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 Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 12:21 pm
 The rain had stopped that morning. It had continued for two more days after Maua first woke up, and in that two days the lion had recovered quickly. Waridi had found taking care of the stranger surprisingly enjoyable. To have someone rely on you, and then see that person flourish under your watch was much more rewarding than prowling the jungles with his Master had ever been. Patrols had been the worst part of his time as a Padawan, and they were going to be the majority of his life now.
The thought made him worry, a negative emotion he shouldn't be feeling. But despite his training, it had wormed it's way into his gut, twisting and growing larger by the day. Maua would be off sometime soon, finally fit to travel, and then Waridi had to continue his trial. If he was right, and there were gemstones in the cave, the hyena would be back home and knighted in a matter of days.
It should have comforted him to think that. But it didn't. Instead, it made him feel worse, like he almost didn't want to go home. The hyena sighed, shaking his head to clear his mind of all the negative thoughts. He hadn't the chance to meditate for the past few days, busy taking care of his lion patient. He looked over, watching as Maua stood up and stretched, just now awake from his mid-morning nap.
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Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 12:49 pm
 Maua woke and stretched, feeling better than he had in a long time. Most of injuries had scabbed over, and he could now walk around without them opening up. He still had to wear the nasty paste on his head injury, but Waridi had assured him that it could be washed off in a day or two.
Speaking of, the hyena had been good company over the past few days. He had the ability to talk and talk for hours on end, content to let Maua just listen. Which, if he was honest with himself, he preferred to do over talking. Though he had shared the story of his past and exile. Waridi had been sympathetic and understanding, and didn't scorn him as Maua thought he would. It had been a huge relief to share his story, and even greater one to learn that people wouldn't turn away from him because of it. It made him miss company. He hadn't been around someone for this long since leaving his pride. It felt normal.
But he was getting the urge to travel again. As much as he was growing to like the hyena, Maua couldn't stay here any longer. "I never thanked you. For saving me." Maua said. "But I have to be going soon." He would miss the hyena, that was for sure, but he felt himself being pulled north again.
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Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 1:15 pm
Waridi pouted. He had known Maua would be taking off soon, but he hadn't been expecting him to go this soon. With a sigh, the hyena got to his feet. "You know, you could always stay a little longer. It's good for you to rest up." He only got a sad smile for an answer. The hyena understood. This lion was a wanderer, searching for something that the Force, or whatever it was driving him, was leading him too. For Maua's sake, Waridi hoped he found it soon. The lion seemed rather lonely. He deserved happiness. All creatures did, no matter what mistakes they had made in the past. "Alright, I'll lead you to the other cave entrance. It leads to a path down off of the mountain." The Jedi sighed, gesturing for Maua to follow him.
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Maua padded up next Waridi, feeling a little guilty about the somber expression on the normally chipper hyena's face. The "jedi" had offered to take Maua back to the pride with him, but it didn't feel right. The lion wasn't sure if any pride would feel right to him. "So, will you be looking for that red jasper after this?" The lion asked, trying to make small talk and break the heavy silence.
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Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 1:50 pm
Waridi looked over at Maua. "I guess so. I mean," He sighed again. "My father is a Guardian, and my Master is a Guardian too. I've been trained to pick up that specialization but...I don't like it." It was a relief to say. "Patrolling, scouting, fighting, it's just not my thing. I'm not good at that kind of stuff. I don't like violence." The hyena mumbled, stopping at the cave's other entrance. He hated goodbyes. He didn't want to see Maua go off alone, but if that's what the Force was calling the lion to do, who was Waridi to stop him? "Where will you go, Maua? When will you know you've found what you're looking for?" The hyena asked, looking into Maua's eyes. He himself was feeling lost, torn between a decision with no right answer. What if it was impossible for either of them to find what they needed?
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Maua looked at Waridi sympathetically. He understood how difficult it was to be faced with an internal struggle, where the choices were all coloured in shades of grey. "My mother said I had to have faith. I didn't always believe that, but now I think I do. The gods, or spirits, or the Force, whatever is out there, they'll guide you. And when you finally find what you're looking for, you'll know it when you see it." Maua smiled, something he hadn't done in months. He took a few steps out of the cave, then turned around. "Don't settle for something you don't want to do, Waridi. You shouldn't let others dictate what your life is like." Maua gave the hyena one last nod before trotting down the path, pink mane disappearing behind the rocks.
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Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 2:30 pm
Maua couldn't stop himself from thinking about Waridi's questions and the answers given. He had told the hyena he had faith, but was it really true? The lion contemplated his actions over the past year. He had chosen to follow a random breeze, letting some chance experience dictate how he would live his life in exile. Maua had followed that breeze for months without any sign of finding what he was being lead towards.
Until now. Waridi had reminded him how good it felt to have company again, how he didn't need the approval of a lioness just to feel like he was worth something. But still, he felt like something was missing. If there really was a higher power guiding him to something, wouldn't he have found it by now?
Then again, why else would he have followed the breeze if he didn't have faith? Sure, he may have been desperate and depressed at the time, but perhaps deep down he had known it to be the right thing to do.
Maua jumped off of the path, paw hitting the dirt. He was about to head north, but that no longer felt right. He scowled. He always headed north. He had been heading north for a year, and never once had he questioned his direction. But now it felt as if it was the wrong way. Waridi's words echoed in his mind. I think they live in the swamps somewhere on the other side of the range. Northeast. East. His grey eyes narrowed, brows furrowed in thought. It didn't seem wrong, but it didn't seem right either.
He remembered his advice to the Hyena. Let the spirits guide you. Perhaps the spirits were guiding him through his time with the Jedi. Perhaps it was time for a new direction. Maua looked towards the east. The mountains seems to go on forever, curving around in the distance. The lion began walking along the edge of the range, ready for whatever lay ahead of him.
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Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 3:12 pm
Waridi watched until Maua had completely disappeared from sight. Waridi turned and began wandering down the tunnels of the cave. It was so easy to think that he could just go home with a different stone. But he was expected to follow in his father's footsteps. He had been trained to do so. He barely knew anything about the other specializations. And furthermore, hadn't it been the Force that had paired him up with one of the best Guardians the Jedi had? Hadn't it been the force that had made him the son of another Guardian?
But hadn't it also been the Force that put him in exactly the right place at the right time to save Maua's life? He had enjoyed helping Maua. It felt...it felt like it was something he would be good at doing. It was all too confusing.
The hyena stopped and sat down in the middle of a tunnel, closing his golden eyes. He needed to meditate on this, let the Force guide his decision.
You shouldn't let others dictate what your life is like. Maua was right. A Jedi had to follow the will of the Force, not the will of others, even if they were also Jedi. There were no rules that said he had to return with a certain bead. Waridi should do what would best benefit the pride. He hated the duties of the Guardians, but if the Force called him to become one, then so be it. He didn't like traveling, but if he was meant to become a Peacekeeper then that's what we would do. This had to be the Force's decision, not his Master's, his father's or even his own.
The hyena opened his eyes again, feeling a bit more at peace. He turned to change direction, realizing he had been heading towards a dead-end, and laughed. Peeking out from behind a boulder was a small clump of amethyst. Tail wagging, Waridi trotted over to break the clump off. Maua had been right indeed. The Force would guide him to the path, and just had. Gemstone clutched carefully in his jaws, Waridi navigated his way out of the cave, finally on his way home.
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Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 3:13 pm
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