Ezra's POV

I shot the grapple gun and felt it snag on the ground high above. At least, I hoped it did. It felt like it did. I pressed a button on the gun and it began pulling me into the air, closer to the dim light. I managed to grab onto the edge of the hole and began pulling myself out. It was tough going. My legs were dangling in empty air, useless without anything to stand on. I grabbed a protruding root and pulled myself entirely out of the hole. I rolled over onto my back, staring up at the treetops. It was almost completely dark. There was no sign of Kanan or the Empire.

When I had caught my breath I stood up and glanced around. The fact that Kanan was gone was worrying. Had he abandoned me? Or had he been captured by the Empire?

I shivered and glanced around. Now that the sun was gone, it was getting cold very quickly. It was important to get to shelter, but first I wanted to look for any sign of Kanan's fate. I began searching the area.

In one area, there were a bunch of human footprints. They mingled occasionally with large pawprints. The pawprints went in one direction, while the human footprints went in another.

I could follow the pawprints, but there was no evidence of Kanan having gone with them or been dragged away by them. On the other hand, he could have followed the stormtroopers or have been taken prisoner by them. In that case it would be impossible to separate his footprints from the stormtroopers'.

Making up my mind, I followed the human footprints. Hopefully the stormtroopers and Kanan couldn't be too far. I could make up a rescue plan when I caught up with them.

When it got too dark for me to walk any more, I decided to bed down for the night. I didn't want to sleep on the forest floor, where any predator would be able to find me and eat me. Instead I climbed a sturdy looking tree and laid down on a fork in the branches. It wasn't long before I had fallen asleep.

When I woke up, I assumed it was still night. Possibly early dawn. The trees were blanketed in a gray dimness. A few moments later I realized that the low light was caused by dark storm clouds high above the forest. I hoped Kanan was ok, wherever he was.

I jumped down from the tree and continued to follow the footprints. It was some time later that I reached a small opening in the trees. An imperial shuttle was landed there. I couldn't spot any stormtroopers, but that didn't mean they weren't around.

There was a blinding flash, which was followed by a roar of thunder. I blinked quickly, hoping to restore my vision after the blinding flash. A steady rain began to fall. It was only a few minutes before I was dripping wet and freezing. I waited another moment before sneaking closer to the shuttle. The ground quickly turned into mud, clinging to my shoes. Hard to feel stealthy when I was soaking wet, cold, and every step I took squished loudly. More thunder rumbled in the distance, setting me on edge.

I was halfway to the door of the shuttle when it slid open. Standing in the doorway was a dark form. I squinted and took a step back. The next flash of lightning revealed their identity, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I stumbled back several steps. I slipped in the mud and ended up sitting down as none other than the Inquisitor stalked closer. He seemed totally unaffected by the rain and mud.

"We've been searching for you," he told me. "I didn't believe that you and your master had been killed when your ship was shot down. I had to make sure for myself."

He activated his lightsaber. The raindrops sizzled as they came in contact with the ruby blade. More thunder rumbled in the distance.

There was an explosion of blinding light centered around the imperial shuttle. It was followed instantly by the most deafening crash of thunder yet. As a bolt of lightning connected with the ship, jolts of electricity raced up and down its surface. I was momentarily blinded and everything had gone silent. I took advantage of the rare opportunity to escape. Hopefully the Inquisitor had been affected just as much as I had.

I scrambled to my feet and made a break for it, not glancing back. I couldn't see anything, so I trusted the force to guide me to safety. I could feel branches tearing at my arms and sleeves as I pushed through them. I abruptly collided with a rough surface, stumbling back several steps. I stood and felt what it was. Tree bark. Without any hesitation I threw myself up the tree. It was difficult, but there were plenty of branches to pull myself up with. When I felt like I couldn't climb any more, I hugged the trunk of the tree and closed my eyes.

The eerie silence and darkness from temporarily (at least I hoped it was temporary) losing my sight and hearing pressed down on me. I was stuck who knew where with the Inquisitor on my tail and without any of my senses besides smell, taste, and touch. And the force, if that counted as a sense.

If I ever needed Kanan, it was now.