A Hunter's Pride

Chapter 24: the memory

I've been gone for so long. I'm sorry. Forgive me. ;-;

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You took a deep breath, before stepping out of the warmth of the ship into the foggy cold. It was day, at least it should be. Yet, it was dark. The thick fog hid the sun, not even leaving the tiniest hint of warmth through. You shivered, despite the the coat you were wearing. A few months had passed since the incident at the guild. Your shoulder would never have healed, that much was clear, so you had decided to replace it entirely. The decision hadn't been easy, especially with Boba arguing against it at every given moment, but in the end, he agreed nevertheless.

Now, your shoulder and half of your upper arm were "a large chunk of metal", as Boba liked to call it, but you didn't regret your decision. It had stopped hurting soon after the surgery and only after a few weeks you were able to use your arm the way you usually would. The other thing Boba had complained about had been the price of your lines cybernetic shoulder, but your little stunt at the guild hall had given you quite a reputation. Jobs came in like flies out of a rotten body, giving you the chance to finally pay for yourself. However, for some reason, Boba hadn't been too happy about that.

You let out a breath, watching as the small cloud that left your lips mixed with the fog that surrounded you. It felt strangely familiar and all of the sudden, you were put back at the beginning of your journey. Quite sone time had passed, yet you remembered it as clear as day. How Boba and you had teamed up. How you had started your hunt. You had come a long way. A small smile tugged at the corners of your mouth when you remembered how he had left you standing in the fog on that one planet, only to run back to you. Now that you thought about it, he had seemed worried. How cute. The smile now spread on your face as the memory started to fill your head and you couldn't help but chuckle as you remembered how he made you enter the citadel.

Your smile abruptly died. The citadel. The place the changeling had hidden. A dull pain now spread in your head. The voices. What voices? Had there been voices? You hissed through your teeth and held your forehead as the headache started to get worse. Yes, there had been voices. You remembered now. They had called for you, screamed your name lured you inside and then.. those eyes. Those yellow glowing eyes. It felt like your brain had been stabbed and you let out a short scream as you dropped to your knees. Those eyes, they didn't seem to want to leave your head. They burned into your memory, their image becoming clearer and clearer...

"(Y/n).."

You turned around and stumbled back in shock as a pair of yellow, bright glowing eyes drilled into yours, through your head, right into your soul. You gasped and fell to the floor, yet you couldn't avert your gaze.

"(Y/n).." the voice whispered again. A step echoed from the tall walls, then another, and another. A figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a woman. A tall, red skinned woman. It was her eyes that were fixed on yours, her eyes that were burned into your memory.

For a moment, you just stared at each other, motionless, until the woman raised her hand slowly. It was like hundreds of daggers were stabbed into your brain at the same time. You screamed, or rather, wanted to scream, but no sound left your lips. It was as if all sound around you was swallowed by something, sucked in by an invisible force and turned into nothing but a gush of wind.

"(Y/n)..."

You winced in pain, your entire body shaking.

"(Y/n)...!"

There it was again, that voice, that voice you wished would go away. But somehow, it felt different. Warm, welcoming, comfortable. The imagine of the eyes, and with that, the image of the woman slowly faded.

"(Y/n)!!"

You gasped and opened your eyes. A familiar face stared down at you, worried and filled with fear. Warmth spread on your cheeks and it didn't take you long to realise that Boba held your face in his hands, holding you in place.

"(Y/n)!" He called you again, but this time it sounded a little more relived than before. "Are you okay? What happened? Does your shoulder hurt again??"

You just rolled your eyes a little and tried to get up, but the bounty hunter held you down.

"Be careful, we don't want to rush things."

"Maybe she has her period."

Thei'ra's voice came from somewhere behind Boba, but the man wasn't in your sight. You groaned, at the same time like Boba.

"Shut up." the bounty hunter responded and looked over his shoulder. "It's not that time yet."

"Well, how do you know? It's not impossible."

"I know cause I've been living with her since months, just like you. The least you could do is remember when she gets grumpy."

"She's always grumpy."

You let out another groan, shutting up both of the men. Boba immediately turned back to you, his expression changing to worried once again.

"(Y/n).." he whispered softly and moved a strand of you hair behind your ear. "How are you feeling?"

At first, it felt like your throat was to dry to answer, but your voice sounded surprisingly fine.

"I'm okay.. I'm okay... help me up.."

Boba didn't hesitate and helped you back to your feet, but he still held you on your shoulders. Just in case you'd fall again.

"What happened?" He asked softly, keeping you steady.

"I just.." You went quiet. Once again the eyes appeared in front of your eyes, and you shivered. "It's nothing. The cold doesn't seem to be good for my shoulder.."

An obvious lie, yet Boba seemed to believe it. He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, the real one, and carefully guided you back into the ship.

"What are you even doing out here in the cold.." he muttered while he walked, passing Thei'ra.

The man shot you a worried glance. Other than Boba, he had seen right through your lie. Yet, he kept quiet and turned away, staring into the fog that surrounded you and the ship. After a while, his gaze shifted back to you and Boba and he followed you quietly. The worried expression had been replaced by something else. An almost fearful shadow covered his face, but it quickly disappeared as you turned to look at him over your shoulder. He gave you a reassuring smile, then followed you into the ship and closed the hatch, locking out the grey fog.