Fantastic Beasts and Where to [Copyright]

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

By all accounts Dxun was one of the most dangerous planets in the entire galaxy. The world was almost entirely covered in forest, the northern hemisphere was home to harsh climates, and every single inch of the moon was crawling with the deadliest and most monstrous creatures that any artists could imagine. Cannoks, Skreeve, Drexl, and dozens of other dangerous animals roamed the vast forests of Dxun, each one a predator in its own way.

It was in this environment that Aela would train Jamie.

The decision had come quite easily to her as soon as Jamie had mentioned her to train in Beast Mastery. Dxun was the same place that she had learned the skill, along with her younger sister. It was perfect really, one of the only places in the galaxy that quite literally forced you to learn what you wanted to know. If you couldn’t control the Cannok coming after you then it would eat you, if you couldn’t defend yourself from the Drexl...well then it would also eat you.

Dxun shaped you in a harsh way, but it also gave you an understanding. On this moon was one of the few places that humans, organic sentients in general, didn’t reign supreme. Entire Stormtrooper platoons had been lost on Dxun, helpless at the hands of creatures that were three or four times larger than a single man. Aela knew that Jamie would learn here, it was just a matter of how fast she would pick it up.

”Alright, I think that’s everything unloaded.” Aela said as she peered around the small plateau.

They had landed just north of the planets equator upon a small rock plateau that cropped out from a winding cliff edge that had likely been carved millenia ago by some massive earthquake. A few dozen meters behind them was a small cave where she and Jamie would be sleeping, having brought along with them enough equipment to survive for a little over two months.

”We have the tent, sleeping bags, fire-starters, comm-relay, shield generator…” Aela began to list off everything that they had brought, eventually amounting up to twelve full crates, each one stuffed to the brim with equipment that they would eventually need at one point or another. Behind her a squad of 5th Legion soldiers were unloading the crates, stacking them neatly outside the cave entrance. ”We’ll set up the tent in front of the cave and keep most of the stuff inside the cave, but keep the fire and comm-relay outside.”

The tent was really more of a large canvas that they would prop up in front of the Cave itself, camouflaged to keep them hidden from the air. The soldiers nodded, placing the final crate on the ground.

”That’s everything, Marshall.”

Aela nodded.

”Good. We’ll take the rest from here.” The Soldiers gave her a salute, glanced towards Jamie and nodded, then filed back onto the ship that had brought them all here. ”We’ll see you in a month!”

It was a long time, long enough for Jamie to learn more than a few things. One of the soldiers lingered for a moment within the doorway of the cargo-hold, giving Jamie a rather sympathetic look before slowly the starship began to lift up and off the ground.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

While the others worked to unload the supplies and equipment, Jamie peered out over the horizon and into the distance where the thickly populated jungle encapsulated everything within like a vibrant, deadly green wall of leaf, vine, branch, and root. It was mesmerizing, the foliage, rivaling even that of Naboo's forests and swamps. While she was no stranger to the incredible dangers of the depths beneath the water at home, she knew that things of similar size, temperament, and hunger lurked beyond the beauty that Dxun offered from where she stood.

To say it was intimidating would be an understatement, and the expression upon the soldiers face as they slowly pulled away from the surface was hardly lost on the young woman. It spoke volumes as to what she would expect out of their time essentially stranded here. The shield generator made sense to Jamie, it would allow them to sleep without the immediate fear of some malnourished beast catching wind of the two humans and attempting to make a quick meal of them whilst they slept within the cave. Despite that, malfunctions could happen, perhaps the shield would fail in the middle of the night, and she would awake to the feeling of some crazed animal salivating over her in preparation to devour her. It gave the Padawan the creeps, to say the least!

A month is a long time... She thought to herself, already counting down the days. What would she learn in that time? Fencing was an art form that she had perfected throughout her childhood and early adult life. What could she learn in a mere month when her own talents had taken a decade? Learning by example was one thing, but this seemed to be a tad bit over ambitious, even for a Jedi to learn. All she could hope for was that she was ready for this, and that Aela was correct in believing she was ready.

Still, her blue eyes lingered on that jungle until the faintest echo of the transport faded from ear shot, turning back to Aela with half a smile.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

As the ship gently pulled away into the atmosphere Aela slowly turned around to face Jamie. There was an odd sort of smile on her face, a confident one, but also one that denoted a plan.

"Alright." She said as she stepped past Jamie and headed to where the supplies had been dropped. "Let's not waste any time."

There was a lot to do. "First thing is first we set up the tent, then the shield generator, then the comm-array."

She sounded like she had done this before, and that was because she had. In the past Aela had made these trips with Maleah, her little sister. They usually didn't take along this much equipment, but they also usually didn't stay for a month at a time. Generally she only stayed on Dxun for a week tops, this...well this would be an entirely new experience for her as well. Staying here longer meant that Jamie got more training in, it also meant things would get more dangerous, but Aela considered that sort of a good thing.

"We'll have to keep the array off most of the time, it'll attract Cannoks." They were mostly scavengers, but in a large enough pack that tended to change.

Aela wandered over towards the equipment and waved for Jamie to come help her out.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Alright." A simple nod followed Aela's request. A modest sized crate to the left of the cave held within the tent they would be using for the remainder of their stay as shelter. The young woman knelt beside the box, her finger pressing against the release dial, creating a small hiss from the box as it decompressed and the split top slid sideways to open. Within was the simple, yet comfortably sized tent, which Jamie pulled free with haste, eager to get settled in as quickly as possible.

Dragging it gently across the cold stone floor of the cave she neatly laid out and unfolded each side with Aela's help, ensuring that everything was there and free of any tears or defects. The last thing they would need was a hole that could cause a draft to circulate through the tent! The next thirty or so minutes would be spent setting the stakes, the fabric, and the arrangement of the tent within the cave to make it just right.

"As a kid I spent a lot of nights outside in my family's back yard, pretending I was on some strange alien planet making camp to survive. It's a bit surreal how that childish imagination becomes reality sometimes."

Behind her voice was a bit of excitement, held back by a meager attempt to sound serious.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”Doesn’t really get any more strange than Dxun.” Aela admitted quietly as she finished hammering in the last stake.

”This world has more oddities than you’d ever believe.” Mandalorians, Sith, Jedi, dozens of Beast tribes over the years, all of them had left something behind on this world, all of it hidden within thick jungles and sprawling mountains. Each time she had come here Aela had discovered something new. The fact was nobody knew all of Dxun’s secrets, not even her grandmother. ”Just a matter of finding them.”

She was certain that in their travels they would come across things neither of them expected.

That was part of the training though, or that was what her Oma had always had. Dxun had a tendency to throw you into situations that couldn’t be manufactured or replicated. The world made you panic, scared, and often terrified. It was in those moments that the best and worst parts of you came out.

That was why this place was so important.

The shield array would be next, Aela wandering over to another crate and popping it open to begin unpacking.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I feel as though we won't need to do any searching to find whatever we come across. My luck tends to handle that all on its' own."

Truer words couldn't be spoken in that moment. Everything she managed to stumble across was generally more than she had bargained for. Belsavis, Bastion, Bespin, Cartao, even back home on Naboo her adventures tended to lead her into some rather tight situations. Undiscovered crystal caverns, hidden research facilities tucked away beneath the cover of ice covered mountains, angry skycar racers, or crazed nobility terrorists.

Ever since Jamie left Naboo her life had become exponentially more strange by the day.

Following Aela the blonde assisted with unpacking the crate just outside, with a clear view of the skies to ensure the antennae would have proper reception. The spot they'd chosen was mostly clear of looming trees, leaving only dense clouds to cause any potential transmission issues, or predators attracted to the device. Hopefully that wouldn't be much of a problem so long as it was left inactive until needed.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”We’ll see.” Aela said quietly.

There was no telling what they would find here. Dxun was something of a box of mysteries, one that seemed to have no bottom. The fact didn’t concern Aela in the least however, whatever they stumbled upon would help in Jamie’s training, she was sure of that. A smile crossed her face as they placed the shield array down in the middle of their camp.

”Hopefully we won’t have to use this.” She patted the generator. ”Once we get a fire going we’ll be a bit safer. They tend to stay away from open flames.”

The smaller ones anyway.

Drexl and Skreeve had no problem chomping up a fire or two, but Cannoks and Boma’s tended to stay away from things they didn’t understand, fire was one of those things. Of course that didn’t mean they were completely safe, this place...well the unexpected should be expected at nearly all times.

”We’ll have to go together to gather wood, malraas like to lurk in the trees.” The invisible creatures tended to hunt in packs, and Aela had no desire to wind up as puppy chow this afternoon.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"A little fire is going to scare away predators fierce enough to stop people from settling here?"

She raised a brow.

"Forgive me, but if what's making this moon home is enough to steer folks away, I find it difficult to believe that a campfire is going to fend them off."

Jamie fixed her eyes on the generator after the two had secured the communications array transmitter, wondering just how much use that was going to get this trip. Sleeping with just a fire to keep predators away was something she was extremely weary of. And if that was the case, she was likely not going to be sleeping much for the next month or so.

"But alright, let's go get the firew-" She paused, "Wait, what? What are Malraas?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”The fire doesn’t keep them away.” She said simply. ”More the mystery of what is there.”

That might make little sense but she went on to explain. ”Drexl is home to a lot of creatures, but most common are Boma’s and Cannoks. Those two are more...pests than predators. They don’t like mysteries and things they dont understand, unless they think they can eat it, thus fire keeps them away.”

Simple really.

”There are other things here that don’t care.” She shifted slightly. ”But thats what the camouflage is for.”

Drexl and Skreeve generally didn’t hunt from the ground, and thus weren’t that big of a concern. Of course there were always the snakes...but well they would have to be dealt with some other time, not everything could be thrown at Jamie all at once.

”Malraas are...kind of like dogs? Difficult to describe, they have a natural way of blending into the jungle, becoming almost invisible.” She was sure they’d encounter them many times before leaving Dxun.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I see." She said, picking up her own pack and sliding it into the cave after the two had arranged the comm, generator, and tent. "So this place is full of interesting creatures. Most of what will try and kill you back home comes from the depths beneath the water's surface, not so much in the wild, or the treetops." Having spent quite a bit of time exploring caverns, the Gungan's cities, and the most obscure of swamps that Naboo had to offer, Jamie had seen some pretty spectacular and frightening creatures, many of which would happily devour a human as a bite sized snack if the opportunity arose. Back home though, she was familiar with the geography, and understood well the animals that coexisted with her people. Dxun was as alien as it could get.

"So in general what you're saying is watch the skies, watch for shadows, and listen for things creeping about and we won't get killed or maimed or eaten?"

That sounded simple enough, at least in theory. Escaping a terentatek was no simple task back on Bastion. Many creatures could move twice the speed or more of a human, so running wasn't always the straight forward answer to problems. For both their sake Jamie hoped Aela knew Dxun as well as she claimed.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”Well.” Aela said as she considered. ”Sometimes you also have to watch the trees.”

That was where the snakes came in. ”And the ground.”


There really wasn’t anywhere on Dxun that Aela thought was safe. The Cavern they would be staying in...well it wouldn’t have been safe either save for one simple fact; it was a former Drexl nest. Three years ago it was here that she and Maleah had found their pet Drexl, having stolen the eggs from their nest. Since then the next had been abandoned, and thus would serve as the perfect home.


The scent of Drexl coupled with the fire would be enough to keep most everything away, at least that was what Aela hoped.


”We’ll be fine though.” Aela reassured her padawan. ”We just have to be careful and not take anything for granted.”


Once you started to feel safe, that was when problem began to arise. She smiled slightly and flipped the switch on the array, finishing with their preparations and peering around for a moment. ”Alright, let’s go get some firewood.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"And your back, and your front, and...Just watch everything all the time I guess." She said in a rather sarcastic manner, poking her tongue out at Aela. "Can I at least take the oxygen on this moon for granted? Or is there poisonous clouds lurking somewhere nearby too? I just want to be prepared for everything."

Truth be told she was half expecting predators to come barreling out of the woods from behind the cover of trees at every moment, eyes watching them from darkness, planning their move. The more she actively thought of it, the more she frightened herself over the possibilities of what-ifs. Probably best not to imagine being surrounded by a pack of hungry beasts and devoured. Taking her focus off the important aspect of actually training would only hinder progress. As much as she knew that, she still couldn't quite help her imagination taking the reins.

"Alright. Let's get this show started, I suppose." Her first foray into the wilderness. Yay. Not. Her cheeks puffed out, and a moment later pushed forth a breath between thinned lips as a sort of sigh.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Breathing should be fine." Aela said with a smile.

Dxun was a dangerous place, but it wasn't like everything was death. There were some truly beautiful places that could be found on this world, and she was sure that eventually she and Jamie would be able to see those places.

"We'll head east." She nodded towards the forest. "Take your lightsabers."

She slipped her own weapons into the holsters on her hips. She doubted that they would need to use them immediately, though with Dxun you could never quite tell. The Malraas were really the most dangerous aspect of this particular trip, the creatures liked to linger within the trees and jump down on unsuspecting prey. It was a typical move for pack hunters, but Aela would be able to keep a look out. "Try not to step on anything that looks like it could move."

Aela grinned, and then headed off into the jungle.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh good." She said with a bit of an eye roll. "You had me worried for a moment."

Although even with Aela's reassurance she still felt as though breathing might somehow, someway, still manage to become problematic. It was just her luck.

"Okay." Kneeling down Jamie fumbled through her pack for a minute, tongue clenched between teeth as she felt around until the cold hilt fell into her palm and was pulled free from the bag. "Hope this firewood doesn't fight back." Laughing at her own pointless joke as she stood up, hand pushing the clasp against the small loop on her pants to secure the weapon at her side.

"Everything looks like it could move. You lead. If I wander around staring at the ground the whole time something will just as soon fly down and get me instead."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela nodded. ”Alright, follow me.”


Dxun was a dangerous place, there was no doubt in that, but Aela was aware of this. She knew what paths to take, what to look for, where to wander. It was a skill that she had acquired after many years of training here and on Onderon. She moved into the Jungle, making sure that Jamie was close behind her.


”I first came here with my grandmother.” She began to explain as they went into the woods, Aela picking up sticks along the way, taking careful note to look at each stick before actually lifting it from the ground. ”She trained me and my Sister.”


Maleah had always taken to this sort of thing much better. ”She trained us in the same thing you’re interested in, beast mastery.”


That was really what this was all about after all.


”It’s where I learned to do it.” Albeit not as well as her sister. ”Starting with the Cannoks and ending with the Drexl”


As much as one could control a Drexl anyway.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie wandered a step or two behind Aela, her hand gently weaving through the air as she saw twigs and small sticks nearby, but out of arms reach. Rather than risk wandering away from Aela, Jamie instead called upon the Force to gently wrestle the kindling from the ground and glide it to her, careful to ensure what she was lifting was actually wood and not some terrible snack or other nefarious reptile.

Things such as this, the bare basics, were becoming easier for her to manipulate and control the more she pursued them. That was really the only measure of self-progress that she could actually take measured results from. Something she could actually take genuine pride in accomplishing, even if it wasn't much in the big picture.

"Is it true?" She inquired, bundling up the sticks she'd lifted into one hand while continuing to scan for more.

"That people did, anddo, tame animals in this way to use in wars? To sell to those willing to pay for such dangerous creatures?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”Of course.” She looked back at her apprentice. ”My grandmother does just that.”

Drexl, Skreev, Cannoks, Nexu, hell even a Terentatek or two. Her Oma trained all sorts of creatures, and had a company that sold them to...well pretty much everyone. ”You’ll start with Cannoks.”

The creatures were neither very intimidating, nor were they very intelligent. Alone they didn’t post much of a hazard, at least if you could fight even a little bit. It was usually only when they were in large numbers or sneaked up on you that they became a problem. She and Jamie would catch one later for her to practice on.

”From there, we’ll move on to something bigger.” She motioned towards the trees. ”Dxun has all sorts of creatures, and half of those creatures migrate to and from Onderon when the moon dips into the planets atmosphere. It was where the Beast Tamers came from. They saw these massive creatures, and knew they could be powerful tools and allies.”

She mixed a bit of history into the lesson for Jamie.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh! I see. Does she come up here often, then?" She didn't quite realize that people still actively tamed creatures for sale as protection or pets. It sounded as if this was a bit of a lost art form in some cases. At the very least it seemed to her that not many were willing to involve themselves in the business of staring down a creature that wished nothing more than to make you an afternoon meal.

Pausing for a moment she knelt down, her hand tracing over the single, rather large imprint in the soil. The grass being scarce in this particular area made it easier for the girl to spot. "Woah." She muttered to herself. "That's a big footprint."

While still kneeling she tilted her head back up and called to Aela. "Hey! What's this? Any idea?"

It was certainly wider than any human, and the shape of it was anything but human. The closest thing she could imagine was perhaps Trandoshan? Or maybe some native animal.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”Not so much anymore I think.” Aela said as she scooped up another stick. ”She’s beastia of the tribes, doesn’t really have the time to get away so much.”

That was true.

Aela looked behind her, noticing that her apprentice had wandered off slight. Her heart skipped a beat as she imagined Jamie getting eaten by a Python within their first twenty minutes of being on Dxun, but before she could say anything she heard her padawans voice. A sigh of relief passed from her lips and he turned towards her, seeing Jamie standing over a footprint.

The Jedi Marshall walked up to her padawan, inspecting the footprint for a moment and then nodding her head.

”Drexl.” She said confidently. ”Not fully grown through. You can tell from the claw marks.”

Aela juggled the bundle of sticks in her arms for a moment and then pointed to the very tip of the footprint. ”Those would be a lot deeper.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Just...How big are these things?" She asked, a bit of fear and caution billowing out. "Because that's pretty big already."

She couldn't imagine these creatures sneaking up on someone if the size of them was anything to be determined by the footprint they left in a soft patch of soil.

"I expected that to belong to something sentient, not a monster!" The monster bit was a bit sarcastic. She was certainly more nervous now that she had a small idea of their size, but there were certainly bigger things beneath the waters of Naboo that would make even the bravest divers second guess their choice. Her head raised, eyes meeting her master's. "There's nothing as big here as a Sando Aqua Monster, is there?" She had never seen one in person, just holovids, and a massive skeleton of the 217 foot long sea monster in a museum once.

"I might have second thoughts about this if so."

[member="Aela Talith"]