The Outsider- Avatar Fanfic

Chapter 28 - It's all in the Bones

We entered the village somewhat cautiously, taking in the light atmosphere in the shadow of a large mountain. People went about there day with a serene smile on there faces, much like the one the stranger had worn earlier - it was a little unsettling, as Sokka pointed out while grumbling under his breath about idiots who believe in idiotic fortune telling.

We had left Appa in a forest clearing near by, not wanting to draw attention to ourselves just yet. We still couldn't be sure that Fire Nation soldiers weren't lurking about somewhere.

They have the remarkable ability to turn up when they are least wanted, I thought to myself irritably, the image of a certain prince flashing in my minds eye.

I will smell the two-legs before they come, Kai replied, skipping along beside me with a confidence he had begun to gain more and more as he grew. I smiled softly at his use of 'two-legs' when referring to humans; it was rather amusing when he would make off-hand comments about the odd habits I didn't even notice we had.

Two-legs always stare, he had said once, nose crinkled in annoyance. Why do you pretend to be owls?

I hadn't been able to give an answer, instead struggling not to laugh. Right now, though, I was quietly grateful for his more powerful nose. If any Fire Nation soldiers - or princes - tried to sneak up on us uninvited, Kai would know. The upside of having a wolf by your side, no matter how young.

We stopped just after the entranceway into the main square, not sure where to go.

'Maybe over there?' Aang suggested, pointing to a large building just off the square. There was a man standing before the entrance, in dark grin with a poker face. I caught the eye of a young lady passing by, arm linked with a young man. Both had sweet smiles on their faces as they looked at each other, and they never faded as I stepped over to them.

'Excuse me,' I said cautiously, 'would you be able to give me directions to the elder of this village?'

The lady smiled even more, nodding and turning slightly to point at the building Aang had noticed before.

'That is Aunt Woo's residence. You'll find what you need there,' she said, voice soft and sweet, as content as could be. I nodded and thanked them, feeling slightly weirded out as I left them.

'Everyone is too nice,' I whispered. I didn't trust nice people.

'Aunt Woo is apparently the one to go to,' I said when I reached the group, pointing to the building opposite us. Momo was chattering out loud, a constant chitter as he flittered his large ears about. Kai was doing a similar thing, sitting at Katara's feet and watching every movement with a blue stare.

Sokka rolled his eyes while Katara nodded. 'Shall we?' she said, gesturing forwards. Sokka wouldn't stop grumbling as we approached the intricately carved house, his arms crossed in stubborn defiance.

'Oh let it go Sokka,' I whispered, his constant mutterings starting to get on my nerves. 'What's the worst that can happen? Are you scared of getting a bad future that says you are going to die alone and unhappy enduring miserable pain and suffering?'

'This is just a waste of time,' he sighed, exasperated. I rolled my eyes, hiding a grin.

'Don't worry, we'll be back on schedule soon.'

Sokka gave me a small glare at me poking fun at his precious schedule. Before we had left the North Pole, he had drafted one up to make sure we stuck to a reasonable plan, due to the fact that we had a bit of a time constraint when it came to learning all the elements before the end of summer. However, Sokka had underestimated the universe's ability to fuck with him. We already behind, and I could tell it irritated him. Sokka, when irritated, was fun to tease.