It was mid-morning in the middle of a dense, forest. A small beetle quietly skittered across a tree, going about its business. All of a sudden, Momo swooped down on it, determined to have the tiny insect for lunch. The beetle was too fast, easily dodging the lemur before taking off. Momo followed it for a while, then he got sight of something far tastier than a bug.
Lychee nuts.
There was a neat stack of them piled up on top of a blanket of leaves. Momo practically drooled, pouncing on the nuts. The second he touched down on the leaves, a metal trap closed around him, hoisting him into the air alongside two more cages containing a pair of hog monkeys.
Elsewhere in the forest, Aang looked around the camp he and his friends had set up, looking slightly worried.
"Where's Momo?" he questioned.
Momo's screech filled the woods, alerting everyone to his current predicament. They all followed the sound, quickly finding his cage, along with the other two.
"Oh Momo..." Min said, shaking her head.
"Hang on, Momo!" Aang called up. "I'm on my way!"
Using his airbending, Aang flew to the top of the trees, jumping from trunk to trunk to get higher. He soon located the trap's mechanism, undoing it and slowly lowering Momo to the ground. Katara and Min gently pried the trap open, allowing Momo to escape. He scampered out, munching on a lychee nut happily.
"Lychee nuts..." Sokka muttered. "I swear, his animal instincts are nonexistent in the presence of food."
"The same can be said for you Mr. 'Feed Me Meat'." Katara teased.
"Got two more coming down!" Aang called down as he lowered the other two cages.
Once they touched down, the gang opened them up and allowed the two hog monkeys to run off into the woods. As they did, Sokka examined one of the traps, his eyes narrowing at them.
"These are Fire Nation traps." Sokka observed. "You can tell from the metalwork. We better pack up camp, and get moving."
"Good idea." Min agreed. "We'll load up Appa, then-"
"Uh-uh." Sokka interrupted. "No flying this time."
"What?" Aang asked confused as they made their way back to the camp. "Why are we not flying?"
"Think about it." Sokka told her. "Somehow, Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa. He's just too noticeable."
"What?" Katara questioned. "Appa's not too noticeable."
They finally made it to the camp, where Appa lay waiting for them. He let out a loud yawn, stretching somewhat. Sokka just gestured to him in a dramatic and condescending way.
"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head!" Sokka pointed out. "It's kinda hard to miss him!"
The bison let out a snort of annoyance at Sokka, Aang quickly jumping on his head to comfort him.
"It's okay, buddy." Aang assured him. "Sokka's just jealous 'cause he doesn't have an arrow."
"I'm just saying that we should play it safe and walk this time." Sokka insisted. "My instincts say that's the best course of action."
Katara snickered a bit, placing her hands on her hips.
"And just who made you boss?" She asked, poking Sokka in the chest.
"I'm not the boss, I'm the leader." Sokka corrected.
"A leader whose voice still cracks." Min remarked.
Sokka glared at her before coughing, taking on a deeper voice.
"I'm the oldest, and I'm a warrior, so I'm the leader!" He argued.
"If we're going by those standards, the Min should be the leader." Katara pointed out. "She's older than all of us, even Aang. And she's a warrior."
"I told you before, I'm not that old." Min reminded her. "Besides, if anyone's the leader, it's Aang. I mean, he is the Avatar."
"You're kidding, right?" Sokka asked her incredulously. "He may be 112, but he's still a goofy kid."
Min glanced over at Aang, who was dangling from one of Appa's horns playfully.
"He's right." Aang agreed.
Katara just let out a sigh.
"I don't understand why you feel that there has to be a leader, Sokka." She told him. "I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you kissed a girl."
Min made a wincing sound, backing away from the water tribe siblings as Sokka stepped towards his sister.
"I've kissed a girl." Sokka replied defensively. "You just haven't met her."
"Who?" Katara asked teasingly. "Gran-Gran? I've met Gran-Gran."
"No! Besides Gran-Gran." Sokka answered. "Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot, and a leader has to trust his instincts."
"While I'm still skeptical about Sokka's leadership skills, perhaps going on foot wouldn't be a bad idea." Min interjected.
"I suppose so." Katara allowed, turning to her brother. "It's your call, oh wise leader."
Aang stepped over, a backpack on his back with Momo resting on top of it.
"Who know?" He let out. "Walking might be fun."
…
Hours had passed since they'd begun their trek, the entire group carrying backpacks laden with supplies. Sokka walked in front, Katara and Aang in the middle while Min took up the rear. Appa followed behind them.
"Walking stinks!" Aang proclaimed loudly. "How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?"
"Well I don't know Aang." Katara replied sarcastically. "Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts? They seem to know everything."
"Ha-ha." Sokka let out dryly. "Very funny."
"What I'd like to know is why we're carrying all this stuff." Min remarked. "I mean, just because we're walking doesn't mean we have to carry all this. We could have left it on Appa's saddle."
"You know who you should ask about that?" Katara suggested. "Sokka's instincts."
"Great idea." Min replied, putting on a faux peppy attitude. "Hey, Sokka's instincts. Why are we-?"
"Alright, I get it!" Sokka interrupted angrily. "Look guys, I'm tired too. But the important thing is that we're safe from the-"
He brushed through a bush, leading the gang right into the middle of a fire nation encampment. They appeared to be in the middle of mealtime, several of them with bowls in their hands. They all lowered them, grabbing their weapons and rising to their feet.
"-Fire Nation..." Sokka concluded, gulping slightly.
"Everybody RUN!" Min commanded.
They dropped their stuff, prepared to run off. However, I firebender quickly lit the bush on fire, cutting off their escape route.
"We're cut off!" Sokka let out.
"Sokka, your shirt!" Aang shouted.
Sokka turned to see the corner of his shirt on fire. Luckily, Katara quickly doused the flames in water. With one crisis avoided, the gang turned towards the fire benders closing in on them. Min drew her swords as Sokka pulled out his war club.
"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you." Sokka told the fire benders.
"What are you doing?" Min asked out of the corner of her mouth.
"Bluffing?" Sokka replied in a similar manner.
One of the soldiers, one wearing an eyepatch, began laughing at Sokka's attempt to scare them.
"You promise not to hurt us?" He questioned, laughing hysterically.
All of a sudden, something struck him from behind and he was knocked out cold.
"Nice work Sokka!" Aang complimented. "How's you do that?"
"Uh, instinct?" Sokka replied, confused.
Min glanced up, her eyes widening.
"Look!" she declared.
Everyone, including the soldiers turned to see a lone boy standing on a tree branch. He was armed with a pair of hook swords and dressed in a patchwork of armor. He jumped off the branch, taking down two soldiers simultaneously with his swords.
"Down you go!" the boy cheered.
Another soldier tried charging at the boy, but the kid's swordsman skills were far superior. He grabbed two more soldiers by their ankles, tossing them into the third.
"Okay, I don't know who this guy is, but he is good." Min complimented.
One more kid jumped out of the trees, a kid who was probably no older than seven or eight. He landed on top of one soldier, grabbing onto his head and riding him like and ostrich horse. Another boy in a straw, conical hat perched himself in a tree and began sniping down soldiers with precision archery skills. He even hung upside down and fired two arrows at once, still hitting his mark. Two more boys, a larger one who chose a more hands on approach to fighting, and a skinny one with face paint and twin daggers, also joined in the fight.
"We can't let them have all the fun." Min commented. "C'mon!"
The gang quickly ran in to join the fray. Using a canteen of water, Katara water whipped several soldiers away. Aang did the same, only using airbending. Min's swords sliced through a pair of spears coming towards her, twisting her wrists so she could easily disarm them. Sokka raised up his boomerang, letting out a war cry as one soldier came towards him. Before either of them could land a blow, the first boy swooped in, kicking the soldier aside and taking him down.
"Hey, he was mine!" Sokka griped.
"Gotta be quicker next time." the boy teased.
Elsewhere in the fight, the largest boy anyone had ever seen jumped down from the trees hard enough to shake the ground. He pulled a log off of his back, grinning at two soldiers before swinging it at them. Their swords were bend into useless shapes, which they quickly discarded before running for the hills. One soldier then tried to get the upper hand on the first boy, but the kid merely used his hook swords to send him flying into another soldier. They both fell, revealing Sokka about to strike down the one that had been hit.
"Aw man!" he let out.
The kid then quickly disarmed another spearman, jumping off his head before landing gracefully in front of Katara. He gave her a devilish smile, bowing before her.
"Hey." he greeted. "I'm Jet."
"Katara..." She replied, clearly entranced.
The two turned back to the camp, the last of the soldiers all running away an abandoning their camp. Min approached Jet, sheathing her swords with an impressed look.
"That was quick spectacular." she congratulated. "You took out an entire army almost single handedly."
"Army?" Sokka asked, unimpressed. "There were only like, twenty guys."
"You guys weren't too bad yourselves." Jet replied before turning to his friends. "Let me introduce my Freedom fighters."
He pointed to the larger boy with a top knot.
"That's Sneers, our resident wrestler and hand-to-fist specialist."
He then pointed to the boy in the conical hat, who had descended from his tree to join the boy with the face paint.
"Those two are Longshot and Smellerbee. The best duo I could ask for."
Finally, he gestured to the extremely large boy wielding the log, and the tiny kid in the oversized helmet.
"Then finally, we have the Duke and Pipsqueak."
Aang approached the small kid, giggling slightly.
"Pipsqueak?" he asked. "That's a funny name."
"I'm The Duke." the small kid corrected, pointing up at the incredibly large boy. "That's Pipsqueak."
Aang's gaze drifted upward to Pipsqueak, who stared down at Aang with a threatening glare.
"You think my name is funny?" he asked, his voice so deep it was almost like a growl.
"...it's hilarious!" Aang answered.
There was a tense moment of silence, then Pipsqueak suddenly busted out into laughter. Aang and The Duke quickly fell victim to the laughing fit. Pipsqueak even slapped Aang on the back good natured, but his size and strength caused the airbender to fall face first in the dirt. Luckily, he kept up his good humor and kept laughing.
…
Later on, after introductions were complete, the Freedom Fighters began raiding the camp. Jet watched from the shade of a tree, Sokka doing the same as he leaned against one of the tents. Katara walked over to Jet, nervously brushing loose hairs behind her ears.
"Umm, thanks for saving us Jet." she told him gratefully. "We're lucky you were there."
"I should be thanking you." Jet told her. "We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning, we just needed the right distraction, and then you guys stumbled in."
"We were relying on instincts." Katara informed him, giving her brother a sideways glare.
"You'll get yourself killed doing that." Jet remarked.
Sokka let out a huff of annoyance, turning away from Jet and his sister. Meanwhile, The Duke and Pipsqueak were going through some barrels over near one of the tents. The Duke stuck his finger into the contents of one of the barrels, giving it a sniff.
"Hey Jet!" he called out. "These barrels are full of blasting jelly."
"That's a great score." Jet replied.
"And these boxes are filled with jelly candy!" Pipsqueak added, holding up a fair-sized crate.
"Also good," Jet commented. "Let's not get those mixed up."
"What are you going to do with all this stuff?" Min asked curiously.
"We'll take it back to the hideout for now, save it for when we need it." Jet answered.
"You guys have a hideout?" Aang asked, excitedly.
"You wanna see it?" Jet offered.
"Yes, we wanna see it!" Katara answered quickly, eliciting a smile from Jet.
…
Jet led the gang into the woods until they were standing right in the middle of a large grove of trees.
"We're here." Jet announced.
"Where?" Sokka asked. "There's nothing here."
Jet smirked, then grabbed a rope that was hanging from a nearby tree, holding it out to Sokka.
"Here, hold this." he told him.
"Why?" Sokka asked taking hold of the rope. "What's this do?"
All of a sudden, the rope was yanked upward, catching onto Sokka's wrist and pulling him up into the branches where he disappeared. He held one out to Min, who took it hesitantly. She too was yanked up, though she was able to do it with a bit more grace. He offered a third rope to Aang, who brushed it off politely.
"I'll get up on my own." Aang assured him.
He used his airbending to launch himself up the branches, scaling them quickly as Momo followed him up. Jet watched him go, then slid his hand through the loop in the rope, offering out his free arm to Katara.
"Grab hold of me, Katara." he told her.
Katara took his hand and he pulled her in close to him. She blushed, holding him as the two of them were slowly pulled up into the trees. The leaves parted, revealing an extravagant array of tree houses all throughout the woods. They were connected via wooden bridges and zip lines, and nearly two dozen kids of various ages could be seen. Aang zipped down one of the zip lines, laughing as he did.
"Nice place you got!" He called out.
"It's beautiful up here!" Katara gasped, looking out at the array of tree houses.
"It's beautiful, and more importantly, the Fire Nation can't find us." Jet added.
"Sounds like the perfect place." Min remarked, sliding down a zip line before landing in front of the group.
"It is perfect." Smellerbee agreed, landing next to her. "The Fire Nation will stop at nothing to find us, won't they Jet?"
"They can try all they want, but that's not gonna happen." Jet assured him.
The entire group began walking across one of the bridges, Sokka struggling to catch up.
"Why does the Fire Nation want to find you?" Katara wondered.
"I guess you could say I've been causing them a little trouble." Jet answered with a shrug. "See, they took over a nearby Earth Kingdom village a few years back."
"We've been ambushin' their troops, cutting off their supply lines, and doing anything we can to mess with 'em." Pipsqueak added, sounding proud of their accomplishments.
"One day, we'll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good and free that town." Jet declared.
"Sounds like a very brave and noble gesture." Min complimented.
Sokka finally managed to catch up, pushing past Pipsqueak.
"Yeah, nothing says noble and brave like a guy living in a tree house." He let out sarcastically.
"Pay no attention to my brother." Katara told Jet, glaring at Sokka.
"Don't worry about it." Jet assured her. "He's probably had a rough day."
Sokka slumped, sinking back into the rear of the group. Min glanced around at all the kids, noting a distinct lack of adults.
"I'm sorry if I offend you with this question, but where are the adults?" she asked. "Are there only kids and teens up here?"
"Unfortunately." Jet replied. "Longshot over there? His town got burned down by the Fire Nation. And we found The Duke trying to steal our food. I don't think he ever really had a home."
"What about you?" Katara questioned.
Jet stopped walking, as did Katara and Min. The rest of the group went past them as Jet looked down at his feet.
"The Fire Nation killed my parents." He answered solemnly. "I was only eight years old. That day changed me forever."
"Sokka and I lost our mother to the Fire Nation." Katara told him.
"I did too..." Min added.
"I'm so sorry." Jet told them both.
The three of them stood there for a moment, lost in the memories of loved-ones lost to time.
…
Later that evening, all of the kids of the freedom fighters gathered around a large banquet table laden with food and treats snatched from the Fire Nation encampment. The entire gang was there as well, even Appa, who was resting comfortable amongst the branches high about the table. As everyone partook of the feast, Jet stood up, stepping onto the table.
"Today, we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine." he declared, earning a cheer from just about everyone at the table save for an irate Sokka. "I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face when The Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog monkey."
Cheers rang out again as The Duke climbed onto, waving his hands in the air with a playful grin.
"Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees." He remarked as he sipped some water out of a wooden cup. "Maybe they're right."
This time, almost every kid at the table began booing, sticking their tongues out, or giving Jet a thumbs down.
"Or maybe..." Jet amended, taking on a serious disposition. "They're dead. Wrong!"
The trees erupted into cheers once more as Jet took his seat next to Katara.
"Nice speech Jet." Katara told him.
"Thanks." He replied. "By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending I saw out there today."
"Well, he's great." Katara brushed off. "He's the Avatar. Me, I still have a lot to learn."
"The Avatar, huh?" Jet said, looking Aang over with an analytical stare. "Guess that makes one of you the Guardian."
"Me." Min said, raising her hand.
"Very nice." Jet complimented. "Your skills with those swords is quite impressive."
"Years of practice." Min replied.
"If you're done patting each other on the back, we need to get going." Sokka declared.
"What's the rush?" Jet asked.
"We need to get Aang to the North Pole, and we're on a bit of a deadline." Sokka answered.
"Can't you spare a day or two?" Jet inquired. "Besides, I could use your help on an important mission tomorrow."
Sokka perked up, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"What mission?" He asked.
…
The next day, Jet and Sokka perched themselves on the branches of one of the many trees in the forest. This one was overlooking the only cleared path through the woods. Jet looked out at the trees, making a bird call with his hands and sending out a signal. Several trees down, Pipsqueak and Smellerbee could be seen, the latter returning Jet's call.
All of a sudden, Sokka stabbed the side of his knife into the tree, cupping his hands around the handle and placing his ear against it. Jet glanced up at him confused.
"What are you doing?" he hissed.
"Shush." Sokka whispered in reply. "It amplifies vibrations."
"Good trick." Jet complimented, genuinely impressed as he looked back out at the road. "Hear anything?"
"Not yet." Sokka answered before perking slightly. "Wait… Yes, someone's coming."
"How many?" Jet questioned.
"I think there's just one." Sokka replied.
Jet let out another bird call, alerting Pipsqueak and Smellerbee.
"Good work, Sokka." he told him. "Now ready your weapon."
Sokka did just that, pulling his knife out of the tree as he waited for the oncoming threat. His eyes then fell on an old, decrepit man dressed in fire nation clothes.
"Wait, false alarm." Sokka whispered. "He's just an old man."
Jet ignored Sokka, drawing his hook swords and jumping out of the tree. He landed right in front of the old man, staring him with eyes brimming with hatred and venom.
"What are you doing in our woods, you leech?" Jet snarled.
"Please sir..." the old man begged, his voice weak and wizened with age. "I'm just a traveler."
Jet stepped forward, swiping one of his swords at the old man and sending his cane flying out of his hand. The old man backed away in fear, but when he tried to flee back he way he'd come, he ran face first into Pipsqueak. The old man ended up flat on his back, though he quickly rolled onto his stomach. Before he could get any farther than that, Pipsqueak's foot was on his back, pinning him down.
"Do you like destroying towns?" Jet spat. "Do you like destroying families?! Do you?!"
The man began to shake, trying to shrink into his robes.
"Please, let me go..." he pleaded. "Have mercy..."
"Does the Fire Nation let people go?!" Jet snarled, clearly close to losing what fragile control he had over his actions. "Does the Fire Nation have mercy?"
He pulled his foot back, preparing to kick the man. Luckily, Sokka jumped down from the tree just in time, catching Jet's foot with his club.
"Jet, stop!" Sokka demanded, releasing Jet's foot. "He's just an old man!"
"He's Fire Nation!" Jet argued before turning to his freedom fighters. "Search him!"
Pipsqueak pulled the old man to his feet as Smellerbee roughly searched him. Sokka stared down Jet angrily.
"He wasn't hurting anyone." Sokka argued. "I doubt he could, even if he wanted to."
"Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother?" Jet reminded. "Remember why you fight!"
"We got his stuff, Jet." Smellerbee said, handing Jet the old man's bag.
Sokka watched as Pipsqueak dropped the old man to the ground. Sokka looked at him, a feeling of remorse washing over him.
"This isn't right." He voice.
"It's what has to be done." Jet corrected. "Now let's get out of here."
Jet pushed past Sokka as he left, with Pipsqueak and Smellerbee following behind. Sokka looked back at the old man, and a great swell of pity came over him.
"Come on, Sokka!" Jet called out.
Hesitantly, Sokka turned and ran to catch up with the others.
…
Back at the hideout, Sokka was sulking bitterly outside one of the houses. Aang zipped by on one of the many lines, jumping off and landing right in front of Sokka.
"Sokka! Look what the Duke gave me!" Aang insisted, showing off a bag he was wearing over his shoulder.
The airbender rummaged inside, pulling out a small pellet. Will a sly grin, he tossed it right at Momo, where it exploded at the lemur's feet. Momo hissed like a cat, turning to Aang angrily. He quickly scampered up Aang and into the bag, lobbing several of the pellets at Aang's feet, forcing the airbender into a sporadic dance. Min happened to be walking up and she snorted.
"Serves you right, Aang." she chastised.
That's when Katara walked up, her hands behind her back and a faux innocent expression on her face.
"Hey Sokka." she greeted. "Is Jet back yet?"
"Yeah he's back," Sokka answered bitterly. "But we're leaving."
That threw everyone for a loop.
"What?" Aang asked.
"Leaving?" Min repeated.
"But I made him this hat." Katara lamented, pulling her hands out from behind her back to reveal a cap made out of stitched leaves with a flower on top.
"Your boyfriend's a thug." Sokka told his sister.
"He's not a thug." Katara argued, crossing her arms.
"What makes you say he's a thug?" Min questioned.
"Probably the fact that he beat and robbed a helpless old man!" Sokka replied.
"He did what?!" Min exclaimed.
"There's got to be more to this story." Aang insisted.
"I agree." Katara declared. "I want to hear what Jet has to say about all this."
...
The group confronted Jet in his room, finding him sitting on a hammock while sharpening his hook swords. Min and Sokka stood by the door of the room, eying Jet wearily as Katara and Aang approached. Aang was now wearing Katara's leaf hat, holding it for her as she explained what Sokka had told them. Once she's finished, Jet turned towards the water tribe warrior in surprise.
"Sokka, you told them what happened, but you didn't mention that the guy was Fire Nation?" He questioned.
"No, he conveniently left that part out." Katara remarked accusingly.
"Fire Nation or not, he was a harmless civilian." Sokka argued.
"He was an assassin, Sokka." Jet countered.
He then pulled out a knife and thrusted it into a nearby stump. Everyone jumped as it embedded itself into the wood. It was clearly fire nation make, appearing well crafted and incredibly menacing. There were spikes along the handle, and even a ring at the end of the hilt where a vial of poison could be hidden. Jet revealed this little feature, showing off that it was full of a potent looking red liquid.
"That old man was sent to eliminate me." Jet explained. "You saved my life, Sokka."
"I knew there was an explanation." Katara let out, clearly relieved.
"I didn't see any knife!" Sokka dismissed.
"That's because he was concealing it." Jet told him.
"See Sokka?" Katara turned to her brother. "I'm sure you just didn't notice the knife."
"There was no knife!" Sokka practically yelled. "Min, you believe me, don't you?"
"I have to admit, the idea of the Fire Nation sending an old man as an assassin is pretty far-fetched." Min told him.
"Thank you!" Sokka practically shouted. "Finally, someone's willing to listen to me. Now come on, we're leaving now!"
He turned and walked out of the treehouse, Min following behind him. Katara and Aang turned to go, but Jet quickly stopped them.
"Tell me you guys aren't leaving yet." he practically begged. "I really need your help."
"What is it?" Aang asked curiously.
"The Fire Nation is planning on burning down our forest." Jet explained. "If you both use Waterbending to fill the reservoir, we could fight the fires. But if you leave now, they'll destroy everything.
Aang and Katara exchanged worried looks.
…
Sokka and Min were in the middle of packing up their stuff as Katara walked in on them.
"We're not leaving." Katara declared. "The Fire Nation wants to burn down this forest. We've seen them do it before, and I'm not going to just run away when there's something I can do to prevent it."
"I'm sorry Katara." Sokka said to her. "Jet's smooth, but we can't trust him."
"You know what I think?" Katara snapped. "You're jealous of Jet because he's a better warrior, and a better leader!"
"Katara, even I think Jet is off." Min tried to rationalize. "I'll admit, I thought he was cool at first, but if he's willing to attack innocent elderly, who knows how far he's willing to go."
"Besides, I'm not jealous." Sokka insisted. "It's just that my instincts-"
"Have forced us to trek for miles in order to avoid the fire nation, only for us to wind up walking right into their camp." Katara interjected. "Your instincts nearly got us killed, so I'm done listening to them. I'm going to listen to mine now, and they're telling me we need to stay here a little longer and help Jet!"
She turned and stormed out of the treehouse, Min letting out a whistle.
"Jet has her wrapped around his little finger." she lamented. "Aang too."
"I know right?!" Sokka let out. "I can't believe how easily they're buying his little 'dashing rogue' act."
"Maybe they just need to see the real Jet." Min suggested.
"And how do we do that?" Sokka asked.
Min smirked.
"We keep an eye on our 'dashing rogue'." Min replied. "Something tells me that he's a bit of a night owl, if you know what I mean."
"Ah, I hear ya." Sokka replied, smirking.
…
That night, most of the camp was fast asleep, including the gang. Sokka had taken first watched, leaning against his supply bag as he peered out through a hole in the wall. He had begun to doze off, then he heard Jet's voice call out in a loud whisper.
"Let's go."
Sokka bolted up, peering out to see Jet and several of his followers descending down into the forest. He wasted no time going over to Min and nudging her awake. She awoke slowly, rubbing her eyes and looking over at Sokka. He gave her a single nod, and she returned it in kind. She then grabbed her swords and the two of them took off after Jet's group.
They followed him over to a man-made dam built into the cliff overlooking the valley. It was meant to hold a reservoir of sorts, but the water was incredibly low.
"What are they doing?" Min whispered to Sokka.
"I don't know, but aren't those the barrels of blasting jelly they pulled from the camp?" Sokka questioned, pointing down towards a large wagon full of barrels.
"I'm sure they aren't barrels of jelly candy." Min remarked.
Down below, Jet watched as the Freedom fighters offloaded the barrels before turning to talk to Longshot.
"Now listen." Jet told him. "You are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive."
The Duke jumped off the wagon, looking up at Jet conflicted.
"But what about the people in the town?" The Duke asked. "Won't they get wiped out too?"
Jet placed a hand on The Duke's shoulders, attempting to reassure him.
"Look Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of Fire Nation." he explained before turning back to Longshot. "Remember, don't blow it until I give the signal. Got it?"
"I don't believe it." Sokka let out.
"That must be why he needs Katara and Aang." Min realized. "He's going to use their Waterbending to fill the reservoir-"
"Then blow it up and flood the village." Sokka concluded. "We have to tell them."
Before either of them could make a move, Pipsqueak yanked them out of their hiding place. Smellerbee immediately thrusted his knives under their chins.
"You're not going anywhere." He taunted. "Bring them to Jet."
…
Sokka and Min were dragged before Jet, thrown at his feet roughly. The two regained their footing quickly, turning towards Jet angrily.
"Sokka, Min, so glad you could join us." He greeted them.
"Don't start Jet." Min snapped. "We heard everything."
"We know about your plans to destroy the Earth Kingdom town." Sokka added.
"Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation." Jet argued.
"If that's the truth, then why sell Aang and Katara some bogus story about the Fire Nation burning down the forest?" Min questioned coldly.
"Because they don't understand the demands of war." Jet countered. "Not like the three of us do."
"Do those demands include the lives of innocent people?" Sokka questioned. "Women, children, you'd just let them all die?"
"We can't win without making a few sacrifices." Jet told him.
Min scoffed.
"You know, for someone who claims to be trying to fight the Fire Nation, you're acting almost exactly like they do."
Jet's eyes widened at that, his hook sword coming up and catching her around the neck. Sokka yelped a bit and went to interfere, but Pipsqueak grabbed him by his ponytail, yanking him back.
"Don't you dare compare me to those monsters!" Jet snapped. "Ever!"
"Then stop acting like them." Min replied, her gaze softening. "Call off this plan. Nobody has to die."
"And let the Fire Nation remain in control of this valley?" Jet snarled, releasing her neck and shoving her towards Smellerbee. "Not a chance."
Smellerbee pinned Min's arms behind her back and tied them up quickly. He then gave Sokka a similar treatment before dragging them off.
"C'mon you two." Smellerbee demanded. "We're going on a nice little walk."
"You can't do this!" Sokka cried out, struggling against Pipsqueak's grasp.
"Cheer up, Sokka." Jet called back as the two were led off. "We're gonna win a great victory against the Fire Nation today."
…
Later on, Jet let Katara and Aang along the extremely low river bed, occasionally shifting their path to avoid geysers. As they walked, Katara approached Jet remorsefully.
"Jet, I wanted to apologize for the way Sokka's been acting." she told him.
"Yean, Min as well." Aang agreed.
"No worries." Jet assured them. "The two already apologized."
"Really?" Aang let out in surprise. "I can see Min doing it, but Sokka never admits when he's wrong."
"Yeah, I was surprised too." Jet admitted. "I got the sense that maybe you talk to them or something, Katara."
"Yeah, I did." Katara noted.
"I guess something you said got through to him." Jet said with a shrug. "Anyhow, the two of them went out on a scouting mission with Pipsqueak and Smellerbee."
"I'm just glad Sokka's cooled off." Katara told him. "He's so stubborn sometimes."
"I've never really seen Min honestly mad." Aang admitted. "Though seeing her side with Sokka was a bit of a sur-"
The rest of the word surprise was extended into a shout of one as a blast of hot air from one of the geysers shot him into the air. Jet watched him go, smiling.
"Alright, we're here." he announced as Aang lowered himself back onto the ground via airbending. "Underground water is trying to escape through these vents. I need you guys to help it along."
Katara looked down at the geysers, watching the steam rise from them with a sense of hesitation.
"I've never used bending on water I couldn't see." She admitted hesitantly. "I don't know if I-"
Jet walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, cutting off her words.
"Katara." he whispered in her ear. "You can do this."
Aang looked over, sulking slightly.
"Hey, what about me?" He asked.
Jet laughed slightly, turning to Aang.
"I know the Avatar can do this." he replied in earnest.
Aang grinned, then he and Katara got on either side of one of the geysers. They began using Katara's push and pull maneuver, only going up and down rather than side to side. It took a few minutes, but eventually water began to visibly rise from the geyser. Finally, the two gave a massive wave of their hands and the water began to continuously flow from the geyser without their held. Jet's face brightened at the sight.
"Yes!" He cheered. "This is great! A few more geyser and the reservoir will be full. Just keep it up a little longer while I go check on things over by the dam."
Jet turned to walk away, then Katara spoke up.
"When we're done, we'll meet you over there." she promised.
"Actually..." Jet let out. "It would probably be better if you meet me back at the hideout when you're done."
Jet then walked off, leaving Katara and Aang to continue their bending work.
…
The two continued at this for a while, allowing several geysers to spill out into the reservoir to fill it. Once they were done, Aang surveyed the various geysers with a smile.
"I bet that's enough." He declared, clapping his hands together as if to dust them off. "And I'm not just saying that to be lazy."
"Let's catch up with Jet at the reservoir." Katara suggested eagerly.
"I thought we agreed to meet Jet back at the hideout." Aang reminded.
"Well, we finished early." Katara pointed out. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see us."
…
Elsewhere in the forests, Smellerbee and Pipsqueak lead Sokka and Min through the trees. Both Sokka and Min were still bound at the wrists, trying desperately to free themselves.
"Come on," Smellerbee let out, shoving Sokka. "Move along."
Sokka stumbled forward, Min turning towards Smellerbee with a hard glare.
"I can't believe you two are actually going along with all this." She let out. "You're just gonna stand by and let Jet wipe out an entire village?"
"Listen guys," Pipsqueak spoke. "Jet's a great leader. We follow what he says, and things always turn out ok."
As they were walking, Sokka noticed a couple of snare-leaf traps like the ones that enticed Momo before.
"Min, I got an idea." Sokka whispered. "On my signal, run to your left."
Min gave a barely perceivable nod as Sokka looked back at the two freedom fighters.
"If that's how Jet leads, then he's got a lot to learn." He declared. "Now!"
Both Min and Sokka bolted to the left, Smellerbee and Pipsqueak giving chase. Sokka then deftly leapt over one of the pile of leaves with Min right behind him. Unfortunately for the two freedom fighters, they were not as observant and ended up getting snagging in two of the traps. Min and Sokka watched them get hoisted into the air before they slipped out of their ropes.
"A bit of advice while you're up there." Min called up to them. "Practice your knot work."
"Good one." he commended before getting serious. "You find Aang and Katara and warn them about the dam."
"What are you gonna do?" Min questioned.
"Follow my instincts." he answered. "Now go, hurry!"
Min nodded, then the two ran off in opposite directions. Smellerbee watched them go in disdain as Pipsqueak began eating the lychee nuts from his trap.
"Hey Smellerbee, you gonna eat those?" He asked, gesturing to his nuts.
Smellerbee lobbed one at him in annoyance, leaning back in his trap bitterly.
…
Katara and Aang made it to a large cliff overlooking the dam. From their perch, they could see a group of four Freedom Fighters setting up the last of the barrels of blasting jelly along the structure. As they saw what was going on, the two found themselves completely confused.
"What are they doing?" Katara asked.
"I don't know, but aren't those the barrels of blasting jelly Jet took from the Fire Nation?" Aang questioned.
Before Katara could answer the question, Min came running through the trees. She skidded to a halt in front of them, looking more than a little out of breath.
"Min, what are you doing here?" Katara inquired.
"Yeah," Aang added. "Jet said you were-"
"Jet lied." Min interrupted. "He used you both. He had you fill up the reservoir with water so he could flood the village."
"Flood the village?!" Katara exclaimed. "No way!"
Horror washed over Aang as he realized what the blasting jelly was for.
"Jet's going to blow up the dam." Aang pieced together. "I gotta stop him!"
"He can't do this..." Katara let out, holding her arms. "He wouldn't..."
Before Aang could take off, Jet came from behind and snatched his glider. Aang was left wobbling precariously on the edge of the cliff before Min pulled him safely back onto solid ground.
"Yes, I would." Jet announced.
"Finally deciding to come clean on your completely insane plan?" Min questioned coldly.
"Seems like everyone's in on it now." Jet replied.
"Jet, why?" Katara asked.
"Katara, you would too if you just stopped to think." Jet told her. "Think about what the Fire Nation did to your mother. We can't let them do that to anyone else, ever again."
"Min and Sokka were right." Katara realized. "You are a thug! I can't believe you honestly believe this is the answer!"
"I want you to understand me Katara." Jet insisted. "I thought your brother and Min would, but-"
"Sokka..." Katara suddenly realized. "Where is he?!"
"He's okay, I promise." Min assured her. "But we have to stop Jet before he gives the signal to blow the dam."
"I gotta get to the dam before it blows." Aang declared.
"You're not going anywhere without your glider." Jet told him.
Jet then swung his swords right at Aang, nearly taking off the airbender's head. Aang quickly somersaulted backward to avoid the blow, retreating into a nearby tree.
"I'm not gonna fight you Jet." Aang told him.
"You'll have to if you want your glider back." Jet taunted.
Aang retreated back into the forest, as Jet hooked onto the branch and pulled himself up. Katara followed on the ground with Min close behind. Jet attacked; Aang defending himself with balls of air, which Jet ducked under. Jet then attacked head on, but Aang blocked with his arms before sending his opponent flying into a tree trunk with an air kick. Jet combined his swords again and advanced. Aang avoided the flail-like move and sent another air blast towards the Freedom fighter. Jet stooped down and let the air flow over and past him before lunging again.
The two combatants continued the chase through the many levels of the forest. Jet caught up to Aang and sent them both free falling through the leaves, attacking as they went. They both ended up on a large branch, Aang cushioning his fall with airbending while Jet's skill saved him. Jet then continued his attack. Aang avoided it all, dodging and weaving in typical airbender fashion. Jet charged again, but Aang hit him with a jet-stream of air. Jet fell hard, and though he was able to recover, Aang's glider slipped from his grasp in the process. Before Aang could get to the ground to retrieve it, Jet kicked him into a trunk. He landed with a thud right next to his glider.
Aang slowly tried to get to his feet as Min ran to his side, her swords raised in order to protect Aang. Jet moved in to attack, but was cut off by a stream of water striking him in the chest. He looked over to see Katara standing next to a tributary of water, gathering more water up to attack Jet over and over again. He ended up getting shoved right into the trunk of one of the trees, his hook swords tumbling from his grasp. Seizing her chance, Katara let out a slow breath, freezing the water covering Jet. This caused him to become frozen to the trunk of the tree all the way up to his neck, fully immobilizing him.
"Why Jet?" Katara practically begged. "I can't believe I trusted you..."
"He's a smooth talker and a well-practiced liar." Min accused. "He had us all fooled."
"You're sick, Jet!" Katara snapped, tears in her eyes.
Just then, the three heard a bird call come out of nowhere. Jet let out another birdcall in response, causing Min to turn pale.
"No, no!" She exclaimed.
"What's going on?" Katara questioned.
"That was the signal!" Min exclaimed.
"You're too late." Jet told them.
Aang immediately tried taking off on his glider, but it had sustained damage during the fight with Jet, so it had no lift. He ended up face planting on the ground hard as both Min and Katara ran to his side.
"Min, where did Sokka go?" Katara questioned in a terrified voice.
"I don't know." Min replied honestly, her eyes drifting down to the dam. "I can only pray that he didn't try to go to the dam..."
"Come on Sokka..." Katara pleaded. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Please..."
Up on a tall branch, Longshot aimed a flaming arrow down at the barrels of jelly. He released the arrow as it began its downward arc towards the dam.
"No..." Katara whispered.
The explosion was deafening, the entire dam being engulfed in flames. Water rushed out of the reservoir, forming a massive, devastating wall of liquid that plowed through the village walls. By the time the water had calmed, massive pieces of debris were floating through the now partially submerged ruins of the village. Both Min and Katara gasped in horror as Aang looked down in remorse.
"Sokka didn't make it in time." He lamented.
"All those people…" Katara let out before turning back to Jet. "Jet, you monster!"
"This was a victory, Katara." Jet declared.
"Victory?" Min repeated, tears in her eyes as she looked down at the frozen freedom fighter. "You call this a victory?! You killed dozens of innocent people!"
"A small price to pay." Jet spat out. "The Fire Nation is gone and this valley is safe."
"It will be safe, without you."
Jet and the others looked up to see Sokka, rising from below the cliff on Appa.
"Sokka!" The rest of the gang cheered, grinning in relief at the sight of the water tribe warrior.
"Where did you go?" Min asked. "How did you-?"
"I warned the villagers of Jet's plan." Sokka answered. "And just in time too."
"What?!" Jet let out.
"I admit at first they didn't believe me." Sokka told them. "The Fire Nation soldiers assumed 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."
Min looked back down at the flooded valley, noting a large gathering of people that had been safely transported to higher ground. They were all safe from the water, which elicited a sigh of relief from the Guardian.
"You really did it." she let out. "Way to go, Sokka."
"Sokka you fool!" Jet shouted, struggling against the ice. "We could have freed this valley!"
"Who would be free?" Sokka asked. "Everyone you were trying to help would be dead."
"You traitor!" Jet exclaimed.
"No, Jet." Sokka replied. "You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people."
Aang jumped onto Appa's back with Min right behind him. Katara was about to follow, but gave Jet one last look. He met her eyes, looking upset and hurt.
"Katara..." he begged. "Please, help me."
Katara turned away, taking Aang's offered hand.
"Goodbye Jet." she told him before settling onto the saddle.
Sokka flicked Appa's reins, and a cold Yip-Yip, the group made their way out of the forest, leaving Jet still frozen to the tree.
…
Up in the sky, the gang looked over at Sokka, who continued flying Appa.
"We thought you were going to the dam." Aang explained. "How come you went to the town instead?"
"I guess trusting your instincts was a good idea this go around." Min offered up.
"Hey, sometimes they're right." Sokka said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Um… Sokka?" Katara spoke up. "You know we're going the wrong way, right?"
"And sometimes they're wrong." Sokka admitted, turning Appa the other way.