Anakin's Fortress - Book II (temporary cover)

Twenty-two - Impetuous

Survivors aren't always the strongest; sometimes they're the smartest, but more often it's just luck or the Force.
Year 12

——————

Kat

I try to find the path. It sounds so simple.

But we didn't leave any footprints that I can see. There's no evidence of any human presence.

I find a tree that looks easy enough to climb and decide it's worth it...until I almost fall from a height that would have definitely broken something. Heart in my throat and every muscle tense, I search for any minor detail of my location.

It's useless. I'm only a bit more than halfway up and can't see shit. One look down and I know it's not worth it to keep going. I won't learn anything and might get hurt. An injury is the last thing I need.

So I climb down and go completely still, listening with everything inside me.

A buzzing insect close by...more throughout the forest. An odd low-pitched sound I don't recognize. Leaves rustling, but nothing like footsteps.

No water. No ships. No people.

This is looking pretty grim. It will be dark soon. The sun is approaching the horizon. On Mustafar, darkness is unique. It's never pitch black because the lava lights the planet up. Even if you aren't near any lava—which is rare, where we live—it is still bright enough to see.

That won't be the case tonight.

I don't know what predators live here or what is safe to eat. Very little is safe on Mustafar; I have nothing to compare this to. Nothing.

I decide a fire is necessary, even if it attracts predators. I don't have the courage to try the berries or fungi I've found, so I conclude meat is my safest bet—but is the most difficult to obtain. Luckily, Anakin gave me a blaster years ago and taught me how to properly sharpen my daggers. It's even more lucky I brought them to Coruscant and still have them under the loaned leather jacket—which is already looking a bit rough.

It takes me way too long to build the fire and get it going. Starting a fire isn't a problem; I work with flames all the time. I just thought if I put it deeper into the ground, maybe it wouldn't smoke as much but... I'm basing this off such limited knowledge.

It's digging the whole that takes longer than planned. The ground is damp and thick with brush. Just getting to the soil takes ten minutes, and I'm left promising myself if I survive, I'll always carry gloves. The soil is basically mud no matter how deep my stick-shovel digs.

I collect my supplies: thick branches, twigs, pinecones, bark, and anything I find that looks dry. I have no idea what this place is. It's not a tropical rainforest, but it's wet. It's almost a bog with how damp the forest floor is. Yet the trees are gigantic, tall but not super thick. Some shorter ones are quite thick and hang down over the forest floor. Anything shorter than me feels like a threat. There are thorns and huge insects and things the size of my fist that jump out at me.

By the time I get my fire going, it's dark.

I figure food will just have to wait, but I'm concerned about water. I've already exerted much more energy than I'm used to and lost plenty of sweat despite the chilled air.

Either way, when the sparks finally turn to flames, I plop to the ground with relief.

I want to let my mind wander or panic but instead, I try to remember anything I've ever heard about survival. Humans can go what, like a week without water? Longer without food? That means water is more important, right? I know I don't want to feel the effects of dehydration and hunger again, that's for sure.