Two days following the storm, Sokka got sick. He had non stop coughing fits, a horribly high fever, oh and he's hallucinating. Things were just peachy. Katara had been doing her best to nurse him back to health. As much as I would love to give a helping hand, there's one thing I never want to experience again. Being sick and bed ridden. I tried shaking the idea of being as sick as Sokka.
A long time ago, when I was a little kid, when my mother was still alive I got terrifyingly sick. No one in the village thought I would survive, I spent over a week bed ridden coughing blood. No medicine worked and no one knew what to do about it. Katara was too young to properly remember but she and Sokka would cry every day because I barely had enough energy to move. Suddenly the day after a large blizzard I got better. The villagers assumed it was because my pet leopard caribou ran away, the people said she was cursed and had a bad omen because I found her injured away from a pack who would've protected her. I didn't want to believe them, but I recovered after she ran away. I still miss her.
Around this time of year, the day of the blizzard, I would get sick and feel the effects from when I was sick. Gran-gran said it was probably because I spent so much time with a 'cursed creature' but I didn't care. But the memory of getting sick bothers me till this day.
I sat against the wall on the other side watching the three talk.
"I couldn't find any ginger root for the tea," Aang said pulling a paper out,"But I found a map. There's an herbalist institute on the top of that mountain. We could probably find a cure for Sokka there,"
"Aang, he's in no condition to travel. Sokka just needs more rest. I'm sure he'll be better by tomorrow," Katara said. I shook my head. She's right my brother will only get worse if he travels that far.
Katara began to cough repeatedly. I got startled and moved even farther away into the corner I was in. Shake the thought away Kya, you are not getting sick.
"Not you too," Aang was concerned
"Relax. It was just a little cough. I'm fine," She had another coughing fit then groaned.
I started picking my nails. Please spirits, not me next.
"That's how Sokka started yesterday! Now look at him. He thinks he's an earth bender,"
I looked past them to see my poor Sokka punching the air, "Take that. You rock."
"Best Water Tribe earth bender there is," I sarcastically whispered to myself
"A few more hours and you'll be talking nonsense too. I'm going to find some medicine,"
"I'm coming!" I shot up, scaring Aang a little, "I'm coming too," I ran over.
"Uh, maybe it's safer if we go on foot," Aang said as lightning shot from the sky once more. I gave a soft groan at the loud thunder. I still recovering from the headaches but I'm better since the day of the storm.
"Keep an eye on them guys," Appa and Momo responded in agreement as Aang picked me up and jumped out. He was running extremely fast. It was actually quite thrilling. 'You got this Aang' I mentally cheered him on. Aang didn't stop until we got all the way to the summit where the herbalist was.
"Good job Aang," I said patting him on the back as he smiled at me.
We ran into the herbalists workplace.
"Hello. Sorry to barge in like this but need some medicine for my friends. They have a fever and they were coughing and-"
"Settle down young man, your friends are going to be fine." She said to a very antsy Aang.
"I've been up here for over forty years ya know, used to be others but they all left years ago. Now it's just me and Miyuki,"
"That's nice" Aang told the lady
"Wounded Earth Kingdom troops still come by now and again. The herbalist stirred the bowl she held, "Brave boys, and thanks to my remedies. They always leave in better shape than when they arrived,"
"That's nice, are you almost done?" Aang asked pointing to the cup.
"Hold on," She said walking to the back," I just need to add one last ingredient," She kept searching for what she wanted as I crossed my arms looking around. Aang groaned slapping his forehead, me too kid me too. After a long wait we finally found the plum blossom. Aang got up and latched onto the bowl.
"Thanks you your help," Aang said before wincing, the old lady smacked his hands away.
"What do you think your doing?!" The lady yelled scaring Aang
"Taking the cure to my friends," He quickly said rubbing his hand.
The lady laughed, "This isn't a cure, it's Miyuki's dinner," She set the bowl to the cat and petted her," Plum blossom is her favorite,"
"What about my siblings?" I asked calmly, trying not to implode.
"Well, all they need is some frozen wood frogs, there's plenty of them down in the valley swamp," She told us.
I groaned, we wasted all this time.
"What am I supposed to do with frozen frogs?" Aang asked with a questionable expression
"Why suck on them of course!" She said matter of factly .
"Suck on them?!" Aang said with a grossed out face. I widened my eyes in disbelief putting the back of my hand to my mouth.
"The frogs skin excretes a substance that'll cure your friends, but make sure you get plenty, once those little critters thaw out they're useless,"
"You're insane aren't you?" Aang asked.
Wow he actually said it out loud.
"That's right," She sang unashamed
"We'll don't stand there all day," She scolded throwing her spoon our way. I immediately moved to the side as she splat Aang with the cat food paste,"Go!"
The winds increasingly got stronger as we ran out of the herbalists institute. Arrows flew at Aang pinning him down by the pants. I yanked them out as Aang bended away the others that were coming straight for us.
"Uh, I think you dropped this," Aang said holding out the arrow.
"Pay attention," I said swatting out the arrow from his hand and gathering water from my skin as more archers pointed their arrows at us.
I sliced away the other arrow holding Aang down as he picked me up and started to run away. He swiftly avoided the attacks as I kept trying to hurl ice shards back at the assailants. They kept breaking the small icicles with their arrows. Aang jumped off the cliff and we crashed into some trees. Still falling through the forest we landed at the swamp. We swam in finding frogs. I kept passing them to Aang as we kept getting shot. I created an ice shield letting Aang continue picking up the frozen frogs. He was then pinned to a tree. I tried cutting the arrows away to free Aang but I was shot to the tree too. My back faced away from the tree as I tried pulling the arrow out. An arrow flew in pinning the other side of my back to the tree. I sighed in relief that my hand wasn't shot. I kicked up and ice wall but it was shattered by a bunch of arrows. About 6 arrows pinned against my sides. They sent a net our way, restraining us. I groaned looking at the body of the tree I was pinned to.
We were led to a prison. Soldiers pushed me past the room they put Aang in. They tied my wrists behind me. They threw me into a small room right down the hall and to the left of Aang's cell. It barely had any walking space and I had just enough space to stand. I kicked the door a few times.
The door opened as I stood there. I glared up to see Zhao. He smirked, I held back a gag that formed in my throat.
"What a pleasure to see you again?" Zhao started, "Oh don't worry, I won't kill you. See, it was a nice surprise to hear you and the Avatar were side by side,"
I kept my glare on him as he got closer, I backed away slightly," I'll keep you alive, of course you may lose your sanity. But you'll breathe. Escape here is impossible, no one can save you here,"
"Damn ash maker," I spat.
He smacked me right across the face so forcefully I hit the wall. My shoulder kept me from falling to the ground as the door shut in front of me. A tear fell from my eyes as I stood back up. The room was completely dark. I couldn't stop worrying about my siblings. I worried if Katara got sick, or if Sokka got worse. I worried if I was ever going to see them again. I wanted to scream but nothing came out. I started to lose myself in my anxiety as my breathing shallowed.
I have to leave. I can't stay here. I need to help Aang. Why am I so useless? Someone needs to open this stupid door for me? I'm good for nothing.
I stomped the ground in frustration. A lot of time passed when I heard a loud thud. I started kicking the door non stop. The door swung open revealing a blue masked person. I stared at him as he turned to leave after cutting off my ropes. I followed him, picking up the rope that bound my wrists. Who ever he is, clearly needs to find a way out secretly too.
I followed for a short while as he whipped his head back at me. He put his finger to the mouth of the mask, shh, I nodded as he threw his blade on the floor. A solider turned the corner and shot fire at us. I ducked at the masked man attacked the soldier. I grabbed the rope and placed it around his neck, he lost consciousness. I checked his pulse, he was still alive. The masked man tied his wrists with a metal chain and jumped up to the ceiling I stood behind the now elevated man as two soldiers came. I waved my hand as they looked up and the masked man pulled on the chain making the other two soldiers dangle from above.
He jumped down and ran down the hall the soldiers came from. I followed. He handed me a bucket of water, as he threw a knife in the direction of the horn the final solider had grabbed. The man shot fire at us as I threw the water at the fire and tripped him with a water whip. The masked man then hit the soldier upside the head with the bucket, then tying him. I found a pair of keys as I quickly opened the door and ran in.