Public Felucian Food Chain

[Ixtili Razorclaw]

Tag: 0-7 ​

Felucia had eaten him. Again. Felucia had swallowed him headfirst this time.

Ixtili's upper half was completely jammed inside the rubbery throat of a huge carnivorous plant. Bioluminescent petals cupped around his shoulders like a smug, glowing mouth. Only his legs, hips, and tail were still outside, flailing wildly above the glowing mossy floor. His claws scrabbled uselessly against the slick inner surface as the plant tried to drag him deeper. Muffled complaining filtered out of the petals between wet, unhappy squelches.

"Mmhffltiii is nnff naff snffk, yff!"

His tail lashed so hard it slapped the side of the plant, making the whole thing wobble. One foot kicked free for a second, toes splayed, then vanished up to the ankle again as the plant clenched down.

Inside, he finally managed to get his snout angled toward the narrow opening to shout properly.

"This is rude, yes!" his voice echoed from inside the floral cavity. "Ixtili was simply walking and thinking very important thoughts, yes. Then plant decided to wear Ixtili like decorative hat, yes. This is crime."

The plant responded by tightening. His legs jerked, claws gouging little furrows in the glowing ground. He went another inch in. Only his knees, hips, and tail were left outside now, thrashing in frantic arcs.

"Ixtili is not smoothie ingredient, oh no no no!" he snapped, words starting to wobble with effort. "He is mostly bones and trauma, yes. Very bad for digestion. You will get emotional indigestion, yes."

Felucia hummed around him, uncaring of yet another small act of survival of the fittest playing out all according to the natural order. Spore motes drifted lazily past his kicking feet. A curious insect landed on one of his twitching tail. He tried to shake it off and only managed to make the plant jiggle again.

There was a wet gurgling sound from above as the plant adjusted its grip. He slid another half inch inward with a distressed yelp.

"Ixtili does not want to see where your stomach is, no!" he protested, panic edging into his voice. "He already knows it is full of poor life choices, yes. Let Ixtili go. There are better snacks in jungle. Very plump. Very quiet. They do not argue, yes."

His kicking slowed for a moment as the pressure squeezed the breath out of him. His tail still flicked stubbornly, the last visible protest.

"Ixtili was just trying to go around, yes," he muttered, softer now, talking mostly to himself and the plant walls. "He even said your petals looked very shiny last time he saw you, yes. This is very ungrateful."

The plant burbled again, an almost content little sound. He sagged, as much as someone half swallowed by a flower could sag. His claws still scratched weakly at the slick inner surface, more habit than hope.

"Fine, yes," he said, voice turning small. "Eat Ixtili. He hopes you choke, yes."

Outside, his legs gave one last dramatic kick, toes splayed in stubborn defiance. Then they drooped, tail drooping with them, swaying sadly over the moss as the jungle buzzed and glowed on.

 

[0-7]

Felucia
Tags: Ixtili Razorclaw

​

"Just... be... quiet!"

Seven pressed her heel down into the head of a Tuk'ata. With a screech, followed by a snap, the Sithspawn went silent. It's dark body began to decay rapidly, being reduced to corrupted biomass. She had been looking for things that Kalrath had left behind. Even as calculated as he was, people tended to lose things after several thousand years. Those things were dark and corrupting. There was not telling how long the Sith beasts had been feeding in this wasteland.

Then again, Felucia was a hell hole. They probably didn't notice the difference.

"This is rude, yes!"

Seven's angular ears flickered. A distant voice, inflection distressed. She couldn't help but let out a tired exhale. It was always something, wasn't it? It was probably best to make sure that individual was safe. The Jedi would want that anyways, right?

Maybe she was becoming more like them...

The former assassin rushed off, only to find a rather bizarre sight. Gangly clawed legs and a lashing tail, the top half within a carnivorous plant of some sort. The Evereni let out a sigh. It was going to be a long day. She mustered up her strength and pried the plant open with the Force. She was becoming stronger away from Kalrath's toxic presence. Then she rushed over and physically yanked the stranger out, grabbing them by the ankles. Careful to avoid the talons, of course.

"...You okay?" Seven asked, trying to keep her tone cool and unconcerned.

It was easier if she was monotone.

 

[Ixtili Razorclaw]

Tag: 0-7 ​

A deep, gurgling schlorp sounded from the plant as it shuddered, its maw forced open and a body dragged out of its wet orifice. It was like someone pulling a boot free from knee-deep mud. Strings of cloudy green slime clung to his scales and armor, stretching between him and the flower until they snapped with wet little plops and splats across the moss. The stuff coated him in a thick, glassy sheen, beading and dripping from his muzzle and braids, reeking like a stew of rotting meat, sour acid, and mushrooms that had died angry. Every breath tasted like he had licked the inside of an unwashed stomach.

For a few long seconds he did not move so much as exist in stunned, horrible awareness. Ixtili just sat there in the moss like a freshly dropped dumpling, legs splayed, arms hanging limp, slime slowly oozing off him in sad, disgusting little rivulets. His eyes were wide and empty, the look of a man whose brain had pulled the emergency brake and was now rebooting from the oldest backup it could find. Every few moments a droplet slipped off his snout and hit the ground with a soft plip.

He blinked once. Twice. His tail gave a tiny, shell-shocked twitch. Somewhere far away in his head, a single thought finally staggered to its feet and lit a sign that read:

"Ixtili hates plants... yes."

Once his brain finally rebooted, revenge arrived in stages. First, he very carefully got to his feet, still dripping, still shining like a freshly basted roast. Then he turned, very slowly, to stare at the plant. The flower had the audacity to sit there, wobbling gently, like it had done nothing wrong. Ixtili narrowed his eyes.

Without a word, he stomped over to the nearest patch of spiky, evil looking undergrowth, grabbed two big armfuls of the nastiest, itch-iest, most needle covered leaves he could find, and marched back to his former prison.

Very deliberately, very methodically, he began tucking the horrible itchy foliage all around its base. Stuffing it in among the roots. Draping it over the stem. Packing it under every exposed curve.

"There, yes," he muttered, grimly focused as he worked. "You like touching Ixtili without permission, yes. Now you itch forever, yes. You think about your choices." By the time he finished, the proud carnivorous plant looked like someone had dressed it in a very aggressive, very uncomfortable shrub coat.

 

[0-7]

Felucia
Tags: Ixtili Razorclaw

​

Seven could really only watch in a bit of a daze. She wasn't really sure what it was that was happening. The strange... reptoid individual was now gathering leaves and spreading them around the base of the plant. Did they know that plants didn't get itchy? With a sigh, Seven made her way over to the stranger and raised her voice so that she would be acknowledged this time.

"You should step away from the plant," she suggested. "When it recollects itself it will just try to eat you again."

This guy was clearly not cut out to be on a planet like this. He would probably need to be escorted off the planet. She was certain he'd die otherwise.

 

[Ixtili Razorclaw]

Tag: 0-7 ​

His long ears twitched and he looked around nervously before glancing down. He grinned goofy-like and reached out with his slimy, icky arms to scoop up Seven, giving her a big squish. "Oh happy day! Thank you, thank you for helping Ixtili! You're a hero… or at least a very squishy one! Yes"

 

[0-7]

Felucia
Tags: Ixtili Razorclaw

​

He grinned goofy-like and reached out with his slimy, icky arms to scoop up Seven, giving her a big squish. "Oh happy day! Thank you, thank you for helping Ixtili! You're a hero… or at least a very squishy one! Yes"

Seven let out a gasp as she was scooped up. Her face, uncharacteristically, became a much darker grey. This was very undignified. She was ready to lash out, but ultimately she reserved herself. That wasn't what she wanted to be. Calm. Relaxed. Patient.

"Don't... mention it," Seven grumbled. Fortunately the slime she was now covered in made it easier to slither out of his grasp after a moment to reorient herself. "Ix...tili, you said? Not to pry, but this isn't exactly prime real estate for an afternoon stroll."

The Evereni drew a handkerchief from her bag and began to wipe herself down with it. She'd have to wash her cloak. What a pain.

That was just her luck.

"You can call me Seven," she informed him. "Do you have a transport to return to?"

 

[Ixtili Razorclaw]

Tag: 0-7 ​

Ixtili blinked at her, still dripping, and emitting the pungent aura of 'recently chewed snack.' His head tilted, ears flicking as if trying to reorient themselves after emotional turbulence and mild digestion.

"Transport, yes. Yes! Ixtili absolutely has one. Somewhere. Very close. Extremely nearby."
He made a vague circle gesture with both hands that suggested anything from a one-meter radius… to the far side of the continent.

He leaned closer, eyes going wide,
"Ixtili walked away from it to look at a mushroom that looked like it was judging him, yes. Then plant decided Ixtili would be better as garnish. You have now saved Ixtili twice, actually. First from dying, yes. Second from smelling like this forever." He lifted one arm and immediately regretted it, waving it gently as the slime made a glorp. He gave Seven a sheepish, toothy grin.

"Seven is very strong, yes. Very calm, very composed. Very opposite of Ixtili. Ixtili appreciates this, yes."
A small pause....
"But also… Ixtili thinks maybe staying on Felucia longer is bad life choice. For both of us. Plants here have opinions."

He suddenly straightened, tail flicking with renewed purpose.

"Come! Ship is this way, yes. Probably. Ixtili remembers passing a tree that smelled like sadness. Very distinct."

He leaped up and dashed off in to the brush at a frightening speed.

 

[0-7]

Felucia
Tags: Ixtili Razorclaw

​

"Wait!" Seven called out.

It was no use. She bolted into action, using the Force to slip into an illusionary state where she blended in with her surroundings. She used the Force to enhance her speed and zipped ahead of him, reappearing to catch him off guard. Her hands went up to grab onto his shoulders to grab hold of him and halt his running in his tracks.

"Now hold on just a minute," she snapped, almost like a mother scolding a child. "If you had a transport why didn't you leave already? If it was just some civilian transport, there's a chance it already left without you."

Seven sighed, letting out a frustrated breath.

"I have a ship. If you don't own that transport, it's probably gone. I'll take you off the planet. I have somewhere safe I can take you..."

She was gonna regret this.

 

[Ixtili Razorclaw]

Tag: 0-7 ​

Ixtili skidded to a halt so abruptly that a puff of glowing Felucian spores poofed around his ankles. He blinked down at Seven, ears slowly wilting until they drooped like sad noodles.
He stood there, processing… processing… still processing. A tiny, defeated chirping churr escaped him.

"Oh… Ixtili supposes Numbers is right, yes."
His claws fidgeted, tail curling like a guilty question mark.
"…Which means Ixtili's ship is probably doing a very dramatic leaving-without-Ixtili, yes."

His feathered ears perked up at once, lifting like hopeful antennae. "Oh? Where will Numbers take Ixtili, Hmm?"

His eyes widened with sudden excitement, tail giving an eager little flick.

"Someplace with fewer hungry plants, maybe? Or at least plants that only judge from distance, yes?"
He spun in a full circle, scanning every chaotic corner of Felucia's jungle. A long, woeful sigh escaped him before he arched his head back and peeked over his shoulder at Seven.

He tapped his claws together, ears folding in a shy little wiggle.
"Hmm? Great quest Ixtili was on, yes. Very important one. Shaman-in-training he hoped to be. But jungle… confusing it was. Very confusing. Very rude, yes."

He released a long, dramatic sigh that seemed to deflate his whole torso.

"Lost Ixtili became, yes. Wrong cave, wrong swamp, wrong everywhere. Test failed, probably. Spirits disappointed, maybe."
His tail made a slow, embarrassed curl.

"Then Ixtili found a flying cave, he did. Looked friendly it did, yes. But friendly it was not. Very metal. Very loud. Swallowed Ixtili right inside without permission, yes."

He blinked, hopeful and pitiful all at once.

"And off it flew. Far away. Very far, yes."

 

[0-7]

Felucia
Tags: Ixtili Razorclaw

​

"Call me Seven, not Numbers," she corrected. "Look..."

This was going to be rough. But Seven knew if she didn't than he'd likely die out here. This is how it had to be. At the very least he seemed to respond to her words. That was something she could work with.

"The planet I live on right now is called Veridia," Seven explained. "It's... mostly safe. No evil plants as far as I'm aware. Now look, if I take you there, I need you to be on your best behavior. That means you have to listen to my words and do exactly as I say. Understand?"

She just needed him to listen to and follow out on her orders, and that would work.

 

[Ixtili Razorclaw]

Tag: 0-7 ​

His ears perked, wiggling in a baffled display.
"Call you Seven… not Numbers?"

He blinked slowly, head tilting one way… then the other… then back again.
"But Seven is number, yes? Very good number. Strong number. Lucky number. Ixtili likes Seven. Numbers Seven fits you very well, yes."

He tapped his claws together, thinking very hard... Perhaps too hard for his own good.
"So you are Seven. But also Numbers. So… Seven-Numbers? Or Numbers-Seven? Maybe Seven-of-Numbers?"

His tail curled into a confused question mark behind him.
"Hmm… complicated this is. Very advanced naming magic, yes."

But when she spoke of Veridia, his confusion melted instantly into glittering hope.

"Safe planet? Truly safe? No hungry plants? No plants with opinions? No plants that try to hug Ixtili with teeth?"
His voice rose with wonder. "Seven-Numbers lives on miracle world, yes."

Then he straightened, puffing out his chest in a show of Very Serious Obedience.

"Ixtili listens to Seven-Numbers. Best behavior he will do, yes. He follows orders. He does not wander. He does not poke glowing things unless Seven says 'poke that glowing thing,' yes." He nodded so vigorously his feathered ears practically flapped.

"Ready for flying cave travel, Ixtili is. Seven-of-Numbers leads, Ixtili follows."

 

[0-7]

Felucia
Tags: Ixtili Razorclaw

​

"Alright, that's good. Now my first order is that you shorten 'Seven-of-Numbers' to 'Seven.' You'll... run out of breath if you say all of that all the time."

It was really jumping through hoops with him.

"Okay, Ixtili," Seven sighed. "I'm going to lead you to my ship now."

Seven turned her heel in the direction of her vessel and began to walk. Of course, the Epo-1 fighter that the Veridian Temple had loaned her wasn't far. The Jedi starfighter had two seats, easy to transport two individuals within. The cockpit hatch slid open as they approached. The former assassin hopped up and pointed to the navigator's seat.

"That seat is yours. Sit there and fold your hands in your lap, please," she instructed. "Do not touch anything inside of the ship, okay?"

 

[Ixtili Razorclaw]

Tag: 0-7 ​

Ixtili followed close behind Seven, then gave a little hop and clambered up onto the wing. He crouched low, one clawed hand splayed for balance as he leaned forward to give the cockpit a few investigative sniffs. Three sniffs, to be exact. Very important sniffs.

His tail whirled behind him in excited, uneven circles, nearly batting a stray vine off the hull. Satisfied, or at least confused in a satisfied way, he carefully slipped one long leg into the opening. His joints folded with an odd practiced nimbleness as he eased himself down into the seat.

He wiggled....Then wiggled again...Then wiggled a third time for good measure. Finally his tail awkwardly found a place to settle, curling and uncurling before flattening into a position that vaguely resembled comfort.


Ixtili looked quite proud of this achievement. "If I fits I sits. "

 

[0-7]

Space
Tags: Ixtili Razorclaw

​

"Good job..." Seven praised, though it was followed by a sigh.

Seven followed, easing down into her seat and closing the hatch of the cockpit. The vessel fired to life and began to lift up into the air. The former assassin eased the ship up into the atmosphere, the smoggy, toxic jungle fading away and being replaced by the inky blackness of space, filled only with stars. Then she plugged her route into her navicomputer and jumped to hyperspace. The void slipped away, becoming streaks of blue light that swirled around them like a tunnel.

"Right... this shouldn't be long. Just... sit tight."

Hopefully he didn't get too antsy.

 

[Ixtili Razorclaw]

Tag: 0-7
​

Ixtili lit up like someone had just handed him a sacred fruit. His ears perked high, feathers flaring in delighted pride.
"Good job… yes! Very good job Ixtili did!" His tail thumped once against the seat, entirely pleased with himself and her praise

Then the engines came alive. His entire skeleton seemed to jump inside his skin.
"Hrk—!" The ship lifted, and Ixtili grabbed the edges of the seat with both claws, eyes going wide and shiny. "Flying cave moves! Very fast it moves, yes! "

As Felucia dropped away beneath them, he flattened himself against the seat like gravity was personally attacking him. His ears shot straight back, tail stiffening into a panicked stick. When hyperspace bloomed into blue streaks, he yelped softly.
"Space stretch! Stars melt! Numbers- Seven this normal is, yes? Very normal? Probably normal, yes?" He forced his tail to curl around himself, hugging it tightly.

 

[0-7]

Space
Tags: Ixtili Razorclaw

​

"Uh, yeah. Normal," Seven assured. "They aren't melting. It's like... y'know, when you go really fast and things get blurry. We're just going really really fast."

She didn't have it in her to explain that Hyperspace was an entire other dimension to him. Ixtili probably wouldn't understand what all of that meant anyways. It was better to keep it simple and not shatter his brain. Her tone became more gentle as she tried to explain that nothing was wrong.

"Planets are very far apart, so ships have to go faster than light to get between them quickly," she stated. "It's nothing that people haven't done for thousands of years... just, y'know, other people that weren't your people, I guess."