The Ancient Homeland

9

    You aimlessly strolled through the village, pursuing the muddied and filthy path before you with interest. Your mind roamed willy-nilly as you went, random notions and understandings flickering in and out sight like the stars you saw from the night before.
You could never dwindle on one thought too long, for another thought would take its place, just as fleeting as the last.
As you walked, Boogie seemed taken with perching atop your head, standing upright like a human would, his little paws in front of his chest as if he was contemplating life.

As you walked further, you paid more attention to the landscape around you; realizing that small stone houses past you, some dilapidated and neglected, others well-kept and intact. Sharp and winding bends threw you off course many times, causing you to feel ever so slightly disoriented and a sense of apprehensiveness to barely invade our mind like a black mist. And with the apprehensiveness, the feeling that somebody was observing your every stride with purposeful and attentive eyes, poised to pounce at any second, also crept in. Boogie seemed aware of this too, for every turn you took the further he nestled into your hair.
Eventually, that wasn't enough and he crawled down to your neck, arranging himself tightly against your skin.
You stopped walking, your old curiosity now turning into anger at yourself. You berated yourself for being so careless, and in this climate of the war, if you were found you would be interrogated, or worse, annihilated.
In sudden terror, you hastily analyzed your surroundings rapidly, discerning that to the left of you was an alley hidden by a holey curtain that swayed with the wind and pelted by the rain that was beginning to pick up.
  Painfully icy raindrops hit your scalp as you scanned the area even more.
   To your right was an old stone house with a metal door that had an unkempt sign on the front, reading, 'Trespassers Be Ware!' At that, a slight surge of alarm wrestled into your being, and you decided to take a chance and hide in the alley. And you told yourself you merely imagined it when you heard mud being sloshed and kicked around.
  Out of irrational fear, you took off to the left, lifting the curtain up with attention, and swiftly crawling through the alley where a maze of copper pipes hung from the ceiling and the floor, creating an intricate maze of tight spaces.
   You had to squeeze through many uncomfortable spaces at a few points, and it seemed endless, but finally, you saw a metal hatch above your head, and you took the chance with gratitude. With extreme care, you climbed on top of a copper pipe and boosted your way up to the hatch. You lifted it just slightly, trying to catch the faintest glimpse of somebody above you, but all you saw were rooftops and a heavy downpour pounding the roofs like blaster bullets.
   You could've sworn you heard footsteps off in the distance below you, so it obviously caused you to opening the hatch entirely without a second thought and hop out. When you were entirely out, you knocked the hatch over, visibly wincing as a loud clang resounded throughout the silence like somebody smacking a bass drum.
   As you stood contemplating, the precipitation whacked at your hair like a relentless dog begging for food; so in response you pulled your hair up in a bun, trying to keep the now fully soaked hair out of your face.
You looked around the barren and lifeless area, an empty feeling settling into the pit of your stomach. The foggy mist had swelled to surround you, only allowing you to see ten feet ahead of you. You knew needed to find your way back to the ship, understanding that you'd had your fun. Now, you needed to whip yourself back into the rule-abiding and compliant person you once were, never to step out of line and to be vigilant and the overly guarded person you once were. You berated yourself, criticizing yourself as you pinched yourself in anger. You took attentive steps in the direction you hoped was the way to the starship; beginning to walk at a brisker pace, desperation climbing up you like a vine of malice.
"Woah..." You whistled out softly to yourself, finding out that you almost fell below, down into the gap between the houses. You tried to calm yourself as you jumped over the miniature rift, settling into a vigorous pace as you began to map out the entire scenery in your head. Silently hoping to God that you were correct.
After what seemed like an eternity, you were thoroughly soaked to the core, teeth chattering together in the bitter chilliness; flyaways from your bun sticking to your face from the rain that was barely letting up. Soon you began to hear the vaguest mumble of chatter, and your heart leaped. The desperation that had once clasped around your heart in a vice-like grip loosened ever so slightly, and a feeling of hope dared to glimmer inside.
   You dropped down into a crouch, noticing that the mist had gradually relinquished on the ground, and you were able to see the marketplace two rooftops ahead. You hopped over with skill, thrilled to be so close. No matter how much you disliked the starship, it was better than being left in isolation, which was what you had experienced for years, all alone with nobody to hold, nobody to talk to, and it was utter agony. Even though Cere had changed, Cal was there with you.
   Cal. His name had popped in and out of your head during your little journey, but you had pushed the thought of the angelic man out of your mind, thinking of him would only bring up false imaginations of the two of you, and that's what would cause a small ache in your heart. You knew you definitely thought he was handsome, and there might have been something more, but you were also a little afraid to admit it for fear that it was just out of the loneliness you'd felt all those years.
You made it to the edge of the last building, quietly dropping down onto the ground below to avoid any attention being brought upon yourself. You vanished into the depressions of the walls, making yourself invisible to the human eye; something you had perfected in your years secluded.
You were not even a hairsbreadth away from the entrance when someone grabbed your roughly by the shoulders and dragged you into the direction of the way you were going. You couldn't see the assailant, as they were dragging you by your poncho, leaving your backside to be caked in the slimy mud. You did the only logical thing and fought back, trying your best to resist the attacker. Like a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped over you, extreme terror and dread smacked you like a wave.
  Boogie untangled himself from your neck as he realized your dilemma and began biting fiercely at the person's hands in an attempt to help you.
   Desperation squeezed at your mind and you began to fight even harder, in the process a loud rip could be heard. It was your poncho.
Tears streamed down your face like a river and choked sobs died in your throat as you scampered away from the person in the mud.
"Y/N!" Somebody familiar screamed out, it was Cere crying out in exasperation. You scrambled onto your feet, turning around to see an absolutely livid Cere, jaw clenched and clothes and hair just as soaked as you were, maybe even more. You backed away several steps from the older, wiping at your face and nose causing mud to smear over your face.
   Her eyes softened slightly at the sight of you, completely soaked hair and clothes, covered in mud head-to-toe, and hair significantly disheveled. You looked like a mess, to put it mildly. Cere sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation.
"Get back on the ship. Now. You gave us all a heart attack when we all realized you were nowhere near the ship, not even in the marketplace... Go get a shower and clean yourself up. I can't be going to Kashyyyk with you looking like a Wookiee impersonator..." Care grunted out, tapping her foot furiously, as much as she could, in the mud. Noisy squelches filled the tense atmosphere as she did so.
   You nodded your head slightly, sniffing loudly as you tried to regain a sense of composure.
   "Nearly killed Cal..." Cere mumbled under her breath, and you scarcely caught it, wondering if you had heard her right as your heart skipped a beat.
   "What?" You asked waterily, but Cere waved it off.
    "Go." Cere said with a tone of finality that was not to be argued with as she pointed at the starship.