Hunted

V. The Encounter

In everyone's life there is a moment, or even many moments that come to pass which alter the course so irrevocably, that the rest of one's history is forever separated in the time before the event, and the time that has occurred after.

This was the same for the moment when Kylo first saw her.

They had tracked the droid BB-8 to the lawless, wild planet of Takodana in the Tashtor sector. The coordinates they'd been able to track down had pointed to the castle of none other than Maz Kanata, the infamous pirate who hosted a wide range of criminals, travelers and smugglers on a daily basis.

It was here that the First Order descended in order to rain hell upon them, weakening their defense before landing to acquire the droid and the information it possessed. It was one of those rare times where Kylo was so occupied, so full of that familiar sense of dark purpose, that he had momentarily forgotten about his quest to find the girl from the vision.

The TIE fights descended first, firing on the castle at will and leveling it within minutes. The Resistance pilots had manned their T-70 X-Wing fighters and shown up in force, but not enough to stop the carnage from unfolding.

When his ship finally landed amongst the ruins and smoke, Kylo strode from the walkway like a king come to survey his domain. The bodies of the dead were interspersed throughout the debris, and he scanned his surroundings intently, looking for any sign of that little astromech droid.

"Sir! The droid! They've spotted it in the woods!" a nearby storm trooper called to him and pointed in the direction BB-8 had gone. Glancing around once more at the destruction, Kylo Ren gave pursuit in the direction the trooper had pointed, the hilt of his light saber gripped firmly in his hand.

These woods were quiet, peaceful even on any day that wasn't today.  The serene surroundings were a vibrant bounty of lush green hues, and it seemed that leaves and moss covered every available surface. He did not stop to enjoy the view though, for he was single-minded in his purpose and nothing and no one would stand in the way of it.

He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and reaching into himself to feel the familiar tug of the Force as it pulled him into the direction he needed to go. Almost immediately it showed him a map, a clear path marked in purple for him to follow. He was so full of adrenaline that he didn't question the fact that the Force had never done this before, he simply locked the information into his brain, opened his eyes and took off in the pursuit of the droid.

Storm troopers behind him followed at a wary distance, but they were soon preoccupied with more TIE fights shooting down at the trees, trying to find their mark through the foliage.

Kylo pursued. He mask was hot and he could feel the sweat of his face rolling down so profusely as his long, black robes only served to make it hotter. The path curved this way and that, always showing exactly as it had in his vision moments before. There was a small hill up ahead and he doubled his efforts in order to crest it. Three steps, two steps, one step more to the top.

That was when he saw her for the first time.

It felt like... like he had been holding his breath underwater for far too long and finally came up for oxygen, gulping the air from the surface. It felt like he had been wandering in a dry desert for years with no water to be found and suddenly there before him stood an oasis. It was like staring at something so bright, so pure that it almost blinded him.

He stopped in his tracks so abruptly, too dumbfounded at the moment to believe his eyes. The blurry memories he had tried to recall from the vision so long ago were now here in front of him as plain as day. She stood a little ways further on the path looking at him in alarm. Her hair was so long, draping down over her shoulders and back in a series of smooth waves that looked like chocolate, almost reaching to her waist. The sleeveless purple dress she wore showed off small, toned arms and in her hand she held a basket with an assortment of fruit and flowers, a few white blossoms braided intricately into a crown for her head. Brown strappy sandals poked out from the bottom of her dress and her small feet looked poised to run for her life at any moment. In spite of her guarded stance, her very being exuded peace, comfort, a warm familiar feeling that he had waited 15 years to feel.

The moment was so surreal, and so brief yet it felt like it went on for eons, at the very least he wanted it to. He felt that he could stare at her, this creature from his dreams, forever and never tire of it. She was here, she was real, and now she was his.

Until she took off running.

"STOP!" he yelled, his mechanical voice carrying through the trees as he raced after her.

She was quick, much faster than he would have given someone of her small stature credit for. Her basket had been carelessly discarded and she ran full out, pumping her arms to lend her speed as she sprinted from him as fast as her feet would carry her.

He chased her through the floor of the forest, the underbrush snagging at his robes and threatening to slow him down, while she seemed to know every bend and twig as she dodged them all with ease, jumping over each fallen log and at one point catapulting over a huge stump directly in their path.

Exhaustion was beginning to set it for him but he pressed on. This would not happen, she would not escape, not after 15 years of waiting. He had to see her, to speak with her, to hear the answers to all of his questions.

Every time he thought he was beginning to gain ground on her she would disappear behind another tree or a grouping of tall shrubs.It felt unbelievable but it looked as though this girl might escape him. But it began to look bleak for him as his pace slowed, or hers somehow sped up, he could not tell in this cumbersome mask and these hots robes. She had just vanishedfrom view again when he heard the news that made him stop.

"My Lord Commander," a voice spoke through the radio in his helmet, "We've found the droid, along with a girl traveling in the company of Han Solo. Both have been captured and taken aboard the ship."

Slowing, Kylo looked around his surroundings, hoping to see a whip of purple fabric to show him which direction she had gone in, but he looked in vain. She had disappeared.

"ARGGGGGH!!!" he shouted, unsheathing his light saber and proceeding to hack at one of the ancient trees standing next to the path he had pursued her on. The bark sizzled as the blade struck it again and again, it's owner's temper needing a release on something to compensate for his internal agony.

He had lost her, after 15 years of waiting and he could not find her now, when he knew her whereabouts. To have come this far and failed... that was unbearable. Pressing the button to his mask, he ripped it off and threw it on the ground beside him. The air was sweet here, so clean-smelling and he breathed it in ragged gasps, bending over to catch his breath and recollect himself, unaware of the figure high up in the trees watching him, her body concealed by the thick greenery. She peered out as far as she dared, but held her body close to the thick branches where she could remain hidden.

With one last swipe at the tree Kylo stepped back and looked at the damage. The tree was barely harmed. He'd certainly shredded the facade of it, but it's strong, wide base did not give way at all. These roots were deep here, he noted, this tree had probably stood for thousands of years. One hacking from a light saber was not enough to take down something so ancient.

An anguished expression passed over his face as he looked around again, hoping against hope that she would show herself, as he turned the image of her over and over again in his head. Her hair, her dress, her face. He HAD to find her again.

Rumblings of static emitted from the discarded helmet and with a huff of his shoulders he stooped down to retrieve it.

"S-Sir, m-my L-Lord R-Ren?" the static was hard to hear through, he must have be away from the ship for too long and the distance was beginning to jam the radio frequency.

"Yes," he growled into the receiver as he donned his helmet once again, looking around one final time before dejectedly beginning the walk back, his silent witness still keeping watch in the trees until she felt sure the coast was clear.

Thanks for those who have been reading thus far, I'm trying to be good about updating every day to every other day. I've got most of the story mapped out already in my head, but please let me know if you have any suggestions or gentle critiques. :)