Wolven | The Mandalorian

Chapter 5: The Gunslinger

Chapter 5: The Gunslinger
Word Count: 4,901
*EDITED*

"You were a Mandalorian?"

Elodie sighed, taking a seat on the hay bale. Emotion boiled to the brim as she fought to tell him clearly without stuttering. "I was. When the Imps captured me, they tried many methods of persuasion to get me to reveal the location of the child. They moved their compound from planet to planet in hopes of following any leads. The Client was fed up, then one day he just—" She clicked her fingers, watching him flinch back and look at the floor. "Snapped. He stripped me of my armour. All of it."

It took him a moment to muster up a question, "What happened to your clan?" A burning sadness spread through her chest, and a wave of tears made her clear her throat. The ache of grief weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"I was a foundling." Elodie was overtaken with memories of rummaging through scrap yards barefoot. Fighting off other creatures while also trying to survive. The sight of a smoking blaster belonging to a Mandalorian bearing viridian armour. Images of a pack of scurriers nipping at her. They may seem small and harmless, but to a six-year-old, they were predators. A nearby Mandalorian had been drawn curiously to the hissing of the rodents and the young cries of a girl as she swiped her claws out. His heart had gone out to her as he watched as she stood against the wall in fear.

"Be calm, little one." He had said, watching her eyes flick around wildly. He extended an open palm towards her. It was the first memory she had of him.

"I was found scavenging on Tatooine by a Mandalorian. He took me in as his own and taught me everything I know, as well as the many ways of Mandalore." She looked up, "He was also a bounty hunter. The one who gifted me my armour."

The Mandalorian took a seat beside her, knees touching. "What happened to him?"

"Knock knock."

Omera stood at the doorstep with Winta, bearing a tray of food. They took a hesitant step forward into the abode. "I hope I'm not interrupting?" Din felt the urge to excuse them. He wanted to know more about the elusive woman he was travelling with. The news of her being a Mandalorian, stripped of her armour, angered him deeply. He had to clench his fists to relieve some of the tension. If he had only known at the time of rescue. Oh, the things he would have done to the client. Even he had no idea what he was capable of.

"Not at all. Please come in, Omera." Elodie said, brushing her hand discreetly across her face to wipe away a stray tear.

Floating in like there wasn't a bitter taste in the air, Winta bounced in enthusiastically. She gravitated straight to the child in his cot.

"Can I feed him?" The two of them shared a look and shrugged at the girl as the Mandalorian jumped up from his seat to let him out of the cot. "Are you hungry?" She asked him. The child took a meat strip from the girl's hand, and she giggled. "Can I play with him?"

"Sure." The Mandalorian said, standing in the middle of the room. Elodie also hopped off her perch, clarifying, "Only within the reaches of the field, please."

"Come on!" Winta bolted out of the hut. "I don't think-" The Mandalorian started, but the Wolven shushed him, watching the child try to follow close behind. Din stiffened, wanting to follow the child and watch over him. Din was afraid to let him out of his sight. Elodie silently admired his protective nature.

Omera reassured him of the child's safety, setting the tray of food on the window ledge. "They'll be fine. I brought you some food, Elodie mentioned you would want to eat alone, so I'll leave it here for when I go." The Mandalorian looked at the tray, surprised, not knowing when his companion had had the chance to inform the woman of such boundaries.