Together, Willow and Cal walked along a massive branch, from which they could easily reach the beautiful bird. They got closer and the creature hadn't moved away yet.
"You're giving us a lift?" Cal asked.

Surprised, he caught Willow's gaze, who just shrugged with a grin.
"What are you waiting for, Redhead? We don't have all day."

"Right, right."
Carefully, he stepped closer to the creature, mindful not to hurt it. Then he climbed onto the back of the beast and once settled down he extended a hand to Willow.

"Come on, Lills. We don't have all day," he teased.

The girl laughed, shaking her head in disbelief at his mocking behavior. Then she took his hand and settled behind him. Thankfully, she had opted against her school uniform long ago, as a skirt would have been quite cumbersome in this situation. Sitting side-saddle would have been too risky anyway, offering insufficient stability.

So, she positioned herself behind her friend as she would on her broomstick. For a bit more stability, she naturally grabbed on to his shoulders.
"Ready?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.

Before Willow could respond, the creature started moving. Contrary to Willow's expectations, it plunged straight down initially. Unprepared, she slid into Cal's back, and he reached back with an arm to stabilize her by her thigh. Without thinking, she moved her hands from his shoulders to wrap her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his back. A tingling sensation in her stomach ensued, which she attributed to the excitement of the sudden dive.

Sooner than expected, they were gliding, and with every third wing beat, they ascended higher. They were just above the clouds, with the sea of green stretching far and wide below.
"There's still so much the Empire hasn't touched," Cal called from the front, earning a few happy beeps from his droid.

Flying on the bird reminded Willow of the few times she had ridden a hippogriff - a completely indescribable feeling. Fearlessly, she let go of Cal and spread her arms wide. She was instantly filled with joy in the purest form and had to burst into laughter.

Her handsome companion glanced back at her over his shoulder and less than ten seconds later he mirrored her pose, joining her laughter. Together, they let the wind embrace them, its chill biting through their clothes. The sun shone warmly upon them, and the air couldn't have smelled any greener. Time seemed to slow, and Willow savored every millisecond, her gaze not just fixed on the planet's scenery.

From a foreseeable distance, she could see a clearing-like platform where they would likely land soon. Overwhelmed with joy, she wrapped her arms around her good friend and gave him a tight squeeze - she felt as though she could embrace the entire world. The young Jedi placed a hand on her arms. They stayed in that position until they landed, and Willow was almost sad that the flight was over.

Completely windswept, she slid off the creature and took a moment to gather herself. Cal followed her, stroking the majestic bird in a gesture of thanks.
Willow took a look around. She wasn't too certain where they were now, given that this spot looked almost exactly like any other on this planet. She then spotted another plant, which she picked for her collection.

Turning around again, she saw Cal working at some makeshift workbench. She joined him and watched as he pulled out a tool. It looked like a drill but seemed to have far more versatile options than the drills Willow was used to from Earth.

He positioned his lightsaber on the work surface and began tinkering with it. Willow couldn't help but watch him. The fine lines on his forehead that seemed to form every time when he concentrated. She had noticed this from the start and concluded it was a habit of his. His red hair fluttered slightly in the wind, which blew fine strands into his gorgeous face.

Her gaze wandered to his big hands with lanky fingers, and she observed in a trance as he repaired his weapon. His movements were practiced, as if he had done this thousands of times before.
"Where did you learn that?"

Cal looked up briefly: "On Bracca. I worked there as a scrapper until... until Cere and Greez picked me up."

She nodded, and before she could ask another question, he stepped back from the workbench. As far as Willow could tell, he had worked on the grip of his weapon. Cal took his lightsaber and ignited it. The blade glowed its usual blue. Then he activated the second blade of the saber, forming a double-bladed weapon.
Proudly, he grinned at the Hogwarts student.
"What do you think?" he asked, swinging it in his hands.

Willow raised her eyebrows appreciatively. The way he swung the blade so confidently all while grinning so cockily - it made her feel a cerain type of way she couln't quite put a finger on.
"That's very cool. I'm almost jealous," she joked.

Satisfied, Cal attached his weapon to his belt.
"Okay, I think we have to go this way," he finally said, pointing to a narrow, overgrown path.

The path was rather small, forcing them to walk behind instead of next to each other. Near the end of the path, Cal's little droid began beeping.
"Looking for something?"

They emerged and stepped out to a beautiful small cave with greenery everywhere. Willow immediately thought of her friend Poppy - the Hufflepuff student would have loved Kashyyyk.
On the other side of the path was an overgrown statue.
"Hey, that's another Zeffo statue," Cal said, pointing at it.

BD-1 ran up to the statue and projected a video hologram with his blue lasers. Willow recognized an older man in the image. He held something in his hand, small and round. During his monologue, he kept turning it in his hands:
"At last... I found my quarry. The Astrium, used by the Zeffo Sages millenia ago. I hold in my hand a piece of galactic history. Oh, I will never be able thank Tarfful enough! Do you know what this means, my friend? No need to return to Dathomir! The darkness clouded every attempt at finding the Astrium in Kujets' Tomb, but the Force - The Force has provided a new path."

Willow assumed this man must be Master Eno Cordova. Suddenly, she understood what Cere meant when she described her former master as eccentric.
The hologram disappeared, and Cal looked as if something had just dawned on him. He walked backward along the path they had come and looked at Willow expectantly, saying only two words: "Kujets' Tomb."

Not entirely sure what to make of this information, the girl hurried after him. They ended up in a sort of nest, where the bird seemed to be waiting for them. Judging by the size of the nest, Willow concluded it belonged to the giant creature.
With a grin, she approached the bird, Cal close by her side. They stopped in front of it, and Willow was just about to raise her hand when a familiar ship appeared behind the creature. It fired at the poor bird, which mercilessly plunged into the depths.

The droid on Cal's shoulder screamed in horror, and the two teenagers shouted in unison: "No!"

The ship fired again at the trio. Before Willow could react, she was thrown out of the nest. The push was intense and she could not make out where it came from. Once again, she hit the ground hard before covering her head with her arms to shield herself from the barrage. Some heavy branches from the nest were catapulted into the air and landed heavily on the ground. Unfortunately, one branch struck Willow's shin, causing her to curse in pain. She was trapped beneath the branch.

Through the flames and smoke, she saw Cal looking for her. When his green eyes found hers, he held her gaze, and Willow realized he must have pushed her out of the nest with the Force. However, due to all the fallen branches this meant that Cal couldn't escape. He was encircled in the nest.

Helplessly, Willow had to watch as the Ninth Sister emerged from the thick smoke into the nest. Without hesitation, Cal drew his weapon and ignited it, and the Inquisitor did the same.
"Found you again!" The glee in her voice was unmistakable.

"You're done hurting this world!"
Cal was furious. Willow could see his grip on his lightsaber tighten, his knuckles turning white by his strong grip.

"I don't know what's got Second Sister thinking you're so important. She likes her souvenirs, but... I'm not in it for memories and honestly," she pointed her crimson glowing blade at Cal, "You're not worth my time. So let's make this quick."

Immediately after, the fight broke out. Willow had trouble watching since the Inquisitor fought wildly and unpredictably, making her highly erratic. Cal took quite a beating before gaining the upper hand. It took him a few minutes but he seized the next opportunity and cut off the Ninth Sister's hand, the one holding her weapon. Willow held her breath - she did not think he would do that but she understood that he had to.

The tall alien-woman fell to her knees, clutching her injured arm, but not a single sound escaped her lips. She simply looked at the missing limp while her face gave away no sign of loss or hurting. The sight gave Willow an uncomfortable chill.

"It's over," Cal said, his weapon still humming softly in his hand.

"Being an Inquisitor taught me that no setback is too great. When you've lost yourself, a limb's easy," she stood up again, towering the young Jedi.
"You know, I was a Jedi. It'd be fun to bring you in... Watch you crack like the rest of us!"
With the Force, the enemy's lightsaber lifted into the air and flew back to the Ninth Sister. It almost caught Cal in the process, but he ducked just in time.

Then she attacked him again. With every strike she made, which Cal skillfully parried, she continued her monologue.
"Angers you?" She laughed, making Willow feel sick.
"Just wait 'til the isolation! Torture! Mutilation! And your friends," Cal barely managed to block her saber. "Starting with your little girlfriend over there," she looked directly at Willow. The madness in the Inquisitor's eyes was so intense that the eye contact made Willow's blood freeze in an instant.

"I won't let you touch them!"
Cal launched an attack.

"You can't stop the Empire!"

"I can stop you," he retorted, deflecting her weapon. With a flip over her head, he slashed her back, then shoved her forcefully with a Force push upon landing. She was hurled through the burning wood of the nest and fell into the depths, the heavy logs collapsed. The Ninth Sister was finished.

Willow watched as Cal stood there for a moment, as if he needed to process what had just happened. His droid beeped, to which he responded, "Yeah... We just took down an Inquisitor."

The witch hurriedly tried to lift the heavy wood off her leg. Unfortunately, she was pinned on her side and couldn't reach her wand, which was in a pocket strapped to her thigh. In her attempt to free herself, she seemed to trigger a chain reaction, causing several smaller logs to tumble onto her body, making her groan in pain. "Damn it," she muttered, annoyed at her own clumsiness.

She wondered where Cal had gone. Willow couldn't see him anymore. She definitely needed help to get out of there. But what if he had already left? What if he had forgotten her? On the brink of despair, Willow took a deep breath to call out to him.

Before she could make a sound, the logs were lifted off her. Cal stood behind them.

Relieved, Willow pulled herself up on her slightly injured legs. It seemed she would only end up with a few bruises. She quickly made her way to Cal and, upon reaching him, examined him. He had come through the battle remarkably well.
The temperature in the nest was almost too hot due to the burning wood around them. Combined with a strenuous fight against an Inquisitor, it was understandable that small beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. Relieved that he seemed okay, she gave him a slight smile.

Willow heard the logs fall to the ground behind her as he placed his hands on her shoulders. His forehead creased with worry and his gaze swept over her body before settling on her eyes. "Lills, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. You've had to endure a lot today, and I wanted to keep the Ninth Sister from getting her hands on you. It was almost a knee-jerk reaction and to be honest, I acted without thinking."

Cal's words were so sincere, she couldn't help but smile. If she was honest with herself, the apology felt incredibly good. Although Willow didn't think it was necessary, it was still nice to hear. It might sound ridiculous, but she hadn't received such a straightforward apology in years. Not from her professors when she almost lost her life in her fifth year. Nor a formal apology from anyone when she watched two of her friends die. Not even Sebastian had seriously apologized to this day when, even though she had done everything for him, and he had called her ignorant.

Willow placed her hands on Cal's.
"That's really kind of you, Cal, thank you. But of everyone who owes me an apology, you are definitely not one of them. You acted on good intention and instinct, and I appreciate that. So... thank you. Really."

He didn't reply and simply looked at her. The eye contact was intense and Willow felt a tingling all over. The deep green of his eyes shone bright, reflecting the fire around them. The moment was interrupted when the wind picked up unnaturally. The source was the powerful wing beats of the presumed dead bird. It landed just in front of the nest.

Surprised, Cal let go of Willow and approached the creature. She followed him.
"Hey! We thought you were dead," said the redhead. The bird lowered its head and they both petted it briefly.

As they did before, they climbed onto the creature's back. As Willow settled in, Cal said, "We should get back. Cere and Greez are expecting us."

The flight back to the landing platform passed quickly and without major events. Since they were descending more than ascending, Willow once again wrapped her arms around Cal's waist and savored the last moments of lightheartedness. She suspected that the mood on the Mantis hadn't changed much and wasn't eager for what awaited the teenagers. Shaking off the thought, she took a deep breath and enjoyed the mix of scents. She would miss flying this way.
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