Saga - OT The Other Moon (Ewoks | 3.5 ABY | Occupied Endor)

Thanks for reading.

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While they were partly inspired by both the Efrafans and folks from the Cowslip's Raven, yes, they're meant to make those look tame! After all, this is Sparta Endor. Their "religion" is...a problem itself. And your suspicions are justified.

And, on top of that, the villagers clearly prefer him over the other three and are actually nice to him, whatever "nice" is in their world. Hmmm...

We will see if he is ridiculous or not, but at this point, you can look at it this way: do these folks even remember that he is the heir to the throne?

He is usually not the first to observe anything and had he not had the Force he would've been the type to slam into a tree and wonder where the k'vark it came from; but when it comes to deep, serious things, his intuition never fails. And Veevee noticed this, too.

 

11. Luufi

Tags: glitteryboots Rau_Fang (ask to be added)

Many thanks to Findswoman for beta-reading and pointing out what should go to footnotes.

TRIGGER WARNING:

Spoiler

An unpleasant medical intervention, some sexual content in a comical manner.

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"I don't think I like these villagers" Latara was nervously looking around their new domicile, a dilapidated hut a little farther from the others. "They seem to be different from us. They don't even know how to get rid of the indoor bugs! Just look at this hammock!"

Kneesaa was unpacking her backpack. "No worries. I brought the bug repellent soap with us. And if your biggest problem are the bugs, then you’re...pretty lucky.”

“Chak, it’s not like you were claimed by a fleebog-sized prince.” Paploo rolled his eyes. “And that’s the least horrible thing that could have happened to us with these monsters. I saved the fur on your rears, you all.”

Teebo sighed and checked the rickety, crude chair before sitting down on it. “To be fair, both you and Kneesaa did. If she hadn’t reacted and said that Latara and I were married…I don’t even know what could have happened. Whoever would have claimed her…chances are he would not be a prince waiting for his throne and therefore apparently waiting for…everything else as well. Have you seen what happened to the female guardian?”

Paploo and Latara shrugged. Kneesaa swallowed a lump. “Is that what I think that happens in some Gondula villages as a form of punishment?”

“Chak. And in this one, it seems to be expected.”

Paploo was getting annoyed by Teebo’s abstract talk at this point. “What are you talking about, space Ewok?”

“I’m implying that Kneesaa is, in a way, very lucky that she looked unique enough to that little prince and that you were instantly adored by the rest of the village for whatever reason. But, at the same time, it’s even luckier that it was him and not somebody else. They attack women here as a form of punishment and he seems to be under some sort of a vow.”

“Like you know anything about vows.” The warrior subtly nudged this friend. “That said, I’m glad Paar is not you, because…” Paploo started, but stopped upon glancing at his cousin’s terrified face. “K’vark, Kneesaa, I’m sorry!”

Latara did not find the joke funny, either. “He could help you with a silence vow, oh, great Paploo! Ever thought of how great it would be not to say a word to anybody for a couple of moons? Maybe one whole snow?”

Paploo managed to swallow that. “Either way, I am going to take a vow myself. I vow to spend as much time with him as possible before we find a way to get the k’vark out of here. Kneesaa is not to be alone with him, under any circumstances.”

The other three Ewoks nodded and, for a little while, they returned to cleaning the hut and unpacking.

“We cannot leave.” Teebo said all of the sudden.

Kneesaa dropped the clay pot she was holding. “What in the name of the Great Tree are you saying now? We could sneak out in the night and hide somewhere in the forest once we have rested.”

“No. They’re the servants of something that could possibly be more powerful than we could ever imagine. Something worse than the Wizards of the Night Spirit.” The other three Ewoks cocked their heads in expectation as Teebo continued. “They’re the servants of The Other Moon. If we hide, they will find us.”

Paploo, Kneesaa and Latara exchanged a couple of glances and then burst into laughter. The medicine man’s apprentice’s face melted into a frown.

“Their mysterious creatures and my visions have got to be connected. The Starmen could have come from The Other Moon.” He tried to say, finding it hard to be loud over his friends’ cackles and giggles.

Kneesaa stopped laughing first. She stepped out and hugged her friend. "We have had quite a day. You are tired from everything and things will be clearer in the morning." She turned to the others and pointed to the hammock she'd just cleaned. "This is where I will sleep. Paploo gets the other hammock...the two of you are getting the bed in the smaller chamber on the upper level of the hut."

"You are joking, right?" Latara's right eyebrow went so far up disappeared beneath her hood.

"I am not. Once we are back home, your father is not going to like this and you know it. He said you can kiss in the main square on a busy day, he is proud that his daughter is involved with the carrier of the Sacred Horn, but I am not sure if he would like to know more than that. So...enjoy this spark of hope while you can. To me, the two of you are mates."

Teebo looked down; Latara grinned and winked at him. This didn’t escape Paploo’s eye as he angrily slammed his backpack against the floor.

…​

The smaller chamber had a round window looking at the forest and just about enough space for the tightly tied logs covered in animal fur, serving as beds. Latara had already tucked herself in the blanket and she was now observing Teebo, who was still sitting on the edge of the log bed, looking outside, his silhouette resembling a gurreck cub.

"This has got to be the worst place I have ever slept...it beats my grandparents’ smelly old hammock I had to share with my mom when dad was building us a new hut upon returning home." she moaned and then added, “You are not listening to me. Are you lost in your thoughts again? Trying to make something out of these lurdos?”

Teebo pulled the straw from his mouth and took a deep breath. "Chak...and trying to see the stars from here. I never realised how dense and frightening, in a way, the trees are when one is living on the ground. We are so far up at home. Maybe these poor souls don’t believe in trees because they have not seen them where they’re most beautiful – in the sky.” He sighed and threw the straw out of the window opening. “I cannot think of a way to chart the stars. I feel…I feel like I’ve been blinded. Again."

He stared at the leaves of the closest tree for a while, but there was nothing but rustling. Eventually, he sighed, removed his headdress and lay down next to his girlfriend. She snuggled up next to him.

"There is something I’ve been wondering – what is going on between you and Paploo? He seemed genuinely upset when Kneesaa announced that we get a chamber of our own."

"Hard to explain, but chak, he is, uh..."

"Envious? Because he thought you would grow up to be a 200-year-old medicine man who never had a family? Because it's you and me; not him and an imaginary girlfriend he never had?"

"Chak, there were no girls, but there were...dares. You know, for example, when everybody..."

"I don't think I want to know what young and bothered lurdos do to prove they are male, as if it wasn't obvious." Latara raised her voice, only to whisper again moments later, "But I have a dare for you right now…” She shed the blanket and moved a bit, so the moonlight was illuminating most of her body, leaving her violet eyes flashing in the shade.

“What dare?”

“Kneesaa has got to be exhausted from today’s events and Paploo always sleeps like the Bobog. I can barely feel my back and my limbs…”

“I have some pain remedy in my satchel; let me get it for you.”

“No. You are not letting me finish the sentence. I can barely feel my back and my limbs from the fun we had last night and I like that. Let’s do that again!”

Teebo shook his head. "I...don't have that spark right now. I can't relax, either. I am thinking about these strange villagers, they have to be connected with the Other Moon somehow!"

"You and your stupid other moon!" she snapped and turned around. "If it was real, don't you think we would have seen it by now?"

"M-maybe it needs to be built!"

"Building moons? What kind of beings would go about building moons?"

Teebo’s hands were shaking. "There has got to be somebody behind the Skull Ones! Somebody powerful enough to build moons. With magic!"

“Teebo!” Latara crossed her arms. "I have waited for you for so many snows. Ask Kneesaa, she had kept every single secret of every single thing I wanted you to do to me. Now that we have each other..." she tickled him on the chin. "I no longer have the reason to have fun on my own. How about making all my flowers bloom again?"

Since when was it "fun"? He thought. Why was she calling a magical thing by that simple word? Nevertheless, he embraced her and they started kissing. Moments later, the light in the lantern burnt out and the clouds hid the little of the Sistermoon that was visible underneath the dense foliage.

"It was much better last night!" Latara protested.

"Last night I wasn't as tired...and I had the spark!"

"Well, find it again!”

"Chak!”

"Why are you choking me? What on Endor are you doing?"

"Choking you? Why would I...denvay! Those are not my hands. What's that smell?"

"Whatever it is, it's not me! Ugh!"

"Somebody is in the bunk with us!"

"And that somebody is pulling my necklace! Teebo, stop him!"

"Gotcha!"

"You caught me, lurdo!"

They felt something escape and jump through the window opening. Moments later, that something hit the ground. As Latara continued mumbling angry k'varks and screaming about her necklace, Teebo jumped out and ran after the mysterious stranger, who was now running across the small clearing, to the forest. The path seemed to have been hidden at first but, to his surprise, the further he ran, the clearer it was. And he was a better runner than the thief, getting closer and closer, until he managed to grab one of the stranger’s legs. Then he too lost his balance, and fell down on top of him. The creature was definitely a fellow Ewok.

"Halt! Why did you take my girlf…mate’s necklace?"

Teebo pulled the stranger closer to him and gave him a sniff, solely to realise he was a she – a dirty female Ewok in a torn hood, with her eyes closed. She was not letting the necklace go and he was reluctant to use any kind of physical force to get it out of her palm. Instead of doing so, he pulled her towards the closest thing resembling a clearing. The little they could see of the Sistermoon was struggling through the treetops in this place and he could see the face of the thief – she had a white muzzle and turd-coloured fur, somehow fitting for her foul odour. Her eyes were, however, still closed.

“Give me that.” He commanded. More and more, he was realising how hard it must be for Kneesaa to give out orders – the feeling was odd. “It belongs to Latara.”

“Luufi not giving it…Luufi found it. She searched for it for years. It now belongs to Luufi.”

The young medicine man cocked his head. The stinky one’s name was “flower.” And her Ewokese was poor. He decided to change his approach.

“Luufi just met Teebo and he is sorry for frightening her. But he wants Latara’s necklace back.”

Luufi still did not open her eyes. “Luufi found it!

For the very first time, Teebo had a thought that his ability to connect to wildlife could perhaps work on a fellow Ewok. So he changed the tone of his voice and spoke calmly.

"Luufi will give Teebo the necklace."

Nothing happened. Perhaps her eyes had to be open for the spell to work. Holding her with one arm, he reached for her eyelids. To his surprise, they were sewn together. He dropped her in the fern.

“By the Great Tree, what kind of a creature are you?” He quickly picked her up again. “And who did this to you?”

“They leave Luufi for dead. He, the red eye Yuzzum…he finds her and does this.” She pointed to her eyes with her free hand. “He said he comes back to use her to get the Sunstar gem, but he never comes back. Luufi wander the forest alone and then, she finds the gem herself. She does not let it go now!”

Teebo felt his throat and lungs shrink to the size of a berry-nut. He was holding Luufi as close as she could, until she squeaked, prompting him to loosen his grip. The only creature he had seen that had a red eye was the one that almost left him blind, but in a different way – the Wanderer. The missing patches of the story he knew were finally making sense – the Wanderer was a Yuzzum, and he had attempted to use Luufi as his future assassin, but he had settled for Gunlaag. Then, he had wanted him, Teebo, to kill Gunlaag and be his assassin. But why were Luufi’s eyelids sewn together? And why was she roaming the forest, dirty and scared? Who “left her for dead”? And how could she see without her eyes? Sure, he knew how to do that if he focused on it; he had learned of this power when Malani noticed that he could see some of the things she was writing, despite his temporary blindness. Luufi, however, did not seem to need to focus – her seeing power was strong it frightened him.

“Luufi, this is not the Sunstar Shadowstone. It’s long gone.” He was trying not to stutter. “And…he is gone, too. He almost killed me. I was blind for a while, like you, too.”

“Not blind!” She was punching and kicking Teebo. “Luufi not blind, Luufi just cannot see!” And then, she attempted to scratch his face. He was ready for the pain, his teeth stiff. But, to his surprise, her hand remained between his eyes and then she traced her finger up her forehead. She calmed down and dropped the necklace.

“The Sunstar is you! Luufi don’t need this. Luufi need you.”

Teebo took the necklace and let Luufi go. Something told him that she was not going to escape. Indeed, she walked to the nearest tree and scratched something into its bark. It looked like two circles, one inside of the other, but the outside circle’s shape was clumsy.

“They don’t want Luufi, because a Luufi that can see is Luufi able to finish this!” She kicked the tree and then squeaked again, as she apparently hurt her leg. “I need to see the evil eye! It has an evil eye, just like he did! The evil eye is the doom! The doom...the doom is upon the Ewoks…but no, no, nobody ever listen to Luufi!”

The female Ewok was now eating the bark on which she had previously drawn the circles.

“Teebo not see anything, chak? Teebo does not tell Votrep….Teebo does not tell her?”

Teebo grabbed Luufi again, attempting to get the bark out of her mouth. “Can Luufi not hurt herself?” He moved the finger in the last possible moment, as she was ready to bite him. “Teebo is like Luufi. Votrep is not a woman. And Teebo wants to help Luufi see. But he wonders how Luufi found him, too.”

“Luufi was taught to search for the Sunstar. And the Sunstar is you!” She stuck her finger into Teebo’s chest fur. “The…” She lost her bordok cart of thought and took a whiff of his breath. “Your breath is the breath of a beautiful girl! Is Teebo also a girl?”

“No. Teebo is an...err…boy. But he has a mate, whose necklace you stole when they…” He felt ashamed for a moment.

Luufi shook her head. “Boys worse than her, she is the worst. Almost like a…Luufi doesn’t know. You, however, too big for a girl, but you not acting like boy. You have a girl in you.”

Teebo was puzzled, though he could recall a situation from childhood when he was accused of something similar. Was this a sign that his powers worked? And if it did, was it a blessing or a curse? And Luufi was now incredibly calm, tilting her head to him, almost as if she was observing him through her sewn eyelids.

"So, Teebo is boy. Though it seems to Luufi that he only like one girl in the entire world. Is she right about that?”

"True. I know most of my male friends can notice any pretty girl and talk about her in a manner I don't understand, and my mom and dad got together after one such adventure, but I am not like that. I don't have that in me. I didn't even want to see the Light Spirit with my girl before I was sure she could feel what I feel and that there was this...bond between us..." He put his hands on his mouth. “I never wanted to say this to a stranger. What did you just do?”

At this point, both of them put their hands on their mouths and turned their heads away from each other. The stranger was shivering. Teebo continued.

"You are one of those! Like me. I never meant to say any of this, especially not to somebody I have not met before. I was not even sure about telling my best friend this when I return home!"

"Chak, Luufi now know Teebo one of those, too. Green eyes, like hers. And boy, but not like Twin Lakes boy.”

Teebo remembered Feda earlier that night. He was starting to get a grasp of this. “Chak, Teebo won’t hurt Luufi. He can help her see. But Luufi has to let him do so. Come with me.”

Luufi slapped Teebo across the face. “They must not see Teebo. They must not know he has power like they know Luufi does. It a secret. And they must not know Teebo helped Luufi.”

He nodded. “Nobody will know.”

They came back to the hut and got back in through the window of a small, back chamber filled with wood. Kneesaa, Paploo and Latara were sitting in the dining area, next to a small lantern.

“Teebo, where is my necklace?” Latara demanded. To her surprise, Teebo just pushed the stranger towards her. “That is not my necklace! And it stinks.”

Kneesaa got up. “Shall I prepare a bath for this poor creature?”

“Please, do.” Latara pushed Luufi away. “And one for me. Eww!”

Teebo came back with his satchel. He handed Latara her necklace, not saying a word.

“Like, thank you?” She pouted and grabbed a cloth from Kneesaa. “And thank you for pushing a pile of turd into me…lover.”

To her surprise, her boyfriend ignored her. He was preparing a concoction on the tiny fire pit on top of messily arranged stones, mumbling the ingredients’ names into his own chin. At some point, rummaging inside of the satchel, he touched the object on the very bottom – the gem from the Juniper Chest. He had almost forgotten about it. He shrugged and pulled out a large piece of green shadow root.

He was done by the time Kneesaa finished giving Luufi a bath. He had a handful of a thick paste on a small, crude plate and he applied it to the tip of his machete.

“Is she blind?” The princess asked. “I cleaned around her eyes, but that’s all I could do. Also…who is she?”

Teebo nodded. “And that’s what the concoction is for. I am going to open her eyes.” He did not address the second question.

Latara yawned and climbed up to the top level chamber. Kneesaa and Paploo held Luufi up. Teebo gave her a gentle rub on the shoulder and smeared the paste where her eyelids were sewn. Then he pulled one of her eyelashes out. She didn’t react to it.

“That’s it. Arandee, I’m going to cut through these stitches. Hold her head tight, please!”

Paploo put the end of his hood over Luufi’s mouth and lay down over her. Kneesaa was holding her hands. The feral Ewok was still kicking the air and the ground below her, but at least she could not move her head.

“Luufi, this is not going to hurt. Teebo does not hurt you. Chak?”

She mumbled something through the fabric. Teebo assumed it to be a yes and he proceeded to cut the stitches away and pull them out. There was no blood, the tiny holes through which the Wanderer had sewn Luufi’s eyelids together seemed to have healed. He proceeded to clear away the dirt with a small piece of parchment. “Don’t move, this can cut you.” Once the last trace of dirt was gone, he could see a pair of green eyes, much like his own, the eyelids now drooping over them. “It might take you some time to get used to opening them again. But you can see now. Paploo, Kneesaa, let her go. Let her hold her own eyelids.”

Luufi did what she was told and observed the three Ewoks before her. At first, she was silent and then, she started shivering. Before they could even stop her, she screamed, pointed to each of them and made her way through the nearest opening, even though it was nearly blocked by the nearby branches.

“Luufi, wait!” Teebo walked to the opening, but he stopped. “What a lurdo was I to hold this machete pointing towards her. I probably scared her.”

Kneesaa patted her friend on the back. “I don’t think it was you. It was all of us. But you helped her and that’s what matters.” She lead Teebo to the nearest stump for sitting. “So, her name is Luufi. But who is she and did she steal the necklace? Latara told us what happened and I…don’t think I wanted to know that much.”

“Chak, it was her. It’s a long story. Another long story in addition to whatever we all have to explain to one another.” He sighed. “I shouldn’t have mated with Latara. Whatever I have brought upon us is a curse.”

“Don’t speak that way, Teebo.” Kneesaa said, gently. “So many medicine men and women of times past had mates. But yes, each and every one of us has a lot of explaining to do.”

“Including Latara.” Paploo grabbed the wash tub and proceeded outside to empty it. “That was worse than something, say…something I would do.”

Kneesaa wanted to laugh at her cousin’s self-deprecation, but she couldn’t. Her best friend had disappointed her once again. And she was not even sure why. She made her way to her hammock and Paploo did the same, as soon as he came back.

Teebo put the fire out and climbed the ladder to the top chamber. He took his place next to Latara and put his arms around her, placing a soft kiss on the back of her head. She kicked him on the thigh and turned around.

“You smell bad.” She mumbled. Upon seeing that there was no reaction from him, she added. “Looks like I missed your beetroot.”

Teebo was baffled. He withdrew to his own side of the bed and stared into the void. The sleep was not coming to him. This was one of the rare moments he regretted never using burnt herbs to fall asleep and have vivid dreams, as the tangible world was looking incredibly bleak right now.

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Footnotes

Spoiler

I didn't spot anything new or different. If you did, ask!

 

Umm...so I am once again extremely late to the party and sadly behind on my reviewing, but I hope to have more soon:

Prologue Aaand we're off to an action-packed beginning, with the re-appearance of the Wanderer and the introduction of Chekov's Ewok village (it wouldn't be here in the prologue if it wasn't important). What a creepy place it it is, too. Angry, misogynistic Ewoks who don't climb trees and don't believe in nature spirits, could they be any more different from our heroes at Bright Tree Village? Ooba makes Chief Elder Kazak look like Winnie the Pooh. Two bits of (possible) scary foreshadowing here-- we know what secret Mechett was keeping, but we never learn what Rango's secret was and these Ewoks now have access to the Wanderer's severed hand

I'd like to think that Kerida and her children will get away, but it's a slim hope. Maybe our friends can help her when they reach this village on their tour.

Chapter 1
The feeling of impending doom is in the air at Bright Tree Village...once again even the weather is in on the act. In the last story, we were snowed in, now there's a heat wave like one that presaged a great forest fire But amidst all the preparations for war with the Skull Ones, our OTP finds time to be together. It's too bad they are still talking past each other, at least in terms of the importance of physical intimacy. I wonder if Latara's comments about Teebo being like Master Logray have to do with most shamans remaining "pure" all their lives? I can see where that would be a...concern...for her.

Meanwhile Wicket is going off on his family's mission

Which is exactly what happens with "wokling" Cindel Towani, if I remember right

I love Shodu's reflections; nope, nobody consults with the wives/mothers. You'd think we'd be used to it by now. /Eeyore voice

It's sad (but sadly realistic) to see that Teebo and Latara's relationship is changing things between the friends, and Teebo, bless his tender heart, is so unaware of what Wicket means.

Chief Chirpa wants to see everyone immediately... This should be interesting

 

GUESS WHO'S BACK, YOU BORDOKS, YOU?

Just kidding. I had pre-written chapters that I didn't post and I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY.

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Hehe, you said "the eye".

I did not think of this before, but since Teebo's skill set got expanded after Snowed In - or, better said, near its end - it makes perfect sense. Teebo is the Sunstar, just like Leeloo (gosh, did I really have to write this, because because because you know? ) is love. He absorbed its energy and Logray needed to relay on taking energy from his own body as well as Kneesaa's to use it one last time against the Griagh.

So, nope, Teebo is himself not aware of it yet. He thinks his powers are weaker than they used to be, but they're, in fact, stronger!

Nope, it definitely exists (Iron_lord gave me a timeline of how things went and there's that Legends book that confirms it, but it required shifting all other events bar the two movies backwards), but...you will see.

Teebo was one of those himself, it's shown in Sunstar vs. Shadowstone. But Luufi is far more dangerous in that sense - you will see once she's revealed more about herself.

Just a classic trope. Green eyes are magical and all.

Rango didn't have any powers and neither did Mechett. But each of them had a secret about their family that the other didn't know. By now, knowing that the village hated those who were truly Force-sensitive, it's kind of clear what Mechett had to hide. But what is Rango's secret?

That also means that Luufi is capable of something resembling a mind trick, by accident, even through her eyelids when they're sewn together. Dangerous powers, as we had determined earlier.

Paploo noticing rudeness is funy in its own little way.

Teebo ignored her because he was under the impression after all that happened. Luufi was probably not even aware that it was about her, and yes, she is used to insults and more.

Welcome. I am late to most of your ol' parties, too; so don't worry.

Of course.

They do, but how did it get to Umwak and around his neck? He probably had no idea of its significance at any single point, though...

Ooba is old and unaware of many things. But Votrep, yes, he could be signing autographs to Kazak.

It's barely foreshadowed anywhere, Rango's secret, but once the time comes, I guarantee that it will be a HEADASPLODE '18 candidate.

The answer is in latter parts of the story and kind of obvious. But not the best answer ever.

Nothing to add - you summed it up purr-fectly.

YES. And the reason he is not in this story.

Not the first time she remarked that, either.

Wicket is just possessive. Latara, however...is kinda horny.

I hope it will be. Thanks for joining the par-tay! And yes, this is a hint for the next chapter.

 

12. The Feisty​

Paploo was awakened by a knock on the wooden board holding the thatched wall. Before he could even get up and put his hood on, Paar came through the flap, carrying a basket full of fruits and vegetables and a bag of flour. Kneesaa covered herself in her hammock.

“I apologise.” The small Ewok looked at Paploo. “I did not realise my claimed wife had been hoodless. “But as far as you go – I don’t apologise. Your fur is weird. Grey, but heading towards cinameen.”

“You did not have to point that out.” Paploo pulled a sour face and tossed Kneesaa her hood. “I’m…moulting like a young bird and I’m well aware of that, thank you.”

Paar snorted and pulled out a pipe. “Not everybody can be as handsome as my father and I.” He looked at Teebo, who was climbing down the ladder. “Not even this lurdo whom every stupid woman in the village considers to be handsome.”

“He’s not handsome at all!” A grumpy voice came from above. “I have an ugly mate! And he needs to take a bath, because he canoodled with…”

“Shut up, woman!” Teebo was surprised by his own attempt to cut Latara off before she would reveal that they had a mysterious visitor last night. “I am…allowed to do what I want to do. We are Gondulas now!” He looked away from the three Ewoks and sighed.

Paar raised his hand in approval. “He may not be handsome, but he is a fast learner, just like you. That was the right way to put a woman in her place!”

“Am I handsome, then?” Paploo rolled his eyes.

“He-he…no!” Paar shook his head and blew some smoke in the newcomer’s face.

“I do need a bath.” Teebo said, moving further away from the group. “The tubs are small and the big lake is a stone’s throw from here! Shall I go there?”

“By the love of Starmen, no!” Paar clumsily dropped his pipe. “The big lake, that’s where the Voggs live.”

“What is a Vogg?” came the voice from upstairs again. “Nobody responded when I asked about that last night!”

Paar picked his pipe up and lit it again. “The Voggs are not really smart, they speak in gurgles when underwater and sing-song screams when on the surface. They have long, droopy ears, a furred body similar to ours…and three pairs of legs like reeps.”

Kneesaa emerged from underneath the cover, now with her pink hood on. “So, they’re reep-Ewoks with long ears, oh dear mate?”

“No, woman.” Paar lit his pipe. He inhaled the smoke and coughed, then threw an angry glance her way and took another drag on his pipe. “Their muzzles are not this flat and their faces are not round. They could eat fish, but they eat whatever ends up in the water – including Ewoks.”

The princess swallowed a lump and reached over to Paploo. He gave her a hug.

“I told you to keep her tame, not comfort her. But whatever. The Starmen told us to make sacrifices to the Voggs when the Great Votrep gets a sign from them.”

“Is…that where the skulls on the Council Hut’s wall come from?” Teebo asked. “You make bloody sacrifices?”

“K’vark, he’s smart.” Paar blew some smoke Teebo’s way. “Chak, that’s what they are. Most often, they are bastard woklings born from their mothers’ punishment. Great Votrep’s servant, Talgo, keeps them fed for this purpose, as he is most often the one to perform punishment on disobedient women. And then the Voggs take them away. And bring back bones.”

The three Ewoks were trying to hide their shock. Paploo nodded, the other two followed. Paar continued.

“But lately, we’ve had the Starmen pick adults for sacrifice, too. Each and every villager who is not following the rules could be sacrificed, should the Starmen want it so.”

Kneesaa shivered. Paploo and Teebo looked at Paar, expecting answers.

Latara emerged from upstairs. “How does this happen?”

Paar refused to answer her. Paploo shrugged and repeated the question.

“The Voggs find those who have sinned and pick them up on their own. For dumb creatures, they have a sense for finding the sinners. The Starmen were right to domesticate them, but we cannot, we are not capable!”

The four were not responding. Paar let out a loud sigh and held the pipe in his hand.

“Hope that was enough. I am here to take the men to warrior training. The women should stay here and do the household duties. I had my mother pick you some fruit and vegetables.”

Paploo protested. “But, back at home, we’re already wa…” Teebo subtly stepped on his foot and continued for him. “Chak, we will be pleased to learn your superior ways of warfare and hunting! Can we bring some game home?”

“Of course. Now, grab something to eat, we have to get moving. The Starmen want us to be strong.” He tossed a small and mouldy honey melon over to Paploo, nearly hitting him.

…​

A little later, Teebo, Paploo and Paar arrived at the training ground, in the middle of the forest. Teebo recognised the clearing where he had talked to Luufi. He was hoping that she would not show up under these circumstances. Jaratt and Talgo were standing in the middle of the field, accompanied by a handful of other warriors.

“Welcome, aspiring warriors.” Jaratt stepped towards the newcomers. “I have been waiting for you, so we can start today’s training. And then we’ll see if you have what it takes to be a part of our defence corps.”

A couple of Twin Laker warriors laughed. Paploo grinned.

“Do you even know what you’re in for?” asked Talgo. “Our training sessions are not what a Panshee is used to. We are small, but strong. And we don’t climb no trees – trees are evil. In our trainings, you are going to wrestle in the mud, dig holes and strangle munyips with your own bare teeth.”

Teebo felt as if his heart stopped beating for a moment. Gondulas were known to kill munyips, the same gentle creatures with whom the Panshees lived in peace – the helpless little bug-eyed rodents that jumped from tree to tree and that every wokling in Bright Tree Village loved playing with.

He could feel the pain of one such creature later during the training, when Talgo caught it and bit it on its neck, killing it almost instantly. A fountain of blood was spraying from the munyip’s vessels and he was just standing there, trying not to cry. Much to his relief, he and Paploo were tasked with catching snakes and using their own weapons – but still, he never thought that he would have to witness so many awful things within a couple of days and not be allowed to react, because that would bring his friends’ lives in danger.

Paploo, too, was doing his best not to weep as he observed the Gondulas maim the forest creatures, though there was no need to hunt, as food was plentiful in the summer. And there was another thing he could not help but wonder.

“Master Jaratt?” He made his way to one of the two senior warriors.

“Chak.”

“Why is Great Votrep not overseeing these trainings?”

“This is the time when Great Votrep meditates. And then, during one of the nights when the Sistermoon is full, he sails to the middle of the lake in his boat and reaches out to the Starmen from within his body and mind. He chants to them to help us make the right decisions.”

“When is this?” Paploo asked.

Jaratt was about to respond, but Talgo cut him short. “We don’t know. Only Great Votrep himself is aware of this. We cannot be in tune with the Starmen, only he can. And we’re grateful for his abilities to speak to the stars.” The eye-patched Ewok cracked another carcass’s skull open with a pointed rock, prompting the Panshees to shiver. “Something wrong, apprentices?”

“N-no!” Teebo was clutching his fingers behind his back. “We were just wondering about the part where we get to show how strong and…ummm…manly we are.”

Talgo’s good eye opened up. “I was waiting for you to ask me this, Panshee. We are going to do some sparring.” He tooted the horn, which, unlike Teebo’s and Paploo’s, was made out of a large shell. "And the two of you will pick your opponents first. Use whatever method you want."

In the shortest possible amount of time, the locals gathered and lined up.

Teebo was about to suggest guessing the number of monmon seeds as the chance game to pick sparring partners, but Paploo had already closed his eyes with one hand and begun the wokling rhyme.

“Bordok, hanadak, munyip, tree,
You will be the one for me.”

Paploo opened his eyes. His finger was pointing to a giggling Paar.

“Time I pointed at you,” the small Ewok said. "Have not done so for quite a while."

The Twin Laker warriors were laughing. Paploo assumed that they were laughing at Paar's self-esteem. The small Ewok could not be dangerous, could he?

The others were picking their partners and Teebo ended up with Jaratt after he decided that it would only be fair to fight somebody close to his size. All this nature-power cheating was starting to get to him, but just as he did when he saved the Grass Trekker from the brink of death, he told himself that nothing could make up for hurting somebody smaller than him.

Jaratt was a great fighter. And he was definitely not the one to get carried away and play rough. They ended up trying to wrestle one another off a fallen log, and mutually agreed to consider it a tie.

"You really remind me of our former chef, Rango, as a fighter, too. He was fair." Jaratt shook Teebo's hand. "You know, some of our warriors tend to hurt others when we train. And I don't like that."

Teebo was about to pat his new acquaintance on the back, but he was cut short by what sounded like Paploo - screaming. He grabbed Jaratt's hand and they both ran to the only remaining pair on the ground. Paar was sitting on Paploo’s chest and pulling a pair of bolo slings around his neck.

“Scared yet?” he mumbled through a stiff jaw full of sharp, small teeth. “I may be small, but I could kill you in your sleep.” Paar calmly got up and removed the bolo sling from around Paploo's neck. "See? These are the fake ones. But my real pair…you don't want to see my real pair."

Teebo came by and offered to help his friend up. “Paploo, did he hurt you?”

“No. I just could not concentrate. I turned around for a moment and…” Paploo waved his hands, in the most dramatic manner that he was capable of.

“Oh…so, he hurt your pride.” The grey Ewok grinned. “This is a dark day for King Paploo.”

There were no k'varks in Paploo's response. Just a deep, deep sigh.

…​

Kneesaa and Latara were cooking a stew. Earlier, they had attempted to dig the soil in front of the hut and plant some herbs, but it was too hard. They could not help but wonder when the last time was that somebody had lived in their new domicile. And now, they had to wash one wooden dish after another, as each was full of bugs and dust.

“So, he told me to shut up.” Latara said at one point. “He is becoming my father.” She pushed a piece of a vegetable away. “The next thing you know, he will be like one of these local…molesters.”

Kneesaa stopped cutting a piece of a large root. “Now, where did that come from? Teebo did not want Paar to know about Luufi and you almost revealed that she was here!”

“Don’t mention that crazy, dirty one and her tattered hood!” Latara was now yelling. “He smelled of turd when he came back with her, just like she did! What if he really canoodled with her in the woods?”

The princess snorted, much like Paar did earlier. “Latara…what? Where did that come from?”

“She is a woman! In case that escaped you...” Latara grabbed the root and started cutting it with her combat knife. “And he was not much in the mood for pleasing me when she sneaked in! I already told you that! He got the taste of honeycomb once and now he wants it from somebody else! And everybody here wants him…who knows where his beetroot will be tomorrow!” She hit the root so hard that the knife remained stuck in the wooden table. She shook her head and pulled it out, with another “k’vark”.

"Doesn't sound like somebody who would go for another girl..." Kneesaa was doing her best to remain calm despite her friend’s display of aggression. “Didn’t you say that he genuinely enjoyed it when you were mating?”

Latara hit the root hard and the knife got stuck again. "Argh, you always, always defend him! You grew up together and you just don't see his flaws!"

"I do. I told you so many times. He is chaotic, he often does not make sense at all...but this is nothing to be worried about. How about you believe me, for once?”

“You? Ha! You have not been touched by a man! You were shocked by the things I was telling you when I was only yearning for Teebo. What do you know?” This time, the knife was impossible to pull out of the wood.

Kneesaa shook her head and looked down. “That does not mean that I don’t yearn for somebody…in a different way.”

“Chak, right, you’re yearning for...I don’t know, Wicket, or his silly brother. What if…” Latara stopped mid-sentence. Kneesaa was crying. She finally stopped trying to pull the knife out and hugged her friend instead.

“I am…sorry if that offended you. I did not mean to say that you were not an adult or anything. You are so much wiser than me, in so many ways. I did not mean to imply that you liked Wicket, either! You are way too smart for that!”

Kneesaa sighed and hugged her friend back. “It’s alright. As long as you did realise your mistake. We’re all adults, after all.”

Latara raised her eyebrow. Didn’t Teebo claim otherwise? How come Kneesaa and Teebo were not agreeing on something? She approached the knife more calmly and managed to pull it out. She set it aside and sat down, leaning against the wall, and gestured [or motioned] to Kneesaa to sit next to her. The rain was beginning to fall outside.

“You also wanted to ask me what it was like to mate…right?"

Blush appeared underneath the thin, white fur on Kneesaa’s muzzle. "Sort of. Okay, yes. I do. I can envision my future, marrying somebody whom my family picked for me, as opposed to somebody I love. I know the basics from my studies of scrolls..." Kneesaa paused for a moment.

"Not your sister?" Latara was surprised.

"I would be…ashamed to ask Asha about it."

"Figures...so, where do I start? I loved it. I loved his smell and he loved mine, too – I think it showed him that he should mate with me. And for such a shy, withdrawn lurdo…” Latara stopped, seeing her friend’s angry face. “…I mean that as an endearment! He was daring. He surprised me. First, he grabbed me and pulled me close in the lake. I have never seen him like that. As if it were not him. But then, chak, later on, he was scared again… I had to put his hands on my chest myself and encourage him to touch me and then, he does that, speaks in a deep voice...and when he stops, I want more.”

"Did you bleed?"

"No, don't be silly. I just...I just sat on his lap, he was ready…and it was nice!"

"That is scary! I heard…that boys are insatiable and that it hurts a lot...” She put her hands on her mouth. Latara was now sure that Kneesaa was eavesdropping on the older girls, as much as she did.

“He wasn’t.”

"I heard you moan." Kneesaa nodded. “And so did Paploo. I stopped him from…”

"I did...At some point, I kissed him on the lips again and there was blood. He...bit his tongue."

"He knew that Paploo and I would hear you, I think,” the princess pointed out.

“Maybe. But who cares? When you love somebody that much, you go by what feels right. Not what somebody else thinks is right. I would have moaned last night, too…if that Luufi-lurdii hadn’t interrupted us.” Latara sighed and finished her story. “And this is what it will be like for you when you become the chieftess and you have a handsome mate, preferably another village’s prince. Not Paar, don’t worry. We’ll get out of here.” She nudged her friend with her elbow. “A real handsome prince. Paar kind of looks like Wicket, anyway. As in…small and ugly.”

Kneesaa got up. There was a hidden tear going down her blushing muzzle. She clumsily put the fire in the pit away, only to realise that she needed it to cook the stew. This is where anybody else would have said a healthy k’vark or two, but she just shook her head instead and proceeded to rub two pieces of wood against each other.

Just then somebody knocked on the flap frame. She gasped.

“I…hope nobody will attack us while Teebo and Paploo were away.”

Latara nodded and grabbed the knife, then headed out, her friend trailing behind. They could hear rustling in the bushes, but there was nobody outside. However, a large basket of what looked like dangleberries was on their doorstep.

“What the…” She put her hands on her hips. “We already have food. Not that making some jam would not be a good idea.”

…​

Teebo and Paploo were covered in the mud by the time they got back to the hut. Once they had reached the gate of the fence enclosing the small space of ground around it, Paploo blocked Teebo’s way. The larger Ewok moved back to the left, but his friend leaned over the gate. He sensed that an unpleasant conversation was about to take place.

“What do you want, Paploo?”

"Tell me more about it! What was she like? How long did it take you to..."

"No.” Teebo stopped his friend before he could even end the sentence. “Why would I share that much with you? I don't think I would even share it with Wicket. Or my dad."

"Pfft. I knew it. You were not good at it. And it's not fair. Weechee and Tak gave me every detail of their first matings with Chirita and Asha."

"Good for them, I guess?" Teebo was clearly irritated.

"If you don't tell me, they are not going to believe you at all. For one, for years we thought you were a total lurdo. You never even wanted to play the boys' games. You know, dares. At first you didn’t speak outside of your family hut. And then, you were hanging out with Wicket, who was still was a wokling and we never wanted him anywhere near those games, because he would tell his father!"

"I was studying magic. And I did not want to take part in those dares. They did not make sense, none of that did without the only girl I ever wanted to be with."

Paploo clapped his hands. “So, that’s what the spirit boy’s game is? You were friends with Latara all along because you knew that you would get your beetroot in her honeycomb someday."

"Has it not occurred to you that we are in love? And she was always my friend. Mating is not why you become friends with a girl...or a boy, for that matter."

"Then you do have a tiny, wrinkly beetroot! Hahahaha!"

Teebo snapped. "At least I don’t think with it, like you!”

"See? You don’t think with it. You care more about yourself and less about her. You are just like any other male Ewok and, after this, you will never succeed Logray as the village medicine man. Gone is your purity..."

Just as Teebo was about to hit Paploo, something he had not done in a long time, he spotted Latara raising the flap. She was looking at them, slightly puzzled.

"Boys, what is wrong?" she asked.

"We are talking about...vegetables." Paploo was not even trying to make his lies sound believable at this point.

"Chak, for...stew." Teebo’s buck-toothed grin was giving even further away.

“No need to.” She stuck up her nose. “Kneesaa and I already made some. And dangleberry jam is being cooled to eat with darkbread latter. Teebo, honeydrop – you can further prove how much of a man you are and spread the jam on the bread with you machete.”

Teebo frowned, but his girlfriend tickled him on the chin, prompting him to giggle.

“I’m just teasing you!” She propped herself up on her toes to give him a very slobbery kiss. “I will prepare you a warm bath in a bigger tube we found, and then you’ll have the best stew of your life.”

His face lit up. “With diced cinameen?”

“With diced cinameen!”

---

 

I am the latest to the party, and this is soooo good! Such great characterization! Only you, Ewok Poet, could take a quickly-made child's cartoon and make it so rich and three dimensional; giving so much care and thought to fleshing out the culture of the comic relief from RotJ. Not comic at all, and now it is easy to see how the Ewoks could overcome the Empire, since they are a warrior culture, not just teddy bears armed with sticks.

I am intrigued by these Starmen, are they the same as the Stormtrooper Skull heads? It doesn't seem as if they could be, since the impression is that the tribe is cooperating with them, and I can't envision the Bucketheads cooperating with them for anything. Hunting them as sport, taking trophies, collecting furs...yes.

But this is really good. And for a romantic line, Latara's Hold me as if I were nothing but pure light and magic! Now that is swoonworthy, right out of an old black & white romance movie from the '30s.

Abso fabbo! Can't wait to see how they get themselves out of this.

 

These last few chapters have been very intense, and I'm seeing those shades of Watership Down that I think you mentioned a long time ago. There's definitely an Efrafa/Warren of the Shining Wires sort of vibe to the claustrophobia and constant circling threat of violence our heroes are experiencing. The Twin Lakers have the triple whammy of Bad Things -- there was a toxic attitude towards the Force and one another to begin, the dark siders meddled further, and the servants of the Other Moon were able to engineer the resulting 50 car pileup to their benefit all too easily.

Continuing to love the dynamics of the group, and I'm glad we're seeing more of both the tensions and the strength of their relationships. Paploo has chosen just about the worst time to be a big baby about Teebo and Latara's relationship while also assuming more responsibility in the group's survival -- he's the one pulling their fat out of the fire in a lot of instances here, and one can tell that he's got the makings of a much more mature Ewok... somewhere, really, really, really deep down anyway. Latara and Teebo are talking past each other, yet again, and then there's the added "what?" for them of Luufi showing up out of the blue. While Latara's reaction isn't reasonable, I can see how she'd be jealous of a female Ewok who seems to share Teebo's affinity for nature powers. Someone that she maybe fears might be able to understand him better, where Latara's currently confuzzled and irritated. (And maybe, there's a bit of the concern for appearances there. Some strange magical Ewok girl showing up is bad enough, but did she have to be SMELLY and odd? Latara is rather careful about her grooming and so forth, so I can see all the unkempt appearance/strange speech patterns/horrible injuries being an especially big "eww" for her.) Teebo is just about treading water in all of this -- poor guy keeps having visions that no one takes seriously because they're so far out of their experience. But he's always his compassionate self, using his medical training to help the abused village woman and also the strange forest waif who stole his girlfriend's necklace. Kneesaa too is out of her depth, of course, and being the focus of the creepy Twin Lakers and their "purity" obsession is an added strain. I liked that we got to see some interaction between her and Latara this chapter, and how they managed to find a level of support in each other though they also clash on some things at first.

 

EP - Quick reply, here, after a power read-through ...

The Gondulas are beyond messed-up. I get the sense that they were already on the wrong path even before those-whom-I-suspect-are-Starmen cut a deal with them ... but it also sounds like they're practicing Sith (or at least dark-side) ritualism.

Still, the four Bright Tree Ewoks are doing as well as they can so far. Let's hope they get out relatively unscathed.

 

The next chapter has been sent to my beta and I'll respond to the AMAZING comments above once she's done with it. Pretty sure that I need to prepare my footnotes, too, as there's only one story where I'm notorious with footnotes and comment replies and it's NOT this one.

But before that, I wanted to thank everybody who nominated this story at the 2018 Fan Fiction Awards.



The Other Moon was nominated in three categories:
- Best Continuity-Compliant
- Best Action/Adventure
- Best All Around

...and I was nominated as the best author in Saga and most versatile author, both of which are relevant to this story.

I'm incredibly grateful for that. This story had no nominations in 2016 and 2017, this is the first time it was nominated for anything since it was started and I didn't expect that! I never got a Best All Around nomination for anything, either, and getting it for an extremely dark story that was first drafted in 1992/1993 was a huge surprise! Thank you. <3

 

Thanks for the comments. Heeere comes the next chapter, y0!

That was...quite a compliment. I'm not worthy!

The first season of the cartoon is actually...quite something. Rich worldbuilding, character-focused storytelling, a couple of very intense episodes (my favourite being Sunstar vs. Shadowstone), but the comic and the second season mostly ruined it.

There's a bit of truth in every single thing you said here. You'll see.

But-but-but...I WAS GOING FOR NOSFERATU! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.mp3

Seriously, that chapter made some folks on here leave. A year and a half later, I find that funny. Like, there are faaar worse things to imagine.

It's going to be hard, hard, hard! Glad to have you on board! <3

I went for both of those communities here. There's both outside and inside violence. Richard Adams, if you're looking at me from Inlé, don't shock me with lightning!

You're onto something...but not everything.

He can make good decisions, but change his character? I mean...WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! /ROTJ

Getting Latara dirty or wet was a running gag in season 2 of the cartoon, in the first she called a Dulok "swamp breath", so yes... LUUFI STINKS OMGZ. Plus, she's a girl!1!!!

Yup, but he's still too weird to be "the only sane man" here. I don't think anybody fits that role. Trope = averted.

The purity thing is pure hypocrisy, yet they're going for it like there's no tomorrow. Or, maybe, according to their wacky cultists, there is no tomorrow?

Glad to have you here! Not that you don't know that.

Do...do they know what they're doing? Are they deliberate or random, or a bit of both?

Well, we do see them in ROTJ, right?

Believe me - I'm kind of scared with how far I took it! It makes my Darth Maladi story look tame.

Jaratt is not the coward type who would attack somebody from the back or do something unholy. But his reasoning is probably nothing more than "I'm a big guy, I don't have to resort to dirty fighting!".

Paar is...quite something.

He's a good actor, then. And what matters is that this time he didn't even have to resort to deception and use a mind trick on Paar. Comparing him to Lumat, still...Latara is overreacting.

Now I need to google that. I'm definitely not familiar with operas beyond what everybody should know. And the title intrigues me, of course! 'em dramatic Italians...

They're definitely an endemic species.

And there goes the Gondulas' purity "fetish" or whatever. Nobody is a saint, it's not a thing.

Took her quite a while to find out the truth, tho.

We talked about this before - Teebo might not fit into the traditional male stereotype, but he sure knows how to kiss and NOT tell. Paploo has a lot to learn about this, but perhaps there is something Teebo can learn from him, too? Not in this exact case, but otherwise...

 

13 The Fists

The next morning, Latara woke up first. Teebo was sound asleep, with an empty sheet of parchment and a piece of charcoal next to him. That evening, he had rebuffed her advances once again – even though she had prepared him a warm bath and two of his favourite meals. He sat there, holding her hand, telling her about the moment Talgo strangled the munyip to death and crushed its skull. At some point, he started to cry and asked her if he had betrayed everything that his Master had taught him. He wanted to attempt to revive the unfortunate companion animal, he said, but he would have revealed his nature powers that way. Then he went on and on about how Luufi must have suffered for having had powers herself. In the end, he became extremely concerned about that dirty, feral Ewok, wondering why she ran away and if she was in danger. He fell asleep, crying on Latara’s shoulder and, at some point in the night, she moved away because he had drooled on her neck.

She did not expect things to go this way after seeing the stars with him. There had been the times in the past when she suspected that something was wrong with him, but that had been silly of her. He k’vark right had a beetroot and she thought that, now that he finally got to use it the way the Father Tree had intended him to, he was meant to become tougher. Not as tough as these scary, heartless Gondulas, but tough – the one who would comfort her, not the one she had to comfort. And there he was, crying over a munyip and not willing to see the stars with her again. Could it be that her mother was wrong when she said that the Ewok males always wanted to mate? Perhaps. Poor Zephee was most certainly wrong when she said that the females never wanted to mate – and she, Latara, was a good example of that.

She did not feel like asking Teebo what the piece of parchment was for – she assumed he had been inspired to write one of his silly odes, to the slaughtered munyip. Back in the days when she was about eleven snows old, he had showed her a silly scribbling titled "Ode to a Fish" and she had almost laughed in his face.

Why was that more important than pleasing her?

Angry, Latara picked up her hood and the holster for her knife and flute and walked out on her tiptoes, in order not to wake up Kneesaa and Paploo, either. It was barely dawning and the clouds above Skaadra in the distance were painting a picture of a lovely place that this gorge's dead-end most certainly was not. The shadows of violet and red were coming from two different sides, smudging into a colour that then slowly faded into the plain, everyday blue. A really fast bird flew upwards and disappeared in the void, or so it seemed. She waited for it to come back, then shrugged and made her way to the outhut, her nose stiff. It was not the cleanest place ever.

Once out, she spotted a rainwater barrel and took a look at herself. The scruffy head fur she was sporting now was pretty much like what her boyfriend had on top of his head when she first spotted him as a wokling on a visit to her father's village. She had stood by the other bare-hooded wokling receiving her hood that night, the one that ended up being her best friend and then, in the audience, there was a pair of piercing green eyes on an only slightly older male wokling, his head covered by a hat that was too big for him. She had sighed at the thought of how she walked right up to him, placed a lantern bird feather on top of that silly hat and told him that it was better that way. This made her giggle – he was standing there, dying of embarrassment because a girl who had demonstratively thrown her own starter hood off had something for him, the scared and bashful wokling who was ashamed of standing there, bare-headed, one snow earlier. The road from that to the moment when he remained kneeling before her after she pushed him away, with an expression of wonder, as she tore the nearby stalks of grass and calling all the spirits she could think of on top of her head, it suddenly seemed longer to her than the road from Happy Grove to this haunted place.

A rustle behind the hut had snapped her out of her daydreams. Something didn’t quite smell right, either. The stench of animal droppings that took a while to leave the hut the day before – it was there, again. She took her knife out and smelled the air, solely to stiff her nose one more time. Was the feral girl hanging out here, again? Slightly annoyed, she took her necklace off and hid it in the seam of her hood, then put it on.

Her hunch was right. Luufi was sitting next to the only hut wall with no window openings, carving circles in the dried mud surface and mumbling something. But she was not alone. A couple of steps further, there was another, slightly younger female Ewok. Latara recognised the green hood with two wine-red bows and the large eyes of Veevee, the daughter of Feda. The first Ewok to take the ritual mask off, not counting Paar.

And Veevee spotted her, too.

"Goopa, Latara!" She chirped. "I...did not expect to see you here so early. Or anybody, for that matter." Veevee noticed that Luufi's right arm was twitching. "No, Luu, Latara is not here to hurt you. Right?"

Latara sighed. Veevee was not what she, Latara, would consider cute or beautiful, but the look in her eyes did not look like she was trying to pull a trick. She was blinking, as she spoke. She was not trying to lie.

"Chak, right. I could not sleep, so I took a walk. What are the two of you doing here?"

Veevee gestured to her keep quiet. "This is the only time when I can come here and help Luufi. She taught me to read." She pointed to the symbols peeking from underneath a fresh layer of mud. In return, I help her make sense of the things she is drawing."

"You...could not read?" Latara was surprised.

"Could you, when you were like me?" Veevee opened her mouth in awe.

"C-chak, every wokling starts to learn to read and write after receiving their first hood. And the older woklings, baby-sitters, help out a lot. I was a baby-sitter until I became a hoodmaker apprentice."

Veevee was speechless. Luufi twitched again and waved to Latara. The flutist figured out that she was seeking permission to speak.

"When Luufi was little, Luufi's mother, Kerida, teach every wokling to read. After Luufi's father, Mechett, killed Rango – which Luufi does not believe and she thinks that Her Teacher did it – Votrep disallow female woklings to learn things. If you teach..." She ran her big finger over Veevee's neck.

"...you are sacrificed to Voggs." Veevee finished the sentence. "And that is why we have to be quiet. I do not want to be a rug."

Latara felt chills run down her spine.

"But...why is Luufi hiding?"

"Luufi ghost." Luufi punched herself with fists on her own chest and grinned. "Luufi scare Votrep and his evil ones. She also bring hope to good people."

The lightning was now a quake. “W…what?”

Luufi broke into tears. Veevee hugged her. For a moment, Latara wondered how she could do that, given the stench following the feral Ewok once again, despite the fact that she had had a bath before Teebo removed the stitches in her eyelids.

“Luufi doesn’t believe that she is real.” Veevee shook her head and patted her unfortunate friend. “I tell her that if she had been a ghost, that she wouldn’t have had to roll in big game animals’ dirt to remain unnoticed while wandering around the forest at night, but she thinks she died together with her mother and brother…”

Luufi pushed Veevee so hard that she fell over Latara; then she got up, kicked the wall and started telling her story.

“Ooba old and dumb. Said father traitor. Paar betray father, want him dead. Father tell mother we run away. And so we go to the gorge, time of the year when river actually bad. And really cold. Head for the Thornbush Forest and the desert.” She stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. “Then, avalanche of rocks. Luufi hit on the head, could not speak anymore. Mother, brother, remain on the other side…Votrep, Talgo, some others catch up. Luufi hear screams, but Luufi wounded, can’t climb the rocks. Never see them again. Mother, Kerida and brother, Deeni, gone.”

Latara was on the verge of tears. She signalled to Luufi to continue.

“One day, Luufi leg heals, Luufi come back. Cannot speak. Something wrong, everybody wear masks, Votrep shaved. Our hut looted. Luufi live there alone for a couple of days.” She pointed to the wall behind. “They spot me, say traitor daughter back. One hold a knife against my throat. All beat me up, take turns. In front of whole village. Luufi eyes closed from beating. Take turns doing other things, too. Wearing masks. Luufi don’t know who who, Luufi only know Jaratt not one of them, Jaratt easy recognised because big. When they all had their way with Luufi, who still mute, one say she crazy for drawing circles. Heretic circles. Luufi hood taken away and dirtied in outhut, charms removed from it. Luufi told she dead and Luufi believe it. She example for what happen when a woman crazy and not obedient. Lucky Luufi, that happens before Votrep tame Voggs!”

At this point, Latara forgot everything she thought about Luufi’s odour.

“Now that Luufi dead, Luufi learned speak again. Scare them. Follow them. And found her power to heal. Luufi wanted heal Feda. But Teebo came. But he look like Rango! Rango Paar father! Luufi scared of Paar, because Paar sentence Luufi father to death. Paar evil, evil, evil!” She started kicking the wall again.

A pink hood peeked from behind the corner.

“Latara? What are you doing? We saw that you were gone and…Luufi? And…who’s this?”

“Veevee. Feda’s daughter. You did not see me here. If you are up, that means I have to run back! But we will see each other at the Full Moon Feast tonight!”

“A what?” Kneesaa and Latara said in unison.

“Paar probably didn’t tell you. On the night the Sistermoon is so full that it shows the face we think belongs to the Starmen themselves, we have a dinner at the main square. And then, new warriors are assigned, if necessary. Then Votrep goes to the middle of the lake to meditate and call to the Starmen. Voggs don’t attack him. Anyway...Paar thinks that he will become a warrior tonight. But it never happens. Votrep always finds a new reason not to bestow the rank upon him.”

Kneesaa put her hand on her mouth, solely to remove it upon hearing the last sentence.

“That is strange. Paar is fearless! Pretty much like our friend Wicket back at home. Paploo told me that the prince almost killed him with his bolo slings yesterday.”

“That’s it. Paar can wrestle a huge Ewok like Jaratt. He once killed a Vogg cub with his bare hands in the shallows. He’s been on missions to the Hanging Moss Village and they never out that he was there, which helped our warriors get hold of their spies and kill them…” Veevee shivered. “Votrep’s sceptre is the spine of his biggest enemy, Chief Kagha, you know. That happened thanks to Paar. Kneesaa, I know that you don’t want to be his wife. But he will not become a warrior as long as Votrep is alive.”

“That’s good.” Latara nodded. “I would not want his dirty paws anywhere near my best friend.”

“It’s not as nice as it sounds to you. Each time he does not become a warrior, we are punished by a sacrifice.” Veevee wiped a single tear from her cheek. “I had a sister. A couple of times. For a couple of moons. Talgo was the father, as he will be this time, too. But she was picked to be given to the Voggs. So was the next one. And the next one.”

Kneesaa and Latara ran out of words by this point. Luufi was scratching the wall again, appearing to be playing a game against herself. At some point, she tried to punch herself in the face, but Veevee stopped her.

“Her brother’s ghost beat her and she’s angry.” The green-hooded wokling shrugged. “I think. And I really have to go now. I’m below the age for corporal punishment, but I do not want to be assigned to gather sweetshells in the shallows. Voggs scare me.”

She dashed away and, moments later, Luufi disappeared into the bushes, leaving behind a trail of odour.

…​

Just as Veevee had said, Paar showed up, sometime after the first rooster sung from the top of the Council Tower. He brought a freshly slaughtered hen and fruits in a basket that he nearly tripped over upon entering the hut. He tossed the hen to a disgusted Latara and told her to remove the feathers. Then he sat down at what was otherwise her spot at the rickety table and looked at Teebo.

“So, they’re doing that again. You must be a ladies’ man like my father was!”

“They’re doing w-what?” Teebo nearly choked on a piece of bread with dangleberry jam.

“Leaving gifts for you. The women of the village. Other than my poor mother and the ghost, of course. A gift means that they are available, should you ever be bored by your wife.”

Paar snickered and smeared his hand in the jam, then slapped Latara on the rear. “See? You are replaceable. And not being plump enough, you will soon lose to real women here.”

“How dare you?” Latara was nearly screaming. She grabbed the nearest jam jar and held it in the air. Just then, Teebo coughed, put his hand over his face and mumbled something. To Paar’s surprise, Latara spilled the jam on her own face.

“You’re not taking this well, I see.” Paar was about to put his legs on the table and then changed his mind and reached for the pipe. “But you will get used to it." He lit the herbs he was smoking. "Arandee, I'm here to invite the four of you to the ceremony tonight, The Full Moon Feast. Tonight, I'm going to become a warrior. And then, I can marry my beautiful bride." He pointed to Kneesaa, who was doing her best to appear scared.

"How can you be so sure of this?" Paploo asked.

"Well, I almost killed you yesterday." Paar blew some smoke into Paploo's face. "That should have convinced Votrep of my abilities, since killing a Vogg cub didn't and I had to apologise for attacking a servant of the Starmen instead. When I beat Kagha so he could then kill him, that was apparently not fair, because I attacked from the back. Pfft. He always has a reason not to allow me to become a warrior and have me inherit the throne in the end, but this time, I have the higher ground."

He grabbed the rest of Latara's breakfast and gulped it down, then tossed the plate to her. Then he got up and marched out. At the door, he stopped for one last reply.

"Main square, sunset. And, by the way, no warrior training today. Jaratt and Talgo need to oversee the ceremony. However, as soon as you’re done with your breakfast, I want my bride to have a walk with me.” Paar noticed Paploo’s angry stare. “Of course, her guardian can come, too!”

…​

“Why did you do that to me, Teebo?” Latara stormed into the upstairs chamber and grabbed the piece of parchment right out of her boyfriend’s hands. The line that he was drawing reached the end of the surface and ended up on the wall.

“Because I am sick of this. First it was poor Luufi, now it’s the whole village. And the only one I really love is right here next to me.” He pointed to her with his piece of charcoal. “Why are you the only one who doesn't believe it?"

Latara stomped her foot. "I gave you everything – my time, my love. And now, I befriended your smelly tramp friend. What else do I have to do in order for…everybody…not…to…court you?"

Teebo cocked his head. He drew another line next to the other one on the wall, this time on purpose. The lines were set to cross at some point, or so it looked from Latara's perspective. Then he turned around.

"Just what I have been doing back at home, for many snows – know that everybody appreciates how somebody looks, but that only one can put up with their sadness, pain, anger and wishes. In the Bright Tree Village, you are the beauty, I am the jester. And I still know that, no matter how many young Ewoks think you are beautiful, you'll be dancing with me at every single festival and coming back to our cliff." He walked up to her and touched her lips with his other hand. "As far as the jam thing goes – I don't want anybody to hurt you and they would have found a way to punish you had you spilled that jam on Paar's head. I don't want my love to end up on the bottom of that lake."

"I love you…" Latara closed her eyes and jumped into Teebo's embrace, prompting an instant grin from him. "…lurdo!" she added with her eyes wide open again and bit him on the ear.

A bat of an eye later, she was weeping.

"How are we going to make out of this alive? You…didn't see Luufi's face when she was telling me the story I retold to all of you, it's like…she now has eyes and they're in this…spasm of constant sadness. I sound like you, but you will know what I mean."

They stood there for a while, in each other's arms, until Latara spoke again.

"Know what? We asked Votrep and his goons about the Starmen's powers. And that didn’t help you determine anything, right?” Her lips curved into a mischievous smile. “There is only one way to find out where the magic he’s talking about comes from.”

“Right. But…wait. What do you mean?” Teebo was confused. He was looking at his accidental drawing on the wall from all possible angles he could think of. No matter what, it appeared that the two lines would intersect at some point, far away.

“You can talk to animals. You’re an exceptional diver. If the Voggs can be tamed, there is nobody else who can do it. Therefore…”

“I can follow him. Chak. I just need to find a bubble plant in the lake, should I ever need to hold my breath underwater.” The medicine man’s face lit up. “Why didn’t I think of this before?”

 

After lots of phone scrolling to find my posts, and discover what I had reviewed, it was a relief to know that you had navigation links to your chapters.

Chapter 1 was back in proper Ewok territory, and I assume the Skull Faces with their fire sticks, were Imperial stormtroopers.

It can get confusing when you use "" for both thoughts and spoken aloud stuff, so I jumped out of the otherwise good Teboo and Latara stuff.

I liked the warrior circle activities; your organisation and hierarchy shows through.

Good plan from Logray to create a satellite village to grow backup crops.

Overall, a pleasant chapter.

 

Oh, finally, we are getting closer and closer! So glad we've got more of this. Worth the wait.

This was so heartbreaking. I don't know if I hope that she dies and finds peace at the end, or if she is able to recover. Can someone recover from a trauma such as this? And it drops some important clues as to what has gone wrong with this village.

A society that doesn't value women... definitely Imperial influence there!

Oh, someone's got to take that guy down!

Latara's passion for life is wonderful, but it leads her into trouble. Clever thinking, Teebo, to curb her temper in that way, to protect her! She's not quite ready to grow up yet, I guess.

Paar is a pill, and yet given how his society is, who can blame him? This is what he has been raised to know. There is a lot of healing that needs to go on, here.

 

Chapter 02.

A very good instalment.

Some pleasant interplay between Chief Chirpa, and the four adolescents; and I continue to enjoy your world building and infrastructure with them.

My only issue, would be where da Chief references that Paploo looked like he would endanger himself and others, the same time as selecting him for this important mission; his thinking on the subject, does not seem to offer any counter argument to recommend "hand grenade personified" for this op.

Kneesaa must really love those Elder meetings; I'm sure da Chief gave her an 'out', so she did not have to attend.

 

Finally got around to reading this, and I'm liking it, but boy is it intense!

Also, would the "dream herbs" mentioned by Logray be the Ewok version of weed?

 

Thanks, everybody. I have a chapter in works, two for the other 2015 longfic and I hope to finish the chapter of the current most popular one soon, so I can work on this a bit. And all your questions will be answered. You're wonderful!

 

Time to,play catch up...

Chapter 2
Ah, poor Chief Chirpa...watching youngsters grow up can be a disconcerting experience. Logically, you know they're old enough to be on their own, but in your heart you still see them as the children you remember!

Love this, because, yes kids do look younger at night, especially when they're sleeping. It makes them seem so vulnerable His reflections on how each of the four has grown and changed are touching and sweet. Then just when he thinks they're all grown-up, he asks why they think they're there...and they confess to various petty misdeeds. Maybe they're still in need of a bit of maturity, but we all have to start somewhere, and it's good that Chief Chirpa doesn't write them, but gives them the chance to continue growing and make a valuable contribution to Bright Tree Village...and all of Endor. Because they really do have skills that will be beneficial on this mission: Kneesaa's diplomacy, Teebo's magic, Paploo's daring, Latara's facility with the "firesticks", even if they complain and doubt themselves.

And poor Bozzie...she's watching her "little boy" growing up and not necessarily liking where it's leading him. It makes me wonder exactly what Paploo's dad was like that she won't talk about how he died and says things like

I's almost funny to see the normally brusque Bozzie turn all dithery over her son, and call Teebo, who she normally has few kind words for "the most wonderful young man I know" though it's kind of disturbing that she feels entitled to involuntarily sterilize him with the Blue Fire.

No surprise that Kazak opposes Chirpa's plan, and though I disagree with his assessment, I really love this description of Teebo:

Looking forward to catching up on this very entertaining story!

 

Chapter 3
Hmmm... lots more parental angst and misunderstandings here! The plot thickens as far as Bozzie hiding things about Paploo's father. Twenty years of living a lie-- an she wonders if he'll ever be mature enough to handle it. Meanwhile, Lumat notices a certain vial of blue potion on Teebo's necklace and is almost smart enough to figure things out. Yes, those kids are thinking of doing crazy things, just not the particular crazy youngster thing you're thinking of. Warok thinks Teebo's going to ask him something important about Crazy Youngster Stuff, but he only ask his father to put up Wicket's box of memories. And Chirpa asks Asha to come to the Council meetings with him as a show of strength; who can blame her for being reluctant to accompany him? His comments about the Gondula village that cut itself off from everyone sounds rather ominous in light of what happened in the prologue. Kneesaa's doubts are certainly understandable given the poor turn out.

Chapter 4
And three of the Chosen Four are acting like children, with their petty insults and talk of beetroots and bordok carts I feel for you Kneessa; it's tough being the responsible one! Then Teebo stops blaster fire with his magic and they're saved by a very helpful and sympathetic Dulok, of all beings. I like Kaalwar; he seems like a useful ally--and he bathes! he's smart enough to have figured out the secret of the stormtrooper's helmet communicators. Teebo and Paploo both seem to be having trouble adjusting to Teebo's new appearance. Paploo can't quite wrap his head around the thought that Teebo's no longer the scrawny Eewok he could dominate just because he was bigger. Now he might actually lose a fight to him--he has to resort to *gasp* politeness (though admittedly that doesn't last long!) And Teebo, likewise, is having a hard time not thinking of himself as the non-threatening fellow he used to be. People look at him differently now, even his friends. Wondering what other information Kaalwar will be able to share with our heroes about the "Skull Ones".