Before the Saga Charhound Chronicles (Bell Zettifar and Loden Greatstorm High Republic Era Oneshot)

Title: The Charhound Chronicles

Author: devilinthedetails

Characters: Bell Zettifar; Loden Greatstorm; Indeera Stokes; Porter Engle; Ember the Charhound.

Genre: Friendship; Drama; Fluff; Mush

Timeline: Before the Saga-High Republic Era. Set during Bell Zettifar and Loden Greatstorm’s time at the Jedi Outpost on Elphrona.

Summary: The chronicles of how Bell Zettifar came to keep and train an injured stray charhound.

Author’s Note: Written for @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha's Master and Padawan Challenge for the Mini-Games Event. Thanks to @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha for this wonderful motivation to write about this magnificent Master and Padawan partnership from the High Republic Era.

The Charhound Chronicles

Bell Zettifar’s emerald lightsaber wove through the dusty air of Elphrona as he practiced his combat forms in the steep mountain landscape outside the Jedi outpost. The perpetual smell of hot metal in the wind made it feel as if his lungs were burning, and sweat coated his spine, making his tunic cling to his skin.

In the shadows behind him, the massive twinned statues of Jedi Knights guarded with uplifted lightsabers the wide entrance to the outpost. These forever motionless Jedi Knights were garbed in hooded robes that seemed to hearken back to a bygone era when Jedi had worn more ascetic, austere attire with none of the sun-gold tabards that were the contemporary style. The statues made him aware of the grand arc of the Order’s history--reminded him that he was only a small part of an epic story far larger than himself or even the time in which he and everyone he had ever known lived--in a way that was both intimidating and comforting.

Swiping a stream of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, Bell thought that he felt more fatigued than usual. More exhausted in his bones. Sicker. As if his heaving stomach might upchuck his last meal. As if there was a fever in his blood making him dizzy. As if something were wrong and infected inside him…

Even as he frowned at the sudden, strange sensations ripping through him without warning, he saw a hunched charhound clamber up the mountain slope toward him.

Keeping his lightsaber ignited and lifted in a warding position in case the charhound was a feral one that might attack without provocation. As the charhound continued an approach that Bell could now see was a wobbling one, this precaution proved to be unnecessary as the creature collapsed on a rocky escarpment.

Switching off and sheathing his lightsaber, Bell used the Force to steady himself on the jagged incline of the mountain as he ran to the fallen charhound. When he reached the animal, he crouched beside it, and laying a ginger palm upon it, drew upon the Force to perform a rapid diagnosis, which he quickly discovered was pitiful. As he should have expected, because the charhound was a canine species, and canine species preferred to hide their pain to project strength rather than seek help and comfort. The charhound, which Bell now sensed in the Force was female, must have been in dire straits indeed in order for her agony to be visible.

The charhound was undernourished, ribs jabbing out at sharp angles in a clear cry for sustenance and had a wound that blazed with a feeling of corruption that could only indicate infection. No doubt an attunement to the Living Force that bound together all things that breathed and bled explained why Bell had felt so queasy and fatigued a moment ago. The charhound’s pain had become his own. That was Jedi empathy in agonizing action.

Resolved to do all he could to heal this charhound because to the Jedi all life was sacred, Bell scooped up the animal, supporting her by her midsection since that seemed the most secure way to carry her. As he bore her into the outpost, intending to take her to the small infirmary that usually attended to the medical emergencies of settlers rather than wandering, wounded charhounds, he was grateful that she didn’t attempt to nip at his face. Apparently she was either desperate enough to see him as an instant friend or too weak to fight to defend herself from a perceived potential threat.

Reaching the infirmary, he placed the injured, infected charhound on a gurney. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see his Master Loden Greatstorm, Jedi Indeera Stokes, and the not-to-be-underestimated Jedi Master and chef extraordinaire Porter Engle in the threshold.

“What’s that you’ve found, Padawan?” Master Loden asked, stepping toward the gurney where the charhound lay.

“A charhound, Master.” Bell grabbed a tube of healing juvan ointment and a roll of bandages from a medical store cupboard. “She’s got an infected wound. If I cover it in juvan and wrap it in bandages, I hope the wound and infection will heal.”

“I’ll use the Force to calm her while you tend to her.” Gently, Master Loden rested a hand on the charhound, and, in the Force, Bell could feel him projecting every sort of soothing emotion, which steadied his own fingers as he dabbed juvan over the infected cut with a swab.

Once he had coated the wound in a healing layer of juvan, he bound the injury in white bandages that would hopefully prevent any further infections.

After he had bandaged the wound, he thought that he might feed the undernourished charhound. When he shared this idea, Master Engle cautioned him, “Be careful not to overfeed her. It’ll be a shock to her system if you do.”

“I’ll keep it small and simple.” Bell inclined his head in recognition of the wisdom Master Engle could offer on all matters culinary before hurrying from the room to the outpost’s kitchen, which was usually the domain of Master Engle.

In the kitchen, he put together a tiny bowl of simple meat he believed would be easy for the charhound to digest. Then he returned to the infirmary with the bowl in his hands.

He placed the bowl near the charhound’s head, hoping the scent of the meat would spark the creature’s interest in eating it. The charhound’s snout did twitch faintly as she sniffed the air but she didn’t begin to consume the food.

“She might eat from your hand,” Master Loden suggested softly.

Figuring that this was worth a shot even if it got his hand dirty, Bell stuck his fingers in the bowl and snatched up thin slices of meat between them, which he then extended to the charhound. She sniffed at the meat tentatively, seemed to determine that this wasn’t an attempt to poison her, and took a nibble. She continued to eat in small bites until all the meat was gone from between his fingers.

At that point, Bell dipped his hand into the bowl again. He went on feeding her in this fashion until the tiny bowl was empty. When he had no more food to offer her, Bell was rather surprised when she flicked a wet, warm tongue across his palm in what he could only interpret as a feeble expression of gratitude. The touch of her tongue against the sensitive skin of his palm tickled, making him laugh, an amused noise that sounded strange indeed in an infirmary.

Over the next two weeks, Bell continued to tend to the charhound’s wounds and feed her from his hand. As he did so, he found that his connection to her deepened. He felt tied to her as he never had any other animal. He saw trust and affection in the charhound’s eyes whenever she glanced up at him from her gurney, and a mirror of those emotions was always reflected in her heart when he reached out to her in the Force.

He couldn’t bear to leave this creature he was becoming so close to nameless in his mind, and so in his head, he began to call her Ember because of how she burned in his mind and heart. Aloud, he never dared to refer to her as such, because he had a gnawing fear that the other Jedi at the outpost would reprove him for becoming too attached to her if he did. The Jedi were called to universal compassion and reverence for all life, but that compassion and reverence was never supposed to cross into the treacherous territory of love and attachment. Love and attachment to a pet was as forbidden to a Jedi as love and attachment to a romantic partner.

After two weeks of his ministrations, Ember no longer looked underfed and her healing wound was cured of its infection. When he lowered her from the gurney, she could first hobble, then walk, and then finally dart about the outpost. With her bandages off, it was now possible to see the majestic creature that she was in all her fiery glory. The pupils of her eyes were a vibrant yellow, and her midnight black fur was dappled with red and orange spots the color of flickering flames.

She was beautiful but was not his, he had to remind himself whenever she licked his fingers or nuzzled her snout against his knee. She belonged to nature and would have to be returned to nature.

As he sat stroking Ember on the common room rug, trying not to think about how soon he would have to let her go, Master Loden joined him, remarking, “You’ve done a truly wonderful job nursing her back to health, Padawan.”

“I had help from you, Knight Indeera, and Master Engle.” Bell bit the inside of his cheek until it bled, flooding his mouth with a copper tang, because he had the stomach-squeezing sense that the topic of returning Ember to the wild was about to be broached. “I know pets are prohibited to Jedi…”

His voice broke and cracked before he could finish the impossibly painful thought. He wished he could blame the cracking of his voice on puberty because puberty was easier to deal with than loss, but he couldn’t. He knew he was mourning his lost Ember before he was even separated from her, and that awareness somehow made his grief even sharper-edged.

“Not explicitly prohibited.” Master Loden’s lekku twitched in a gesture Bell couldn’t interpret. “Hardly encouraged and not exactly popular, but not strictly forbidden, I would say.”

Bell couldn’t bring himself to care about such technicalities when he was staring the loss of Ember in face. Trying to sound brave and unflinching about having to return to the wild a creature he had nourished and nursed with his own hands, he went on, “I understand that I’ll have to let her go.”

“You don’t have to let her go.” Master Loden patted Bell’s shoulder, and Bell gaped at him, as astonished as if he had proclaimed the end of the galaxy as they knew it. “You can keep her if you like. Charhounds are among the most loyal and courageous of creatures. Once they form a deep bond, they want that bound to be severed only by death. It would be cruel to her to separate her from you.”

“Thank you, Master.” Bell wrapped his arms around his mentor in a hug that felt like an outpouring of gratitude and relief. He didn’t need to say, he thought, that it would be cruel to tear him apart from his charhound. His Master would understand that without it having to be spoken between them. That was why, he realized with a shining ray of enlightenment, his Master hadn’t ordered him to give up Ember.

“I think you’ll find that charhounds can be like Padawans.” Master Loden’s lekku ruffled Bell’s dreadlocks, and Bell knew exactly what that gesture meant. It meant affection and teasing. “They can be difficult sometimes but can come in surprisingly handy in a pinch.”

“I don’t know to be offended or flattered on behalf of all Padawans at the charhound comparison.” Bell gave a crooked grin that felt like a broken heart being glued back together.

“Be flattered. Remember I did say that charhounds are among the most loyal and courageous of creatures.” Master Loded chuckled before asking, “So, what will you name your pet?”

“I was thinking Ember,” answered Bell, his smile widening as he soaked in this moment with his marvelously understanding Master and his faithful, majestic charhound. He didn’t deserve the blessings he received from the Force, but he would spend the rest of his life trying to repay its bounty to him, he was sure in his heart and soul.

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and creating this excellent challenge that inspired this storyMy heart was definitely ripped into pieces writing Bell first discovering and then bonding with Ember and them really developing that reciprocal affection you describe. And I really wanted to showcase the combination of teasing and understanding that make Loden such a wonderful teacher in Light of the Jedi so I'm so happy to hear that shone through for you in this story. I do have a soft spot for this Master and Padawan pairing so there may be more to come about them from me if my muse feels like cooperating...

@amidalachick Thank you so much for commenting! I'm like you in that I have a soft spot for animal stories because animals can just be so cute I really enjoyed this opportunity to take a look at the relationship between Loden and Bell since they were my favorite Master and Padawan pairing from Light of the Jedi and the bond between Bell and Ember really warmed my heart. Writing her, I was reminded of my own rescue dog, so in a way, this story is a tribute to her.

I really wanted to capture a sense of setting and place early in the story so it is awesome to know you found the descriptions of Elphrona's climate so great.

My heart broke writing about Ember's pain and Bell sharing it in the Force.

The idea of a Jedi chef is one of the more amazing things hinted at in Light of the Jedi, and I'd love to explore it more if I visit Elphrona outpost and its character again, because they are really a very fun set of characters to work with both individually and as a group.

Bell taking care of Ember and naming her in his mind did make me melt like butter. And I did feel so bad for him believing that he would have to say goodbye to Ember and trying to brace himself for the pain of that. Loss is truly one of the most difficult emotions to experience, and that goodbye would in many ways be harder because he would have to try to prepare himself for what is essentially impossible to prepare for, because no matter how prepared a person is, loss always seems to hit like a ton of bricks.

I really loved Loden's wisdom here and that he allowed Bell to keep Ember. It was nice to be able to write a time when the Jedi were a bit less rigid about the rules and principles of non-attachment, allowing a pet like Ember to be kept in extraordinary circumstances.

The affectionate teasing made me grin as I wrote it so I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and the hug felt like the perfect gesture to show the bond between Master and Padawan so I'm happy to hear that you liked it so much.

This story was a very moving one for me to write, and it is amazing to know that you found it wonderful. Thank you again for your kind and thoughtful words