I slump down against Appa's rough, silky fur, flask in hand. I fiddle with the cap in my other, letting it slip trough my fingers to be caught by another. My leg has finally gotten to the point where the pain has left my calf, but the damage done still lingers. I can move about, and even run, but I still need to take breaks. I keep on the bandages, since I'm still afraid to look at the scar and I want to keep the others from worrying.
The last thing I want to do is scare Aang and put even more pressure on him. So much has happened already and I just want to make sure he can be the best Avatar this world has ever seen.
The trees rustle in the wind, allowing leaves to scatter in the air. The forrest we landed in has hues of reds, oranges, even the occasional yellow adorning the wildlife. I got so used to the cold terrains and summer foliage that I've forgotten about the fact that nature doesn't always stay that way forever.
"Where's Momo?" Aang questions.
I slowly search our surroundings, and not too far away I hear Momo screeching for help. I rush onto my feet, scanning the woodlands. My eyes dart up towards the treetops, where three odd looking spheres are suspended in the sky.
"There!" I direct Aang by jutting out my finger towards the strange contraptions. He uses his airbending to propel himself to the highest branches, hanging by his legs from the tree's limb.
Momo's prison begins to lower, and we greet him by gently meeting the creature with the forest floor. Katara and Sokka pry the slim bands of metal open, and the lemur joyfully scampers out of the cage. He's eating a lychee nut, and Sokka simply groans at the animal's naïve nature.
Although, even though we've freed our little friend, more distressed wailing crescendos from hidden in the leaves. "Alright, you too," Aang complies with their request, once again taking flight.
Sokka reaches behind his back, "This is gonna take forever." He flings his boomerang, creating an arc the cuts through the ropes with beautiful precision. He's giving the animal's another chance of survival as the hurry away from us. The tool returns to his hand, and he casually slips it back into the holder.
I honestly will admit, that I'm impressed by his use of the weapon. I for one, would be a terrible aim at it. The angles would be off, or I would throw it the wrong way.
"Where did these come from? I don't think we're close to a village..." I wonder aloud, softly kicking one of the abandoned traps.
The Water Tribe boy answers my question, "These are Fire Nation traps. You can tell by the metal work. We better pick up camp and get moving."
None of us take any time to hesitate. I shove everything into my pack, and sloppily roll up my sleeping bag. I haphazardly throw it onto Appa's saddle, giving Aang the job of tying it down to the bison. I was finally starting to think we would be out of the clear for a while. But of course, we just seem to find them, no matter were we go.
Katara hand's her sleeping bag to Aang, but Sokka interjects. "Uh-uh, no flying this time."
"What? Why wouldn't we fly?"
"Think about it. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa, he's just too noticeable."
His sister angrily puts her hands on her hips, "Appa's not too noticeable!"
"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on it's head! It's kind of hard to miss him." Sokka waves around his arms to add more value to his argument, and I stifle a laugh. Sure, he's actually pretty smart under the layers of sarcasm, but some of his deliveries just make it that more amusing.
The flying bison groans in response with Aang resting between his horns. "Sokka's just jealous he doesn't have an arrow."
"I think your arrow is pretty cool, buddy," I softly pat Appa on the side of his head, and he gently places more weight into my hand.
"I know you all want to fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk."
"Okay, Sir-Boss-Man!" I bow down, dramatically positioning my arms so one is over my heart while the other is extended behind me.
"I-I'm not the boss, I'm the leader! Y/n, stop that," he gifts me a small whack on the head, and I jab him in the side.
"You're the leader? But your voice still cracks," Katara teases.
"I'm the oldest, and I'm a warrior! So I'm the leader." Sokka's voice ranged in pitch throughout his words, and I hide my grin behind my hands. He had tried to even out his tone by making his voice sound "deeper" with his last statement.
"If anyone here is the leader, it's Aang. I mean he is the Avatar."
"Are you kidding? He's just a goofy kid."
In unison we turn our heads to the young airbender, greeted by the sight of him dangling off one of Appa's horns. "He's right."
"Why do boys always think someone has to be the leader? I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you kissed a girl."
Sokka's face immediately heats up while he makes panicked eye contact with me. Within a second he's retracted his gaze from me to anything else around us, gripping onto the rope that holds supplies to his back.
"I-I've kissed a girl!"
Oh... right.
"You just haven't met her!"
Wait. Did he not-
"Who? Gran Gran? I've met Gran Gran."
"No, besides Gran Gran. Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot, and a leader has to trust his instincts."
"Okay, we'll try it your way, o wise leader."
Aang appears at my side with more of our supplies fashioned onto his back, similar to how Sokka has decided to make his. "Who knows? Walking might be fun."
Mini time skip...
"Walking stinks!" Aang complained, lightly dragging his feet in the dirt. "How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?"
I stoped walking a little while ago, since my leg felt all worn out. Sokka wouldn't let me change his mind, claiming that since he was the leader I had to follow his instructions for the time being. So here I am, laying down on Appa's saddle, watching over the skies above. I feel kind of guilty about it, but everyone agreed that since I'm injured, it would be excused.
"I don't know Aang, why don't you ask Sokka's instincts? They seem to know everything."
"Ha ha, very funny."
"I'm tired of carrying this pack."
"You know who you should ask to carry it for a while? Sokka's instincts!"
"That's a great idea! Hey, Sokka's instincts, would you mind--"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Sokka snapped, and I shifted into a sitting position to actually see the situation. "Look, guys, I'm tired too. But the important think is we're safe from the Fire Nation," the end of his sentence tapers off, and I've already climbed down from Appa.
I rush to their side, hand hovering over my hip, prepared to draw my weapon. There's a fire burning in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by a trio of white tents topped with crimson canvas as a "roof". Men dressed in red are seated near the flames, a few milling about the scattered barrels and boxes within the area. They seemed to be in the middle of a meal, as a few of them have bowls situated in their hands. Others have swords, blades in the open for everyone to see.
We couldn't go unnoticed now, even though we desperately want to. All of the men have stopped eating to stare at us. I feel like an animal at a zoo, trapped under to watchful eyes of onlookers.
"Run!" everyone abandoned their packs and makes a mad dash to our previous place of safety.
Suddenly, the bushes bloom into an inferno, mere inches away from my body. I dig my heels into the ground, keeping me from crashing straight into them. I frantically turn back to face our attackers but something much more worrisome catches my eye.
"Sokka! Your shirt!"
His face has confusion plastered all over it until he senses the rising heat emitting from his sleeve. Katara quickly uses her waterbending to douse the flames as our enemy grows closer. I have my switchblade, jade hilt in my palm, the tip of the knife positioned to strike. Adrenaline coursing through my body, and I feel jittery staying in place for so long. My legs are close to betraying me and launching myself into the fight.
Sokka is in front of us, his arms out in a protective manner, "If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you."
"What are you doing?" Katara's voice is hushed.
"Bluffing."
One of the armored men speaks up, his hands balled into fists. He doesn't have any weapons on him, creating the assumption he's a firebender, "You, promise not to hurt us?"
I'm about to lunge at him, when instead, he lets out a sound of pain. He slumps forward, his legs buckling underneath him as he falls onto the dirt. Those surrounding him take a few steps back, uncomfortably backing away from the now presumably dead soldier.
"Nice work Y/n! Your bending is getting better!" Aang complements me on something I had nothing to do with, and I send him a worried glance.
"That wasn't me..."
"Look!"
I follow the Water Tribe girl's hand, finding that there's someone perched in the trees. I can't make out any of his features, but my anxiety spikes at the new opponent. My adrenaline finally gives way, and I don't allow the Fire Nation any chance to prepare for my attack. The boy had already jumped down, landing on two of the men to soften the fall. He's got messy brown hair that obviously needs to be taken care of, a mixture of clothes that give off no signs of where he's from, and wields two swords that have hooked edges.
"Y/n! Wha-"
"WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" I shout back at my group, right before I manage to catch one of the spears, turning it onto my attacker. I simply knock him in the head before snapping the staff in half, and landing a firm kick into his stomach. He stumbles backwards into the foliage, collapsing into to autumn scenery.
More of the "tree people" drop down. descending on the camp. They take out multiple people, leaving almost none of them left for any of us. I manage to see one that's charging towards me, his sword aimed directly at either my heart, eye, or arm. I bring up my switchblade once he gets close enough, the metal screeches at the friction of blade against blade. I have my open hand pressed near my chest, but I jut it out, hitting his helmet down while tilting my other wrist.
His sword clatters to the ground, and he follows. The one guy who was the first to jump into the fight follows up my attack, sending the soldier far away from us. I can see now that he's using a pair of tigerheads, that surprisingly have been beautifully taken care of (which I didn't expect, considering his appearance, and the whole tree thing).
"Hey."
A single strand of what I think to be grass or some kind of root lazily hangs from his lips, not leaving his mouth as he greets me. His charisma was basically radiating off of him in calming waves. It reminds me of someone that I used to know a long, long, time ago.
He's got the height advantage on me, so I have to slightly crane my neck to meet his eyes.
"...Hi?"
"You just took out a whole army almost single-handed!"
The teenager just adjusts his footing so he's looking at the now seized camp, and I do the same. The other people who had helped get rid of the Fire Nation men were poking around through the tents and cargo.
"Army? There were only, like, 20 guys." Sokka's words are dripping with sarcasm and frustration.
I turn back to the boy, giving a slight shrug of my shoulders, "Eh, don't worry about it. I mean, we did take down some pirates and survive almost drowning after a waterfall."
He returns my phrase with a small smile, and opens his mouth to say something but is cut off, "My name is Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters. Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak."
"Freedom Fighters?"
I almost break out crying at the mention of that name. One that I thought I would never, ever hear again.
*flashback*
"Y/n, I did it! I actually did it!" Feshen rushed into my house, slamming open the door. I could hear his heavy steps booming through the hall, and he bursts into my room. He's got a wild smile on his face and he's slightly out of breath.
"Feshen! What-"
He grabs my hand, roughly pulling me onto my feet, "I finally figured it out! I know how we can save us from the Fire Nation!"
Feshen's messy brown locks were practically flying all over the place while excitement was beaming from his expression. It's easy to see why he was a favorite among the girls of the village, his magnetism and naturally friendly attitude made him approachable. He can easily speak up to large groups, and is filled with the brim with ideas. Also, he does have looks on his side.
"Hey! Where are we going?" my legs are practically flying out from under me as I try to keep up with his fast pace.
"We don't have time for questions!"
He leads me through town, and I awkwardly wave at those who pass by and call out our names. Feshen doesn't slow down for anybody though. He leads me out through the gates, bringing me into the nearby forest. I can't even remember what turns he takes, so I'm completely relying on him to get me back home.
He stops, and I almost crash directly into him. He lets go of my hand, digging around near the roots of the large tree we've arrived at. He pulls out some beaten up parchment, a few scrolls, and a small vial of ink with a spindly twig measly attached by some twine. There's subtle dirt stains and signs of them managing to survive through the changing seasons.
"Okay... so what exactly is all of... this," I gesture to everything he's laid out.
"Y/n, this has been my life's work for the past few years. I had a feeling that something like this would happen, and I want you to know everything about it. You're a great fighter, you're resourceful, and-"
"Feshen. What are you trying to say?" I know that he's trying to dote on me to the point where it's basically impossible to say no. One of the many reasons why he's a great public speaker: he can win over a crowd with a few simple adjectives.
He holds up one of the scrolls, and scrawled in big letters is:
Feshen's Freedom Fighters
He gives me one of his signature grins, "Great title, don't ya think?"
"You don't think we could actually pull something like this off, right?" I sift through his mash of writings, notes, and other comments.
"Well, I don't know what's actually going to happen, but it's good to have a plan, isn't it? We can present it to the village and have a backup plan incase something does."
"You're sixteen. I don't even know if I could even-"
"Y/n," he grabs my hands in both of his strong, warm ones, "you're one of the people I trust with everything. You know that. I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't think you could handle it, but you can."
In one swift motion, he brings a hand to the back of my head, pushing me forward. I close my eyes in anticipation of an impact, but a soft sensation is placed on the top of my forehead before I'm being held by Feshen's arms. His heart is pounding against his chest, and his breathing is a little unnatural.
"Feshen... what are you doing?" I hear my voice wavering, because I have no idea what is happening. What had happened. It doesn't feel real.
"I don't want you to get hurt. I wan't to create a better future, one where we can live without having to worry about getting attacked. I want you to be free."
But I never was.
Because after that day, I never saw him again.
*flashback end*
"Are you talking about Feshen?" I'm fiddling with my hands now, unable to remain still.
Jet turns to me with stars in his eyes, and grabs onto my shoulders,, "You know about Feshen? That's amazing! You've gotta join us, you're a great fighter and-"
"Woah, woah, woah, back it up man."
Sokka's removed Jet from me, gently wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side. I can't focus on anything. Everyone's voices feel muffled, the tip of my nose is prickling, warning me that warm tears are about to escape my eyes. I know what Feshen wanted, but he never got to see it through. Are they even following what he said?
I though Feshen was dead. He is dead. But how? How did you find it? How do you know? You're so much like him that it's terrifying.
"Y/n, you're shaking. Is everything okay?" Sokka's grip on my sleeve tightens a little, as his eyes flick between me and Jet.
"I don't know."
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Word count: 2966
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 30K + READS HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN? I'M NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE SECOND SEASON YET!
Thank you so much for being so patient with me uploading these chapters. I've been dealing with school and also taking some time for myself, but I really hope you have enjoyed this chapter. I'm not sure how often I'm going to be uploading, considering I had just started this story over the summer because I was bored and thought it would be fun. I never even thought it would get this far. Thank you, thank you, thank you <3
I will probably update my Kenma story soon, so don't worry! I hope all of you are staying safe love youuuuuu