Ezra Bridger

I hope you’ve had a fabulous weekend. It’s been really warm here. 90s F. But the evening’s have been wonderful. While I was sitting out, watching my dog roll around in the grass, it made me think of that one ask forever ago. OlddogNewpup? I went to read through it again and it just made me smile to see the Clones try so hard with Kanan yet give him his space. And at the same time, give Ezra some love. If the muse hits ya right, maybe some more moments between Kanan and the group of Clones?

Posted on av swmoddy

Gathering
his boy into his chest, Kanan let out a breath so harsh it made his
chest hurt as he slowly rocked back and forth, flinching a bit when a
blanket was dropped around his shoulders.

But
he didn’t stop rocking Ezra and holding around his padawan.

His
boy.

Ezra,
who was still groggy and blue lipped, wet to the bone and freezing
from falling into the frozen lake the Empire had built their research
station on that the Alliance high ups had wanted information from.

It
had been going great to begin with, the
infiltration going without a hitch,
even if Kanan had been forced to work with the karking
clones again.

Rex
was tolerable even if Kanan didn’t trust them further than he could
throw them without the Force, but they were tolerable people at
least compared to some of the sleemos that were in the Alliance.

And
then Ezra had taken a tumble into the frozen lake after being hit
with a stun blast, the thin sheet of water cracking easily beneath
even his thin, bird like frame that they were so desperately trying
to fatten.

Kanan
hadn’t consciously thought about it, it went too quick for him to
use the Force to pull Ezra out and instead he had dived right in
after his stunned padawan.

Submergence
had knocked the breath from his lungs with
the abrupt coldness closing in around him
but Kanan had the Force as his alley and used it, his lightsaber on
his belt as he worked on auto pilot, swimming after the orange spot
in the otherwise so dark, shockingly cold lake.

He
could faintly spot red and white lights in the water around him, knew
the others were still fighting.

But
Ezra was unconscious in the water, floating downwards, his tanned
skin looking corpse pale somehow, his limbs floating limply around
him in the water where he was weightless with his hair floating
around his head like a black and blue halo.

He
couldn’t get himself out and Kanan couldn’t… he wouldn’t
leave him behind.

He
got his hand on Ezra’s sleeve and pulled the Lothal native to his
chest, turning his attention back to the surface where he could still
spot red, swimming as fast as he could with one arm around Ezra’s
chest, going as fast as he could.

His
lungs were burning but finally he broke the surface, gasping as he
dragged Ezra with him to the shore and threw the boy out first.

Blurry
eyed as he was, he could spot people in white falling around them in
a half fan to keep them shielded.

‘Clones.’
His numb mind supplied as Kanan pulled himself out of the water with
numb, frozen hands to kneel at his padawan’s side.

Ezra
however, laying on the thin snow that covered the ground like a
blanket that was rapidly melting around him thanks to the water, was
not moving and that was the important thing. Ezra was not
moving and that was terrifying.

Ezra’s
chapped lips were blue and slightly parted and his eyes were closed
with his skin so white and dark hair stuck in his face.

Numb
hands tilted Ezra’s head back, fingers pinching his nose shut as
Kanan leaned down and started CPR, begging the Force not to let Ezra
join Master Depa just yet. ‘I know you wanna meet him but not yet
master, not yet.’

Kanan
wasn’t sure how long he tried to breath life into Ezra, wasn’t
sure how many breaths he blew into the boys mouth or how many times
he compressed his chest, it felt like forever, he could feel a rib or
two break under his touch and he could feel his own desperation grow
even as the blaster fire grew silent.

And
then Ezra jerked, gasping, rolling to his side as he spat out water
and a confused mumble of, ‘Kanan?’ was the most beautiful sound
Kanan had heard in years as he gathered the boy to him and held on.

And
that left them here, Kanan sitting with Ezra, a blanket wrapped
around his sopping form as Rex continued to bark orders at his fellow
clones, Kanan watching with drained eyes as the man took charge.

Another
clone with red and
white streaked hair
was at the Jedi’s side, was carefully checking on Ezra first while
also tugging the blanket around Kanan’s form, murmuring
reassurances and information as he went through medical care.

‘A
medic.’ Kanan’s numb mind supplied as Ezra blinked dazedly and
let the trooper touch him and care for him without
fuss,
Kanan to tired to protest and too desperate for Ezra to be alright
to even care that it was clones treating them.

He
could freak out about it later, when Ezra was warm and dressed in dry
clothes.

He
could freak out when Ezra’s lips weren’t blue, his
ribs weren’t cracked from Kanan getting water out of his lungs
and he was asleep in his bunk on the Ghost.

‘Or
maybe my bunk… just so I can keep an eye on him…’ Kanan noted
to himself before resting his cheek on Ezra’s wet hair, a
shuddering breath escaping the rebel.

He
could have lost Ezra today.

Either
to the lake or to the Empire’s soldiers afterward and while the
former he had himself to thank for saving Ezra… the latter he had
the clones to thank for.

‘Later…
right now… just rest a bit until Hera comes for pickup.’ Kanan
told himself, closing his eyes for just a little while, savoring Ezra
breathing and alive in his arms.

Still
his young and
alive
padawan.

In a kinder universe, how does Ezra deal with being in the creche? Does he have trouble being with a bunch of stranger kids?

Posted on av swmoddy

Nomming
the pudding out of the bowl, Ezra shot the ones in his room a big
smile even as he tugged the blanket more up around himself.

Caleb
smiled at the sight, before turning to healer Eerin. “So he’ll be
okay in a few days?” He questioned quietly, relaxing as the mon
calamari nodded.

“Indeed,
his fever is going down as we speak and he’s recovering thanks to
the food we’re giving him which he has to continue eating so we
will be giving the creche a schedule for him and approved food items.
He’ll be able to join them soon enough and start socializing with
kids his own age.” She said happily.

The
healers had done the best they could, putting in a colorful blanket
with tooka’s covering it and a few soft toys but a Hall room was no
place for a child long term though some could not avoid it. They
always tried to make the rooms as child friendly as possible when
that happened but thankfully Ezra would only need the room for a few
more days until his fever and infectious period was over and then
he’d be able to be around other children.

He
had been given all his immunization shots and Healer Eerin had
actually been happily surprised by how strong Ezra’s immune system
was.

There
were a few other notes, a few strong vitamins the kid would have to
take for a few weeks and he was allergic to a particular Lothalian
grain but other than that, Ezra would be just fine.

There
was of course the trauma and Eerin had warned Caleb, as the boy’s
future master, that Ezra had a badly healed break in his left wrist
that they would have to take a closer look on as he got older since
Ezra was left handed.

Which
had confused Caleb and he had refuted that by saying Ezra used his
right hand quite a bit which lead to them discovering that Ezra was
neither left or right handed, he was ambidextrous, being equally
adept at using both right and left at the same time.

Ezra
had just shrugged when asked about it and said that sometimes his
left or right ached so he used the one that didn’t ache.

A
simple and blunt explanation from a child who didn’t see what was
so special about it.

Bowing
to the healer, Caleb moved to Ezra’s side, sitting down on the
bedside with a small smile as he held up the pad. “Brought the
story I promised.” He chuckled when blue eyes lit up, excitement
filling the air as Ezra tucked back into the pillows though he also
pulled the tray with him to finish off his pudding.

Pulling
the blanket up to the boys armpits to leave his arms free to continue
eating, Caleb settled back against the headboard covered in large
pillows, powering up the pad to start reading and
as they got into the story, he felt Ezra settle into his side.

Quickly,
Caleb looped his arm around the boy to make it clear the contact was
welcome.

()()()

Ezra’s
first few hours in the creche was…quiet, the boy staying close to crechemaster Dutra for the most part with an uncertain look in his eyes as he looked around at all the kids.

Caleb
kept a discreet eye as he volunteered that day, just to keep an eye
with his future padawan but kept a bit of distance too so Ezra wouldn’t
latch onto him. He had wanted to be around the boy but the
crechemaster had warned him that Ezra needed to find his own legs and
not latch onto Caleb.

Making
him dependent on Caleb and him alone would be bad as he needed to be able to rely on the other adults in his life and reach out to other kids but if Ezra showed
signs of outright distress he could intervene.

Luckily
Ezra started to come out of his shell after a few of those quiet hours of uncertainty, finding another human boy by
the name Jai and a rodian girl named Saph that shared his interest in
animals, all three of them looking up different animals on the holopad stationed in the learning corner and
attracting a small circle of younglings that listened to the holo
audio explain the animals they saw.

Ezra
quite liked the purrgils
for some reason, clapping his hands in excitement.

Letting
out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding, Caleb felt some calm
settle into his body, knowing that Ezra was making bonds in the
creche…

That
felt good.

Even
though he was still a tiny bit tense around adults he didn’t yet
know, that was fair too with his life until now. Ezra would learn that the temple would
safeguard him and that was all Caleb needed in that moment to feel
himself settle.

The
knowledge that his future padawan was safe and would be cared for
until it was time.

Caleb
would be ready by then.

He
had
to be ready by then because there was no way he’d let Ezra slip
through his fingers.

With
that in mind he turned to the togruta he was feeding only to feel his
face fall as a certain smell reached him, informing him it was diaper
change. ‘Never to much of a Jedi to be humbled by poo diapers I
guess.’ He sighed and set the bowl aside, lifting the youngling up
with a half smile.

In a kinder universe, how does Ezra deal with being in the creche? Does he have trouble being with a bunch of stranger kids?

Posted on av swmoddy

Nomming
the pudding out of the bowl, Ezra shot the ones in his room a big
smile even as he tugged the blanket more up around himself.

Caleb
smiled at the sight, before turning to healer Eerin. “So he’ll be
okay in a few days?” He questioned quietly, relaxing as the mon
calamari nodded.

“Indeed,
his fever is going down as we speak and he’s recovering thanks to
the food we’re giving him which he has to continue eating so we
will be giving the creche a schedule for him and approved food items.
He’ll be able to join them soon enough and start socializing with
kids his own age.” She said happily.

The
healers had done the best they could, putting in a colorful blanket
with tooka’s covering it and a few soft toys but a Hall room was no
place for a child long term though some could not avoid it. They
always tried to make the rooms as child friendly as possible when
that happened but thankfully Ezra would only need the room for a few
more days until his fever and infectious period was over and then
he’d be able to be around other children.

He
had been given all his immunization shots and Healer Eerin had
actually been happily surprised by how strong Ezra’s immune system
was.

There
were a few other notes, a few strong vitamins the kid would have to
take for a few weeks and he was allergic to a particular Lothalian
grain but other than that, Ezra would be just fine.

There
was of course the trauma and Eerin had warned Caleb, as the boy’s
future master, that Ezra had a badly healed break in his left wrist
that they would have to take a closer look on as he got older since
Ezra was left handed.

Which
had confused Caleb and he had refuted that by saying Ezra used his
right hand quite a bit which lead to them discovering that Ezra was
neither left or right handed, he was ambidextrous, being equally
adept at using both right and left at the same time.

Ezra
had just shrugged when asked about it and said that sometimes his
left or right ached so he used the one that didn’t ache.

A
simple and blunt explanation from a child who didn’t see what was
so special about it.

Bowing
to the healer, Caleb moved to Ezra’s side, sitting down on the
bedside with a small smile as he held up the pad. “Brought the
story I promised.” He chuckled when blue eyes lit up, excitement
filling the air as Ezra tucked back into the pillows though he also
pulled the tray with him to finish off his pudding.

Pulling
the blanket up to the boys armpits to leave his arms free to continue
eating, Caleb settled back against the headboard covered in large
pillows, powering up the pad to start reading and
as they got into the story, he felt Ezra settle into his side.

Quickly,
Caleb looped his arm around the boy to make it clear the contact was
welcome.

()()()

Ezra’s
first few hours in the creche was…quiet, the boy staying close to crechemaster Dutra for the most part with an uncertain look in his eyes as he looked around at all the kids.

Caleb
kept a discreet eye as he volunteered that day, just to keep an eye
with his future padawan but kept a bit of distance too so Ezra wouldn’t
latch onto him. He had wanted to be around the boy but the
crechemaster had warned him that Ezra needed to find his own legs and
not latch onto Caleb.

Making
him dependent on Caleb and him alone would be bad as he needed to be able to rely on the other adults in his life and reach out to other kids but if Ezra showed
signs of outright distress he could intervene.

Luckily
Ezra started to come out of his shell after a few of those quiet hours of uncertainty, finding another human boy by
the name Jai and a rodian girl named Saph that shared his interest in
animals, all three of them looking up different animals on the holopad stationed in the learning corner and
attracting a small circle of younglings that listened to the holo
audio explain the animals they saw.

Ezra
quite liked the purrgils
for some reason, clapping his hands in excitement.

Letting
out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding, Caleb felt some calm
settle into his body, knowing that Ezra was making bonds in the
creche…

That
felt good.

Even
though he was still a tiny bit tense around adults he didn’t yet
know, that was fair too with his life until now. Ezra would learn that the temple would
safeguard him and that was all Caleb needed in that moment to feel
himself settle.

The
knowledge that his future padawan was safe and would be cared for
until it was time.

Caleb
would be ready by then.

He
had
to be ready by then because there was no way he’d let Ezra slip
through his fingers.

With
that in mind he turned to the togruta he was feeding only to feel his
face fall as a certain smell reached him, informing him it was diaper
change. ‘Never to much of a Jedi to be humbled by poo diapers I
guess.’ He sighed and set the bowl aside, lifting the youngling up
with a half smile.

A kinder universe: how does Ezra do surrounded by all the people at the temple? Does he have to go to the council chambers and get grilled like Anakin did?

Posted on av swmoddy

Stepping
off the ramp into
the hanger with his bundle wrapped up in one of the medbay’s
blankets,
Caleb glanced around and smiled when he instantly spotted his master,
Depa welcoming him with a wide smile in return before her eyes slid
to Ezra.

The
four year old was sleeping against Caleb’s shoulder and he had a
feeling it wasn’t for the boy in his arms, he would be getting
hugged by his master. As it was, she welcomed him back with the
equivalent
of a Force hug as he closed the distance between them to walk at her
side as
they made their way around the workers of the temple hangers, a mix
of pilots, troopers and Jedi with personal ship investment, like
Master Koth.
“Welcome back Caleb.” She greeted softly, her eyes flickering
between Ezra visible
face and
the man who had once been her padawan.

Obviously
she was intrigued by the dark haired boy in his grasp and
Caleb’s rather obviously protective grasp.

Smiling
a bit, Caleb nodded. “It’s good to be home, Lothal was as bad off
as Master Drenalla feared but the troopers were well into recovery
and repair when I left with a skeleton crew so
the Lothalian people should recover with the Republic aid they were
promised once the terror cells from the CSI were run off.”
He murmured.

Smiling
in pride, Depa nodded. “The troopers are a blessing for the war
torn worlds. I don’t know where we would be if it wasn’t for
them…” She trailed off as they stepped into the elevator.

They
both knew where they,
the Jedi, would
be.

Dead.

Dead
thanks to Sith plot and manipulation but neither said it, instead
they were grateful for the aid the troopers continued to lend them
and the galaxy that was finally making them citizens.

She
shook her head as the doors of
the elevator
closed and focused on the boy sleeping in Caleb’s arms instead. “So
this is young Ezra Bridger.” Depa stated sadly, taking in how
skinny he was despite the boy being clean.

She
also took in the soft emergency clothes Caleb had brought with him.

Obviously
she was reading the situation out from Caleb’s words and Ezra’s
current visible condition.

Nodding,
Caleb stroked Ezra’s back. “He still has a minor fever but he’s
doing better. Tabs and I’ve done our best to make sure he’s eaten
properly and cared for as best we could.” He noted quietly to her as the elevator stopped to let
on two master’s and a padawan, all of them exchanging polite smiles
with curious glances sent at Ezra.

No
one made a fuss though, it was common to bring in younglings once
more and Caleb was not the first knight sent out to retrieve
difficult to locate members thanks to the either the war or the
aftermath of the war.

Ezra
wasn’t even among the worst condition candidates they had found yet, Caleb
knew there was two human girls who were found in slavery at a
brothel.

That
had been…

Bad.

Was still
bad and the two girls potentially would never properly recover.

He
tightened his grasp around Ezra protectively
and then looked to Depa. “So what now? I mean, there was nothing in
the mission folder for after I retrieved him to the temple.” He explained as the
elevator stopped and the padawan stepped out, most likely rushing off
to class.

“Oh,
Halls of healing. Ezra’s is going to the creche but due to his…
current condition, he needs the Halls first clearly and its standard
practice to ensure younglings have all their inoculations
regardless,” Depa explained before sighing sadly. “I do however
foresee a few days in the Halls for him though.” She noted while
brushing some loose hair out of her face.

Nodding
at that, Caleb quietly contemplated what to say before sighing
deeply. “I need to talk with the council once he’s settled in.”
He admitted to his former master.

He
blushed when she raised her brow.

For
some reason Depa could still make him blush like a naughty initiate.
“It’s not bad,” He quickly explained, pretending he didn’t
hear the amused cough in front of him. “It’s just that Ezra
formed a natural padawan bond with me when he woke up and saw me for the first time.” Caleb
tacked on.

Astonishment
bloomed over Depa’s face and then she chuckled, shaking her head a
bit. “Of course you would find a natural bond… well I guess you
found your future padawan,” She noted fondly before frowning. “…Oh
Force, does this mean I’m a grandmaster already?” Depa noted wit
a small smidgen of horror.

Smirking,
Caleb just cuddled Ezra’s small form to him.

He
knew why she was looking like that.

Because
when Depa took on Caleb, she had fluttered around grandmaster Mace
and teased him for days
while Caleb watched in deepest amusement while drinking tea in the
grandmaster’s quarters and he mournfully noted that he wasn’t
that
old.

And
now Depa would be a grandmaster once Ezra became old enough to be a
padawan.

Earlier
than Mace had been for sure.

It
was bound to make the old bastard laugh, Caleb was sure of that but
first… Ezra needed a healer to give him his inoculations and
Caleb almost hoped he’d sleep through it all but so far Ezra didn’t
show any signs of being agitated despite unconsciously aware of every
being in the temple.

A kinder universe: how does Ezra do surrounded by all the people at the temple? Does he have to go to the council chambers and get grilled like Anakin did?

Posted on av swmoddy

Stepping
off the ramp into
the hanger with his bundle wrapped up in one of the medbay’s
blankets,
Caleb glanced around and smiled when he instantly spotted his master,
Depa welcoming him with a wide smile in return before her eyes slid
to Ezra.

The
four year old was sleeping against Caleb’s shoulder and he had a
feeling it wasn’t for the boy in his arms, he would be getting
hugged by his master. As it was, she welcomed him back with the
equivalent
of a Force hug as he closed the distance between them to walk at her
side as
they made their way around the workers of the temple hangers, a mix
of pilots, troopers and Jedi with personal ship investment, like
Master Koth.
“Welcome back Caleb.” She greeted softly, her eyes flickering
between Ezra visible
face and
the man who had once been her padawan.

Obviously
she was intrigued by the dark haired boy in his grasp and
Caleb’s rather obviously protective grasp.

Smiling
a bit, Caleb nodded. “It’s good to be home, Lothal was as bad off
as Master Drenalla feared but the troopers were well into recovery
and repair when I left with a skeleton crew so
the Lothalian people should recover with the Republic aid they were
promised once the terror cells from the CSI were run off.”
He murmured.

Smiling
in pride, Depa nodded. “The troopers are a blessing for the war
torn worlds. I don’t know where we would be if it wasn’t for
them…” She trailed off as they stepped into the elevator.

They
both knew where they,
the Jedi, would
be.

Dead.

Dead
thanks to Sith plot and manipulation but neither said it, instead
they were grateful for the aid the troopers continued to lend them
and the galaxy that was finally making them citizens.

She
shook her head as the doors of
the elevator
closed and focused on the boy sleeping in Caleb’s arms instead. “So
this is young Ezra Bridger.” Depa stated sadly, taking in how
skinny he was despite the boy being clean.

She
also took in the soft emergency clothes Caleb had brought with him.

Obviously
she was reading the situation out from Caleb’s words and Ezra’s
current visible condition.

Nodding,
Caleb stroked Ezra’s back. “He still has a minor fever but he’s
doing better. Tabs and I’ve done our best to make sure he’s eaten
properly and cared for as best we could.” He noted quietly to her as the elevator stopped to let
on two master’s and a padawan, all of them exchanging polite smiles
with curious glances sent at Ezra.

No
one made a fuss though, it was common to bring in younglings once
more and Caleb was not the first knight sent out to retrieve
difficult to locate members thanks to the either the war or the
aftermath of the war.

Ezra
wasn’t even among the worst condition candidates they had found yet, Caleb
knew there was two human girls who were found in slavery at a
brothel.

That
had been…

Bad.

Was still
bad and the two girls potentially would never properly recover.

He
tightened his grasp around Ezra protectively
and then looked to Depa. “So what now? I mean, there was nothing in
the mission folder for after I retrieved him to the temple.” He explained as the
elevator stopped and the padawan stepped out, most likely rushing off
to class.

“Oh,
Halls of healing. Ezra’s is going to the creche but due to his…
current condition, he needs the Halls first clearly and its standard
practice to ensure younglings have all their inoculations
regardless,” Depa explained before sighing sadly. “I do however
foresee a few days in the Halls for him though.” She noted while
brushing some loose hair out of her face.

Nodding
at that, Caleb quietly contemplated what to say before sighing
deeply. “I need to talk with the council once he’s settled in.”
He admitted to his former master.

He
blushed when she raised her brow.

For
some reason Depa could still make him blush like a naughty initiate.
“It’s not bad,” He quickly explained, pretending he didn’t
hear the amused cough in front of him. “It’s just that Ezra
formed a natural padawan bond with me when he woke up and saw me for the first time.” Caleb
tacked on.

Astonishment
bloomed over Depa’s face and then she chuckled, shaking her head a
bit. “Of course you would find a natural bond… well I guess you
found your future padawan,” She noted fondly before frowning. “…Oh
Force, does this mean I’m a grandmaster already?” Depa noted wit
a small smidgen of horror.

Smirking,
Caleb just cuddled Ezra’s small form to him.

He
knew why she was looking like that.

Because
when Depa took on Caleb, she had fluttered around grandmaster Mace
and teased him for days
while Caleb watched in deepest amusement while drinking tea in the
grandmaster’s quarters and he mournfully noted that he wasn’t
that
old.

And
now Depa would be a grandmaster once Ezra became old enough to be a
padawan.

Earlier
than Mace had been for sure.

It
was bound to make the old bastard laugh, Caleb was sure of that but
first… Ezra needed a healer to give him his inoculations and
Caleb almost hoped he’d sleep through it all but so far Ezra didn’t
show any signs of being agitated despite unconsciously aware of every
being in the temple.

Akinderuniverse: Is Ezra going to be scared of Caleb or is the bond going ot make it easier for Caleb to interact with the kid?

Posted on av swmoddy

Settling
on the bedside, Caleb shot Ezra a small smile as the boy peered at
him curiously. So far Ezra had shown signs of not being too paranoid
but if that was due to his bond to Caleb or an understanding that he
was safe thanks to the Force was anyone’s guess as Ezra hadn’t
actually said a word since he woke up.

Instead
he communicated in head shakes and at this point Caleb was getting
worried that between the war and living on the street that Ezra might
be mute.

Maybe
from being alone or from trauma.

So
he was trying his best with talking around the boy in a way to
encourage him to pick up on language or encourage his safety to talk.
The young Jedi lifted the two small bowls in his hands. “Tabs
suggested we go easy on the kind of food we gave you since your
stomach is kind of fragile, so I got some white rice here for you and
some nice warm broth,” He said softly, smiling when Ezra’s eyes
lit up at the mention of food, settling the bowl of rice down on the
bedside table before holding the small bowl. “Do you think you can
feed yourself or do you want me to do it?” Caleb questioned
carefully.

Ezra
stared at the spoon before lifting a skinny hand, picking it up and
staring as the spoon shook in his grasp before dropping it back in
the bowl with a little splash, wincing and peering up at Caleb before
pointing at the knight.

Nodding,
Caleb picked up the spoon. “That’s fine kiddo. Tabs said you
weren’t doing so hot still
and I wasn’t about to expect great feats just yet.
Though your fever has gone down which is good.” He grinned
reassuringly as he feed the boy a spoonful of lukewarm broth.

Ezra
happily swallowed it and opened his mouth for more, eyes wide and
hopeful.

Smiling
softly, Caleb continued feeding Ezra the broth slowly and steadily as
he knew that overeating could prove to be a real problem for Ezra and
the last thing he wanted on top of the fever was for Ezra to also get
a stomach ache.

Spoon
after spoon of broth disappeared until eventually the bowl was empty
which was when Caleb switched to the rice after checking that Ezra
was indeed still hungry and not showing sign of an ache.

They
got halfway down into the rice bowl when Ezra started to hesitate.
“Seems you’re full now, that’s good but if you get more
hungry…” Caleb set the half eaten bowl of rice on the table.
“Well, I’ll set this here right now and we can always get more
food for you though Tabs is most likely going to feed you some
pudding after two hours or so.” He hummed.

Ezra
blinked at him, looking at the bowl then wrinkling his nose and
pointing at the medical office Tabs
disappeared into sometimes to write down medical reports.

Blinking
back, Caleb had to think. “Tabs?”

The
boy nodded.

“…Oh
you’re curious about Tabs feeding you in two hours?”

Once
more Ezra nodded.

“Well
we want you to gain weight,” Caleb poked Ezra gently in the
stomach, knowing it must be full and
therefor not wanting to make Ezra ache with too harsh a poke.
Happily all Ezra did was squeak and cover up his stomach with a
little grin. “You’re much too little but eating a lot of food
isn’t the way to gain weight healthily, you have to eat small meals
several times a day full of nutrients.” Caleb explained with a
wink.

Scrunching
up his nose, clearly trying to absorb and understand, Ezra nodded
slowly in confusion before just shrugging and sticking out his
tongue.

Chuckling
faintly, Caleb reached up and gently ruffled his fingers through
Ezra’s greasy hair, promising himself he’d get the boy into the
sonic very soon, Ezra giggling squeakily under his hand.

Akinderuniverse: Is Ezra going to be scared of Caleb or is the bond going ot make it easier for Caleb to interact with the kid?

Posted on av swmoddy

Settling
on the bedside, Caleb shot Ezra a small smile as the boy peered at
him curiously. So far Ezra had shown signs of not being too paranoid
but if that was due to his bond to Caleb or an understanding that he
was safe thanks to the Force was anyone’s guess as Ezra hadn’t
actually said a word since he woke up.

Instead
he communicated in head shakes and at this point Caleb was getting
worried that between the war and living on the street that Ezra might
be mute.

Maybe
from being alone or from trauma.

So
he was trying his best with talking around the boy in a way to
encourage him to pick up on language or encourage his safety to talk.
The young Jedi lifted the two small bowls in his hands. “Tabs
suggested we go easy on the kind of food we gave you since your
stomach is kind of fragile, so I got some white rice here for you and
some nice warm broth,” He said softly, smiling when Ezra’s eyes
lit up at the mention of food, settling the bowl of rice down on the
bedside table before holding the small bowl. “Do you think you can
feed yourself or do you want me to do it?” Caleb questioned
carefully.

Ezra
stared at the spoon before lifting a skinny hand, picking it up and
staring as the spoon shook in his grasp before dropping it back in
the bowl with a little splash, wincing and peering up at Caleb before
pointing at the knight.

Nodding,
Caleb picked up the spoon. “That’s fine kiddo. Tabs said you
weren’t doing so hot still
and I wasn’t about to expect great feats just yet.
Though your fever has gone down which is good.” He grinned
reassuringly as he feed the boy a spoonful of lukewarm broth.

Ezra
happily swallowed it and opened his mouth for more, eyes wide and
hopeful.

Smiling
softly, Caleb continued feeding Ezra the broth slowly and steadily as
he knew that overeating could prove to be a real problem for Ezra and
the last thing he wanted on top of the fever was for Ezra to also get
a stomach ache.

Spoon
after spoon of broth disappeared until eventually the bowl was empty
which was when Caleb switched to the rice after checking that Ezra
was indeed still hungry and not showing sign of an ache.

They
got halfway down into the rice bowl when Ezra started to hesitate.
“Seems you’re full now, that’s good but if you get more
hungry…” Caleb set the half eaten bowl of rice on the table.
“Well, I’ll set this here right now and we can always get more
food for you though Tabs is most likely going to feed you some
pudding after two hours or so.” He hummed.

Ezra
blinked at him, looking at the bowl then wrinkling his nose and
pointing at the medical office Tabs
disappeared into sometimes to write down medical reports.

Blinking
back, Caleb had to think. “Tabs?”

The
boy nodded.

“…Oh
you’re curious about Tabs feeding you in two hours?”

Once
more Ezra nodded.

“Well
we want you to gain weight,” Caleb poked Ezra gently in the
stomach, knowing it must be full and
therefor not wanting to make Ezra ache with too harsh a poke.
Happily all Ezra did was squeak and cover up his stomach with a
little grin. “You’re much too little but eating a lot of food
isn’t the way to gain weight healthily, you have to eat small meals
several times a day full of nutrients.” Caleb explained with a
wink.

Scrunching
up his nose, clearly trying to absorb and understand, Ezra nodded
slowly in confusion before just shrugging and sticking out his
tongue.

Chuckling
faintly, Caleb reached up and gently ruffled his fingers through
Ezra’s greasy hair, promising himself he’d get the boy into the
sonic very soon, Ezra giggling squeakily under his hand.

Akinderuniverse: Little Ezra! Oh no get him some help Knight Caleb!

Posted on av swmoddy

Glancing
down at the sleeping boy, Caleb looked back up to Tabs. “So he’s
going to be alright?” He noted quietly.

Nodding,
Tabs adjusted the IV a bit before giving his focus back to the Jedi.
“The kid is going to be alright as long as we take proper
precaution and take
care
of him. He’s clearly not been taken care of in a long while
considering how malnourished and sick he is and considering the state
of Lothal, that’s not so shocking.” He sighed while rubbing the
back of his neck.

“It’s
that bad here?” Caleb questioned quietly, the bright lights of the
medbay having removed him from the outside. But he remembered the
broken buildings and skeletons he’d seen.

Tabs
breathed out heavily. “You have no idea General,” The troopers
never quite got out of the habit even now after the war though some
were better than others. “I imagine this little one might have been
left alone as no one wanted to get a target painted onto themselves
in
fear of their family security by
taking him in but he does show sign of proper nutrition at some point
so I imagine people tried feeding and caring for him when they could
when the CSI groups weren’t watching to closely.” He noted
quietly as he pulled the sheet more up around Ezra’s tiny body, the
large bed making him seem even smaller.

Hesitating,
leaning on the rails of the bed, Caleb rubbed his face. “I… did
notice there were a lot of broken buildings but… I didn’t…
wouldn’t they have needed the infrastructure to keep things going?”
Caleb asked quietly with a dark frown.

“I
imagine at first they were keeping things as normal as possible but
as the blockade progressed, supplies diminished and people were
getting desperate… well violence would have grown,” Tabs sighed
and shrugged before ruffling Ezra’s dark hair. “Hopefully this
little guy managed to stay out of most of it. “I didn’t find any
major evidence of abuse though he has bruises everywhere.” He
settled on.

Caleb
sat back on the stool, catching onto what Tabs wasn’t saying.

When
the Republic was finally breaching the blockade, a scorched earth
tactic was taken into practice from what the troopers could tell so
far and people were suffering for it, especially in the main cities
such as Capital city.

A
hand squeezed Caleb’s shoulder and he looked up into Tabs amber
eyes. “They’re going to recover sir, this isn’t our first
attempt at helping people, it won’t be the last and the kid is
going to become better with the temple’s aid.” The medic promised
quietly.

Letting
out a deep breath, Caleb nodded with a small smile and focused on the
kid. ‘I guess I’ll just focus on the mission I’m here for while
the clones do their mission. I wouldn’t want to cause any delays
after all.’ He mused to himself as he leaned back on the rails and
picked up a small hand.

The
troopers were more effective in their jobs without Jedi interference
and the Lothal population would really need it if a scorched earth
tactic had been used on the surface.

The
Arida would be leaving as soon as most of the cargo had been
offloaded though, heading back to Coruscant with a skeleton crew
while the rest of the ships stayed to help. ‘And you finally get to
see the temple Ezra, I’m
sorry we were so slow at fetching you, that we painted a target on
your back. I’ll make sure you get there now
though.’
Caleb promised, stroking the skinny little hand gently.

Small
fingers wrapped around his bigger ones and Caleb’s head snapped up
hard enough to give him whiplash as he meet lidded blue eyes.

He’d
seen the picture of Ezra but nothing could do justice to the color of
Ezra’s eyes even through the thin slits of his barely opened eyes.
Bluer than any sky or gem he had ever seen and deeper than any ocean
had the right to be set in a sun tanned, emaciated face with feverish
red cheeks.

Reaching
out slowly with his other hand, Caleb didn’t notice he was holding
his breath as he gently stroked Ezra’s hair out of his face.
“…Hello little one.” He greeted quietly, feeling a bond snap
into place with the consciousness of the other.

Ezra
didn’t answer verbally but his fingers tightened even more on
Caleb’s own before blue eyes shut tiredly.

“…I
think the kid is going to be just fine.” Tabs decided with a quiet
chuckle as Caleb continued stroking the dark hair.

Akinderuniverse: Little Ezra! Oh no get him some help Knight Caleb!

Posted on av swmoddy

Glancing
down at the sleeping boy, Caleb looked back up to Tabs. “So he’s
going to be alright?” He noted quietly.

Nodding,
Tabs adjusted the IV a bit before giving his focus back to the Jedi.
“The kid is going to be alright as long as we take proper
precaution and take
care
of him. He’s clearly not been taken care of in a long while
considering how malnourished and sick he is and considering the state
of Lothal, that’s not so shocking.” He sighed while rubbing the
back of his neck.

“It’s
that bad here?” Caleb questioned quietly, the bright lights of the
medbay having removed him from the outside. But he remembered the
broken buildings and skeletons he’d seen.

Tabs
breathed out heavily. “You have no idea General,” The troopers
never quite got out of the habit even now after the war though some
were better than others. “I imagine this little one might have been
left alone as no one wanted to get a target painted onto themselves
in
fear of their family security by
taking him in but he does show sign of proper nutrition at some point
so I imagine people tried feeding and caring for him when they could
when the CSI groups weren’t watching to closely.” He noted
quietly as he pulled the sheet more up around Ezra’s tiny body, the
large bed making him seem even smaller.

Hesitating,
leaning on the rails of the bed, Caleb rubbed his face. “I… did
notice there were a lot of broken buildings but… I didn’t…
wouldn’t they have needed the infrastructure to keep things going?”
Caleb asked quietly with a dark frown.

“I
imagine at first they were keeping things as normal as possible but
as the blockade progressed, supplies diminished and people were
getting desperate… well violence would have grown,” Tabs sighed
and shrugged before ruffling Ezra’s dark hair. “Hopefully this
little guy managed to stay out of most of it. “I didn’t find any
major evidence of abuse though he has bruises everywhere.” He
settled on.

Caleb
sat back on the stool, catching onto what Tabs wasn’t saying.

When
the Republic was finally breaching the blockade, a scorched earth
tactic was taken into practice from what the troopers could tell so
far and people were suffering for it, especially in the main cities
such as Capital city.

A
hand squeezed Caleb’s shoulder and he looked up into Tabs amber
eyes. “They’re going to recover sir, this isn’t our first
attempt at helping people, it won’t be the last and the kid is
going to become better with the temple’s aid.” The medic promised
quietly.

Letting
out a deep breath, Caleb nodded with a small smile and focused on the
kid. ‘I guess I’ll just focus on the mission I’m here for while
the clones do their mission. I wouldn’t want to cause any delays
after all.’ He mused to himself as he leaned back on the rails and
picked up a small hand.

The
troopers were more effective in their jobs without Jedi interference
and the Lothal population would really need it if a scorched earth
tactic had been used on the surface.

The
Arida would be leaving as soon as most of the cargo had been
offloaded though, heading back to Coruscant with a skeleton crew
while the rest of the ships stayed to help. ‘And you finally get to
see the temple Ezra, I’m
sorry we were so slow at fetching you, that we painted a target on
your back. I’ll make sure you get there now
though.’
Caleb promised, stroking the skinny little hand gently.

Small
fingers wrapped around his bigger ones and Caleb’s head snapped up
hard enough to give him whiplash as he meet lidded blue eyes.

He’d
seen the picture of Ezra but nothing could do justice to the color of
Ezra’s eyes even through the thin slits of his barely opened eyes.
Bluer than any sky or gem he had ever seen and deeper than any ocean
had the right to be set in a sun tanned, emaciated face with feverish
red cheeks.

Reaching
out slowly with his other hand, Caleb didn’t notice he was holding
his breath as he gently stroked Ezra’s hair out of his face.
“…Hello little one.” He greeted quietly, feeling a bond snap
into place with the consciousness of the other.

Ezra
didn’t answer verbally but his fingers tightened even more on
Caleb’s own before blue eyes shut tiredly.

“…I
think the kid is going to be just fine.” Tabs decided with a quiet
chuckle as Caleb continued stroking the dark hair.

Hay; you’ve done a lot of stories and in most of them Order 66 either doesn’t happen; or is defeated before it really gets started. And of course the Clones stay loyal to their Jedi; but if Caleb is still Caleb how does he meet Ezra? He can’t NOT meet him; so could you do a story about that? Jedi Caleb Dume meeting Ezra; in the creche or finding him or something? the potential cuteness factor would be amazing. Thank’s for listening. :)

Posted on av swmoddy

The
back of the child’s neck is so warm and Caleb can feel his stomach
drop to his feet as he takes a deep breath to clear his mind, needing
to remain calm and collected despite his urge to panic.

He’d
been sent to retrieve one of the late entries to the temple, one of
his first missions as a Jedi Knight and at the time he had been
glowing with pride even if the mission was a very low risk one. It
was just that he knew that not many were prompted to knighthood this
early even with the experience many padawan’s gained during the war
and becoming a knight at the tender age of nineteen was impressive
and he knew how proud Depa was of him, how proud even Mace
was of him.

He
knew he deserved it.

But
right now he was questioning if he really had been ready as he slowly
gathered the shaking child into his arms and looked around the dark
alley.

Lothal
had been under the terror cells left by the old CIS regime that
didn’t want to put down arms, they had only recently managed to
break through the blockade that had been around the planet and many
were still suffering for it.

The
troopers Caleb had arrived with were still in full work, helping
rebuilding, aiding the hurt and doing what they did best.

Helping,
coming
with supplies as they had been doing ever since the war ended.
Or
well the ones who opted to stay in GAR as Caleb knew that several had
joined other ventures, were farmers, were builders, were making their
own destiny and life though Caleb was happy that some of them also
stayed.

Caleb
on the other hand had gone to collect Ezra Bridger as
the troopers set up to aid,
the parents had agreed that Ezra was to come to the temple when the
boy was two, his strong Force presence warm and strong the seekers
had confirmed… only… that was two years ago.

When
the blockade had started and
they had been unable to break it for two full years to aid the planet
or retrieve the Force sensitive they may have painted a target on if
the Bridger’s didn’t hide their connection to the temple.

And
now Caleb was carrying a feverish, malnourished child with no parents
in sight. If Caleb was to take a guess based on the things he had
seen during the clone wars and the burned down house that had
belonged to the Bridger’s that was not too old yet not recent, than
Mira and Ephraim Bridger were dead and Ezra was the only thing to
survive the fires.

‘…He
looks like he’s even younger than four…’ Caleb noted, tucking
his robe around the boy he was cradling to his chest as Ezra shook
and trembled with fever.

It
had been pure luck that had Caleb finding Ezra in that alley, a tug
of the Force and a recognition of that distinct hair despite it being
filthy and the face no longer having the babyfat it should have.
‘We’ll have to feed him well, clean him up… Tabs hopefully has
the immunization
shots
he’ll need because
I think its a long time since Ezra got a medical check.’
Caleb didn’t even consider the idea that Ezra would not survive as
he held him to his chest
to keep the other comfy.

Somehow…

Even
the concept of Ezra not being in the world felt gray to the Jedi
knight who was hurrying towards the camp the others had set up.

So
he continued walking as fast as his long legs could carry him.

()()()

Its
warm.

That’s
what Ezra notes as he surfaces in a murky world of shadows and dull
noises.

Its
warm and safe for the first time in so long and it feels nice.

There’s
a soothing beat close to his ear and its all he can do to press his
ear to the sound to keep hearing the steady noise. A hand brushes his
brow and Ezra has no strength to flinch away from it as he normally
must.

But
this hand is gentle.

Its
large just like daddy’s hand always was and strokes Ezra’s brow
soothingly and for a moment he wonders if daddy did come back… only
that’s not right.

Because
Ezra saw what happened to both mommy and daddy and people don’t
come back from that.

But
he’s safe, right now he is safe in the arms of someone who is
cradling him, allowing Ezra to sleep
without fear as the
fever raged
his small body.