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Lana. Human form.
Xyshari. Cathar form.

"What are we doing again?" Lana asked, holding the bag with the Tuskow t-bone out at arm's length.

"We're looking for a lost animal, Lana," Xyshari replied simply, her ears perked forward as she knelt to the ground, one claw-tipped hand grazing the ground as the other was rested against her leg.  "You forget, Lana, this was one of my specializations in the Order.  I sought out and helped care for animals that could not care for themselves on their own."

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"Well, yes, but... a meat-eating reverse-runt chick?" Lana asked.  "It seems a little... incredulous to me if you ask."

"Maybe it's a sub-breed," Xyshari offered.  "Mutations aren't completely out of the question..."

"But an otherwise-herbivorous species--" Lana began.

"Rooskens may be granivores, yes," Xyshari said, "but it is entirely possible that one could develop a liking for meat.  Why it would, I'm not sure, but... it is possible," she said.

"I will... never understand," Lana finally admitted, halfway shrugging and sighing.

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"Really, it's just... something that I enjoy," Xyshari said.  "Have I ever told you about the time my friend, Feya, and I came across a Ralltiir tiger?" she asked.

"You had not," Lana said apprehensively.  "Love, aren't those...?"

"...incredibly volatile creatures when they enter a blood rage?  Yes," Xyshari said.  "This one was just a cub, and was more curious than anything else.  I was able to successfully convince it to go back into the forest, though, although it kept trying to follow me."

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"Considering you're still alive, either you were able to counter its blood rage," Lana said, "or..."

"My parents made me chase it back into the woods," Xyshari said.  "And I'm sure that the clan's hunters... followed up on the fact that I did, indeed, chase it out.  When they're not in a blood rage, we're content to live and let live.  But the only thing that can sate a blood rage is the taste of blood.  The hunters would do what they needed to survive."

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"Your home was... very tribal, then?" Lana asked.

"Most Cathar that choose not to live in locales like Taris are," Xyshari said.  "It's how we lived back on Cathar, and it's our core," she explained, taking a tentative sniff at the air.  "I think it might be over this way," she said, indicating ahead of her.  Lana nodded, although she folded her arms slightly and smiled--just a hint of a smile.

"It's really interesting that you're able to pick up on things like that," Lana commented.

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"It doesn't... put you off any, does it?" Xyshari asked, standing up and dusting off her pants.  "Sometimes I don't... think about it, and I just do things that I did back in my pride back on Ralltiir."

"My love, you behaving how you are doesn't put me off," Lana said, beginning to walk off in the direction that Xyshari had indicated.  "If it did, then I would not deserve you... and frankly, I'm still wondering what I did to deserve you."

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"And you think you're the only one wondering that?" Xyshari shot back with a chuckle, shaking her head as she took the lead.  "I could ask you the selfsame question, Lana.  What did I do to deserve you?"

"Maybe we both did something that we're not quite aware of," Lana said, looking around with her hand up to shield her eyes.  "Either way, the sooner we find this chick, the sooner we can get back to what we were doing before, right?"

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"We'll see what happens, ra svet," Xyshari replied.  "For all we know, there may be another one out there that we'll need to find, or we may happen across someone else that needs our help.  You know me; I cannot turn a blind eye to someone that needs my aid."

"And that is something that I love about you, my dear," Lana said with a small smile.  "It does not matter if to you what a person's circumstances are; you help them anyways."

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"It is the Jedi way to help those in need," Xyshari said plainly.  "In my opinion, it does not matter if you are Republic, Imperial, Jedi, Sith... if you need help and I come across you, I will do everything in my power," she said.  "Helping you when we took down the Order of Revan... that was both business and pleasure.  It started as business at first."

"Yes, and then there was the first forward remark you made to me," Lana said as she looked around, her yellow-orange eyes scanning the landscape.

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"Honestly, I didn't think that remark was particularly forward," Xyshari admitted.  "However, your response... intrigued me, made me want to investigate further," she said, scanning the horizon.  "Hey... I think I see something out that way," she said, pointing out into the distance.

"I think you're right," Lana said, squinting again.  "How can you even...?"

"My eyesight's good, but it's better at night," Xyshari said passively.  "Just like my hearing and scent are rather exceptional."

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Obligatory time skip...

"Okay... according to what Theron was told at the Saloon, there's another one out here still," Xyshari said, lowering her hand from her comm.  "Apparently she managed to lose two, but only saw one of them running off," she said, and Lana heaved a sigh as she shook her head.

"Her eyesight must really be in a bad way if she managed to miss two meat-eaters slipping out," Lana said.

"Or maybe she was never aware of the second until just now," Xyshari offered.

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"You wouldn't suggest something like that without evidence to back it up, my love," Lana said after a few moments, folding her arms.  "Explain."

"What if, in order to get larger portions, these two alternated who showed up for what feeding--never being seen at the same time?" Xyshari ventured.  "She would have only learned about the second if she was closely examining their pens for signs of where they could have gone.  It is something that some animals do if they want more food... sometimes," she said, shrugging.  "It's only a theory, though."

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"I've heard that Tuk'ata do something similar, but I've never witnessed it," Lana said, shaking her head.  "I never really ventured into the beast pens in the academy, because those Tuk'ata were purposely starved so that they would... attack more viciously if an acolyte 'happened' upon them at the 'wrong time', if you take my meaning," she said, and Xyshari let a low growl escape her.

"I do, unfortunately," she said, shaking her head.  "I could never imagine taking my companions into battle with me.  Chylisha might still like to gnaw on my armor from time to time, and Nashah would strike fear into the hearts of anyone who lays eyes on her at first glance, but both of them are otherwise harmless."

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"If I'm understanding correctly, though, the Jedi's focus on working with animals isn't to use them in combat at all--it's to rehabilitate and rehome them, correct?" Lana asked, and Xyshari nodded as she knelt to the ground once more, scenting the air as she extended her senses outwards in the Force.

"That's right," Xyshari said distantly.  "Companions like Nashah and Chylisha were exceptions--they were raised by the beastmasters as infants, as they were separated from their mothers in one form or fashion or another, so they never learned some of those crucial skills.  If I were to let Chylisha loose in the mountains on Alderaan... well, she'd be killed.  First, her coat is different, so she'd be easier to spot.  Second, she never learned to hunt for food."

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"So, rehabilitate and rehome if possible, otherwise care for until they've met their end peacefully," Lana asked, and Xyshari nodded.

"Correct," she said, her voice still distant as she closed her eyes now, as well.  She allowed herself to center in the Force, allowing it to extend her senses beyond mere sight and sound.  After several minutes, she opened her eyes again.  "Further north," she said finally, nodding.

"How are you able to do that so easily?" Lana asked.