Bothawui Brawl

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen's coat flicked behind him as his eyes followed the forest. With every step, his single ear flicked around listening for something, anything. Several miles behind him was one of the smaller towns of Bothawui, a place at the edge of the local map. 'Ace, search.' A small weight left his pocket, as he looked over to see a an azure light leap ontot the nearby branches and take off. He could feel a presences, one he hasn't felt since, one more powerful that most others he had felt, yet somehow, wholy unfamiliar. Hopefully, the wolf would be able to find it and survive the encounter as he travelled, searching to find whatever it was that stood out, a shining light that made all others seem to be dim as a shadow.

[member="Ket Van-Derveld"]

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

The Old Wolf padded across the terrain almost haphazardly. It stopped, took a sniff, and moved on. Yet suddenly, a scent utterly overwhelmed its snout. Something more than the whole. The Force liked to show itself in odd and mysterious ways.. And in that single moment, bones begin to break. Pain was a welcome friend, old and forever a companion. He didn't want this, but it wanted him. And so as bone began to break and reform, flesh moved and form began to take shape. Eventually, he stood in his natural state, cold sapphire eyes staring out into the darkness. He sniffed the air once more, and thanked the Force itself He was alone at the moment.

He called out within the Force and yet bellowed into the wind out loud....

"Who seeks me? For not many know of me in this day and age."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpsen's ear flicked to the voice ahead of him as he walked forward. Swaying the onyx tail of his zorren heritage behind him, he peered into the forest. "That makes two of us. And yet, I'm surprised you aren't hunted 'round the clock. Its almost like walking to a beacon." He started towards the man, following his presence in the force. Still, being far from a fool, Vulpesne kept his hand hovering over one of the sabers that was hidden within his coat.

[member="Ket Van-Derveld"]

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

Ket paused a moment, standing still as he heard those words. Eyes shut, and his head dropped a bit as he let a stifled laugh escape his lips.

"You've no idea how many would converge on me at this very moment. In fact...I'd expect entire armies to show up within the hour. But I doubt that. I'm very good at covering my tracks."

And in that moment, the Fox would find himself standing in the gaze of the Wolf. Ket stood there, leather pants clinging to his legs, knee high boots encasing his feet. A long black leather coat hung from hi shoulders to the heels of his boots, and nothing else. At least nothing one could see with the naked eye. He could feel Vulpesen's nerves as his hand moved to hilt, and he chuckled moreso.

"I am honored you would think such precaution needed. But I need not Saber nor Force to whip you into submission. One hopes you came prepared. Or are you to go home and be a family man?"

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen tilted his head as he approached, lsitening to the first statement. Armies. Just who the hell was this man? And was he prepared to deal with any surprises the he might have. Honestly, Vulpesen had little way of telling. However, he could feel that if things came to blows, that this man was right. The conflcit would go beyond Force and blade. Vulpesen would need every trick he had learned and acquired through years of training and war just to walk out of the contronctation in one piece.

Finally, he boke into the clearing and was faced with the wolf. Something about his posture, the way his body held itself naturally. It seemed familiar, vagueley like some of the zorrens he had known, those who had taken a road other than that of Varos. "I did not spend two years holed up in an office, signing legislation, only to leave and return so shortly after meeting one man." A part of him wanted to address the 'family man', but his better judgment told him to ignore it. How does one make it impressive to say that he has none?

[member="Ket Van-Derveld"]

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

Ket watched him intently, soaking up every movement, every twitch, every moment, every little thing Vulpesen did. He cracked just a slight grin, not the toothy one he was known for. No, this was more of a slight curl, as the Old Wolf began to realize just what was in front of him. And as his words poured forth, it did nothing more than cement what he'd come to feel was the reality of the situation. He closed his eyes once more, and spoke quietly, yet tapped into the Force itself to make sure Vulpesen heard every word as if Ket's lips were almost touching his earlobe.

"I do not know your name, nor have we ever met before. But I have been here leapfrogging through time since before you were a sparkle in your father's eye. I can see it in your very eyes...You wonder just exactly who I am. I will give you one, singular chance. Just one. Choose wisely."

And in those few moments, Ket was seemingly right in front of him, mere inches, face to face. He spoke again, but this time, the Old Wolf needed not the Force to whisper. No, the air around them carried his voice quite well, as the pure, unmitigated darkness radiated from him like a font of death, despair, and tragedy.

"I go by many names. The Old Wolf. Public Enemy No. 1, The Last Lupine, Darth Ahroun, Master Jedi, The Prodigal Son, Dark Lord of the Sith... But My name is Ket. Ket Van-Derveld. Should you wish a fight with me, I will gladly tear your head from it's resting place upon your neck and polish your skull as a trophy. Or..."

Ket backed up a step, and let his piercing sapphire gaze meet Vulpesen's golden gaze.

"You can reach out to me within the Force, and I can show you just how powerful a man I truly am. For I am neither Sith nor Jedi. I am but a tool of the Force's Will. And I will teach you, train you, and make you more powerful than you ever thought possible. You have potential, young Fox. But the Wolf is still the fox's natural predator."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen's eyes illuminated the face of the one that had approached him, andhis tail, curiously waving in curiousity had gone still, now hidden under the flaps of his coat. His one full ear flicked to the man's ears as he heard the warning, the choise, and eventually, the offer. "More names than I've ever held." And for a man who had travelled as he had, and even found that he wasn't even the species he had been told he was for most his life, that was a high bar to pass over.

He twitched as he felt the darkness wash over him, though it wasn't quite so disgusting. After all, he had once covere dhimself in it like one would a blanket. Death and pain had become constants in his life, something he had long since acepted and moved past. Still, that wasn't to say he would chase them. "I rather enjoy hving my head where it is." He returned the gaze as [member="Ket Van-Derveld"] backed away. It was a far less peircing visage yet, it seemd to be searching, analyzing the man before him. "I've lost interest in the apathetic beuracracy of the Jedi, and I never cared for the evils of the sith. In this way, I suppose we're similar." Vulpesen lips turned upwards in a bit of a smile. Power. Since he was young he had never much cared for it. But since meeting his mother, he had been forced to rekindle his ambition, urged on by the psychotic ex-sith. "I'll accept the second option." For generations, legends had been told of Varos the great fox outsmarting the wolf. Contest after contests were won by the vulpine's tricker. But Vulpesen wasn't one to base his own life on such legends. Even if his elders were right, he was not a god. He was a mortal man like any other, and thus power did matter.

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

Ket had to take a moment to himself, and he sighed, chuckling just a bit. So many had been given this offer, yet so few had taken it for it's worth. And even now, Ket had a very hard time handling it.

Did this young boy truly feel that his offer was real? Was this just a clever ploy at making Ket lose his footing? He had to know, and so, in that respect, Ket reached out, within the Force, and used his power and influence over the Force to Walk across Vukpesen's Mind. Unless the fox knew what he was doing, all would be revealed to the Old Wolf. And all Ket wanted to know was just what could lead anyone to meet a man such as he and within moments, accept an offer such as His.

Within the Force, an echo of Ket was heard...

~"Tell me, young one...why would you bend the knee so quickly? Show me why you would forsake all for someone you do not even know. Show me...show me your pain and suffering..."~

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen twitched as he felt a presence invading his mind, the presence of another imposed upon his brain. in truth, it was almost too much to handle. Not because of the sudden pressure, but rather because Vulpesen already lived with one extra person in his skull, a presence Ket would be able to feel, likely even track to the branches above them where Ace had been watching intently. But that was only on the surface. Delving only a little deeper, the wolf would find his prize. Vulpesen had nothing to hide, not anymore. So, he allowed the man to see his past. Years of training from his birth, first under the elderly Zarro, then the jedi, then the sith, and finally, his people, his home on Veradune.

Using his practice with Ace, Vulpesen managed to not only convey his answer, but to do so without words. The very impression of his goals would connect to Van-Dervelds mind. He was not bowing. He was not surrendering or forsaking himself. He was learning from one larger than himself. He was acknowledging his better, and he was improving to better provide for his people. It wasn't some perceived weakness that made him accept the offer, but rather a thirst for knowledge, ever present in his life. There was pride, but no Hubris. He knew where he stood.

Then, the wolf made a request, that Vulpesen was reluctant to show, Not due to his own secrecy, but for the sake of the other's sanity. Pain and suffering. Two decades of bloody war and trials. His life from the moment he entered the jedi. Every life he took, every friend he lost. The years of Tsolan were revealed, the time in which he had cloaked himself in darkness, hidden within it though it chilled his soul like the ice of Hoth. The triumph of finding his people, long lost, only to discover they were few, having been beaten and hunted through the ages. He was a king, but a king of a dying race. Such were only some of the larger portions of pain among many that he had suffered for his own code.

[member="Ket Van-Derveld"]

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

The King of a Dying Race.

This spoke to the Old Wolf on levels even Vulpesen could not fathom. A rich history the Lupine had. Such was the lot of their lives. Ket knew all too well what it meant to sit upon an empty throne. But this was why He had took it upon himself to bring those such as The Fox to their knees in front of Him.

"My dear boy, you seem to think that I do not know where it is you come from. That I could never know your pain. But I can show you real pain...."

The Old Wolf, the Elder Sith and Lord of the Wolves reached out deeper. Not to take, no, to GIVE.

"Let me show you the pain you THINK you know. Open your mind, my dear boy...Let me show you just what it TRULY feels like to live the life of uncertainty and real pain."

And in that moment, Ket reached out, calling upon all that He was within the grand scheme of the Force, and let it POUR into Vulpesen, that the boy might know the way things truly were in this galaxy. Yet, Ket knew no matter what He said or did, Vulpesen himself must accept it. For if He did not, no brute force would ever give Ket control of him. Yet on the surface, Ket let one thing be known. The Old Wolf wanted NOT control. He wanted a student. Someone who might learn from Him. Learn from the Lupine's mistakes and correct the,. Someone who Ket might show the ways of the Force in a way The Force itself wanted.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

It was easy for Vulpesen to connect with a single being. His every waking moment was spent in connection with Ace. And no fewer than three times, he had reached out to peer over the souls of the galaxy. But as Ket poured his consciousness over his own, Vulpesen's eyes widened. Fragments of memories, thoughts, emotions, they all flowed through his mind. The fur of his tail rose on end and his eye twitched as he processed the information. In truth, it was almost as though he had glimpsed the future, or at least, a possibility. Van-Derveld held a past that paralleled Vulpesen's on so many levels. Their biggest difference simply seemed to be the disparities of age and power. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that pain is a forge."

[member="Ket Van-Derveld"]

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

"And within that Forge, comes either a mass of slag, or a man who knows just what He is worth."

The Old Lupine was in his human form by this point. Faded black leather creaked as he made his way to The Fox, and he took a knee, as to show him He meant what He said.

"I am many things, my friend. But You? I seek not control nor to manipulate. Join me...join me and know The Force not as Light. Not as Dark. Know it for what it Truly Is.."

Ket leaned in and whispered at this point.

"Balance."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Taking a moment to recover from the ordeal of absorbing the presence of another. Then, as Ket spoke, Vulpesen allowed himself to grin, his lips parting just enough to show the tip of a fanged tooth. Truth's i learned on my own... and in no easy way. "I'm in." He gazed up, his golden eyes blazing with light just as always, though perhaps a slight bit brighter. He wasn't sure yet if he agreed with the force being balance. He had seen so much that contradicted it. But he knew better than to argue with its inherent light or darkness. In a way, balance was true... but he'd also seen enough chaos in the galaxy to believe that it was something just as natural. Perhaps [member="Ket Van-Derveld"] would sway him into agreement. Either way, he was certain he had a lot to learn.

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

It was in that moment that Ket Van-Derveld...once Dark Lord of the Sith, once Jedi Master, once Viceroy of Ryloth, once The Teacher of the Darkness....He became one single thing.

Mentor to Vulpesen.

His eyes snapped open, and He looked to Vulpesen, and took in a great breath of air before He spoke once more..

"Very good, my student. From this day forth, the one known as Ace shall be relegated to the background. Oh, es, my student, I know full well of Ace. For I have many within my own head. From this day forth, you are NO longer Vulpesen. You will be known as..."

Ket took a moment, and then cracked a grin.

"You shall be known as whatever you feel is apropriate. For a name is simply a name."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

He chuckled softly and stood up, looking at Ket. "I'm willing to learn from you, and follow you through quite a bit. But what you're suggesting may not be so easy." Even as he spoke, the astral blue form of Ace dropped from the branches and onto his shoulder, his fur glowing faintly. "Ace isn't just another pet." Ashlan wolves were still something of a rarity in the galaxy, and Vulpesen wasn't surprised that Ket had underestimated their bond. It wasn't something that could be shut down and shoved aside. It was symbiotic, an ever present buzz in his mind that reminded him of the commitment he had made. You're damn right I'm not just another pet.

Ignoring the voice that entered his skull from means beyond the force, Vulpesen continued. "But call me what you wish, Vulpesen, Valde, Jedi, Tsolan, Vitae, Fox-face. A name only has the power you give it. Beyond that, what is it beyond a sound?" He had a feeling, the renaming was a remnant of Ket's sith days. And for a moment, he had a flashback of the days within the sith order, where he had forsaken his old life. It wasn't necessarily a happy memory. "On second thought, not Tsolan." His voice lowered for a moment, weighted down by memories that touched his heart with a fleck of darkness. It was the name of a lie. A lie he was eager to kill.

[member="Ket Van-Derveld"]