Crew attacked
CH 8
The forest seemed restless in the night; the wind blew a chilling breeze as it has been for many weeks. The forest was silent; no sounds could be heard, save one, the bickering of Zuko yelling at his uncle for dragging him to the village. Iroh listened knowing it was useless to speak while Zuko was fuming. "Just tell me why I had to go huh? It was a waste of time; you could have gotten your tea your self!" Zuko questioned his uncle, "Because you needed to get out and off that boat. You needed some social interaction, no since in cutting your self off from the rest of the world." Iroh answered, "Interact with a bunch of crazy people who believe demons are here killing and the dead are walking around so they lock them selves up. "Ya, that's just the kind of people I want to interact with!" Zuko continued to yell, "Well now that you have, at least you've now talked to some one new. That Cho was some what attractive, you can't tell me you didn't notice?" Iroh teased, Zuko was now silent, he knew where this was going and didn't want to go there. (God, will he just stop! Why would I want a crazy peasant girl who thinks there are demons around here? I admit she was good looking but that's all, I'm not into crazy people.) Zuko thought,
After that final statement they walk in silence. Iroh tried to talk about Cho and the village but Zuko said nothing, after a time Iroh gave up and decided it better silence then Zuko yelling. 10 minutes later they reached the ship, as they walked to the ships dock, both Zuko and Iroh notice there was burned marks on the ground as if the other fire benders on the ship had been shooting at something. Zuko paid no mind to the marks and kept walking. But Iroh noticed a red trail lead from where the burnt marks were and the trail lead up on to the ship. This seriously worried the retired general and couldn't help but wonder what happened. "Zuko look at this trail, I think its blood." Iroh said nervously, "But what happened then where is the crew?" Zuko asked out loud, they both walked up the plank and on to the deck. The trail lead below deck to the crew's quarters, as they followed the trail none of the crew could be found, the ship seemed empty. The trail lead to the mess hall, Zuko tried to open the door but it seemed to be barricaded from the inside.
With a great shove both Zuko and Iroh pushed against the door and charged in. Just as they charged in the room several fire balls were fired at them. Zuko did a cart wheel to the right dodging two fire balls, then a flip forward dodging two more. Iroh jumped side ways dogging two then falling and rolling barley dogging the last fire ball. Zuko fired three fire blasts from each hand at their attacks missing them. After Zuko fired Iroh charged and tackled one of them and holding him to get a look at him. Iroh noticed him; it was Taku one of the fire benders on the ship, the entire crew was held up in the mess hall, each sharing a similar look of fear and horror… as if they saw a ghost. "How dare you attack us, you have some sort of dame death wish? If so then I'm will to grant it, who first?" Zuko shouted, his hands now balls of flames waiting for a volunteer. "Wait were sorrow we didn't know it was you we thought you might be that monster!" One of the crew shouted, now Iroh attention was caught, he relished Taku and walked over to his nephew and began to calm him down. "Wait let them explain, I'm sure they have a good reason for this." Iroh explained to Zuko, Zuko let the flames in his hands blow out and crossed his arms waiting for an explanation from the crew.
"Tell us what happened, why is there blood leading in hear and what attacked you?" Iroh asked, the crew stepped aside revealing behind a dead body lying on the floor covered with a blanket. The blanket and the floor were covered in blood. Zuko and Iroh walked over to see who it was. Zuko reached and pulled the blanket off to the face of Ji the helmsmen. His throat was torn open as if by some sort of wild animal. Zuko and Iroh staggered back each shocked. "No one knows what it was just that it wasn't human. We were taking a break waiting for the parts needed to fix the engine so we went a shore. We were messing around noticing nothing, and hearing nothing. But then Ji noticed someone wandered out of the woods. His cloths were torn up and looked like he was covered in blood. He was moaning and walking with a limp so we thought it was someone who injured him self and looking for help. It was dark so we mainly saw a dark figure. We called out to him a couple times and got no answer. He then staggered and fell on to Ji, after that… that thing started tearing in to Ji tearing out his throat, Ji screamed in agony and we came running and pulled the creature off him but it was to late most of his throat gone. The fire benders fired at it but it kept coming, the flames seemed to have no affect. The fire benders then charged and knocked it in the water. After that it disappeared…we then grabbed Ji's body and hid here in the mess hall, I swear it's all true if you only saw It." the captain explained,
Zuko couldn't believe this, his crew was attack by some sort of cannibal? (That impossible. They must be lying, but why make up a story like that after all they could have said? Besides the man would have to be dead if not badly hurt if the other fire benders blasted him.) Zuko thought puzzling, Iroh believed it, (the villagers fear, Cho's story and now this. No way could this be a coincidence, something is going on here I nothing about it is natural.") Iroh thought, "You expect me to believe that?" Zuko asked, the crew said nothing. "Where are the three people we sent for parts to fix the engine?" Iroh asked, "They never returned" The captain answered, Iroh turned to his nephew with a subjection of what to do knowing he wouldn't be happy about it. "Zuko I think we need to go to the village again and learn more about this place." Iroh said, "What why?" Zuko asked, "You know why, you can't honestly tell me what that Cho girl said couldn't be true? Think about it Ji's throat in torn open, his attacker was eating him, fire didn't hurt it, and the body wasn't found." Iroh stated, "So maybe it was a cannibal and the water washed him away." Zuko answered, Iroh gave a disapproving look at that idea. Zuko knew that wasn't a possibility but just couldn't believe this one of his crew was dead and something not human killed him. "Fine lets go, everyone else stay here and barricade the door again and open when I tell you to." Zuko ordered, the crew obeyed and barricaded the door when they left. Zuko and Iroh went to ride their rhinos but found them gone, but found some pools of blood on the floor. They then decided to run; neither wanted to take a chance of walking into what the crew fought and thought running would be fastest.