Impossible Fate (slow updates)

Chapter 6: Imprisoned

The campfire was going strong while they waited for Sokka to return. Ani had lit the twigs and leaves that Aang and Katara had collected to help keep them warm, though they had gone far enough north that it wasn't absolutely freezing anymore. The chill was really just a result of the day's end drawing near.

She couldn't stop thinking about what King Bumi had said to her back at Omashu. The news of her treason had spread quickly. How far had it spread? Did her father know of her treachery? Did Azula?

She had done her best to mask the anxiety that had been festering inside her, though Ani was sure that the others noticed. It had only been a few weeks since the South Pole, but the four of them had grown relatively close to each other, despite the reservations she could tell Sokka still had about her being Fire Nation. Those reservations of his hadn't stopped him or the others from looking out for her. Especially considering that, if the news of her treason had, in fact, reached the Fire Nation, her face would be plastered everywhere, just like Aang's undoubtedly was. As long as they didn't go into the Fire Nation, though, the pressure wouldn't be too overwhelming.

Ani had been sitting on a ledge right beside the small waterfall when Sokka returned from trying to scavenge for any food they could find.

"Great, you're back," Aang exclaimed, jumping up from the rock he'd been reclining on. Ani walked over and knelt on the ground with her friends as Sokka dropped his knapsack to the ground and dug through it.

"What did you find," she inquired.

"So, we have a few options," he told them as he pulled the various nuts he'd collected in the surrounding woods out. "First, there's these round nuts. Then we got oval shaped nuts. And then there are these rock shaped nuts, which might just be rocks."

He tossed the rock-nut over his shoulder while the trio stared at the nuts unimpressed. Katara looked back up at her brother and said, "Seriously, what else you got?"

Sokka opened the bag again and peered in, checking to see if there were any other nuts he had missed. The four of them were startled by a sudden thundering sound that sounded close by. Appa grumbled in response, lifting his head up and looking in the direction the booming had come from. Momo squeaked, holding the rock Sokka had tossed confusedly. He extended his arm out and dropped the rock. As soon as it hit the ground, the thundering sound echoed through the woods again.

"It's coming from over there," Aang announced, pointing in the direction and running toward the sound with Katara. Sokka grumbled.

"Shouldn't we run away from huge booms, not toward them?"

"Come on, ponytail," Ani said to him, grabbing up by his upper arm and pulling him along with her as they ran to catch up with the other two. They caught up to Katara and Aang, who were watching from behind a fallen tree trunk.

There was a young man using his earthbending to pick up large rocks and smashing them into the walls of the clearing.

"An earthbender," Katara observed.

"Let's go meet him," Aang suggested.

"I don't know about that," Ani objected.

"He looks dangerous, so we better approach cautiously," Sokka said, though Katara had no interest in listening as she quickly climbed over the fallen tree trunk, ignoring her brother's instructions.

"Hello, there," she called out to the boy, who dropped the large rock and turned around startled. "I'm Katara! What's your name?"

The boy took off down the clearing along the small stream of water, bringing down a mound of rocks to block the path and disappeared. Aang, Sokka, and Ani climbed over the tree and walked up to where Katara was standing.