The Nuna Egg Hunt

[Akasha Khan]

Akasha Khan slunk forward through the underbrush on all fours, her shoulders high and sharp and rolling like serpents beneath the tactical bodyglove she wore, dull gray nanofiber trimmed in electric blue. As she drew to the crown of the ridge and could peer down into the valley below, she raised one paw to wave her compatriot forward to join her.

On the leaf-strewn path at the foot of the ridge below, two young figures crept just as cautiously - Kestra Martel, a human female with a sturdy, square frame, and Juyin Rys, a slight Iktotchi boy whose thick, downward-curving horns seemed out of proportion to his narrow, bony shoulders. Both wore yellow patches on their combat suits and carried short-hilted lightsabers in clip holsters on their right thighs. Juyin kept a wary eye on the wilderness all around them, as if fearing a predator might drop from the trees, but Kestra's focus was forward and single-minded, like a kath hound scenting for its prey.

"She senses something," Akasha whispered to her companion, barely above a breath. "There must be one nearby. Do you feel it?"

[Eah Kell]

Eah's footfalls through the bracken weren't quite as silent as Akasha's, but then, few creatures on this planet could creep around that quietly. She was careful, though, and light on her toes; what sound was left would be hard for anyone to hear over the faint whispering breeze that stirred through the grass and leaves as she slipped by. Nearer the crest of the hill, she lowered herself to the ground next to Akasha, shimmying forward, and eased up far enough to see down onto the path below. Training her eyes on the young woman striding along with purpose, Eah exhaled softly, concentrating all her senses and reaching out with the sense she was still learning to harness.

It was a moment before she murmured, "Yes," and cocking her head to the side, "but I do not know where. It's not...very close. And it feels. Down." She turned to look at Akasha, pushing down her frustration at her own weak grasp on the shifting pulses and pulls of the Force; it was so easy to feel and to harness in the air and so difficult to narrow her perception of to pinpoint anything specific. "Are there caves near here?"

[Hwooroc]

Further away in the forest

Hwooroc did his best to match Halajin Rabeak stride for stride, but the longer gait of the Nehantite was making the matter tricky. Datapad in one hand and lightsaber in the other, he pumped his feet in pursuit, his vox module bouncing on his chest as it swung from a lanyard. They were close. He could feel it now, just like they said! Like a tingle in his tummy, but not really. A snaggle-toothed grin as he suddenly scrabbled to a stop.

"Hrroah aauu!"

Hal, wait!

Hwooroc paused, panting through his mouth as he looked right and left. He scratched his head with the butt of his lightsaber and finally settled on it, pointing authoritatively to his left.

[Halajiin Rabeak]

Halajiin Rabeak sighed. He'd been paired with Hwooroc, possibly the least useful of any of the Padawans, and decidedly the most burrito-shaped, once the bodysuits had gone on. The bodysuits. Hal paused for a moment to admire himself, again, deciding he wanted to keep his, once this whole exercise was over. Form-fitting, they hugged his frame in all the right ways, and he'd stopped a few times already to admire his own butt.

Oh, yeah, baby. Why do we ever hide this magic can of ours? His base natures wondered.

Because of modesty? His higher reasoning answered. Besides, these things have no pockets. I like pockets. You can put things in pockets.

Yeah, true. I put a corndog in my pocket, once.

Hush, you.

Hal was jerked back to reality by another grunty-grumbly-ululation from the half-pint Wookiee. "Huh?" Hal asked, then looked in the direction Rocky was pointing. Closing his eyes, Hal tried to sense whatever the kid was, but nothing was coming. Left eye opening once more, though, and Hal could spot a few telltale signs that someone had been here recently. Carbonite damage left him only seeing monochrome out of his right eye, though that same damage allowed him to see ultraviolet and infrared light wavelengths, and he could now see what his partner might have been pointing to. "Good job, kid. Let's get it," he spoke quietly, lest anyone else be nearby. "But... might want to hand me that saber. Don't need both your hands full, you know."

[Draiya Naaianeya]

Crossing a winding stream, still some distance away

Orange.

Draiya stared at the ugly thing, unable to shake the sense of utter loathing from the pit of her stomach. Orange like inside a pumpkin's guts orange. Ugly, gaudy, garish orange. Her laser-sharpened focus on winning had been distracted by the eyesore in her hands, and she deactivated the blade, staring daggers at her "teammate".

"Jamis Kerrr you dung-sniffing dolt, you arre neverr picking team colorrs everr again!"

Fording the stream with an easy athletic bound, Draiya clipped her creamsicle nightmare saber to her belt and began to climb a tree for vantage.

"Pick a kuu'ai colorr, Jamis...I trrust you, Jamis. Well neverr again! You'rre the worrst colorr pickerr everr. I feel like a Fey'dann hillbilly even wearring this thing!"

[Jamis Kerr]

"Oh shut up," came the hissed reply as Jamis Kerr navigated over the stream. He landed as quietly as possible, and watched as his partner -who hadn't stopped complaining since the moment they'd started out - started up a tree.

"If you wanted a different color, you shoulda said something."

He made a face at her behind her back, but it wasn't long before he moved to the tree's trunk, his own saber held at the ready. He was the ground watcher, and while she'd certainly have the advantage a better view once she got up into the limbs, she still had to get up there. And that was where he came in. Protect the watcher.

He couldn't resist a parting shot, however.

"Besides; I knew you don't like orange. Why do you think I picked it??"

[Akasha Khan]

Back on the ridge

Of all the padawans on Ossus, no one knew the lay of the land as Akasha did - well, as she and Ndonsa did, to be fair. The two of them had established their own hunting circuits and had done an admirable job of picking up the slack for the natural predators inevitably displaced by the colony. Akasha had the Kufu mongoose pegged as her most serious competition, even if she was saddled with Drax.

As for the pair down the hill, Akasha knew from experience that she could defeat either Kestra or Juyin in a fight, but Kestra was a skilled Soresuist and was built like a massiff, and she didn't want to expend that much energy so early in the game for an uncertain reward. She extended her own senses in the direction Eah had indicated - yes, there was something there, not like the quivering heartbeats of small animals burrowing in the foliage, but gently pulsing like waves on a calm beach, subtle, ephemeral, and difficult to pinpoint. If Eah had a better sense for it than Akasha did, all the better. She wasn't counting on much from the tiny Kel Dor in combat.

The black-furred Orryxian rolled nimbly to her feet and looked past the masked alien further down the ridge, parallel to the course the yellow team was taking. "There's a ravine about a hundred meters in that direction," she said. "I know a place that should be easy to climb down. We can cut them off while they're still looking over the edge."

She stepped around Eah and began slinking off to the North. "You can climb, can't you?"

[Eah Kell]

Eah followed quietly, trying to put her feet in roughly the same spots as her compatriot. Akasha was eminently sure on her feet and with the ground beneath them, moving almost as though she was part of the wilderness itself. Eah admired her agility even while she felt herself instinctively puffing up against the snide remark. "I can," she said confidently, though in honesty she was only mediocre at any kind of climbing or other strength test. "Won't that put is in a vulnerable position? Beneath them? We'll be easy targets while we're climbing. We should perhaps try to distract them first."

[Ndonsa]

Near the start, in a bramble

Ndonsa stood quietly, ears perked forward and senses alert. Beside her was her partner, the green knobby one called Drax. He was struggling with a mass of berry vines, the thorns digging into his grey and purple clothing, a new one managing to snare him even as he freed himself from another.

He buzzed sadly as she slowly turned in place. The other teams had all raced to the interior of the game area many minutes earlier. Ndonsa looked at Drax, at the sun, and then back to Drax. "Let me -" she started, and he tootled emphatically.

"I will do it myself," said his translator, and he threw himself full body toward freedom, his big black eyes screwed shut against the pain of the thorns as he scratched his way out of the bramble.

Ndonsa sighed.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She could smell the excitement in the air.

It passed over every tree, shrub, and blade of grass like an ever-present aurora of anticipation and bubbling determination. And then it seeped lower to snake through every living thing on Ossus. It went around and through, permeating and saturating. There were different colors to each, all weaving together to create a great olfactory symphony that filled her nose and spread throughout her own senses. It had been a very long time since she felt such feelings.

Trotting along, Teagan lifted her muzzle up to scent the air once more, breathing in deeply of the heady aroma. An ear twitched, and she could make out the sounds of small birds singing to the clouds as they scudded their way across a vibrant blue sky. Her specialized harness, a skin-tight tan affair that hugged her chest and wound around her ribs, held accents of green along the outer piping to show her team color. It allowed for easy movement, thankfully, and she'd already put it to the test with a healthy roll through the first patch of soft grass that they'd come across.

Her nose came down once more then, and the lanky vornskr buried it in a small patch of violet and yellow flowers. Another intake of air, and the perfume of nature filled her nostrils. So wonderful...

The Lupine sneezed as she came back up for air, and with her long, whip-like tail waving gently back and forth, she sent a toothy 'grin' up to her partner.

[Kazahan]

Kazahan's ears flicked as he matched his partner's gaze.

"This one is glad you are enjoying yourself," he said, threading another long thing stalk of grass into what was becoming a recognizable hat. "But do be careful, yes? We might come upon some other apprentices having less fun and make them envious."

[Draiya Naaianeya]

"Besides; I knew you don't like orange. Why do you think I picked it??"

Draiya rolled her eyes at the parting shot, muttering "Dorrk" under her breath as she continued to shimmy up the tree. Sure hands met supporting branches allowing her to easily close distance to the very top of the tree. She'd picked a good vantage. Old growth and cutting a commanding figure from the stream bed, she could see clear to the crest of the ridge about a kilometer south.

Dark eyes serious, she scanned the horizon, drawing her hood and balaclava tight so that only her eyes could be seen sticking out. It was daylight out, so the choice of her head adornment was questionable, but it made her feel pretty dangerous. After a few moments, it became apparent that she wasn't getting much tell-tale action from visual cues. No Jedi running in the open. No branches that swayed just-so. The Syragori Padawan's eyes began to slide closed as she attempted to survey the playing field by other means. The old life force of the tree she held fast against was a live wire, a conduit reaching down into the earth into the myriad of intertwining roots and other flora. Life forces began to emerge to her senses, like flowers budding on far-flung branches. The timid energy of Drax and Ndonsa's antithetic surety were easy to see. They were the closest, but they were also farther behind them. They could double back and pick them off...but it was probably a better idea to forge ahead for another team, preferably one with a lead on an egg.

In Draiya's mind at least, it would be more fun to hunt down the egg hunters than simply hunt for eggs herself. Of course if she just stumbled across one, that would also be nice.

[Jamis Kerr]

He watched her ascend, made another face, then went back to scanning the undergrowth. Aside from the occasional breeze that rustled at tall grass and shrubs, there didn't seem to be movement caused by any of the other teams.

He knelt then, placing a hand palm down on the dirt, fingers splayed out as his eyes closed and his mind went beyond. It traveled out from him, and he felt his senses as they skipped and zoomed over the distance beyond. Not very far, but hopefully it would be far enough. His farsight was certainly not as good as others, but the boy had been studiously practicing.

With his saber clutched in his free hand, his brow knit in a concerted effort, his thoughts continuing to search for any signs of -

There.

He could feel a twitch, a hum on one of his outlying lines of thought. It was soft, but it was there.

Eyes opening in a flash, the boy was quick to rise up. He looked skyward at his partner just as she was casting a gaze back down toward him.

A series of quick hand gestures were sent her way, swift motions that conveyed... something.

She just stared.

Again he made the same gestures, and again she simply stared, this time cocking her head to the side.

He tried again. Still she just looked down at him, then slid from her perch to start her downward descent.

"What?" she hissed angrily.

Jamis gave a frustrated sigh at that, and repeated his 'sign language', though hissed back at up at her in an impatient, halting tone.

"I. Feel. Two. Padawans. Over. There. Who. Think. They. Have. A. Line. On. An. Egg. You. Stupid. Girl."

[Draiya Naaianeya]

She grit her teeth in frustration at him, bounding down the tree in a falling descent broken only by a pivot on a branch halfway down. Landing quietly on her tabi boots in a crouch, Draiya spotted exactly what had gotten Jamis' attention. Unseen by her balaclava, she smiled.

"It's Rrocky and that rrou-rrou horrny Hal guy."

Each step was a meditation. An act of seeking silence. Draiya began to creep carefully along the soft dead leaves in the shady forest basin. She paused every few steps to make sure Jamis was following her lead.

"We should go afterr Hal at the same time."

Whispering low, she nodded conspiratorially to Jamis.

"Take him out fast. Rrocky? Pfft."

[Akasha Khan]

"Won't that put is in a vulnerable position? Beneath them? We'll be easy targets while we're climbing. We should perhaps try to distract them first."

Akasha picked her way through the undergrowth with ease, all the while tracking the yellow team's positions with her ears, which swiveled on her head like twin sensor rectennas. "They'd have to see us first," she said. "But did you have something in mind? I don't know what they teach at the... the Brando academy."

[Eah Kell]

Eah stifled an offended noise, more because she didn't want to make any additional sound that could give them away than because she was actually reaching for politeness. "Baran Do," she corrected Akasha succinctly in an undertone, keeping a sharp eye out for any trouble but, honestly, trusting Akasha's eyes more. It made too much sense not to: Akasha's eyesight was worlds better than Eah's under any circumstances, and certainly here in an oxygen-rich environment, the atmosphere bending light in a way perfectly suited for nearly everyone here and perfectly terrible for Eah. To say nothing of her goggles. The finest eyewear a Kel Dor could buy (which Eah's family did buy) would still pinch and somewhat limit the full range of sight.

No, Eah's eyes were not her sharpest tool, here. Her ears worked just fine; her inner sense worked better, and she worked at stretching her perception out beyond herself, as far as she could visualize it reaching. The wind around her shifted. "They teach many things," she said, not a little smugly. "I could make the wind work against them. I could also physically incapacitate them, but that would take longer, I think." She eyed the edge of the ridge they were walking, the dry prominences of it already bald and dusty in the light natural breeze. It would be little to wrap the two Padawans below in a dust cloud so thick they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces. "Would you like a little insurance on our stealth?"

[Akasha Khan]

Suddenly, Eah had Akasha's full attention. As much as she wanted to dominate this silly competition and rub everyone else's noses in it (but mainly Draiya's), she was even more interested in seeing a new technique she might be able to learn herself. And seeing as she wasn't planning on growing methane gills or whatever it was the Kel Dor used to breathe, Maiur knew when she'd next get the opportunity.

"All right, then," the Orryxian said, her pale green eyes glimmering with interest. "Let's see it."

She crept back into cover to where she could see Kestra and Juyin again. They had paused to talk about something, and both were alert and watching their surroundings - either they had lost the track they were following, or they'd wised up and knew they were being followed. Akasha crouched low and nodded a single claw to point out their bearing.

[Ndonsa]

​By a stream. Not that one, the other one.

Drax dripped silently on the grass as Ndonsa hopped from rock to rock and crossed the stream behind him. He'd managed to fall in halfway across and had gotten soaked from head to toe, despite the stream being only a few inches deep. "Have you sensed any of the orbs?"

Ndonsa shook her head. "But I am sure one must be close." The playing area was only so big, and if all orbs were scattered evenly, they were sure to be near at least one. She looked at the green one. "Can you climb a tree?"

"Of course!" Drax hooted emphatically, his long strange fingers waving. He turned immediately toward a tree, and Ndonsa took his shoulder.

"Not yet. But one might be in a tree. Or perhaps another team will come close and we will choose to hide." She stared at him in the eyes, and slowly closed one of her eyelids. She had seen other Jedi making this expression before, and thought she had the context correct. Drax looked confused.

But then, he always looked confused. Ndonsa smiled toothily, and took off through the trees, her partner following behind.

"Wait," the translation never sounded urgent, but Ndonsa stopped immediately and turned. Drax had stopped a few lengths behind, and was pointing. "There. I think?" He exhaled deeply, his shoulders slumping. "Probably not. Sorry."

Ndonsa shook her head, rejoining him and closing her eyes. "No -" Drax looked even more sad, "no, you are right. I sense it too." She clapped him on the back, and he stumbled forward a step. "I would have run right past it. Good work."

They picked their way through the underbrush and found an orb nestled in the roots of a gnarled tree. Drax picked it up, his strange fingers giving him an advantage when it came to grip.

[Hwooroc]

"Good job, kid. Let's get it," he spoke quietly, lest anyone else be nearby. "But... might want to hand me that saber. Don't need both your hands full, you know."

Hwooroc's expressive face went from beaming happy to crestfallen in seconds. He clutched at his saber protectively, then decided the better of it. After all, Hal knew best! He was a Jedi Knight, and nobody else had a Jedi Knight on their team! Giving his saber to the Nehantite, he replied an affirmative "Gnooaf!" nodding with gusto before carrying on in the direction they had been headed.

It was a quick bound, switching back across the stream they'd recently crossed, past a stand of trees, and...oh no!

"Hwrau wawawa!"

They were too late! It was the scary mongoose lady and Drax, and they were already on top of their prize.

[Halajiin Rabeak]

Saber in paw, Hal felt complete, giving it a deft toss before catching it once more. "Lead on, my good man," he grinned, letting Rocky find the way. Known objects, known structures, those Hal had no issues with, but finding something that wasn't supposed to be there? Not his strongest suit.

I think our strongest suit is that black pinstripe one. We look amazing in that one.

His higher reasoning chose - wisely - to ignore that comment, and instead focused on signs of life and movement. There was another smell in the air, but he couldn't identify it beyond the residual aroma of Hwooroc's strawberry-scented bubble bath. Still, it was best to be cautious.

That caution was throw to the wind as he and his half-pint wookiee counterpart spotted Ndonsa and Drax, and Hal's eyes narrowed as he witnessed the orb in Drax's... unusual hands sputter and begin to glow blue.

Tapping the button on his training saber, it sprang to life slower than real sabers, but fast enough to make a good impression, glowing somewhere between pink and purple beside him. "I think we'll be taking that," he said, grinning as he held out his left paw.

Man, that saber makes us look like a baaaad mother-

Shut yo' mouth!

What? I'm just talkin' 'bout Hal.

I can dig it.