"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.
The other malia stayed a few meters away, snarling at Qui-Gon. Obi- Wan saw its muscles bunch in preparation for a leap. Suddenly, its eyes rolled back and it fell dead.
Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon. He saw that his Master was just as mystified as he was. As if they had silently communicated a signal, the rest of the malia suddenly streaked toward the cover of the woods.
"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyes roaming the surroundings to make sure the malia were truly gone.
"We'll know in a moment."
Suddenly the leaves parted and a group of beings appeared. They were short, with leathery brown skin and powerful chests. Their faces were covered in thick hair, their ears long and pointed. They held weapons Obi- Wan had never seen before, long tubes made out of polished stone. He guessed that they were a form of blowpipe.
"Don't move," Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan calmly. One of the beings stepped forward and spoke in Basic.
"You will have a more pleasant death at our hands than the malia," he said. "Our poisons are quick." He made a signal and gestured to the others.
The tribe put their blow tubes to their lips.
"You are welcome to the malia," Qui-Gon said. There was no hint of hurry or distress in his tone. "We are only visitors to your world, on the way to our transport. We thank you for saving our lives."
The leader held up a hand. The blow tubes were not dropped, but the tribe watched the Jedi warily.
"You do not want the malia meat?" the leader asked.
"We have our own supplies, food from our own world," Qui-Gon said.
"We are not here to hunt"
The leader studied them a moment. "Then pass on."
Obi-Wan was only too glad to do so. He did not want to turn his back on the tribe, but he noted how easily Qui-Gon did so. He followed his Master's lead. Together they skirted the three dead malia and headed down the other path.
"That was lucky," Obi-Wan breathed when they were out of earshot.
"This is beautiful country, but a hard one," Qui-Gon said. "I know the tribes use the malia for the food and skins they provide. They are hard to kill, and very valuable. That was their main concern. Most beings in the galaxy do not kill without purpose. If you can discover what that purpose is, you can forestall a battle."