#Gurlanin

[for-the-sake-of-color]

Jet and his GF Mary Ann chilling in her Natural Form

If she looks like a borzoi, well, yea. Gurlanins have no canon design outside of 'canine-like marsupial' so I took some liberties She really takes 'puppy girl' to a whole new level HA

[want your own art? hire me!]

[nereiix]

Some concept sketches of Gurlanins. The perfect predators and spies, I really like this species!

I think I should have made them look more alienish, but I'm not very good at that. I took inspiration from various real animals for their design: maned wolf for the body, bear for the mouth, bat for the nose and otter for the paws, whiskers and tail because I found an old forum post of Karen Traviss describing the Gurlanins as "carnivorous black-furred, long-legged otter-like creatures". I took a look at kangaroos too. For the rest, I used the descriptions provided in the RC books.

Initial concepts and rough sketches below the cut.

[vanisketches]

The Gurlanins were a polymorphic species native to the planet Qiilura.

Drawing an OC for a change <3

Reblogs Appreciated

[asiza-art]

Just some ink drawings I did

First one is a Gurlanin from the Republic Commando books, which are now my favorite Star Wars creatures!

And second is of a Naga Dragon, because I still haven’t forgiven Raya and the Last Dragon for how they made Sisu look 🥲 (The only good thing is that it made Naga Dragons my favorite dragons)

[justaballoffluff]

Tari rarely takes her natural canine form as a gurlanin, but if she decides do so around you, it's a sign that she trusts you deeply

it's also great for sneaking around, but she's far too used to staying as a humanoid creature for long periods of time, plus she gets to wear her armor, so it's a rarity that she'll remember she can do so

[mearchy]

people giving sentient star wars species weirder and less human traits, that's my shit actually. like yes i agree that nautolans are like ten feet tall, exactly. why are they all so normal? gurlanins i love you so much, perfect example of what kind of incredibly inhumanoid form a sentient can be. we exist now in a star wars universe that is heavily animated there’s no reason we are still sticking to the boundaries of what species lucasfilm could afford to make in practical effects

[roseaesynstylae]

Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact, Chapters 8 & 9

Chapter 8

"Her face was a study in blank surprise. It was also fascinating in a way he couldn't define. He had never seen a human female this close, this real. He was astonished by the dappling of small brown dots across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks, and the different strands of colors in her long, unkempt hair -- light browns, golds, even reds. And she was as thin as the locals. He could see blue veins in the backs of her hands, and she smelled different from anyone he'd ever shared space with. He wasn't sure if she was pretty or downright ugly. He just knew that she was utterly alien and utterly fascinating, as alien as a gdan or a Gurlanin. It was almost stopping him from concentrating on the job."

Despite my reaction to their first meeting, Darman/Etain is the only RepComm ship that I actually like, probably because it feels like it has actual buildup and chemistry. Ignoring Etain's actions in Triple Zero (which is a discussion for another day), I find them pretty cute.

I like the little detail that Darman doesn't know what freckles are.

Chapter 9

"There is something very touching about them. They look like soldiers; they fight like soldiers; and sometimes they even talk like soldiers. They have the finest qualities of the fighting man. But behind that is nothing -- no love, no family, no happy memory that comes from having truly lived. When I see one of these men killed, I weep more for him than for any ordinary soldier who has lived a full and normal life."

-- Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi

I was not expecting to see anything in this series involving the Jedi that isn't in some way bashing them, but this pleasantly surprised me.

Ki-Adi mentioning family is a lot sadder when you remember that he lost all three of his wives and all of his children during the war.

"Atin took a bite out of the white cube and washed it down with a gulp of water from his bottle. 'He [Kal Skirata] never trained us. Heard a lot about him.'

'Trained Fi and Darman too. Our squads were all in the same battalion.'

'We had Walon Vau.'

'That explains where you get your cheery outlook.'

'Sergeant Vau taught us the importance of planning for the worst scenario,' Atin said, all loyalty. 'And maximizing your tech. Being hard is good, being hard with superior tech is better.'

'I'll bet.'

'I'd heard everyone loved Skirata, though. Even if he was a bad-tempered drunk.'

Niner had never been drunk and he didn't even know what alcohol tasted like. 'He cared what happened to us. He was one of us, pretty much. Not just because he couldn't cope with not being in the army anymore, or had to disappear. No, he was a good man.' Niner would have given a great deal to have seen Skirata come limping through the trees right then, demanding to know what they were doing lounging around like a bunch of Kaminoan nahra artists."

Oh look, our first mention of Walon Vau, problematic-est of problematic favs. (And, indirectly, my beloved Mird.)

Knowing how Atin actually feels about Vau, Niner calling him "all loyalty" here is pretty uncomfortable.

*Flatly* I don't love Kal Skirata. I love well-written fanfics with him, I do not love him in canon.

Apparently, nahra is the Kaminoan version of ballet, in which they express emotions they usually repress. Huh.

"'Why are we scraping maps in the dirt when we've got perfectly good holocharts?'

'That's what Sergeant Skirata used to do,' Darman said. 'He didn't like holos. Too transparent. He also thought that feeling the texture of dirt focused your mind.'

'And you don't need any technology to do it.'

'He was a great believer in intuition.'"

Any time Kal Skirata has any advice or does anything that I actually like (ie, anything that doesn't make me want to strangle him), I feel honor-bound to mention it.

I have to wonder if he had to explain what dirt was to his trainees. Omega definitely had no idea what dirt was when she first left Kamino. Oh, now I have this image of him reading the dictionary definition out to a very confused group of cadets.

"Etain hesitated. She had once heard someone say that they could never remove their betrothal ring, not until they died. Her Padawan braid felt equally permanent, as if her soul was woven in with it, and that removing it after so long -- even temporarily -- would rend the fabric of the universe and underscore her belief that she was not Jedi material. But it had to be done. She unfastened the single thin braid and combed the strands of wavy hair loose with her fingers.

She felt less like a Jedi than ever, and not even remotely close to a commander."

This is one of the examples of Traviss's writing that I don't have any problem with. If she stuck more with this, instead of the Jedi-bashing and Mando-shilling, I wouldn't have so much of a problem. This passage gets Etain's situation across very well. In particular, her reluctance to remove her Padawan braid despite the circumstances reminds me of how I tend to cling to specific objects no matter the situation.

Wow, I actually don't have much to pick at with these two chapters. I suspect this will occur less and less as the series goes on, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Jedi-Bashing: 15

Di'kut Count: 6

Main Post

[cienie-isengardu]

My RepCom Musing: Vau’s knowledge about Jedi

The books give us a lot of hints that Vau has a wide spectrum of interests, be it technology or medical/anatomical knowledge (more to use in taking people apart than healing but still) or collecting data about living beings and/or their skills. The last one is especially true in regard to Jedi, especially in context of Vau’s personal dislike for Jedi for what happened on Galidraan - even if for a large part of the story the feeling does not disturb much his civil interaction with the force-sensitive characters around him.

Vau did learn a lot about Jedi and had some interesting insight about them through the course of three books.

TRIPLE ZERO:

(Witnessing Etain's method during interrogation of Orjul)

 There was a sharp gasp from Orjul and Vau looked around. Whatever Etain was doing, she wasn't even touching him. Just staring.

    "Kal, those people scare me more than Orjul does” Vau said.

---

(After an unfortunate meeting with agent Besanny and Gurlanin)

Etain and Jusik were kneeling on either side of the Gurlanin, hands flat on its flanks in some kind of Jedi healing process. Vau watched with interest. He was the anatomy expert, although he was more skilled at taking bodies apart than repairing them.  

 ---

(Etain and Vau working together to eliminate a target)

"Could you choke him using the Force?" Vau said quietly.

 "What?"

"Just asking. Very handy."

"I was never trained to do that."

"Pity. All those fine combat skills wasted."

TRUE COLORS:

(Delta Squad and Jusik getting the needed information in search for Ko Sai)

"Yeah, the questions might be harmless, but you're not..." Leb now looked past Scorch and spotted Jusik jogging across the permacrete, Jedi robes flapping. "Oh yeah, now the Jedi's going to zap me with his Force powers, isn't he? Shove a lightsaber in..."

Jusik caught up with them. He always looked as if a strong breeze would knock him over. "No lightsaber necessary, my friend. You haven't got any reason to withhold information, have you?"

When Jusik used that especially quiet, reasonable tone - and he never raised his voice anyway - Sev wasn't sure if he was using Jedi mind influence or not. There was always something disturbing about Jedi, even the approachable ones like Jusik. Sergeant Vau said it was a good idea never to turn your back on one. They weren't like regular folks.

Would I know if he was using that mind stuff on me?

Sev thought about that more and more lately. He still liked Jusik, though.

---

(Jusik and Deltas while talking with Master Zey)

Jusik sat completely composed, fingers meshed as his hands rested on Zey's lovely blue desk. Sev, in I'll-wait-to-be-spoken-to mode like the rest of Delta Squad, sat to his right, helmet on lap, staring straight ahead, managing to feel that the conversation didn't involve him or his brothers at all. It was, Vau said, probably like a Jedi being in a state of meditation: aware, but not distracted. It was handy to be able to do that when your CO was getting a subtle roasting from his boss right in front of you.

ORDER 66

(The Skirata gang meeting)

"How do you lie to a Jedi Master?" Laseema asked. "Without him sensing it, that is?"

"I didn't," said Vau. "I said I'd tell him if I found Kal doing anything to help the enemy. The minute that this little shabuire opens a comlink to any former Death Watch personnel, I shall gladly turn him in."

Skirata paused for a moment, then managed to laugh. "Do I know any?"

"No, but they're the only group I'd really call my enemy. So I didn't lie, and I was genuinely emotional enough for him to believe what his Force senses told him he wanted to believe."

Laseema applauded politely. "That's a very clever technique."

"Thank you, my dear. Mando'ade are trained to acquire certain states of mind for battle, so it's an easy switch."

---

(Zey confronting Vau why Kal was beaten up)

Zey clasped his hands in front of him in that Jedi way, looking slightly sideways at Vau.

"Trying to sense any dark side in me, General?" Vau asked.

"You don't feel remotely dark. Quite serene, actually."

"I've been told that before, and that should set off your warning bells, jetii. Your senses need recalibrating. None of you can feel darkness right under your noses."

&

Vau gave him a thumbs-up gesture and walked away toward the accommodation wing. So what did he know about a big assault? There was always one coming, and Vau was good at leaving everyone wondering just how much he knew, just enough revealed to make folks take notice of him.

He knew an awful lot about Jedi, that was for sure.

Scorch slapped down his own curiosity and told it to behave. He didn't care how Vau knew. He was just glad that he did and he trusted him, because Vau's words always came back to him from those first days on Kamino.

Everything I do from this moment on is to make sure you survive to fight. Even if I don't.

As Scorch noted, Vau knew an awful lot about Jedi - what shouldn’t be that surprising if the book series alone consistently showed the Mandalorian taking notes about force-sensitive people, either from asking them about their skills or observing said skills when used. Though Mandalorians have a rocky relationship with Jedi Order for millennials (and there is a great shift from Mandalorian Wars era to modern time in how Mando perceived them), the Galidraan was devastating event for True Mandalorians so Vau’s special interest in Jedi may come years before Clone Wars even started. Especially if we take into account how Walon Vau and Jango Fett had a much closer bond than Kal and Jango ever had:

Vau had been far closer to Jango Fett than Skirata ever had. He understood - perhaps too late, but eventually - the depth of Fett's loathing of the Jedi. [IC: 501st]

 The gaining knowledge about “enemy” may be Vau’s way preparing for the worst  - interestingly, Vau shared his knowledge/observations about Jedi with Delta Squad (although how much of those opinions were shared during the Kamino era and how much during war is sadly hard to determine), maybe even as to increase their chance of survival in the war.

[lyntergalactic]

lyn reads triple zero part 2

i do not need another ship, i do not need another ship, i do not need another ship

where's the au where a couple disgruntled gurlanins shank palpatine for the republic letting them down?

first off, love this detail. for all that kt does wrong in these books, there are moments like this that shine. and i love how respectful etain is of it and her men in general

hell, i just love etain, and i hate what's going to happen to her because her story from hard contact to here is so interesting and could've gone so many more interesting places. alas.

i am five and this made me giggle purely because of the use of the word incontinent

ordo. honey. you have absolutely no room to talk.

siiiiiiiigh. here we go with the terribly wrong ideas about jedi.

was gonna read more tonight but got distracted. tomorrow tho. gonna knock most of this sucker out.

[sidhebeingbrand]

For the reverse unpopular opinion meme *gently lobs you a softball* tell me about the Republic Commando books!

(I thought about asking about the New Mandalorians but decided I wasn’t that cruel…)

the softest ball indeed!

I love Feral Adoptive Mandalorians. I love 'aayhan' as a centering cultural concept. I love Etain Tur-Mukan and Darman being confused nerds in love. I love Lord Mirdalan, I love the Dha Werda Verda as a haka. I also love the Gurlanin hahaha they're terrifying.

[for-the-sake-of-color]

Captain Jet asks Mary Ann to Dance

It was a really sweet gesture, these little lengths he goes through to woo her, and how could she ever turn down that charming smile? Even if her attentions should be more focused on making sure her employees are tending to the catering properly Turns out emulating the charming demeanor of his tacky romance holo-novel characters is only a good cover up for Jet not actually knowing what the hell he's doing, right up until the point he has to start dancing. Mary Ann adored his effort, and gave him all of three goofy minutes of stepping on her toes before she 'suggested' he check out what she's catered for today's event at the tables She then made a mental note to get him into dancing lessons next time she caught him on shore leave, as with any luck, he'd be attending many, many more of these with her in the future. And she wanted pictures.

I love them your honor

[its-a-full-galaxy]

Darius, can you track shifters like Regulus when they're in morph? What if they change morphs?

Darius folded his arms, tucking his chin as he thought about the question. It was a good question, one he'd been trying to solve since meeting Regulus and finding out what had happened to Hobbie and the cube...

The Mandalorian sighed and shook his head. "As far as physically? Cervid morphs are identical to the person or creature they turn into. I don't know what goes on in their heads, but when I look at Regulus in his human morph, he's perfectly human. It's not like a Clawdite whose outer appearance changes but whose inner workings stay relatively the same. They're more like Gurlanins who rearrange themselves at a molecular level to look like or even be a different person, creature, or object. The only thing with a Gurlanin is that they still have physical markers internally that mark them as their kind. It's hard to detect those and the only reason I'm able to do it is because of the training my first father gave me and the honing I got with my buir, Tajur."

Darius tucked his chin again, his thoughts still whirring on the question. "Like I said, the thing with Cervids is that when they morph, they become biologically identical to who or whatever creature they're morphing into. So unless they're being careless with their morphs, you're not going to find them like you would a Clawdite."

He lifted his head and unfolded his arms. "However, if you were hunting for a Cervid, you don't want to look for physical differences between them and others. You'd want to look for behavioral differences. I'm not sure what all happens when someone morphs, but when an animal or person starts acting suspiciously, you should probably keep an eye on them. That's basic common sense, but it's especially pertinent for Cervids. Everyone has certain ticks and behavioral patterns that you can see if you know how to look for them."

Darius ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I've... had to re-learn all that. Esverrans detect things like that differently than other people. But if you're wanting to find someone like a Cervid, I think you'd want to employ someone with more telepathic skills or who are better with... what did Presence call it... kintetic language. Honestly, I'd look to employ an Esverran Trueman to sus out a Cervid. Though I may see if Regulus would allow me to practice tracking him just in case."

[mortallyclearwonderland]

Star Wars Alien Species - Gurlanin

The Gurlanins were a polymorphic species native to the planet Qiilura. Qiilura had many islands with fertile soil, deep river inlets, rolling plains, deciduous forests, lakes, and gameboard fields. The planet also had gem mines, sources of zeka quartz and green silicates. The planet was home to a number of native non-sentient species such as gdans, merlies and vheks.

During the Clone Wars, Qiilura was the location of a Separatist biological weapons lab that was developing a pathological agent specifically designed to kill clones. During the Mission to Qiilura, Omega Squad—a squad of Republic commandos—was sent to destroy the biological weapons lab and, if possible, locate Jedi Master Kast Fulier and his Padawan Etain Tur-Mukan. Although Master Kast Fulier was dead prior to their arrival, Omega Squad was ultimately successful in destroying the lab after joining up with Padawan Tur-Mukan and enlisting the help of a native Gurlanin, Jinart.

Due to the Separatist droids burning the barq fields in the search of one of Omega's members, there was a galactic shortage of the grain, causing economic problems for both the Trade Federation and the already impoverished farmers who lost their crops.

After the success of the mission to Qiilura, a deal was struck between the Republic and the Gurlanins to remove the Human colony. The terms of the agreement specified that the Gurlanins, with their ridiculously effective espionage skills, would act as spies for the Republic, and the entire Human colony would immediately be evicted from the planet by Republic forces. For the members of the dwindling population of Gurlanins, this meant that the merlie herds would once again reach their previous numbers in the wild, restoring balance to the environment. Failing to keep their end of the bargain, a Republic garrison was established and led by General Arligan Zey and Commander Etain Tur-Murkan. Their objective was to train the Human colonists in guerrilla warfare in case of another Separatist attack. However, because the Separatists had no other interests in the system, all that the training and equipping accomplished was the further encroachment of Gurlanin territory by Human colonists.

Furious, the Gurlanins decided that the only way to get the Republic to listen was to grab it by the ears. An entire Republic troopship was destroyed due to information leaked to the Separatists by Gurlanin agents. This caused the Senate to immediately understand the tremendous threat the Gurlanins could be, and a decision was quickly made to remove the Human colonists on Qiilura.

The Senate Committee on Refugees was informed by Republic Intelligence that at least two, and possibly a much larger number of other Gurlanins, had infiltrated Coruscant, where they were in place and standing by to inflict significant damage to the Republic in retaliation for the continued occupation of Qiilura. Tur-Murkan, now a General, led a contingent of clone troopers to expedite the evacuation of the Human colonists. The colonists resisted leaving their homes, and openly engaged Republic forces with the militias trained by Zey and Tur-Murkan. The evacuation quickly became an eviction, and when clone casualties grew out of hand, Tur-Murkan regretfully gave the order to use lethal force, if necessary, to remove the remaining colonist hold-outs.

When the Empire rose into power, Qiilura was conquered by Imperial stormtroopers.

During the Yuuzhan Vong's incursion into the galaxy, Qiilura fell within space conquered by the invaders.

Gurlanin are largely considered mysterious and manipulative, and always dangerous. Changelings are regarded by most as beings untrustworthy, though the Gurlanin are very loyal to those they deem worthy of their trust. However, betrayal of that trust can earn a very dangerous enemy, as the Gurlanin are vengeful. The Gurlanin are noted as having some of the most pleasant, soothing voices in the galaxy, lending aid to their attempts at persuasion and deception.

In their natural form, Gurlanin are large, fourlegged canines with coarse black fur and no noticeable ears. Their mouths have a number of sharp, lethal fangs used for hunting small mammals on Qiilura. However, Gurlanin are meta-morphs, and can change shape at will, often appearing as whatever is necessary to achieve their goals.

Gurlanin vary wildly in height, and weigh about 80 kilograms or 176 pounds.

Gurlanins age at the following stages:

1 - 10 Child

11 - 17 Young Adult

18 - 45 Adult

46 - 60 Middle Age

61 - 74 Old

Examples of Names: Helabrus, Jinart, Tanclae, Valaqil.

Languages: Gurlanin speak to each other telepathically, but most all have learned Basic, to better spy on the local barq farmers.

[june-girl-86]

Chapter 33

Chapter 33 overview:

From Dar, Liara gets the information they need to find the other Mandalorians. But an old enemy of the warriors is on the planet and Din confronts him. Will he be able to defeat him?

Warning of violence

Pairing: Din Djarin x OC Female!

ReaderRating: Mature/Explicit (+18)

Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence / Love / Action&Adventure / Blood&Violence / Drama & Romance / Slow Burn / Fluff&Smut

When Liara opened her eyes, she was sitting with her back leaning against the trunk of a willow tree whose branches reached down to the ground like a curtain and almost merged with the green grass. The memory of Cara made her gulp, and Liara wasn't sure if she had imagined it or if it had actually happened. But she could only find out if she left this place, and most importantly, she had to find out where she was now. She pulled herself up the growths of the trunk and pushed the branches aside. Only now did the acrid smoke enter her nose and she could see the fire on the horizon. The forest was on fire.

"Ahsoka? Din?"

Liara ran a few steps away from the willow and looked around searchingly.

"Don't worry, you're safe here!"

Liara turned around startled, an old woman in a brown dress stepped out of the shadows of the tree. Her hair went down to her knees. So silver and fine, it reminded her of Nola. Her brown eyes radiated peace and security.

"I'm Dar!" she declared, gesturing for Liara to come back.

"Where are the others?"

"They brought you to me when they noticed your condition!"

Liara heard the cracking of branches where the fire was blazing.

"What's happening?"

Dar sighed.

"It's our future..."

A scream was heard, a familiar buzzing, and then she saw Ahsoka emerge from the bushes. Duncan followed her shortly after, he had one of Ahsoka's lightsabers and was on the attack again. Din was nowhere to be seen.

"We have to help her!"

Excited, Liara looked at Dar, but she shook her head.

"You and Din must get to safety. The Gurlanin has sensed his presence!"

Liara frowned.

"The Gurlanin lives in the depths of the planet, he hunted the Mandalorians. We didn't know about it, he seemed to be asleep, but when Din's grandfather's clan followed us here from Corvus, he woke up and started provoking and attacking them. They tried to avoid him, but the Gurlanin outwitted them and after two of them died, they decided to leave us again. Lean, Din's grandfather despaired, so I broke an oath. I sent them to Gelgelar. Ask for Dagli! In the temple of Kooroo you will also find the way to them. I tell you this because the crystal will protect you from the Gurlanin! He can't get into your mind!"

The sound of Ahsoka's screaming entered her ears again, and she watched the two struggle. Duncan seemed to have the upper hand.

"Tell Ahsoka to start the fire, it will save us!"

Liara looked at Dar questioningly. The latter smiled in spite of herself and the leaves of the willow rustled, changing their green color, to blue. And then Liara realized that it was not leaves hanging from the branches, but countless butterflies. Again it rustled, then they rose and fluttered away. Dar looked after them wistfully, before she looked to the forest, the part, which did not burn yet. And there too, the butterflies flew out and disappeared into the horizon.

"Somewhere they will find a place and the neti will be reborn!"

Dar put her hand on the bag with the crystal and Liara somehow felt that it had become heavier.

"There are a lot of good people in this galaxy, although it usually seems that evil takes over. They're just louder at first, until we raise our voices! Farewell!"

Din watched Liara, who was supported by Ahsoka, as they walked quickly back to the silver lining. When she had regained consciousness at the foot of the old willow, she had reported her sight and that Dar had shown himself to her. Cara's torment had taken quite a toll on her. He and Ahsoka hadn't noticed at first that she was no longer behind them, not until Liara started screaming. She had just stood there, eyes wide, but no other reaction. Din had taken Liara in his arms and carried her. It hadn't been far to Dar, fortunately, and there he had wrapped her in his cloak, as she had begun to tremble. Ahsoka had tried to wake up the tree, but except for the rustling of the wind, nothing had been heard until Liara awoke again. For a moment he had thought a face was staring at him from the dark bark, but it was only the blink of an eye, then it had been over again.

Now they climbed the slope, running cross-country, as Ahsoka feared he would be the first to lie in wait for them on the main paths. Din had never heard of a Gurlanin, but Dar's report and Ahsoka's knowledge of it worried him. Automatically, his hand went to his belt, feeling the grip of the dark saber. But Ahsoka had already explained to him that the danger of the Gurlanin lay in its telepathic abilities. He could use his favorite voices to sneak into the minds of others and make them listen. If it did not work with the voice, he changed his tactics. The victim received images that eventually disturbed him enough to make him an easy prey.

Liara tripped over a root, but Ahsoka held her before she could fall to the ground. In return, his cloak got caught in the brush and he helped her untangle it. Her hands were shaking and she was pale in the face.

"You need a break!"

Liara shook her head.

"I can handle it!"

She gave him a weak smile and the three of them continued rushing through the undergrowth. When they arrived at their shelter, Liara would have kept running, but Ahsoka insisted they stay.

"I'd sense him, so far there's no danger, and we'll need our powers if there really is a confrontation!"

Liara had leaned against Din's shoulder and was dozing. She was too excited to fall asleep completely. Instead, she listened tensely, and every sound made her even more nervous. The wood of the broken trunk cracked and she winced inwardly. Din seemed to sense her discomfort, put his arm around her and pressed her lightly against him. The contact actually calmed her somewhat and her tension drained a little from her limbs. Each of them, hung their thoughts, they listened to the wind howling relentlessly and blowing the fine drizzle into their hiding place. And then, suddenly, there was silence.

Din noticed Ahsoka change her posture, Liara also detached herself from his side and sat up straight. A dark hum followed, the cracking of wood increased, and Ahsoka rose. She looked worried.

"He's coming. The neti are warning us!"

When they crawled out of the tree trunk, they were greeted by a gloomy environment, the sky covered with clouds. The rain was blown away and the wind had died down. The air was fresh and clear. Din turned to the women. Ahsoka activated her lightsaber to see better.

"Go to the ship. He wants me, so I'll face him!"

Din looked after the two. Liara had tried to argue with him about it, but Ahsoka had agreed with him. The crystal had to be brought to safety, if it was injured, the Jedi could at least accompany Liara. She cast several worried glances back at him until she disappeared from his sight between the trees.

Din took a deep breath, put on his helmet and activated the night vision. Then he too walked on slowly, able to hear the creaking of the wood, the light wind in the treetops. How he gently rocked them back and forth. First he heard a buzzing, then a point of light blinded him. He had to deactivate the night vision. Now he noticed how the dot was followed by others, reddish orange, buzzing over the damp moss and making it shimmer. The fireflies flew up and down, back and forth, past him further into the forest, until the lights and buzzing disappeared again, leaving Din alone.

The wind had driven away the clouds, and the silvery light of the moon shone down, making the thin threads to which moisture clung shine. They stretched across the undergrowth, into the bushes, deep inside. Quietly something buzzed, desperately one of the fireflies tried to get out of the net, but it was trapped. Din felt the cold gripping his limbs. He got goose bumps and shivered. It was as if someone was standing behind him and breathing down his neck. Briefly his thought was when he saw the orange dots in front of him, that more fireflies were hanging tight, but these two dots just stared at him. Din stopped, instead the eyes approached and when they came out of the grove, they were surrounded by pitch black fur. Except for his eyes, the pointed silver fangs and claws on his wide paws, his fur camouflaged him perfectly in the darkness.

The Gurlanin opened his mouth slightly, flashing the remaining teeth. A snarl and rumble sounded from his maw. He pawed the ground with his right front paw. His eyes continued to focus on Din. The two did not move, waiting to see what the other did. The gurlanin wrenched its mouth open, but nothing happened except a hissing gasp. But then Din felt that chill again, and as if his counterpart had summoned it, light veils formed over the ground, growing more and more dense. The fog enveloped him like a cloak of loneliness, a white wall that he could not break through even with his various views in his helmet.

Din took off his helmet, hoping he could see better that way, but the white blinded him even more and tears formed in his eyes. Din blinked, needing a clear view to react. He took the hilt of the dark saber, the steady hum calming him somewhat as he activated his weapon. Din drove the saber through the mist as if he could cut his way through freely. But, of course, that didn't work. The orange eyes, however, pierced that wall and seemed amused at the Mandalorian's reaction. He had walked blindly into his enemy's web just as the firefly had.

"An interesting weapon you possess. Your grandfather was entrusted with it once before, but he and his clan were too weak. They ducked their heads and fled. Several times, rather than face the enemy. And these are supposed to be Mandalorians?"

Din winced as that voice spoke up in his head. It was surprisingly warm, deep. And yet there was a malice in it.

"He didn't want to fight me, I kept asking him to. He just didn't take me seriously. That's why I had to kill those two from the clan. But they were also so stupid. They were in love, left the camp without telling the others. They were such an easy target. But instead of showing the clan that he was a worthy leader, he begged the Neti. And those trees helped him pile on, too. I can't believe you are his grandson. Oh what I have absorbed this pain, received the dreams in which had suffered so when your parents died. His beloved son was dead and you were gone!"

Din swallowed and continued to listen to the voice in his head.

"I didn't even have to do it myself. It was only because of my encouragement that they killed themselves. Oh it was heartbreaking when they were found!"

It was early morning, the birds were chirping and the Mandalorian walked slowly through the forest. The morning dew glistened in the soft light that stole through the trees. The last haze of mist still lingered in the air, almost looking as if it were dancing in the sun's rays, welcoming the day. The warrior walked this path every day since they had set up camp here, and yet it was a new experience every time. He hoped they could stay here, offer the boys a future, and perhaps from here, continue to search for the other Mandalorians and most importantly, find his grandson again. A gnarly sound rang out. He frowned, wondering where this was coming from. He approached it, two long shadows had formed on the ground, moving slightly. His gaze wandered upward and the Mandalorian sank to his knees. The gentle wind rocked the two bodies back and forth against the thick branch. The man's cry caused startled birds to flutter from their hiding places into the blue sky, which seemed uninterested in the drama happening below.

"You should have seen his despair, this sadness, this pain. Oh the girl, sweet 16, she was only. And once again he had to say goodbye to a loved one, his granddaughter. Yes, this was your cousin. But if your grandfather's pain was already intense, then you can surely imagine how her father, his second son must have felt. That rage. He would have fought me, but the others stopped him. I tried again and again, but the neti ganged up on me, and one day they were gone. I couldn't feel them anymore. But they left them here..."

Din had received the images in his mind, even the feelings had been conveyed to him by the Gurlanin, and the same anger was building up inside him. Suddenly the fog cleared and as he looked to the side, he could see a large stone overgrown with lichen, standing between old tree trunks and already leaning slightly to the side. The orange eyes of the gurlanin had disappeared, Din was sure he was still near it, yet the stone attracted him. The moonlight illuminated the night just enough for him to see everything. When he stood in front of it, two names were inscribed in it, and the crest of the Djarin clan. And then, the writing was already very weathered, but he spotted it anyway and carefully ran his fingers over it: Tion'tuur mhi motir teg ibac mhi cuyir be'ida at an oyacyir olyaor, mhi sarna chaab (When we understand that we are connected to all living things, we lose fear).

Din clenched his hand into a fist and took a deep breath. He turned around, trying to spot his opponent in the dense undergrowth. He made a decision, he had never been this close to his family after Corvus, and now he would do what they had not been able to do. Perhaps he would have decided the same way, but the dark saber seemed to make him braver.

"And now you hide? Show yourself if you want to fight me!"

A muffled rumble sounded, as if the Gurlanin was laughing at him. And then he actually heard in his mind loud and clear.

"As if you could do anything against me!"

It happened so fast, then the dangerous eyes rushed at the Mandalorian. Din dove to the side, landed in a shrub, breaking its branches in the process, and swung back to his feet. Then he noticed the change. It became so cold again and not a breath of air could be felt. At first the ground trembled only slightly, then it vibrated more and more until a large chunk of rock broke loose from the earth and was hurled at him. The chirping birds hissed from his bracers and crashed into the chunk. The fragments fell down, but before they touched the ground, they stopped in mid-air, as if their movement had been frozen. A blink of an eye later, they were shot again. They hurtled toward him at a high speed, the task to injure him, to hit him fatally. Din activated the dark saber and actually managed to destroy a few of them. He was hit by the rest. In the beskar-clad places it was bearable, but unfortunately the Gurlanin had it in for his legs and Din sank to his knees, groaning.

"Are you going soft already?" it sneered in his head, vibrating in every cell of his body. Din stood up, gritting his teeth and sending out push prayers that his legs would not fail him. His muscles burned and the twitching in his limbs came at an inopportune moment.

"I thought you wanted to fight. All I see is you using your magic, but you yourself don't stand up to it!", Din yelped in rage.

"You won't survive!"

The gurlanin showed himself to him, baring his pointed teeth.

"No one said I would survive this. But if I do, I'll drag you down with me. And no matter how badly you hurt me, I will cut off your head and strip the fur so that it beds my grave!"

Din provoked the monster, aware of what could happen to him and thinking of Liara. Without her he would never have ended up here, found out so much about his family. He never thought he would fall in love with someone. But after Grogu had already cracked his armor that was around his heart and soul, Liara had done the rest and driven the darkness out of him. And Liara was strong, she would lift the rest of the way alone with the help of Ahsoka. With the hope that he would still embrace her again, he stuck out his chest, raised his saber and with the other hand he waved to his counterpart.

A terrible roar sounded, whistling in Din's ears, and the blade of the dark saber slid through the air, ready to strike. Din felt the weapon yearn to kill the monster towering before him. It was a strange feeling and he was only now aware of how magical, mysterious the saber actually was. He could understand Gideon, who had been after the weapon, and also Bo-Katan, who could demonstrate her power with it. Now he hoped that the power would help him.

But the Gurlanin was quick and ran him down. Din fell on his back, quickly picked himself up and tried to find his footing on the slippery ground. And then the Gurlanin tricked again, appearing several times before his eyes. But Din didn't see giving up now. Confidence surged through Din's heart, making him forget the cold around him, and this time he charged toward one of the black bodies. Only a short distance to go. When he reached the monster, he set to leaping. The seconds seemed to slow down as he hurtled towards his target, yanked back his saber and lunged to strike. Before the Gurlanin caught him, the blade sliced through the air and struck the beast's body with full force. But instead of slicing through the fur, penetrating the flesh, the weapon rebounded and Din was thrown violently against a tree trunk. The body disappeared, leaving behind a ruined tree through which the dark saber had slipped. Panting heavily, Din sat up, his back aching and his eyes flickering. Still, he could see the merciless, cold eyes and the mouth contorted into a grin. Din touched the bark of the tree, tried to get his breathing under control and tried, as Ahsoka had shown him, to make contact with the Neti. He apologized in his mind several times for probably killing one of their own and asked them for help.

The Gurlanin didn't seem to want to wait for Din to recover, sprinted off and jumped toward him. It was then that Din realized he had lost the saber and searched for it in a panic. As the sharp claws of the gurlanin ran across his chest plate, making a screeching sound that caused nausea to rise in Din, which then impaled itself in his legs, and Din gritted his teeth to keep from crying out loud, something strange happened. Time seemed to stand still, but the monster's eyes moved, penetrated his visor and stared at him piercingly. But in the next moment, a warm feeling rose in Din, caused by the tree behind him. It gave him strength and support to finish the fight. In the process, he now discovered that the gurlanin was tied up. The lichens, bushes and grasses, the branches of the trees had wrapped themselves around his body and slowly the prisoner also grasped his situation. He roared and sent Din terrible images of what he would do to him and Liara. But Din only pushed himself up from the ground and the dark saber landed with pinpoint accuracy in his open, tingling palm. Only after he activated it did the surprising thought flash into his mind of how the weapon had reached him. But Din had something to finish now and repressed it. He could still talk to Ahsoka or Liara about it later.

"Ke nu'jurkadir sha Mando'ade! (Don't mess with Mandalorian)"

The Gurlanin salivated with anger and his spittle dripped down his chaps.

"Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur! (Today is a good day for someone else to die)"

Din placed the saber against the neck of the gurlanin and slowly pressed it into the flesh. A few seconds later, the once dangerous orange eyes extinguished and became as pitch black as the fur around them....

_________________

@echos-secret-tattoo

[justaballoffluff]

Tari generally dislikes being picked up (especially without her permission), however, there is one exception. being picked up by the back of her clothes makes her brain think she's being scruffed and therefore Safe

[niner1309]

“Not even Kal Skirata had dealt with Gurlanins, it seemed, or if he had he hadn’t mentioned it. Niner liked them. He wondered what world they came from. It was bound to be a fascinating one.

- Niner meeting Jinart the Gurlanin in Hard Contact, page 139