Star Wars: Immortal Devotion - Short Stories (Character Intros/One Shots)

"The Hunt" (Part 1)

"Do you hear it?"

Leaves crunched under foot as the group of hunters began closing in on their quarry.

"There's a clearing up ahead."

The dense foliage posed no obstacle, as the smaller plants were quickly brushed aside, and the thick, mossy vines were sliced and trampled.

"We're close now, boys."

The predator would soon become the prey.

"There she is..."

The team of seven Drabatan hunters slowed their pace as they neared a clearing in the thick Pipada brush.

Standing proudly on a large, ancient stone monolith was an enormous Howlrunner. It's jaws were lined to the brim with razor sharp teeth, and it's eyes gave off a surprisingly ominous red hue.

The oldest hunter leaned in towards the Drabatan at the front of the party, "that's the pack leader alright. You can see it in her scars. You ready for this?"

The other Drabatan scoffed, "Are you kidding? I was born for this. Compared to tomorrow, this is going to be a piece of Jaiinn."

The other Drabatan frowned, "'Kroe'Draba'Gechi, do not get cocky. I don't want the rest of the tribe's praises to cloud your judgement. You are still mortal, and you will still make mistakes."

"Yeah, yeah," 'Kroe said as he motioned to the Drabatan on the other side of him, who hesitantly handed him a rudimentary spear. "I would make a lot less mistakes if I was allowed to use my guns."

"Don't disrespect our traditions. If you want to lead this tribe, you must respect the hunter's ceremony. If you can just manage to successfully kill today's and tomorrow's prey with the weapons of your ancestors, you will be set for life."

"Listen, 'Obo, I've told you all a thousand times, so this will be the last. I don't give two bucketheads about all of these traditions. They should've died when the Empire showed up, not been reinforced."

'Kroe smeared a red, clay-like substance under his eyes and readied his spear. "And I really don't care about being chieftain either. You know I don't want these responsibilities. The only reason I'm going along with any of this is because I get to be powerful and rich in the long run. And I can't make myself pass up a chance like that."

'Obo'Leeoro'Dantechi sighed and pulled his cloak up over his head. "Your father must be ashamed of your attitude. But I still think you have great potential as our leader. If only you would listen, and try to learn..."

"I've got nothing left to learn, 'Obo. I was born a warrior, and if I do lack anything, I usually just make up for with my kriffing blasters."

'Kroe tightened his wrist bands and gripped his spear with every ounce of strength he could muster. He didn't know why the older man was so worried, this would be over in a moment. And then he would be ready for the big hunt tomorrow.

The Drabatan to his right, 'Kanto'Bree'Oreleo, took a crouched step back and whispered in a somewhat demeaning tone, "it's now or never, chief."

"You can call me that tomorrow, 'Kanto. For now it's still just 'Kroe." He stood up and looked at the other six Drabatans, who began disappearing back into the brush.

"We'll wait here for you to finish. Remember, since this is just practice, if you run into any trouble, we can assist you. You will not have that liberty tomorrow."

'Kroe exhaled an arrogant huff as he glared at the elegant beast. "Trust me, this is child's play. You guys can head back to camp if you want."

When he got no reply, he turned to see 'Obo's usually stern reaction, but none of the hunters were anywhere to be seen. They had retreated back into the forest, their cloaks allowing them to camouflage incredibly well.