Chapter 5:

Wolves

Where am I? I looked around again. I was on a bed. My hair had come loose. My jacket and skirt were still in place though. I leaned foward and looked around. I saw Zuko sitting at his meditation corner. Then it hit me. I was in Zuko's room. I tried to quietly get out of bed and stand. Didn't work. I felt my knees buckle and I crumpled. Not a sound escaped me though. Zuko stirred but didn't get up.

I got up and walked closer to him. I saw his eyes closed, breath deep and calm. He was either in a very deep meditation, or asleep. I looked to the door. I supposed I should leave. I walked to the door and opened the door enough to get through. Before I left I looked over at him again. He looked so innocent. I turned and left.

I entered my own room and took off my jacket. I changed into my shorter knee length skirt and went up to the dining hall. Before I left I grabbed my hat and sash.

When I got to the dining hall I saw it was empty. I guess I came up early. I went to the deck.

"Avari, what happened after I left the gathering?" I asked.

"You were riding Ealorr and you fell, I'm not quite sure what happened. But you fell off and Zuko ran to your side and picked you up. Ealorr came over after you fell. I don't know how, but Zuko understood it would be better to ride him then the rhino. He put you up on Ealorr, got up himself and cantered back to the ship. Once we got to the ship he carried you to his room, put Ealorr in yours and sat down until morning. He never left, nor did he get to close." Avari explained. I was astonished.

"Archer! Breakfast!" called a crew member after another twenty minutes. I walked to the dining hall and sat down. Zuko hadn't come in yet. I ate quickly and returned to the deck. Soon Iroh came up to the deck and told me that Zuko, myself a few crew members would be going on a one day treck through the woods, until the ship got through Fire Lord Ozai's waters.

I went down to my room to grab a couple things. After I was packed I brought Ealorr down to the shore with the rest of the crew. They had rented horses for the journey. Why I didn't know, until one of the crew told me the trail was full of fallen trees and other jumps rhinos couldn't get over quickly. I swung onto Ealorr and set out behind the crew. I saw Zuko in the front on a magnifisant chestnut horse. Tall and lean he looked like a stallion. Zuko set the pace at a canter for a little while and then settled down for a walk. The crew looked at Ealorr with no saddle or bridle and kept asking if I was ok at the quick pace.

"I'm fine! I've ridden my entire life, a little canter on an elk is nothing new for me!" I said impatiently. I clucked to Ealorr and he switched leads and increased his pace enough to keep up behind the chestnut and Zuko.

"Archer. Can you jump that elk?" he asked so suddenly it put me off balance and I almost slid off Ealorr.

"Yes, easily." I answered. He glanced back questionably as if I was only trying to impress him.

As we came up to the first fallen tree he jumped and looked back to see me jump easily. He looked suprised as Ealorr landed softly as elks manage to do. He stared for so long he almost missed the next log.

Ealorr flew over the next jumps easily. He'd done this before. He was used to it. As a child I had learned to ride, then when I worked as a stable hand I learned more, and astounded everyone who saw me ride.

As the jumps lessened the group slowed to a trot. I let Zuko pass me, then heard something. Someone was following us. A bunch of people by the sound of it.

"Wait..." I said aloud.

"What is it?" asked multiple crew members.

"Earth warriors" I replied as they came into view. I drew my bow, but looked down and returned it.

"Take care of them archer" Zuko said coldly.

I pulled out my bow again, tied the string, and removed an arrow from the quiver. I fitted it to my bow and shouted out to the warriors as Ealorr trotted closer.

"Stay back! You do not belong so far from your walls."

"Girl! Move aside and we shall spare you. Threaten us pointlessly again and we shall not show mercy!" they called back.

I raised my bow and yelled again "Leave now, I'm warning you!"

"Your arrows can not pierce our armor little girl. Now let us through." they advanced again.

"Your loss." I said quietly as I shot my arrow. The crew heard me and looked back expecting the other side to kill me, they did not expect what happened next.

My arrow flew and hit its target. The warrior fell, the arrow having gone straight through him. The others looked to their fallen comrade. "Get her!" one yelled.

Two drew their swords and charged. I pulled my long knife from its sheath at my waist and held it aloft. As the first came close I let the blade catch him at the neck. The second swerved and retreated as his friend fell. The one who yelled before called out to retreat and two of the three men left ran off.

The one left yelled and charged me. I pulled another arrow, holding my sword in my left hand. I shot and he fell. The crew had stopped at this point and as I returned my sword and bow they murmerred to each other. They had never seen me fight before.

I turned and trotted back to my place behind Zuko. He then quietly said something that almost made me fall. "Good work archer."

We rode on for a while, but soon the sky darkened. Zuko nudged his horse to a clearing and dismounted. I did the same. Pulling off my cloak and draping it across Ealorrs back I walked over to where Zuko was putting up a tent. I then thought better of it and started setting up a fire. By the time that was done the tents were up and the crew was coming to help start the fire. I drew a deep breathe and the crew stopped short, I blew on the wood and a nice crackling fire started.

"Your a bender!" came the response from the crew. "Yep." was my short and sweet answer.

After the crew finished their mumbling and grumbling about that I had set up food. My own recipe of noodles and vegetables.

"Where'd you pick up cooking?" someone asked.

"Well, you learn to use what you have when living in the woods." I said.

"You lived in the woods?" they questioned.

"Yes. For two years. I left for the woods when I was fourteen, then picked up this and that there." I said quickly. "but you don't want to hear about that."

The crew then rambled on about how they did want to hear about that, but I would take no part in it. I didn't feel like explaining, and I was quite happy leaving them to grumble off to their tents.

About half an hour after that as I was sitting in front of the fire gazing into it's depths Zuko came and sat next to me.

"You must be cold."

"No, I'm never very cold. This is actually kind of a relief from the warmth of your ship. Fire nation ships have always managed to be warmer then I like it." I replied softly.

"Are you sure?" he persisted. "You don't have your tent up either. You don't plan to sleep in the crew's tent!"

"No. I don't plan to sleep in their tent." I said laughing slightly.

"Would you like me to set up your tent for you?" he offered.

"No thank you. I'll get it." I was so surprised I almost said yes. But that would be hard because I didn't own a tent.

Zuko got up and walked to his tent. I got up and walked to Ealorr.

"Well bud, I'm headed up to bed, you ok here?" I said to him, a passer-by would've thought me crazy, but I was alone except for the horses and elk.

He gave me a knowing look and continued grazing. I threw on my cloak and headed to an old maple tree near the fire. I swung up through the branches, landing where I liked on a large wide branch. I leaned up against the trunk of the tree. I decided to practice bending before I fell asleep.

With a flick of my hand a small bunch of rocks rose and landed in my hand. I didn't understand how I had learned both fire and earth bending, but I supposed it had something to do with being half elf. My father had been an accomplished earthbender and until he and the rest of my village had been killed by the fire nation I was taught to bend by him.

When my village had been destroyed I fled to our stable, where the fire nation stable hands had found me. I was lucky. They supposed I was just a child playing with the horses, but when I told them I didn't know where I lived anymore they gave me a space in the hay loft in Fire Lord Ozai's stable. In return I worked in the stable doing odd jobs.

"Akina, you need to go to sleep." Snowthorns voice came in my ear. "and watch your temper, the demon poison in your arm grew greatly when you fought earlier."

I decided to heed his word and with a flick of my wrist I extinguished the fire below.