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"Ok, Jaci, stay here!" Setsuko instructed. "I'll bring you back a fish! If we're not back my midday, though, come sniff us out!" She reached down and briefly hugged her feline friend. "See you later!"

And with that, she dashed out of the old cabin, quickly unfurling her glider and taking off after Rue.

Rue, seeing Setsuko, stopped hovering and started flying in the direction she hoped water was in. Not familiar with the area - which was odd, because she knew what was miles around her house like the back of her hand - she merely had to guess and hope that she was going in somewhat the right direction.

Setsuko circled above the treetops near Rue, gazing momentarily in just about every direction. A flash of shimmering pale-blue made her pause. Could that be water?

"Hey, Rue, do you think that could be some kind of lake?" she called over the wind, gesturing towards the area.

Rue's enhanced vision easily picked out blue from the greens and browns that made up the primary colors of the rugged landscape. Squinting, she nodded. "I'm pretty sure it is," she said, beginning to move towards it.

BUMP

"Let's go check it out," Setsuko said simply, shifting her airborne stance in order to move towards the water. Thank goodness! She had to admit, she was rather thirsty, and she was sure that Jaci was, as well.

Rue's mouth, beginning to grow dry, prompted her into flying faster. It wasn't long before she reached the lake, and she angled her body downward into a steep dive, pulling it out with only inches to spare. Cheeks tinged pink from the small thrill that always accompanied such a dive, she moved closer to the water, folding her wings loosely against her back as she walked closer to the shore.

Kneeling down, she studied the water. Though still, Rue judged it clean enough to drink; there wasn't anything floating on top of it, anyway, and you could see a few feet down. Glancing up, she waited for Setsuko to land.

Setsuko landed with a light cushion of air, sending a small cloud of dust tumbling outwards like a drop of water on a still pond.

Speaking of a pond...!

"Oh, excellent!" she excalimed satisfactorily, staring into the clear water of the large lake, "This'll be perfect. It'll provide us with fresh water and possibly food, if there's fish in there."

The young Airbender quickly knelt down next to Rue, setting down her glider (no transformed back into a staff) and scooping up some of the smooth water in her palms. She brought the sample up to her lips, sipping lightly at first, then more thirsily.

"Wow, this is great water!" she gasped. Funny, she didn't realize that water could have different tastes. But this stuff was so smooth and pure and...well, as weird as it sounded, creamy. Or perhaps she was just really thristy.

"It tastes like...like...like a good dream!" she added as an afterthought. "Try some, Jaci! You too, Rue!"

The water tasted like a good dream? That was certainly an interesting metaphor. Or maybe it was a simile... Rue always managed to get the two confused. She knelt down and scooped up some water in her hands, imitating Setsuko. Sipping the clear liquid, Rue was surprised that Setsuko was right. In a weird way, it did taste like a good dream. Almost creamy, a smooth, comforting taste that filled her whole mouth. It was incredibly satisfying water.

"That was great water!" the hybrid agreed. "It was kind of creamy and rich. I can only imagine what the fish taste like," she added, imagining pleasant tastes that made her tongue buzz happily.

Setsuko nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I bet they're great, if they breath this stuff all day! We'll have to try and catch some later!" She paused then, suddenly noticing that even though she'd invited the Blue Lion to take a sip of the cool, sweet liquid, Jaci was no where to be seen. A brief, light pang of worry penetrated her chest.

"J...Jaci? C'mon, take a---wait a minute." Oh, that's right. Setsuko face-palmed herself. "Oh, duh, I told him to stay back at the cabin! Stupid me! Oh, well...hey, Rue, you don't mind if I go grab him real quick, do you?"

Rue shook her head, giving an easy, small smile. "Not at all. I can try to catch some fish, or find a way to do that while you're gone," she suggested.

"Ok, cool deal," agreed Setsuko, again unfurling her glider and taking off with a blast of wind. "Be right baaaaaaack!" she called into the wind, rushing back in the direction of the cabin.

It wasn't that far. It may be a few minutes' walk, or so Setsuko estimated, but the fly was quite brief. It didn't take long until she spotted the worn-down wooden roof among the tall, leafy trees, landing in front of the old, musky structure.

Jaci was quick to react, bouncing up joyously upon his partner's arrival. He rushed up to greet her much like a dog would greet its master, purring in a happy, friendly manner.

"Hey, Jaci," Setsuko greeted, nicely scratching at the soft fur under the feline's chin. "We found some good water at that lake. Are you thirsty, Jaci? Are you thirsty?"

The Blue Lion gave a meowl of agreement, staring into Setsuko's stormy gray eyes.

"Good! Follow me, then! Follow!"

And with that, the girl once again took off into the air. Jaci bolted after her on foot, constantly looking up to keep track of his companion.

Rue grabbed a stick, breaking it off the tree it was connected to. Wasting no time, she pulled out her knife, whittling the tip until it resembled a crude spear. She tested the tip, pressing her ifnger against it lightly; it was sharp enough. She waded in the water carefully and slowly. Though she had expected it to be cold, it was actually a fairly comfortable temperature; not quite warm, but certainly not frigid.

Looking down, though she could see only a few feet, the telltale shimmer of fish scales caught Rue's keen eyes. She thrust her "spear" into the water; she would have to do this through trial and error. She missed quite a few times, but eventually she actually hit something, the sharpened tip spearing the fish. Rue waded back to shore, fish struggling frantically on this tip of the stick, captured firmly. Once on land, she ended the poor fish's life quickly. At least she knew they could catch food, even if it took a few tries and a little luck.

Setsuko was quick to land back at the lakeshore, Jaci following.

"Oh good, you caught something!" she said, grinning. At least Rue could hunt.

Jaci was somewhat out of breath after the run, even though his feline stamina was greater than a human's would have been. He panted like a lion the the hot, open savannah, his tongue lolling out just slightly between two long, pointed canines protruding from his gums.

The feline, suddenly glad that it was a lake that his master had taken him to, trotted briskly over to the water, lowering his head to sip the clear, cool liquid. And how refreshing it was! He felt himself rejuvenated, calmed, and brightly curious, as though he'd just woken up from the most wonderful dream of hunting and playing.

Rue moved farther away from the water, partially because of Jaci's close proximity. For some reason, she still wasn't completely comfortable around him. Maybe it was because the Blue Lion tended to remind her of a School experiment. Whatever the reason, she wanted some space in between them.

She walked closer to Setsuko, clutching the stick in her hand, fish stuck on the end. Rue gave a small grin. "Yup. I can go ahead and start preparing a fire to cook it now if you want," she offered.