Tw: Violence, blood, children.

~Amita~

"Amita, run!" Wrecker shouted as he dodged a one of the creatures.

"I can't just leave you here!" I exclaimed. "You're the only tolerable one!"

I shot one of the animals that had lunged at him, making a clear path for him. He sprinted towards me, and we made out getaway into the forest.

"Where'd the others go?" I asked, weaving between trees.

"I dunno!" Wrecker yelled back.

I saw another one of the fanged creatures dart towards Wrecker, so I shot it. "There's too many of them!"

We reached the end of the woods, a cliff in front of us. I peered down, spotting a river far below with trees surrounding it. 

"We can't jump," I shook my head. "There's no way we'd survive that."

Six of the beasts crawled out from the forest, blood dripping from their mouths.

"What did they kill?" Wrecker cried out.

"What do you wanna do, mess with the animals or jump?" I asked.

Wrecker cringed as he looked down. "I'm not goin' down there."

"What are you two doing?" Crosshair asked as he ran out of the woods before spotting the creatures. "What the kark are those?"

A good question, that I would've asked Tech, if he'd not told Lily where I was. I was currently mad at him.

They had fangs that dripped with blood and shining grey coats of fur. Their red eyes gleamed, and they had six legs.

"How'd it go at the village?" I nervously laughed.

"Focus, Amita!" Crosshair hissed, slowly backing away from the growling animals.

"I'm trying to distract myself, okay?" I snapped. "This is a nightmare!"

Wrecker gasped with excitement. "Can I blow them up?"

I considered it for a second before nodding. "Go ahead."

Wrecker cackled and pulled an explosive out from his pack. He tossed it at them, and while they were distracted by the sudden blinking device, we ran past them.

A sudden explosion of heat at my back made me run faster, catching up to Crosshair with his long legs.

"Woo!" Wrecker cheered.

"So... about the village," Crosshair awkwardly said. "Turns out the animals killed everyone there before we got there."

My heart sunk into my stomach. "No one survived?"

Well," Crosshair hesitated, "one person survived."

"Why do you say it like it's a bad thing?" I questioned.

We reached the village, the blood soaked planks creaking beneath our feet.

"Thank kriff you're back," Hunter sighed in relief. "Do you have any experience with children?"

"What?" I narrowed my eyes. "Please don't tell me there's a kid somewhere here."

Tech held up the little thing, its pudgy face screwed up as it cried.

"Maker!" I screamed, cowering behind Wrecker. "Get that thing out of here!" 

"Does this frighten you?" Tech asked in amusement, holding up the infant.

Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm assuming you don't know anything about kids then?"

"Definitely not!" I glowered at it. "Cant we just... leave it here?"

"It would immediately get eaten by those beasts," Crosshair said. "So we'd have to hide it somewhere until it grows up and can fight."

"Good idea! Let's find a basket or something! Then we put it in there with a knife and we let it defend itself!" I started searching for a basket.

"We're not leaving it in a basket with a knife!" Hunter lectured. "We'll drop it off on someone's doorstep on Naboo or something."

"Who's doorstep?" Wrecker questioned.

"Yeah, do we pick a random doorstep or do we stalk someone for weeks until we figure out if they'd be a good parent?" I asked, building off Wrecker's question.

"We're not stalking anyone!" Hunter exclaimed.

"How will we decide who a reasonable guardian would be for the child then?" Tech wondered. 

"Death match?" Crosshair suggested. "We have a bunch of people fight it out, and whoever wins probably wanted it the most?"

"Or we let it decide," I said, pointing at the child.

"Kriff, will it shut up soon?" Crosshair cursed.

"Give it to me," I demanded.

Tech handed me the child, and I shook it roughly.

"Don't do that!" Tech screeched and grabbed it back.

"It's fine," I dismissively said.

Tech held it out at arms reach. "I doubt it. You just shook an infant!"

"I say we drop it off at an orphanage," Crosshair said, eyeing it in disgust.

"Finally! A good idea!" Hunter said, glaring at the rest of us.

"Wait, we're taking it in the ship with us?" I fearfully asked.

"What's the alternative? Strapping it to the outside of the ship?" Tech challenged.

"Fine, but it's not allowed to touch me," I grumbled.

"I will be sure to inform it of such," Tech sarcastically responded.

"We're really taking this little or'iv with us?" Crosshair scowled.

"We don't have a choice. We'll take it to Naboo and see if there's an orphanage," Hunter decided. "Let's go."

"Who's going to carry it?" Tech asked, wrinkling his face at it.

"I say we throw it between each other," I said. "Then no one has to hold it for long."

Wrecker raised his hand. "I'm in!"

"We're not using it like a ball!" Hunter shot my idea down. "We'll choose someone to hold it."

"Sacrifice! Sacrifice!" I chanted. "Sacrifice! Sacrifice!"

"Tech should do it," Crosshair chimed in. "He's already holding it."

"I believe that since I've already been maintaining physical contact with it for a while, that someone else should take over," Tech argued. "Why don't you do it, Crosshair?"

Crosshair looked at it in disgust. "I'm good."

"I say Hunter should do it," I snickered. 

Tech nodded. "I agree. He's the squad leader, and this role should fall to him."

"What?" Hunter said as Tech handed him the infant. "Fine. I'll do it."

"Hold it correctly," Tech scolded.

Hunter held it up by the arms. "How do I hold it?"

"Carefully," Tech instructed. 

"Very helpful," Hunter dryly said. "But really, is this okay?"

"Judging from the screaming, no it is not," Tech huffed and adjusted the baby in Hunter's arms. "There. This is the proper way to hold it."

"Why do you know this?" Crosshair questioned.

"No reason," Tech breezily said.

I dramatically gasped. "Do you have a kid hidden away somewhere?"

Tech gave me a filthy look. "No. I learn little bits of information in case they're ever useful."

We walked back to the ship, while Hunter held the thing in his arms. It was still screaming at the top of its lungs, waving its little arms.

"Why is it so loud?" Crosshair complained.

"I don't know, but I want it to shut up!" I scowled at it. "Can't we like, gag it or something?"

Tech blanched. "No you cannot!"

"What, like it's going to stop us?" Crosshair snickered. "With its tiny little arms?"

"We could just lock it in the 'fresher," Wrecker suggested. 

"We're not gagging it or locking it away!" Hunter exclaimed. "We'll deal with this like civilized people."

"Shoot it?" I said.

"What? No!" Hunter stared at me in disbelief.

"I obviously meant stun rays!" I rolled my eyes. "Obviously."

We returned to the ship, and put the baby on the ground.

"Does it need water or somethin'?" Wrecker asked.

"Doesn't it consume people?" I glanced up at the others.

"What the kark?" Crosshair pinched the bridge of his nose. "What the kark did you just say?"

"You know, it eats people," I repeated myself. "It sucks the life out of people?"

"Are you referring to how infants often suckle from their mothers?" Tech rubbed his face.

"Yeah, duh," I told him. "What did you think I meant?"

"I vote that Amita shouldn't be let near it," Crosshair said, glaring at me.

Everyone else muttered their agreements.

"Fine by me. The little or'iv scares me," I grinned.

I took a nap until we got there, and when we dropped it off at an orphanage, I stayed behind.

I don't like kids.

Mando'a translations:

Or'iv~~~~~ Shit

Double update!