SWIFT AND GRACEFUL, Rune's footsteps were as she ran through the forests of Brendok.

Her long locs were bundled up to the center of her head, and the sleeveless top she wore exposed her long arms and torso;An outfit that would surely give Mother Koril a heart attack.

It was hardly dawn before Rune snuck out from the fortress,as was common for her to do. Today was no different as she trekked her typical path,one that was a healthy distance from her lodge.

First stop was the large Bunta tree that stood proudly at the forest's center. Its branches drooped down elegantly and were covered in brilliant yellow,albeit poisonous leaves. Sometimes,Mother Koril and the other witches would use the poison to hunt,but Rune preferred to admire the tree as a whole.

Setting her slinged bag down,Rune approached the tree,glancing up at it closely. She stood completely still for a beat of time,then reached out her hand slowly. A small flutterby landed itself onto the tips of her fingers gently.

Rune brought it closer to her face,taking in its translucent wings in awe.

The Brendoki flutterbys were easily her favorite creatures in the galaxy; Admitally,Rune had never left her planet.

After a while,the little flutterby returned to one of the tree branches. Smiling to herself,Rune picked up her bag and continued on.

There,ahead of the clearing was her destination;A mighty waterfall that rushed into a pool below. With no thought for much else,Rune stripped down immediately,jumping into the water with an oversized splash.

Rune held her breath for all of ten seconds before she broke the surface,gasping for air. She swam around lazily before resting up against the bank.

'I should apologize to mother koril.'Rune thought as she laid her head on top of her arms.

Her outburst was uncalled for,however the boiling emotions of change had begun to slowly eat away at her. There were no other children on Brendok and likely never would be;The coven needed her to lead.

Rune felt as though she was gravely unprepared for such a responsibility. Mother Koril commanded respect and Mother Aniseya..

Aniseya might as well have been a goddess to the coven,one that exuded regality and divinity.

Rune wasn't even half of either of them,no rather she was far more concerned with what life was like outside of Brendok;And she would never dare to say out loud,but Rune often wondered what the Jedi were truly like.

Never seeing one up close,she only lived off the stories her mothers told her from before her birth.

The Jedi stood for such noble and idealistic causes,Rune concluded that they couldn't have been all bad.

Lifting herself from the pool,Rune dried herself off and slipped into her clothes. Her locs felt a tad heavy from the water,she nearly regretted wetting it.

There was one last spot she wished to visit before returning to the fortress,a place she truly considered all hers.

Rune walked the path languidly,taking in all the sights familiar to her. The broad tree leaves nearly blocked out the sun,which was more than welcome to her.

A distant shout tore Rune from her admiration.

Then,multiple shouts paired with the zapping sounds of...was that a lightsaber?

Quickly and perhaps impulsively,Rune rushed to the sounds of commotion,concealing herself among some overgrown brush. She drew out a knife,clutching it by her side.

There were six outsiders in total,all with lightsabers drawn and clashing. Oddly enough,it was not the sabers that drew her eye first. No,rather it was the man dawned in all black brandishing his red one.

The other five attacked him fiercely,but were faring quite poorly. The black metal helmet covered his face and Rune wondered if vision was even feasible inside a thing that heavy.

He moved with an alarming amount of precision and conviction that Rune found herself unable to avert her gaze from. Rune blinked once in realization.

'He is not a Jedi.'

But why were they here out of all the planets? Rune glanced behind her briefly considering if she should report this to mother aniseya. When she turned back,the other five jedi laid dead on the ground.

Before she could stop herself,Rune gasped sharply. The noise,albeit small,garnered the attention of the stranger;He turned his head abruptly in her direction.

The two held contact with one another for an entire lifetime,it felt like. There was a sharp pang that rang inside of Rune's head,causing her to grip her head in pain.

"What?" Rune whispered to herself once the pain subsided.

Did he do that? Rune felt a foreign sensation,one akin to a thread tugging her forwards.

What is this?

The stranger took a single step forwards towards her before collapsing to the dirt. Rune stood still for a moment,as if to weigh her options.

Carefully,Rune approached his limp body taking care to avoid the dead bodies around him. Upon closer inspection, the sensitivity of the thread practically sang to her. His arms were muscular,but not overwhelmingly so.

Rune had never seen a man before,save for the diagrams from her lessons;She wondered if he was a typical example of his kind.

She knew she'd been away from the fortress for far too long,Mother Koril would come looking soon.

Yet,Rune found herself lingering over the stranger's body. She couldn't find it in herself to leave him there.

Rune hesitantly held onto the man's arms,attempting to drag him through the forest;To no avail.

"Heavier than you look."Rune mused in annoyance.

Rune breathed out,trying to focus her thoughts. Then,she outreached her hands,connecting herself to the Thread.

It came too natural for her,as she watched the stranger's body float up at her behest. She continued her walk,him trailing in the air behind her.

'He could kill you' The logical part of her brain screamed to her. The way he eliminated those Jedi was chilling,to say the least.

However,Rune's mind had been made up as she reached her destination. It was an old cabin she had spent her off time fixing up. A place that she could call her own.

Entering the cabin,she allowed the stranger's body to land on the plush of her homemade bed.

This might've been her biggest mistake yet,endangering herself in such a way.

However,Rune's footsteps betrayed her as she leaned over the man's frame. The metal helm still shielded his face from hers. Rune tapped it with a curious finger;What was it made of?

Her eyes ran over his body,noticing the cuts from the other Jedis lightsabers. They bled slightly but weren't especially deep.

Rune shuffled around the room,gathering jars that held medicinal plants she'd collected;The mortar grinded into the plants,creating a liquid. Rune spread the paste over his wounds,ensuring she covered them all.

Satisfied with her handiwork,Rune stared at the stranger,leaning further into him. His breathing was shallow,nearly audible to her ears.

And there was that same tugging sensation she had felt earlier. Perhaps it was the strangers own sensitivity to the thread. Rune had felt connections before,but nothing nearly as strong as this.

Who was he?

The stranger's body twitched suddenly,sitting straight up with a quick awakening. Rune scrambled off the bed,trying to put some distance between them.

He looked around for a moment before stretching his hand out,forcing Rune to come to him.

Rune shook at the hold,eyes widened in panic; The force on her neck almost choked her completely as she struggled against the hold.

"I left your saber by the bed!" Rune squeaked out. Her eyes shifted to the floor where it lay.

The stranger tilted his head at her words,as if he was contemplating something. Then,he allowed Rune's body to drop to the floor.

Rune panted,trying to catch her breath. He could've killed her,and he didn't—Perhaps that counted for something.

Raising her head,the stranger held his lightsaber before stumbling back onto the bed. Rune could tell despite his obvious wanting to leave,he was still gravely injured.

"I can help you,if you'd let me." Rune stood up slowly,so as not to alarm him. The stranger didn't utter a word,just his helmet facing her large brown eyes.

It made Rune feel slightly uncomfortable,but not enough to feel unsafe.

"Brendok doesn't really get...Visitors." Rune eyed him quickly,before returning to the table.

His silence compelled Rune to continue,though she was unsure if he was listening or not.

"Mother says that the Jedi are dangerous,but you don't look like one." Rune said softly.

She handed him a bowl,one filled with the remaining medicine she had grounded up before.

The stranger stared at it,then back at her,as if expecting an explanation of some kind.

"It won't taste amazing." Rune admitted shyly. "But you'll feel much better."

He took the bowl from her hands,his gloves brushing over her fingers. Rune gazed intently at him,itching for the opportunity to see his face.

As if taking note of this,he looked at her.Rune could feel that his aura had calmed significantly,but still slightly guarded.

"Turn around." His voice was modulated from the mask,one so husky Rune couldn't even decipher it.

Still,the command shot through her body—She obeyed.

Rune faced away from him reluctantly,placing her hands behind her. The clunk of metal that followed indicated to her that he had in fact unmasked himself.

"My name is Ana-rune,Rune for short." Rune rambled out. She waited expectantly for his name,but that never came.

"So it's true then,there are witches here." The stranger's voice spoke,and Rune had never heard something so..enticing?

"I doubt we are spoken of much,seeing as we live in exile." Rune said,unsure where this was going.

The stranger sipped the medicine,the sounds left Rune eager for his voice again.

"You're not here to kill us,right?" Rune questioned sheepishly.

"If I was going to,you'd be long dead." He responded back.

Was that amusement in his tone?

"This isn't something I do often." Rune felt the need to defend herself. "I couldn't leave you there."

He simply hummed in response after awhile,disatisfaction swirled inside of her.

"I'm gonna turn around now,okay?" Rune warned.

She spun back,only to see his helmet was back on. Rune tried not to show her disappointment.

"You are far too trusting." The stranger said. It was the truth,of course,but it was hardly her fault.

Loneliness led to desperation and to be quite honest,this was the most fun she'd had since...ever.

"Maybe you are too." Rune pointed out. "I could have poisoned you."

His head tilted again as she sat near the edge of the bed. They sat like that for a second,Rune felt a wave of self consciousness. Her top was revealing and her hair was out of sorts.

"You're not capable of that." The stranger decided after awhile. He sounded confident in his response.

"How do you figure?" Rune asked him. His hand reached out again,but not to use the Thread, rather,the tips of his fingers slowly outlined her frame,despite their slight distance.

"Such purity." The stranger mumbled. "So much strength."

Rune's eyes flickered down,a little flustered by his musings. The foreign feeling had found itself for the third time today–A warmth that filled her.

She was unsure if it was a complement,the man's words. But Rune felt flush by them nevertheless.

"I have to go,before one of my mothers comes searching for me." Rune almost whispered out,standing to her feet reluctantly.

The stranger followed her form with his head,as if not wanting to miss a single moment of her movements.

"You can stay here if you'd like." Rune offered,hoping he'd agree. "No one knows about this place except me,and now you."

With that,Rune grabbed her things,walking to the door, fearing that if she turned around,the urge to stay would grow stronger.

"Your mother is right you know." He said suddenly. "Jedi are dangerous."

Rune paused,breathing out slightly before closing the door behind her.