seemed to whisk away on the wind, the fear settling like a dust over everything. Bird coo’d questioningly as he turned his head left and right looking for those who had sought them harm. The creature and naturalist traded a confused glance. Hugglepup shrugged his shoulders as Bird leapt to flight, circling about hunting for they that had seemed to dissipate with the darkness. Hugglepup inhaled deeply as he looked down the several stories to the floor of the atrium below. He found the force and letting go of the beam he stepped out into thin air. The Zabrak plummeted downward, the air ripping at his worn Jedi tunic and trousers. Like a diving eagle, Hugglepup picked up speed until he would certainly crash, smashing himself against the polished duracrete floor. With a force-empowered focus, Hugglepup swept himself upwards in a flip, redirecting his momentum upwards for a moment before he landed gracefully in his feet. Overhead, Bird called out, his rainbowed feathers glinting in the weak night light. Hugglepup felt the bird’s confusion in his own heart. Where had they gone? Stepping forward, the Padawan offered a hand to help the Anomid to her feet. “What did that big feller say to you?”
  16. The flashing of silvery blades, forged in sacred fires with spells and incantations fused into the metals themselves hummed through the air. The speed with which the young refugee had seemed to move took the initial cultists by surprise, spread as they were one on each differing level. Heavily robed and armored the blows did little but upend the mysterious beings. Their magics swirled and grew as their own emotions feed into the sacred words chanted to fill the building with crippling fear. Picking themselves up, the Knights charged after the bouncing Jedi learner. Should she land nearby their heavy blades would swing expertly through the air. Approaching the railless edge, the Knight that had been assaulted called out, “You have not answered my question!” The force churned and wretched, shooting the Anomid high into the air out above the empty fountain of the towering atrium. High above, Hugglepup locked eyes with the flightless Jedi protector. He clung to the railing of the catwalk with one hand reaching out to try unsuccessfully to grab Fate’s arm before she too began to plummet downwards. The Zabrak watched in horror as she fell through the gloom until the darkness consumed her. The Knights even in the scuffle continued their chanting. “Ni.” “Ni.” “Ni.” Until, it changed. The towering cultist master’s voice boomed lime thunder. “Ni Pen!” ”Ni.” “Pen!” “Ni!” “Pen!” “Ni!” “Pen.” The fear was palpable, clawing at anyone not protected by the cursed words, seeking to devour souls and cloud minds, freezing muscles in freezing sweats of absolute terror. Following on it’s tail, the darkness grew until it consumed the entire building in blinding nightness. Inky black tendrils cloaked the building and blocked out the light. Hugglepup blinked several times. He could not see. It was decidedly uncomfortable and it only served to amplify his fears. It did something else though. The Zabrak’s mind was drawn back in time. Retraced back to the days, more importantly the nights, cloud covered and stormy deep in the jungled wilds far from any signs of civilization. So dark one could hardly see his hand in front of their face. It was wetter then with the rains pouring down and the winds howling. Gripping the railing, Hugglepup reached out, feeling for Bird. He squeezed the great raptor’s wing. It was amazing what less evolved minds, more connected to their animalistic core did when subjected to strong emotions. Bird could flee, but to do so he would have to bypass these attackers in the dark. There was really only one option left. And Hugglepup jumped into the darkness. Bird leapt afterwards, his great wings spreading in the darkness beneath the Zabrak’s diving body and outstretched arms. As they gained momentum in unison they plummeted until Bird flapped his wings and pulled himself from the dive, his massive wings beating the air as he pulled both he and Hugglepup from the air. The bird’s claws raked at the falling Anomid catching her robes to try and catch her, but only tearing at the robes to slow her descent some. As she landed somewhere in the pitch blackness below with a crash, Bird’s wings carried he and Hugglepup back in a spiraling motion upwards. Several swords hummed through the air, adding only to the fear that tugged at both Bird and the Zabrak. It was only by the will of the force that they were not struck. On the floor of the atrium, the towering armored cult leader spoke. His voice sounded line thunder, “We seek appeasement, lest ye never pass from here alive. What say you?” The leader drew his massive sword, holding the enchanted blade before him, ready to strike, the force buzzing about him, empowering him to superhuman abilities.
  17. Hugglepup looked to the Anomid curious as to how she would answer. The buzzing electronic squeaks and squelches grates in his ears, but at least he knew this fellow Jedi-trainee’s bame. Bate, or something like that. There was a bit of static in the middle. As to the second question, it seemed, well, she wanted to go flying? How odd. Looking back to the acolyte who had stood watching them unmovingly, save for its peircing eyes. They moved from Padawan to Padawan. The being did not nod, did not even acknowledge their answers but to give the third question. ”What is the capital of Artrisia?” Hugglepup’s eyebrow shot upward, “ehhhhh” he stumbled for an answer. Without a word, the knight lowered its helmed head and shook it sadly. A great surge welled instantly in the force and shot the Padawan Naturalist high into the air. ”Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!” Hugglepup cried out as he flew upwards, his staff clattering to the floor where he had stood. Above Bird squawked loudly as he leapt into the air, his great wings beating the shadowy stillness. ”He answered . . . poorly.” The knight spoke matter-o-factly as it turned to Fate. “What is the capital of Artrisia?” Flying upwards several stories, Hugglepup’s mind raced as he grasped in vain at the air as he sought to grab ahold of something, anything. This was it. He was going to die, splattered against the ground. What made it somehow worse was that it was not because of some false step of his own that would lead him to die, but because he did not know the capital city of some far flung unheard of world. He was afraid. He really really did not want to die and he knew that was a high probability as he crested and began to plummet downward with a cry escaping his mouth. A ear-splitting predatory cry echoed from the shadows in a flash of color as Bird swooped in and caught Hugglepup by both legs, none too lightly either, as the birds claws dug into the Zabrak’s calves and shins. “Bird?!?!” Hugglepup gasped as he looked up from where he dangled at an awkward angle. “Ha ha!” He laughed with joy as he realized he might not quite die. At least not yet. “You big beautiful buzzard!” He was so relieved. Bird unceremoniously deposited the Naturalist atop a catwalk that snaked over the atrium below before landing heavily causing the whole thing to grate and shake. Hugglepup lurched upwards and clung to the railing of quaking walkway. Down below in the shadows the only thing that stood out was the massive beast of a being, the fearsome cult leader. “Ni!” He called out, his voice resounding across every surface. Immediately the other acolytes began to chant, “Ni.” “Ni.” “Ni.” Over and over again, their voices rising in a cacophony of fear that seemed to fill the air until it was humid with precipitating fear.
  18. The darkness swept through the skyscraper shopping center as if nightfall had come early. Slowly it drowned out the light as the tension in the air grew. Slowly the wailing sounds seemed to fade into silence as more than a dozen heavily robed beings adorned in ancient stylized helms with wicked horns twisting outwards from them materialized from the shadows on multiple levels of the mall. Each carried with them a great glimmering broadsword. Bird gave a cry as he settled for cover in a collapsed area of the ceiling high above the scene as it played out. He seemed to think wiser than to swoop down and attack the shadowy warrior priests. Still, he watched intently. He tasted something familiar. This whole world smelled of it, of carnage, of war, of carrion. Food. Peaking from his cover, Hugglepup stared, unable to see any of the new arrivals. Still, even he could sense them. Bird could see them and the Zabrak knew they were there. He swallowed the lump in his throat. They did not radiate the darkness of the Sith, but an aura of fear radiated outwards from each of the beings, overlapping and empowering one another. Below in the main lobby, the greatest of them, a heavily shrouded being bearing a helm that had massive branching antlers splaying out to either side strode in. He stood easily the height of two great warriors atop one another, 12 feet tall at the least. Fear, darkness, hopelessness seemed to roll before his every footstep. The force was strong with this one. As he stopped in the middle of the atrium, his intense eyes pierced the darkness. “We are The Keepers,” his voice reverberated through the building seeming to shake the debris that lay loose all around and shaking bits of dust from the ceiling. “Come out and state your purpose.” The votarist that stood upon the level the Jedi were on slowly began to move towards the shattered front of the electronics store. Each step and movement was shrouded by the acolytes heavy robes. The only thing that gave away its position was the glint of the shimmer sword it carried reverently and with purpose. Stopping just outside the entryway, the large being blocked any means of escape. Hugglepup gripped the staff in his hands as the man and his sword came into view. He doubted it would be of much use. “I am one with the force and the force is with me.” He whispered loudly to encourage himself as much as it was for Fate. Slowly he stood up. “I am one with the force and the force is with me.” Stepping forward, Hugglepup regarded the being before them. “We mean you know harm master. Will you let us pass?” He asked, bowing before the fearsome being. The being regarded the two Jedi Padawans for an uncomfortable moment. “Stop.” He raised a gloves hand to still the Zabrak’s talking. “Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side they see.” The veiled threat hung heavily in the fear-laden air. Hugglepup blinked as he looked at the being before shooting a glance at Fate, unsure of how to proceed. “What questions might we answer for you?” He responded with as much courage as he could muster. ”What is your name?” The warrior priest queried fiercely. What is your quest?” Hugglepup nodded, “I am Hugglepup, a Jedi.” ”And your quest?” “I seek to live a life of peace and harmony, to serve the force” ”And of your friend?” Far above, Bird watched intently, moving to the edge of his perch, preparing to plummet downward should his fellow be endangered.
  19. Hugglepup smiled and nodded. “So you do communicate,” he chided playfully as he took up a position inside the radio shack’s open storefront. “I just can’t shake the feeling that we’re supposed to do something. I mean, someone or something is out there. Why else would we be,” the Zabrak did not get to finish the thought as he heard a metallic warble that he could only describe as urgent emanate from within. Hugglepup quickly abandoned his post spinning to dash towards the backroom where he saw his newfound traveling companion beating a small animal to death. “Do you feel better now? I’m sure that rodent deserved to die,” he asked somewhat sarcastically; after all, it was probably scared after surviving the orbital bombardment of the world, but he did not say it. Moving forward, the Padawan scooped up the rodent. “Oh well, at least Bird gets a snack.” Hugglepup moved back towards the entryway. Looking up into the dim overhangs, he let out a shrill whistle. It was met by a sharp cry from above as the Mantellian Flutterplume circled downward. Bird appeared with a rush of wind as his wings beat the open walkway slowing his descent. “A gift from our new friend, for you.” Hugglepup tossed the rat towards the bird who caught it midair and took it to the floor and began to tear at it. Bird snarfed down the first chunk of bloody rodent before pausing. Suddenly he swirled around in a flurry of wings and feathers, his eyes searching the shadows as he sniffed at the air as if he sensed something. With a sudden cry, Bird leapt into the air. The rat forgotten as he circles up towards the multistoried ceiling. Hugglepup raised an eyebrow as a wage of fear seemed to sweep through the structure. The shadows themselves seemed to grow darker and longer. A high pitched squeal echoed about the mall NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WOMMMM!!!! The young Jedi did the only logical thing he could think of as the fear seemed to wrap its fingers around his heart. He dove for cover behind the counter. “I think someone else might be here.” He whispered loudly.
  20. Hugglepup’s eyes widened as the stranger shouldered her way past him and made an athletic showing of not making it to the second floor. His eyes glinted in a playful smile that did not quite descend to his stoic lips. He stepped forward, his eyes focused back down the corridor. He thought he had seen something, maybe someone, but as he squinted through the shadows, nothing else seemed to move. Reaching out, Hugglepup hoisted Blest to her feet. He watched her land on her feet, before shooting another worried glance down the hall. Bird scratched at the floor, a lownalmost growling sound emitting from his throat as he eyed the hallway, only to offer a warning squawk as the woman tumbled. With a flash of iridescence, the bird leapt into the air of the atrium, circling twice to take in the defunct and waterless fountain, upended tables and chairs, and chunks of fiberboard and debris. Nothing but the two Jedi seemed to move. Settling in on a railing about 6 floors up. Bird came to a rest, watching below. ”Well you scared Bird,” the Zabrak chuckled. “You know,” he pointed to the downed railing that had tumbled after his newfound companion. “This might work better as a ladder. Hopefully the rungs hold. Here give me a hand.” He moved to try and maneuver the chunk of railing, careful to avoid the sharpened sheared metal ends of the upper and lower rungs. It took some effort, but With Fate’s help and a heavy resounding clank, the chunk of railing fell into place. It’s heavy ends dug furrows into the soft drywall that covered the durasteel support beams but stopped upon collision with the durasteel. Planting a booted foot at the base of the lower railing, Hugglepup offered a deep exaggerated bow, “After you m’lady.” In the distance, beyond the atrium, from the shadows, eyes watched the movements of the party with keen hungry interest.
  21. Looking up from his hunched position, Hugglepup eyed the person before him. “Where’d you come from?” He asked raising a questioning eyebrow. Pulling himself up on his staff, he canted his head as he studied the woman waiting several uncomfortable seconds after it would have been rude to not answer. Maybe this was who the force was guiding him to, but he really didn’t think so. Surely he was stuck in this irradiated hellhole for a reason. “Not a big talker eh? Thats ok. Me neither. You don’t, uh, smell like a Sith.” He nodded at the saber hilt hanging at the woman’s waste. “Bird sure seemed interested in taking a bite out of you though.” He shrugged his head towards the rainbowed bird watching them keenly from afar. Still no answer. He shrugged. “Me neither.” Hugglepup pulled his own saber hilt from his waste, the emitter dangling to one side by several wires, the shaft crushed and cracked all down the side. It buzzed when he flicked the switch. “Its supposed to be blue.” He grumbled shrugging as he tucked the hilt away in his belt. “Not sure where you’re going. Not sure where I am either, but if you want to come with us . . . “ he shrugged and waved towards a a nearby burned out skyscraper. “Maybe we can find some radioactive twinkies or something.” Hugglepup began to trudge towards the blown out glass windowed facade of the shopping center. His boots crunched over the broken glass, grinding it into the chipped duracrete walkway. Raising a hand into the air, the Zabrak gave a shrill whistle and a rapid jerking wave of his hand waving Bird towards him and into the building. With a shrill cry, Bird leapt into the air, his wings spreading outward as he dove downwards gaining speed to swoop up towards Hugglepup. As he approached the broken windows of the skyscraper, the scavenger expertly tucked his wings and rolled torpedoing inside before spreading his wings with a flap to slow his descent and spending up plumes of dust in the grand entry. Bird’s claws scraped on the polished flooring beneath the dust. Ducking inside after the bird, Hugglepup smiled . “Show off.” He chuckled under his breath as he pat the massive flutterplume on the head. It was dark inside save for the bits of light that streamed through broken windows and cracked walls. The whole place smelled cooked. It smelled terrible. Rotting . . . well, he hoped it was food spoiling in freezers and displays that had long since lost power and refrigeration. The weight of the very air was heavy enough though, he knew. Bird knew too as his nostrils sucked knowingly at the air. The force betrayed it. Something in the shadows seemed to move, drawing the whipped attention of both the man and beast. Hugglepup raised an inquiring eyebrow. “Hello?” He called out, his voice echoing down the vacant junk-strewn hallways.
  22. The airborne scavenger was the first to spot him. The movement atop the roof stood out against the windswept stillness like a billowing flag. Even if the creature was not sure what the thing was doing as he squatted down and seemed to pour out some liquid. Bird’s throat was parched and he was hungry. Both internal alarms that notified the creature of its natural need to feed. Truth be told, Bird was always hungry. Still, it was good to note the glimmering liquid pool. It would be a good quencher after he had eaten his fill. With a cry that echoed across the cityscape, the colorful bird became little more than a huge colorful streak as it descended into a dive even as the Anomid below scurried back inside only to reemerge on the roadway below. Below, Hugglepup’s legs stretched in protest. Another day of walking. Another day of being hungry. Even if he stages off the worst of it, his body was starting to protest. Even a Jedi needs nourishment. And suddenly, he felt a twang in his stomach as the parchedness of his lips became utterly apparent. He did not understand his connection to Bird entirely or that the thoughts and desires of one influenced the other in subtle yet tangible ways. Still he was hungry and thirsty. Picking up his pace, Hugglepup hurried towards the ruined cityscape. It was then that he saw it, alerted not entirely by the force, but by the predatory cry of the Mantellian bird of prey as it streaked downward from the sky towards the running stranger. Hugglepup saw it as it played out. He saw the woman. He felt the hunger pang in his stomach. His eyes widened in horror at what might be unfolding before him. “Hey! Heeey!” The Zabrak shouted as he ran forward waiving his staff over his head and shouting wildly trying to get the attention of the running being. Simultaneously, he hoped to ward off Bird before he fell to picking the potential refugee to death. With a angry screech, the raptor pulled up at the last minute, tucking his front set of clawed feet inward. His second set of legs; however, he allowed to scrape at the creature’s head, a clear threat of what could have happened before arcing back high into the air and circling. Hugglepup ran forward, tumbling as he went, his worn body struggling as his will pressed him onward. By the time he got close enough to the other, he was panting heavily. Planting his staff in the ground he leaned on it to keep from tumbling forward. Overhead Bird banked sharply in a warm updraft before coming to rest on the edge of a precariously leaning roof-mounted billboard, the advertisement blasted off by the intense heat the battle had evoked upon the wartorn surface. “Wait. I come in peace.” He wheezed. He really hoped this creature was a friendly or at the least was not wanting to fight. His lightsaber had become broken in the siege. If one was to ask, he really wasn’t sure how; though he suspected it had more to do with that tumble he took into some hellish burning crater than it did the thrashing he had taken at the hands of unidentified Mandalorian soldiers. His shoulder still hurt from that.
  23. “Gaaooooof” the young Zabrak wheezed as he shoved a piece of corrugated metal planking off his body. At least the tin kept the winds from blowing most of the razor sharp particulates into his face as he and Bird tried to sleep. Sitting up from the crevasse in the ground, Hugglepup stretched his arms as he yawned. The hot irradiated air blowing past him as he blinked rapidly. Standing up, the Jedi shook his head. “Another day Bird. Maybe today we’ll find something different.” He waved back at the four-legged iridescent creature as it hopped from the hole with an irritated squawk. “Yup. More of the same.” He kicked at a piece of slag, sending it skittering away. They were a long way from where the bulk of the Sith forces had landed; but even here, the apocalyptic sky fall had turned this once thriving portion of the city world into a post-apocalyptic Armageddon. Tungsten rods jutted back into the sky from where they had been launched. The naturalist and his companion had not seen anyone in days, had not even seen a ship come or go this far from the Red & Black. It was a true wasteland. Destructive rods of metal embedded in tumbled abandoned skyscrapers. Reaching out on the force, Hugglepup lifted an eyebrow. He and Bird had been tracking something, a sense, somebody, somebody far out here where nobody else seemed to live anymore. The force was leading them this way for a reason. This far out, survivors would not stand much of a chance, if any. The Zabrak knew he was tough, a lifetime of wilderness survival and an Iridonian childhood made him a likely candidate, a survivor. Besides, he liked being alone. Well, alone with Bird. It was nice. It would be at least, normally. This wasteland was anything but natural and it took most of his conscious force connection to keep the invisible monstrous hands of destruction at bay. With a flap of his wings, Bird was airborne. A cloud of chalky dust, more likely man-made and deadly than worldly dust followed behind his wake until he outran it. A flash of color as the weak cloud covered sun reflected off his his colorful plumage. A cry echoed across the sky, a predatory scavenger alone amidst a backdrop of utter destruction. Pulling himself up onto a ledge of what was once a road, the padawan’s dirty robes scraped against the chalky chipped stone blocks. He pulled himself to standing and looked up at the sky, to Bird. He smiled. “Another day.” He whispered
  24. HUGGLEPUP’S CHARACTER SHEET Identity Real Name: Hugglepup A.K.A: N/A Homeworld: Iridonia Species: Iridonian Physical Description Age: 19 Height: 6'6” Weight: 240 lbs Hair: Black Eyes: gray Sex: Male Equipment Clothing or Armor: Brown Jedi apprentice robes and bantha leather boots Weapon: Broken lightsaber hilt with a blue crystal, quarterstaff Bonded Creature: Mantellian Flutterplume Faction Information Force User, Force Sensitive or Non-Force User: Force User Alignment: Light Side Current Faction Affiliation: Jedi Current Faction Rank: Padawan - partial completion prior to master’s death History Force Side: Light Trained by: Sinf Slyites (deceased-Battle of Nar Shaddaa) Trained who: N/A Known Skills: Basic Jedi Naturalism Abilities Wilderness survival Basic lightsaber combat-skilled Basic Jedi skills Background: Hugglepup came to the Jedi as a young teenager where he began training in a variety of temples. The majority of his time was spent on Felucia, but not within the walls of the temple. Instead, whenever he wasn’t studying, Hugglepup was slipping out into the wilds. He found that he felt more at peace there, could commune with nature, with the force, more easily. In the deep humid jungles he would practice his katas, commune with the force as he worked his body to exhaustion. After a couple years, Hugglepup was noticed by a visiting naturalist, Jedi Knight Sinf Slyites, not in the temple; however, but in jungles far from. She too had sought the refuge of the jungles when she stumbled upon Hugglepup as he sought to befriend a Flutterplume that had fallen from its nest. Venturing into the most rural frontiers the galaxy had to offer, Hugglepup learned from the teachings of Sinf. Often she left him alone for weeks at a time, set into environments to test his dedication to the force, to learn to depend in it, to survive. It was only as the looming threat of a Sith grand fleet that they returned to civilized parts of the galaxy. They journeyed to Nar Shaddaa to stand beside other Jedi, other defenders of the light against the darkness. It was there that Hugglepup’s master was killed and Hugglepup counted as lost, presumed among the dead Ship Registration Name: - Class: - Model: - Manufacturer: - Length: - Armaments: - Armor: - Anti-Personnel Defenses: - Modifications: - Appearance: -
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