Chapter III
The feeling of two warm lips pressed against his shot through his mind. The warm, tingling sensation spread from his lips down his throat, warming his whole body. The passion filled him, reviving the life that lay within him. Suddenly searing pain filled his lungs as salt water burned its way through, coming back up his throat and out his mouth.
Jack rolled over in the sand, coughing up a quart of water, the salt tearing his throat as it came back up. He gasped at air, trying to calm himself. The sound of thundering waves came to him, water washing up against his hands. Wet sand seeped up between his fingers, digging underneath his fingernails. He shook himself, trying to focus on what had happened.
They had gone into the water, after jumping off the cliff. Jack had used his waterbending to soften the landing, then he made an air pocket, propelling them away from the cliff. Somewhere along the line he had begun to fail, and the air pocket collapsed. They had been washed away by the turbulent seas, clinging desperately to each other. Jack had done his best, but the mélange of blood loss and lack of rest got the better of him and he slipped under the water, fading into blackness. Something had happened then, had Korin saved him?
He turned, looking at Korin, who sat on her knees in the sand, tears dripping down her face, her wet hair clinging to the side of her head. She gave him a weak smile, her body shaking. Jack looked up and down the beach; no one else was there. Somehow Korin had managed to drag his body from the water and resuscitate his unconscious form.
His lips began to burn as he realized that the warm, succulent pair pressed against his had been Korin's. He licked them slowly, remembering the feeling of her lips pressed against his own. His cheeks turned red as he realized that Korin was still watching him. Jack stood up in the sand, wobbling as a wave crashed around his ankles. Dots danced around his vision as the blood rushed to his head. Korin rushed over to him, putting herself underneath his arm. They walked up the beach together, withholding from speaking, at least for the time being. A group of rocks beside the cliff made for an appealing resting spot, so they made their way over.
Korin helped Jack down, setting herself down next to him afterwards. The two breathed heavily, both exhausted from their most recent ventures. The salty air battered against them, sending shivers through their bodies. The sun had set, bringing out the night sky, dotted with stars, twinkling far off in the distance. Jack gritted his teeth as the wind sucked the heat from them, their wet clothes not helping. He flicked his wrists, ridding Korin and he of the water. She sat up straight, startled.
Jack breathed into his hands, a small white flame coming out of his mouth. After a few more puffs it died out, his energy gone. He leaned back, shivering as the spray from the surf hit him.
"We need to get somewhere dry." Said Jack, his teeth chattering. Korin merely nodded her head, watching him. Jack realized that she was waiting for him to come up with a plan. He looked around, seeing nothing in the darkness. More than likely they were on some random section of beach, cut off from all other routes by the cliff walls. The only way out was either to swim around or scale the cliff, something that would have been feasible if Jack had any energy left, but he was exhausted, and Jack did not feel safe allowing Korin to bend them both to the top, as they were liable to plummet back down half way up. So, instead, he decided that they would have to rest here for the night. He turned over, tapping the rocks they sat on.
"This looks like it would be good enough for a tent, don't you think?" He asked. Korin nodded her head. Jack reached for her hand, enveloping it with his fingers.
"Help me?" He said. Korin nodded her head, her eyes meeting his. Jack turned and brought his arm back, Korin copying his motion. They both punched down at the rock, making a tent that covered them from the elements. Jack sighed, laying out in the darkness. The ground was not all that comfortable, but he was not going to do anything about it, he was too tired to even think. Korin sat huddled in the darkness, her back turned to his. She shivered, the cold stone sapping any comfort the walls had provided.
"Cold?" Asked Jack. Korin nodded her head, unseen in the darkness. Jack turned, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her in close. They shared their body heat, warmth slowly creeping back into them. They sat silent for a while, sleep slowly coming to Jack. His eyes flopped and closed, his head resting against the coarse stone.
"What happened?" Jack blinked, having almost been asleep.
"Eh?" He asked, trying to shake off his drowsiness. Korin took in a deep breath.
"What happened back there? At first I wasn't certain, but now I am, you can bend all the elements, can't you?" Jack sighed, the proverbial cat-bird being let out of the bag.
"Ya, I can bend all four elements, though I'm not the avatar." He said. Silence dominated the tent for a few moments as Korin gathered her thoughts.
"If you're not the avatar, then what are you?" She asked. Jack thought for a moment, tempted to ignore her and fall asleep, but she had saved his life, and as he told Sokka before, he owed her his secrets, however limited they may be.
"I'm a diamondbender." He said. "I can bend all four elements into one. That's what happened back there. I killed those guards with a couple of diamond slivers, right to the head." He said, tapping his forehead. "Thunk, and nights out." He finished. Korin was not amused.
"You could have hit me." She muttered.
"Could have but didn't." He replied. Korin snorted, edging away from Jack.
"Look, Korin, I'm sorry about that, but I can't go back. What happened to me in that prison, I just can't do that again. I know it's hard for you to understand, and maybe we should go our separate ways in the morning, but if there is one thing in this world I cannot allow its Azula winning. I have to stop her, and not just for my sake, but for all the other people who are going to be harmed by her sinister plans. She won't stop until the world's burning, then she'll just dance on the ashes." The tent was silent, the sound of their breathing echoing softly in the closed space. Korin said nothing more, she merely moved back into Jack, sharing her body heat once again. He hoped that this was a sign that he had been forgiven, but the stiffness of her body and tacit attitude made him think that he still had not made up for messing up her life, again. Jack closed his eyes, trying to forget the world once more and fall into sleep, which he did.
He awoke the next morning to find the tent dismantled, the wind blowing in his face. Harsh sunlight glowed in his eyes, making him squint. Jack moved to sit up, but a searing pain in his calf forced that motion to a halt. Looking down Jack noticed the gash in his leg, the knife gone who knows where. The flesh was pale, but clean, having been purified by the salt water last night. Blood sat in a little pool below his leg; apparently he had been bleeding in his sleep, something that was not desirable since it could lead to his death.
Jack reached down, touching the flesh gingerly. Blood and puss oozed out, accompanied by a stab of pain. He sat up straight, bracing himself against the rocks. White flames gathered in his hand, his body trembling as he braced himself. Reaching down Jack put his palm on the gash, the heat searing his skin and cauterizing the wound. His whole body shook violently as he held on, his left fist in his mouth, being torn apart by his grinding jaw. Tears sprang into his eyes, and he was about to pass out when he finally decided that it was enough.
He withdrew his hand, the smell of cooked flesh rising to his nose; strangely enough it actually made him hungry. Jack laughed to himself, tears dripping down his face. Perhaps it was a good thing the stomach did not make all the decisions, as he was liable to cook up his calf and eat it for breakfast.
Loath to look, but deciding that it was necessary Jack turned his calf over, looking at where the wound used to be. He covered his mouth as he looked at the burnt flesh, a queasy feeling rose as his stomach decided to rid itself of its contents. His brain, not wishing to retch at the moment, refused his stomachs request, and so the vomit got caught somewhere between his mouth and stomach, which happened to be his throat. Being a trooper and good fellow Jack's throat decided to do him a solid and put up with the rising bile, even forcing it back down into the stomach, ordering it to stay down there. Jack turned his calf back over, not wanting to look at the putrid site again. Perhaps he should have left it well enough alone, he had made it through the night.
Looking about Jack noticed that the beach was deserted; Korin was nowhere to be seen. It would seem that Korin had taken his advice and left as soon as she had been well rested. Jack sighed, already missing her company. Protecting another person was taxing but he was so lonely most of the time. He would never admit it to himself but he hated being alone; the vast emptiness associated with being the only company you have, it was hard, besides, Korin had helped him to remember what it was like to have a good time. Her bright smile and jocular nature yesterday was invigorating, it brought him back to happier times. Times with a girl named Amy, and a boy named Joshua.
Jack blinked. Joshua, where did that come from? He had not tried summoning the memory, it had merely inserted itself into the forefront of his mind. A slender boy, a year older than him, blond hair, blue eyes, and as white as fresh fallen snow. On his face always sat a mischievous smile, in his mind always a plot for fun and adventure. The memory was sweet and tender, yet plagued by ambiguity, he just could not recall everything. Two names, two faces, nothing more. One dead, another lost in obscurity, only Azula seemed to know the whole story, or at least that is what his heart was telling him.
Standing up on shaky legs Jack tried to put pressure on his right one. His calf tightened up and dropped him into the sand. Breathing deeply Jack sat there for a few moments, realizing that he did not have a plan. Thinking for a second Jack decided that he would have to go up the cliff. Hopefully if he made it to the top he would be able to find help, or at least someone to steal from. The thought of stealing once again to sate his needs was unappealing, but if he had to do it to survive he was willing to compromise with his morals, at least for the moment.
Putting his hand on top of the rock Jack pushed himself up, balancing on his left leg. Leaning heavily for support Jack put a bit of weight on his right leg, hopping towards the wall. He made his way over, careful to not step on anything sharp, as he was missing his shoes.
Jack paused, thinking for a moment. What had happened to his shoes? Surely they were not taken by the sea? His shoes were always fastened tightly to his feet, double-knotted at all times. He came to the conclusion that Korin must have taken them, maybe as some sort of compensation. Or to make him suffer, he thought, his bare foot stepping on something sharp and pointy. Resisting the urge to immediately hop off of it, as he had stepped on it with his left foot, he lowered himself gingerly to the ground, swearing underneath his breath.
Once upon the ground Jack alleviated his foot's problems by picking out several prickly-balls, as he called them, throwing the little black devils out back towards the beach. He raised himself back up, moving once again towards the cliff face. As he was walking he stubbed his toe on a rock buried in the sand, making him curl his fingers into fists, resisting the temptation to swear. After stubbing his toe twice more he let himself unravel, going off on a tirade of colorful obscenities. To finish them off he spat in the sand, shaking his head in rage. The sound of someone tisking behind him made him turn.
"You and your temper; you better watch it bub, or someday it's going to get the best of you." Jack looked back at Korin, standing over where he had begun, her body dripping wet. In her hands she held a bundle of seaweeds, or at least what looked like seaweeds, Jack did not know the difference between plant life in the sea.
"Korin, you're here?" Said Jack, hobbling back over, being careful to not step on any prickly-balls or hidden stones, waiting to slice his feet. Korin raised an eyebrow.
"Why would I have left?" She asked. Jack turned red.
"Because I suggested that we split up last night." He said, coming over to her. Korin guided him to the rock, helping him sit down.
"Well, it was a bad suggestion. I mean, who would look after you if I left hmm? You're liable to do something stupid." She said, lifting up his leg and looking at his calf.
"Which you already did." She said, grimacing at the mess.
"Why? Why did you have to burn it?" She asked throwing up her arms and looking it over, poking at it in certain places. Jack shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know, I thought it would help." He said. Korin shook her head.
"I had already been taking care of it. Why did you think it had stopped bleeding?" She said. Jack avoided her gaze, embarrassed that he had not thought of this scenarios sooner. His gaze rested on his shoes, sitting neatly next to the rock. He wanted to swear again.
"Sorry, I just thought that I was on my own." He said. Korin grabbed her seaweed, taking a green strand and chewing on it. Jack moaned.
"Ohh now, not again with the chewed leaf stuff." Korin did not even bother pausing, taking up a different piece of seaweed, this one a darker blue. She raised his leg and wrapped his calf delicately with it, finishing off the whole area with the blue seaweed. In the meantime she swallowed the green seaweed she was chewing on.
"The seaweed is for eating." She said, taking another bite of the green seaweed. "The sea-healers are for your leg." She said, taking another blue strand of seaweed and wrapping his leg tight. Jack gritted his teeth, battling off the pain. When she was done his leg was neatly wrapped in blue seaweed, marred a bit by some blood that had seeped out of his burn. Korin handed him a strand of seaweed.
"Here, eat this." Jack took the gooey wet strand in his hand, eyeing it suspiciously.
"Is this safe to eat?" He asked. Korin stood up, smacking him on the back of the head.
"Just eat it." She said. Jack smiled, tearing off a piece and instantly wishing that he had some of her root soup.
After resting for an hour or so, watching Korin go up and down the beach, searching for supplies and anything of use, Jack decided that he would try his luck again on his calf. Surprisingly when he put a bit of weight on it his leg actually held up, allowing him to get along at a slow gimp. He decided though that it would be better if he had something to help him, at least for a few days, that way he would not reopen the wound or tare the healing muscles. Making himself a crutch from some of the rocks Jack tried it out, satisfied that his calf was getting the support that it need. When Korin returned once more, carrying more plants, Jack showed her his crutch, demonstrating his improving agility.
"Well at least you had one good idea." She said coldly. Jack was deflated at her words, but he decided that he was due a bit of scorn, counting everything he had dragged her into. He sat down, looking up at the cliff.
"We need to get up there." He said. Korin shrugged her shoulders.
"Why? We're safe here, besides, we've got food to eat and shelter, we should rest until you feel better." She said. Jack shook his head.
"No, we got to make a move towards Ba Sin Sey, we've got no idea how far out we are." Korin looked at him.
"Why do we still need to go to Ba Sin Sey? Azula wasn't there, she merely wanted to lure you that way so she could nab you. Now she thinks we're dead, so we're free to go wherever we please." She said. "Besides, she'll probably be going back to Ba Sin Sey for sure now, especially since she thinks you're out of the picture."
"That's why we need to get to Ba Sin Sey." Said Jack.
"You want to catch her by surprise?" She said. Jack nodded his head.
"Ya, if she thinks we're dead it'll just make it easier to get at her, she'll have her guard down." Korin snorted.
"Hardly, more than likely she'll be in the middle of an all-out assault on the city, she'll be surrounded by fire-nation soldiers. You won't be able to get close to her." Jack thought for a moment, desperately wishing that Sokka was with him at the moment. He would come up with some crazy plan that would be just fool-hardy enough to work.
"Well, if she's surrounded by fire-nation soldiers, what's one more to the count?" He said. Korin frowned.
"You can't seriously be thinking of stealing a uniform to sneak in. There's no way that it would work!" She said. Jack smiled.
"Yes it will, and when the times right I'll be in just the right place to take her out." Korin put her hands on her hips.
"Why do you have to go after her? Why do you have to make her pay?" She asked. Jack shook his head, gazing out into the endless ocean, mirroring his rage.
"Azula holds the key to my past, without her I can never find out what really happened to me, I'll be stuck with haunting images and waking nightmares for the rest of my life. If I can confront her, and get the information I want, perhaps I can lay that side of me to rest and move on, but until I do, nothing is going to stop me from getting at her." Korin shook her head.
"Just don't kill her before you get your answers." She said, standing up. Jack arose as well, propping himself on his crutch. While Korin was gathering together the bundles of seaweed she had accumulated Jack hobbled over to the cliffside, looking up its precipitous wall. This was going to be fun.
Korin came over and sat her supplies down next to him, looking up as well. She whistled.
"This is going to be fun." She said. Jack laughed.
"That's what I was thinking." Korin looked at him.
"So, you want to lead?"
"Sure." Said Jack, taking in a deep breath. He squatted down, his right calf burning, and began to pull down, as if climbing an imaginary rope. Korin followed suit, copying his stance and motion. Soon the stone beneath them cracked and began to rise up, grinding along the cliff-face. Stones and pebbles dropped past them, clattering off their platform. Sweat began to trickle down Jack's brow, his arms burning from the exertion. He looked over at Korin, noticing the redness in her cheeks. It was taxing her as well.
They were half way up the cliff now, rocks continuing to tumble by, the cold, misty wind slapping them in the face. Jack began to shake, trying to use as much of his upper body as possible. If his leg was fine he probably could have done it without breaking a sweat, but with his right leg being in such a state his legs became almost useless in the process. If not for Korin he probably would not have made it up at all.
Thirty feet from the top Jack began to give out. He was panting hard and his right calf was buckling on him. He fell to a knee, still pulling on his invisible rope. They began to slow, their progress inching along. Korin grunted, holding on as best as she could. She made a noise, something between a groan and grumble, not doubt complaining about Jack's lack of participation in the closing stage of their trip.
Finally, and just barely, the two made it all the way up. Jack reached out and pulled forward, using the last visages of his strength to get their platform on solid ground. He collapsed on the ground, panting hard and putting his hands over his head. The sky circled above his head, spinning as he tried to orient himself. Nearby he could hear Korin's labored breath, bent over, sucking at air. It was quite an effort for the pair, but they had managed to assail the cliff, winning a victory that left them both exhausted.
After a while longer of resting Jack rolled over, pushing himself to a sitting position. Sweat poured down his face, running down his neck and back. He wiped his brow with the back of his sleeve, a satisfied smile on his face.
"Well, that was a cake walk." He said, still gasping for air. Korin glared at him, straightening out.
"Next time don't give up at the end, or else I'm dumping your lard butt." She said, grabbing her seaweed and walking past him. Jack suppressed a caustic response, knowing full well that he deserved such hostility from her. Just give it some time, he thought, and she'll come back around.
Forcing himself to his feet Jack grabbed his crutch, leaning heavily on it. He hobbled over to Korin, noticing that the path they were on was slowly narrowing, leading to a winding path that snaked through the sea. Jack cocked his head. Was this the right way to go?
"Isn't Ba Sin Sey inland?" He asked. Korin nodded her head.
"Ya, but the fire-nation controls almost all of the outside routes to the city. The only routes left to Ba Sin Sey are the hidden ferries and the Serpents Pass." Jack could guess which one they were at. Looing ahead at the archway he noticed a sign, which, go figure, read 'Serpents Pass'.
"Shouldn't we take the ferries?" He asked. Korin shook her head.
"No, it's almost impossible to get tickets without the proper paper work, and neither of us has that. Besides, we're already at the Serpents Pass, so why bother walking all the way around to the ferry? Unless you can fly or something." She said. Jack laughed.
"No, I can do a lot of things, flying is not one of them." He said, walking up to her. Korin stayed silent, walking underneath the arch, leading Jack down the ever narrowing path.
The going was slow, as Jack could only hobble so fast, and with the treacherous pitfalls of the cliff constantly present he had to be careful not to place his crutch in the wrong place, lest he wind up at the bottom of the ocean. Korin remained tacit the whole time, speaking only to direct him on the appropriate path or to make him eat some of her seaweed, which he utterly despised. By the time the sun was beginning to set Jack was exhausted, stumbling along the path behind Korin, who still walked with energy to spare. Embarrassed, Jack finally requested that they take a breather, as he could not go on anymore. Korin decided that they would just camp for the night, as they were at a flat point in their journey, the area smooth and away from any cliff-side.
Jack threw his crutch down, immediately falling to the ground and going to sleep. Korin stayed up, sorting through her seaweed and changing out Jack's wrap while he slept. She made two tents, one for Jack and the other for herself, finally retiring to bed herself after a meal of seaweed.
The next morning Jack arose with his calf feeling much better, though cramped. He stretched it out, trying to work the healing muscles. Korin awoke soon after him, crawling out of her tent to find Jack picking at a piece of seaweed, making contorted faces as the salty mess went down his throat. She suppressed a smile.
"Ready to go?" She asked. Jack nodded his head, standing up with his crutch underneath his arm. Korin looked down the path over the area they had traveled the day before.
"Hey." She said, squinting behind them.
"I think we have company." She said, pointing back. Jack turned, blocking the morning light with his hand. There, a few miles back, was a group of people, dotted against the brown cliffside. Jack's heart leapt as he noticed the bright orange and yellow colors of the leading figure. He counted the group quickly. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. No, it was not the right number, maybe someone else liked bright, robust colors. Korin came up to his side.
"What's that thing?" She asked, pointing to a small dot hovering around the leading figure. Jack peered at the dot, noticing how it circled about.
"Is it a bird?" She asked. Jack shook his head.
"No, that's not a bird." He said. It was Momo, and that was Aang walking back there, along with the rest of his gang, and a few extra. What were they doping coming this way? And why were they not on Appa? It did not make sense.
Turning Quickly Jack leveled out the campsite, making sure to gather all of their seaweed, pressing the bunch into Korin's hands.
"Did you do anything else besides make the tents and eat?" He asked. Korin shook her head.
"No, I just did that and went to sleep. Why, who are they?" She asked. Jack bean to hobble forward, down the path.
"People we don't want to run into." He said ambiguously. Korin followed after him, walking right behind him.
"Are they going to be a problem?" She asked. Jack shook his head.
"Only if they catch up to us." He said.
They walked away, leaving behind their pristine campsite. Jack hobbled as quickly as he could, sweat quickly accumulating on his brow. Korin walked ahead of him, keeping her pace up so that he would not catch her with his crutch. The sound of rumbling echoed behind them, giving them pause to stop and turn around. Looking back they saw a cloud of dusts and rocks, falling into the sea several miles back. Something had happened, hopefully they were okay. A pang of guilt tempted Jack to go back and meet up with them, just to make sure that they were okay, but the image of Azula laughing at him crushed the guilt, motivating him to press forward.
Normally Jack would have been overjoyed to see the gang. He had missed them something fierce while he was out and about, hunting down Azula. On several occasions he had wished for their aid, but at the current moment he could not stand seeing them. To run into them would mean revealing his plan, which would then lay his ardent desire to kill Azula out in the open, something that everyone would disagree with. They would try to dissuade him, thus leading him either to lie to them and tell them he would not due it or he would have a falling out with them, screwing their advice and going on anyways. Either way the outcome was not desirable, he figured if he killed Azula before meeting up with them again he could spin some story were it ended up him reacting defensively, thus saving face with the gang.
Whatever his reasoning he could not let them catch up. Luckily for him it seemed that the gang was taking it nice and slow, as they began to diminish from their line of sight the further they progressed into the day. By midday they had vanished all together, allowing Jack to breath out a sigh of relief. Deciding that they had plenty of space between them and the gang Jack told Korin that they would have a break.
Korin sat down on a boulder, looking ahead at a flat stretch of land only a few feet above the sea. She handed Jack a piece of seaweed, taking one for herself from the rope she had woven and placed around her shoulder. They sat silently, snacking on their now dry seaweed, which Jack determined tasted much better than the gooey wet version he had eaten previously. Finally Korin spoke.
"We should take out this flat stretch of land here; that should hold up our tail pretty significantly." She said. Jack nodded his head, pleased by the idea.
"That's pretty good, but how are we going to do it? We can't just take out every single section of path with our Earthbending; that would basically defeat the whole purpose of stalling them." Korin stared out into the sea, watching as the waves battered against the narrow path.
"You do know why they call this the serpents pass, right?" Jack shook his head.
"Can't rightly say that I do." He said. Korin pointed out into the sea.
"That's why." She said. Jack looked at where her finger was pointing, noticing a bump in the water, shining green. It disappeared beneath the water, another bump turning up roughly thirty feet away. A knot developed in Jack's throat.
"You mean that, there's a giant sea monster out here?" He said. Korin nodded her head.
"Yup, people don't know where it came from, some say it's a curse from the spirits, but it's out there. And if you know how to use it right, it's just waiting to be used." Jack's eyes widened.
"You're not serious." He said. Korin turned to him, a mischievous smile on her lips.
"A wrecking ball just waiting for direction." She said. Jack looked at her, then back out to the deep blue sea, searching the waters for the beast.
"Well, how do you propose we do it?"
Half an hour later everything was set. Apparently the creature was attracted by loud noises on the surface of the water. Jack sat at the opposite end of the path, already across. Korin sat at the beginning, making a disturbance with her Earthbending, taking out the beginning of the path as she slowly backed up his way. Jack watched her, realizing that it would have taken hours for them to level the whole thing. Still, he did not like this plan, as it meant that he basically sat on the sideline, watching as Korin put herself in danger.
He watched the surface of the water, waiting for the beasty to show up. The blue and white crests of the waves seemed to hide a beast within every break. His eyes twitched as he waited, the anticipation killing him. Finally, after ten minutes or so, he thought he saw a hint of green moving towards Korin. The urge to cry out to her hit him, but he resisted it, knowing that he might attract the creature his way, and that would not do them any good.
The green streak in the water came up to Korin, one moment silent and stealthy, the next minute crashing through the water and roaring up to its full height. Jack gasped as he saw the serpent extend up, towering fifty feet in the air, its red tongue flicking in the air. Red eyes glared down at Korin, purple and green sparkling along its hood as it puffed out from its neck. It roared at her, swooping down to nab her.
Jack's heart stopped as he watched Korin dive out of the way, a fifteen foot section of the path being cleanly knocked out. She worked her way back like this, throwing an occasional boulder at the serpent to keep it interested. Soon she was halfway there, avoiding the serpents furry at every turn.
Jack was struck by Korin's grace and agility, not having noticed it the other day against Azula. She was controlled, calm, manipulating the whole situation to her advantage. Each movement was with purpose, wasting nothing, not even a breath, lest it aid her in her goal. The closer she got the angrier the creature became, attacking her with renewed furry.
Only thirty feet or so away Korin was preparing herself for the final few dodges when the tables turned. The serpent, noticing Korin's game, took out the path in front of her, cutting her off from her escape route. It then attacked across the rest of the path that she lay on; its whole body came crashing down on the earthen road. Korin dove into the water to avoid it. Earth sunk into the ocean, the path completely gone. Jack moved to the edge of the path, looking for Korin, the serpent nowhere to be seen.
Her head bobbed above the water. She swam towards him, panic in her face. Jack looked about, making sure that the creature was not coming in for another attack. The ocean was silent, waves steadily crashing against the cliff.
Jack looked around; it was too quiet, it was as if the creature had just given up. Korin was about twenty feet out from the end of the path, looking over her shoulder to make sure she was safe. Jack reached out his hand as she came closer.
"You're crazy, you know that right?" He called out to her. She laughed at him, spitting seawater from her mouth.
"Well, I guess that makes me more like you now, doesn't it?" Jack smiled.
He watched as she came in, a broad smile on her face. Something caught his eye, a glint of green beneath the surface. He leaned in, trying to get a better look at it, but it had vanished. Suddenly, without warning, the water beneath Korin disappeared, her body flying up into the air, bound between perilous teeth. She cried out, punching the creature in the mouth as it took her up. Jack cried out, lurching forward. He called up a boulder, tossing it at the serpent, following it with a couple of fireballs, but it was too late. It dove back into the ocean, Korin still in its jaws. She screamed out to him, reaching out a hand. Her cry was suffocated by the water as she vanished beneath the waves, the serpent gone.
Jack fell to his knees, staring out into the sea stunned. Where had it come from? He sat there, willing the serpent to come back with his friend. His friend. This thought hit him as he realized the hopelessness of her situation.
She was his friend, but she was gone now. Tears fell down Jack's face as he buried his head in his hands, sobbing. It had happened so quickly. One instant she was there, smiling and coming in to shore, the next she was clamped in its jaws, disappearing beneath the surf. His heart broke as he tallied up another death to his list. Salty tears fell down into the dirt at his feet, the pain inside making him wish for death.
Why had he let her do it? He should have stopped her, he should have done it himself! He did not need to slow down Aang that bad, they could have just kept moving. But instead he had went along with it, allowing Korin to place herself in danger all because he was afraid of what the gang might think of him. And now. He looked out at the sea, the tumultuous waves carrying a slight tint of red. And now, he was bereaved of his friend, someone whom he had already caused unwarranted amounts of grief too. She had deserved nothing that had happened to her, but she had taken it all with grace. Now she had paid the ultimate sacrifice for someone who belonged locked up in a cage. It was all his fault.
Jack wallowed in his grief for a time, blaming himself for the demise of his newfound friend. Slowly a thought began to permeate his mind. Azula's harsh laugh and taunting smile came to him. He gripped his fingers into fists, the knuckles creaking.
No, it was not his fault, it was hers. If it was not for her Korin would still have a home and family, she would have never come with Jack otherwise. And they would have never gone through the serpents pass if Azula had not attacked them two days ago, they would have had a safe path to Ba Sin Sey.
Jack stood up, his body shaking with rage. Once again Azula had stolen something from him that he had treasured. This was the last time that was going to happen, he promised himself that. He would make her pay. He would go to the walls, find her and kill her. Because she was the reason that Amy was dead, she was the reason that he had suffered so much, and now, she was the reason that Korin was dead. Jack looked up at the sky, imaging Azula's face in the clouds. He would find her, and he would end her.