Katara stumbled her way through the trees, running as fast as her wobbly legs would move. The abbey. That was all she was focused on right now.
She could smell the perfume in the air. She could taste the aroma on her lips. She was close.
Then she saw Appa, and the giant bison was holding Sokka and Aang inside of his saddle. Her brother hopped off of the furry creature in quick haste, running over to his sister in vehement relief before enveloping her in a tight hug. The girl pulled away from the embrace after the moment of reuniting, opening up her mouth to speak hoarse, out-of-breath words.
"She's attacking them! She – she pushed me away and told me to find you guys— she.. I don't know what she's doing! They're looking for Aang, and they'll kill for him. They'll kill her—"
"Katara.. what are you saying?" Aang spoke, hopping off of Appa as well. "Who is being attacked?"
"Meili!" the girl said with wide eyes. "The June girl.. she took me to these two men that hired her just like Zuko did, and – and they said they were going to use me to get to Aang. But Meili came and saved me, and she ran out and attacked them. They're two full-grown men.. she can't stop them! And they'll capture her! And then .. after that they'll kill her!"
"Woah, Katara, slow down," Sokka stated, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. "What do you mean? You'll be used for what?"
Katara looked away from her brother, "I was supposed to be used for ransom.. so that Aang would save me — and come to them. So that Aang would be captured! And be taken to the Fire Lord!"
"You were going to be used as leverage against Aang?" Sokka clarified.
Katara nodded her head. "But.. but Meili— she's taking them on all by herself. They'll kill her, and then they'll come looking for me again. You and Aang will be hurt, and it'll be all my fault—"
Aang tilted his head, "This isn't your fault, Katara. Those men are after me. It's my fault you were captured, and now Meili's in danger because of me…"
"Aang," Katara stated solemnly, looking the Avatar and her brother in the eyes. "She.. before I left, she told me that she didn't mean to lie. I think she was going to risk her life to save us. She knows she's not strong enough to beat them," Katara trailed off, her watery eyes turning to gaze at her brother. "Sokka..."
"You don't think that she would put herself in danger like that to save us. She wouldn't risk her life…" he looked Katara in the eyes, "would she…?"
Katara looked away, remembering the dutiful look in Meili's eyes before the waterbender hobbled away to go find her brother and Aang, ".. Yes."
Aang frowned, "Well, I don't know about you two, but we have to go save Meili. Now!"
Sokka scowled, determination set firmly into his brow. "Katara, take me to where you last saw Meili."
The brunette waterbender nodded her head.
The chiseled man ducked down underneath of an incoming fireball, unsheathing his sword out from its holder before shielding himself away from the approaching flames. The smaller man beside him yelped as the flames singed his beard, and he fell down in a heap of fright.
Jiayi scowled crossly.
The stupid girl was a firebender. A skilled one at that. Her white cloak wavered in the wind behind her as the balls of garnet flames flew toward him again. They whipped and flew out in tendrils of unfathomable heat. But Jiayi was a warden. He may not have been a firebender, but he had some damn good experience with them.
The man could tell that this girl had not used firebending in a while — her moves were too jolty and uniform. Her stamina was okay, but her stances she took before shooting the fire seemed unfamiliar to her. Self-taught. And her chi felt weak.
What a dumb girl.
Then Jiayi dodged another incoming whip of heat, watching the girl move her body with ease. Her hips turned. Her legs bent in quick, flexible movements. Jiayi grinned. This girl was traveling with the Avatar for quite some time. He didn't think that the monk would leave one of his comrades, even if it was a firebending girl with an ugly scar running down her face.
"Change of plans, Cheng," Jiayi called to his partner, looking over at the man dodging the flames in cowardice. "Forget the waterbender. Get the girl."
The flying lemur on top of Meili's head, which had yet to move from his spot, let out a little click of a warning. Though the black-haired girl didn't know exactly what the lemur was talking about, she knew it was a sign of caution.
Jiayi slashed his sword toward the girl, and the firebender had to roll out of the way as she pulled out a dagger. Not the optimal weapon, but she blocked an attack with it nonetheless.
However, the girl was finally starting to run out of energy, and her body was growing weak from her sickness. Her throat was burning hoarsely from the residual vomit and her chest was tight with anxiety. Meili grit her teeth in seething realization, obstructing another blow with her dagger before shooting out a wave of fire from her right hand. Except her left hand holding her dagger was suddenly pushed up and shoved behind her back.
The twisting of her limb sent a wave up pain up Meili's arm, and she gasped out in pain as she fell down to her knees. As she tried to stand back up, the tip of Jiayi's sword pressed menacingly into her throat. Looking around, she saw herself become surrounded by a dozen Fire Nation men, outnumbering her easily.
"Don't move, or you'll wish you hadn't."
Meili gritted her teeth, and her body shook in anger.
She was defeated. She looked up into the air as she watched Momo fly away, and cold metal stung her skin as rope cuffs wrapped around her tiny wrists. She was captured now. She couldn't save them. She didn't protect her friends.
She lied to them once again.
"Are you sure this was where it happened, Katara?"
"I swear — we were right here.. And the tent was set up over by those trees —oh my spirits.. What if she's dead!"
"Katara," Sokka spoke lowly. "Everything will be fine — we'll find her."
Aang nodded his head with a closed-eye smile. "Let's look around for clues."
The three of them then split up, though Katara was looking around shakily.
Sokka couldn't stop thinking about how this was all his fault. If he had never yelled at Meili for hiding his dad's location, then she would've been there with them still. She wouldn't have been separated from them.
"Over here!" Aang shouted, crouching down by a bush. Katara was immediately on the move, hovering next to Aang to see what he had discovered. There was a singed branch, with burnt leaves covering the forest floor.
"Oh, spirits," Katara whimpered, falling down to the ground with tears pooling hotly at the corners of her eyes. "They attacked her with their firebending."
Sokka scowled, looking around the terrain for any sign of Meili. He had to apply his dad's tracking skills. It was now or never.
He moved away from the singed bush, looking around where Katara had said the tent was positioned. Sokka could still see the indentation in the dirt of where the pegs had been hammered down. The men weren't stupid enough to clean that up.
"Look over here, guys," Sokka stated lowly, crouching down to the ground. There was dirt and grass disturbances at one of the peg's location, most likely where the tent had been folded back up at. Little did the Fire Nation soldiers know, it was the key to finding out where they went. "See the straight line through the grass over there? They most likely put up the tent and pulled it behind them."
"It's headed northeast," Aang announced, airbending up from his spot on the ground. "Toward the huge lake in the center of the forest Bato was talking about!"
Sokka nodded his head swiftly, getting up from his crouch to stand up proudly. From his back pocket, he grabbed out his boomerang. "Let's go!"
The two Water Tribe members and the Avatar swiftly began their descent through the forest, weaving their way through the branches and trees as they ran quickly to their destination. Most of them were still a little tired from their previous fight with Prince Zuko, but Sokka wasn't thinking about that now. He still felt guilty, and this guilt was the only thought pounding in his head.
Appa trailed behind them as Aang led the way, the Avatar sitting on top of a ball of propelling air. Suddenly, however, he dispersed the air and floated to the ground. Katara and Sokka both stopped running through the forest, catching their breath as they watched Aang hold up his hand. Then, from the canopy of leaves above, Momo flew down and landed on Aang's forearm.
He chittered and clicked, the lemur's tongue moving to communicate with Aang. The airbender nodded his head, dropping down his arm as Momo climbed on top of his shoulder. "Momo was with Meili when she was taken, he's going to lead the way!"
No sooner did the lemur hop off of his owner's shoulder and take flight into the sky.
Following the lemur made Sokka feel even guiltier. He had been the one to lead them into this mess, and now he couldn't even save the day. If only he hadn't overreacted— even though Meili had lied to them — they would be back on their way to the Northern Water Tribe. He had just been so caught up in his emotions, always feeling useless and incapable... Like when his father wouldn't let him go out for war. So he just snapped. He didn't realize that Meili was actually human and not just some sarcastic, white-cloaked monster.
He forgot that she had feelings, and he had no right to blow up on her like he did.
Momo stopped after a few minutes of gliding, flapping his limbs before landing once again on Aang's arm. He chittered and chattered things that Sokka couldn't decipher before Aang scowled with determination.
"We need to inspect the campsite first before we go in there," Aang spoke, careful to keep his voice just barely above a whisper.
"Let me," Sokka said with determination, dropping into a lunge as he stealthily stalked over to the bushes at the edge of the forest. He ducked behind the foliage, glancing over the leaves.
The first thing that greeted his vision was a bustling Fire Nation camp, their white tents pitched high and mighty as the Nation's emblem adorned the side, the symbol painted in a bright blood red. There were soldiers on outpost, and one man standing in the center of the camp. Sokka presumed him to be the leader.
The man glanced around with an air of confidence, but paused as a sound of clashing metal was heard from inside of a tent. Sokka scowled his eyes as he saw a shorter man with a strange mustache and beard came stumbling out, holding a hand up to his face to put out a small flame beginning to singe his mustache.
"Cheng, you imbecile," the man in the center of the camp said distastefully. "What part of stay quiet do you not understand?"
"It's not me, Jiayi, it's her!" the shorter man all but whined. "She's crazy and won't sit still! This is her third time trying to escape already."
"Just — keep her in line," Jiayi grunted, crossing his arms. "The Avatar should be here soon enough."
Sokka pulled back from his observing to look back at Aang and Katara. His sister was a little better, and she wasn't as shaky as she was before. Aang was ready and eager to invade the camp, even though it was exactly what the men wanted.
"They have her hostage, I know that," Sokka spoke in a hushed voice, moving over to his two teammates. "They're waiting for Aang to come, so we can always sneak around the back and save Meili without getting caught. The less interaction we have with the Fire Nation geeks, the better."
"But, how are we supposed to do that without being seen?" Katara questioned.
"I haven't quite figured that out yet," Sokka said vehemently, his voice cracking slightly, "but all I know is that we have to do something."
"I could distract them," Aang suggested. "They want me, right? If I come out and attack them, you and Katara can sneak around and rescue Meili."
"And then we can all get on Appa and escape!" Sokka agreed, nodding his head. "Alright, just wait for my cue then, Aang. Katara and I will head over there now."
The young airbender nodded his head in return, positioning himself where Sokka had just been watching the clearing earlier.
The two Water Tribe members then began their descent around the brink of the forest, silently wading their way through the trees until they were behind the tent that Cheng had walked out of just moments ago. Sokka looked around his surroundings, noticing that the lake was now only a few yards away from them. Lightly tapping Katara's shoulder, the girl looked over at her brother before setting her sights on the water beside them. She smirked, nodding her head.
Then Sokka gave Aang the cue.
In a flashy display of air, Aang came swirling like a vortex into the center of the clearing, immediately knocking out a few of the unprepared Fire Nation soldiers. As they fell down, their armor crashed against the forest floor in a loud bang. The leader was immediately on defense, turning until he was facing the young monk.
"So the Avatar finally shows himself," the man smirked, reaching across his body to grab the sword attached to his hip.
"Let my friend go!" Aang yelled, stabbing his glider down onto the ground.
"You really care about that worthless, little runt?" Jiayi grinned. "Should've thought about that before you tried to ambush us."
A moment later, Sokka and Katara were pushed into the clearing, Sokka falling face first into the dirt with a loud grunt. Katara was immediately on her feet, turning her wrists so that she could bend the water from the lake. Aang scowled with determination, twisting his glider so that it was straight out in front of him before slashing a gust of wind toward Jiayi. And amidst all of the commotion, Sokka wove his way underneath of slinging swords and balls of flames, hastily making his way toward the tent Meili was being held captive in.
Just as he was about to enter, however, a sword came slashing out from the inside of the tent, and Sokka had to duck, barely missing the blade that surely would've sliced off his neck. The wider man named Cheng then stepped out, holding his weapon steadily.
"Heh, dumb little boy. You think you can just take back our leverage over the Avatar? You're not even a bender, just a snot-nosed kid."
Sokka grit his teeth, memories of his young, incapable self played in his mind. His uselessness as he watched his father sail away to war.
Then, the Water Tribe boy let out a war cry, dashing forward heroically with his boomerang held up high. Metal clashed against metal as the boomerang pushed the sword backward. Cheng tsked as he switched his footing, turning to attack Sokka once again.
The boy dodged the attack by twisting his torso out of the way, flicking his wrist so that his boomerang went flying around the clearing.
"Heh, you missed, kid!" Cheng shouted. "It's lights out for you now!"
And then right as the sword was about to come crashing down, the boomerang flashed back around in a silver blur, hitting Cheng's helmet and sending him down to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Sokka grinned, kissing the cold metal of his weapon, "Aw, boomerang, I love you!"
He then slipped the weapon back inside of its carrier, moving around Cheng's body in a hurry. He speedily stepped inside the tent, his eyes searching for his companion. However, he was greeted with something else.
A girl… trying to rob the tent?
But, where was Meili?
Sokka blinked his eyes as he saw the girl hunched over a chest, searching desperately for something. Ropes of what used to presumably be her handcuffs were singed and burned, lying twisted on the floor.
Her hair was black as coal, the top half gathered into a ponytail that cascaded down her back in messy waves. The front of her hair was pulled into two braids that should've fallen over her shoulders and down her torso but were now hovering over the inside of the chest she was searching through.
"Uh, hello?" Sokka said hesitantly, reaching a hand out to touch the girl's shoulder.
But before he could touch her, her hand reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Help me find it," her voice spoke, and Sokka thought that the voice sounded familiar, though it sounded painful and strained.
The girl turned around to face Sokka, and his heart stopped as his gaze focused on seafoam-colored eyes. They held a look of anguish, fear, but were too captivating for him to look away. The girl, barely reaching his shoulders, looked vulnerable and scared, her faintly-pink lips parted open, wavering ever so slightly. And then her bangs cascaded over her face, falling just above her arched eyebrows pointed down in what Sokka believed now to be anger.
He was entranced by this beautiful girl, her fair skin translucent and glowing underneath the rays of sun penetrating through the tent walls. But what really stood out the most was the scar running down the right side of her face.
It was a soft pale pink, much like the color of her own pouted lips, and contrasted the sweet green color of her eyes. Her rosy cheeks seemed undisturbed by the scar puckering along her skin, a mark seemingly carved by the spirits.
"Never mind, I'll find it myself," she spoke roughly, interrupting Sokka from his thoughts as she slammed his wrist down. He blinked as he saw her tipping over bins and baskets, until her fingers met smooth, white material.
"Sokka!" a voice suddenly called from outside, and the Water Tribe boy looked outside of the tent to see Aang and Katara seated on top of Appa. "Grab Meili and let's go! I tied that guy up, but I don't know how long it'll hold him!"
Sokka held a look of confusion as his eyes traveled over to the girl inside of the tent with him, watching her fasten a broach on her chest before throwing a white hood over her head, blocking out all view of the girl underneath.
Wait… that girl was Meili?
"C'mon, Ponytail," she muttered underneath of her breath, grabbing onto his wrist again before running out of the tent. The girl grabbed ahold of Katara's hand being extended out to her, and was then lifted up into the saddle of the huge sky bison. Sokka landed in the saddle with an 'oof', rubbing his head slightly as he looked down at the camp they started to fly away from.
Everyone let out a small breath of air as the impending doom looming over them was finally gone. Katara, who was shaken up by the whole ordeal, immediately reached across Appa's saddle and flung herself around Meili.
"I can't believe that you're alright!" the waterbender cried out. "But don't you ever do something stupid like that again!"
"I saved you, didn't I?" the girl mumbled out. "… I had to do something."
"Thanks, Meili," Aang smiled, turning his head from the skies stretching out in front of them. "That was really brave of you."
Then, both the airbender and waterbender looked pointedly over at Sokka.
"What?" he screeched out, crossing his arms as he looked out into the skies lazily.
"Aren't you going to apologize?" Katara spoke out harshly.
Sokka's gaze fell to his lap. "Oh, yeah… Sorry, Meili. For getting mad at you…"
"It's okay," she spoke quietly. "I deserved it, honestly. I deceived you guys."
"Why didn't you just tell us the truth?" Katara questioned.
Aang nodded. "Yeah, you could've just told us that you didn't want Sokka to leave."
Meili blushed, and was thankful that it was hidden behind her cloak. "That is not the reason! I would never miss this.. this gross.. half-ponytailed.. thing."
"It's a warrior's wolf tail," Sokka pouted.
"Regardless," Meili waved off nonchalantly, "I just knew that we would be less productive as a team with Sokka gone. It was purely strategic, although I see how it could have come across as selfish in a way."
"Next time just tell us that," Aang said.
"Yeah, because even though Sokka wanted to go, we both know that Aang needs us more. Especially if people like those from the Kǎoshēng are looking for him," Katara spoke with a downcast look in her eyes.
"He's the Avatar," Sokka grinned, "and as much as I want to see Dad, we have other family to look after now."
Aang looked around, a sly look in his eyes. "I wish I could give you a little piece of home, Katara. Something to remind you of your family."
Katara shrugged, "I'll be okay."
"Still, just a little trinket. Maybe something like ..." the monk paused, pulling out a small, blue necklace from inside of his shirt, "this?"
Katara's face lit up, and the girl quickly took the necklace from Aang. "How'd you get this?"
"Zuko asked me to be sure I got it to you."
"Aw, that's so sweet of Zuko. Could you give him a kiss for me when you see him?"
Aang grinned. "Sure."
Katara kissed Aang on the cheek. It was chaste, quick, but still made the monk flash bright red nonetheless.
"I really missed seeing the Crowned Prince again?" Meili spoke.
"He attacked us in the abbey just shortly after you left," Katara filled the girl in, clasping the necklace around her throat. "He had hired June and used the scent of my necklace to track me."
"Then, how did Cheng and Jiayi track you?" Meili questioned. "They had to have had your scent then... somehow."
"That is creepy," Katara said aloud, and paused before speaking again. "We need to be more cautious. It was so easy for them to sneak up on us like that. And not only do we have to worry about them, but also Zhao and Zuko."
"Man, Fire Nation people are weird," Sokka said lazily, laying back in the saddle.
But immediately after reclining back, Meili punched the boy in the shoulder a second later.
"Ow! What was that for?" he winced.
She turned away from him, and he could barely see her lips from underneath of her cowl. "Don't you ever just sit there and stare at me like that again. Gah, Ponytail, you idiot… You could've helped me find my cloak instead of standing there gaping at me."
"Wait — Sokka got to see you without your cloak?" Katara stated disbelievingly.
Meili huffed, crossing her arms as she leaned backward, "It wasn't like I had a choice."
"That's no fair!" the Water Tribe girl fake whined, though a smile ghosted over her lips. "Now Aang and I are the only ones that don't know what you look like."
"Well.." Aang trailed off, rubbing a hand behind his neck, "actually, Katara, I know what Meili looks like, too."
"What?" Katara screeched, this time in seriousness. "You mean, I'm the only one that doesn't know? When are you going to show me?"
Meili moved out of the way as Katara almost tackled the girl, attempting to rip the cloak from her head. "Agh, Princess, get off of me!"
Aang smiled as he saw the two girls arguing, setting his sights back to the sky in front of him, his route headed north.
Sokka also returned his gaze out to the skies around him as he fought back a blush, now trying to convince himself that he did not find Meili attractive. She was not the beautiful girl with bright, green eyes and glossy black hair that he saw inside that tent.
She just wasn't.
A/N: Hi beautiful people :) I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and supported my story through follows and favorites, it truly means a lot ! I've been working a lot and taking. few summer classes, so I've been slow on updating. But I hope this gives you a little more insight as to where this story is headed .
Thank you CopyCat25 for your kind words in your review; I'm glad you are enjoying the story. See you guys soon xoxoxo