Wash Away My Memories
Original Avatar Fanfic by Roxtrox 7
I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
It had been raining for days. All creatures, human and beast hid away in the dark corners of the forest waiting for the storm to pass. A small farmhouse stood apart from the woods, drenched from the downpour. A few fields of root crops lay behind the house as well as several fruit trees that marked its perimeter. The cottage was dark as its inhabitants slept soundly waiting for the sun to rise.
//\\//\\
Else were, not far the farmstead a teenage boy fought his way through the storm. A machete was in his hand as he hacked his was through the black forest. His body was exhausted from the harsh conditions and shook as hypothermia began to set in.
His foot slipped and he landed face first on the muddy forest floor. He struggled to stand but he was too weary to move. The best he could do was crawl under a tree for shelter and wrap his cloak tightly around himself. He could only pray for the relentless rain to stop falling.
//\//\
A small candle flickered in the window of the farmhouse. A small girl had awoken in the pitch-black night after nightmares had disturbed her sleep. Her coarse black hair fell down her shoulder to the middle of her back. Her eyes, one brown and one gold slowly adjusted to the soft glow of the candle. She quietly opened the door to the room she shared with her mother as not to disturb her brother sleeping in the main quarters of the house on a cot.
Her soft footsteps tiptoed towards the window only to behold darkness. Something was out there she had seen it, a dark figure struggling along an unmarked path. The visions of her dreams flash in the reflective glass of the windowpane. There was a man in the woods and she had to find him.
She quickly slipped on her ratty shoes and wrapped a tan dirty cloak around her shoulders. Placing the hood over her grimy hair she ventured out after quietly murmuring goodbye to her sleeping older brother. The candle in her hand now was covered with a lantern to protect the light. She ran off into the night searching for signs of life.
//\//\
Her brother stirred from his sleep, having been awoken by the squeaking floorboards. He sat up slowly his amber eyes staring into the black abyss. He lit a white candle that sat on the table next to his cot. The orange glow of the flame flickered across the walls quickly filling the room with its light. He stretched with a yawn and glanced about the room. His little sisters belongings were gone meaning she must have gone out.
He sighed while running a hand through his raven locks that hung loosely at his shoulders. He slipped a dirty green shirt on over his bare chest and quickly tied his hair back at the nap of his neck. He put on his old brown boots that were covered with dried mud. Grabbing his own equally disgusting cloak and lantern and made his way out into the cold night.
//\//\
The little farm girl had managed to find the path from her dream but it was quite thick with vegetation. Her long brown pants became covered with thorns and spiked seeds. Some of the plants had been cut to pieces making her walk easier. She soon came across a disturbed mud hole. Someone had either fallen here or there was an injured animal wandering the thick forest.
The ground was marked by handprints confirming her theory that there was someone hurt out here. She followed the path to find a teenage boy about as old as her brother huddling in the grove of a tree. She leaned closer casting the glow from the lantern across his face. He had a dark complexion, his black hair pulled back in a ponytail but that was all she could make out as the rest of him was either covered up or coated in mud.
//\//\
He had gained some ground on his sister. She had wandered off down an unused trail that had been recently cleared by some unknown force. He could see where a large knife had cut through several vines and brush.
His cloak was beginning to soak through as the rain fell from the heavens. The trees foliage only obstructed so much of the downpour. He could see the faint glow of his sister's light ahead. "Sun what are you doing out here? It's pouring down rain." He said once his sister was in sight.
What he saw stopped him in his tracks. Sun was hovering over an unconscious figure, staring down at it worriedly. "He is hurt brother. We have to help him." Sun said directing her gazed at her older sibling.
"No Sun, we can not just take him home like one of the animals you find in the woods." He kneeled down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know that we can not risk anyone knowing where we are."
"I know we are not suppose to interact with strangers but he is really hurt." Sun protested trying to get her brothers approval.
"No Sun." He glanced down at the body at his feet. He seemed familiar but he could not tell due to the mud that covered him. He reached out and pulled down the boy's hood. He gasped as before him lay a water tribe boy.
"Brother what is wrong?" She asked placing her hand on his.
His gold eyes stared at the body as he internally debate on what to do. He knew the boy but why should he help him just because he knew him. He did not like him and the feeling was mutual. After another minute in the icy rain he stood up abruptly. He thrust his lantern into his sister's spare hand and bent down to pick up the unconscious boy. He managed to get him on his back while holding his legs to keep him from falling.
Sun happily walked in front of her brother lighting the way. The hurt teens head laid on her brother's right shoulder while his arms dangled down swinging with each step. Her brother grit his teeth in quiet frustration as her contemplated his choice.
Sun quickly ran inside her home to prepare for them. She made her bed quickly so that the stranger would have a place to rest. The house glowed brightly as she lit several candles all around the cottage. Sun quickly gathered bandages and rags so that she could dress his wounds.
Her brother ignored her preparations and laid the sleeping water tribe boy on his own cot. Sun began to inspect the boy's injuries and quickly determined he needed dry clothes. Her brother got a set of his clothes and undressed the boy. While he was pulling the boy's soaking wet shirt off he saw a strange tattoo on his right shoulder. He finished as quickly as he could, not wanting to see another man's anatomy.
Sun waited patiently in her bedroom for her brother to finish. He called her back in and she set to work dressing his wounds and placing a splint on his right arm. Over all the boy was pretty beaten up. His body was covered with bruises and several cuts and scraps. It was as if he had fallen through the trees and on to the cold ground below.
Two golden orbs simply stared at the figure lying in his bed. His past had returned to haunt him. There were a lot of things about his wandering years that his mother and younger sister did not know. Now with this boy in his care the peaceful farm life he now lead would be shattered. It was only a matter of time before he awoke and ruined everything.
His sister smiled up at him warmly. She was obviously pleased that he had bent to her will. If only she knew the pain he would afflict upon there broken family she would have left him in the rain to die. His sister may have been compassionate with a bizarre sense that let her know when someone or something was hurt. But she would not hesitate if it meant her family would be safe.
"Sun go to bed. I will watch him." He said wrapping a spare blanket around his shoulders and sitting cross-legged on the old floor. She smiled but simply sat next to him. They faced the boy who was sleeping fairly comfortably.
An hour or so later Sun was fast a sleep with her brother close behind. Sun's head lay in his lap her body warmed by the blanket wrapped around the two. She fell asleep after half an hour leaving her brother slumping forward with fatigue. The boy began to shift in his bed. He looked up quickly to see that the boy was simply turning on his side facing them. "Katara." He mumbled softly in his sleep. His voice held great affection as his body relaxed at the thought of the girl who was not there. Sun's brother sighed finally giving into his need for sleep.
Thank you for reading!
Peace and Love Roxtrox7