Saga Good Boi - Zallie and Blu - a 5+1 fic

Title: Good Boi OR The five times Blu saved Zallie's life and the one time she couldn't do the same.
Author: Kit'
Timeframe: 20-6 BBY
Genre: fluff, drama, angst, multi-snapshot
Characters: Zallie Jinn, Blu, Family of Scoundrels
Summary: From the moment she picked Blu, Zallie and he shared a special bond. She is his pack. He will do anything to make sure his pack is safe.

Notes: This whole thing came about from my brain deciding that this was going to be the inspiration it would take from the OTP 5+1 Challenge.

 

Chapter 1 - Pack

Blu snuffled through the undergrowth. The cold white water was thick on the ground and it clung to his feet and got between the pads of his toes. He didn’t like it. He wanted to be somewhere warm and soft with tasty smells.

Ahead of him she stumbled.

Blu watched her, eyes narrowing. It was cold for him, but he had fur. The pink one, his pack leader had no proper fur. Sure, she had coat that she pulled on and off and that always smelt good, but it wasn't proper coat. She growled at him when he slept on it, and complained that it was always covered with his hair, but it still wasn’t coat.

He figured it was why she kept shaking, and why she hadn’t talked to him in a long time. She had lost where home was in the cold white water and he couldn’t scent it either. Now the darkness was coming and there would be -

A howl split the quickly darkening sky.

Blu shivered. Part of him wanted to join them, but they weren’t his pack. She was his pack. She was the one that kept him safe and warm and fed. She was his pack leader. He would die for her.

She stumbled and fell. Blu whined and circled her. She was too cold. She had no coat and those without coat always died in the cold white water. He thought about what he’d seen other four-legs do, where they sheltered. Some ways away there were the big trees. He’d discovered last cold white water, that they were shelter. Their long fingers kept the cold white water from their base, just like the roof did at home. She could shelter there, that would be safe until the light came again.

He pushed her as she shivered and stumbled into the hollow under the big tree. It was the tree that tickled his fur with its long fingers and made his nose itch and smart with its scent. It was warmer here, away from the icy wind. There was almost no cold white water under the tree’s many fingers and she seemed safer curled at the rough tree leg.

The howl sounded. Closer now. Blu glanced at her. Then at where the howl had come from. They were not his pack, but they would understand. He would explain to them how she was his pack. Maybe he could protect her that way.

Blu licked her face, tasting the salt and feeling how cold she was. She should not be cold. He knew how to warm her. He just had to convince them that she was pack, even though she was not like them. He licked her one more and then wiggled out under the fingers of the tree.

*

Zallie opened her eyes in as trails of light bent their way through the pine needles and slowly filled the space with a creamy, greenish glow. She stared at the needles as they bent and swayed, wondering how she had gotten here and why she was so warm. The next thing she became aware of was the overwhelming scent of dogs. Zallie shifted slightly and found herself staring at a thick, grey coat. Slightly alarmed she reached out with the Force. The colours of the weave were the mottled red grey and white of - ! Her heart started to beat loudly in her chest and she forced herself not to scream. Wolves. She was surrounded by wolves.

Over the sounds of snoring wolves, she heard a tail thump and there was a small pitter patter of falling snow. Raising herself up on one elbow, she saw Blu staring at her, tail wagging gently.

Beside her a massive wolf’s head rose, its eyes blinking sleepily.. She gave a start of fear, suddenly terrified that it would realise that she wasn’t a wolf and tear her limb from limb. Normally she would have used the Force to coax them to be friend, but waking up under a tree covered by wolf bodies was not normal.

The wolf lowered its head gently down so that it rested on her chest, forcing her to lie back into the pile of warm dog bodies. Zallie lay back, trying to sort out what had happened the night before. The last thing she’d remembered was losing her direction and not being able to find the steading. Then of just being so cold and so, very, very tired. She reached out with the Force again, trying to find an answer as to why the wolves were protecting her, but all that came back was one very overwhelming idea.

Pack. Pack is safe. You are Pack. You are safe.

 

Chapter 2 - A long way home

Zallie knew she’d had far too much to drink. She stumbled through the alleyways, trying to get back to the Ladybug and wondered briefly if that last shot of Hutt in a Blender had been really worth it. It had been fun though. She had gotten too used to travelling with just her and Blu, so a night out amongst people, even if there had become very drunk people, had been perfect.

There was movement at the end of the alley and she froze. Or rather, she tried to freeze but instead she stumbled forward, leaning against a wall for support. The noise came again, closer this time and Zallie tried to assume a fighting stance and look as menacing as her drunk brain would allow.

“Who's there?” she called, swaying on her feet. The noise stopped for a second and then started again, a rustling sound followed by the crash of something further down the alleyway. Zallie cast around for something she could use as a weapon but there was nothing nearby. She tried calling on the Force, but she couldn’t focus enough to get anything clearer than a few fuzzy, muddled colours.

Something wet pushed into her hand and she shrieked in terror. She looked down to see Blu nuzzling her hand and staring at her with his large, brown eyes. She squatted down next to him before crumpling into a sitting position. She ran her hair through his fur, trying to calm herself.

“How did you get out boy?” she asked gently as Blu stared down the alleyway, his tail lowered. Blu barked loudly and Zallie got to feet, swaying slightly. “Never mind. Let’s go home.”

She turned and stumbled out of the alleyway. Blu glared once more from where the crashing noise had come from. Then he turned and trotted out after Zallie, following closely on her heels.

At the far end of the alley, a shadow cursed and went to find another target.

 

Chapter 3 - The Wrong

Something was wrong. The acrid smell woke him. He was used to the smells of this home. The giant, cold bird of the sky. He was used to the tinny, shiny smells of the walls, and the earthier, food smells of the small pack. This was different. This was wrong.

He leapt up onto the leader’s sleep space. He knew he wasn’t allowed up here. He knew that the small old one would growl at him if she caught him up here. He didn’t care. He needed to alert the leader of the wrong.

He licked her face, whimpering and growling softly to try and wake her. She stirred, pushing him away with one hand.

“Go away Blu,” she said sleepily. He watched as she frowned in her sleep and wrinkled her nose. He whimpered again, gently using his teeth to tug at her coat. She sat up, blinking in the dim light and then her eyes widened as she, too, smelt the wrong.

She leapt out of bed, yelling as she pulled on more coat. Blu leapt around her feet, barking, overjoyed that she too had smelt it. Added to the wrong was the strange bouquet of emotions that poured off her in waves, the tang of sweat, the mustiness of sleep, and the whiff of fear.

Blu went still as he registered the last one and then whined as She went down the corridor of the cold bird of the sky shouting and banging. He realised that the rest of pack was still sleeping. She was trying to wake them just as he had woken her.

He bounded after her, barking furiously in his effort to rouse the rest of pack from their slumber. This was how he could help. This is how he would save them all from the wrong that he could smell.


*

The small, old one patted Blu and fed him another slice of bacon. Blu settled under the table, content and happy. His belly was full and the sweet breath of love and contentment perfumed the air.

“We’re lucky that Blu was clever enough to wake us all,” the tall old one said, taking another sip of caff. “If he hadn’t, we’d be in trouble.”

“I told you to get the electrics checked,” the small old one said. Blu caught a whiff of annoyance. “One day it’s going to get us into real trouble. I don’t want to have the electrics fail when we’re running from Imperials.”

The tall old one just grunted and went back to his caff.

“It doesn’t matter now,” She was speaking. Blu’s ears perked up. “Blu saved us. He’s a good boy.” Her hand slipped beneath the table and scratched his ears. He thumped his tail on the ground. He had protected pack. He was the best boy.

 

Chapter 4 - The Crash


Zallie closed her eyes, willing for someone to find her. She tried reaching out with the Force but her head hurt too much to focus properly. Every part of her hurt. She tried tugging her arm out from underneath the control panel but every movement caused an avalanche of pain to cascade grey and fuzzy.

She didn’t know exactly how long she’d been there, just that the light had begun to edge through the cracked windshield of the crashed speeder.

She wished she’d never fought with Del and Rin. She wished she’d never let her temper open her mouth. She wished she’d thought about it a bit more when she’d taken Blu and the speeder out into the desert near The Bower. She wished she’d seen the Terazod before she’d crested that hill. She wished she’d not been driving so fast. She wished she’d…

She shivered and then whimpered as her muscles cramped in pain. Wishes would never get her anywhere. She would never see her family again. Never get to take back the words. Soon the sun would come up and, if her injuries didn’t kill her, then the heat would.

She glanced around for Blu, but the dog was long gone. He must have been thrown out of the speeder. Zallie reached out with the Force again, but her head hurt too much to try and find his lifesign. What she could see of the weave was an endless muddled mess of rust and grey that always signified the desert. There was nothing else. No signs of Blu. None of the normal mottled stone, spruce and azure that always signified his presence.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, mixing with the blood and sweat. She was responsible for Blu and she had lost him too. She sobbed, feeling the sharp pain in her ribs as she drew breath. She sobbed harder and the pain came in sheets, driving through her skull and turning the world cloudy, then flint and lead until it finally slid into black silence.

*

There was a snuffling from outside the cabin, rousing Zallie from her sleep. A wet tongue licked the side of her face, and Zallie scrunched her nose slightly, wishing it would let her go back to the darkness and peace.

From somewhere far away there came the sound of an engine and then voices. Zallie slowly opened her eyes to look down Blu’s long muzzle as the dog licked her again and again. Somewhere in the distance, her mother called her name.

“Mama?” Zallie’s voice was weak and tired. Blu gave a whine of excitement, his tail thumping into the body of the speeder, causing shockwaves that ripped through her body and made her wince.

“We’re here Zallie. We’ll get you out. Come on Blu, get out so the boys can get to Zallie.”

The dog backed out, tail still thumping.

“How did you find me?” Zallie croaked. Her throat felt like it was coated in mud.

“Blu. He must have run all night to get back to The Bower,” her mother’s voice was calm. Zallie couldn’t see her, but she could feel wave after wave of Force surrounding her as mother took stock of her injuries. “We were already out searching for you, but he led us right to you.”

There were more voices and then Zallie could feel the speeder moving. The weave was flaring with colours, making her eyes hurt and her head spin.

“Is Blu okay?” she asked quietly.

“He’s fine, just a couple of scratches,” Del’s voice now, low and comforting. “Hang tight until we get you out. You’ve got a good dog there Zallie.”

“Look after him for me,” Zallie’s shuddered with pain as the speeder moved. The world was growing dim and quiet again.

“Look after him yourself. You’re not going anywhere”

“I’m sorry,” it sounded like her voice was coming from so very far away. “If only I had…”

“No only ifs,” Del said and Zallie half smiled at the familiar saying. “We’ll get you out Zee, and then you can take care of Blu yourself.”

“Stand back,” her mother said using what Del teasingly referred to as her Jedi voice.

The Speeder shifted and she screamed as the pain arced through her body. From outside the speeder Blu howled. Then she was out and lying on the gritty red sand of the desert world. She dimly registered Kei and Taro holding Blu back as he squirmed in their arms. The next second he slipped free and barreled towards her, licking her face and whining.

“Good boy, Blu,” Zallie whispered as the world slid away from her, “good boy-”

 

Chapter 5 - The Snake

The scorched air of the dry sand seared his nose making him sneeze. He panted in the heat as he watched her. She was under the small cold sky bird, the one that only carried the two of them. She was humming to a tune that played on the little box that she carried with her.

Blu lay on his stomach watching her and trying to rid himself of the prickly heat. He licked his nose as a new scent broke through. It was a bitter, rasping scent that put him on edge.

There was movement in the distance and Blu’s head swivelled. In the distant sand a snake moved, slithering determinedly towards where she worked oblivious to its approach.

Blu stretched as he got to his feet and trotted out into the harsh sun. He sniffed the air and scenting the snake’s intention in the sharp odour it gave off. He growled and the snake reared up, hissing and spitting as it rapidly slithered towards him. He backed away and barked a warning.

The snake lunged at him and Blu skittered sideways, watching it warily. It lunged again.

He leapt forward, catching it behind the head. He shook his head back and forth, feeling the snake's body whip through the air. The next second it was lying limp in his jaws, the acrid smell of its blood tainting his mouth.

Blu proudly trotted back to where she was working, the snake held delicately in his mouth.

Blu was happy.

She would be so proud of him for bringing home such a wonderful present.

 

Chapter 6 - Blu Goodbye

“Blu?” Zallie pushed open the cottage door to darkened silence. There was no familiar bark, no cold wet nose pushing into her hand. No snuffling for food.

Just silence.

Zallie put the basket down and hurriedly turned on the lights. Beside the banked fire a huddled shape lay. Her breath caught in the back of her throat at the sight. Blu raised his muzzle off the ground and whined.

She ran across the room, dodging piles of datapads and furniture to kneel down beside her beloved Feboar hunter. The old hound was barely breathing, its flanks rising slowly with each shallow breath.

Zallie hiccoughed in pain and fear as she touched him, running her fingers through his thin coat. She gave a tiny cry as her fingers brushed his ribs and she saw the spread of crimson pain spread through the weave of The Force. Blu raised his head again at her cry and tried to struggle to its feet.

“No, no puppup,” Zallie said stroking his ears as tears flowed down her face like a river escaping a dam. He collapsed back onto his side and panted as his blue eyes met hers.

Blu had gotten old while they had adventured and fought and discovered. She’d ignored it though. Desperate to believe that he would always be by her side. Even as his muzzle had turned grey and he’d been less inclined to leave his bed by the fire, she’d found that she pushed the idea that he one day might leave her to one side.

She kicked herself for not having noticed just how thin he had gotten, how his days consisted of just wanting to lay by the fire. She’d thought it was the change of seasons, even as the Force warned that the old dog’s life force was waning thin. She kicked herself again for having gone to the markets for supplies. They could have waited if she had known that today would be the last day.

She rubbed him beneath the chin in the spot he always loved and he licked her hand.

Zallie tried to smile even as her chest ached. She reached out with the Force and found his life form; a now faded patch of mottled stone, spruce and azure that always had been his colours. She smoothed it gently, seeing the rough, burred edges in the weave and untangling them.

Under her fingers, she could feel Blu’s breathing slow. Zallie cupped his head in her hands and bent her face down until their foreheads were touching. He licked her chin and for a second the colours brightened.

The tears stung her eyes and she tried to calm her breathing and bury her feelings. She didn’t want his last moment to be filled with her tears, only with her love. He licked her hand once more as his breath slowed even more and then stopped.


“Please don’t go,” she whispered into the still night air as she watched his colours fade out. “Please don’t leave me.”

Then he was gone and she was all alone.

Zallie wept.

 

Exquisitely poignant I enjoyed the progression of their unflagging friendship

 

Thank you so much I'm glad you liked the progression. I know that 5+1s don't need to be in strict chronological order, but this one just felt like it had to work that way.

Yas~! I'm glad that Blu's unique voice came through. Have to admit it was rather hard to try to get my head around thinking like a dog might. How do you describe a tree's branches if you don't have the word 'branch'? It had to be other just enough to make it different but not too much to throw you out of the story.

I have to admit that building on that bit of personal lore has become something I absolutely love. I love that each one has a different way to looking at and using the Force and that it contributes to what they are like as people. Kithera's ADD is explained by the fact that she has a constant radio in her head which makes it really hard to concentrate. Zallie sees how everything is interconnected. Namia is drawn to people because of their emotions and her desire to connect. It's just become part of explaining who they are.

Thank you for reading I very much appreciate it!

 

A girl and her dog--the best kinds of stories! Blu is definitely a Good Boi and a loyal companion--you can't ask for a better friend than that, especially someone who will save you from dangerous snakes. Gotta admit that the ending got to me a little, but only because you wrote his ultimate passing so beautifully--it was sad, but peaceful.

 

I remember reading this when you first posted it, and it's just as wonderful on a second read! I recently started getting into Game of Thrones, and Blu and Zallie remind me of the direwolves and their humans. And who can resist animal stories in any galaxy or fandom, anyway?

It's all so well-written, and I love seeing Blu's POV!

Love this line!

Yes he is.

I love that even the land has a Force presence! It's like a reminder that everything is interconnected living things.

AWWWW!

I had to stop reading there but to me this made an absolutely lovely ending for an absolutely wonderful story. Thank you for sharing this!

 

AWW I never replied to this lovely story about Zallie and Blu, becoming friends, staying friends and with Zallie helping Blu when he is old and has to go

 

He is the goodest boy. Although this particular story was based on a dog I used to have you brought us 'presents' of dead venomous snakes multiple times when she was a puppy.

Aww, thank you.

I'm glad you enjoyed it both times! Thank you for coming back and for the lovely comment

No-one! That's why Snips and Snails exists! As well as all the Blu stories

Thank you! Writing from Blu's perspective was fun and interesting because I figured he wouldn't think like a human does but I also had to make it consistent.

Thanks I figure that Zallie would have to see how the weave shapes and is shaped by the landscape, say more than Kithera's music or Taeyn's heat and cold.

Probably a good place to stop considering the last story is rather sad - particularly if you have your own good doggo.

Thank you for the lovely comment! I'm glad you enjoyed travelling along with Zallie and Blu through Blu's life

 

Oh my. Blu really was the bestest boi.

I vaguely remember seeing him mentioned in a story you wrote a few years ago, and that featured an older Zallie, but I can't get my hands on it now. However, he doesn't appear in Snips and Snails, so I went into this story assuming that it began with a teenage Zallie (and the segment when she gets drunk confirmed it).

You did an amazing job with the back-and-forth between Zallie and Blu's points of view. It's tricky to write from the perspective of a being that's not entirely sentient, but you pulled it off with style – both with Blu's "words" like cold white water, coat, pack etc, and with the recurring mention of the sense of the environment on his truffle. You also managed to convey the impression that Zallie was growing up with the story where she's drunk, and then the story where she crashes a speeder, so it stands to reason that Blu would be growing older too – except that I didn't see it coming until it was too late

This was such a beautiful description of death in the Force. It was a very moving piece, and I shed a few tears over the ending.

 

Oh, I loved this! I saw it in the Reading Challenge thread and had to read!

You did an amazing job writing Blu - not only did he sound like a dog, he felt like he had a unique, individual voice of a dog. Well done!!

I think my favorite dogism is coat - and how humans have removable coats but they aren't real coats...

I love Blu. I wish dogs could live forever.