CH7- Part I

The next morning she woke up in a wonderful mood. She always woke up before sunrise to not only finish most of her work, but to have time left to watch the sunrise. She had many things to do, so she immediately got started. After washing her face in the river, she cleaned up the site and her tent. She began cutting some fruit into small pieces and placed them on a small dish. She took it with her to the riverside and sat on a tree stump to watch the sun rise. After waiting for a while she began eating the fruit. She began to wonder about the letter. Who could be the one who sent the letter? She thought back to when she was preparing to leave.

Flashback 1 - Yroki's POV

As I packed my bag, I looked around the room I was in. It was so hard to believe that I'd never see it again. After my bag was full of clothes, tools, and other miscellaneous items I wondered what else I could possibly be missing. If I forgot even one thing, I wouldn't make it past the first mile. I looked around to find a sheet of paper on my bed. It was not there. The blankets and sheets had been straightened and pulled up to the pillows with satin shams. The floor had just been cleaned and everything was neatly placed in it's place. The ceiling fan was slowly rotating over my head as I switched it off along with the lights. I slung the blue silk bag over my shoulder as I shut the door and slowly walked down the hall. As I approached the door, I began having second thoughts about leaving. I wondered if I was really doing the right thing. Walking away from my future. But then again, my family won't let me have my own future! I can't make any decisions on my own. I can't live where I want to. I can't eat what I want to and I can't love who I want to! I told my godfather how I felt, and he said to me," What is right is not always right because you want it to be. But that doesn't mean that whenever something is right that it cannot be right because you want it to be." I never understood him. I just can't believe that they already planned my marriage! I'm only 15! How could my parents- my own parents- do this to me? They said that they didn't want to. Sure. They just didn't want me to be mad at them, but it didn't work. When I met what's-his-face, and he claimed that he loved me, I just couldn't take it anymore. Whether they like it or not I'm leaving and there's nothing they can do about it! I slammed the front door and began running as fast as I could. It was almost sunrise and I knew that I must move quickly because many wake up at sunrise to begin the day's work. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, even though they were sore all over, because I wanted to leave this terrible place as soon as I could. And now I could. The village became smaller and smaller as I ran faster and faster.

End of Flashback 1

Yroki looked out at the horizon as it became brighter with pinks, reds, and oranges. She was hypnotized by the mix of colors as they painted the sky, replacing the darkness with light, and the monochrome of the sky with flowing color. She began eating the fruit piece by piece, and as she did, a picture began enveloping in her mind. After finishing the fruit, the sun had begun to rise, and Yroki ran back to her tent to grab her sketchbook. As she did, a hand grabbed her shoulder forcefully. Fear crept up her spine as she shut her eyes. She did not want to know who was standing behind her. Whoever it was didn't do anything at all. Yroki turned around to see a cloaked figure behind her. The figure's cold voice whispered into her ear,"It is best that you leave. They are coming for the pendant and will destroy anyone in their way. You will not survive."

"Who are you?" she asked cautiously.

The figure remained silent.

"Who are you?" she asked again.

"I have many names addressed by many individuals. Air's Path, Fire's Control, Earth's Sustainment. I am here to try and help you. And your friends. You must leave if you want to live."

"W-when?" she asked. She was frightened like anyone would be.

"The sooner the better, but you must leave by the end of summer."

"Why?"

"By then, the avatar will have all four elements mastered. You mustn't be caught here by anyone, friend or foe."

"What about-"

"Your friends? Take them with you and don't leave them no matter what you do."

"Who are you and why are you telling my this?"

"You are putting your life at risk here! If you really care about your friends, you will do what is right. And what is right is not always right because you want it to be. But that doesn't mean that whenever something is right that it cannot be right because you want it to be."

As these words encircle Yroki's mind, along with a HUGE Deja Vu feeling, the mysterious figure vanished. Who was Air's Path, Fire's Control, Earth's Sustainment? Where had she heard that statement about what is right and what you want to be right? It was all too confusing. This figure seemed wise, so decided that she would leave tomorrow.

She returned to watch the sunrise at the riverbank, but the sun was fully risen, and the last essences of the night had vanished. The sky was mostly a pale blue that had driven out the reds, oranges, and pinks of the sunrise. Yroki placed a blanket on the ground. She put her hands behind her head as she gazed at the morning sky.

"Yroki?" a voice called out. "Is that you?"

It was Katara. She walked over to Yroki to lay down beside her.

"Don't you just love sunrise?" Yroki asked her.

"Yeah," Katara replied. "It's my favorite time of day."

"I just can't believe my luck that you guys came here. You actually care about me. Normally whenever someone comes here, they stay for a day or so and leave in the morning."

"Yroki," Katara started. "How did you come here?"

"I ran away from home. My parents planned an arranged marriage for me, and I decided that I didn't have to. It wasn't right. I decided that I should be able to live where I want to, eat what I want to and love who I want to. My parents just couldn't see that, so I ran away. I had second thoughts about it. I knew I'd never see them again. I always wonder if I did the right thing."

"Wow. I don't think I'd have the courage to do that."

"It's not only courage," Yroki said. "It's also about what's right. And forcing me to marry someone I hardly knew was anything but right."

There was a long silence as they sat on the blanket. The sun rose higher, almost overhead, and Yroki stood up, suddenly remembering what had happened earlier.

"Katara!" she shouted. "We have to leave tomorrow."

"What?"

Aang and Sokka came out of their tents after hearing the girls shout. They were a little startled.

"What's going on?" Aang asked.

"We have to leave tomorrow! At sunrise! They're coming for-"

"Coming for what?"

"This."

Yroki showed them a pendant she was wearing around her neck. It was round and silver. A strange mark was carved onto it and it was strung onto a blue-black ribbon.

"My godfather gave it to me," Yroki said on the verge of tears. "He promised me that as long as I wore the pendant, nothing would ever go wrong, but-" She froze in mid-sentence.

"But what?" Katara asked.

"No." she said, her voice a whisper. "No!" she shouted as she looked into the distance. She began running and the others chased her. Katara grabbed her hand, but she pulled away. Aang tried to stop her with air bending, but she managed to somehow dodge every single blow. But when an arm grabbed her around her waist, she found that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get away. She started crying and wondered, "How will I survive?"

"We have to leave now."

"I thought you said tomorrow morning!" Katara said.

"I know, but they're getting closer! If they come and we're still here then-"

"Then what?" Aang asked.

"We're done for. We'll never survive it. Their force is too strong and way too overwhelming for us to handle."

"But-" Sokka started to protest.

"But what?" She asked softly. "It'll be okay as long as we leave as soon as possible, Sokka. What is right is not always right because you want it to be. But that doesn't mean that whenever something is right that it cannot be right because you want it to be," she said placing her hand on his cheek. "Let's just prepare to leave before anything goes wrong."