New World, New Life
Chapter 1: Reminescing and Intruders
A soft clatter, a stone against another stone, broke the peaceful silence of the night. I nearly cursed out loud at myself. It was a wonder I survived in this world for as long as I had with my clumsiness.
Nearly four years ago I had woken up in the forest here, I was almost a mile walk away from the nearest village and my memories were horribly jumbled. It had taken me months to get my memories in order.
Somehow I went from a horribly obese seventeen year old woman, to a starving waif who couldn't have been more than eight. Irony at its cruelest.
I was confused at first. Although my memories had been jumbled I still had them so I wondered why all the technology I had grown up around had gone to. No cars, no phones, no electricity, no computers, there was nothing more technologically advanced then steam and coal powered boats and tanks. It was like the whole world went Amish and forgot to give me a memo. It also decided to rearrange the continents while it was at it.
I found out completely by accident I was what the people here called a bender. That meant I could control an element. My element was fire.
Because I had no clue what I was capable of or not capable of I experimented. I tried to make heat without fire, light without fire, extend the shadows by sucking the light out of the air, freezing water by removing all the heat from it, breathing fire, making myself immune to fire by coating myself with it. I also tried to recreate things I had seen on cartoons and movies. I succeeded in recreating the phoenix flower jutsu, the grand fireball jutsu, the fire dragon jutsu, something like the Ash pile burning jutsu (which was mostly thickly concentrated smoke), Flame flower, Flame bullet, and a version of the kyuubi cloak and claws that instead of using chakra use fire.
I spent days and days practicing. Trying to improve myself to be the best I could be. Who in the world would get an incredible super power like controling an element and not learn to use it to their fullest? Certainly not me. I always dreamed of having a super power and it drops right into my lap.
I had built myself a shelter near a waterfall. It was actually behind the waterfall. It was almost impossible to see unless the person was standing perpendicular to the entrance. They'd have to be practically on top of it to see it.
I had built myself a little place of my own. It wasn't as comfortable as my old life but I was content with my life as it was. I got a shower everyday, I had plenty of fruits and nuts spread out around the forest and I kept a nice figure because bending took a lot of energy and so did collecting whatever food I could get. The fact I couldn't bring myself to hunt or fish, as it would require me to kill also kept me from adding extra fat from grease and natural fats animals produce when they are cooked.
As for why I'm am cursing my clumsiness when I'm sneaking around in the dark is the fact a small group of teenagers had built a camp near the base of the lake that the waterfall fed into. I was worried they would find me. From what I found out from the nearby town the whole world was at war. Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes against the Fire Nation. And the Fire Nation was the one that started the war by inflicting complete genocide on the peaceful Air Nomads.
If they found I was a firebender they would most likely give me to the nearest military base to be killed or tortured.
I was shrouded in the shadows of the trees, down wind so their transportation animal wouldn't smell me. They also had a smaller creature that looked sort of like a ring tailed lemur, it must've been a pet.
Suddenly the camp erupted in shouts and sounds of a conflict. I drifted closer, trying to stay mostly in the shadows. My clothes, a shirt that had once been white that had been stained so bad it was dark brown and a pair of black sweetpants, only helped my disguise.
Pirates. There was a group of pirates fighting two boys. One of them appeared to be a bender the other obviously wasn't. The bender let off blasts of air... that was impossible, fire benders had exterminated all the air benders. He must be the only one alive.
Finally the fighting stopped when one pirate fired a net launcher that caught the airbender.
"Come on we got him." One pirate said leading the retreat carrying the bald airbending child away.
"Oh, what, I'm not good enough to capture." The other boy who looked like he was dressed for the poles exclaimed. Only to yelp when a net hit him and he was dragged alone.
I stayed in the shadows for a minute before stealthily following them.
I must've made a sound because I was suddenly hit with another net and dragged alone with the two boys.
"Hey!" I protested shoving out ward on the sides of the net. "I'm not with them. Let me go. You no-brained, thick-skulled, neanderthals!" I protested harshly as my pants started to tear under the friction of being dragged along the forest floor.
They glanced at me, before turning to each other. "She might fetch a good price on the black market. Especially with that feisty attitude." one pirate said to the other. I grimaced in distaste. They were going to sell me as a slave.
We'll see about that. As soon as I got to their ship I was going to set it on fire and run.
I turned to the boys. "So do you guys get caught by pirates often or am I just lucky to be in the right place at the right time."
"Quiet." One of the pirates barked.
We were let out of the nets one at a time and bound with our hands behind our backs. Then we forced towards the edge of the river.
When we got there we were faced with a ship of firebenders, and a girl tied to a tree.
"Kinky." I remarked sarcasticly only to get glared at by a boy with a scar over his eye, the girl who was tied to the tree, and the two boys who were prisoners with me. An older fire bender with a rounded stomach laughed heartily.
"He thinks I'm funny." I said looking at the two boys who were still glaring at me.
"Here's the monk, where's our scroll?" The pirate captain asked.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You are trading two healthy boys for a scroll? One of which is a bender and the other who is a really bad warrior." I asked.
"Hey!" The really bad warrior protested.
"They'd sell more as slaves than a measley little scroll." I cajoled. I don't think the three teenagers understood what I was doing but scarface and Santa Claus sure did.
"Don't listen to her. We have a deal. I'll even let you have the two water tribe peasents. You can sell them for slaves." Scarface bargins.
"Why would you ever make a deal with someone as egotistic as him. He'll let you have the water tribe peasents. Like he has a choice." I goaded. "You guys could overpower what measley amount of guards he has and take the scroll and the water tribe girl. You already have the water tribe boy." I proded.
The water tribe boy seemed to realize what I was doing. "And you would be giving up the avatar for a little scroll. The fire nation would pay for the cost of a hundred or more of those scrolls." He goaded also. It was hard not to start. The avatar? The bald one then.
"Shut up you stupid peasents." He snarled steam coming from his nostrals.
"Oh, that hurts. Its not like I've been living in a forest for the last four years on my own." I sneered at him.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before the conversation continued around me.
"Yeah, Sokka and girl I don't know. You should really be quiet." The monk inserted. He obviously didn't get the plan.
"Your friend's the avatar?" The pirate captian asked.
"Sure is." Sokka agreed.
"Forget the scroll, we can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get with this boy." The pirate said turning to leave.
"You'll regret breaking a deal with me." The scarred teenager said. And as if on cue the crew of his ship firebended at the pirates. I dove forward and rolled using a burst of fire that was easily overloooked to remove my binds. I ran towards the forest only to be blocked by a pirate.
I lashed out with a fist covered in flames hitting him in the throat. He screamed, and the sound of sizzling flesh filled the air and I had to block out the nausea. He gurgled and fell to the ground clutching his throat. I gagged and felt tears fill my eyes. I had never even punched anybody in my life and now I burned a person on the throat. He would be lucky to survive.
I ran into the forest back towards my waterfall. I ran into my little home and quickly packed a bag full of fruits and the little knick-knacks I had managed to collect in four years. Then I ran outside. The creature the little group of teenagers had come on was still there. I hurriedly packed the camp for the teenagers running up and down the flat beaver like tail of the creature and tying the bags tightly where they belonged. I picked up their weapons, a staff, a boomerang, a club, and a machete. I also tied them down. Their food supply I put on the creature's back, and I even doused the coals of the fire with water from the lake.
I had just ran back onto the creature's saddle when it suddenly took off. I fell backwards into the saddle and almost screamed when I realized the creature was flying. I looked down and noticed two boats heading for the falls. Three figures jumped from the lead boat they free fell for several seconds then the creature I was on swooped down and placed itself under the falling teens catching them.
The bald kid held up a white whistle shaped like a bison. "I knew a bison whistle would come in handy. Thanks Appa." He said. So the animal we were riding on was called Appa.
"Um, can you let me off somewhere?" I asked looking down at the ground fearfully. I hated heights.
"Why are you here?" Water tribe boy demanded.
"You guys led pirates straight to my home. Where else was I supposed to go? I packed your camp for you by the way." I said glaring back at him.
"Did you really live in that forest for four years?" The monk asked.
"Sure. I woke up in the forest four years ago and lived there ever since." I said.
"So you don't remember anything from before four years ago?" The girl asked.
"Not much." I hedged.
"So why don't you come with us?" The monk asked cheerfully.
"Because, its dangerous for me to be around you." I said.
"But we'll protect you." The monk said.
"From yourselves?" I asked skeptically.
"We won't hurt you." the girl said sounding offended.
"Yeah?" I asked. "Put me back on the ground and we'll see." I said. Another half an hour of silent travel commensed.
"So what are your names?" I finally broke the silence.
"I'm Katara." The girl said.
"I'm Aang." the monk said.
"Sokka." the moody water tribe boy said.
"Nice to meet you. Call me Zoni (pronounced Zon-ee)." I introduced picking a name that was somewhat similar to fire nations names but not exclusively theirs.
We landed in a clearing. I grabbed my back and slid down the bison's tail.
"Why do you think we will hurt you?" Katara asked.
I sighed and held out a hand and with a deep breath a ball of fire sprang to life. It burned cheerfully in my palm.
"Ah ha! Fire bender!" Sokka yelled looking like he wanted nothing more than to club me to death with his boomerang.
"You're a firebender?" Katara asked now understanding why I was reluctant to trust them.
"Cool!" Aang yelled jumping down to stand in front of me. "If you come along you can be my fire bending teacher." Aang said excitedly.
"But your friends don't want me to come along." I said as I extinuished the flames.
"Please?" Aang begged with large puppy eyes.
"Fine." Katara sighed.
"You do need a teacher." Sokka agreed looking at me cautiously.
"Okay, if you really want me to come." I agreed reluctantly. It would be a bad thing if I refused to train the avatar and the world ended because he didn't learn fire bending or something.