THIS CHAPTER WAS EDITED AS OF 1/19/05
11/25/05
First off I'd like to apologize for how long this chapter took! TWO WEEKS, augh!—faints—I am so busy with relatives over for the holidays and house cleaning, outing and all that stuff that I didn't have a chance to update! Sorry! This chapter is pretty long, but could be considered boring compared to the last two chapters!
So anyways this chapter was REALLY hard to write, because the creative juices had a jam up. (And because my little sister spilled water all over my chapter's notes, washing it out so bad that I can barely read it)
All right, enough with the excuses!
Wasn't The Water bending Master AWESOME? I think it's the best one of the series—maybe only the finale can top that! (Of which I am DYING to see!)
"Pursuit" is basically the calm before the storm, building up the tension for the next chapter. One more thing; I decided that I needed to change Jet's prison sentence so just go back to the Prologue and re-read that bit of dialogue real quick please!
I'll give you a hint for next chapter…..everyone reaches the fortress, things go awry for Jet and Katara, and Aang and Sokka attempt to break into one of the most fiercely guarded fortresses they have ever seen. (Its very similar to the one Aang was held captive in "The Blue Spirit")
I just have to get this chapter out there I have no idea if it's crappy or not after working on it for so long.
Okay, I'm too impatient for any more comments; on with the shout outs!
Sasscreach: I'm happy that I made you enjoy fight scenes more then usual! That's so nice of you to say! And as for how long this story is, I don't mind spilling the beans. I have it all outlined on paper so after "Pursuit" there are only two more chapters; TROJ is a short story!
Titanwolf: Actually, it kind IS that obvious, lol. I can't express how thrilled I was at your reaction! Action scenes are really tough because basically you have to each every little part of the fight in your minds eye and then use the rights words to explain what you "see." Lotsa work, I'm glad mine paid off!
Jalapeno1011: I love that part 2 seriously, that's the first thing that came to my mind when I pictured myself in Katara's position. BAM! Right in the spot!
Dragonsfire867: SIX IN THE MORNING? That's insane to a late riser such as myself! A little trouble following huh? Thoughtful expression I'll need to double check that chapter soon…..btw can't wait to see that Avatar site!
Franny: Thanks for the review and the encouragement! Your words meant a lot to an author such as myself and I'm sorry to say that you DID have to wait longer then a week for this one….shakes head sadly
Crimson Requiem: I know, poor Aang! Gosh he must feel like crap….and next chapter I promise I'll put up sooner!
Goofy.Goober: There were? Rats, I'll have to go back and fix those—and no more cliffys? Sorry, but HOW am I supposed to keep you guys interested if I don't make you want more? Evil grin So I suppose you know what's at the bottom of this page…
Cydney busler: Don't worry I promise not to leave any loose ends! Thank you SO MUCH for your review it was greatly appreciated.
KimchiCrusader: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING ME ABOUT JET AND MY FIGHT SCENES! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!
Carlita Ann: Bad things can happen to people EVEN IF a story is rated K Miss Carlita Ann….. (Mwuahaha!) I loved your comments, I can't express how much reviews mean to me! People seem to like Jet getting kicked by Katara I have too say that I enjoyed writing it because I don't like Jet very much. (He fascinates me, but still…)
TheDashLikes: I am so glad you reviewed! I was concerned you weren't going to!
But you pulled through! Yay! Are you serious about the comments with the fighting scenes? Oh my gosh I am so pumped whenever I finish reading your reviews! (thanks for the website I found a lot out I'm indebted) I've noticed that authors have the characters repeat the same move over and over in a fight too…gets on my nerves. Seriously, A REAL FIGHT ISN'T LIKE THAT. Ah, yes. I hate slow internet, I feel your pain. ;) I'm thrilled I kept you at the edge of your seat! Here's more!
Special thanks go to the Mystic Benders sisters I LOVED and REALLY appreciate your comments! But I'm in a hurry to start this chapter so you guys get special mentions!
Disclaimer: HOW MANY TIME TO I HAVE TO SAY I DON'T OWN AVATAR TO GET IT THROUGH YOU LAWYERS THICK HEADS?
Lawyers: HEY! WE HEARD THAT!
1bzwriter: Drop dead I want to start my story.
Chapter Six
Pursuit
As Katara woke up, she shifted uncomfortably on the hard ground, her body sore from the other day. Slowly, rather reluctantly, Katara opened her eyes, bracing herself for the worst.
Her eyes took in the tent and the blanket she was lying on in a moment. The lighting was dim and Katara waited for her eyes to adjust, blinking owlishly and trying to clear her foggy brain. Carefully looking at the tent wall Katara noticed the backwards fire nation insignia. But the sight of the fire nations embalm wasn't what made Katara's lips pull back in a silent snarl. It was the person sitting next to the tent door.
Jet was motionless, frowning intensely at the floor as if in deep thought. He was completely oblivious to the fact that she was awake. Katara's gaze lingered on the swords adorning Jet's back distrustfully. So far he had still taken no notice of her and Katara tried to sit up so she could be ready to defend herself if necessary. When she made the move to brace herself up with her hands, Katara realized with dismay her hands were bound with thick, scratchy rope.
Katara pulled her wrists apart to see if any weak spots would appear but to her chagrin it only made the rope pull her wrists tighter together.
Making a sound of disgust Katara rolled onto her back. After lifting her shoulders and head forward a couple times Katara managed to gain the momentum to get her upper body in the air so that she could sit up without using her hands.
Katara's abrupt movements and irate sigh snapped Jet out of his thoughts and his head jerked up.
The hairs on the back of Katara's neck stood straight up as she locked gazes with Jet, his face dark and unreadable.
Katara scowled at him, refusing to break eye contact even though she wanted to avoid his gaze. Jet stared back at her the same unreadable expression. To Katara it was like being stared at by a platypus-bear who is wondering if he should eat you.
Small beads of sweat began forming at her hairline as minutes passed and neither one of them spoke, moved or looked away. The air was practically snapping and popping at the tension in the small tent.
What is he going to do to me? Katara thought nervously although she kept her dirty look in place.
"What do you want with me?" Katara finally asked her voice harsh to convey her hostility all the more.
Jet smirked. "You'll find out soon enough." Jet's tone of voice chilled her to the bone and Katara dropped her angry glare, eyeing Jet warily. Suddenly the tent flap was thrown open and a Fire Nation soldier poked his head through the opening.
"The canoes are packed and we're ready to go." He said, wasting no time with his words. Katara shifted her gaze and gave the soldier the evil eye as an excuse to stop the staring contest.
His cold brown eyes met hers and his face twisted into a mocking smile.
"Nice to see you're awake." He said, his voice oozing with sarcasm.
Katara stuck her tongue out at him as Jet turned his head and muttered something to the soldier. The fire bender's head pulled out of the tent and Jet stood to his feet, leaning over slightly to avoid the low roof of the tent.
Katara watched him suspiciously as he walked towards her. Without hesitating Jet picked Katara up bridal style and stepped outside of the tent while the Water Bender protested loudly, struggling in his grip.
Jet walked by the remains of a campfire, struggling to keep a grip on Katara as she tried jamming him with her elbow, biting his wrist, and kicking his side to get him to set her down.
"You know I could just drag you to the canoes."
Katara stopped struggling and glared up at Jet's chin, being too close to his chest to see his face.
"What do you want with me?" She demanded again, trying hard not to let her fear show through her voice. Jet kept looking ahead and didn't glance at Katara's face, his own face completely empty of any emotion except for the unreadable look flickering in his eyes.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Katara turned her face away from Jet's chest and held herself stiffly, not the least bit comfortable in his arms.
This is nothing like it was last time. Katara thought suddenly, remembering when Jet had pulled her into his tree house. I can't believe I actually liked this jerk, Katara added to herself regretfully.
Her eyes darted around at all of the Fire Nation men standing by the river bank, grabbing bags and tearing down Jet's tent. Katara's gaze finally rested on the river. As soon as Jet put her down she could make it very difficult for him to even sit down once she was closer to the water.
"If you even try to water bend," Jet said stoically as he walked down the river bank where the main group of battered soldiers were standing, "I'll knock you out." Katara felt deep resentment and anger towards Jet and expressed it by growling at him.
As of that moment, she hated him.
Stepping into the shallow river water Jet dumped her unceremoniously into the prow of the small canoe. Katara winced as her side collided with the rough wood of the canoe. Glaring at the wooden plank in front of her Katara grit her teeth in anger as Jet and another fire bender climbed into the small canoe.
"Aang and Sokka will come for me," Katara said suddenly as they shoved off, her voice confident and defensive at the same time.
She kept her gaze fixed on the wall of the canoe, refusing to look back at Jet but she knew he was smirking.
"Why else would I waste my time with you?" He hissed for only her to hear.
Katara refused to let his words hurt her. She was over him…but no matter what Katara told herself his words still stung.
"Why are you doing working with the Fire Nation?" Katara replied, pleased she had thought of a come back so quickly. "I thought you hate—"
She interrupted herself when the pointy tip of Jet's boot kicked her back.
Biting her lip to keep herself from yelping, Katara looked up at the sunset coloring the sky desperately hoping to see a bison following the canoes. She saw nothing; not even a bird! That was strange considering they were still by the Miya forest…..They'll come, Katara assured herself even though her heart sank. They won't leave me here with Jet. They'll come to rescue me.
Katara bit her lip. That is, if they could comeIf Jet did this to her, what would he have done to Aang and Sokka?
Jet and the fire bender said nothing, and Katara gradually began to take notice of what two soldiers in the canoe next to them were talking about as the sunset faded and a blanket of darkness settled over the land.
"Wow, that's a nasty bump." One of them commented.
Katara heard the other soldier grunt moodily.
"Which person did you get it from? The Avatar or the Water Nation boy?" The first soldier asked, pressing his companion to talk.
"I got it from the Water Tribe (beep)." The second soldier snarled.
"I hope he burned to a crisp in the tree Matsu lit on fire!" He added vehemently.
"I'll second that," Someone else said from one of the other canoes.
Their cruel chuckling was lost on Katara. She felt like she had been punched in the gut. Her breathing became ragged and she felt nauseous. Her head throbbed, and her eyes along with the back of her throat burned.
Sokka couldn't be…….
Don't say it, Katara thought as she squeezed her eyes shut to relieve the burning sensation. Don't even think it.
She heard Jet chuckling behind her. Katara's eyes shot open and narrowed until they were mere slits. She desperately wanted to snap back at the teen but the quickly forming bruise at the small of her back warned her not to. Once Jet stopped, Katara scanned the sky again, hoping desperately to see Appa.
The only objects she saw were tiny insect eating bat rats.
The waves around the canoe became choppy as Katara unwittingly water bended the water around the canoe in her state of agony.
"Hey!" Jet exclaimed sharply, grabbing the sides of the canoe as it dipped back and forth violently. "Knock it off!"
Immediately the waves stopped and Katara bit her lip, officially starting to panic.
Where were Aang and Sokka? What was going to happen to her? Katara closed her eyes and blocked out the sound of the soldiers vulgar talk as they traveled down the river.
Aang and Sokka:
"Don't!"
Aang snapped sharply, yanking his arm away as Sokka attempted to clean it with a wet strip of clothing. Sokka's body was stiff and jerky in its movements and his face plainly portrayed how frustrated he was.
"Aang," he said with forced patience as the air bender drew away even farther, "I have to clean it before it gets infected!"
Giving an irritated sigh Aang reluctantly came back and Sokka gave him a stick to bite into for the pain.
"Now this might hurt—" Sokka stopped talking as Aang hissed in pain, his pale face going even whiter. Sokka set his teeth together and quickly put some herb gunk he had just mashed together on Aang's burned arm and then bandaged it.
If Katara was here she could just heal this, Sokka thought grimly as he tied the cloth together as best as he could with his swollen fingers.
"Done."
Aang spit out the stick and rose unsteadily to his feet. Sokka grabbed Aang's good arm to steady him as the air bender swayed crazily.
"Slow down, will ya?" Sokka said impatiently, stressed out from his sisters kidnapping and lack of sleep combined with his injuries.
Aang stood still for a couple seconds and then jerked his arm away from Sokka and walked away.
"You sure get hurt a lot," Sokka said dryly as he glanced at the small scar on the side of Aang's head from the incident in the Ice Mountains.
Aang grunted and then climbed onto Appa. "C'mon," He said wearily. "We have to keep looking."
"We've been looking since yesterday afternoon, all night and all of today. We need to rest."
Sokka saw the dangerous look in Aang's eyes and added hurriedly, "What good would it be to find her and then not be able to rescue her because we're half dead from lack of sleep?" Sokka watched the range of emotions flash across Aang's face and knew the air bender was very frustrated.
"All right." Aang said quietly, his lips pressing together in a thin line. Sokka nodded in agreement.
"Okay then. Grab a shady spot and go to bed." Sokka lay down on his sleeping bag and watched Aang walk stiffly under a shady tree and lay down, gingerly resting his arm to the side while he stared at the toes of his boots.
Sokka stared up at the sunset and waited for sleep to come. Unfortunately, even though he was exhausted, sleep was impossible. All he could think about was Katara and what sick things Jet might be doing to her. Apparently Aang felt the same way because he never closed his eyes. Instead he stared down at the ground in front of him so intensely that it was like he was trying to earth bend.
Soon Appa's guttural snores and Momo's quiet chirps filled the air as time went on and Aang and Sokka still couldn't fall asleep, their minds refusing to slow down.
"How are we supposed to find her?" Aang asked suddenly, startling Sokka so much that he jumped in surprise and then looked over at Aang.
Aang's face was a blend of frustration and despair. Sokka pressed his lips together; he was wondering the same thing. Suddenly a light bulb clicked.
"Do you remember what Jet said?"
"Jet said a lot of things." Aang said stonily.
"No, I'm talking about when he told us to look for fire works to find them." Sokka explained.
Aang's face brightened. "Then all we have to look for fire works and we find Katara! Wait," He added, frowning, "Why would he want us to find him?"
Sokka looked Aang straight in the eye as he said bluntly, "Because it's a trap."
Aang sighed heavily and closed his eyes.
"Then we better get some sleep. We'll need it when we rescue Katara."
Jet:
The full moon was partly covered with clouds, shining meager light on the small fleet of canoes going upriver. Jet was tense as he pulled his paddle through the water, fighting the currant as his sharp, calculating eyes scanned the banks, and then the sky for any sign of the Avatar.
Katara stirred at his feet restlessly. The cramped space must be uncomfortable. Jet smirked down at the back of the Water bender's head and then looked sharply to his left as he heard a sudden snap in the brush.
Eyes narrowed, Jet watched the area in his peripheral vision as he glanced up at the towering ice mountains, an ominous rumbling coming from the clouds resting at the peak.
His men were drained from the ordeal of capturing the girl. Several of them had nasty, purple-black colored bumps and gashes on their heads, and many of them were sore and moody because of the pain.
Jet glanced up at the sky again. They couldn't allow the Avatar to find them in this weakened condition. That was why Jet was having them travel at night and hide in caves in the day time to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Jet heard Katara give a frustrated sigh as she vainly tried to sit up out of the cramped position she was in. Jet watched her attempts in amusement as Katara barely managed to prop her head up against the side of the canoe. His amusement vanished when she flipped her body on her back so that she landed on his feet.
"Hey!" He hissed in anger, keeping his voice down it wouldn't alert their presence to any would-be stalkers. Katara glared up him, her face clearly visible by the pale light the moon was giving off.
"I can't move back!" She hissed back, her tone of voice vibrating in anger and disgust as she wiggled her body back and forth.
Fine, if she couldn't move he would move her.
Withdrawing his paddle from the river Jet grabbed Katara's shoulder and dragged her upright until she was off of his toes and sitting up with her back against the side of the canoe and her legs in front of her.
He saw her wince as he let go; he had made sure to grip her shoulder as hard as he could and he had probably made a mark.
Plunging his oar back into the river Jet gave Katara one of his unreadable, threatening looks as the water around the canoe grew choppy again. Once the girl had caught his look the water went back into its fast paced even flow and the girl examined her chafing wrists.
Makoto's boat drew closer so that he could talk without shouting across the river.
"When do you want to stop?" He asked his tone weary from paddling upriver. Jet paused as he considered the pain shooting up and down his arms.
"We want to make as much head way as we can," Jet said, using his
Commander's voice. "We'll stop when the sun rises."
A collective groan echoed across the water from the tired soldiers. Dawn was hours away and some of the men already had cramps. Ignoring the disgusted look on the Fire Nation captain's face Jet looked ahead as well as he could as the river wound its way through the small canyon it had engraved.
"Slave driver."
The words were softly spoken but not so softly that they didn't escape Jet's keen hearing.
"Watch your tongue unless you want me to cut it out," He said coldly to Katara, keeping his gaze fixed ahead. He made sure to keep his face expressionless, even though he tightened his jaw; he wouldn't express how he felt about being made into a human Popsicle with Katara until they were alone in the confines of the prison cell back at the Fire Nation fort with no witnesses.
He quickly looked down at Katara to see what kind of reaction his words had caused and saw that her face had paled considerably and that she kept her gaze fixed on her hands. Feeling a twinge of triumph, Jet thought about what he would say to her at Lazar's fortress.
The Fire Nation fort and Captain Lazar…….the faint lines around Jet's mouth tightened as well as his grip on his paddle.
He still had to figure out his strategy for convincing the greedy fool to drop his sentence down. Much farther down then fifteen years….he had only named that number because it wouldn't seem like a lot to the captain. But did he want to languish in prison for fifteen years until someone of a higher rank stopped by to execute him? No. (BEEP) NO.
Jet was jerked from his thoughts as the sound of thunder reached his ears.
Everyone turned their eyes to the mountains. Jagged streaks of lightening flashed across the top, the clouds swirling together until the top of the mountains were invisible.
Jet swore wrathfully. They couldn't go over the mountains in the middle of a storm. Curse the infernal weather for interfering with his plans!
Suddenly Jet heard Katara muttering something under her breath about hard canoes, bad weather and raving maniacs who need their mouths washed out with soap.
"What was that?" Jet asked sharply as he heard the bit about raving maniacs.
"I said nothing." Katara muttered. Giving a disgusted sigh Jet pulled harder against the water, sick of interacting with the girl.
"Shut up." He said flatly. He had better things to think about, strategies, battle plans, his sentence and getting back to his freedom fighters….
Katara stayed silent and after another hour or two she fell into a fitful sleep. By then Jet's arms felt as if they were on fire and the men around him were starting to complain about rowing upriver for five hours straight.
"We're rowing until sunrise." Jet said shortly to the demands of rest, having to clench his teeth together as pain shot up and down his arms. Ignoring the indignant replies and the wails of not living that long Jet looked up at the mountains, now noticeably closer, and saw that the storm had stopped. Jet allowed a toothy grin to spread across his face even thought his eye lids were heavy, his backside and his muscles ached and his arms felt like they were being wrenched out of their sockets.
It seemed like fate was on his side after all.
Katara:
After what seemed like years, Katara felt the bottom of the canoe grad against the river bed.
"Wake up," She heard Jet say harshly as he shook her shoulder. Opening her eyes, Katara avoided Jet's piercing gaze and struggled to her feet.
"Whoa!" She shouted as her unsteady legs buckled and she almost fell out of the rocking boat.
Grabbing her bruised shoulder to keep her from falling Jet picked her up, with her hands and feet still tied, and slung her over his shoulder like a rag doll.
Katara glared at the sandy ground as she held herself stiffly while Jet walked up the bank. The soldiers were grumbling and slowly canoes were drug up the bank and hidden in bushes, tents set up in the shallow cave near the river, and breakfast was started.
Walking up the bank Jet roughly dropped her on her backside beside a log.
Without a word he immediately grabbed on of the tent bags and started setting it up a short distance away from her. Smarting from the stabbing pain shooting up and down her spine, Katara glanced around as the men set up their tents without a word. It was eerie; the sun still hadn't risen and the distant horizon was a pale, purplish pink color.
The only sounds were tent tarps flapping as they were tied together, the crunch of sticks underfoot, the rushing river, and the crackling of the small fire over which a scanty breakfast was being prepared by two sullen soldiers.
Katara felt very uncomfortable as the soldiers walking by her gave her nasty looks, sometimes mixed with a wicked gleam in their eyes that made Katara's skin crawl.
As sick and wrong as it sounded, at that moment as the Fire Nation men gathered around the fire, of which she was a short distance from, she wished Jet was standing by her with his usual hawk-like watchfulness.
Katara swallowed hard and avoided the looks she was receiving as no one said anything. The tension in the camp was unbearable. Katara almost screamed when Jet suddenly stepped over the log and walked by her, heading towards the fire.
Immediately the men turned around and small talk was exchanged between a couple individuals as the men waited for their food to finish cooking, rolling their shoulders in an attempt to relieve the pain.
The horizon had turned hot pink by the time plates were passed around and Katara hungrily eyed the steaming mash of onions and potatoes. She watched the men quickly eat as they wound down a little and grew concerned that they wouldn't feed her anything.
Katara had resigned herself to hunger by the time Jet walked away from the quickly dwindling group by the fire and set a tin plate with a medium sized portion on it beside her.
She glanced up in surprise at Jet but his face kept the same blank expression as he kneeled beside her and quickly cut her wrists. Katara gave him a wary look as she slowly rotated her wrist to get feeling back in her numb fingers.
"Why did you do that?" She asked suspiciously. There had to be a catch to this.
"How else are you going to eat your food unless your hands are untied?" Jet said disdainfully.
"Oh." Katara said lamely, unable to think of anything else to say as she quickly picked up the plate and a short stick. Jet stood by her with his arms crossed, his foot impatiently tapping the ground rapidly as she ate her meal.
Katara took her own sweet time in eating and the wheels in her brain were turning furiously. She couldn't count on Aang and Sokka rescuing her before she reached where ever Jet was taking her so she would have to escape herself.
I'm not letting Jet use me as bait, Katara thought darkly as she finished her last bite of hash.
"Finally," Katara heard Jet mumble under his breath as she set her plate to the side by the log. Jet squatted to tie her hands again but Katara stopped him before he even picked up the rope.
"I have to pee."
"What?" Jet asked, a startled look flashing across his face.
"You heard me," Katara hissed, her eyes darting around to make sure no one else had heard them. Muttering under his breath Jet untied her feet and Katara stood up, hobbling painfully away from the camp sight and towards a thick cluster of green trees that stood out in a place like the badlands.
She had made it past the small cluster of tents when she realized Jet was following her.
"You're coming with me?" Katara asked, startled. She hadn't exactly planned on that…..
"Duh," Jet said scornfully as he walked up beside her. Once she was out of sight from the other soldiers, Katara crossed her arms and turned to Jet.
"Turn around." She said firmly.
"Fine, but I better hear the right noises." Jet snarled, turning on his heel and crossing his arms.
Darn it! Katara thought as she turned her back and untied her sash. So much for that escape plan!
"I'm ready." Katara said curtly a few minutes later, striding past Jet.
The sun was a small fiery red gold ball in the sky when Katara and Jet reached the tents. Katara hesitated, unsure of which one she was supposed to enter.
"Follow me," Jet said as he walked towards a tent, rolling his eyes as her steps slowed. As Katara stared at Jet's back in deep thought, she decided that she would have to wait in the middle of the afternoon when Jet and the others were still dead asleep to make her escape.
Jet pulled the tent flap open and stepped inside, Katara following him. She immediately started to drag one sleeping bag farther away from the other and then sat down on it.
Jet reached into a bag lying by the door and pulled out a chain with a thin band of iron at each end. Katara's eyes widened.
"What are you doing?" She asked nervously as he glanced up at her, the edges of his mouth twitching. So fast that it startled her Jet grabbed her ankle and snapped the chain on. He then immediately put it on his own ankle and three feet of chain shifted on the ground between them.
Katara stared at her ankle in shock for a couple moments before giving Jet her most hateful glare. Without waiting for a response Katara crawled in the sleeping bag and turned her back to the rebel, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she tried to keep her tears of frustration and fear from flowing down her cheeks.
It's like he's always two steps ahead of me! Katara thought bitterly as she waited for sleep to calm her troubled mind.
Her last conscious thought was of her brother and Aang, hoping desperately that they were alive and uninjured.
Aang and Sokka:
The late afternoon sun shone on Aang's bald head as he frowned, looking at the ring of stones and ashes in front of him. A short distance away Sokka was peering at the remains of what appeared to be a rabbit, and the deep stake holes punctured in the soft earth.
"Do you think this was his camp?" Aang said, looking down and watching Momo as he curiously sniffed the ashes in the ring of stones.
"Yeah, I think it is." Sokka muttered, walking towards the river. They had come cross the camp after searching the woods for Jet's trail for two hours before they finally found this. This camp was a long distance from their old one, but it was still too close and fresh for it to be mere coincidence.
"Hey, look at this!" Sokka called over his shoulder. Aang ran up beside him and stared at the numerous deep groves that were cut into the river bank.
"What are they?" Aang asked, unsure of what the straight gouges meant.
"Those are the marks canoes made when they were shoved off of the bank."
Sokka said thoughtfully. "They look exactly like the marks my canoe made in the snow."
In unison he and Aang looked down the river as Appa shuffled up behind them after checking out the debris. Momo made a concerned rumbling noise as he hopped onto Aang's shoulder and followed the two boy's gaze.
"He's traveling by the river." Sokka felt that he had to state the obvious.
"But is he going downstream or upstream?" Aang asked, his eyebrows drawing together slightly. "You can't tell the difference." After contemplating for a few moments, Sokka pointed downriver, away from the Ice Mountains.
"My vote is that he went downstream. Why would he want to backtrack upriver?"
Aang shrugged. "I don't know. But what if we're wrong?"
Sokka frowned in thought.
"I know!" He exclaimed so suddenly that Momo gave a surprised squeak and leapt onto the ground. "We'll travel downriver for a couple days and if we can't find any sign of a camp, we'll turn around."
Aang subconsciously rubbed the back of his head with his good arm.
If they were wrong, they would lose a lot of valuable time. But he couldn't think of any reason to oppose Sokka's reasoning so he said, "Okay. Let's get going."
Eager to begin the hunt Sokka immediately scrambled up on Appa and then offered Aang a hand up, careful to avoid the sling his hurt arm was in. Aang gave a small smile and shook his head before air bending himself into the saddle.
Aang settled back against the side of Appa's saddle while Sokka picked up the reins. (Aang's arm was in a homemade splint so he couldn't control the reins with only one hand)
"Appa, yip yip!" Sokka commanded, flapping the reins.
Momo immediately scrambled up with a handful of red berries before the bison left the ground with a low grunt.
Jet:
Jet's eyes opened with a snap when he heard someone say his name. Automatically grabbing his swords Jet sat up and looked at the tent door. The flap was open and afternoon sunlight poured in around Makoto's head, his light brown eyes hard and the expression on his face was grim as it always was.
"Jet, I need to talk to you." He said firmly, jerking his head over his shoulder making his top knot bounce.
Jet set down his swords, leaned over his ankle and then took am iron key out of seemingly nowhere and opened the chain with a snap. Jet stood up, his ankle free of Katara. Jet sheathed his swords as Makoto's head disappeared from the doorway; and before exiting he glared suspiciously at the girl, but she was fast asleep as far as he could tell. Jet walked through and closed the tent door and stood in front of it so that Katara wouldn't try to escape.
"What is it?" He asked impatiently, miffed that his sleep was interrupted.
"The mountain guide has disappeared." Jet swore under his breath.
"Is that it?" He asked as Makoto paused, narrowing his eyes.
"No. How are you going to lure the Avatar after us without him catching up before we reach the fortress?" He demanded.
"Simple." Jet said calmly. He had given a thought of lot to this the first time they had crossed over the Ice Mountains. "We haven't seen any sign of him. The Avatar's arm is burned and probably broken, and the Water Tribe brat he was traveling with is probably nothing more then a burned corpse. In short he's tracking us slowly. All we have to do is make it obvious we camped here," Jet waved an arm in general to the campsite, "And he'll follow our trail. To seal the matter we'll send a flare off at the top of the mountain."
The whole time Jet had described his plan Makoto had listened with a scowl on his face and finally put in his two cents.
"A flare? Are you (beeping) mad? We'll be traveling on foot and he'll be in the air!"
"Yes, but if we see him coming we just hide in one of the caves until he leaves. Once we reach the other side of the mountains and all we have to do is leave a trail and then arrive at the fortress."
Makoto rolled his eyes. "That's a stupid plan."
Jet glared at him and bit the stalk of grass in his mouth forcefully. "Do you have a better plan?" He replied angrily. "The Avatar couldn't possibly track us over the mountains and then he would lose our trail."
Makoto's sullen silence was all the answer he needed.
"I'm going back to bed. We leave at dusk." Jet said over his shoulder as he disappeared into the tent. As he came in the tent he met Katara's angry ocean blue eyes. She must have overheard him and Makoto. Jet smirked at her as he snapped the chain back in place.
"I suggest you get your sleep," He said sweetly. "You'll need it."
Aang and Sokka:
Aang bit his lip as he peered over Appa's saddle.
"Sokka, I think we went the wrong way." Aang said panic laced throughout his voice. They had been traveling for a day and a half and hadn't seen a sign of any human activity.
"Then they must be heading upriver." Sokka said grimly and turned Appa around with a quick jerk of the reins. Aang fought the sick feeling in his stomach and shifted his body so that his bandaged arm was in a more comfortable position. Aang glanced at Sokka.
The older boy's face was calm and his eyes were serene as he urged Appa to fly as fast as he could. Aang looked closer and saw that Sokka was gripping the reins so tight that his knuckles were white and that his face was pale under his tanned skin.
Appa flew a little higher so that he was almost level with the tree tops of the forest. Neither boy spoke as the river flashed underneath them.
As he stared ahead Aang struggled to hold onto his hope. They had lost even more time and now Katara could be hundreds of miles away. But they would find her. They couldn't give up.
As if he was reading Aang's thoughts Sokka muttered:
"Don't worry Aang. I won't leave my sister in the hands of that monster."
Katara:
Katara shivered and wished she had her warm furs with her instead of the over sized winter jacket Jet had given to her.
The freezing cold wind blew into their faces and whipped the powdery snow up in the air so that it was becoming difficult to see.
The Ice Mountains had large deep snow banks left over from the last storm and soon Katara walked behind half of the fire benders because they would melt the snow.
As the water rushed down the slope Katara parted it so that it wouldn't drench her already numb-with-cold feet.
Jet was marching up at the front, hollering for them to speed it up.
Katara scowled and jogged to keep up with the fire benders. After leaving the camp a day and a half ago they had reached the Ice Mountains and, leaving the canoes at the bottom of the mountain, already made it half way up one side of the steep slope.
It was in the middle of the afternoon but Katara felt like she had been up for days and days…she was tempted to just sit down and rest for a while and let the troop go without her. But she wasn't that stupid.
Katara's legs screamed at her in pain and her cheeks stung every time the wind blew in her face which was constant. Katara took deep breaths as she pushed herself up the mountain, relieved that Jet had left her hands unbound.
Gradually, the peak of the mountain came into view after a couple more hours' labor, after which Katara felt like she was going to die.
I thought I was in better shape then this, Katara thought in dismay as she shoved a persistent strand of dark brown hair out of her face. Katara had made her way up to the front of the line where Jet was. The teen was scowling and whipping his head in every direction, determined to find the right way across.
"Do you know where you're going?" Katara demanded as she glanced at the sun.
"Yeah, do you?" Another soldier echoed, giving Jet a distrustful look.
Jet spun on his heel and leaned in towards Katara, invading her personal space and making her swallow hard when she saw his angry eyes.
"I know where I'm going," Jet snapped. As he straightened Katara scuttled back a few feet. Jerk! Pervert! Maniac! Katara yelled in her mind, wishing she had the energy to stomp her feet.
"We'll make a camp in that shallow cave up there," Jet called, pointing ahead to a barely visible cave.
The Next Morning:
Katara rolled her shoulder muscles under the weight of the bag she was carrying. What did Jet put in this? Rocks?
Katara glance up at the early morning sun and for the briefest of moments admired how blue the sky was…at least the weather had improved.
You'd think nice weather would make a person happy but Jet's eyes looked like storm clouds as he shouted for them to get their sorry butts in gear and hurry it up. Katara bent her head and looked at the snow covered ground, willing her tired body to take another step.
She was so tired….you didn't get much sleep when you shared a tent with a possibly insane teenage boy…..
"We're almost at the top," Katara heard someone mutter in relief. Katara glanced up and saw the crest of the mountain nearby. Just over that hill…..why did it have to be so steep?
Katara stood up straighter as she remembered that Raidon's cabin was located on the level pass between the mountains they were heading for. Katara gave a gusty sigh though when she glanced at the Fire Nation soldiers surrounding her.
Raidon couldn't help her at all.
Katara began breathing harder as her pack pulled down on her shoulders as the company neared the crest. Her back was killing her and Katara felt ready to scream her head off for a break by the time she finally reached the top.
The soldiers milled around and looked out over the badlands, taking a short rest as Jet and some fire bender with light brown eyes were busy having a whispered argument judging by their furious expressions.
Katara slid the pack off of her shoulders and sat down heavily, oblivious to the wet snow under her. With a soft sigh Katara looked out over the badlands.
Still no sign of Aang and Sokka—what was that?
Katara breathed in sharply and leaned forward, straining her eyes.
Was that Appa in the far distance? Oh please let it be them, not some cloud….
Katara scrambled to her feet when Jet walked towards her, a triumphant smirk on his face. Ignoring Katara He grabbed her pack and then turned to the group of fire benders.
"Go over by that cabin and stand by it!" He barked, untying the ends of the pack.
Katara glanced over her shoulder and saw Raidon's cabin a short distance away.
Slow, thick grey smoke came out of the chimney and for a moment Katara thought about how home-like the sight was before Jet snarled at her to get moving. Glaring at Jet, who was placing a series of sticks into the snow, Katara took her own sweet time in walking to the cabin.
As she came closer to the cabin Katara looked back to see what Jet was doing.
He had stopped putting sticks in the ground and grabbed the pack, and then ran back a ways before nodding to the stern faced fire bender he had been arguing with earlier.
Curious, Katara stopped walking and watched as the fire bender shot a plume of flame towards the sticks and then ran back a distance.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Katara watched in startled surprise as six fire rockets flew high into the high until they looked like dots. For a millisecond Katara thought they had disappeared when they erupted in showers of red with a high pitched rumble that echoed off of the mountain side and throughout the entire valley below them, creating a very loud exploding noise.
The ruckus continued for another minute before it ended abruptly.
Katara stared at Jet, her ears still ringing from the flares.
Of course she should have recognized he was setting up flares, she had heard him planning it last night for cryin' out loud!
The cold must be affecting her brain.
The sudden stunned quiet after the fireworks was shattered by the cabin door flying open so hard that it slammed onto the side of the house.
"What the—?" A gray haired, blue eyed man roared, his face showing how irate he was. He froze and his jaw dropped when he saw the fire benders a stone's throw from his house. His eyes turned from the soldiers to Jet and Katara and his blue eyes widened even more.
Jet had turned around when he heard the man slam the door open and glared at Raidon with all the love a predator would have for its prey.
Acting quickly Jet took a step forward and Raidon slammed the door shut so hard that a chunk of snow fell off its roof. A discernable thunk signaled that Raidon had blocked his door. Katara looked at the single window where she saw the old mans frightened and angry face before Jet shoved her forward, causing her to stumble and almost fall face first into the snow.
"LET'S MOVE!" Jet barked.
He walked right behind Katara so that she was forced to keep up with the group as they hurried towards a rift in the mountain wall.
Amidst the scurrying and vulgar talk of the tired soldiers, Katara glanced over her shoulder in time to catch a glimpse of the badlands and the forest before disappearing around the corner.
Would Sokka and Aang take the bait and follow her?
Katara bit her lip.
She suddenly hoped they didn't because if they did, they'd be playing right into Jet's hands and get captured just like her. Even if it meant torture at Jet's hands, Katara still hoped they wouldn't follow her. She couldn't stand losing them; if they tried to rescue her and failed, she and Sokka could be separated and sold as slaves while Aang was sent to the Fire Lord. If the world was to survive Aang couldn't be captured on her account.
Katara blinked hard as a single tear escaped down her cheek.
Aang and Sokka:
"It's so obvious he wants us to follow him." Aang muttered as he and Sokka stood by the camp debris by the river. Sokka gave a frustrated sigh.
"He's got a big head start." Sokka said bitterly. "We shouldn't have gone downstream."
"It can't be helped now." Aang said shortly, clenching his teeth together as his arm throbbed. Ouch that hurts….Sokka glanced at Aang's pale face as he kicked aside a stone.
"Is your arm hurting?" He asked, looking up at the Ice Mountains.
"Yes."
At the catch in Aang's voice Sokka glanced over his shoulder again and got the Avatar's frustrated and pain filled expression as he winced and looked at the ashes in the dusty ring of stones.
Suddenly the morning air was split by a loud BOOOOM!
It was followed with a series of small explosions. Startled Sokka and Aang jumped and saw the exploding lights at the crest of the Ice Mountains. After the fire works finally died down and the ringing left their ears, Sokka and Aang exchanged glances.
"That was the signal Jet talked about…" Aang said quietly, letting his voice trail off.
"If he wants us to follow him," Sokka said resolutely as he walked towards Appa, "Then we will. Aang, we'll be walking into a trap, so be ready." Aang nodded even though Sokka's back was towards him.
As he scrambled aboard Appa and the bison took off, Aang closed his eyes and tried to calm his frantic heart beat.
We'll find her. We'll save her.
I won't let him hurt her.
But what if he already has?
What if I can't fight with my arm and then I fail everyone again?
What if I fail and Katara and Sokka get hurt—?
The thoughts swarmed through Aang's head as the wind howled by his ears.
Aang took another deep breath and focused his attention away from the pain, blocking out all his negative thoughts. He could worry about those things later.
Now, he had to worry about being ready to rescue her.
We'll find her. We'll save her.
Aang repeated to himself as they flew through the sky, over the lands they had already traveled and towards a mountain range they knew all too well.
We'll find her. We'll save her.
Author Notes:
Not much of a cliff hanger but oh well…..
So, how was this people? MUST HAVE FEEDBACK! It's the ONLY thing that keeps me writing every day! PuhLEEZE review!
In other words, if I stay up until 12 am for two nights in a row working on this YOU HAD BETTER REVIEW THIS CHAPTER!
I have a couple remarks I'd like to make again…1) The stories about people here being hurtled into "Avatar land" are getting old—except for "Everyone Else Is Doing It" By Lin13. (Smile) seriously, I bet I'd know the entire plot after reading the first chapter. 2) Do you realize that more then half of the Zutara fics have Katara getting kidnapped? Gaugh, play a new tune already! At least Kataang isn't like that. It differs from author to author. 3) Another remark about Zutara…have you noticed the ones with Z & K getting hit by Cupid? Do you realize that the author probably couldn't come up with a reason for them to love each other without making it OOC so he/she decides to have an "outside" force interfere? The one by Khazia is funny but the others are, like…not.
One other thing I noticed…in the opening sequence for Avatar ("Water" "Earth" "Fire" "Air" Long ago…) For a split second on "Fire" you see the person's hair style.
Is it just me, or did it look exactly like the hair style Zula wore in The Storm? Remember, watch my profile for tabs on the upcoming chapter, of which I hope to have out no later then one week.
NEXT ISSUE:
Chapter Seven:
Rescue