Leatherhead ran along the deck of the boat. He wanted to see the new land as they approached. It was beautiful compared to the land they had come from. It was green and lush with vegetation, where his homeland was mostly deserts. Leatherhead was beaming with joy. They had left the hardships behind them and soon they would set off on a new beginning.

"Leatherhead!" his mother called out. "Where have you gotten to?"

"Over here, mother," Leatherhead called back to her. As she approached he pointed to the horizon. "Look, mother. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes," his mother smiled and placed her hand on his head. "It is beautiful." They stood, looking out at their new home. Leatherhead could hardly contain his excitement. When the captain called out that they were going to start taking passengers to shore, Leatherhead's mother grabbed hold of his hand. "Let's go find your sister."

Together they made their way through the crowds. Leatherhead's sister, Roughskin, was waiting by their few belongings. They collected their things and stood in line to wait to be taken to shore.

They were on the fourth boat to shore with five others in the small boat with them. Two men rowed and the boat bobbed with the waves. The motion turned Leatherhead's stomach and he was grateful when they finally made it to the beach.

There was a caravan waiting further up the beach. They were all going to travel together for safety to the nearest city that was about half a day's journey away. They had to wait for three more boats to bring passengers to shore before they were ready to leave.

It was because they were poor that they were dropped off at the beach. Commerce ships got priority docking and the richer settlers got to be dropped off at one of the city's ports. Poor settlers had to settle for what they could get.

They didn't have a horse so they were going to have to walk. It wouldn't be the first time that the young crocodile had to journey a long distance on foot. Back in his home land they had to keep moving to try to stay ahead of the more violent factions. The warlike environment was treacherous at best and only a few were able to make it through the worst parts to escape to the boats.

A few died on the long boat ride across the ocean, they had either fallen overboard or fallen ill. The vast expanse of water was also prone to harsh storms. There were rumors that a few ships had been lost at sea. At one point on their trip, Leatherhead was sure that they were going to be sunk by a storm. But the ship had made it. They had made it and now they were in the new world, full of hope and promise.

Soon they would have a new home. They were going to one of the few large cities, where there were several estates that surrounded it. His mother was skilled in weaving cloth and sewing, and she made beautiful dresses and suits. They were hoping to set up a shop one day and sell to the rich estate owners.

Back home, the rich would pay well for her creations. If it weren't for the war, they would have had a good life. It was after the death of his father, at the hands of some radical faction, that Leatherhead's mother decided it was time to leave.

As hard as establishing a new life was going to be, it was going to be better than staying where they had been. Nothing could be worse than a militia, killing innocent people.

They were told that the city was on the other side of a vast forest area that opened up into a valley. Their guide, the only one with a wagon, told them that the edge of the forest was the halfway marker. They were also warned not to eat anything they found along the way and to be as quiet as possible.

It was a slow trek down the rough path that cut through the forest. The sounds of the creatures that called the forest home were all new to Leatherhead. They were nothing like the sounds of the creatures from his home.

By the time they left the forest, Leatherhead was grateful to see the sun again.

The air smelled sweeter out in the field, though it was a little dryer. It was better than the heavy, wet smell of decaying foliage.

They were half way there. He could hardly contain his enthusiasm.

The wagon in front of them suddenly lurched forward and sped away, leaving the group behind. Their guide was gone in a cloud of dust. Everyone stopped on the path, confused as to why the wagon driver sped away.

"Look," another child from the group said as he pointed.

Coming out of the forest was a large group of people Leatherhead had never seen before. The people were large with plating on their stomachs and spiked shells on their backs. They wore ragged cloth made of animal skin and had blunt weapons in their hands. One thing was for sure, they were not there to welcome the group of immigrants.

Leatherhead's mother grabbed his and his sister's hands and ran away from the approaching assailants. People were running as fast as they could go to get away but the ones who were chasing them were faster.

Screams of terror filled the air as the large shelled men set upon them. Some screams were cut short, in the all too familiar sound of death. Others faded into the distance as they were dragged away.

Due to Leatherhead's short legs he was having a hard time keeping up with his mother's fast pace. His mother was dragging him behind her and ushering Roughskin on ahead. A loud, skull breaking crack sounded, followed by the grunt of the man directly behind them.

One moment, Leatherhead was trying to keep up with his mother and in the next he was pinned under the dead man. His mother turned as his hand was ripped from hers. It was a fatal mistake. She fell dead after one of the attackers dragged a knife across her throat as she was trying to lift the corpse to free Leatherhead.

The small crocodile was left unnoticed as the rest of the immigrants were either killed or captured. After it was done he lied in shock, trapped for several hours before he started to pull himself free. In numb shock he looked around at the dead.

This wasn't a land of hope. It was no different than the land he had fled. Those men were just another militia, killing innocent people.

…..

"So, I hear you like to hunt turtles," Saki stated as he looked Leatherhead over. "You come highly recommended."

"Aye," Leatherhead nodded. "That's right."

A dark smile spread across the man's face. "Good. There are two turtles I need you to take care of for me."

Leatherhead lifted his chin, "Given time, I will get to them eventually. They got no place in decent society." He turned his head to look down at the street below. "This place is infected with them."

"It's disgusting, isn't it?" Saki moved to look out the window as well. "But the people of this town welcome them. They will actually care if you start to kill them off so I wouldn't suggest it."

It was the reason Saki's servant, Hun, had to lead Leatherhead through town. They didn't want him killing one on a whim. "Just tell me which ones you want dead." Leatherhead snarled. "I'll do it when no one is looking and be gone before anyone knows."

"The ones I want you to take care of are not in this town," Saki corrected. "They are on the run and they are not together so you will have your work cut out for you. I need them dead. Not brought back here, not arrested but dead. The only things I need you to bring to me are the two documents that Hamato Leonardo is carrying. Bring me those, and you will get your money."

Saki handed over two wanted posters with the turtle's faces on them. "They have committed other crimes as well," Saki informed Leatherhead. "So I am not the only one who is after them. Find them before someone else does."

"They do not dress like natives," Leatherhead stated as he looked the posters over.

"It will make it easier for you to find them," Saki smiled. "Not too many of their kind dress like we do outside of this town. They tend to keep to their own."

"They do not belong in decent society," Leatherhead snarled.

"I couldn't agree more," Saki said. "My goal is to rid this town of their kind. The land that they are on is far too valuable to leave them just sitting on it. They are too stupid to know what they have."

"I want to rid the world of them. Once they are gone, this land will finally be the place of hope that was promised to those who sought shelter here." Leatherhead glared down at a turtle as it crossed the street. "Those savages must pay."

"One day, you will be able to purge this town of their kind," Saki promised. "But first I need those documents and those two turtles dead."

Leatherhead tore his gaze from the turtle in the street and looked at Saki. "I will kill every single one of those vermin even if it takes me the rest of my life. I will get you those papers and add the turtles' shells to my collection."