Wild Creatures - 10.015

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa stalked through the unfamiliar plants and strange trees of Ossus, spear held in her hand. Evil Dirk had abandoned her on the planet after the native peoples had set upon them, chasing him back into his starship. He hadn't even hesitated before fleeing, which had made her vow to cause his eyeballs to swell and explode should she ever see him again.

After two days of trying to stay near their landing site, she was sure he wasn't coming back for her. Now she was making her way to the large encampment that they had originally decided to head for, the comm on his ship having informed them that Ossus was belonging to the Jedi and instructing them to specific landing coordinates which Dirk had seemingly ignored. Perhaps the Jedi* who had chased him away had also blown up his ship.

She prowled forward, parting some long grasses with her spear and hunkering down to study the camp in front of her. In a lot of ways it reminded her of her home village, though it was a little bigger and used more materials that she now knew were called Metal and Plastic.

*not Jedi, natives, but Ndonsa doesn't know the difference at this point

[Abarai Loki]

Pirada Aquilla was a carnivorous plant native to the planet Ryloth. It had a thick green stem and large petals which unfurled to form an inviting halo around a small cluster of seeds. The seeds were coated in a thick golden sap which proved irresistible to both insects and mammals alike. However, whenever the seeds were disturbed, the plant would react, its firm veiny leaves – upon which the petals rested – snapped shut, entombing the insect within. The captured prey was then slowly digested by the enzyme secreted by the folded petals. This enzyme was an irritant for most mammals, including humans, which earned the crimson flower its name amongst the Twi'leki locals. Pirada Aquilla, or the 'Blistering Kiss,' had not been seen on Ryloth for decades – which was why, when he discovered it growing on the neighbouring hillside, Arlan Solborne had charged into the hydroponics lab in an uncharacteristic frenzy of enthusiasm.

Unfortunately for Loki, he had been present for this bizarre display of wild gesticulations, and found himself suddenly in possession of a soiled canvas bag and tasked with the collection of seeds. Presently, he cursed the botanist's name. Skulking through the thick shrubbery and woodland that crowned the balding hilltops, Loki spotted another flower peeking from the tall grass like a solitary bloodshot eye. He reached out, fingers aglow from the burning, and readied himself. The objective was to pick a seed before the petals closed, but even with the advantage of Jedi reflexes it was tricky, for the seeds were stubborn, and slick with sap, and had to be twisted loose. Nine seeds in the bag and he was beginning to get the hang of it. He took a breath, then snatched a seed free. Again, he cursed Arlan Solborne with a hiss.

There was movement on the periphery of his vision. His attention, which had once been dedicated to the retrieval of sappy seeds, was fixed upon the presence he suddenly detected. It was there, just through the trees, an outline of a person hunched and statuesque. A pair of dark eyes shimmered in the shade – it was looking right at him.

“You, there!” he called out, “Identify yourself.”

[Ndonsa]

She slowly rose off her haunches, tail held stiffly behind her as she stepped sideways out of the plants she had been crouched by. Ndonsa studied the man in front of her, her head tilted to the right and her shoulders hunched forward as she prowled a few steps toward him.

She had removed the yellow bikini top for comfort, and it hung from her beaded belt by the various pouches she had tied there, leaving her chest covered only by the large variety of necklaces that she wore. Her spear was not exactly pointed at the stranger, (a Human it appeared, although Dirk had also claimed to be Human and she had her doubts about that) but it wasn't pointed at the sky or the dirt, either.

Ndonsa approached this encounter as she would approach any with a potential enemy: with an abundance of caution. After all, the Jedi of the planet had already proven quite happy to fight.

"I am Ndonsa," she said, keeping both hands on her spear. Her pink eyes gleamed as the light hit them, and she added, "Identify yourself."

[Abarai Loki]

The stranger took shape as layers foliage and shadow peeled back to reveal something shapely, distinctly feminine, and incredibly furry. She had a poised bushy tail and ears ironed back against her head, which reminded him of Halajiin Rabeak or the mechanic, Tevit Ramastan. Strips of sunlight strobed the mahogany fur a bright fiery shade of red as she approached, spear in hand, necklaces clinking against her breast. And that was when Loki noticed them, both of them, just sitting in the sun like a couple of sleepy pups. Ndonsa's fur was suddenly not the only thing red. The grass crunched underfoot as he shuffled awkwardly to one side in a bid to salvage a scrap of dignity from the situation without putting his life in mortal danger. Ndonsa was, at all times, just visible out of the corner of his eye.

“My name is Abarai Loki,” he said, with stubborn formality, “I am from the settlement down there. Tell me, are you a native of this world?”

[Ndonsa]

He turned to face the east as he spoke, and Ndonsa watched him curiously, though still on alert. Perhaps it was a custom of this world.

"I am not Jedi," she said. "I am Kufu, from Nehantish." Ndonsa frowned, facing east as well, just in case the man would be offended by her lack of knowledge of his customs. "Are you a native of this planet?"

She was feeling confused, but could only work with what knowledge she had, scarce though it may be. The native Jedi of Ossus came in a variety of species, that much she had gleaned from what Evil Dirk had told her about them, so the man's lack of recognition that she was foreign did not necessarily mean he wasn't from Ossus either. Perhaps he thought she was from a far away village that his settlement had never heard of. "I came on a flying ship," she added helpfully, making a soaring hand motion in case he was especially thick.

[Abarai Loki]

When Ndonsa mirrored his evaisive movements, Loki quickly checked himself in a moment of irrational fright. Mercifully, there was nothing amiss with his own appearance. It didn't, however, prevent his cheeks from blossoming anew. In his present state of unease, he found it difficult to make sense of the words coming out of her mouth, and how she was saying them. He wasn't sure if she was some sort of simpleton, or just thought that he was. That was a thought which rankled him.

"No, we are not from this world, but this is our new home. We also came in a flying..." he cut himself off before he sounded completely ridiculous, "Why are you here?"

[Ndonsa]

Facing away from him and trying to carry on a conversation was ridiculous, she decided, and turned to face the man. She was standing straight now, her spear set butt down in the ground it's point to the sky. Even her tail was beginning to relax. "I came with a human named Dirk. He was searching for a giant tree known to be here on Ossus. Only we were set upon by the native Jedi and he ran away like a coward," she spat on the leaves by her feet. "I am stuck here, Evil Loki."

Granting him the honorific that Dirk had insisted upon would surely cause the man to relax, only now that she'd used it she could tell that it made him feel uncomfortable. "I apologize, I do not mean offense."

[Abarai Loki]

Evil Loki? That confirmed it. She was a simpleton. And if he was dealing with a primitive of sorts, then it was important not to give her any reason to be alarmed, which meant a calm tone of voice and no sudden movements. He learnt that from the Lurmen of Maridun. First of all, there was some muddled facts that needed to be corrected.

"The Jedi are not native to this world. It is likely you were attacked by one of the tribes of the Ysanna. I do not know of a giant tree, but if you are stranded, then perhaps we can arrange for you to be returned to your world."

Relieved that things were beginning to make sense at last - everything except for the elusive giant tree - Loki relaxed. His hand, which had been poised ready to draw his lightsaber, fell to his side. Bringing an outsider onto the site, even one as primitive as Ndonsa, probably constituted as a security breach. However, the alternative was to just let her go, and considering her knowledge of the Jedi presence on Ossus, that was out of the question. It was a matter for the Alliance military. She would first be screened, then processed, then sent back to wherever-

"Wait, did you say Nehantish? Argh!"

Loki, who, in his sudden astonishment, had wheeled around to face Ndonsa, now reeled away with his hand clamped over his eyes. It took only a second to notice the burning. And as the ooze of the Blistering Kiss worked its way from his fingers to his eyelids, he started to convulse, and hiss, and shout.

"My eyes! Stars above! My eyes!"

[Ndonsa]

His ways were bizarre, but he was obviously in distress, and Ndonsa strode to his side, her spear dropping to the ground. Firm paws grasped his wrist as he convulsed (it almost looked like war dancing, or perhaps a seizure) and she sniffed his fingers. Sap of some kind was on his skin, and apparently in his eyes according to his cries. Ndonsa released him, and pulled her water canteen from her waist.

"Hold still," she ordered, pressing him down by his shoulder while he was in too much pain to protest her manhandling of him, and then she poured the water into his eyes.

[Halajiin Rabeak]

They say that the sense of smell is the greatest spark of memory, and to the animal nose of a Nehantite, scent often brought back keen recollections of the past.

It was such a scent that Halajiin Rabeak followed into the jungle, and while he was certain he had to be wrong, he followed it anyhow.

You've got to be kidding. We can't be smelling a female, here. You must be in more need of CC30 than we thought. His higher functions tried to make sense of the smell.

No, I know this scent. It's Nehantite, and it's female, and... I think it's fertile. The yellow-furred mongoose's lower impulses shot back. And if there's a Nehantite settlement, here, they're sure to have CC30.

And if they don't?

Well, they'll at least have females!

And if they don't?

Well, at least there'll be Nehantites. They'll understand.

You just don't quit, do you?

Can't help it, I'm male, and we both know we're not as far up the evolutionary ladder as most species out and about amongst the stars.

Some of us lower than others...

Speak for yourself! I felt you calculating the odds with that welder.

Oh, shut up and follow the scent trail, the wind is picking up!

Through tall ferns, lush, leafy plants and under low branches, Hal chased down the scent of a woman. It'd been well over a year since he'd last seen a female of his own species, so he was loathe to let such a chance get away. But as a second scent came to him, the Nehantite paused, sniffing at the wind. He knew that scent - hair gel.

Well, at least she takes pride in her appearance. Maybe she's a hottie.

Right now I'd settle for a Marching Band girl.

Yikes, that desperate?

Or even Chess Club.

Hal was left with little more time to go down his mental list of attractiveness vs. hobby as the female scent grew stronger. Forging on ahead, he sped up his pace, at last bursting through thick brush to come to a sudden stop.

There, before him, was a topless, red-furred, ringtailed female Nehantite, with Loki pulled close, pouring her canteen onto him.

"What. The hell," Hal stammered, one eyebrow arched under his forward flop of blonde headfur.

[Abarai Loki]

In that moment, Loki could've been dressed like a Twi'leki table-dancer and have had his image broadcasted all over the galaxy, and he would not have cared. On his knees, he wilted with a sigh of relief as the cold water washed away the irritant scorching his eyes. In that moment, he could've kissed his primitive saviour, but his thoughts dwelled on that hateful botanist. Arlan Solborne would pay. The blissful flow of water came to an end too soon, and in its absence, he worked at his bloodshot eyes with the cuff of his tunic. That was when he heard a voice. Slowly, fearfully, he peeked from behind his sleeve.

"Hal!" he blurted in shock.

His watery gaze then bounced from his fellow Jedi to the fulsome pair of mongoose breasts staring him in the face. Given the effects of the Aquilla enzyme, one would be forgiven for thinking it impossible for those puffy eyes to swell anymore, but they'd be wrong. Up like a shot, with a sharp intake of breath, Loki fell back on his rigid, if somewhat flailing, formality to save him from his shameful hell.

"Halajiin Rabeak, this is N-donsa. Halajiin... is a Jedi!"

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa whirled toward the intruder, her spear levitating from the ground and smacking solidly into her paw, her stance instantly defensive as the human man struggled to his feet.

But he had said that it was not Jedi who were native, but some other group. Ysanna? Her body slowly relaxed, but the male Nehantite in front of her was quite obviously near his mating season. Ndonsa kept the spear pointed lazily toward the yellowfur.

"Halajiin," she said slowly, circling away from Loki to keep her distance from the Nehantite as he moved forward. "I did not expect to find one such as you here." Ndonsa hesitated, then allowed, "I did not expect to be here. But the spirits' work is their own business."

[Halajiin Rabeak]

"What the-" Hal blurted as he saw the spear move on its own, but he had little time to wonder as instead it was leveled at him.

So, there was a Nehantite female, Kufu, from the looks of things, here on Ossus? Well, it was a jungle, so that sort of made sense, though Hal found himself far too distracted by Ndonsa's toplessness.

"Nice," he said before he realized it slipped out of his mouth. Snapping back to reality, he held up his paws, trying to look as disarming as possible while smiling, though his tail flicked playfully, and he hoped Ndonsa could read its meaning - he wanted to see if she was game for a bit of... private fun. His CC30 would wear off in another two or three days, but he still had his own normal desires.

"I didn't expect to see another one of us here, either," he replied with a laugh. "Especially one as pretty as you." His smile growing wider, Hal let all manner of dirty thoughts run free through his head. "Loki, have you been holding out on me? Who is your lovely friend, here?"

[Ndonsa]

"I am not his," she snapped before the human could say anything, and he seemed quite happy to stay out of it, his eyes still puffed up and reddened as if he were a Nehantite himself. "I belong to no one." Ndonsa drew herself up to her full height, balanced gracefully on her footpaws. "I am shaman for the ..."

Her strong voice trailed off uncertainly. Who her chief had been and how big his band of warriors was seemed unlikely to impress a modern Nehantite or a human. Evil Dirk had merely smiled and nodded and asked more about the head hunting and if the women did it too and if they were naked during the war dances. Dirk had a one track mind, it seemed.

And this yellowfur was flicking his tail at her, which was distracting. She raised an eyebrow at him, and continued, "I was shaman for my tribe, now I am a shaman with no tribe." Her lips curved up in a slight smile, her tail beginning to relax and twitch a bit as she couldn't help but notice that Halajiin was fairly handsome, for a yellowfur. Then she frowned, her tail ceased to flick, and she squared her muscular shoulders. Now was not the time.

[Halajiin Rabeak]

A world of questions burst into Hal's head, many of them entirely inappropriate. While there would be time for those later, he merely nodded slowly, trying to think as both his higher and lower functions worked in unison to best analyze the situation.

She was Kufu, and a shaman, at that. He'd seen her use what had to be the Force to snatch up her spear, and she didn't seem to fear Loki. Well, on sight, nobody feared Loki, but Hal had learned he was a young man not to mess with, as a very powerful thing came in that small package. Tail swaying more easily now, Hal shifted his weight to one side, but took no steps forward, not wishing to startle or alarm this... Ndonsa. And, while his mind and other regions churned with thoughts of things which should not be discussed in front of a teenager, Hal's outward appearance remained calm.

"I don't really have a tribe anymore, myself," he said, still smiling. "You could say that the Jedi are my tribe, now, even as mixed up as we are at the moment. And, shaman, huh? Bet you've got some pretty powerful magics."

Unhooking his thumb from his pocket, Hal looked to his right and spotted a small fruit tree bearing round, red fruit he knew was good to eat. With a light snap, the stem broke on one of the fruits and it flew into his paw with ease, called there by some invisible force. Buffing it on his shirt, he grinned and said, "We've got some pretty powerful magic, too." With a wink, he then bit into the soft, juicy flesh, a droplet of yellow juice leaking out to fall onto his shirt.

"You, uh, doing okay there, Loki?" he added, almost as an afterthought as he finally saw the young knight's eyes.

[Abarai Loki]

"It is not magic."

Loki reappeared from behind the sleeve of his tunic. He ignored Halajiin's concern to preserve what remained of his dignity and instead focused upon his misleading words to Ndonsa. Even in such discomfort, he'd not failed to notice the skillful manipulation of her weapon, and judging by Halajiin's reaction to it, he could only assume there was a cultural divide obstructing his comprehension of events. Whatever the case, this revelation raised serious doubts, and questions that needed to be asked regardless of his own standards of decorum. This time, when he addressed her, he anchored his gaze to her face to minimalise any risk of indecent exposure.

"Ndonsa, you are clearly gifted in the ways of the Force. In light of which it appears extremely suspicious that you claim not to be seeking out the Jedi, and yet have been found so close to our base camp. For the sake of security, I must ask you to elaborate on your reasons for being here. Tell me about Dirk. Did he wish for you to join our ranks?"

[Ndonsa]

She stared back into the furless one's eyes, nearly unblinking. He used words she recognized but in ways she was unfamiliar with. "Dirk wished to find the enormous tree of Evil from which his root came from."

Ndonsa raised an eyebrow as the two males exchanged a look. "Dirk was an idiot, and a coward. He abandoned me here when his ship was set upon by the Jed- the natives of this planet."

[Abarai Loki]

In the silent, but telling, exchange with his mongoose comrade, Loki discovered that Halajiin's knowledge of his people and culture could only help them so much. It appeared their grasp of the matter was to be forever hampered by the primitive's simplistic ways. But Loki had dealt with primitives before, and in Ndonsa there was some hope; she was a proud warrior, a leader amongst her people, peaceful, and with the rare ability to see reason. He could work with someone like that, and better if she were fully clothed, if only to bring Halajiin to his senses. Presently, the red-furred Nehantite's state of undress was of little concern to him, as he found his vision regularly obscured with hot tears, which he wiped away with growing frustration. He gave a loud sniff before he continued:

"Under the circumstances, I do not see why you cannot be returned to your world, and to your people. However, if you are a traveller, then perhaps going back is not what you seek. Ndonsa, there may be a home for you amongst the Jedi."

[Halajiin Rabeak]

There was a war raging inside of Hal between his higher and lower reasoning, and in a rare moment of clarity for the typically boorish mongoose, he just let himself speak without taking cue from either of his two natures.

"We're not much, but, it's better than being on your own in an unfamiliar place," he said. A smile working up his muzzle, he then offered, "But, if you do want to go back home, I'm sure I can find some way to escort you. Been a long time since I've been home, myself, and I can't say I've ever seen Kuf."

His tail swaying, still with hints of a come-on in it, but more settled and casual now, the yellow-furred Nehantite braved a step forward, extending his paw, trying not to look at either Ndonsa's spear or... too late, he glanced, but made a quick recovery back to her face.

"I'd rather like it if you'd stay, though. Even if just for a bit. The food is lousy, accommodations aren't the best, and there's a big line for the sonic shower, every morning, but... at least I might be able to offer pleasant company," he offered. Then, with a wink, he added, "And we can work on your magic a bit, if you like."

[Ndonsa]

She drew back, using her magic to flick Halajiin's paw as it extended toward her. "I have had my training," she said stiffly, unused to having her abilities questioned. But they were being accommodating, and offering her a place to sleep that didn't involve leaves and grass. She shouldn't be rude.

"Perhaps I will stay...for a while," Ndonsa allowed. She looked at Halajiin, looking him up and down frankly. "Pleasant company, hmm? We shall see." She turned back to the human, who's eyes were still very red and watery. "This one should have your people's... medicines... for his discomfort."