The Tragic Jedi | Anakin Skywalker

𝓢𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓮 𝟐𝟖

❝𝑰 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒈.❞ -- 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝑽𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

❈✱❉✤❈✱❉

By nightfall the next day, Ahsoka and Master Secura had still not returned. Astrid and Rex sat before the fire Rex had managed to make as the sun began to lower below the horizon once again. Astrid nibbled at the thin slice of beef jerky in her hand as she stared into the dancing flames of the fire.

 Thankfully, Rex had a little bit of food in the small bag of supplies he had brought with him. 

The pair sat in silence, their thoughts distant. 

Astrid was busy thinking about where Master Secura and Ahsoka could possibly be, and if Anakin would ever wake up.

She discovered a moment later what Rex was thinking about when he asked, his voice loud in the stretched out silence, "Do you think that creature will attack tonight?" 

Astrid's eyes drifted from the fire to Rex's face as she replied casually, "It's likely. I bet there are a ton out there. And the creature's siblings might've heard it screeching last night." She laughed as she added jokingly, "Maybe the siblings are out for revenge." 

Oh gosh, she was losing it, wasn't she, making jokes like that? 

Rex's mouth curled into a close-lipped smile, and he looked as if he was trying to stifle a laugh. "Well, in that case, one of us should be awake at all times." 

Honestly, they should've been doing that in the beginning, but Rex and Astrid had been too tired last night to bother. Astrid nodded in agreement and offered, "I can take first watch." 

The two of them finished their small dinner of beef jerky before Rex headed towards his tent to get his sleep before his watch. Astrid threw a few grass stalks into the fire to keep it burning before she settled in front of Anakin's tent. 

She kept her eyes on the dancing flames, almost mesmerized by the fire's lithe movements. Astrid didn't know how long she sat there before she heard the familiar sound of rustling grass. 

She muttered a curse as she silently rose to her feet, the bright full moon allowing for just enough light for Astrid to catch sight of the two massive creatures roughly fifty yards away, stalking through the grass towards their camp. 

Astrid darted towards Rex's tent and threw herself inside, hissing, "Rex! Wake up! Those things are back!"

Rex bolted upright, instantly awake, and he grabbed his blaster before clambering to his feet. "Kriff," he muttered under his breath. "It's too bad we don't have General Skywalker for some help."

"Yeah, that would've been nice," Astrid remarked. "Especially considering there are two this time." 

"Two?" Rex exclaimed loudly in disbelief, and Astrid slapped a hand against his mouth, both of their eyes widening in horror at Rex's mistake, waiting to see if he had been loud enough to draw the two creatures' attention. 

Astrid felt a presence right above their tent through the Force, and she quickly Force shoved Rex out of the tent as she shouted, "Get out of the tent!" 

Astrid scrambled after Rex out of the tent right as one of the creatures' sharply clawed paws pierced through the metal ceiling of the tent and clawed at the space where Astrid and Rex had just been standing.