Aldor's Eye - Part I

Chapter IX - The Reason

"Have you ever needed help on the hunt, my Lady?" he asked with an admiring smile.

"Well... maybe once or twice... when we first settled here..."

Din huffed a laugh and finished his breakfast, then instructed Grogu to gather what gear he needed as he retrieved the cycler and strapped his holster around his waist for the first time in weeks. On their way out the door, he leaned down to give Aldor a soft, lingering kiss. And taking a moment to brush his knuckles along her jaw, he whispered, "We'll be back before dark, my Lady."

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Din and Grogu coordinated their joint hunts rather fantastically, so it didn't take long once they finally found tracks. Neither was in the mood for a challenge. After the Mythosaur, a cervid was nothing, so Grogu used the Force to coax their mark closer, and Din brought it down with a clean head shot. Once the doe was on the sledge, they sat down to eat some dried ray in a companionable silence, communicating only through little pulses. After they'd rested and Din taught him a little bit about how to read the patterns in the weather and why it was wise to keep track of it, they got up again and headed out as R5 followed with the sledge.

While they walked, Din tried to order the words he'd been toiling all day to find. He knew the intent behind all he wanted to say to his son, but it came from place so deep in his heart, it was nearly impossible to translate. Grogu knew all of it already, but Din wanted to say it for some reason. Speak it into Creed, maybe. An old habit, but one he liked to preserve.

Through most of the hike, Grogu hopped along the ground and rocks and tree limbs, keeping just ahead of his father as he laughed and squealed and dared Din to keep up. He was so fast now! Strong. And it was so much easier for him to move thanks to his mother's genius. He loved his breeches and tunic, and his little fur-lined coat that allowed him to move more freely than he ever had. He was full of energy and determined to move every way and everywhere he could between the forest and the settlement.

But it had been a tiresome hunt, and Grogu's leaps and jumps were eventually reduced to a steady hop that kept him just ahead of his father. Din recognized his moment, and scooped his boy up into the crook of his elbow. He'd managed to cobble together a few words and was pretty sure he could work with them, so he cleared his throat and looked down at his son. "So... you're happy here... right?" he asked. "You like... this planet. You care for Aldor..."

"You care lot," Grogu said, moving the conversation forward many steps beyond where Din next planned to take it.

"Yes," he admitted through a smile he couldn't contain. "I care for her too. In fact, Grogu... I think you know... your mother and I... I think we might..."

"Love."

"Yes," Din said, relieved he didn't have to come up with words that didn't exist. "A lot."

"We stay," Grogu said, smiling in satisfaction as he looked up into his father's eyes. "Home."

"Yes," Din said again. "This is our home now."

"Told you."

Din laughed softly, looking down at Grogu as the boy giggled in his satisfied little way. "Yeah, you little whomprat, I guess you did."

And that was all that needed to be said. As if to reassure him nothing more was necessary, Grogu crawled up Din's arm to sit on his shoulders and enjoy the scenery while they made their way back home in the gentle sunlight.