The New Mandalorian (Cara x Din)

Chapter 5: The Hunt

"Yeah... about that," said Flystia with a nervous laugh. "Is there any way we could have met sometime before? On Alderaan? As kids, or in battle?"

"I didn't have very many friends," said Cara slowly. "But my parents sometimes used to talk about someone. I knew nothing about her, only that her name was Arelle."

"What?" exclaimed Flystia. "Arelle Tristar?"

"I don't know," Cara shook her head. "They only spoke of Arelle. Do you know her?"

"Do I know her?" Flystia glanced around to make sure nobody was listening. "Arelle Tristar is my real name. Do you know how your parents were connected to me?"

"No, I'm sorry," said Cara. She was happily surprised that there was somebody from her past life who she hadn't lost, even if they'd never met before.

"Well, it's no problem," said Flystia brightly. "What about that friend of yours? The knight in shining Beskar?"

"W-what do you mean?" stammered Cara.

"I saw how he protected you when you almost got shot."

"Oh- that."

"Well, what's his story? Has he always been with the Mandalorians?" asked Flystia.

"I-"

"Hey, guys." Din himself walked up and interrupted Cara. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful she didn't have to continue the conversation. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, we were just finishing up here," replied Cara, and Rickton led the way into the woods south of the village.

They went deeper and deeper into the forest, to where the trees grew close together, making everything darker. Rickton and Flystia led the way, with Din and Cara making sure nobody came at them from behind.

"So, I saw you talking to her. Did you figure something out?" asked Din while they walked.

"Before I lost them, my family would talk about someone named Arelle. I never knew who she was, but I figured she was a friend of my parents. It turns out, Flystia's name is Arelle Tristar. My parents knew her," explained Cara.

"Wow. That's really something."

"Yeah, it is. I'm hoping we can figure it out before we have to leave Sorgan. It would be nice to have someone I could talk to about life on Alderaan," Cara said. "And she's a Mandalorian, too. How cool is that? Maybe she'll help me on my journey too."

Din said nothing in response, and they continued through the dark woods in silence. Suddenly, Cara felt the earth under her foot give way and stumbled forward, falling into a hole in the ground until someone grabbed her hand. Cara couldn't see how deep the pit was; it was too dark. Flystia switched on the light on her helmet and pointed it down.

Cara was dangling from the rim of a ditch that was about twenty-five feet deep. Din was holding onto her hand as tight as he could, but she was still starting to slip.

"Hang on, I got you," he said, trying to pull her up. Cara felt the side of the pit with her foot until she found a firm ledge. She was able to push herself up, and with the help of Rickton, she found herself lying on firm ground once again.

Din and Cara lay on the ground for a few seconds, catching their breath. Cara looked sideways at the visor of his helmet. "Thanks. I owe you."

"Good to know," Din answered.

"So, the Imps have laid traps around the woods. The question is, were they traps meant for us?" said Cara. "Did they know we would come here, specifically?"