Endor

[Matlalihuitl]

Umwak looked back at Ashen and then at the feather. He seemed interested in the feather and he snacthed it out of the jedi's hand.
"Come Atto, let's go find the Ewoks." he growled as he looked at the Yuzhan Vong.

[wraith]

He watched as Umwak took off with the feather before answering Nia about Salfar's without giving up any real information.

"Not far from here in this direction..maybe a day or two through this rain.." he stated as he looked to the muck of the forest floor "Please take my cloak..I can survive getting a cold." he offered again. That much at least he was telling the truth about. He waited for Atto to take off with Umwak before continuing on himself. Between a rock and a hard place as the phrase went. A yuuzhan vong next to him and the dark presence ahead; just in the direction the bird had flown.

*Take care on the way back.* he spoke to Atto's mind through the force.

[Blue but beautiful]

"Not far from here in this direction..maybe a day or two through this rain.."

A day or two? Meanwhile that would give those going toward the wreck enough time to work out what had happened there. Especially if they would have at least two days worth of analyzing things. Nia Shul's suspicion grew more so.

"Please take my cloak..I can survive getting a cold."

This was wearing on her patience, but she could hardly voice that annoyance. What bothered her was if this were some kind of Jeedai trick, but the strange green creature had been using the cloak earlier to no adverse effect.
She somewhat gingerly picked up the limp fabric again, Noting the Dulok's growl as she made a move. She directed a narrow eyed glare in that particular infidel's direction.
Finally wrapping the heavy fabric about herself, and suppressing a shiver of disdain, she turned back to the elder Jeedai.
Her plans just seemed to change every second these days.

" Very well then, lead on." she responded finally with regards to heading to their destination.

Before they headed off out, she noticed the elder Jeedai casting a quick glance to the apprentice. Nia Shul had to wonder if they were conversing without her knowing. It was said they could do this and she was already wary enough. There was no room for failure, she had been gifted this chance and she would have to turn the tide before the days travel was out.

[attomemhuhvoo]

Atto tasted the air, turning his head in differant directions to search for subtle clues. Clues to what dangers him and Umwak might face back in the area of the shipwreck.

He could taste the green moisture of Endor's rain soaked forest, the smoke of a few ewok cooking fires, and the equine tang of their ponies, hobbled to graze in a nearby veld.

The y-eskii-ill padawan's pointed eartips perked at the sound of a differant birdcall. Only a geejaw. Harmless.

He hesitantly took a step away from the two humans. Although he wasn't particulary impressed with either of them, he was a little nervous about venturing about alone on a mission of his own.

"Fear is useless..abandon it." He sternly told himself, although even as a jedi padawan he had a hard time believing this statement. Fear was what kept many a y-eskii-ill one step ahead of dangerous species on his homeworld. He was young. He would learn. But who would be his teacher now?

"Stop being negative, master Nootkul could still be alive and well for all you know. "

Atto motioned to the dulok. Truth be known, he was much more comfortable having him for company!

"Come on Umwak, want to join me in an expedition to find survivors of a shipwreck?"

The boy gave one last glance at the woman, and wrinkled his velvety muzzle in a half snarl.

*"You be careful too..may the force be with you."* He thought back to Wraith, before dissapearing from sight into the dense growth of the forest.

[Matlalihuitl]

Umwak looked at Atto and nodded in agreement.
"Sure, let's get started." he answered as he looked back the two humans. Umwak only gave out a slight hysterical laughter, close to a hyena's and gave out a toothy smile.
"*I feel something coming from you jedi, be careful*" Umwak thought as his smile faded.

[wraith]

Ashen kept close to "Nia"; as she called herself, as he continued through the forest. Blue humming blade of his lightsaber hissing faintly as rain evaporated upon touching it making it seem as if the lightsaber blade had an aura all it's own. He tried his best to ignore the constant fall of rain. Placing his free handed arm up over his eyes to block some incoming rain from his eyes. A single eye open he used his lightsaber to cut away some brush and branches out of their way. His attention was brought to the presence he sensed again..not just the birds. It was close.

He stopped a moment to search. Closing his eyes to calm his mind. To see without seeing as the saying went. Very close. The cawing of the bird brought his eyes back open and he started toward the sound. He looked to an open hollow of a dead tree. He knew such trees were often the homes of predators that fooled unwary passerbyers but this one looked and felt abandoned

"Stay here. I sense something ahead." he said turning his head toward the Yuuzhan Vong in disguise.

[Blue but beautiful]

Stay here? He could sense something?
These Jeedai were rumoured to have strange powers indeed, but this had completely been lost on her. And as much as she would have liked to deny trusting his judgement, she'd heard things to contradict her own theories.

" What do you sense?" she queried,

At best, all she saw before her was either the den of some creature or merely a hollowed out tree. She'd seen nothing that indicated a threat to them on their short trip. Nothing that could not be dealt with and dispatched easily enough anyway.
With a certain air of caution, she forced herself to keep her distance, inwardly bothered by the idea that this Jeedai could very well get himself killed. And it wouldn't do good to kill him before she handed him over.

Her hand found it's self inside the pocket of the horribly strange feeling clothes she had been required to don for her journey aboard the doomed infidel ship. There her hand played over several objects contained within a gelatin like material. If worst came to the worst, then perhaps she would have to reveal her true self to the Jeedai sooner than planned. She could not afford to let whatever this one sensed to kill him. This one was hers.

[nightshade]

As he crept through the forest of dense trees, nightshade adjusted the thermal screening inside his helmet. The amount of wildlife on this moon would make it very difficult to pick out any particular species, unless of course he came across a gorax. Couldnt exactly miss 1 of those.

He sighed into his helmet. What was he doing? Ok this woman had killed the crew of the ship she was travelling on. Big deal, he'd heard of worse things. why was finding her so important? He could just leave and take on the next bounty.

But no, he couldnt. something was urging him to find her.

Ill find her, question her and then leave. Simple

[wraith]

"Danger.." He said simply "Please wait here." He gently emphasized the please as he started toward the dark presence he felt. Moving his way through the brush he was surprised to see that the rain and wind had stopped. He had reached the calm of the storm it appeared and a voice called out to him through the force; an ewok voice!

Turn back. Turn back or die.. He calmed his mind ignoring the threat. Looking in the direction of the source of the darkness.

Who are you? Show yourself. he replied to which the Ewok voice spoke more aggressively.

Turn back or die! Turn back or die!!! I have all the power I need to crush a thin paleskin such as yourself now!!! BEGONE!!!!

He held his calm in the boost of aggression aimed at him. He blocked out the angered ewok speak before it entered his mind any further. He watched a shadowed dark robed, bearded ewok wearing the skull of a bird upon his head step out of the brush. He carried a staff and around his neck seemed to be a stone that sparkled in the faint light. His eyes widened in surprise at the strength of the force he felt from the stone. That explained why he felt this presence.

It seemed this was the exile the ewok's of bright tree village had told him about. Logray the wise. From what they had told him he was once a wise shaman until he had turned toward practicing "dark rituals". He was soon exiled after the coming of the "Golden One" during the battle of endor. Threepo a savior..Who would have thought?

The familiar cawing of the raven came above. Logray's eyes turned upward toward it and he gave out a low angry growl. "You brought them here you treacherous witch! After I took care of you?!"

Ashen was a bit confused at why Logray was shouting at the bird but the word witch finally made it make sense to him. His eyes looked up to the bird whose odd presence now made sense to him as well. A Dathomir witch. The bird's wings flapped open and she cawed as if in insult to the ewok. Logray's hand reached forward toward the bird now.

"Die!" he shouted as bright energy shot forward. Ashen knew the technique immediately. Igniting his lightsaber after calling it to his hand quickly he used the speed of the force to leap in the way of the force lightning and let the energy absorb into the azure energy blade of the saber as he dropped back down on his feet to the ground. The bird taking flight in fear.

"No one dies today. You won't make anyone else suffer for your mistakes." he spoke in his best ewok speak to which the old shaman seemed less than impressed. Infact at the countering of his power he seemed even angrier. The rain returning as thunder rumbled low overhead.

(ps Happy b-day Atto)

(pss Yes Logray goes bad Ewoks fans
starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Logray )

[Blue but beautiful]

The strong presence in the force was completely lost on Nia Shul, to such a degree that she almost laughed when she saw the small furry creature walk out of the undergrowth. This was what the Jeedai was so concerned about? This was the danger?

True, appearances could be deceiving, as was the case with many of the creatures she knew of. But she'd seen these little critters everywhere and the Jeedai didn't seem bothered by the prospect of going to one of their dwellings before. So what was so special about this one? He was dressed slightly different, perhaps it pertained to his rank among their own hierarchy. But even so, surely she had not underestimated them?

Her hand had grasped at one of the gelatin-bound razor bugs she concealed within her garments, never hurt to be cautious, only to show it.
The sound of a bird's caw above caused her to look up sharply, just as the Jeedai had barely seconds before. Was that not the same one that had bothered them earlier?

"You brought them here you treacherous witch! After I took care of you?!"

Now this was interesting, but she didn't have the time to question it as the ewok, he had called it, let out a cry in a language she could not understand. This cry was then drowned out as a burst of bright energy shot forth from the creature directed at the Jeedai.

So intense was the white/blue light that she was blinded for a few moments, she would have thrown several of the razor bugs in the ewok's direction had she been able to aim. But instinct wasn't always best acted on, if she did attack how she knew best to, she would give herself away. Alternatively, if she did not, she could end up dead and more importantly would have lost her quarry to this strange diminutive creature.

"No one dies today. You won't make anyone else suffer for your mistakes."

Unsurprisingly the Jeedai had blocked the attack and now stood ready to defend against another. The storm above broiled on as if seeking to distract them all, but Nia Shul kept her attention on the ewok wielding the strange trinket. She had to sneer inwardly at the Jeedai's little speech though, no one dies today? Not if she had things her way.
Enough was enough, she would do now and think her way out later, she had little choice left.

Removing one of the razor bugs from it's gelatin-like resting place she flung it in the direction of the crazed ewok. It took flight narrowly missing another bolt of bright energy as it flew toward Logray with intent to wound, it's razor sharp wings ready.
With no armour to protect her from a retaliation, Nia Shul had to settle for taking cover in the form of the probably soon to be felled trees. Not the best cover in the universe, but it would have to do, however humiliating.

[wraith]

The mad ewok shaman's hand squeezed around his staff angrily. Angry that this one had managed to counter his strength. The strength he had finally reacquired from the sunstar. What he heard Ashen say next made him snarl. If he was mad before now he was infuriated.

"Those fools at Bright Tree sent you here didn't they! Ingrates..I protect them for years, they turned against me, and now they send one of you offworld devils after me?! But you are no devil I've ever encountered." His old mind seemed to spark as his brow raised "No once before..Once before.." The ewok then shouted angrily and sent more bolts of force lightning from his charred black furred hands.

Ashen was about to tell the old ewok that he did not come at the ewok's village but on his own accord as he let the lightning absorb into the lightsaber blade when the familiar sound of air being cut made his eyebrows raise. He could not sense it and apparently neither did the crazed ewok as he shouted and swatted at his now bleeding arm. The old ewoks eyes widened as he swatted at the yuuzhan razor bug with his staff.

"Damn insect!" Ashen knew immediately what it was and there was only once place it could have come from.

"Get away from it!" he shouted to Logray who in turn ignored him. Sneering as he sought to attack at the bug as it were just that. Instead it cut him.

"Enough!" the crazy ewok shouted as he rose his staff to the heavens at that moment lightning struck down onto his body. Ashen had tried to come closer to help but was surprised to see lightning strike Logray's body. The heat instantly fried the bug..and at first he believed the old ewok himself. Instead the energy spiraled around him like an energy shield around his form. The stone around his neck glowed.

"Your tricks won't save you!" he accused Ashen "I am the power of this forest! With the sunstar I am the one true god of the forest! If my people will not open their eyes to the truth I will force them open!" The lightning around the old ewok's aura faded but the aura did not. The old ewok stepped on the corpse of the razor bug as anyone would any kind of bug. "I will crush you as easily as I do this bug!" He lifted his free hand forward to Ashen. Ashen's eyes lifted to the trees above him as their upper halves leaned over him. With mighty snapping sounds two of the trees upper halves started to fall down toward him.

Ashen closed his eyes and let the force flow through his mind and form. He let go of the lightsaber hilt and let it hit the forest floor as he rose his hands over his head. Reaching out with the force to slow the branches descent. After they had slowed to a stop he carefully set them down away from him and quickly recalled the lightsaber to his hand. Logray simply watched even angrier now than he was before.

Part of Ashen felt like taunting the old ewok with one of his 'you'll have to do better than that' means of provoking his adversaries. This ewok however was no mere adversary.

[Blue but beautiful]

For something so diminutive and lesser than her own species, Nia Shul was surprised by the potency of this small creatures attacks. It had fried the first razor bug she had thrown and then returned her attack with a bolt of lightening in the direction of the Jeedai. That in it's self angered her more so, in an almost childish way. This one was her quarry after all.

For a moment, time seemed to stop as the small furry being uttered some words in an dialect she could not even begin to figure out, nor did she want to. His intentions were clear enough, he was merely biding time to gather more of this strange power into himself before following up with another attack. And as the tree's around them began to sway more violently, Nia Shul had a pretty good idea where this was leading, she could ponder how this came about later.

As the tops of two tree's bowed and then broke free, she too was forced to dive out of the way before the trees hit their mark. Coming to a rolling stop a few meters away she saw that the Jeedai seemed to be focusing his efforts on hurling the debris away from them, or holding up large chunks of the tree-structure.
She saw her chance.
The ewok seemed to be keeping it's attention on whatever the Jeedai did to counter it's attacks. As yet, the little fuzz-ball had done nothing in the way of a direct attack at her. And it was with this in mind that she kept low to the ground as she made her way across the Forest floor, circling around behind the ewok.

She regretted that she did not have many of the skills necessary to wield an amphistaff. She was no warrior after all, but needs must sometimes, and this was one of those times. The razor bugs would have to do for now, all she had to do was make this creature falter for a second.

Taking up position behind some of the hurled branches and debris, Nia Shul did not waste time in releasing another Razor bug in the ewok's direction. Aim was not always crucial, the small creatures rarely missed their mark when unexpected by the target. However, she'd already witnessed the ultimately perplexing today, it wouldn't surprise her if the ewok did see this coming. And so she followed that up with another razor bug, and then another.

[attomemhuhvoo]

Atto made good time through the forest with Umwak at his side. The dulok knew where to find hidden trails which made the trek all the easier. Slipping beneath one rotting log to continue the trail on the other side, Atto suddenly stopped, dead in his tracks. He hunkered down, putting one hand to his soft, plated forhead.

A conflict roiled within his mind. The people he had left behind... Ashen Wraith and the woman known as Nia. They were in trouble...a third had joined them. Someone small but powerful, fueled by anger and fear.

The y-eskii-ill thought about turning back. Was that the right thing to do? After all, Ashen Wrath was a jedi and Atto only a padawan, and although the human wasn't his master, it would be wrong of the boy to disobey a higher ranking jedi. Wraith had told him to find the wreck, and find the wreck he would.

Atto knew he was quickly coming upon it. Through the swirls of conflict he could feel the absence of life, the prescence of death. Ones who hadn't survived the crash. Slipping under the mossy log, Atto and Umwak resumed their journey toward the downed ship.

Darkness. Darkness was all around. The miasma of betrayal clung thickly around him like a duango wool- felt cloak. The crash was no accident, Atto quickly deduced. A chill rose the ruff of fur on his neck hump.

A snapping of twigs and tender shoots somewhere ahead pricked the y-eskii-ill's eartips up. It seemed Umwak heard it too, as his long tufted ears rose slightly. Together they sniffed at the air then looked at each other, concerned.

"We've got company..." Atto froze motionless, using the force to calm his rapidly beating heart. When he felt the force's soothing power he dared a peek through a squat berry bush, and saw someone walking the trail just above them slightly.

The being's purplish grey lekku curled sinuously about it's head. His head. It was a male Twilek.

"Drimshegg!! This just keeps getting better and better..."Atto thought in his mind.

[Matlalihuitl]

As they walked through the forest, Umwak felt as if something was bothering Atto. Confused about why he thought of the two they left behind. Something was wrong, so very wrong. Suddenly Umwak began to sniff the air and out came a new stranger.
"It seems we've got more company." Umwak growled as he puffed up the back of his fur.

[wraith]

The deranged ewok shaman made an unintelligible bark of anger that Ashen had once more countered his power. "Curse you!" Logray spat at Ashen who remained standing holding his lightsaber in a defensive stance. Faint beads of sweat ran down his head. Dealing with the falling branches had been a little bit trying.

"You do not have the power to defeat me! I possess the Sunstar! The spirits of nature bow to my will!" The ewok shaman boasted at him.

"And your mind shaman?! What spirits have made you lose your mind!?" Ashen shouted. Catching the motions of Nia out of the corner of his eye moving in the brush behind Logray. So far it seemed he had not sensed her anymore than Ashen was able to. Ashen's banter was enough to stir the rage of the empowered by the sunstar shaman. Logray's three fingered clawed hand rose forward. A big rock hurled toward Ashen. Ashen's brow lifting with the sense of the force to the danger as he lunged forward with the saber. Slicing the rock in half with his lightsaber. Logray was already starting to toss another rock off the ground toward him when the familiar sound of a razor bug caught Ashen's attention as well as Logray's turning his head toward the sound allowing Ashen to catch the second rock with the force and send it back to Logray's form. Shoving the ewok out of the path of the first razor bug into the brush behind him. The first razor bug hit the ground though the second and third razor bugs now saw Ashen as their prize.

It seemed that Nia had decided to show her true yuuzhan vong colors. Ashen rose his lightsaber in front of him. Unable to feel the yuuzhan vong weapons through the force he had to trust his instincts. Ashen waited until the very last second and lifted the pieces of the slashed in half rock into the air and stepped quickly out of their way. One of the bugs was hit and killed by a piece. The other avoided the other piece and turned after him. Ashen slashed his saber forward into it's path of travel and frying it against the lightsaber blade.

As Ashen dealt with the razor bugs. Logray rose back up from the bushes sneering as he lifted the branches Nia Shul was hiding behind "You..whatever you are I'll squash you just like your insects!"