Hunger of the Pine ➢ Kylux

Retreat

The pain was unbearable. He could feel nothing but the cold embrace of snow beneath his skin and his entire body stung as if it was lying on a bed of needles. All around him the world shook, yet at the same time everything was shockingly still. It was almost blissful. This was a good place to die, he thought, while feeling each individual snowflake gently caress his exposed face. Though out of nowhere, it seemed as if the stillness of his surroundings was changing. It was then that he realized, he was slowly being dragged across the ice. The man focused his eyes onto the pale figure looming over him whose hands where tightly grasped onto his hood.

"Pathetic."

There was silence, then the ultimate continuation, "Come on, Ren. Get up, we still need you alive." He blinked once more up at the russet haired man and then instantly felt himself being drawn into an inky blackness. Oh what a familiar place that was.

When his eyes flitted open what felt like an eternity later, he hastily shot up from where he lay. He glanced down to find a bed, the colour of the snow which he remembered last. In shock and partial hysteria, he stumbled from the bed and fell to the floor, practically throwing himself at the nearest mirror. Reflecting back at him was a stranger whose arched cheekbones and haunted brown eyes where hidden behind a mask of beige cotton wrap. Without a second thought, he ripped the bandages from their place and beneath them lie a thick, weltering scar stretching from his brow to his chin. Filled with fury, he let out a cry and sent his fist colliding with the glass, shattering it into hundreds of jagged shards.

The man who had previously taken him from the snow appeared in the doorway, wearing a look of stinging annoyance on his face. "Glad to see you're up," he huffed.

"Hux," Kylo addressed him. "Where are we? And what happened to the Starkiller? The Scavenger?"

His unchanging expression remained bothered. "We're on one of the Order's bases located on Felucia. As for The Star Killer, it was destroyed, while the girl escaped along with her friends." He sighed and quickly added,"Snoke is enraged."

Kylo gulped, "As he should be. I knew the girl was powerful, but that, that was something else. With her on the side of the Resistance, we're going to have to act fast, she grows stronger by the minute."

Hux was silent, causing Kylo to swing his head over in the direction of the General, awaiting a response. "You are correct," Kylo could feel there was more he wished to add, "...but you have yet to acknowledge the fact that you took out Solo." Kylo tensed, the memory still fresh in his mind. His father's warm hands pressed against his tear stained cheeks, his youthful eyes filled to the brim with betrayal, even his absence seconds after the fall haunted his thoughts.

"I did. Was Snoke not pleased?" he asked, repressing the memories back as far as he could into the remote reaches of his mind.

The General looked thoughtful, "Oh quite the contrary. His previous doubts regarding your power have been overlooked. At least there was one victory from the battle."

"Right..." Kylo murmured breathlessly, trying to comprehend everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours. "So, what's our next move?" he inquired.

Hux crossed his arms behind his back and tilted his head, "I was actually hoping you had the answer to that question."

Kylo shook his head and turned away from Hux. He ran his hands through his thick, raven locks, taking note of a second scar etching its way along his forearm. "Well, for now I'm thinking that we should just remain low. We need time to recover after the attack." he suggested. The general nodded his agreement, saying something along the lines of that being the practical choice. Kylo then spun back around and asked, "Did anyone else make it off before the explosion?"

"Snoke instructed that I lead an evacuation fleet just before the Starkiller's destruction. We suffered great loss at the hands of the implosion, but we were able to safeguard a large majority of our soldiers." Hux informed him.

Ren nodded, "Excellent."

Just then, two storm troopers arrived at the foot of the door. "General Hux, you are needed in the Watch Tower," said the first. Hux waved them away,  tipped his head at Kylo Ren and exited the sterile white room.

Now alone in his chambers, Kylo decided to examine the space. As he'd thought, the room was completely colourless, save for the steel bars holding his bed in place. Then it came to his attention that beside his bed, hidden beneath a silky layer of drapery, was a window. Kylo made his way over, then grabbed hold the curtain and peered out. Hux definitely wasn't kidding, then again Hux wasn't really much of a joker to begin with, but it was Felucia. The deep hues of lush greens and blues contrasted starkly against the blank walls of his quarters, practically impairing his vision.

Kylo shut the blinds, then took a seat on the edge of his bed. Finally, he had time to think to himself. He had hardly any time during the midst of battle and in doing so, a burning headache began to take form, making his head pound in discomfort. Ren groaned and fell back so that his whole upper half was flattened onto the mattress. "The Girl will pay for what she's done," he muttered, even though part of him pleaded against the thought. There was something interesting about her that had yet to be discovered. Within his own mind, Kylo was able to admit his curiosity surrounding the young scavenger,  but only there were such thoughts permitted.

Just then, an idea hatched within his mind, a crazy one to say the least, but it was worth a shot. Kylo lifted his lanky body off the bed and threw on a newly repaired suit that had been draped over a nearby chair. He placed his mask firmly down over his head, then left the room as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to make a call.