You shivered as consciousness clawed its way back, a sheen of cold sweat beading on your forehead.

A hand reached out, and instinctively, you hissed, your claws unsheathing to latch onto the assailant's neck, only to freeze as your eyes snapped open and met Obsidian's gaze. His pale face appeared a shade of violet in the dim light, his golden eyes wide with alarm.

"My stars, I'm so sorry!" you exclaimed, releasing him instantly. He toppled over and pawed at his chest, clearing his throat before managing to say: "It's... felt good," shaking out his fur. "You had a nightmare, I take it."

You nodded, glancing down at your talons stained with the blood from grazing too harshly against the hard ground of your sleeping quarters. "Oh, stars," you whispered, your breath a heavy sigh as you closed your eyes. A warm gust brushed against you, and Obsidian's strange, non-neutral essence flowed into your being. "Please, don't be upset, my lady. You cannot control your body when you sleep; no one can," he murmured, running his tongue softly over your ear.

It twitched.

"I'm still so sorry," you gasped out.

He exhaled, a sign for your shadows to slither forward, and one by one, they coiled their half-warm bodies around you.

You sighed, the sensation of loneliness dissipating like morning mist.

With them, your shadows, you soared safely.

And you knew it was time to prepare, to face your friends again—the Jedi, all of them. They thought you were dead.

Your claws clenched.

And perhaps, that wouldn't have been the worst fate.

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

You awoke once more as the morning sun began to rise, not unlike a heatwave, and Obsidian lay coiled around you, the lone sentinel now that the other shadows had receded, tasked with clearing the wreckage of the outpost.

"Oh, I'm sorry," you murmured, stretching out a paw to Obsidian, offering him a dead nebray. "Eat," was his simple command, and this time you did not hesitate, tearing into the meal unashamed.

You would need to hunt for proper sustenance soon enough.

"Are we prepared to depart now, my lady?" Ash approached, his tail held high, and you nodded in affirmation, "Yes, we must leave this place." You swept your tongue over your jaws and rose, your wings unfurling as you called out, "My friends, ready yourselves, we depart."

The shadows lifted their heads and offered smiles as their forms faded, departing from sight, and you felt a surge of power as Obsidian bestowed upon you one final smile before joining the invisible.

And you looked up, purple eyes burning bright.

It was time to face the world.