Chapter Seven

Rya heard a noise. Like a small dried branch being stepped on, kind of noise. That day she just let the exhaustion from her training lull her to sleep. It was almost morning, and she heard that same noise again.

The young firebender sat up, letting the sleeping bag out of her sleepy form and stuck her head out of the tent's flap. She didn't see a living soul but Hyco, who wasn't sleeping as well. He had heard it too. Maybe it's just a lop-eared rabbit jumping around, she thought, but one could never be too careful.

The girl got out of the tent completely. Shivering with cold and not being able to see much she created a small flame above her hand, extending her arm so she could see what was in front of her better. She heard another branch crack and turned her head towards that direction, her long dark wavy hair swaying around her shoulders. Rya spotted a shadow amongst the trees. A human shadow.

Rya went still for a few moments, fear plastered on her cognac eyes. She moved her hand to try and see more clearly, but there was no one there, "Come out! Show yourself! I know you're there! Whoever it is", she screamed, terrified. The young girl turned the opposite way as she heard another crack.

Suddenly something caught on to her. She realized it was a net, and she was getting pulled. Collapsing to the ground, she saw her captors, three men wearing grass skirts and hats. They seemed quite primitive.

"Leave me alone", she screeched, struggling against the net until she caught it on fire, making a hole. Rya stumbled out of the net and stood up a bit disoriented. She quickly sent a wave of fire towards the man that still clung to the net, but he ducked out of the way. Something weird was going on with her fire though. It seemed... not red or orange as she was expecting it to be. The flames had somewhat of a green-yellowish hue that distracted her for a moment.

The firebender broke the spell as she saw another one charging at her through the corner of her eye. She dipped to the ground and swept her leg under him, sending the man flying. The color of her fire was a matter that had been forgotten for the moment.

She breathed heavily, still on the ground, as she noticed the forest had caught on fire. Panicking, she thrust both her hands to the flames, trying to dissipate them. She was happy it had worked. The firebender was about to turn around so she could deal with the other attacker but all of a sudden a loud *pang* rang through her ears, the blow knocking her unconscious.

A white haired man was meditating behind a line of lighted candles that seemed to be flickering in synchronization with the man's breathing. Rya's eyelids wavered open.

"Firebending comes from breath", the man said, he had a thin white moustache as well as a goatee and two slender scars running across his right eye. The twelve year old sat up, pressing her hand to the back of her head, she cringed as she felt a bit of dried blood. "Where am I", she questioned, looking around the darkened place, "The Irula tribe found you by yourself and took you here, to our camp. You were asleep for some hours", he said, opening his sad gold eyes.

Rya tried to get back to her feet, but as she sat up a pained grimace passed through her face, the man noticed this and continued speaking, "I am known as Jeong-Jeong. What is your name", "I-I'm Rya", the girl huffed out, a hand on her forehead stating she had a headache, "Look, Jeong-Jeong, is it? I'm not sure what I'm doing here, and I certainly didn't appreciate getting hit in the head by your… personal bodyguards, so if you could just let me out of here I'd really be thankful", she spluttered out.

"You are free to go, young lady", he said getting to his feet as well, "I was just wondering if you would like to speak with me about your bending", she was a bit taken aback by this, This man wants to talk about my what now? "I'm not sure I follow", she said, confusion written all over her. "It's quite simple really. The tribe's person that hit you in the head, Fao Garan explained me what happen, and I was surprised you took the time to put out the flames consuming the forest within the battle. It's refreshing to see such a young firebender that takes respect on nature", Jeong-Jeong said, and if Rya wasn't surprised before, she defenetly was now.

"I… Um… Thank you? I just didn't want to start a wildfire, I guess", she finally said after a few moments, "Are… Are you a Master", she asked, remembering his meditation. The candles were now burning on their own accord.

"Maybe you could teach me how to firebend properly, I've been teaching myself for a while now", she said, hopeful, "I haven't had a pupil in over six years. The last one I had didn't wish to learn the spiritual meaning of firebending which I believe to be the most important part. To bend, one must be a part of nature for that is the nature of the elements. Especially as firebenders we must be careful while wilding such wild destruction before our hands", he said his breath a bit short, remembering his last apprentice always recalled his disappointment.

"I think so too, but if I'm always afraid of what my bending can do I don't think I'd ever be happy", Jeong-Jeong approached her, taking a better look at her waken face. A sense of familiarity reached him but he quickly shook it off. Rya continued, "That's why I want to learn to control it. That way I can defend myself without harming anything else", she looked at him with big eyes, almost pleadingly.

The firebending Master thought it over, taking quite a bit of time. Rya was losing her faith and slumped back down, rubbing her forehead. He eventually bowed to her, the traditional Fire Nation way, "I'd be honored", Rya looked up and got to her feet, bewildered. She observed his hands, one in a fist the other above it, outstretched, resembling a burning flame. She copied the motion and bowed to her new firebending Master.


Author's Note:

We finally got some action up in here!
I hope I captured, what should I call it?, Jeong Jeong's essence in here. He'll be making some appeareances in this story, so please tell me if there's anything I can do to make him... more him, I guess.
Anyways, something a bit more interesting (I believe) happened this time, wouldn't you think? I sure am talking about that greenish fire deal that will come back to this story in the future. It will defenetly be explained when the time comes.
Until the next chapter, goodbye.