They ran in some kind of ghetto. It was different from the others residential areas, but Rex couldn't pinpoint what exactly was different.
Hardcase was right behind them, always having an eye on the surroundings.

Anakin pointed at a door. Again, Rex couldn't pinpoint what was different. This hut seemed exactly like the others. Was his Commander in delirium?
But he had to trust him.
Could it be his mothers' hut? He used to live here, after all.

Rex carried his Commander to the door.
"Let me knock…" Anakin mumbled. His eyes were only half open and his voice was weak. The robe which Rex pressed with one hand against Anakin's wound was already wet.
Anakin knocked with his left hand. It was some sort of rhythm and despite being rather weak, they could hear hurried steps.
Then the door was opened. A Togruta male with a blue and white skin color stood before them, staring, his none existing brow furrowed.
Before him stood a man in white, armor with a poncho and a bleeding child in his arms. Behind him was another white armored man with a poncho, watching their surroundings.
The Togruta wanted to say something, but Anakin began to mumble. Rex couldn't understand it, but the Togruta seemed to understand it. He let them in, pointing at a room.
"Get him in this room," he said, and hurried away.
Rex nodded and hurried in the room.
An old Togruta female, whose skin color was completely orange, sat there, looking up as they came in.
She nodded at the floor in front of him. "Lay him there, young one," she said soft.
Rex didn't let himself be irritated from the young one and did what she said. His Commander trusted this people, and he trusted his Commander.

Hardcase and Rex kneeled at Anakin's side. The old Lady went to Anakin's other side.
The Togruta from before came back and began to tie off the blood circulation to Anakin's wound.
"You can do it with this…" Anakin whispered and holding his training lightsaber in his left hand.
A human female, who had entered the room, nodded and took it. The blue and white Togruta put a wooden stick in Anakin's mouth, so he couldn't bite his tongue.
The old lady leaned forward and whispered in Anakin's ear. Then the woman cauterized his stump.
Anakin groaned, but didn't cry. They had to be silent. Nobody should suspect something. Nobody should know that they were here.
It was over quickly. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and sleep, but he knew he couldn't.
"My Tabat and Obi… For the wound," Anakin said and pointed at the clothing parts he wore.

The woman nodded, and the man helped him up. Carefully they removed these parts and the women began to wrap the wound.

"Don't you have bandages or bacta?" Hardcase exclaimed and earned a stern glaces from the strangers.
Anakin closed his eyes shortly and then looked at Hardcase.
"Hardcase… Bacta and bandages a luxury here. Be thankful they help us. I would die without them," he explained
"I am sorry," Hardcase said looking down.
"We understand," the old Togruta said then looked to Anakin. "Your companions care deeply for you," she said, but her gaze was questioning.
"As I do for them," he said and pause before having the strength to continue, "We have much in common."
The old lady nodded in understanding.

"May I ask your names?" she asked.
The clones introduced themselves first, and Anakin was happy that they used their names.
"Anakin Skywalker, Grandmother," he then said, smiling. The lady returned the smile.
"Son of Shmi Skywalker," she said, nodding, "Yes I remember. I heard of your birth. The birth of a healthy child," she told as if that was something special.
Anakin only nodded.

The woman who had cauterized his wound entered the room again. Anakin hadn't realized that she had left.
She gave him a cup with a thick fluid. It was a painkiller.
Anakin's eyes widened. They had used water, for him. His eyes fell at the water canister they carried with them.
Grandmother only smiled. "Drink, child," she said.
"Thank you, Grandmother," Anakin answered and drank.

"You should go now. If you don't get better medical help, your life will still be in danger," Grandmother said.
Anakin nodded and Rex wanted to pick him up again, but Anakin shook his head.
"I will walk out of the city. We will get all the attention if you carry me again," he explained and stood up with the help of the blue and white Togruta.

One last time, Anakin looked at Grandmother. "Tell her that I have not forgotten. I remember," he said and left after the old lady had nodded.
"Good luck, Vikka-terak*," the Togruta male said. Anakin faltered shortly. He was called that now twice from two different people, then he nodded.

Their way out of the city wasn't easy. Not that somebody minded them, but Anakin was very weak, only able to walk slowly. And his wound hurt, despite the painkiller. That took only enough pain away for Anakin not to pass out from the pain.
Rex supported him all the way, not letting him out of his eyes.

Out of the city, Rex immediately picked the little Jedi up.
"Nobody can see us anymore," he just said.
"Thank you," Anakin whispered and leaned his head against Rex breastplate.

The side effects of the painkiller began to set in. It began with dizziness and a headache. Followed by sleepiness. It was hard to keep the eyes open.
"Stay with us, al'verd'ika. You have to stay awake," Hardcase said. Anakin only nodded with half open eyes.

The suns were about to set, when Hardcase looked at something far away.
"What is that?" he asked, and Anakin looked up. His eyes widened.

"That's a sandstorm!" he exclaimed. He asked himself why he hadn't felt it, but it was probably due to his condition.
"We need to seek shelter. Our best chances are one of the plateau sides," he said.
"They are far away and so is the storm. We will be able to get to our ship," Hardcase said.
"No, we won't. The storm will be here in less than an hour. We will be lucky if we find shelter before it hits us. Hurry!" Anakin yelled.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the clones began hurrying to the nearest plateau side.

They weren't fast enough.
The storm hit them with all force, and Rex nearly fell with Anakin, if Hardcase hadn't grabbed him.
They were lucky to have their helmets, but Anakin could only use clothes to cover up. He had bound one of the ponchos around his face. Hardcase had helped him. It covered his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. Breathing was hard due to the covering and the storm, but it was able.
The eyes he closed, nonetheless.

They clones stayed steadfast and continued walking.

That saved their live. At the plateau side they found a small gap which continued in a tight cave.
They squeeze through the gap, only to find that there was already someone in the cave.
"A tusken raider child," Anakin realized. For around a minute, they only looked at each other. Anakin could feel the fear of the child. They were young. He asked himself how they ended here alone, but that wasn't important right now.
"Let me down," he said to Rex, who did it rather reluctantly.

Anakin new a bit of the tusken sign language, but despite the difficulty only having one hand, the child seemed to understood him. Then he grabbed his water canteen and offered it to the child.
She, as Anakin learned, took it and drank, then she offered it to them again.
"Hardcase, take a sip, then give it to Rex. You also take a sip and give it to me," Anakin explained. The clones did as asked. Anakin took also a sip and gave it back to the girl.
"Why didn't you keep it?" Hardcase asked.
"Because it was a gift. She was so generously to let us drink, too. It means, that we can stay here with her. In peace," Anakin answered and settled down.

He felt sick and was sure that he would be vomiting at some point. For this case, he sat nearest the entrance. He didn't want to vomit in front of anyone's feet.

It was a horrible night. The sandstorm didn't seem to weaken.
Anakin vomited several times, but nobody said anything. They only looked worried at him.
Around midnight, he began to run a fever, and he was sure that his wound got infected. It just hurt more.

The storm was over in the late morning.
Anakin was delirious, and the clones hovered frankly above him.
"We have to hurry," Rex said and scooped Anakin up.
"Ooda pon tona," Anakin mumbled in his delirious. The clones only exchanged irritated gazes. Neither knew what it meant.
Together they left the cave, the child following.
The suns were nearly blinding them, after a night in a dark cave.
After their eyes had adjusted to the light, they found themselves in front of several tusken raiders pointing with their weapons at them.

"Eh… Commander?" Hardcase asked, not really sure what to do, but the child ran in front of them talking to the other tusken raiders.
They lowered their weapons but seemed to still want something.

"Give them your water…," Anakin mumbled with only one eye open.
Rex and Hardcase were irritated, but did as said.
The sand people took the water canteens and left them without any word or acknowledgment.

The clones stared at them leaving until Anakin groaned in pain.
Immediately, they continued their walk back to their ship.
They may not understand what happened, but it wasn't important now.

"We are lucky," Anakin said sometime.
"What do you mean?" Rex asked, only happy that he was awake.
"They were peaceful… Only had to prove…", the child in Rex arms answered.
"Prove what?" Hardcase asked curious.
"…child told truth… we were kind," Anakin replied fragmentary, then went silent again.
The clones fastened their pace.

*Vikka-terak - literally means "a child of the desert," and therefore in once sense means any member of Tatooine slave culture. But it's also used idiomatically to refer to someone who has achieved their freedom and is now alone, without family or chosen kin ties (From fialleril's Tatooine slave culture)