❃ The stranger ❃
"This sucks."
Hungry, malnourished and tired. That was Keya's current state after travelling for a week.
Keya was by no means a weak person. Her strength was simply a little bit unconventional. Her brothers would consider their earthbending, swordsmanship or intelligence as their sources of strength. Keya, however, always pulled her strength from caring for others, perseverance and a curious mind.
Being on her own in the wild was therefore a rather difficult position to be in. How does someone survive with peace or compassion?
Keya was still wandering about the Southern Earth Kingdom. She had left her village a week ago and was on her way through the mountains to head up North. The scraps of food that her family had packed for her were almost running out. For now, she was lucky enough to have a small meal for tonight. After that she'd have to start gathering berries and hunting whatever she could find.
The mountain trail was not too difficult to follow and trek through. Most of the problems arose from the unrelenting heat and the lack of trees to shade her. Keya had managed to fill her water sack a couple of leagues ago, but the sweat dripping off of her body made her go through the water in no time. She would have to stop soon in order to refill. But where could she go?
All around her she could only see grassy plains filled with slabs of old earthbending disks. They were the types her brother told her about as a kid. Hun would use similar slabs to practice his earthbending before their father left. Before the Fire Nation took over their home. These were much larger than those that earthbending children used, though. These were meant for actual fights rather than basic training.
The whole place was littered with the disks. As Keya observed them during her trek, she noted that they had probably been used during a battle of some kind. Hopefully, the Fire Nation had not taken the small town up ahead yet. It was the only town close by that was worthy enough to be mentioned in her brother's map, so she had no idea where else she could go. Perhaps someone there could help her find her way to the next town, and so forth. As long as she didn't come into contact with any firebenders, Keya was sure that she would be fine... hopefully.
As she walked down the long path, the sight of a stranger suddenly appeared off the road. Or rather, the sight of the stranger's unconscious body appeared. The man was splayed out on the side of the road with his head lolled to the side. His conical hat was on the ground beside him. An ostrich horse was eating grass nearby with its leash untied. Keya slowly approached the ostrich horse.
"Hey there, buddy. You're not supposed to be out here without being secured safely somewhere, are you? I'm pretty sure that your friend over there doesn't want you to wander off."
The ostrich horse looked up and glanced at her. It let out a snort, as if agreeing with her. Carefully, Keya came closer and snatched its reins. She walked over to a barren tree nearby and tied the ostrich horse to the tree's trunk. She tugged on the rope for a moment, making sure that the creature wouldn't be able to run off, before hurrying over to the stranger on the ground.
As she approached him, Keya took note of the giant scar on the left side of his (admittedly, still handsome) face. He couldn't have been much older than her. His face didn't even have any stubble yet, unlike her older brothers.
"Hey." She whispered softly. The girl sat down next to him and shook his shoulders to wake him up. He didn't move. "Are you alright... sir?"
Once again, the guy didn't reply. "Oh dear." Keya mumbled. Is he...? No, that couldn't be! She wouldn't allow it!
Based on what Keya could tell, he was probably just malnourished and dehydrated. If he hadn't stopped to rest during his travels, the combined effects of sleep deprivation and the glaring sun would not have made his situation much better. He was probably still alive though. And yet, Keya couldn't help but be reminded of the Fire Nation soldiers she had attacked a few days prior. The memory was still fresh in her mind. The way their bodies laid limp in her family's garden was a bit too similar to the way that the guy in front of her was right now... it all caused the girl's head to spin just thinking about it.
Keya started to panic and quickly got out the last of her water reservoir. She hurriedly picked up the boy's head (to prevent him from choking, no other reason) and poured some of the lukewarm water in his mouth. She let his head rest on her lap as she waited. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, his adam's apple slowly bobbed up and down, indicating that he was at least not that far gone as he drank the water. Keya sighed in relief.
Suddenly, the stranger opened his golden eyes and jumped up. Keya's own grey eyes went wide when his gaze found hers. Her left hand hurriedly reached for her father's old dagger, but in her panic she couldn't quite get it out of the sheath. The teen boy snarled and pointed two curved swords at her throat. Keya, still sitting on the ground, fell back and was forced to rest on her elbows.
"Who are you?!" He yelled. His voice was raspy. Whether that was due to his teenagehood or dehydration, she couldn't tell. His golden eyes stood out against his pale skin and dark hair.
If he hadn't sported that burnmark, Keya might have even guessed he was a Fire Nation citizen. But of course, no honourable Fire Nation soldier would hurt one of their own, so it was impossible in Keya's mind that this guy would have gotten that scar if he was actually from the Fire Nation. His sharp features were probably just an unlucky combination of Earth Kingdom features that she wasn't familiar with.
"Uhm... My name is Keya." She slowly stood up, trying to put some distance between his swords and her throat. "I found you passed out on the side of the road with your ostrich horse unbound. You looked dehydrated, so I gave you some water. Do you want to give me your name?"
As soon as she explained the situation, the stranger dropped his swords and put them back in his sheath. Keya dropped her hand from her own dagger as well. One of the stranger's hands went up to the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Oh..." He paused. "That explains why my head was in your lap."
Despite Keya's dark skin, the embarrassed blush became apparent on her cheeks. The boy stared at her, making Keya feel even more nervous. This is why you don't talk to strangers!
"O-ofcourse! Why else would I hold your head on my-? It doesn't matter." She cut herself off to avoid implying anything embarrassing. Right now, she was really glad that her brothers weren't here. They would have teased her relentlessly. "Now," she continued, "do you have a name? Or should I just call you 'passed-out-stranger-that-I-gave-some-water'?"
"Yeah, uhm..." The boy thought for a second, as if he had forgotten his name. "I'm Lee."
Keya nodded awkwardly and put her hands behind her back. Lee dropped his hand from his neck and looked around, avoiding her eyes at all cost. Neither of them seemed to have anything to say. The silence was deafening.
"Nice name... Lee. Short, simple... Yup." Oh man this was awkward... Keya had never saved anyone before. Was it always like this? She preferred talking to herself over this.
Lee finally found the courage to look at her when she commented on his name. He looked just as lost as she was when it came to talking to a person his age.
"Yeah, my uncle named me." He frowned as soon as he uttered the words, as if realising suddenly how strange it sounded.
"Your uncle named you? That's cool. I don't have an uncle... I think." Keya simply replied. The vagueness of her answer left neither teen with anything else to talk about.
Nearby, the ostrich horse squawked, interrupting the most awkward conversation that had ever occurred in all of history ever. Lee took it as a chance to get going. He grabbed his conical bamboo hat and put it back on, before walking over to his ostrich horse and checking on it. He grabbed its reins and walked back over to Keya. In the meantime, Keya picked up her rucksack again, making sure she hadn't dropped anything.
"Thanks for, uhm, helping me out." Lee mumbled with one hand rubbing his neck again. Keya wondered if it was a nervous habit of his.
"Yeah, no problem, Lee."
Lee nodded at her once, then jumped on his ostrich horse. He turned around to continue his journey, leaving Keya behind in the dust. However, just as he had reached the sandy path again, the tired teen hesitated and turned around. Keya raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Do you... Do you need a ride? I can drop you off at the next town over." He offered, one hand still on the reins. The other pointed to the small space behind him.
"Uhm, sure." Keya walked over to him, eyeing the ostrich horse for ways to climb on its back. Lee seemed to notice and offered her his free hand. He grunted as Keya used his hand to hoist herself up on the saddle behind him. It was a cozy fit, almost as if another person much larger than herself would be able to be seated here.
Just as she had made herself comfortable behind her new traveling companion, he snapped his reins and the ostrich horse set off. The sudden jolt made Keya reach out to Lee's waist instinctively. Much to her embarrassment, she found that the constant jostling of the creature made her unable to let go of him (unless she wanted to fall off). Thankfully, Lee didn't seem to mind. If he did, he didn't mention it.
And so, the two unlikely acquaintances quietly made their way over to the next town. The plains slowly started to make way for more sand and rocks as they entered deeper into the mountain area. The only sounds around them came from the constant footsteps that Lee's ostrich horse left behind on the road and the muffled sound of Keya's sleeping mat repeatedly bumping against her back.
This was the first time that Keya had ever actually visited the mountains, despite the tall shapes always being visible from her family's home. If her reasons for traveling weren't so sad, she might have even found herself enjoying the trip! Perhaps, once all of this was over, she could come back here and visit it with her brothers. Kanak would love this!
The longer the two rode together, the more grateful Keya became at Lee's offer. She would have never reached the next town in time to refill her water pouch, even if she hadn't given the last of it to Lee. The thought made her stomach drop in realisation. How would she do this in the future? According to Kanak's map, she still had to find a way to cross a whole desert after this.
"We're here." Lee's raspy voice interrupted Keya's frantic thoughts. The ostrich horse slowed to a heavy walk as they approached the village from a distance. Keya felt bad for the poor creature. After all, because of her it had to carry two people instead of one.
Lee instinctively turned around and caught Keya's arm just as the young girl slipped off the back of his ostrich horse. When he noticed that she wasn't hurt, but that she had instead slipped off on purpose, he let go of her arm again.
"What are you doing?" He asked and halted the ostrich horse. He figured that she might have dropped something.
"Your ostrich horse is tired from carrying us both. I'm sure he would prefer to walk the rest of the way with just one person on his back. Besides, I'm sure I can make it from here." Keya dusted off her brown trousers and stretched out her back. Sitting for that long was not something she was used to.
Lee nodded silently, accepting her explanation as a 'goodbye'. Her optimism was a stark contrast against his silent and brooding nature. "Alright then." He readjusted himself in his seat and grabbed the reins again.
"See you around, I guess." With that, he ushered his ostrich horse to go forward again. Keya followed them at a leisurely pace.
Just as Lee entered the village, desperately looking for a place to buy some supplies (and hopefully a nice, hot meal), he heard the girl's voice from a distance.
"Thanks for the ride!"
When he turned around at the sound of her voice, he saw her distant figure waving at him enthusiastically. He stood still for a moment at the sight of her.
The constant scowl on his face lessened slightly. Somehow, he felt like she would get along really well with his uncle. The thought immediately produced a scenario in his head. He imagined what it would be like if the two met up later and decided to travel with each other further. How her small hands would hold onto his waist as they rode the ostrich horse together. Man, he needed to get a grip. Just because she was a girl around his age didn't mean he had to get all weird about it. He really needed to talk to people his age more often...
Trying to rid his mind of strange thoughts didn't have the desired effect, though. The boy felt his heart skip a beat as he suddenly remembered her (admittedly, rather pretty) face leaning over him when he woke up. He'd never seen eyes like hers. So curious and grey, they almost looked like full moons. It was only when he had observed her closer, that he could see that it was some kind of mix between blue and green. Perhaps he'd only noticed it so easily because of how they contrasted with her dark skin and brown hair. It almost reminded him of the Water Tribe girl who travelled with the Avatar. Only, her other features looked more like the Earth Kingdom people he encountered. It was a peculiar combination...
Enough thinking about that peasant girl! They would probably never meet again, anyway. So it was better for him to just focus on getting some well needed rest. But before all of that, he was in desperate need of some food.
As 'Lee' was talking to a local food vendor, Keya slowly entered the small town and walked over to the water tower that stood tall right in the middle of a desolate square. She stopped right in front of it and looked up at the tall structure. It was rusty and had probably not been safe enough to drink from for a long time. It still looked rather awesome, though. Keya hadn't seen anything like it before. She felt like a tourist.
"Huh, that's cool." She commented drily and walked over to some locals to ask if there was a barn she could sleep in somewhere.
Thankfully, there was. After filling up her water pouch she luckily managed to earn her dinner with some farm work. When she was done, Keya noted that Lee was no longer around. He had probably found his own place to stay at. The Earth Kingdom girl felt a bit thrown. She felt like the two of them could have become friends with time.
And to be honest, it was kind of scary travelling alone. But perhaps she would meet him again in the future. For now, Keya was happy enough to just sleep in her barn for the night with a full belly. The hay was surprisingly comfortable! She was sure that she could have a good night's sleep because of it. Even though she was alone.
❃
A/N: They're so awkward I love it.