The Story of Aya: Book 1~Water

Illegal Earthbending

After Omashu, we traveled more around the Earth Kingdom. I managed to pick up a new cloak that fastened in the front. I had to put away the red skirt though and rely on only the leggings and the gold sash. At least this way, people wouldn't freak out over my appearance. 

I'm pretty sure no one knows how to get to the North Pole, but hey, at least it's somewhere near water. 

As of right now, we were traveling through a forest, and we weren't sure where another village was. Sokka and I were out hunting for food, split up of course. He took the south and I went north. Seeing as how I was more used to hunting animals on land, and he wasn't used to it yet, no offense to his ice fishing skills, he lent me his boomerang. I would've had my hunting knife on me, but I had left it in the tree before the fire festival. 

I was hiding amongst the leaves of a tree. I couldn't find any hogs or other large creatures, but my sights were set on the small fat birds below me. There was a small group of them, but there were enough of them to make dinner tomorrow as well. 

I quietly maneuvered my body to a better position over them. The birds were none the wiser as I dropped down on them, quickly taking out two as the rest flew away. 

"Thank you for your sacrifice."

~~~

I carried my catch and whatever other berries I could find back to camp. Sokka seemed to have arrived before me, showing off what he had. There were some sort of nuts, but a lot of rocks that he had picked up. 

"Seriously, what else you got?" Katara asked, disappointed. They all looked up at me hopefully as I approached with my heavy sack. "Aya, please tell me you found something edible here." Katara pleaded and Aang looked desperate as well. 

"Uh yeah. I caught a couple of birds back that-a way."

A sudden boom made me drop the bird sack and fall over. 

"What was that?" Sokka asked and we all looked around. Aang looked away in disgust as one of the birds' heads stuck out. I hastily bagged it back up with a small 'sorry'.

Another boom resonated and Aang stood up. "It's coming from over there!" He pointed in a direction before he and Katara took off towards it.

"Shouldn't we run away from the huge booms, not towards them?!" Sokka asked exasperated. 

"Yeah, I'm with you there. But we better go too just in case." I rolled my eyes and he nodded in agreement. I tied the bird bag to my waist before taking off after Aang and Katara. 

Please don't be a tigerdillo. Spirits, please don't let it be a tigerdillo.

They stopped behind a log, peering past it when Sokka and I joined them. A boy, probably older than Sokka, was earthbending giant boulders into the walls of the ravine.

"An earthbender," Katara noted quietly. 

"Let's go meet him!" Aang turned towards her with a smile. 

"He looks dangerous, so we better approach him cautiously." I nodded in agreement with Sokka, but before any of us could move, Katara had already left the safety of the log and stood a couple meters from the boy.

"Hello there! I'm Katara! What's your name?" She yelled out to him happily. 

Well that was fast. 

The boy saw her and gasped, dropping his boulder. He swiftly ran the other way,  bending the rocks on the side of the ravine to fall as he disappeared. 

"Nice to meet you!" Aang called after him as we all walked up to where Katara was standing. 

"Well that could've gone better," I muttered as I put my hands behind my neck.