"What do you mean, 'self defense'?"
We were running towards the woods, and if he wasn't pulling me along I would have been struggling to keep up.
"That guy last night. He could have killed you, Harmony. You need to learn how to defend yourself better."
He pulled me to the edge of a shallow trench about a mile off of the trail in the middle of the forest. Still gripping my hand, he jumped into the trench, proceeding to drag me down with him.
"Whoa!"
I shut my eyes tight as we fell into the hole. We hit the bottom with a thud, and I was panting from the run there. Haru was still hanging on to my hand, and he pulled me up to my feet before finally letting go. He looked over at my puzzled expression.
"You're an earthbender, right?"
"Yes…no…I guess I am."
"This is a great spot to practice. Show me what you can do."
For the first time I noted that the crevice we were standing in was made entirely of rock. I struggled to remember what my father had taught me, any bending at all. After I had made several failed attempts at getting a small rock; only the size of a silver piece; to budge, I grinned sheepishly at Haru.
"I never exactly learned how, and I guess I forgot what I did learn."
He laughed.
"Alright, then I'll teach you."
He stood with his knees bent and apart, arms tucked into his center and hands in fists.
"First, get into a horse stance."
I tried to reflect his stance.
"No, your arms need to be in closer, like this. Here, let me show you."
He came over and put his hands on my wrists, standing behind me and guiding me into the correct stance. My cheeks warmed, and I prayed he didn't notice. He stepped back and observed my stance.
"Good. Now see if you can try doing this."
He began to move his arms in a slowed-down earthbending routine. I tried it out, but it was difficult. Haru came over and yet again had to help me. He led me through the motions over and over, hands on mine, helping me to remember the routine. Then he moved away and smiled as he watched me do it on my own.
"Great, you're a natural. Now try it a little bit faster, like this."
He went back through the motions at an impeccable speed and waited for me to do the same. It took a lot of concentration at that speed, and I think that my motions were a bit too rounded. But when I looked up Haru was smiling.
"Okay, now I want you to focus on moving that rock over there."
Haru demonstrated, sending a small boulder flying into the wall of the cavern around us. There was no way that I would ever be able to do that. He noted my nervous expression.
"Relax, you'll get this. I know you will."
His encouragement filled me with confidence. I was standing up straight and got back into my horse stance. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, preparing myself for the intense focus and concentration. Taking another breath, I opened my eyes and put all of my energy into the swift routine. I centered my focus on moving the rock. The air around us was suddenly thick with dirt and dust. I choked on the grit entering my mouth, and the dust was blinding me. Through the cloud I could see that the rock was still in it's same position as before. Frustrated, I balled my hands downward and stomped, like a child throwing a tantrum. The dust instantly cleared, leaving me to see a bewildered Haru standing across from me.
"Harmony! How'd you do that?"
"What?"
Haru was now gesturing wildly in a fit of excitement.
"The dust cloud! I've never seen anything like it!"
It registered that I had caused that. I was still disappointed at myself for not moving that rock.
"I-I must have done the routine the wrong way. I'm sorry."
Haru's eyes widened.
"Sorry? What for? That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen! It was amazing! You just bended an entire cloud of dust into the air!"
I worked this over in my head and began to smile.
"I guess I did, didn't I?"
We both laughed, excitement mutual. Haru sent another boulder flying into the side of the trench in celebration, and I formed a cloud of dust in the shape of a flower, sending Haru into hysterics. After we had settled down, he helped me practice my earthbending, showing me how to actually move a boulder. Earlier, he had explained to me, my motions had reflected more of an airbending routine. I tried to show him how to bend the dust, but he couldn't master it. There was a sudden rustling in the bushes above us. I looked up to see a small armada of Fire Nation soldiers standing at the edge of the crevice. One pointed at us and began to yell.
"Earthbenders! Arrest them!"
I was nearly paralyzed with fear as the men began to jump into trench. I had just spent two years in that wretched place, and now I was going straight back. Haru looked over at me, eyes terror filled yet confident.
"Harmony, give us some cover!"
I did as he said, and the entire are surrounding us was engulfed with dust. I had to close my eyes to keep dirt from becoming permanently embedded in them. Haru shouted above the dust.
"Let's go!"
I ran towards the sound of his voice. In my heist, I crashed right into one of the soldiers who proceeded to grab my wrists.
"Ah!"
I screamed and wriggled free of his grasp. When I found Haru, I was filled with relief, and was urgent to escape.
"We have to get out of here."
My voice sounded shaky and panicked.
"I know, follow me."
We made our way over to the bottom of the wall, and Haru earthbended a tall pillar to bring us to the top. I looked back down and noticed that the dust was beginning to settle. I rose it back into the air and turned to Haru.
"Shh."
I put a finger to my lips. We ran as quietly as we could into the forest, creeping away from the unsuspecting soldiers and into a new life as runaways.
I can honestly say that I thought this chapter was going to be longer as I was writing it. Wow, two in one day!
Creds to Miyu Hinamori for the dustbending idea
