Hidden Malice

Chapter Thirty-Five

Malice did not get much better that night. Her fever stayed down but she occasionally gasped for air like she was having trouble breathing. Both he and Senzu stayed very close to her, making sure she was continuing to breathe.

Kylo wanted to set out early the next day. He wasn't 100% sure that Malice's plan of thinking the directions to him would work, so he wanted to give them as much time as he could to get there. The sun had just begun to rise, when he stood, going to start packing things. Malice did not wake up, but her breathing was steady so he let her sleep. They hadn't brought much with them. Some clothing, some bandages. she had insisted on bringing as little as possible. So he packed what little they had and, strapping her lightsaber to his belt, carefully picked her up.

She was not remotely heavy in his arms, which somewhat worried him. He'd held her before, and she obviously has lost weight while being sick. She drooped limply in his arms, not responding. Senzu stood, padding to his side, and after taking one last look at their makeshift camp, headed out and to the forest below.

Kylo lowered himself for Senzu to climb up multiple times but the cat refused, continuing at his side. He seemed to know where they were headed, so Kylo followed him. The forest was filled with unfamiliar sounds, but Senzu didn't seem worried about any of them so Kylo walked on. He wasn't recognizing any of the paths they were on anymore, but then again, it'd been a week since they'd travelled here.

They walked for a good few hours, until Senzu finally stopped, sniffing the air. He looked in a few different dorections before simply sitting down, and Kylo took that to mean that they had come to the end of Senzu's memory of where to go. He sighed, looking down at Malice, who was still either deeply asleep or unconscious in his arms. She wasn't thinking of anything in particular. Just a blurry haze of dreams.

Looking up at the sun, it was nearly the time to meet the ship. It would arrive the same time it had dropped them off, and that was going to be very soon. They were running out of options, and quickly. He glanced around, knowing he could not climb a tree and leave her on the ground. Senzu could climb but he would be too short still to see over the treetops.

Sighing and silently asking her forgiveness, he placed a hand on her forehead. He would have to retrieve the information by force, and it wasn't going to feel good. He concentrated, hoping to dull her pain as much as he could, but he flinched as she did from the pain. Her body stiffened and her back arched as he searched for the information he needed to get them out.

Ah. There it was. And they weren't too far away. Perfect.

He released her mind and she slumped back, good limp in his arms again. Her breathing continued on as normal, so he whistled to Senzu and they set off again.

Kylo signed in relief when they found te clearing. The ship wasn't there yet, but it would likely only be a few minutes more until it arrived. He felt Malice's forehead to see how her body temperature was doing, and it seemed to be staying nicely in one spot. It was a little warmer than a normal person, but it wasn't as dangerous as it had been, and he'd be able to get her to the ship with no problems.

Senzu suddenly tensed, hissing at something behind him. Turning slowly, he saw the pack of Nexu. They'd all locked their eyes on him and the seemingly easy prey in his arms. They took a few steps forward, when Senzu ran in front of them, hissing and growing at the pack. They paused, surprised to see something so fierce, yet so much smaller than they were. They seemed to be communicating for a moment, each group roaring back and forth, while some parts of the pack grew restless, pacing back at forth.

Their conversation was cut short as a loud hum filled the air. Looking up, Kylo saw the ship preparing to touch down. The Nexu pack fled, weaving through the trees and away from the noise. Whistling for Senzu, Kylo walked quickly onboard as the ramp touched down, laying Malice on one of the soft seats. Senzu ran up, and as soon as they were all on board, the ship took off, jumping to light speed as soon as it left the planet's atmosphere.

Shorter chapter for right now as I get ready for the next few! They'll be good!