A Flaming World Part 1- A Hero Rises

This is the first chapter of my story about the Avatar: The Last Airbender character Long Shot... enjoy . I realized that I made some mistakes... they've been updated. It won't happen again.

Ch. 1: The Escape

"There's no time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader". His mouth quivered as the words gently crossed his dry lips. Each of his friends stared at him bewildered by what had just happened, Long Shot had quietly talked, after years of silence. His leader, the leader of the small-retired band of fighters "The Freedom Fighters", stared up at him, eyes tearing with pain. Even with the pain searing through his body, he still managed to look bewildered at the sound of his comrade's voice. So long had Long Shot's silence stirred the freedom fighters, but to talk now was just breathtaking.

The Avatar, and air bender named Aang, at first confused, gave Long Shot a quick look of understanding. It wasn't a direct look, but a look that shown in is eyes, almost incomprehensible to decipher. The Avatar's job was to cause peace, but he had been having trouble completing his job after merchants had captured his flying bison in the desert. Aang was no longer able to travel amongst the earth kingdom delivering his information as easily as when he had his bison, Appa, by his side. The only reason The Freedom Fighters and the Avatar's group had come to this dark moist chamber was to retrieve this great white beast, which according to Long Shot's leader, Jet, was being detain within the walls of this underground prison.

Beside Jet, water surrounding her hands, was the Southern Water Tribe Girl, by the name of Katara. Long Shot already it would've taken too long for her to help Jet, and she had to help free the bison. Long Feng, the Earth bender who had caused internal bleeding within Jet's body was in the process of rushing to the chamber that lied ahead to claim Appa. The bison, if rescued, may be the only chance to cause peace throughout the world. If not the Avatar would not be able to travel to the Fire Nation, and take down the Fire Lord. If the bison could not be rescued, to reach the Fire Nation by the time the solar eclipse fell upon the Fire Nation Capital would be a struggle. This was why Long Shot had to speak up, not only for the fate of his leader, but also to help save the world.

Jet looked into the water bender's eyes and whispered in a husky voice "It's alright Katara, I'll be fine." He tried to force a slight smile, but the pain overwhelmed him. Jet, nor Long Shot, blamed Aang for what had happened, he would never have been able to prevent what had happened in this chamber, beneath the waters of Lake Laogai.

Katara hesitantly stood up from the place she was kneeling, and walked over to her brother Sokka. Her eyes we watering with tears, yet as she reunited with her companions she brushed them away. From there the small group of benders reluctantly walked away from their three remaining friends, one who was dying at their knees. How they longed they could stay and help Jet, Long Shot, and Smellerbee, however they had to go find Appa.

Long Shot's gaze followed the group out the chamber, until they were out of eyesight. As the group approached the large bulk door Long Shot's ears vaguely allowed him to hear the blind earth bender Toph mutter softly "He's lying". This earth bender could feel someone's heart beat through the earth to determine whether or not they were lying. There was some sort of physical reaction to what they had just said, which caused the liar's heart rate to speed up. This is what Long Shot supposed had just happened, Toph had felt Jet's heart beat as he said "I'll be fine", which was a lie for the wound was life threatening.

Long Shot turned back to his friends without a second glance at Aang's group; he had to help care to Jet. His other friend, Smellerbee, sat by Jet with tears dripping from her rich brown eyes. She had always relied on someone to guide her, for she wasn't fully capable of being a leader herself, although she did always voice her opinions. She would never be capable of surviving on her own, but she might soon have to try. Long Shot never planned to stay in this group for long, only enough to develop some allies to rely on across the Earth Kingdom. If Jet died he would leave, whether Smellerbee wish him to or not, he would have to depart.

He quickly spared a glance toward Jet, and then around the moist chamber. Two torches on each end of the wall only lighted the room. This lighting was barely suitable to tend to a wound, unless you were a water bender with healing abilities, just like Katara. There was no way Long Shot could help Jet here, so he was left with two options, both inwhich he did not wish to consider in front of his comrades.One involved leaving the underwater chamber before the Dai Li could locate them. The other meant that Long Shot and his comrades would remain in the chamber, tending to Jet. Yet if they followed that plan the Dai Li would most likely find them. He pondered on both of the options for a second, and then with drew his bow; he made had made his decision on what must be done.

The choice wasn't that complicated, being a skilled short-bow archer he could easily make the correct target. Even so the plan was still a bit risky. For one thing there was the part about getting to shore with Jet almost in a paralysis state, which would be the most difficult part. Plus there was also a slight a chance of missing the shot, this would therefore use up the last of Long Shot's arrows, making him return to the second option. Last it would cause him to reveal his secret, a secret he was able to keep quiet for almost two years ago, when he joined the Freedom Fighters. Long Shot always knew he would have to eventually reveal his secret, but he had hoped for it to be closer to the time invading the Fire Nation, not now in a chamber beneath Lake Laogai. Yet still there was no time to go find an exit, Jet was dying, and by the looks of it the Dai Li were planning to destroy there head quarters.

Long Shot snatched an arrow out of his bag, and swiftly equipped it to his bow. He positioned his bow at the wall besides doorway, and pulled back the string on his bow. He began to slowly clear his mind, for he hadn't done this in months, since the time Jet had attempted to destroy the dam protecting the neighboring Fire Nation town. Jet's plans were foiled by Aang, but were later forgiven.Thus Long Shot had to devote his full attention to this specific stunt. Long Shot steadily pulled back the arrow, when Smellerbee's voice halted his concentration.

"Long Shot this is no time to practice archery! We need to help Jet." Her voice crack as she spoke, but still showed how stern she was. Her eyes were red, the red tattoo that was marked under her eyes smothered.

Long Shot quickly glanced at her, muttering "Listen, can you swim?"

Smellerbee got up from her position next to Jet, and approached Long Shot. "What do you mean 'can you swim'? We just need to get out of this stupid chamber. What are you doing?" She was confused; this plan Long Shot had developed made no sense to her.

Long Shot lowered his bow and stared at her for a minute. His eyes tried to show that she must understand, but the message didn't appear to go through. Now that Long Shot had finally spoken, Smellerbee wanted a real explanation.

"Long Shot, explain." Jet spoke up weakly from the ground in which he lying.

Long Shot stared at the wall, pondering what he should say to his friends. They had mainly told him the truth about their lives, why shouldn't he be truthful now? "All right fine I'll tell you." He glanced at his friends, who were waiting for his answered. "I know you'll have questions after this, but just wait to ask them. All I'll say is this; the Dai Li are planning on destroying this headquarters in just a few minutes. I am going to help them along by destroying this chamber. The only thing is we'll need to swim to the surface." He paused, expecting them to ask a question. They didn't ask a single one, so he continued. "I'll help Jet get to the surface, and from there we'll swim to the opposite end of the lake. Not the side we entered from. That's all I have to say."

Smellerbee looked at Long Shot, flabbergasted by what Long Shot had just said. She hastily shook it off and obnoxiously asked "One question Long Shot, how are you going to blast open this wall?"

"You'll have to wait and see." Long Shot smirk slightly, not a cruel smirk, but of concentration. "Walk Jet over to me. Hold onto his arm until I make the shot, and then place his arm around me. Swim up to the surface once the water starts to pour in, and then swim to shore." After he spoke he aimed his arrow again at the wall next to the door, in which bordered the water.

Smellerbee walked over to Jet, and helped him get up. She placed his arm on her shoulder, and they slowly limped over to Long Shot, eyeing his every move. They joined Long Shot at his side, and watched him aim at a precise location in the wall. Still they remain confused, for it looked like something Long Shot would do every day.

Long Shot cleared his mind for the second time with in a ten-minute period. He erased every thought, and feeling from his body, except for his hands and the arrow he was slowly drawing back. It wouldn't have appeared he was closing his mind, for this only happen for a brief moment. Long Shot continued focusing his mind on his hands, directing the heat in his body directly to the palms of his hands. The strength of the heat became stronger, and stronger in his hands until the heat was almost unbearable.

The heat created a small flame in his hand that built up with oxygen, encasing the arrow in fire. Long Shot pulled back his arrow farther, as far back as the string on his bow would go, and steadily aimed the arrow at the crease in the wall. This crease was made of a flammable material -some sort of mud-, which spread throughout the wall. If a flame hit this material, the fire would quickly begin to hit every edge of the wall, which would cause the stones to collapse. This material held up the stones, and if destroyed water would begin to fill the encasement of the chamber.

Before releasing the arrow, Long Shot glanced over at his two friends slack-jawed by the recent events. They never question his silence, now they began to understand why. He was a fire bender, but not just any normal fire bender, almost any word could give this secret away, and the quieter he remained the better. Long Shot grinned at his comrades with pride, keeping Smellerbee silent.

Long Shot returned his focus to the arrow, feeling the burning flames around his fingers. Instantaneously he released the arrow, the flames crackling against the stale air. The flaming arrow soared through the air, speeding up as it approached the dense wall. The flames encasing the arrow slowed as the arrow lodged itself into the wall, each member of the small group held their breaths, even Jet who was wheezing with pain. Every member of the small group of them watched as the flames crawled up the edges of each stone, quietly and unmoving. The separated flames quickly reunited at the top corner of the chamber.

With a large "splash"water began to pour into the dense chamber. Long Shot glanced over at Smellerbee, and she carefully placed Jet's arm around Long Shot's shoulder. He placed his bow back in his bag with in the same moment of the ceiling exploding. He shot a quick glance at Smellerbee, and pointed up with his spare arm. She understood immediately.

As water encased the three freedom fighters, at top speed they swam to the surface of the waters of Lake Laogai, before the waters could overwhelm them.

TBC

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