The Hunt (Star Wars Rebels)

Hunting Grounds

The next morning, Ezra climbed down and began working his way back towards the beach. If the rest of the crew was coming to find him, he wanted to be ready to go.

Something attacked Ezra from behind, pinning him to the ground. He squirmed, but stopped as soon as he felt something sharp press against the back of his neck.

"Trandoshan?" a voice asked from somewhere in the distance.

"No," a voice directly above Ezra replied. "Just a kid."

The weight lifted from Ezra's back and he quickly stood and backed away. A guy was standing a short distance away. He looked around seventeen. He had dark skin smeared with mud, long hair that reached his shoulders and was matted with twigs and leaves, and shadowy eyes. In one hand was a tall wooden staff, while the other held a jawbone with razor sharp teeth.

"You must have come in with the new batch," the guy said.

"What are you talking about?" Ezra asked. "Some Trandoshan kidnapped me and dumped me here."

"This is one of the Trandoshan hunting islands. They hunt people for sport," the guy said. "I'm Dogan. This is my pal Roy."

A different guy dropped out of a nearby tree. He was blond haired and blue eyed, and looked to be the same age as Dogan. One of his eyes was a milky white color and the bit of face around in was heavily scarred. He was carrying a handcrafted spear.

"What are you doing going towards the beach?" Roy asked.

"I'm going to wait for my master and friends to come pick me up," Ezra told them.

"You some kind of slave or something? Roy asked.

"No, I'm a Jedi Padawan. Master is just the word we use for our teachers," Ezra explained. Roy smiled slightly, but Dogan only scanned the area around them.

"Kid, there's no such thing as Jedi anymore. That's just a children's story," Roy said.

Ezra closed his eyes and extended a hand, focusing on a nearby branch. He made it levitate a few feet into the air, spin around a few times, and impale itself in a nearby tree. When he opened his eyes again, Dogan and Roy were both staring at the branch.

"This may be just what we were looking for!" Roy told Dogan excitedly.

"I was hoping more for some experienced warrior," Dogan said in return.

"I'm an experienced warrior!" Ezra protested, but Dogan and Roy ignored him.

"Isn't a Jedi who can manipulate the force better than a warrior any day?" Roy pressed.

"A trained Jedi, yes. But not a kid. The Trandoshans'll begin the hunt any moment now," Dogan said, walking away. Roy turned to Ezra.

"You coming kid?" he asked.

Ezra looked at Roy and Dogan, and then in the direction of the beach.

"I'm going to wait for my master," he finally said. Roy shrugged.

"Whatever you want. Just watch out. I have a feeling that every Trandoshan is going to be hunting for you," he told Ezra. He hurried after his friend, leaving Ezra alone in the forest.