Mother Wouldn't Approve, Oma Would

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

Aela stood quietly in the Hangar of the Rising Tide.

She was dressed in an odd way, she wore leather armor, her hair was In a tight braid, rope was lashed around her chest and more metal wire hung from her belt in a tight circle. Her lightsaber had been placed in a small leather holster on her thigh, and an odd pair of gloves sat on her fingers, leaving the tips uncovered. She flexed them for a moment, then squatted down to stretch out the leather armor.

Aela had not worn the get up for nearly a year, since she had gone to hunt the Titavian. She had grown a little bit, but not much. At nearly six feet tall she figured she was done growing now, but after a year of disuse the leather armor had become stiff, not something that she really wanted when she was going to be hunting something much more dangerous than a Titavian.

“Maleah!” Aela called into the hangar.

Her sister was here somewhere, hiding or perhaps playing with Toofless.

Maleah was the expert in training beasts. For all her power, for all her strength, Aela was still worse at it then her sister was. Training got you only so far, eventually, natural talent simply beat you. The older girl had accepted this long ago, and held no resentment towards her sister because of it. That was why she was here, because Aela had asked for her help.

Ever since she had been a little girl, ever since she had first visited Onderon, there had been one creature that fascinated her beyond all others.

Drexl.

 

[Louise]

As usual the assumption that Maleah was with Toofless was absolutely correct.

Her focus upon beast mastery had never subsided for even a moment and the young woman constantly strived to be at her very pinnacle in such ventures. Toofless, the large and imposing nexu played a large role in this pursuit and while she may have never held such a personal bond ever again the girl never stopped working.

The bond was such that the emotions of both girl and beast pulsed through each other, feelings of happiness and boredom would resonate within girl and beast and they knew each other better than some couples ever would. She found that more often than not Toofless was hungry, and if she threw away inhibitions and ate whenever he wanted to she would have been known as 'the fat Talith'.

Thankfully she held more control than that.

Control, was the name of the game as Maleah stood completely still in the centre of the hangar, eyes shut and body serene. For she was not in a sense, in her own body. Instead the girl stood upon four proud legs, observing her form through predatory eyes. It was a different experience certainly, feeling power and muscle belong to that of a nexu, belonging to that of her. Everything was felt with a stronger degree of sensitivity, sights, smells and sounds.

'Maleah!'

Just like that, the young woman was ripped from the moment, staggering over as Toofless gave an aggravated growl at the sudden shift in consciousness. It wasn't easy to practise and it seemed like the slightest jolt in concentration would tear her from control. A bead of sweat trickled down from her forehead as she apologised to Toofless, who was not immune to the jolt of her concentration loss.

A hand was raised, indicating for her bond mate to stay within the hangar as she left to be with her older sister. As much as Maleah wanted his company, it was not apt to be so dependant upon the nexu's company.

There were some journeys that needed to be ventured alone, or rather with siblings in tow.

Draped in leathers that found themselves familiar upon the girl's sensitive flesh, she adjusted herself accordingly, being sure to wipe the traces of hard-worked sweat from her brow. Leathers were important, and as well as various armours might have protected oneself, it did not afford the comfort and movement that the Talith twin so desired.

“Are we ready, Aels?”

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

Aela nodded.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, her head ached slightly, and her hands sweated beneath her gloves. Nerves were frayed. She knew that her and her sister could do this, she had all the confidence in the world in that, but she was scared.

Drexl were not a joke. The creatures reached nearly one hundred meters in wingspan and their bodies could eclipse the sun. Their huge claws and their massive gaping maws were enough to eviscerate most armored vehicles. Even as Larvae the Drexl were feared creatures, enough to kill most Jedi and Sith without even a thought. Their minds were powerful, unbending. It would have been foolish to feel no fear at the prospect of what they were about to do.

Yet with that fear, with that apprehension was an entirely different emotion.

Excitement.

This was the last step, the last thing she wanted to do before she moved forward. The fear was there, but it was eclipsed by something far greater, far more real. She knew that it would be okay, that her and Maleah would walk away from this stronger, smarter, and with everything they had come to Duxen for. Her lips turned to a small smile, and her eyes shifted as she wandered down the ramp.

“Lets go.” They had quite a way to walk.

 

[Louise]

Of course, apprehension wasn't absent from Maleah's mind, far from it.

Yes she had managed to tame a variety beasts upon Onderon in her time spent with Oma but still, drexl were in another league. In size alone they were terrifying to behold and such was enough to instil the fear that could unbalance and unmake one's abilities in the Force, gifted by nature or otherwise.

Through time the young woman had noted another ability growing within her. Empathy. In reality sentient species were but a slight leap away from the creatures that she spent the most of her days with and while she would never display such mastery over other such beings Maleah could feel the thrum of emotion that flowed forth from them.

It took focus and it wasn't as strong or so obvious as it was from the mind of the beast but she could feel the ebbing of emotions from those around her. After all, a human was still a mammal, a trandoshan still a reptile.

As they disembarked the ramp to begin their pilgrimage of sorts upon the ground that felt so familiar beneath their feet, Maleah offered a soft smile to her older sister and spoke:

“I'm nervous too.”

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]


She looked down at her little sister. Sometimes she forgot that Maleah was rather good at sensing moods. It stemmed from her connection to the natural paths of the galaxy, to the way things worked and functioned. It wasn't too surprising, in a way it made sense. Aela watched her for a moment, then simply smiled.

It was a rare smile.

“It'll be fine.” She said with confidence in her tone. “Oma taught us how to do this a long time ago, we just have to put that to good use.”

Of course at the time Oma hadn't really intended for the two of them to go out and hunt Drexl...or maybe she had, she was never really sure what Oma intended for anyone to do. For a brief moment she made a face as she thought about it, then shrugged and kept moving into the jungle. Either way, Quietus had told them what to do.

Taming Drexl was not about capturing an adult, that was foolish, difficult, and they could never truly be trained that way.

No.

What they needed was an egg, or rather, two.

 

[Louise]

The smile of Aela Talith was the ninth wonder of the galaxy. Her older sister wasn't exactly known for being a jovial person, rather a serious studious creature and so when she actually managed to crack a happy expression it was incredibly comforting.

Maleah responded with a short nod, acknowledging that while they could do this, it was going to be a fair ramp up in difficulty.

Nature after all, was no joke. So often in history there was those who razed lands, wiped out species and even those who tried to change the very face of planets but it was all still no match for nature. She was there before sentient life and would still be there long after, and while her processes were slow, there was more than enough evidence that she could change and adapt, choosing to last for eternity rather than the now.

It could have been relatively simple, if they got in and out without much of a fuss and two drexl eggs heavier. Or they could have been confronted with very large, very angry fully grown beasts vying to protect their young. Now that was a thought.

Perhaps she shouldn't have left Toofless behind. They weren't far from the ship, they could still go…

...no.

“Yeah, you're right, Aels. We've got this.”

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

They walked for miles.

Finding Drexl nests wasn't exactly an easy task. They weren't endangered by any means, Dxun was a free and wild place and Oma had always made sure that they were never hunted on Onderon. Yet the massive creatures concealed their homes well, making sure that nothing and no one could touch their young.

Of course that made Aela and Maleah's task rather difficult, especially given that they needed eggs, not full grown Drexl themselves. The eggs were surprisingly small, barely bigger than two fists. However once hatched the Drexl inside would go extremely rapidly into its larval stage.

The Larval stage was in it of itself massive, capable of destroying tanks on its own.

From there it would grow into a full adult, something that took about a year. Aela knew this because her Oma had taught her all of it, and she had read it. It was something that was important to her, and ever since she had been a child, she knew she had wanted one of these massive creatures.

 

[Louise]

It was a long walk, that was for sure.

Trying to keep current matters on her mind, Maleah struggled to not let herself get pulled into the world of nature that surrounded them. The dense flora that threatened to block out the sky held life both common and rare, and in places like these it wouldn't have been out of the question to find something new and exciting, animal or plant.

However, that was not their cause and thus Maleah was left for a long time pulling at the reigns of her own temptation. All of her focus would have to be put towards the drexl, for as much as the twin liked a jape and a joke these beasts were no laughing matter.

It was almost like a test, to see how far they had come with their abilities. She had not ever tried to tame a creature on this scale before and it would be more than a fine chance to see if she had made true progress.

There was confidence there, after all, the realm of nature was her forte, her specialisation and thus a part of her knew that they could do this. However, on the other hand she was vastly inferior to her siblings, who had exploded out into the galaxy, becoming rising stars on the way to the status of demi-Gods while she kept her feet upon the ground.

She always did like the feeling of dirt between her toes.

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

Eventually they found what they were looking for.

A drexl soared overhead. Its massive wings and its huge gaping maw hung above them as it bounded from a high cliff and flew above them. It let out a steep roar, shaking the forest and thundering within Aela's chest. She crouched down, hiding herself against one of the trees and pulling Maleah alongside her.

They could have fought it, probably even killed it, but that wasn't why they were here.

Drexl were dangerous, deadly, but most of all precious. They were huge creatures, and not many large animals survived in todays galaxy. Many legends had been hunted to extinction, many more had been wiped out simply at a whim. Aela knew that perhaps one day the same thing would happen to the Drexl, though not while she and her siblings were around.

“Come on.” She whispered to Maleah, pointing up the cliff. “That's the nest.”

It had to be.

 

[Louise]

She was caught in awe.

Her head was tilted upwards as she tried to catch a proper look at the giant drexl overhead, no easy feat given the size of the beast and the surroundings that slightly obscured it. Maleah's mouth hung open, caught in the simple awe of the creature's presence.

Thankfully Aela was there to pull her away as she would have likely stood there in the open simply admiring the great beast. Force, she could even feel it. Life thrumming through it, eclipsing the signatures of all that around it besides her older sister.

The experience alone bolstered her ambition in this venture.

She nodded, following her sister in a brisk pace towards where the cliff and likely the nest would be. Excitement had been sparked within the girl, her pulse quickening and a rush of blood joining the sounds of the world around them.

“Do you think that was the mother, Aela?” the younger sister asked breathlessly.

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

They would have to climb.

“Or the father.” Aela said quietly as she found the first solid handhold. “I think the mother stays with the eggs...or maybe goes out hunting too, I forget what Oma said.”

That was really quite an unfortunate fact.

Oma had taught them both the mating rituals and how Drexl were raised, but for the life of her Aela couldn't remember. She had learned so much, been doing so much lately that it was hard to keep it all separate, and now that she needed the information the most...it seemingly escaped her. Her lips thinned, and she shook her head slightly.

They would just have to keep going.

“Be careful, and keep quiet Maleah. If anything hears us coming...” She trailed off as she warned her sister, a small hint of fear in her voice.

She was excited too of course, but she knew what would happen if they had to fight a Drexl.

 

[Louise]

That was a worry. If the mother stayed with the eggs that would be by far the largest hurdle for the girls to cross. Still, Maleah, like her siblings possessed the determination of her mother and the former-ambition of her father, it was a fearsome combination that perhaps would have given a fully-grown drexl pause for thought.

If indeed they could have thought at all.

Still, she hoped that Aela remembered wrong and it was likely that her older sister felt the same way. Nothing great was achieved without hardship, however, she knew that.

They began the climb, a relatively simple task for the two Talith girls. They weren't quite as simian as Micah, who would have likely shot up the cliff face and startled whatever lay at the top but they were capable. Again she had an urge to discard her boots, although they provided a brilliant grip upon every foothold and crevice on the way up.

Knowing when it was the time to joke Maleah remained silent, trying to restrict breath drawn as they climbed together. Her heart began to thud so hard at the prospect of what would be revealed to them when they reached the top, excitement could barely be contained and she could feel the same reverberating from Aela.

As they reached the top, a smile came to her lips that held a world of wonder.

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

The nest.

She smiled, a wide smile. Her eyes slowly peeked over to her sister, seeing that same smile plastered on the younger Talith's face. The climb had been relatively easy, especially for the two of them. Maleah had been busy climbing trees all of her life and Aela had always had an affinity for athletics. It helped of course that she had been training all she could lately.

She had to if she was going to fight.

Her lips thinned at the thought and her head shook slightly.

This wasn't the time to think about that. She had to concentrate on the task at hand, think about what they were doing. Drexl were dangerous, and if she thought about other things...well the likelyhood of one of them getting hurt went way up.

“Okay.” She whispered. “Do you sense anything?”

Maleah would find the eggs way faster than she would.

 

[Louise]

As her older sister was silently psyching herself out, Maleah took a moment to admire the view.

It was the reward that came alongside climbing hills and scaling cliffs. Breathtaking scenery, especially upon planets such as Onderon, where you could see above the dense jungles from above, or catch where the foliage stopped and the plains began, where mountains loomed ever-higher, towering above like gods.

Oh, what could be seen through the eyes of those who soared. Perhaps one day she would. No, no perhaps.

As Aela came back to her correct frame of mind she asked of her sense. Closing her eyes to remove physical distractions the Talith twin sought out the life that they sought. There were lots of insects, with signatures of life that buzzed around so swiftly, the nervous pitter-patter that came from smaller prey animals. Blissfully there was no trace of the mother or father, that wouldn't have been a presence easily missed. Still she searched further, creatures still within egg or womb took much more finesse to find.

Then she found it. With eyes still closed a slow, soft smile spread across Maleah's face. Four tiny signatures in the distance, four pulses of potential from which great and terrifying strength would grow.

“They're up here,” she whispered back, voice almost rising in excitement, “unguarded too.”

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

Aela nodded.

There was part of her that was still jealous of Maleah's ability to sense things, jealous that she could find animals at a whim where Aela had to try for hours and hours. Her sisters skill would have come in handy when she had gone hunting the Titavian, but she realized that Maleah wasn't really interested in the cities that Aela had had to visit for that whole endeavor.

This was a fine outing for them both. Even if it was a bit stupid and dangerous.

"Okay." Aela said quietly. "Let me go first."

She was the eldest, that was her responsibility. Micah hardly ever saw it that way, the idiot always running in first and doing everything to get himself killed. Yet Aela knew that it was part of her job, and as she shot a reassuring smile towards her younger sister Aela began to climb further up the rock face. Her head poked over the cliffside, finding the Drexl nest resting there with four eggs inside.

Her lips thinned, and slowly she motioned for Maleah to follow.