Public Tall Trees, Tall Game

[Rel Dyri]

On the Forest Moon of Endor, a bounty was put out on a beast which had nearly destroyed a Trading Outpost, Jenik. Although the attack happened at night, one of the survivors managed to get a decent look at the creature. The primary descriptor was that it was large, very large, but anyone could tell you that. They all felt the ground shake. Now, a bounty hunter found himself speaking with a local Ewok tribe, to get there opinion and expertise on the matter. Little did he know, the footfalls of a Gorax were heard that night.

***​

The call of some distant avian species rang out through the night. The torch light flickered, cascading light over the small Chief, backed by his retinue of fellow Ewoks. Rel, who sat on the floor opposite of him, took a long drag from the pipe. He coughed, then offered back to the Chief. "That's some heavy stuff, can't find that on a core world." the protocol droid standing at the Kaleesh's side quickly translated his words. The Chief let out a quick laugh, nodding in agreement. The Chief spoke, the droid translated.

"Chief Toti is very happy that you like it." He was lucky that the outpost had been so generous as to lend him one of their protocol droid. Try as he might, Rel didn't even know where to begin with Ewokese. The Chief continued, "He says that he feels great sorrow for the people of Trading Outpost Jenik, and is happy to help in anyway he can. Having the Outpost out of commission hurts everyone, the traders and the Ewoks."

"I'm glad he sees it that way. Can you ask him if what sort of animal could have down this. I don't know much about this planet's wildlife" The droid spoke to the Chief.

Toti sat for a moment in deep thought, then one of the other Ewoks spoke into his ear. He began, "Chief Toti thinks it could be a boar-wolf, you mentioned that a few of the deceased were found mauled." Rel considered it for a moment. More like turned to paste.

"That's possible, never hunted boar-wolf, don't know much about them. Are they big, like, footsteps shake the ground big? Tell him about the crushed habitat, and the footsteps too." The protocol droid translated diligently, but responded to the Kaleesh first. "They are not very large, no."

All the Ewoks looked at one another, it wouldn't take a translator to sense the fear in their voices. Chief Toti raised a hand, silencing them. He spoke, "He says that there is only one creature which could this could, something that he already suspected but you have confirmed. The creature that attacked the outpost was a Gorax."

Rel raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

"I would not go off this, it is highly unlikely as they are extremely rare-"

"Ask the Chief to describe this 'Gorax'." The protocol droid let out a robotic sigh.

It didn't take long to convince the bounty hunter of the apparent identity of his mystery beast. Over the span of the next few hours, Toti gladly told him everything he knew about the creature. It was real, rare, but real. Rel was certain that it wouldn't be too long until another hunter took up the job, and although he didn't mind teaming with another professional in the field, he'd be lying if he didn't want to keep this one to himself. But could even kill a Gorax by himself?

 

[Korn Kray'ac]

Current Outfit

Tall trees, tall game, tall talk and tall men, especially when it came to Ewoks. Korn had come to Endor, not for the forests, not to walk its depths, not even to talk to its inhabitants, but…eh…he had entirely forgotten.
Had he been knocked unconscious in the ship, again? Tossed out the airlock if in an escape pod by another mercenary company he had mistaken for friends? Fallen off his own ship in a drunken stupor in the planet’s atmosphere only for his fall to be broken by a tall tree? Who could even speak to these things? Certainly not he.

However, over the span of the next few hours, it hadn’t been too long before the wanderer and wandering mercenary caught onto opportunity. To a passing Ewok, actually, who told him in Ewokese about another taller wanderer person-thing in a village-something. Having non-Ewoks on Endor wasn’t exactly a rare thing or anything but perhaps it was a rarity for them to be so close in the same proximity?

Maybe. Didn’t really matter to Korn but the Ewok was totally enthralled by it. Said as much. Granted, Korn didn’t understand a wink of Ewokese but they both knew enough about sign language for him to gather that the settlement was yonder and a hunt was on offer. A bounty hunt. For a bounty hunter.

Perfect.

-KNOCK-KNOCK-

So it was a trading outpost and now it was one location within that held Korn’s focus as the entrance opened and he stood staring gormlessly into the face of a Kaleesh between the faces of Ewoks who probably only spoke Ewokese.

“Forgive the intrusion. Name’s Korn. Korn Kray’ac. I’m here to hunt the beast.” He looked left, looked right, cocked his eyebrows but not the blaster on his back. It was always cocked. “Which way to the beast, please?”

Rel Dyri

 

[Rel Dyri]

Rel and his small furry compatriots looked to the interloper, name of Korn. Chief Toti said something in greeting, hands in the air, but the droid did not translate. Of course you don't need words to communicate everything. His coat flowed down, over his shoulders, there was a mysticism to his eyes like someone completely lost, or always knowing exactly where he was. Either way, he was clearly another bounty hunter.

“That's what I'm trying to find out, but I can tell you what It is. I'm reluctant to share that, however.” He slowly stood up, making sure to keep his distance from the stranger. “I take it you're another bounty hunter, hunting for this mark.” His hand hovered over his blaster pistol for the briefest of moments. “You and I could work together on this. I'd be fine with splitting the credits.” He wasn't really after the credits, but having more doesn't hurt.

A Gorax was a terrible thing to be hunting all on your own, the Ewok Chief had just explained that to him. An ally was appreciated, stranger or not. Rel wasn't a genius, but he knew that a big fist always beats the smaller fist, unless there were a lot of those smaller fists. The protocol droid shambled towards the Kaleesh, “Now that I've served my purpose here, will you return me to the outpost?”

Rel regarded it. “Stay here at the Ewok village. I'll take you back when the hunt’s over.” He heard the protestations of the droid, all coming out in a quick downpour, but zoned them out. He turned his attention back to Korn. “My name is Rel Dyri.” He extended a hand in greeting, but excluded it's good to meet you. Truly, how do you know if it's good meeting anyone? you've just met them.

***​

In the distance, if the keenest ears focused their attention, they might hear the roar of a mighty creature. On a small mountain, in a deep cave, dark as the night was, the Gorax lifts an Ewok hunter into the air. It struggled and smacked the Gorax’s hand and tried everything it could to escape. Sometimes these creatures keep Ewoks as pets, as prisoners. This Gorax did not. The Ewok fell into the beast’s mouth, and a very audible glup permeated the silence, bouncing off the cave's walls. It was still quite hungry.

Korn Kray'ac

 

[Korn Kray'ac]

Reluctance? That wasn’t good. Korn’s information was already limited. The last thing he needed was difficulties with understanding the situation. “Aye. Another…bounty hunter…” That seemed to sound right. “Eh…mercenary, technically, but this is a bounty and I am hunting it so that is me.”

From hesitation of explanation to the prospect of hunting together on this mission-quest-thing came the opportunity of splitting the credits. Were they pretty to begin with? Korn wasn’t greedy but he probably needed to fix his ship in order to get off this planet as it is.

“It’s good to meet you, Rel Dyri,” Korn greeted, accepting the hand for a firm handshake. It was always good to meet another person in his experience, albeit sometimes said person tended to be his opponent or his target or just didn’t like him for whatever reason.

“Sign me up. Even split. The works.” He emphasized his excitement to work together by swiping the air. Freely displaying it, he wasn’t scared. Admittedly, he probably would be when it came to shaking hands with their enemy, whoever it was exactly.

“I’m packing a blaster rifle, a pistol, a knife and these fists,” he gestured toward each weapon. “So, hit me. Err…with whatever information you have, that is.”

Rel Dyri

 

[Rel Dyri]

He regarded him a bit more openly, Rel had a pension for being a bit more cautious than he should be. He had his mother to blame for that. But Korn was more open with his intentions than others in this line of work. Having worked with mostly Hutts in the past, it was good to meet someone who shared his straightforward attitude.

Rel gestured to the Ewoks behind him, who'd began conversing among themselves. "The Chief there, Toti's his name. He tells me that all signs point to the mark being something called a Gorax. I've never heard of the thing myself, not until my furry friends explained them to me. They're large, very large," the Kaleesh began scaling out with his hands, trying to spell out just how big they are. "The droid tells me that they're semi-sentient too, whatever that means. Big difference in thinking smart and thinking like an animal."

There was something else he was missing, maybe it was mentioned in passing. He rested his chin on his index and thumb. "Also, it may have help. That droid told me that the beasts sometimes tame Boar-Wolves, but it's a mixed bag. So there my be that to contend with."

He was completely omitting the fact that he didn't actually know if it was a Gorax. The truth is, he just really wanted it to be. A new creature to hunt, especially a dangerous one, meant a new challenge for him. Challenge meant an adrenaline rush, it meant fun. Sometimes, fun had to be dangerous.

"Also, it prefers mountains, there's supposed to be a small range here nearby so that's an easy start."

Korn Kray'ac

 

[Korn Kray'ac]

Gorax. Korn thought about that as he listened in silence, leaning against some object he was permitted to lean against, arms crossed, if with his fist against his chin. Hope they don’t mean...Lorax…
Korn might be a hunter as much as a bounty hunter, given the difference between one and the other, but he had never heard of the thing himself. Not until now.

He looked between the Kaleesh’s hands, trying to understand just what the hell he was doing. Korn was never much for mathematics or sign language, to be honest. Some folks counted bullets but someone like him never needed to count his bolts.

“Gorax and Boar-Wolves, is it?” Korn didn’t know much about boar-wolves either, to be honest, but what was a hunter without some adventure? “Sounds like he is building an army to rule over...as the BORAX!”

Korn gave a mighty roar of a laugh at that, though calmed down a few moments later as discovered nobody laughing with him.

“Because…Gor…Boar…Gorax? Borax? No? Oh.”

Bad jokes aside, those mountains sounded like they might be a challenge without the right equipment.

“I’ll need to eat before I go,” Korn made sure to speak to first. “And will need plenty of jerky for on-the-go nibbling, capeesh? As far as when and where we camp, I'm generally not too worried as long as I have somewhere to pee.” He admitted freely.

Rel Dyri

 

[Rel Dyri]

Rel embraced the awkward silence after Korn’s joke. He stood there, tapping the side of his leg. He had to admit it though, he chuckled. But his amusement was overlapped by the thought of food, it felt like ages since he last ate. “I could go for a bite as well. I have provisions in a little tree hut these Ewoks have lent me,” he walked to the balcony, pointing to another hut across a small rope bridge, “but everything I have is dehydrated. I'm sure the Ewoks also have some food they're willing to share.”

He'd be able to make a nice stew for the both of them. They could sleep here too, get a move on in the morning. “We should probably wait for the morning too, the nights here are like Kashyyyk.”

Thinking over Korn’s joke, Rel took it a bit further. “You think a Borax would have the head of a Boar-Wolf and the body of a Gorax?” He was being playful, but then he actually considered it. “I think something like that would be mighty fierce. I wonder if it would walk on all fours too?”

The Kaleesh started on the way to the bridge, thinking about what he'd put in the stew. Maybe after they killed the beast, they could see what it tastes like? He threw a look back at Korn. “What about a Gor-wolf, it has the head of a Gorax and the body of a Boar-Wolf? No, nevermind. It's head would be much too big for it's body."

Korn Kray'ac

 

[Korn Kray'ac]

The mention of tree hut did much to reassure Korn. Ewoks knew how to live when it came to their cozy communities. At the balcony, he followed his companion’s gesture toward the hut across the bridge, waving at someone looking his way.

“Ah. Kashyyyk. You’re telling me.” He clearly agreed when it came to nights and days. Whatever their quarry, whatever the true danger of this two-man hunt, hunting it with light in the sky was the best way to get it done.

“Hmmm…” Now that the Kaleesh had brought it up, Korn really began to think on it. The topic of amalgamated lifeforms wasn’t quite his cup of Vod-Ka but it could just lead to their enemy’s encounter.

“I think a Boar-Wolf as a name certainly has a ring to it,” he spoke enthusiastically as he walked, smiling at what he presumed to be a female Ewok. “A Gorox, however, would be a cross between a Gorax and an ox of which I could probably eat the whole lot.”

Stew, burgers, uj cake, Korn would take whatever was on offer at this point. If the food was free? Even better. He didn’t know about his new partner but he couldn’t really cook. He could mostly just eat and drink.

“Got ale?” He gestured toward what might be an alehouse or something along the way. “Not to drown the night away, mind, but a cup or two goes great with a plate of steak or a bowl of stew too!”

Rel Dyri