ʙᴏᴏᴋ 1: ᴡʜɪꜱᴘᴇʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴇꜱᴛɪɴʏ

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 28: ꜱᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ

"If you aren't sure, look again."

Following the death of her squad, Moira ventures out into the wilderness as she tries to survive on her own.

______________________________________________________________

Word Count Warning: 5.6k

I made my way through the trees, lightly jumping from branch to branch. I stayed to the tops of the trees, where I knew the leaves would give me the best cover. I moved swiftly and silently as I scoured the jungle. Trying to blend in with nature. My survival instincts were kicking in. As Master Di had taught me.

'If you ever find yourself alone, fall back to your basics. They will keep you alive. Your body can last a few days without food, but not water. Find a water source. Then build a fire, it will keep you warm and it can be used to fend off predators. Only start one when you know the enemy isn't in the area. Keep moving until you are sure.'

But this was different, I wasn't just trying to survive. I needed to find Wolffe. They could be in danger.

Or I could be too late.

I stopped my leaps, when the thought crossed my mind. I didn't even think that they could be dead. But it was a real possibility. Who's to say that I'm not the only one left? I leaned against the side of the tree to steady myself. I had to keep going, even if there was only a small chance that they were alive. I couldn't give up on them. Not now.

I resumed my strides for about another hour. The sun had already set, and the moon was really my only source of light. I could hear the rustling from the forest floor. Probably just the animal life scrambling around. I could hear the crickets echo through the large forest. I never realized just how alive the night could be in the forest. It reminded me of Coruscant. Even at night, the city was still alive. Traffic jams on all highways, the loud beeping of transports trying to cut through.

I was cut out of my day dream when another sound caught my attention. It was a light rushing sound that was coming from below me. Water! I quietly jumped from the tree, before I pulled back several bushes. Eventually I found the spring. After I inspected it closely, before I deemed it safe to drink. I was surprised I hadn't passed out of dehydration yet after all that leaping. I cupped the cold water in my hands and drank it greedily. After a few more handfuls, I let out a small sigh. At least I felt refreshed. Then it happened. My Crystal started to glow again, not the usual glow, but a rapid blinking. Danger was approaching. I reached out to my senses and faintly heard it.

"I hate this job."

"What I would give for a recharge right about now."

Droids. They were close. I let out a squeak. Which was probably the worst thing I could have done, because moments later the droids started talking again.

"What was that?"

"Hey you two, go check out that stream over there."

"Roger Roger."

I heard the clinging of metal against the forest floor. I could practically feel them. They were less than 10 feet from me.

What should I do? Do I fight them? What if there are too many? No. It wasn't worth the risk. I quickly got up from my crouch and bolted in the other direction as soon as I heard the droids reach the opening to the stream. One of the droids must have seen me because I heard one of them call out.

"Hey you, stop! This is unit B34-33 requesting back up. We have spotted a survivor by the looks of it." Footsteps sounded from behind me as the droids gave chase.