Shiraya's Sanctuary - Training Course
The sun had barely crested over the soft green hills of Deeja Peak when the training grounds of the Naboo Jedi Temple stirred awake. Dew clung to the wide stone tiles, shimmering like tiny stars scattered across the courtyard. The morning air smelled of water and moss and the faint warmth of the planet's quiet sunrise. It was the perfect hour for focus. For discipline. For letting the Force breathe through every part of oneself.
Kuhbee. wasstill rubbing the sleep from his golden-brown eyes as he stood at the entrance to the Temple's obstacle yard, fur bristling in anticipation. The young Wookiee Padawan rolled his shoulders, loosening the broad muscles beneath all that thick fur. Even at his age, he was strong. The Temple instructors often joked that they needed to reinforce half their training equipment whenever Kuhbee signed up for a session. But strength alone, the Masters reminded him, did not make a Jedi.
Control did. Patience did. Connection did.
Kuhbee inhaled deeply, letting the cool Naboo air fill his chest, and then quietly let the Force flow. At first it came to him like a warm stream curling around his fingertips. Then it expanded, flooding up his arms, spiraling through his spine, settling behind his heart in a steady, glowing hum. His breath aligned with it. His heartbeat matched its rhythm. The ambient whispers of life in the Temple grounds, tge hatching birdlings, stirring insects, the distant rush of one of Naboo's many waterfalls, wove themselves into the same calm, guiding current.
With a low "rrrghm"of focus, Kuhbee stepped forward.
The Course Begins
The first section was balance work: narrow beams suspended over flowing water. A favorite of the Temple architects, who believed serenity was best tested in movement. Kuhbee sprang lightly, surprising for his size, landing on the beams with a soft thump. The wood wobbled beneath him but he didn't waver. Instead, he spread his awareness outward, feeling the sway a second before it happened, adjusting his weight without thought.
Halfway across, a wind gust rolled off the mountain valley. Another Padawan might have panicked.
Kuhbee didn't.
He bent his knees, pressed his palm lightly to the air, and let the Force brace him like an invisible hand.
Strength, Re-Directed
Next came the climbing challenge of jutting stone pillars with gaps between them wide enough to frighten even the bravest younglings. Kuhbee leapt, fingers hooking around the first ledge. His claws dug in for stability. His legs coiled and launched him upward again. But instead of simply overpowering the task, he let the Force move through each motion, softening the wildness that sometimes threatened to turn his strength into recklessness.
He remembered the Jedi instructor's words:
A Wookiee's heart is mighty. But a Jedi's heart must also be still.
By the time he reached the top platform, Kuhbee wasn't panting, he was glowing with focus.
Speed & Awareness
The final stretch was the most difficult: a shifting maze of mechanical arms, floating training droids, and sudden, spinning platforms. Designed to overwhelm the senses. Designed to test clarity. Kuhbee sprinted in. A droid zipped toward him, but he ducked, sliding under its stun baton with a low growl of concentration. A platform spun wildly and he jumped, twisting mid-air to land on the narrowest edge. He paused only long enough to let the Force whisper the next move:Left. Drop. Roll. Leap.
He obeyed.
His body moved in perfect rhythm with something deeper than instinct. It felt like dancing, that is if dancing also involved avoiding stun bolts and pivoting around heavy rotating beams. One final leap, powered by the Force, sent him soaring over the last obstacle. He landed in a kneel, claws touching the ground for balance. Silence settled around him.
Then the Temple gong chimed.
Completion.
A Jedi in the Making
Kuhbee rose slowly, shaking out his fur, letting the adrenaline ebb. The Force still hummed within him, warm, encouraging, and proud. He wasn't the fastest Padawan. He wasn't the most graceful. And he definitely wasn't the quietest; his celebratory roar probably echoed halfway through the Temple.
But he was becoming something important. Not just a stronger warrior, but a calmer presence. Not just a Wookiee with potential but a Jedi with purpose.
He took one last look at the course, ears twitching happily, and bowed in gratitude to the space where he'd trained. Tomorrow, he'd run it again. And tomorrow, he would be better.
For now, he padded off toward the refectory.
Training made a Padawan hungry and Kuhbee trained very hard.
