found. | Din Djarin

Three

Dawn comes and we're riding the Bantha's to the cave in single file. I'm not overly sure why I'm still here but if people are in need it's my duty to help them.

Eventually we come to sit atop a cliffside, watching as they lead one of the Bantha's out as an offering.

"They say it lives in there," Mando translates for Cobb. "They say it sleeps." He holds up the binoculars and then gives them to me to look. "It lives in an abandoned sarlacc pit."

"It better be abandoned," I murmur. "Those things are nasty that's for sure."

"Lived on Tatooine my whole life," Cobb says. "There's no such thing as an abandoned sarlacc pit."

"There is if you eat the sarlacc," Mando deadpans and I give him an appreciative head tilt.

"You ever seen a sarlacc?" I ask them and they shake their heads. "Old Jabba the Hutt, he liked to execute people using a sarlacc. Couple years back some of my friends ended up in that position, they got out but let's just say others didn't. It's not a pretty sight."

"Jabba the Hutt," Cobb repeats. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time."

"Because my friend and I killed him," I tell him remembering every detail of that ordeal. Put in those bikinis and paraded around. Leia was Jabba's slave but I- oh no I was given to the very man who had betrayed me. He wrapped his cloak around my shoulders and once we were locked in a room together let me hit and scream at him until my throat was raw and refused to physically fight with me as much as he may have cursed my name but in the end that made no difference to me. Not when his betrayal was the reason I was there. "Jabba had taken us prisoner, had us chained up mostly naked for his own pleasure but we gave it to him that's for sure. Strangled him with our chains."

"Good," Mando says, but can't hide his discomfort at the tale.

"Slimy bastard deserved it," Cobb says, no doubt having had dealings with the Hutts.

"The man who wore that armour," I elaborate. "He was the reason I was there, he betrayed me and so I struck him down and the sarlacc did the rest."

"And you came to make sure it wasn't him in this hardwear," he gathers. "I haven't seen a sarlacc up close but I know a bit about them. If he ended up in the stomach of one of those things he's dead. No ifs or buts. He's dead."

The words finally bring me some comfort, some assurance. "I sure hope so."

Mando remains silent but I know he's listening, I can feel his mind turning over with all the words that are unsaid.

We keep watching the sarlacc pit, waiting as the Bantha ventures near the cave.

"They've studied its digestion cycle for generations," Mando explains. "They feed it to make it sleep longer."

I look at him incredulously. "How do you know so much about Banthas?"

"Been alive a while," he simply answers. "And the fact that they told me."

I narrow my eyes at him in annoyance at his dry humour but then find myself wondering how old he'd be. My gut tells me late thirties. Younger than Cobb Vanth who's starting to grey but older than me.

Interesting for a man who seems to know so much but so little about his own kind. Any Mandalorian would know the weapon I carry is a lightsaber and who it belongs to. The traditional enemies of Mandalore. But he's only oblivious to it.

"Watch," he says bringing my attention back to the pit. "The dragon will appear."

The child whimpers as the Tuskan makes the call and begins running. Guessing what I'm about to see won't be pretty I bring my hand up to cover the child's eyes, something Mando notices.