Once regaining consciousness, Soraya was greeted by an overwhelming surge of water. Coughing out the salty water, Soraya looked around. Fractions of the machinery and armory of the vessel were strewn upon the deserted beach. Cold water lapped at her boots as it fondled the shore. She stood up and carefully scrutinized the area. Something was obviously unnatural, a meaning; obscure. Not a single gust of wind whistled through the trees, no birds twittered to signal the commencing of the day.
"Aang? Katara? Sokka!"
As a stag in the forest, Zuko swiftly bounded over a log. Not paying attention to the course that lay ahead, he stepped in a ring of rope that closed around his foot shot up; sending him flying upwards. Dangling by his right foot, the prince burned the rope down only to have a net thrown over him.
"Gotta have a Plan B." Aharsh voicesnickered.
Zuko snarled. He too had been caught in Zhao's whirpool and shipwrecked on the island.
"Katara!" Aang yelped, throwing a soldier off balance by slicing a powerful breeze at him.
"Aang!" Katara screeched as she was roughly blindfolded.
"What about me?" Sokka yelped as he struggled to get out of a soldier's grip.
Aang started to chase the soldier pulling her away before he was blindfolded too.
"Katara? Sokka? Aang?" Soraya whispered loudly. Someone else could be lurking around the island. She had to keep a low profile.
"KATARA? SOKKA? AANG?" She whispered even louder. Something accelerating at such a fast rate tousled Soraya 's ponytail in the direction in went. She turned to find a spear firmly lodged in a tree trunk. Shrieking, she ran as fast as she could, dodging a dangerous array of sharp weapons piercing the air left and right. She ran through the forrest, as fast as she could, her heart throbbing in her delicate chest and the wind surging by her ears. She didn't know where she was going and she didn';t care, she had to get away. Brown locks of hair flew in all directions as the streak continued sprinting.
With chains across his arms feet and body, Zuko struggled to turn his head in the direction of a familiar screech.
Soraya bolted into the clearing like a frightened rabbit. She loked right and left, panicking. Startled from their serene game that consisted of ivory pieces with insignias of elements, they leapt up from their chairs to face the intruder. Defending their camp, three soldiers threw small revolving weapons. They were knots that had three pieces of rope extending outward in different directions. The ends of the rope were wrapped around metal spheres. Each one enclosed one of Soraya's wrists, the weight of the orbs bringing her down. The final one wrapped around her stomach, binding her arms to her sides.
Air was violently knocked from the grasp of her lungs as she landed on the ground with a thud.
"Now, we can leave." Zhao said with a trace of boredom in his deep voice.
He lifted his black ceramic teacup with gold and maroon edges to his lips. With an adamant grip, such hush reigned over the tropical forest, that Zhao sipping his tea seemed loud.
"You seem to forget I have feet!" Soraya sneered. Lying flat on her abdomen from the fall, she strained to stand up, the tremendous immensity of the iron globes weighing her down. She leapt ib the air and somersaulted forward, then, on her back, thrust both of her feet out together with her toes pointed. Stalagmites tore the ground and ripped Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Zuko's chains that had bound them to the tree. Katara untied Soraya's cuffs, and joined by Aang and Sokka, they all ran.
"I'm guessing that this jungle-like island serves as a jungle climate training for the Fire Nation." Katara declared, glancing at the array of weapons back at the camp. Panting as they reached the shore, Aang pulled his whistle from his pocket and attempted to call Appa. Sokka raised his hand to stop him, then glanced around.
"Where's Soraya?" he puffed.
The confusion drawn from Soraya's attacks hadn't been enough to suffice time for Zuko's escape. A ring of fire soldiers were closing in on him when an olive-skinned streak got rid of the right side of soldiers. Using the distraction to his advantage, Zuko jumped backwards and slashed the air with his left foot extended, and his right drawn up, causing a long flare to spurt from his foot and trip the remainder of the soldiers. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was; the attack said it all. They stood in awkward silence for an eternal moment. Not knowing what to do, Zuko spun around and glared at her.
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm not one of your many crazed fangirls; but I do always repay my debts. A life for a life…" Soraya muttered bitterly. She turned on her heel and bounded off in the direction she came.
General Riko'rah angrily paced the length of the tent. HE would have Zhao's head for this! The complete and utter destruction of their army! Hope and Strength to the Earth Kingdom! And the Fire Lord waiting to strangle him for Zhao's error! As the head officer of the entire Fire Nation Army; he was supposed to strategically—
"Sir! Sir! One of the Royal Residences! It is endangered! On the brink of destruction! We must protect the Imperial Courtiers! An admiral yelped, as if he had been singed. The Genera paused and faced the wall.
"Enlighten me, how might the one of the Royal Residence, Palaces of the Fire Lord, currently and forevermore the most powerful, be endangered?" Annoyance trailing behind.
"The flying cow! The FLYING COW! It was sighted, crossing the sea, headed there!"
"A Bison!" Zuko snarled sharply as he strode in the tent, broad shoulders moving in time with his arms, hands in clenched fists, chest out, and head held high, yet his gaze lowered. General Riko'rah remained facing the wall. The prince shoved by several speechless sentinels and walked up to the end of the long Conference Table.
"And I suggest we leave now if you ever plan to seize him!" Zuko sneered, folding his arms across his chest.
Infuriated, General Riko'rah whipped around to face the insolent prince.
"We can deal with the avatar; traitor! I'd worry about your fate; not the kid's! Your a single misstep from blundering into your own execution; should I wish to kill you!" He roared bringing his fists down on the table, which left it kneeling in his direction.
General Iroh exhaled sharply, slightly insulted, and stepped out from behind his nephew.
Surprise covered General Riko'rah's face for no longer than a fraction of a second. He put his fists together, brought them to his chest and bowed.
"General Iroh…" he grunted. "An honor, undoubtedly, is such a visit."
General Riko'rah nodded in Zuko's direction. "Why is it of any significance to you anyways? Your not supposed to want more competition for the capture of the airbender."
"I have my reasons…" Zuko muttered under his breath.