Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender, or any of its characters, except for the kids I made up...

OK, I have a confession to make. I...I...

Skya: Tell them...

Fine! The idea of putting a Shamer in the story was influenced from The Shamer Chronicles, more so, the book "The Shamer's Signet." Yeah. I'm not as creative as you guys thought. /sobs quietly/

Skya: Now tell them about the title deed you said you owned.

Do I have to?

Skya: It's for the best.

Pssh...what do you know? You're just a figment of my imagination. You'll go away soon, and then I won't have to worry about my shrink coming over.

Chapter 15: Firefly Kisses

Before Zuko could say anything else, rocks and stones attacked him from the ground. He jumped backward as long tubes made of dirt pulled his body and his uncle to the sand below. The snakes held their grip firmly as the girl moved closer to Zuko and his uncle again. Both of them closed their eyes and tried to look away.

"Pitiful humans. It's a shame Tenkay came to your world..." She flicked some dust off of her shoulder and looked at Zuko's forehead. "I'll make sure you won't forget your visit to Tenkay, and the pain you've caused us."

His eyes remained closed as the girl bent down infront of the prince and kissed him softly on his forehead. Zuko cringed at her touch and squirmed in the grip of the rocks holding him down.

"You won't be forgetting us soon," the girl said now. The dirt holding the uncle and nephew broke down into pebbles. When they looked up, the girl was gone.

----------xXx----------

"Aang...you're not...no...don't...ugh..." Teaching Aang Water Bending was like teaching Appa to tap dance. He was ignorant, oblivious. His motions were large and clumsy, and he wasn't really focusing on what Katara was trying to teach him at all.

"Hey! I'm trying," Aang siad in defense. "It would be a lot easier if you weren't so serious, Katara. Just relax. Water is supposed to flow, remember?" As if on cue, water from the river moved over the shore and tugged at Katara's feet.

"How am I supposed to relax?" Katara asked angirly, her temper flaring. "You're not serious at all, Aang! You don't care!" She stomped away from Aang and joined her brother and Mika in packing.

"Katara..." Aang slumped his shoulders inward and followed the Water Bender. She was his friend, he couldn't stay mad at her. But he wondered now if this worked the other way around.

"We should be leaving anyway," Sokka said to settle the argument. "Up North, as far away from Tenkay as possible."

Mika nodded in agreement. Suddenly a hot flash of light streamed past Mika's face. When the group turned around, they saw what they had feared from the beginning.

Zhao's Navy ships, all 6 of them.

"We have to get out of here," Sokka said as calm as possible.

"I would advise against that. We have the forest surrounded." Zhao's voice, deep and strained, sounded from behind them. "Hand over the Avatar, and we'll let you go."

The area was silent. Katara touched Aang's shoulder as he moved toward Zhao. But when he faced her, she knew what he was going to do. That sly smile, the look in his eye. There was no way Zhao could get hold of such a firey boy. Forgetting their argument, Katara smiled as small as she thought possible.

"I'll go with you," Aang said, "if you leave my friends alone."

Zhao was looking right through Aang at a girl he had never seen before. Mika's eyes locked on his.

Then she realized that she was not wearing the hat she had worn so often, and that her ears were sticking up like shimmering flags.

Zhao smiled smugly and watched fear occupy Mika's eyes. "So this is what the reports were about?" He pushed Aang aside and bent over just a bit so that Mika could smell his warm breath. "Crazy people with unnatural ears and tails. I should have known better. Just because your kind don't show themselves anymore, doesn't mean that they died off. Does it?"

Mika felt her blood tense. If she told him they had died off and that she was the last one, he'd probably want to kill her off like the others. If she lied and said more existed, it would be bad omen for her friends. Only one chance...

"These ears aren't real," she lied hoarsly. "Just things I found at a shop market, that's all. They won't come off, I used the wrong kind of glue...sorry if you thought I was something else..." She shrugged as casually as possible and leaned on one foot. "You can get some if you like, down in Shan-Yu. Very cheap, good value." Mika made her ears limp and they blew in the light breeze. She couldn't control fake ears. They had no defense against wind.

Zhao passed air through his mouth and stood straight. "I don't have time for your childish games. I came here to capture the Avatar, and that's exactly what I'm going to do." He turned to Aang and smiled.

-------------------------------------------

For those of you wondering, I don't have a shrink. I don't need one, and if you think about it, many of them need help themselves. Just wanted to clear that up.