rays of the sun that managed to filter through the clouds and mist.
Suddenly, Qui-Gon stopped. 'Do you feel it?' he asked.
Obi-Wan felt nothing. But he waited before answering. Qui-Gon's perceptions were usually sharper than his. His Master had a deep connection to the Force that united all things.
Then he felt it, too — a vibration in the dirt beneath his feet.
'What is it?'
'I'm not sure,' Qui-Gon said. He crouched and put a hand on the ground. 'Not equipment. Animals.'
Obi-Wan peered through the mist. Far away he thought he saw a cloud of dust rise from the field. The dry grass rippled, but there was no breeze. Then he picked out shapes through the mist. Galloping animals were heading toward them.
'They are running scared. It's a stampede,' Qui-Gon said. He whipped his head around. 'There's no time to find shelter, and we're too far from the trees. Run with them, Padawan. Do not let yourself fall or you'll get trampled.'
'Run with what?' Now Obi-Wan could hear the pounding noise. 'What are they?'
'Kudana,' Qui-Gon said tersely. He scanned the air overhead. Dots that Obi-Wan had thought were birds suddenly dived and twisted like no birds Obi-Wan had ever seen. One of the dots zoomed toward them. It was a seeker droid. Obi-Wan saw an indicator light flash.
'A hunt,' Qui-Gon corrected as in one smooth movement he withdrew his lightsaber and activated it. 'And now we are the prey.'
Chapter 2
The kudana rose out of the mist, the noise of their hooves like thunder. They were beautiful animals, their bronze metallic skins highly prized throughout the galaxy. Their eyes rolled in fright, and they made a high-pitched sound that was close to screaming. Obi-Wan could smell their panic, but he was more concerned about their sharp hooves and powerful legs.
The seeker droid hovered ahead, a laser beaming down toward Qui-Gon. No doubt it was sending back coordinates of their location.
'Ready, Obi-Wan?' Qui-Gon shouted over the noise. 'Pick a kudana and run alongside it. Use the Force to reach out and connect. Then, if you can, ride one.'
Obi-Wan began to run. Qui-Gon ran ahead of him, matching the animals' speed. He reached out to touch the nearest animal's flank, racing alongside it. Obi-Wan knew his Master was calling on the Force.
With a gigantic leap, Qui-Gon landed on the animal's back. While the animal bucked and twisted, trying to throw him, he slashed at the seeker droid with his lightsaber. Metal sizzled and the smoking droid fell to the grass. Qui-Gon leaned down and hugged the kudana's neck. It quieted, allowing him to ride.
Obi-Wan didn't see any of this. He was busy trying to avoid the flashing hooves of the kudana around him. Their panicked attempts to avoid the laser beams caused them to veer and swerve. He quickly saw that if the seeker droids weren't disabled, he would be trampled.
He, too, reached out gently to the animal closest to him, feeling its muscles bunch and quiver. He leaped high and landed on his feet on the animal's back. Quickly, he settled astride the animal, picking up the animal's rhythm so he would not fall. He reached out and connected with the frightened mind of the animal, sensing which way it would move.
Keeping his balance, Qui-Gon swung his lightsaber overhead at the next seeker droid. He slashed it in two pieces.
Obi-Wan held onto the silky mane of the kudana for a moment to get his balance, then leaped over the galloping animal to land on another. He swung his lightsaber as he jumped, and neatly cut another seeker droid in two.
The fourth seeker droid buzzed overhead, zooming forward to lock on Obi-Wan's position. Qui-Gon rode on a kudana by Obi-Wan's side, standing perfectly balanced and rocking with the movement of the animal's gait.
'I'll take care of it, Padawan!' he shouted. He reached up and demolished the seeker droid with a left-to- right swipe. Then he jumped off the kudana, keeping to the side of the pack. He motioned Obi-Wan to do the same.
Obi-Wan hit the ground and ran alongside the kudana. Now that they could not see the red lasers, the animals began to calm down. They ran easily, without the panic that had made them veer and shy. Gradually the animals surged ahead, and Obi-Wan found himself alone alongside Qui-Gon.
Qui-Gon slowed his stride and turned off his lightsaber. 'Well, Padawan,' he said, 'my guess is that our mission has begun.'
Obi-Wan tried to catch his breath. He felt the ground rumble underneath his feet once more. He and Qui- Gon turned at the same time. Clouds of dust rose in the distance.
'More kudana?' Obi-Wan asked.
'No,' Qui-Gon said. 'We have seen the prey. Now we'll meet the predators.'
Soon Obi-Wan could distinguish creatures called huds coming from the distance. They were native to Rutan, four-legged creatures with black-and-red-striped coats, bred for their strength and speed. Blue-skinned Rutanians rode on their backs, dressed in colorful furs and hides. Barking alongside and occasionally leaping up to snap at the heels of a hud were fierce nek battle dogs attached to the huds' saddles with tethers. Despite their fierce, unpredictable natures, many Rutanians bred them and kept them as hunters and pets.
Qui-Gon waited as the group rode up to them. The Rutanian at the head of the party swung off his hud with an angry motion.
Rutanians were known for their height, standing nearly a meter taller than Qui-Gon. This Rutanian was taller
