My name is Amaya. I am the daughter of Kya and granddaughter of Avatar Aang. I was born an airbender, but nobody ever knew except my father. Although he is a waterbender, I somehow inherited my grandfather's traits. I couldn't handle life at the Northern Air Temple so I decided to run away to Republic City and assist the new Avatar, Korra, in keeping peace and balance throughout the world. Also, I've heard that her airbending could use a little help.
I leaned against the tree and stared out at Republic City. It truly was a beautiful place. It was hard to believe that Amon and his band of Equalists had been able to overtake this great place. It both amazed and terrified me.
I knew that Korra and her friends had returned to Republic City after Aang had restored her bending at the South Pole. All I needed to know now was where is she? Finding the Avatar can't be that difficult, can it?
My flying bison, Appa, groaned at me to feed him. I petted him and threw an apple into his mouth. They were his favorite. When I was younger, my father would tell me bedtime stories of how Avatar Aang had saved the world. So, in honor of my grandfather's bison, I named mine after his.
"I'm sorry, Appa. You're going to have to stay here boy." Appa huffed at me and turned away. I sighed. "I know you're mad at me, but I can't exactly have anyone knowing I'm here. With you around, it'd be a dead giveaway to Uncle Tenzin that I'm in the city." Appa turned back toward me and licked my face affectionately. I hauled three barrels full of apples closer to Appa. "This should last for a few days. Bye boy." I petted him one last time and walked off into the woods.
I hadn't been able to get very far before sundown. I pitched my tent and made a fire for the night. I cuddled up in my sleeping bag and laid my staff next to me. Yeah, after I heard about Avatar Aang's staff, I just had to make one for myself!
I soon drifted off into a deep sleep. Suddenly, a twig snapping brought me right out of my slumber. I sat bolt upright and listened hard for any other sounds. I prayed that it was only some kind of animal. I was very skilled at hand-to-hand combat, but I'd never been able to use it at the air temple. That's when I heard the voices.
"Sssh. Shut up. Someone is going to hear you."
"Oh lighten up. No one in their right mind would be in the forest at this hour."
At that point, I realized my fire was still going. I tried to airbend it out, but it was being too stubborn. My only other chance of getting out of here without being noticed was to flee without any of my stuff. I tiptoed out of my tent and jumped high into the tree just as two figures appeared from the bushes. It was two guys in their late teens. About 17 or eighteen I'd say.
Instantly, one of them took a defensive stance. "Someone was here," he declared.
"Well, thank you Captain Obvious," the other said as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
"No. I mean they just left. Check the tent to see if they left anything behind to identify them."
The other guy started searching through my tent. That's when I realized I forgot my staff.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. I thought as I was mentally beating myself up.
"Look at this," one said as he came out of my tent with my staff. The fire that was still going strong lit up his face and I recognized it. I just couldn't seem to place my finger on it though.
"What do you think it is?" The other asked as he took it to examine it.
"I'm not sure. I think we should take it to Tenzin though. He'll know what it is." Without another word he squelched the fire with his bare heads and together they ran off.
A firebender? That's when it hit me. It was the Bolin and Mako that I had read about. I'd swiped the files from my father's desk when he was asleep so I could learn everything from a life outside of my own. They were Korra's closest friends. And they had my staff . . . If they showed it to Uncle Tenzin and he showed it to my father, my father would know exactly where I am.
I needed to get that staff back.