Previously…
Azula attempts to fix her relationship with Norowa, the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, after lashing out at her. Norowa accepts Azula's apology, and the two separate on good terms.
Jora goes to Gaoling with Piandao to meet her now much older son: Lao Beifong. While she is putting it off, she hears about an underground bending tournament, and assumes it's GEODE. She discovers it's a new group run by Xin Fu for profit. She confronts him about corrupting the spirit of the tradition of the underground fight club. After being kicked out, she goes to dinner with a young man she met there. After they eat, he goes back to her old home, now a historic museum, and sees an old painting of her, confirming his suspicion that she is in fact Avatar Jora. Right after, he is struck by an unseen object.
Jora goes to the Beifong residence, and convinces Lao that she is his mother. He lets her stay, and calls for his daughter, Toph. Jora recognises Toph as one of the fighters from the tournament, but decides to keep quiet about it.
Mai sees her father for the first time since leaving her home, and he insinuates she should marry Zuko and then kill him in order to take the throne. She forces him to leave, and tells Zuko of his plan of treason. Zuko, instead of ordering him to be executed, decides to banish him, since he doesn't want to kill Mai's own father. Mai notices the effects of the stress being Fire Lord is having on Zuko, and suggests he should take a break. He agrees, and they make plans to have a vacation soon.
Prelude of Fire
Book 2: Self
Chapter 28: Lost
Jora hadn't finished unpacking before she heard a voice at the doorway.
"Before you ask me any questions: who are you? Really?"
Jora turned to face Toph, who was staring right past her, though Jora had an uneasy feeling that the the young girl could see her quite well.
"What?" She asked, not sure why Toph doubted her identity. She hadn't said anything that would hint at who she really was.
"My mother doesn't lie to me often, but she lied when she said you were her niece, so who are you?"
"Why would she lie about that?"
"What are you, stupid? That's what I'm asking."
"How are you so sure she was lying?"
"I'll tell you when you tell me the truth."
"I'm just family come to visit." She said honestly.
Toph relaxed a bit. "Maybe you are family, but you aren't who she said you were."
"How do you know that?" She asked again. "I answered you, so I think I deserve to know."
"Fine, but you can't tell anyone else."
"I won't."
"I can tell by if she's lying by feeling it."
"What do you mean feel it?"
"I answered your question so answer mine now. Who are you?"
Jora didn't know how Toph was able to tell, but she didn't see a point in keeping her in the dark.
"It's a long story, and if I tell you you can't tell anyone else."
"Not like I have anyone to tell anyway."
Jora told Toph who she was. She explained how she had fell into the future after thinking she died, and how she woke up in the southern tribe, but skipped the part where she attacked Azula. She told Toph that she wanted to visit her family, since it was the only thing that was still connected to her now. Toph's face through the story was one of shock, but not disbelief.
"So you're my grandma?"
"I guess so. How did you know you're mother lied?"
"It's something I learned. Follow me and I'll show you."
Toph left the room, and Jora followed her outside. Toph stopped halfway to the wall surrounding the estate.
"Pick up that rock next to you and throw it anywhere."
Jora looked on the ground and saw a small rock.
"How did you-"
"Just throw it."
Jora turned and threw the rock far to their left. It barely cleared the wall, landing somewhere she couldn't see.
Toph pointed right where it had flew. "Not that bad of a throw."
"How can you see?"
"The same way I knew my mom was lying. I can feel the things around me through my bending. I can feel you move, and even feel the beat of your heart, or the wind blowing on the leaf of that tree." She pointed at a tall tree near the wall.
"Where did you learn to do that?"
"I was taught."
"Your parents?"
Toph tisked. "You saw how they treat me. They don't know me at all. When I was six I ran away, and found a cave where a few badgermoles live. They showed me how to earthbend. They were born blind, like I was, and they use their bending to see, so I learned it too. It took me a while to get it, but now it's as natural as you looking around with your eyes. Just a few months ago I learned to tell when my parents or the servants lie by listening to their heart or twitches."
"You seem like you're a really talented bender. How did you get into the Earth Quake tournament?"
"I got in by showing them I could actually bend. They didn't believe me at first. You should have seen the look on their faces. I couldn't, but it was probably really funny. Did you know who I was when you went there?"
"No, I went because I used to be apart of the fighting club when I lived here. So what made you want to fight?"
"I don't know. It's fun and I'm good at it."
"You really are related to me." Jora said. "Just be careful. I don't like the guy whose in charge there."
"I'm not worried. I can handle myself."
"You should be worried, even if you are as good as you think."
"What about you? I doubt you're ever worried, since you're the avatar and all."
Jora felt a sting of embarrassment. She didn't want to admit that she knew less about bending then a ten year old.
Toph cocked her head. "You are worried, aren't you? Can't you fight?"
"I can fight, very well at that, but I don't know how to bend."
"You never knew anyone to teach you?"
"It's the cycle. The bender before me was fire nation. Somehow I must be related to an airbender or something, because that's how the cycle goes. That means I have to learn airbending to master any other element, but no one in the wor-" Jora stopped. How didn't she realize it sooner?
"No one in the world knows airbending?" Toph finished for her.
"Actually, there is one, but I-"
"Shh!" Toph held up a hand. "Someone's coming."
"Who, a servant?"
"No, someone from outside. They're at the gate."
Sure enough, only seconds later a loud knock banged from the gate.
The guard looked to see who it was as Jora and Toph walked over. Jora heard him talking as they got close.
"There's no Jora here, you've got the wrong place."
"Excuse me, can I see who's there?" Jora asked the guard, he shrugged and moved. Jora peered through the slider.
"Jian? What are you doing here?" She asked loudly.
"You know him?" The guard asked. Jora ignored him.
"Jora! I need your help!"
Jora opened the gate, despite the guards protest. Jian came in. He looked worried.
"I can't explain right now, but it has to do with Xin Fu. Please, I need you to come with me."
Jora looked at Toph, who looked confused, but not suspicious.
"What is it?" Jora asked.
"I think he's looking for you. You must have really pissed him off. I think you're in danger."
The guard spoke up. "Please, this is one of the most secure places in town. No one is in danger here."
"Xin Fu has just as much money and influence as the Beifongs do. I wouldn't be so sure."
Jora turned to Toph.
"Tell your parents I had to leave. I don't want to drag any of you into my problems."
Toph pulled Jora to the side.
"Let me come with you. If it's both of us we could kick that Xin Fu guy into the dirt. We could even take over the arena and get rich!" She said.
"Okay, first off, you're already rich. Second, I'm not taking you with me. This guy could have hired a dozen assassins for all I know. It's too dangerous. I don't doubt that you're a good bender, but I've already gotten my family into trouble once, I can't let it happen again. So stay here."
Toph lowered her head. "Fine, I'll stay."
Jora turned back and headed out the gate with Jian.
"How did you find out Xin Fu is looking for me?"
"After you left, I followed you to see where you were heading." He saw the disturbed look on her face. "Not for any creepy reasons, I just wanted to know if you really were related to the Beifong's. But anyways it's a good thing I did, because someone else was following you too. They circled the place a few times and left. I think I recognized him as one of Xin Fu's guys."
"It's still kinda weird, but thanks for telling me."
Jian stopped and reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.
"Here." He said, giving it to her. "When you're alone read this. It'll help."
Jora put it in her pocket. "What is it?"
"You'll find out." His eyes darted to the side "By the way, I'm sorry."
Azula turned, and the ground in front and behind her lifted up and trapped her in a tent of earth.
"Hey! What the hell! Jian!"
The earth grabbed her feet, and the walls lowered. She glimpsed a silvery blur then was looking through bars. Jian was standing by Xin Fu.
"Thanks for the help, boy. Here's something for your cooperation." Xin Fu said, giving Jian a pouch of coin.
Jian took it, and glanced at Jora before turning to leave. She kicked the cage, but it didn't budge.
The cage lifted up, and Jora fell on her back. The steel slammed against her, then she felt it lurch forward. She was on a cart somewhere. The top of the cage was hanging off the side, which gave her a good view of the ground.
She yelled, but knew it would do nothing. Jora twisted to get comfortable, and felt something in her pocket. She remembered the envelope, pulled it out, and opened it.
For a second she was confused. All the envelope had in it was a bunch of red sheets. Then she realized what it was for. She tore a piece off and threw it outside. Jian must have been forced to turn her in, and this was the only way for him to help her.
The warm air was gone now, and was replaced again by cold frigid air that burned her lungs with every breath. The sturdy earth was now loose snow and slippery ice. The only saving grace was that the sun would be here for months to come.
What was more important than any of that, though, was that she was one step closer to learning waterbending.
Two men stood to greet them when they landed. The one in front was younger, and reminded Azula a bit of Sokka's father, only colder. He gave off an air of someone who was ready to fight at any moment. The older man behind him looked more dignified, but had his own aura of competence that surrounded him. If Azula had to choose, she would guess that he was the stronger of the two.
The man in front stepped forward to meet them.
"Avatar Azula, I presume? We've had word of your arrival, but we weren't aware you were traveling with a member of our sister tribe." He looked at Sokka. "Judging by your age, I assume you're Hakoda's boy?"
"You know my dad?"
"Not personally, no, although with the war gone that will hopefully change. Soon we'll be sending benders to help rebuild the south to its past glory. Perhaps I may go with them for a while. But that's a bit ahead of us. You're the one Pakku has told me about?" He asked Iroh.
Iroh nodded and bowed. "I'm honored to be welcomed here."
"The honor is mine. I am Arnook, chief of the Northern Water Tribe. Unfortunately, I can't promise that my people will not hold any prejudice against you. I will, however, promise to punish anyone who mistreats you as harshly as if you were my own family."
The old man stepped forward. "I as well." He looked down at Azula. "I wouldn't normally instruct a woman, as per our customs, but we make an exception for the Avatar. Prove that you are worth it and I will have no qualms." He turned to Sokka. "As for you, boy, I hope our sister tribe's chief-son knows how to act. Try not to shame your father during your stay."
"This is Pakku." Arnook said, "He is the greatest waterbender of our tribe. Though he can be a bit strict at times."
"That's perfectly fine by me." Azula said to Pakku, "I do best under pressure. Hopefully you're as good a teacher as you think."
"Hopefully you're a better student then you are a guest. You start tomorrow at sunrise." Pakku retorted before walking away. Azula was already liking him.
"We'll be having a feast to welcome you tonight. We haven't had much to celebrate in a long time, and we could use with a lift of mood."
A girl who looked around Azula's age approached them. Her white hair stood out from the usual dark hair of the water tribe. From the way she walked, along with her clothes and jewelry, Azula assumed she was Chief Arnook's daughter.
Arnook confirmed her suspicions as he greeted her.
"This is my daughter, Yue."
"You're the Avatar everyone's talking about then?"
"Oh, am I popular here?" Azula said smugly.
"Only a little. Rumours have been around for weeks that you were going to come here for your training. It's an honor to finally meet you."
"Yue, why don't you show the Avatar and her friend the city. I have some things I wish to discuss with Koto."
Yue nodded. "Follow me then." She said to Sokka and Azula.
Azula looked back at Iroh and Arnook. she didn't like being in the dark about anything, but she figured Iroh would tell her about the discussion later. She doubted it was anything important anyway, at least not for her.
"So I know you're Azula, but who are you?" Yue asked Sokka.
"Sokka."
"And you're from the south, right?"
Sokka nodded.
"You must have it pretty rough, then. I sometimes think it's bad here, but from what I heard you have it much worse then we do."
"It can be pretty hard, yeah. But we've done better recently. Since the war ended our village has gotten about three time's its old size. We don't even have to sleep in groups anymore."
"That's good news. Some of the benders here are planning to-"
"Restore the south to its former glory, we got it. Your father told us already." Azula interjected.
"But it's still good news." Sokka said. He looked back at Yue. "What about here? It couldn't have been easy fending off against them for so long? How did you manage that?"
"Well we always had the advantage with the weather, but…"
Azula stopped listening to the conversation. She focused on learning the layout of the city as they walked through it. A large river system ran throughout the entire city, flowing from the large palace at the very back. Boats went to and from using the rivers as a roadway. Despite being much larger and more beautiful, Azula found the north to be much more boring then even the south. All the buildings were the same style and color. No street stood out from the others. Even the furniture inside the houses were made of ice.
Yue and Sokka talked, and Azula ignored them, all the way to the palace. Azula was relieved when Yue told them she had to leave to help prepare for the celebration. A servant greeted them at the palace entrance, and asked them to come in. Azula glanced back at the city. It looked unbelievably large from her elevated viewpoint, but at the same time it looked empty and small. She was already getting real sick of ice again.
Ty Lee awoke to the sound of waves and worried whispers. It took her mind a few seconds to decipher the sounds and translate them into anything meaningful. The voices she heard belonged to the old healer.
"Check again. We can't run out here!" The old woman said.
"I don't need to check again! I've checked five times. It's all gone!" Said a younger man's voice. He was the only warrior that had come from the north.
"How could you lose it! That was your only duty!"
"I didn't lose it! The bag was next to me the entire time."
"Then what happened to our food? Did a tiger seal steal it while you weren't looking?"
"I don't know I had it right next to me! There's no way something took it. It's like it all disappeared."
Ty Lee stayed lying down. She wasn't sure if Katara was up, but if she was she was staying quiet as well.
"You know what we have to do now. The Earth Kingdom is too far away." The old woman said again.
"We are not taking the south's last bender, a child, to the Fire Nation. Why did we even take this route? You know what they did to her mother. Hell, you know what they did to your son!"
"Of course I know!" She snapped. "I know damn well more than you... but we have no choice. I don't like it any more than you do. We'll go there, go to the nearest village, get supplies, and leave."
"We're not taking her to a fire nation village. We'd stick out like soot in snow!"
"What would you rather do? Starve? Die in the middle of the ocean?"
Ty Lee sat up.
"I can go." She said quietly.
The old healer jumped a little. "How long have you been listening?"
"A while."
The lady gave her a kind smile. "Don't worry, dear. Let us figure it out. There's no need for you to do anything."
"I still have some of my old clothes. I could go to a village alone and get any supplies we need."
The man looked at the old lady. "It's the safest bet we have. The girl is Fire Nation. She'll be perfectly safe with them."
Ty Lee didn't miss the obvious tone he used, but she ignored it.
"I suppose it's the best choice." The woman said. "Are you sure you want to dear?"
"I've lived my whole life in the Fire Nation. I'm not worried much."
"Okay, then we'll head to land and should be there sometime tomorrow. I'll make a list of everything we'll need. You get some rest."
Ty Lee nodded and went to sleep. She had forgotten how much fear her nation had caused in the world. It was one of the reasons she didn't mind helping in the south. It wasn't at all her fault what happened to them, obviously, but she still wanted to show them that not everyone in the Fire Nation was bad. Most of them didn't even know the truth of the war. Ty Lee certainly didn't expect the water tribe to be filled with nice people. She was told they were mindless savages who had no morals.
It was a hope of hers that someday none of the nations would fear the others. Was that how things were before the war? Were all four nations friends? Did the Air Nomads visit the Fire Nation, not knowing that the people they were with would someday kill them all? The thought scared her. If it happened so abruptly to them, maybe it could happen to anyone.
Ty Lee turned to her side and looked to the cot next to her, where Katara slept, whose mother was killed in front of her. Would Ty Lee be able to look at things the same way if it was her? Could Ty Lee even become friends with Katara if she saw a waterbender kill her mother? She didn't think she could. She couldn't even forgive Azula for all her bullying, even when Azula's life was on the line. Maybe the people from the Fire Nation were bad after all.
The rest of the night moved slowly for Ty Lee. Her mind filled itself with useless thoughts and wouldn't stop. It was a relief when Katara finally sat up and yawned.
"Finally you wake up." Ty Lee said, sitting up herself.
"How long have you been up?" Katara mumbled.
"A few hours." She said, getting a confused look in return. "Something woke me up in the middle of the night."
"What was it? Another nightmare or something?"
"No, not like that, I heard that old healer woman talking to the man."
"Yugoda and Arrluk? What were they talking about?"
"I was half-asleep for most of it, but something happened to our food. All of it's gone."
"What! How? What are we going to eat?"
"Calm down, we won't starve. We're stopping by a village soon to get some."
"In the Fire Nation?"
"Yeah, that's not a problem is it? You did come here before."
"That was different. I wasn't thinking straight then. I was too angry."
"Well relax, you don't have to actually go to any village. I told them I could go alone. I still have some of my old clothes to wear."
"I guess if you're okay with that… I'm surprised you forgot Yugoda and Arrluk's names. You're normally good with names. You knew everyone in the village after a few days."
"I've just been distracted is all."
"Are you still upset about what happened with Azula."
"A bit, yeah."
"She was probably just angry. You said it yourself she does dumb stuff when she's mad. She probably just forgot to say goodbye. It's not like she said it to anyone else."
"I know."
Admittedly, she wasn't that upset anymore about Azula. She knew Azula, and shouldn't have expected much else from her. What bothered her was that Sokka had almost completely ignored her too. She didn't tell Katara that for two reasons: the first of course being that Sokka was her brother, and the second was that it sounded stupid.
She didn't even really like Sokka that much. Yeah, he was cute, but there were cuter guys out there. It was the fact that he didn't even seem to notice her. She wasn't used to guys ignoring her. Ever since she could remember she'd been the girl that boys paid attention to. Mai was the quiet one, Azula was the leader, and she was the cute one. That's how it always was. Until Mai they left behind.
No, that wasn't fair. Mai was with Zuko, who was now the Fire Lord, and Azula was the Avatar. It was Ty Lee who was left behind. Her friends were important, and she was just a nobody. She didn't even get any attention to distract her from that fact anymore.
They docked on the beach of an island. Ty Lee wasn't too sure where they were, but she guessed it was somewhere near Ember Island. She did know that this wasn't Ember Island. The sand was too coarse and rough. The sand on Ember Island was white and smooth. Hopefully this island had a village nearby. Some islands didn't have any.
The group headed into the forest. They would all stick together until they found a path. Unfortunately for them, and their stomachs, it took them until sundown to find one. Yugoda looked down the path, wondering what to do.
"Well, Ty Lee, the choice is yours, since you are the one who is going. Do you want to head out now, or wait until the morning?"
Ty Lee wasn't sure. She could definitely walk more, but she didn't know how far the path went until it reached a village. For all she knew it could have been days away. The path was worn, and looked to be used regularly, which was a good sign. They'd already gone one day without food. If they didn't get some soon they might be in trouble.
"I'll go now. The sooner we eat the better."
"Okay, take the list," Yugoda said, handing her a rolled up parchment, "and here's the coin."
Yugoda handed her a pouch. Ty Lee looked inside, and saw blue circular coins.
"Umm, I don't know if they'll accept this…"
Yugoda and Arrluk shared a worried glance.
"It's all we have." She said.
"I'll try then. If they don't take it I'll just figure something out."
"Don't you get yourself into trouble, now."
"I won't." She said to Yogoda, then thought to herself, Unless I have to.
"Okay."
Arrluk took out his knife and cut a mark on a nearby tree, then cut off a branch and stuck it in the ground right to the side of the path.
"We'll stay here, so when you come back look out for this and that mark." He told her, pointing to the branch.
She nodded, and looked at Katara.
"I'll see you soon then."
Katara hugged her goodbye. "Be careful, and don't get lost."
"I won't. Don't eat any weird plants if you get hungry, and definitely don't eat any frogs, a lot of them are poisonous. Also if you hear any loud howling it's prob-"
"We'll be fine." Arrluk said. "We'll wait for you to comeback. I'm not foolish enough to let anyone eat anything we're not familiar with, and I know the sound of a predator. You just have to worry about yourself."
Ty Lee nodded again, and made her way down the path.
Shortly after leaving, the night grew dark. Just a few minutes later, the moon began to shine, and bathed the forest in pale light. She looked up. The moon hovered above, round and bright. It must have wanted to help her, because it shined so much light that Ty Lee could see as well as if the path was candle-lit.
Ty Lee stopped, and grew scared. She hadn't stopped because she was scared; she was scared because she stopped, and didn't know why.
She turned back, and her legs began to move slowly. One after the other. She didn't know why, and she wasn't doing it. She fought back, but that only caused her legs to flare up in pain. It felt like someone had hooks all through her legs and pulled on them. The second she stopped fighting the pain eased to an ache. She wanted to scream, but not even her mouth listened to her. The only thing she could move were her eyes.
Her legs stopped. A pressure she hadn't been aware of stopped, and she regained control. The sudden change was unexpected, and caused her to fall down. She heard footsteps approaching fast behind her. She twisted, and saw Katara.
"What are you doing here? What was that?"
"What was what? Are you okay?"
Ty Lee stood up and moved around. She felt fine.
"I- I don't know."
"What happened?"
"I'm not sure. I just stopped, then started moving, but it wasn't me."
Katara looked confused. "Maybe you're just tired. You've been walking all day, maybe you should just come back and wait until tomor-"
"No. I can do it. I want to."
Katara still looked concerned. "Okay, if you say."
"Why'd you come here?"
"I wanted to give you this." Katara reached behind her neck and took off her necklace. She looked at it for a few seconds, then held it out.
"If they don't take the coin, maybe you can sell this for something."
"I can't do that. You're mother-"
"I know. Just take it. Please? If you don't have to then you can just bring it back."
Ty Lee took the necklace. "Are you sure?"
Katara nodded. "Mom gave her life to stop the Fire Nation from taking me. She wouldn't want me to die for her necklace, even if it means a lot to me. I'm going back to Yugoda. Be safe, okay? If you feel any numbness again come back. Yugoda can check to make sure you're okay."
"I will be. You be safe too."
Katara turned back and left down the path. Ty Lee waited for a few minutes. Nothing happened, so she continued on her way.
Luck seemed to be with her again. Within what felt like just a few hours the path opened and Ty Lee came across a village. Even more to her luck, there were still some people awake, and a single store was open, selling food. She approached the stand, and pulled out the list.
The list wasn't as helpful as it could have been, as all it said was meat and water.
"Hey there, little miss. You didn't come from that forest there did you?" The store keeper asked.
The vendor was an older woman, and looked nice, though her aura was tinged with years of worry.
"Yeah, I did. Why?"
"You should stay away from there tonight. Bad things happen in those woods on nights like these." The old lady nodded up at the moon. "Maybe some vengeful spirit. They say it whispers something in your ear, and then it has you in it's spell. You start walking somewhere without knowing why, and then no one sees you again."
Ty Lee's heart began racing. Was that what had happened to her? What if it had chosen to take Katara after seeing her? Ty Lee had to get back quickly.
"I need to buy the cheapest meat you have, and some water too." She said.
"Okay, what's the fuss about."
"Nothing, do you take these?" She held out the pouch of blue coins. The woman stared at them a bit, then felt them.
"I suppose so, not sure how much it's worth though. Where'd these come from?"
"I uh, I found them. They're water tribe. I think."
"Hmm, they do look awfully nice. I bet they could be worth something to a collector." The woman took down some meat and water skins. "I'll give you six pounds of komodo rhino breast and three skins of water."
Ty Lee barely listened. "Okay."
The lady wrapped the meat and gave it and the water to Ty Lee. Ty Lee put the meat and water in her bag and ran off without another word.
"Hey! You should stay here! Those woods are dangerous, didn't you hear?" Ty Lee heard the woman say, but she ignored her and ran back down the path.
She ran more than she could ever remember running. Even when her chest hurt, and it felt like her legs were being stabbed, she kept running. After about twenty minutes, though it felt much longer, she saw a small figure up ahead. It was moving fast. She stopped, until she saw that it was Katara. She jogged toward her, too tired to begin running again. When she was close enough, she called out.
"Katara? What are you doing here?"
Katara reached her, and slumped against a tree to catch her breath.
"They're gone."
"What? What do you mean gone?" Ty Lee said, already suspecting the worst.
"They left. When I came back, Yugoda and Arrluk were gone, and then I went to the boat, but it was gone too!"
"We have to get back to the village." Ty Lee said. "It was the spirit. The lady at the stand told me it takes people at night. It takes control of them. That's what happened to me before."
Katara looked back. "But what about Yugoda and Arrluk?"
"We can't help them, and they wouldn't want us to put ourselves in danger. We can look for them later."
"I'm not just leaving them!"
Ty Lee looked back down where Katara had come from. They were about halfway between the village and where they had found the path. She didn't want to go back, but she knew that Katara would rather stay behind herself.
"Okay, let's go find them."
The two went back. They were both tired, and moved much slower than before. After a few minutes, Ty Lee again saw a figure on the path. This time, however, it was larger, and moved slow. Katara saw it too. She grabbed Ty Lee and pulled her to the side.
"Hide!" She whispered.
They ducked behind a bush, and waited. Ty Lee peered through. She couldn't see who, or what, it was yet, but she heard footsteps. They sounded slow, but not heavy. Finally, she saw the figure come into view.
"It's just an old lady." She whispered to Katara.
"Maybe. What if it's the spirit?" Katara asked.
Ty Lee looked again.
"I don't think spirits have footprints. Aren't they all see through and stuff too?"
"I don't know. I think so? Why would an old lady be walking so late?"
"Maybe she's lost? What if she isn't the spirit, and the spirit gets her? Besides I thought we were looking for the spirit?"
A voice made them jump.
"Is someone out there?" The old lady called.
Katara slipped after she jumped, and hit the bush, making a loud rustle.
"Come out from there. You better not be up to no good. This cane can give a good wack!"
Ty Lee helped Katara up.
"We're sorry." Ty Lee said. "We're trying to find our friends."
"Are you lost?" The lady asked softly.
"Kind of." Katara said.
"Well now's not the best time to go searching for someone. Why don't you two come with me? I have an inn near town you can stay at."
Ty Lee looked to Katara, who shrugged. The two followed the older lady. She led them down the path, and up to the clearing before the village.
"The inn is a bit off the path over here. I assure you, though, being away from the town is much better. With all the travelers we get sometimes the dust gets all kicked up and, oh, it's just awful."
They reached the inn, and Ty Lee got chills looking at it. It was tall, and looked ancient. The wood was cracked and dry, and where any paint was left it was faded and chipping off.
"I know it doesn't look like much, but the bed and rooms are comfy. Someday soon I should probably hire someone to make it look all pretty like it used to. You should of seen it back in the day. It was so nice, sometimes people would visit just to stay here."
The old lady laughed, and let them in. The lady gestured for them to sit down at a table, and they did. The table was old and wooden, but was clean. A large empty pitcher sat in the middle, and Hama brought out a few plates.
"You two must be hungry, right?"
Katara and Ty Lee nodded.
"I don't have anything ready, but I can make up some komodo sausage real quick with some rolls."
"You don't have to-" Katara started, before being interrupted.
"Don't be silly. It's nothing, dear. What type of person would I be to let two poor girls go hungry in my own inn? Those are strange clothes you have on, you aren't from around here, are you dear?"
Katara tensed. "Um, I… uh…"
"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. What's your names?"
"I'm Ty Lee."
"My name's Katara."
"Katara, that's a lovely name. What is a Water Tribe girl and a Fire Nation girl doing traveling together?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story." Ty lee said. "I was traveling with the avatar, Princess Azula. She went to the south for avatar reasons, and we ended up staying for a while. When she left, I stayed behind. Then just recently Katara was going up north to learn waterbending, and I joined her."
"We were traveling with others, in clothes like mine. You didn't see them, did you?" Katara asked.
"No, all I've seen all night was you two. My name's Hama by the way. Say, you don't know Kanna, do you?"
"Kanna? That's my grandmother, how do you know her name?"
"Well, a long time ago, a lifetime really, I knew her. We were good friends."
"How could you know Gran-Gran? She's never left the Southern Water Tribe."
Hama lifted her lifted her hand, and the water in one of Ty Lee's skins came out and flowed into the pitcher on the table.
"I know her because I'm from the Southern Water Tribe."
So there is some good news for me! I've finally taken care of some stuff in my life, so now I can get in the right state of mind to start writing more again. More good news for me: October is coming to a close, and November is right around the corner. I'm going to be participating in NaNoWriMo this year, and hopefully I'll finish the first draft of a fantasy novel that's been knocking on the inside of my head to come out for almost a year now. I think I've learned enough from writing this story that my original novel won't be complete trash. If that's the case I'll polish it up then post it on AoOO or something so anyone interested can check it out.
Unfortunately for you, dear reader, that also means that Prelude is going to be on a short break. I feel bad, considering I just got off a two month hiatus, but SURPRISE! There is one more bit of good news, and it is also for you: I have the next chapter almost ready, so you can expect to see it sometime the week after next. Score one to me for actually planning things out for the first time in my life.
Wish me luck for the next month, or don't; I'll see you in a few weeks anyway. You don't have a choice. It will happen. Cya.
