Chapter Two: The Finding
The wind howled, whipping Ciara's brown hair violently. She looked down on the sea of green, watching five dark shapes leave the burned village. "Hmm. Visitors? How delightful, maybe they will join me for a cup of tea?" she spoke softly to herself, seeing them disappear into the lush forest.
Leaves swirled before her, dancing to the wind's song, as she stared at the soft blue sky. Feather-like clouds streaked the sky, moving slowly across the vast sea, where reality and dreams meet. Ciara fell into nature's trance, feeling something inside her float along in the heavenly sky.
Her trance was broken by a rough hand on her shoulder, the weight of reality crashing down on her shoulders. Ciara glared and spun around, seeing a tall warrior with a skeletal mask on. Ciara growled and quickly crouched down; giving a low sweeping kick that sent the warrior on his back. Instinct took hold of her, the men in red armor on the ground groaning in pain and shock. Ciara gave a nod and smiled, glad that was taken care of, "That will teach you to never mess with The Phoenix."
Ciara found herself pushed against a tree, her cheek rubbing against the smooth bark. A rough hand pinned her arms from behind, and the bodyweight of her capture made sure she wasn't going to pull a fast one. "So, I finally meet the great Phoenix. No one told me how beautiful you were…" a voice whispered in her left ear.
Zuko grinned, so she captured the Pendent of Truth. Meaning it must give the bearer knowledge of everything. Like where the Avatar is, my father, and my uncle's addiction to tea. Perfect, I just have to smooth talk my way through this…and bingo. Ciara groaned in disgust, hearing that line way to many times, "What do you want from me?" Zuko laughed softly, "What I want? I want you."
Ciara gasped, feeling the pressure on her arm increase. Her mind screamed angrily at her, telling her to do something. But she was at a disadvantage, she was pinned, and she had so much to lose. "I've been waiting for you." snickered the voice in her ear, soon followed by blackness. Everything faded away slowly, her world becoming one shadow and no light.