Chapter Nine: The Hunter of Men.

--

The Assassin.

I made my camp in one of the caves higher in the canyons, after making very sure that there were no moose-lions in it, or anywhere near it. I had no desire to be mauled in my sleep, thank you very much.

During the day I didn't move around much- I had no need to. I had enough food to last, both for me and Stinkella, and I was far too exposed during the light of day. I generally just practised during the day. But every evening, I left, and searched for any sign of the Avatar or his companions.

I had chosen the most likely spot I could- it was near a river, and a small thicket, providing all the bare necessities for a camp site, as well as an ample source of water to practice bending with, but there was still no sign of any human presence at all.

Three days passed, and I was starting to wonder if my instincts had failed me. I didn't want to give up on this place- it seemed the most likely place to come, if the Avatar came here at all, but it looked like I would have to consider the possibility. Then, one evening, I saw it.

A small cloud, moving fast, and against the wind. Right towards me.

I pulled my small spyglass from my bag for a closer look.

Yep. Bingo.

--

The Guardian.

Well, it turned out what with all the unnecessary to-ing and fro-ing we had been doing, our enormous steel monster ran out of fuel about twenty miles from the front. Adding insult to injury, it turned out that Zuko had engaged a hitherto conspicuously absent amount of common sense, and thrown all of our supplies that weren't nailed down off the back of this thing. Of course, this included almost all our food. Great time to grow some competence, Zuko.

So, this whole chain of events (I say 'chain', but they were really pretty much simultaneous, really) led to me back in my painful chair, ignoring the fact that I was missing my first lunch (and dinner at this rate) since... ever, now that I think about it, trying to breathe as quietly as possible in case Azula, who was fuming over Zuko's frank declaration of his side (and when I say fuming, I mean it literally. Smoke was pouring from her nostrils, and at one point I thought I could see steam escaping her ears. It would have been funnier if I wasn't convinced that she was looking for half an excuse to kill someone), and ignoring the fact that Ty Lee was far less stoic than I was. Instead, I was reviewing my situation so far in a wider sense than my immediate geography.

All in all, not bad.

'But Mai', you may be asking, 'how are things not bad? Your potential boyfriend is now an official fugitive of the Fire Nation, of which you are a loyal and prominent citizen (or at the very least the daughter of one)? You'll never see him again, unless Azula catches him.'

If so, shut up, because you are an idiot. And, as an idiot, you're missing the point entirely.

I have said it before, and I will say it again, since you have obviously forgotten. I have a list.

Five people. There are five people I consider Worth the Air They Breathe. That title is not hyperbole, nor is it an attempt at humour. Right now, the entire Fire Nation could slide into the sea, and I wouldn't give a damn, as long as those five people stayed safe. And I will do everything and anything in order to keep them safe.

If Zuko were the only person I needed to consider, then I would have left days ago. Azula would have found herself with a knife sticking in her head, if I was lucky, and then I would have run, and perhaps tried to make something of a life in exile with Zuko.

But he isn't the only factor. If I had left, I would have been leaving Ty Lee to the tender mercies of Azula (I don't flatter myself that I would actually be able to eliminate the princess), which, as I have already mentioned, is something that is quite emphatically Not Happening.

Okay, suppose I (through some miracle) managed to lodge three inches of steel into Azula's head, and persuaded Ty Lee to come with me in pursuit of Zuko. There would be witnesses- there are crewmen on this machine. Everyone who knows anything about me knows that I like to play with knives (as Ty Lee once delicately put it). Azula would be left with a fatal knife wound, and witnesses would have placed me at the scene.

Do you think my father would be left the Governor of New Ozai? Because I think he would be lucky if he found himself my Uncle's guest, even for the briefest of times.

The point is, I never wanted- okay, rephrase that- I never expected to be able to be with Zuko in any way at all. I didn't hold out too much hope for that when he was still Prince- although a girl can dream- and that hope has withered away since then. So I set my sights a little lower. As long as he's breathing, and not rotting in a dungeon somewhere, that's good enough for me. On most days.

--

The Assassin.

Kids. That was who I had been set on. A couple of children, barely into their teens.

Thanks, Azula. Really.

I was lying on the lip of the canyon, watching the Avatar and his group unpack. The sun had vanished below the horizon, so I was able to use the spyglass. They pulled the saddle from their flying bison, and unpacked. The waterbender put up a tent, but she was the only one. The earthbender had a bundle of some description, but the Avatar was busying himself lighting a fire. He did this by assuming a stance that was almost a caricature of the basic firebending stance, and launching the tiniest fireball I had ever seen at the bundle of sticks.

So this was the awesome power of the Avatar. I am so awed.

They sat for a while, and ate. At one point, the Avatar did...something, involving a set of beads, spinning them in in a tight circle in his palm, and the waterbender chuckled behind her hand, while the earthbender looked confused.

... I can't help but feel that there's something off about her. And how does she see with her hair like that?

After about twenty minutes, the earthbender got up and moved about ten paces away from the fire and the others, where she laid out her sleeping bag, and pulled up a couple of slabs of rock to serve as a tent. Meanwhile, the other two stood and prepared for sleep.

Strange. Why would the earthbender move so far away from the main group? I spent a few minutes scanning the area for a good reason, but failed. By the time I had turned my attention back to the other two, the waterbender had gone into the tent, and the Avatar was laid out on the ground, apparently sound asleep.

...What? Is that it? No watch? No guard? No cunning tripwires? Even the lemur is asleep! Are they that stupid? If so, why aren't they dead yet? Do they want me to come down and murder them in their sleep? What the hell?

For a moment, I seriously considered it, but deciding that breaking into the rock tent silently would be impossible. I would be better off following my initial plan.

I went back to my cave, avoiding the tripwires I had planted around the mouth (I, unlike some certain saviours of the world, have no desire to be woken by a knife being stuck in my ear) and tried to get some sleep.

--

My plan was fairly simple, but I figured I could leave it to my opponents to complicate it. I would wait for either the earthbender or the waterbender to separate from the group, eliminate them, hide the body, and wait for one of the others to go looking for them. If the Avatar came my way, I would try to avoid being seen, and hunt for the other. If it was the other, then things would be a lot easier.

It's not the best plan, but I can improvise if need be. The only thing I have to worry about is getting discovered by the Avatar. There's no way I can outrun him if even half of the things about him are true.

Unfortunately, the trio seemed determined to annoy me with even more than their lacklustre camping habits- for an entire week there was no point where the three were separated for any length of time.

The earthbender was teaching the Avatar. After a disastrous attempt to move a rock, she was seemingly concentrating on building up his strength and ability to earthbend "passively"- using bending to augment his strength, and so on. All the while, the waterbender would look on, seemingly concerned, although I couldn't get a closer look through the spyglass, since I couldn't risk the sun glinting off the glass.

But after a week, my chance came. It seemed that after a week in each others' company, tempers were more than a little frayed. After an incident where the Avatar failed to stop a boulder rolling down a hill, opting instead to leap aside at the last minute, his teacher threw a hissy fit and stomped off, leaving the waterbender to presumably repair his ego. This was my chance.

--

I stalked the earthbender to a cliff edge, about ten minutes from their camp. She was sitting with her back to me, watching the early evening sun. Now I was close to her, I could see that she looked no more than about twelve years old.

Damnit. I haven't got a choice, though. Sorry, kid. Whoever you are.

My right hand curled around the hilt of my weapon, my left keeping a grip on the hilt. My breathing slowed as I took another step towards the target.

There was a patch of loose gravel directly in front of me. I could step over it, and risk losing my stance, or I could go around, and risk her turning around and seeing me. I chose the former. Speed was of the essence, and I had the advantage of surprise.

Another step, and it occurred to me that this- if my theory was right- would be Miss Bei Fong. So now I had a name for her.

There is a song, among the Southern Water Tribes. The death song. I know the tune- I heard it sung many times (too many times) for many people (too many people) on the boat to the Fire Nation. The words are different each time, because the words are for the dead person. But the tune is always the same. And the first and last words are always the name of the dead.

This is why I don't learn their names. But I guess I can give you a song, Bei Fong. Not a fair trade, but it's all I can offer. I'll have to hum most of it, of course, since I don't know all that much about you.

I take another step, and my foot sinks into the ground.

What the-

Before I can do anything, the earth sinks and twists beneath me, and my stick clatters to the ground as I am swallowed up to the shoulders.

How? I was silent, I know I was!

"So..." the earthbender turns around, and she's grinning. I'm reminded of woodcuts of the Unagi. "You've been hanging around our camp for a week now, and I want to know why. Who are you? What do you want? Where did you come from? Who are you working for?"

She's not looking at me. And I suddenly realise why.

"You're blind, aren't you?"

She bristled. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing, just if you are, things make more sense. How did you 'see' me, by the way?"

She smirked. "Earthbending. You're pretty light on your feet, but you've got nothing on Twinkletoes."

...Okay, she's successfully derailed.

"Hey, you haven't answered my questions." She jabbed me in the chin with one of her bare feet, which were caked in dust. I started coughing.

"Have you ever thought about visiting a chiropodist? 'Cause I'm fairly sure feet shouldn't have the consistency of leather."

She wasn't amused. "Fine. If you're gonna be like that, I think I'll jut leave you here and go get Aang and Katara."

...

...

She is still talking. I'm not listening. She walks off. I barely notice.

Katara.

Katara.

Is it even possible?

No. It can't be. There must be other people called Katara in the world. Possibly in the Northern Water Tribe.

But... the Avatar came from the south. Everyone said so.

...

I don't know what to think.

Katara?

--

Okay, this is it. Make or break time, peeps.

Also, I tried to point out that the Gaang is missing something without Sokka. When Katara is your voice of practicality and reason, you know you've got problems.