A Shadow Of Hope

Chapter 62

Fawn stood on the edge of the mountain cliff, looking out at the burnt land she called her home. Hurricane stood beside her, silently observing the damage of Kabera with an emptiness in the pit of his stomach.

"I didn't think it would be this bad" he admitted quietly after a few minutes.

"Neither did I. It doesn't look like what it was in the past" Fawn agreed sadly.

"What are we gonna do?" the dragon asked.

Fawn crossed her arms as she exhaled heavily.

"I don't know" she said.

"For once in my life, I don't have a plan."

Hurricane rumbled in his throat as he thought.

"Even the greatest leaders get stumped from time to time" he told her.

"It's natural. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll think of something."

Fawn didn't reply. Everyone always expected her to have the solution for any problem. Thing was, she knew there wasn't a answer for everything. She just didn't want to admit it. Kabera was broken and needed to be fixed. But Fawn didn't have the slightest clue on what to do. She knew she needed to help her home, but her mind was numb. She couldn't think. The shock of seeing Kabera in shambles was still fresh in her mind. Reaching out to Hurricane, she placed a hand on his scaly back. Gripping the tough skin as tightly as she could, as if afraid she'd lose him too. Hurricane didn't protest or move away, Fawn needed to hold him. And quite honestly, he wanted her to do so.
Fawn had her other hand clenched as she closed her eyes and reached out to the Force.

'Master?' She thought.

'I need your advice. What should I do? For the good of Kabera, I need to help it. But how?' 

No one answered her call.

'Master?' Fawn thought again.

'Please. I really need your help this time.'

Then, the gentle voice of Aliby Draconic filled Fawn's head.

'What you need you already have. I can't always help you with your decisions, and neither can anyone else. You need to find your own path in this maze of a galaxy.'

Fawn opened her eyes, feeling a little warmth in her heart at the sound of her Master.

'I understand' she said through the Force.

'It's just going to take time to figure out my path.'

'Time is something we all wish for Fawn, we can't always have it.'

'I know. Believe me, I know.'

'May the Force be with you my apprentice.'

The calm, gentle presence of Aliby left Fawn's mind and she remembered why she was worried in the first place. Looking back out to Kabera, Fawn watched the smoke drift from the stables and hall. A polluted breeze making the black wisps dance in the air.

"Fawn?"

The Gray Jedi and her dragon looked over to see Ezra and Whiplash standing a few meters away from them. Concern written on their faces. 

"Hey Ez, you okay?" Fawn asked.

"It's you I'm worried about" Ezra replied walking over and standing beside his sister.

"After you told Raxia to stay in the cave you just got on Hurricane and left. Are you alright?"

Fawn kept her gaze on the burnt fields, lips pursed together into a thin line. 

"My home is gone Ezra. The Empire's destroyed it. I need to help it but..."

"You don't know how?" Ezra inquired.

Fawn shook her head.

"Everyone expects me to have the answer, but I'm not a miracle worker. I'm human, just like you. I can't always have a solution."

Ezra's brow furrowed in concern and he glanced at Whiplash who gurgled sadly.

"Well, don't worry Fawn. No matter what happens, I'll be ready to support you" he said.

Fawn smiled at her brother fondly.

'I'm glad he accepts I'm not perfect' she thought. 

'I don't know what I'd do without him.'

Then she remembered what her master had just told her;

'I can't always help you with your decisions, and neither can anyone else. You need to find your own path in this maze of a galaxy.'

Fawn cast a glance at Ezra who stood beside her, arms crossed as he looked at the damage of Kabera.

'He knows he can't always be there for me' Fawn thought.

'And I know I can't always be there for him. We're just going to have to enjoy it while it lasts. Anything could happen in this war.'