Disclaimer: (insert witty joke playing around the fact that I don't own avatar here)

Wow. I got so many reviews for my last chapter in just one day! That was awesome! Thanks everyone! I also have had 1150 people read my story…35 reviews. But all is well.

So, it was my first week of school as a senior. (And as a reddish-brunette head, but shoosh.) I also have AP biology…and other wicked classes that will keep me busy, but I promise I will update as quickly as possible.

And…enough garbling from me.

Ps. If the "black-sent" part offends anyone, I'm sorry. My friend Ria says it all the time, and she was born in Africa, so I assumed it was ok. Just so you know, I am not racist what-so-ever.

9

"Touchdown!" called an excited Aang as he landed Appa on the floor of the new sanctuary. Kila looked around, gazing at the land that she had been off for more than a month. They were standing in a small clearing, small enough to not be seen, but large enough so they would have enough comfortable room to move around. There was a good-sized river flowing beside them, and it looked quite clean and fresh. Kila hoped that there were fish in the river, yet she didn't exactly want to catch it herself.

With a great sigh of relief, Kila smiled and stared at the ground happily.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked Kila, walking over beside her.

"It's so nice to be standing on something that isn't swaying back and forth constantly." Kila replied, giggling to herself.

After a few more seconds of Kila basking in the happiness of dry land, she turned to Aang. "Alrighty, so you ready?"

"More than ever!" Aang replied, jumping over to Kila.

"I'm sorry if I'm not a very good teacher. I'm basically just going to repeat everything I was taught, ok?" Kila explained, a tad uneasy.

"Who taught you?" Aang asked.

"General Iroh. He was a good teacher." Kila said, remembering to use the correct honorifics. "Anyway…let's try just a little flame." Kila turned towards Aang and held out her palm. Aang mimicked her like a mirror. "Just think of a rush of heat flowing through your veins towards your hand."

Aang concentrated, but no flame appeared. "Try taking a deep breath as you imagine it." Kila said. "Breathing usually helps."

Aang took a breath, yet nothing happened. Of course, that didn't stop him, and after a few more inhales, he produced a small flame to appear in his palm.

"That's great!" Kila exclaimed.

"Great job Aang!" Katara and Sokka congratulated.

Kila smiled. "Ok, moving on. Try to push the fire out of your hand. First, make a fist." Aang obeyed. "Then, remember the same feeling of heat through your veins, and punch out your hand…wait a second before you try it." Kila pranced over to behind Aang and turned him away from his original position of facing her, and towards the river. "Ok. NOW go."

About two and a half hours passed, and Aang had successfully set two trees on fire, five bushes, and sizzled Momo's fur. Yet he had gotten the basic idea of firebending, and was able to push fire out of not only his fists, but his feet as well.

"You're a really fast learner" Kila complemented, sitting down after their training session. She was actually quite exhausted, both mentally and physically. It was difficult to try and describe what you were supposed to feel.

"Thanks" Aang gasped, flopping down beside Kila with a large grin on his face. Katara rolled her eyes.

"I have one request" Kila said, looking towards the group, now quite serious. "If anyone asks you where you learned to firebend, say it was a rouge firebending rebel. Don't tell them it was me. Promise?"

The three friends nodded in agreement, and Kila smiled once more. "Ok. Aang, remember you promised to show me how you airbend?"

Aang looked at her with an eyebrow raised, and Sokka squinted his eyes, like he was trying to read small print. "I still don't get why you want me to show you…but ok." Aang said slowly, and stood up. Kila giggled and stood up herself.

"Just pretend like you're teaching me." Kila said, careful to hide her identity.

After another hour of Aang showing her his moves, and Kila mimicking them in a way that made everyone laugh, they all sat down again.

Suddenly, a large roar broke their laughter, and Momo ran under Aang's shirt and began to shake from fear. Kila looked around, alert. "What was that?" she whispered.

Sokkas face turned beet red, and he answered "My stomach."

Katara laughed, and smacked him across the top of his head.

Kila raised her eyebrows, and stood up, dusting the dirt off her outfit. "Well then," she began. "I'll go find something for us to eat."

"That's Sokka's job!" Katara said, pointing to Sokka. "It's so we can have a break from his constant annoyance."

"I resent that!" Sokka said, crossing his arms and giving the evil eye to his sister.

"Well, I'm pretty good at cooking, so I'll take over this time." Kila said shrugging.

"Yea, go. I'm tired of trying to find nuts and berries all by myself." Sokka said, rubbing his head where his sibling had smacked him. Kila raised an eyebrow, smiled and walked off.

After Kila had gotten a far enough distance from the group, she decided to practice the moves that Aang had showed her. They seemed simple enough, and mimicking him made them easier to remember.

The sad part was, while Kila was trying to go through the motions, the air currents weren't bending. At all. She kept trying and trying, but nothing happened.

"Why was Aang so quick to pick up firebending, and I can't get a single air move?" Kila growled, getting more and more frustrated as she continued to practice. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she tried to push the air in one big swoop, like that time she hit Zuko. When she successfully knocked over a sapling, Kila felt a tad more relieved, and continued to try.

After a half an hour, she had finally gotten down some of the tricks, and decided to actually start looking for some food.

Another half an hour passed, and Kila began to trek back to their campsite with about four apples (she herself was allergic to them, but knew they were good for you), a bunch of berries that she had never seen before, nor recognized, and a few acorns that she could boil and turn into a tasty mush. And then she saw it: one of the biggest watermelons she had ever seen. Walking over to it, she looked it over and realized that it was quite ripe, and ready to eat. Making a mental note to come back to get it with either Aang or Sokka, she continued walking over to the campsite.

When she saw the large hairy body of Appa, Kila heaved a sigh of relief, because she was beginning to think she was lost. Just as she was about to call out to them, she heard them talking in hushed whispers.

"Sokka, don't tell me you still don't fully trust Kila." Katara said in a soothing tone.

"She's fire nation. What if she just went off to tell some fire nation soldiers where we are right now?" Sokka's ignorant voice responded back.

"Why would she teach Aang firebending if she was just going to turn around and have him arrested?" Katara said, trying to reason with him.

"Katara is right Sokka." Aang said calmly.

"I can't believe you guys! After everything that we know about the fire nation, you just go and trust one? Just because she taught you bending?"

"Well…yea."

"I can't believe this! Am I the only one with instincts here?"

"Sorry it took so long!" Kila said, walking though the bushes and into the campsite smiling. "I hope these are ok. I have never seen this kind of berry before, but it was red, so I grabbed it. And here are some apples and some acorns. I can cook the acorns, because they're poisonous uncooked. And I saw a watermelon when I was walking back over here!"

"Wow…apples!" Aang said grabbing the nearest one and biting into it.

"I think these berries are poisonous also…" Katara said as she picked one up and held it close to her eye, examining it.

"…oops. Well, there's the watermelon also. Sokka, can you come help me get it? It was pretty big, and I don't think I can carry it by myself."

"Oh don't say that, his head will just get bigger because now he thinks he's strong." Katara said whining.

"Oh, whatever. Come on Sokka." Kila said and walked back into the woods, hoping that he would follow. Luckily, she heard tramping behind her, and knew that he had. Smiling to herself, she turned around and asked him "Sokka, why don't you like me?"

"Because you're from the fire nation." Sokka said, looking forward and walking quickly. "What is this watermelon thing anyway? I know what a melon is, but I've never heard of watermelons."

"Oh…they're a new kind of melon." Kila said, guessing. "Ok, Sokka, what would you do if I said I wasn't from the firenation?"

"I wouldn't believe you." He said.

"Why?"

"…because you can fire bend. I'm not an idiot."

"I'm not saying you are. I was just wondering."

"Well, it would make no sense if you could firebend and weren't from the fire nation."

"What if I told you I was raised in an earth kingdom village?" Kila said, still looking at Sokka for an expression change. She was lying through her teeth, but it matched up with her story of Zuko finding her in the earth kingdom town anyway, so it worked.

"I still wouldn't believe you."

"Well, I told you that Zuko found me in an earth kingdom village…"

"This changes nothing."

Kila sighed, quite annoyed now. "You sound just like Zuko."

Sokka stopped dead in his tracks. "WHAT?" he blurted.

"You sound like Zuko. Not believing anything, always being so pessimistic. It's actually getting on my nerves." She turned around and glared at him for a second, then continued looking for the watermelon.

"Oh no you didn't." Sokka spit out.

Kila snorted and burst out laughing. "WHAT did you say?"

"Oh no you didn't just say I was like Zuko." Sokka said, repeating himself.

Kila giggled and pointed to Sokka. "YOU HAVE A BLACK-SENT!" she exclaimed giggling, and then with all the tension driven away, started skipping.

Sokka starred at the now skipping form of Kila. What was with this girl? She was so different from every other girl he knew. And living with his sister, he thought he was able to understand women, a trait so coveted by men. Yet, this female just took all of his rules and tossed them out the window.

"Come on slowpoke! I'm hungry!" Kila called over her shoulder, and Sokka began to jog to catch up with her.

"The watermelon should be right over here…" Kila stated, pointing. And then again, Kila heard strange voices, yet one of them sounded quite familiar.

"Shush!" Kila said to Sokka, holding a finger to her lips. He tiptoed over to where she was standing and pushed her down into a crouched position hidden behind a shrub. Then, pushing a few branches out of the way, they could see the creatures that were emitting the voices.

There was Commander Zhao with his men, setting up tents.

"I can't believe you numbskulls got us lost!" he was complaining. "If I didn't need you to run my ship for me, I would kill you all! I already shoved the helmsman off the deck, so do nottake my kindness for granted! One more screw-up and you all are dead meat for the buzzards!"

Kila turned to Sokka and made a motion with her head as if to say "Let's get out of here while we still have our heads." Sokka nodded, and they quietly crawled away.

Once they had gotten a good distance away, they stood up and began to walk extremely fast, careful not to make too much noise from the leaves scattered over the forest floor.

When they reached the campsite, they yelled to Katara and Aang to pack everything up, and quickly! Katara quickly doused the fire and Aang began to roll up the sleeping bags. Tossing the bags onto Appa's back, Sokka climbed up and began tying the bags to the saddle.

Suddenly, Kila felt strong arms grab her and thrust her into the dirt. From the cries she heard from Katara, Sokka and Aang, it seemed like the same thing happened to them as well.

"Well well well," Kila heard from above her. "What do we have here?"

YES CLIFFHANGERS! Oh come on, like none of you didn't see that coming. I so did. Well, ok of coarse I did…I wrote it. But….ok never mind, I'm not making sense anymore.

Love to all, your lord and master,

SeethingxShadows