Comfort Zone

Two

Kenobi, Ahsoka, and Vos reached their site shortly, R2 following closely behind them. Anakin was awake when they arrived, to Kenobi's dismay. He knew it would do him no good to wake up this early in his injury, but if it was one thing that Kenobi learned about being a Master, you couldn't make Anakin do anything he didn't want to do.

Vos gently put Ahsoka onto a nearby log, situating her left leg upwards. "Try not to move, young Tano. I'll figure out a shelter for you to rest in shortly." Vos smiled hopefully at the Togruta, to which she returned gratefully. "Thank you, Master Vos."

"...Snips?" Anakin muttered, attempting to raise his head to look over to Ahsoka, but Obi-Wan rushed over and placed two flat hands on his chest, gently pushing him back down. "It's not wise to get up at the moment, Anakin. Ahsoka's fine, just an injured leg."

Anakin groaned and willingly let himself be pushed back down into the makeshift hammock Obi-Wan constructed. The bandages wrapped around his head partially covered his eyes, prohibiting much light entering his vision.

"Is-is Master Vos alright?" Anakin winced with every word he spoke, fists clenching into themselves on his sides. It's as if each syllable was a blow to the pounding in his head.

"All good, Skywalker," Vos raised his voice thoughtfully, "Though I advise you listening to your Master. His Mother Bantha instincts are in full swing, I wouldn't disobey him if I were you."

Kenobi rolled his glacier eyes, surrounded by pulsing blood vessels. Vos wanted to tell him to rest as well, anyone could see that he was in just as poor shape as Anakin was, but before he could do so, Ahsoka's head shot up from the corner of Vos's eye, her lekku shifting.

"What is it, young one?" Vos whispered, his voice lowering instinctively. He knew Togrutas were exceptionally well at listening to their surroundings compared to other humans, given their ancestry, and he wished not to greatly disturb her senses.

"I heard branches break in the forest," she mumbled, "I thought someone was coming."

"No doubt there's native creatures on this planet, Ahsoka," Kenobi said matter-of-factly while rearranging Anakin's bandages, who would not stop flinching. "Most likely a bird or land mammal."

"I see.." Her sentence trailed off, her vision once more downcasted. Vos frowned. From the time he met Ahsoka, she always had a fire to her. She was a carbon copy of Anakin, feisty and quick-witted, albeit snarky. This wasn't her normal behavior.

Vos shook his head. He needed to focus. Firstly, a padded bed would be ideal. With the large leaves laying around, he was sure that wouldn't be a problem.

He nodded to Ahsoka before he left to gather the materials, her nodding back.

A couple moments into the forest area, the ambiance of the wildlife calmed Vos's senses. His Jedi training taught him to seek relaxation in nature, but now was not the time for meditation.

Soon, he returned with his needed materials, dropping in front of Ahsoka, who had fallen asleep against the log. Kenobi was on the beach, searching for anything edible that was safe. Anakin, he presumed due to the bandages covering his eyes, was asleep. R2 was powered down next to him.

Before waking Ahsoka, he crafted the makeshift hammock similar to Anakin's, but ground level. With a padded flooring, he used thicker branches to create a sort of cocoon to encase Ahsoka from harsh winds or small predators. A low branch hung in front of the shelter, Vos decided that she'd have her leg supported by it, using thicker leaves to hold her limb. It's not as if she weighed much at all.

Once he finished, he stood and clapped his hands together, wiping the moisture building up in the cracks of his palms.

He turned to Ahsoka and gently shook her shoulder. Her blue eyes cracked open tiredly, a small smile forming on her lips.

Vos returned the gesture. "Your shelter is ready, Padawan. I'll be making you a splint in a moment, but can you show me where most of the pain is?"

Ahsoka nodded, placing her small, tanned hands near her upper left thigh, then slowly dragging them to her knee. "I-it's mostly there, but my entire leg feels like it's on fire. It was caught underneath a part of the ship when w-we crashed. I was able to move it off with the Force, though." She grinned weakly.

Vos smiled. "Even in dire situations, you are able to connect yourself with the Force. I'm surprised you're Skywalker's Padawan."

Ahsoka laughed, a sound Vos desperately needed to hear. It was breathy and tired, but nonetheless a laugh. "I wouldn't have anyone other than Skyguy as my Master, no offense."

"None taken," Vos chuckled, examining Ahsoka's leg. With primitive knowledge of medicine, he wasn't entirely sure of what's wrong, but for Ahsoka's sake, he'll pretend he did.

"There's a possibility of a fractured femur, given that you're unable to walk. It doesn't seem too swollen, but an infection might be on its way, the wound on-"

"You have no idea what's wrong, do you?" Ahsoka quirked.

Vos winced, smiling awkwardly. "Not a clue."

Something's not right.

Ventress awoke from her meditative state, falling onto the ground with a thump. Groaning softly, she scratched her head and focused her eyes to the darkness around her. Fireflies flickered against the forest backdrop, a cool breeze sweeping across her face. Burning wood filled her nostrils, her eyes briefly landing on the fire in front of her. Nothing but a smolder now.

A chill made its way on Asajj's back, though she brushed it off. She wasn't entirely sure how long she meditated, or when she even began. All she remembered was the feeling of weightlessness and exhaustion, and the rest seemed to be a blur.

That feeling was gone, however, replaced with extreme thirst and a craving for enrichment.

She drew her lightsaber and ignited it, relief filling her veins as the faint woosh filled her eardrums. She lost her other saber in the crash, and with it she left a part of her. Her sabers connected her to her roots, her beginning, no matter how painful it was, she began from somewhere. Asajj needed to remember that.

A melancholy filled her chest when her eyes rested on her ship. The child must be sleeping, Asajj could sense it. He was vulnerable; afraid and cold. He was quiet when he slept, Ventress noted, a trait he must have inherited from his father.

She felt it again. A ripple in the Force. Something disturbing the natural flow. It felt like a tingle throughout her body, and it pulled on her like an invisible hand on her wrist. It guided her to the beach.

With her lightsaber ignited, she followed. The pulsating red felt dim in the dense forest, barely providing her any assistance in light, yet she managed her way regardless, guided by the Force.

The scent of sea water washed over her, the ground becoming softer underneath her covered feet.

The firefly wispies danced around her as she reached the shoreline. The sky was a deep purple with splotches of indigo littering the empty space. Faint outlines of clouds accompanied the flickering stars. The sun was rising soon, Asajj was sure of it.

Turning her gaze straight, she saw him.

A Force being. Towering over the bushes and shrubs around him. Long, braided hair cascaded down his shoulders, broad and outlined by muscles. A humanoid. Through the darkness, Ventress could barely make out a thin yellow streak slashed across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. The hum of her lightsaber kept her grounded as she shifted her stance, willing to stand her ground. She waited for a movement by him.

Suddenly, a line of green was ignited, and Ventress dashed forward.