Avatar: The Last Airbender; Book One: Water

Chapter 6: Imprisoned

“Great, you’re back!” Anya said, hopping down from on top of a huge tree root. “What’s for dinner?” Sokka crouched on the ground beside her and opened his foraging sack. Katara joined them.

“We’ve got a few options,” Sokka said, reaching in a hand. “First: round nuts. And some kind of oval shaped nuts…and some rock shaped nuts. Which might just be rocks. Dig in.”

“Seriously…what else you got?” Katara asked.

Suddenly, a huge crash resounded, and the ground shook. All three stood, and Appa gave a long groan. “What was that?” Another crash.

“It’s coming from over there!” Anya said, pointing. She and Katara ran towards the sound.

“Shouldn’t we run away from huge booms?” Sokka called after them. “Not towards them!”

Anya and Katara, and soon Sokka, crouched behind a rock. There was a tall Earthbender man in the dry creek bed, moving boulders. He pushed one into the wall of the small valley.

“An Earthbender,” Katara breathed.

“Let’s go meet him!” Anya suggested.

“He looks dangerous, so approach cautiously,” Sokka warned, eyes darting around warily. Katara stood and came out from behind the log.

“Hi!” she said. “I’m Katara. What’s your name?” The man gasped, and then turned and sprinted away, bringing down a rock fall to blow his path.

“Nice to meet you!” Anya yelled after him as she and Sokka joined Katara.

“I just wanted to say hi,” Katara said, confused.

“Hey,” Anya said. “He must be running someplace. Perhaps there’s a village nearby. A village with a market!”

“Which means no nuts for dinner!” They ran after the Earthbending boy.

“Hey, I worked hard to get those nuts!” Sokka yelled. Momo flew over his head, and Sokka trudged after the girls. “Yeah, I hate them, too.”

The Earthbender had been running to a village. A nice, small village with nice people. A man offered Anya a straw hat. She put it on and admired it. “Nice hat,” she said. “I’ll trade you some nuts for it!” Sokka pushed the brim down over her face, and she laughed. But Katara was headed someplace else. She opened the door of a small cabin in time to hear:

“You’re late, Haru! Time for chores.”

“Hey, you’re that kid!” Katara said. Haru gasped in shock.

“Um…you must have me confused with some other kid,” Haru said.

“No she doesn’t,” Anya said as she entered, her hat hanging down her back by it’s strings. The boy gasped again, this time in awe. She really was a sight to see. “We saw you Earthbending.” Haru gasped a third time, as his mother slammed shut the door and shutters.

“They saw you doing what?” she asked.

“They’re crazy, mom! I mean, look at how they’re dressed!” Anya huffed, and put her hat back on.

“You know how dangerous that is!” Haru’s mother said. “You know what would happen if they caught you Earthbending?”

Someone pounded on the door of the small house. “Open up!” Sokka cracked the blinds and peered out.

“Fire Nation! Act natural.” Haru’s mother opened the door, and the leader of the men stepped in. He saw Sokka, Haru, Anya and Katara, all frozen in various uncomfortable positions. Anya’s was too hard to maintain, and she slipped with a shout, splashing water onto the floor.