A/N: Welcome to the story! Let's get started.
This story contains swearing along the lines of shit, hell, and fuck, though will usually just be something like "What the fuck" or something like that.
Chapter 1: The Great Divide
It shouldn't be this hot during the winter.
Rin hiked down the forest path, her old, weather-worn boots kicking up dust behind her with each step. She stopped to wipe her brow, then looked up towards the blazing sun overhead. It was unusually hot in comparison to the past few days, but it wasn't unbearable. She flipped the hood of her cloak over her head, shielding herself from the sun, and continued walking, soon reaching a fork in the road.
"Well, this complicates things," Rin muttered, squatting down to the ground. She had been tracking the Gan Jin tribe for a few days, following them wherever they went. From what she had picked up, the tribe had been forced out of their homes by the Fire Nation, and were looking for a place to stay - not that Rin really cared. What mattered was that the tribes people were practically nobles: they wore elegant robes, carried expensive porcelain dishware, and had glittering gold jewelry. Despite their status as refugees, they were rich, and Rin wanted a bit of their wealth.
She stood up, following a trail of dusty footprints down the right side of the fork. Soon, she could hear voices in the distance, an indicator that she was getting closer to the tribe. There was a clearing in the distance, opening up to a large canyon. Rin ducked into the forest so that she could get closer without being noticed, creeping through the bushes as she went.
"... rather be taken by the Fire Nation then travel with those stinking thieves!" Rin heard someone shout. Peering from behind a tree, she saw the Gan Jins arguing with another, vastly different tribe. They were like polar opposites; instead of fine robes, jewelry, and neatness, they wore hides and animal bones, and every spot of their skin was covered in dirt.
The two tribes descended into a shouting match before, suddenly, a strong gust of air blew through the area and broke the fight. As the shouting stop, a bald, oddly dressed boy forced himself between the two tribes. He had a blue arrow tattooed to his head, along with bright clothes and a wooden staff. Behind him were two teenagers, a boy and a girl, with tanned skin and blue clothes who looked similar enough for Rin to guess that they were siblings. She assumed that they were from a Water Tribe, but she couldn't identify where the bald boy was from. His skin was too light to be Water Tribe or Earth Kingdom, but by the way he was interacting with the refugees and the Water Tribe teenagers behind him, it didn't seem like he was Fire Nation.
"All right, listen up!" the boy shouted. "You're all going down together, and Appa here will take the sick and elderly across the canyon." He pointed to a giant white bison sitting near the cliff, which Rin had somehow never noticed until now. The sick and elderly from each tribe climbed onto the bison and, with a roar, the creature took off into the air, much to Rin's surprise. As it flew across the canyon, an old, fairly chubby man with a large mustache pushed his way in front of everyone.
"Here's the bad news!" he shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "No food in the canyon. It attracts dangerous predators."
If they're that dangerous, I'm pretty sure they'll think of us as food, Rin thought, not making a move to get rid of the meager amount of food she had, but the two tribes obeyed the man, taking all of their food and trying to eat it as fast as they could. As Rin watched, she noticed that the way the tribes ate were different: while the Gan Jins ate in small bites and used chopsticks, the other tribe scarfed down their food with their bare hands.
Once they finished, the mustached man led the two tribes, along with the three teenagers, down a path leading to the bottom of the canyon. Once the last person disappeared from Rin's view, she came out from behind the tree, walking out into the clearing. She followed the tribes down the trail, which lead to a winding path down the cliff wall. As she peered over the edge of the path, she saw the two tribes marching down the path - however, they were dwarfed by the height of the cliff below her. It was enough to give Rin a sense of vertigo, making her back away to the middle of the path before she got dizzy.
Why did I make myself do this? Rin thought. I could have robbed them yesterday night, or the night before. Instead, I have to follow them down this canyon, where it's hot and full of predators. As she continued down the path, she remembered back to when she had first found out that such a rich tribe was traveling through the area.
Four Days Before
Ding ding.
Rin opened the door to the tavern, jingling a metal bell tied to the handle. The place wasn't exactly bustling; apart from a few travelers seated at the counter and a drunkard slumbering in the corner, it was empty. She took a seat at the counter, away from the other travelers. Upon noticing a new customer, the tavern owner, a middle aged, black haired woman, walked over to her.
"What'll you be having?" the lady asked as Rin looked up, her hood still covering her head.
"Best meal I can get with ten coppers," Rin muttered, taking the money from her pocket and placing it onto the table. The lady nodded, taking the coins and heading to the back of the tavern. As she waited for her food, she looked around. The tavern was quiet, though she didn't expect anything else when there was less than half a dozen people sitting at the counter.
Ding ding. Ding ding. Ding ding.
The bell on the door jingled again, this time ringing for a few seconds before stopping. Turning around, Rin saw a large group of people entering the tavern. They looked and acted like nobles, wearing clean robes and walking slowly to the counter. Rin's eyes instantly focused on their gold jewelry, hanging from their clothes and bags.
What's a group like that doing in a tavern like this? Rin's question was soon answered when the old, white haired leader of the group came up to the counter, just as the lady came out from the back of the tavern, holding a small loaf of bread and a bowl of soup.
"We require food for the next week," the old man said. "How much will that cost?"
"Well," the lady mumbled, before looking up at the old man. "How much do you need?"
"We have about fifteen people. A large sack of potatoes and a large sack of bread should be fine," the old man replied.
"You'll have to understand, I'm not a farmer nor a baker. This'll cost you quite a bit of money," the lady explained.
"It's fine," said the old man. The lady sighed, before walking over to Rin and dropping off the bread and soup, along with a small wooden spoon. The bread, while plain, wasn't stale, and the soup was a thick potato stew, still warm from the pot. Rin ripped small chunks from her loaf of bread, dipping them into the stew before consuming them. After finishing the bread, she started on the potato stew, being careful not to spill any of the rich soup from her spoon. As she finished the stew, the lady came out from the back of the tavern once again, this time carrying two large burlap sacks. She placed them on the counter, where the old man was waiting.
"Here's your bread and potatoes. That'll be ten gold pieces," the lady said. The old man took a small, decorated purse from his robes and counted out ten gold coins before handing them to the lady and taking the food.
"Where's someone like you headed?" a guy next to the old man asked, glancing up from his seat at the counter.
"We're fleeing from the Fire Nation," the old man replied.
"Aren't we all. Where too?"
"Ba Sing Se. Hopefully, there'll be a place for us in the Upper Ring."
After the conversation finished, the old man joined up with his finely dressed companions, who were waiting at a table in the back. They discussed something that Rin couldn't hear before they stood up and made their way to the door, leaving the tavern to its quietness. Rin leaned on the counter, still looking at the door where the group had left.
"Finished?" the lady behind the counter asked. Rin nodded her head, allowing the lady to take her bowl and spoon. Rin didn't pay her much attention, instead focusing on the thoughts in her own head.
They've got jewelry, good clothes, and money. Probably nobles. Definitely rich, Rin assumed. Since they were running from the Fire Nation, they would probably be weary and exhausted from traveling. They were the perfect targets, if she could somehow lift their valuables from them. Well, I know who I'm following for the next few days.
Rin got up from her seat and exited the tavern, ending up back on the street. In the distance, she could see the group of people walking down the road, heading north. Rin followed them, thinking of ways she could procure some of their wealth for herself. Maybe I could sneak into their camp during the night. Or I could catch a straggler and jump him. I'll think of something...
Present Day
After a few days of following the tribe, she had learned their tribe name, their schedules, and their habits. However, she never took action, waiting for the right time to strike. Now that she thought about it, the canyon was a better place than she had expected: the Gan Jins would be tired from hiking in the sun, and there would be many places to hide among the rock formations on the canyon floor. All she needed to do was wait until night fell then go in and rob them blind.
CRASH!
Suddenly, Rin was jerked out of her thoughts as a large boulder came up from below, crashing into the underside of the path. As the ground collapsed underneath her, she instinctively leaped forward, catching the edge of the hole where the trail once was. She pulled herself back onto solid ground before looking around for the source of the attack, peering over the edge of the newly created hole in the path.
It was a straight drop down to the canyon floor where the two tribes, the teenagers, and the old man were standing. Suddenly, a giant bug appeared next to them, grabbing the old man in its jaws. The two tribes panicked immediately, and for good reason. A good bite from the jaws of a canyon crawler would severely injure, if not kill, an average person.
However, the three teenagers didn't seem to fear the bug as much as Rin thought, luring it away from the old man with a series of attacks. The Water Tribe boy seemed to be a nonbender, wielding a boomerang and club, while the girl was a waterbender. The bald boy surprised Rin, conjuring a tornado and using it to slam the bug into the cliff wall.
Is that an airbender? Weren't they all extinct? Rin always heard that the Air Nomads were wiped out by the Fire Nation, and she was never sure whether to believe it. It was true that she had never encountered an airbender, but wouldn't it be hard to kill off an entire race? Especially since these were nomads, and nomads always traveled around. Upon hearing that the Fire Nation was out to kill them, some of them must have hid, right? Besides, they could fly! It's hard to chase someone who isn't restricted to the ground. Either way, whoever had tried to attack her was gone, and Rin continued down the path to the canyon floor, still prepared to dodge an attack if it came flying at her.
By the time Rin made it down the the canyon floor, the tribes were already leaving. They split up at a fork in the path, with the Gan Jins going down the right side while the other tribe went to the left. In the distance, Rin saw the three teenagers discussing something before the girl went down the right path with the Gan Jins, and the Water Tribe boy went the other way with the other tribe. The airbender looked around after his friends left and noticed Rin. Upon noticing her, he waved to her, walking up to greet the thief.
The airbender glanced up at the wall where the boulder had fallen. "Hey, sorry about the boulder. We didn't want to be followed by the Fire Nation," he explained. "Are you a refugee?"
"I guess you could say that," Rin muttered. It was a complete lie, but who could tell? She looked just like any refugee in the Earth Kingdom, carrying only a sack of her belongings and the clothes on her back. Posing as a refugee would usually bring sympathy and, with that, food and other resources.
"Well, you should come with us. We're crossing this canyon!" the boy exclaimed, raising his staff. Suddenly, wings unfolded from the staff, and the boy flew into the air, soaring high above the canyon and out of sight.
"Yup, he's an airbender," Rin mumbled. Now that she thought about it, she had heard that the Avatar had returned recently... but that rumor always pops up every few months, and it never goes anywhere. Besides, this was a boy that was younger than her. Unless the Avatar managed to go through four reincarnations over the last hundred years, he or she would be over a hundred years old by now, if it was an airbender. Maybe the boy was just a descendant of the Air Nomads.
Eh, no use wondering about it, Rin thought, walking down the right side of the path, following the Water Tribe girl and the Gan Jin Tribe. By now, the sun had already started to set over the horizon, casting an orange glow over the canyon. The air got cooler as the night came closer, eventually making Rin wrap her cloak around herself to keep warm. After a few hours of trailing behind the Gan Jins, Rin noticed that they had stopped at a clearing and were starting to make camp.
"Finally," Rin muttered, turning around and going back the way she came. After she made sure that she was far enough, she went off the side of the path, making camp in a small clearing among the rocks. She would be sleeping under the stars once again, as the sky was clear, and the chance of rain was nonexistent. It wasn't like she had a choice - she didn't have a tent, or even a blanket. But for now, her cloak would be fine as a makeshift blanket.
She put her bag down and opened it, grabbing a wooden handle sticking out of the bag. Out came a small, red hatchet, scratched up from months of use. With the hatchet, Rin set off into the canyon, looking for brush to use as firewood. She eventually came across a small bush and knelt down, raising her hatchet to cut a stick from the bush.
"Who's down there?"
Rin, startled by the sudden shout, looked up to see the airbending boy descend from the sky. Her muscles relaxed, and she looked back down, chopping the branch from the bush.
"Oh, it's you," the boy said as he touched down behind Rin. "Now that I think of it, I never got your name. I'm Aang, what about you?"
"Rin," she replied, not looking up from her task. She cut a few more branches and bundled them into her arms.
"You know, the Gan Jins are a few minutes ahead if you take the trail. Why don't you camp with them?" Aang asked.
"I prefer to camp alone," Rin muttered. "And I'm kinda busy here. I'd like some privacy."
"Oh, sorry," Aang apologized, before taking off into the air. Rin went back to chopping firewood from the bushes, slowly but surely gathering a bundle of dry sticks in her arms. After she had enough, she made her way back to camp, where she arranged the sticks into a pile. She took a pair of spark rocks from her bag and scraped them together, causing bright sparks to fly into the air and into the wood. Soon, a small fire was blazing in the middle of her campsite.
This'll keep me warm when I sleep... not that I'll be doing much of that tonight, Rin thought. The Gan Jins were most likely exhausted from their trip through the canyon and were probably sleeping like the dead. It was the perfect night to strike the camp. Slowly, Rin stood up and walked down the path towards the Gan Jin camp.
Bread... bread... knife... oh, a necklace. Better take that. And this scroll, too. Eh, I'll just take the entire bag.
Rin took the small bag and gently placed it into her larger bag, making sure that she didn't make any noise. She was currently inside a tent of the Gan Jin Tribe, stealing their stuff while they slept less than ten feet away. After she had cleared the tent of what she could find, she exited the tent, stepping out into the moonlight. Looking around to make sure that nobody had noticed her presence, she moved on to the next tent, opening the flap covering the entrance and slipping inside.
One person... looks like a girl. Bag in the corner, that should have something, Rin observed. She crept over to the bag, using her hands to feel around the inside. Suddenly, her hand hit a cold, metal object, just as a quiet jingling sound came from the bag.
Shit, stupid coins. Rin turned around to check if the girl had awoken. Luckily, the girl was still asleep, snoring on the other side of the tent. Rin breathed a silent sigh of relief, before carefully removing the coins from the bag. She began to place them into her own bag, before noticing something peculiar about them.
Wait... these are thicker than they should be. Is this Water Tribe money? Rin silently cursed, remembering that Earth Kingdom merchants rarely accepted Water Tribe currency. It was usually only the coastal traders, and even then, they were few and far between. Water Tribe coins would only weigh down her bag... but they were already in her hand. Eh, whatever. I'll use them on the first merchant who accepts them.
"Uh... Aang? Is that you?"
Rin whirled around just as the girl sat up. They locked eyes for a second before Rin immediately stood up and bolted out of the tent.
"Hey! Get back here!"
Rin ran through the camp, looking back to see the girl who was just coming out of the tent. In the moonlight, she could see the girl's blue clothes and hair loops, and she realized that it was the Water Tribe girl that the Avatar had been talking to earlier in the day. She sprinted out of the camp, back down the path, and to her campsite, looking back to see if the girl had followed her.
After making sure that the girl hadn't followed her back, she breathed a sigh of relief, tossing her now full bag onto the ground. The fire had already burned itself out, and all that was left was smoldering embers flickering in a pile. Rin lay down on the ground, wrapping her cloak around herself before falling asleep.
The first thing Rin felt, even before opening her eyes, was the sunlight pouring down onto her face. With a groan, she sat up, looking out over her campsite. She saw her bag, which was now full of food, money, and other items, as well as the almost dead fire.
If I sell all the stuff I don't need, that combined with the money I got... should feed me for at least two weeks. Or I could use some of it to get some new boots, or maybe a new cloak. Mine are already falling apart. Rin got up and slung her bag over her shoulder, using a few ropes to secure it to her back. After making sure that she had left nothing behind, she started heading back down the path. Eventually, she made it to the clearing where the Gan Jins had been staying, though they had already packed up and left.
"Now to get out of this shitty canyon," Rin muttered, following the numerous footprints of the Gan Jins down the canyon path. After a few hours of walking, she stopped by the side of the path to take a break. She took a small roll of bread she had stolen the night before and started eating. When she was done she pulled a canteen from her bag and took a gulp of water.
That's lunch for today, Rin thought before going back onto the trail. Soon, she reached a clearing where she saw a bizarre sight: the two tribes scattered on the ground with all sorts of food tumbling everywhere. The Avatar was standing in the middle of the scene, fixated on what seemed to be a custard tart. Behind the entire scene was a giant cliff face, rising hundreds of feet in the air.
I guess everyone had more food than I thought. Just as she thought that, a screeching noise filled the air. She looked up to see a swarm of canyon crawlers scrambling down the cliff wall, heading straight for the clearing where everyone was gathered. Rin wasn't sure whether they were attracted by the food or the large gathering of people.
"Well, best get out of here before things get messy," Rin muttered, looking for a place to hide and wait out the fight.
HISSSSSSSS!
Hearing a loud noise behind her, Rin turned around to see a large canyon crawler descending from the rock formations above. Cursing under her breath, she reached back into her bag, pulling out the hatchet she had used to chop firewood last night. It was the best weapon for the situation, as knives or daggers wouldn't do much to such a large beast, and she had nothing else to defend herself with. As the canyon crawler lunged at her, she sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the bug's deadly jaws. With a grunt, she swung her hatchet into the side of the canyon crawler, causing it to hiss in pain.
I need to get out of here, Rin thought, backing away from the canyon crawler. Suddenly, she heard a shout from the Avatar, who had jumped up onto a large boulder.
"Everyone, do what I do!" he shouted, luring a canyon crawler with a piece of bread and wrapping a burlap sack around its mouth. With the deadly jaws trapped, the beast was unable to fight. The two tribes stopped for a moment before moving into action, working together to trap the canyon crawlers.
"I guess that'll work," Rin muttered, grabbing an empty food sack from the ground. She threw a piece of bread off to the side, luring the canyon crawler away from her, then closed the bag over the bug's snout while it was distracted. It immediately started struggling, but the bag prevented it from opening its jaws, rendering the bug harmless.
That's great... but now what? Rin had a giant bug trapped, but what was she supposed to do with it? Looking back towards the Avatar, she saw him riding a canyon crawler, using a bag of food on a stick to guide it around. Everyone else had managed to capture a bug and were doing the same.
"Follow me! We're getting out of this canyon!" the Avatar shouted, leading everyone up the cliff wall. Rin realized that this was how they were supposed to get out of the canyon; the earthbender that had thrown the boulder the previous day must have gotten injured or killed. Quickly, Rin jumped onto her canyon crawler and tried to guide it to the wall. However, it wasn't cooperating, jerking from side to side and trying to buck her off.
That's right... the Avatar used some food on a stick. Looking around, Rin spotted the custard tart from earlier sitting on the ground, right next to the canyon crawler. She leaned over and drove the blunt end of the hatchet into the yellow pastry, making sure that it stuck to the metal.
"This'll work," Rin muttered, holding the custard tart in front of the canyon crawler's eyes. Sure enough, it immediately stopped roaming aimlessly and started to walk straight ahead, trying to reach the food held out in front of it. Soon, she was holding the bug with a death grip as it crawled directly up the wall. Looking up, she saw that the two tribes had already cleared the wall.
Just before she reached the top, a sack of food came flying over the cliff. Her canyon crawler jerked its head to the side, more interested in the large sack of food falling down the canyon than the custard tart impaled on Rin's hatchet. When she realized that the canyon crawler was turning around, she swore, quickly throwing the custard tart from her hatchet and placing it back in her bag.
Shit. As the canyon crawler turned around, Rin looked up towards the cliff. It was only a few feet away, and this was her only chance to escape the canyon before her mount reversed direction. With a grunt, she pushed off the canyon crawler, jumping towards the edge of the cliff. Her hands barely reached the edge, and she grasped on, clinging to the ledge as hard as she could. Her life depended on it, as there was a huge drop below her with no place to land but the canyon floor. Just looking down gave her vertigo. The ledge crumbled from her weight and fell around her left hand, leaving her swinging by her right arm, which was starting to burn.
"Help!" Rin shouted, hoping that the two tribes hadn't left yet. She didn't know how long she could hold on, but the pain in her arm told her that it wouldn't be long until she fell. However, just before she gave out, a hand came from over the ledge, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up. As she rolled onto the ground and looked up, she saw the Avatar looking down at her, smiling.
"Thanks," Rin breathed, panting and rubbing her arm.
"No problem," the Avatar replied, before turning around and walking over to the Water Tribe boy and girl, who were further away from the cliff.
"Who's that?" Rin heard the boy ask the Avatar.
"That's Rin. We met yesterday while she was crossing the canyon," the Avatar explained. Rin stood up and dusted herself off before looking towards the Avatar's group.
"Wait..." the girl muttered, looking at Rin's face. "I know her! She's the one who robbed me last night!"
"Wait, what?" the Water Tribe boy asked as Rin swore under her breath. She instantly went on the defensive as the girl, reaching towards her belt, removed the cork from her waterskin. A stream of water flowed from the opening, forming a whip.
"I don't want any trouble," Rin said, gripping a couple of knives attached to her waist. Among them were knives she had stolen from the Gan Jin tribe, as well as more from earlier encounters and robberies.
"You stole from me, and the Gan Jins too! They were refugees, you know!" the girl shouted, suddenly lashing out with her water whip. Rin immediately rolled to the side, avoiding the attack, and drew the knives from her waist, throwing them at the girl.
"Katara!" the Avatar shouted, jumping into the path of the knives and blowing them away. The resulting blast of air knocked Rin off of her feet and sent her tumbling backwards, back towards the cliff.
Shitshitshit. Rin grasped at the ground, trying to regain her footing, when the ground suddenly disappeared from underneath her. Instead, there was a straight drop to the canyon floor, hundreds of feet below her. She tried to grab at the ledge, but it was too late, as she was already several meters below the top of the cliff and falling fast.
I guess this is how I die, Rin thought, watching silently as the ground rushed up to her. She closed her eyes, and the last thing she felt was an explosion of pain.
A few things about this story:
1) This story will be from the 3rd person perspective of Rin, meaning that the reader will only see and know things from her perspective. The plot and story is designed to work from a limited perspective, but I'm not too fond of first person perspective. I may shift the point of view to other characters, but shifts will always be noted and won't be used often.
2) There may or may not be romance. Having no experience with the genre, I will tread cautiously. It is not the main focus of the plot, however. The main focus is on the OC, and how she develops and interacts with the other characters over the course of the story. I'll probably decide if there will be romance by the time the second book comes around (episode 21 in the show).
3) As a novice writer, I know that my work isn't perfect (in fact, it might not even be that great). I'm always looking to improve, so criticism is welcomed.
4) There is no regular update schedule, but I'll try to make it less than a month between updates.
EDIT 8/7/14: The first few chapters, in my opinion, aren't as well written as the chapters afterward, since I learned a lot from writing those chapters (this is my first fanfiction, after all). The next few chapters may have a noticeable drop in quality, since I rewrote chapter one in between chapters six and seven. You may think that I'm trying to trick you into reading the entire fanfiction even if you don't like it right now, and that's entirely possible. Who knows, this may be a more elaborate "IM BAD AT SUMMARIES IT GETS BETTER ONCE YOU READ THE STORY." However, that's all for you to decide by either continuing to read or not (keep reading please).
Please leave a review and if you liked the story, favorite/follow. It lets me know that you guys appreciate my writing.