Blown Away -Maul-

Maul was not one for nature. How did he get here, anyway? He could have sworn he already returned with the droids, having finished scouting the wilds of Naboo, there wasn't any reason for him to be here anymore. He pulled out his comm link from his robe pocket, holding the activation button and speaking into the microphone.

"00M-9, report. I am still in the forest. I repeat, 00M-9, report."

He awaited the familiar, robotic sound of the droid's "ROGER ROGER", but none came. Maul snarled, tossing the communications device to the ground. Useless piece of junk! The Jedi would be at Naboo at any moment, and Maul was looking forward to taking them down. They didn't seem like anything special - he had certainly dealt with worse - but he couldn't let them get away. Jedi were insignificant thorns in the side of the great Sith Empire, and they needed to be crushed. Swatted like the flies they were! And he was content to do the swatting.

But he couldn't feel their presence anymore. In fact, nothing felt out of the ordinary here to him, which is what stumped him the most. Somewhere, a bird sang - Maul already despised it. However, it was strangely peaceful, something he didn't mind, but he still needed to find out where he was. Did Sidious know? How would he return? This was proving to be a nuisance already. He moved through the underbrush, putting his hood up, allowing it to drape over the top of his head and cover most of his face.

Pushing through a patch of bushes, Maul wiped a gathering of leaves and pine needles from the cloak. He needed to find a way out of the forest...

Maul was always on guard, always ready to fight and kill at a moment's notice. When the sound of a bird - an odd sound, unlike any bird Maul had encountered before, he was already crouching, looking around with his hand in his robe, clutching the concealed lightsaber strapped to his belt. The tweet was accompanied by a voice, which allowed Maul to pinpoint the location of the animal. ...A little girl? Out in the middle of the woods? All by herself? Now now, Rue, hasn't anyone told you not to talk to stranger? She seemed happy, giggling to herself. This brought a scowl to the Sith Assassin's face. What did she have to be so happy about? Putrid little imp. Maul would see to it that your smile would not last for much longer.

"Where I come from isn't any of your concerns, girl."

This was starting to get stranger by the second. Not only was the girl smiling less full-heartedly, but she actually aimed a slingshot at him! A child's toy! Who does she think he is? Maul sneered, drawing the reflective, polished lightsaber from his robe, which stood out like a dot of white across his black visage. It wasn't ignited though, not yet at least. He didn't need to kill the girl, but there was no promise that he would let her go scott-free, especially if she aimed to use that slingshot.

He raised a palm to her, signalling for her to stand down.

"But, I should ask you the same thing. What are you doing here, hm?"

He couldn't believe it. The girl was laughing at him. Him! Going to take Maul lightly, are you? You will regret that, little girl. Maul will make sure of it. Her nonchalant attitude was really ticking Maul off, how she considered him to be some commoner, how she expected Maul to be some sort of pushover. She lives here, does she? Does she expect some sort of home-field advantage? She would be gravely mistaken. Did she think she was safe, hiding in her little tree? And who was she talking to, "Frell"? Ah, the bird. It would be a real shame if something should happen to that bird, don't you think?

"You want to know what it does? Well, why don't you come down and see for yourself?"

He sneered, parting the fingers on his extended hand and slowly closing them, as if he was holding a ball and forcing it tighter and smaller. His arm quivered as the forced kicked in, cracking and chipping the branch Rue sought safety in before he yanked his arm down, sending it crashing to the cold, hard earth. No one would underestimate his, or the Dark Side's, power as long as he had anything to say about it. She might escape, she might hop to a different branch, but it made no difference to Maul. He pressed the red button on the blade's hilt, igniting one of the red lasers with a powerful hiss, bringing it up and holding it with both hands. It splattered a red glow over Maul's robes, humming lightly.

"I will have no more of this. Tell me where I am, and how I can return to Naboo, or I will silence you, you little rat."

Maul meant business now, no little girl was going to dampen his mood today, although he was already sour to begin with.

Now the girl was just being enigmatic. Didn't know where she was, but she lived here? Make up your mind. As expected, she avoided the branch falling, but she just kept talking. Did she think she was in any position to taunt? Against Maul, no, no he wouldn't stand for that. Time to stop playing games, then. He wanted her head for a necklace. She went on to say how someone named 'Katniss' would save her if she was harmed. Oh, how frightening. Who would that be, her older sister? If she was anything like Rue, Maul had nothing to worry about. But it seemed apparent that as long as she was in the tree, she wouldn't be intimidated. And if destroying the tree didn't work, then the use of force would be required, pardon the pun.

Maul raised his hand again, this time going for a different tactic.

"I am not scared of a little girl who calls home to the trees. Why don't you get a taste of what being grounded feels like?"

A sudden burst of force left his palm, aimed directly as Rue. The force repel would act like a very powerful blast of wind, easily capable of knocking Rue from the tree and onto the ground, where Maul would be waiting to make her pay for her vocal misdeeds against the Sith. He was not a kind person, and there would be no mercy, especially for a small child who thought herself above him. He does not play fair, and he does not hold back. You best be ready to accept the cause of your actions. girl.

There we go! You may be a nuisance, little girl, but there is nothing you can do against the powers of the Dark Side of the Force! Maul's scowl became a sneer as Rue fell from her little perch, the scream signalling her twisted ankle meant she wouldn't be running away, either. What's the matter now, girl? Are you still going to talk smack, now that you don't have the protection of the trees? Maul lowered his humming lightsaber to his side and casually strolled over to where she was, noting the collection of birds singing around them. Hmph, no matter. They could sing all they liked. But Rue was beginning to peak Maul's curiosity. "Goal can be completed"? What did she mean by that? It wasn't his mission to kill her...unless she was already being hunted. He would have to stay on guard, but for now, he sensed no danger.

"Don't worry, this will be over quickly."

She fussed around with her bird for a moment, but then it flew off. He smiled as she cried out for it to return. He could feel her fear, her sadness, and her anger. Key ingredients for a Sith - but Rue lacked something else entirely - power. It was such a shame, too. She wouldn't even be a challenge for Maul, who lowered his blade above her neck, giving her shoulders a hue of red. Then, he raised it, preparing for the final blow when all of the sudden, the birds descended. Maul scowled, back-flipping. activating the second blade on his saber and creating the saber-staff, as well as allowing his hood to fall from his head. Oh well, no point in concealing himself now. This would not end well for the birds, not at all.

He twirled the blades expertly over his head, creating a helicopter-blade humming effect as the glowing red trail sentenced many of the flying creatures to their deaths, silencing songs and forcing them to the ground. The occasional bird slipped through and pecked at his robes, but rarely would it stay long enough to inflict damage. A chunk of them had been swatted away before Maul thrust an arm forward, nullifying the rest of their flight patterns and cancelling their air-time with a simple but effective use of the Force Repel.

This girl was beginning to become more trouble than she needed to be...

The birds were a pathetic attack, at the most. Had Maul not been a Sith, they may have been able to do more to him, but barely enough to take him down. But, what if it wasn't meant to be an attack? What if Rue had something else in mind? Maul looked around, spotting Rue using a stick to help her stand. So, you wanted a diversion, did you? Clever little girl - but it wouldn't work on Maul. Did you think you could outrun him while crippled like that? What a disgrace. But, Maul wasn't looking for honor here. The Sith were not honorable people, he cared not for her innocence or his misdeeds. What, did she expect him to suddenly 'realize the error of his ways' and just turn around and leave? After all of the death he had caused in his chaotic lifetime, she wanted him to just give up?

There was not a single ounce of regret in his body, even less now that she had actually tried to escape him. And what had that caused? She forced a lot of birds to lose their lives - not that it made a difference to Maul. If he had to completely uproot the forest, he would do just that. He had these pointless words before, too. "You'll pay for this!" and yet, he still hasn't had to pay for it. Not even once. Did it feel good to know that your efforts were in vain, Rue? Because it sure made Maul feel better.

"It would please me more if you would be silent - but you may as well talk while you can. Do you truly not know where this place is? Answer me, or I will remove parts."

He gripped his glowing, double-sided lightsaber tightly in his hands. In the hands of an apprentice, or an unskilled Sith, his words would be empty. But unfortunately for Rue, he knew how to use it very well, and walked right up in front of her, putting barely half a foot between them, looming over her like a shadow in the night.