Chapter 2
It had been a long after noon for Avani. First she was chased by what she originally thought to be the enemy. Then she spent hours teaching Aang her best earth bending tricks. And now she was just trying to get some sleep. Of course that was never easy for her.
The other three children were sound asleep in their sleeping bags. Sokka was snoring louder than she had ever heard anyone snore. Katara was sleeping softly and quietly. Aang was active, even in his sleep. A smile was still plastered on his face.
Avani crawled out of her sleeping bag, trying not to make any noise. She thought maybe a nice moonlit walk would help her sleep. It usually didn't, but it was worth a shot.
She walked off the path that had been made by earth kingdom travelers. The feeling of being surrounded by earth made her feel more at home. Or at least that's what she liked to tell herself.
She found a place to sit, where the trees made a perfect circle around the moon. Although the moon held no sway to her, it still made her feel beautiful.
The beautiful feeling was broken by what sounded like a cannon. In the moonlight a large red flare could be seen shooting into the sky.
Avani immediately jumped to her feet, knowing exactly what the flare meant.
She followed the smoke to its origins. The forest was quickly ended by a river where a single fire nation ship was docking.
She knew she could escape, get away from the soldiers and plan a sneak attack later on. But she had something else to consider now. Aang and his friends were asleep in the woods. If she let the fire soldiers get past her, they would surely find them.
She took in a deep breath and prepared herself for battle. The ship opened up, and she braced herself for an all on attack. It was strange there was only one ship, but that still meant there were plenty of soldiers.
She dug her foot into the ground, preparing to bend the earth at any given moment. But as the boat opened all the way only a single silhouette could be seen exiting the ship.
The soldier was not dressed in his armor. He had no weapons, but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous. It was well known that fire nation soldiers didn't need weapons.
As the soldier stepped into the moon light Avani's eyes grew larger. It was a young boy about 16 years old. Of course that was old enough to have mastered the art of fire bending.
"Avani?" The young soldier questioned.
Avani didn't change her stance, but she did let her guard down.
"Who are you?" She asked aggressively.
"What are you doing here? Where have you been?" He asked confused.
"Who are you!" she yelled out.
"You don't recognize me?" The boy said as he walked closer.
Avani looked deep into the boys eyes. It was dark, but the reddish brown color was unmistakable. "Hakan?"
Avani lowered her arms, relaxing her stance. She hadn't seen the boy in years and now here he was.
"Where have you been?" He asked again. "You just disappeared one day. I joined this crew to try and find you!"
"Find me? What crew?" Avani asked, walking towards Hakan.
"I joined a special crew that is searching for prince Zuko and Ihro. They're traitors you know." Hakan explained.
Avani had known Zuko when they were children. He never crossed as the type to become a traitor. After all, he was the fire lords son.
"Traitors? I'm lost." It wasn't a lie. She had no idea what was going on.
"It's a long story. Something about the blue spirit and a fish." Hakan explained vaguely.
That was just like him. He never was good at getting all the details, or giving them.
"Oh yeah. We're also after the Avatar. It's essential that we find him. But you know that."
Avani's heart sank. The crew was searching for Aang and her best friend was with them. Then it struck her. He didn't know about her secret. That only meant one thing. Zuko had never told.
"Yeah I know all about the Avatar." She answered.
"We sent off that flare because we had spies in the forest. Apparently he's been seen in there with a couple of other kids. A strange guy and water bending girl. We had to let the guys in the forest know we were here."
This was bad news. She had to do something and she knew exactly what it was.
"I know where the Avatar is." She said abruptly.
"You what?" Hakan asked perplexed.
"I've been tracking him for weeks. I'm close now. I've befriended him." She explained.
Hakan didn't know what to say. It was the lead they had been looking for. How could he turn her down? Of course he was specificly instructed not to accept any outside help, this was his best friend and he trusted her. They grew up together. They told each other everything. They even started learning from the same master.
While all this was going on, Sokka crept around in the bushes, watching the two talk. He knew there was something suspicious about this girl and now he had proof.
He couldn't hear the two talking, but he could only imagine the types of things they were plotting. Of course being the way he was, he had to know for sure.
He moved closer, just within ear shot. He couldn't make out everything, but what he managed was good enough.
"I know where the Avatar is." The earth bending girl said. "I've befriended him."
That was all Sokka needed. He knew now that she was no good. He took off back towards the camp, where he had left his sister and his friend sleeping and unprotected.