The smell of fresh water stung the little girl's delicate nostrils and she grimaced. Her home world was composed of salt waters and sandy canals and there were few lakes or rivers to be found anywhere, except at the freezing poles. There was little life in the fresh waters of her world and certainly none of her species would be found living there.
Mon Calamarians were born into the salt laden seas and that's where they remained. To do otherwise would invite sickness and injury, not to mention eternal banishment from your family and fellows.
Bant always shuddered at that thought, the notion of being utterly alone, and it made the smell of the lake water surrounding her that much more unattractive. For a brief moment, she thought about her home, her mother and her siblings, and blinked back the pain of having little more of them besides memories.
On the day of her birth she'd been named after the youngest daughter of the moon goddess . . . supposedly the patron of inner peace. Her symbol was the t'arn reef, coral underwater creatures that could change their color at will, blending in when danger approached, flaring brightly when the tides changed their course.
Bant's Force sensitivity had been discovered rather late; her memories of her family were still clear, as was the memory of her home world. She missed it often; the land bound mass of Coruscant was strange to her, and while all efforts had been made within the Temple to recreate her natural environment, it still fell short of the vast seas and warm waters she remembered as an infant.
It was lonely too. She was the only one of her species at the Temple, except for the ancient Master Atcar. All the other initiates were land bound creatures, dominated by humans, and out of those, many were boys.
Big, bullying human boys.
At seven years of age, Bant learned how to hold her own among them, but had yet to make friends with any. This distressed her and she kept to herself more often than not, hoping the day would come soon when she'd get past the initiate stage onto a padawan, then, Force- willing, a Knight and making friends with these rough, mean human boys wouldn't matter that much anymore.
With a sigh, she knelt and dipped one long finger into the lake, watching the tiny circular ripples spread across the quiet water. A group of boys were playing on the other side, pushing and shoving one another, yelling in that hoarse, howling sort of way they always did.
Bant didn't pay much attention to them until she heard a particularly rough voice ring out, his yell rising above all the others.
"Hey Oafy-Wan! Want to learn how to swim?"
Bant looked up and peered across the lake, her mouth turning down at the corners with distaste.
The boy yelling so loudly was Bruck, Bruck Chan. He was the biggest and meanest of all the human boys, always picking on those smaller than he was. He ignored Bant for the most part; he'd swiftly learned that the creche masters didn't take kindly to him bullying a tiny female initiate, even one who was quite willing to defend herself.
"Come on, Oafy! Stop being such a baby! The water isn't *that* deep, you little coward."
Bant stood up and watched with astonishment, then with horror, as another human boy, one almost as small as she was, was dragged by Bruck to the edge of the lake. The boy kicked and struggled, but to no avail as Bruck picked him up, and with the help of the Force, flung him out into the middle of the deep water, laughing as the boy hit with a sharp splash.
The boy quickly rose to the surface, but then foundered helplessly and Bant's eyes grew huge as he struggled to stay above the water. Compared to Calamarians, all humans were clumsy swimmers, but it was obvious that this one didn't even know how to float.
She hesitated, not quite sure what to do. She looked over at Bruck and his friends, who were only pointing and laughing at the hapless boy, then glanced back at the Temple which suddenly seemed very far away. By the time she ran there and returned with help, the boy most likely would drown.
Shaking a little bit, Bant took off her robe, and closing her eyes, dove in. The fresh water was cold and it hurt, burning her delicate skin, but she swam on. She quickly reached the boy who was by now panicking, treading uselessly and taking in as much water as air into his lungs.
She reached for him but he was flailing desperately, furiously kicking and waving his arms, and Bant was forced back. She knew that humans, like most of their primate cousins throughout the galaxy, were very strong and dangerous when frightened. If she wasn't careful, he could injure her badly and then they both would drown.
Bant surfaced, held out an arm to him and yelled. "I'm here! Grab hold of me and I'll bring you in!"
There was no response besides a gurgling cry and again, the boy slipped beneath the surface.
Bant dove down, and with a single desperate lunge, she grabbed a handful of the boy's hair and dragged him back to the surface. His struggles were lessening and she was able to get an arm around his chest. She began the short swim back to land, making sure to keep his head well above water.
The boy grew heavy once they reached the shallows and it took a huge effort on Bant's part to haul him onto the pebbled shore. His face was a frightening shade of blue and Bant looked around desperately for help. Bruck and his friends were gone, probably run away after they'd seen what they'd done, she thought with disgust.
Trembling, she rolled the boy onto his side and began to pound on his back, hoping it would help. She was just about to give up and run to the Temple for a master when she heard a hiccupping cough, followed by a long series of panting, shuddering breaths.
She stopped pounding, leaned down and peered closely at the boy. The dull blue color was fading from his cheeks and he was turning a healthier shade of pink. A wash of relief flooded over Bant, followed by a short, warm burst of pride. She'd done it. She'd actually helped someone who was in trouble. The creche master would be so proud of her and she'd be able to tell everyone about her wonderful deed.
She knelt at the boy's side. "Hello," she said brightly. "Are you better now?"
The boy's eyes opened and he stared at Bant with a confused expression. Blinking, he struggled to sit up. "Yes. I . . . I think I'm better." He coughed again and knuckled his eyes. "What happened?"
It was Bant's turn to stare. "Don't you remember? Bruck Chan threw you into the water. And I . . . I . . ." Bant hesitated. The boy didn't remember what happened, the shock of nearly drowning must have affected his memory.
"He did?" The boy shook his head and rubbed his face. "But I don't know how to swim. How did I get out?"
The warm rush of pride deserted Bant and she suddenly felt shy. "Well," she stammered. "Um, I . . . I . . ."
He peered at her. "Did you pull me out?"
She looked down, embarrassed and wishing she could sink right through the shore. "Yes. But it was nothing." She scraped her finger lightly across the gritty sand. "You humans don't swim very well, do you?"
The boy frowned, then considered. "Well, some do, but I don't. What are you anyway? I've never seen anyone like you, except for Master Atcar. He looks a little like you, but all shriveled."
Bant snorted. "Of course he's all shriveled. He's three hundred years old. We're both Calamarians." She shivered and winced as the surrounding air grew cold and the fresh water residue was starting to burn her skin . . . badly. She got up and reached for her robe, then looked back at the human boy who was also starting to shiver.
With a sigh, she draped the robe over the boy's shoulders and reached out an arm to him. "My name's Bant."
The boy smiled at her and accepted her offer of assistance, his expression grateful as he rose. "My name is Obi-Wan." He blushed and scuffed his foot in the sand. "Thank you for pulling me out of the water." He shyly handed her back her robe. "Here. You keep this. You look colder than I feel."
She raised her chin and pushed it back at him. "Nope. You keep it. I'm fine."
He grinned at her and tossed it back. "No, you take it. I don't want it."
"No, you keep it." Bant laughed and took off running toward the Temple, suddenly feeling warm and happy again, the cold, burning water forgotten.
Her new friend stared after her for a moment, then took off behind her, chasing her, the robe clutched tightly in his hand, laughing almost as loudly as she was.
Almost.
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