The Monster in the Night

[Growley]

Eyes watched in the twilight hours of every evening as the strange, two-legged creatures moved about. They pushed down trees, moved earth, and dug great furrows into the earth. They did this during the daytime mostly; when he slept. He did not much concern himself with them when he slumbered, but it was when the suns dipped below the horizon that he ventured forth from his high-peaked cave to stealthily swoop down and watch.

It was not all bad though, as the two-legs brought with them food. Eopies and shaak, kept so conveniently in wooden pens. No roofs. It was as though they had brought him such delicious food, and offered each delightful morsel without car.

And so he'd happily partaken. In the darkness he took flight, deep purple scales shimmering in the moonlight as he dove through the air like a missile. The small shaak herd scattered, but their terror only made them taste so much better.

And then he would pull up at the last moment, all four legs reaching down in hungry anticipation before digging sharp claws into soft flesh. Powerful wings beat the air like a deep drum, and up he went, his prize held firmly and squawking out a few last weak cries for help.

Thus he sated himself.



This night was like any other, the night clouds like a blanket and diffusing the brightness of the moon so that its' light was like an ambient glow.

Circling high overhead, the drexl tipped to the side, eyeing the eopie pen hungrily.

[Draiya Naaianeya]

Draiya slept fitfully as she'd done for the past week. Her dreams brought her back to her fateful moment, locked in combat with Abarai Loki. A fight less about winning and more about finding herself. Every blocked and dodged strike. Every effort turned away. But Loki's eyes were always on her. His lips moved, speaking to her.

Be wary.

The Syragori girl's eyes peeled open in the dark. Narsha Taab snoozed below her in the bunk bed, oblivious to Draiya's restless sleep. With her heart rate up, Draiya lay in bed during the still of the night, willing herself back into torpor.

Be wary.

Her eyes were moving towards the window. It was more than a feeling, it was something interconnected and alive. The sinewy tendrils that connected living intent rang like clarion calls to her senses. Though Draiya couldn't ascertain where they rang from or to what end, she'd be no Jedi at all to chalk this up to bad dream jitters. Stealing out of bed, the Syragori padawan quickly donned her tunic, and snuck out of her dorm into the night.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Outside of the Padawan dormitories, a creature sat. A gangly Vornskr hunched in the overhang, watching nervously with eyes that never left the sky.

And when the dormitory door opened to allow Draiya Naaianeya out, the young Lupine switched her ears back, head twisting to look at the girl. Golden eyes seemed to narrow.

There was no mistaking it now. Draiya had felt the very same thing that she had.

[Draiya Naaianeya]

Draiya dashed through the door with a practiced lightness in her footfalls, moving nimbly without creating much noise. Once clear of the dormitories, she felt a sudden intensity of life force and immediately pivoted on her toes, squaring off to face...

...a dog?

The Syragori's eyes leveled severely on the creature, and Draiya blinked hard, not understanding the strange feelings she felt through the force. The life energy here was radiant, by degrees more than any animal she'd sensed on planet. She didn't have time to dwell on that, however, as another living force eclipsed her senses. Even without turning her eyes above, she could feel it's presence - a creature of great size meandering on a lazy slice of sky above. Her ears picked up the thumping tattoo of heavy wings against night air. A presence - searching.

Draiya's lithe form turned back to the barracks, kicking precise steps against the frame of the door that served to wedge her up for a springing leap at the building's wall. She clasped at a second story window ledge, then drew herself up to the next level to spring onto the roof.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

The vornskr watched Draiya, feeling the other girl's startled nerves. Of course, it wasn't long before what had pulled Teagan out of her own bed passed overhead.

She'd snuck out of her room, tip-toeing down the hall after waiting for Master Vymes to fall asleep. The first time she'd tried to make an exit she'd come upon him fast asleep in one of the large leather chairs in the living room, and to cover her surprise, the young Lupine had masked her true intentions under the guise of waking him and telling him he needed to go to his bedroom and sleep in an actual bed. He'd given some grumbled excuse, something about how he wasn't really asleep, or whatever. She knew better, and had prodded him until he'd stumbled to his feet, shuffling back to the very end of the hallway, and the entry to his own bedroom.

She'd left soon after, shifting forms along the way. It would be easier to hunt whatever it was that she'd felt if she was on all fours. Or well, that was how she figured it.

Now though, craning her neck upwards to watch as Draiya scaled the dormitory walls, Teagan let out a huffed breath.

She rose to stand, half-turned, then shot off like a wild beast in the direction that she could feel... whatever the thing was.

[Draiya Naaianeya]

It took a moment for Draiya's eyes to catch a hint of what her instincts could already see. At the outskirts of Sanctuary, she saw it. The dim moonlight threw back just enough cool radiance off the creature's wingspan to remain visible but for a few seconds. The Syragori girl's dark eyes stayed fixed on the interloper, even when those eyes could no longer track them by sight as the flying beast disappeared under a blanket of darkness.

Draiya sprinted across the roof, coiling at the edge to splash across the gap between the next building in a full run. Perhaps there was a chance this creature was just passing in the night, but she couldn't escape the feeling of intent that tethered the shadowy prowler to Sanctuary. It wasn't just passing through. It was looking. Hunting.

[Scout Ravenwood]

Scout Ravenwood was, meanwhile, completely oblivious to the game of hunter and prey going on around her. She'd been up late studying, and now, clutching her datapad in its custom pink case with plenty of new texts downloaded to it, she was making her way back to the dormitories, mostly in her own little world. She certainly wasn't stealthy, that was for sure, her pink high heeled boots (perfectly matching, of course, her pink tunic, robe, belt, and nail polish) click clacked loudly on the floor, and the girl's insistence on always wearing a nice perfume meant that she had a trackable scent to any predator.

She paused for the briefest moment, sensing something. She frowned a little. She could sense a feeling, an intention, in the air that she couldn't quite put her finger on. But Scout had no experience with animals, hers was a coddled experience, and after a quick glance around and seeing nobody nearby, she decided that it was probably nothing. Just in case however, she picked up the pace a little, walking in a more hurried step that only made her footfalls click clack on the concrete ground even louder as she moved...

[Growley]

With a plethora of delectables to choose from, the winged beast circled high overhead before swooping in low. The shaak and eopie in the pens gave off such a pungent odor that the 'monster' only had eyes for them.

Alighting upon the nearest rooftop, the drexl let his wings stay unfurled for a few moments, and with a snorted bfff exiting his nostrils, he gave the rest of his body a little bit of a shake.

Flying could be a chore, at times after all.

A final shake of his wings, and he pulled them back in close to his body while pawing close to the building's edge.

[Karkoon]

Shelter and sleep were unnecessary comforts that often put him at odds with the other denizens of the Ossus Academy. Every night he was forced into solitude as the carbon based lifeforms went to their domiciles and made themselves unconscious. Such a strange process. He could hardly imagine what it must be like to fall into this "Sleep". His species did not sleep. They waited patiently, sometimes for hundreds of standard years, without action. He waited for the daylight to come outside the many shelters. They did not possess anything that he could sit in that would not shatter under the weight of the droid carapace he piloted. Outside he could enjoy the stars and moon. Much better than the otherwise boring interiors of the prefab structures.

Such was the same tonight. While the others slept he sat outside on a bench that his friend Suri had reinforced to hold his weight. A silent guardian, standing watch outside the doors of those sleeping. He knew there was little or no danger here on Ossus, but old habits never died. It reminded him of the week long vigils he stood over the fields of Orax. His people were defenseless on their owns, and if not for the droid suit he was useless without, he would have never risen to protect them. That was neither here nor there. Now he was on Ossus, and there was a military at their back that could protect them. Still, it was hard to let his guard down.

Movement caught his "eye". The sensor suite fed electromagnetic feedback from the droid's optic receptors back to where he sat within the chest cavity of the droid. Someone was running along the rooftop of one of the shelter structures. His eyes adjusted for the darkness, and revealed the Syragori named Draiya. Further movement below revealed an animal he was not familiar with. A quick run through the holonet revealed nothing of interest. Closing the wireless connection to the nearest holonet terminal, the lumbering droid carapace sprung to life; it's servos whirling into action as it stood up and lumbered after the girl on the rooftop.

Something was up. This was not normal behavior. He would follow, as discreetly as his metal body would allow.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

It's landing! It's close!

She darted over, letting her senses tell her where to go as her body obeyed.

Of course, there were some things that weren't exactly translated properly, and the Vornskr let out a surprised huff as she felt her hulk collide with something much more pliable... Skidding to a halt - which ended in the gangly beast standing over a girl who seemed very attached to the color and inner powers of pink. And... how did she walk it those things? A worried look back to the girl's legs (to make sure nothing was broken), had yielded a glimpse of footwear that looked more deadly that a Rakatta death beast.

And then she angled her head back, looking the girl in the face. Her tongue lolled out, toothy maw opened wide as she hoped her 'happy face' would be enough to express any apologies needed.

Of course, she still hadn't moved from over the top of the pink girl.

So pink!

[Theo]

Dr. Theo Phastus never slept very soundly these years. Maybe it was years spent on research excursions in the untamed depths of the galaxy, where sleeping too soundly could mean being easy prey for some rampaging beast. Then again, maybe it was the ravages of time; he was getting up in years, after all. Whatever the case, his honed senses alerted to the sounds just a minute or so after others. In an instant, he was on his feet.

"B1," he rumbled, "something's close. I can feel it. Fetch me Lucille."

The loyal droid retrieved Lucille from where it had been carefully placed in the large, well-ordered tent. Moments later, the professor emerged from the dwelling, antique hunting blaster in hand, dressed only in a thin nightshirt and sleeping cap.

A young woman's scream pierced the night air. Theo advanced, head hunched low, rifle at the ready.

[Scout Ravenwood]

Scout's world was suddenly disrupted as something collided with her with enough force to knock her off her feet. Startled, and already unnerved, she let out a terrified scream, before taking in what it was that had collided with her. Breathing hard, one hand held out in her best 'good doggy' pose, the other doing a quick check on her blonde hair, a natural reaction to her having fallen over, she slowly got to her feet, putting both hands out to it. The creature didn't seem angry with her, and in fact, its face looked genuinely happy.

Wait. Is she happy because she knocked me down or is she being friendly? Ohh, I wish I knew more about animals...

"H-hello..." She said softly, in that typical baby voice she assumed you should use for talking to animals. "Who's a good doggy?" She asked, reaching forward with that nervousness of somebody who felt that they should touch the animal, but was also afraid it might bite her finger off. "You are! Yes you are!" She baby-talked, edging closer, until she felt confident she could give him a little pat on the head...

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Any thought of the mystery presence was suddenly swept aside in a torrent of shock. A torrent of sudden praise.

The vornskr blinked big, golden eyes, slurped her tongue back behind her teeth, and tried to cut as sweet a canine figure as she could. It was a little bit tricky.

'Good Doggy'. Such a nice change.

Her baser instincts made her give a bit of a strut around the girl in pink.

With wide, golden eyes, the vornskr cast her gaze upwards. The Girl In Pink. That's who she'd come across. There was no mistaking it.

She plopped down on her haunches, looking up with a wide, toothy grin and a fair amount of stars in her eyes.

[Scout Ravenwood]

Scout smiled and let herself giggle a little as the dog circled her. She was still nervous, but she was beginning to feel like she'd made a friend. She watched as she circled, and then sat down with a funny smile on her face, and again Scout found herself smiling.

Aww, she's so cute. I wonder who owns her? I should pat her again. I hope she doesn't smell much...

Scout cautiously edged forwards, and gave her another little pat, before kneeling down in front of the big dog and deciding to rub the side of its face playfully.
"Ohhh, you're so cute, yes you are! Yes you are!" She baby talked to the dog, before deciding to give the animal a hug. She wasn't sure if you were supposed to hug animals, but she looked huggable, and well, it seemed to be a good approach. Of course, when Scout pulled away, she quickly brushed down her tunic from dog hair, because, well, Scout might be a hugger, but she also was obsessed with preserving her pink clothes and hated dirt.

"What are you doing out late, girl? What you doing?" She continued to baby talk, of course not expecting a reply.

I wonder if they'd let me have a pet...

[Theo]

The besalisk stalked along the empty, dirt path. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning the shadows , searching for the predator he knew was out there. Hopefully, he'd see it before it saw him. If past experiences were any indication, a shot fired into the air should be enough to scare the blasted thing off. He would have done so immediately upon exiting his tent, but he didn't want to wake the whole damn town unless there was actually a danger.

Mostly, he wanted to see it. There were still species on this planet that weren't properly cataloged in the well-respected journals, and the chance to understand the unknown was a powerful draw.

Theo approached an intersection and peered cautiously around the corner. Modular buildings rose on either side of him, giving the settlement the sudden feel of a cramped, closed canyon. Much like the time he had been on an excursion on Ammuud, exploring the Kalikas Rift and had accidentally wandered into the nesting grounds of the native pterosaurs. Of course, that experience had led to his spending the next three months observing them at close range and publishing a paper that revolutionized the understanding of the creatures.

Ahead, visible in the dim light, a small figure was wrestling with some sort of beast. His muscles tensed, and he began to point the barrel of the blaster skyward when her high-pitched, sing-song voice echoed back to him. The blaster came down and he hustled to her, short legs churning and night shirt flapping in the cold (periodically exposing the professor).

"It's not safe to be wandering in the dark tonight, Miss," his eyes continued to scan the dark skies, "You and your dog better find some shelter. Hop along now."

[Draiya Naaianeya]

The beast had taken to perch with it's attention diverted away. Draiya paused in a deep crouch, one rooftop away from the winged behemoth. It was a predator, that much was obvious, but nothing she'd seen during her lengthy time on the Sanctuary world. Sleek scales as midnight as the still darkness surround it, yet the Syragori padawan sensed no malice from the animal. Nothing of sinister portent. That didn't make it dangerous. Plenty of creatures could kill in the name of surviving, and that certainly included regular people.

What are you? she thought, returning to her second sight to glimpse into the luminous heart of the animal so near to her stalking approach. Other energies did not escape her notice. The staid vigil of a Besalisk who had responded to the possibility of danger. That...strange dog. A girl Draiya did not know, lavishing her attention on the odd canine seemingly unaware of the trouble perched close and above.

Draiya took another step closer.

[Growley]

The drexl gave a sudden snort, his head going up and his eyes blinking slowly as his head turned this way and that. He could feel... something. It wasn't anything he'd felt before on his previous nightly trips, and the winged beast tensed his body, ready to take flight.

A string of gibberish sang through his head, and he let a low growl form in his chest, rumbling up to manifest through baring teeth. With lips pulled back over each white instrument of chewing menace, the creature slowly turned to look at the approaching form of...

His eyes narrowed to vicious slits.

It was a day person.

Squaring off with the girl that crept her way closer, the drexl unfurled his wings, his body mass suddenly much larger.

And with a great heave, the monster in the night leaped up into the sky.

[Karkoon]

It was quiet on top of the building where the young female and the creature were perched. Fearing the worst had happened, Karkoon grabbed the sides of the building and pulled himself upward using whatever handholds he could find while being careful not to permanently damage the building while pulling his weight skyward. Eventually he reached the edge and pulled his upper body on to it, looking up just in time to see the creature take flight again. While dark to others, his droid optics were able to view the creature unhindered by the darkness. Image captured. Ran through the holonet again.

"Drexl. Native species of Dxun, moon of Onderon. Ferocious predator. Employed as war mounts. I would suggest caution, fellow Padawan." He repeated back the holonet entry as his suit's live feed fed it to him.

[Draiya Naaianeya]

"Warr mounts?" Draiya mouthed, turning back to her fellow armored padawan.

So it wasn't simply a wild beast at all. It had a greater potential still. She turned back to look at the beast, a little smile on her face. Suddenly, it sprang from it's roost, opening it's huge wings to beat the air down in a tremendous rush that cast back Draiya's black hair.

"That's good advice!" she yelled back to Karkoon, coiling then springing in an energetic leap towards the ascending figure of the drexl. It's long tapering tail swished towards her, and the Syragori padawan caught it at the last trailing length, holding on for dear life as she began to be carried aloft.

[Scout Ravenwood]

Scout jumped out of her skin at the voice of the approaching Besalisk, and span around to face him, looking both startled, and for some reason, trying to radiate innocence even though she hadn't actually been doing anything wrong. She patted the vornskr gently to make sure that she was calm and happy, and looked over at the approaching stranger.
"She's not my dog. I just met her." Scout answered with a sweet smile."But I don't want to leave her alone out here. She seems pretty domesticated. She must have an owner. She might have gotten lost!" She explained with genuine concern for the animal, even if Scout didn't know the first thing about looking after dogs.

"Wait. What do you mean 'not safe'?" She asked, suddenly sounding nervous and glancing around the dark. She didn't go out in the dark much, not really, it hadn't been part of her coddled, safe life style before her time as a Jedi, and she didn't think that there was anything wrong with it now. "Is... is something out there? I thought I sensed something... odd, but I couldn't really.... I didn't understand it. It was only for a moment..." Scout was actually very talented at sensing motives and thoughts, but she had to be trying to do it, which is why she had missed Theo, and her naivety with animals meant that she didn't really know how to feel for an animal presence. Only sentients.