Disclaimer: I don't own 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'
Notes: And on to Book One: Water, Chapter Fifteen: Bato of the Water Tribe. (The second part)
Short chapter and late update… I apologise. It's just that I was extremely busy the weekend I was supposed to update and I've only just gotten back from a camping trip. I'm also away this weekend on some 'relax-by-partying-all-night-and-playing-sports-all-day' getaway so I'll try to update either on Thursday this week or (if I don't get it written in time) sometime after I return.
SMOKE
Smoke... smoke... had to get out of the smoke... suddenly a warm hand gripped onto her wrist tightly. Katara stopped breathing. "Where do you think you're going, water peasant?"
Flowerperson
© 2006
Part XI: Paralysis
The Sisters all attended to the pots of sweet-smelling liquids, stirring them with large utensils. As they worked, stirring the perfume, they chattered to each other over philosophical matters such as whether the Hundred-Year War was coming to an end, and also practical subjects, such as what new scents they could combine for a new ointment. Overall, despite the Water Tribe people leaving abruptly (as well as the Avatar, although he travelled in a different direction), it was any other normal day so far.
That is, until, the pots began to tremble and clatter as what felt like an earthquake attacked the peaceful village. Some pots threatened to fall over and spill out their liquid, but the women looking after the perfume managed to keep a firm grip of the teetering containers.
A second later, the gates of the village were forced open as a large, rat-like creature emerged, sniffing as a dog would do and hissing similarly to a snake. Its razor-sharp talons scratched against the stone courtyard floor as it continued to sniff, darting its lizard tongue out a few times to taste the air. The Sisters gasped at the sight of this monstrosity, cowering in fear.
The beast made a 360-degree turn and faced the exit.
Upon the creature were three people: a woman with dark make-up, an old man and a teenager. The two males were wearing Fire Nation armour (this realisation made the nuns whimper even more) but the female was entirely dressed in black. "We're getting close," she said before lashing out with her whip. The other two held on tightly as the animal ran off again, out of the village.
Sighing in relief, the Sisters took a few calming breaths before returning to work.
One Sister, who Bato had talked to earlier, frowned. The beast had followed the Water Tribesmen.
-
Walking down a dirt path cutting through the forest, the three members from the Water Tribe stopped to hear a wolf howling mournfully in the distance. "That wolf sounds so sad," Katara said to Sokka. Trust her to be concerned over an animal—she always had a habit of picking up strays, Sokka thought before wincing. That was harsh.
He shrugged his shoulders, "It's probably injured or something."
"No," Bato interjected with a sigh, "It has been separated from its pack. I understand that pain. I felt like that when the Water Tribe warriors had to leave me behind. They were my family, and being apart from them was more painful than my wounds."
Sokka looked at the ground, lost in thought. He remembered when the Water Tribesmen had left him alone to look after the Tribe, being the eldest male yet not old enough to go to war. He too felt that pain; the emotional torment of being left behind. He knew this, and yet he left Aang…
"Sokka?" Katara questioned, breaking his train of thought but he had thought enough, and had decided.
With sudden determination, he looked back up. "We need to go back. I want to see Dad but…" he turned to Katara, already knowing that she understood, "Helping Aang is where we're needed the most."
His sister smiled, "You're right."
Bato stepped forward; he knew Sokka would have chosen the right path. He was, after all, the son of Hakoda. "Your father will understand, and I know he's proud of you." How many times had his best friend bragged about his son's fierce determination for righteousness, and his daughter's purity? And how would he react to Katara being a waterbender—the only one of her tribe? Brag a lot more, his mind supplied.
"Thanks, Bato," Sokka said softly, knowing that there was a possibility that they might not—no. They would see each other again. Sokka was sure of it. They would help the Avatar restore balance and every single Water Tribe warrior would return to their families back home.
"I'm going to go from here. Take this," he handed the map to Katara, "If you want to find us. Good luck. I shall see you soon."
The two siblings turned from Bato and retraced their steps back to the abbey. Hopefully, Aang wouldn't have gotten far and Sokka would be able to track him down. Around ten minutes later, when they were halfway back to the abbey, Sokka put his hand out in front of Katara. "Sokka?"
"I think I hear some—"
There was a sudden crash as something emerged from the trees behind them. They both turned back to see a huge mammal hissing and spitting at them with teeth as sharp as daggers. Katara, frozen in shock, was not able to flee but Sokka grasped her hand and pulled, already running from this strange creature. However, they managed to only find themselves in a dead end as a ten-foot ledge stood in front of them. They could not risk trying to climb it, as it would mean putting their backs to them.
Katara glanced to the riders and noticed Prince Zuko. Memories from when they last met passed through her mind.
"Well, when I first saw his scar, I was scared of him—it gives off that aura of danger, you know?"
She certainly saw this now, gulping as he dismounted the hissing animal and stood beside it, glaring at her. He probably hadn't forgotten it either; maybe he was hear to exact some revenge. Maybe he would make the monster devour her right in front of him.
"So this is your girlfriend," the female rider observed, "No wonder she left. She's way too pretty for you."
Katara spluttered. G-Girlfriend! Zuko too seemed lost for words as his hands balled into shaking fists. The bounty-hunter just had to say that in front of the girl she accused him of dating!
Before Katara or Zuko could say anything in their defence, Sokka stepped forward.
"What! Girlfriend? You think my sister would even consider touching that firebending scum? She has higher expectations than that!" The dark-haired woman smirked, her eyes alight with mischief. Water Tribe and Fire Nation? Oh, the scandal…
Zuko chose to change the subject, and stick with his task. He could always reprimand her later for failing to keep her mouth shut. Although she probably wouldn't pay much attention and just laugh in his face. He glanced around—there was something missing… Wait a second, where was the Avatar? "Where is he? Where's the Avatar?"
Pushing Katara behind him (he had not forgotten the time a short while ago when Zuko had taken Katara prisoner), Sokka snarled, "We split up. He's long gone."
"How stupid do you think I am?" A rhetorical question, yet Katara's brother felt the need to answer it.
"Pretty stupid… RUN!" Sokka gripped Katara's wrist once more and broke out in a sprint but Katara was too slow with her steps, and the monster's tongue slapped against her leg, paralysing her.
In the last moments before paralysis settled over her completely, she yelled to Sokka: "Get Aang!" before finding herself losing complete control over her body. She suffered a few spasms, her muscles twitching before relaxing. Sokka hesitated—not again! He couldn't leave her behind again!—but just like before, he knew he had to. He couldn't fight them off on his own, and Aang needed to be found and warned.
One more moment of hesitation, then Sokka was gone, sprinting back towards the abbey, hoping that Aang had not moved far. The Xir-Xiu lunged for him but he wasn't within the poisonous tongue's reach.
Meanwhile, Zuko stood over the water peasant, noting the way the paralysis had not affected her eyes as she glanced in the direction of her brother worriedly. He frowned, not liking the way she completely ignored his intimidating presence (yes, he was intimidating to her; she had admitted it to him!).
"Do you really think your stupid peasant of a brother will be successful?" Zuko spat, "Even if he does get the Avatar, all it takes is a lick from this creature and my—" The bounty hunter, listening to the prince's taunts, scoffed at the word 'my', "—enemies are powerless to do anything, just like you are now."
Katara finally turned her gaze to Zuko, glaring with an intense hate. If her mouth wasn't incapable of speech, he was sure that she would have made some scathing remark—or at least, tried. A traitorous little voice whispered that it was worse for her to say nothing, as all he could focus on were two tumultuous oceans of fury, threatening to pull him in and rip the breath from his body.
His uncle placed a hand on his shoulder, and Zuko—at last—was able to look away, quickly going back to his authoritative self. "Uncle, get back on the animal. We must move on to find the Avatar before the peasant boy."
"And Katara?"
Zuko's brow furrowed as his lips curved downwards into a frown. Why did his uncle remember the peasant's name? Couldn't he just refer to her as 'the girl', removing all suggestions that they knew each other on a first-name basis? Couldn't he just pretend that Zuko had not nearly broken when he thought the peasant was dead?
Couldn't Zuko forget the feeling of relief when he found out she was—
Shut up! His mind screamed. What do you think you're doing? Just leave the peasant and go!
"It would be a good idea to use her for bait," the pale-skinned female supplied with a flick of her raven hair, "My Xir-Xiu is a magnificent creature, but if this monk of yours is so difficult to capture, a little bit of leverage couldn't hurt. And it would be such a shame to leave a pretty thing like her out in the wood where any beast could pick her up and have its wicked way with her." Somehow Zuko knew that by 'beast' she didn't mean animals.
"Fine," he scowled, flinging the peasant over his shoulder and climbing onto the large animal before placing her behind him. "Let's just get going."
After allowing the Xir-Xiu a few seconds to decipher the Water Tribe boy's scent, the bounty hunter whipped the creature and they were off once more.
-
Zuko could not stop his cheeks turning red as he noticed where his hand had landed.
Really, it was completely innocent. The Xir-Xiu had charged through the gates with such force that their 'bait' had began to slip from the monster's back. Acting on instinct, he had reached for her and grabbed her clothes. He patted her once to make sure she was secure and only realised then where he had touched: her derriere.
It seems she too had noticed (well, she hadn't at first since the sensation was very slight due to her paralysis and had taken her a while for the messages to travel to her brain) as her cheeks had flushed an indignant—and embarrassed—rouge.
"S-sorry," he stuttered, his hand quickly retracting to settle in the Xir-Xiu's fur.
The other passengers made no outward indication that they had noticed although when Zuko looked closer at the bounty hunter, he saw a tell-tale smirk on her painted lips. Frowning, he told himself to let the peasant fall next time, rather than be left with this embarrassment.
"Where is he?" Zuko asked impatiently, seeing no sign of the other water peasant or the Avatar anywhere. "Are you sure it got the right scent? Why would they retu—"
"IYAH!" a familiar voice hollered as a boomerang was flung before the beast reared back into an upright position, spooked by the yell and feeling something sharp cut its front leg. Zuko gripped onto the fur and despite his earlier oath, held onto the peasant girl's arm to stop her from falling off.
Not allowing the creature to regain its balance, a sphere of pressurised air knocked into its chest. Zuko and the others all fell off the Xir-Xiu as it flipped onto its back, hissing at the sudden attacks.
Landing on his feet and making a sweeping motion with his staff, Aang stood before them.
"You want to fight, Zuko?"
He paused, glancing at Katara to make sure she was well. The Avatar frowned at her motionless state.
"Then let's fight."
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