The fall that Willow and Cal found themselves in once again seemed endless. They were falling longer than they had back on Kashyyyk. Willow identified the ringing in her ears quickly as the panicked screams of BD-1. Yet, firmly held by Cal's surprisingly strong arms, Willow knew she couldn't be safer in this situation. He would never let anything happen to her; he had proven that multiple times already.

Holding onto her companion with all her strength, she was completely unprepared for the impact when it came. Willow didn't fully comprehend what had happened, but Cal had deliberately positioned himself to hit the stony ground first. Entwined, they tumbled over several times before coming to a stop shortly thereafter.

The girl, who had landed on her stomach, slowly pushed herself up on her hands. Her eyes instantly met Cal's and only now did she realize she had practically landed on him. Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed by the situation she found herself in. They had never been this close before and Willow felt paralyzed as she gazed into the deep green eyes that fearlessly returned her look. It was hypnotizing and almost consuming - how could she ever tear herself away from his gaze? She loved the green of his eyes and was always delighted anew by his freckles, which were uniquely scattered across his face. The red of his hair complemented him perfectly and matched the temper he occasionally displayed. Willow's gaze fell on the scars on his face. She was tempted to raise a hand-
And gently touch them-
Just to feel-

"Uh... Lills?"

Willow snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him, surprised.

He cleared his throat, unable to suppress a giggle.
"Don't take this the wrong way, this is not bad at all. But... the ground is pretty uncomfortable."

The young witch shook her head once before quickly getting up and extending a hand to the redhead.
"Sorry," she muttered, annoyed at the heat rising to her cheeks.

Cal took her hand, and in addition to the warmth, her entire body began to tingle. This tingling, which had been appearing more frequently lately- it irritated her. She had never felt anything like this to such an extent before and found it difficult to place.

The young Jedi pulled himself to his feet, and once standing, grabbed his side with a hurt expression. Willow noticed this, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, no. It's fine," the boy waved off.

"Kestis," Willow said in a warning tone.
"Tell me the truth."

"It'll just be a bruise, I promise. Gee, I didn't know you could be so scary," he assured her, looking at her somewhat uncertainly.

"That's because I'm not, as long as you're honest with me," she clarified her point, returning his gaze challengingly.

Cal shook his head with a crooked grin before saying, "Well, let's get going. We still have a bit of a way to go."

Willow groaned in frustration.
"All thanks to that idiot Nightbrother. We were so close," she said, disappointed, looking up at the broken platform they had stood on just a few minutes ago.

"Just a minor setback. We'll be back up in no time. And don't be so glum, Lills. Pessimism doesn't suit you," Cal teased her.

Reluctantly, a grin formed on her lips. Then the teenagers took a moment to orient themselves. They were on a rocky ledge, with no direct way to go in sight, until Cal pointed to a wall opposite them.
"There. We have to climb," he said.

The student snorted once before catching up with Cal. Right after him, she grabbed onto the vines covering the wall. The climbing didn't take long, and soon she pulled herself up onto the next ledge behind Cal. Once there, they discovered a narrow gap between the wings of a broken door not far from them.
Sneaking behind her companion, she squeezed through the gap. They emerged into an almost dilapidated building. The first thing Willow noticed were the enormous plants growing from the ceiling. They hung upside down, and the flowers looked like sacks carrying something inside.

As her gaze wandered, a voice thundered through the old building. It was so sudden that Willow almost jumped out of her skin.
"You will go no further!"

It was the Nightsister, forming out of green smoke on a ledge high above them. Both Willow and Cal immediately drew their weapons.

"Stand aside," the boy said resolutely, almost commanding, as he took a few steps toward the Nightsister, with Willow following.

"No. He was right about you."

"Who? What?!" Cal's confusion was unmistakable as he stepped closer. Willow also didn't understand what the young woman was getting at.

"Jedi are thieves and selfish liars who bring nothing but death! You, however," she continued, looking at Willow with her dark eyes. "You could become useful, he said."

"Back off," Cal interrupted. The anger in his voice dripped like poison from his tongue. "If you attack us again, I will strike you down."

"Oh, I won't do a thing," the Nightsister contradicted, sounding almost insincere. She raised her hands, enveloped in dense green smoke: "But my murdered sisters..."

With her hands, she formed a ball of greenish mist and hurled it at the three plant sacks hanging from the ceiling. They burst, and decayed bodies fell from them. These had to be the corpses of the sisters who were wiped out in that massacre, Willow was sure of it. The decayed bodies hit the ground and came to life. Wobbly, they stood on their bony legs, breathing raspily, their eyes clouded green. Their heads were bald, and they groaned as they staggered around. Their clothing was only intact in tatters, and the skin that remained was unhealthily pale, even for the naturally grayish tone.

Cal ignited his blade, holding it defensively in front of him and moving close to Willow. She appreciated that; in case of a sudden attack, his weapon's range was better. Overwhelmed, they watched as all three bodies slowly came to their senses.

"They will have their revenge," the Nightsister said venomously, and with a wave of her hands, she dissolved once again.

The murdered sisters slowly turned in the direction of Willow and Cal. The sight before them would surely follow Willow into her dreams. The faces of the lifeless bodies were almost completely decomposed, with jaws and nasal cavities visible. Some of them had wings on their backs, so decayed they were reduced to mere stubs. Combined with the hissing sounds they made, the young witch was already bidding farewell to her sleep tonight.

Cal beside her tightened his grip on his lightsaber, and Willow swallowed nervously. They exchanged a glance and, with a mutual nod of determination, drifted apart. Two of the dead sisters lunged at Cal, the last one chose Willow. Out of reflex she cast Arresto Momentum! on the living corpse, slowing it down, and fired more attack spells right after. Shortly thereafter, the body collapsed to the ground, dissolving into green mist.

When she turned to Cal, she saw him dispatch both zombies with a single throw of his lightsaber. He threw it from his hand, and it spun multiple times on its axis, continuously dealing damage to the opponents. Soon after, it whirled back to him like a boomerang, and the bodies plopped to the ground before dissolving.

"Not bad, Kestis," Willow said appreciatively.

The young Jedi grinned at her proudly, opening his mouth just as the Nightsister interrupted.
"You will pay for their deaths."

The Nightsister sounded angry, her voice echoing off the walls, yet she was nowhere to be seen. Neither Willow nor Cal responded to her. Instead, they continued walking undeterred. After a few meters, they reached a cliff with no obvious way forward. They carefully looked around, peeking behind corners and walls, testing the ground for brittle spots. None of this got them any further. Frustrated, Willow moved closer to the cliff and peered down into the dark depths.
"It can't be that we're stuck here now," she muttered.

Then she noticed a wooden barricade ahead of them, opposite the cliff. Absentmindedly, she furrowed her brows.
"Hey, Cal," the boy looked at her, and she pointed to the barricade, "Do you think we can get up there?"

Cal stopped next to her, scanning the wood.
"Hmm. Climbing up won't work. But-" he paused and took a few steps to the left. Then, with a grin, he glanced back at Willow and raised his hand. Concentrating, he moved his hand upward with a jerk - the barricade crashed up and locked into place. Behind it, another ledge appeared. With a surprised expression, Willow smiled at him.

"Now we just have to jump," he said, nodding toward the ledge ahead.

Willow nodded and took a few steps back; she'd need a running start. She wasn't even sure if she could make the distance, but there was no time for doubt now.
Cal was faster than her. He was already in the air, landing in a protective roll on the opposite side.

Without hesitation, the girl followed suit, took a running start, and launched herself forcefully off the cliff. She was surprised with herself by the distance of her leap as she saw the ledge's rock drawing nearer. Rapidly approaching the ground, she braced for a rough landing. But just before she touched down, she realized she was a few centimeters too far from the ledge's edge. With one hand, she barely managed to grasp the ledge, quickly throwing her other hand up as well, ignoring the immediate pain in her hands. Now, she dangled there, on the brink of the abyss. Willow knew she didn't have the strength to pull herself up. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she couldn't afford to panic. If she did, she'd start sweating and her slippery palms would slide off the edge -
Just like what was happening now.

Her palms were slipping, causing her to repeatedly readjust her grip. Her breath quickened, panic spread cold through her veins like an unwelcomed guest. And now, neither of her hands could get a firm hold on the edge; she was clutching at air. Looking down into the depths, she mentally prepared herself for a long fall, but it never came. Instead, she felt a firm grip around her right wrist. When she looked up, she was met with a pair of sparkling emerald eyes.

"You won't get rid of me that easily," he smiled cheekily.

Cal was hanging over her, part of his body extended over the edge. Effortlessly, he hoisted her up until she was fully on the ledge. Not trusting her shaky legs, she stayed seated on the ground for a while. She ran her hands over her face and then over the fine scar in her left eyebrow in an attempt to calm her nerves.

"You came just in time," she said with a light laugh, her breath calming down a bit. Cal had come over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He had an incredibly calming effect on her, and even though she didn't understand why, she didn't want to question it.

Her handsome friend rubbed her arm.
"I almost didn't," he admitted quietly. "I didn't see that you had already jumped, Lills. I thought you might have run back until I saw your hands on the edge... Next time you're in a life or death situation, just call for me. I promise I'll help you as quickly as I can."

The girl didn't respond, instead, she leaned into Cal's arms. They sat like that for a moment until Willow had fully calmed down.
"Thank you, Cal. You really work wonders," she said and got up. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a faint movement.

Cal was immediately on his feet as well, shouting, "More undead!"

In an instant, Willow spun around and managed to fend off an unexpectedly fast attack with Protego!
This time, it was only two of them, and they defeated them fairly quickly. Immediately afterward, they continued on their way. They came to another wall covered in vines and climbed it as well. At the top, Willow prepared for another fight, and she was right - four undead lunged at the team. But they were starting to recognize their new enemies' combat patterns and were able to defeat them more quickly each time.

Then the hateful voice of the Nightsister rang out again.
"Leave this place."

Cal gave Willow an unhappy look. She couldn't blame him; the whole situation was getting tiring.
"How does the Nightsister keep following us? Cere called them Force wielders, but I've never seen it used this way before," he aired his thoughts. "We better stay on our toes."

Willow nodded. They couldn't afford to draw too much attention if they didn't want to fully provoke the Nightsister. They continued walking through the area, their path leading them into a swamp. The air here looked practically moldy and it smelled that way too. The ground, covered with ankle-deep water, was overgrown with small plants whose blossoms glowed a bright orange. The purple vines were even more widespread here than on the surface.

After both Willow and Cal surveyed the current area, they approached a new vine-covered wall. As usual, Cal climbed first, and Willow followed right behind. Just before they could pull themselves onto the ledge, a huge creature flew toward the cliff. Willow saw a Nightbrother trying to flee in panic, but the beast's long claws managed to grab him. Screeching with fresh prey in its claws, it flew away.

"That thing looks like trouble," she heard Cal say. Although she couldn't see his face, she guessed from his voice that he wasn't too reassured by the encounter either.

Shortly after, they reached the top and immediately encountered four more Nightbrothers. Two were armed with bows and arrows, while the other two held melee weapons. The two teenagers didn't need to coordinate - they naturally took on their respective opponents. Cal took on the melee fighters, leaving the ranged fighters to the witchcraft apprentice. With a quick combination of various spells, Willow quickly defeated her opponents. Cal had also reached the last one and mercilessly drove his blue blade through their chest.

With a quick glance, Willow confirmed that Cal was okay before the team continued on their way. They were now in another part of the swamp and had to fight even more undead Nightsisters. Willow began to wonder how many more there could be.

A bit out of breath, they reoriented themselves. Cal led them into a dark cave. This one was also overgrown with vines, and in the dim light provided by BD's flashlight, the vines reminded Willow of the dangerous Devil's Snare. She was relieved that these were actually just ordinary vines.
As they wandered through the darkness, the Nightsister's voice spoke again: "Only death awaits you here."

So be it, Willow thought. The trio ignored the comment and ventured deeper into the cave. Here and there, the orange glowing plants hinted at where the paths ended. The path they were on led them to the cave's bottom. They reached it by jumping deeper from ledge to ledge. Once on the muddy ground, Cal's droid jumped off his shoulder and boldly trotted to the other end.

"Wait up! It might be dangerous," Cal called and without hesitation, the teens hurried after the droid.

BD-1, now at a wall, shone his flashlight on the corpse of a Nightbrother. The corpse was leaning against the wall, as if the Nightbrother had only recently died there. As the two caught up with the droid, it jumped back onto Cal's shoulder. Cal bent down to the lifeless body and inspected it closely. He reached for its hand, and Willow noticed movement out of the corner of her eye once again. She turned her head in that direction and held her breath in shock. Then, without taking her eyes off it, she reached for Cal beside her and tapped him urgently to get his attention.

"What is it-" she heard him start, but he broke off mid-sentence. Willow was sure he saw the same thing she did.

Opposite them, high on the wall, sat the monstrous creature. Its stubby body was massive and thick. It had huge wings and an ugly face that Willow could barely make out in the dim light.

Moments ago, they had seen the beast grab the Nightbrother - and now he was dead. Willow's insides clenched. If even a local couldn't survive the encounter, they had zero chance.
With a ghastly sound, the beast descended to the ground. Each wing bore a long claw, which it now dug into the earth. The abomination was now close in front of them and even more visible. Its neck and head were covered in white-grayish fur, but the rest of its body seemed bald. Its nose was wrinkled and disgusting, with slightly reddish fur above it. Its eyes were unnaturally close to its nose, making for an unpleasant sight.

Close to the teenagers the creature let out another scream, revealing its teeth. They were small, close together, and razor-sharp. It had feet like a raptor with unnaturally long claws. Overall, this monstrosity reminded Willow of a mix between a huge bird and an oversized moth.

Shortly after, the beast attacked the team. Willow and Cal had no choice but to keep dodging. Not long after, the creature seemed to have had enough and aggressively slammed one of its wing claws into the ground. It appeared momentarily disoriented, and they seized the moment to attack with all their might.

The beast seemed paralyzed, and in between attacks, Willow took the opportunity to look into the creature's eyes. To her surprise, she noticed that its eyes were milky white. She knew eyes like these well. She had seen them often enough due to a friend, Ominis - he was a blind student. Quickly, she understood that they had a slight advantage.

The hideous beast snapped out of its paralysis, turned towards its attackers, and spread its wings wide before clapping them together forcefully in front of its head. The resulting gust of wind sent Willow flying backward. The clattering sound next to her indicated that Cal had also lost his balance.

Willow forced herself back on her feet and looked for the monster. It lifted into the air unsteadily and then slammed back down. The resulting vibration threatened to knock Willow down again. After several more minutes of dodging and attacking, Cal landed a critical hit. The ugly beast let its mouth hang open, dazed, and shook its head once. Immediately afterward, it lifted into the air and flew towards the wall it had come from. There seemed to be an exit, through which the creature clumsily tried to flee.

While it clung to the wall, it turned its hideous head back one more time and let out a dreadful scream before clumsily escaping.
Cal and Willow exchanged a look. She could hear the adrenaline rushing in her ears. But she was simply relieved they had survived this fight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3.214 Words,

and that's quite a lot of words for my story. honestly i really enjoyed writing the Dathomir plot. how did u find it?

i'd be glad for some feedback :)

see u at the next one,
~Alice