"HUH-huh, HUH-huh" a young girl around the age 11 was running from an angry mob. She turned to an ally nearby and leaned against the wall trying to hide herself. When the mob passed she sat and hugged her knees and began to cry. She was wearing a torn up dress with messy hair and a gold bracelet in the back of her dress. She was bused and beaten from the traveling and suffering. As she was crying, she heard footsteps in the rain. She looked up and gasped.

About a year and a half earlier was her 10th birthday. She lived a big house on an island about a half mile from the coast of the earth kingdom. The only thing connecting it and the mainland was a clear strong glass bridge. She was the daughter of the mayor of 3 nearby villages. He was a very good mayor and was very wealthy.

"Happy 10Th birthday Smellerbee "said a man in the living room with some friends from the nearby villages. Smellerbee was the only child of the rich Bayling family.

"'Bout time you start getting used to being surrounded by men uh?" the men laughed and the women laughed along with them. Smellerbee walked sadly toward a window in the next room. Her mother followed saying "excuse me for a second."

"Alright, spill." the woman sat down next to her daughter, "what's bothering you?"

"Nothing," said Smellerbee, "it's just that, what if the guys don't like me. I mean, I already don't really bond with the other kids so how am I supposed to choose a groom from the handful? They're probably afraid of me 'cause I've been learning how to sword fight by perfectionals for every kind of sword there is since I was 5, and I really don't care for any of them."

"He'll come to you, I'm sure of it."

"How do you know?"

"Well, your father came to me right?"

"Right"
"Even though I was a rebel and he was the son of the man how as was causing trouble."

"Your right I guess, but how do I know he's the one, I'm not that kind of girl who's that interested in boys."
"Like I said, he'll come to you. So do you think you'll be interested in chee-blocking?"

"What's that?"

"Okay, so, there is this Fire Nation trader who believes in peace and wants to teach young girls this martial art to help protect them from the rest of the Fire Nation."

"What does it do?"

"It somehow paralyses people and it can block a benders ability to bend temporarily."

"Yeah I wanna try it."

One week later Smellerbee met her teacher Ty-lee. She was nice to Smellerbee and was impressed with her strength and flexibility. It was easy to teach her because she was double-jointed. She was trained for about a year. Ty-lee and Smellerbee really bonded. They knew almost everything about each other. The one thing Ty-Lee left out about herself was that she was planning an ambush. The entire year she was there, she was sending messenger hawks to Fire Lord Ozai. He was trying to get rid of the richest Earth Kingdom families with decedents to get their profit. This way the Earth Kingdom would be weaker.

Then, the day Smellerbee had learned all that Ty-Lee knew, the Fire Nation army attached. They killed all the maids and servants first so there was no way anyone could hide the Baylings. Ty-Lee locked Smellerbee in her room. She tried to get out but she couldn't. The only way out was the window. So she grabbed a little metal box in one of her drawers. She also grabbed a blanket and through them in her backpack. In the little metal box where her birth certificate, her passport, and some money so she could get into Ba-Sing-Sa as a refugee. She ran as fast as she could to the bridge. She wasn't spotted until she reached the end. They destroyed the bridge hoping she would bleed to death by the cuts of the glass if she didn't fall in the water, but for some reason, the glass didn't tough her. She ran toward the village only to find the Fire Nation attacked there too. She found a way around the village of ashes without being seen, and then left for Ba-Sing-Sa. She knew where she was going because she knew how to read the stars.

She would go from house to house and stayed for a night and continue her journey. One time she was in a really bad village. She was beaten and she wasn't fed, so if she continued her journey, she would not survive long. She was there for a week running and going through the streets looking for anything useful. Every time someone saw her, they would attack her. One time she was caught and she ran over to her backpack and started sobbing. Then a boy around her age came up with a bow and arrow. She thought he was going to put her out of her misery. Instead, he put his garment around her. She was soaked and cold, so it was nice to have a piece of warm, dry fabric around her.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you, I promise." said the boy as he took her hand and helped her up. She looked at him with confusion for a minute, then through herself onto him, her face deep in his chest, she was still crying.

Then she finally said, "How did you find me?"

"I was actually hunting, and then I stumbled across you." They exchanged smiles and then headed deep into the forest.

"Come on, I'll show you where you'll belong no matter who you are." She liked the sound of that. She took her backpack and fallowed him. "Did the Fire Nation do this to you," he asked.

"They didn't beat me, but they did kill my parents and left me stranded."

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Smellerbee."

"Smellerbee?" he said trying not to laugh.

"I know, it sounds dumb. My mom said it was a Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom name. You?"

"Longshot."

"Okay, Longshot, can I show you something?"

"Sure go ahead." Then she pulled out a little gold bracelet.

"It was and engagement gift to my mom. She gave it to me, and now it's the only thing I have left of her." He looked at her sadly.

"I know how you feel. My dad gave me this hat. He was the first one to teach me archery. So can you tell me a bit about yourself?"

"Well, I always knew my mom, but I rarely spent time with my dad."

"Why's that?"

"He was busy trying to keep me alive. He was always out looking for the right army to protect me. Whenever I could spend time with him, he would treasure every second."

"My mom died when I was three, from a disease."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. So, can I ask, what did the Fire Nation do to you?"

"I lived on a tiny island near the coast of the Earth Kingdom, and they burnt it."

"The Fire Nation burned down my village. Everyone I know was killed. So what did your dad do for a living?"

"He was the mayor of 3 villages. He would always go to them and fight of the Fire Nation as much as he could."

"Are you a bender by any chance?"

"No."

"Are there any benders in your family?"
"I think so. None of my grandparents or my uncle where benders though. I think some of my later ancestors were benders."

"Where you on your way to live with your uncle?"

"No, I was actually on my way to Ba Sing Se as a refugee."

"Are you still going to continue your journey or are you going to live with us?"

"I thought you said I was going to live with you and what do you mean us?"

"You'll see." They were silent for a while.

"So how did the Fire Nation get to you if you were on an island?" She remembered that day like it was yesterday.

"Hi, I'm Ty-lee." The flashback began.

"I'm Smellerbee."

"Okay Smellerbee, let's see how strong and flexible you are." They went to the back yard and Smellerbee did a hand stand.

Her flashback was interrupted when they ran into Fire Nation Troops.

"Stay here." said Longshot, not knowing what she could do. He fought the fifteen solders that were after them. He shot every solder that came anywhere near Smellerbee. She was impressed with the way he used his bow and arrow. When one of the solders pasted out in front of her, she took his duel swords and took down more of them than Longshot. He blushed with embarrassment. He stared and saw how she fought. Afterwards she was so weak she could barely stand up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." she said, taking deep breaths.

"No you're not. Hold this." he said giving her his bow and arrow. She put them on her back. "Hop on." he said, his back facing her.

"You really don't have to."

"Trust me, where we're going, you'll need all the strength you can get." she got on his back. He felt that she was lighter than she looked. "No offence, but you feel a little underweight."

"I know. I haven't eaten in a while."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"About a week ago."

"A week ago! Wow, what jerks."

"You have no idea." Soon they arrived at a certain part of the forest. "Here we are."

"Where is it?" she asked. He took a rope that was hanging down from one of the trees and told her to hang on. She did, not knowing what was going to happen.

"You can hold on to me if you need to."

"I'll be fine." Up they went, and before she knew it, she was holding on to his shoulder.
"I've got you." he said. Then, when they got to the top, Smellerbee examined her surrounding carefully. She looked in awe at the tree houses that surrounded her.

"You live up here?"

"Yep, pretty cool huh?"

"So I send four men hunting, three come back with big fat elk-deer, and the fourth brings back a busted up girl." said a boy about a year older than her.

"The name's Jet. I'm the leader."

"Leader, what do you mean leader? Where am I?"

"Longshot didn't tell you? Well, that's not a surprise. He usually doesn't talk." She looked confused at Longshot, than looked back at Jet. "Welcome to the Freedom Fighters. You are?"

"Smellerbee."

"Well, Smellerbee, this is where we kids step up and fight against the Fire Nation for our parents. Come on, you should see the rest of us." Jet and Longshot lead Smellerbee to a big crowd of kids of all different ages. Each one was very different in clothing and personalities based on their stories.

"Everyone may I have your attention? We have a new Freedom Fighter with us tonight." Jet let out a hand. Smellerbee waved her hands in a motion that said that she really didn't want to do it. He pulled her in front of the big crowd of kids anyway.

"This is Smellerbee. How 'bout you tell us what the Fire Nation did to you."

"I'd rather not."

"That's alright. No matter what they did to you, and to all of us, they will pay for what they've done." the crowd cheered.

"Alright, let's get you your outfit and stuff."

"You guys really care about what I look like?" she asked.

"No, but I bet you don't want to be fighting in that now do you?" she looked own at herself.

"Yeah, your right." Jet took her to what they called "the closet". In there where all sorts of clothing for battle. She picked out her outfit while the guys waited outside. When she was done, she looked over to see little dusty box. She opened it and saw that there was war make-up in it. She put some on and took the box.

"Care if I keep this?" she asked Jet.

"Please, take it. No one else wants it." Then they went to the "weapon room". It was really a little hut that had all sorts of weapons inside. She looked in awe. Then she finally chose a little dagger on the wall. She used it to cut her hair really short. Longshot didn't show it, but he was shocked. Afterwards, Jet led her back to the crowd, who she had met about fifteen minutes ago

"Do you remember Smellerbee? I showed her to you earlier tonight. Well, here is Smellerbee the Freedom Fighter." Smellerbee stood up in front of the crowd, much more confident than the first time.

"Now, to be an official Freedom Fighter, you need to agree to the following terms. You will fight for you family and for yourself, and whatever it takes to keep the other Freedom Fighters safe." And they closed this promise with a spit shake. Then he told a few other boys to come over. He said they were Sneers, Pipsqueak, and Duke.

"Guys, this is Smellerbee. She is a new Freedom Fighter and depending on if she can fight….."

"I can, if you wondering, which I bet you were."

"Okay, than you won't have to take THAT test, but you will have to take one on how good you are tomorrow. Anyway, you will treat her the way you would treat anyone else, Sneers." He glared at the one who seemed to have done his hair in the morning, and was bigger than the other boys.

"What are you looking at me for?" he asked.

"Maybe because you aren't that good with new people." Said the one she thought was The Duke, but she was corrected when Jet said, "This is Pipsqueak." He was taller than anyone she'd seen, even Fire Nation natives were shorter than him.

"That was Pipsqueak!" she thought to herself. "And I'm guessing you are Duke." she said out loud.

"THE Duke."

"Sorry, THE Duke." Smellerbee said. Jet laughed.

"We had dinner earlier, but we have leftovers that are still warm if you're hungry."

"Sure, I'll have some." After she ate, Jet took her to a hut, and found The Duke making the bed and preparing it for her.

"Here's your hut. Mine is on your left, and Longshot's is on your right if you need anything."

"Night." said Longshot at her door. He waited until Jet was gone before he said that.

"Night." she replied. She fell asleep to the thought of this place being the place she had really been looking for. It was the best sleep she had in months.