Wilder Things

[Ellie Mors]

The Epilogue
Arbra
Jedi Temple - Jungle

There was a familiarity of this world, its overgrowth and canopies allowing only the smallest of rays of moonlight to leak through and reflect upon the dew-covered blades of grass and flowers that littered the ground. It was nostalgic to see such a green planet, a world that brought memories of home, of a time of naivety and joy, and to experience it again after adjusting to the new galaxy was something else entirely. Soft, moist, blades of grass were crushed under the minimalist moccasins that she wore, her fingers tracing every branch and vine that crossed her path - her gaze piercing through the low light with a morbidly happy smile.

She had resigned herself to an antisocial life, a wordless adventure after departing from her new family among the Aing-Tii. She longed for activity, but loved the solitude that life alone brought her. Social engagements, fleeting as they were, became exciting gems to be remembered and looked back on with a wistful smile and an aching heart because of their rarity. Knowing how short her time would be in this epoch of time, the pain that would have otherwise been unbearable became something of a drug for her. She'd linger, become familiar with one place, with a few people, and then she would leave them and their world behind to start anew - a cycle that she wished to continue until she was nothing but a fleeting memory on the pages of history, forgotten as she once was.

Today would be her last day on the world of Arbra, and she traveled under the dim moonlight beside the ancient, abandoned, Jedi Temple, looking for her last memory to be made under its shine.

[member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

He stood on the precipice and tried not to scream.

The night air should have been a cold kiss against the skin; instead he felt only a more mild assault of the day's sweltering humidity. Ryan Korr breathed in and out, emptying his lungs as easily as he hoped to empty his thoughts. The dreams kept him awake again. He stood on the temple step, spine like a ramrod, hands clasped behind his back.

Eyes closed, Korr quelled the restlessness within by listening to the jungle: the chirping of insects, the rustling of trees, the occasional hooting of distant simians, the songs of nocturnal birds.

A wild presence drifted close, somehow familiar. Ryan's brows knit together as unbidden memories surfaced. He pushed them back down and opened his eyes. Gray sky eyes peered into the mirk.

"Hello?"

[member="Braith Achlys"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

Returning to the wild indeed had its perks, living in a quiet and usually uneventful life. She was primitive in her upbringing, absolutely deprived of much knowledge of the going-ons of the galaxy at large, and coming from nearly ten and a half milennia ago meant that nature was the closest thing to home to her. The sound of insects, of small mammals and reptiles scurrying beneath the undergrowth, were their own kind of music - a music she much enjoyed to the chaotic cacophony that was modern civilization. Out here, in a world made of jungles, rivers, and oceans throughout, she felt at both peace and at home. Both feelings would not last - she would be leaving again the next day - but her stroll through the overgrowth in the dark was not something she would give up.

She had nearly lost herself staring at a small furry creature that was curiously watching her from the safety of its perch in a tree when the sound of a voice called out - words uttered that she was certain were meant for her. Though she had met others after leaving the Aing-Tii behind several days ago, she hadn't truly had much verbal interaction - she hadn't spoken much at all, as the Aing-Tii could not do so. Tentatively her lips parted to speak, and her gaze searched for the source of the voice. "Yes?" She asked, her voice as soft as the blades of grass beneath her feet. Hesitantly she meandered from the deeper part of the forestry and found herself closer to the Jedi Temple, removed from the heart of the jungle.

"Who are you?"

[member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

A pale woman emerged from the treeline, two oddly colored eyes gleaming in the moonlight like a hunting cat. Korr's frown did not dissipate, nor did his rigid parade rest stance abate. His words came in the clipped accent of a Coruscanti, though the Jedi alleged no native home but the Order. Or at least it had once been so. No longer.

"A Jedi. Ryan Korr. And these are Jedi temple grounds."

He could not place why she seemed familiar. It was not her strange eyes, nor the stray hair. Was it the way she had emerged from the jungle, a ghost from his past? Korr's lips twitched at the sting in his chest, but the question still burned. Why?

"Are you lost, Miss...?"

[member="Braith Achlys"]