Chapter 2: The Child of Earth
Tye had finally made it to the bottom of the mountain. It had taken him a few days, and he had not stopped, except for a little sleep and for a sip of water and nibble of whatever food he could find. He was exhausted. But he had made it. His eyelids were heavy, threatening to close on his jade green eyes at any moment. Yutan was fast asleep in his backpack which he had managed to find on his way down the mountain.
Tye knew he would not be able to make it very far if he did not get some sleep soon. He found a small clearing in the nearby forest and settled down under the shade of one of the trees, letting sleep take him in her sweet embrace, taking all the weariness out of his aching bones. He was so tired he did not notice an Earth Kingdom man watching him from the trees. Nor did he notice the large net cast over him. "This one will fetch a good price at the slave market," the man said, a cruel smile crossing his face.
Tye woke up in a large bed. The sheets had been pulled right up to his neck. He looked around him worriedly. "Don't be afraid," said a voice behind him. Tye whipped round to see an Earth-Kingdom girl of around 12 years old. She looked at Tye's clothes curiously. "So the rumours were true," she said. "The air-monks did get attacked. I guess you were one of the lucky ones, huh?" Tye gave her a puzzled look. "What's the matter, lemur got your tongue?" she asked. Tye scowled at her. The girl glared back. "I'm Tu-lan," said the girl. "What's yours?"
"Tye," replied Tye in a hoarse voice. "How did I end up here?"
"Long story," said Tu-lan. "I will tell you later."
"But I want to know now," said Tye.
"Fine then," said Tu-lan. "You, see, you were found by a slave dealer. He sold you to us, but we do not believe in slavery, so we are letting you go free. You can stay here for as long as you need."
"Thank you for your kindness." said Tye.
"No problem, really," said Tu-lan. "Just one condition though."
"What?"
"Take your lemur with you when you go. She's a real pest!"
GASP A disclaimer!
I don't own Avatar, but I do own Tu-lan, Yutan and Tye, as they are completely my own. Or are they? Shifty eyes