Ascension

Chapter Seven

Tame Wildflower

Morning arrived with a course of beautiful melodies from the many different birds that called the nearby forest their home. The perfect sound moulded with the nature around it, falling with the clear blue water of the nearby twin waterfalls and rising again like the early morning mist as it slowly disappeared and made way for the warm and ever brightening rays of the new day's rising sun.

Voices and silent footsteps echoed in the distance, yet none of them seemed to notice the lone figure lying still upon a large slab of smooth, white rock as the sun began to heat the stone and slowly rouse its only occupant from a slumber she was not all too sure she had brought upon herself, while at the same time the force called out to her, letting her know it was safe and that soon enough, she would no longer be as alone, as she was at that silent moment.

Ahsoka let out a long groan as she opened her eyes to the blinding light of the burning orb high above her. Her joints were stiff and heavy, but she all but ignored them for that moment at the least in order to try and make sense of what was going on, as well as figure out exactly how she had managed to escape the lonely silence of the now faraway lake and clear night sky to come to be here, lying flat on a slab of rock while her hearing slowly returned to her.

She tried to lift herself up off the warming surface in order to get a better look at her new surroundings, but once again her body denied her with aches and pains of protest until she resolved to remain on her back to await the return of whoever had brought her here to begin with.

The voice from the night before had never left her thoughts, even as she had slept, it continued to speak to her in a calm and caring tone which helped when at times the pain would become almost maddening to have to endure.

Her injuries were many, of that she had little doubt, but the most noticeable was the lingering ringing sound that was even then still torturing her montrals despite her mysterious healer's best efforts. Now her sound-sensitive horns were bandaged to the point that even nearby sounds and echoes were masked and muffled, while anything beyond the circle of trees that surrounded her makeshift bed were left only to her use of the force, though even that had begun to seem increasingly difficult as the rest of her mind and body continued to recover from the ordeal of the night before.

It was all coming back in flashes. The lone droid fighter, the buzz droids, the crash, having to escape her cockpit and swim for dear life to the shore of the lake that an unknown force presence had helped to guide her towards, and of course, the voice of the unseen saviour that had stood over her at the water's edge and told her to rest with a promise that she would awaken to the light when dawn came again.

Ahsoka let out a long, slightly laboured breath as the memories flashed before her very eyes. This was certainly not what she had in mind when she made her decision to return to Shili, and now the fact that she had encountered an enemy presence this far outside of the war's priorities was only helping to add to her already large list of troubles as the thought of attracting hostilities to the last place in the galaxy she wanted to see them began to haunt her despite her best efforts to try and tell herself that in destroying the droid, she may have saved more lives than what might have been had the fighter been allowed to escape unchallenged.

She was all but about to scream her troubles away when the muffled sound of soft footsteps upon her grassy surroundings stopped her in her tracks before she could open her mouth to attempt the action.

Now something else was occupying her thoughts, though this time, she was without a doubt as to what it was as the footsteps stopped a few feet away from her makeshift bedding and the familiar force presence from the night before greeted her with a silent welcome while staring down at her with a look of surprise though bright violet eyes.

"You're awake… are you okay?" a new yet somewhat familiar voice broke the calm silence of the forest clearing just as that same calmness began to send Ahsoka back into the depths of her dreams despite her best efforts to stay focused on the figure that floated over her trembling body.

Her eyes began to flutter open just as she felt a pair of arms lift her gently to a seated position upon the large, flat rock, though it still took a little bit more for her to grasp at her waning consciousness as best she could, while at the same time find the words to respond as her vision cleared and she looked into the eyes of the person whom she presumed to be her saviour.

Before her stood a young Togruta girl of about her age wearing a white shoulderless, sleeveless top with ruffled straps around her upper arms. A purple skirt fell from her slim waste to just above her knees while charmed tribal bracelets waved around her wrists and ankles, matching the necklace around her neck and a brown leather belt tied around her slender figure which also held a same coloured diamond shaped Togruta tribal sash.

The girls white facial markings came in the form of a v shape that curved inward from her forehead before stopping just above her nose and curving out once again above her eyes, while her cheeks were marked with a rounded set of soft triangles pointing downward and towards another set of crescent moon shaped marks that sat upon her shoulders and were quite easy to spot being so brightly coloured compered to her darker shaded orange skin.

"Try not to force yourself too much, you still have a long way to go" The girl spoke in a strange accent that Ahsoka failed to recognise. There was almost a hint of song to how the girl formed her words that had an unmistakably calming effect to it, as well as a cheery tone that almost made her smile as she blinked her eyes twice and finally felt the blood flow back into her stiff joints and allow her to left her hands and rub her sleepy blue orbs to clarity.

"Who… Where… " Ahsoka managed to cough out her words before swiftly taking a long drink out of the water pouch the girl was quick to offer her from her belt. Her tongue was as coarse and dry as the dunes of Tatooine, though even that paled in comparison to the condition of her throat which seemed to close up and open again just as quickly to both deny and accept the cool water that did little to quench her seemingly insatiable thirst.

"My name is Cayla Tey" the girl replied, "Don't worry, you're safe here. We're just outside my village at my tribe's healing stone. I found you just after sunset at the side of the lake. Your montrals were cracked, but I did what I could to close the wound, you just need to rest now, and let time do the rest"

Ahsoka blinked her eyes once again as she let each word sink in slowly. She remembered then the final events of the night before that had led her to this moment. The warm sand beneath her back, the pain that inflamed her body as well as her mind, and the terrifying realisation that had hit her as she realised she had all but lost her hearing as a result of her crash and the events leading up to it.

She then looked up at the girl who was her saviour, wanting nothing more than to show her gratitude in a way that would show just how thankful she was that she had been there to save her when all seemed lost, and yet, something else had caught her attention and refused to let go as it became more and more obvious that this Cayla Tey was more than just a simple healer.

The thought had just about crossed Ahsoka's mind to make her questions known, but at that same moment something else took her attention away from the matter at hand and made her freeze as the short yet cooling puffs of air escaped a pair of cold, wet nostrils which now trailed up the length of her back and stopped at the base of her neck.

Whatever the creature was, it seemed to scan her with every intention of finding out whether or not she was a threat, while all at the same time the girl before her let a small smile spread across her greyish lips, followed by a look that made it clear she knew exactly what was happening without needing to worry about it like her would-be patient now was.

"Fenrir, to me" Cayla called to the giant beast with a calm tone as she waved her hand and gestured it to her side.

Wolves were not exactly the rarest of sites, but this one was not as ordinary as many of the natural hunters Ahsoka had studied or seen before from holo-images or otherwise during her studies as a youngling back at the Jedi Temple.

No, this gigantic specimen was something else entirely, standing at almost over five feet tall on all fours while its silvery blue fur danced with the breeze that blew through it, the animal eyed her with both caution and suspicion, yet at its masters order it had calmed and come to sit by Cayla's right side, eyeing a potential danger, but protecting that which it cared about the most without even so much as a whimper.

"He's huge…" Ahsoka observed with an unblinking eye while she slowly straightened herself up to a more comfortable seated position upon the rock, the wolf never taking its own keen eyes off her, as they both entered into an unplanned staring contest of sorts that neither seemed to wish to lose quickly.

Cayla giggled, "He is, but he won't hurt you. Fenrir's my protector and my best friend; we've been together since he was a pup and he never leaves my side" she said with a tone that seemed to be intended to calm Ahsoka down, as well as reassure her that she was safe in the presence of the beast that sat before her.

She rubbed her right forearm nervously; "Sorry, I guess I'm still a little rattled right now" she replied with a frown, "Thank you for saving me Cayla… I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you properly for all that you've done, but if there's anything I can do, all you have to do is ask"

The girl smiled, "You don't need to thank me, being a part of the healing circle means I can't just pass someone in trouble that needs my help, and as for what you can do, I only ask that you try to rest and recover."

Ahsoka nodded with a smile of her own, "So what happens now?" she asked as she lay back down on the still warming stone, while trying not to bring her head down too quickly in an effort to avoid any more discomfort.

"Well, I'll need to bring you to my aunt. She's the leader of the circle, and she'll need to have a look at your injuries herself. After that, well, that's up to you. It's not often we have visitors from the north" Cayla replied as she moved her right hand through Fenrir's fur while re-attaching her water pouch to her belt with her left.

"A visitor from the north?" Ahsoka asked with some confusion as she lifted her head back up to find Cayla staring down at her boots.

"Yeah, you're part of one of the northern tribes, right? That's why you're wearing boots. Only the people of the north need them to stay warm during the colder winters, or so my father tells me" the girl responded, her gaze moving from one end of the boots to the other as if trying to make sense of them, "It must be strange, I've never seen anything like them and covering my feet like that sounds so weird. Don't you feel odd not being able to connect with nature like the rest of us?"

Nothing from her studies could have prepared her for this, walking without footwear? Connecting with nature? Some might have considered this to be crazy, but in a galaxy filled with unlimited possibilities, maybe this was one of the lesser crazy things she had come across in all of her many adventures through the stars.

But then something else entered Ahsoka's head again, something she had almost forgotten about as the conversation flowed into so many new and unknown pastures, for her at least, but suddenly it dawned on her that Cayla knew more than she was letting on, after all, it was this girl who had directed her ship down into the lake, it was this girl who had just happened to appear at the lakeside in her moment of need, and it was this girl, who out of all the other beings she could sense nearby, had the most powerful and noticeable force signature she had ever sensed outside of the Jedi Temple itself.

So why pretend otherwise? Ahsoka thought to herself as she studied Cayla's bright violet eyes with her own in an attempt to try and read her intentions. Why would she talk about the northern tribes as if she expected her to know about them and their traditions? Was she playing some sort of game? Was she an enemy in disguise? No, why then would she have saved her?

The sheer volume of questions made her head throb more than it had all morning, yet she had no answers to quench them of their thirst for the truth, at least not yet. If anything she knew her saviour was trustworthy, at least for now anyway, but her stories had put her slightly more on edge despite knowing that here, on Shili, of all places she was supposed to feel safe.

First the droid fighter, then the wolf and now a fellow Togruta. Ahsoka fought off the urge to shake her head violently in an attempt to clear it of all these new problems she had created within her own thoughts. Had what happened on Coruscant really shaken her trust in others this much?

"I think I need to lay down again" she spoke slowly, feigning a dazed state as she gently lowered her head back down onto the stone and closed her eyes to the light of the sun above, though as her head hit the stone, it become painfully obvious that her energy levels weren't as high as they first appeared to be.

Already it had begun to feel as though she had ran a marathon through some chest high river until her body screamed no more, and with this new fatigue coupled with the drain on her mind, Ahsoka could only hope to find some kind of solace deep within the confines of her dreams.

This new situation was frightening her a slight bit more than she felt comfortable enough to deal with in her present state, yet the even more unsavoury thought that she was now alone in a world she barely knew didn't help to calm her fears even in the slightest.

She still had her wits about her, that was a trait not easily lost, even if it was proving difficult to concentrate long enough on one thing before moving on to another. What worried her now however was her lack of a plan, something that had mostly been Anakin's department whenever they found themselves in difficult situations such as this one was proving to be.

Oh yes, she had her wits and he had his smarts, together they were a hard to beat, yet now she found herself wanting of her former masters abilities to help her through what was sure to be a trying and tiring day which lay ahead of her.

Suddenly, she remembered that she wasn't exactly as alone as she thought she was, and by the look on her face, Cayla was seemingly quite content to stay by her fellow Togruta's side until she felt well enough to leave the stone bed and enter the great unknown that lay beyond this secluded piece of silent paradise.

"I'll leave you be then" The girl finally broke the slightly awkward silence as she stood up fully and patted the side of her leg as a signal for her wolf companion to join her, "I'll come back with food later, let me know if you need anything el…"

"Wait!" Ahsoka interrupted as she pushed herself back up to a seated position and shuck her dizziness off, "I can move, I mean I can come with you… please?"

Where and how this sudden rush of energy had appeared was as much of a mystery as Cayla herself, but Ahsoka wasn't about to throw it away, quite the opposite in fact, she had had enough of laying around like a helpless youngling, she was tired of feeling helpless, and she wanted now to stand on her own two feet without fear or doubt.

"Take it easy…" Cayla spoke with a small smile before kneeling and taking Ahsoka's hands in her own, "A broken leaf can't carry as much water as a full one"

"I'm tougher than I look, believe me" Ahsoka replied with a smirk of her own as she used the leverage given by Cayla's hands to stand on shaky legs and steady herself as her bones creaked and ached in protest against her actions.

"That may be, but just in case, let me support you until we reach my village, you should be able to handle it from there" the girl responded kindly as she took a hold of Ahsoka's arm and gently wrapped it around her shoulder before easing them both into a slow but steady walk into the forest where a cream coloured stone path led down into a series of turns on what Ahsoka now knew to be a small hill.

It was a longer journey than what would probably have been the norm, for Cayla and Fenrir at least, but the narrow and winding paths leading down the small, forested hill to the nearby village beyond required more finesse when helping an injured friend to their destination.

In the distance, the sound of water falling upon rock and pool played like a symphony, harsh and angry, yet strangely soothing and calm at the same time as Ahsoka felt the slightly faraway sounding melody begin to enter her injured montrals and wash away some of the lingering doubts and worries that continued to hold her mind down.

The scenery wasn't exactly bad either, and even helped to take her mind away from said worries merely by getting her attention and keeping it long enough to forget her troubles with each small step.

On either side of the path, underneath the trees at the base of every trunk, grew a bed of differently coloured and shaped flowers which filled the air with a mixture of new and exotic fragrances the likes of which Ahsoka had never before had the joyful pleasure of sensing.

Every turn brought with it a new scene, a new smell and a new feeling, but none of them compared to the sight that now lay before her very eyes as the path disappeared into a short, grassy field and there, hidden in a massive clearing at the edge of the forest, with only a small opening in the distance connecting it to the outside world, a village teeming with life from the smallest bird to the tallest of Togruta who made their way to and from the many tall, wooden structures that dotted the settlement, sat greeting her with a glow as warm as the sun.

Ahsoka took in a deep breath and gently pushed herself off and away from Cayla's grip so she could stand on the cliff between the twin waterfalls either side of her and look out toward the source of her suddenly undying happiness, for this village now stood as a monument against her pain, against her worries and against the fear that had threatened to outdo her. Here it was warm, here it was beautiful and maybe, just maybe, here, it was home.

Disclaimer: Disney and Lucasfilm Limited own all Star Wars characters and concepts. I do not own the rights to any of the characters, locations or anything to do with Star Wars. Any Original Characters and or locations however are my own.

Author's Notes: Hey guys! Sorry about the long delay in getting this chapter out for you all to read. For a while there I thought the world was doing everything in its power to keep me away from this story, but I'm glad I've finally been able to find some time to get this chapter done.

I hope you enjoyed this latest instalment. Those of you who had already read the previous version of this chapter may be surprised by how much has changed, but I hope said change is welcome as it kind of helped me to progress with my new vision for how I want this story to go.

I can't promise that the next chapter will be up anytime soon, but what I can do is promise that I have by no means stopped wanting to continue this tale until it reaches its completion, no matter how long it takes me to get there, I won't give up.

Thanks again for reading and as always a review would be awesome! Have an awesome day guys, cheers!