When you are traversing the wild and untouched landscapes of the savannah, just remind yourself that you are never the apex predator. The vast and desolate area of sand, rocks, dead and ancient trees are all the same blood-orange color for a simple reason: to hide your worst nightmare from your sight, the Akul. A large, quadrupedal and orange furred mammal, the Akul are the top predators that hunt all sorts of bovine, dog, hooved and giant mammals. Using their extraordinary sense of smell, they can trace your scent from days long past and track you down without mercy.

Throughout the Savannah, tall and wispy Turu-grass stretches out into long ranging fields. Watering holes are sparse and spread thin, and the terrain offers little safety from the blazing sun that hangs overhead. When the sun retreats and gives way to moonlight, the Savannah becomes almost chill, but the night is dark and full of wild creatures. In the Savannah, it’s hunt or be hunted.

Kordath rocked back in his chair, whistling a tune as his head repeatedly tapped against the hull of the Bleusmobile. He had been waiting almost two hours and the heat was starting to rise. Wind trickled past his face, teasing his beard with thoughts of chiliness. His head moved unconsciously with the wind, letting it tangle his white hair into a mess; not that it was ever tidy. The Seer shuffled his Sabacc deck over and over as he watched the Turu-grass sway in the breeze.

The little patch of savannah he picked out was unusually peaceful. Shili was known for its abundance of all manner of beasts, but the area had been quiet since the Arconan touched down. Letting out a long sigh, he dropped the cards at the base of his chair.

“Frak!” Kordath shouted as he slammed his hand into the hull of his ship. “Where tha bleedin’ ‘ell are yah?” Sure, his message was a bit cryptic, but he had heard that Droveth was smart. Hopefully he’d figure it out. A small black dot formed on the horizon, and the Ryn could feel the Knight approaching. He jumped up and dusted himself off.

Droveth slid his speeder bike to a halt a few yards from the Seer. He jumped off the seat and stormed towards Kordath, fingers clenched with rage. The midday sun caused the sweat to glisten off his bald head, but the Arconan thought he could almost see steam.

“A scavenger hunt? A scavenger hunt!?” the Knight roared as he got right in Kordath’s face. Maybe the Seer was testing him, or maybe he just wanted to have a little fun.

“I ‘ad to see if yer as good as they say.”

“26 hints? Was any of it necessary?!” Droveth was fuming as he reached down and removed his right boot, holding it so the sole was facing Kordath. “All for a set of coordinates and a ‘From Kordath’? And how the hell did you get it on the bottom of my boot?”

“That’s nae important,” Kordath rolled his eyes as he spoke. “What’s important is that yer here. Nae on time, mind yah, but yer here.” The Knight limped a few feet forward towards the Seer.

“And what am I here for, then?”

“Yer gonna fight me.” Droveth chuckled half-heartedly as Kordath spoke and chucked his boot at his head. The Ryn brought his elbow up and deflected it to the right far into a field of tall Turu-grass, disappearing into the brush. “You'll be missin’ that boot real soon.”

“Fine, we can fight. I’m already pissed off.” The Human began to reach up into his armor to retrieve his hilt, but the Seer raised his hand and shook his finger.

“Nae like that, mate. With yer fists. And mine.” The two men smiled and nodded, each taking their respective stances. Kordath moved loosely, stepping back and forth and swaying his arms; Droveth stood with knees bent and arms low. Both were trying to read their opponent's movements, with little success.They circled for a few moments, eyeing each other down. It was Kordath who swung first, grazing the Human at the tip of his chin as he moved his head back. The Jedi shook off the attack and tried to grab his arm to shift his momentum, but the Arconan sidestepped to the left and pushed Droveth back.

“Yer gonna ‘ave to try ‘arder than that, baldy.” Kordath giggled as he jumped back from a lunge. Droveth stumbled forward but caught his balance before he fell, spinning and bring his elbow up to the Ryn’s temple. Kordath ducked the strike and jabbed the Jedi in his side, forcing the air from his lungs. The Arconan jumped back as the Knight doubled over, gasping for air.

Droveth stood back up and looked towards Kordath, but movement behind him caught his eye. The tall Turu-grass was rustling, but the wind had stopped. The Seer noticed his opponent staring and grinned.

“Not gonna fall fer that, mate. Oldest trick in tha book.” Droveth ignored Kordath, raising his finger and pointing behind the Ryn, eyes wide with concern. He turned and looked out on the field, watching the movement come closer and closer. Suddenly the rustling stopped, and the Knight’s boot soared out over the grass and landed between them. Half of it was gnawed away, and what remained was covered in a thick saliva.

“Bloody ‘ell, that’s terrifyin’.”

"Should we find higher ground?" asked the Jedi, already trying to come up with a plan.

"What bleedin' higher ground ya twit?"

"Really!? Name calling?"

"Oi, you threw the blasted boot ya daft bastard, drew it right to us!"

Kordath glanced from the rustling grass to his sparring partner, mind churning out ideas and discarding them just as quickly. Whatever was out there, from what little he knew of this world, it was likely something with big teeth and likely hungry and mad. Maybe if the Human pulled that pistol from its holster and got to shooting the dry, meter high grass...because the only thing better than a big, pissed off predator was one that was on fire. Bleu discarded that idea as well.

A glance the other direction showed the open boarding ramp of his ship. He could always just leave the poor hairless Jedi out here for whatever wanted to eat his other boot. His line of thought was interrupted when the beast finally made its appearance, charging out of the Turu-grass with a bellow that the Ryn felt resonate in his chest. It was big, it was orange, and he'd been right about the blasted teeth.

"Your fault!" he snapped at Droveth, diving to the side as the beast charged between them. It was broad enough for the tactic to be sound, easily wide enough to knock both of the men down. Kordath had a mental image of tenderized meat, wondering if the Akul--if he recalled what he'd read about the planet when arranging the meeting correctly--trampled its prey after knocking it down.

As he regained his footing, he looked over to see the bald Human had avoided death as well. The man was digging into the cuirass of his armor as the predator rounded and stared them down with beady little red eyes.

"Kark me," muttered the Ryn, grabbing one of the grenades off his belt. The beast's head turned abruptly to focus on Droveth when a snap-hiss echoed through the clearing of laid down grass. A blazing green lightsaber was suddenly in the taller man's hands, and the eyes of the monster seemed to follow it unerringly.

The Akul snorted, pawing the ground before charging at the Jedi, mouth opening to attack the man. Droveth stood his ground until the beast was almost upon him, before leaping unnaturally high into the air, spinning and slashing across the back of the creature's neck. Burnt hair and flesh could be smelled even as far as where Kordath stood, grenade still in hand, waiting.

When the Jedi landed, he looked confident until he turned to see the Akul hadn't fallen. It looked murderously angry and disoriented, but it hadn't laid down to die. The Arconan shook his head and pulled the pin, tossing the grenade towards the pair. He turned his head aside and took the ringing in one ear as an acceptable downside, blinking and looking back to see if anything had happened.

Droveth had dropped his saber and was clutching his ears, his mouth opening and closing making a noise akin to 'mab, mab' as he tried to work the ringing out. The Akul was leaving a trail of trampled grass in its wake as it charged back into the surrounding savannah.

"Huh, that worked," the Ryn thought with a smirk, walking over to check on the Odanite. "OI, YOU OKAY!?"

The Human glared up at him through slitted eyes, still dealing with the aftereffects of the flash grenade and not appreciating the shouting.

"I HAD IT!" spoke the man, louder than necessary.

"No need ta shout, mate, ya did just fine, right? Come on, get up, I'll get ya a dri--OI!" cried out the Arconan in surprise. The man grabbing one of his legs and pulling it out from under him was unexpected, even with the Force calling out a warning. Kordath had figured it had something to do with the Akul, not the Jedi on the ground.

He landed on his tail, harshly jarring the sensitive appendage.

"Okay, ow, that was nae needed, mate," he said, sounding hurt as the Odanite stood up. "Help me up, eh?"

Droveth took his outstretched hand, levering the Ryn off the ground and then using the momentum to hurl him over his knee and onto the Arconan's back.

Right, they'd been fighting, recalled Kordath as he sucked wind.

The Knight stretched his hand out and pulled his hilt with the Force, tucking it securely back into his armor. Kordath wheezed on the ground behind him, rolling over to relieve the pain in his tail. Droveth turned and eyed the Seer as he began to stand. He reached out with his bare foot and kicked the Ryn in the back with his heel, causing him to slip again.

“My fault?” the Jedi inquired sarcastically as Kordath stood, “You called ME here, Arconan. And you just threw a grenade at me.”

“Actually, mate, I threw it at that big ol’ beasty come tumblin’ out the brush, yah see it?” Kordath spat back, stepping forward and pointing out towards the tall Turu-grass, then to the destroyed boot on the ground. “Your fau-”

Droveth swung an uppercut and cracked the Ryn in the jaw with his left hand, clattering his teeth together as he spoke. Kordath noticed just a second too late and his head rolled back from the blow. The Knight quickly struck with his right, aiming for the temple of the disoriented Seer. Bleu barely ducked the attack, Droveth’s fist only grazing the bridge of his nose.

As Kordath ducked down, he slid a pair of brass knuckles onto his right hand. Droveth brought his knee forward to strike the Arconan in the face, but he raised his elbows and blocked the attack, brushing it aside. The Seer lunged upward from the momentum, uppercutting the Jedi in one fluid motion.

A combination of saliva and fragments of teeth flew from the Jedi’s mouth as he recoiled from the strike, landing on his back with a crash. He rolled over and coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the dirt. The Odanite could faintly hear Kordath talking a few feet from him, but he struggled to maintain consciousness. Droveth closed his eyes and sent the Force throughout his body, attempting to fight the pain coursing through him.

“That was a dirty move, Jedi, did nae expect that from yah. Part of why I called yah out here, ta see if yah had what it takes.” Kordath paced beside the downed Knight, waving his hands as he spoke. “Expected a wee bit more, if yah ask me.”

The Human peeked out at Bleu as he paced before him, waving the brass knuckles in the air freely. He subtly shifted his hand over to get a better angle, carefully watching his opponent’s movements. The Jedi reached out and pulled the knuckles with the Force, ripping them from the Seer’s hand and into his own. He rolled over and jumped up, sliding the weapon onto his left hand.

“What the...” Kordath trailed off as he observed Droveth’s actions. This Jedi was not like the others. He looked past the blood dripping from the Knight’s lip, past the scar on his cheek and the sweat on his head. He could see determination, grit, stubbornness even. A fire burned behind his eyes.

Droveth spit the fresh blood from his mouth, grinning a broken red smile at his opponent. The Seer chuckled and slid another pair of brass knuckles onto his fist.

“Yer a pretty funny guy, baldy, I’ll give yah that.” Kordath feigned a swing and the Knight barely dodged away, grunting as he moved. "Quick too. I like that.”

“I shink my jaw might be broken,” the Odanite grunted, shaking his head slightly. Both men let out a laugh and Kordath dropped his fists, slipping off the brass knuckles and tucking them away. Droveth followed suit, dropping his hands to his sides and allowing the weapon to fall to the ground.

“Yer alright in my book, mate.” Kordath reached out and put his hand on the Knight’s shoulder, retrieving his pack of cigarettes and removing two. He put one in his mouth and held to other up in front of Droveth’s face. “You smoke?” The Odanite shook his head ‘no’, but reached up and grabbed the cigarette anyway.

“Here.” The Seer reached up and lit his own, then handed the lighter to Droveth. The two men walked over to the Bleusmobile, Kordath slamming down into his chair and the Jedi sitting crosslegged beside him. The Arconan let out a long sigh as he blew a cloud of smoke, looking down at the Knight wiping the blood from his face and wincing at the pain from his damaged jaw.

“You want a drink?”

Kordath fought for air as he stared up at the pinkish sky, wondering why he'd thought this was a good idea. At least the Human hadn't come at him with the lightsaber. Yet. He looked over to see Droveth still shaking his head; concussive blasts were a pain to get over at times. Bleu rolled over and groaned, pushing himself to his feet. His back was sore and his arse hurt from where his tailbone had been jarred. He was getting tired of this, and he was pretty sure the injuries were going to slow him down.

He was right. When the Odanite turned and took up his stance once more, elbows bent and hands before him. The Human stepped quickly towards him, something the Ryn should have easily avoided if not for the stiffness in his back and having had the wind knocked out of him. One of those bent arms wrapped quickly through the crook of Bleu's shoulder. The taller man used the advantage of his height and momentum to pivot, lifting him up into the air once more.

Oh kark, not again.

The wind rushed from his lungs anew when Droveth slammed him into the ground, his boots landing last as his legs trailed behind him on the arc down. While Kordath clutched at his diaphragm, gasping for air, the Jedi knelt down and planted his knees on either side of the Ryn's chest, pinning his arm to his side.The Odanite leaned forward to grasp his left, pushing it to the ground.

Kordath squirmed, his dominant arm becoming trapped against his own body as the Human fought to restrain his offhand. The struggling intensified as he regained his breath, right up until Droveth laid his free right arm against his throat, pushing down gradually. Bleu was going to start turning blue soon if he didn't manage something, and drew desperately upon the Force. He pushed the energies to his muscles, trying to ignore the dwindling air supply and blood flow to his brain as Droveth pushed down harder.

"Yield, Arconan, I think we've shown I'm the better fighter here," grunted the Human. He felt the Ryn struggle beneath and then go abruptly still. The Jedi was well aware he'd not held down hard enough, or long enough, to kill the Arconan, but he may have accidentally knocked the man out. It was somewhat of a surprise to him when he felt a fuzzy appendage wrap around his neck, the tuft on the tip tickling his chin.

Bleu lifted both legs as well as he could into the air, giving his tail more clearance and throwing them forward in an attempt to gain momentum. His tail and lower body, fueled by the Force, jerked Droveth backward, removing the forearm laid across his windpipe and tossing the Jedi off him. Coughing, the Arconan rubbed at his sore neck and sat up, glaring at the Odanite who now sat before him.

"Was that your tail?" asked Droveth, sounding confused and a little put off.

"Use what ya got, eh?"

"You said hand to hand, that was cheating," grumbled the Jedi, standing up and holding a hand out to the Ryn.

Kord gave it a skeptical look before accepting the assistance to stand up. He stretched and turned his body this way and that to try and loosen the kinks.

"So?"

"So what, mate?"

"What was the point of this!?" shouted the bald man, throwing his hands up and gesturing at the makeshift arena.

Kord rolled his shoulders and worked his neck a bit, "Yer boss is a mate, said ta give ya a go, see how ya'd do against a proper scrapper when it came down ta fists. Ya did okay, I suppose."

The Ryn shrugged and walked back to the chair he'd been sitting in when Droveth arrived. He dug through his coat which was hanging over the back of it, before turning back to the taller man. He grinned when he saw the Jedi start to lift his hands in defense.

"Calm it down, mate, just some after tha fight refreshments, yeah?" spoke the Arconan, popping the top off the bottle of amber liquid and taking a long swig. He wiped his mouth clean with the sleeve of his dirty shirt and held out the beverage for the other man.

"Ya did fine, mate, ya did fine."