Hidden Malice

Chapter Thirty-Four

Kylo woke suddenly to a much softer noise than the night before. Was he ever going to get a good nights sleep? Senzu was crying softly next to Malice, who wasn't moving.

He sat up, shaking her arm. She groaned but didn't move.

"Malice? What's wrong?" He asked, starting to grow more worried. Touching her head, he felt immense pain coming from her mind. Sometime during the night, and from an unknown source, she had contracted some sort of sickness.

Not this. Anything but this. Kylo thought to himself. She was running a fever and looked extremely pale. Senzu curled close to her, very worried about his mother. She coughed violently, her lungs feeling as though they were on fire.

Water. She needed water. Kylo looked around frantically, trying to find where she'd put the water from the day before. Not finding it, he took one of the larger leaves from the bed and laid it on the ledge, collecting the rain water pouring from the sky. It was the freshest he was going to be able to find. He sat with his head in his hands, wondering what to do. Was there anything here that would be able to help her until the ship arrived tomorrow night? The week had gone by so quickly. But right as it was ending, this has happened.

Malice coughed again behind him, and he grabbed the lead, now partially full of water, and brought it over.

It pained him to see her like this. She seemed so frail, and he knelt, cradling her head in his arms. He laid her head on his lap and took the water leaf, tipping it into her mouth. He was pleased to see her drink all of it, and hoped the cool water would relieve her of her fever.

Malice opened her eyes, looking up at him and smiling weakly.

"Is there anything else I can use to help you?" He asked her. She thought a moment.

"Unfortunately, I don't think so. Not until we get back to the ship." She said weakly. Senzu, hearing her start to speak, crawled up onto her chest, nuzzling against her head. She gave him a little pet, hoping he'd see she was ok.

"If I knew what it was, then maybe. But I honestly have no idea." She coughed again. Kylo kept her head in his lap, beginning to grow more worried. She was putting on a strong show to try to keep him from babying her but she was very ill, and they both knew it. They had no way to call for the ship now, and then he realized another problem.

He didn't know the way back to the clearing. Didn't know what sounds were dangerous and which weren't. How would they make it back in time tomorrow? Malice seemed to hear his thoughts and patted his arm.

"If I can't tell you tomorrow, I'll show you. I know the way back very well. If I can't speak, I'll think of it so you can see. Hopefully that'll be able to lead us back."

"What are we going to do for food today?" He asked her, running his fingers through her hair. She shrugged.

"You can try to take my lightsaber and go get something. Senzu is pretty good at hunting now, so you might be able to get at least a bark rat or two. Take him with you."

She chattered to the Nexu on her chest and he flattened his ears, not wanting to go. After a few looks from her, he begrudgingly allowed Kylo to pick him up and carry him let. They grabbed her lightsaber, and just hoped she'd be ok when they got back.

Exiting the hole, Kylo looked around them. He didn't see any creatures nearby, but then again, he supposed that was the point of living in a huge forest. They walked around, trying very carefully not to be seen or heard. Senzu suddenly leapt into a nearby bush, struggling with something for a moment before bringing out large rodent. It was the same kind that Malice and Senzu had caught the first day they were there. Kylo guessed it was the bark rat creature she'd mentioned.

Senzu's sharp teeth had pierced through the creatures neck, and with the rustling the bush had made, Kylo wasn't sure they'd be able to find anything else. He headed back towards the tunnel to go back, Senzu trotting proudly beside him.

"Good job, Senzu." Kylo told the little cat. Senzu twitched his tail in acknowledgment. They walked silently together, their steps echoing silently off the walls. The entered the cave, and Kylo went immediately over to Malice. Still breathing, that was good. Feeling her forehead, her temperature had indeed gone down, which was progress. Igniting her lightsaber, he tried to scrape it against the wall as she had been doing to get a spark just in the right spot. It took him a good hour or two to get success but once the fire had started, he cut and cleaned the rodent, leaving some for Senzu, and tossing the rest on the fire.

Malice had said just throwing it on was a good way to burn the creatures coarse hair off, which was good, as their hair was very prickly.

When it was all cooked, he tried to cut it into small pieces, to make it easier to chew? He had no idea what he was doing, but this seemed logical so he might as well go for it. Raising Malice's head again, she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"I hope I did an ok job at this. You're much better." He said softly. She happily accepted the food, chewing carefully.

"You did a fine job." She told him. She touched his face gently and he looked down at her with the most pained look she'd seen him have in awhile.

"I'm just worried about you." He said, answering her concern.

"Don't worry. I'm going to be just fine, I promise."

She closed her eyes again, falling back to sleep while he held her.

Whoo another chapter! Enjoy!