'Rana has given us a challenge,' Qui-Gon said. 'We have to pick a path and then travel back if it is the wrong one.'
Obi-Wan nodded.
'If we have to double back, we'll lose the time we gained,' Qui-Gon said. 'We could run into the malia pack. Why don't you choose a trail?'
Obi-Wan stared at the two paths. Neither gave him an overwhelming feeling. He chose the right, which rose steeply up a rocky hill. Perhaps Rana had wanted them to work a little harder.
They walked for an hour without picking up any further clues.
Finally, Qui-Gon stopped.
'I think we should head back, Padawan. We should have seen some indication before this that this path was the correct one.' Qui-Gon scanned the sky. 'It will be dark soon.'
The going was tougher in the gathering dusk. The temperature had dropped, causing ice pockets to form in the rocky trail. They headed downhill, using all their concentration to avoid slipping.
As they drew near their starting point, Obi-Wan heard a high-pitched scream. He stopped abruptly.
'It's not human,' he said. 'At least, I don't think so.'
'It's the cry of the malia,' Qui-Gon said. 'It sounded close.'
Obi-Wan did not hear fear in his Master's voice — he never did — but Qui-Gon didn't sound too comfortable, either. 'Do you fear them?' Obi-Wan asked.
'Not exactly,' Qui-Gon said. 'I respect them. If we run across them, Padawan, remember that they are very fast. Very cunning. When they hunt, they have a highly developed sense of strategy.'
They continued down the slope, now walking as silently as possible.
Obi-Wan did not disturb a rock or leaf.
'As soon as we find somewhere suitable, we should stop for the night, ' Qui-Gon said in a low tone. 'The delay will not hurt us. And a fire will protect us.'
Obi-Wan did not hear or see any movement around them. The surrounding trees pressed close to the path here, with feathery blue-green leaves that did not stir. Yet he had the sense they were being stalked. Despite the cold, he felt a trickle of sweat break loose from the hair at the back of his neck.
The shadows of the leaves lengthened, dimming the path ahead. He could barely glimpse the fork where they had stopped. There was a clearing there where they could make camp.
Off to his right, he saw a flash of green, a fluorescent color strangely out of place in the natural hues of the forest. He was about to point it out to Qui-Gon when his Master suddenly drew his lightsaber.
'Malia!' Qui-Gon warned.
A split second later Obi-Wan saw a blur of blue-gray fur as an animal bounded out of the trees toward them. Now he knew the origin of that odd green flash. It was the eyes of the malia, gleaming with the fever of the kill. The malia was perhaps knee-high to Qui-Gon, lean and rangy. Obi-Wan was startled by the ugliness of the face, with its tapered snout and yellow teeth sharpened into lethal points.
Obi-Wan's lightsaber was in his hand, and he jumped back to protect Qui-Gon. At the same time, another creature darted from the trees on the opposite side. And then a third, and a fourth, and a fifth. They moved quickly, so fast they seemed to change shape. They circled, snapping their teeth at the Jedi's whirling light-sabers, but always staying out of reach.
Their movements seemed choreographed to tire their prey. They kept the Jedi moving with the constant threat.
'They are playing with us,' Qui-Gon said, turning to protect himself from a rear assault from two malia.
Obi-Wan gritted his teeth. 'I can't wait for them to get serious.'
'Careful, Padawan. Do not let them get close. If a malia gets its teeth into your wrist, it can rip off your arm.'
'That's reassuring,' Obi-Wan muttered.
'If we keep them at bay, they might give up and look for easier prey, ' Qui-Gon said. He whirled and twisted in a fast combination, driving off three malia that had joined forces to attack.
Obi-Wan saw another blur out of the corner of his eye, and turned to meet the threat. A malia had launched itself from the branch of a tree, straight at Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan leaped forward, his lightsaber a blue glow against the lowering sky.
He saw the malia bare its yellow teeth at him in a frustrated snarl.
It twisted in midair to land nearby, safely away from Qui-Gon.
Another malia streaked toward the trees. Now they would be attacked from above as well as the ground. Obi-Wan's foot slid on a patch of ice and he went down on one hand. Qui-Gon leaped forward to cover him, but not before a malia sprang forward, alert for any weakness. Obi-Wan saw the malia's sharp teeth reach for his outstretched hand. He flipped over and risked a quick kick to the animal's flank. He summoned the Force behind it, and the surprised animal flew back across the path, snarling and spitting.
Obi-Wan quickly regained his feet. He was breathing hard. He had never encountered such quickness in an animal before. The malia were relentless. The sound of their cries was bloodcurdling.
A malia suddenly dropped from a tree branch, leaping toward Qui-Gon, while two others attacked from the rear. Qui-Gon whirled, his lightsaber unstoppable. In a moment, the leaping malia was dead on the forest floor and the other two reversed their course. Qui-Gon caught one as it turned to attack again. It fell in a heap of fur.
