Following the Water
Casey Jones wasn't sure how he had managed to find himself in that particular situation: alone in the desert with a teenager who barely spoke.
All he knew was that he was supposed to watch over him, and accompany him west.
It was what he had been asked to do, two days ago.
He was at the festival, walking through the crowd as if he was admiring the stands and never letting the boy out of his sight.
Like he had promised to Raphael, he was keeping an eye on Slash. So far, the boy had done nothing suspicious. The only thing Casey had noticed was how down he looked on the day of his father's confirmation.
All of sudden Splinter and Leonardo arrived and entered Hamato Yoshi's tent. Raphael's brother was ashen and Casey wondered what had happened. Slash must have, too, because he came closer to the tent, obviously in the hope of overhearing.
Casey hadn't decided whether he was going to interfere when Slash's father, Bradford, soon-to-be oasis leader, arrived and began a conversation with his son.
Casey couldn't hear what they said, but Slash moodily left for some errand. Casey decided it wasn't worth following him this time. Besides, he was curious to know why Leonardo had been so upset. Maybe he could wait next to the tent in case the boy needed a sympathetic ear?
He bought sweets and ate them, discreetly circling around the tent.
He didn't expect to suddenly find himself face-to-face with Splinter.
"Casey Jones?"
"Yes, Sir?" Casey hid his surprise as best he could.
"You seem mightily interested in that tent. Any reason why?"
Casey felt like a little boy again under the gaze of the old man in front of him. There was something about Splinter that had always impressed him. Maybe it had something to do with the old tales that guards sometimes whispered during their hours on watch, that he had traveled further than anyone else in the oasis and knew a lot about the outside world…
Casey had no reason to lie. "I saw you come inside with Leo, and he looked upset. I thought that maybe he would need a friend when you would, uh, be done with him," he said awkwardly.
Splinter raised an eyebrow. "I see. You're keeping an eye out for him."
"I guess you could say that."
"Well, if you want to keep doing that..."
And Casey followed him, more curious than ever.
One hour later, he was leaving the oasis for he didn't know how long.
Casey didn't know why Leonardo had been sent away, and he didn't dare to ask the boy who obviously wasn't willing to talk.
It must have been something dire, though, because Casey was sure Leonardo hadn't said goodbye to his brothers or mother, and it couldn't be of his own choice.
Casey thought about Raphael. How had Leonardo's brother reacted when he had noticed his absence?
Probably not too good.
The sun was setting. They had maybe one hour when the temperature would be pleasant, and then it would become too cold and they would settle for the night, set up shelter and nestle against the horses.
But first, they had to find water. Their supply was diminishing fast; Leonardo was drinking more than any of the other people Casey had traveled with in the desert.
As the map that Splinter had given them clearly indicated water points, though, he didn't feel the need to tell the boy to restrict himself.
Casey took that map. "We're entering an area of the desert I don't know at all," he said to Leonardo. "We'll have to count on Splinter's map to find water."
The boy merely nodded.
Casey hadn't counted with a spoken answer anyways, but it was still better than talking to himself.
"So, let's see," he muttered. "It's, uh…" He watched the few rocks that could serve as landmarks and the first stars in the sky. "This way."
They had dismounted to give the horses some respite, and they walked for a while before Casey stopped.
"It's there," he said, and he began digging in the sand to reveal the hidden well their predecessors had built.
When he realized that Leonardo wasn't moving, he raised his head.
"Uh, Leo? I wouldn't mind a little help."
"There is no water here," Leonardo whispered.
His voice was hoarse and so low that Casey barely caught the words.
He laughed nervously. "Well, you better hope there is."
Splinter's map was old. What if the well had been displaced? What if he, Casey, had misinterpreted its scribbled signs?
Casey dug faster to avoid thinking about the trouble they would be in if such was the case.
Leonardo huffed and walked away. Casey reined in his irritation in front of such behavior. Okay, the boy had every right to be upset, but they were in this together, and the desert was unforgiving. Leonardo might at least -
Casey's fingers met stone, and he sighed in relief. There was the well. He cleared it completely and pushed the lid. He took a goatskin and a rope and slid them inside the uncovered hole.
It reached the bottom with a dry sound.
Casey's heart sank. There was no water inside. Maybe a ground shift had changed the underground layout?
He took the map to evaluate when the next watering hole would be. If he deciphered the distance correctly, it would be in two days.
They would never make it there with their current water consumption. Even by restricting themselves, Casey wasn't sure they would.
The sound of sand meeting sand snapped him out his gloomy thoughts. Maybe fifty yards on his left, Leonardo was digging.
Casey came to him, barely daring to hope.
"Have you seen something?"
Leonardo glanced at him without answering. Casey hesitated before kneeling next to the teenager to help.
A few seconds later, they were opening another well and filling first their flasks, next their goatskins.
Casey drank a big gulp of water, careful not to waste a drop of it. "How did you know?"
Leonardo merely shrugged.
Leonardo was following Casey, lost in his thoughts.
Another day of travel. Sand as far as he could see.
When would their journey end?
Eight days had already passed since they had left the oasis. Leonardo wondered whether the plan had worked. Did the guard play his part well? Was everybody convinced he had died in the desert?
Was Raphael convinced of it?
Leonardo missed his family so much.
He felt guilty that he hadn't told anything to Casey yet, but he wasn't sure how to begin - and besides, his throat was constantly dry and he wanted to spare his voice.
He knew that he drank more water than Casey, but he was always thirsty.
Still, he was grateful for the man's presence. Casey showed the patience of a saint and never pushed him.
They were almost at the end of Splinter's map. Splinter had told them that they would know where to go from there, but there was nothing else than rocks and the occasional cactus standing out on the sand.
Leonardo wasn't worried. He could feel the presence of water beneath them, and had been able to correct Casey several times about the location of water sources. Now Casey just relied on him to find them and barely checked the map anymore.
Leonardo wondered whether Casey had deduced anything, or if he was just thinking his companion was particularly sensitive to landscape alterations.
It wasn't until several days later that the landscape began to change. First they saw more vegetation, then small animals, then they smelled a touch of salt in the air.
Then they found the first village.
Casey tensed in anticipation as they came closer to the houses. He didn't see any guards, and the few people outside seemed more curious than hostile, but you never knew. He dismounted and signaled to Leonardo to do the same. He didn't want to appear threatening.
"Hello, strangers," a man greeted them. "What brings you to our humble village?"
Casey was relieved that he talked their language, although he had a strong accent.
"We're heading west," he answered. "If you have any fresh food to sell us, we would be forever grateful to you."
"Sure," the man said.
Now a little crowd of maybe ten people had gathered around them. Foreigners must be a rarity in the village.
"Where are you from?" a kid asked.
"We're from an oasis deep inside the desert," Leonardo answered softly.
Casey didn't miss the sadness in his eyes as he did so. The kid must remind him of his little brothers.
"I didn't know there were waterbenders in this desert." The man scratched his beard.
"Oh, we're not waterbenders," Casey said dismissively. "We're firebenders. I mean," he added, glancing at Leonardo who had tensed, "I'm a firebender."
"Firebenders?" A lady smiled. "Now let's be serious."
The children laughed.
Casey cleared his throat. "No, I assure you, Ma'am, I am. Uh…"
He moved his arms softly, and opened his hands to reveal a tiny flower of fire, which he sent her way. It dissipated right before reaching her.
Ladies always loved when he did that, which is why it took him several seconds to realize the woman was watching him in horror.
"How?" the man whispered. "Firebenders can't cross this land."
A murmur of assent ran through the circle of people.
"The land is treacherous," another lady went on. "You never know which well will be connected to a water source. And sometimes, wells themselves shift. Maps aren't reliable."
"Our map wasn't always accurate," Casey admitted. "Luckily, my friend here is gifted to find water."
Casey winked at Leonardo, who shifted uncomfortably.
"Is that so?" The man tilted his head towards Leonardo.
Leonardo nodded.
"Then I'll ask you again, what brings you to our village?"
Casey shrugged. Maybe the man was hard-of-hearing and hadn't understood the first time.
"We're heading west…"
"I'm looking for a teacher," Leonardo suddenly said. "A waterbending teacher."
Casey's mouth opened and closed without a sound. Maybe he was the one hard-of-hearing after all, because he couldn't have heard correctly.
The man nodded with satisfaction, as if things made perfect sense to him.
"Then you'll need to go to the ocean - it's within a half-day's walk - and take a boat to the island. Whether you'll be taught or not is not up to me, though. Oh, and the horses can't cross. We could take care of them for you - for a fee, of course."
"Thank you." Leonardo bowed.
Casey didn't say a word as Leonardo bought the fresh food he had been hoping for, negotiated for the horse-sitting and for beds - beds! - to sleep in tonight.
It was only when he had drunk an entire glass of a delicious alcoholic beverage distilled by the locals that he found his voice again.
"You," he said, pointing an accusatory finger at a blushing Leonardo, "Start talking."
The ocean wind blew pleasantly in Leonardo's face as he stood on the prow of the boat taking them to the island where he would, hopefully, find a waterbending teacher.
The ocean was nothing like the water Leonardo had seen before in his life.
It was beautiful. It was powerful. It was singing to his soul, filling his heart with a joy he hadn't felt in a long time.
He was in his element.
"I think I've never felt more miserable in my life," Casey moaned next to him.
The man was bent over the railing, emptying his stomach at regular intervals. Leonardo felt sorry for him, but he wasn't impacted by that seasickness Casey was suffering from, according to the fishers who had brought them along.
Several villages and ports were scattered across the coast. Finding a boat hadn't posed any problem.
He fixed his gaze on the island in front of them, a green point on the horizon.
He couldn't wait to be there.
The crossing was a torture to Casey. Leonardo, however, was thriving, and that brought some comfort to the firebender's heart.
Although he understood why Leonardo had been reluctant to tell him about his powers, Casey really didn't mind. What had happened two hundred years ago had happened, well, two hundred years ago.
The past was in the past, and Leonardo was a friend. That was all that mattered.
And now Casey accepted his fate with resignation. He had zero affinity with water, and it seemed like he would be stuck on an island with waterbenders for weeks.
He sighed, and his stomach took it as a signal to empty itself again.
After an eternity, they finally landed on the island. Its vegetation was the most luxuriant Casey had ever seen.
A group of people were waiting on the beach for them, with a red-haired lady at their head. She smiled at the newcomers.
Casey gaped, unable to take his eyes off her. Her beauty irradiated. She made every second of this absurd journey worth it.
He really hoped she was sensitive to fire flowers.
"My name is April," the lady said, her voice as warm as her gaze. "Welcome to this island."