The Aminals

[Aela Talith]

Aela stood quietly on the edging reaches of the grass around the house.

In front of her was the deep jungles of the island. Palm trees and massive sprawling vines that seemed to loom on forever. They covered almost the entire island, hiding caves, birds, animals, and a thousand other things that she had never fully been able to grasp.

This island had been her home for fourteen years now, and she wasn't even close to having explored all of it.

Micah, Maleah, and Kaili had always been the explorers. They had ventured out onto the island and into the jungle more than a few times. Usually the adventure ended with Father having to find and rescue them, but more than once they had managed to find their way back home. She had only watched, frowned at them when they had come back covered in mud and bug bites.

It wasn't because they were having fun.

It was because they hadn't been careful about it.

That was why when Maleah had declared her intention to visit the other side of the island Aela had balked. Of course, from that point on her sister had set her mind to it, and she had slowly worn Aela down into accompanying her on her journey, promising that the other side of the island would offer all sorts of new creatures to tame.

Father and Mother had both given their okay, provided that Aela take her lightsaber.

She ran her thumb down the length of the odd weapon, a certain sense of peace falling over her as she touched it. It had been fathers once, though he said he no longer needed it. A smile touched her face as she saw Maleah finally open the sliding glass door.

 

[Louise]

Finally!

It had taken so much effort, so much time, so much nagging and whittling away at Aela's willpower to get to this point. At first the eldest of the Talith children was resistant and adamant that there would be no sisterly gallivanting across the island.

When you're older.

When you're more responsible.

However Maleah Talith was nothing if not a completely stubborn creature, and with the exception of biting (that was strictly not allowed) the twin had tried every technique in the book to get her sister to relent, even resorting to attempted diary theft. Of course, she couldn't actually find the journal, given that Micah's previous escapades granted an increase in security.

Still, Leah didn't relent.

There was a certain call the came from the island, from nature. There was something amongst the brush and the beasts that appealed to the young girl's call. Sometimes, when out at play with her siblings she felt more at home beneath the undergrowth than she did in her own beautiful home. Something primal stirred within her chest, aching to be released.

Finally [member="Aela Talith"] relented, and with their parent's permission they were going to go all the way to the other side of the island.

With her own training lightsaber held proudly in her hand Maleah stepped through the glass doors, shooting her own pleased-as-punch grin back at her sibling. There was no hiding the excitement present within the young Talith girl, although there was a pressing matter at hand, a question that needed to be asked.

"Can Toofless come?"

 

[Aela Talith]

Aela only let out a sigh.

Toofless.

That was what the families, or rather Maleah's at this point, pet Nexu was called. It was one of the two creatures allowed in the house, the other being Aelas charalax Charly. Of course there were also the Valrains, but they didn't really count as housepets considering they lived on the top floor sunroom. The young girl frowned slightly, knowing that the Nexu would likely sneak along no matter what she said.

“Fine.” She huffed.

Charly of course was not currently in the house. The Charalax was barely domesticated and really only responded to her, and as always she had allowed the creature to run free on the island and hunt birds. Charly always came home at night, but otherwise he ran free on the island.

“But you have to make sure he doesn't climb any trees.” Nexu were great climbers, but sometimes they weren't so great at getting down. “Father won't be around to get him down.”

Neither she nor Maleah was strong enough to lift Toofless with the force, not when he had gotten so big.

[member="Maleah Talith"]

 

[Louise]

A large grin crept upon Maleah's face as her older sister relented fairly quickly.

After all it saved a lot of time, and nobody wanted a stubborn-off between the two Talith girls, not when there was practically a whole world waiting to be explored. Besides, given the inseparable bond held between girl and nexu it would have been very hard to split them up.

Not that she didn't get on with her siblings, in fact, she loved them as one could love their brothers and sisters but with Toofless she felt a real bond. On any occasion where they left their home and her best friend couldn't come Maleah felt a certain sense of...well...emptiness.

Sticking her fingers in her mouth the girl let out a loud whistle, summoning the growing beast that was no doubt lurking nearby.

“Don't worry, Aels, he won't! Toofless is clever!”

Then he came bounding into view. While Maleah had grown some (as girls tended to do) Toofless had grown so much more, reaching a size that would give some parents a cause for concern. Not wanting to hurt his best friend he had stopped jumping on the girl shortly after he had started bowling her over, instead opting to slather her with big wet stinking nexu kisses while she itched the sweet spot under his chin.

“Okay! I'm ready!” she declared happily, drawing away from scratchies and placing her hands upon her hips, “Lead the way, sis!”

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

She watched her sister, and for a brief moment she considered calling Chaarly to come with them.

Charly the Chalarax, the other household pet that they had at the house. While Maleah had Toofless, Aela had Charly. The two were just as close as Maleah and Toofless, and Aela didn't like leaving him behind, but she knew that he just wasn't built for this climate. Chaarly was a cold weather animal, and he much preferred lazing around on the beach houses porch or sitting inside the air conditioned room.

Traipsing around the jungle wasn't his idea of fun, even if it meant he got to hunt birds.

Aela considered for a moment more, then turned and started to walk down the small path that had been forged by her siblings wandering into the jungle. She knew it would go on for quite sometime, after all they had gone deep. Yet eventually it would stop, and that was where the real adventure would begin, or at least Aela assumed so.

“Hurry!” She urged on her little sister.

Aela had longer legs and her stride was far greater, Maleah would have to struggle to keep up.

 

[Louise]

And so the adventure began.

Aela rushed off into the bush, with Maleah hot on her heels.

Well, not so hot on her heels, given that her sister had the legs of a young woman hurtling straight through the phases of puberty. Of course, that was not to say that a stride of a fifteen year old mope factory could best the enthusiasm of an eleven year old excitement machine.

Toofless opted to keep off the path, bounding through the jungle instead but always keeping in close proximity to Maleah.

Despite the struggle to keep up the girl couldn't keep the smile off of her face. I mean, spending time with Aela for starters was already a fairly rare occurrence, being that the eldest sibling had a very serious demeanour and was never one for play, instead always opting to study or train. On the other hand, exploring the unexplored, what lurked beyond the thick brush?

She wanted to know.

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

Aela moved through the jungle in the usual manner.

She wore boots that Oma Quietus had given her, hardy drexl leather that hardly ever wore down. They were a bit small on her, but her regular shoes had seemed rather silly in the context of their journey. The path was well worn, and within the small muddy puddles Aela could see Kaili and Maleah's footprints, Micah's overshadowing theirs every now and again.

Slowly they made their way towards the edge of the jungle, her face shifting as the heavy vines and leaves grew heavier and heavier and the air became thicker.

“I think were coming to the end of the path.” Aela said quietly, moving past a small pond to the left of them. She stalled there or a moment, realizing that her sister should probably be in front, not her. That perturbed her for some reason.

Perhaps she know it all was lacking in some knowledge.

 

[Louise]

There was a simplistic joy that came with running along with Toofless.

It spoke of freedom, just for a whisper of a moment. There were times when the girl felt out of place in her own home, the world around her moved at a pace that felt frantic, as if her family were living life like it was their last days in the Galaxy.

Nature moved at a single pace, it did before civilisation came and it would long after. It didn't rush, didn't threaten to leave her behind if she couldn't keep up, like a second family that could be found in the rain, or the trees, that the ground beneath her feet could be her bed if that was what she wished.

Comfort. Safety. Love.

“Cool,” she responded with a small huff of breathlessness, always shining through with the traits that made a child a child, she beamed again, “whaddya think we'll find?”

The benefit of being shorter was that the vines were less of an obstruction and more of a mild obstacle to bob and weave through. Thinking of her best friend, Maleah made sure to stop by the pond, giving Toofless an opportunity to happily lap up a refreshing drink.

Half of her wanted to join him.

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

She shrugged.

The island was huge, or at least compared to the two of them. Most of it was entirely beach and jungles, though father had told her several times that there were also cliffs on the far edge. Of course the warm climate ran throughout the island, and she thought once or twice that there may have been caves running underneath the land.

That was only speculation though, mostly because she had read of the history of Borleias as a former staging ground for the Republic's and even the Empires invasions of Coruscant. It had once been a fortress world, and those usually held things underground.

Or so she thought.

“Why don't you go first, Maleah?” Aela said. “With Toofless.”

She would stay close of course, make sure that her sister didn't venture too far away or get out of hand, but she knew that Maleah would be able to navigate this more easily, and Toofless even more so.

 

[Louise]

“Really?”

She could go first?

Of course, not being in Aela's head she didn't know her sister's motives but by letting Maleah go first it spoke of a certain trust. Which of course, trust from an older sibling was one of the holy grails of good feelings. She looked up to her big sister, no matter how much of a grumpus she was, so of course the young girl took pride from it.

Puffing out her chest, Maleah smiled, scratching the top of Toofless' head as he continued to lap up the pond water.

“Okay!”

Like the determined child of nature that she was, the girl went forth very happily, venturing into the unknown and gently pushing aside any vines and branches that obstructed her. She wasn't outright running into the unknown but merely marching to the beat of her own drum, occassionally stopping when something caught her eye.

Even a simple fly.

They buzzed around their ears (well, except for Toofless who happily snapped at such tiny snacks). Stopping in her tracks, Maleah lifted her arm, allowing for one of the flying insects to land upon her arm. It was a fly, probably a very common type, the light cutting through the canopy shone upon it's back revealing a slight shimmer of blue across the black.

“Aels, I read that some flies beat their wings two hundred times a second, that's so cool!” she beamed, holding up her arm and the fly to her sister.

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

Her sister was an odd one. There was no arguing that little point.

Bugs were an odd thing to be interested in. Of course Aela read all manner of books. From medical journals to combat doctrine to even historical documents. Yet her sister insisted on reading everything and anything about nature. She understood somewhat of course, she could communicate with animals just like Maleah could.

She loved animals.

Nerf's, Bantha's, Skreev, Drexl, and of course Nexu and Chalarax.

Yet bugs interested her not at all. She frowned slightly as she watched her sister with the flies, shaking her head and letting a small smile creep onto her lips. “I didn't know that.”

There was no reason to cut Maleah down or judge her. They all had different interests, different talents. Her sister was simply in tune with nature.

 

[Louise]

Of course, the junior zoologist Maleah Talith's love for the living extended to all species, whether they were furry, feathered, scaled or had too many legs for most people to bear.

“Well now you do!” she responded with a bright chirp, more than happy to give her big sis' some fun facts.

Lifting her arm up to her own eye level the girl surveyed the simple fly, orange irises positively beaming as the insect remained still upon her skin. There was no doubting that she held an innate ability to soothe animals around her and within her mind she was already beyond determined to go further with such skills.

“You can go now, little friend.”

Just like that, the fly buzzed off, probably to find Toofless' droppings and then get eaten by a spider. Such was the way of nature.

The march resumed, back into the unknown where there would likely be much more than simple flies, she practically salivated at the thought. Thankfully Aela was here to provide some much needed ground, more likely to err on the side of caution rather than careless wandering. Innate abilities or not, there might have been creatures out there who would have very much enjoyed a feast of two girls.

Suddenly her expression changed, a thoughtful bite of the lip as she prepared a question for her older sibling.

“Aels? Do you think that...um...” The girl frowned, not sure how to frame her words. Talking with animals was much more simple than talking to people. “...nevermind.”

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

She shook her head at her sister, but didn't say anything.

Instead she just followed along quietly, watching as the insect flew away and as Toofless began to bounce around the jungle paths. He was an odd creature, much more happy than a regular Nexu. Aela had encountered a pack of them elsewhere, and although she had...pressed them into being a bit more friendly they were still wild predators.

Toofless however was much more like a domesticated cat.

Perhaps it was the Nexu's close bond with her sister, or perhaps he was just one in a million, but Aela knew that he was a unique little creature.

“Hm?” She said as her sister asked her a question. “What is it?”

There was no need to be shy, not between the two of them, or any of the siblings. Sure Aela was...stuffy sometimes, but she could keep her siblings secrets.

 

[Louise]

The girl walked on quietly, even after Aela prodded her further to get that question out of her mouth. She still wasn't sure how to frame it, or even if she could ask said question. Really, it should have been aimed towards her parents rather than her older sister.

Still, just throwing it out there might have been for the best.

Maleah stopped in her tracks, turning on her heel to face her sister, brow furrowed in a mix of concern and apprehension.

“Could I...”

Hm, no, not quite right. Folding her arms across her chest she continued to look mildly constipated as she struggled to word her request.

“Do you think...mum and dad would...let me live with Oma…?”

The problem here was that there was a certain sense of ingratitude that Maleah felt deep in her gut. Family was important, her parents were the ones that raised her and well, would they think that she was abandoning all that? There was something about Onderon that called to her, something almost akin to destiny. Or did that sound silly?

“….just for a while...”

---

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"]

Aela stopped for a second.

Live with Oma? But that was so far away. They wouldn't be able to see each other, they couldn't...she frowned. Her stomach had turned, and her eyes had a hint of panic. The thought of being separated from her sibling, the idea that they wouldn't be living in the same place, it upset her more than she had thought it would. It wasn't like she'd go forever, just a bit.

Plus Oma wasn't some academy or far away boarding school. Aela could visit Maleah whenever she wanted to...she had a ship now, all on her own, Oma Silencia had given it to her. The Rising Tide. Still, she didn't like it.

Yet...she knew that her sister would enjoy Onderon, she knew that she would learn a lot with Oma. Most of all she knew that Onderon, the wilds, fit her better than Borleias did. Would she miss Mother? Father? Esmae, Draith, and Noehi? Of course she would, but...it would be like a summer camp wouldn't it? She nodded to herself, then kept moving.

“I think so.” Aela said quietly, clearly hesitant. “But...you'd have to ask them the right way.”

Was she really going to help her sister do this? It seemed...odd.