They continued to back away into the forest. Now they could use the trees as barriers. Anakin fought furiously. The rhythm of the battle took over his actions. His lightsaber was a red blur in the shadows, and his body became a weapon as well. He leaped, kicked, and whirled. He sent a malia flying with a well-timed chop of his hand to the animals windpipe. A strangle snarl ended in a yelp as the malia flew backward and hit a tree.

There were now eight left, half the original pack. Two were limping from the battle. The others circled, snarling. They still bared their teeth and howled at the Jedi, but Obi- Wan could see that their attack had become less focused. They had not expected such resistance.

Next to him, Anakin was breathing hard. Hid lightsaber was held firmly in his hand. Not even the slightest tremble betrayed how hard he had been working.

"Let's keep backing up," Obi-Wan murmured. "Slowly. Do not look at them directly."

Anakin gritted his teeth. "Believe me, Master. I won't make that mistake again."

The malia continued to follow them, but kept a few meters away as the Jedi retreated. Obi-Wan did not blame the malia for the attack. The Jedi had stumbled on their territory. He did not want to wipe out their entire pack.

The Jedi speeded up their pace a bit. The malia did not follow. They huddled together and roared their anger as Obi- Wan and Anakin retreated. The shadows gradually swallowed them up, and soon all the Jedi heard were their angry snarls

Anakin shivered as he deactivated his lightsaber. "The sound alone is enough to scare you," he said. "Do you think they'll follow us?"

"I doubt it. Despite their cunning, they are simple creatures," Obi-Wan said. "They were defending their home. We were lucky that it was daylight. They weren't in hunting mode."