"I'm telling you, we have to go left!"
A quiet yawn. "If we go to the left, Ponytail, we'll go back into the forest."
"But that's where the tracks went!"
"Sokka, llama deer are attracted to the water, they would've gone toward the shore."
"Dad taught me how to track, not you, Katara! We have to go left."
A nervous frown. "I don't know, Sokka, Katara might be right."
"Princess is right, Ponytail."
Sokka grumbled incoherently under his breath. "I'm telling you that the tracks went back into the forest."
"—Hey, look at this!" Aang suddenly exclaimed, sliding down a dirt slope before holding up a mysterious weapon in his hands.
"Let me see that," Sokka said suspiciously, snatching the item from Aang's hand. "A sword made out of a whale's tooth.. This is a Water Tribe weapon!"
"Really?" Katara questioned in excitement, looking at the sword in her brother's hands. "Let's see if we can find anything else!"
Meili separated from the group and looked around the clearing in the forest around them. There were slashes along the bark of many trees, and areas of disturbed terrain signaled the occurrence of a fight. Meili bent down next to one of the many berried bushes to pick up a spearhead. It was charred at the top, and when Meili lifted a delicate finger to inspect it, the stone crumbled into nothing.
"There was a battle here.. Water Tribe warriors ambushed Fire Nation soldiers."
"Are you sure, Meili?" Katara questioned, looking at the dust of the spearhead in her hands.
She nodded, "Positive."
"The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill," Sokka added on, pointing toward the shoreline.
The group followed the tracks until their feet touched the sand.
"So, then what happened?" Aang asked, suddenly intrigued.
Sokka shrugged, "I don't know, the trail ends here."
"Well, there has to be something else out here," Meili, stated, glancing out along the shoreline. The battle wouldn't have just ended abruptly like that without any more traces.
"Over there!" Katara shouted, pointing toward a large rock with a large ship anchored next to it.
Sokka perked up and scrambled over to the ship, "It's one of our boats! It's not Dad's, but it's from his fleet!"
The rest of the group caught up to the Water Tribe boy, watching him as he looked at the ship longingly. Sokka turned toward his sister with starry eyes, smiling slightly as he looked back at the ship.
"Dad was here."
That mere realization made the group stop at the shore and set up camp. Sokka stated that wherever a Water Tribe ship was, its men were never far behind.
They continued to search for clues, but soon, the sky began to fade into dark violets and blues, signaling that nightfall had arrived. Sokka was standing by the boat, his expression thoughtful, as Aang and Katara huddled around the campfire Meili had made.
"So, how long do you think it's been since someone was here?" Katara questioned.
"Long enough for moss to grow on the hull," Sokka spoke with uncertainty. "Probably about three months."
"Oh," Katara said, disappointment evident in her voice. "So dad's probably long gone."
Sokka ran his fingers over the boat's wood, feeling the grooves and ridges of the boards. "I wonder why they left this boat. There's nothing wrong with it."
"Maybe they didn't need another one?" Meili spoke. "Your dad probably condensed the crew into fewer boats to be more inconspicuous."
"When was the last time you saw your dad anyways?" Aang questioned, his voice light despite the dark look growing on Sokka's face.
"I don't want to talk about it," Sokka mumbled out.
"Sorry," Aang apologized. "I didn't mean to bring that up; I was just wondering."
The Water Tribe girl next to him ran a consoling hand down the monk's back. "It's okay Aang. Our dad left about two years ago, with all the other Water Tribe men."
Sokka made his way back over to camp, laying down in his cot and pulling his blanket over him. "I think we should all try to get some sleep."
Following his tense words, the rest of the group obliged and dropped the topic, laying down in their cots as well and attempting to sleep.
However, Meili found that she could not. She didn't know if it was because of her sickness or because of the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore, but something was keeping her awake. She laid still for a few hours, but was too restless to feign slumber. She opened her eyes up from her attempted sleep, yawning quietly as she slowly sat herself up.
She had assumed that the others would still be asleep, but Sokka sat ridged in his place, wide awake. He stared into the fire with tired eyes but remained alert, no doubt keeping watch while the others slept. He hadn't noticed that she was awake, and he continued staring into the dancing embers in front of him.
The glow from the fire illuminated the Water Tribe boy's face, and for the first time, Meili took the time to look at the teen.
Meili knew what an attractive boy looked like. She did spend a few years living with Jet, and he was a pretty attractive boy. The thing that made Jet attractive was his husky physique: his toned muscles, tall stature, golden skin — any girl would've been blind to think that he was unattractive.
Sokka was different though. He wasn't ripped like how Jet was; but he was, instead, lithe with lean muscle that matched his slightly shorter frame. The muscles weren't big, but rather toned and defined. Meili could see the outline of his shoulder as the boy fiddled with his boomerang, and every slight movement would cause a ripple in his deltoid.
His skin wasn't golden like how Jet's was, but it was more of a cool tan. The dark skin contrasted her own, and gave the boy a more rugged appearance — one that looked as though he spent hours outside in the sun. He was handsome: dark hair pulled into a tight ponytail away from his face, and striking blue eyes staring straight into the flames in the fire.
His jaw was clenched firmly, etching out the rough line of his young face. His eyes held an odd emptiness, as if something in his life was bothering him. The tight line of his thin lips and ever-so-slight frown indicated that something was indeed wrong, but even his troubled face was attractive.
Meili shook her head as the thoughts entered her mind, almost repulsed that she let herself think that way.
Even if she found him attractive — which she now had to convince herself that she didn't — he was still annoying. A sexist, egotistical, annoying boy. Though his personality was far more enjoyable than Jet's, he was still not on her radar. Boys were idiotic.
So with her weird thoughts of finding the Water Tribe boy attractive out of the way, she made her awake-presence known with a slightly loud yawn.
Sokka looked up from the fire warming up his face before nodding at the girl in front of him and resuming his gaze back toward the fire.
Sokka couldn't understand why she had been looking at him.
Oh yeah, he knew she was awake. He wasn't as dumb as he looked. Maybe she was thinking about how incapable he was. That's why he was sitting in anger, wallowing in self-pity. His father didn't think he was strong enough to help fight in the war. Granted that was two years ago, and he was thirteen then, but he was still looked down upon by his father as if he was a child.
He wasn't some talented bender like his sister. He wasn't a skilled swordsman. Hell, he couldn't even tell rocks apart from food. He liked being looked up to, but with all these great fighters surrounding him, he felt worthless and out of place.
A strange noise echoed suddenly in the nighttime air, and both Sokka and Meili pushed aside their thoughts and focused on the noise.
"Who's there?" Sokka questioned, gripping his boomerang in his hand.
"Sokka?" a voice called back, and suddenly a tall man wrapped in bandages stepped out from behind a tree. The voice, spoken cautiously, as if unbelieving, belonged to a tall man with dark olive skin.
Sokka's eyes stared in confusion before realization slowly began kicking in, and they opened up in joy.
"Bato!"
Aang and Katara, who had been woken up due to the loud commotion, stared up in confusion as the man ran to embrace Sokka. Katara suddenly realized who the man was, too, and scrambled up from her cot to greet the man. Meili and Aang merely stared out in confusion.
"Sokka, Katara! It is so good to see you two! You've both grown so much," the man named Bato smiled. Aang got up from his spot and walked up behind the Water Tribe siblings, bowing towards the man respectfully.
"Hi, I'm Aang—"
"—Is Dad here?" Sokka interrupted, making Aang deadpan at being cut off mid introduction.
"No, he and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now," Bato stated. A cold wind suddenly blew itself along the beach, making everyone shiver.
"This is no place for a reunion. Let's move this somewhere else," Bato smiled, turning around to walk down the beach with Katara and Sokka following close behind. After a moment, he looked back and motioned for Aang and Meili to follow suit. Aang started walking behind them, but faltered as Meili looked back towards their camp.
"I'll only be a minute," she stated, walking backwards toward the fire. "I have to break down camp."
Aang nodded, jogging slightly to catch up with the group.
Momo stayed back with the cloaked-girl while she packed up camp; rolling up the cots, throwing sand over the fire, and packing everything into the bag on her shoulders. She stared into the last ember flickers burning in the fire before turning around and following in the footsteps of her friends.
In the shadows of the trees, a mysterious voice chuckled darkly.
"They seem to be distracted.. We should put our plan in motion soon."
"The Water Tribe boy and the Avatar may prove to be a hindrance in this plan. If they know.. it'll be much harder to get the reward."
"What about the cloaked-boy? Won't he hold back the plan too?"
"Leave him be.. We are only focused on the Avatar."
Then the two voices melded back into the shadows
After a few minutes of walking in the windy, starless night, Bato soon arrived at an abbey where nuns were walking about.
"After I was wounded, your father carried me to this monastery. The sisters have cared for me ever since — Superior, these are Hakoda's children. They've been traveling with the Avatar and this girl. I found them by my boat."
An older woman turned in her spot to look at the children, smiling slightly as she glanced at their faces.
"Young Avatar, it gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey," the superior greeted, bowing to Aang.
"Thank you. It is an honor to be here. If there's anything I can do just let me know."
The superior smiled, "Thank you."
"—What smells so good, Bato?" Sokka said with a sniff, holding his nose high in the air.
"The sisters craft ointments and perfume," Bato explained, gesturing to the various ceramic pots lining the abbey walls.
"Perfume? Maybe we can dump some on Appa, because .. he stinks so much. Am I right?" Sokka suggested, laughing at his own joke. An awkward silence followed, and Meili rubbed her temple.
Why had she found this idiot attractive again?
"You definitely have your father's wit," Bato said un-amused. He motioned everyone to follow him to where he had been staying — a small hut inside of the monastery. It had been decorated to resemble the Water Tribe culture, and these details seemed to be easily noticed by the two siblings.
"It looks exactly like home," Katara shouted in excitement.
"Yeah, even the animal skins!" Sokka added.
"Yeah, nothing's cozier than dead animal skins," Aang muttered as Meili nodded her head in agreement. Momo jumped off of the girl's head and examined the dead skin of an arctic seal bear, hitting it on the top of the head.
"No way! Stewed sea prunes!" Sokka smiled, opening up the top to a pot of stew. The smell was enough to make Meili's hunger disappear, and she respectfully rejected the bowl of sea prunes offered to her. She opted to sit in the corner of the room, watching Momo play around with the various sets of animal heads and pelts.
After some time, she slowly grew bored . While it would usually feel good to the girl, the heat within the room was seemingly unbearable, so she thought that it would be better if she got some fresh air.
The group sent a questioning glare toward the girl as she stood up, but Meili merely pointed outside. "I'm just going to … walk around for a little while," she stated, walking out of the hut and stepping out into the abbey.
She soon found her way back at the beach, and she sat herself on the helm of the Water Tribe's ship, left alone in her thoughts.
She thought about Jai — about how he was doing. Where was he? Was he having fun? She wondered how the rest of the Freedom Fighters were. Was Jet still crazy? Were Smellerbee and Longshot still denying the fact that they liked each other? Was Sneers still stealing Jet's food without him knowing? Did the group laugh when Jet noticed his food was not on his plate?
She smiled at the memories as she leaned her head on the bow of the ship. Sometimes, Meili wiahed she was back with the Freedom Fighters. Even though she grew closer to the people in her group now, things weren't the same. They weren't people she had grown up with. Meili couldn't tell them her secrets like how she could with Jai.
A low screech of an ostrich horse suddenly interrupted Meili's thoughts, and she was brought back to reality.
The rider stopped the ostrich horse and looked at Meili's cloaked figure, "I'm looking for Bato of the Water Tribe."
"I know him," she nodded.
"Make sure he gets this!" the messenger announced, handing the girl an intricate looking scroll with a Water Tribe insignia.
"It looks like a map," Meili concluded as she opened it up, glancing up from the map to look at the retreating figure of the ostrich horse.
Sometimes, Meili wished that she could read. She would 'read' books at the orphanage, though to her, that meant looking at the pictures and deducing what the characters on the page were saying. Most of the time, she would get Jai to read the pages for her. She tried so many times to learn how to read, but the symbols never seemed to make sense in her head.
She figured that her group would be able to read the map in the morning; the man riding the ostrich horse hadn't spoken with urgency. All Meili had to ensure was that Bato got the map that led to — well, wherever the map led to.
Meili walked onto the boat deck and exhaled slowly, stuffing the map into the pouch at her hip. The girl decided to camp out in the boat that night. The others wouldn't mind. Katara and Sokka would be catching up with their father's friend, and Aang would be doing who-knows-what. Besides, she could defend herself.
And with that, Meili fell asleep.
Approaching footsteps woke Meili up the next morning, and the black-haired girl sat up to see her group and Bato approaching. It was daybreak, just early enough that the sun's rays hadn't quite passed over the ocean's horizon. The sky was pink, hued with oranges and reds.
"There she is!" Katara shouted, pointing up to the deck of the ship. "Meili where were you? We were all worried sick!"
"I slept up here," she replied, cocking her head to the side. "Is that not allowed?"
"You should have told us first!" Sokka replied angrily.
Bato laughed, placing a hand on each of the siblings' shoulders. "I'm sure she meant no harm. Come now, weren't we supposed to go ice dodging?"
"Ice dodging?" Meili questioned with a yawn, rubbing her eye to get rid of the crust gathered at the edges of her eyelids. "What's that?"
"It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members," Bato answered with a wise smile. "When you turn fourteen, your father takes you— You know what, you're about to find out!"
Meili rose an eyebrow, "I am?"
"You all can!" Bato announced. "Think of it as a team trust exercise."
"Oh hey, before we go.." Meili stated, reaching into the bag on her back to get out the scroll. It would probably be easier for her to give Bato the map now.
"—can I lead?" Sokka interrupted Meili.
Bato laughed, "Yes, Sokka. You can."
Meili deadpanned as the two walked away, completely ignoring her.
The girl shrugged her shoulders, putting the scroll away. "Well, I guess I'll just give it to him after this.."
Meili got off the ship's helm and walked toward the front deck, taking her place next to her group members.
"Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust. In our village, ice dodging was done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs."
"So isn't this technically rock dodging?"
"I guess you could be considered right, Katara."
Bato gestured out toward the sharp rocks protruding out from the water. "You will be dodging those. It will require everything that this ceremonial test demands."
"Sokka, you call the shots," Bato said, directing him toward the helm of the boat. "Lead wisely."
"Katara, you secure the main sail. The winds can be brutal, so be brave," he smiled as he handed Katara a rope that connected to the large sail pushing the boat along.
"Aang, you control the jib. Without your steady hand, we all go down. Your position is about trust," Bato stated, guiding Aang toward the front of the ship.
"And you, Meili, will steer," Bato smiled. "You will need to keep your eyes and ears open as you listen to Sokka's demands."
The cloaked-girl nodded, walking toward the ropes used to steer the ship.
"For this is to be done right, I cannot help," Bato stated, sitting cross-legged at the front of the boat. "You pass or fail on your own."
Sokka immediately jumped into action, holding onto the boast as he stared out at the ocean ahead of him. "Aang, ease up on the jib. Meili, steady. Katara, adjust."
The three followed his orders and the boat moved past a rock.
"Meili pull left. Aang, less sail. Katara, give him room."
The ship moved to the side and sailed between a few more rocks.
"Aang, helm to lee. Helm to lee!"
"What does that even mean?" Aang shouted in agitation, attempting to follow Sokka's orders.
The waves hit the side of the boat, knocking Bato around. Meili struggled to hold the ropes steady while Katara and Aang closed their eyes. The boat shakily passed by a few more rocks.
Sokka grinned, "Great job!"
Katara and Aang smiled while Meili let out a snide smirk.
A sudden blockade of huge, pointing rocks blocked the path that the group was traveling in. Everyone eyed the boulders in fear.
"There's no way through!" Katara shouted.
Sokka nodded confidently, "We can make it."
Bato stood up from his spot and placed a hand firmly onto Sokka's shoulder. "Sokka, you've already proven yourself. Maybe we should—"
"—Aang, I'm going to need air in that sail. Katara, I want you to bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks. Meili, I need you to hold those ropes steady like your life depends on it! Now!"
Everyone nodded. Katara bended the water below the boat so that the ship was sitting on an artificial wave while Aang fired gusts of air into the sail. Meili mustered all the strength she could into her muscles as she yanked the ropes in her hand into place, holding them steady even as they attempted to throw her around.
Sokka groaned nervously as the boat rose over the rocks, clearing them with ease. When they reached clear water, everyone sighed and relaxed, pulling the boat over toward the shore once again.
Once back on land, Bato held up a pot of purple paint in his hand, making the kids all line up in a straight line. The Water Tribe elder dipped his finger into the paint, before holding it out toward Sokka's forehead.
"The spirits of water bear witness to these marks. For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise." A pause as he used his thumb to draw an arc and a small dot on Sokka's forehead. "The same mark your father earned."
He then moved over toward the boy's sister. "For Katara." A pause as he used his thumb to draw a crescent moon mark on Katara's forehead, "the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us. "
He turned to Aang and drew an arc on his forehead. "For Aang, the Mark of the Trusted."
"And finally for Meili," he stated, drawing a circle with a dot underneath of it on her forehead — well, at least, he guessed her forehead—, "the Mark of the Dependable. Now, you are both honorary members of the Water Tribe."
Aang smiled, but Meili stared up.
She wasn't dependable. She had been lying to Aang and the Water Tribe siblings ever since she had joined their group. She couldn't be considered a member of the Water Tribe.. Not with the secrets she was carrying.
"Great, now that we're finished, let's go have some more sea prunes!" Sokka exclaimed. "I'm starving."
"All you care about is food," Katara deadpanned.
"Well, we ate breakfast a while ago," Aang said sheepishly. "And I don't think Meili ate either."
The cloaked-girl nodded her head, "I am kind of hungry."
"Well then it's decided!" Bato said with a clap. "But this time I'll prepare something other than our Water Tribe delicacies for our companions."
The group laughed, mostly at the disgusted face that Aang made as he thought about the sea prunes. Gathering up all of their items, the group made their way back to the abbey. The sky had leveled out to a low grey-blue, and the sky was overcast with rolling light grey clouds. Bato mentioned that the abbey routinely got rain, and a storm was probably on the way.
However, the group wouldn't have to worry about the storm inside of the hut Bato had made his home. They ate lunch quietly, but this time, they had a stew made from potatoes and carrots. Aang was thankful for the vegetarian option and even Meili was happy to eat something so hearty.
Katara noted that the group needed more provisions before they headed out. As much as the two Water Tribe siblings wanted to stay and hang out with Bato, they knew that traveling to the Northern Water Tribe was a pressing matter. So, she grabbed Meili, two baskets, and led the girl out to the forest where they could collect food.
"Would these berries be okay?" Katara questioned, holding up a small, oblong, purple berry.
"That's an azacur berry," Meili said dully.
"So… it is okay? Or isn't okay?"
"Its poisonous when eaten," Meili said, holding back laughter.
"Ha ha. Alright, so it's not okay."
Meili bent down, picking up a curved green plant instead. "This is a cucumber banana. It's pretty tart when it's not ripe, but by tomorrow it should be good to eat."
"Well, that sure beats poisonous berries," Katara laughed. "Help me load up on these cucumber bananas then."
The two girls removed the fruit from the vines they were growing on, dusting off the dirt and debris on top before plopping it into the basket.
"it must be nice to see Bato again," Meili noted lowly, wrapping her fingers around one of the fruits before plucking it off.
"Yeah, it is," Katara smiled. "He's been best friends with our dad for as long as I can remember. I wish that they didn't have to leave so soon."
Meili paused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, last night, Bato was telling us how he's about to get a map to the location of our dad's fleet. They'll be leaving soon after that."
"Oh," Meili said quietly, closing up her basket.
"Yeah," Katara said lowly. "Let's take these over to the river to wash them off."
"Sounds good," Meili nodded, following after the girl.
The two walked in silence, the only sound were their crunching footsteps and the sound of the crashing river in the distance.
"I can't imagine how hard it must be to say goodbye to family," Meili mumbled out. "I mean, Jai is like my little brother, and leaving him was so hard. But… I couldn't imagine leaving my father or mother."
Katara cleared her throat. "It's hard. The only piece of my mother I had left was her necklace, and now that's gone. And my dad's so far away — I miss them both. So much."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot about your mom," Meili apologized.
Katara wiped away a tear. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean to."
The two settled into a peaceful silence again, approaching the small riverbank rolling through the forest. It was crystal clear with small fish and snails swimming around the bottom.
Meili and Katara bent down, resting on their knees at the foot of the riverbed. The two girls began washing the fruit in the passing water, cleaning off the dirt and bugs still residing on the surface.
Katara sighed. "It's just — Bato said that we could leave with him and his fleet. Sokka and I could see our father again. It's been two years."
"He did?" Meili asked, pausing in her movements. The cold water flowed between her fingers before she resumed washing. "Well, that's nice. It would be great to see your father again."
"But that's just it… should we go?" Katara questioned. "I feel like we'd be abandoning Aang and you. And I feel like our lives are intertwined with helping Aang save the world. I know I couldn't go. But, Sokka wants to."
"Ponytail wants to leave?"
Katara nodded. "He's old enough now. If we were back at home, he would've been sent with the others. He feels like this is his chance to prove himself to Dad."
"But he's not really going to go though, right? There's no way Ponytail would just leave."
"Well, not until we get the map. But he's already been packing up his stuff."
Meili looked at the cucumber banana in her hand, looking at the bright green-yellow skin. She used her nails to scrape off a patch of dirt. "Oh. So once you guys get the map, that's it?"
"Yeah, I think so. I'll miss him but — I can't tell him what to do anymore."
Meili stared at the water, and her reflection shimmered back at her through the current. It's not like she would care if Sokka left; there would be a lot less arguing throughout their journey. But… she didn't know why the thought of him leaving made her chest feel so heavy. Maybe it was her sickness still lingering in her veins, or maybe the potato stew wasn't settling right.
Meili knew, though, that if Bato got the map in her bag, Sokka would be gone for good. And that thought alone was unnerving.
Walking back to the hut, Meili felt her conscience wavering. It was such a selfish thing to think, but she wanted to keep the map to herself. She didn't want Sokka to leave. Not because she would miss him, but because Aang and Katara definitely would.
She was tired of people leaving. Meili didn't want anyone else to go.
Sitting around the cooking pot in the center of Bato's hut later that night, Meili found herself reserved. Sokka and Katara laughed about how their father had placed an octopus on his head and convinced their Gran-Gran that he was a water spirit.
"Any day now, we should be getting that message from your father," Bato spoke with a mouthful of sea prune. "I'm not sure when word arrives, but when it does, we'll be able to take off."
"Are you excited, Sokka?" Aang questioned.
"It's going to be so incredible to see Dad again. And everyone else."
Katara rose an eyebrow, "Just make sure you don't eat too many seaweed wraps. You know what those do to your stomach."
Sokka blushed, "H-hey! I can't help that seaweed makes me gassy!"
The group laughed, and Meili sighed, looking at the animal skins and fur pelts littering the wall.
"What's wrong, Meili?" Aang asked the girl quietly, separating himself from the group. "You've been quiet all night. Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing, Avatar."
"It's something," he pressed, leaning in closer. Momo on his shoulder chattered and clicked as if to agree with him.
"Avatar," Meili spoke, and the monk thought it almost sounded like a plead. "Please, just leave me alone."
Momo jumped off the boy's shoulder and onto Meili's head, but the monk obliged and left Meili to her thoughts. Was she wrong for keeping the map from them? She knew that they would need it eventually; Bato and the rest of the group had to meet up with Katara's father. But how could she give him the map without Sokka finding out?
She threw her head into her hands, wrapping her fingers in her hair. Before she met the Avatar and his companions, she would have held no qualms about whether or not to keep the map. Whatever was in her best interest was all that mattered. So, why was this troubling her so much?
Meili found herself unable to sleep that night, and she was tossing and turning in her sleeping bag unable to get comfortable. She was awake the whole night. And once she saw the slightest gleam of sunlight protruding from underneath the hut's door, Meili knew she had to get some air. Finally, sick and tired of flailing around in her cot, she got up and exited the hut.
For the first time in a long time, she was angry. She coughed into the crook of her arm, gritting her teeth and seething. She shouldn't even be thinking about the morality of her actions. Whiteflash of the Freedom Fighters, she wouldn't even think twice. What changed?
"Meili, is everything okay?" a voice spoke up, and Meili turned around to see Aang peeking his head outside of the door. "I heard you get up pretty fast…"
"I'm fine," she growled out, and she didn't miss the wince in Aang's eyes at her harsh tone. "I mean — I'm fine, Avatar. Thank you for checking up on me, but it wasn't necessary."
"Okay," he said, not seeming too convinced. "Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help."
Meili let out a sigh as she heard the door close once more. Knowing that she would not find any solace in front of the hut, the girl found herself wandering back toward the ocean shore. The Water Tribe ship still stood in all of its glory, docked at the coast from their previous rock dodging trip. She boarded it once more, finding refuge and relief at the helm of the ship.
She sat in the silence, taking in the beauty of the waves and the water crashing along the beach. She coughed quietly, shaking her head of her thoughts. She shouldn't feel guilty. Hiding the map was for the good of the group. Without Sokka, Katara would be less animated, more mopey, and less enthused to teach Aang waterbending. That would hurt his abilities to perform as the Avatar.
It wasn't because she would miss him or any weird stuff like that. Who would even miss that dorky kid with his stupid little ponytail?
She watched the sun rise over the shore, letting out a low breath.
"Hey!" a voice suddenly yelled, making the black-haired girl turn in her spot abruptly.
Approaching the boat was a scowling Sokka, with a frantic and frazzled Aang and Katara following behind. Bato was also on their trail, hobbling as he held his injured torso.
"What's this?" the Water Tribe boy asked, holding up a rolled piece of parchment angrily. Meili squinted her eyes, trying to make out the contents of what he was holding until realization dawned on her. She reached for her pouch, realizing that she had forgotten to put it back on before leaving the hut. Which meant —
"This is the map to our father! And it was in your pouch the whole time? How could you!"
The Water Tribe boy stormed up the steps to the boat, though Aang was quick on his toes to pull the teen back.
"Sokka, just hold on! Let her explain."
"Explain what? How she lied to us? How she tried to keep this hidden?"
"Sokka," Katara stated softly. "I don't think she was trying to do that. Listen to Aang; let her explain."
They all grew quiet, perhaps expecting an answer. Aang's eyes seemed pleading, Katara's seemed hopeful. Like they didn't want what Sokka was saying to be true.
Meili turned away. "I… was hiding it from you guys."
"I can't believe you would do something like this," Sokka said in anger, staring at the girl with his fist clenched. "You could've given this to Bato, but instead you stayed out here all by yourself! Do you know how much this map means to me?"
"I didn't know what it was for at first!" Meili shouted in agitation. "I was trying to do what was best for the group. You shouldn't be leaving."
"But, hiding it, Meili?" Katara voiced lowly. "There were so many other ways you could have communicated this to us. And being deceitful was the worst choice out of all of them."
"I don't need a lecture, Princess. I don't have to explain myself to anyone."
"That's exactly what someone like you would say," Sokka scowled. "A liar like you doesn't deserve to travel with us."
Aang rose his hands, "Woah, Sokka, maybe we should talk about this more. I'm sure she has a reason for hiding it."
"No," Sokka snarled. "She lied to us. She kept this map from Katara and me.. a map that told us where our father is.." Sokka paused as he looked down. "This was my big chance to prove myself to Dad; it could all be messed up now because of her."
And suddenly, Meili's heart stopped. The dreams from those cold nights many weeks ago played back in her head.
'A liar like you doesn't deserve to be friends with people like us.'
'Liar.'
'I never did trust you.'
Her world suddenly came crashing down.
He was right; she couldn't stay with them. What she was hiding from them— if they found out, they would leave her anyways. It would be easier to part with them now. It would save her the heartache.
Meili slowly backed away from the people she was beginning to care for, toward the back of the ship facing the ocean. She stared at them with sadness — fear. She knew that only Aang would see.
Or maybe Katara and Sokka would be able to see her frowning lips, but it didn't matter now. She gritted her teeth in anger, letting out a low tsk before jumping over the ship. She swam away toward the shore, ran through the sand and to the forest. She ran away from the call for her to come back. Away from the hope of a new life. Away from the pain of having to lie every day.
And suddenly, Meili felt like she was that ten-year-old little girl again sitting in despair in the orphanage — watching a child walk through the wooden doors hand-in-hand with a young couple. She felt desolate… alone… ashamed. She ignored the tear slipping down her cheek as she disappeared into the wilderness.
In the shadows of the forest surrounding the abbey, the two shadows lurked dangerously.
"She's leaving with her brother and the Avatar in a few moments.."
"I know , I know.. We will wait until sun down. Wait until she's alone. They won't suspect a thing.."
"I'm an idiot," Meili muttered to herself, throwing her face into her hands. "Spirits help me.. why am I so dumb?"
The girl let out a deep sigh as she tugged her cloak off of her head, letting her black locks tumble out and fall around her. The length quickly provided the girl with some warmth as she tugged her legs close to her body. It was chilly in the forest by the seashore, the cold wind erupting from underneath the crashing of waves. However, it felt good against her heated skin.
She should've known better than to grow close to them. They all probably thought she was a low-life criminal. A liar.
She sat for what seemed like hours, analyzing her actions. Meili replayed her interactions with the group, thinking of the different outcomes that could have arisen if she had just been honest. But in the past, it was this honesty that had caused her greatest mar. Her naivety, her trusting nature, caused her pain and suffering. She remembered the screams, the cries, the smell of burning flesh.
It was all too overwhelming, the memories of her past. She tried so desperately to push everything back; she wanted to forget. But the look of disappointment on Sokka's face, reminded her so much of that man. She felt nauseous, the bile churning in her throat, just aching to escape. And the flashbacks of fear and terror caused her stomach to contract so violently, she didn't even have time to hold back the vomit that escaped her mouth.
She fell over on her hands and knees, retching into the grass pieces of potatoes and carrots from the day before. Meili heaved and heaved, and each forceful hurl spewed out chunks of partially-digested, congealed bile. She was sweating, and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes once she finished, her face blanched and sickly.
The girl fell back to her rear as she took a deep breath, wiping her mouth of the residual vomit dripping down the corners of her lips.
A small click and chatter made the girl look up, and Meili found herself staring into the eyes of Momo.
"How did you find me here?" Meili questioned, her voice still husky from the recent expulsion from her stomach, looking the lemur in the eyes. Its beady orbs were wide with fright and anguish. Something was wrong. "What happened?"
Momo tugged at the cloth of Meili's cloak, signaling her to stand up. The lemur then began to fly away, leading the girl to where she was supposed to go. Meili pulled up her hood and followed.
They soon made it to the forest just outside the abbey, and the sounds of battle echoed in the air. Momo stopped suddenly as he sat on Meili's head.
"Where am I supposed to go now?"
Momo only chattered.
Meili groaned, scowling as she scanned the ground below off a cliff and toward a dirt pathway. Walking slowly, a large beast had Sokka and Katara situated on its back, and Aang was nowhere to be seen.
The lady controlling the beast suddenly hopped off, pulling Sokka up by his ponytail before throwing him off of the giant creature. She then proceeded to climb back on her pet and ride away, still carrying an unmoving Katara.
Meili stared in panic. Despite her leaving the group, and despite everything telling her to turn around, she couldn't just watch with complacency as her friend was being taken away.
Meili followed along the tree line, trying her best to keep up with the fast beast, but she found it hard with her hoarse throat.
The creature suddenly came to a stop, and the girl riding the beast got off once again. The girl shifted her weight into her left hip as she began talking to someone. Meili had to get closer.
After weaving her way through the forest, Meili finally made it to the outside of the clearing.
"I found the girl. I was lucky Angry Boy just happened to ask me to find her… I didn't know it would be the same person you guys sent me after."
"You are a rather lucky person, June," a mysterious voice purred. The man was shorter than average, but bulky and stocky. His eyes barely crinkled on the edges, and his unique, twisted mustache and sideburns indicated that he was highly ranked in the Fire Nation army.
"Okay, well, I held up my end of the deal, pay up," June replied impatiently, holding out her hand. Her palm was soon filled with gold. "Thanks again, boys."
"Our pleasure," a different voice stated. Meili couldn't see this man.
Katara was thrown off of June's beast and onto the forest floor, unable to move for some odd reason, but still able to look around.
"What do you want with me?" Katara questioned angrily, watching the girl on the beast ride away. "…Who are you?"
The man with the exotic facial hair bent down to her level, picking up a strand of hair that happened to come loose from her braid, "My name, sweetheart, is of no importance."
"Don't.. touch me," Katara said through gritted teeth.
The man sighed before standing up, "June said that her shirshu's paralysis lasts for a little over an hour. We should be fine for a few more minutes. Not like it'll matter by then, Jiayi. We'll have the Avatar by then."
The second man, who Meili now knew to be named Jiayi, came out from the shadows. He was a relatively good looking man with half of his long, brown hair twisted up into a bun. He was wearing the same armor as the other man, meaning that he was a part of the Fire Nation army, too. Jiayi threw up a lazy hand before walking away toward a tent, "Cheng, go ahead and tie her up."
Meili could see Katara watching the men with fright, but Meili could also see that the waterbender had been able to regain her movement back slightly. Meili didn't know what exactly had caused the paralysis, but she knew that Katara would soon be able to escape.
Meili crept over to where Katara was sitting, attempting to think of some way to get the girl out of her predicament. Whatever the men had in mind for Katara, Meili knew that it wasn't.
"Katara," Meili whispered slightly, trying to gain her attention without disturbing the men. However, Katara didn't seem to hear her.
"Ka-ta-ra," Meili said again, and this time the brunette's head clicked to attention. The Water Tribe girl turned with wide, happy eyes, recognizing the white cloak instantly. Meili was rescuing her.
"I knew you would come back for us," Katara said happily, turning her head to look over at the men.
"Can you get to your water?" Meili questioned, earning a side-to-side head shake from the waterbender
"That woman's shirshu paralyzed us; I can barely move. I just started to get some feeling back."
Meili had to think fast, but she didn't know what she could do to help the waterbender. Being paralyzed with little movement meant that Katara wouldn't be able to do much defensively. But if she was free of the paralysis just long enough to stumble away, Meili could jump in and buy the girl some time.
The man returned and Katara's eyes widened as she watched him saunter closer. Meili grit her teeth.
"We've been following you guys for a while now," the man grinned as he approached, the rope twirling menacingly in his long, white fingers.
Katara's face remained passive, no doubt trying to look brave. But Meili could see it in her eyes, the way they darted to and fro: Katara was scared. Scared that she wouldn't make it out alive. Scared that she would never see her brother or father again. Scared that she would never see Aang again.
But luckily, it was Meili who came to save the day. For the past few years, her job had been to outsmart and takedown Fire Nation soldiers. Out of everyone that could have come to her rescue, Meili was the most familiar with these types of men.
"It took us a while to get you away from your brother and the Avatar. It was just our luck that the boy with the cloak all but disappeared. We believed that he had noticed our presence."
Meili moved in her spot, quiet enough to not be heard, and maneuvered around the bushes in front of her to camouflage her existence. While highly durable and combat-crafted, Fire Nation armor had one weak spot: the back of the knees. To provide mobility, the armor had to be missing in that one spot. Luckily for Meili, it was just the answer.
The man bent down over Katara's form, "My friend Jiayi and I are a part of this group called the Kǎoshēng. You know, girl, we're good Fire Nation soldiers — quite obedient and loyal. So, when we found out just who the Avatar was traveling with, well... we couldn't just leave him be," Cheng pulled on Katara's braid to point her face toward his own. "We'll just say that you're pretty lucky."
"You're using me to get to Aang?" the girl said in disbelief.
"Aang.. so that's the Avatar's name," Cheng said, letting go of the girl's hair. He looked pointedly down at Katara. "You're lucky we need you alive, girl. If we didn't need you as ransom, well.. I would've killed you already."
And then suddenly, his cry filled the air. He immediately moved to grab the back of his leg, which now had a small dagger lodged in the armor-less pit.
Katara scrambled backwards with as much mobility as she could, watching the man stumble back in his place to try and regain his footing. Meili leapt out from the trees and helped Katara stand up since the girl was still a little shaky from the paralysis.
"Go to your brother and Aang!" Meili called, looking Katara in the eyes. "I'll hold them off!"
"You, you can't do that by yourself!" Katara spoke, turning around to see Jiayi come out of the tent, weapon in hand.
"That wasn't a request — it was an order," Meili stated, throwing Katara toward the direction of the abbey. "Tell everyone I'm sorry, and that I didn't mean to lie to them."
Katara was wobbly, but she nodded her head begrudgingly and hobbled away.
Momo chittered in Meili's ear as she turned toward the two men. Cheng was crying out in pain on the ground as Jiayi walked over to examine him. Jiayi chuckled slightly as he pulled the dagger from his partner's leg, throwing the weapon away as if it were nothing.
"You're weak, Cheng."
Said man glared up at Jiayi with distasteful eyes.
"So.. little cloak boy decided to show up after all," the muscle man grinned, cracking his knuckles so loud that it echoed in the air. "We'll beat you to a pulp and then go get that girl back. She can't get too far with that paralysis. I hope you know that you're sacrificing yourself for nothing. Who would care about a runt like you anyway?"
Meili stood her ground, staring straight ahead as her cloak blew in the wind, "I was given the Mark of the Dependable."
Jiayi and Cheng both rose an eyebrow.
Meili didn't falter.
"People are relying on me, now, to protect them, so I must do everything I can to keep them safe."
Meili reached up to her hood, "So if that means sacrificing myself."
She grabbed the fabric, "or revealing myself."
She yanked the hood off, "..or putting myself in danger…"
She stared the men straight into their eyes, holding out her hands as she lunged in preparation to strike. Golden flames licked at her fingertips as her palms were suddenly covered in warm, molten fire. "Then so be it!"
A/N: Hi loves! This is easily the longest chapter, but I think it adds some much needed depth to Meili and her character. Thank you to all who are reading and reviewing; it means the world to me :) Happy reading!