View Full Version : Calling on the Spirits - 10.120
Ndonsa
Mar 24th, 2014, 10:12:22 PM
Ndonsa blew out her breath slowly, a predawn mist clinging to the forest, spear balanced expertly in her paw as she gauged the distance to the prowling choku. She threw it, fast and sure, and the adolescent predator cat stumbled as the spear tore through it's chest.
She ran after it as it tried to leave, unhappy that she had missed the heart. She was still getting used to where the vital organs were on the strange creatures of the planet she found herself on. Ndonsa leapt on the large cat, using her knife to open it's throat and end it's suffering.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 24th, 2014, 11:18:12 PM
The knife's passage, unlike the spear's, was clean. The artery severed, and crimson release gave the Nehantite's prey it's deserved merciful end. The choku's blood collected into a recess in the forest floor - a patch of moss in a bed of stones. The blood pooled briefly before seeping below, its sheer surface casting back red-hued reflections of the huntress amid the morning-lit canopy above.
Ndonsa could see the distorted reflection of herself just barely in the blood. And just beyond her, she thought she saw the silhouette of another, standing behind.
Ndonsa
Mar 25th, 2014, 10:08:12 AM
She whirled around, teeth bared and knife in hand, only to find the person behind her was see through. Ndonsa hesitated, pink eyes taking in the slightly blue glow, and then she put her face in the ground, bowing as low as she could. "Forgive me, spirit."
The spirit chuckled, and she frowned at the plants in front of her nose. "Forgive you for what?"
"I killed in your forest, without sacrificing for your favor..." her voice trailed off and she looked up at the spirit who looked amused behind his beard. "I..."
"Worry not, padawan. This forest does not belong to me, and you certainly do not need to sacrifice anything." He sat on a fallen log, and she confusedly sat back on her haunches, both regarding the other. "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. And you are in need of a master to teach you the ways of the Jedi."
She blinked, and slowly nodded. "Are you to teach me your wisdom?"
Obi-Wan smiled, "No, but I know who will. He will need some convincing."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 25th, 2014, 08:56:30 PM
Clear across the Valley...
Another figure was hard at work in the morning hours. Rather than living by the toil of a spear, this man lived by the tools of the field. He broke old rows, turned over soil, preparing for the next cycle's planting. Already the twin suns of Ossus were on the rise. The chill of dawn was fast retreating as Anbira squinted into the morning's red horizon. The twin orbs marked time in their march across the sky. Soon the heat of day would come, bringing blue sky and clear vistas. And soon, one-by-one, the twin suns would set again, drawing the lights dim and abandoning the heavens to a canopy of stars.
It served as a reminder to Anbira of how much work remained to be done. The thought used to fill him with disquieting fear and heartache. Not a day had passed that he didn't think of the destiny that had been revealed to him...and how he'd tried to run from it. The weakness in his spirit, and the hubris that allowed him to think he was above such sunrises and sunsets. He tried so very long to hide from who he was. But in the end it was always the same. He was a Jedi. His was the solemn stewardship of life and the universe. The selfless sacrifice was his burden to carry. Though he could always try and hide this from others, he would always recognize himself.
From his vantage at the hermitage, Anbira could see a figure moving along the ridge, walking from Sanctuary. The rising suns obscured the visitor, their rising and falling shoulders cloaked in silhouette against the glare. He drew a hand over his eyes, crows feet creasing at the corners of his eyes on his well-tanned face, as his eyes narrowed to shield the sun.
"Hello there!"
Ndonsa
Mar 25th, 2014, 09:56:38 PM
Ndonsa studied the man, the one some of the others called the Mad Hermit. She had looked up the words and didn't see how they applied. Knight Hicchoru was sane enough to dress himself, feed his body, and take care of a garden, and a hermit would not visit the rest of the Jedi camp, which he did from time to time. She raised a paw in greeting and walked closer. "Master Hicchoru." She bowed hesitantly, her beaded necklaces clinking together noisily. "I am your new padawan. Ndonsa," she added after a moment, as he probably did not know her name.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2014, 12:07:19 AM
His eyes widened a bit at her bizarre bombshell of a greeting. It wasn't presumptuous. No, it was beyond that. Her admission that she was his student was given almost casually, as if she was simply recounting something already agreed-upon. Anbira drew a hand to his beard as he watched her prostrate herself slightly, and found that he was at a loss for words. Of course, finding words was a task he would have to attend to, and soon.
"I...er...well."
He gave his chin whiskers a firm tugging, goading himself from his bewilderment.
"Congratulations on your assignment, Padawan, but I...you must have me confused with someone else. I have taken no learner."
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2014, 10:05:25 AM
"I am not confused," she said, studying his mannerisms. "You must pass on your knowledge, and so I am here." Ndonsa rubbed her chin a little, mimicking his gesture.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2014, 11:24:47 AM
"Padawan..."
Anbira paused, not wanting to reinforce their mistaken relationship by using the title.
"Ndonsa...the relationship between a learner and a master is a two-way affair. You honor me with your choice, you do, but I have abstained from taking a student of my own."
His explanation didn't seem to offer much closure to the matter, and the Jedi Hermit sighed.
"I would be glad to assist you in finding a teacher. There are many who are capable."
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2014, 11:51:49 AM
"There are," she agreed. "The spirit told me you would decline but I am to stay."
Ndonsa tilted her head slightly, tail flicking a little as a bug tried to land on it. He must have very strong magic if the spirits would come and speak on his behalf. She was looking forward to learning from him.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2014, 12:48:56 PM
"The spirit?"
Anbira stared back blankly. He'd heard of the Nehantite's eccentricities second-hand, and wondered exactly how her gifts of the force manifested themselves. This wasn't some half-intuition, however. He sensed her serious intent. Still, he was adamant, and shook his head.
"I am sorry, Ndonsa. Your spirit is correct. I cannot be your master."
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2014, 01:57:11 PM
Ndonsa frowned, walking around him to study his 'garden.' It was a new word she had learned since coming to live among the Jedi, though she was not unfamiliar with the concept of planting or tending to a patch of ground, perhaps with sweet potatoes or other root vegetables. The variety and quantity here, however, was much greater than she was used to. "And I will stay," she insisted.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2014, 02:36:51 PM
She had indefatigable will, that was certain. Any less resolve and she would've taken a hint. Anbira watched her carefully to see any break in her armor. Her eyes reflected back his own - expressive, inquisitive, and steadfast.
"I have work to do."
It wasn't a dismissal. She wouldn't be denied by simply stating such. But it was the truth. He worked the land. Anbira stooped to pick up the hoe from alongside one of the rutted furrows, and headed back to the field for his chores.
"Stay if you wish."
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2014, 02:50:15 PM
Ndonsa found a place to sit that was mostly in the shade, and she watched Master Hicchoru as he worked. He didn't appear to be using the Force at all, sweating and struggling with the dirt and plants. She mediated for a while, using techniques she'd learned in class. She was empty inside except for a budding flower, and as she focused on the flower it bloomed, and the awareness of her surroundings through the Force came rushing in. The spirit, Obi-Wan, had told her to be persistent.
She had not needed a lot of convincing. She was tired of group classes, and felt she was reaching the limit of the benefit she was getting from them. A spirit of a Jedi, summoned from the afterlife to talk...to her? She'd practically run to Anbira's tree to tell him. He wasn't interested, but she was not going to go anywhere. As the sun rose high above the garden she practiced lifting small stones with the Force, stacking them carefully.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2014, 03:33:36 PM
Anbira worked on tirelessly, the heat of the day coming forth as he wiped sweat from his brow. His furrows had been tended, and the plowed loam was carefully turned over to pillowy-soft rows of dark earth. Only when the rows were fully arranged did he stop, returning to his tree to fetch a skin of water that hung by a strap from a branch. Using some water to rinse the black soil from his hands, he took a few swallows from the container, plugging it as he slung the skin over his shoulder, walking to where the Nehantite waited.
Anbira watched the care she showed, her connection to the force bringing her intentions to the stones under her sway. He could feel the clarity of focus in her actions, and their serene influence on her mind. The promise for potential was plain to see, and he was truly glad to see it. Not wanting to disturb her meditation, Anbira eased the water skin down to the ground where it was near for her, if she chose to drink. He righted himself, and returned to work. He had seed to sow, and it was already midday.
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2014, 09:21:05 PM
Ndonsa helped herself to the water, then got up and walked away. A half an hour later she returned, two brown sacks in her paw. She put one in the shade of the big tree, and then sat in the sun, pulling a wrapped sandwich out of her bag.
"I brought you lunch, Master Hicchoru," she called, then took a huge mouthful of her sandwich, chewing enthusiastically.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2014, 09:44:39 PM
Anbira paused in his toils again, an appreciative smile on his face as he returned to the tree. Again the ritual was the same. Water to wash, water to drink. He retrieved his parcel, and came to sit alongside Ndonsa, cross-legged on a patch of grass just shy of the field.
"Thank you."
He carefully unwrapped the sandwich, a glance through stray strands of sweat-damp hair at Ndonsa as she attended to matters of nourishment without ceremony. He too did not delay, taking one triangle of the nuna salad sandwich in a hand as he ate. They watched a flock of tura in a stand of trees beyond the farm plot, who had figured out the bipeds were carrying food, and were patiently waiting for scrap or crumbs to be abandoned before they swooped in.
"Tell me of your travels, Ndonsa. How did you come to Ossus? I have met only one of your kind before and he is quite different."
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2014, 09:54:31 PM
She frowned lightly over her sandwich, using a finger to push some stray food back into her mouth as she chewed and then swallowed. "There are none of my kind here. Oh," she waved a hand dismissively, "the yellowfurs, yes. But I am Kufu." She thumped her chest proudly, her beads rattling.
"I was a shaman of my tribe," she started, explaining how she had been torn from her shaman training to be wed to the chieftain as his newest wife. Rebelling against such a fate, Ndonsa had run away, and then stowed away on a ship, hoping to go to a different part of her world. She found herself instead in the stars, and had traveled with an odd man and his droids, only to be abandoned on Ossus after the Ysanna had attacked his ship. "What we called magic, the Jedi call the Force. Abarai Loki was very upset when I demonstrated a war dance to him, the... emotion?" She paused, took another bite, and continued with her mouth full, "it was too full. Too...angry. I wish to learn the ways of the Jedi, to harness my ability in a respectable manner worthy of emulation."
The big words were obviously rehearsed and were delivered in a cadence very similar to a certain young Jedi Knight.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2014, 10:08:17 PM
"You saw a path set before you, and chose to create your own. It takes great strength within to do so."
Though the trappings of the details could scarcely be more alien, Anbira understood the universal truth that lay within. He took another bite, humoring the tura in the trees by pinching a bit of crust from his sandwich and tossing it a few meters ahead, where they suddenly dashed upon it creating a feathery scrum.
"Magic..."
The Jedi Hermit smiled. Not out of condescension or at Ndonsa's expense. It too held a truth he felt too many of his peers held at arm's length.
"...there's a grain of wisdom in that. The Force exists in everything, from the great to the very small. It is the end, and the beginning, and we are links in that great chain. Your point of view is pleasant, shaman."
Ndonsa
Mar 28th, 2014, 10:14:20 AM
Ndonsa smiled around a mouthful of food, pleased that he had used her title. Then she said, "I have no tribe to guide. I am shaman no more. Ndonsa is a padawan learner, and you are my master. Unless," she teased, "You wish to learn from me, Master Hicchoru. Divining the bones, reading clouds, and various incantations. These are, I am told, not the right way to do things, but I find using the Force very difficult unless I can chant through it."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 29th, 2014, 02:42:59 PM
Anbira remained reticent on the matter, reluctant to engage in the conversation deeply enough to give the Nehantite a false impression of his willingness to teach. Then again, lessons were taught and learned informally all the time. Finishing one half of his sandwich, Anbira bundled the other half for later.
"I am less certain of right and wrong ways, Ndonsa. So much of what a Jedi does is through a certain point of view. That which you see, and that which you say. You find meaning in these things, yes?"
He wondered exactly what truth she'd uncovered by means of seeing a spirit, if that were indeed the case. Intuition was a bedrock on which a Jedi's senses were built.
Ndonsa
Mar 29th, 2014, 03:51:03 PM
"Yes," she said uncertainly. Ndonsa thought about it, trying to reconcile what he'd said with what Loki had told her. She looked over at Master Anbira, seeing him packing up what was left of his lunch. She sat up a bit. "And now you will train me."
"No," he started, and she interrupted.
"From a certain point of view, you have already trained me. The future, perhaps," she said, a small smile on her face. "Obi-Wan said you needed to be convinced but I am not sure how to do it. So, I will just stay until you do."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 29th, 2014, 03:57:45 PM
Anbira paused in the midst of standing. He turned to face Ndonsa, a look of surprise barely guarded on his face as he studied the shaman.
"What did you say?"
Ndonsa
Mar 29th, 2014, 04:15:10 PM
"I said, 'I will stay until you train me.'" She looked at him quizzically, shoving the last chunk of sandwich into her mouth.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 29th, 2014, 04:18:30 PM
Anbira shook his head, placing a hand on Ndonsa's shoulder.
"The name you said? The spirit's name?"
Ndonsa
Mar 29th, 2014, 04:22:46 PM
Ah. Ndonsa chewed and swallowed, and crumpled up her bag. "Obi Wan. He visited me in the forest while I was hunting. I did not do a ritual to summon him - though," she admitted, "I have never seen a spirit like him before."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 29th, 2014, 04:27:17 PM
The Jedi Hermit drew his hand back slowly, Ndonsa's admission giving her demands more gravity than before.
"Obi Wan."
Anbira sat back down, deep in contemplation. He ran a hand through his beard, looking off to the sky.
"Obi Wan..."
Ndonsa
Mar 29th, 2014, 05:06:38 PM
She shifted position so that they were facing each other as they sat on the ground. "Did you know him, when he was alive?" Speaking to dead people did not bother her, or phase her in the slightest. Not that she'd ever seen a spirit before, but the shaman she had learned from had communicated with the dead quite a bit. Or, had claimed to, she supposed.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 29th, 2014, 05:28:38 PM
"It's a name I've not heard in a long time..."
Anbira's eyes closed, thinking back to the last time (sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?21088-The-Secret-of-the-Whills) the spirits had visited him, when the Jedi were still traveling the stars in the Wheel.
"...a long time."
He looked to Ndonsa once more, seeing her in perhaps a new light. She'd come to him for training he feared he could not give. For training his insights told him would one day be cut short. Anbira knew his destiny. He knew his end. Perhaps the journey itself bore more fruit than the destination. Was Obi Wan trying to show him the purpose he'd long been searching for?
"Master Obi Wan Kenobi. I first met him, as you did, when I was lost and looking to be found. You spoke of turning from a path that was set before you. I took such a path as well, many years ago."
Ndonsa
Mar 29th, 2014, 05:42:58 PM
"Then who could be better to teach me, Master," she said quietly. He had a ...sadness to him that she had not noticed before. A finality. Ndonsa looked to the garden over his shoulder, and nodded toward it. "Is this work your new path? To... grow things." She sounded dubious.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 29th, 2014, 06:00:48 PM
The somber expression on Anbira's face turned warmer, and he looked to the garden that had flourished by the toil of his hands, and looked back to Ndonsa. So eager, so expecting. The metaphor should have been more obvious to him before. It took Ndonsa stripping it down to the roots for him to see what lay before him.
"Oh yes."
Standing, the Jedi Hermit offered his hand to the Nehantite, drawing her to her feet as he led her through the furrows. In the midst of the straight lines, he dropped to his haunches, bidding her to do the same.
"The Jedi are many things to many people. Great warriors, protectors, diplomats, people of spirit. Perhaps these and more. Hold out your hand."
Anbira reached to a pouch that was cinched at his waist. Carefully, he spilled some of the contents into a waiting paw. Black, oblong seeds. Almost reverently, he closed Ndonsa's fingers gently over her palm, cupping her hand with his own as he bowed his head slightly.
"We are stewards. Of a responsibility both greater than any of us, and yet so fragile and vulnerable. Without life, there is no force. Without force, there is no life. Everything we do, and everything we are is underpinned by this truth. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, Ndonsa. Commitment to this bond between the living and unifying force, and everything in creation it touches."
Releasing his hold from her hand, Anbira carefully cored out a rut into the furrow with two fingers, and carefully drew Ndonsa's hand over the hole to place the seed.
Ndonsa
Mar 29th, 2014, 06:28:03 PM
She dropped the seeds into the dirt with curiousity, watching her master smooth over the hole with more dirt. She placed her paw over where the seeds rested, teasing their essence with her senses, feeling the imminent life held within them. "You are not talking of this garden," she said, frowning slightly as she concentrated.
"I am willing to learn what you will teach me. To be... to be what I am to be." Ndonsa slowly lifted her paw, revealing a green spout peeking up out of the dirt. She grinned excitedly.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 29th, 2014, 07:50:54 PM
Anbira's smile grew at her unorthodox grasp of the innate foundations of the living force. He retrieved the pouch, tossing the entire thing to his new padawan.
"Very well, Padawan. Your training, it would seem, has already begun. What we plant today, we harvest tomorrow."
He worked with her to finish the work twice as quickly, standing alongside as he rutted each furrow for her to follow up. The planting was finished with more than enough sun remaining to enjoy the end of the day. Master and Padawan spent the twilight hours at the base of his tree, sitting against the wide trunk. He shared with her his water, and reflected on a most interesting day.
"You tend to the field like a true hand. The work is tedious and not easy. The reward is honest and renewing."
Anbira squinted against the orange sunset.
"The day is late. You will need your rest, Padawan. Tomorrow's challenges are greater."
Ndonsa
Apr 3rd, 2014, 11:11:45 AM
"Thank you, Master Hicchoru." Ndonsa bowed her head in respect. "I look forward to tomorrow's challenge." She puffed out her chest a bit, to show she was not intimidated, and took her leave.
Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 7th, 2014, 08:33:00 PM
Anbira bid his goodbyes to the Nehantite, finding the crooked perch of his familiar tree branch as he watched her take the road back to the camp. Her silhouette grew smaller and smaller as the distance passed, and the Jedi Hermit's expression turned wistful as his attention drifted to the skyline. Why hadn't they told him? The spirits of the force rarely explained things in any time other than their own, but Anbira still found that he yearned for their counsel.
"Will we finish what we begin?"
The cloud cover shifted as the winds changed direction. Set against the dying light of day, a hauntingly beautiful transition into reds and purples held witness to the day's last light. The clouds picked up the color, and a familiar face could almost be seen within them. But just as soon as the notion occured to Anbira, it was gone again. He listened to the sounds of the evening pick up with the droning of insects, frogs, and birds, and sleep took him quickly. The first light of day would fast approach, and he had much work to do.
Ndonsa
Apr 7th, 2014, 10:12:39 PM
The next morning Ndonsa skipped breakfast in the mess tent in favor of a hunk of bread to go. She ate it while she walked to Master Hicchoru's tree, arriving just after the sun pinked the sky. Seeing no one, and assuming he might still be sleeping in the tree or underground or whatever it was he did, Ndonsa walked to the garden, inspecting the plants they'd encouraged to grow from seed just the day before.
Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 8th, 2014, 09:45:38 PM
A splashing sound from the nearby stream caught Ndonsa's attention as a figure emerged from the cold water. The hirsute human couldn't be mistaken, even from this distance, as he grabbed for a strategically-placed towel hanging from a branch that obstructed her view. He turned his back to her, running the towel over his hair and torso before cinching it tightly around his middle. At least partly presentable now, Anbira turned, raising a hand high in greeting.
"Good morning!"
Ndonsa
Apr 9th, 2014, 09:59:29 AM
His nakedness, or lack thereof, made no impression on the Kufu, other than to note that his body appeared strong. Ndonsa raised her spear to him, and walked closer. "Good morning, Master Hicchoru. What will we learn today?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 10th, 2014, 09:04:58 PM
"An interesting question!"
Anbira smiled, shaking the water free from his rangy locks and beard. Once they were no longer dripping he tended to the rest of the more immediate needs of drying, then disappeared behind brush where his clothing would be found.
"You are the learner, Ndonsa. Yet you ask what we will learn, implying I will as well."
The Jedi Hermit again rose from behind foliage, his head and chest visible as amusement and intrigue filled his features.
"That is an intuitive observation. Sadly, it's not one I have an answer for."
The leaves rustled with a bare-shouldered shrug.
"Not yet, at least."
Ndonsa
Apr 10th, 2014, 10:21:56 PM
"Then I have a question again," she said, sitting on the bank of the river while the Jedi dressed. "Why do we wear these...clothes. They are stiff. They pinch. I do wear them as requested but it is not my way."
Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 10th, 2014, 10:38:06 PM
The Jedi Hermit went to work knocking some stubborn water from an ear by giving the opposite side of his head a gentle rapping with his palm. He squinted an eye as he thought about the question, a smile of relief when he heard the muffled sound of water ebb from his ear at last.
"Varied reasons, I suppose. Some wear clothes for utility. To be warm in the winter, or to cover the sun in the summertime. Other purposes too such as pockets to hold things, and armor to protect one's self. These are pragmatic reasons. Easier to explain to someone unused to the concept."
Anbira smiled an easy smile, skin creasing at his eyes as he did.
"Other reasons can be a form of expression. Clothing can be a means of how you wish to appear viewed by those around you. This can be taken to...extremes."
He gave a sigh, that left the main reason, or at least the one closest to skin, as it were.
"Those that wear clothing mainly tend to do so out of modesty and mutual respect. That is to say, wearing no clothes in the company of others has a personal meaning to it."
Anbira felt strangely drawn into some form of parental paradox in explaining this. It was amusing, but hopefully their lessons would become more substantial.
Ndonsa
Apr 10th, 2014, 10:58:54 PM
"I will think on your words," she said thoughtfully, watching him dress without a trace of embarrassment. He was in front of her with no clothes...what personal meaning did that have? She did not think it was the time to ask, however, as he emerged from behind the bushes that concealed less than perhaps he thought they did, fully clothed at last.
Ndonsa got up, her own clothes briefer than most, but adequate for what Abarai Loki called 'modesty', and let him approach her. "Today we will work your fields?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 10th, 2014, 11:15:01 PM
Mention of the fields caused an automatic turn to view his hard-worked plot. Anbira smiled in admiration, and shook his head.
"No, I think not. We did well yesterday. The work in the fields for today, that is for the plants to do."
Anbira took stock of his pupil. She was lithe and athletically-built, with a look to her that accentuated speed and dexterity. The spear she carried and the bone and tooth trinkets she wore gave her credentials as a huntress. Stepping from the brush, now in full (but humble) attire, Anbira drew a hand down the chin of his beard as he considered the day's activities.
"Have you spent much time hunting in the forests here?"
Ndonsa
Apr 10th, 2014, 11:32:01 PM
"Yes," she said. "Many hours. It is not like Kuf, but...near enough."
Ndonsa thumped the butt of her spear in the dirt. "Do you want me to take you hunting?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 17th, 2014, 09:11:50 PM
"In a way..."
The Jedi Hermit's inscrutable expression betrayed little of his meaning, and he crossed his arms.
"Tell me, what is the most dangerous, difficult, and most elusive quarry in these woods?"
Ndonsa cast nothing if not a confident demeanor. He would take her response as an earnest one, as she seemed indifferent to discuss anything less than the truth.
Ndonsa
Apr 18th, 2014, 09:24:39 AM
"The Ysanna," she said. Then she added, "I have tracked their scouts many times, and have touched one while he slept." Ndonsa fished out one of her many necklaces, and showed her master a plain brown bead strung on a line. "I took this from him."
Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 24th, 2014, 10:17:04 PM
"The Ysanna are quite guileful, and you answer this question thoughtfully."
Anbira conceded with a nod, inspected the pilfered trophy. Hopefully Ndonsa's cunning theft would leave no lasting ill effects, but that was perhaps something to address at another time. In the present, she had made an intelligent use of insight into Anbira's meaning.
"But, you are not correct. There is another quarry."
The Hermit smiled, waiting to see what Ndonsa thought about that conundrum before he took off into the woods at a full sprint.
Ndonsa
Apr 24th, 2014, 10:21:25 PM
He only got a few steps on her before she was hefting her spear and running after him. He was fast, but she stayed with him, curious as to what sort of prey he had in mind.
Anbira Hicchoru
May 1st, 2014, 11:05:00 PM
Anbira's stride lengthened, confidently taking paths nearly obfuscated by greenery he knew he could pass through unopposed. As deft as his footing was, Ndonsa was never far behind. With a wry grin, he pivoted on a toe, lifting her off her feet with a force push before he himself launched into the tree canopy above. If it wasn't clear to Ndonsa who her quarry was before, it must surely be now.
Ndonsa
May 21st, 2014, 12:14:48 PM
She fell backwards at the unexpected attack, and flipped back to her feet just as Anbira disappeared up into the trees. Ndonsa narrowed her eyes, and then grinned, running along underneath him as he traveled above, looking for a tree with low hanging branches that would do to help her join him.
Anbira Hicchoru
Oct 19th, 2014, 10:02:25 PM
She was fleet of foot, fast, agile, and nimble. And it was instantly apparent that she indeed knew these forests well. Anbira broke direction in his flight, taking to vaulting from a branch with enough give to act as a spring, shooting him across a greater distance, where he caught another branch halfway down another elder tree. The momentum caused his body to swing over the branch, bleeding off some of the motion so that when he came back around, he could drop straight below, catch yet another branch, and bound across and further down.
Still, his instincts told him that Ndonsa would not be too far behind, and as Anbira leapt to the ground, he gestured to branches in the opposite direction, swaying them with the force to simulate give under weight.
Ndonsa
Oct 22nd, 2014, 11:56:48 PM
The flight through the trees was exhilarating, but Ndonsa did not get caught up in the moment. She bounded from limb to limb, yards behind her master, one hand occupied with the spear, the other with balance. Her eyes narrowed with concentration as she felt him slipping further away, the crashing in the trees coming from lower down.
She dropped from branch to branch, footpaws landing silently in the thick pad of molding leave on the jungle floor, ears sharp for further noise. When she heard it, the sound of him landing came twice, in opposite directions.
Ndonsa crouched low, slinking close to the ground as she prowled closer. Her senses were going to lead her astray, so she closed her eyes, concentrating on the bud inside, letting go to the Force and allowing it to open. There. She felt his presence, and a smile curled across her face as she darted off toward him, the chase on again.
Anbira Hicchoru
Dec 14th, 2014, 02:39:10 PM
Anbira paced her further through the lower branches, knowing that she wouldn't be long delayed by his ruse. He let his path be guided not by will, but by nature around him. The curve of a branch here, the approach of a thicket there. The world around him presented obstacle and opportunity alike, and Anbira's flight became as organic as the gnarled trees which grew here. Everything known from memory, of intimate time spent alone in the wild. It was as natural as breathing air.
After some time, he slowed his pace, and began to take a more deliberate path towards a dell in the woods that led to a pond, which itself formed the headwaters of a stream that would flow north.
Ndonsa
Feb 12th, 2015, 11:14:32 AM
He slowed, and she did as well, wary of some sort of trap. After a few minutes, when nothing happened, Ndonsa quickened her pace, circling around a little and arrowing toward him from the side.
Anbira Hicchoru
Feb 28th, 2015, 11:13:10 AM
When she arrived at the dell, there was little sign of Anbira to be found. Were she to double back and look for physical tracks, she might find his approach to the isolated depression in the forest bed, but it would terminate in two very distinct footprints. All around her, the woods were silent but for the sounds of nature. The occasional bird call. Leaves shivering in a change of wind. The sound of water lapping at the pond, and the distant burble of the stream's head.
Ndonsa
Mar 5th, 2015, 03:15:14 PM
Ndonsa turned slowly in a circle, locating Anbira's trail and it's unusual end. She looked up into the trees, but saw nothing that indicated he was above her. Or anywhere, for that matter.
She crouched over the indentations on the ground, placing a paw in the footprint and closing her eyes. Her lips began to move as she concentrated on her surroundings, a quiet chant for what-is-not-seen-to-be-revealed pouring out of her. Her senses spread outside of herself, into all that was around her. Birds, rodents, rocks, trees, water, and man. Chanting softly still, Ndonsa turned toward the pond, regarding the water with distrust. It wasn't that she had never seen still water before (she had), or that she couldn't swim (she could). Underwater predators were dangerous, and she was not made for fighting in water, that pulled at her arms and tail and filled her sensitive ears.
Ndonsa picked up a sizeable rock and tossed it into the water, mumbling under her breath to keep the chant going and her senses sharp, aiming for where she had felt the presence in the pond.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 5th, 2015, 03:27:35 PM
The rock skipped along the pond's glassy surface in diminishing leaps, and at the point which it should have been subsumed, it rested unnaturally on the water's surface as if it were made of cork.
Suddenly the placid water roiled, an undulating wave pitching forward to overtop it's banks and douse the Nehantite completely.
Ndonsa
Mar 6th, 2015, 09:44:52 PM
She spluttered, water running off of her as she darted back from the edge of the suddenly treacherous pond. Then she squared her shoulders, dropped her spear, and ran toward the water, diving in. Air escaped in a stream of bubbles as she stroked strongly toward where she had sensed Master Anbira, but with the chant gone her senses were not quite as sharp.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 6th, 2015, 09:51:27 PM
The thing about a roiling wave leaping from still waters was that it sure had a way of getting your attention. The water had scarcely crested over Ndonsa's face when Anbira had launched from his watery hiding place, body spinning tight somersaults until he splayed out to catch a nearby overhanging bough, again diverting his energy in a fluid descent. The hermit dropped to the ground in a crouch, hardly half a step from where the shaman had abandoned her spear. He hoisted it, testing it's weight and balance for a bit, before letting his arms comfortably drape along it's length as it rested along the back of his neck.
All he needed to do was wait for her to come up for air.
Ndonsa
Mar 6th, 2015, 10:08:15 PM
There weren't even any fish in the pond, just some weeds. Ndonsa bobbed to the surface to get her bearings, and almost immediately found Anbira on the bank, her spear across his shoulders. Her pink eyes flared a little red, and she swam for the side of the pond, standing when she could and stalking out onto the bank, streaming water from her ancestor forsaken pants. A loincloth was preferable in just about every single way.
She muttered something under her breath, and a branch fell abruptly from the tree above her master as she shook herself to get rid of as much excess water as possible.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 6th, 2015, 10:20:00 PM
He smiled at the sight of her making the long walk back to shore. Alas, too in the moment. Only at the last instant did he note his folly, and by then the branch had come down upon him, bouncing off his head with a thunk. His jovial grin slowly ebbed into a slight frown. A second later...
"Ow."
Ndonsa
Mar 6th, 2015, 10:28:33 PM
"A draw?" she asked, her necklaces jingling. Ndonsa held out her paw, and he could feel the tug of the Force on the spear he was still holding. If he did not keep a good grip it would knock him in the back of the head as it flew back to her.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 7th, 2015, 01:37:53 AM
His smile was back. A warrior and their weapon not soon parted, Anbira respected the relationship, bending slightly and lowering his head, allowing the spear to be called to it's owner without further incident. Again standing full, the hermit reached up, gingerly rubbing the knot forming on his head.
"A draw? Hmm. Why not? From a certain point of view? Absolutely!"
He paused to see if she too was exuberant at the outcome.
"A draw!"
The rock Ndonsa had thrown into the pond earlier, which had been floating over the mongoose's head for a good minute now, fell harmlessly to the side without incident. Anbira winked, and walked along the stream.
Ndonsa
Mar 7th, 2015, 11:59:46 AM
She turned at the sound of the rock falling, and gave herself another miserable shake. The cloth clinging to her legs would make drying slow, and she wanted nothing more than to rip the sodden material off and lay in the sun until her fur had fluffed. Ndonsa walked stiff legged after her new master, wondering at his burst of happiness.
"I found you and hit you. Perhaps I won," she said, a slight question in her tone. What had been the point of the chase?
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 7th, 2015, 02:27:45 PM
He paused at that, looking back to the frumpy mongoose, none too pleased at the condition of her sopping state. A hand to his bearded chin thoughtfully. He considered her analysis.
"You have sound reasoning. Was that your objective?"
Ndonsa
Mar 8th, 2015, 06:15:24 PM
Ndonsa frowned, not expecting another question instead of an answer. This kind of talk was not something she was used to. Kufu said what they meant, and what they expected. "Kufu play games as cubs, to practice the hunt. To take a hit means you sit out. What is objective?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 8th, 2015, 06:39:10 PM
Anbira canted his head a bit, shrugging as he nodded. That was a reasonable goal. And by that metric, she'd done as she'd set out. Again he massaged his tender head.
"Objective means goal. If your goal was to hit me, Ndonsa, then you have...oof...most assuredly succeeded."
The hermit quickened his pace slightly, crossing the stream across large stones that broke its surface.
"And as your Master, I will say that you demonstrated physical prowess, toughness, agility, guile, and applied your talents through the force as needed. My objective is also met!"
Anbira turned around, and leaned slightly against a tree as he watched Ndonsa once more close the distance.
"I sense this leaves you unsatisfied."
Ndonsa
Mar 8th, 2015, 06:57:54 PM
Ndonsa crossed the stream and stood on the bank of the river, facing Master Anbira. She set her spear butt first to the ground. "How do I learn if I do not know what the lesson is?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 8th, 2015, 07:17:10 PM
He was testing the limits of her patience. Anbira smiled.
"An interesting question."
Detaching from the tree, the hermit found a nearby moss bed, gesturing to it.
"Sit down, Padawan. Clear your mind. Of your victory here, of your cares in the camp. Let it pass over you like the water in the stream."
Anbira eased down into a cross-legged rest, and closed his eyes.
Ndonsa
Mar 9th, 2015, 01:37:00 AM
She sat cross-legged, feeling like she had done all this before. Training to be a shaman had been similar and yet, completely different. Classes with the young ones had prepared her for this task, and Ndonsa laid her spear across her lap, hands loosely draped over the shaft.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, distractions leaving on every breath out. She breathed in the peace of nature until there was nothing but Ndonsa, and she was just a speck in a vast empty desert.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 11th, 2015, 11:23:43 PM
"All around us beats the living heart of a great creature, and we within are separate but every bit a part."
He spoke his words evenly and with utter calm in his voice.
"Everything we do here must be in balance with the worlds which came before us and the worlds we will leave behind. The living and unifying forces of the universe meet in your heart at a crossroad. A Jedi must be whole, yet devoted to many burdens placed on their shoulders. Their great gifts are designed to carry enormous responsibility, and only the utmost dedication to this greater calling will suffice. You've shown you have talent, Ndonsa. Are you prepared to use your talent with wisdom?"
Ndonsa
Mar 12th, 2015, 10:28:45 AM
His voice was the only sound in the desert, and Ndonsa nodded. "To use such power without wisdom is not right. Those who cannot are -" she stopped abruptly. Those who cannot are killed by the tribe before they grow too strong. "I have always tried to do so."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 12th, 2015, 10:08:17 PM
"Open your eyes."
Anbira's eyes parted. Before the two of them, a shining piece of orange fruit floated in the air. The Hermit carefully manipulated it's unnatural position, a slight movement of a hand in his lap the only sign of his involvement. The fruit slowly moved towards Ndonsa.
"The Kopokek grows wild here and there in these woods. Eat it."
Ndonsa
Mar 12th, 2015, 10:11:00 PM
"And this is wisdom?" Ndonsa asked curiously, reaching out to take the fruit with her paw.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 12th, 2015, 10:13:58 PM
"No. It is fruit."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Despite certain parables to the contrary, wisdom does not grow on trees. But it may yet help you on the path to finding it. Eat."
Ndonsa
Mar 12th, 2015, 10:20:36 PM
Ndonsa put the fruit in her mouth and took a large bite, chewing thoughtfully. "It is good," she said, a little
juice running down her chin.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 12th, 2015, 10:23:19 PM
"Eat all of it."
Anbira nodded, hands clasped together serenely as he watched her eat.
"Until you find wisdom, this will be the last food you eat."
Ndonsa
Mar 12th, 2015, 10:39:09 PM
She stuffed the rest in her mouth in a couple huge bites as Anbira spoke, and looked at him a little wide eyed when he finished. Ndonsa chewed and swallowed as slowly as she could.
"What?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 12th, 2015, 11:17:51 PM
The hermit moved his hands to his knees.
"Ndonsa I can give you knowledge but I cannot give you wisdom. You forage for that, as surely as I foraged for the kopokek. You have skill and will, and thus the means to succeed."
Anbira gestured with one hand to the forest beyond.
"Bring me twelve more kopokek. If the sun sets and you still have twelve kopokek, eat them all and enjoy a sweet victory. If you have fewer than twelve, then your growling stomach will send you to sleep with a lullaby, and you will try try again the next day.
Anbira lay back from where he sat, rolling over on his side.
"I'm going to take a nap, wake me when you return."
Ndonsa
Mar 13th, 2015, 12:11:34 AM
Ndonsa stood up, her tail flicking back and forth with slight agitation, but she loped away into the forest without a word, spear balanced against one shoulder. She had seen the fruit before, the pokokopek or whatever he had called it. It was scattered through the forest in high areas with good sun. She turned to head uphill, ducking under low branches, the chant to-find-what-is-hidden breathed out of her as she ran.
With her magic - the Force - Ndonsa could see how the plants and trees stretched out around her. A few wrong turns later she found the right sort of bush, and stuffed her holdall with orange fruit.
By the time she returned to her new master he was snoring loudly on the ground. The Kufu turned her bag upside down, dumping the fruit on top of him.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 13th, 2015, 12:22:45 AM
Waking with a choked snort, Anbira started on the ground, legs kicking slightly as his head raised in surprise.
"H-what?"
Blinking drowsiness away, he looked up at Ndonsa, then down at the fruit all around him.
"Oh! So soon?"
The hermit sat up slightly from his mossy bed, pointing at each fruit briefly as he mumbled a count.
"One...two...three four five ....hmm. Twelve."
And with sudden gusto, he took one of the fruits and ate it immediately. Spitting out the seeds, he smiled, laying back down to complete his nap.
"...Eleven."
Ndonsa
Mar 13th, 2015, 02:00:19 AM
She stood there for a moment, looking down on the Jedi. When it didn't look like he was going to do anything except go back to sleep she nudged him with her footpaw. "What next? Is this wisdom?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 13th, 2015, 10:18:29 PM
Irritated, Anbira cracked open an eye.
"You're still here? Don't you have some more foraging to do?"
To drive home the point, he ate another kopokek.
"You've got two more to find. And I'd suggest you guard the one's you've got remaining."
A kopokek hovered in the air, suddenly flung off into the distance as the hermit gave a big goofy grin."
Ndonsa
Mar 13th, 2015, 10:29:08 PM
Ndonsa narrowed her eyes. "I found twelve. I brought twelve. If you wanted more you should have said so." She looked at his ridiculous face for a minute, and picked up the nine fruit that were left, putting them in her bag again.
She walked off, taking a direct path to the bush she had found earlier. Once there she picked three more fruit, put them in the bag, and sat down. It was still hours until sundown, and she emptied her mind of her frustrations and waited, her senses stretched out over the surrounding area.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 13th, 2015, 10:35:26 PM
After a half hour, she could sense an approaching presence. The thicket rustled, and Anbira popped his head out curiously.
"Just checking in on you, seeing how things are going."
Noting the now full bag, he smiled big again.
"Oh great, you're coming along nicely. I'll just be taking those, now."
With a wink, he raised a hand towards Ndonsa's pouch. The heavy material started to tug away from her.
Ndonsa
Mar 13th, 2015, 10:40:23 PM
She yanked on the bag, standing up and backing away, her pink eyes darkening. A fruit popped off of the bush and flew at Anbira's face.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 13th, 2015, 10:48:48 PM
A quick hand snapped hold of the flying fruit an inch from impact. The hermit inspected it, shrugging, and tossed it aside.
"No thanks. I'd rather have yours."
A brilliant flash of blue light shot forth in the shady grove as Anbira's lightsaber sparked to life. He emerged in the open, bringing it to front guard as he sized his student up, an intent look on his face.
"And I'm not asking."
Ndonsa
Mar 13th, 2015, 10:56:11 PM
Ndonsa wanted to throw the bag at his face, followed by her spear, but she had asked him to train her, even if his method was proving frustrating. Her spear was no match for his lightsaber, and she had heard the man was crazy. Ndonsa thrust her paw out in front of her, shoving against her Master with the Force, and then turned tail and ran, holdall clutched to her chest.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 13th, 2015, 11:07:08 PM
He moved in to strike, suddenly rebuffed by her solid force attack. Knocked back a half step, he braced against the torrent, feet digging into the underbrush as he caught a glimpse of her using her moment to flee. Anbira smiled. At last, they could begin. The Knight extinguished his saber, half-crouched, and shot across the forest floor after her in a stunning burst of speed. As his fists pumped, one made a sudden slashing motion, causing a sapling near to Ndonsa's trajectory to bow over the clearing.
Ndonsa
Mar 13th, 2015, 11:39:31 PM
She could sense him closing in fast, and she changed direction, zig zagging further up the hill. A young tree bent in her path and she vaulted over it without missing a step. She carried her spear and her bag, and did not waste a glance behind herself, knowing where Anbira was through the Force.
The hill ahead abruptly ended, and Ndonsa flung herself down the steep slope, running as fast as the earth pulled her down, slipping and sliding on loose stones.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 14th, 2015, 01:48:05 AM
Keeping the sapling tensed, Anbira bounded ahead, springing one foot onto it's warped trunk as he released his grip. The tree shot upwards, and Anbira used that motion combined with the vigor of a force-augmented jump to soar ahead. Flying above the hill's crest, the Jedi Knight twisted his body mid-air to face the descent, shoving an outstretched hand downward to brake his speedy fall through the force. Even still, it was an energetic landing, and Anbira tumbled with a leading shoulder, rolling several lengths downhill before lighting his saber once more to stab into the earth and arrest his slide...a scant ten paces ahead of Ndonsa.
The hirsute hermit's disheveled locks hung thick to each side of his face, and he smiled and winked at his student as again her rucksack trembled and tried to escape her hold.
Ndonsa
Mar 14th, 2015, 01:43:29 PM
Master Anbira tumbled down the hill and ended up in front of her, sliding to a stop and pulling at her holdall with the Force. He had halted in front of her headlong rush, however, and Ndonsa couldn't stop even if she wanted to. The Kufu leapt up, tossed her spear ahead, and tucked into a ball, the fruit held tightly in the center, and bowled right into her master, knocking him to the side. She untucked and managed to barely get her feet underneath her as she passed her spear, which she grabbed at as she passed - and missed.
The slope ended in a few more lengths, transitioning into brush and trees.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 14th, 2015, 10:10:18 PM
Anbira rose from his crouch, dusting the forest detritus off his meager clothing as he called Ndonsa's spear to his hand. He tested it's weight and flexibility, twirling it briefly before settling on a well-balanced grip that seemed comfortable and practical.
He gingerly descended the rest of the slope, following the pinwheeling padawan as she rode her momentum to it's culmination.
Ndonsa
Mar 14th, 2015, 10:17:28 PM
She landed in a crouch, one hand on the ground, the other protectively wrapped around the almost certainly squished fruit. Her tail puffed up as she saw Anbira with her spear, and then she pushed off from the ground and ran into the cover of the forest.
As her master followed, a tree creaked and then fell where he would be standing.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 14th, 2015, 10:26:48 PM
Reacting to the sudden movement, Anbira dropped the cumbersome spear to focus on the heavy tree trunk felled by Ndonsa to foil his pursuit. Hands raised overhead, he arrested the massive tree's descent, turning it's trajectory to fall just short of him with a thunderous report that echoed through the woods.
In no hurry to pursue, Anbira sat across the felled tree, calling Ndonsa's spear to his hand. He waited for her hot blood to cool, considering where she might turn up.
Ndonsa
Mar 15th, 2015, 04:29:23 PM
Encouraging the tree to fall had taken some of her energy, but Ndonsa was used to running long distances between villages. She would not need to rest for a while yet. The Kufu considered her choices as she ran. A cave would provide shelter and protection, but when Anbira found her she would be trapped.
She paused for a moment, crouching by a tree, her paw brushing over the ground. Her ears swiveled, listening for the sound of footsteps after the crash of the tree. Straightening, Ndonsa climbed up into the tree, up as high as she dared. Again she hesitated, listening while she fiddled with the holdall, and then she jumped to the next tree and then the next, much like their earlier chase through the trees.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 15th, 2015, 04:35:39 PM
Anbira began to retrace his steps, though he certainly wasn't lost. He began to take a leisurely course back to his hermitage, with the Kufu's spear as his spoil. He made no secret to hide himself, whistling a little tune as he went along.
Ndonsa
Mar 15th, 2015, 04:42:59 PM
Finally she stopped, near the banks of the same stream they had been beside before. She was many lengths downstream. Ndonsa looked around, and then settled down, her back to a tree, the bag in her lap. Eyes closed, she opened herself up to the Force again. There was nothing near her but plants and rocks and the fish in the river.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 15th, 2015, 08:55:29 PM
He could feel her presence now. Yearning through the trees and over the hills. Drawing a finger to his temple, he smiled at the sky above him.
How goes your gathering? I hope you do well! Perhaps I will trade your spear for twelve kopokeks. I don't know though. It is a very nice spear!
Again, he twirled the Kufu weapon around, leaping and shouting with a boyish joy at finding a new bauble.
Ndonsa
Mar 15th, 2015, 08:58:59 PM
Ndonsa sat still, the only thing that showed she had heard the words of her master from far away was a slight crease of her brow. Making a new spear would be an unwelcome task.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 16th, 2015, 10:55:14 PM
In Ndonsa's hidden solitude, she suddenly could feel another presence drawing close. A strange croaking laughter bounced around the knotted wood and the hollow.
Hiding you are, yes? Mrrrmheeheeheehrrm? Hide well you do not!
Ndonsa
Mar 16th, 2015, 11:05:05 PM
"I am not hiding," she said, looking around. She did not see anyone, but with the Jedi that didn't mean anything.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 16th, 2015, 11:16:54 PM
A diminutive apparition appeared, seemingly walking through the brush across from her, though disturbing nothing. It was small. Hunched and walking with a short length of knurled stick. It's eyes were large and expressive, and it's ears larger still. They rose at the sight of the Kufu Padawan.
"If hide you do not, then what do you?"
Ndonsa
Mar 16th, 2015, 11:36:07 PM
"Learning wisdom," Ndonsa told the glowing person. It looked much as the Obi-One had, and she assumed it was yet another Jedi ancestor spirit sent to her. "I was told to seek Anbira as master, yet he plays games and does not explain what I am to learn." She frowned. "I think this was a mistake."
As the little creature walked nearer she held a little tighter to the bag in her lap.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 16th, 2015, 11:44:02 PM
"Wisdom, mmmm?"
The spirit hobbled over to where Ndonsa sat, each movement carrying a set of grunts and oofs and elderly protesting.
"Hmmmmmm...."
For what seemed like an eternity it sat in silence, miming Ndonsa's exact pose as it closed his eyes.
"Hmmmmmm...."
One eye peeked open, and the small creature shrugged.
"Learned no wisdom, I have. Doing it wrong, I must be."
Ndonsa
Mar 16th, 2015, 11:52:23 PM
Ndonsa looked at the creature sitting next to her, and grunted. Her tail twitched with frustration. "You will have to talk to Master Anbira. He did not tell me how to learn wisdom, only to gather fruit. Then he ate the fruit and claimed I had not done as he had asked. Calling me a liar."
She patted the bag. "I am holding the fruit until sundown and then I will deliver it in full, as asked." She looked ahead stoically. "This is not how to learn wisdom."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 18th, 2015, 11:53:05 PM
The long-eared sage hrmmmed, expression curious.
"But if the fruit he did eat, gather it you did not! Mrrmm? Hoohoo heehee hoo!"
The apparition appeared to inspect the bag in Ndonsa's possession, poking at it with his phantom cane.
"Guard you must, those who must be guarded. A most serious task for a Jedi it is."
His expression turned less jovial.
"A task which conflicted can be."
Ndonsa
Mar 18th, 2015, 11:58:47 PM
She glared at the spirit. "He ate it. That does not mean I did not gather it. He could not eat if I did not bring it to him!"
Ndonsa got to her footpaws, angry. "He is not a good master, as he said."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 19th, 2015, 12:32:34 AM
"Perhaps he is not."
Yoda's appraisal seemed earnest. He could sense the rift between student and teacher.
"Knows the ways of the force, he does. But a life alone he has lived. Wrong to ask questions it is not."
Ndonsa
Mar 19th, 2015, 01:16:41 PM
She slung the heavy bag across her body, her tail flicking back and forth. "If I return to him and he destroys the fruit again I..."
Ndonsa's ears drooped, a flush of uncomfortable pink blooming on the sensitive skin inside them. "It will prove I am not worthy. I cannot understand his lesson." She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, the words of Loki coming back to her. A lifetime of primitive traditions and aggressive instinct is working against you. She looked at the tiny hunched spirit. "Primitive. This is what they call me. And I do not understand this basic lesson - how can I be Jedi?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 19th, 2015, 01:30:02 PM
"Called worse, I have been."
The small spirit righted himself, a serene look of understanding on his strange alien face.
"Return you must, Ndonsa. Or know the answer, you will not. To admit you know not, the first step to seeking wisdom it is."
Ndonsa
Mar 19th, 2015, 01:36:25 PM
She grimaced, and then closed her eyes and bowed before the figure. "I will do as you say, honored ancestor." She still doubted - her worth or Master Anbira's worth, she was not sure which.
Ndonsa made her way back to Anbira's home, stopping to climb a tree and retrieve the fruit she had stashed in a hollow far above the ground. Her bag was emptied, rocks falling out to the ground, and she placed the now very bruised orange fruit inside the holdall. After twenty minutes of walking she found her way back to Master Anbira's tree, her tail dragging a little on the ground as she walked.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 19th, 2015, 01:41:52 PM
Back at the hermitage, Anbira sat serene and cross-legged underneath his tree. Ndonsa's spear rested against the mighty trunk as the Knight's eyes remained closed, seemingly shut off from the world around him. In the distance, he heard a group of birds take flight from their perch. As were so many things within the wild, it was a portent of things to come.
He waited for her patiently.
Ndonsa
Mar 19th, 2015, 01:49:31 PM
She dropped the bag next to him, and reached for her spear. It came to her, the Force, not magic, calling it into her paw.
Ndonsa sat across from Anbira, her head bowed. "I failed, master."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 19th, 2015, 01:56:43 PM
Her presence was clear as day to him though his eyes remained closed.
"You failed? Why do you believe so?"
Ndonsa
Mar 19th, 2015, 02:03:18 PM
"My actions were not what you wanted. I do not understand what you say is wisdom."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 19th, 2015, 03:25:49 PM
Anbira's eyes opened, and he lowered his head slightly.
"Then it is I who have failed you, Ndonsa."
He considered his approach and what he knew of the primitive Kufu.
"I shall not do so twice. Tell me. Why did you run from me?"
Ndonsa
Mar 19th, 2015, 03:36:08 PM
She looked at him evenly, her ears slightly laid back. "Because you told me to keep the fruit safe. I cannot fight you and win." Ndonsa took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "And you said I did not bring enough when I did. The eating does not take away from the bringing."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 19th, 2015, 11:30:21 PM
He half-smiled at her repeated insistence.
"As you've said."
The smile then diminished, and Anbira leaned forward slightly.
"You believe you cannot fight me and win. As long as you believe this so fervently, you will never do so. You will fight against me, and yourself."
Ndonsa
Mar 20th, 2015, 12:27:31 PM
She opened her mouth, and closed it, and then opened it again, rubbing her tooth necklace with her fingers. "I mean I cannot win against you with a lightsaber." Ndonsa shrugged. "Without it, who knows."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 20th, 2015, 08:56:37 PM
"Ah."
Considering her words, Anbira removed his lightsaber from his belt, turning the crudely-built piece over in his hands. The design was simple and had a scavenged look to it. Caps mismatched. Rough, bitten thumbscrews. There were many lightsabers that were beautiful. His was not.
"I understand the perception. Abarai Loki believes that a Jedi's lightsaber is a part of the whole. An inseparable thing."
Anbira placed his lightsaber in Ndonsa's hands, curling her fingers around it.
"Do you feel differently?"
Ndonsa
Mar 20th, 2015, 10:54:17 PM
Ndonsa looked at the weapon, lifted it, and then set it carefully aside. "I am not used to this...way of fighting. I have done much practice of it, but it is not as easy as what I know. But yes, to face you without the saber is different. I do not fear it."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 20th, 2015, 11:11:48 PM
Anbira put his saber away.
"Very well, Ndonsa. Face me as you please."
Anbira stood up from his resting place, making it a point to leave his lightsaber behind under the tree. He waited patiently to see how his student would approach the task.
Ndonsa
Mar 20th, 2015, 11:37:13 PM
Without his weapon he was just a man. Ndonsa considered that perhaps he thought she only felt she could fight him if he was defenseless and she with her spear. A shameful thought. If he had his own spear... yet that was not what he was used to. She set aside her spear and got to her feet.
Still she hesitated. Master Anbira raised an eyebrow, and she bared her teeth at him, leaping straight at him with arms outstretched, relying on speed and force to bowl him over.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 20th, 2015, 11:59:49 PM
Anbira's eyes widened at the sudden charge. He allowed her to meet him head-on, her impressive momentum sending him to the ground instantly, where he rolled quickly from his back to his shoulders, legs coiling up to spring into her midsection, sending her launching over him as he rolled up to his feet.
"You fight like you speak. Directly!"
Anbira bounced up and down on his feet, bobbing his body weight from one foot to the next as he lauded her energy.
"Honesty is a virtue. Those who win with deception rarely know themselves."
The kopokek bag slowly started to unravel in the background. From within, a single fruit slowly rose in the air, moving fluidly through the force until it floated gently next to Anbira's open left hand. He kept it fixed in the air with a series of gentle motions from his hand.
"Do as I do, Ndonsa."
Ndonsa
Mar 21st, 2015, 12:07:10 AM
She was ready to slam him back to the ground, but the moment was past and they were doing something else. Ndonsa frowned lightly, her body still ready for attack, but she took a breath to calm herself. She held out her paw and drew a fruit to it, much as she was used to calling her spear to her.
The pokopek-whatever flew into her grip, dripping juice. Ndonsa frowned harder, concentrating and making the fruit rise slowly from her paw as Master Anbira was doing.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 21st, 2015, 12:21:29 AM
"Now..."
Anbira slowly sank into a stance, preparing for battle once again. The kopokek under his control hovered just beyond him, seemingly independent of the one holding the tether.
"...a Jedi controls themselves and the moment. If you lose control, you lose yourself. Many things may depend on your discipline. A mission. Your friends. Though winds may blow strong around you, you must always be at the calm eye of the storm."
The hermit's hands opened from fists into hands with wide-spread fingers.
"Do not let your kopokek hit the ground."
Anbira then sprang ahead, raking a hand forward in an attempt to strike the Kufu across her muzzle. His kopokek moved with him, as if suspended by an invisible wire.
Ndonsa
Mar 21st, 2015, 12:32:55 AM
She jerked back and stepped away from his attack, her fruit wobbling off to the side as she slapped his hand down and away. Ndonsa's ears swiveled back and forth as she split her attention, diving at Anbira's knees to take him to the ground again. The orange fruit dipped low, and then gained height, staying in the air.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 21st, 2015, 12:47:48 AM
Again, she preferred a frontal strike leveraging speed and strength against his center of gravity. Rather than diverting it as before, Anbira joined the scrum in earnest, wrapping her up beneath her armpits as she speared him to the ground. The kopokeks above flailed wildly, their control becoming changeable as the two combatants grappled. The hermit's face showed strained intent as he pinned his elbows back against the ground, massing as much leverage as he could as his legs slung around each of the Kufu's hips to keep her grounded.
The moment his ankles locked, Anbira dropped his elbows, rocking along his spine to buck upwards and drive a fist into the small of her back.
Ndonsa
Mar 21st, 2015, 12:10:01 PM
The blow was solid, but missed the painful spot at the base of her tail. Ndonsa tucked her footpaws underneath herself, pulling Anbira's locked legs up as she lifted. She shoved her paws into the soft place at the bottom of his breastbone, kicking against the ground with both feet and launching herself up and over him, his ankles losing their grip on each other as she broke free.
Now behind him, she scrambled to grab his shoulders and gain his back - an excellent spot for a well placed bite to the back of the neck. Not that she would bite him. Maybe.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 21st, 2015, 01:10:17 PM
His lock broken, Anbira moved to flip to his feet, the action violently thwarted by Ndonsa's purchase at his shoulders. He considered breaking her hold with a headbutt, but she kept enough distance to make that difficult. It was then that her kopokek drifted into view. Anbira kicked at it, testing her situational awareness.
Ndonsa
Mar 22nd, 2015, 01:17:43 AM
She was struggling to flip him over, the fruit nearly forgotten when he lashed out at it, causing a bump in her awareness. Ndonsa thrust a hand toward it, saving it with a nudge of the Force but losing her fight for his back. She latched onto one of his arms, instead, wrapping her body around it and trying to pull it straight while pinning his chest down for a lock that could break the arm if pushed too far.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 22nd, 2015, 02:07:55 AM
Strain drew tight on Anbira's face as he pulled with all available strength to prevent Ndonsa from gaining extension on his arm, but too little and too late. Now, he struggled against a fight he could not win. Raining blows on her sturdy legs would certainly not be enough, and as the Jedi Knight considered his options, he watched his kopokek bobbing just over him. The force, as always, provided a way.
Ndonsa could suddenly feel pressure being applied to her neck by an invisible hand. It was low, but increasing steadily.
Ndonsa
Mar 24th, 2015, 12:03:35 PM
Her first instinct was one of her necklaces had gotten caught around her neck, but a quick head shake proved that wasn't what was squeezing her. Ndonsa bared her teeth, pulling back even farther on his arm, trying to get her new master to give up before he made her pass out.
The fruit wobbled, and with a growl of effort she sent hers slamming into Anbira's, trying to knock his to the ground.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 24th, 2015, 10:36:07 PM
Clever girl
Through his struggles, Anbira watched Ndonsa transition her focus from a fight she wasn't likely to win to another where guile might give her the edge. The kopokeks collided, the added kinetic dissonance sending his own fruit on a dangerous downward path. Smiling, the hermit released his hold on the Kufu's throat even as his other hand pressed flat to the ground at his side. A gout of telekinetic energy lifted his body from the ground, throwing him upwards to break Ndonsa's arm bar and slip the two fighters apart. Anbira twisted his body into a dive, extending both hands outward to cradle his kopokek mere inches from hitting soil. The Jedi Knight flipped to his feet, again drawing the fruit under the relative safety of his control as Ndonsa likewise readied herself for resumed combat.
"That was inspired, Padawan!"
His eager smile would've been a comfort in almost any other setting. Anbira drew his wild hair back a ways.
"You have turned a weakness into a strength, and obligation into opportunity."
Ndonsa
Mar 25th, 2015, 12:20:11 PM
He had freed himself easily, and she scrambled to regain her footing, crouched down with one paw on the ground for support. Her kopokek floated off behind her to relative safety. "Do we continue?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 25th, 2015, 12:29:37 PM
Two more kopokeks rose from the opened pouch, closing distance between the two sparring partners. One retreated into Anbira's orbit, and the other waited for Ndonsa to accept.
Anbira gestured to the great tree to his left, and the spear that rested beneath it.
"You may retrieve your weapon."
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2015, 09:06:41 PM
She spoke a word under her breath, focusing her will. The fruit joined the mushy first one behind her, and her spear came away from the tree, fast and hard toward the back of Anbira's knees. Ndonsa again leapt at him, her hands made into fists this time and aimed for his head.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2015, 09:38:15 PM
Anbira cleared the incoming obstacle with the agility of a jungle cat, tucking into a clean backflip as his protected kopokeks moved in tandem. Ndonsa's spear cleared just beneath his lifting toes as he reached his senses to a nearby tree. A sturdy cord of tree branch suddenly wrenched itself loose, drawn into Anbira's waiting grasp. The hermit put it to practical use, whalloping his student over her noggin in an explosion of leaves.
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2015, 09:53:34 PM
His sudden acrobatics took her off guard, and Ndonsa was completely unprepared for the branch that slammed into her head. She stumbled, and found her spear, lights exploding behind her eyes, and stabbed wildly toward Anbira.
She missed, and then stopped, suddenly aware that the two pieces of fruit behind her had plopped to the ground.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2015, 10:06:35 PM
The Hermit twisted the forked branch in his grasp, ensuring the off-target spear thrust was further diverted. He too took note of Ndonsa's strategic mishap. Anbira paused any further assaults, and stood with his makeshift staff planted in the ground. It was over.
"Tell me, Padawan. Why did you fail?"
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2015, 10:16:09 PM
"You hit me in the head and I lost my focus." She rubbed her skull, a small lump forming under her headfur.
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2015, 10:52:07 PM
The Hermit tossed his branch aside, and closed the distance with Ndonsa. His kopokeks followed, and he pressed one into her hand.
"Eat. Let's discuss this."
Anbira led his pupil back to the great tree, where a full skin of water hung from a branch. He offered it to the Kufu.
"You have explained the direct causality. You were hit. You lost your focus. Your fruit fell."
A tweak of insight dawned on Anbira and he leaned in closer.
"Do you know what a metaphor is?"
Ndonsa
Mar 26th, 2015, 11:01:28 PM
She frowned, chewing thoughtfully. Met and four she knew, but Master Anbira seemed to be saying them together as a different word. Ndonsa shook her head. "What does this mean?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 26th, 2015, 11:22:44 PM
"It's a symbol. Something that represents something else."
Even as Anbira spoke, he realized the error he had made earlier in her training, and now took pains to undo it.
"If you are troubled, someone might say you carry a heavy burden. They do not mean that you literally carry a large weight, but that something troubles your mind or spirit, like a weight on your soul."
The hermit clasped his hands together to await her comprehension.
Ndonsa
Mar 27th, 2015, 12:32:01 AM
"Hmm," said Ndonsa, taking another bite. "Something that is not true to say a truth?" She frowned. "So when Akasha tells Drax he is a bantha in a china store...he is not a bantha? I do not know what a bantha is," she confessed. "And he does not have a nuna bird brain either. Not a lie, a truth wrapped in a lie?"
She held up a finger to stop Anbira from answering yet. "Metaphor is like an insult. Like when you tell me I lied earlier, when I had not. But I think Drax is a good padawan, he tries harder than everyone else."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 27th, 2015, 10:31:13 PM
Anbira's smile drew taut at her near-understanding, even as she inadvertently explained just how far the scope of his first lesson had strayed from her understanding.
"It can be an insult, yes. But it can be used in other ways. If you are happy, your heart may be light as a feather."
He was straying dangerously close to losing the plot as he walked Ndonsa through the finer arts of sentient dialogue, so he pressed further.
"A metaphor is a tool to be used, nothing more. It's the intent of the heart behind it that shapes that use."
The hermit raised his own half-eaten kopokek to view.
"The kopokek in our exercise is a physical metaphor. What do you think this represents?"
Ndonsa
Mar 27th, 2015, 10:51:27 PM
Food. Something she brought to him and he took and made her get more of. Ndonsa stared at the fruit, certain she should understand this and coming up with nothing. She stared harder. Then:
"Wis..dom?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 27th, 2015, 11:05:12 PM
Her eyes goggled at the fruit, betraying her desperate yearning. At least she was approaching what she sought.
"Very nearly." Anbira reassured.
"Think, Ndonsa. It took concentration to keep one fruit from touching ground. It took even more to divide the task for two. Tell me about what is expected of a Jedi."
Ndonsa
Mar 28th, 2015, 01:38:06 AM
"The Jedi are warriors, tasked with maintaining justice and order in the galaxy. We are to lead a solemn, solitary, simple life." Ndonsa was reciting what Loki had drilled into her head. "That task was to practice focus on more than one thing at once. A good exercise."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 28th, 2015, 09:05:07 AM
She'd picked up on it quickly. Anbira nodded.
"Yes, Ndonsa. Because so much is asked of you; because so much is asked of us all. We are warriors, counselors, protectors. Further, we are the keepers of our own spirit and sanctity. Never forget this. Though the battle may grow intense and desperate, if you lose yourself, you lose everything."
Ndonsa
Mar 28th, 2015, 09:59:41 AM
She nodded solemnly. "The Jedi way is to use power while staying calm. I... I learned to use my magic another way. It is difficult to keep to this new way."
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 28th, 2015, 09:12:20 PM
"It's more than a sense of calm, Ndonsa. To have emotion is to live. But to let the tides of your emotions pull you from your path and your commitment to the light is to give in to the dark side. If the dark side were simply evil for evil's sake, it would not be the threat it is. It tempts you. It seems so easy."
Anbira shook his head.
"And the moment you give into that temptation, you will let other kopokeks fall. Your commitment to justice, your obligation to protect the weak, your friends. Therefore you must always be mindful of these things you carry with you, even if they may not be easy. Even if they may seem to hinder you. Understand what it means if they fall, and carry that responsibility close to your heart."
Ndonsa
Mar 29th, 2015, 03:31:15 PM
"I...understand." Ndonsa nodded slowly. Then she canted her head to the left. "Is there a limit to how many kopokeks one can carry? Does not taking too many on also damage your focus?"
Anbira Hicchoru
Mar 29th, 2015, 06:55:24 PM
She was beginning to understand the dilemma, and as Anbira finished his fruit and tossed the pit aside, he nodded.
"There are limits. We are both flesh and blood, and mortal. We cannot be everything to everyone, and there may be times when we stumble. But while I believe there is no such thing as perfection, there is a state of harmony one takes in the pursuit of it."
Anbira placed a hand on her shoulder. He'd given her much to think about.
"If you stay true to your intent of keeping all kopokeks aloft, you will have done your best. Less than perfection, but you will have betrayed nothing and no one. That's a difficult commitment, and a Jedi does not take it lightly."
Ndonsa
Apr 1st, 2015, 11:23:56 AM
Ndonsa looked at his hand on her shoulder, and then up at her master. "I have been honored that the Jedi allow me to study this...with you...with all of you," she said seriously. "I will do my best to keep my fruit in the air, and become a Jedi too."
Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 1st, 2015, 11:33:35 AM
Anbira noted his student's solemn commitment and gave a respectful bow of his head to her breakthrough.
"And now you understand that knowing the question is just as important if not moreso than knowing the answer. Cherish that understanding, my Padawan, for that is wisdom."
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