Джуд Уотсон - Jedi Apprentice 14 - The Ties That Bind

The air was thin and sharp on this world. It had taken Obi-Wan Kenobi almost a full day to get used to it. Now he enjoyed the bite of fresh, cold air in his lungs.

He and his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, were high in the mountains of Ragoon-6, one of a cluster of planets that were known for their spectacular, remote beauty. The two Jedi's mission was simply to survive.

They took no more than their survival packs. Another Jedi had left a trail for them to follow to a transport. The trail led over snow, high cliffs, and huge sheets of rock, so it was not easy to follow.

Qui-Gon had decided on the test after their last mission. Upon their return to the Temple, he had seemed distracted, almost moody, which wasn't like him. At last he had appeared in the doorway of Obi-Wan's quarters one morning at dawn.

"It's time for some amusement," he said.

Amusement? Obi-Wan had never heard his Master use that word. He had pushed himself up on his elbows sleepily, blinking in the dim light. He wondered if he was dreaming.

Only an hour later he found himself on a transport headed to Ragoon- 6. A Jedi pilot named Rana dropped them off on a high, windy plain. Qui-Gon explained that they would be testing their survival and tracking skills, while also seeing some of the most astonishing scenery in the galaxy. Obi- Wan had felt cold and hungry and doubtful at the time. But for the past ten days, he had enjoyed himself thoroughly.

Obi-Wan sat on a flat rock overlooking the valley below. It was mid- morning, and the sun had already warmed the rock underneath him. He pressed his bare hands against it. Below him he could see a sea of bright yellow wildflowers in a mountain meadow. The sky here was very blue. At night it turned purple. During one storm, it had streaked yellow and green. Obi-Wan had never seen such deep, clear colors in the atmosphere. There were no cities on Ragoon-6, no industry or transports to give off emissions to cloud the pure air.

He and his Master hadn't spoken much. Qui-Gon was in a reflective mood. There were times that he seemed… not tense, Obi-Wan thought, searching for the right word, but distracted. Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon had something on his mind, but he also knew that it was not time for his Master to share it.

Obi-Wan was sixteen years old now, and his relationship with his Master was making a subtle shift. They were growing to be companions, as well as pupil and teacher. Obi-Wan knew he still had much to learn from Qui-Gon, but he enjoyed this new feeling of maturity. For the first time he could see the day when he would stand next to his Master as a full Jedi Knight.

He heard the crunch of his Master's footsteps over the snow. Qui-Gon squatted down beside him. His eyes swept the landscape below. "Tahl and I came here on a training mission like this one, long ago," he said. "We always said we would come back together. We never did."

Tahl was a Jedi Knight who had gone through Temple training with Qui- Gon. She was a renowned Knight now, and their friendship was deep and long.

She had been blinded a few years before, and Obi-Wan could always pick up a strain of tenderness when Qui-Gon spoke of her.

Qui-Gon's blue eyes scanned the mountains and valley. "We are here now and gone in a moment of time," he said quietly. "You must be sure of what you want and believe, Obi-Wan.

Sometimes the way will be confused, but allow yourself the time to understand yourself. Take yourself out of your life if you must."

Obi-Wan nodded, but Qui-Gon's words seemed vague to him. Usually Qui- Gon's advice was clear and direct. Even his gaze was faraway.

Then, in one of the shifts in concentration that marked his character, Qui-Gon abruptly stood, his concentration clear now. "Something is tracking us," he said briskly.

"Something?"

"Animals. No doubt they are tracking us for food. The tracks indicate that it is a pack of malia."

"Malia?"

"Fierce beasts that live in the high country. They are not large — they travel on all fours, and come up to your knees, but they are very dangerous. It is said that if you are close enough to hear the cry of a malia, you are already dead."

Despite the bright sun, Obi-Wan shivered. "And they are tracking us?"

"It has been a hard winter here. It is better to avoid them. Let's go."

Qui-Gon slung his survival pack over his shoulder and began to walk.

Obi-Wan hurried to gather his things and follow. They spent the next hour hiking over sheer rock, which led them to forest trails. The trail left by the Jedi was difficult, but with eyes sharpened by the Force they were able to pick up the minute differences in soil, leaves, and snow that indicated a presence had passed. They were able to move quickly. Obi-Wan hoped they were putting kilometers between themselves and the malia pack.

Suddenly, Qui-Gon stopped ahead. Obi-Wan could see that the trail now forked into two paths. The two Jedi studied the area, then split up to travel a short distance up each path, looking for clues. They did not need to confer; they had been through this process many times before.

Usually, either Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan found a clue as to which path to take. This time, they returned to the fork without a clear idea of which way to go. A probe or tracking droid would have been helpful, but this exercise was designed to teach Obi-Wan how to survive without them.

"Rana has given us a challenge," Qui-Gon said. "We have to pick a path and then travel back if it is the wrong one."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"If we have to double back, we'll lose the time we gained," Qui-Gon said. "We could run into the malia pack. Why don't you choose a trail?"

Obi-Wan stared at the two paths. Neither gave him an overwhelming feeling. He chose the right, which rose steeply up a rocky hill. Perhaps Rana had wanted them to work a little harder.

They walked for an hour without picking up any further clues.

Finally, Qui-Gon stopped.

"I think we should head back, Padawan. We should have seen some indication before this that this path was the correct one." Qui-Gon scanned the sky. "It will be dark soon."

The going was tougher in the gathering dusk. The temperature had dropped, causing ice pockets to form in the rocky trail. They headed downhill, using all their concentration to avoid slipping.

As they drew near their starting point, Obi-Wan heard a high-pitched scream. He stopped abruptly.

"It's not human," he said. "At least, I don't think so."

"It's the cry of the malia," Qui-Gon said. "It sounded close."

Obi-Wan did not hear fear in his Master's voice — he never did — but Qui-Gon didn't sound too comfortable, either. "Do you fear them?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Not exactly," Qui-Gon said. "I respect them. If we run across them, Padawan, remember that they are very fast. Very cunning. When they hunt, they have a highly developed sense of strategy."

They continued down the slope, now walking as silently as possible.

Obi-Wan did not disturb a rock or leaf.

"As soon as we find somewhere suitable, we should stop for the night, " Qui-Gon said in a low tone. "The delay will not hurt us. And a fire will protect us."

Obi-Wan did not hear or see any movement around them. The surrounding trees pressed close to the path here, with feathery blue-green leaves that did not stir. Yet he had the sense they were being stalked. Despite the cold, he felt a trickle of sweat break loose from the hair at the back of his neck.

The shadows of the leaves lengthened, dimming the path ahead. He could barely glimpse the fork where they had stopped. There was a clearing there where they could make camp.