Things that go bump in the night (open)

[Alf]

Alf moved now out of pure instinct and reflex. He brought up his hand, stopping De'Ville from crashing down on him with use of the Force. He himself, stumbled backwards as the beast turned back around and started limping towards them. He looked to De'Ville for answers. This was out of his area of expertise. He didn't even have a weapon to defend them and he was only moderate with his Force skills, but perhaps there was something he could do.

He drew on the Force for strength, trying to focus it all on the beast's amputated foot. It slowly rose into the air, moving with Alf's hand as he rose it to level with the animal's face. Once it was high enough, he swung with all the strength adn Force he could muster right at the animal.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

One of the claws in the dismembered foot caught the beast across the shoulders, drawing blood from it's thick muscles as the creature yowled and batted at the object attacking it. The foot fell to the ground, but De'Ville was already there, taking advantage of Alf's distraction to move in close.

She grunted as she swung her lightsaber, severing the beast's spinal cord and nearly taking off it's head. A massive paw came around at her, and she twirled her saber free, slicing cleanly through the foreleg.

The grey-skinned beast toppled to the ground. De'Ville looked for her apprentice. "Come on, there are more behind us." The three others she had sensed were closely bunched together now, making it hard to tell how many there were. It was easy to tell they were all heading her way.

She gestured at Alf, and they started running again.

[Alf]

Alf could feel a group larger than before behind them, but nothing else around them.

They must have combined into one group, he thought as he and De'Ville took off again for the city's walls.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Unfortunately Alf was more of a sprinter than a long distance runner, and his speed began to flag before they were out of the jungle and into the expansive clearing that surrounded the city. Keep running, or risk another confrontation? It was an easy choice.

De'Ville halted their headlong flight, and took a few moments to get her bearings. "They'll be on us in a few minutes, so prepare whatever you might have in your bag of tricks. I will be able to take two at a time, but I need you to distract the other, or we may not get out of this alive."

[Alf]

Alf nodded. He was breathing heavy and sweat had matted down his fur. He took one deep breath, calling on the darkside of the Force. Soon he had gathered enough energy to wear he wasn't even breathing that hard.

"Let's hope I can do this," he thought as he felt the beasts near the two.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The underbrush rustled, and the two Force users turned to face the noise. De'Ville held a hand up, spreading her fingers slightly as an oily ball of energy formed over her palm.

As the creatures burst upon them, she loosed the energy at one, and menaced the other with her saber, leaving the third to her apprentice.

[Alf]

Alf raised his hand and along with it came the beast. It didn't rise that high, but definitely enough to where it had lost most of the traction between it and the ground, but it was slowly sliding towards him, inch by inch.

Alf swung his hand and sent the animal into a tree, but it only stunned him for a moment, and after he got back up, he came forward again but Alf had already raised him and sent hm into another tree. This was beginning to do nothing,but anger him and he looked around for another solution. Almost at once he saw a broken limb just sitting there. It was higher than he had ever levitated anything before, but he was sure he could do it. He lifted once, but before the ainimal even came halfway, he lost concentration and the dropped to the ground.

As soon as it hit it ran towards him. He became so scared that he just threw his hands up in front of him and waited. But the strike never came. When he looked up, all he saw was the animal hanging from the broken tree branch. He coldn't do anything but stare. Had he done that?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The Destruction had hit the first beast in the chest, blowing a smoking crater in the creature that dropped it to the jungle floor immediately. Its legs twitched as the nerves refused to accept that the life had gone out of the beast.

The second beast was not perturbed by the death of it's hunting partner, but the bright shiny thing waving by its nose was angering it. With an ear shattering yowl, it tried to bat the lightsaber away, unfamiliar with energy weapons of its kind. De'Ville obligingly sliced through its limbs, and then as the beast fell to the ground, still trying to get it's hind legs up underneath it, she plunged the tip of the amethyst saber deep in between the shoulder blades of the beast.

She turned quickly, to see how Alf was faring, and stopped short, actually surprised. "Well, you certainly got a rise out of that one."

[Alf]

He nodded, still in shock. "I guess so."

He stood up, wiping a few loose leaves from his fur as he turned around to look at the two beasts De'Ville had taken care of and made a mental note to try and stay on her good side. He then looked around, reaching out to sense anything else, but found nothing. Finally his eyes fell on his master, waiting for further instructions.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She almost mentioned that she'd been trying to be funny, but since that hardly ever happened she didn't want him to start looking for the joke in everything she said. Instead she jerked her head in the direction of the city. "And now we run again. If we stay here, the smell of blood is going to bring scavengers as well as more predators."

Master and apprentice ran to the ciry, not stopping until they reached the clearing around the city walls. As they left the trees and stepped into the moonlight De'Ville looked up at Dxun, the Demon moon, who was very close to Onderon this time of year. Out from under the jungle-like conglomerate of trees it was nearly as bright as daylight when the clouds cleared from the sky. She pointed up and Alf looked to see what she was pointing at.

A feral scream rang out above them, and he saw the outline of a flying beast against the moon. De'Ville felt him tense, but she shook her head. "Look closer, and with the Force, not just your fear." As she spoke, the creature dipped a wing, and tucked into a tight spiralling descent, centered on their position.

She wasn't afraid, or even slightly concerned. It was a patrolling beastrider, coming to check on what had just emerged from the jungle. If it was a threat to the city, hundreds of such troops could be scrambled together from the barracks and could be to their position in mere minutes. So she stood still, posing no threat, and hoped that her apprentice would have the presence of mind to do the same.

[Alf]

He looked up and was indeed frigtened at first, for he didn't know how he would defend against another attack much less one from the air. When he looked at his master however and saw her unafraid, he took another look and reached out with the Force. Tis time he saw something on the animal's back and indeed he felt no fear from the thing.

"What are those?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Beastriders - part of the security of Iziz City. Centuries ago, the people of Onderon tamed some of the flying beasts, and this is the result."

The rider set his mount down on the plain in front of them, and dismounted. "What are you doing out here at night, Lady De'Ville?"

She was smug that he recognized her. "My apprentice," she gestured to Alf, "was taking a refreshing walk in the woods tonight, and I followed him. It is just as well I did, or he might not have come back." Lilaena began walking slowly, circumspectly around the beast at a safe distance. "I thank you for your dilligence, but we are quite safe now."

The rider shrugged, obviously not convinced, but not about to contradict the highest advisor to his king. "As you wish. A pleasant evening, m'Lady." He vaulted back into the saddle, and the beast spread it's bat-like wings, stirring up dirt and dust as it strove for the air.

De'Ville kept walking towards the city, but looked back at her apprentice. "Tell me, what have you learned tonight?"

[Alf]

"To keep an eye out for where I am going and that I still have a lot to learn."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Is that all?" She raised an eyebrow at him while they walked towards the gates.

[Alf]

"To always be prepared and that fear and anger can really go a long way when combined with the Force," he fuzzball said as he continued walking. "I never knew I could throw that beast up on the tree limb and I doubt I would have if I have not been angry and afraid."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She hmphed in response to his answer. "You never knew you could? I knew you could. It has always been within you. All you have to do is reach out and grab your potential."

De'Ville turned to face him as they stopped just inside the walls of Iziz. "Training is canceled for tomorrow, you should probably get some rest. Remember that anger will always make you stronger, but fear can incapaciate you if you allow it to rule you. And don't... ever go outside the walls alone again." She turned around and walked off.