Private Animal Instincts

[Kahlil Noble]

New Cov. It was a big jungle world with some of the fiercest creatures. And, it was where Valery Noble and her Padawan had been attacked by a Drengir of all things. The Drengir itself had been taken down, but that's why Kahlil was here now. With his own Padawan no less. Make sure there's no lingering taint of the plant life form, make sure life is healing properly. Maybe stop by the temple that Kahlil went with Valery to, once upon a time. Back when they first met. The place was still in ruins, but maybe he could get Rhemti Totriddiam to help him rebuild.

Hell, that's just what he might end up doing here once they made sure the Drengir was gone.

"Alright, we're here. You ever been on a jungle world before?" The Bastion landed in one of the cities, the high walls that kept the predators out easily seen even from the space port. Kahlil got up, pulling on his coat before turning his gaze to the Nautolan with a faint grin.

"I'm sure you're gonna love it."

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

"Jungle world?" Rhemti looked almost abuzz with excitement, a sparkle in his almost black, pupilless eyes, his head tendrils shifting behind him now and then in a silent expression of interest while his expression remained one of amazement. "No. I'd only ever seen the waves of Glee Anselm before I followed you. The only worlds I've ever visited or seen are the ones I've traveled to with you..."

He turned his head curiously, trying to think back to the tomes he'd poured through back at the temple's library, the ones specifically regarding the different biodiversities that could be seen out in the galaxy, though he'd not taken the time to look more in depth into them between training, eating and sleeping.

"A jungle is a really big forest, right? Slightly different ecological make up in regards to the different fauna and flora?" He sounded more curious than certain, keeping up close behind Kahlil, more ready than ever to get off the Bastion and check out New Cov.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Oh. Right. Kahlil chuckled a bit before hitting the button to lower the ramp of his ship. Which stuttered for a moment before falling to the ground with a loud bang. The tall man grimaced. "I'll uh, fix that later. When we come back." Yeah, he would. Probably. If he could reach where it was broken. No time to think about that though as he walked down, hands casually in his pockets.

"Drastically different. Jungles are a crazy place. It's uh.. A forest is like an open ocean where a jungle is like a reef. Some things live in the forest. Many more things live in a jungle. New Cov in particular has some of the most uh, ferocious flora and fauna. We'll be making it a lesson while we go through, alright?" A totally original lesson he didn't pick up from Valery Noble when she told him why she came back with what looked like a bite wound.

"Bring your lightsaber. Hopefully you won't have to use it, but it's always good to be cautious."

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

"What sort of lesson, Boss?" Rhemti tilted his head, following close behind Kahlil all while allowing his gaze to travel, taking in everything, even if they were still only at the space port at that moment. Kahlil's reminder to bring his lightsaber had the red skilled Nautolan patting his own coat until he felt the shape of the hilt, hanging securely from the inside of his jacket.

"Got it." Was the nonchalant reply to his Master in regards to the lightsaber after all, he didn't want any possible eaves droppers to know he had a 'weapon' on him as they walked off the ramp and out of the ship.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You know how the Force feels around you, right? Valery told me more about it. You can sense emotions pretty well. So, I want you to focus on the jungle around us. The animals. Find us a safe path through without running into anything too hungry or too angry, yeah?" Kahlil cracked a grin as they made their way through the city. They were left alone for the most part. A tall human and a Nautolan were an odd enough pair. They fit the bill of spacers, though. Not Jedi. At least Kahlil did.

"When we get to the gate I want you to reach out and tell me what you feel. Sound good?"

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Bewilderment crossed over the red skinned Nautolan's face and aura for a moment before speeding up to keep alongside his tall Master. "Ah... I'll try my best, Boss. Not exactly sure hunger is an emotion though.." he chuckled faintly about it, a mixture of nervousness and excitement replacing the previous bewilderment, his expression keeping that trademark goofy grin all the while.

The gate was enormous, the largest he'd ever seen since leaving home. Rhemti stood there for a moment, taking it all in, appreciating the fact that he'd been able to explore and learn so much thanks to his Master. He let the moment pass, closing his eyes so as to focus on his task; finding them a safe path through the jungle.

"You know what direction we need to head in right? I just need to help us navigate safely by sensing the hostile intent of the creatures around us; no big deal." His tone remained light hearted, using that positivity to push his nervousness down. Head tendrils moving, spreading out just ever so slightly around him, Rhemti was already surveying the surrounding area outside the gate.

His method had become more and more similar to that of echolocation, the extension of himself through the force acting like a ripple, stopping or reverberating off of other force signatures. Those with emotion seemed to stand out more, however the extent to how far he could search was not infinite, a couple hundred feet at most if he focused solely on that and nothing else, so given this lesson would also require him to focus on where he was walking and speaking with his Master, he could search a maximum of roughly a hundred feet in a circle with him at the center.

"Theres a lot of fear.. anxiety..." Rhemti opened his eyes slowly, looking almost through the gate. "Small signatures... some ground level, others up higher.. but that makes sense, right? Not as many larger, more hostile creatures this close to the wall?"

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"On a world like this, with so many predators, I'm not surprised there's a lot of fear and anxiety. Everything is trying to survive." Kahlil kept beside Rhemti Totriddiam , his hands calmly in the pockets of his jacket. Looking as lazy and unprepared for danger as possible. The opposite was true, of course. His lightsaber was in his pocket, ready to ignite and fight off any beasts in case they had to.

But that was the lesson. Put more on Rhemti's shoulders and see if he could grow.

"The larger ones, yeah. Some can climb. They routinely patrol around here to clear them out. As we get deeper I'm sure you'll start to feel the bigger ones." He stepped forward, pulling a datamap from his other pocket.

"The sight where the Drengir was killed is up this way. Just keep an eye out for threats, yeah?"

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

"Yes Boss." Rhemti nodded, his focus split between following his Master and keeping tabs on the various creatures that took residence in the dense jungle they passed through. A majority of the signatures he sensed were on the smaller side, though those creatures primarily gave off wave after wave of fear, with the occasional ripple of curiosity and playful joy mixed in; those minimal few he assumed were juveniles or those who not yet had a reason to be afraid.

It was maybe a good chunk of time since they'd left the gates before the signatures of the creatures around them began to change; obviously some disappeared as they moved and new ones were found, but as they moved further and further from the walled city he noticed something all together different. Suddenly a very large, almost missed signature stood out to him not far from where they walked. It radiated a calmness, focused hostility; reminded him of a predator on the hunt.

"Ah.. Boss... We've got company..." The Nautolan kept his voice quiet, unsure for certain if this creature was focused on them or something else, regardless his hand had slowly moved out to tug on the arm of Kahlil's coat, trying to calmly get his Masters attention.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I know." Kahlil's voice came out calmly. Rather than stop, he kept walking, subtly motioning for Rhemti Totriddiam to do the same. "Just keep moving. Stopping will only make it attack now. While we do, tell me what you feel from it." The Bha'lir that stalked them kept to the shadows all the while, listening. Waiting. The Knight kept his head high as he lead them forward, patient for the moment. Asides, there was something else he had in mind.

"I want you to calm it. You can feel how it feels, so try and change that."

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Rhemti let out a leveled sigh, keeping himself calm as he could as he continued along the path, his focus solely on the Bha'lir, listening, feeling each ripple that came off the beast.

"Calm.. it's very calm.. maybe a bit curious..? But its.. it just has this.. subdued hostility.. well.. wait... hunger...?" He blinked, starting to shift his focus ever so slightly; her came the difficult part.

Rhemti kept his focus on the Bah'lir, however instead of trying to read the creatures emotions he was trying to exude his own, to send his calmness out in ripples towards the beast, in the hopes he might influence it.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil stayed calm himself, just listening and watching them out of the corner of his eye. Watching Rhemti Totriddiam , making sure the boy wasn't getting in over his head. Then.. It worked. It took a moment, but the Bah'lir would eventually move on. Leaving to find something else to eat that wasn't the two Jedi. Kahlil smirked, glancing to the Nautolan more directly.

"See? Not so hard, is it?"

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Rhemti just breathed a sigh of relief, only doing so after his Master spoke, after all he wanted to be sure the Bah'lir was actually gone. "Everyone knowingly swims against the current at least once in their life.." was the Nautolans response, quoting his father really, something the older Nautolan would say when his children complained of how difficult something was without even having tried it yet.

"Thanks for the confidence, Boss, it really helped.." He flashed that goofy smile at Kahlil, though he definitely looked a bit sheepish, given he had felt just a little bit stressed about it.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"A lot of problems I've seen with people and using the Force is someone limiting themselves. If you don't think you can do something, you won't. .. Er, do or do not, there is no try." Kahlil nodded, seeming proud for a moment in his ability to pass on knowledge. Just for a moment though. His gaze turned around, back to their path. He walked forward, motioning for Rhemti Totriddiam to follow along. Lingering here wasn't a good idea, even if he was able to dissuade the Bha'lir from it's choice in meals.

"We're almost do the grove. When we get there, I want you to stay close and stop feeling around you. The Dark should be strong there, don't want you getting overwhelmed."

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

He nodded in agreement with his masters words, smiling faintly as he followed along beside him. "Too bad you didn't get to meet my dad, you two would have got along great I think." Rhemti would follow Kahlil's instructions, sticking close to the older males side, dropping the 'radar' of feeling he'd put out around himself once they grew close.

"Why.. would the... 'Dark' be strong there?" He inquired, probably just before they arrived.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Drengir are beings of darkness. Even dead, it's probably influenced it's surroundings." And sure enough, it had. They neared the last known location, and already they could see the result of the plant like creature. Death. Withered plants, corpses of various animals. All there was, was death. Ironically a good thing. Kahlil felt no life as they walked through, closer to where the Drengir had been slain.

The burnt corpse still smelled of charcoal.

".. Alright. I have to cleanse this. Do you want to try and help? Or is the dark too much?"

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Rhemti shivered a bit as they walked into the grove, it felt.. cold? But how could such a feeling persist? And almost feel as if it were trying to bury you? The smell of charcoal certainly didn't help, but it somewhat distracted Rhemti, his masters words bringing him back to reality a moment or two later. "Help? Yeah. How do I do that?" He didn't want to sit idly by; if he could be of help he needed to try.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil kept his eyes on Rhemti Totriddiam , the concern obvious in his gaze. The Dark was strong here. But the Padawan seemed calm in it. That's a good start. Kahlil took a seat by the burned corpse, a meditative stance, hands calmly rested in his lap. Eyes closed. "The Light can always come back to the dark. Sometimes the light is gone, removed. But if you act as the source for it, you can banish any darkness. Sit, close your eyes. Focus in on your light. That calm feeling at the center of your body.

Then let it flow around you."

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

"Kinda like what I did with the Bha'lir?" He asked curiously, though his normal energetic nature was filed away for the moment, given it was such a serious situation, or Kahlil made it seem that way. The red skinned Nautolan settled down not far from his Master, mimicking the same meditative stance, everything he could before closing his eyes and attempting to follow his Masters instructions.

The strong smell of charcoal made it just a tiny bit difficult for Rhemti to focus, so he had to concentrate just a little harder than normal.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"No. The Bha'lir wasn't Dark. You must stay focused. Do not let the power here tempt you. Even for a moment, it could pull you away." Kahlil's normally calm and kind voice was firm. Still gentle, but he didn't want Rhemti Totriddiam to misunderstand. To open to the Force, to try and feel around him, the cold of the Dark would only try to drag the Padawan in. Part of Kahlil didn't want him to experience this.

But he had to.

"Stay calm. Focus on your light." Kahlil did the same. Calming his mind, letting his emotions go. "Like the center of a storm."

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Rhemti just nodded faintly, letting everything go, to stay calm. Eye of the storm. Calm. All emotions gone, thoughts, just the beating of his own heart. Now his light? Well, what better place for his 'light' to be than his heart, right? Without his heart he wouldn't be alive, let alone able to care for all of those who mattered to him.

He hadn't really sought out this 'light' much before, after all a lot of his more recent training seemed to be in the field and usually varied, which was fine with him by all means; that's how Rhemti learned best after all. It meant he was slower to focus on it, to concentrate it within his very being to start, not even wanting to exude or let it flow until he was for sure accessing the right part of him.

Kahlil Noble