The Preserved Ruins of the Jedi temple on Takodana
Early morning.
Life. R'ashtaro felt it all around. Beaming. Pulsating. Lifeforms. Chaotic and unpredictable and beautiful. Some alive for years and bound to live for many more; some barely awakened to their natural, instinctive behavior, snuffed out in an instant or soon to be. Light spilling over into darkness spilling over into light. All part of an ever-extending field. Cyclical, like breathing.Early morning.
He breathed. Ears twitched and spun, slowly regaining awareness of the many acute, individual sounds that coexisted in the jungle. The whining buzz of mosquitos flitting around his face. The dull echo of stone against stone where ancient temple masonry crumbled under the weight of an animal in passing. Tiny tremors of soil-dwelling larvae underneath the spot where his paws rested in the underbrush. Every breath returned individuality to the lifeforms around him. Whilst still a part of a whole, the whole no longer blotted out individual signatures. He scratched his ears and shook his head to rid himself of the mosquitos that squatted in his fur. A careful reminder that, beyond the grand scale of galactic issues, of the light fighting the encroaching darkness, most things were locked in their daily routines of survival.
The Fiani rose to his feet. Brushed off his brown tunic and trousers. Noticed the aches in his joints. How long had he been meditating? It was barely dawn when he arrived. Now it was light out, the heat of the day slowly starting to build. Long enough to warrant some stretching. He went through his routine, limbering up the sinews and muscles of his hips and back and thighs. Once the tightness had left his limbs, he straightened, tightening the red sash around his waist. Felt tentatively around the area where his third tail was growing out, currently less than half the length of his other two. Would that he could make it grow faster; it was messing up his balance. Plus, it garnered quite a few curious stares from non-Fiani order members. Once it was fully grown-out, though, its fluffy lusciousness would be more becoming.
The prospect of this morning's appointment filled R'ashtaro with delight. Master Hydarin had asked him if he would be willing to assist with some one-on-one tutoring whilst he was convalescing at the temple after his time in the Outer Rim. He was happy to assist, and even more so when he learned that one of the Initiates he was to tutor was another Fiani. R'ashtaro had asked Master Hydarin to instruct the girl to meet him in the ruins rather than escorting her to the ruins himself. The trip, though by no means a dangerous one, would provide an opportunity for the Initiate to attune to her surroundings - and provide an opportunity for R'ashtaro to gauge her state of mind upon arrival.
The red-coated Fiani bared his fanged teeth in a smile. This should be fun, he thought. It had been years since he last trained a youngling. He moved to the top of the steps leading up to the old temple ruin to wait for the Initiate's arrival.
@Remileah