Light Through the Leaves

Mori Hoshi loved the forests of Kashyyyk, her home planet. The trees were all majestically cloaked in robes of green, and everyone seemed to be walking on air. In way, they were. No one dared go down to the dark levels of the forest-world. The depths held frightening monsters that even the bravest Wookieee would flee from. Mori was quiet content to stay in the upper levels and watch sunsets. They were so romantic!

She sighed and reached in her pack for a piece of fruit as she let her forest-green eyes travel over the leafy treescape. The awesome beauty of her homeworld sometimes led her to view everything as romantic. Surrounded by the incredible sunsets and the primordial elegance, who wouldn’t be?

Mori grinned. Growing up on Kashyyyk had instilled in her a reverence for the life-power that Wookiees believed bound all existences together. She also had a deep respect for the forest that had surrounded her from the day she was born.

The girl reached out an elegant hand to grasp a section of thin vine that hung over her head. The leaves were soft green with vibrant purple - her favorite color - flowers. She’d played with the cubs so much that her next actions were almost instantaneous. She twisted the flowered vines into a wreath a placed it on her head. All of the Wookiee children loved the forest, and decorating themselves with parts of it was a great game.

One of the young Wookiees was feeling sick, so Mori thought she’d bring back some flowers for the little slivertip. Mori hated to see anyone sad.

She closed her eyes and leaned back on the trunk that held the branch she was standing on. Unfortunately, that was the same moment a dark ship chose to blast across the tree line.

It wasn’t the sound that knocked the girl off her feet - the starfighter was near silent - but instead, it was the force of the air the ship displaced. Mori berated herself hopelessly as she fell; she should have realized that the forest sounds had gone silent in the advance of the ship.

Thinking fast, the woman grabbed a branch. There. Now she’d stopped falling. Mori looked down and groaned. She may have stopped, but her bag didn’t. Great. That meant she couldn’t call for help. Her communicator was in her bag. She was also pretty sure that the snap she’d heard hadn’t been a branch. The throbbing in her ankle confirmed it.

The animals in the giant forest were still silent. Mori had paused to consider this when she felt a hand grasp her forearm. She responded to the help by clasping the other’s forearm in a trapeze grip.

Her long blonde hair swirled in the wind as Mori felt herself being hoisted up. Her rescuer was oddly cloaked in shadows. "Thank you!" Mori gasped, a little out of breath from her fall. "Who are you?"

The shadowed figure didn’t speak for a moment. Then, deliberately, the figure - a woman from her voice - said, "If you don’t know, you can’t ruin my reputation."

"What?" Mori was confused.

The dark figure was silent as she walked away. Mori called out to her again. "I can’t get back to the village! You’ve got to help me!"

As the figure turned to look at the fallen blonde, a breath of wind parted the canopy of leaves and let a shimmer of sunlight fall on the before-unseen woman. In the brief glimpse, Mori saw a dark mask rimming sea green eyes.

In the shadows that chased the light away, Mori could barely see the woman’s shrug. "I'll comm someone."

Mori only hoped that the infamous killer would.

"Kyoko! Hey Kyoko!" Zyta yelled, waving her arms. She looked so unstable on the branch that Numako just had to give her a nudge.

Zyta yelled as she began to fall. She stopped yelling as she stopped falling. Of course, when she opened her eyes to find that she was suspended over thin air, she began screaming again.

"I... is it okay to open my eyes this time?" the Australian asked as she felt herself on relatively solid ground again.

Yukiko was the only one who’d stopped laughing long enough to answer her. "This time you’re on solid... err... tree..."

The pretty blonde cracked one eye, just to make sure. When she was positive she’d not fall, the Australian thanked the Wookiee who'd caught her. "Now. Like I was saying. HEY..."

Hisui put a hand over her friend’s mouth. "She's right here!"

"Oh," Zyta said sheepishly. "Sorry!"

Laughing, Kyoko introduced them to the leader of the tree city, Warrunar. "Priire offered to translate for us."

"Where is Priire?" Kumoko questioned. "She’s been gone a long time."

Kyoko shrugged. "She'd said she’d be back about..."

"Now!" Priire finished, walking up, easily balancing on the branches. She was wiping grease off her hands with a dirty rag that she promptly stuffed in her pocket. The girl grinned at the Wookiees.

"This is Warrrunar," Kyoko told the blonde pilot.

Priire grinned again and spoke. What she said sounded like wind rustling through leaves, rocks crashing together, and Zyta's motorcycle all at the same time. The huge Wookiee rumbled a laugh and spoke like a grizzly trying to be friendly.

Priire shook her head. "Nah. That's about all I can say other than 'Put your paws in the air and give me all your money!' "

This time all the Wookiees laughed. Warrranur spoke again, and Priire translated. "We are glad you've come, destined ones."

Another voice - human - broken in. "Technically, that 'completers of the life-force circle.' "

Everyone turned to see the pretty blonde who’d walked up. She was carrying a small Wookiee cub and had laughter in her forest-green eyes.

Priire nodded. "Yes, but they wouldn't know about the Wookiee concept of the life force."

"But everyone in the galaxy knows that!" the blonde protested, setting the young Wookiee down and shooing her off. "It's common knowledge."

Priire's eyes crinkled in amusement. "Exactly."

Seeing the two had finished, Warrrunar went on. We are glad to see you, yet also sad. For as much as we have grown to love Star-Forest, we know she must leave us.

"What?!" the other blonde shouted. "Leave?"

The old Wookiee nodded. Your destiny grows beyond the forest and into the stars, like your name. Please, think of us and accept this parting gift...

Priire froze. "Hold your tauntauns! She's coming with us?"

Kyoko agreed as she shook her head. "She can't. She's not..."

By this time, Warrrunar had returned to hand Mori a leaf-decorated box. Take this, Star-Forest. Your heart will know what to do.

Mori opened the box and pulled the wand out of it. It was dark wood with faintly-gleaming emeralds set in its polished wood surface. There were tiny vines surrounding the main gem, complimenting its beauty. She lifted it up and, for a moment, watched the light play across the jewels. "Kashyyyk Forest Life Force... Transform!" she shouted.

She twirled the henshin stick around, and the vines that decorated it grew larger and surrounded her body. Gold hearts scattered themselves around her as a beam of purple light engulfed her. "Brought forth from the golden heart of the forest, I am Sailor Kashyyyk, and I will defend my forest and my friends! Cool!" she exclaimed, running a hand down her purple skirt.

In fact, all of her Sailor suit was in shades of purple. Her bows and choker were more bluish, and her skirt and collar were more reddish. Gold hearts accented the purple beautifully.

"I hope I'm getting paid overtime for this," Priire grumbled.

Everyone laughed at her as she good-naturedly complained.

"Where are we going?" Mori asked.

Priire shrugged. "Wherever the Force leads us, I suppose."