#ezra and hera not hugging will haunt me

[invest-yourlife]

can't entirely put it into words, but i am so deeply unsatisfied with the ahsoka finale. so many good moments (like huyang and ezra), but so much really frustrated me and felt half baked. ughh

[saltinekryze]

guess who’s still thinking about sabine’s decision to give up the map to baylan? that’s right, it’s me!

would sabine even have been able to destroy the map? probably not, but we don’t have to pretend she made a wise decision — she didn’t, and that’s okay. she made a choice based on emotion, and while it objectively wasn’t smart, it makes perfect sense for her character and for the story. she’s a flawed character and that’s okay!!!! (i am thinking about the percy jackson novels and how percy’s fatal flaw is his extreme loyalty — to save a friend he would sacrifice the world — sound familiar?)

now, would a jedi like ahsoka have made the same choice? eh, probably not. but although sabine is undergoing jedi training, she wasn’t raised as a jedi — she’s a mandalorian. her loyalty and motivations are tied to her family, to her clan — and in her mind that includes ezra. to understand why she made the choice she did, we have to understand that this is a sabine who is at a low point. her relationship with ahsoka is obviously still strained, and it seems like she probably doesn’t see hera and jacen that often (and presumably not zeb either). we also now know her family died on mandalore (RIP clan wren).

so for those reasons, sabine is holding on to her commitment to ezra because she feels it’s all she has left. he told her he was counting on her and even left her a special message separate from the rest of the ghost crew — and i think that haunts her. how could it not, when she’s living in his old home in lothal and watching over the planet in his absence? every day, she is surrounded by reminders of ezra. she even wields his lightsaber. of course she couldn’t give up the chance to find him again.

this brings me to what i’m worried / curious about… how far do they want to go? is dave writing us a tragedy? because when you think about it… sabine believes she made this choice for ezra, but if that choice results in thrawn’s return, then what was the point of his sacrifice? if thrawn’s return is related to the rise of the first order, ezra’s sacrifice only delayed the inevitable.

my nightmare scenarios are that ezra will either be a) unable to return home, rendering her decision pointless, or b) upset with sabine for what she did. but he also specifically told sabine her fight wasn’t over, so maybe he somehow foresaw this too.

thrawn is notably not mentioned in the sequel trilogy so maybe we’ll be surprised — maybe they’ll incorporate some elements from the thrawn novels and have him remain in a separate galaxy to deal with a larger threat, instead of contributing to the first order. maybe the real antagonist isn’t thrawn, but instead morgan or baylan/shin.

anyway. really all i want is for ezra and sabine to hug and for both of them to come HOME. ezra deserves to see the revitalized lothal. he deserves to see hera again. he deserves to meet his master’s son. he gave up so much and now it’s time for the universe to give some of that love back.

[locitapurplepink]

So. Main pairing is Kanan/Hera,

Also includes: Ezra, Zeb, Sabine and even Chopper are in as well.

“I can’t breathe, I don’t know what to do-- I can’t--“ -Hera

(Included: Hera, when she screams during a nightmare, has a carrying, haunting scream that everyone in the Ghost can hear, and is awoken by)

Thanks for requesting me @genericficerblog . I can give it a try with this one.

Night Scream

Kanan and Hera

There was a peaceful and quiet night at the ghost until they heard a loud scream causing the others woke up.

"Zeb, what's going on ?" Ezra asked to Zeb.

"Uh, I thought that scream was coming from you, kid." Zeb sighed as rubbing his eyes.

Then Sabine and Chopper opened the door and told them "Guys, we should check her out." Chopper beeped in agreement.

Meanwhile Kanan tried to wake Hera up "Hera, it's okay, dear. I'm here. Wake up." He shaked her up.

“I can’t breathe, I don’t know what to do-- I can’t--“ Heran screamed in her sleep.

Kanan reassured "Yes, you can. You're not there, Hera. It's okay." Then finally she awoke and screaming.

He gave her a hug "It's okay, dear. You're safe with me."

Hera starting to take breath slowly "That's it, my dear. Take a deep breath." He whispered.

Next, Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, and Chopper entered in Hera's room. "Here, Hera. You need this." Sabine passed a glass of water to her.

Hera drank her water then smiled "Thanks Sabine." Then Ezra asked "So what happened ?" "I just had a nightmare, Ezra. I'll be alright." She replied.

"Wanna tell us what's all about ? Your scream can be heard in this ship." Zeb said. "Guys, give her some time, I don't think she's ready... "

Hera cut Kanan's word as put her hand on his "It's okay, love. I think they need to know."

She sighed "I had nightmare that I was going to lose you guys." The others stared each other concernly as Chopper beeped sadly and rolled to Hera. He holded Hera's hand while Kanan put his arm around her shoulder.

"There was a big explosion at the space and suddenly I couldn't get us out in time. I lost your guys then myself." She told. Kanan touched her cheek "That's not happening, you're the greatest pilot I know."

The kids nodded in agreement so did Chopper. Ezra then asked "If you feel better, maybe...can you teach me how to fly ?"

Kanan and Hera chuckled "Sure Ezra. I will." She responded. Kanan smirked at her "That's what I want to hear it."

Zeb yawned "If you don't mind, I wanna go back to sleep. Good night." He went back to the room. "Call us if you need something." Sabine said as she, Ezra, and Chopper left them alone. "I will."

Kanan asked "You ready back to sleep ?"

"I hope so but can you stay with me ?"

"Of course."

Kanan and Hera laid down on the bed and cuddled each other. 10 minutes later. They fell asleep and the peaceful time began again for the rest of the night.

...

Hope you like this one.

[greensword101]

Ezra had gotten used to sleeping by himself at night ever since his parents were taken away. Getting a room on Ghost with Kanan as his roommate began to challenge that mindset.

Obviously, the two bonded quickly after that fated first day. And Kanan definitely decided that if Ezra needed a dad, he was going to be one to the kid.

Ezra would typically wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream and he had learned early on not to scream, or else it would draw attention. So the first time this happens on Ghost, Kanan wakes up to little Ezra silently thrashing in his sleep and his lips pursed shut.

He thought once the kid was woken up and assured it was just a dream, it would be the end of it. Not even half an hour later and Ezra is battling another nightmare. Quickly seeing a pattern, Kanan decides “Okay, maybe I should make sure he’s okay.” and brings Ezra into his cot without much thought. Then he gets an idea in his head to clear Ezra’s mind using the Force while he’s sleeping so the nightmares won’t appear again.

When Ezra wakes up in the morning, he’s confused as to why he’s in Kanan’s cot and why does he feel well-rested and why is Kanan hugging him like a stuffed animal? Kanan wakes up and it’s a bit awkward for both of them. Kanan, because he is new to the parenting thing and because he had never once had someone hold him like that before. And Ezra, because he wasn’t expecting anyone to give him comfort so quickly.

They don’t talk about it for the rest of the day and they both expect to not have another experience like the night before. This time, its Kanan that has the nightmare. Ezra wakes up to hearing his teacher mumble “No! Don’t shoot! Leave her alone!” It’s different for Ezra because Kanan is bigger and he isn’t entirely certain that trying to wake Kanan up will result in him getting accidentally hit in a half-dazed panic.

But Ezra just climbs into the cot and hugs Kanan as best as he can, not letting go despite how much the man was thrashing in his sleep saying  “Kanan, wake up! It’s just a bad dream!”

Kanan wakes up eventually and he looks so shaken from reliving his experience of Order 66 that he can’t speak. He doesn’t register Ezra hugging him until he almost falls back asleep. Then he realizes that there is an extra weight on his chest. He’s ready to attack when Ezra pipes up.

“It’s me!”

“...kid?!”

“Yeah...”

“Sorry...” Kanan breathes deeply, horrified that he was ready to attack his new Padawan in a moment of terror.

“It was a bad dream,” Ezra repeated the same words spoken to him the previous night.

Kanan nods weakly.

“I’m sorry...”

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

Kanan is stunned by the question. He wouldn’t have let Hera offer that up, it would make things even more muddled between them. But Ezra is just a kid and someone who is also used to being haunted in the night by bad memories.

Without a second thought, Kanan pulls the blanket over them both and tries to drift off to sleep. When that doesn’t work, Ezra’s hand plants itself on Kanan’s face.

“What are you doing?” Kanan sighed.

“Trying ta do that thing you did last night,” Ezra said innocently, “It took the bad thoughts away.”

“I...I used the Force to clear your mind. I don’t think you’re ready for that trick.”

“Well, you could tell me how you did it and I could try it.”

And so, Kanan ends up sitting on the cot while Ezra puts both his hands on his master’s head, concentrating like he was taught and following Kanan’s instructions as best as he could. If he felt that Ezra was going to do more harm than good, Kanan stops him and rewords his directions more clearly.

It’s given up as a lesson for another time, but Kanan still appreciates the effort. Ezra doesn’t go back to his cot and stays the night in Kanan’s bed again, this time to help the man sleep.

Over time, it becomes sort of a ritual for them to help the other fight off nightmares. Ezra still hasn’t gotten the hang of it, but what Kanan really needs at the moment is the same protective comfort he offers Ezra. The other crew members are aware of the two having sleeping troubles, but don’t mention it to Ezra or Kanan. The bags under Kanan’s eyes have faded significantly and Ezra isn’t so quick to scamper at sudden sounds anymore.

Kanan never mentions it, but Ezra has filled the role of Padawan rather well in spite of everything. A Padawan protects their Master and while Kanan is willing to fight the universe to keep his son safe, he’s touched to know that Ezra is willing to defend him from his dreams as well.

[warsamongstthestar-keen]

Chapter Seventeen

The trip back to the Phoenix Squadron is about halfway under way. The Clones are around the holo-table, playing a game of chess. Ezra is sitting across the room watching. Keen hasn't seen much of Kanan and Hera since getting back on the ship, but she has an inkling as to where they are.

Gregor cheers as the game comes to the close, clearly the victor. She smiles at them. "It's nice seeing you finally winning. This never would've happened if Anakin or Obi were here. Kriff, even Ahsoka would beat you."

"That's one thing we never did figure out. How to beat Generals Kenobi and Skywalker at chess," Rex grumbles.

Keen glances over, head resting on the palm of her hand, elbow on the arm rest. "That's simple, they cheated," she shrugs.

The Clones turn and look at her incredulously, until Rex grumbles, "Cody and I knew something was up, never could prove it though."

"You owe me twenty credits," Gregor grumbles at Wolffe.

"That bet ended when the Republic ended."

"I was honestly just waiting for you lot to figure it out."

Wolffe turns to look at her, "So, were you cheating too?"

"Who, me? Nah, that's just skill."

"I wanna see you win." Ezra calls.

"Gotta admit, Ezzie. I'm a bit rusty, but sure, I'll be more than happy to give it a shot."

"Might as well," Rex grunts, "Not like you can go to sleep. At least not for another couple of hours."

"What?" Ezra asks, standing to walk over to the table. "Why not?"

Keen looks over at him, "Possible concussion," she taps the side of her head, "You don't want to attempt sleep with a possible concussion. One might not wake up."

Ezra looks confused for a few moments, until the holo-chess game starts.

***

Kanan glances over at Hera, cheering and arguing heard from the common area. He pushes himself from the copilot seat, stepping out of the cockpit.

Walking back through the ship, he steps through the common area door, finding the Clones, and the rest of his crew gathered around the holo-table.

He stops just through the door, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. The rowdy bunch gathered about the table causes a smile to form at just the corners of his mouth.

"You haven't lost your game, General," Rex says. "You sure you aren't cheating?"

"Seriously? I told you I didn't cheat. I'm old, I've had lots of practice. Almost 300 years, and you don't think I can win on merit?"

"Now, I didn't say that," the Clone responds, as his K'lor'slug gets taken out. A few moments later, it's clear who the winner is, as the Ghost crew starts cheering. The Jedi Knight shakes his head, walking back up to the cockpit.

As he re-enters, the Twi'lek captain turns to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Don't worry about it. The kids deserve some fun after everything that's been happening."

"How are Keen and the Clones doing?"

"Leading the chaos."

Hera flips some switches, "They deserve to have some fun, too."

The Knight sighs, collapsing into his seat. "Honestly, I know you're right, but still, that face haunts me. Hera, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it."

The Twi'lek reaches over, a hand on his cheek. "You'll get used to it, it'll just take time."

Kanan looks at her, reaching up to hold her hand, "I hope you're right."

***

About a day later, the Ghost lands back on the leading Phoenix ship. The whole crew leaves the docking bay, to run into Ahsoka just through the door. She looks at them questioningly, a hopeful look glinting in her eyes.

The team steps aside to allow Rex passage to the Togruta. "Commander," he greets, "You got old."

"Had to happen sometime, Rex," she replies, stepping towards him. The ex-Jedi Padawan throws her arms around the Clone Captains shoulder, surprising him.

"I'm glad you're still alive," he says, returning the embrace.

"You too." Ahsoka pulls away from the hug.

Rex steps back sweeping an arm at the Ghost crew, "Well, I wouldn't be if it weren't for these guys."

"Thank you for trusting my friend," the Togruta says, addressing Kanan.

"It wasn't easy. It's still not."

"Nothing worth doing ever is," Keen tells him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The group turn to walk down the corridor, when from an adjacent one, Leia steps out. "Master," she calls, waving at the Jedi.

"Hey, Princess."

Ahsoka and Rex's eyes are immediately drawn to the Padawan, both pairs of eyes widening. The Jedi glances over at them, just out of the corner of her eyes. Kanan notices the looks, immediately walking over, drawing the princess under his shoulder, speaking in low tones. The other rebels follow, leaving Keen, Ahsoka, and Rex in the hall.

The Clone is the first to speak, a single eyebrow raising. "Care to explain, General?"

"Sorry?" she feigns ignorance.

"Do you want to tell us why she looks just like Senator Amidala?" he states more clearly.

"Or why her Force-signature resembles Skyguys?"

"Ah. Well. I guess I should've seen this coming. She's their daughter. She's got her mother's looks, but her father's temperament, no matter how much Bail tried to use diplomacy to make her more like her mother."

"Anakin had a daughter! And he never told me!"

Keen scrubs a hand through her hair, "Well, she was born the day the Jedi Purge began," she sighs. "The day Padmé died."

The three Clone Wars veterans each look down sadly, the pain from everything that happened still fresh in each of their minds.

End of The Lost Commanders/Relics of the Old Republic

[caddy-crystal-queen]

Wolf’s Heart

So I got a new story idea I wanted to show you guys. If you like it, I’ll continue it. It’s basically a fantasy AU where Ezra is captured by a werewolf and has to learn more about it in order to save the village he grows up in. It’ll swap character’s POV, but it’ll be in first person. Hope you guys like it. Enjoy! :D 

Chapter 1. Ezra

Everyone who grew up in the village knew about the wolf. The village elders claimed the land was cursed, that a deal with a demon of sorts had been made. Once a month, the wolf would take a tribute, a sacrifice of sorts, and in exchange leave the villagers at peace. For years, it went that way. Some say the uneasy peace lasted centuries even. But after so many years, the wolf added another condition. Once every seven years, on the night of the Blood Moon, a human had to be offered to the wolf from a family of its choosing. It was usually at random and the wolf would only accept young children. The village lived in fear of the night before the blood moon, when a newborn or toddler was to be taken from the poor family. 

Nobody to this day knows what happened to those kids. Most assume they’re eaten. The families with lost loved ones grieved, but like in all things, life went on. Besides the whole haunted by a wolf thing, the village itself was rather safe. The population wasn’t all that big and everyone knew everyone. We have festivals and fairs, and we celebrate special occasions. All in all, it was actually a nice place to live. 

I was adopted when i was eight by Kanan and Hera Jarrus, who ran their own farm in the village. While we were relatively well off, we preferred to do all the work ourselves. Sometimes we got help from relatives who were just coming to visit, like uncle Zeb and Aunt Ahsoka. But visits from there were rare and far between. We liked keeping busy, despite the time consuming work. I loved the animals too. We had horses, a few cows, a small herd of goats, and even a couple pigs. My job was mostly cleaning out pens and feeding the animals. Every so often I’d also collect some eggs for Hera from the small flock of chickens we had. I sometimes even got to help Kanan with repairs on pens and some machinery. Those were the best times to me really. 

But when I wasn’t working, I sometimes took walks around the village or spent time with my friend Sabine. She came from a family of hunters and they themselves had a personal vendetta against the Wolf. From what I heard, one of her mother’s closest friends was killed by the Wolf. It had marked her door the night before a Blood Moon, but she refused to give the baby to it. The village learned what happened when you didn’t obey the wolf. It killed the mother and stole the son by force, and the boy hadn’t been seen since. The woman and her child were Sabine’s godmother and god brother. Ever since, it was clan Wren’s mission to find and kill the beast. 

Our door was marked last month, and everyone knew it. My family and I were shunned for the most part, but Clan Wren didn’t. Ursa Wren, Sabine’s mother, knew how close we were, and offered to help our family if we needed anything. So far though we were making it. I found Sabine training as usual after a hard day’s work with the animals. 

“So...are you guys ready for tonight?” Sabine asked when she saw me and put her new silver blade away.  “We’ll be alright. It’s just Wolf Night. The Blood Moon isn’t for another year” I remembered, “Kanan’s putting a goat to the post for tonight”. 

In the center of the village were a pair of man made structures. The first was huge, sturdy wooden pole where animals were tied to once a month. The other was an altar like structure where kids and babies were left every seven years. In all the years I lived here, I never once saw grass grow in that area, not even in the best seasons. 

“Hopefully that all stops tonight” Sabine gazed at the pole intensely, “No one should have to lose anything to that monster”.  “Are you sure you guys are ready?” I asked, “I mean that thing’s probably ancient and seen all the traps in the books”.  “We have actual silver this time. A cut from a blade or dagger should be more than enough. We may not even have to actually stab it or anything”.  “Sometimes I wonder why it hunts us”.  “Because it’s a cowardly monster”.  “Well yeah I know that but have you ever wondered why it’s here, what it wants? Some actually say it can talk”.  “Ezra, I hate to tell you this, but it doesn’t want to talk. If it did, I’m sure a better understanding could possibly be made but for us it’s a monster, a beast that needs slaying”.  “But what if it actually did? I think it’d be kinda interesting to hear its side of things. I’m not saying I like what it does, I’m just curious I guess”.  “Well you know what they say about curiosity...just don’t tell that to Chopper” Sabine joked and I cracked a smile, “But in all seriousness, this isn’t some dog that can be captured and tamed. It’s a giant wolf that feasts on the flesh of the innocent. It has to be stopped, and if not by us then who?” 

I wanted to say something else but Hera called for me. “Ezra! It’s time to come in! Sun’s almost down”.  “Alright, be there in a minute” I turned and hugged Sabine, “Just be safe okay? Try not to get killed”.  “I’ll be fine” she hugged me back. “I’ve been training for this for years. I promise I’ll bring the village back its head”. 

I believed it but I still worried for Sabine. I watched from my room as Kanan tied a goat to the pole. Tonight I hoped to see the Wolf, alive or dead. The sun went down and a haunted eerie silence fell over the village. The silence was only broken as a single lonely howl sounded from the forest of coniferous trees somewhere in the distance. I sighed and worry made my stomach turn. It wasn’t that I didn’t have faith in Sabine or her training. I just couldn’t bear the thought of my friend dying by the creature’s fangs. When I was sure Kanan and Hera were asleep, I grabbed the hunting knife Kanan gave me for my birthday and carefully climbed out the window. I heard a harsh meow and turned to see Chopper staring at me on the front porch. Chopper was our resident mouse catcher, an orange tabby who wandered freely around the farm, and he seemed to be berating me. 

“What? You expect me let Sabine get killed? If things get to be too bad, I’ll run straight inside okay? I promise”. 

Chopper meowed and blinked, unconvinced. I sighed and facepalmed. 

“Whatever...” I took off with only the big full moon as my only light. 

The goat was still secured to the pole when I hid behind the altar. All I could possibly do now is wait and see what happened...