Stalking her prey

[Sha'so]

The lithe and agile predator moved through the tall grass, silent and deadly and she stalked her prey. In the deep wilds where man dared not tread, this lethal beast held dominion over all, even life and death. None could escape her wrath when she chose to strike. She crouched low, her body tense and ready to spring into action, and her heart raced with the thrill of the hunt. Her breath stilled; her prey had absolutely no idea how much danger it was in...

Sha'do pounced and peeked within her hands to see if she had caught her prey. There resting in her hands was a very surprised cricket, who promptly sprang away at the first sight of a way out. Sha'do smiled and continued to stalk everything from bugs to flowers and even a few small rodents. It was no 'deep wilds where man dared not tread' or 'dominion over life and death', just the grounds surrounding the Jedi Academy at Ossus with a very curious Cathar exploring nature for the first time. She had climbed trees and sniffed at everything she could find, even rolled around in the cool, sweet grass. Her clothes had been thoroughly dirtied and she had grass sticking out of her mane and tail, but she was enjoying herself far too much to care.

Soon, a pale blue butterfly caught her attention and she crouched again, her pupils wide as she prepared for the attack. She even did a little butt wiggle as she prepared to launch herself at the pretty bug, but the lofty insect proved to be a bit more tricky to catch than she had anticipated and fluttered away unharmed.

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

Atop a massive icy spire, the exhausted explorer sat and watched as creatures of all shapes and sizes walked along a far away path. Suddenly a large boulder started rolling directly towards the explorer. He started to roll out of the way when a strange creature started running at him and with a growl-

"Get off that ya bloody idiot!" A deep voice crashed through Felis' thoughts. He suddenly realized he was sitting on the landing ramp of a large cargo ship. With an apologetic glance he ran off the platform and out into the open grounds of the Ossus academy. It was a nice place, definitely far better than his old home. Though the constant flow of people was a bit unnerving. He had found a very quiet spot, there was only one other person within his view. Whoever she was, she looked occupied already.

With a huff he managed to hop onto a massive boulder that had been place under a set of trees. There, he decided to lay down, and rest.

[member="Sha'do"]

 

[Sha'so]

When chasing butterflies and stalking crickets had begun to lose Sha'do's interest, she wandered over the thick carpet of lush grass and flopped down, sending every manner of pollen and dandelion fluff into the air as she laid back and drank in the warm sun. This was another thing she had missed on Nar Shadda, she'd never seen a sun and felt its warmth, never got to appreciate the color of the sky or the puffy white clouds. She had never seen a sunset or a sunrise, never watched the stars dotting the sky after dusk... Everything here was new to her and she was experiencing it for the first time. She smiled as she watched the dust and dandelion fluff dancing on the breeze. Oh, that breeze felt so nice...

But on the breeze, she caught the scent of someone else nearby. Oh, how had she not sensed them before? Well, she was terribly distracted, but it turned out to be alright since whoever was nearby seemed to be minding their own business. But ever the curious feline, Sha'do could not leave well enough alone! She rolled to lay on her belly, looking out towards the boulder and the person laying on it. Why lay on a boulder when there was perfectly good soft grass to lay on? But the boulder was in the shade, maybe it was simply too warm on the grass? And some people liked laying on firm surfaces, so who was she to judge...

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

Sleep, wonderful sleep. It had been weeks since Felis had spent even a moment in that place of unknown lands. He hardly remembered his last dreams. Had he ever even had dreams? Well, yes. Of course he had. There was a faint recollection to one, one where he had not needed his respirator. One where he could think clearly. Even handle something precious without breaking it. It was there he lay, on the verge of stepping back into that land of shadow, when a shiver went down his spine. Someone was watching him. His eyes shot open and he kicked off the rock, using his hands to turn and push towards the sky. He spun once mid air, then hit the ground with a thump, there was a brief moment of stillness. Then he was on his feet and running.

He stopped. Why had he fled? There was nothing to fear, not in a place this tranquil. the only other creature hear that could cause harm was that person he had seen earlier. Had she been the one creeping up on him? Why would she do that? His head spinning, Felis fell to the ground, a hand clutched his head as he attempted to stand. With a grunt he slipped and fell again. He had been warned many times that he had to calm down, but he couldn't. The more he failed, the more he started shaking. The faster his breaths came. Both of his hands were now clutching his head, panic flooded his mind as he realized that the person may still be watching him. His only hope was that whoever they were, they werent with the guards. If they were, he may even be brought in for questioning.... Enough! He muttered, and with that. He stilled.

[member="Sha'do"]

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do had tensed, ready to run away as well when the slumbering stranger suddenly launched himself into the air. But after he ran a few paces, the strange man stopped and... was clutching his head? She sensed great distress and an overwhelming tightening in her chest like she couldn't breath. It took her a moment to realize that she could breath just fine, that she was merely sensing his inability to breathe. At first she thought to remain hesitant and cautious as she began to approach him, but when she saw him shaking she threw caution to the wind and rushed over to him, kneeling at his side.

Oh, he had a respirator! How she had missed that detail earlier was irrelevant, but Sha'do just didn't know what to do now that she was with him. What to do, what to do! Well, first she needed to calm him so he could catch his breath, but how to do that when her very presence seemed to cause him distress? She couldn't just leave him here and hope for the best! Instinct urged her to throw disregard the caution and put her arms around him, holding him gently, almost tenderly. One hand even dared to stroke his hair. She couldn't speak, so she hoped that this would convey to him that she was not going to hurt him and that she would not leave him alone to suffocate.

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

Felis had jerked back when the girl he had seen before touched him, but he slowly calmed. His breathing had turned from a loud gasp, into a raspy, yet soft and steady exhale. He was still obviously having trouble breathing in though. With an almost apologetic look he placed his hand on the girls. After a moment he lifted her hand and directed it to a pouch that now rested on the ground next to him. It had obviously been strapped to his waist, and had a small flap covering the top. He looked up at her again and spoke in a voice full of effort, almost as if it pained him to do so. "Ta-Take whats inside th-that... Swap it with the one on m-my mask." He placed a hand on a cylindrical object that stuck out from the side of his respirator. He hadn't said, but he hoped the girl would understand that if he went without the canister, he would begin to choke, possibly even die.

[member="Sha'do"]

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do nodded silently and quickly found the pouch and the canister within. Seeing where his hand was on his mask, she was able to do the math and figured out how to remove the canister on his mask and replace it with the new one from his pouch. Once it was secured and the respirator was working properly, she again put her arms around him. She wished there was something else she could do to help ease this unpleasantness for him. So great was her desire to help him that the Force simply reacted within her; her embrace was simply meant to be a comforting gesture, but it soon became a healing gesture, warm and loving. She obviously couldn't heal the deeper issues, but at the very least she could ease the discomfort that this momentary lapse of his respirator had caused.

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

Again Felis started to cringe away, but when he suddenly realized his breath had finally settled, he gave the girl the most grateful look he could muster. "Th-thank you... U-uh... Whats your name?" He murmured. His voice was still shaken, and he was obviously embarrassed that he had needed help.

[member="Sha'do"]

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do felt him pulling away and let him go. She could relate, she wasn't all that comfortable being around people either, so if he was no longer willing to tolerate the contact then she would not force him. Although his question posed something of a problem, she hadn't thought she would need to communicate so she didn't have a datapad with her. She offered the stranger a meek smile and simply shook her head. Then she covered her mouth with her hand to further indicate that she could not speak. Then she gestured to him to ask his name, though it was not so terribly important since she couldn't use it, but she would still like to know his name if she could.

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

So she was mute... That explained why she hadn't said anything so far. With a sigh he rolled onto his stomach and got to his feet. "I'm Felis." He said after a moment. "So... Thanks, again. Really helped." He realized he was sounding more awkward than even he normally would. After a moment of digging around in another of his pouches he brought out his own datapad. "Here, uh. Use this to uh... Talk" With shaking hands he gave the girl the small pad.

[member="Sha'do"]

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do chose not to stand as he did. He still seemed really nervous, so maybe if she remained on the ground she would be seen as less of a threat? It made sense to her somehow; she was just as nervous as he, but her desire to help was overriding the agitation of being so close to someone she didn't know or trust. She accepted the datapad with a small nod and quickly wrote out her response, 'My name is Sha'do. Are you alright, now?'. Then she handed the datapad back to him, and while he read. she had a sort of 'ah ha!' moment and picked through a small satchel she had been given to retrieve a small bottle of water and offer it to Felis. One of temple caretakers charged with keeping an eye on her had put together a snack bag for her since she didn't know how long she would be out exploring her new environment. But Sha'do was more than willing to share anything she had, and thought that Felis' throat might be a little dry after the incident.

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

Felis did his best to work out the pronunciation of the girls name, it wasn't like he had anything to work off of. Just a bunch of jumbled letters. "Sha'do right? I'm fine." He muttered aloud as he took the bottle and took a long gulp. "Thanks for the water. I should carry some around now that i think about it..." His voice trailed off as he realized for the first time that this girl had a tail. He chose to ignore the fact that he hadn't noticed something that obvious before. Though she wouldn't be able to see it due to his respirator, he was now smiling as he reached a hand down to help her up. She wouldn't need it, but it was the friendliest thing he could think to do.

[member="Sha'do"]

 

[Sha'so]

Smiles played on more than the lips, for Sha'do could see it in his eyes and smiled in return. She had no idea he was interested in her tail, not that she would mind, but a smile was still a smile and she was glad that she was able to help bring a smile to his face.

As she stood by his side, she took the datapad from him and began to write. 'Earlier, you were trying to sleep? I am sorry if my play disturbed your rest. I have lived most of my life in Nar Shadda's undercities, so I've never seen a place like this before and I've never had so much freedom to simply play. I guess I let myself get carried away, I did not mean to upset you.' She handed the datapad back to him with an apologetic smile.

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

As Felis read from the datapad, he held up his right hand. It had been bandaged diagonally between his thumb and wrist. Through the white material blood was still oozing from where he had been cut a few days ago. "Whatever you did earlier... Could you do it again? T-to speed up the healing?" He asked with a sheepish glint flashing through his eyes. "Y-you don't have to... Bu-but It seems like more than an ample enough reason for me to f-forgive you for waking me."

[member="Sha'do"]

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do tilted her head curiously then took his hand, carefully unwrapped the bandages to get a better look. The cut was deep, but healing, but the location it was in kept reopening the wound. This should have been sutured, but looking at the way it was wrapped, he had probably tended to the wound himself. She took the water bottle she had given him earlier and poured some water over the wound to make sure it was free of dirt, then pinched the wound closed. Then she focused on that healing warmth and called it to her hands, focusing first on the deepest part of the wound and worked the energy out towards the edges. It took a moment to see any changes in the wound, but soon the redness and irritation began to recede and the edges of the wound drew together until it was nothing but a thin line. She sighed and staggered away slightly, but she wore a smile of success. She had never tried anything like that before, so she wasn't using her energies very effectively, but she had done it! It would still need time to fully heal, but at least the wound would not reopen anymore. She used the last of the water to clean away the blood.

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

Felis moved his thumb back and forth, as if testing that it was even truly there. Then he turned and wrapped his arms around Sha'do gripping her in a steely embrace. "Thank you." He murmured. "For everything." Then, he quickly let go and started pacing towards where he had first seen the girl. "Well come on then, we can't sit around all day!" He yelled over his shoulder before quickening his pace to a jog. "I mean we could... Never mind that though! So, now what? Actually, you know what we could do... We could have some sparring practice! That sounds fun don't you think?"

[member="Sha'do"]

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do went rigid when he grabbed her, but just out of surprise, quickly relaxing once she realized what he was doing. She even offered him a gentle pat on the back before he let her go. He was sweet, and she offered him a small smile.

Though his behavior afterwards had her a bit perplex. Pacing and rambling... She was definitely curious what his first suggestion was going to be, but his final suggestion had her shaking her head as she raised a hand as a sign to stop. After healing him, she was a bit tired. A catnap would definitely be in order, but she could keep him company for a while longer. Though all this moving around was starting to annoy her. She regarded him like the annoyed feline she was, and he a hyper puppy; as cute as he was, he was going to learn the hard way just how sharp her claws were if he didn't stop.

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

Felis gave Sha'do a crestfallen look. He slowly paced back to her and layed down a few feet away. "What? Cat got your t- Never mind. You ok?" He finally asked, before handing her the datapad once again. He had seen the death glare she had given him, it was hard not to laugh. She just wasnt very... Threatening. He started to grin just thinking about her getting angry. Of course, she probably had claws... Maybe it was better to keep on her good side.

[member="Sha'do"]

 

[Sha'so]

'Your wound was relatively small, but I am not accustomed to using my skills in that manner, it was tiring,' Sha'do typed out. Then she found herself flopping onto the ground beside him. What was even stranger was that she started to gravitate closer, eventually curling up against him with her tail draped over him. Then she looked at him, as if asking if it would be alright for her to grab a quick power nap. She was trusting him to not let harm come to her while she slept.

[member="Felis Verrutum"]

 

[Felis Verrutum]

Felis was about halfway through the typed message when she had first touched him. He tensed, but relaxed as he realized she was just attempting to get comfortable, even safe. His mind was racing as he attempted to sleep. What if something happened? What it something came out of the more dense forest? What if- Nevermind, if anything did happen somewhere this tranquil, there were jedi masters to handle it. It's not like he would have to sort everything out if Sha'o or even he got hurt. "So... Er... You said you never had much chance outside, what was that about?"

[member="Sha'do"]