PARADOX
Chapter Twelve: Roughing It, Stupid Sokka Making Us Walk part 1
We were unfortunately forced to walk by Sokka anyway.
When we had flown away from the waterfall, Zuko had seen us and had taken several shots at us with his "hot stinkers" as Katara called them. They did stink horribly but giving them a horrible name on top of that wasn't justified.
We had landed several hours away from where we had last camped. Appa had needed a break. Not that I blamed him. I would be exhausted carrying around four teenagers, even if they were probably less than one percent of my total weight, too.
"Where's Momo?" Katara suddenly asked.
I looked up from sharpening my dao swords. I hadn't used them lately and I was probably getting out of practice. I should probably practice with my bow too.
"I don't know." Sokka answered.
We heard a screeching chirp in reply. We rushed to the sound. Aang was way ahead of all of us using his airbending.
We found him when we looked up. He had been caught in a metal trap. It didn't hurt him just caught him. Unlike many of the other traps that were made in my world.
Aang instantly jumped up and pried the metal open the hard way.
We looked over and there were two more creatures trapped as well. The looked sort of like dogs. One reached out a paw hopefully.
"Okay you too." Aang agreed going to jump up again.
"That'll take forever." Sokka complained throwing his boomerang at just the right angle to cut both the ropes the metal traps were hanging from.
The traps burst open like overripe fruit when they hit the ground and the dog creatures went running.
"These are Fire Nation traps." Sokka said examining the trap more closely. "You can tell by the metal work. It's time to leave." He said.
We quickly hurried back to the small camp we had set up and began to pack our stuff on Appa.
Just as we prepared to climb up on Appa, Sokka objected telling us we had to walk because Appa was the reason why the Fire Nation kept finding us.
I objected. "They keep finding us because Zuko is as stubborn as an earthbender and as ruthless as a firebender." I told them. They looked at me like I said something weird.
They ignored me and went back to their argument.
"How do you think Zuko keeps finding us. Its Appa he's way too noticeable." Sokka argued.
"It can't be Appa." Katara objected.
"He's a giant, fluffy, monster, with horns and an arrow on his head." Sokka returned.
Appa groaned.
"Don't worry Appa, Sokka's just jealous he doesn't have an arrow." Aang comforted his giant spirit animal.
Which reminded me of Kovu, who I missed desperately.
"We're walking that's final." Sokka said.
"Who died and made you leader?" Katara asked. "If anyone should be leader it should be Aang."
"He's just a goofy kid. I'm the oldest that makes me leader." Sokka tried to make his voice deeper but it ended up cracking on the last word.
"I'm older than you." I said bluntly.
All three looked over to me. "I vote Kiara." Aang said helpfully.
"Me too. Anyone who isn't Sokka." Katara agreed teasingly.
"So I say we take the bison and try to outrun anyone who comes after us instead of sneaking by." I said.
Unfortunately, Sokka somehow managed to convince Katara and Aang it would be a good idea to walk.
Damn.
After a hour of walking Aang and Katara started to complain. The only reason I hadn't joined them was because I was used to long walks from delivering food to the village and my hunting trips.
Eventually they started making jokes about "Sokka's instincts" making them personified.
We continued stomping through the brush. I sighed in exasperation. None of these guys were very stealthy. We sounded like a herd of elephants parading through the woods. If there were any troops anywhere near us they would hear us long before we would see them.
And just like I had anticipated we walked right into a camp of fire benders who were on their lunch break. They all instantly reached for their weapons. I drew my bow quickly aiming an arrow at one man's head.
"Now you let us leave nice and easy and I don't show you how I compare to the Yu Yan." I threatened.
"Ha! Like a girl is a threat." Another more stupid man said from the back.
"Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't your princess a girl, and aren't you afraid of her?" I asked.
Several of the men who had obviously met the princess shuddered and nodded. Unfortunately it seemed the sexist idiot had not in fact met the princess.
Just as he was about to attack I swung the bow and arrow to point toward him and hit him right in his dominate hand which had been holding his lance. It pierced right were the muscles came together with the nerves and he screamed in surprise and pain as he fell to his knees craddling his hand.
"Next one will be through your eyes." I directed my threat to the lead man. He was the one standing in front of me brave as brass.
Sokka, Aang and Katara had scooted back on my signal as I slowly waved them back with a free hand pretending to go for another arrow.
That's when it started raining kids. Teenagers flocked out of the trees like exotic birds landing among a feast of worms.
They easily began fighting the soldiers. I slung my bow back over my shoulder and took out my dao and began cutting through the ranks of soldiers. I made sure I didn't kill anyone. Just serious enough wounds to put them out of the fight.
One of the soldiers was a firebender and he threw a fireball right at my head. I sliced it in half with my dao adding some airbending to make the flame dissipate.
Katara was waterbending and knocking a few soldiers out. She had goo-goo eyes on one of the teens. He was alright looking but nothing to get the heart beat racing. Not to mention by how he was acting he was one cocky S.O.B.
I rolled my eyes and knocked another soldier out with the butt of one of my swords. He fell like a chopped tree.
A few more teens were crowding around trying to knock out the men that now surrounded me.
"They're mine." I said shortly.
Most of the kids backed off. Apparently they had heard that order before.
It took me several more minutes but all six of the guys were on the ground around me either groaning in pain or out cold.
I looked around. Most of the other fire nation soldiers had fled in fear at the group that had been beating them. Katara was now taking to the boy she had goo-goo eyes after. I barely restrained a face palm. She could be so smart one minute then dumb as a fangirl the next.
"Katara, get away from the boy who lives in a tree. Its safe to say he doesn't bathe daily. And he obviously has an addiction to whatever he's chewing on." I ordered smirking. It was fun to poke logic shaped holes in other's actions.
A few of the boys around us giggled, while some looked offended on behalf of their leader. Said leader just chuckled. "Jealous?" He asked.
"Eww." I said bluntly. "Out of the two of you, I'd pick Katara and I'm as straight as an arrow." I said with a small sneer at him.
He ignored me obviously not having a response. He turned to the rest of the gaang and introduced them to his band of merry thieves. Oh wait, wrong story, his "freedom fighters".
I avoided him like the plague even as he led us back to his hideout. A tree house, all the fire nation would have to do to get rid of them is set the forest on fire and they'd be trapped and die of smoke inhalation or burn to death. Neither were a pleasant way to go.
I wandered around ignoring the rest of my group cooing over how cool everything was. Aang over the buildings, Katara over Jet, and Sokka over the food that he could smell.
I rounded a corner and ran into Longshot. He stared at me right in the eyes for several seconds and nodded.
I could practically hear the unspoken "You're good with a bow." hanging in the air.
I smiled at him. At least he had his head in the right place.
"Want to have an archery contest?" I asked.
He looked like he was thinking for several seconds before nodding and leading me away from the main group of houses.
We stood side by side. Longshot drew his first arrow and sent an arrow flying through the air, it hit a knot on a tree almost fifty yards away.
"Nice." I commented before drawing my own arrow. I pulled the string back until it touched the corner of my mouth. Then took aim, and released. It flew through the air rapidly, until it landed with a quivering thud right next to Longshot's arrow.
He nodded to me.
We continued in this pattern until both of us ran out of arrows. Once we had I used a burst of airbending to jump over to the tree the arrows were stuck in I pulled them out easily. Practice makes perfect.
I handed Longshot his arrows back, he accepted them looking at me curiously.
I shrugged.
He nodded.
A whole conversation took place with no words spoken.
We walked to the base where Jet was yelling his speech to his group. We slipped in nearly unnoticed. I bowed, more a nod of the head then anything else and went to sit by my friends.
I didn't really want to stay the night but after Jet said he had a mission for Sokka, Sokka decided to stay. Three to one. We were staying, never mind the fact I was twenty-four and knew better than them.
A/N: Sorry about this being late, not much incentive to continue. I maybe get one review per chapter and I didn't get any reviews for chapter ten. So please review, it makes me want to write.
