DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc and 20th Century Fox. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Obi-Wan shivered. He was freezing. Of course, the fact that he was waist deep in snow might have had something to do with that…
When he'd climbed out the bedroom window, he'd had a vague idea of going to the nearest town and hitching a ride on the most readily available transport he could find. Tiny icicles had formed on his cheeks where his tears had coursed. Maybe he wasn't meant to be a Jedi after all.
Qui-Gon, his brother Hal, and his brother-in-law Brakkan had set out to find him. Fea'la had joined them at the last minute, intent on 'giving that stupid boy something to remember' as she put it.
The four of them were double mounted on two speeder-like transports. To balance out the weight equally, Fea'la was riding behind Qui-Gon, being that he was the largest of the three men. The Jedi Master felt his niece's arms wrapped around his cloaked form. He followed behind Hal and Brakkan numbly. To lose two Apprentices within five years - the pain of Xanatos' betrayal was still so fresh. Was he to become the only Jedi Master in the history of the order to lose two so quickly?
Qui-Gon swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. The bond with Obi-Wan was still so fresh - to severe it now…
The thought of the bond reminded him that he was supposed to be searching out the boy. He felt along the tenuous remains of their mental link. Obi-Wan had not severed it completely. Whether this was because of some sub-conscious desire to be found or whether he merely didn't know how to severe it, Qui-Gon didn't know - although he suspected the latter.
The thread in his mind was so thin, it was hard to distinguish it from the bonds he held with his family members. That gave the Jedi Master pause. If Obi-Wan was so hard to tell apart from his family…what did that mean? Qui-Gon frowned. /Obi-Wan? Family? Do I really treat him like he's my son?/ His eyebrows came together as his frown deepened. /Maybe I have been a bit unreasonable. Damn it! Now I know I'm getting old./
Fea'la felt her uncle tense. She knew that he blamed himself for Obi-Wan's disappearance. She wrinkled her nose. Boys were just stupid - that was all there was to it. What she wouldn't give to follow Uncle Qui-Gon through the Galaxy…Obi-Wan didn't know what a life he was capable of having.
The boy in question was lost. Very, very lost. He had the feeling he'd been wandering in circles for hours. He was certain that the town was in one direction, only to find that it wasn't.
Obi-Wan shivered, pulling his cloak tighter about him. He was beginning to get frightened. In all his thirteen years, he'd never spent the night completely alone. As a child, he was always surrounded by the other Initiates and since becoming Qui-Gon's Padawan, he'd rarely slept more than 2 rooms away from his Master. The sun was setting in the western sky. It set early this time of year. He decided he'd better see about making some kind of camp. He'd had survival training when he was an Initiate. They all had.
He carved himself a little niche in the snow, and lay stones in a circle. He tried to get a fire started, but soon discovered that every piece of wood was soaking wet. Giving up in disgust, he settled for wrapping himself up in his cloak and the blanket he'd taken off his bed.
Qui-Gon had to force himself not to panic. The setting sun put a stop to their search. The three men and Fea'la were forced to make camp in the woods. Hal relayed a message over the comm-link to Boni, letting her know they were safe. The speeder bikes were positioned parallel to one another and a tarpaulin slung over them to make a rough tent.
Hal was sitting in a crouched position, boiling water over the small flame they'd been able to light. He was watching his brother carefully. Qui-Gon sat, curled in a despondent ball, staring morosely at the tiny flame. Reaching over, he patted his younger brother on the shoulder reassuringly.
"We'll find him, Qui-Gon."
The pain shrouded eyes that gazed back at him could have been those of a stranger for all the recognition they showed. Hal winced. He didn't understand the Jedi. He never had nor pretended to. But he knew that the Master-Apprentice bond was a strong one. Qui-Gon had come home after Xanatos' betrayal. That had almost destroyed him. Hal remembered the sleepless nights and, when Qui-Gon finally could sleep, the nightmares that plagued him. To have two bonds broken in quick succession could very probably spell the end for Hal's younger brother.
Obi-Wan sat up, startled from his uneasy slumber. Something was wrong. His hand went instinctively to his lightsabre, only to remember he'd left it on the table in the bedroom. He squashed down the panic that rose in his chest with some effort. Obi-Wan called out, "Who's there?"
The only answer was a faint rustling in the undergrowth.
Obi-Wan shivered a shiver that was not entirely brought on by the cold.