The Quillarat Hunt
"Come on, Moya', are you afraid?" Koshakka smiled at his cousin -- a mocking smile with teeth carefully hidden. "Who is going to know?"
Moya' looked at his older cousin and then down the trunk. "But, it's against the rules. You know that no one who is uninitiated is supposed to go below this level. It is too dangerous. We have to wait until after our Hrrtayyk ceremony"
"Maybe you should just go back to the workshop and help Father with some bowcasters. You will never be a warrior anyway. You are just going to spend your life in a hut making weapons you will never use."
Moya' straightened himself up, trying to look as fierce as possible. "I will be a warrior! I am going to join Chewbacca and fight for the Rebellion!"
Koshakka broke into a barking laughter. "Sure, if the Rebellion needs someone to sweep their workshops I am sure you will be the first on their list!"
Pushing past his cousin, Moya' started down the trunk of the tree past the "line of caution." Koshakka grinned with satisfaction, knowing his skill at manipulating the young Wookiee. He headed down the tree making sure that he past Moya' on the way down.
Koshakka grabbed a Kshyy vine and barked an order to his cousin -- "transfer!" He swung over to the next tree truck without an effort. Moya' looked down, and then wished he hadn't. Don't let him see that this bothers you, he told himself. Just look straight ahead and transfer. He will never know you are frightened. Moya' grabbed a vine, wrapped it around his hands, closed his eyes, and pushed away.
WHAP! Contact with the other tree came a lot quicker than he thought. Fortunately, instinct kicked in and he held on with the claws on his hands and feet.
"Did you close your eyes again? You know you are supposed to watch for the tree, Moya'," scolded his cousin. "You spend too much time on the walkways. A warrior has to know how to travel by vine. When you are deep in the forest, there won't be any walkways."
After they had travelled a ways, the older Wookiee paused on a branch. "How about here?" Koshakka pointed to a hole in the Wroshyr. "I bet this is a den. Get a stick, Moya'. Hurry."
Moya' did as his cousin said. Fear and excitement were fighting for control. He knew that Koshakka lived to get him in trouble. But, he also longed for adventure. He knew he would have to fight his cautious nature if he was going to be a hero of the Wookiees like Chewbacca. Koshakka wasn't afraid of anything. He threw caution to the wind and ran right in at the first sign of danger. Moya' wished he could be more like his cousin. He wished he could be a "real Wookiee" -- brave, mighty, ... perhaps a little more stupid and careless ...
***
But it wasn't in his nature. Moyakoshkakyrit, son of the Koshka clan, was haunted by his past. He had lost his parents and his entire village to the slavers when he was just a toddler. Only the children in the nursery ring and the adults who evacuated them had made it out. The rest of the village Wookiees had either been killed or stunned. The slavers had cleared out the survivors before help could arrive. When the Wookiees from the neighboring village had arrived, the village had been burned and only the dead remained. And, most horrible of all, Moya's parents and sister were not found among the bodies.
Moya's parents, both members of the Koshka clan but from different villages, had met during a clan dance. Moya' didn't really remember them. They were just images in a holocube to him. Sometimes he thought he could remember his mother's scent. It made him feel better to at least pretend he did.
His uncle Chyornayakoshka, his mother's brother, had adopted Moya' and treated him as his own son. But Moya' never could call him "Father". Somehow, "Uncle Chyorny" always came out of his mouth when he addressed him. He knew this hurt his adopted father, but deepdown he felt it would be a betrayal to his parents to call someone else "Father".
Aunt Byelayasvetok understood Moya' better than her husband. She never asked him to call her "Mother". She knew the young Wookiee held a fierce loyalty to his parents. Loyalty was Moya's strongest trait. The boy would never betray a trust, often taking punishment for Koshakka rather than to admit that the latest infraction had been his cousin's idea. Byelaya would look on as her son got away with it, knowing that forcing Moya' to tell who the guilty party really was would be far worse than the original punishment. She knew her nephew's heart. She knew how to read the silent apology in his eyes and how to acknowledge it without a word. Her husband, however, would never understand.
***
WHACK! Moya' startled out of his thoughts as the stick hit him on the back of the head. "Moya', pay attention!" Koshakka took great joy in disciplining his student. "A warrior must be focused. You can't let your mind wander like that. Pay attention to what we are doing. If you do that in battle, you will get people killed."
"I know. I'm sorry." Moya' took the scolding as he always did. He knew better than to share his thoughts with his cousin. Koshakka had never lost his parents. He did not live with the ghosts following him every step of the way, every minute of the day. He only had to be himself. He did not owe a debt that could never be repaid. Moya' was free, but the price had been high. How could he live with that? How could he ever repay their courage and suffering? He didn't ask them to do it for him. He didn't want the responsibility.
"You know, Kashakka, when we are warriors maybe we can free my parents and my sister. Would you help me with that?"
"Come on, Moya'. It has been too long. They couldn't have survived this long. You know that."
Moya' fought back a tear. He knew that Wookiees did not survive long in captivity. He knew that the Empire did not care about keeping slaves alive. They were worked to death, and then more slaves were brought in to take their place.
"Don't say that. They are alive. I know they are. And I am going to rescue them some day. It is my duty."
"Sometimes, Moya', you are so stupid. Now back up the branch a little. I am going to poke around with the stick and make them mad. Be ready to move quickly when one comes out. And, whatever you do, don't let it swing that tail at you. You will be sorry if you do."
Moya' crouched, intently waiting for the quillarat to come out of it's den. If he was ever going to get married he was going to have to be able to do this. Catch the quillarat with your bare hands and kill it. It couldn't possibly be that difficult ...
It happened so quickly. Koshakka dodged out of the way as a angry quillarat emerged from the den. Moya' was taken completely by surprise. Instead of facing off with the beast, he rushed in an tried to grab it. The quillarat deftly turned and swung it's tail at the young Wookiee, making contact with his face. As the boy recoiled in pain, the animal scrambled up the truck and disappeared into another entrance to the den.
Koshakka laughed as he looked at his cousin. Quills stuck out of the left side of his face and blood stained the white stripes. Moya' tried hard not to cry, but the pain was overwhelming.
"You are absolutely pathetic, Moya'. Some Koshka warrior you are going to be. Can't even catch an animal. You know, no Wookiee girl will ever want to marry you. Stop crying. Let me see if I can pull those out for you."
The older Wookiee tugged on a quill, but the end would not give way.
"Owwwwwww! Stop! Please, stop!"
"Damn, I think we need a doctor to get those out. Boy are you going to be in trouble when we get home. You can't hide this. Come on, we have better get you home, wussy boy."
***
Moya' awoke with a start. As with many of his humiliations at the hand of his cousin he had managed to forget this one.
He shifted in bed and eyed JasminFlower, sound asleep at his side. Moya' smiled. So much for Koshakka's predictions. Someday, he would catch a real quillarat for Jasmin -- one that wasn't bioengineered. But for now, he was just going to enjoy his new life with the Wookiee girl he loved.
Moya' snuggled close to JasminFlower, nuzzling her neck. She shifted slightly. He inhaled deeply letting her scent overwhelm his senses. This scent I will always remember, my flower girl. I promise.