Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar and the Last Bender or its characters
Pointers: 'italics' means that the character is thinking
Summary: Nothing more than a princess then turned vigilante. Now she's a prisoner to Zuko as bait for the Avatar. Will she be able to escape or will she choose the darker side? Maybe it might make her discover what it means to be touched by the dragonspirit. Zuko x Oc
Book 1: Water
Jet & Sniper
"Daddy!" cried the voice of a small child; her small feet had been light against the ground as she ran towards the man. There was a sad look on his face as she inched closer to him, she had stopped at a reasonable distance with a look of worry of her own. What had happened? Why was he so sad like this? Her small hands had found themselves rising towards her face and pressing against her marshmallow, plush cheeks as tears poured from her eyes. Just the sight of the man she loved the most so down had brought these sad emotions to swell up and release. "Daddy?" Her voice hoarse due to her crying, feeling as though there was a lump in her throat.
"Enyo." The way he said her voice had caused her tears to fall harder because she could tell that something was wrong. Whatever it was, whatever that was going to happen was going to affect her and she knew it. It was only a matter of time until she would discover what it was. Until then, she had to stay and listen as the news would hit her. She didn't expect how hard it would be to soak in until he actually said it. "We're going to send you away." The child's eyes widen. Enyo's ember eyes stricken by his words, "It's not safe for you to be here."
"But… But I'm a Princess, Daddy! You can't just send me away! You need me here and I'm going to stay." She managed to say, shaking her head from side to side.
The Chieftain had gotten down on one knee and had placed his hand on her small shoulder, "You are dragonborn. You are special and people will try to look for you and they will use you when they discover what you are. If I send you away, you will be able to live a normal life." He explained, tucking a lock of her straight, obsidian colored hair behind her small ear. The only thing she could do was accept what he had said, knowing that there wasn't much that she could do. If she had fought then it would be a losing battle but if she had agreed she would make her father happy.
Looking up at him, she gave him a firm nod. "I will leave, Daddy."
"That's my girl." said the man as he pulled her into a close embrace, her short arms around him as she laid her cheek against his shoulder with tears still falling from her eyes. This would be the last time she had seen her father and the Sun Warrior civilization. She promised herself that she would come back somehow, but for now she was stuck in the Earth Kingdom under a disguise and living with a bunch of teenage vigilantes.
"This is gonna take forever." A boy complained as he throws his boomerang in one fluid move; with a whiz it zipped up and cuts both the ropes in the process. The rope falls away; There's a sound of crashes and a panicked beast barks.
A bald-headed boy with an arrow tattoo was now hanging below the branch and hugging it. As he inched over the first staple, he looks upside at the ground below. "That works." He managed to say as on the ground, the hog monkeys are loose; their cages like open clamshells. They walk on all fours as they leave and the boy skids down the trunk and root of the tree.
"These are Fire Nation traps. You can tell from the metal work. We'd better pack up camp, and get moving." The previous boy said before as his hands pull the taut bindings on a roll gear. A female, clothes belonging to one of the water tribe just like the boy who just spoke, had a gear rolled up to the bald-headed boy in monk attire who was now sitting on a bison's head. The watertribe boy sees this and leaves his roll and walks over to them. "Ah-ah! No flying this time."
"What?" The female questioned as the monk hands the roll to the watertribe boy, who had then put on the ground.
"Why wouldn't we fly?" asked the monk.
"Think about it. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa. He's just too noticeable." Sokka pointed out.
"What! Appa's not too noticeable!" His sister, Katara, argued.
"He's a gigantic, fluffy monster with an arrow on his head! It's kinda hard to miss him." Her brother argued back.
Appa turned his head and groans at Sokka. Aang holds the reigns, talking gently to his bison. "Sokka's just jealous 'cause he doesn't have an arrow." Aang tried to console his animal friend.
"I know you all want to fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk." Sokka told them reassuringly.
"Who made you boss?" Katara asked.
"I'm not the boss. I'm the leader." Her brother clarified.
His sister appeared incredulous, "You're the leader? But your voice still cracks!"
"I'm the oldest and I'm a warrior." He tries to speak deeper, "So! I'm the leader." He argued back with her, thinking he made great, valid points.
"If anyone's the leader, it's Aang. I mean he is the Avatar." The waterbender said confidently.
"Are you kidding me? He's just a goofy kid!" Sokka replied.
Aang, who was dangling from Appa's horn, was upside by his hands and with his legs sticking out into space. Appa had then looked rather unimpressed, "He's right."
Sokka then adjusted the pack on his back. Katara, not letting this situation go, continued on, "Why do boys always think someone has to be the leader? I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you kissed a girl."
"I-I've kissed a girl…you.. just haven't met her." He defended himself.
"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 instinct."
"Okay, we'll try it your way 'Oh Wise Leader'." Katara threw her hands up in sarcastic defeat.
Aang steps over, now wearing a backpack with Momo sitting on the top. "Who knows! Walking might be fun." Aang tried to be optimistic.
Hours later…
"Walking stinks! How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?" cried Aang, trudging along with Sokka in front.
"I don't know Aang. Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts? They seem to know everything." Katara answered him, her oceanic colored eyes glaring at her older brother.
Sokka sarcastically replied to his sister, "Ha. Ha. Very funny."
"I'm tired of carrying this pack." whined the Avatar.
"You know who should carry it for a while? Sokka's instincts!" Katara continued with the feud.
"That's a great idea! Hey, Sokka's instincts, would you mind?" Aang asked innocently.
"Okay, okay I get it. Look guys, I'm tired too. But the important thing is that-" He pushes the branches from two rust-leafed bushes and holds them, focusing his attention on his sister and the Avatar, "we're safe from the," he finally turns around to see what's beyond the bushes, "-Fire…Nation." The trio and Momo had just walked into a clearing with a Fire Nation encampment in it. On the opposite end of the clearing are three Pavilion tents, and an active fire pit with logs as benches on two sides. The camp was also occupied. Most of the soldiers were seated or crouching near the fire with bowls in hand. The surprise of the others had caught the attention of a couple of soldiers seated closest to the tents, which have doorflaps with Fire Nation emblems on them. One of these soldiers has a path over his left eyes. "Run!" Sokka yells as they drop their packs. The soldiers leap up from the logs, swords out. The one-eyed soldier takes a bending stance and launches a fist full of fire at them. The attack misses them mostly but sets the bushes behind them alight, "We're cut off!" Sokka explains, meanwhile, the left sleeve of his tunic on fire.
"Sokka, your shirt!" cried Aang while Sokka looks, and yells in panic. Katara uncorks her waterskin container and begins to bend the water into flowing ribbons. The ribbon splashes against Sokka's tunic, putting it out. She redirects the ribbon back into the waterskin and places the cap back on. The trio was now surrounded; the burning bushes behind them and soldiers all around. They put their backs together and face the warriors, ready to fight if necessary.
"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you." The southern watertribe warrior pleaded.
Katara, quietly, sad, "What are you doing?"
"Bluffing?" He replied impishly.
The one-eyed Captain smiled, "You? Promise not to hurt us?" Within those short minutes, a quiet zip had thud happened. The Captain looked surprised for a moment, then groans and collapses face first on the ground. His men lower their weapons a little. "Nice work, Sokka! How'd ya do that?" asked Aang.
"Uh instinct?" Sokka responded in a confused manner.
"Look!" Katara shouts as she points to somewhere above. A figure standing on the massive branch of a nearby tree was seen. The person drops something and draws two blades from the middle of his back and steps off the back of the branch, his weapons held high. Instead of falling straight down, the weapon seems to catch on the branch, allowing him to sling himself in the direction of the camp. The stranger kicks over two of the soldiers farthest from the tripl he hands with a foot on each of their backs.
Now that he is in a much clearer view, he is a young man about Sokka's age. He is wearing a red vest, he's dressed from head to toe in dark clean clothing. What little arm he has (shoulder caps and hip to upper thigh covers) are mismatched. He has a shaggy mane of brown hair, and a twig held in his teeth. He rushes forward, his shuang gou (twin hook sword) in each hand.
Then their eyes danced to another figure, a feminine shape in the cloud of smoke. They had a rather long sword (katana) and begun to attack with much swift and precision. Instead of unsheathing the sword from the scabbard, they had used the hilt and the sheath to attack the soldiers at locations such as their neck, sides and back of their legs. When the smoke disappeared, they saw a girl with obsidian black hair that was pulled into a high ponytail, bangs that covered her shapely eyebrows, and two locks of hair cut to the length of her cheeks in a hime style, and bright ember eyes and olive tone skin. She wore a dark green, butterfly sleeve shirt that had fit around her stomach, leaving it out, and a green skirt that only covered her front and back with grey tights and black boots.
The female had jumped into the air and raised her unsheathed sword and brought it down to the captain's head, causing him to groan but fall into unconsciousness. While the boy finishes the last soldier, "Down you go!" He says as the trio looks up from the little pile-up at them. They've gone from surprise to varying degrees of pleasure (Katara) awe (Aang) and incredulity (Sokka). A soldier rushes up from behind the boy, sword raised. The younger opponent had hooked the soldier's sword hand as he spun. He finishes where he started ready to face a new opponent while the one he just attacked is sent flying. The man had landed at the feet of a quarter of word holders.
The closest ten looks up. "They're in the trees!" A small boy drops from above and lands on the soldiers shoulder, then spins his helmet around blinding him He staggers off, his small attacker still on his shoulders and laughing all the while. Before the remaining three swordsmen can react, arrows zip from above, disarming each man without hurting them. The archer on the branch reaches for quiver on his back and fits two arrows on the string of his bow. The archer swings back, until he is hanging beneath the branch by his knees. He lets his arrows fly.
As the two disarmed soldiers run off, a swordsman charges the newcomer. This fighter ducks, lets the swordsman run into (and across) his back, and tosses his opponent up onto the branch with a shrug. The second swordsman is more cautious, but with speed and strength the rebel grabs him, spins him around and throws him. The barehanded rebel turns and heads for new targets before his old one hits the ground. Meanwhile, a boy with a knife and red facepaint drops to the ground and runs off to fight. Katara and Aang then help in battle.
Sokka, boomerang raised in both hands, shouts a war cry. A soldier charges him, but before they meet the boy with the hook swords used his sword to pole vault him in the chest of the swordsman, who goes flying off. Sokka stops shouting and sags out of his battle stance. "Hey, he was mine!" He cried.
"Gotta be quicker next time." The boy said before he turns and rejoins the battle. Katara is left impressed, while a rump Sokka walks off. Two soldiers started backing towards the forest, but before they can escape, a massive rebel drops to the ground. As they turn to face him, their faces register shock as he comes out of his drop crouch and towers above them. Quickly however, they recover and take a battle stance. The grinning giant simply reaches over his shoulder and pulls out a log ticher than a man's leg. He raises it two-handed over his head, and with a growl lowers the boom.
The hook sword boy had turned from his current opponent to watch the two swordsmen backing away, their swords bent beyond use. They drop them and flee, causing the boy to grin and turn to face the determined spearman. The man jabs for his throat, but he catches the spearshaft with the hook of his swords. They struggle for a moment, before Jet spins and sidesteps the spear. With one sword free, he hooks the man, who goes flying. The soldier's spear is sent flying. Its butt-end strikes the back of a nearby helmet, knocking him out. The sagging soldier reveals his opponent to be Sokka, ready to receive an attack with his war club. He looks at the down man, now frustrated, and screams again. "Man!"
Another spearman attempts to strike the hook sword wielding boy from behind, but the girl with the katana had caught the attack with her sword unsheathed this time. The cling of their swords was enough to stop everyone and battle and locked eyes onto their fight. It became a test of strength, the girl proving to be stronger as she pushed her sword forward and the man feeling himself move back, but with an adrenaline rush, he managed to push her back and she slid cross the ground and unsheathed her sword before running up to him and then jumping behind him. With a quick move, she hit his side with her sheath and knocked the air out of his lung and made him fall.
The boy had stumbled a few steps back when the man fell, nearly on him in that case, and he stops in front of Katara as if he'd meant to do it. "Hey." He told her, nonchalantly.
"Hi." She replied as together they turn to see the area was now deserted by all but the newcomers.
The airbender in awe starts to speak, "You just took out a while army almost single-handed, her too!" He pointed to the female who stood there, her ember eyes looking at the enthused bald-headed boy.
"Army? Pfft. There was only, like, twenty guy!" Sokka said out of jealously.
It was ignored however. "My name is Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters. Sneers-" who was currently eating from on the soldiers bowls, "Longshot," the arches; he raises his paddy-hat covered head at his name, "Smellerbee," the rebel with the facepaint, a girl who looks like a boy. "Her knife between her teeth, a captured Fire Nation sword slung across her back and she has one in each hand. "The Duke and Pipsqueak." They are standing neck to each other. The Duke is the littlest rebel, the one who rode the soldier's shoulders. He raises his quarter staff slightly at his name. Pipsqueak is the giant, who put his log away as his name is called.
Aang walks up to the Duke and Pipsqueak, he looks at the Duke, chuckling, "Pipsqueak? That's a funny name." The Duke sniffles, his nose runny and his helmet hide his shed tears. The real Pipsqueak, slightly glowering bends down.
"You think my name is funny? He asks in a commanding tone.
"It's hilarious." Aang said after looking a little nervous before plastering a smile on his face. Pipsqueak had went from glower to guffaw in a heartbeat. All three of them share a laugh together. Pipsqueak slaps Aang on the back, which unintentionally knocks the Avatar flat. The Duke stops laughing, but smiles again when Aang looks up and chuckles weakly: all among friends.
"And this is Snipe." Everyone turned to the female with the sword who had her eyes closed, but once she heard her name she had looked over to them and gave them a half smile.
"Yo." She greeted them with a slight wave.
Sokka then walks over to her, his eyes comically turning into hearts, "You were awesome out there, for a girl."
"Thanks," She blinked twice with a deadpanned expression, "I'll take that as a compliment, I guess."
Katara rolled her eyes, "You were really great though."
"Yeah, you took down so many people." Aang added, his eyes showing his adoration.
The girly merely crossed her arms, "It wasn't nothin' really, but thanks for the compliments. I don't really deserve 'em."
"Snipe is really good with a sword, that's why I took one so she could train me." Smellerbee managed to say which caused the older girl to look her way.
"Eh, who said I felt like trainin' ya? You guys always plan things before askin' me. You better be ready at sunrise, you got it?"
Smellerbee then went to a salute, "Yes ma'am!" Everyone began to laugh.
In the Fire Nation camp, the central fire was out and the members of Jet's Freedom Fighters are near it. They checked for weapons and investigated supply crates. Sokka had watched as Smellerbee passes him with an armful of staves, while Jet was reclining against the trunk of a tree on the perimeter of the camp and Katata approaches him. "Uh thanks for saving us, Jet. We were lucky you were there."
Jet looked up at her, "I should be thanking you. We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning. And then you guys stumbled in."
"We were relying on instincts." Katara sourly responded.
"You'll get yourself killed doing that." Jet replied as Sokka was close enough to hear the conversation. He closes his eyes in frustration at his bad call and walks away. Behind him, Pipsqueak and the Duke investigate the inside of a barrel next to one of the pavilion tents. The Duke reaches in and pulls away a finger coated with green goo. He sniffs it experimentally.
"Hey jet! These barrels are filled with blasting jelly." The Duke said.
"That's a great score." Jet responded.
Snipe had made her way to Sokka, who was pouting under a tree, "Yo." She said to gain his attention. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes.
"Come here to talk about my instincts too?" He asked sarcastically before playing with his boomerang.
"Huh?" Snipe asked confused, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Sokka shook his head, "Everyone is upset with me because I was following my instincts. I was only doing what I thought was right."
The girl leaned back onto the tree, her arms behind her head and her ankles crossed, "Sometimes following your instincts can get you in a heap of trouble," Sokka frowned, "but sometimes it can get you through the tightest of places. Your instincts are a 50/50 thing and sometimes you need to listen to another voice." He looked at her and then back at his boomerang.
"Thanks." Sokka managed to say as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No problem, but really, don't be jealous over Jet." She said with a playful smile, the warrior first looked surprised but then quickly changed to frustration.
"I'm not jealous of Jet!" He defends himself.
Snipe merely giggled, "Good. He's not worth being jealous over because I'm pretty sure you're just as cool as or even cooler than him."
Sokka blushed from embarrassment as she reached out her hand to him, he took it and they both headed to toward the hangout along with everyone else.
Everyone had walked along the forest floor. Pipsqueak then pulls the laden wagon next to Appa. The trunks are massive enough to make even Appa small. In front, Jet has stopped. "We're here."
"Where?" There's nothing here!" Sokka points out, but Jet hands him a rope a loop on the end. The other end is somewhere above them. "Why what's this do?" he asked but the look ends up around his wrist and without warning, he is pulled up by his arm into a nearby tree canopy. As a final insult, Sokka gets momentarily stuck in the leafy branches before he disappears. "Whoa!"
Jet offers a similar rope to Aang and Momo. "Aang?"
"I'll get up on my own." said the airbender as Momo launches himself from Aang's shoulders. Aang follows with an airbender leap as Jet holds a rope and offers his free hand to Katara.
"Grab hold of me, Katara." The leadr said as she takes his hands. He pulls her into a spin that ends with her against his check, which makes her blush noticeably. The rope slowly pulls them into the air, the embrace Katara's only means of support. She smiles nervously and then looks around and up at Jet. He focuses on their ascent.
"The handsome, heroic rogue," Snipe said with a shake of her head, Sokka looking at her as she said then when she landed beside him. "He does it every time."
"Huh?" Sokka asked, confused as to what she was talking about.
The girl merely shook her head, "It's nothing." She quickly said, not wanting to tell him that his sister was pushing herself into heartbreak.
Jet and Katara had risen through a hole in the floor and then land on it with a jump when Jet lets go of the still ascending rope. Wooden stairs spiral up the trunk and suspension bridge link their platform to elsewhere. All workmanship is of treehouse' quality, "Nice place you got!" Aang said as Jet and Katara walk towards the bridge.
"It's beautiful up here!" Katara exclaimed.
"It's beautiful and more importantly, the Fire Nation can't find us." Jet said.
Snipe then walked towards them, her arms akimbo. "They would love to find you. Wouldn't they, Jet?"
"It's not gonna happen, Snipe." Jet replied cockily.
"Why does the Fire Nation you?" asked Katara.
"Because Jet has been causing them trouble since he was a child," Snipe cut in as Jet eyes had met hers, "True, isn't it?"
Sokka had skeptical eyes at Jet, wondering the same thing. "I guess you could say I've been causing them little trouble for a while. See, they took over a nearby Earth Kingdom town a few years back."
"And we've been ambushin' their troops." Snipe said with her eyes closed.
"Cutting off their supply lines and doing anything we can to mess with 'em!" Pipsqueaked further explained while Sokka is doing his level best to peek over the giant's shoulders.
"One day, we'll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good and free that town!" Jet said with confidence but Snipe merely frowned.
"That's so brave." Katara said with adoration.
Sokka comes up from behind, somehow making past Pipsqueak, "Yeah, nothing's braver than a guy in a treehouse." He said sarcastically.
"Don't pay any attention to my brother." His sister said, glaring at her sibling from the corner of her eyes.
"No problem. He's probably had a rough day." Jet simply shrugged it off.
"So, you all live here?" She asked as Sokka, ignored, sinks back behind them.
"That's right. Longshot over there, his town got burned by the Fire Nation and we found Duke trying to steal our food. I don't think he ever really had a home. Snipe, well, she was traveling alone and we took her in after she attempted to kill us because she thought were crazy." Jet began to explain.
Snipe rolled her eyes, "Yeah, nothing crazy about kids jumping out of trees who supposedly want to help you."
Sokka managed to chuckle while Katara then turned to Jet, "Well, what about you?
Jet stops. The group, except for Katara moves on. "Fire Nation killed my parents. I was only eight years old. That day changed me forever."
"Sokka and I lost our mother to the Fire Nation."
"I'm sorry, Katara."
The group was having a big feast, ropes with glowing lanterns hanging between branches. Sentries keep watch on several platforms while the group sits as a banquet table on a huge platform. "Today, we struck another blow against Fire Nation swine," Jet said as his followers at the table and upper platforms cheer. Katara and Aang smile. Sokka, however, looks grumpy. "I got a special joy from the look on the soldier's face when the Duke dropped down his helmet and rode him like a wild hog monkey." The helmetless Duke is sitting on the platform between Longshot and Smellerbee. He stands, joins Jet on the table, and amid cheers takes a victory walk around a fish platter. "Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in trees." He prepares to take a drink from his wooden cup, "Maybe they're right," his followers boo, "Or maybe they are dead wrong." His face is bathed in angry red from the lantern as his Freedom Fighter's cheer widly.
He leaves the table and sits on the platform between Sokka and Katara. "Hey Jet, nice speech." The waterbender complimented.
"Thanks. By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending I saw out there." He said, twirling the straw wheat in his mouth.
"We'll, he's great. He's the Avatar. I could use some more training." Katara explains, blushing in the process.
"Avatar huh? Very nice." The Freedom Fighter leader says, acting rather suspicious.
"Thanks Jet!" Aang says happily.
"So I might know a way that you and Aang can help in our struggle." Jet said as Snipe glared at him from across the table, obviously knowing what he was planning. She felt guilty, she always felt guilty, but now that Aang was the Avatar she didn't know exactly how to feel but she felt wrong most of all.
"Unfortunately we have to leave tonight." Sokka stands to walk away, a sigh of relief escaping from Snipe.
Jet then speaks up, Snipe's eyes widening at what he said. "Sokka, you're kidding me! I needed you on an important mission tomorrow."
Sokka, who Snipe hoped would stick to his plan, stops and turns. "What mission?" It was too late. He fell in Jet's grasp.
The next day, Jet and Sokka are perched in the brances on the same tree. Jet cups his hands and makes a whistle-like birdcall; several trees down Pipsqueak and Smellerbee step into view from their branches. There is a replay call. Sokka ramps his jawbone knife into the trunk of the tree. "What are you doing?" Jet asks.
"Shh. It amplifies vibrations." Sokka quickly explained.
Jet, impressed, speaks, "Good trick."
Sokka cups his hands around the pommel bone and puts his ear to it. "Nothing yet." He lowers his voice, "Wait! Yes, someone's approaching."
Jet, in a low voice, asks, "How many?"
"I think there's just one." Sokka answers and Jet whistles again as Jet whistles again.
"Good work, Sokka. Ready your weapon." The watertribe warrior pulls the knife out the tree and waits. His eyes go wide when someone comes into view; a stooped old man with a cane. He was wearing a simple red robe.
"Wait! False alarm, he's just an old man." Sokka said as Jet extends his hook swords anyway, then leaps to the ground in front of the traveler. Sokka watches in horror.
"What are you doing in our woods, you leech." Jet told the old man.
"Please sir, I'm just a traveler." The old man responds, afraid.
Jet takes a step and with one swipe of his sword sends the man's can flying from his hand. The old man backs away, but when he tries to flee the way he came, he runs face first into Pipsqueak's chest. The force of the impact knocks him to the ground; the giant looms over him. He tries to crawl away, but Pipsqueak's foot on his backside effectively pins him. "Do you like destroying towns? Do you liked destroying families? Do you?" The Freedom Fighter leader questioned the hurt, old man.
"Oh please. Let me go, have mercy!" The man begged, frightened by the whole ordeal.
"Does the Fire Nation let people go? Does the Fire Nation have mercy?" Jet questioned again. He winds up a kick, but his foot his snagged by Sokka's club before it can be delivered.
Sokka releases him, "Jet, he's just an old man!"
"He's Fire Nation! Search him!" Jet ordered as Pipsqueak holds the prisoner and Smellerbee steps up.
"But he's not hurting anyone!" Sokka defended the innocent man.
"Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother? Remember why you fight!" Jet tried to make the boy feel guilty, but it hadn't worked.
Smellerbee then holds up a shoulder satchel, "We got his stuff, Jet." She says as the old man's back is still on the ground.
"This doesn't feel right." Sokka mumbles.
"It's what has to be done. Now let's get outta here." Jet pushes past Sokka. Pipsqueak and Smellerbee follow. Sokka looks at the old man still on his hands and knees. "Come on, Sokka!" Jet shouts, but as Sokka is about to leave. He sees Snipe jump from a branch and helps the man up, he was hesitant at first but after her persistence he allows her to help him.
Snipe then looks up at Sokka, "Now you see don't you?" She said as she encourages the man to hurry up and leave. "Jet hates all the Fire Nation, even the innocent people."
"If you knew then why do you stay if you're not like them?" He asked as she looked down and then back at him.
"How can you really betray the only family you have known for so long? Besides, who will listen to me? They all believe Jet and it's only a matter of time before a lot of people get hurt." Snipe informed him before walking towards the direction that the others had walked off to.
"Sokka! Look what the Duke gave me!" Aang said as he is wearing a satchel that had belonged to the old man's and pulls a small pellet from it. With a sly grin, he tosses it at the platform next to Momo,where it explodes with a pop. The Lemur puffs up like a startled cat and growls then lunges at the satchel. Momo then sits on Aang's shoulder and tosses the pellets at his feet and Aang dances about wildly, "Ow! Quit it!"
Sokka is oblivious of it all. He's sitting with his back to the trunk and staring at the platform before him, frowning. 'They all believe Jet and it's only a matter of time before a lot of people get hurt.' Snipe's voice had rung through his head as Katara walks up to him. "Hey Sokka. Is jet back?"
"Yeah he's back. But we're leaving." He said seriously.
"What?" Aang questioned.
"But I made him this hat…" She pulls from behind her back a cap made out of stitched leaves with a flower on top. The workmanship is rather unimpressive.
"Your boyfriend Jet is a thug." Her brother said flatly.
"What? No, he's not." Katara argued.
"He's messed up, Katara." Sokka continued on.
"He's not messed up; he's just got a different way of life. A really fun way of life!" Aang agreed to Katara.
"He beat and robbed a harmless old man!" Sokka couldn't believe how they chose Jet over him.
Katara frowned, "I wanna hear Jet's side of the story." She said as they then went to look for him in his tree tent.
"Sokka, you told them what happened but didn't mention the guy was Fire Nation?" Jet asked, feigning incredulous, as he laid on the hammock-bed. Sokka stands grumpily as far away as he can get. Aang is wearing the hat Katara made; he looks like an acorn.
"No, he conveniently left that part out." Katara glared at Sokka from the corner of her eyes.
"Fine! But even if he was Fire Nation, he was a harmless civilian!" Sokka could still hear Snipe's voice gnawing at his conscious. 'Besides, who will listen to me? They all believe Jet…'
"He was an assassin, Sokka." Jet pulls out a knife and thrusts it into a nearby block of wood. It is a sinister looking curved blade with four spikes evenly spaced along the grip with enough fingers to go between them. There's a ring on the butt of the knife. "See? There's a compartment for poison in the knife." He pulls the ring and removes a small glass tube filled with red liquid. "He was sent to eliminate me, but you saved my life, Sokka."
"I knew there was an explanation." Katara sighed.
"I didn't see any knife!" shouted Sokka.
"That's because he was concealing it." Jet argued.
"See Sokka? I'm sure you didn't notice the knife." His sister agreed with Jet.
The watertribe warrior was now growing frustrated, "There was no knife! I'm going back to the hut and packing my things." He leaves.
"Tell me you guys aren't leaving yet. I really need your help." The Freedom Fighter leader frowns.
"What can we do?" Aang asks.
Jet then begins to explain. "The Fire Nation is planning on burning down our forest. If you both use waterbending to fill the reservoir, we could fight the fires. But if you leave now, they'll destroy the whole valley."
Sokka is tying up a roll on the floor. "We can't leave now with the Fire Nation about to burn down a forest!" Katara told him.
"I'm sorry Katara. Jet's very smooth, but we can't trust him." Sokka argued.
"You know what I think? You're jealous that he's a better warrior and a better leader!" Katara yelled.
Sokka frowns, deeply. "Katara, I'm not jealous of Jet. It's just my instinct."
"Well my instincts tell me we need to stay here a little longer and help Jet. Come on Aang." Katara leaves the hut.
Aang followed behind the waterbender, "Sorry Sokka."
Sokka sighs as Snipe leans on the doorway, he looks up to see her first in surprise but then a defeated look on his face. "I don't want to brag, but I told you so." She removed herself from the doorway and then walked over to him, "So, what are you going to do? Are you going to stop him or leave?"
"What can I do? Nobody will listen to me." The watertribe warrior fell to his bum, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked down at the ground.
The girl sighed and then bent down with her hands on her knees, her head slowly tilting to the side. "Your right, nobody will listen to you. You should just give up; let Jet kill a whole bunch of people. I mean that doesn't make you a coward if you knew what was going to happen and you just let it go. You're just going to let Aang and Katara get blood on their hands, right? That will make you feel good."
"Stop it alright!" Sokka snapped, standing up as he pointed at her. "You're not doing anything about it either! What about you?"
"What about me? I'm just one person. I mean, my instincts tell me I need to save some people but since everyone doesn't believe in them, I shouldn't follow them." She feigned sadness, letting out a drastic sigh. "Oh well, I guess a lot of people are just gonna die, right? At least we didn't know 'em."
Sokka frowned but then he realized what she was getting at. "Your… You're going to help me save the town?"
Snipe had her back turned, her hands on her hips. She dropped her head a little and then turned to look at him, her head slightly tilted back. "Since you so kindly asked. I guess I can do that." With that said, Sokka smiled at the girl, "Let's meet here tonight and discuss all the details."
Sokka stirs then snaps awake. He then begins to pulls the door flap aside enough to see some of Jet's followers descending on the rope lines. He leaves the hut, and takes a rope line down to a lower branch. On the ground below him, Jet's freedom fighters are quietly pushing the loaded wagon as Jet leads them out of the camp. Sokka stealthily follows.
In the dark valley, the walled town sits on the far side of a river that cuts through the forest. Upstream, and up toward the wall of the valley there is an old falls, and beyond that a man-made dam. A bare cliff off to the reservoir's left provides the view.
Jet and his boys emerge from the forest. He goes to the edge and looks down on the dam below. The reservoir behind it is low. He turns back to the wagon, "Now listen, you are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive." Jet said as the Duke jumps off the wagon.
"But what about the people in the town, won't they get wiped out too?" asked the Duke, Jet places a hand on his shoulder.
"Look Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation." Jet looks over to Longshot, "Now don't blow the damn until I give the signal, got it?" Longshot nods. Sokka watches incredulously from the bushes. He frowns, and hears rustling just before Pipsqueak drags him out by his topknot. Smellerbee's knife is instantly at his throat.
Smellerbee sneers, "Where do you think you're going, ponytail?"
Jet watches, standing near the edge of the cliff as Pipsqueak and Smellerbee drag Sokka between them. Pipsqueak still has a handful of Sokka's topknot.
"Sokka. I'm glad you decided to join us." Jet said as his captors send Sokka to his knees.
He rubs his shoulder. "I heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town." said Sokka.
"Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation." Jet chewed on the wheat.
"There are people living there Jet, mothers and fathers and children."
"We can't win without making some sacrifices." Jet said rather nonchalantly.
Sokka points an accusing finger at Jet."You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!"
"Because they don't understand the demands of war. Not like you and I do."
"I do understand. I understand that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want."
"I was hoping you'd have an open mind, but I can see you've made your choice." Pipsqueak and Smellerbee grab for Sokka. Before he can even react, Jet has his wrist pinned with the hooks of his shuang gou. Sokka's other hand is forced back.
"I can't let you warn Katara and Aang." Jet releases Sokka's hand; it is immediately forced behind his back."Take him for a walk-a long walk."
"I'm getting tired of this, Jet." said a familiar voice, everyone looked up to try to see the figure but a blade was at Jet's throat. "You didn't name me Snipe for nothin', right? Still, I can't let you go through with this Jet. There are other alternatives."
Jet frowned deeply, "So, you've become a traitor, huh? You allow an outsider to change your mind?"
"No," Snipe said as she removed to blade away from him and stepped back. "I just found someone else who hasn't fell for your craziness."
Jet frowned at her reply, "We took you in and this is how you repay us?"
"Yeah, you did do that and you told me I would be safe. Kids looking out for other kids, but what good is it if we're going to kill other kids just like us?" She asked as he continues to glare at her, "Your hate for the Fire Nation is making you become a monster Jet and I refuse to become like you and let other people suffer because of your anger." Snipe placed her hand on the hilt of the sword, her feet pressed together in a battle stance.
Jet had charged at her but she jumped back, landing near Sokka and hit both Smellerbee and Pipsqueak in the back of their heads with her sheath, knocking them both out. Snipe grabbed Sokka's wrist and they began to run, leaving an angry Jet to tend to an unconscious Smellerbee and Pipsqueak.
At the riverside, upriver from the damn, the collected water behind it is much less than the larger cavity of the reservoir. The river leading to down to it is a thread compared to its rainy season' gully. Jet, Katara and Aang are walking upriver along its west bank about to perform their mission. "Jet, I'm sorry how Sokka's been acting." Katara apologized.
Jet spoke calmly, "No worries, he already apologized."
"Really?" Katara managed to say as she and stopped and looked at one another, "Sokka apologized?"
The Freedom Fighter leader than explained, "Yeah, I was surprised too. I got the sense that maybe you talked to him or something."
"Yeah, I did." Katara managed to say.
"I guess something you said got through to him. Anyhow, he went out on a scouting mission with Pipsqueak and Smellerbee."
"I'm glad he cooled off. He's so stubborn sometimes." the waterbender shook her head.
They are now walking in the gully, beside the river. Aang pauses after noticing something strange, and then is launched into the air by a blast from the geyser he was standing on.
"All right, we're here. Underground water's trying to escape through these vents. I need you guys to help it along." Jet instructed.
"I've never used bending on water I can't see. I don't know... " Katara frowned, worried. Jet stood behind her and places his hand on her shoulders.
"Katara. You can do this." He said reassuringly.
"What about me?" Aang asked, back on the ground.
"I know the Avatar can do this." Aang and Katara stand on either side of one of the many smoking holes in the gully. While Jet looks on, they perform bending gestures: they look like they are encouraging something up. After a few minutes, a blobby stream of water emerges from the hole. They pull it to their height, and then send it toward the river where it continues to flow like a giant garden hose. The water quickly joins the river. "Yes! Good job! This river empties into the reservoir-a few more geysers and it'll be full."
Aang points, "Look, there's another steam vent." He and Katara walk off in its direction.
"Okay. You two keep it up. I'll go check on things at the reservoir." Jet said as he turns and walks away.
Katara smiles, "When we're done we'll meet you over there."
"Actually, it's probably better if you meet me back at the hideout when you're done." Jet resumes walking away as Aang and Katara bend the next geyser into another fountain.
"I bet that's enough and I'm not just saying that to be lazy." the Avatar sighed.
"Let's catch up with Jet at the reservoir." Katara suggested.
"I thought we agreed to meet Jet back at the hideout."
"Well, we finished early-I'm sure he'll be happy to see us."
"What's the game plan, Sokka?" Snipe asked Sokka as they hid behind tree.
Sokka then turned to look at her, "I'm thinking we can somehow sneak past Pip and Bee without being noticed."
Snipe had looked at the closest branch, "We'll have to use the trees. We'll have to jump one branch to the next tree. It's the quieter way and the more efficient way."
"You forget," Sokka gave her a rather deadpanned expression, "I'm… not a tree person like you guys."
"Oh, right. Well, there's another way." She managed to quickly thing up.
"What?" He asked, almost afraid of her answer.
She looked at him with a playful grin, "You're going to have to hold onto me."
"Wait, no. I'm the guy, that's supposed to be the other way round." Sokka folded his arms, "I'm not going to climb on a girl's back. Girls are fragile."
The girl gave him a rather dull stare before pulling him and holding onto his legs. She managed to hop from tree to tree, only one foot managing to touch the branch and leaving not one sound to be made. "What do you have to say now, Sokka?"
"I'm not satisfied but this is totally cool!" He had a rather goofy smile on his face as they moved with quick speed.
Katara and Aang are standing on the edge of the cliff. At the base of the dam, four of Jet's people are unloading barrels from the wagon and arranging them.
"What are they doing?" asked Katara.
"Hey, those are the red barrels he got from the Fire Nation." Aang noticed.
"Why would they need blasting jelly?" Katara questioned.
"Because Jet's gonna blow up the dam." he said, finally soaking in the whole situation.
"What? No-that would destroy the town. Jet wouldn't do that." Katara said, in denial.
"I gotta stop him!" Aang said as he snaps his glider wings open and runs for the edge.
Katara, less convinced, "Jet wouldn't do that."
Before Aang can reach the edge, Jet crosses his path from behind and snatches the glider. Aang is left wobbling precariously on the edge, and uses an airbending move to get himself back on stable footing. "Yes I would."
"Jet why?" asked the waterbender.
"Katara, you would too if you just stopped to think. Think about what the Fire Nation did to your mother we can't let them do that to anyone else, ever again."
"This isn't the answer!" Katara argued back with Jet.
"I want you to understand me Katara. I thought your brother would understand, but-" he was cut off by Katara.
"Where's Sokka?" Tears fall from her eyes as Jet reaches out and touches her face.
"Katara..." She bows her head as Jet says her name, and then with a shout sends Jet flying with the water from her waterskin. She draws it back into the waterskin when she's done.
"I need to get to the dam." Aang's closed glider is on the ground. As he reaches for it, the crescent end of one of Jet's shuang gou pins it like an axe. Jet has the two weapons hook to hook; with a yank he pulls the sword and Aang's glider to him.
"You're not going anywhere without your glider." Jet said as he swings the swords still hook to hook at Aang. Aang somersaults backwards to avoid the extra reach. Aang finishes his retreat in a nearby tree.
"I'm not gonna fight you, Jet." Aang told him.
"You'll have to if you want your glider back." Aang retreats back into the forest, as Jet hooks the branch and pulls himself up. Katara follows on the ground. Jet attacks; Aang defends himself with balls of air, which Jet ducks. Jet attacks head on, but Aang blocks with his arms and sends his opponent flying into a tree trunk with an air kick. Jet combines his swords again and advances. Aang avoids the flail-like move and sends another air blast. Jet stoops down and lets the air flow over and past him, then lunges. They continue the chase through the many levels of the forest. Jet catches up to Aang and sends them both freefalling, attacking as they go. They both end up on a branch. Jet continues his attack. Aang avoids it all. Jet charges again, but Aang hits him with a jetstream of air. Jet falls. He recovers, but loses the glider in the process. Before Aang can get to the ground Jet kicks him into a trunk. He lands with a thud next to his glider. A small tributary flows past him. Aang is slow to get up. Before Jet can take more than a step however, he his hit by a large water strike. Katara is there; she uses water from the river to throw Jet against the trunk of the tree. Over and over she attacks; Jet is unable to cut the water and its force plasters him against the trunk. She bends the water to ice; the soggy renegade is left frozen from toe to neck.
"Why, Jet? I can't believe I trusted you. You lied to me! You're sick and I trusted you!" Katara shouted at him. A signal call is heard. Katara and Aang are startled, then look to the valley beyond where it's coming from. Jet gives an answer call. "What are you doing?"
"You're too late." Jet smirked.
Katara, horrified, screams, "No!"
Aang snaps open his glider and runs for the nearby cliff/waterfall. His glider's wing is so shredded however, that he has no lift and slams back into the ground near the edge. Katara runs over to help him. "Sokka's still out there he's our only chance."
"Come on, Sokka. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Please." Katara prayed.
Longshot stands on a branch, his bow pulled. He has a fire arrow on the string He sights, then lets it fly.
It arcs down to the base of the dam. "No..." the waterbender whispered.
The center of the dam explodes in a cloud of smoke and fire. Katara and Aang watch a massive wall of water go over the dry' falls and down to the town. Inside the town the streets are empty except for the occasional barrel and a market table with cabbages. The water rushes through the open gate, as a cresting wave dwarfs it. The wall and gate are swallowed as the wave strikes the town. The flotsam carried away includes a smiling doll in a purple dress.
"Sokka didn't make it in time." Aang frowned.
"All those people..." she turns in rage back to Jet, "Jet, you monster!"
"This was a victory, Katara. Remember that. The Fire Nation is gone and this valley will be safe." Jet said.
"It will be safe without you." In shock, Jet looks up to see Sokka, Snipe, Appa and Momo rise from below the level of the cliff. Sokka has Appa's reigns.
"Sokka!" Katara shouts, "Snipe, you helped too?"
The girl merely shrugs, "That's a story for another time. Go 'head Sokka, tell 'em your plan."
"We warned the villagers of Jet's plan, just in time." Sokka said as he and Snipe smirked.
"What!" The Freedom Fighter leader screams.
"At first they didn't believe us. The Fire Nation soldiers assumed we were spies. But one man vouched for us, the old man you attacked. He urged them to trust us, and we got everyone out in time." Sokka townsfolk are seen on high ground above the river, on the bank opposite the town. A little girl runs down to the water's edge as the doll floats by. She retrieves it.
"Missus Pretty!" She hugs her doll happily.
"Sokka, you fool! Snipe, I can't believe you betrayed us like this!"
"No, Jet. She isn't a traitor. You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people." Sokka defended her as she looked at him with a small smile.
The others hopped on Appa. The sky they fly in is empty, save a few wispy clouds.
"We thought you were going to the dam. How come you went to the town instead?" Aang asked.
"Lemme guess... your instincts told you?" Katara asked.
"No, Snipe told me. Sometimes it's good to listen to your instincts as well as others." Sokka looked at the former Freedom Fighter, who merely shrugged it off as it was nothing.
Aang then turned to her, "You knew Jet was like that?"
"I always knew that Jet hated the Fire Nation, but I didn't know it would go to that extent. I happened to see it getting there in recent years, but just like everyone else I believed in him. When I tried to tell the others, they thought that I was just paranoid and so I couldn't do anything about it. Jet had everyone fooled, but I just happened to come out of his spell." Katara looked down guiltily as Snipe explained the situation. She looked at Aang, "When Sokka didn't seem to fall for it, I knew that I wasn't alone."
"I'm sorry." Aang apologized, feeling guilty himself.
Snipe shrugged, "It's no big deal. It was time for me to get away from there; I needed break away from there."
Sokka then turned to look at her, "Snipe, you're not from the Earth Kingdom are you?" He managed to ask, causing the girl to look at him and then shook her head
Snipe had let out a long sigh. "Promise to keep this a secret alright?" She held out her pinky for a pinky promise.
They all wrapped their pinkies together and then shook on it, "Spill it." Sokka said, curious.
The sword-wielder had let out another sigh, "I'm from the Sun Warrior tribe."
"What's that?" Aang asked.
"It's a tribe who discovered the ancient origin of Firebending a long, long time ago. You probably haven't heard of them since they were ancient, supposedly had died off but we kept it a secret to protect the dragons over the years." She explained, "Fire Nation Princes and Warriors had been battling dragons, defeating them to gain their power. We started to run low and so dragons became very rare."
"Oh," Aang frowned, "So, Avatar Roku's dragon is a rare dragon? Well, it's now considered to be one of the last dragons, right?"
"Yes," Snipe answered, "and that's why you wouldn't see them flying around and such. Anyway, when I was born I had been playing with a dragon at night, which my father had seen as nothing there but knew I had saw a spiritual being. The legends say that some dragons, ones that had very strong souls, choose certain people and bless them with their power."
They all looked at her with awe. "What power do you have, Snipe?" Katara asked.
"My name isn't Snipe, its Enyo." She corrected Katara to get that straight, "Snipe was a name the Freedom Fighters gave me. My name is Princess Enyo, but just call me Enyo. But as far as a power, I don't really have one I guess. I never was able to do anything special from that day forward."
"Well, maybe you'll get to discover what it is someday." Aang said optimistically, but Enyo merely shook her head.
"What if the power is destructive?" The Princess frowned as she pulled her knees to her chest.
"Don't worry, we're your friends now." Sokka comforted her, looking off at the direction they were going to.
Katara placed a hand on Enyo's shoulder, "We'll help you."
Aang nodded his head, "And whatever your power is, it might actually be really great!" He threw his arms in the air excitedly.
Enyo looked at all of the curiously as they gave her a smile, "Alright. Don't get all mushy with me guys, but thanks. I'm looking forward to helping you, Aang ... if that's okay."
"Okay? We can learn firebending together!" He said excitedly.
Enyo blinked a couple of times, "That does sound fun. Training with the Avatar."
