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Learn not to teach, you must, Yoda had told him. As surely as you must guide, you must also be led.
They fell asleep to the gentle slap of the waves against the dock. The sun rose, and they awoke to the sound of birds and the splash of fish in the sea.
"I'm afraid I have no more food," Leed said to them. His ma
Dre
"On Senali, we are taught from an early age to be responsible for our own nourishment," she said to them. "If you wish to eat, you must fish."
"I am not hungry," Taroon said haughtily.
Dre
Taroon bristled, and Qui-Gon gathered himself for another argument. He would not allow this one to go so far, he decided. A day of harmony would do them all good.
But before Taroon could speak, Dre
Taroon hesitated.
"Of course," Dre
She smirked at Taroon. Dre
"I can learn by myself," Taroon said.
"No, you can't. Do not worry," Dre
Taroon rose stiffly and picked up some fishing line and a spear. "All right, then. Let's go."
With a whoop, Leed dove off the dock. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan dove into the warm, clear water after him. Dre
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan do
"The principal source of food for many Senalis is the rocshore fish," he explained. "It has a spiny body with three large claws. If you take only one claw, the animal lives and grows another. You spear the fish through the tail, where it has no feeling. Then you grab the claw and twist it hard. Be careful or you can lose your fingers. You can watch me take a claw first, if you like."
"That sounds like a good idea," Qui-Gon said.
They dove deep into the lagoon, down where the water was cool and clear. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan followed Leed as he easily speared one rocshore fish, then another, grasping a claw and twisting to sever it, then dropping it into the pouch he wore at his waist. Soon Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had speared their own rocshores and their pouches were full of the meaty claws.
They were almost ready to return when they saw Taroon and Dre
When they surfaced, Taroon gri
"Pretty good, for your first try," Dre
"You helped," he conceded.
"It took me weeks to learn how to swim that well," Leed told his brother admiringly.
Taroon turned his head to scan the shoreline. Qui-Gon saw that he was trying to conceal his pleasure at Leed's compliment. "Well, it's better than drowning," he said gruffly.
They swam toward the shore of the lagoon, where Leed and Dre
It was a delicious meal. They ate their fill, then discovered that they still had more than half left over.
"We can take these to the Nali-Erun clan," he said.
They paddled over to the nearby island. The clan had built their homes in the center of the island, underneath the cool shade of the trees. The structures were different from the ones in the main city. Here, they were built with leaves and reeds. They looked flimsy, and some looked ready to tumble down. When Leed held up his present of fish, children ran toward him hungrily.
"Why are they hungry?" Obi-Wan asked.
"They ca
Taroon raised his thick eyebrows at Dre
Dre
"Why doesn't Meenon step in?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Because the clans are self-governing," Dre
The Nali-Erun clan happily distributed the fish and offered the group some. Leed refused but took a bag of pashie, the sweet fruit that grew abundantly on the Nali-Eruns' trees.
Dre
He held the finished necklace out to Dre
Her smile turned impish, and she turned to Taroon and placed it around his neck. "Now you are a real Senali," she said, tilting back her head and smiling up at him.
Taroon was startled. He touched the shells. His eyes met Leed's. "I am still Rutanian," he said. "But I am learning."
They caught small silver fish for the evening meal and Leed made a delicious stew. Taroon ladled it into bowls. Qui-Gon watched as the two brothers passed the bowls between them. There was an ease in their relationship now. The four moons rose, high and full, sending four silver paths down the dark water.