The Most Dangerous Game
by RushlightPart 9
Two hours out of the town, Qui-Gon called a halt. Dr. Markham crouched down to examine the soft ground between the trees, and when he looked up, Qui-Gon moved immediately to his side. There were tracks crossing the trail in front of them, and Qui-Gon didn't need to be told what kind of animal had made them. They were thorne prints, and they were fresh.
As soon as Qui-Gon informed her of what Dr. Markham had found, Jerjenna realized that they would never make it to the river. She shared a subdued glance with Obi-Wan, who shook his head minutely. There was nothing they could do but go onward. Jerjenna felt a sharp surge of anger at this unspoken truth, that their destinies had been taken so completely out of their hands.
Suddenly, she remembered something from her wild flight through the forest when she had been trying to avoid the alpha thorne. The mocking cadence of rushing water, taunting at the edges of her consciousness as she struggled through the jungle, waiting to die. Hastily, she moved forward to stand beside Qui-Gon.
His eyes were intent as he caught the edges of excitement in her mind. "What is it?" he asked simply.
"A waterfall," she said, keeping her voice low with an effort. "When I was running through the forest, I heard a waterfall. It can't be more than a couple of miles from here." She was rewarded with the glint of understanding in his eyes, but Dr. Markham did not understand her enthusiasm.
"What does it matter?" the scientist asked, with a note of finality in his voice.
She turned to look at him, trying to rein in her excitement. "A waterfall means cliffs. If we can scale them to reach higher ground, we might be safe from the thorne. I'm willing to bet those things can't climb a rock wall."
Qui-Gon didn't even bother to ask for a consensus. Jerjenna was relieved that no one seemed willing to contest the change in plans. The Outriders followed the Jedi Master's direction without a word of protest, and after only the briefest of rests to tend to the injuries of their wounded, they took off into the forest once again.
They moved quickly. Qui-Gon kept them close together in a defensive knot, weapons bristling outwards. "Can't we move any faster?" Terrance demanded, stumbling under Jerome's weight. Qui-Gon didn't even bother to reply.
Dr. Markham moved to help the struggling scientist, taking up the wounded man's arm from Maril and freeing her to aim her weapon at the intrusive silence around them. Jerome was all but unconscious.
The trees were thinning out ahead of them now, and Jerjenna could hear the waterfall in the distance. It was still maybe a half-mile away - a short enough sprint, but her instincts urged her to be wary. The thorne could quite possibly be all around them by now. They had to move cautiously.
A few seconds later, she saw the first visible sign of their pursuers, about fifty feet away through the foliage - a brief flash of russet hide, there and then gone. She shivered.
"I saw it, too," Obi-Wan whispered to her.
The tableau could not last for long. Ahkkara fired the first shot, missing completely, but it was the signal that began a frenzied rush for sanctuary. Qui-Gon and Jerjenna sprinted through the trees, Obi-Wan stumbling momentarily between them, with Markham, Terrance, and Jerome a heartbeat behind. Maril followed after them, firing inexpert shots into the undergrowth with her blaster, her expression frozen in a look of concentration so intense it could only be shock. The Outriders took up the rear.
The forest erupted with blaster fire as the thorne attacked. They came out of nowhere, teeth flashing, fur bristling, and Jerjenna felt remembered terror rise up in her as she felt the gazes of those amber eyes. She reacted without thinking, sweeping a path through the approaching wave of attackers with her staff and hearing Obi-Wan grunt beside her, the pale-blue glimmer of his lightsaber igniting a fiery trail through the darkness. Qui-Gon was further down the trail, his long robe whipping around him as he swirled, a vision of leonine grace that left destruction in its wake. The angry green hum of his lightsaber forced the thorne to back away from him in reluctant respect, fading back to circle around again from under cover of the trees.
/Run,/ Qui-Gon sent to them, the single word carrying a weight of anticipation and fear.
They ran. Jerjenna skidded once and went down, but then Obi-Wan was there, fighting back the thorne that seemed to materialize over her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly to her feet, and then they were running again, not pausing to see if the others were following, knowing only that speed was their only hope of survival.
They broke through of the trees and found themselves on a rise overlooking a large lake, which was being fed by a sixty-foot waterfall. It was a beautiful, primal scene, but Jerjenna barely paused to take it in before she was moving again, skidding down the slope and angling toward the cliff face. Obi-Wan was lagging behind her now, and she forced herself to slow, one arm slipping around his waist to help pull him forward. He immediately shrugged off her assistance, as she had half-expected him to do. A quick glance at his face showed her an expression of hollow concentration, carefully held in check. The back of his tunic was discolored by spreading dark splotches that made her wince in muted sympathy. A brief touch to his mind over their bond showed her a simmering nest of barely concealed pain.
/Why didn't you stay at the lab?/ she demanded, refusing to look at him after that one brief glimpse. His mind tightened its defenses against her, but he made no reply.
There were thorne to all sides of them now, running easily across the suddenly open terrain, some of them ranging far ahead to cut off access to the water. Jerjenna lashed out with her staff as one of the monsters got too close, skidded and fell as she overextended, skinning elbows and knees. The staff fell out of her nerveless fingers. Obi-Wan was nearly swept away by the tide of attackers, unable to defend her, but Qui-Gon appeared out of nowhere to stand over her for the precious few seconds it took her to find her feet again. Cursing low under her breath, she ignited her lightsaber and pulled Obi-Wan with her toward the waterfall once again.
She was nearing the end of her endurance. She was carrying a good deal of Obi-Wan's weight by now, even though he was doing his best to run under his own power. He was weakening rapidly, and he was in a great deal of pain, although he was trying to shield it from her. The wounds in his back were bleeding profusely now, and his movements were stiff with pain and fatigue.
The Outriders had already cleared a path to the rock wall. Karn looked ashen, his body supported protectively against Ahkkara's towering bulk. How he had managed to make it to the wall was a mystery. The big Wookie bared her teeth at the approaching horde of predators as she fired into their ranks, as if daring them to come near to her charge. Crispin was on his stomach in the grass, firing short, deliberate bursts at the thorne, trying to keep them away from the rest of their group as they made a wild dash toward the wall. Karn seemed to be unconscious, his burly frame dwarfed where he lay against Ahkkara's hairy chest.
Dr. Markham and the crew of the *Minuba* were off to Jerjenna's left, about a hundred feet up the slope, boxed in and firing desperately with blasters that were rapidly losing their charge. Even Crispin's careful covering fire could not keep all of the thorne away from them. Just as Jerjenna noticed their plight, Qui-Gon was there, lightsaber cutting a bloody swath through the night and cleaving a path for the beleaguered scientists to catch up to Jerjenna and Obi-Wan.
Together, the seven of them moved down the slope toward the lake, bracketed on three sides by the Jedi. Desperate, Qui-Gon erected a Force-shield around them, holding their attackers at bay. It was not something that he could hold up indefinitely, but both Obi-Wan and Jerjenna fed him what power they could over their bond, increasing the strength of the shield.
The waterfall was a thundering dynamo in Jerjenna's ears, deafening in its fury. The air was thick with the scent of nature unchained, thick and humid as she struggled to draw it into her lungs. Around them, the thorne circled like spreading vultures, their eyes bright in the darkness. They were stymied by the Force-shield that Qui-Gon had erected, but they seemed to know that this barrier could not last much longer.
Finally, the small knot of companions came to the rock wall. Jerome was barely conscious, his face pinched with pain, his breath a shallow rattle in his throat. The entire right half of his body was drenched in blood. Maril and Terrance stood over him protectively, shivering in the chill night air.
"Go on," Qui-Gon told them, one hand resting lightly on Jerome's shoulder where he lay at their feet. The two scientists obeyed after only a slight hesitation, shouldering their weapons and reaching for handholds on the cliff face. At a pointed glance from Qui-Gon, Dr. Markham moved to join them.
The Outriders materialized out of the darkness to their left. Karn was being half-carried by Ahkkara, but he appeared to be conscious. Crispin had a blaster in one hand and a long knife in the other, the blade dark and wet in the rising moonlight. One half of the diminutive Outrider's face was covered entirely in blood. His eyes were bright and almost feverish in the darkness.
"You have the vaccines?" Karn's voice was a shallow rasp, his face drawn and pale. His grip on his blaster, however, did not waver.
Qui-Gon nodded, glancing up briefly to see that the scientists were obeying his command to climb. He had extended the Force-shield to include the Outriders, and the strain was visible in the taut line between his brows. He was breathing heavily. "Follow the others," he ordered shortly. "I will give you the vaccines to carry. My padawans and I will stay to guard your ascent."
Ahkkara gave a low moan of dissent that sounded eerie in the stillness that surrounded them. Crispin said nothing, but his eyes seemed to darken at Qui-Gon's words. Outside the circle of the Force-shield, the thorne were circling.
Karn looked angry. "We were hired to do a job, Jedi. We will do it. You will carry the vaccines safely to Rualyn, and I and my people will insure that you stay alive long enough to do so."
Qui-Gon struggled with indecision for only half a second. Perhaps he realized that arguing with the Outrider leader would only result in prolonging the inevitable. Holding Karn's gaze steadily, Qui-Gon wordlessly clapped his hand onto the Outrider's shoulder. Karn nodded, and gave a fleeting smile.
"Go save the world, Jedi." Karn spoke softly, acknowledging the unspoken understanding between them.
Qui-Gon's face was composed as he turned back to face his Padawans, although his emotions were in turmoil. He immediately knelt to examine Jerome's wounds, and when he looked up again, his face was dark. /We have to get this man to safety if he is to survive. I will carry him. You two go on ahead./
Not a word more needed to be said between them. Qui-Gon bent to lift Jerome onto his shoulders, bracing him for the long climb up the wall. Jerjenna did what she could to ease Obi-Wan's pain, fumbling at the medpack at her belt and giving him a shot of painkiller to sustain him during the climb. Glancing up, she saw the scientists making their way over the top of the wall, and she grinned fiercely, feeling for the first time that they might actually make it.
Qui-Gon's Force-shield was crumbling. It took every ounce of willpower that Jerjenna possessed to turn her back on the attacking thorne and trust in the Outriders' cover fire, but she did it, keeping a close eye on Obi-Wan as he climbed beside her. Her bruised hands shook as she searched for a handhold, the relentless pounding of her heartbeat loud in her ears. The Force was thick around her, and she drew on it for strength, ignoring the screaming protest of her abused muscles as she pulled herself up the almost vertical slope of the cliff.
There was an explosion of blaster fire beneath her, and she forced herself not to look, knowing that the Force-shield must have collapsed. The thorne were eerily silent in their attack, giving her the impression that the Outriders were battling wraiths against whom blasters were no defense at all. Grimly, she forced herself to keep climbing.
A thorne leapt at her exposed back, and she heard Crispin shout a frantic warning. Jerjenna screamed, nearly losing her grip, as blaster fire erupted over her head, close enough to singe the hairs along the back of her neck. She hunched close to the rock wall, trembling, and then began to climb again without looking back.
They had scaled nearly twenty feet of the cliff when a particularly aggressive thorne leaped up onto the ledge above Jerjenna's head, clawed hind feet digging into the rock, thick tail lashing just a couple of inches over her nose. Obi-Wan gave a hoarse cry beside her and skittered sideways across the rock, raising his lightsaber in a reflexive defense. Below them, Qui-Gon shouted a frantic warning.
In seeming slow motion, the thorne's precarious perch dissolved in a small avalanche of broken stones, and it fell past Jerjenna in a nightmare rush of teeth and russet fur. The creature's claws found Jerome's placid body as it plummeted, and despite Qui-Gon's attempts to shield the scientist, it pulled him out of the Jedi Master's grasp. Jerjenna cried out in horror, stunned by the violence of the attack, but there was nothing she could do. Jerome's scream was cut off abruptly as he hit the ground.
Obi-Wan yanked her upwards, breaking off her numbed thoughts, reminding her of the necessity to keep moving. There was a thin sheen of perspiration across his brow, and his eyes looked sunken in the half-light. Despite the painkillers, she knew that he must be hurting terribly.
There would be time to grieve later. Jerjenna scrambled up the wall, desperate to reach the relative safety she would find at the top of the waterfall. After a while, she became aware that there were no more attacks coming from below. Apparently they had passed beyond the range where the thorne could reach them. Without the additional weight of Jerome's body to slow him, Qui-Gon quickly closed the distance between them, and he stayed close to his padawans as they climbed, offering the steady comfort of his presence. His expression was terrible, and Jerjenna was shaken by the emotion she saw in his eyes.
At last, they reached the top of the wall. Jerjenna collapsed on the grassy turf at the side of the river and closed her eyes, sparkles dancing at the edges of her vision. She was shaking. She felt Qui-Gon's hand rest lightly on her shoulder for a moment, and she smiled up at him. She was encouraged when he smiled back at her, however fleetingly.
It was a complete surprise when a small, dark figure appeared over the edge of the wall behind them. Jerjenna stared in stunned amazement as Crispin pulled himself up onto the grass, wincing as his injured leg pressed against the ground. Sharing a stunned glance with Obi-Wan, she immediately moved forward to help him.
"You're alive," she said, not caring for the moment how nonsensical she sounded.
Crispin collapsed at her side by the edge of the river and grinned. "I guess we hunt the dreamtrails another day," he said, reaching for her hand and clasping it in a warrior's salute.
Jerjenna shook her head in wonder. "The others?"
Shadows flickered across his eyes then, and he looked away. "No."
Jerjenna felt a piercing sorrow for her friend; she knew what it was to lose people she cared about. Without thinking, her eyes moved to where Qui-Gon was helping Obi-Wan settle down onto the grass. She smiled inwardly, feeling an overpowering surge of gratitude that the people she cared for were still alive.
Dr. Markham and the survivors from the *Minuba* were already seated on the bank of the river. Maril and Terrance moved forward as Qui-Gon knelt to peel the blood-soaked tunic away from Obi-Wan's back. Tension was visible in the line of the Jedi Master's spine as he bent to tend to his injured apprentice, but with an effort, Terrance convinced him to back away and let the doctors work.
Maril's expression darkened when she saw that Jerome was not with them. Her frigid gaze raked over Qui-Gon once, but she softened once she saw the obvious pain that he was suffering.
"I'm very sorry about Jerome," Qui-Gon said to her, feeling awkward under the woman's unfathomable stare. A touch of reassurance passed down his bond from Jerjenna, and he relaxed slightly. "It happened too fast for me to save him."
"I know," Maril said quietly, in a voice that was hoarse with unshed tears. She squeezed his hand gently before turning back to Obi-Wan's injuries. "I know."
Not all of the wounds that their party had received were physical. Crispin moved to stand perimeter guard with stoic determination, ignoring Qui-Gon's insistence that he should rest. Realizing that the Outrider needed to keep himself occupied to take his mind off of his loss, Qui-Gon let him go.
They pitched a hasty camp at the side of the river under the trees, lighting a small fire to chase away the cold. Jerjenna volunteered to take the first guard shift with Crispin, and she moved into the trees at the opposite side of the river, soundless as the breeze that stirred the spreading leaves of the trees. Her staff had been lost during the race for the wall, and she looked uncomfortable without it, but Qui-Gon sent her a wave of encouragement over their bond. The feelings she sent back to him were quietly grateful, and he withdrew, sensing her need to be alone.
After a hasty supper, Qui-Gon curled up next to Obi-Wan at the edge of the river. Behind them, the muted sounds of the scientists as they prepared for bed were a familiar harmony, echoed by the myriad sounds of the jungle's life around them. The moonlight filtered down through the canopy of the trees with a silver shimmer, reflecting off the surface of the water.
"I'm okay, Qui-Gon." Obi-Wan's voice was soft in the stillness.
Qui-Gon glanced sideways at the younger man, feeling an uncomfortable tightness in his chest as he took in the smooth line of his padawan's profile, limned by the moonlight.
It was a part of their duty as Jedi, to be prepared to give up their lives at any moment in pursuit of their obligations. Qui-Gon knew that hard truth, deep in his heart, but still it pained him to think how close he had come to losing his Obi-Wan this night. It was such a simple thing, to live, to breathe, to continue to bring joy to the people he loved. But how easily that could all be taken away from him, and in the end there was very little that could be done about it. It was the worst kind of helplessness, to know that there were no guarantees, and nothing in life was sure.
"I love you, Obi-Wan," he said. Obi-Wan turned and smiled at him, and Qui-Gon felt as if the night had been brightened by an exploding star. An answering smile curled at the edges of his lips, and he couldn't resist the urge to smooth his palm down the side of his young lover's face.
Obi-Wan nuzzled into his Master's hand, his eyes going half-lidded at the sensual caress. His breath was warm against Qui-Gon's skin. "Will you kiss me, Master?"
Qui-Gon's breath caught at the quiet plea, and a moment later he was leaning forward to touch Obi-Wan's lips with his own. The smallest of sounds escaped Obi-Wan's parted lips before Qui-Gon's tongue flickered into his mouth, and then Qui-Gon pulled back again, leaning his forehead for just a moment against Obi-Wan's as he drew away.
Obi-Wan's eyes were radiant in the moonlight. He smiled again, and the peace that exuded from him soothed the lingering fears from Qui-Gon's mind. Qui-Gon leaned in close to him, careful of the bandaged wounds in the younger man's back, and sighed in deep contentment. No matter the brevity of life's gift, he had what he wanted in this moment. At this time, in this place, it was enough.
Qui-Gon had never felt so purely joyful to be alive.
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