Noventa - A Star Wars Story

Burning wood gave off a particular scent, one that aroused Quinn from her slumber. Awakening to the dark of the forest that surrounded her the pain throbbed from bandaged wounds. Somehow she had survived, or this was a very realistic afterlife compared to what she might have expected. Laid out in a uncovered patch of land she found herself with some makeshift pillow rested under her head. Sounds of someone stirring something in a pot came from nearby.

"Ow," she said with all the swagger of someone who was trying to joke about how little it hurt. Even though it really hurt. Even though she was anxiously checking to see if she was missing any limbs.

"Owww..."

"Quit your complaining," came the old, gruff voice of a man well into old age. From across her, by the fire, an old man sat covered from the droppings of the forest above by a hood over his tattered clothing. In front of him was the pot of food he continued to stir with contents yet unknown.

"What?" She shot up. "Who are you? Where's Aisla?"

"Calm down," he said. Attention remaining on the careful stirring of the pot in front of himself.

"You open those wounds again and I won't be the one to patch them back up. Your friend? She's fine. Went off into the woods," he indicated with a free hand, "had some duties to take care of. She is fine. You are fine."

"Really?" She seemed skeptical, but did lay back down. "Why would she just... how long have I been out?"

"A couple hours," he said.

"Your body needed some time to heal before it could function again. You should have come more prepared for this forest. Not gone chasing stories and feelings into the unknown. Never know what one will find out here, in the wild places of the galaxy."

"Well, everything was fine the last time I went in. The forest guided me, or the ferret, or spirit or whatever... I thought it was calling me again."

The Old Man coughed up a laugh, "A ferret?" he laughed some more, "what sort of nonsense is that? Following a creature off into the forest. Keep to that sort of attitude and you'll be dead in the week."

"It's true!" She said, frustrated; followed by wincing from the pain.

"Didn't say it wasn't true," he reminded, clanging the metal spoon he stirred with against the edge of the pot. Knocking from the spoon the bits of food that yet clung to it. "Only said it was nonsense. Foolish. If you like that word any better."

"Well..." she tried to relax back into a better posture, "...maybe. Who did you say you were, again? I'm Quinn."

"Just an Old Man, who wanted to live his days in peace in a forest of eternal darkness. Only to have my serenity disturbed by the racket you and your friend made," he said grumpily. Lifting the pot by the handle with the spoon the Old Man set it down beside the fire. Fishing out from the ground beside him a few wooden bowls and poured some of the contents into three.

From the corner of the forest Aislea returned, somewhat worse for wear but altogether whole after the encounter. A bloodied rag tied off her arm where the creature had sunk in it's teeth.

"Oh... sorry, I didn't mean to," she said to the man.

Then, when Aislea returned, she looked at that bloodied arm and then looked away. She'd fucked up and wasn't sure what to say.

"Gather round, both of you," the Old Man said harshly. "You've both been through much. Caused me a great deal of trouble. Won't be having this happen again. So, eat up. Rest up. Then.. respectfully, get out of my forest," the Old Man said grumpily, a slight smile to his lips.

Aislea, not one to rub dirt in it, collected the bowl offered her and sat on a nearby log.

She also collect a bowl, and started eating. In silence because she didn't quite know what to say.

For the entirety of their meal the group sat in silence. Only the sound of the Old Man slurping up his meal broke the eerie silence of a forest cast in eternal darkness. The crackle of the flame at the center of where they sat sent light out just beyond their little circle and quickly dropped off in the surrounding forest. Sometime, later, they would be guided from the forest. However, at this moment in time all anyone had were their thoughts.

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