Camlan - Naree

[Naree]

Introduction

The frieghter docked with asoft jolt. Camlan loocked up from his blocks and blinked with large golden eyes. A lapse in concentration and all the blocks fell from a mid-air tower to a jumble on the floor. Frowning, furred hands scoops up the offending pieces and put them away in a simple brown bag.

Behind him a small screen blinked even as it chimed to let him know that there was a new message waiting to be seen. Turning and stretching out, he hit a button on the panel before the screen and waited for his message. An image appeared -this time, she had flame red hair underneath a dark red hair and violet eyes stared intenselty through the viewing screen. It was as if she were trying to send the message with her eyes. Her clothing, also in shades of red, was offset by random bits of black and white here and there.

"Hello Camlan. I trust that you have arrived in good health to the Temples. You are to go and present your acceptance letter and your sponser letter to one of the Masters there. They will see you settled. Do not talk to strangers who would pry too much out of you. Naree out."

Never a goodbye. She didn't believe in them. Lady Naree was in the firm mind that if you said goodbye then you did not want to see that person again. SHutting off the screen, Camlan checked over his meager possessions and then settled upon his small cot to wait for his escort.l As the only child, the frieghter captain had practically demanded it. Which suited him just fine. Once he made friends with particular guards, he was able to come and go as he pleased. Whcih meant that he had explored the entire ship and knew where the best hiding places were in case of trouble.

A knock at the door and the hiss of sliding doors gave way to a young human face staring done upon him. She was young with plain brown eyes and plain brown hair but her smile was something that Camlan would always treasure. "We've landed. I am sure your are ready to get off this hunk of metal. Follow me and I will take you to the Temple."

Ears perked up and he was trembling with excitement. When he had been with his parents, Camlan rarely got the chance to leave the ship and explore new worlds. But this! It was as if he were becoming a whole new person! With a new planet to explore that would be all his own... This was a chance to be something.

Jedi.

It was what Lady Naree wanted. Camlan had the feeling that she knew things-she knew how to find him in the depths of his parents' trade ship. She showed him how to play with the blocks. And she sometimes, if he was patient enough, told him of her adventures across the galaxy. Of course, she was always the hero. Liquid amber eyes sparkled as he stood with his things, ready to enter a new life. Without a word, he bowed to his escort and walked up to her. The girl nodded. She was used to how unusually quiet this child was... And so, the two of them proceeded off the ship and towards the enterance of the dual Temples....  

[Naree]

Back to the Room for Lesson One...

Camlan padded back to his room silently. He had yet to make any friends at the Temple. So he was not caught up in the chatter that surrounded him. His amber eyes blinked rapidly as he worked to absorb what the Master had said about the Force.

Be at peace. Be tranquil. Be one with the Force. A union, do not force the Force.

Camlan snorted at this thought. Stepping into his sparse room, he sat down on a simple wooden mat and closed his eyes. It was easy for him to be calm and tranquil; he had always been peaceful. But as for the other? Taking deep breaths, the furry young boy began to meditate.

At first, all he could here was the rushing of the blood in his head and the usual Temple noises. Slowly, he began to erase the background noise and focus on within. Eventually, he was still and barely breathing as he searched for the Force. His chest rose up and down slightly as he calmed himself and probed the darkness gently.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, there was a warmth reaching back out at him. It has a strange golden glow and creeped inside of him. Excited, Camlan mentally rushed forward and in that excitement, lost the feeling. Growling in frustration, the boy opened his eyes. He was sure that he had felt the Force. Lesson accomplished, he supposed.

Taking a deep breathe, Camlan rose and looked at the timepiece. It was close to dinner. Perhaps, if he left now he would get a decent seat...  

[Naree]

Thoughts On The Other Kids...


Camlan had quickly retreated after the Knight came up and all the strange children starting talking at once. He was used to children being seen and not heard; therefore he was not very vocal unless he truly had something important to say. It was nice talking with that boy Edan and perhaps they would work on a lesson together.

Groaning, his golden eyes searched for anything familiar. He couldn't believe that he was actually homesick for his parents' freighter. This room was much nicer and there was much more to do around here... But still it hurt to be so alone. Fighting back the emotion, Camlan did the only thing he could think to do.

He played with his blocks.

Using the wooden cubes given to him by Lady Naree, Camlan went through all the conversations he remembered and tried to analyze him. The girl Pala and Edan did a lot of speaking before the blind girl and one named Mari had shown up... Frowning, he moved the blocks around and worked some more.... Then the cat-girl had shown up. She made him feel better and not feel so freakish. The others looked a lot a like and he wondered if that was why he could not seem to make friends.

No. It must be like Lady Naree said and he just had to assert himself more.

And then the Knight lady had appeared sending everyone into confusion. Maybe, maybe he should go down to the Courtyard and see what was going on. He might have a chance to learn more. Camlan liked learning. With that thought in mind, he put his blocks away and stood up.

Time to go try something new.  

[Naree]

Camlan,

Hope things are going well. Been making some pretty good deals and trying

to keep myself out of trouble. But no trouble means no fun and no learning.

Just remember, just because you know doesn't mean you know. Ya know?

Thought I would let you know I dropped some credits in your name into an

account the Masters can access. If you need anything, let them know. I saw

your mom and dad. They are doing well and want me to inform you that they

are proud of you.

~Naree  

[Naree]

After Lesson Two

Camlan walked towards the kitchen to get something to eat. He wondered if, as he got older, he would get stronger. He figured that he and Jhordaan were working together for about 10 or 15 minutes before fatigue took over both of them. His ears were perked up as he wondered if he had made a friend. Lady Naree would be happy about that... She had tsked one time when she asked who his friends were and he spoke about his parents' service droid.

But there were rarely children on freighters. Most of the time, parents left their kids at home or only one parent would work at a time. But apparently his parents wanted him to experience things.

Camlan sighed to himself. If anything, he had experienced nothing at all except loneliness. He wished he was confident like Jhordaan. Where he could go up to people and just talk. He knew how to talk to adults no problem. So maybe, Camlan thought to himself, his wish was to talk to other kids.

By now, he had reached the kitchen. There was always food available. He preferred fruits and nuts. Though if he was in the mood, meat barely cooked and well seasoned always filled his belly. Licking his chops, Camlan moved forward. Tomorrow, he would start on Lesson 3 for sure and get caught up with some of the younglings. Confident, he thought to himself, I will be confident.  

[Naree]

Quote:

Dear Lady Naree,

Things are going pretty well at the Temple. My lessons are coming along okay

and I have been learning new things. Thanks for the credits, maybe I will use

them to get clothes or sweets or something. I am about halfway done with my

training and then I think I get to test. There are a lot of new knights showing up

around here. When you see my parents, tell them I said hi and I miss them.

I will try to make you all proud.

Camlan

P.S.-How do you make friends?

Camlan's golden eyes stared at the comm screen. Had he really wrote that? It was a silly question to ask after all. Were Jedi allowed to have friends? Were Master Sva-la and Master Char friends? It was very hard to tell and too confusing to figure out. Blinking his eyes slowly, he thought about his lesson with Jhordaan. So far, the red boy was the closest thing he had to a friend.

But who really needed friends?

"Computer. Erase transmission."

A humming sound and then. "Transmission erased."

Taking a slow breath, the vulpine boy started again.

"Dear Lady Naree..."  

[Naree]

After Lesson Three

Camlan went eagerly back to his room with his things. After spending an hour or so in the Courtyard, he had finally managed to move the silver ball without even thinking about it! He was grinning from ear to ear as he entered his room and flopped onto his bed.

He had did it!

And he had did it without whining or complaining or getting upset about it! Maybe Camlan was meant to be a Jedi after all. Even the Masters had to start somewhere... They just didn't know things. Putting his paws behind his head, Camlan went over the lesson again in his head.

First he had made his blocks move. That was easy. He had been playing with his blocks and other toys on his parents' ship for years. In fact, Camlan still had the ability to use the blocks for building and other fun. But when he played with the ball... Something new, he had to work for it. Why? Because he was using something new, something he was not used to and he had to work to achieve the same goal.

So what was the lesson besides learning how to use the Force to move things?

Camlan was sure that his Jedi lessons always had more than one meaning. Lady Naree had once told him that a Jedi will tell you the truth as he sees it and you must understand it as you see it. So the new lesson was that you had to be able to interact with new things because...

At this Camlan sat up.

As a Jedi, you never knew when something new or unexpected would occur! Perfect! And by expecting the unexpected, you could be as prepared as possible. Look at every angle and work out a strategy. And sometimes the best strategy was no strategy at all.

The Amaran boy wondered for a moment if he had overanalyzed his lesson. Perhaps the goal was simply to make the ball move. But the fact that he learned something other than what was intended had to be a good thing. Happy that he was so clever, Camlan left his bag of blocks and the silver ball on the bed as he hopped up.

Maybe he would go find some of the other Younglings and see how their learning was going. After all, he couldn't hid in his room forever.  

[Naree]

LESSON FOUR: PART ONE

Camlan tensed as the blindfold was tied tightly around his eyes. Try as he might, all that could be seen was an encompassing darkness and pressure. Immmediately, his other sense kicked in and heightened. His mother once told him that the Marans had been a proud race of hunters but times changed and so did they in order to survive. But some thing were never lost. His sense of smell and sound were much kenner than his sense of sight. Already, Camlan could taste his own scent and the scent of his classmates and Master Sva-La on his tongue. It rolled around as it registered in his brain who was who and a general direction of which way to go.

He could get back to his room without using the Force.

This thought rocked him as Master Sva-La dismissed the class. For a moment, he stood, listening to the confusion and chatter around him. He could hear the others bumping into each other and shuffling towards the door. This was almost too easy! But then, Camlan stopped and thought. Ever since he could remember, his parents Shistamel and Dalvina, told him to follow the rules. That by folowing the rules, you stay out of trouble.

Lady Naree said that by bending the rules in your favor, you lived another day. What was he to do?

Would Master Sva-La know if he used his senses instead of the Force?

"Class dismissed. Please try to have an orderly exit. And may the Force be with you."

Camlan stood for a moment trying to decide what to do.  

[Naree]

LESSON FOUR PART TWO: NAVIGATION



Camlan continued to stand still and listen to the other students as they exited. With the blindfold so tight and his eyes closed as well, the Amaran could make out minuet trails of color and warmth around him. Gathering himself, he took his first steps towards the door...

And promptly banged into a chair.

Cursing silently to himself, Camlan was at least mollified by the fact that there were several other bangs and curses around him. He moved in a shuffling manner towards the exit and bristled as other students bumped into him and rubbed against his fur. He was really not one to be touched, even in his attempts to make friendship. But Camlan did realize that each person who touched him felt and smelled differently. Concentrating really hard, he could make out faint hints of each individual Force signature.

At last, he was out in the hallway and away from the other Jedi students. His senses were in overdrive as he tried to center himself and prepare to make it back to his room. Camlan sat down slowly and edged back until he was resting against a wall. When he came to lessons, he always made a right turn and then entered the room. Maybe, if he tried to extend himself a little bit, he could find the turn and work backwards from he daily venture. Gingerly, he stood up, keeping his back against the wall. While he was touching the wall, Camlan got a sense of something trying to contact him, direct him, help him... It was not unlike the feeling he had when he first tried to reach the Force or when he managed to make the ball move... Holding out one hand, Camlan waved it back and forth. It almost felt like he was moving his hand back and forth through water or a thick patch of air.

He could feel his Force signature surrounding him.

Intrigued, Camlan began to take steps in what seemed to be a familiar direction. If he followed the warm sensations, focused on them, maybe he could follow those back instead of relying on his keen sense of smell. Anxious, but determined, Camlan steadily took steps forward. He could make out some of the other students close by, trying to figure out their own way of navigation. A light breeze drifted through the hallway. Which meant, if he followed the breeze, he would be able to make it to the Courtyard. More out of instinct and less out of purpose, Camlan gathered the Force around him to create a very thing shield to protect himself against bumps and bruises. In all honesty, he may not have even known it was there.

"Slow and steady. I can do this. Just slow and steady. Feel what is around me." Camlan muttered to himself. Once he reached the Courtyard, things should get exciting.  

[Naree]

LESSON FOUR PART THREE: THROUGH THE COURTYARD

Camlan whimpered as he stubbed his toe again against a rock. This was the third time he had run into something small while trying to dodge the larger objects. The Amaran could tell he was only a small portion of the way through the Courtyard. Normally, chatter and movement filled the air but now there was only the bubbling of the fountain.

Taking a deep breath, Camlan stopped and tried to gather his bearings again. He could smell the water and the grass beneath his feet. He could feel the texture through his feet... His large ears twitched with each loud gurgle from the fountain.

He knew that the fountain was about halfway through the Courtyard. By following the sound and scent of the water, he was sure he could safely make it to the halfway point and not further hurt himself. Gripping the earth between his toes, Camlan lifted his head high and took a deep whiff of the air. He could just barely make out the mid day meal being cooked up... The kitchens were also on the other side of the Courtyard as well. Keeping his hands firm next to his side, Camlan used his senses to reach out to the Force and "see" what else was beyong him. Ahead of him, he could make out a fuzzy gray blob that sporadically changed shape. He could make out sharp lines and darker outlines past that... The fountain! The dorms! There was his goal right before his eyes... Metaphorically speaking.

Confident in his skills and of where he was heading, Camlan tried to keep the vague map within his head as he moved forward. His nose told him that he was correct in his movements as the scent of the water and the rushing sounds got closer and closer. Unsure of how long he had been moving, navigating his way across the Courtyard, Camlan gratefully collapsed on the fountain ledge. Sweat had beaded on his brow, matting his fur. His palms were wet from the mental and physical excursion. The walk to and from classes had never before seemed like such a tedious task but the Amaran now had newfound respect for the path he took everyday.  

[Naree]

LESSON FOUR PART FOUR: FAILURE? SUCCESS!

Camlan breathed a sigh of relief when his furried feet touched the cooled floor of the dorm area. He had no idea how long it had taken him to make his way across the Courtyard but he had managed not to bump into any more objects. By opening up his senses and combining them with his limited knowledge of the Force, he had seen vague shapes and outlines letting him know where he was at.

But now, in the hallway, things were a little different. Shadows blended together and lines for doorways all looked the same. Everyday, he plodded back and forth to class without a single thought about the path he took or how long it took him to arrive. He never walked with any of the others, so he had no memories of where fun stories or joking around may have occurred. Camlan moved forward trying to figure out where he was and how to make it back to his room.

Holding his hands out, he felt for the wall and grumbled. He wondered how many of the other students had completed the task. Camlan tried not to let his self-doubt and worry drag him back down. He had already succeeded in three tasks and learned much from them. There was a reason for everything! There was no way the Amaran was going to give up just because it was hard... If he did then he would never become a Jedi. Suddenly, there was a warmth at his back. Twisting around, he put his hands on the wall again. Just barely, he could see colors in his mind. Faint Force signatures from the other younglings, knights, and Masters!

Terrific! Just maybe...

Camlan concentrated really hard and thought about his own Force signature. It was a very faint color of green. Almost olive or drabe in color and reminded him of a leaf in the wind. Both hands on the wall now, Camlan stood up almost in a trance. Turning carefully so that he faced the hallway, he could see the path he had walked so many times laid out shakily before him. Letting go of the wall, the colors faded from his mind but he somehow knew which way to go. Moving slowly, Camlan began to walk forward. His feet shuffled slowly across the floor as he tried to keep his mind clear of everything but his goal. TO make it back to his room.

Twice, Camlan came to an intersection, unsure of which way was the correct way to turn. Instead of panicking, the Amaran just touched the floors and walls to pick up his trail again. He didn't once think to use his natural scent of smell or taste for the minuet particles of the other students were so well blended with his own that it would have been a strange concocution that would have been hard to sort through. Shuffle by shuffle, inch by inch, Camlan worked his way back to his room. At last, he came across a door that was strongly marked with his faint colors and Force signature. With a cry of happiness, Camlan placed his hand on the scanner and his door opened up.

He fell in, landing on his hands and knees. Tearing off his blindfold, his golden eyes immediately looked to the clock. It was just over an hour since class ended. An hour since he left the room and managed his way across the Courtyard and hallways to make it back to his place of sleep.

So was this a failure or success?

Master Sva-La had said that they were supposed to complete the task in thirty minutes but that the time limit was not the most important part of the task but to work with the Force to make it back the the dorm rooms. Which he accomplished. On his own. Without the help of anyone else. And he did manage not to get lost.

A success! And Master Sva-La said they could try again if they had time. Excited, Camlan dropped the blindfold on his bed and moved over to his console to begin to record his thoughts.  

[Naree]

AFTER LESSON FOUR

Camlan's stomach rumbled loudly for the third time. But he was to intent on recording his feelings and thoughts about his lesson. The vulpine child had made it to page two with discriptions of the smells, sounds, the emotions that he felt as he made his way from the lesson room back to his dorm room.

And still he did not feel like he could record it all.

Finally, he stopped speaking and looked back at his work. Camlan's amber eyes reflected in the glowing screen as he reread everything he wrote... Almost three full pages about his experience. Satisfied, the Amaran shut his screen off and hopped onto his bed. He took a piece of fruit from the bowl next to his bed and began munching happily on it.

He truly felt like he was making progress.

By learning to open up and like the Force in, he had felt it! Well, sort of. He had seen vague colors and tasted it on his tongue. Smelled it in the air. He wondered if the others experienced the Force as he did... But then shook his head. He was Amaran. His species had originally been hunters, living with their environment, learning how to use what was around them... If he was going to be a proper Jedi, he would have to learn how to use what was around him to survive. Even if he couldn't see it all the time.

Yawning, Camlan rolled over and with eyes closed, began to doze. With permission, tomorrow he would attempt to get to his room in the allotted time.  

[Naree]

Rserved for Zombie Investigation with Jiri and Sepakna  

[Naree]

Reserved for finding, etc, and good measure  

[Naree]

Dear Cam,

A long time ago and even now, some people used to celebrate holidays. These are days when everyone gets together and has fun or has a reason to celebrate. So party on, kiddo!

You need to loosen up! I heard you are getting better on your lessons. Which is good, you need to make sure to pay attention to what they say and what they do not say. That is the most important part. Both the Jedi and Sith say what they think you need to know.

You pay attention to what YOU need to know.

But enough being serious, already! I got you something. To celebrate the holiday. Whichever one you want to celebrate. Leave it alone for now, it will be alright and when the time comes, something fun will happen!

Take care,

Lady Naree