Chapter Two
A New Day
Author's note: Thank you for returning! Your readership is appreciated. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
She awoke with a shiver and one side of her face in the dirt. It was light out. She quickly sat up and looked around; trees, the ground around her, what looked like the giant boulders from last night, her hands and legs... were free. Listening, the only sounds were of the chirping of birds and, peering closely through the dim morning light, there did not seem to be anything else around. Feeling the rest of her body confirmed that nothing had gnawed on her while she slept. She let out a deep, relaxing sigh. She had made it through the night.
She reached out and yawned, stretching her cold and stiff body, feeling like she had slept on the… of course. She brushed the dirt off her face with the back of her hand and rubbed her eyes. It must have been very early; there wasn't much light, her eyes were itchy with drowsiness, and she shivered; it was cold. She crossed legs and tucked in her arms. A fine mist filled the air that penetrated the light fabric of her clothes.
"Well, tomorrow has arrived,"she said to herself. 'Time to figure out what you're going to do. They'll be looking for you today; you're going to need a plan. She scoffed at her own thoughts. A 'plan', I already had one of those. It failed, miserably…
As disastrous as things had been, wallowing in grief wasn't going to help her escape Zuko and the Avatar. Once the forest became lit, it was going to become a lot harder to hide.
Sigh. She closed her eyes, recalling yesterday's events. "All of this really has happened, hasn't it?" It felt like she was living in a bad dream. She had fought Zuko and lost. She had been handed a way to redeem on a silver platter and still she was hopeless. The fierceness in her brother's eyes the night before, the uselessness of all of her attacks, her inability to land a single blow…
… Oh for crying out loud, stop moving…!
… I know how to deal with your lightning…
It all didn't feel real. "Has Zuko really become a better Firebender than me?"
Yes, he is.
She was startled. Did she really just think that so easily? It was undeniable, even her lightning didn't matter anymore. She took a deep, shuddering breath. She had always been better than him, always.
Stop thinking about yesterday, she told herself. It's not helping.
She continued shivering in the cold.
Zuko has the Avatar on his side; what can I possibly do against that!? I have no support, not from the generals, the nobles. No one even freed Father from prison. Why!? It's not just his bending he has…
"I have no doubt, Princess, that one day you will be a great leader of the Fire Nation..."
A leader, she was filled with sorrow. That's was what I was supposed to have been, a leader of the Fire Nation, that had won the war and whose people were proud of it, a Fire Nation that would share its wealth with the world and knew me as the only one who could lead the way. It was as if a dark cloud passed over her. That Fire Nation is gone.
Her country felt unfamiliar now, hostile. It was ruled by an illegitimate Fire Lord and had given up all of its dreams of glory. One-hundred years, just like that, gone because of Zuko, but… it wasn't just Zuko, was it? It was everyone else, the soldiers, the generals, the people, who had gone along with Zuko, left her in the institution, decided to live in fear of the Avatar.
... Mommy...!
... If I really am your mother...
Even her mother didn't want her. Learning that was supposed to have been a good thing for her, but now it was just another example of what was becoming clear: this wasn't the Fire Nation she was proud of growing up, the country she hoped to inherit one day (and never would now). Her country had replaced her, just like her mother.
Ugh, stop thinking like this, it's getting you nowhere! She reprimanded, stopping from spiraling away into the dark thoughts that were becoming disturbing. You're the Princess; you're not supposed to be thinking like this, these people belong to you! You shouldn't be giving up on them out of revenge!
What loyalty should she still have, though? This wasn't the Fire Nation she could play a role in anymore, or the one she wanted. It was weak and afraid. Outside this forest, there was nothing for her to return to. She bowed her head in gloom. What would escaping Zuko even do for her…?
Keep you free.
She sat straight. "I'm free." The words rolled off her tongue like honey.
A week ago she had been in the institution, wondering if that was where she was going to be for the rest of her life. Now there was a chance it wouldn't have to be, a chance she could live her life with dignity and not as a prisoner. She could escape that fate today and forever. Her insides glowed, like a bright new day was starting.
She could never let people know who she was, though. She would have to stay away from Zuko for the rest of her life, and give up any hope of having her old life back. She wrestled with what this would mean; would she be an outcast, a lost person wandering the land? She couldn't even imagine the last part! Where would she live, how would she live? Her future was cloudy like the morning mist around her. Her stomach twisted from the uncertainty. At least she wouldn't have to be Zuko's prisoner; there clearly wasn't anything else she could be; the letter was out of her hands. It was probably burnt to ashes by now.
She may never find out if her mother truly had been behind her failures, or if her visions were the symptoms of a sick mind, or something else. She would have to give up ever believing she would ever have an answer, ever be able to set things right. She would have to give up-
She paused; she had heard these words before:
... This futile quest.
"It's just a coincidence," recalling her vision's warning. "There's no way I could have known."
The future was bleak, but she had discovered the smallest ray of hope that things could make things better. That, in a small way, felt like a victory against Zuko.
Maybe he isn't getting such a good deal after all, she mused, being the illegitimate ruler of a cowardly nation. Heh, maybe they'll find out one day and remove him. She smirked, the fantasy bringing her joy. Maybe I'll get another chance one day, and then I'll show them all!
She was really going to do it: abandon the world and hide, at least for a while, maybe forever. A year ago she had fought to be the Fire Nation's leader, not to run away from it. The only reason she was coming to this decision was because she was defeated. She knew she wouldn't be feeling this way about her country had things simply gone her way. If only she had just won that Agni Kai; none of this would ever have happened, and so she was back to the original question:
What was she going to do?
She opened her eyes, shocked to find that it had become much brighter out; rays of sunlight streamed down from the canopy through the fog. How did it become so light out? She rubbed her eyes, at last waking up. Let's see, there were mountains in the distance outside of Hira'a. The sun could have been behind them... Oh no… That meant it was much later than she originally thought. Gasp! They could be on their way!
She went to stand, but stopped herself, not wanting to risk being while she still had the advantage of remaining hidden. She didn't have a plan either.
I can't go back to Hira'a, that's for certain, she began to think. They're probably expecting me to go back there anyway to 'finish the job.' She shuddered, imagining the image her enemies probably had of her. I won't fall into that trap. She looked over her shoulder and tried peering around the rock. Besides, she turned back around not seeing anything. I never want to see her again. I can't stay in this forest, though. I can hide here until they stop looking for me. How long could that take, a few days, a week? I know people can last weeks without eating, but water—her mouth was dry and the heat of the sun was not far away—I don't have that long.
The possibility of perishing out here entered her mind.
No, she shook the thought away. I won't die here, but I can't just let myself grow weak either; I'll stand no chance against them. Ugh! She grasped her head and thought hard. "What do I do?" Panic was building as the minutes passed and nothing came to her. This was so unlike anything she had ever done. In the Earth Kingdom, she at least had had the option of finding the Fire Nation military somewhere if things went wrong. Now she had to assume that the military wouldn't be on her side and thatnobody would help her. Fugitive signs of her face could be plastered everywhere, like she had done to Zuko.
"Wait a minute," she whispered. Zuko made it through the colonies as a fugitive, the whole Earth Kingdom, and he has a stupidly obvious scar on his face, he even made it to their capital! I don't have a scar like him. Maybe I can make it too… Again, though, where will I go, what will I do?
She was afraid, truly afraid to wander off into these unknown wilds with all the dangers lurking within, some she had already seen and certainly many more she had not. She never had felt so weary of death before. Dying on the battlefield, she would have been remembered, but out here, on the run as a fugitive, a disgrace, 'presumed dead', really would mean the end of her. No legacy would live on; no one would pay respects to her body, her accomplishments. Everything she wanted to have been, could have been, would die with her…
No! She cleared away the dark thoughts. I won't die here. I won't let Zuko have the final act. I'm still in this fight; I'm not completely beaten yet…
She let out a deep sigh. She didn't like it, but she knew what she had to do.
I have to get to another town, a village, some place I can hide. No matter how far, I have to make it; I have to journey through this forest. She looked up the brightening canopy, already beginning to feel a little of the sun's needed to have access to water. Rain could be too far away to rely on. There were those spirit ponds, but she reeled at the thought of what that water could do to her.
I could find a creek somewhere, by those mountains probably. No, that's too far away. I don't even know where I'm going. Where would another town be anyway? Think, mountains, forest, 'Forgetful Valley'. Valley... valley… I'm in a valley... Valleys are carved by rivers.
She had run downhill last night.
I can find the river in this valley and follow it to the next town! Yes, that makes sense; all Fire Nation towns are close to water, and if not, then at least I'll come to the ocean; there's bound to be villages there. It shouldn't be that far; we didn't fly over land very far before coming to Hira'a. There are bound to be villages along the way. She felt the anticipation, the tingling excitement of a new plan. She would leave this place and trek in whatever direction would take her to the center of the valley, where the hoped-for river would lie. It might be a long journey and it could be dangerous, but at least she would have water and direction to follow, instead of wandering lost in the unknown.
There were other dangers to contend with not as simple as giant wolf spirits or lake monsters: how could she fight disease, poisonous snakes, or a tiger stalking her in the dark? She had fire and lightning, but she could not kill what she could not see. She imagined it: a tiger stalking her in the shadows, silent, herself completely unaware, a single claw reaching out at her through the darkness, swiping across her back as the weight of the animal pressed down onto her…
She shuddered. She recalled the stuffed heads of different Fire Nation animals, vicious and large, with blazing white fangs and claws bigger than her hands, lining the halls of a museum. Those animals had to live somewhere. She wasn't a large person either; they might see her as easy prey.
She felt queasy from building fear. "This is such a bad idea, but I have no other option."
So that was the long awaited answer to what her future would hold, however long it would last: instead of being a prisoner in the institution wondering it that was where her life was going to end, she was going to be a prisoner of this forest wondering if this was where her life would end. At least this time, there was hope of finding refuge in the end.
What of the problem of her mother, or the visions? They could still lead her mind astray.
I'm sure anybody would lose their mind at that place, she half-joked, the time away will actually make them go away. If that woman really was mother, then she couldn't be the one in my visions; it looked nothing like her. If there something out there corrupting my mind, then don't listen to it, not a single word; that could be its plan, but… if I am 'not well'… She sighed, feeling returning shame. Then just focus on what you know is real.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It's time to go.
She brought herself up to stand, "Oww!" and moaned, an incredible soreness emanating from her legs. It had been over a year since she had run like yesterday.
Slowly, she peaked above the boulder. She saw no movement in the distance, save for the floating specks of dust drifting in the light. Neither did she hear anything. With one last sweeping look around, she climbed atop the boulder.
There was no use trying to see beyond the densely packed trees; all she needed was to make out the gradual slope of the ground that she had felt last night… There it was, behind her. The field of boulders also went on for an unknowable distance longer. It'd be a challenge passing through, but she could duck behind any boulder in an instant; the safety was worth it. At least she would be getting away from Hira'a with this plan, but what if they did catch up to her?
"I'll fight to the death." That was all there was to it.
She hopped down from the boulder, landing as softly and quietly as possible on her feet, the soreness sending a shock through her legs. She stood up, a little wobbly, and hesitated. She stared into the shadowed forest ahead.
"This isn't smart, Azula. There's no reason this will work."
Then again, there hadn't been a reason for everything else that had happened. Hopefully she would be lucky.
With a final deep breath, she started on her way.
Progress was slow. The air was hot and sticky with humidity now that the sun was high in the sky. Getting through the treeless boulder field had been easy; trudging through the thick jungle-like forest that now confronted her was a nightmare. So much of her time was wasted merely avoiding suspicious bushes that might be poisonous to the touch, and frantically swatting down scary looking spiders that fell on her from the leaves. She was on guard the entire time, looking around, fists at the ready, but it was the bugs that were the worst. They came in swarms she could not believe, buzzing around every part of her face, her ears, her eyes, in her nose, and with every furious swat they filled back in like water. Eventually she became resigned to them.
"How fast does a person walk?" she wondered aloud, the sound of a voice helping ease the tedium, "Two, three miles an hour? I know that's what the military uses." She was definitely moving slower than a soldier on an open road, though. By sun down, maybe, hopefully, she would have walked twelve miles. Judging by the sun, it was probably late-morning.
"What will I do when night comes? I can't climb these trees, and I am not sleeping on the ground." The leaf litter was soft and loamy beneath her feet. She made a sound of disgust and shuddered at the thought all the creatures that were just waiting to crawl on her. "It's just one problem after another."
Every passing tree, every rock and vine began to look the same. She had not yet heard or seen other animals. Maybe they were afraid of her, as they should be. It was feeling too hot to talk. Her mind began to wonder.
"Princess!"
She turned to see who called her name.
The war meeting was over and most of the generals were filing out. Zuko had walked away rather quickly for some reason. Probably upset that his sister had upstaged him in front of everybody again. Oh, well.
"General Shita," Azula said, a little surprised as the aging general approached her.
"Greetings, Princess," he stopped two paces in front of her and performed the formal greeting with perfect smoothness. "I wanted to speak with you before you left." He lifted from his bow. "Do you have a moment?"
She knew of this man, but not well. He was the leader of the Colonial military. His hair was grey and he looked a little bit younger than the oldest ones, but still old. She supposed she could spare some time to find out more about him. She meant to go straight to bed in order to get rest for tomorrow, but the meeting had put her in a good mood; her father had taken very well to her plan. "Yes, I have some time," she said pleasantly. "But don't take too long," she lightly warned.
"Thank you, Princess," he bowed again. "First, I want to express my personal gratitude to you for your role in the defense of the capitol tomorrow." She refrained from rolling her eyes, so used to the pleasantries. "If not for you, Princess, tomorrow may have been a disaster."
But it always felt good. "Thank you, General," she replied. "How lucky I was to have been in the right place at the right time."
"Lucky," he rubbed his chin, "Perhaps. There is one thing about your plans tomorrow that concerns me…"
The General listened intently as she explained her relationship with the Dai Lee and how they came to be under her control. He had never heard of them before and he did not understand how they could be trusted. It was a reasonable concern, but she would have told him to take her word for it if his questioning went on too long. Fortunately, he became convinced.
"Now I am even more confident that their invasion will fail, if they even still try."
"Oh, they will definitely try, General."
"There is something else I wanted to talk you about." He beckoned down the corridor. "Do you mind if we walk?"
What was this about? "Not at all." They began walking down the corridor.
As they grew distant from the others, General Shita continued speaking. "You did very well during the meeting, Princess. Your insights were valuable and your composure was excellent"
"Thank you." That was a strange comment. "It wasn't my first."
"No, but your presence has become markedly stronger." His hands were folded behind his back and his gaze was directed thoughtfully towards the floor.
"I say these things, Princess, because I have been around for a very long time. Already at your age you have achieved a level of military greatness few others in history can match. Your actions, like nobody else, have contributed directly to the end of this war." They passed the portrait of her father.
"I remember when I first heard news of your victory in the Earth Kingdom," he went on. "The telegram: 'Ba Sing Se under Fire Nation control, Avatar dead'. I couldn't believe it, both of the Fire Nation's greatest threats vanquished in a single night, by one person. Not only that, but you brought back word of an invasion that, if successful, might be the act of vengeance needed for our enemies to reunite against us. You may have saved your father's life tomorrow," he said seriously, looking at her.
"Come now, General, don't be so grim."
"You mentioned luck being behind these successes." He shook his head. "I don't think so. What I see are just the first achievements of an upcoming leader." They walked past the portrait of Fire Lord Sozin. General Shita's monologue continued.
"The war will soon be over, Princess, and then you will find that the opportunities for greatness will be very different from what you have grown up with during the war. If the Fire Nation is going to be successful in spreading its influence across the world, its leaders need to excel in peace as they did in war." They came upon her great-great grandfather, the Fire Lord who had lead the country during a period of great wealth and enlightenment, the era that inspired her grandfather to do the same with the rest of the world. "I and many others, however, have spent our lifetimes in combat, leading armies and soldiers on the battlefield, destroying cities and lives, instead of building them. But you, Princess," he turned toward her, stopping in front of the portrait, "Are still young. You are in the perfect position to become one of those leaders. If the last few months are any indication, and I believe they are, it is that success for you leads to even greater success for the Fire Nation. What I wanted to speak to you about, Princess, is your future."
"My 'future?'" In typical upper echelon fashion, he was being longwinded vague. He looked her squarely in the eyes. She returned the gaze.
"What you will do to remain successful after this war ends." There was a brief pause between them. "I have no doubt, Princess, that you will be a great leader of the Fire Nation, perhaps one of the greatest, if you turn your skills towards the peacetime activities of a post-war world." The General paused again for a moment. "The plan you proposed to your father tonight; it is crude, but effective."
The switch of topic was jarring. "'Crude?'" she question.
"Yes," he said. "It is simple and wantonly destructive, the clearest use of the advantages that the comet will bring." She wasn't sure if he was being critical. "It is the most appropriate decision given the circumstances and I believe that reveals something important about you."
"And that is...?"
"That you are flexible." He motioned with his hand. "You have the finesse and calm needed to take over a city with scarcely a drop of blood being spilled and the raw power to destroy your enemies when necessary."
She was quite intrigued; she had never heard talk like this before. It wasn't like the usual praise either. Azula smiled. "I'm flattered you think so highly of me, General," she said nicely, although feeling that this was all somewhat irrelevant. "I haven't quite thought of things this way. There is still a war to be fought, though; don't you feel that it might be a little too early for me to be thinking about what will happen after it ends?"
"Not at all, Princess," he stood firm. "To the contrary, I believe you need to be ready as soon as possible, so you can make the greatest contribution when that time comes. When the World is under Fire Nation control, it will be like one great colony. In my view, Princess, your greatest accomplishments are yet to come…"
"Whatever happened to him?" she muttered.
She shoved shoulder first through a wall of vines and immediately had to draw her hand over her eyes. She had stumbled upon a clearing, a circle devoid of trees and bushes, the ground a field of ankle-high, bright blue flowers, where the bright blue sky was finally visible after hours of walking through shadow. Her eyes strained in the bright light forcing her to lower her gaze. She stopped to enjoy the reprieve from the thicket. She had never hear from that general again. He probably gave up on her like everyone else.
She began to feel calm and sleepy. Maybe it was because she stopped walking. Her attention fell onto the flowers; their color was oddly vibrant, they were all packed together too, tightly, their petals overlapping to form a surface that looked strangely translucent, like there was something behind them, like a mirror…
... Azula…
She looked up. She had definitely just heard her name. She looked around the perimeter of the clearing. Is it them, or just a hallucination? She raised her guard and listened.
Azula!
She heard it clearly, this time louder and from above. She looked to the sky, seeing nothing. It sounded masculine. There was something else attached to it, but it was faint and garbled. Where are they!? The voice came again. It was getting closer. She heard the full message this time:
"Azula, come back to Hira'a! We won't hurt you!"
Her heart jumped. Zuko! A guttural roar then sounded and she saw a shadow quickly approaching on the tree tops. They'll see me! She darted for the safety of the tree line and leaped for the first tree, just in time to see the Avatar's bison pass overhead.
"Azula!" called Zuko's voice. "Come back to Hira'a!"
"They're looking for me," she whispered, "But from the sky…"
"We won't hurt you…!" Zuko's voice was fading. She peered out slowly from behind the tree to confirm it was clear.
"Of course you won't 'hurt me,'" she mocked. The last of Zuko's calls faded into the background. She let out a sigh of relief. They weren't trailing her in the forest; they weren't really looking for her at all; they were blindly calling her from above, hoping she would, what, seek them out? Signal them to rescue her?
"Idiots."
There was no possible way they would see her through the trees. This was an unexpected turn of events; she began to feel lighter, quicker, more driven to press on, joy. She wouldn't have to worry about being captured, because they weren't even out here to begin with! Maybe they were too afraid to come after her. "Ha!" She smirked. She came out from behind the tree and walked out into the clearing, trampling the flowers beneath her feet. She placed her hands on her hips triumphantly and looked defiantly up at the sky.
She was in the clear. If she became weak, or helpless, they wouldn't be around to take advantage of it. If she got lost, she wouldn't be found. If she disappeared, she would truly disappear. No one would ever know. No one…
Just in time, reality had come to wash away her optimism.
The forest was dim and growing dark. The shimmer of the leaves dancing in the sunlight was gone and now they just rattled in a slow, ominous wind, black against the murky blue twilight of the sky. Night was approaching. Still there was no sign of the river.
I've walked for hours and found nothing!
Her clothes clung to her skin, heavy with sweat. The air was cooler, but still immensely humid. The birds were silent; even the mosquitoes were beginning to thin, and he ear splitting scratches of the daytime insects had given way to the high-pitch chirps of the crickets. There were howls and animal shrieks echoing in the distance. She heard a disturbance in the branches above. She flinched, looking up, fists at the ready, only to see a group of lemur-squirrels scrambling overhead, their big red eyes paying her only passing glances, themselves friends of the dark.
She was tired, thirsty, and growing increasingly weary of continuing in the fading light. Is there even a river? Tree after tree, vine after vine, it was all the same. It was steadily becoming harder to see. She brushed away a tree branch inches from her face before it struck her. What if there isn't? Should I have gone a different way? Nowhere around here looks safe to spend the night.
She began to consider the presence of nighttime predators.
I could stay awake all night. She looked over her shoulder… she looked back. The idea felt reassuring, but it didn't solve anything about the missing river. It could just be farther away. Should I keep walking until morning? What if I still come to nothing? How far should I go?
Fear was beginning to lurk in her mind, but more disturbing was doubt. To even consider turning back… she clearly couldn't. This was the only option. She had to see this through. How far until this river would arrive?
How far until anything?
The blue flame flickered in her hand. Night had fallen; she could barely see in front of her, except for what the small circle of light cast by her flame. She was careful not to set anything on fire. Her missed encounter with Zuko earlier gave her peace knowing that nobody would be on the ground to spot her fire, but that was all the peace she would have.
She decided to walk through the night, too afraid to lower her guard to rest, too afraid to stop. She would keep going until morning if she had to, when she could better find some place to rest, or until she found the mythical river, or another pile of boulders, or something, hopefully something.
The blue light didn't seem strong enough; it felt oddly dim and the blue blended with the shadows. For the first time since she could remember, her fire turned orange. It felt weak and unnatural. The change added to her sense of foreboding.
The hours passed.
It's so quiet. Even the crickets have stopped.
She stepped up and over a rotting log, its bark fibrous and soft in the decay, her flame illuminating it in a red-orange glow. She hopped down from it—snap!—landing on a twig.
Vines and trees disappeared behind her as quickly as they came, their shapes materializing out of the darkness in the orange light, melding back into the shadows as she passed.
Owooooo!
There were barks and howls in the distance, sending chills down her spine. Animals are scared of fire, aren't they? She looked around the circle of fire-lit trees, positioning the fire as if it were a shield. Snap out of it, Azula, you're a firebender; you can handle some stupid wolves.
Snap! Another twig broke beneath her foot as it pressed into the ground.
Snap!
That wasn't from her. The hair stood up on her neck.
Behind me-!
Both of her hands burst into flame. She spun around, forming a roaring ring of fire around herself to find see a single white claw and a monstrous looking head flying towards her.
"AAAA-!"
Time slowed, terror shot through her as the monster's body passed through the flames, its fur signed by the heat, headed straight for her. The monster's head was feet from her: a snarling mouth, yellow eyes, and giant white fangs, all aimed at her. Its outstretched claw impacted her left arm. She felt no pain, just the sensation of something there, and began to feel herself being knocked over. She blindly threw her right arm forward and fired a powerful jet of red-orange flame that filled the forest behind them. Oomph! She fell to the ground hard, the monster on top her.
Fires crackled in the trees, a dim last was cast, and the huge teeth of the monster pressed against her soft neck, warm with saliva, its body limp. A warm liquid soaked her clothes and was pooling on her neck. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. She trembled.
"Wha-…Wha-…" She panted, lying there, mind numb. At some point her body realized it was still alive. She craned her over neck to take a look, the slick teeth slipping off her, the animal's jaw loose. It had short fur and stripes.
"A t-tiger," she shuddered, all she could muster. A tiger… I was attacked by a tiger...
It dawned on her: the wet warmth she was feeling was blood, the animal's blood. She had blasted a hole through its body and now it was now lying dead on top of her, its body emptying of its innards onto her. She was sickened and felt vulnerable. She labored to breath under its weight. She moved to push the thing off of her.
"Ow!" she shrieked, a tearing pain shooting through her left arm. "Oh, god, it hurts!" Tears welled in her eyes.
Her left arm had been pierced by its claw. She could still feel its nails there, digging in. With all the strength she could muster, shoved herself out from under the beast, gritting her teeth against the searing pain emanating from her wound. It was unsettling feeling as one of its dead claws slid lifelessly across her body and caught on her clothes, as if it would still harm her. Free from the beast's dead body, she raised her good arm, scanning around wildly, ready for another fight, pushing with her legs to slide backwards across the ground until she arrived at a tree and lay back against it.
"Attacked," she exhaled, staring at the animal's lifeless body, still reeling from the encounter. She lay in the crook of the trunk, still reeling from the encounter. Rage was growing in her. She bared her teeth and roared, sweeping out a band of flame that set everything around her aflame. "ANYTHING ELSE WANT TO—Ah!" Her outburst was cut short as she clutched her injured arm and covered her wound with her hand. She felt blood flowing through her fingers. That was stupid, you're injured. She was enraged. She was in pain. Her body was trembling. She quickly turned her attention to her injury.
She lifted her hand off. The fabric was torn and showed the luster of wetness. She held a flame close for light. Running the length of her upper arm was a red gash, gushing dark red blood.
She was horrified.
Bad, really bad!
She frantically tried to remember everything she had ever learned about treating injuries, which was hardly anything. She tore a strip of fabric from the remainder of her damaged sleeve and attempted tie it tightly around the wound. It was difficult; her hand shook from nerves and she had to pull it tight with her teeth. It was secure. She looked around for predators again; the fires were growing; she'd have to do something about them soon. She turned back to her wound. The bandage wasn't working; it was still bleeding a frightening amount!
That's a lot of blood…
It seemed the tiger had only gotten her with one of its nails, but that was all it needed to rend her arm. She searched her mind for ideas. She went to tear off more clothes, but then stopped. It's too big to bandage. She placed her hand over the gash, wincing at the pain, and put more pressure on it. She could feel the warm liquid making its way out from under her palm, running down her arm like warm water. She was terrified.
"There has to be," she exhaled, "Something..." Her vision was growing fuzzy. She leaned her head back, feeling light headed. She knew what was coming upon her. "Stay awake," she whispered to herself. She squeezed the wound. "Think…"
She had an pinched the edges of the gash with her fingers and brought them together."Okay, okay!" she gasped, the pain excruciating, what she was about to attempt scaring her even more. She had no idea if this was going to work.
"Alright," she readied herself. "One," she concentrated on the skin held between her fingers, "Two," her muscles tensed up, she closed her eyes.
"... Three!"
Fire and searing heat formed between her fingers. She burned the skin together.
"Gaaah!" She delicately removed her hands; there was an ugly black mark where her fingers had been. The pain was nauseating, but the wound held.
"It worked," she gasped, relief washing over her. "I can't believe it worked." Biting hard on her shirt, she repeated the process several more times until the entire wound was closed, turning into a sobbing, whimpering mess. She had never before felt the pain of a burn before.
It was finished, the bleeding stopped. Her right arm fell limp to her side as she lay back, drained from the pain, weak from the lost blood. She stared at nothing, trying to forget the pain. The fires crackled in the silence. She didn't know what to think; she was almost killed.
The fires were beginning to grow wild; a forest fire would be great way for her to be found. Sigh. She managed to stand herself up, hissing from the pain caused by the slightest motion of her injured arm. God, it hurts! Her legs were wobbly, still lightheaded. She leaned against the tree for a moment. She took a few slow steps forward and stopped in front of the body of the dead tiger. It was long and muscular, nimble-looking, several times as massive as her. This thing had tried to kill her. It almost had. Her face twisted into rage.
"ANYTHING ELSE WANT TO TRY!?" she finally shouted out, half-expecting, half- wanting something to come at her so she could prove herself again. Looking back at the tiger, she saw blood on its right claw: her blood.
"Stupid animal!" She sneered and slammed her boot into its head, letting her anger out on it dead's body. "Ah!" she stopped, clutching her arm when a bolt of pain, and turned away.
Is this how it's going to be, getting nearly killed by beasts?
She was in terrible shape. The fires continued to burn, their heat and light making her feel safe. She returned her gaze to direction she had been going. It was the same impenetrable darkness that had gotten her attacked. She shook her head in dismay.
It's only the first day...
She was going to have to brave the forest again. It couldn't possibly be tonight, though; already she was feeling like she had been standing for too long, but neither could she stay here; the dead tiger's body could attract other animals. She felt safe by the fire, but they were starting to roar; she knew they had to go. She groaned and lowered her head. It's just getting worse. If only I knew where I was going… She lifted her head again and narrowed her eyes at the way ahead. Or, if it was light out…
The fires were casting a considerable amount of light. She planted her right foot forward and jabbed with her right arm, shooting a narrow jet of fire out from her two pointed fingers. She watched as the bolt of flame flew into the darkness, partially being cut down by limbs and vines in its path, setting them on fire, waning in size and brightness as it fell away. She concentrated on the flame kept her fingers outstretched, keeping it alive longer. A small sliver remained, getting weaker and distant, illuminating the trees and ground around it in a circle of blue. Suddenly, the ground sparkled beneath it and the flight of the bolt was mirrored underneath. She lost connection to with it and it fizzled out over a mirror-like surface not far ahead.
Gasp! Could it be!?
Her mouth fell open. Suddenly she was filled with excitement and hope. Quickly she began extinguishing the fires, one by one, reaching with an open hand toward a flame, waiting until she felt its pulse, and then closing her hand into a fist, the fire disappearing in a puff. She headed straight toward where the bolt fizzled, pushing through her wooziness, putting out the other fires as she went. She fired another jet of flame ahead, setting more trees on fire, like torches lighting the way, putting them out as she passed.
Please don't be a spirit pond, please don't!
The moon's reflection began to materialize on the surface ahead.
Please!
She stopped on the edge of a rocky bank. There it was, a black and glassy surface rippling in the moonlight, extending beyond to the left and right, the sound of flowing water filling her ears.
Tears welled in her eyes. "It's real." She collapsed to her knees. "I can't believe it; it's real."
She marveled at the outlines of the trees across the way and the expanse of the river, the open sky allowing the moon shine on everything. She looked up and down the bank. She got to her feet and felt her way towards the nearest boulder by the water's edge and lied against it. She dipped her hand into the dark water; the coolness ran through her fingers. Sigh...
She stared peacefully at the black water, the moon's reflection a white sparkling shimmer. What had been a guess, a one last chance at making things right, was real. Her plan might actually work. Things could go right for her. She looked up at the starry night sky, the first time she had in over a year. "I was right," she whispered, closing her eyes. I was right.
Next time in 'Avatar: The Truth', Chapter Three - Wandering...