Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

04

Just as Keya had left, Mushi scratched his beard. "Where are those spark rocks?" He grumbled while his hands searched his pack. He had already searched all his other stuff and he knew for certain that his young companion hadn't used them. So where could they be? If he didn't get the fire going, they wouldn't have tea later.

There was one very simple solution to his problem. However, the old man had no intention of taking that risk. After all, he had an inkling that the young girl he travelled with would not react well if she found out. What should he do? If Keya found out about his talent she might panic, but if he didn't find those rocks soon, they wouldn't have any tea... She was gone now, anyway. She wouldn't notice it, right?

Mushi quickly made his choice.

A small half hour later, Keya started to feel the hunger seep into her body. It was a feeling that she had grown quite used to over the years. With the invasion of the fire nation in her hometown, food had grown more scarce as soldiers continued to increase taxes. Young Keya had learned to control the gnawing feeling of hunger over time. That did not mean, however, that she enjoyed the sensation. Keya looked down in her hip pouch to assess her findings.

She was stood over by a dry goji berry bush, having picked the few berries that still grew from it. She had also been lucky to find some lychee nuts, although not lucky enough to also find mushrooms.

"This will have to do just fine." She decided and went to close her pouch. As her hand dropped the goji berries in her pouch, she suddenly felt something cold.

"Huh? What's this?" Keya asked herself and looked down at her pouch. Two small pebbles lay between the lychee nuts and the goji berries. Mushi's spark rocks!

The teen remembered how she had noticed them laying on the ground the night before just as Mushi and herself had packed up everything to leave. At the time, Keya figured that they must have fallen out of Mushi's bag. So the girl had quickly snatched them up and put them in her pouch just as they were leaving. She'd forgotten all about them! Hopefully Mushi can get his fire started as soon as I get back. She thought.

Keya walked back over to the small camp, but was surprised to hear two voices conversing. She stood still and listened. One voice definitely belonged to Mushi. The other voice sounded like a child. A girl.

"I know you're there, stranger. Come out if you're friendly." The girl's voice suddenly spoke out. Keya's eyes grew wide. How had she known that she was there?

When Keya walked out of the forest, she saw that Mushi had already gotten started on the tea. A small distance away sat a young girl. She sat in a squatted position with a cup of steaming tea in her small hand. Both of her feet were on the ground, barefooted. The combination of her (lack of) footwear and the way she held herself reminded Keya of Hun. The young girl was probably an earthbender, just like him. Mushi's new guest was around the same age as her little brother Kanak, Keya figured.

"Hello." Keya greeted with a friendly smile. She turned to Mushi. "I've gathered some goji berries and lychee nuts for lunch. Will that be okay with you?" Mushi nodded and turned back to his guest. At the sight of the stranger, Keya forgot all about the rocks in her pouch.

"Keya, I'd like you to meet... err, what was your name again, Miss?" Mushi introduced the strange girl awkwardly. The young girl in question did not look at him. As a matter of fact, her pale eyes did not look at anyone. Was she blind? 

"I didn't tell you my name. I'm Toph. And you are?" The little girl moved her head in Keya's direction. Her eyes still stared off into the distance.

"Oh, uhmm- That's nice for you. I'm Keya."