I'm so sorry about the delay on this story but I am just so busy and I'm preoccupied with 3 other one shots I'm working on one includes the 2nd part to the two shot in my collections of one shots. Plus there's been a disinterest in writing this because of a major writers block. I know . . . I know you guys can be mad at me but I'm back with other chapters almost done. Chapter 7 was re posted so that's a plus. Chapter 9 and 10 are practically done and mostly likely be posted with in days. But that depends on my reviews.
Enjoy!
Chapter 8: Terrors and News
'Darkness was all around as two distant voices spoke in whisper:
" . . . . Sir she'll be dead by that time she can barely even support herself now"
"What are you getting at?"
"What I'm saying is I think we should just take the girl and use her to get hat we want now since she's the . . ."
The room was dark except the glow of fire the now lit up one side of a earth wall. A girl gave a yelp of pain as she slammed against the wall of a cave, and fell face first into the dirt floor. Her long chocolate brown hair was mangled and sprayed over her body and face. She rose slowly and looked up to find the figure shaped as a man approaching her she stared at him fearfully, lifting her shaking form up to her feet but as she tried to stand her legs collapsed from underneath her sending colliding with the dirt ground once again. It appeared that her arms and legs were severely burned and infected wound rested in the center of her chest. Her clothes were ragged and torn it was to dark to see the color. Wincing her attention immediately turned to the the man who grabbed her roughly by the the neck of her shirt and thrust-ed her against the wall.
Everything went black before another scene came into the view.
The girl was shown being shoved to the ground landing with a loud thud her sides were bloody and raw looking, her back now had a long streak down it, sobbing uncontrollably as she coughed up a little bit of blood. Her face was pressed up against the dirt ground now a little biloody, her fist tightened so much they were white, and her body stiff and tense as if awaiting another blow. A blow that soon followed and landed hard and ruthless against her stiff and sore back causing her to jolt, this which was soon followed by another, after, another after another. With each blow it was followed by a blood- curdling scream. The soldier's cruel laugh echoed throughout the room almost as much as the girl's screams pleads and sobs. . .'
End of Dream . . .
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Thalassa's scream echoed through the small farm house. The 15 yr old jolted up in her bed into a sitting position, dripping with sweat, breathing heavily, and clutching her blankets. Her body shook as fresh tears fell to the blanket sheets. Her semi short hair, which now was 5 inches from her shoulders, clung to her body.
'It was so real, it was so real' she repeated in her head, 'It was to be real that girl looked just like me it has to be me'.
The 15 yr old barely heard the crys and sound of frantic footsteps making there way to her room all she heard was the hearty-retching screams that were hers echoing in her ears.
That afternoon thousands of miles away . . .
"There it is!", Aang cried suddenly. The gang had been flying for a few hours or so and they all were bored. Sokka looked over the bison's head to see the outline of a massive island floating on the water. As they grew closer a large mountain top surrounded by a large forest covered most of the land on the western side. To the east was a large town.
"Lets stop there, there bound to have food!", Sokka cried happily.
"You and your food", Toph was heard from the back of the saddle.
20 minutes later . . .
"This place if huge!", Sokka marveled at the many tall buildings and shops in the area. People were rushing about.
"Definitely", Aang agreed, "Almost as big as the imperial city".
The 13 yr old Avatar wore his old Fire Nation disguise complete with the hat. He didn't want anyone to know who he was because the last thing he wanted was people staring, and shouting things such as:
"Hey its the Avatar"
"Look the Avatar"
"Is that the Avatar?"
Especially he didn't want to draw the attention of fan girls especially not them. Sokka and Toph both wore there Fire Nation disguises for the same reason Aang wore his they wanted to blend in and not be noticed for they were here for information on the rebels the last thing needed was attention or blown cover.
"Ok I'll have that, that, that and . . ." the warrior pauses to look at some strange fruit it was orange and spiked like "O whats this it looks good. . Ok I'll take this to".
"You and your food"
"Hey I'm starving! Ooh they have fire flakes!"
Toph just rolled her eyes.
While Sokka was busy buying food and other assortments and Toph by his side telling him what a pig he was, Aang walked around the town square trying to look for anything suspicious. But nothing appeared so, the people were all take active and happy, nothing unusual here.
As he was walking he accidentally bumped into a stand.
"Oof!"
"Are you Ok young man?", he heard a older woman's voice ask him. Getting up while rubbing his sore head he replied sheepishly, "Yeah I'm Ok".
That's when she gasped "Your the Avatar!".
Aang swiftly grabbed his fallen hat and placed it on top of his head hoping no one else had seen, thankfully, for him, they didn't.
"What can I do for you young avatar?", she asked bowing.
"O please don't bow", he told her politely in a quiet voice and smiled "You can just call me Aang" he was hoping she would get the idea. Thankfully she did.
"I was hopeing . . ."
"Hey Aang look what we got!"
"I had to talk him out of buying the whole stand"
The airbender turned to find his friend with a armful of bags. He placed them down once noticing the older woman.
"As I was saying has anything unusual or weird happening been going on here?"
"Well actually things have been happening", she began "well not now but a month or so after the end of 'The Great War' was announced over weird things began going on in that forest over there", she turns to look at the forest.
"What kinds of things?"
She replies "Since I live near the forest me and my husband began hearing a girls screams coming from somewhere out there in the forest it stopped a couple of months ago thou".
"A girl?", Sokka asks suddenly concerned.
The women nodded "Horrible torturous screams, we told the authorities, but nothing came up".
"Did they search the woods?". Aang asked curiously.
"Yes many times but nothing ever came tho . . ."
"That's strange"
"Yes very" Sokka agrees while pondering on what the woman had just informed them on. He thanked the woman for the information. She bowed and told them anytime.
Later after the gang had placed there supplies at camp and walked off into the woods. . .
The trio made there way down the forest path up towards the mountains were the woman had describd to them. They were determined to find out the reason and they each new it was rebel related.
"What could that possibly mean?" Toph asks aways down the forest path.
"I don't know? but if the authorities really search, something would have turned up because things like that can't possibly go unnoticed or cared about" Sokka said.
"Unless the aurthorties are connected to whomever was behind the girl screams" Toph reasoned.
"I don't know for sure but something isn't right about this place", Aang added.
"Yeah", Sokka replies then adds "Lets search the woods and see if anything turns up".
"Alright . ."
"Ok . ."
These were the warriors only two replies before the trio separated and went there separate ways. Sokka walking straight, Toph to the mountain, and Aang in some random direction opposite of Sokka.
Meanwhile . . .
"Thalassa? . . . Thalassa? . .Thalassa?!"
The 15 yr old just up in suprising breaking out of her thought and turned to face her friend Rere.
"O hey Rere", she said happily.
"I haven't seen you in a while where have you been?"
"O around, Lea, Anata, and Kisa are all still sick"
"O I heard about that, it must be the epidemic"
"Probrably . . ." she trailed off and sighed "I hope Ming will get here soon".
"I heard she out in Gaoling"
"What for?" Thalassa asked curiously, then without thinking or even knowing what she was saying asked, "Isn't that were Toph lives?".
"Yeah it is"
"Anyway Ambika wants me back at the farm by noon to help around the house, its a handful with the little ones sick"
"Yea it must be . . . What about Aunt Chi?"
"She off selling food today at the market in BingHe"
"O, Ok then see ya"
"See ya"
The two went there separate ways Rere to the market and Thalassa back through the forest trails. The 15 yr old walked past the Ling's home no one appeared to be home so she kept walking. Ever since the epedemic broke out everyone was taking prcautions. Many kept to there homes and wouldn't let there children outside or such and such things.
About a minute later after passing the Ling's she turned the corner and looked up through the woods she could almost make out the plain where the farm house was. SHe took a few steps forward only to get the feeling she was being watched. Her blood began to pound in her head, she always hated this feeling because she always got it while walking alone in the woods.
Most of all because it had been excactly a month and a half since Shan had bothered the come after her and she suspected nayday now he'd come searching for her. She had heard from Ji and Koko that he was already asking about her around town.
Turning around she looked back and surveyed woods nothing was there just thebirds, trees bushes and other animals of the forest.
"I'm being silly", she told herself and turned back around.
That's when a rustle was heard from behind her.
This caused her to whirl back around quickly, nothing was there. SHe stood facing the opposite way for a few more moments not hereing the quiet footsteps making there way from behind, towards her.
Some time later to Toph . . .
The earthbender made her way up towards the mountain searching for any signs of suspicion such as footsteps or such. None however turned up. She had been walking for at least 30 minutes. and would have to track down the boys soon.
"I'm bored", she said to herself. She had given up searching for vibration s of sorts and just went with walking around waiting for something to turn up.
After awhile she gave up and went to tracking the boys down she found them not to far away.
"Did you find anything Toph?"
"No . . .", was her simple answer.
"Well then lets head back we'll search tomorrow"
While walking back Toph stepped on an object hidden under the leaves.
"What's this? it feels like a shoe" the earthbenders asks as she bent down to pick the object up.
"Let me see"
Toph handed the shoe over to Sokka who just looks it over and from the looks it was most likely old and was worn and torn in several spots by best guess was because of the weather. A faded brown in color probably due to being outside for so long and being covered from top to bottom in dirt. Turning the shoe over and brushing away all the dirt and leaves that covered it he feels a little sick at the sight of dried up blood. He examines it now and looking with just a little effort and was able to spot a faded half circle with a small swirl in the center. Colored with a light tint of blue that shown through the blood that stained it, but still able to be distinguished as the remains of a watertribe symbol! his eyes grew wide.
"Its Katara's'"Sokka said softly in disbelief.
"What!?", his two companions cried from behind him in absolute shock.
"Lets search the area", the warrior instructed in a urgent tone with a hint of desperation in his voice, and took off into the forest with his friends following behind him. Little did they know that after today nothing would ever be the same again.
Alright its finaly done! What will happen? and this is were the action begins. You'll find out why next chapter.
Please review!
