[Junior Jedi Knights] - 01(23)

At that very moment a shaggy creature with brown and green fur stuck its long nose out of the hole. Artoo bleeped in surprise. Tahiri leapt backward.

“They only eat plants,” Anakin laughed. The runyip popped out of the hole and darted into the jungle. Anakin watched its white - spotted tail bounce into the distance. Then he turned back to the droid and helped lift him out of the hole.

“Which way should we go?” Anakin asked his friend.

Tahiri shook her head. “Well, I guess we should head this way,”

Anakin said as he pointed into the jungle. “I’m not sure it’s the right way back to the academy, but it’s better than just standing here.”

“Ikrit, Ikrit, Ikrit,” the furry animal on Artoo’s head whistled.

“That’s a lot of help,” Tahiri muttered.

Artoo began to beep-beep repeatedly. Then he rolled away from the group.

“Artoo is saying no,” Anakin said as he stopped in his tracks. “We must be heading the wrong way-let’s follow the droid.”

Tahiri nodded. Tahiri and Anakin began to follow Artoo. For several minutes Tahiri was silent. This was a rare occurrence, but Tahiri was thinking. How were they going to persuade Luke Skywalker not to kick them out of the academy? They had broken one of Luke’s rules. Tahiri wondered if she should take the blame for Anakin. She couldn’t stand the idea that he might get kicked out. It was vitally important for him to become a Jedi. Anakin’s whole family was strong in the Force. He was meant to be a Jedi. If he was returned home he would be so ashamed, she said to herself. And worst of all, he would never have the chance to complete the important task that had drawn both of them to raft the river of Yavin 4.

If Tahiri was sent back to Tatooine no one would really care, she reflected sadly. The Sand People would just take her back. It didn’t matter to them whether she was a Jedi or not. They only cared about searching for water and other treasures. She was just another worker to them. That thought made Tahiri a little sad. She wished that she had a family. People that worried about her. People who cared what happened to her.

“Anakin,” Tahiri began in a firm voice. “I’m going to take the blame for you.”

Anakin stopped in his tracks and stared at his friend. “How can you even think I’d let you do that, Tahiri?”

“Listen to me,” Tahiri said, staring up into Anakin’s eyes. “I don’t have any family. No one cares if I get sent back home. But there are a lot of people counting on you to be a great Jedi Knight like your uncle. Don’t you see, I didn’t even know what a Jedi was a few weeks ago. It doesn’t matter if I’m returned to Tatooine. I don’t have a destiny to fulfill.”

“What you’re saying isn’t true,” Anakin interrupted her. “It’s true that I would be ashamed if I was sent back home, but we don’t know for sure that that will happen. I believe in my heart that I’m meant to be a Jedi Knight. But so are you. Tionne and Uncle Luke wouldn’t have brought you to Yavin 4 if you weren’t strong in the Force. And even if you aren’t that important to the Sand People, you’re important to me. I’m your family now. I care about what happens to you. And there is no way I would let you take the blame for what we did together. We’re a team.”

Tahiri smiled. Then the two friends turned to follow Artoo through the jungle. Neither knew at that moment for sure whether they were headed toward or away from the academy. Giant Massassi trees surrounded them. They could see woolamanders and runyips darting through the jungle. They were unsure if they were lost, but Artoo kept rolling forward, Ikrit still perched on his dome.

“He seems to know where he’s going,” Tahiri said. Anakin shrugged. He hoped Tahiri was right. They had been walking in the jungle for an hour. It was past midnight.

“We just can’t get kicked out of the academy,” Tahiri said to her friend as they walked beneath the giant Massassi trees. “If that happens we will never get to return to the palace. And we’ll never learn about the golden globe. Something is very wrong inside that globe, Anakin,” Tahiri said softly. “And we’ve got to figure out what it is.”

Anakin was quiet.

“I don’t mean to interrupt your thoughts, Anakin,” Tahiri said a bit sarcastically, “but just in case we are actually close to the academy, I think we should figure out just what we are going to tell your Uncle Luke.”

“If we tell him the truth, we’ll be in big trouble,” Anakin said.

“Those aren’t the same words you used in the palace,” Tahiri countered thoughtfully. “When I asked you what would happen if we were discovered near the golden globe, you said that a feeling of dread and the voice inside your head had told you that `everything will be lost.’ What exactly does that mean?” Tahiri asked.