Hrrrauff? Uuwuwuwuwwr.

[Hwooroc]

It was a time for growth in the Jedi Order. The word of Ossus shining like a beacon on the hill was spreading, and with it the hope of a new generation grew. The latest shuttle bringing it's batch of younglings touched down on the makeshift landing field at Sanctuary. No sooner did the gangplank lower than a half dozen energetic young adepts from across the galaxy bolt down the ramp, taking off in the direction of the Jedi camp and all the wonders it contained.

Lagging behind the group came a diminutive walking carpet

Hwooroc took his time, heel-toeing his way down the ramp and across the field, his big eyes hidden behind his perpetually mussed-up face fur. He carried all of his lovingly-packed belongings from Kashyyyk in a brightly colored backpack looped across each shoulder and cinched up tight, and as he gawked at the new world around him, he absently sipped at the straw jutting out of the rectangular carton of namana juice he clutched in his paw. Hwooroc paused mid-slurp, his mouth making an "o" at the sight of the massive ancient library in the distance.

"Huwwr uurwf."

Wiping a perpetually wet nose with a swipe of arm fur, the little wookiee took off on stubby legs down the main concourse, unwittingly heading off away from the group with which he had travelled.

[Akasha Khan]

From around the corner of the meeting hall came the hiss and crackle of saber play, a siren call to any curious soul who's been fed on ancient stories of Jedi heroics. In the dusty lawn that served as a parade ground for the enclave, several sparring circles had been drawn, and the older Padawans had paired up to demonstrate their skills for the younglings and knights alike.

One by one the matches ended with the squelch of a training saber bouncing off a limb or a chest or the side of a neck, each one accompanied by scattered applause from the knights and a few cheers or wolf whistles from the less disciplined padawans. The combatants shook hands, grabbed some water, and dispersed to watch the remaining matches, until there was only one left.

In the ring nearest the edge of the parade ground were two females, a black-furred feline and a silvery-skinned humanoid, dancing around one another in a blur of swinging tail, hair, and head-tresses. Both Padawans were slick with sweat and not quite as energetic now as when they'd started, and as they circled, they probed one another's defenses with the patience and caution that only comes from familiarity.

"You're going to lose, Fishbait," the felinoid taunted with a toothy grin. "I sense much fear in you."

[Hwooroc]

Hwooroc stooped momentarily to un-shoulder his backpack, carefully opening it to pull out an educational holopad. He then used his bookbag as a makeshift seat, plopping down in the middle of the path as it offered a scenic vantage to the library, which the Wookiee quickly called up on his pad to read about. He'd only skimmed a few pages in when a strangely exotic sound filled the air. A faint buzz of electricity punctuated sharply by crackling peels and dins...and curious eyes turned to follow, growing wide in glee behind perpetually mussed-up face fur. His mouth gaped again, slight underbite exposing lower canines as he watched a series of real live lightsaber duels!

His reading forgotten, Hwooroc bounded up from his seat, running towards the duel on short pumping legs. He skidded to a stop a few meters into his weebly run, pausing, and whirled back to run back and pick up his forgotten backpack, which he tugged along with him ungracefully, running towards the dueling contestants breathlessly.

He forgot his juice box, however, leaving that in the road where it lay. Lightsaber duels trumped namana juice any day!

[Jamis Kerr]

These were the times that Jamis kept to the back of the groups. He wasn't scared of sparring - in fact he enjoyed it quite a bit. But, well, it wasn't building things. Still though, so long as he wasn't paired with Akasha, then it was a good day. He'd keep his pestering for outside the sparring circles.

With arms crossed, he watched idly as the Orryxian and her opponent squared off. It wasn't boring, but those two had been at it for long enough that Jamis' eyes were beginning to wander, and his mind was taking him to places that weren't here.

The sound of fast approaching feet caught his attention, and the Padawan turned slightly to look at a little Wookiee, his headfur looking as if he'd just stumbled out of bed.

[Kala'ndryl Ryj]

"Oh, you're sensing something alright...but that's not fear, Furball..." Kala taunted back, grinning at her best friend as bare feet padded through the loosely packed dirt.

Fingers reached up to brush some few drops of sweat from her brow, the soft fabric band she'd placed there having long since reached its maximum moisture absorption capacity. The young woman dared a quick glance around, while her senses were focused primarily on her Orryxian opponent. They were the only duel left going, and it seemed they had attracted the remnants of the crowd as well.

Even Jamis was there, tucked away at the back of one the other groups of padawans. She cast him a brief smile before returning her pitch black gaze to her similarly hued opponent. "Right then...shall we?" she asked, twirling her brilliant white blade in her left hand. For her, the order of the sparring session was to use both hands equally. As one of the few giving serious study to the form of Niman, with an eye to eventually becoming a practitioner of Jar'Kai, she needed her grip and strength to be equal in both hands.

Just to mess with Akasha a bit, Kala went on the offensive first this time, giving herself a boost in speed through the Force. They became a whirl of motion once more, a streak of raven here, a flash of silver there. But they knew each other all too well, and soon enough, the half-Nautolan found herself on the receiving end of a stinging warmth across the small of her back.

She cursed good-naturedly as dropped to the ground in a practiced motion, blocking Akasha's subsequent attack and letting her laughter echo. Turning over, she flopped onto her back in the dirt circle, heedless of the white shorts and tank-top she wore. Her earlier bloody nose had left streaks of indigo across both as well...what was a little dirt.

Kala grinned "I yield, Furball. You win this one. Well played."

[Hwooroc]

"Huwwaagg mrrawwuu rrruuuaff mrwuw!"

He'd arrived at the conclusion of the duel, which was full of action and acrobatics, culminating with the cat alien winning over the dark-eyed lady. Hwooroc excitedly mashed his hand-paws together in giddy applause.

[Akasha Khan]

Akasha extinguished her green practice saber and crouched down next to her fallen roommate. "Left-handed, Kala? Really? People are going to think you don't take me seriously."

She offered Kala a thick, padded paw and easily hoisted her back to her feet. Then, conscious of the applauding spectators, she called a water bottle into her paw, uncapped it, and raised it to her mouth. She paused just long enough to find Jamis in the back and give him a predatory leer before tipping the bottle up and slaking her thirst.

[Jamis Kerr]

Jamis had looked back from the approaching wookiee just in time to catch Kala's smile, and an instinctive grin was sent back her way.

It was Akasha's look, however, that made his features fall into a sneer, and the boy rolled his eyes while turning to look again at the newcomer.

Please let the little rug have a vox-translator please let the little rug have a vox-translator...

Jamis cleared his throat.

"Never seen a spar then, I take it?"

[Hwooroc]

Hwooroc looked up as the human asked him a question. Well, did real lightsaber duels count? Of course he hadn't. But he'd seen plenty of Flyrrol Erin holomovies about Jedi.

"Auuo hrrrwr rowooo ouwaawaarr whurrf."

The wookiee retrieved a school-issue ruler from his backpack, holding it dramatically in a paw as he posed like a swashbuckling Makashi master, flicking his wrists artfully in a flourish before fumbling his 'saber' in the dirt.

[Kala'ndryl Ryj]

Kala bounced back to her feet with a bright grin on her features, lightly clapping Akasha on the shoulder. "I'm still too weak with my left hand, and you're the best sparring partner ever. You're doing me a favor!"

Turning, she bowed to the spectators and decided that blowing kisses would give at least some of them the wrong idea. She made a mental note to send Maxx a holomessage later that afternoon...it had been too long since the last time she'd heard from him.

I'm sure he's fine, sis.

I know, Rin, I know. But...still. It's been...months.

Lifting her hands, she called a towel to them and vigorously rubbed it through her hair and head-tresses alike. The latter twitched in irritation and flatly refuse to be bound back with her hair. Kala sighed and let them be, looping the towel around the back of her neck. Her own water bottle darted to her hands when she called it, helpfully uncapping itself before she took a long drink.

Black eyes caught sight of a miniature wooking waving a ruler about in the air, at which she arched a brow and elbowed Akasha to get her to look as well.

[Akasha Khan]

Akasha turned and blinked at the sight of the pint-sized fuzzball tossing a short length of wood to the ground. She wasn't sure why it was worth her attention.

She followed Kala over regardless and glanced from Jamis to the ambulatory mass of unkempt fur. "What's this? Someone's pet?"

[Jamis Kerr]

Great. No translator.

A puzzled face at the gutteral 'words' being thrown his way, and Jamis was suddenly thankful for the interruption of his two fellow padawans. At Akasha's question, he reached a hand out, calling the fallen ruler to his palm before extending it out to the Wookiee.

"You're one to talk," he teased.

[Hwooroc]

Hwooroc's eyes boggled at the ruler flying up to Jamis's hand. That. Was. So. Wizard!

"Rrrrooooaaagghh!!!"

He almost forgot to take the offered ruler, still impressed with the display.

A mewling voice chimed in derisively, and the Wookiee turned to look at the approaching cat...and the lightsaber she was carrying. Mouth still slightly agape, he watched the two duelists walk to where he stood. Okay...be calm. You're a Jedi too, remember? Well, will be. Introductions would probably help. Making a first impression was sure to count for a lot.

"Oooa rrrooowwrraagggh murrrr Hwooroc hhrrraff!"

[Kala'ndryl Ryj]

"Akasha, this is a young Wookiee."

Kala smiled brightly down at the diminutive creature, and nodded as he spoke with a level of enthusiasm she hadn't seen from anyone in a while. He spoke a bit faster than the Wookiees she'd met in the past, who were a bit older and spoke more deliberately. But, though rusty, she got the gist of what he was saying.

"Pleased to meet you, Hwooroc. Thank you for the compliment...we've been working very hard on our technique. This is Akasha, my sparring partner. My name is Kala, and this here is Jamis. We're all Padawans...is that why you're here?" she asked brightly.

[Akasha Khan]

Akasha chose not to dignify Jamis's barb with a response. Maiur's claws, how was she supposed to know this was a sentient? He wasn't even clothed. He looked more like something she'd eat for lunch than someone she'd share a class with.

"You can understand him?" the Orryxian said, looking doubtfully at the grinning fuzzball. "And... he can understand us?"

[Hwooroc]

The human boy didn't seem to think much of the cat lady - Akasha, but Hwooroc probably didn't want to pry about that. Fortunately Kala understood him, and he whurrfled, beaming a toothy grin at her. Maybe she'd help put doubts at rest.

He nodded with emphasis at Akasha, explaining in detail how he got perfect marks in all of his Basic classes.

"Aaiiiaowwrrua hhhrrof mrrrraaghhh owwffwaaagaa rrrreeeuuuuggh hrauf."

His curious eyes couldn't avoid the gravitational pull to Akasha's lightsaber. He wondered if he could hold it?

"Hoowwrraaauuu?"

[Akasha Khan]

Between the creature's solicitous howling and his energetic gestures directed toward her saber belt, which was close to eye-level for him, it wasn't too difficult for Akasha to decode his meaning. She rested a paw protectively over the length of brushed durasteel at her hip. "You want this?"

She aimed a questioning glance at Kala and looked back down at the hopeful Wookie. True, it was a lowly practice saber, not her beloved lightstaff, and it was only capable of leaving electrical welts on exposed skin, but she still wasn't sure about handing it off to a grabby, animate floor mop. "I don't think that's a good idea... It's dangerous."

Primarily dangerous to her if Loki thought she'd broken another training saber. Their brittle crystals didn't always hold up to her aggressive sparring techniques.

[Jamis Kerr]

Jamis gave a chuckle at Akasha's hesitation while crossing his arms over his chest, unable to and a bit unwilling to hide his amusement. He knew that look on the Orryxian's face.

He blew out a long breath.

"It's just a training saber," one hand came down then to rest on the Wookiee's shoulder, and Jamis gave the little guy an encouraging pat while leaning in to whisper not-very-quietly to him.

"It's not really dangerous."

[Kala'ndryl Ryj]

"All lightsabers are dangerous if you've never used one, Jamis." Kala corrected, her tone quiet but no less firm than it needed to be. She might have been more than a bit on the wild and crazy side, but she'd also matured considerably since her arrival to the Jedi.

"However...I can disable mine so you can take a look, Hwooroc."

She smiled and unclipped the sleek cylinder from her slender belt, eyes narrowing as she concentrated on the internal wiring. With a gentle mental tug, she pulled the power source out of place, rendering the saber useless and therefore safe to examine.

Loki would likely have thrown a bit of a fit if anything happened to another training saber, nevermind to one that Akasha held. Avoiding that was definitely the order of the day.

She held out the hilt (http://i58.tinypic.com/2v0mw3r.jpg) to the young Wookiee and nodded for him to take it.

[Hwooroc]

The young Wookiee eagerly took the lightsaber, turning the elegant weapon over in his paws as he examined the casing, actuator, focusing dial, sheathing, and other major components.

"Aaagwhaauur rrrhhhmf oooaa."

And then, with hands that looked like they'd done similar work a time or two or two hundred, Hwooroc started to field strip the saber, commenting along the way how well it was put together.

"Hwwauuuf rrorraaggh grrauff hrrrgggg...hromf ggghuuu."

He confidently spun a bushing free from the main housing, holding it up to the sunlight with a grin on his face.

[Akasha Khan]

"Um, he's... he's taking it apart," Akasha observed rather unhelpfully. "Why is he taking it apart?"

She reached down and slid her saber belt so her own practice weapon was tucked safely behind her.

[Jamis Kerr]

There was a similarly sudden look of confusion on Jamis' face as well, and his actions were quick to mirror Akasha's.

"That's... " unsure of what else to finish with, the boy finally reached up to alleviate a slight itch at his temple.

"Well, that's... something... I suppose."

Too bad it wasn't Akasha's saber, though. It'd been a while since he'd seen Loki fired up over yet another busted saber, and each time was funnier than the last.

[Kala'ndryl Ryj]

Mirth lit her features as Akasha and Jamis finally found something they could agree on without snide remarks or protracted and...enthusiastic arguments.

She glanced between them several times and somehow managed to stifle a giggle as she returned her attention to Hwooroc. "Aww, that's sweet of you to say, thank you. It took me almost a year to scavenge all of those parts. That bushing was one of the first pieces I found. On Rhen Var, believe it or not."

She shook her head. "Trust me, you really don't want to know. I was getting shot at that day. I don't recommend it."

"Ohhh...yeah...be careful with that assembly. It's a bifurcating cyclical ignition pulse...means the saber can work underwater. Hmm? On both settings, yeah. It took me the longest to assemble because I was duplicating a Clone War era version."

[Hwooroc]

"Nnnghhaa....uuuf."

Hwooroc was obviously impressed with the parts sourcing. Being able to turn nothing into something required a natural understanding. The machining was non-spec, but was finely done. No burrs, no imperfections he could see with a naked eye.

Setting aside the bushing, the wookiee handled the ignition pulse assembly with reverence. This kind of ignition was vintage. He carefully brushed away bangs and facefur as he actuated the mechanism. It had its own power source by design, and at his best guess, would be used to cause the plasma shift within the magnetic seal to feed the crystal itself. Two deep-seated leads sparked energetically as he toggled the switch, and Hwooroc snurfled his approval, nodding gleefully.

"Hwwaaaghauau!"

It probably was pushing the Jedi's good graces to keep rummaging through the guts of the lightsaber, and Hwooroc carefully returned the weapon to pristine order once again, holding it out to Kala with both paws.

[Akasha Khan]

The exchange between Hwooroc and Kala was entirely opaque to Akasha, for two different reasons. She'd struggled to learn the requisite engineering skill to construct her own lightstaff, just as she'd struggled to reach the appropriate level of meditation to put it all together. It had required more than one pilgrimage of humility to Hal's room for technical support, and a few meditation techniques that were likely not sanctioned by the Jedi, to finish the weapon. Maybe getting the little whatsit to give it a shakedown wouldn't be such a bad idea after all?

And maybe if you salted them enough Hutts would no longer taste of mud.

"Where'd he learn to break down a lightsaber like that?" the Orryxian asked with some suspicion in her voice. "I thought they were still rare... like, very rare."

[Jamis Kerr]

"Rare enough," came the agreement from Jamis, taken aback by the swiftness with which the little guy had disassembled and reassembled Kala's lightsaber. Briefly he wondered if he could make some credits by turning the Wookiee's 'talent' into a sort of sideshow.

Naw, that'd just get him in trouble.

Pulling a strange face, the boy set his hands on his hips while settling his weight onto one leg and looking at Hwooroc.

"Can you take apart any lightsaber that fast?"

[Hwooroc]

Hwooroc ran a paw through his head fur as he explained to Akasha. While lightsabers were rare, the really rare parts were the crystals and the skill it took to refine the crystals to focus the energy.

"Augghnna hrrgh mmrra hoooaaa whraa hhggguuuuuu. Owawawa nnnnga ouuuuu rrrruuarawaw."

So as long as you understood how a superconductor worked and basic electronics, you could get 90% of the way there. The major stuff on the outside? You could probably even put it together out of scrap or whatever you could find at a hardware store! The Wookiee snurfled in sheepish laughter, swaying back and forth on his footpaws a little.

"...hwoooggggh ngaa auuawaaa."

Of course, he had no idea about any of that other ten percent. Hopefully he'd get a chance to learn with the best!

Jamis's question...how could he answer that? Probably? He'd only seen the three in front of him in real life. There were pictures of plenty in his books, but some of them were gorgeous organic works of art that clearly were put together with an artisan's touch. The ones the padawans were using seemed a bit more practical.

"Gnnnauu?"

Maybe? Hwooroc shrugged.

[Kala'ndryl Ryj]

Kala was more than happy to play translator as she relayed between Hwooroc and her two friends. She grinned, and nodded with a measure of enthusiasm.

"You're going to be very much sought out, Hwooroc. We don't have anyone among the current Padawans with your level of technical skill. Especially since we're still building up our..." she waved a hand at the area around them. It was like luxury camping, she decided, considering the cramped quarters they had been stuck in for so very long.

"...our new home here. There's always something that needs tending to between our studies and training sessions."

Glancing up, pitch black eyes blinked as they scanned the immediate area. "We really ought to find a Knight or a Master to give you a formal welcome. Akasha, Jamis...who do you think is likely free at this hour?"

[Akasha Khan]

Akasha traded glances with the human boy and shrugged. "Master Laran? She should be in the healing pavilion. If she's not with a patient, I'm sure she can talk to him."

She looked back down at the wet-nosed little wooklet and added, "Well... if she can talk to him."

[Jamis Kerr]

Akasha's guess was as good as his, and Jamis nodded in agreement.

"Master Laran would be best, I think."

Stuffing a hand into his trouser pockets, the boy shifted his weight a small bit, giving Hwooroc another curious glance before turning to look at Kala while jerking his thumb in the direction of the healing pavilion.

"It's almost the lunch hour, so she may not be too busy."

[Hwooroc]

Hwooroc's eyes widened at the thought of meeting a Jedi Master, and his mouth gaped slightly. He'd heard that the Order, being still somewhat young from being rebuilt, only had a few of them. It was the rarest of the rare kind of opportunities. Of course, it wouldn't do at all to meet someone like Master Laran (who was probably one of the most powerful Jedi around) and act like a fawning, useless hanger-on.

His expression of wonderment turned to a look of steadfast determination. He gave a paw a lick, drawing it up to his face to compel any scraggly or errant face fur to comply to a more neat and orderly arrangement, and sleeked himself down a bit. When he was satisfied that he was presentable, he gave a stern nod, and a statement that he was ready to meet Master Laran, and that he would not disappoint her.

"Auwwwhaarruf."

[Akasha Khan]

Akasha watched in dismay as Hwooroc attempted some field maintenance on the filth-ridden haystack he called a pelt - she could almost feel the scuzziness crawling through her own fur by sheer association. One day she would have to ambush him, throw him into a tub of shampoo, and then savage him with a blower and a fur brush just to regain her peace of mind.

"Much better," she lied. "Come on, then."

The medical pavilion was a short walk north, across an empty lawn from the plot where the construction crews were raising a more permanent medical center. Akasha led the small entourage into the reception, which was empty except for a glum-faced Rodian teenager with his arm in a cast.

"Oh, hey, Drax, is Master Laran around?" Akasha asked.

The Rodian blinked at the sudden influx of Padawans and stammered, "Er, yes, but--"

"Great!" Akasha said as she breezed through. "Oh, and sorry again about the arm."

The Orryxian pushed aside the curtain separating the reception from the examination rooms and led the way to the break room where the medical staff commonly took their lunch. "Master Laran?" she said. "There's someone here who'd like to meet you."

[Serena Laran]

Serena was enjoying a fresh salad in the quiet of the break room, the lettuce from her garden and the cucumbers and tomatoes from Anbira's. She lifted another forkful to her mouth, and then paused mid chew as the plastic curtains drew back and a troop of padawans invaded. Her eyebrows raised as Akasha Khan addressed her, and she swallowed carefully.

"Is someone hurt?" She didn't sense anything of the sort from the group, and then a small Wookiee was pushed to the front of the group. Serena smiled. "Hello little one."

[Hwooroc]

Akasha more or less shoved him forward, and Hwooroc turned suddenly to look back at the Orryxian, Jamis, and Kala. His eyes went wide again. Wasn't there a procedure here? Some kind of a formal introduction rather than throwing him into the Katarn pit?!? Apparently not! Wurrfling nervously, the young Wookiee turned around to face the Jedi Master, paws smoothing down imagined scruff spots of fur as he introduced himself.

"Gnau aauwa Hwooroc hrrghhauwawa."

Should he shake her hand? He raised a paw to consider it, and then thought better of his social graces. Maybe a bow instead. But how low? How long? Was he supposed to look at her or the floor?

He opted for a deep bow. Almost too deep nearly toppling over due to his backpack. He'd forgotten he was wearing a backpack! Stupid!

[Serena Laran]

Jamis hauled up on the Wookiee's pack, keeping him upright. Serena wiped her lips with a napkin and stood up, walking in front of them. She knelt down so as not to tower over the group. "It is nice to meet you, Hwooroc. I am Master Laran. I got the letters from your parents, but we weren't expecting you until next week."

She held out her hand to shake his. "I see you've met some of the padawans here." Serena caught Kala in her gaze. "I'm sure they can show you to your youngling clan. Katarn Clan is expecting you."

She smiled.

[Hwooroc]

Doubt washed away with her words, and Hwooroc's eyes brightened as Serena took his paw in a handshake. Unable to retain his stoic composure, a broad smile blossomed on his face, exposing his slight underbite as he pumped her hand enthusiastically. His parents letter had arrived! They'd been so excited for him to join the Order, to honor their family life debt to the Marek family. And Katarn clan! If that wasn't a sign of good fortune, nothing was. Katarns were beasts of legend in the Shadowlands of home, regarded for their great strength and cunning. Hwooroc was determined to be a credit to his clan. Already he could see it in his mind, clear as day. Learning eagerly, training relentlessly. Drawing upon the living force to become a guardian of hope. He felt a warmth in his middle, a feeling that was more than emotion. The Jedi guardian who had discovered him had encouraged Hwooroc not to discount such feelings lightly. Hwooroc closed his eyes, feeling a state of serenity in Master Laran's presence.

Master Laran.

The Wookiee's eyes snapped open again. He was still standing there lamely, holding onto Serena's hand like a security blanket. His expression went a bit sheepish, and he hrrauffed his apologies, releasing her hand and feeling like he could float away on a breeze.