Over the past few weeks we travelled and trained, it was a lot easier to water bend now that my arm was healed, I had also put on the bracelet. At the moment we were in the middle of a forest so Patch and Momo loved it. We were sitting down to give Oppa and Sadie a rest, we had been riding them a lot, when Aang asked "Where's Momo?" Then, as if on cue, we heard Momo squeal. We walked to where Momo was and saw that he was hanging in a ball cage in a tree. Aang jumped up using air bending. "Hang on Momo!" Aang yelled.
"Hey! I wanna have some of the fun!" I yelled up to Aang. I pulled out two of my knives and lodged them into the tree so that I could climb the tree. When I got to the top of the tree I saw Aang inspecting the contraption holding Momo up.
"How do we release him?" Aang asked. I looked at the wheel.
"You hold this and I'll lower him down." I said pointing where I wanted him to hold. Aang grabbed the rope while I hung upside down on the tree and started undoing the many twists and turning all the wheels and cogs. Momo was lowered down, when he got to the bottom Katara and Sokka opened the cage, Momo scurried out and continued to eat the nut that he had. I swung down the trees back to the floor whereas Aang just hopped down. We looked up at the other animals in cages, they were whimpering.
"Can you free the others Aang?" I asked. He nodded and jumped up and started to look at the roped again.
"Ugh, this is gonna take forever." Sokka groaned, he pulled out his boomerang and threw it, cut all the ropes, freed all the animals, and caught his boomerang.
"Thanks Sokka!" I chirped, high fiving him.
"That works." Aang said, he came back down to the forest floor. Sokka studied the cages.
"These are fire nation traps." He informed us.
"It's bad enough they were hunting people, now animals too!" I yelled furiously.
"Yeah, you can tell from the metal work." Sokka informed us "We better pack up camp and get moving." Sokka suggested. We all nodded and went back to where we were set up and started packing. We were passing our stuff up to Aang when Sokka said "No, no flying this time." He took the stuff off of Aang and brought it back down.
"What? Why shouldn't we fly?" Aang asked.
"Think about it, somehow prince Zuko and the fire nation keeps finding us, it's because they spot Oppa, he's just too noticeable." Sokka explained.
"What? Oppa's not too noticeable!" Katara complained.
"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head…it's kind of hard to miss him." Sokka said. I laughed and nodded. Oppa roared.
"Sokka's just jealous because he doesn't have an arrow." Aang patted Oppa.
"I know you all wanna fly, but my instincts tell me to go by foot this time." Sokka said.
"Who made you the boss?" Katara asked.
"I'm not the boss…I'm the leader." Sokka said.
"Pfff, ha-ha, you're the leader, but your voice still cracks." Katara laughed.
"I'm the oldest, and I'm a warrior-" his voice was cracking so he put on a fake deep voice and continued "So I'm the leader."
"If anyone's the leader, it's Aang, I mean, he is the avatar." Katara said.
"Are you kidding, he's just a goofy kid?!" Sokka asked.
"Awwww, have baby Sokka's feelings been hurt." I laughed.
"Why do boys always think that someone has to be the leader?" Katara asked "I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you had kissed a girl."
"I've kissed a girl, you just haven't met her." Sokka said.
"Who? Grangran?" Katara mocked. I was doubled over laughing by now at their sibling rivalry, it was so normal, when I did this with Azula or Zuko it would end with a fire bending duel.
"No, besides Grangran." Sokka said "Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping by unnoticed on foot."
"I agree with Sokka." I said. I got onto the new saddle I had bought for Sadie, I tied my stud to the saddle and pulled myself up.
"Fine, we'll try it your way oh wise leader." Katara said.
"Walking might be fun!" Aang said happily. We were walking for a while when he complained "Walking stinks, how long has it been anyway!"
"Oh-about ten minutes." I said.
"How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?!" Aang asked.
"By giant polar bear dog." I laughed.
"Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts, they seem to know everything." Katara said angrily.
"I'm tired of carrying this bag." Aang moaned.
"Ooooh-I know- why don't you ask Sokka's instincts to carry it?!" Katara said.
"That's a great idea…hey, Sokka's instincts, would you mind-" Aang said.
"OKAY! I get it, look guys, I'm tired too but the important thing is that we're safe from the…fire…nation." Sokka said, he walked through some bushes to somewhere, he paused. I looked at the camp ahead of us, it was a fire nation camp. "RUN!" Sokka yelled, Aang, Katara and Sokka dropped their bags so that they could run faster. We got blocked in by the soldiers there. "If you let us past then we'll promise not to hurt you." Sokka said.
"What are you doing?" Katara asked.
"Bluffing." Sokka whispered back.
"You promise not to hurt us?" one of the soldiers with an eye patch said. Suddenly he fell to the floor. I guess someone else was fighting them with us. I jumped off of Sadie and grabbed my knives. I went to attacking the fire nation soldiers and knocking them down one by one. People were fighting from the trees "They're coming from the trees!" a soldier yelled.
"No duh!" I said. I saw one guy attacking some soldiers that I knew, these two soldiers were mean to me when I was little, because I was a girl they mocked my fighting skill, of course that was back when I couldn't fight. I kicked the guy who was fighting them out of the way; he was a teenage boy with hook swords. He fell to his back and looked at me in surprise.
"Yes, I'm a little prissy girl alright!" I yelled. I attacked both of the fire benders at once; I defeated both of them expertly and quickly. After a few more minutes all of the fire benders were either unconscious or dead. I joined Aang, Katara and Sokka, I was panting. "I missed doing that." I said, moving my healed arm around.
"Hi, I'm Jet and these are my freedom fighters." Jet said, he then said all of their names "Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke and Pipsqueak." Pipsqueak was a massive dude that would flatten me if he fell on me.
"HAHAHA, Pipsqueak." Aang laughed, I walked over to him with Aang "That's a funny name." he said. Aang and I were sniggering.
"You think my name is funny?" he said deeply and scarily.
"Yup." I laughed.
"It's hilarious." Aang added. Pipsqueak started laughing, he patted Aang and I on the back, but we ended up being knocked over and face planting in the ground. We looted the Fire Nation camp. Sokka looked at everyone scornfully as we did. While I was playing with Patch Jet walked over. I don't know why, but I hated him straight away.
"You have skill." He said.
"Thanks." I said plainly.
"Where did you learn to fight." He asked.
"None of your business." I replied.
"Be nice to Jet!" Katara demanded.
"Why should I?" I asked.
"He saved us." She said.
"Oh please, I could have fought all of them with one of my hands behind my back, you know I can, I actually did that with pirates!" I said.
"Wow." Jet said.
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" I asked meanly. I walked over to Sadie and got her up on her feet; I took off her saddle and put it on Oppa's saddle with the rest of our stuff.
"Hey jet, these barrels are filled with blasting Jelly!" the Duke yelled to Jet.
"That's a great score." Jet said.
"And these boxes are filled with Jelly candy!" Pipsqueak said.
"Also good. "Jet said "Let's not get those mixed up." Jet said,
"Only an idiot would do that, oh wait, you are." I scowled at Jet. Aang ran over to me.
"I've never heard you speak like this, not even to your brother?" Aang asked.
"I don't like him." I stated clearly.
"Can you try to be nice for now?" Aang asked.
"Bu-"
"Pleeeeaaaase!" Aang asked.
"Fine." I stamped my foot and walked over to Jet. I held out my hand for him to shake and said "My friend here has asked me to be nice, so, let's start over, my name's Lori." There was no way I was telling a fire nation hater my real name.
"Hey Lori." He said lazily and shook my hand. I smiled and turned around, then scowled.
"We'll take this stiff back to hideout!" The Duke called over to Jet.
"You have a hideout?" Aang asked.
"You wanna see it?" Jet asked.
"Yes, we wanna see it." Katara pleaded. We walked through the forest, well, I rode on Sadie and sharpened my weapons with a stone. We suddenly stopped "We're here." Jet said.
"Where? There's nothing here." Sokka said. Jet grabbed a rope and said "Hold this. Sokka took it in his hand.
"Why, what's this do?" Sokka asked. He was suddenly yanked into the trees.
"Aang." Jet said, he went to go and give another rope to Aang.
"I can get up on my own." Aang said. He jumped up the trees using air bending.
"Lori." He said. I lay Sadie down against the tree by a bush and then grabbed the rope. I was pulled into the tree very fast. When I got to the top I jumped off and landed on a branch. There were decks and zip lines everywhere. I grabbed onto one with Aang and we swung around the whole place. When Jet and Katara got up Aang and I said in unison "Nice place you got here." I landed down by Jet and Katara on a bridge, Jet said that his parents were killed by fire nation and Katara said that her mother was killed by the fire nation.
"Who are your family?" Jet asked me.
"I don't really have one…well, that's not true, Aang, Sokka and Katara are my family." I smiled. Aang swung by and yelled for me to get on. I jumped off the bridge, Aang caught my hands and hauled me back up, he used air bending to propel us forward.
That night there was a big feast, I stuffed my face with all the food they had. "Any meat?" I asked. Jet shook his head, I scowled. He stood up and made a toast "Today we struck another blow against the fire nation swine!" he said. Everyone cheered. "I got a special joy on the look of one soldier's face when the Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild Hog Monkey!" The Duke paraded around. "Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids in the trees, maybe their right," everyone booed "Or maybe, they're dead wrong!" Even I had to cheer at that.
"Hey Jet, nice speech." Katara said to him when he sat next to her.
"Thanks, I was really impressed with you, Aang and Lori, that was some great bending and fighting I saw out there." Jet said, I smiled through gritted teeth.
"Well, he's great and she's a great fighter, and she's a bender, and he's the avatar, I could use some more training." Katara said.
"Avatar huh?" Jet asked "Very nice."
"Thanks Jet." Aang said.
"And you, you're a bender that is great with weapons, don't see many of those these days." Jet said.
"Thanks." I said "Seriously, any meat?" I asked. He shook his head. I sighed and stood up. I walked to Longshot and asked "Can I borrow those?" he nodded.
"What are you doing?" Jet asked.
"I learnt to fight with any weapon, I think I can go and catch some food." I said. I jumped down from the trees and went out hunting.
When I came back I dropped the animals I caught in front of Jet "Tomorrow's meals are sorted." I smiled.
"Fair enough…Smellerbee, take the animals round back and prepare them to be eaten." Jet said. Smellerbee nodded and took the animals. "What element do you bend?" Jet asked.
"Water." I replied.
"Well, I know a way that you, Aang and Katara can help in our struggle." He said.
"Unfortunately we have to leave tonight." Sokka said.
"Sokka, you're kidding me? I needed you on an important mission tomorrow." Jet said. 'well played Jet, well played.' I thought to myself.
"What mission?" Sokka asked. Jet explained the mission, and I agreed to coming?!
The next morning we were on our mission, Jet was surprised about how stealthily I could move around the forest. We were on a tree, Jet let out a bird whistle signal and got a reply from the others who were all in different trees. Sokka stabbed his knife into a tree. "What are you doing?" Jet asked him.
"Shhhh, it amplifies vibrations." Sokka said, he put his ear against the hilt of the knife.
"Good trick." Jet said.
"Nothing yet, wait-yes, someone's approaching." Sokka said.
"How many?" Jet asked.
"I think there's just one." Sokka said. Jet let out a different signal.
"Good works Sokka, now, ready your weapon." Jet said "You too Lori." He said. I nodded and pulled out one of my knives. Sokka took out his weapon and got ready. I looked at who was approaching; it was a fire nation old man.
"Wait! False alarm, he's just an old man." Sokka whispered. Jet got his weapons out anyway and got ready to attack. He jumped down to the floor. I gasped.
"What are you doing in our woods you leach?" Jet growled at the old man.
"Please Sir, I'm just a traveller." The old man said, Jet raised his sword and wacked the old man's cane away. Pipsqueak appeared behind the old man and knocked him over. I know Jet hated the fire nation but the fire nation weren't evil, father was, and most of the soldiers. Pipsqueak put his foot on the old man's back.
"Do you like burning towns, do you like destroying families, DO YOU?!" Jet hissed at the old man.
"Please, let me go, have mercy." The old man begged.
"Does the fire nation let people go?! Does the fire nation have mercy?!" Jet said. I couldn't take this anymore. I jumped down with Sokka, jet was about to kick the old man, Sokka caught his foot with his club.
"Jet! He's just an old man!" Sokka yelled.
"He's fire nation! Search him!" Jet said. I looked Jet long and hard in the eyes.
"Not all fire nation are evil." I said.
"How would you know?" he asked. I shook my head and refused to answer.
"He's not hurting anyone." Sokka said.
"Have you forgotten that the fire nation killed your mother, remember why you two fight." Jet said.
"We got his stuff Jet." Smellerbee said.
"This doesn't feel right." Sokka said.
"it's what has to be done, now let's get out of here." Jet said, he and his freedom fighters pushed past us. "Come one!" Jet yelled.
"Okay!" Sokka yelled, he ran off after them. I bent down to help the old man. I pulled him up and dug through my pockets. I put some nuts and berries in his hand so he would be okay.
"But, I'm fire nation." The old man said.
"So am I." I smiled.
"What?" the old man asked.
"I want to stop Fire Lord Ozai and the war; I don't want to hurt innocent people." I said "This food should tie you over, they have extra protein so they should be enough for the next few days."
"Thank you." The old man said. I nodded and jumped back into the trees. I watched to make sure the old man travelled okay before going back to camp. I sat down with Sokka when I got back. Soon Katara came and asked "Hey guys, is Jet back?"
"Yeah, he's back." I said.
"But we're leaving." Sokka said.
"What?!" Aang said.
"But I made him this hat." Katara said, she pulled out a fluffy wool hat with a flower on the top.
"You're boyfriend Jet's a thug." Sokka said.
"What, no he's not." Katara said.
"He's messed up Katara." Sokka said.
"He's not messed up, he's just got a different way of life, a really fun way of life." Aang said.
"He tried to beat and robbed a harmless old man." I yelled.
"I wanna hear Jet's side of the story." Katara said.
We went to where jet was, Katara asked him about what had happened. Jet said "You told them what happened but you forgot to mention the guy was fire nation?"
"No, they conveniently left that part out." Katara scowled.
"Fine, but even if he was fire nation, he was a harmless civilian." Sokka said.
"Yeah, he wasn't a soldier or anything." I said.
"We was an assassin." Jet said. Jet took out a knife and stabbed it into the wall beside of him. He started unscrewing the top of the dagger "See, there's a compartment in the knife." He pulled out a vial of orange liquid. "He was sent to eliminate me." Jet said "You two helped save my life."
"I knew there was an explanation." Katara smiled.
"I didn't see any knife." Sokka said.
"That's because he was concealing it." Jet said.
"See you two; I'm sure you two didn't notice the knife." Katara said.
"No, Fire Nation are proud people, they don't do that sort of thing, honour is everything to them." I said.
"How would you know?" Katara asked.
"How many times had Zuko talked about his honour?" I asked sarcastically.
"Good point." Aang said.
"There was no knife!" Sokka yelled "I'm going back to the hut and packing my things. Jet looked at me. I sighed.
"I'll stay and help, because of Aang and Katara." I said, I smiled at them as they hugged me.
"If you guys flood the reservoir then we can fight the fires." Jet said "But if you three leave now then they'll destroy the whole valley." Aang and Katara went to talk to Sokka while I decided to ride around on the zip lines again.
After I was done I went to sleep because I was bored. The next morning we were taken down into the valley. While we were walking Aang was blown up by a massive geyser. "Okay, we're here." Jet said "Underground water is trying to escape from these vents, I need you guys to help it along."
"I've never used bending on water I can't see. I don't know." Katara said worriedly.
"Katara, you can do this." Jet said with his hands on her shoulders, I just wanted to wack that smug grin off of his face.
"What about me?" Aang asked.
"I know the avatar can do this." Jet said. We walked over to one of the steam vents and concentrated. We moved our arms up and down and brought the water out of the hole in the ground. When we thought that we had brought out enough we let go of it and the water poured into the small stream. "Yes, good job, this river empties into the reservoir, a few more geysers and I'll be full." Jet said.
"Look, there's another one!" Aang said, we walked over to it.
"Okay, you three keep it up, I'll go check on things at the reservoir."Jet said.
"When we're done we'll meet you over there." Katara said.
"Actually, probably better if you meet me back at the hideout when you're done." Jet said. We nodded and got most of the geysers flowing into the stream.
"Let's go catch up with Jet at the reservoir." Katara said.
"But we sai-" I started.
"Well, we finished early, I'm sure he'll be happy to see us." Katara said.
When we got there we saw the freedom fighters lining up the exploding jelly along the dam stopping the water flowing into the nearby Earth Kingdom village. They were going to blow up the dam, but that would destroy the whole village. Aang went to go and fly down to stop jet with his glider but it was snatched from above him by Jet.
"Why Jet?" Katara asked.
"If you think about you would too, think about what they did to your mother, we can't let them do that to anyone else ever again." Jet said.
"This isn't the answer." Katara pleaded.
"I want you to understand me Katara, I thought your brother would understand but-" Jet started.
"Where's Sokka?!" Katara demanded, she started crying. Katara hit Jet with a water whip and let him fall to the floor.
"I need to get to the dam." Aang said. Aang ended up getting into a fight with Jet, well it was Jet doing the fighting, Aang didn't want to fight. They went off down the forest so all Katara and I could do was wait. Katara ran off into the forest while I kept an eye on the dam. I was deep in thought when suddenly I heard a big 'BANG!'. The dam had been destroyed. Water rushed down the valley and engulfed the village. I collapsed to my knees in sadness. I ran to the forest and found Jet. He said "You're too late, the fire nation is gone."
"The villagers will be safe!" someone yelled, I looked back and grinned, Sokka was riding Oppa and Sadie was there too along with Momo. "I warned the villagers of your plan just in time." He said.
"What?!" Jet snarled.
"At first they didn't believe me, the fire nation soldiers thought I was a spy, but one man vouched for me, the old man you attacked. He urged them to trust me and we got everyone out in time." Sokka said.
"You fool!" Jet yelled.
"Nobody would've been free. Everyone would be dead." Sokka said.
"You traitor." Jet said.
"No jet, you became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people." Sokka said.
"Katara, please, help me." Jet said, he was frozen against a tree.
"Good bye Jet." She said. We all got onto Oppa and left to our next destination.