This is one of my longer chapters. I added more to the whole Jet confronting Katara and Sokka, along with a shorter and more meaningful lead up to the climax. (Which is why this chapter is so long! I had more detail to add) I don't want to tell you everything I did, since I want this to be a surprise. But let me assure you that this is one of the chapters that have changed the most.
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Chapter Four
It feels good to be back in a forest; Jet had thought hours ago when he and his group had reached the Miya. While they were resting, he had snuck off to go spy on Aang's camp, leaving a note pierced through Makoto's tent flap. Here, Jet was in his element. The trees in his forest similar to ones here, so he managed to pass from tree to tree with such stealth that even when he passed by the birds in the branches they didn't flee.
He quickly approached the trees surrounding the Avatar's campsite and Jet slowed his movements so the only sound was the soft rustling of leaves that was easily covered by the wind. Jumping to his last tree with the aid of his T-Hook Swords, he crouched and then sheathed his swords to free up his hands.
Climbing high into the denser parts of the foliage, Jet peered through a small opening in the leaves down to the campsite where two people were sitting. Jet's eyes bored into the back of Katara's head as she finished cooking a meager meal. This was the first time he had seen her since her betrayal. She was still as pretty as he remembered, Jet admitted grudgingly to himself as Katara turned around to look at the second person in the camp, giving him a plain view of her face.
"Sokka, do you want any nuts with your lunch?" Katara asked him while eyeing a small brown pouch at her feet.
"No!" Jet heard Sokka exclaim, sounding revolted.
Sokka.
With no firebenders around, Jet didn't pay much attention to the emotions flying across his face when he caught sight of the traitor. He had a score to settle with that imbecile. In his opinion, Sokka was nearly worse then a firebender, because he had betrayed the world to side with Fire Nation.
No longer wanting to watch Katara huffily sort out the bad nuts, Jet's gaze stayed on the young wanna-be warrior. Sokka was lying in the shade of a tree, arms behind his head while his legs sprawled out like he didn't have a care in the world. He appeared to be dozing, and Jet noticed with dark amusement that Sokka looked like he was perpetually blushing he was sunburned so badly. Aang wasn't in the camp, but both Appa and Momo were, Appa looking grateful for a rest and Momo hovering around Katara while trying to snag a few nuts.
Jet had been watching Sokka so intently that he forgot to look away for short periods of time as to not alert people to his presence. Abruptly Sokka sat up and his sharp navy blue eyes scanned the treetops quickly. Mentally cursing himself for his carelessness, Jet ducked in time to avoid Sokka's detection. Hanging upside down a branch in a giant tree wasn't very comfortable.
"Food's ready," He heard Katara call. As soon as Jet heard Sokka move towards Katara's voice he slowly straightened and resumed his watching although he was now very wary as to how long he watch an individual. Jet began listening to their conversation intently incase anything important came up.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
"Is something wrong Sokka?" Katara asked when he noticed Sokka wasn't eating with his usual gusto. Sokka hesitated briefly before shrugging.
"No." Katara stared at him, curious and confused as Sokka's eyes never stopped scanning the tree tops with a glare while he slowly continued eating. Picking up her jerky, Katara began to methodically chew as she contemplated Sokka's strange behavior. Her brother looked so tense that Katara suspected that if someone so much as tapped him on the shoulder he would punch them before realizing who it was. When Sokka paused eating again and walked away to grab his club, Katara began to feel edgy herself, catching herself looking around her surroundings warily.
"Where's Aang?"
Katara jumped at Sokka's sudden question, glaring at her bother as he smirked because he had startled her. But Katara quickly stopped as she considered Sokka's question. Glancing around the camp, Katara realized that Aang hadn't come when she had called and immediately got to her feet.
"I'm not sure," Katara said, picking up her water flask and Aang's plate, "I think he was water bending by that pond you found earlier."
"Yeah, ok! I'll be fine!" Sokka shouted after her retreating form, sounding insulted. "Not that you care since you're leaving me all by myself!" Something screeched indignantly by his ear and Sokka winced. "All by myself with you two, that is…" He grumbled, shooting a sour look at the lemur on his shoulder at the bison watching him. Katara smiled slightly as she watched him before turning back and resuming her walk.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
Jet frowned as Katara left, unsure of what to do. Should he follow her and therefore end up watching Aang as well? Or stay here and watch Sokka pick his teeth?
In his debating, Jet had carelessly lifted a hand and gripped onto a thin branch nearby and ended up putting too much weight on it. It snapped. The sound as loud as a war cry in the silence. Jet cringed and, heart beating erratically, watched to see if Sokka noticed.
He didn't.
Jet was surprised for a moment, since he had seen how increasingly agitated the boy had become, but then he reminded himself of how inept Sokka was at listening and traveling in a forest. But then when is he ever competent? Jet thought scornfully.
All the while Jet had focused his thoughts on Sokka and thought himself safe from the boy's lack of response, he didn't realize that the lemur had stiffened at the sound before silently creeping into the foliage and up the tree Jet was hiding in.
Deciding to stay and watch Sokka until Aang and Katara returned, Jet settled himself down for a wait, forcing his tense body to relax so his muscles wouldn't start cramping.
Jet nearly fell out of the tree in his shock when the lemur suddenly dropped down in front of his face, hanging upside down off of a tree branch, blinking its round green eyes at him. Jet almost screamed, but instead grunted like someone had hit him in the gut with club.
The freedom fighter went statue still, not moving a muscle and barely blinking an eye. If this lemur drew attention to him, he would either be discovered too soon, or disappear and most likely cause Sokka to move camp. So Jet stayed absolutely still, staring steely eyed at the lemur who stared back.
Sweat trickled down his forehead and in his eyes but Jet didn't dare wipe it away. The lemur had to make the first move. No one moved, never looking away as the noise Sokka made in the camp went in one ear and out the other. The Avatar's lemur crept closer to Jets face, stopping inches away and sniffed delicately. Jet held his breath.
And then the lemur attacked him.
Hissing the lemur clung to Jet's head and yanked on his hair mercilessly, yowling into his ears and scratching his face. Bright red from anger, Jet wouldn't settle for anything less than killing the creature when he heard Sokka come running, yelling for the creature in concern. And to top it all off, the lemur tore up his mouth grass!
Outraged, Jet cursed at the lemur, but not so loud that Sokka would hear him. Yanking the creature part-way off his face Jet managed to unsheathe a T-Hook sword with one hand while keeping the lemur away from it.
"Hah!" Jet swung at the creature, not having the space or balance to unsheathe the sword points (he was nearly falling off the branch already!) and hit the lemur hard on the head. Stunned, the animal went limp. But the scuffle had been anything but quiet and Sokka was only a couple trees away from Jet's position.
Deciding he didn't have time to kill the lemur, Jet simply dropped it and then fled through the tree tops with the aid of his swords, going even faster as he heard Aang's voice cry out in outrage a couple moments later. Cringing, Jet doubled his speed, going so fast that he appeared a blur in his hurry to put ground between him and the irate Avatar.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
The path to the pond was longer than Katara had originally thought.
Aang shouldn't stray so far from camp, Katara thought as she continued to weave through the trees and undergrowth, following the trail of Aang and Sokka's footprints.
More than once Katara had nearly dropped Aang's plate of food, and by the time she stumbled into a meadow, she was panting from the heat and strain of balancing the plate.
A small pond was close to the center of the meadow, and Aang was laying on his stomach, lazily directing the water in the pond with one hand, his legs waving back and forth in the air. Katara hesitated a moment before making her presence known, enjoying the sight of how relaxed and care free the young avatar looked, a sight that was quickly becoming rarer. An eye brow rose when she noticed the shape of the water Aang was bending.
"Aang?"
Katara was startled by Aang's violent reaction. The airbender leapt to his feet with impressive reflexes and before Katara could react to what was happening a column of water slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to stumble backwards and nearly drop the plate of soggy food.
"Aang!" Katara gasped out before the airbender continued the attack. "Aang, it's just me!" Katara bended the water out of her soggy clothes as Aang blushed, rushing over to her.
"Katara, I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, aghast. "I didn't hurt you did I?" Katara paused from wringing out her braid to smile reassuringly at the dismayed boy standing in front of her.
"Don't worry Aang, I'm just a little wet," She said, ignoring what would definitely become a bruise on her stomach. "Here, I brought you some lunch," Katara handed him the plate, water running off the edge.
"Thanks," Aang said, eyeing the soupy food before lifting a hand and separating enough of the water from the food so that it was edible. Sitting down at the base of a tree, Aang hungrily began to eat while Katara leaned against the tree watching him. Katara noticed he still ate with a slight frown, glancing at her discreetly every now and then.
"Relax," Katara said, grinning when Aang jumped at her voice and looked at her. Smiling sheepishly, Aang quickly finished his apple in silence.
"So how did your practicing go?" Katara asked, remembering Aang's lazy body language before she scared him.
Aang shrugged. "Okay I guess. I got bored after a while so I started to just play with the water." They fell silent again but neither of them felt uncomfortable about the quiet. It was a companionable silence.
"Aang do you ever feel as if you're being watched at camp?" Katara suddenly blurted. She had been growing increasingly uncomfortable and Sokka's influence only strengthened it. Aang paused in mid-bite, considering her question thoughtfully before answering.
"Well, I thought I was just imagining it," Aang admitted. "That's why I left for this pond. But if you're feeling the same way maybe I wasn't." Katara told him about Sokka's behavior back at campsite and Aang looked uneasy.
"Let's see if Sokka thinks we should leave," Aang suggested after swallowing the last bite of his apple. "We wouldn't move very far, but enough that we could lose whatever's watching us." Katara nodded in agreement as Aang stood with his plate in hand.
"Yeah, for all we know we could have a wild animal stalking us," Katara added as she recalled how fidgety Momo had been. Since Appa was bigger than most creatures and could fly to escape, the bison was hardly ever affected by most predators. Katara and Aang continued to small talk as they walked back to camp, Aang occasionally blasting a path through the undergrowth with the aid of his air bending.
Aang and Katara stopped dead in their tracks, cutting off what ever they were about to say to each other. Exchanging quick glances, the pair broke into a run for the camp, heading towards the sound of Sokka shouting Momo's name and the lemur making loud and disturbing noises.
Bursting from the trees, Katara caught sight of Sokka kneeling under a tree, a limp Momo cradled in his arms as he fingered the cut on Momo's head. Katara heard Aang cry out in outrage as he saw Sokka and Momo before sprinting over to her brother, Katara not far behind.
"What happened?" Aang demanded, taking the lemur from Sokka quickly, his eyes darkening at the sight of the cut. Katara came up behind him, relieved to see that the lemur was only stunned, not dead as she had feared.
"I don't know!" Sokka snapped. It was obvious Sokka was frustrated by the glower on his face. "It sounded like Momo was attacking something. Whatever it was, it got away." Sokka glanced up into the tree. "I ran over to see what was happening and then Momo just fell out of the tree." By the time Sokka finished explaining, Katara was determined to leave this campsite today. Uncorking her water skin, Katara quickly healed the lemur's cut while Aang and Sokka watched. Momo stirred after a moment or two, blinking up at the three faces staring down at him. Aang handed Momo to Katara before disappearing up the tree, apparently searching for clues.
"Poor baby," Katara cooed to the lemur, scratching Momo behind the ears in his always itchy spot. Sokka just rolled his eyes and didn't release his club from his grip.
"Find anything Aang?" He yelled up into the trees, straining to catch sight of the twelve year old. Suddenly Aang appeared in front of Sokka, causing the water tribe boy to go pale under his sunburn and leapt backwards into Katara.
"Geez, Aang, you didn't have to do that," He grumbled as Katara shoved him away. Aang's face was serious to the point that both Sokka and Katara stood straighter and looked at him anxiously.
"There are marks like sword gouges high in the tree in some branches," Aang said grimly. "We need to be moving on." Katara nodded; she wanted to leave as well. Sokka didn't put up a fuss either. He stood up and started packing.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
Aang stood in darkness.
He could not see. There was no light to guide him in the suffocating blackness of where he was. He could clearly hear the crackle of a large fire, but there was no light to accompany this sound. He had always taken for granted that one would accompany the other, yet it was not so now. The fire was also lacking warmth, for the air around him was cold.
There was another in the room with him. Aang could feel the person's presence and it filled him with fear. Once he became aware of the other person, Aang felt two other familiar presences near, almost flanking him. Turning, Aang waved a hand in front of him; trying desperately to touch the person he knew was there, but he felt nothing. Through means he didn't fully comprehend, Aang knew he was an observer here. An observer without sight, but an observer nevertheless. Whatever happened in this strange realm of darkness, he would be powerless to prevent it. He was only meant to watch.
To listen. To feel.
To know…
The roar of the fire intensified as though it drew near, yet still it could not be seen and still it possessed no warmth. But there was a new sound that also grew. It was voices. And they were familiar. His heart starting to beat rapidly, Aang looked around him, frantic to see. He heard them calling his name; they were in trouble! He had to save them! Opening his mouth Aang tried to call out but he could not be heard over the screams of the two voices.
The fire started to roar; it sounded like it was all around him. The fire mixed with the two voices and it echoed off the walls of wherever he was. Clutching his ears, Aang fell to his knees. He tried to block out the voices and the thunderous roar of fire but they would not be silenced.
And then it stopped.
The fire fell silent.
The voices disappeared.
Fear pricking at his heart, Aragorn lowered his hands and stood. In some ways, this silence was worse than the bedlam. Much worse.
"You've failed."
This voice was different; Aang had never heard it before in his life, but he heard the cruel delight and the malice in it. What did he fail? Aang wondered. His heart continued to pound. It had to be important. What did he fail?!
Suddenly something was thrown into his lap. Aang fell down, and the smell of blood filled his nose while covering his lap as the voice continued to mock him.
His hand shaking, Aang felt what was on him. It was two bodies. A girl. And a boy. Aang could tell the two teenagers were dead. Who were they? Why did he feel as though he knew them? As if answering his demands for sight, the veil over his eyes lifted. Aang saw fire leap up around him, a scorching inferno, the Fire Lord in the center of it all, staring at him, and his laughter chilled Aang's heart.
Aang looked down.
He saw.
He knew.
He screamed…
A wordless cry spilt the night air. Aang's eyes flew open and he lurched forward before he stopped screaming, gasping for air. Bile was in his throat and made it hard to breathe.
Where am I? He thought in pure panic, looking around him in terror, where are Katara and Sokka?!
Twisting around Aang saw them through blurred sight. Without thinking, having still not taken in the fact that it was only a dream, Aang scrambled off of Appa, ignoring the bison concerned snuffling and Momo's excited chirps. Sprinting over to Katara's sleeping bag, Aang barely saw the girl open her eyes in confusion before Aang grabbed her wrist and felt her warmth and the subtle vibration of her pulse.
"Aang?" Katara said, looking scared. "Aang you're white w—" Without waiting for Katara to finish Aang dived over her and tackled Sokka, capturing the boy warriors wrist and searching out the rhythm of his heartbeat in his chest with the other as Sokka yelped and tried to sit up.
Sokka was alive?
They were both alive?
Aang fell back on his seat with an audible thump, staring into nothing, still breathing hard and trembling, sweat beaded on his forehead. It was just a dream? But it felt so real…
Sokka bit off whatever he was going to shout when he saw Aang. Aang barely noticed him exchange a glance with Katara before the Water Tribe siblings both got out of their sleeping bags and sat next to him, looking unnerved.
"Aang?" Aang jerked when Katara laid a hand on his shoulder and his eyes shot to her face.
"What's wrong?" Sokka asked quietly, watching Aang's sickly white face intently.
Shivering even though it was a warm night, Aang avoided Katara's eyes, feeling embarrassed. Clearing his throat, Aang took a couple deep breaths before responding.
"Nothing. It was just a dream." Aang managed to say, his voice quiet.
"A nightmare," Sokka muttered under his breath while Katara squeezed Aang's hand reassuringly. Momo, so far having hovered around the group anxiously, crawled up Aang's stomach and peered into the airbender's face, never stopping his constant concerned chirping. A weak smile flickered across Aang's lips as he stared down at the lemur, gratefully petting Momo behind the ears.
Sokka and Katara didn't move from their spots next to him, and Aang was becoming increasingly aware of the warmth of Katara's hand. Fighting down the instinctual embarrassment, Aang stood to his feet with Momo in his hands, Katara standing up with him while Sokka stayed up the ground peering up at them.
"Sorry," Aang mumbled, still embarrassed. Even with how bad his last serious nightmare was he hadn't screamed or gone completely mental like he just did.
"Don't be ridiculous," Katara said her voice slightly stern. "You have nothing to feel sorry for." Aang wasn't sure what to say since he really did feel he should be sorry when Sokka spoke up from where he was gathering every weapon he owned by his pillow.
"Well I accept your apology Aang," Sokka said, ignoring Katara's warning glare, "Because you nearly gave me a heart attack when you tackled me." Aang shrugged, blushing.
"Um, yeah, sorry about that…" He stammered as Momo started to doze in his arms while Katara rekindled the fire.
"Hey, why did you do that anyway?" Sokka asked, pausing digging through the packs and watching Aang. He froze. Sokka looked troubled, but Aang didn't have to tell him why if he didn't want to.
"…I don't want to talk about it," Aang muttered, walking back to Appa who had roused himself and was watching the airbender's every move. A hand enclosed his wrist and Aang paused, glancing back at Katara as the firelight played across her face.
"If you ever want to talk about it, I'd be willing to listen." She smiled at him and despite Aang's conflicting emotions about taking her up on the offer, a tiny thrill raced up and down his spine. Aang smiled back at her, feeling more like himself.
"Thanks." Was all he said but he meant it.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
After returning from his botched attempt of spying on the Avatar, Jet was lectured by Makoto and yelled at and mocked by almost everyone in the camp. Ignoring his now ever-present bodyguard, Jet was eating his breakfast the morning after his incident with the lemur. Makoto had sent two soldiers to watch the camp for when the Avatar left, everyone certain that Aang would move camp. Hearing a commotion, Jet's head snapped up as one of the scouts came tearing through the camp before sliding to a stop in front of Makoto, who was finishing eating.
"Sir, the Avatar is packing up his camp. Ling will rejoin the group before the Avatar leaves." The scout blurted all in one breath, slightly winded from the sprint. Before Makoto could respond, Jet jumped to his feet, startling his bodyguard.
"You heard him!" Jet barked at the nearby firebenders. "Pack up this camp and load the canoes before the Avatar gets a head start!"
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
"Katara!" She glanced at Sokka as she kicked dust over the old fire ring. Sokka had one hand gripping the edge of Appa's saddle, one foot dangling while the other was planted in the bison's furry side.
"Ready?" Katara guessed as much since Aang had finished re-tightening Appa's reins; just in case they became loose after the mountains. Sokka gave a brief nod in her direction before clamoring onto Appa's head with Aang.
Katara ignored Aang and Sokka's small talk, distracted by watching the surrounding area. Sokka and Aang's banter was forced, a façade of normalcy in case it was a person stalking them. Sokka wanted to make sure that nothing important came up in conversation for someone else to overhear.
Katara felt relieved when Appa took to the sky; after the escapade with Momo and the unknown assailant, the forest had ceased to be a haven from the badlands and became oppressive. Feeling the familiar pull of the wind against her clothes and long braid, Katara leaned against the saddle, idly watching Sokka and Aang as they eased into a more relaxed conversation.
The contented smile playing around the edges of her lips vanished as Katara detected what looked like movement on the river. Katara narrowed her eyes to try and see what those black specks were, but before she had more than a glimpse of them, Appa rose higher into the sky. When he came through the heavy clouds, the river was hidden by a thin blanket of white.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
Jet strained to keep his eyes on the barely visible bison while paddling down a churning river in the same boat with a firebender who would happily knock him out of the canoe or worse.
"Are you all watching out for the bison?" Jet directed his question to everyone.
Most of the soldiers simply nodded stiffly while glaring, but a couple of them were ruder in their protests. Jet directed his most intimidating glare at the canoe next to him with the firebenders who had said more than just a muttered comment or two. Opening his mouth to say something, Jet was cut off by Makoto, the firebender sitting behind him.
"Enough! Stay focused on your tasks and if I find anyone neglecting theirs I'll make sure you're disciplined." The words may not be the most witty come back Jet had heard, but the lieutenant's tone of voice brooked no argument. Only the rushing of the river interrupted the silence after that, everyone absorbed in watching the bison and at the same time avoiding obstacles in the water. Jet was irritated that Makoto could easily demand such respect, and the fact that these soldiers had to have made a record of making him lose his self control more than once. Eyes trained on his prize, Jet hardened his face into his usual expression, albeit a more severe one than he usually wore in his forest. The time was drawing near and he would be ready for it.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
Dusk
Aang had made sure to pick a campsite that wasn't easy to spot at a glance. In a thick cluster of trees, they had set up camp with a huge rock boulder at their backs and thick wood surrounding them everywhere else.
Katara had insisted that they had to stay close to the river for Aang to practice and a water supply. After the fiasco with the Waterbending Scroll, Aang and Katara practiced very move they had learned close to daily since they had no reference other than each other and their own memories.
After the camp had been set up and Aang had convinced Appa and Momo to stay at the campsite, Sokka left to collect firewood and Katara had desperately needed a bathroom break judging by how she sprinted into the trees the instant they landed.
Glancing around, Aang knew Sokka wasn't back from his self-appointed scouting mission—for that was exactly what it was. Why else would a person looking for firewood ignore all the dead branches lying in and surrounding the campsite?
Before leaving, Katara had asked if he would start a campfire; his gaze finally resting on the ready pile of wood in a ring of stones, Aang squatted beside it, his body stiff. He had put off not building it long enough. His face was blank except for his eyes, and they stared at the wood with an intensity that was startling.
It seems so easy, just light up some fire in my hand and send it into the fire. Aang thought darkly. This can't always be such a big deal.
His problem was that he couldn't do it.
Not after what happened the last time he did it.
Cringing at the memory, feeling the familiar pang of guilt, Aang picked up a piece of flint and began striking Sokka's knife against it, patiently waiting for the sparks to catch the cheat grass on fire and spread the logs.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
Two Days Later
Jet calmly watched as Makoto, the lieutenant of his borrowed firebenders turned a shade of red he had never seen before.
"Are you listening to me?" The lieutenant ground out, his fists clenched. Lazily Jet lifted his eyes from sharpening his T-Hooks swords and met the furious man's gaze.
"Yes, I have listened to you try to convince me to stop tracking the Avatar and attack him now," Jet said, purposely making it look like he couldn't care less in his body language and voice.
"And?" Makoto was barely keeping himself under control enough not to shout and draw attention from his troops to his conversation with Jet. "Just what do you plan to do about this present standstill?"
"Nothing, at the present." Jet leisurely drew the whetstone down his blade, thinking of the scout he had sent at dawn without Makoto's knowledge.
"So you plan to keep following him for days," Makoto said scornfully. "I would have expected greater strategy from someone such as yourself." Jet's hand hesitated a moment on his stoke, a barely visible tightening of his lips giving away his growing frustration.
"The timing on this mission is crucial." The curt reply remained empty of anger. "If the attack is launched too later or too early, it'll fail."
"The longer you follow him, the farther you travel from the tower. And you need to be calculating the return trip in those plans of yours if you're going to make your deadline."
Jet set his whetstone to the side and stood up with his swords in hand, posture aggressive and staring coldly at Makoto. "I have everything under control," He said firmly. "I don't need to explain myself to you; I don't take orders from Fire Nation." By the end, he was hissing in the captain's face, his voice low and filled with warning.
Makoto sneered at him. "Oh, but you do take orders from us Jet. Lazar has you trapped and put me in charge of you, not the other way around. I wonder what your comrades would think if they saw that you had sided with the enemy."
Jet remained silent, his face a stoic mask while inside he fought to rein in his temper. Now wasn't the time to lose control, but he would remember this.
"Jet!" Jet turned his head slightly to the side, ignoring Makoto as the scout he had sent approached him.
"The Avatar has stopped and made camp in a valley not far from here. He's not going anywhere," The soldier reported to Jet while Makoto stared. Jet nodded, lost in thought as Makoto understood that Jet had been scheming behind his back and was obviously outraged.
"Hmmm, I see." Jet paused. It seemed perfect, perhaps a little too perfect? When Jet had looked over the area himself he hadn't seen any signs of a trap, but it was always good to be careful. He had learned that the hard way.
"This appears to be our chance." Jet said, pitching his voice to be carried over the camp. "I don't like this situation though. Rally the men and I'll inform you what the entire battle plan is to be." The underling nodded eagerly, ready to see some action after so long before sprinting away. Jet turned to Makoto, who was still staring at him and smirked.
"Just as I said. I have everything under control." Jet said calmly with a trace amount of mockery before walking away to met the other firebenders, his mind busy with the prospect of managing to attack the Avatar, and more importantly his companion, today.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
"Sokka, do you know where Katara is?" Aang asked as he dumped a pile of sticks next to the fire. "She said she would wait here for me." Jet listened intently from his hiding spot in the tree behind Sokka as the Water Tribe boy paused from cleaning his club.
"She left a little while ago saying that she'd warm up while she waited for you." Sokka explained casually, admiring his gleaming weapon.
Aang frowned. "She shouldn't be at the river by herself." Sokka nodded in agreement, appearing annoyed.
"Yeah, I told her to stay but she was worked up for some reason and took Momo as protection." Sokka rolled his eyes at the thought of Momo being protection.
"Alright, I should go catch up with her." Aang said, but he hesitated in leaving. Jet frowned as he continued to watch. Obviously they were cautious in case someone was tracking them. Too bad for them it's not enough to stop me, Jet thought arrogantly as Sokka assured Aang that he and Appa would be fine alone.
"I'll be back in a little while!" Aang called over his shoulder while he ran out of sight, a dust trail following in his wake. Jet smiled as Sokka was left alone with only the bison. Jet wanted them to be able to follow him to Lazar's fortress, so the tactic to get rid of the bison was to use fire to scare him off. If the beast proved too loyal to desert Sokka, then Jet had instructed to have them shoot the bison with an arrow but not injure it enough so it couldn't fly.
Makoto had thought that the men could have simply tied the creature down with ropes, but with Appa's size and strength, Jet knew that was next to impossible with how little men he had with him. The others were shadowing Aang and Katara.
Jet glanced left and right at the hidden firebenders and then gave his bird whistle signal. Sokka didn't appear to react, and so far things were going smoothly. Perching on his branch, Jet watched as each soldier dropped to the ground quietly enough to escape detection. But Jet couldn't help but wince at what to him sounded like a horrible racket.
Sokka had his back to them, sitting on a fallen tree as firebenders crept up from behind. The plan was to take the boy with the element of surprise, and if Sokka put up a fight, they would subdue but not kill him. On the opposite side of the camp, out of Sokka's view, the other half of Jet's company snuck up on the sleeping bison.
When the man in the lead was four feet from Sokka, he accidentally stumbled over a stone causing to clatter and lurch forward under the force of the weight of his boot. Jet grit his teeth as Sokka immediately glanced over his shoulder. In the split second he saw the firebender he shouted and leapt away from the log in time to avoid being tackled by the man who had kicked the stone.
"Attack!" Jet shouted, remaining in the trees while the firebenders did the work. Sokka looked stunned at the sound of Jet's voice, but he was efficiently distracted when the firebenders sent streams of fire at the bison as he leapt up in a panic at the pain his burns caused.
"Appa!" Sokka exclaimed, before pulling into a ready fighting stance and hurtling his boomerang into the head of the closet head of the firebenders, knocking the man out.
Immediately ten men flung individual fireballs at the boy warrior. Screaming again, Sokka flung his body flat on the ground and narrowly escaped being burned alive.
Appa was chased from the camp by the firebenders, slamming into several trees in his panic and roaring in confusion before taking off into the air.
At this point two firebenders jumped over the log and aimed their fists, alive with fire, at Sokka who was still lying on the ground. Looking up in time to see the fire coming in for his face, Sokka rolled to the side, singing the back of his shirt. Leaping to his feet, Sokka swung his club at the two men. The other firebenders were scrambling to get around the enormous log in order to capture Sokka without injuring their comrades. One of the two firebenders, a tall, skinny young man, evaded Sokka's swing while the other crumbled to the ground.
Sokka yelped as he jumped back to barely avoid a flying whip lash of flame, but in the process he fell onto the tent. Scrambling frantically over the collapsed tent, Jet watched as Sokka paled when he saw all the men had gotten over the log and were coming for him.
Obviously deciding that this was a fight he had no hope of winning, Sokka started calling for Aang and Katara at the top of his lungs while he ran away from the campsite with unexpected speed. Six well aimed blasts of fire whistled over his head and landed in front of him, the undergrowth and trees immediately bursting into flame and becoming a ten foot wall of fire. Without pausing Sokka turned on the balls of his feet in another direction, intent on escape.
Jet shook his head at Sokka's desperate attempts of running away. Every way Sokka turned he was cut off by fire. Finally he was completely surrounded, fire on three sides of him and his only route of escape through six soldiers controlling the fire surrounding him. Breathing heavily, Sokka gripped his club in one hand and his boomerang in the other, glaring with all the ferocity of a cornered animal at his attackers. Jet smirked placidly. Sokka was taken down; now all he had was Aang and Katara.
"Throw your weapons on the ground or else we'll burn you alive!" Makoto barked, his mere posture adding intimidation to the threat. When Sokka hesitated, gripping his weapons even tighter, the fire intensified in heat and drew much too close for comfort. Sokka made a disgusted sound and threw his weapons at the feet of Makoto as he was ordered to. Picking up the weapons, Makoto nodded to two of the firebenders and they came forward while the others held the fire up. Quickly searching Sokka's person they didn't find any other weapons and then gripped his arms harsh enough to leave bruises. Sokka's face was grim and he stood ridged, his eyes staring coldly at Makoto. Once Sokka was secured, the fire disappeared in a red flash of light.
Time to make my grand entrance, Jet thought as he left the trees and approached the group of firebenders, slowly clapping his hands and breaking the menacing quiet. The soldiers parted for Jet until he stood in front of Sokka. Jet stopped clapping his hands and enjoyed the look on Sokka's face.
"That was quite the fight, Sokka," Jet said in tones of mocking delight. "I wish I could say that you've improved after our last meeting, but that would be a lie." Sokka was still staring at Jet, his eyes large.
"Jet?" He whispered in disbelief as if he could not believe that the young man standing in front of him was the freedom fighter he had met all those months ago. Jet nodded, twirling the grass strand in his mouth.
"Yes, it's me."
"What are you doing here?" Sokka asked incredulously, starting to visibly become nervous. "How did you get out of prison and why are you working with Fire Nation?!"
"That's really none of your business," Jet replied, remaining unruffled while Sokka visibly became more upset. "But I will tell you I was let out of prison for a…special errand." Jet put emphasis on the word 'special' and made eye contact with Sokka. Jet ignored the restless firebenders and only concentrated on the fear in Sokka's eyes under all the rage. "What are you talking about?" Sokka asked darkly. "What do you have to gain by capturing me?" Instead of directly answering Sokka's demands, Jet started to talk about something seemingly unrelated.
"You know Sokka, I haven't forgotten that it was Katara who froze me to that tree and that it was you who foiled my plans." Jet said, in tones of false indifference. "You see Sokka…" Jet leaned forward and Sokka returned the glare. "I have some unfinished business to attend to with all of you, and especially Katara." Sokka's eyes became large and Jet relished the flash of undisguised terror in his eyes before it disappeared and Sokka started to tremble in rage.
"You're out of your mind if you think I'm just going to sit by and let you carry out whatever sick plan you have for revenge." Sokka's voice was quiet, but it held a deadly anger in it that surprised the surrounding Fire Nation soldiers. "Stay away from my sister and Aang or you'll regret it."
The two firebenders holding Sokka exchanged slightly nervous glances. They didn't doubt for a moment that this kid wasn't serious, but Jet merely laughed in the furious Water Tribe boy's face.
"I hardly think you're in the position to threaten me," Jet said, amused. That amusement quickly fled his face as Jet unsheathed the tips of his T-Hook swords and held them up, angling it at Sokka as if preparing to strike. Surprisingly, Makoto unexpectedly spoke up. "Jet, enough of this garbage! We need to leave." Jet glanced at Makoto and then back at Sokka, his face expressionless.
"You're lucky I ran out of time to hurt you," Jet said coldly. "Judging by what you told Aang, I don't have much time to find Katara before he does."
Jet paused as Sokka used the soldier's arms who were holding him as leverage and then threw his weight back and hit the men between the legs. Moaning, eyes crossed, they let go and fell to the ground, unbalanced while Sokka made a mad dash for freedom, screaming for help with all his might.
Hissing in aggravation Jet broke into a run while he doubled his range by putting his two T-Hook swords together. While the other firebenders shot fire ahead to ward the Sokka off, Jet pivoted quickly and then caught Sokka's elbow and threw him to the ground roughly.
Immediately pouncing on the boy, they pulled him to his feet and held his arms, legs, and even his ponytail to the point where Sokka couldn't even move his head. Breathing heavily, Sokka glared at Jet as blood leaked through his shirt where Jet had caught him on the elbow. Ignoring Sokka, Jet turned to the three men who were not holding Sokka.
"I won't need your help in capturing the girl; go help the others hold off the Avatar, he's our main threat." Jet ordered sternly. Once the men disappeared into the foliage, Jet turned back to Sokka.
"I might be in a hurry, but I'll always have time for this," Jet snarled and punched the boy with all his might in the stomach. With a low, intense moan, Sokka pinched his eyes shut, not able to even fold over his injured stomach as he struggled for air.
"We don't have time to kill him, so knock him out, bind him in the ropes and then throw him in the thorn bushes." Jet said to Makoto's right hand man, since the captain had gone with the others after Aang. Nodding, Lok bashed Sokka over the head and the boy warrior immediately went limp. In a matter of minutes they had him bound tightly in coarse rope, gagged him with a soiled rag and thrown him into the large bushes.
"Follow me!" Jet barked and then raced into the forest, leaping into the tree tops while most of the men continued running on foot, turning pink with the effort of running in armor, particularly the ones how had been forced back into consciousness. As he raced from tree to tree, Jet grinned humorlessly. Things were in motion and everything was going according to plan.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
Aang was walking at a brisk pace in order to meet up with Katara quickly, but he couldn't help but lag a little as he tried to sort his thoughts.
She offered to help me, Aang reasoned as he ignored the scenery he passed, Last time I talked to her it did help put it behind me. I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell her. The only problem was that Aang didn't want to tell Katara, despite the fact that he'd already had the nightmare again. But if he could tell her about his past then he could tell her about this nightmare because he was beyond sick of having it.
Feeling somewhat better after making his decision, Aang suddenly paused, frowning as something teased the edges of his hearing. Turning around, growing more and more worried, Aang waited for a few moments before the sound reached his ears again, louder this time. It sounded like Appa roaring, rough, unfamiliar voices shouting amongst what sounded like Sokka's yelps and the roar of fire.
Sokka and Appa were being attacked! Aang immediately used his airbending to speed up his running, crashing through the undergrowth recklessly until he suddenly paused and grit his teeth. Katara was alone by the river, and Aang doubted that whoever was attacking them wouldn't attack them when they were split up like they were. Aang was ridged with indecision. Who should he help?!
"AANG! KATARA!"
That was Sokka and it definitely sounded like he needed help NOW. Aang instantly shot towards Sokka's voice, trying to convince himself that since Katara was by the river she would have a better chance of surviving until he and Sokka could join her. Aang abruptly found his sight blocked completely by Momo, who was tugging on his poncho urgently while chattering rapidly.
"Not now Momo Sokka needs our help!" Aang snapped, trying to pull Momo off his face while continuing to maneuver the forest at a dangerous speed. A sharp, whizzing sound cut through Aang's concentration and he only recognized the sound since he hated it so much.
"Augh!" Aang threw himself into a tree to avoid being pierced by an arrow aimed at his shoulder. Blinking hard to clear the spots in his vision, Aang tugged Momo around so the lemur was clinging to the back of his poncho. That arrow hadn't been aimed to kill, but it had managed to slice threw his poncho and cut his skin.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Aang shouted angrily very aware that the sounds of combat had ominously stopped coming from the campsite. His answer was a barrage of arrows flying towards him.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
She had finished warming up ten minutes ago, and with the silence surrounding her Katara became increasingly uneasy, the hairs on her neck pricking with gooseflesh. Brushing the hair out her eyes Katara restlessly stood, intending to check her water flask to make sure it was full. Katara paled when her hand met air. Shoot! How could she have been so foolish as to not keep her water flask with her?! Great, now when I walk back to camp I'll be defenseless.
Agitated, Katara shifted her weight before glancing at Momo, who was lazily curled up on the grass watching her. Katara quickly kneeled down next to the lemur, effectively catching his attention by picking him up off the ground.
"Momo, I need you to listen carefully. Go find Aang for me and bring him here, okay?" Katara acknowledged it was futile to hope the lemur understood her. Especially after the many interpretations he had made when she had asked him for water while she and Sokka were sick.
Despite Katara's misgivings, Momo perked his ears at her words and then leapt out of her grasp, flying into the air towards the campsite. Katara blinked in shock for a moment, before straightening with a sigh. Sitting back on her rock for a moment, Katara reasoned with herself that since Momo was not exactly reliable in this instance, she should wait a little while before walking towards camp. Hopefully she would run into Aang on his way to the river.
It shouldn't take this long to get fire wood, Katara thought in mild annoyance. Frowning, Katara crossed her legs for lack of anything to do. How pathetic. I can't even relax and enjoy a beautiful day because I think someone's watching me? It could just be a harmless forest creature! Or…it could be something else…
Katara abruptly stood up and quickly began to walk back to the campsite. It was a bad idea to come to the river alone, and Katara was getting back to Aang and her brother as soon as she could.
The sky had been cloudy all day, and suddenly the lighting noticeably dimmed. Glancing up without breaking stride, Katara vaguely noticed the sun was hidden behind large grey clouds and the thick branches of the tress blocked whatever little sunshine was left.
In other words, the dim lighting made it harder to see if anything was hiding in the thick bushes surrounding her.
Katara had only walked a short distance from the edge of the forest where it sloped down to the river when she heard a loud, sudden crack. Jumping, Katara's heart leapt in fright as she immediately blurted out "Who's there?!"
Still rooted in one spot, Katara listened intently for a moment but there was no answer.
Feeling even more ill at ease, Katara started walking faster, nearly breaking into a run while her eyes never stopped darting around, wishing fervently that the sun would come out. Katara was positive that something was following her and she berated herself for misplacing her water flask. Katara briefly considered going back to the river for a water source, but at this point she was closer to the campsite.
The forest sounds seemed to suddenly fade for a moment and Katara's eyes widened when she heard the unmistakable sound of fire and rough battle cries. And they were coming from the direction of the camp.
Katara had momentarily paused when she recognized the sounds that had been teasing the edges of her hearing, and just when Katara was about to break into a run, she saw him.
For a moment, Katara locked gazes with a Fire Nation soldier hiding a couple trees ahead of her before she shrieked, turning on her heel to blindly run for the river. Katara was too alarmed to really think out what would be the best direction to go when her instincts suddenly screamed "Run away!"
Frantically looking over her shoulder Katara saw three Fire Nation soldiers chasing her, out of hiding and gaining on her with frightening speed despite their heavy armor. Born out of an adrenaline induced speed, Katara ran faster and saw the trees thinning out, hardly believing she was almost back to the river.
Glancing over her shoulder again, Katara grinned as she saw the men fall behind, unable to aim fire probably at her since she kept ducking around tree trunks.
I'm gonna make it! Katara thought wildly, leaping over a stone with an agility that could only be compared to Aang's. Katara couldn't stop another quick peek behind her when her body suddenly met resistance. Without having time to properly react, Katara only managed to whip her head around to plant it in the person's powerfully built chest. The force of her speed rebounded her off the person's chest enough for Katara to look up into the stranger's face.
Her face went completely blank along with her mind for one crucial second, hardly daring to believe this person wasn't a mirage before remembering the very realness of running into said person. Color fled out of Katara's cheeks as she screamed higher than she had thought possible for her voice while leaping out of Jet's reach.
But he was too fast for her.
His hands shot out and grabbed her wrists, pulling her too close to kick him. He lowered his head until his face was mere inches from hers, in a manner that was even more terrifying than when Zuko had done something similar months ago. A cold smirk tugged at Jet's lips and his eyes didn't betray what he was feeling.
"I've waited a long time for this Katara." He hissed and Katara's heart skipped a beat in terror.
*/^/*/^/*/^/*/^/*
Creating a large funnel of air Aang caught the arrows shot at him and threw them off course into the other tree trunks. Not wanting to waste time fighting these people, Aang immediately followed up with a strong gust of circling wind to vibrate the trees the shooters were hiding in. Spitting curses that made Aang mentally cringe, four Fire Nation soldiers dropped from the trees, bows and arrows strapped to their backs. One of them landed on his bow and yelped in pain as the woodwork snapped while the other three combined fire blasts to circle around Aang. Aang leapt into the tree above him, Momo still clinging to his poncho in terror while Aang evaded the long, snake like fire chasing him while setting leaves on fire. Just as the Fire Nation men formed a new attack Aang heard a chilling scream echo throughout the valley, so high in pitch that flocks of birds burst from the trees and into the sky. Aang's grey eyes widened in horror.
"Katara!"