Osha’ri sat looking up at his mother. He had never experienced a goodbye before but, he knew, he would not be seeing her again. The Narglatch cub and his twin sister, Shi-boo-ya, were being abandoned. They would be left in the swamps of Naboo to fend for themselves against dangerous predators and even more dangerous creature handlers. Mother, as the twins knew her, was leaving Osha’ri to watch over his sister, at least, until they reached maturity and separated. As Shi-boo-ya bounced on her hind legs trying to reach the top of her mother’s smooth back, Osha’ri sat back and watched his mother intensely. The time had come, his first goodbye. Mother turned her head and grabbed Shi-boo-ya, who had reached her back, with her mighty jaws. She swung her head around and tossed the little cub into the grass next to her brother. Shi-boo-ya spun a bit in the wet grass until finally reaching a halt. Without even a growl, a howl, or a whimper, Mother turned her back and was gone, vanished in the misty swamp. Shi-boo-ya walked up to her brother and nuzzled his neck. Osha’ri returned the sentiment, playfully snapping at his sister. He began to pounce and claw at her and, if possible, he seemed to smile. Yet, something weighed heavy on his mind and in his heart: survival. He had become his sister’s keeper.




Thirteen months had passed since Osha’ri’s last goodbye. The cub tried not to think about that moment as he watched his sister yards away across the swamp stalking a Kaadu. Osha’ri was stalking too. That was how the cubs hunted, always together, never alone. Osha’ri took pride in knowing he chose to stay with his sister and look after her, rather than have her face another goodbye. He was unaware that this was the way Narglatch life went, and that Shi-boo-ya too would one day abandon her cubs. Nevertheless, he tried to keep his mind focused on the present. It had been a few days since the cubs had eaten, they seemed to have hunted everything in their area of the swamp. A young Kaadu wandering alone was a rarity, but the twins were hungry and chose to ignore the circumstances. Shi-boo-ya tapped her paw to the ground, signaling to Osha’ri that she was ready. Osha’ri in turn tapped his paw, causing the Kaadu to stand alert and face his direction. The animal’s excellent hearing would be it’s downfall. As the Kaadu snapped to attention Shi-boo-ya leapt from the bushes. She leapt right into the net of a Gungan hunter. A trap had been set. The hunting the twins did had made them a target. Osha’ri watched helplessly as Shi-boo-ya twisted and writhed in the net. Desperately, he wanted to assist his sister, but his own instincts of survival kept him quiet. Hatred began to fill him; hatred for Kaadu, for Gungans, for his Mother, and hatred for himself. He had to say goodbye. If possible, he seemed to cry.