Okay let's see…this chapter was originally only ten pages, but now fully re-written, it's about 12 pages of solid story. With Jet I've added a flashback of the day of his capture, as well as some background and how he got to the Fire Nation fortress with Lazar and didn't remain at the Earth Kingdom Town prison. One other side note is that the reason I had Sokka give the firebenders a "tip" is because of what he said about the valley being safe without Jet. ("This valley will be safe; without you.") I tried to make this chapter as interesting as possible, and it's at least an improvement to my first version.
Chapter Three
Travels and the Badlands
Gingerly Aang touched his cheek, fingering the bad sunburn on it while gazing at his reflection in the river he was dangling his feet in. They hadn't been as prepared for the heat as well as they had thought, because by the end of yesterday everyone had painful deep red sunburns on their faces, or on any other part of their skin that was exposed.
All three friends were crowded in the only available shade by a scraggly tree growing near the water, Katara holding a makeshift sun shade made of sticks and grass over her face. Aang had offered her his Earth Kingdom hat, but Katara insisted that he wear it since he needed it more with his pale skin.
Appa and Momo were worn out by the blazing sun and were lying in the shallows of the river. Appa had his eyes closed and Momo was lazily dipping his tail in and out of the water, but otherwise stayed perched on Appa's leg.
Sokka, who was sitting next to Aang, scowled at his reflection, but quickly stopped since it stretched the damaged skin on his face. Aang caught a glimpse of the back of Sokka's burnt neck before the boy warrior plunged his head underwater and then came back up, shaking his ponytail.
"I can't wait until we reach the forest," Sokka muttered as he painfully wiped the water out of his eyes. "That way we can finally get under cover." Katara nodded in agreement while Aang copied Sokka by waterbending river water into his face.
"Does that help?" Katara asked, eyeing the water running down Aang and Sokka's faces.
"Yup," Aang said cheerfully. "Watch." And a split second later, Aang called up enough water from the river to douse Katara head to toe.
Sputtering, Katara sat up abruptly and looked down at her wet clothes in shock while Sokka laughed. Looking up, she narrowed her eyes at the grinning avatar.
"You must think you're really funny, huh?" She muttered darkly, moving one hand behind her back discreetly. Aang kept on grinning, unaware of Katara's plans until two tentacles of water shot out of the water and drug him in, along with Sokka.
After brief yelling match between Katara and Sokka, all three dripping teenagers climbed back onto Appa and resumed traveling. As Appa reluctantly flew into the sky, Aang thought he heard Katara mumble something to herself.
"What did you say?" Aang inquired, curious since he had nothing better to do.
"Oh, nothing." Katara responded lightly. "I was just saying that the weather's one extreme to another."
"What do you mean?" Aang asked, rolling onto his stomach and watching Katara.
"Just that the mountains were so cold, and now the badlands are so hot," Katara said, a trace of annoyance in her voice as she glared at the canyon country below them. "Its so hot here you could cook an egg on a rock," She commented after taking a quick swig from her water skin. Aang's head came up from where it had been resting on his hands.
"Really? You could?" Aang asked, suddenly very perky. If I could just find a nest when we stop, I cou— Katara suddenly gave him a pointed look.
"Aang," She said sternly, although she looked vaguely amused. "It's just a figure of speech."
"I think you know me too well," Aang grumbled good-naturedly, a smile in his eyes as he looked at her. Sokka glanced over his shoulder from his place at the reins when he heard Katara suddenly start laughing quietly.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
They had reached the little Earth Kingdom town later then Jet would have liked, but the freedom fighter still thought he was on schedule. Pulling his rhino up outside of the town gate, Jet had to take an extra moment to calm the creature enough to get off. He hated the rhinos, but he was picking up on how to ride one quickly.
"Since you insist on keeping close," Jet said to Makoto as he stood next to him while everyone dismounted, "Just make sure to only have a small number of your men follow me discreetly." Makoto didn't look happy, but seeing as how Jet was allowing someone to follow, the lieutenant had no real logical objection and no choice but to yield to the compromise.
While three of Makoto's men stayed behind to watch the komodo rhinos, Jet slipped in-between the groups of firebenders. Before entering though, Jet spotted the mouth grass that he favored and he quickly picked a strand and put it in his mouth. A smile flitting across his lips at the familiar touch, Jet started to stroll through the town. The firebenders were walking around buying more supplies along with putting the locals on edge just by their presence.
Jet managed to blend into the crowd easily, since he had his old clothes washed and mended and because of the fact that there were already a lot of strange travelers present. Jet walked through the market reasoning that the only reason Aang might have stopped here was for supplies or directions. In a market it was easier to talk to people then cornering them in their homes. Jet paused by a merchant cart full of large pink apples and his mouth watered.
"One apple please," He said, flipping the ugly blond girl behind the cart a coin. She smiled at him in a way that pulled her face into a shape that emphasized her unsightly nose, her murky green eyes dancing while Jet took his time in picking out an apple.
"Are you a stranger to these parts?" The blonde asked her voice soft and curious. Jet glanced up and met her eyes, observing how the girl was studying him.
Quickly giving her a charming smile and hiding his revulsion, Jet nodded. "Yes. I was just passing through." This apple looked good, Jet decided, picking one up. He noticed that there were two streets in the middle of being cleaned.
"Would you mind me asking what happened here?" Jet asked the girl, eyeing the mess.
The girl's freckled face soured. "Not at all sir. The Avatar had set a poisonous creature lose to kill us. He and his girlfriend tore up the street trying to get the little mongrel. My Uncle and I lost several valuable goods." The girl, who couldn't be more then fourteen, found that talking to this handsome fellow was very pleasant since the young man seemed to hang on her every word, something no other boy had ever done.
Indeed, Jet couldn't believe his luck and he carefully prodded the girl to see if she had more information.
"That's terrible. I'm so sorry that you lost so much money." The girl had looked angry while she explained but now she appeared mollified by Jet's concerned face.
"My name is Jet," Jet said by ways of introduction.
"Liang," the redhead said, reaching her hand over the apples to shake Jet's, only to giggle and blush when the freedom fighter took it gently while rubbing his thumb over the back her hand.
"It's a pleasure," Jet murmured while the girl continued to redden, "Liang, I could use your help."
"Of course," Liang said immediately, looking eager to please. Too easy, Jet thought in amusement.
"Since you run this apple cart, I thought you might have seen these two." Jet held up a scroll with Katara and Sokka's likenesses on them. He had drawn them himself and they were dead ringers in his opinion. Liang peered at them for a second before she pointed to Sokka.
"Oh, yes I saw him only a couple days ago. He asked for directions and despite me warning him he went over the mountains." The blonde glanced up at the towering peaks. "I don't think he survived the storm."
Jet eyed the mountains for a moment before turning back to the girl.
"Liang, is it possible to cross those mountains on foot?" The girl positively blanched, looking horrified.
"Oh, but I wouldn't you mustn't—" She abruptly cut off as Jet leaned close to her face, inches away from her, a cocky smirk on his face while the teenage girl stared at him.
"…if you get a guide and the proper gear you could make it over the mountains in four or five days," She amended, speaking softly. Jet leaned back, biting into the apple and savoring the flavor. It was the first bite of fruit he had had in weeks.
"Delicious," He pronounced when Liang gazed at him hopefully. If we went on foot we'll have to leave two of the men behind to guard the komodo rhinos, Jet reasoned to himself. But we need transportation once we're over the mountains…
"What land is over the mountains?" He inquired after swallowing.
"The badlands. You can carry light weight canoes if you want to travel down the river."
"Do you know where I could get pack animals?"
"Of course," Liang said quickly before suddenly turning shy. "Um…would you like…to maybe have some lunch with me before I fetch them for you?"
Jet smiled. "I'd love too." While the village girl beamed, Jet told himself that he could have the firebenders round everything up they'd need. He'd eat the picnic the girl had brought up from behind her cart, see if he could get any other info from her, and then he'd be finished. With luck they'd leave tomorrow morning.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
"What is wrong with this place?" Sokka wailed unhappily, rubbing the sides of his coat vigorously.
"I don't know," Katara said, completely baffled. She put up her hood as the high wind knocked her braid against her cheek. Aang looked up at the grey sky.
"This place is as bad as the mountains." He muttered moodily as he shivered. He had a blanket wrapped around him and he was half buried in Appa's fur, but he was still chilled. Suddenly the biting cold wind picked up, rattling the sticks by the campfire and the fire itself was being blown at an almost horizontal angle and was in danger of going out.
"At least we don't need to worry about getting sunburned," Katara said weakly. Sokka glared at her balefully while Aang stood up stiffly.
"We should probably go find something to eat Sokka." Aang said while he stomped his feet to get his blood moving. Sighing, Sokka stood up and grabbed his club and a flask of water.
"What the—?" He muttered shaking the skin. The faintest sound of water sloshing around reached his ears. "Katara I thought you filled this!" Sokka exclaimed, frowning. Aang jumped up and down in an effort to stay warm, while he watched Sokka showing the signs of freaking out. Lately the weather had been affecting him…
"I did!" Katara said indignantly, eyes narrowed in a half-hearted glare.
"Yeah right," Sokka scoffed while unscrewing the cap to the skin to peer into it. When Sokka looked in, his mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"It's frozen." Sokka said flatly. Katara and Aang exchanged glances.
"I think I liked this place better when it was hot," Sokka said bitterly as he stomped away, clutching his club with Aang hurrying after him.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
I hate these damn mountains! Jet jerked angrily on the lead of one of the pack animals, a large deer like creature with a long neck and tail with antlers. The beast snorted huffily and grudgingly picked up her pace in the deep snow, holding her head up high despite the canoe and baggage strapped to her back.
Makoto and his men had no problem with the cold, seemingly able to keep warm because of their firebending.
Jet and the guide, a native of medium height with bushy hair and brown skin, had more trouble. Jet had never seen snow before, having lived in the warmer reigns of the Earth Kingdom, but he officially hated it now. It got into everything and then melted, no matter the assurances that his jacket and borrowed boots were "waterproof." They had made slow but steady headway since yesterday up the mountain, and they were almost to the high pass. It was late afternoon and the temperature was slowly beginning to drop.
"How much longer until we reach the pass?" He shouted up the guide. He was at the front of the group, while Jet was near the end due to being unable to melt snow drifts that would be difficult to walk in.
"Five, six hours!" The guide called back, barely understandable with his warbled speech.
Jet couldn't help but groan. They had been marching all day with only a quick stop for lunch. He was the one who insisted on the pace, it was true, but it didn't mean he had to be happy abut trudging through the snow.
"I hate snow," Jet muttered to himself. "I can't wait until we reach the badlands and get out of this shitty place." The youngest soldier of the party, a man of twenty-eight, overheard him. Smirking, he turned his head towards Jet as he passed the teenager.
"I heard the badlands are very hot," He called out mockingly to Jet. "You can thaw out once we reach there."
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
"I feel like an icicle."
"Be quiet and go to sleep Sokka, please." Katara groaned through her sleeping bag, resolutely keeping her eyes shut from the light of the moon. It was night and very cold out so they were all three sleeping side by side and close to the fire in an effort to keep warm. Appa was lying close enough for his body heat to provide some comfort, and Momo was wedged with Katara between the two boys, so Katara at last found herself warm.
She had had a good supper and her body was finally clean for the first time in a week or so. It was a good thing they had all taken baths today, Katara decided as she sniffed the air around her, picking up the clean boy smells. Katara could have easily been fast asleep right now if it wasn't for Sokka's incessant complaining about the cold. Aang for the most part was quiet, although Katara could feel him shivering through her sleeping bag and the mounds of blankets covering him.
"Sokka, Katara's right," She heard Aang say wearily in response to her earlier order; he sounded exhausted.
"Fine, when you find my frozen carcass in the morning be sure you don't bury me without my boomerang and my club." Sokka snarled while rolling on his side, although he made sure he was still touching Katara so that he could share her body heat.
Making a sound between an exasperated groan and a sigh, Katara rolled from her back over onto her side to get away from Sokka. What she hadn't counted on, was just how close she really was to the two boys.
Because when she turned over, she found Aang on his side too, his face incredibly close to hers. Aang's eyes were huge and startled, locked on her face, then flickering down and then up while his cheeks blushed hard enough for it to be noticeable over his sunburn. They stayed like that for a few breathless seconds before at the same time snapping away and rolling onto their backs, avoiding the other person's eyes. Her mortification deepened the still present flush on her cheeks.
Suddenly a roar tore through the night, the sound of a hungry predator hunting for its meal. Jumping, Katara squealed and grabbed Aang and Sokka's arms at the same time they yelped and grabbed hers. Braving the icy wind, all three of them poked their heads out of their warm blankets and looked around them fearfully.
Appa had jerked awake at the howl and so had Momo, who had immediately flown in-between Aang's covers to hide in the airbender's poncho. Lifting his head, Appa cut loose a roar of his own, silencing even the insects chirping in the canyon grass. Snuffling contentedly to himself, the bison went back to sleep, unmoved by the shocked stares by the three humans sleeping by him.
Katara released Aang and Sokka and burrowed further down into her sleeping bag, muttering about why it had to be so difficult to get a good night's sleep. Katara had almost fallen asleep when Sokka's leg started kicking her as he snored. Grimacing, Katara kicked him back hard enough to make him wake up and then he proceeded to grumble at her.
This is gonna be a long night.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
Jet was in his tent, wrapped up in his sleeping bag and hat, finally somewhat warm. But despite how tired he was, sleep evaded him. His face was vacant as his eyes bored unseeingly into the side of his tent.
The teenager was wrapped up in his thoughts; in his memories of the day of his capture.
0*0*0
Fuming silently to himself, Jet watched as Appa faded into the distance. The ice covering his body and sealing him to the tree was chilling him, despite the warm wind on his face. As he waited for his freedom fighters to return (he had wasted no time in signaling them that he needed help; the Fire Nation soldiers were probably already organizing search parties to look for him) Jet's lips twisted into a silent snarl. Things had gone so horribly wrong. All his carefully laid out plans…wasted. And it was all Sokka's fault. Jet paused. Well, maybe it wasn't all Sokka's fault; Aang and Katara had also failed to see the bigger picture. And then Katara had frozen him to this stupid tree…
Suddenly a thought occurred to Jet, making his head snap up and his eyes flash. How had Sokka escaped from Pipsqueak and Smellerbee? Those idiots! They had let Sokka escape and now look at what happened!
Jet glared at the insect buzzing around his face. Smellerbee and Pipsqueak would be disciplined for letting a prisoner escape, but for now, he just had to focus on getting everyone back together at the tree house before the Fire Nation found them.
I need time to regroup and form new plans, Jet thought bitterly. I won't give up on freeing this valley, but for now…we just need to lay low.
Knowing he was being watched Jet looked up and met Longshot's' dark eyes.
Jet's head shot up and his face broke out into a relieved smile. "Longshot! What took you so long?"
An apology was in the archers eyes. Longshot nodded over his shoulder at Smellerbee and Pipsqueak, who had emerged from the foliage along with Sneers and the Duke, guilty looks on their faces.
Few people would have been able to read Longshot's expression, but Jet gleaned information more quickly than Smellerbee and Pipsqueak would have liked.
Jet stared at Longshot. "Rescued?" Smellerbee and Pipsqueak flinched at the darkly unhappy eyes flashing at them. "What does he mean rescued?"
Smellerbee fidgeted. "Uh…" She nudged Pipsqueak in the ribs. The giant didn't look happy, but he started to explain anyway.
"Sokka tried to escape and while we were chasing him, he…he led us over Fire Nation traps and we got caught in them." Pipsqueak looked extremely uneasy telling his leader about how and why they had failed. Jet looked livid as he stared at them wordlessly, his silence more frightening then if he had started screaming at them.
"We will talk about this later," He assured them flatly before returning his gaze to Longshot where it lost its fierceness.
"I need you to get me off of this tree before the soldiers find us," Jet said urgently, pushing thoughts of his freedom fighters and his own failings out of his mind. Longshot started picking at the ice along with Smellerbee, Sneers and Pipsqueak, but the Duke looked confused.
"Jet, why are you frozen to the tree?" He asked curiously, too young to realize that this probably wasn't the best question to ask at the moment. But Jet had always had something of a soft spot for the boy so he didn't lash out at him.
"That doesn't matter right now, Duke." He said instead. The silence that followed was filled by the slow, laborious chipping of the ice; Jet regained his composure, quickly becoming the leader his men were used to seeing.
They all stayed silent, each of them already nervous enough with the noise their weapons made against the ice but determined to free their leader. But in her wrath, Katara had made sure that the ice was thick and the going was extremely slow despite four people working on it with sharp weapons.
Jet's left shoulder was free and the freedom fighter wiggled it, rubbing it against the bark of the tree to get some feeling back in it. Suddenly a new noise broke through sounds of the forest.
Everyone froze, looking at each other with wide eyes. It was the sound of jingling armor, heavy boots crashing through the undergrowth and the angry muttering of rough voices that were usually associated with the Fire Nation.
And they were muttering about freedom fighters and looking for a strange noise.
His heart beating wildly, Jet let out a soft hiss. His mind started racing over possible scenarios, concern for his freedom fighters overruling his fervent desire to not be taken captive. They were the closest thing to a family to him; plus, if they were caught, they might be forced to give away where the tree house was and then the valley would be defenseless. All this and more ran in Jet's head and he looked eyes with his men, who hadn't moved in their indecision and hadn't made a sound in the hope of remaining undetected.
"Listen to me," He whispered, the intensity of his voice drawing them in. "You have to leave me here and hide in the trees. If you can take them, attack but if not you need to regroup and rescue me later." He shook his head as all four of them opened their mouths to protest. "No. You can't get captured or there's no hope for any of us. If you can't rescue me then I don't want you fighting a doomed battle; I can escape myself. It'll take time so if you can't Longshot and Smellerbee are in charge." They nodded solemnly, swallowing hard as the firebenders drew closer. Jet chose those two because Longshot would stop Smellerbee from making any rash decisions and Smellerbee wouldn't let Longshot be too conservative. They were two of the closest people to him. Jet finished his instructions whispering rapidly. "I'll be back, don't worry. If I'm taken two of you follow and the other two go back and alert the tree house. Understand?" They all nodded. The Duke's wide, frightened eyes were locked on Jet's face.
"Jet…" The boy's voice shook. "What if you don't come back?"
"I will," Jet said immediately, his voice firm enough to convince everyone. "Just listen to what I said! Now hide!" The Fire Nation was almost upon them. Without a word or sound the freedom fighters fled into the trees just as the firebenders stepped into the clearing.
0*0*0
Jet slowly came out of his half-asleep daze and at last he registered what he was looking at. Blinking, Jet became more aware of his surroundings and turned onto his back, listening to the wind moan.
When he had given those instructions to his men, he had thought that they would be able to help rescue him. In hindsight, his error was blatantly dumb, so stupidly obvious. The Fire Nation soldiers wouldn't have kept him within easy reach of his men. Jet had been right; there were too many firebenders.
Even though the town had just been flooded, their prison was elevated from the rest of the buildings and they didn't care if there was still enough water in it to make a person miserable. Jet had spent most of the night seething since he had found out that the reason the firebenders had found him and his freedom fighters so quickly was because of the tip Sokka gave him. The hatred for the boy that appeared that day had continued to deepen.
In the middle of the night the firebenders, aware that the freedom fighters would practically stop at nothing to rescue their leader, sent Jet away with a large escort. A diversion was created to distract the freedom fighters and so Jet had been taken from the forest. Despite managing to escape three times, Jet was always re-captured. Jet's eyes darkened as he remembered how they had nearly entirely withdrawn his food and water and chained him in irons. The journey had been made even longer since the nearest Fire Nation fortress had to be across the Great Divide. For some unknown reason, the canyon guide had disappeared and so they had had to travel around the divide.
And then, while he was still weak from lack of food, they had delivered him to Captain Lazar who had wasted no time in interrogating him... Jet's thoughts had been getting him worked up emotionally, but physically his body needed rest. Jet's thoughts trailed off as his eyes closed and he fell asleep.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^*
It was their third day of traveling the mountains, and they had reached the high pass. Jet had made it up at the front of the group with the guide, wanting to stay away from the firebenders. He was still leading his obstinate pack animal, who seemed to want to lie down and roll in the snow at the most random times. Suddenly Jet picked up a woody, bitter stench that he knew all too well.
It was smoke.
"Do you see that?" Jet asked the guide walking next to him, pointing up in the sky at a long thin trail of smoke.
"Yes, it looks like a cabin fire," the guide said flatly, his weathered face showing no emotion at all. "Maybe it's the mountain hermit."
"Who would want to live up here?" Jet said in disgust as he glared at the snowy rocks surrounding him. The native shrugged as best as he could with the pack on his shoulders.
Jet's eyes flickered as his thoughts began to race. Making up his mind, Jet surged ahead of the guide and walked towards the smoke, which was only slightly off the path.
He paused when a fireball shot across his intended passage across the snow. Forcing his hands to not retrieve his swords even though they were straying towards the handles, Jet turned around to see that Makoto and his firebenders were nearly floundering in their haste to catch up to him, everyone's shouting voice going over to top of each other.
"I'm going to go investigate the smoke!" He screamed over the roar of everyone's voices, effectively shutting them up. "You'll follow me, but I want to go alone as to not rouse suspicion." Giving Makoto a hard look, Jet turned and stomped away before the lieutenant had a chance to yell at him. Walking around a sharp turn while clutching the cloak the wind seemed to want to rip away, Jet stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of the tiny cabin with smoke coming out of a half-demolished chimney.
I wonder how that happened, Jet thought as he stared at the chimney before noticing the barn close by. Yes, it was probably a hermit if he had animals to live off of. It also meant that Jet could get shelter from the harsh wind and snow, and probably some food as well if he played his cards right.
And who knows…maybe Aang had stopped here to wait out the blizzard over a week ago.
Jet made no attempt to veil his foul mood as he stomped up to the cabin as best as he could through the snow drifts. But once he reached the cabin door, he paused and took a deep, calming breath, his face going neutral before he plastered on a look of misery. It wasn't hard to do; he really did feel wretched. Bending over, Jet scooped up snow in his gloved hand and then dribbled it over his already snow covered hair and shoulders. That done, Jet slouched his shoulders, bowed his head, and loosened his grip on the overlarge cloak he was wearing so that it nearly fell off his shoulders. Shivering, Jet lifted his right hand and knocked feebly on the heavy oak door.
After a couple moments the door was opened by a short man who barely came up to Jet's chin. His wild grey hair stuck out comically from under the cap on his head. At first Jet didn't notice the man's bright blue eyes, because he was startled by the sight of what appeared to be thick, grey caterpillars across the man's forehead.
"Yes?" The man grunted when Jet couldn't stop staring in mild shock at the man's appearance. "You look half-frozen boy. Come inside and warm up by the fire while I get you some hot tea."
Nodding, trying his best to look pitiful, Jet walked through the door after the man turned around to get the tea started, leaving Jet to flash a smirk to the hiding firebenders before closing the door.
"My name is Raidon," the hermit said conversationally as he poured hot liquid into a cup for Jet. "Who are you and what brings you so far up the mountain alone?"
Jet stalled answering by taking the offered cup and then sipping from it, sitting on the edge of the only bed in the room. Taking the time for his eyes to discreetly search the area over the rim of his cup, Jet's heart beat quickened when he caught sight of the two makeshift beds by the far wall. He must have interrupted Raidon from putting those away, judging by the state of the blankets and pillows. Lowering the cup, Jet looked straight into the hermit's curious eyes.
"My name is Jet. I'm traveling over the mountains to return to my family. My guide has abandoned me and left me wandering with no food or drink. If I can just make it these last miles, I only have to journey to the edge of the Miya forest to meet up with my family." Believing he had delivered it well, Jet was vaguely annoyed when Raidon merely nodded, a wary glint deep in his eyes. Taking another deliberate sip, Jet thought quickly.
"Where are the children and missus?" He asked casually while Raidon sat on the chair opposite the bed.
Raidon smiled wryly. "I'm a hermit. There are none." He said simply. Jet nodded with an apologetic smile on his face.
"I'm sorry; forgive me for my rudeness. I had just assumed there were more people living here then you judging by the beds." All sparkle vanished from Raidon's expressive eyes, and his furry eyebrows lowered.
"As I've already said, I am the only one who lives here." The man sounded defensive, and shifted in his seat, beginning to eye the teenager in front of him with renewed suspicion. Jet only nodded again, taking another drink of tea, enjoying the rush of warmth despite himself.
"If you would be willing to help me out, I'm looking for someone," Jet began carefully, noting the way the man stiffened at his words and how his eyes shifted off to the side nervously. "I was supposed to meet my cousin and his sister down in the village but I was delayed by Fire Nation. The innkeeper told me that they had gone ahead of me to outrun the snow storm. I haven't managed to catch up with them ever since and I'm extremely worried about them." Jet was actually able to command tears to rush into his eyes, playing the role of a concerned and scared family member to perfection.
Raidon said nothing, but Jet could tell he was wavering. Leaning forward, Jet's face became desperate and yet somehow full of hope.
"Please…" Jet intentionally had his voice crack. "Are they the ones who used those beds?"
"I…did have a girl and boy staying with me yesterday," Raidon confessed rather reluctantly, still eyeing the teen and choosing his words carefully.
"Could you please tell me what they look like?" Jet pleaded. "It might be Sokka and Katara." Jet watched in hidden delight as the hermit visibly relaxed even more, his features softening.
"Are…your cousins from the water tribe?" Raidon asked cautiously. Jet nodded, the hope on his face no longer acted.
"A lad around fifteen years of age and his younger sister were here during the storm. They left yesterday." Jet's face, previously overloaded with fake emotion, dropped so abruptly into his usual stoic mask that it startled Raidon. Jet chuckled, the sound visibly making the old man wince.
"Thank you," Jet said sarcastically, his voice full of scorn. Almost as fast as Jet, the friendly look on Raidon's face disappeared into confusion, fear, and anger. The hermit wore his emotions too plainly for Jet's liking.
"What is go—" A loud, demanding knock on the door cut off Raidon's sentence as the hermit leapt to his feet. Whirling around, the hermit looked at the door and then at Jet, inklings of understanding starting to appear in his face.
"I think you should answer that," Jet said smugly, setting his cup on the bedside table and leaning back against the brick fireplace. "You probably don't want to force them to burn down your door." As Raidon blanched, the person knocking at the door started pounding harder.
"Open up!" A male's voice roared, Jet recognizing it as Makoto's favorite soldier, Shen.
Walking quickly, obviously angry and at the same time scared, Raidon wretched the door open so violently that Shen stumbled and nearly fell at the old man's feet. Upon seeing the armored firebenders on his doorstep, Raidon gasped and then turned around to face Jet, understanding finally and with no small amount of fear.
"What do you really want?" Raidon snapped as Jet leisurely stood up, spilling snow on the carpet. "I have nothing of any value to you!"
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," Jet said calmly, waving aside the firebender's crowding the man before unsheathing his T-Hook swords. Raidon stood his ground and glared defiantly as Jet approached menacingly. Raidon, nearly backed into the firebenders behind him, had no where to go when Jet unsheathed the points of his swords and pointed one at his heart.
"Where were Sokka and Katara going?" Jet demanded, shoving his sword forward enough to pierce through the man's jerkin and into his flesh.
Raidon hesitated before openly sneering at Jet. "If you were truly going to a family reunion, you would know!" Jet drew a trickle of blood to get the hermits attention. Raidon's eyes widened slightly and he stiffened under the swords cold bite.
"Don't make me ask you again," Jet leaned forward while the firebenders pressed around him, forming fire daggers in their clenched fists. Raidon turned white, but stayed stubbornly silent.
"Very well then," Jet said eventually, sheathing his swords the complete confusion of those around him. "You don't want to talk you can be burned to death, slowly and agonizingly in reward for your silence." Jet took in the man's horrified face before turning to the soldiers nearest to him.
"Burn him."
Grinning widely, Shen and Lok raised their fists in unison as they began to glow an eerie red. Aiming for Raidon, with Jet watching dispassionately from the side, they were about to strike.
"WAIT!" Raidon shrieked at the last second, sagging in the grip the two soldiers behind him had secured him in. "I'll tell you. Just leave me alone!"
"Yes?" Jet enquired coldly after motioning for the firebenders to stop.
"They were planning to travel over the badlands and then through the Miya Forest," the hermit intoned, defeat written clearly in the slump of his shoulders. Letting go, the firebenders stepped back out into the snow while the hermit dropped to his knees, hugging himself and trembling violently.
"Thank you for your time," Jet sneered as he shoved past the old man. Slamming the door shut, the firebenders and Jet stared at each other blankly while the guide nervously approached with the pack animals. Jet locked gazes with Makoto's single brown eye.
"We're getting close."
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
"We're getting closer to the forest," Sokka commented. "Why don't we stay there for a couple days once we get there?"
"Why?" Katara asked as she shaded her face from the sun with her homemade hat.
Sokka shrugged. "I just thought that we could use a short break after the ordeal in the mountains and then the freaky weather in this place." Sokka glanced around him at the scenery, as if expecting the weather to suddenly change at his words.
"I think it sounds like a good idea," Aang said from atop of Appa, looking over his shoulder so that they could see his sunburned cheeks. "Zuko isn't following us closely, we could spare a few days in one location." Aang paused, a suspicious look crossing his face. "…At least, we haven't seen him since the abbey with the sisters." Then the suspicion left this face, and his face became earnest. "Plus I think he'd have a hard time getting his boat around the mountains." Katara hesitated when both Sokka, Aang and even Momo it seemed, pierced her with hopeful looks.
"Okay," She said after a long pause, smiling at the reactions her answer received. "I guess a couple days wouldn't hurt."
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
"What is that?"
Jet glanced sharply at the young firebender walking next to him, the same one who had told him he could thaw out in the badlands. A thoughtful frown was on the firebenders face when he muttered that, his eyes fixed on something in the far distance.
"What is it?" Jet demanded trying to see whatever it was the firebender saw. "What do you see?" Curious as to what they were saying after the long silence, heads turned and looked back at them while Jet and the firebender stopped.
"I-I'm not entirely sure." The soldier looked flummoxed. "Maybe it's just a cloud?"
But by this time Jet had caught sight of what that "cloud" really was as the wind blew several real clouds out of their way. Since they were half-way down the slope of the Ice Mountains, the company had an almost complete view of the badlands below them and the forest far ahead.
"That is no cloud," Jet said, a brief flicker of dark joy passing across his face. "That's a bison." By now everyone was looking and a great exclamation of shouts erupted once they saw the flying bison themselves.
"Pick up the pace!" Jet shouted, jogging past the standing soldiers and going ahead. "We've spotted the Avatar!"
Five hours later:
Jet joined the two firebenders struggling to push a canoe into the water. The watercraft grated against the pebbly beach before sliding into the cold, clear water of the river. Quickly leaping into the bow before it got too far out into the river, Jet picked up an oar. With how fast this river ran, they could reach the edge of the Miya forest by late afternoon tomorrow if they traveled all night with only a few rest stops. And if that's what it took to make up for lost ground, Jet was going to do it.
Once they had caught up with the Avatar, Jet was going to allow Makoto's firebenders a short time to rest; he needed everyone well rested and on their toes in order to stand a chance of capturing Katara.
His canoe being the foremost on the river, Jet looked behind him and saw to his satisfaction that all the river canoes were in the water. The mountain guide and the pack animals would stay in a tent awaiting their return. Jet had made sure that the man had enough money to tempt him to keep him from running. Looking ahead, Jet's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw Appa descend into the farthest reaches of the badlands.
He was closing in on the Avatar and the fools didn't even know it.
A devilish smile crossed Jet's face.