Imperial times- Dantooine

Morning came, and the rebels started packing up. Tarik watched sullenly from the high grass, recognizing Mina helping fold up a tent. Derek had a pair of binoculars, scanning the general direction he�d disappeared in last night.

He finally caught sight of Tarik�s glowing orange eyes against the green of the grass. Tarik thought about moving away so he wouldn�t know where he was, but he stayed put where he�d seen him. Derek hadn�t hurt him, and he still liked him.

Derek picked up something from the ground, walking toward Tarik. Tarik ducked deeper into the grass, watching him approach.

"Tarik?" Derek called, he was close enough to see him, if he�d known where to look. Tarik chirruped, surprising him. "Hey, you all right?" Derek said, setting the pack he�d brought down and crouching down to Tarik�s level.

He peeped softly, "Not a freak," he said, sniffling.

"I know, I�m sorry. Mina just wasn�t thinking, I don�t think she really meant it that way, but that�s how it came out," Derek said, sitting on the ground next to Tarik. Tarik just sniffled, rubbing at his snout with the back of his hand.

"Mina okay?" he asked, peeping like a bird again.

"Yeah, she�s upset right now, she knows she hurt you pretty bad," Derek said, setting a hand on Tarik�s shoulder comfortingly. He snorted, curling his tail around his leg.

"Hey, anyway, um, I brought this stuff, in case you really do stay," Derek said, picking up the oversized backpack from where he�d left it.

"I�ve got a medpack, some packaged rations, this thing that starts a fire," he said, rummaging through the pack. He held up a little rectangular object that spit out a small lick of flame when he flicked a switch.

"Might come in handy, unless you know a better way," Derek said, smiling a little. Tarik shook his head no as Derek dropped the thing back into the pack after deactivating it.

"There�s also this," he said, pulling out a larger rectangular thing like Tarik had never seen. "This is one of our survival guides, it says what�s good to eat and what�s dangerous around here," Derek said, then looked over at Tarik.

"Um, I never though to ask, but," he paused uncertainly, "You can read, right?"

Tarik snickered, "Mees read, read two speaking," he said as Derek opened the little book.

"Okay then, this will tell you some stuff about how to live here. It�s not much, but everything here�s pretty safe, except the natives on the other end of the valley," Derek said.

Tarik snorted, "People?" he asked.

"Yeah, but don�t worry, they�re not as advanced as us wonderful people, they still use sticks and rocks to fight wars, not blasters and Stormtroopers," Derek said jokingly.

Tarik sniffled, "More people to throw things at me," he grumbled, then hiss/snickered. Derek snickered, then shook his head.

"We�ve all got to be crazy. We drag you out of the city into the wilderness, then the girl you love volunteers you to get left behind like part of the scenery." Tarik growled, but Derek kept talking.

"Tarik, you�re both nutty as a holiday loaf. You and Mina like each other, but she can�t see past the scales and claws. Of course you�d probably like to see her in scales and claws, maybe with a set of those pointy wind-sails you call ears stuck to her," he said. Tarik snickered again, flicking the points of his ears back.

"No that big," he grumbled, pivoting them both forward as far as he could. They both laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, put those things away before a stiff breeze comes along and blows you back to Coruscant," Derek said, closing the backpack. Tarik snickered, then flicked his tongue thoughtfully.

"Mina maybe look good green," he said with a playful shrug. Derek shook his head.

"You�re one weird little weirdo, Tarik," he said, smirking.

"I�m gonna miss you, scaly," Derek said sadly.

"Mees miss you and others," Tarik said, chirping softly. He pivoted one ear toward the grass behind them as something rustled, making a peeping sound. Tarik growled softly, flicking his tongue hungrily.

"Dinner?" Derek teased quietly as Tarik looked over at the clump of grass. He hiss/snickered.

"Maybe me like here too much," he said quietly, then looked back toward the peeping bird.

"Just watch out, those things have a lot of meat on them, and the males have talons," Derek said.

Tarik snorted, "Mees catch before, them no have chance to scratch," he growled menacingly, watching the bird hop through the grass a short distance away.

Derek covered his eyes with his hands, "Go ahead, but I�m not gonna watch," he said, peeking through his fingers at Tarik. He caught a blur of green and muscle, then heard the bird silenced in mid-peep. Tarik hopped back to him, spitting out a feather.

"Blagh, there tooth brushing thing in bag too?" he grumbled, scratching at his snout.

"If not, I�ll get you one," Derek said, smirking in amazement at the green creature as he set the lifeless bird down next to him. "Are you coming back to say goodbye?" Derek asked as Tarik scratched again.

He flicked his tongue slowly, "Maybe," then he growled softly, "No," he said, "No come."

Derek nodded, "I�m sorry," he said, reaching out and pulling off a downy feather that was stuck to Tarik�s snout.

"Mees to," Tarik said softly, chirping sadly.

Derek stood, "I gotta get back," he said, looking toward the camp. Tarik nodded, picking up the survival guide.

"Where page to cook bird?" he grumbled, leafing through the book.

"It�s on page number....oh, there, you got it," Derek said as Tarik found the right page.

"Goodbye, Tarik," Derek said sadly.

"Bye Derek," Tarik said, standing up. "Be careful, no get shot. Come visit," he added, pointing a clawed finger at Derek.

"All right, I�ll be careful, and I�ll come visit sometime, okay?" Derek said, taking a step away.

"Okay," Tarik chirped. He half crouched in the grass, watching him go. He clicked to himself sadly, studying the bird.

"Now no hungry," he grumbled miserably, rubbing at his cheek and sniffling.

Derek arrived back at the camp with a few curious glances cast at him.

"Is he coming down?" Mina asked, folding one of the collapsible tent-poles.

"No," Derek sighed, "He�s still hurting pretty bad," he said, stopping across from her. She nodded sadly.

"I�m sorry, I don�t know what else to say," she said.

Derek shook his head, "I�m not the one to tell," he said, looking back toward the high grass. "And he�s not ready to hear it yet," he added with a sigh. Mina folded another pole in silence.

"I�ve never had someone fall in love with me before," she mused.

"Too bad he still hasn't," Derek said softly, walking away. Mina looked up toward the grass where Tarik was hiding. She caught glimpse of him watching her, then he disappeared into the grass again.

She started folding another pole unhappily, turning away from Tarik�s position. It had been easier to think of him as an overgrown lizard with a crush than a person who had slowly fallen in love with someone.

Now she�d hurt him badly, and she might never see him again. Like it or not, she actually did like him, not the kind of feelings he�d developed, but she liked him. She�d treated him like a giant pet that could speak, even now she still found it hard to place a rational and emotional being behind those luminous orange eyes and green scales.

More than that, he�d risked death to save them, and risked worse than death by confronting Darth Vader in an attempt to save them.

She had to stop packing the tent as she started crying. She set the half-folded pole on top of the rest of the tent, walking off, wiping at her face with her sleeve. How could she have been so stupid, so uncaring, so blind, so arrogant..... so human, she thought.

She found a place behind one of the prefab bunkers that was waiting to be dismantled and sat down, crying. She wanted off this planet, she never wanted to come back here, never wanted to see Tarik again, not after the way she�d treated him. She didn�t care what far-flung corner of the galaxy she ended up in, as long as it was far, far away from this place and from Tarik.

This had just turned into the worst week of her life.

----on to Part 5 of Chapter 5---

© 2000 Michelle Petrosky

-Back to Tarik's Page

Return to the Main Page