Two Halfs of One Warrior • Obikin/Vaderwan One-Shots

Give Them Blood

• Summary: In the midst of the Clone Wars Obi-Wan is bitten by an alien creature that forces him to live off human blood. During a campaign on Eadu it becomes a complication under blockade, and Anakin is determined to not let his stubborn master starve. This has nothing to do with the way his stomach flips at the sight of Obi-Wan's sharpened fangs, not at all.

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It started on Hissrich, entrenched in the planet's jungles, amongst the choking pits of roots and the squelching, spongy ground. They caught cover beneath the forest's thickest canopy at least, where the trees grew tall and dense at the base of a jagged mountain range which hung thick with white fog even under the midday sun. That fog slithered down the rocks and between the twisting branches from evening till late morning and coated all of their gear damp and sticky.

Obi-Wan, arms crossed over the white of his chest armor, directed their troops where to plant their tents, weapons cargo boxes, rations crates and munitions caches. Anakin stood beside him, irritably swatting at mosquitoes the size of his fist, and shoving humid, tacky curls out of his eyes.

"How long do you think this campaign will last, master?"

Obi-Wan flickered him a wry expression. "Shall we ask the Separatists? I'm sure if you notify them you're not fond of the weather they might try and speed up the rate of their attacks."

Anakin rolled his eyes and swatted a mosquito against his neck. "Laugh it up, you're going to be just as miserable as me, I give it a week."

It didn't take a week.

Hours later in the dead of night Anakin bolted upright from his cot, shocked from deep sleep into heart pounding clarity from the sound of a gut turning screech that sent goosebumps skittering down his arms to bristle his hairs on end. He grabbed his saber and burst into the swampy night the same moment Obi-Wan careened from his own tent, saber drawn and washing their dark surroundings cerulean.

"What the hell was that?" He gasped out, cold sweat prickling the back of his neck and plastering his sleep tunic against his shoulder blades.

"I don't-"

That same horrifying shriek sent them both into shocked silence and roused half the 501st and 212th in a sweeping wave of tent lights flickering on and their men peaking bleary eyes into the night.

"Force-it sounds like a rancor getting its throat slit."

They both grimaced through another echoing scream, though lowered their sabers as a fully armored trooper in 501st blue came skidding through the tents.

"It's something big, sirs. Punch, from the north watch reported it's coming from the canopy, it either climbs or has wings."

"Has it made to attack anyone?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, general, just screaming like Sithspawn."

"Double the watch just to be sure, lets hope its scream is far worse than its bite."

Anakin hardly slept that night, his teeth set on edge from the ghoulish screeches echoing through the forest and alighting his nerves every time he fell into a doze. The next morning the whole camp blearily roused and tromped through deeper entrenchment and other duties, soldier and general alike wearing the same purple bruises beneath their eyes.

"Did you get any sleep?" Anakin rasped, slurping at a cup of caf so strong it was practically a solid in his tin cup.

Obi-Wan gave him a look he knew extraordinarily well and delighted in eliciting every time. "It was much like listening to you complain about the weather of every planet we land on."