exonerin

[exonerin]

i was at a restaurant last week, watching the political ads on the TV between sports games. one from the trump campaign ended with the slogan “kamala is for they/them. trump is for you”. it was vilely clever - and it made a clear statement about who was the enemy, the other, the unwelcome, in trump’s great america. i thought about how the right had gone all-in on transphobia this election season, and i hoped it was a gamble that would cost them.

this week has been a gut punch, and i’ve been feeling a lot of things - rage, fear, grief, and subspecies of those emotions. what i kept coming back to, though, as i digested these feelings, were the people i love. my queer friends. the trans kids in my community. the people who, already, are losing their rights to bodily autonomy, state-by-state. the way that i’ve had to start looking at our country as a fucked up patchwork of safe and not-safe. the way that access to medical care, increasingly, changes depending on which side of an arbitrary border you’re on. i’m also realizing the ignorance and privilege it is to only think of our country this way, now. america has always been about picking and choosing who deserves rights, who we consider a person. but, despite the deep-seated flaws of this country, i live in it. so do so many people i love. and that’s what I keep coming back to: the people i love, and my desire to protect them. at the very center of all the rage and hurt and anxiety and sorrow i’m feeling, is a deep, perilous love. i am holding onto that love. i hope you are, too.

[exonerin]

It’s time for our first deadline poll!

As it is now, our first deadline is from the 23rd of November to the 7th of December, and you can decide when you want to post in this period.

We'd like to have an idea on how many submissions we'd be looking at for our first posting period and if you would need an extension for this first deadline, which could be up to a week and half.

Remember that we still have our second deadline (Feb 28th-Mar 14th) to go through.

Keep in mind that, while prompting will close November 16th, claiming will remain open until the end of our fest. So there could be quite the time for you to even decide to create for multiple prompts should you like to! Or for those who feared they would have to drop out to have time to finish their creation in time. Or even for new people to join! All up to you, guys! If you want you can also vote on twt, HERE.

But now it’s…

[exonerin]

"Rubble shifted under his boots as he trudged through the skeleton of a city, its name unknown. Irrelevant in a sense. The skeletal remains were an echo of a thousand other cities. Dread sloshed inside Anakin, a cup threatening to overflow. He would spill all these ugly emotions if his precarious equilibrium was disrupted.

So, he clung with the desperate tenacity of a dying man -- a corpse walking through a field of destruction. They had contributed to this hell, their arrival marking the start of the end for the locals. In the aftermath of another grueling, long drawn battle, Anakin wondered why they try."

*laughs nervously at the deadline*

I'll make it work! But this will be interesting.

It’s WIP Wednesday!

Why don’t you give us a taste of your creations?

Reblog this post or tag us and share five sentences of your fic, or sketches/studies of the art you are working on for our event!

If you still want to submit your prompts to our fest, remember to do so before Nov 16th when our prompting phase will close!! Drop your prompts HERE. Claiming instead will continue until the end of our fest.

Don’t forget that our first deadline will be from Nov 23rd to Dec 7th!

[exonerin]

The feelings are hitting hard in this one

Thank you! I suspect we're talking about Rako Hardeen?

I keep thinking of the dull sound of roses hitting the top of a coffin while writing this fic. Even now that we've left the deception arc behind. Sometimes fics do that. Funny how it's sometimes the things we're determined to remember that haunt us. Either way, I'm currently working on part 4. Officially titled For All It Is Worth, but unofficially called Obi-Wan gets a taste of his own medicine.

It'll be fun! I promise.

[exonerin]

WIP Wednesday | Obikin Big Bang

On November 23rd, I will post my Obikin Big Bang project.

So, for the next three Wednesday, I would love to play a game. You can send me a word, and I'll present you with a snippet in return.

I know we've moved on to a new game, but I'm most empathetically not going to be counting sentences or words.

I'll go first with disloyal:

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Padmé and his Master talked, while Padmé had refused to answer any of his questions. She had deflected them masterfully, but her silence whispered a million possible answers in his ears. Paranoia haunted him, assuring him that neither of these possibilities would bode well for him.

Disloyal, his mind whispered. They’ll betray you, everyone will.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

[exonerin]

Till Death Do Us Part [Obikin | AO3]

Part 2 is posted. In which Obi-Wan makes several unpleasant discoveries.

[exonerin]

Till Death Do Us Part [AO3 | Obikin]

A retelling of the Rako Hardeen arc in the Clone Wars 2008 series.

Alternatively; When Obi-Wan Kenobi dies in Anakin's arms, the whole galaxy learns Anakin loved Obi-Wan. This has implications when Obi-Wan refuses to stay dead.

Tags: Canon Divergence - The Clone Wars: Rako Hardeen Arc Angst and Hurt/Comfort Top Obi-Wan Kenobi Bottom Anakin Skywalker A retelling of the Rako Hardeen arc and its aftermath Grief/Mourning Sexual Tension Fluff

[exonerin]

Hi everyone!

As promised, here is the official* posting schedule for the Obikin Big Bang 2024!

From November 1st to December 22nd, each of our Authors and Artists has been assigned a day!

*Changes to the schedule may be made due to extending circumstances. Handles for Authors are AO3 and for Artists are tumblr/twitter.

Week One (Friday, November 1st to Sunday, November 10th)

✨laeveteinn & kittonafoxgirl on Friday, Nov 1st ✨BarmaDumet & pararararablof on Saturday, Nov 2nd ✨gaily-daily & starryariart on Sunday, Nov 3rd ✨buying_the_space_farm & rancidmice on Monday, Nov 4th ✨teaforkenobi & Gaylittleeldritchhorror on Tuesday, Nov 5th ✨LordSuven & p1nktw1nk on Wednesday, Nov 6th ✨invisible_ink31415 & sharkmata on Thursday, Nov 7th ✨TheSocialRisksOfAgriculture & ayceofcard on Friday, Nov 8th ✨Himilce & silvipeppers on Saturday, Nov 9th ✨wanderingmusician & finniigan on Sunday, November 10th

Week Two (Monday, November 11th to Sunday, November 17th)

✨innominatta, boguspreston, & SendPseuds on Monday, Nov 11th ✨GrapeNehi & obikinz on Tuesday, Nov 12th ✨espurred & Ladydinaga on Wednesday, Nov 13th ✨lord_is_it_mine & Noothgrushhh on Thursday, Nov 14th ✨EdenPierce(ChunChan11) & Imperfectmooncat on Friday, Nov 15th ✨ThatGayJedi & AberrantCreature on Saturday, Nov 16th ✨thesunkid & WhitePadi on Sunday, Nov 17th

Week Three (Monday, November 18th to Sunday, November 24th)

✨Lady_evelin & abandoneddogg on Monday, Nov 18th ✨coirionin & crybabyskywalkers on Tuesday, Nov 19th ✨Graciously & jarenka on Wednesday, Nov 20th ✨thegingerwrites & daysofauldlangsyne on Thursday, Nov 21st ✨Meleth_03 & silvipeppers on Friday, Nov 22nd ✨exonerin & afabulousjello on Saturday, Nov 23rd ✨SpoopyTheOtherAlien & eggchayi on Sunday, Nov 24th

Week Four (Monday, November 25th to Sunday, December 1st)

✨greyghoulclub & rancidmice on Monday, Nov 25th ✨blahzarry & k333t333 on Tuesday, Nov 26th ✨LilRedGhost & EdieHhil on Wednesday, Nov 27th ✨calico_sky & phoenixspencer on Thursday, Nov 28th ✨cottonraincoat & funtimeLJ6789 on Friday, Nov 29th 14:00 PST ✨phoenixspencer & starryariart on Friday, Nov 29th 20:00 PST ✨Mynthe_Absynthe & finniigan on Saturday, Nov 30th ✨deathbyobiwan & nickytess on Sunday, Dec 1st

Week Five (Monday, December 2nd to Sunday, December 8th)

✨dragons_and_angels & pararararablof on Monday, Dec 2nd ✨EvenAfter & abandoneddogg on Tuesday, Dec 3rd, 07:00 PST ✨CreativeSweets & k333t333 on Tuesday, Dec 3rd, 15:00 PST ✨minarchy & eggchayi on Wednesday, Dec 4th ✨maragny & Noothgrushhh on Thursday, Dec 5th ✨tennessoui & human-rocket on Friday, Dec 6th ✨withyourrhythm & alexagirlie Saturday, Dec 7th ✨Narlth & pararararablof on Sunday, December 8th

Week Six (Monday, December 9th to Sunday, December 15th)

✨silianrail & Kittona on Monday, Dec 9th ✨quietlybookish & nickytess on Tuesday, Dec 10th ✨passeridae & bosooka on Wednesday, Dec 11th ✨palfriendpatine66 & SendPseuds on Thursday, Dec 12th ✨arcadienne & ayceofcard on Friday, Dec 13th, 07:00 PST ✨JMT722735 & absolute-artlad on Friday, Dec 13th, 18:00 PST ✨AFishNamedSushi & prettyboize on Saturday, Dec 14th, 10:00 PST ✨auldays & yatsukisakura on Saturday, Dec 14th, 17:00 PST ✨lemon_sprinkles & phoenixspencer Sunday, Dec 15th

Week Seven (Monday, Dec 16th to Sunday, Dec 22nd) (Part 1)

✨soldieronbarnes & kaleidoscopeeyee, Monday Dec 16th ✨Riduurburton & pararararablof, Tuesday, Dec 17th ✨UsakoStar & AberrantCreature, Wednesday, Dec 18th ✨rooftopsong & rancidmice, Thursday, Dec 19th ✨stardies & human-rocket, Friday, Dec 20th ✨TheSopherfly & kaleidoscopeeyee, Saturday, Dec 21st ✨Happyp1neapple & eggchayi on Sunday, Dec 22nd, 19:00 PST ✨hopeforchange & chiyoponnn, Sunday, Dec 22nd, 23:00 PST

[exonerin]

Do we get any more inside scoop on Hardeen? 😈😈😈 Can’t wait!

Of course! And thank you for the question. I have 24,255 words at the moment, and I'm working on the second half of the fifth chapter at. It's all my first draft (more or less, but I won't bore you with the details. I did some extensive rewriting).

Before I post my situation (boring) and a snippet (might be interesting), I'll ask a counter question.

Depending on the answer in a week, I'll arrange something.

For option 1: as soon as everything is finished, I'll switch to daily updates, too.

Snippet and irrelevant explanation below:

Now, I'll talk briefly about my situation. So, looking at my AO3 account, I released Not Made To Last in June and then remained silent until September with Bringing Him Home and Insult & Injury in close succession. You might suspect I took a break, but I didn't.

Because this is not an entirely accurate timeline. I wrote my Obikin Big Bang (77k) and a non-Star Wars related project (20k) in this time gap, too.

So, since the end of June, I've written 130k and edited 175k words. I also have a 40 hour office job and a (one-person) household to run. This has implications for how I spent my time, as you can imagine. By which I mean, I had several weeks of very long nights.

I planned to continue with the Hardeen fic (Till Death Do Us Part) immediately, but I was a little bit... well, overwhelmed, perhaps. I write for fun, and I might lovingly call it my second job, but I don't make any money on this. It's a hobby. That means, I have to have fun while writing (which I do!).

I guess, what I want to say is: I took an involuntary break to keep this sustainable in the long run. Therefore, I didn't make any progress with my writing since I posted the last chapter of Insult & Injury

Here's the good news, though: I started again on Monday, and I've been making solid progress. So, we will get there.

Lastly, the most important part: the snippet! And I have 25k to pick from, so it's very difficult. Here's my snippet:

Turning the large sniper rifle in his hands, the movements both elegant and eerily familiar, Hardeen twisted the blaster from the guard's hands. While the guard stumbled back, Hardeen pushed for an advantage, aggressively gaining terrain as he landed a barrage of blows that took the guard to the edge of the plaza.

Rako Hardeen.

Vaguely, Anakin remembered that the Chancellor told him Hardeen had escaped.

It was unfair.

Slowly, Anakin struggled to his feet, swaying as he staggered after Hardeen, determined to make him pay. He felt punch-drunk as he approached Hardeen, his gaze on the mercenary's back to avoid acknowledging the world spun wildly out of control.

Each breath was loud, coated in blood and agony.

Sensing Anakin limp closer, Hardeen turned around, and his eyes were so… They were so… pale blue. Gray. Overcast skies and icy shards. So Obi-Wan.

How cruel that the man who had slain his Master had stolen his eyes, too.

Desperately, he gritted his teeth, grinding them with so much pressure that his molars ached.

"You killed him," Anakin growled, his voice a low hum that vibrated behind his clenched teeth. "I loved him, and you killed him."

Tapping from energy reserves Anakin didn't possess, burning the embers of his being, he lunged at Hardeen. For a brief moment, as Anakin barreled into Hardeen and sent them both to the ground, he believed he could win.

Then, Hardeen rolled them over, twisting Anakin's left arm behind his back. Hardeen's other arm curled around his throat, pinning Anakin in a hold he couldn't escape, the threat of pressure against his throat a clear warning.

If Hardeen believed Anakin was scared of death, he was dead wrong. Vindication made Anakin bare his teeth like a feral animal, and he struggled in the hold, his joints protesting as he forced them in awkward angles. Hardeen applied more weight, pinning Anakin against the smooth stone of the plaza. The arm pressed against his throat tightened marginally.

Anakin had depleted his energy, but he had hatred left, and he would fight as nastily as he could. Hardeen applied more pressure, and Anakin knew he wouldn't win.

[exonerin]

Nothing better than cats being cute to cope.

I have a lot of ideas and wips, I already sketched The Bad Batch in a big cat pile together cuddling and a I want to draw ref sheets for each one too.

[exonerin]

coming soon, obikin fans! stay tuned for more info to follow.

[exonerin]

Mirrorverse snippet 2

(First drabble here)

-

Obi-Wan doesn't really understand why his counterpart is so indulgent with their version of Anakin. He's more than familiar with the other man (having been on several missions with him) and he's very loud and obnoxious. He's nothing like a Jedi should be.

He can understand that the bond between Padawan and Master probably helped a lot in that aspect, but even so the way they acted around each other was so unbecoming. You'd think Kenobi could show a little more decorum considering he was a Master Jedi! Speaking of which, it had stunned Obi-Wan to the point of speechlessness to learn that the other him was not only a Master, but a Council Member at that! What he wouldn't give to have a seat on the Council!

Still, he must be patient. If it happened for Kenobi then perhaps it would eventually happen for him too. One could only hope. He tries not to be jealous. He really does.

He was currently meditating in the room of a thousand fountains. Trying to clear his mind from his turmoil emotions. Ever since the appearance of their counterparts he's had to meditate twice as much it seemed. It was like the universe was testing him.

Out of the corner of his eye he spots Anakin. How curious. He almost never saw the man in here. Before he knows it his body is moving before he gives it permission. He's not sure what possesses him to go over to Anakin. Normally Obi-Wan likes to spend his time alone.

He sits down beside him and gives Anakin a nod. Anakin nods back. Then they both close their eyes and meditate for a while. It's surprisingly peaceful.

Obi-Wan breaks the silence first. "Have you put any thought into taking a Padawan?"

Anakin opens his eyes with slight confusion.

Obi-Wan offers a smile. "I hear your counterpart really quite enjoys teaching."

He'd been surprised to hear that Ahsoka Tano, his very own padawan, was actually Skywalker's Padawan in that other world. He cannot even begin to imagine the chaos those two got up to.

Anakin shrugs. "Dunno. Maybe."

They fall into silence again.

"Did you ever–"

"Are you–"

They both stop.

"You go first." Anakin insists, unsure what he'd been saying anyway.

Obi-Wan gives him another smile. Anakin swallows quietly. Damn the man but he really did look nice like this. Now that he knew what a laughing Obi-Wan looked like he couldn't get it out of his head. Now that he knew what an Obi-Wan that liked him looked like, would he even be able to return to the status quo?

Just as Obi-Wan opens his mouth, Skywalker drops onto him from behind. His arms snake around him, head nudging catlike against his.

"Master!"

Obi-Wan stiffens and squeaks indignantly. Skywalker pauses. He leans back to look down at the man he's accosted.

"You're not Obi-Wan," he says like it's Obi-Wan's fault for confusing him.

He unlatches off him and stands up. "Now where did he go?" Skywalker mutters under his breath.

He spots Kenobi by the pool and runs off. Kenobi senses his approach and turns to greet him. Kenobi accepts him happily into his lap and the two fall over laughing as they roll in the grass.

Obi-Wan coughs and runs a hand through his ruined hair. He cannot believe any counterpart of himself would ever be so obscene. So brazenly open. They just sat there nuzzling each other! (And yet he must begrudgingly admit the pair did look quite happy.)

Obi-Wan clears his throat, needing a change of subject. "I was thinking about a game of chess if you're up for it?"

Anakin's mouth opens slightly. He tilts his head. Then smirks.

-

Unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, Anakin had played the game plenty of times with Qui-Gon. The man thought it a marvelous way to expand the mind. Anakin had gotten quite proficient.

They end in a stalemate. It seemed Qui-Gon taught them both well. They eat and drink and play until it's twilight. Anakin's feet feel stiff from sitting so long. He needs to stretch. That's when an idea alights in his head.

"Do you want to spar?"

Obi-Wan's expression slackens in surprise. Several emotions flit through his face too fast to identify. Then he smiles softly. "Yes."

Together they make their way to the courtyard. Apparently they weren't the only ones with the idea, for Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker are already sparring. They're breathless and sweating profusely. Twin grins of joy stretch their lips. They move as one, fighting like they're two sides of the same soul.

Anakin wants that. He wants to know what it's like to have that.

The two finally notice them. Or rather Master Kenobi does. With Kenobi glancing away from his opponent, Skywalker takes his distraction to his advantage and tackles him.

"Anakin!" Kenobi shrieks. But then he laughs. They roll around trying to wrestle each other into submission.

Skywalker wraps his arm around Kenobi's neck. "Yield Master!"

Kenobi mumbles something, seemingly yielding. The arm loosens. Then Kenobi throws Skywalker over his back and onto the unforgiving ground. Skywalker looks up at him betrayed. Kenobi shrugs unapologetic.

"Never let your guard down, darling."

“You're one to talk!”

The two stand, fight now over, and greet the other pair.

"Mats all yours!" Kenobi says pleasantly.

But Anakin doesn't really feel like it anymore. how he's supposed to spar with what he's just witnessed?

Nevertheless, they get into position and begin.

Their rhythm is off. Right from the start it's clumsy and awkward. It's nothing like the natural ebb and flow of their counterparts. It's all wrong. Anakin can tell Obi-Wan is frustrated as well. They try to change it up but several minutes in its clear that they just can't get it right.

The match ends far sooner than either would like. They part ways back to their respective quarters. Anakin has the strangest urge to ask him for another spar tomorrow. But he doesn't. There'd be no point.

[exonerin]

What movie would you like to watch for the first time and what movie is so good you could watch it every day?

Thank you for the question!

A movie I would like to watch for the first time is, predictably, Revenge of the Sith. I'll always be heartbroken when I watch that movie, but on my first watch, I was also shocked. Because I sincerely didn't anticipate Anakin's Fall or the whole Darth Vader debacle.

You can't imagine how confused I was that Obi-Wan cut off Anakin's limbs. I totally misunderstood the genre of the movie I was watching, so this turn of events was impossible -- it should be impossible. I sincerely believed I was watching a generic albeit super entertaining and fascinating action movie. And until that very last moment, when Obi-Wan leaves Anakin on the lava banks, I somehow believed things would take a turn for the better.

It was a little devastating to realize this was actually it. And then that I loved you. My feelings truly weren't spared.

The second question is a tough one. And I will cheat, actually. I don't watch many movies. However, I used to watch a lot of anime. And I think if there's a series I could rewatch episodes of each day, it would be Saiyuuki. I admire Minekura Kazuya greatly. She writes character dynamics and chemistry so well -- unmatched, I would say.

But maybe the problem is more that I don't watch the right movies. Because I watch some, but I don't feel particularly attached to or inspired by any of them -- even if I do enjoy them. I don't know. Maybe I'm not really a movie person?

On an entirely unrelated note, I did watch Virgin Territory lately. And I actually did enjoy that movie. I don't think I'll ever watch it again, but I had a genuinely good time.

[exonerin]

Something I think about a lot is Anakin hanging out with the other Padawans in his age group at the Jedi Temple, listening to them discuss past field trips when they were all eight years old or which crèche master they had back when they were young kings or even what their favorite type of candy was when they were kids, and being completely unable to related to all of it but at the same time, desperately hoping no one points out that he’s different and doesn’t have the same memories or experiences as the rest of them do.

[exonerin]

Obikin omegaverse | alpha/alpha | Finished (28,503 words)

They get to be bonded in this chapter. Predictably, they make things actively worse before anything gets better. Also, more Ahsoka!

[exonerin]

What are your ideas and pans for hardeen?

Make them suffer.

First Anakin. Then Obi-Wan. And lastly, as a palette cleanser: Palpatine.

Because there's nothing more amusing to me than Dooku succeeding in kidnapping Palpatine. This leads to our Sith duo then wondering how they're supposed to return Palpating without rousing suspicions. Especially when a crucial vote is coming up in the Senate and Palps can't make it back in time. Too bad, right?

---------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for the question!

My plan is quite similar to what I did in my Clone Wars 2003 rewrite. So, you can sort of expect the same liberties with the source material.

I'll pick all the events and dialogue from the arc that suit the storyline and fill in the gaps with extremely free interpretations of how they feel. However, there're also some chunks I have discarded or twisted (well, if you read SUBLIMINAL, you know the drill).

Then, we're leaving the Rako Hardeen arc, and I'll get to write my fallout. I'm going with distraught Anakin. After the initial angry outburst, he'll be a very sad, poor, little mew mew. Happy to have Obi-Wan back but oh-so-very-insecure, anxious, clingy, and pitiful.

For Obi-Wan I have other plans. There're different types of guilt. And I'm going for a very specific type. Because I want Obi-Wan to dote on Anakin. But he commits to this whole Rako Hardeen nonsense to prove he's not attached to Anakin or some other nonsense. So, we'll have to get him in the right spot for that to make sense.

Even Windu and Yoda knew this was a bad idea, but Obi-Wan had to prove a point. And I believe Obi-Wan knows this is a mistake, but he won't admit it. There is a lot Obi-Wan is willing to do for the greater good -- because he will do what he must. But when he sacrifices himself, he also kills others.

And I just want to show him the consequences of burying someone.

The consequences of grief.

Because Obi-Wan's resurrection was definitely not a resolution to that arc. It won't stop the nightmares or erase the memories. So, yes, that's the plan.

Then, we slap a happy ever after on it, and I guess we're done. If this sounds like I have a plan, I'm sorry to disappoint.

[exonerin]

If you’re still answering WIP asks, what about number 9? :)

We've gone over quite a number of the projects already, but of course there's time for number 9... so, number 9 features two times because in my infinite wisdom I made two lists. However, I already did the Hardeen one.

So, I'll do the one from the second list called sandcat. Anakin wakes up on Tatooine in the body of a sandcat. His last memories are of Mustafar.

He decides to wander through the desert. Dehydration and exhaustion get to him before he makes any notable progress. Fortunately, a kind man with his eopie pick him up. And this kind man takes Anakin to his little cave, gives him water, and Anakin becomes this kind man's companion.

Snippet:

Anakin closed his eyes, weary and exhausted. Misery had sapped him from all energy his tiny body had possessed, leaving not even crumbs or fumes behind. Finally, the memories quieted. His raspy breathing was loud to his ears, the monumental effort each inhale took a warning. Unfortunately, there was neither shade not water on the dune Anakin had chosen as his final resting place.

I LOVED YOU.

A lie, for he wouldn't have walked away if he did love Anakin. Though Anakin supposed the point was moot. He had left his shelter to escape the memories hiding there only to discover the twin suns couldn't scare them off. Without shelter, he would die soon. Oh, he was still so scared of death. Even mutilated, missing all four limbs and burning, he had wished to live so strongly. His tail twitched as he tried to move. He couldn't die here.

Yet, it appeared he would.

An indeterminably amount of time had passed when he heard a clopping sound on the sandstone, alerting him of an animal's presence. Likely an eopie, Anakin judged, his ear turning in the direction of the sound. Typically, they were herbivores, though they could eat meat. Desert animals weren't picky eaters, they couldn't afford to have preferences. Nonetheless, the odds that an eopie would eat him were acceptably low, he decided. Besides, it wasn't like he could move.

The clip-clopping of hooves grew louder until Anakin could also feel faint tremors travel through the ground. Next to him, the sound stopped.

Great. An eopie would devour Anakin Skywalker. Fortunately, he wouldn't get a tomb, because he didn't think he could feasibly survive the humiliation of having that inscription on his gravestone. He wished he could still laugh or feel amusement.

He couldn't.

Not anymore. Not for a long time. Then, his ever helpful memories reminded him of exchanged verbal jabs with… him. Even when exhaustion, loss, worry, hunger, and thirst had left him nearly delirious, he had been there.

Anakin missed him despite knowing he shouldn't, despite knowing such an emotion was pointless. Anakin was no longer the person he used to be, so he wouldn't miss Anakin. Furthermore, it wasn't the Jedi way.

I LOVED YOU.

"Hello," a man said, his voice gravelly and rough. "Are you lost, little one?"

Anakin opened his eyes, meeting startlingly blue eyes. The man had blue eyes, he realized with a pang. His blue eyes were surrounded by wrinkles and underlined with dark bruises indicating insomnia. His hair and beard were unkempt, hesitating between dark blond and auburn, streaked with gray. Although his lips were serious, they seemed kind like this stranger's eyes. The man had crouched by Anakin's side, his hands hovering over Anakin's shallowly rising and dipping flank without touching him.

"So am I," the man confessed, and Anakin blinked at the unexpected admission.

He tried to mewl a response, but produced a hoarse, soft bark instead.

"Yes, I know," the man reassured him as if he had understood Anakin. Anakin doubted he had since Anakin didn't know what he had tried to say himself.

"I can patch you up," the man proposed. "Give you some water before setting you free again."

Anakin wanted to live. So, he mustered all his energy to twist and press his nose against the stranger's hand. Before this ill-advised journey, his nose had been damp, but dehydration had turned it dry. After achieving his goal, he slumped on the hot sand again.

"Well then, little friend," the man said as he scooped Anakin in his hands. Anakin let the man lift him in the air, not particularly concerned about his fate. An eopie's head appeared over the man's shoulder, and Anakin swiped at him weakly when the eopie got too close for comfort.

"Let's give our little friend some space, Akkani," the man gently admonished the eopie, who obeyed immediately.

The stranger tucked Anakin in the folds of his cloak, which seemed eerily familiar for a second. Dismissing the niggling thought as another paranoid figment of his imagination, he let his eyes slip closed, burrowing in the hand supporting his rump and hiding his nose in the collar of the kind stranger's tunic.

His breathing slowed, still rasping through his parched throat uncomfortably but no longer a harbinger of imminent death.

=============

It's super cute. I definitely want to work on this fic in the future. It has an extremely unreliable narrator. Not necessarily between Anakin and Obi-Wan, but about other things. Because Anakin doesn't know much, and so he assumes.

Which is surprisingly fun to write. And it's a delight to write depressed Ben doting on this cat and carrying it literally everywhere. Sandcat Anakin is maybe five minutes in Ben's life and he's already promoted to emotional support pet. Meanwhile, Anakin is just clueless about this kind stranger, who's so sad and he wants to cheer him up.

They're both really sweet and broken in this fic. A lot fluffier than either post-Mustafar ROtS or the Obi-Wan Kenobi show allows for, but I'll get my fluffy fix-it.