Jet's True Nature
So, yay, this is one of the last chapters for the episode "Jet". It's taken me at least three chapters (including this one) to finish, and I'm still not finished. I have at least, one chapter left to do.
Thank you reviewers! You make me smile. :D
Disclaimer:
Aang: Lady of the Spirit doesn't own me.
Sokka: Or me.
Katara: Or me. You made me a bitch in the last chapter!
Me: I had too!
Katara: No, you didn't!
Me: Yeah, I did. You'll understand later, okay?
Katara: Fine.
Jet: She doesn't own me either.
Me: GET OUT OF HERE, JERKBENDER! (Throws random things at him until he finally leaves the room.)
Jet: OKAY, OKAY, I'M LEAVING! JEEZ! (Leaves room.)
Tora: Good thing you don't own him. But you do own me.
Moro: Me as well.
Kui: Me too.
Amaya: And me! Yay!
Jet: (pokes head in the doorway) I'm not a bender, by the way!
Kui: Enough! I'll bite your head off, you chattering ape! (chases after Jet, and he runs away screaming as Kui rips his shirt with his teeth)
Tora: ... anyway, to make a long story short, Lady Of The Spirit doesn't own Avatar. She wishes she did, but she doesn't.
Tora, Amaya, Moro, and Kui: She owns us, though!
Also, fair warning, things might start getting a little wacky later on. Ignore it as best you can.
Edit: New version! Changes in the chapter. Watch out for them. Some of them are kinda subtle, but they're there.
"Tora."
"Go away."
"Tora."
"I'm asleep."
"Tora!"
"Alright, I'm up! I'm awake!" I yelled, pulling the pillow off my head and sitting up. Amaya leaned back so I wouldn't smack into her forehead with my own forehead.
"It's time for you to go on that mission." She said, pushing her curly hair out of her eyes.
I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "Stupid morning." I muttered.
"I thought firebenders were early risers." Amaya teased.
"Not this one." I replied, running my fingers through my hair to get the knots out. "What the hell is this mission about, anyway?" I usually only swore when I was nervous, majorly irritated, only a little irritated, and/or when I was tired. Or any other time, if I had a reason, and I usually did.
Amaya shrugged. "How should I know? Ask Moro. She'll be on the mission too."
"Alright, I will." I got to my feet, grabbed my sword, tied the scabbard to my waist, and walked out of the hut.
"Be careful with your hand! It hasn't completely healed yet!" Amaya yelled after me, even though I was only a few feet away.
"I will!" I yelled back, giving her the thumbs up with my uninjured hand.
I walked toward where Jet had told us to meet him in the morning. Stupid morning... I thought again.
"Morning, Tora." Sokka greeted, sounding just as cheerful as me.
"Morning, meathead." I grumbled, yanking on his ponytail a little. He let out a squawk, but I ignored it and yawned again, releasing him from my grip. He glared at me, rubbing the back of his head. Then he noticed the bandage around my hand. "What happened to you?" He asked, sounding a little concerned.
I looked down at it, before looking back up at him with a raised eyebrow. "I sat next to you at dinner last night, and you just noticed it now?"
"I was hungry. What happened?"
I shrugged. "Got angry. Punched a tree."
Sokka stared at me for a moment. "I wish I could say that doing that was something that wasn't normal for you."
Then Jet appeared. "Alright, troops." Jet said. "Our mission: we wait in the trees until we see Fire Nation troops. Then we ambush 'em. Simple enough, right? Wrong."
I raised my hand. Jet raised an eyebrow. "I have a question."
"Yeah, what is it?" Jet asked, sounding a little annoyed. I chose to ignore it.
"Why won't the mission be simple?"
Jet stared at me like I was stupid. "Because we're going up against firebenders. The Fire Nation. They're ruthless. Someone could get hurt. So all of you be careful, okay? Especially you, Moro." He added, glancing at the black-haired girl, who rolled her eyes.
~~Water~~
All of us broke off into groups. Sokka and Jet. Smellerbee and Longshot. Pipsqueak and The Duke. Moro, Kui, and me. Sneers was by himself.
I hid in the bushes next to Moro, who was sitting on Kui with her spear and knife in hand. I was lying on the ground on my stomach, watching the ground carefully. "What is the point of this, exactly?" I muttered. Kui whined, like he agreed with me.
"I don't know." Moro whispered back.
There was suddenly the noise of a bird call. Moro nodded, and she responded with a low wolf growl. There was the bird noise again, this time from farther down.
"Someone's coming." Moro explained quietly when she saw my confused expression.
I nodded. I honestly didn't want to attack anyone, even if they were Fire Nation soldiers. I hated what they had done to the world, but they were my people. Besides, it wasn't their fault. They didn't want to do it. It was the Fire Lord forcing them to do it.
That thought made me remember what Katara had said to me yesterday. You're people started this war! It's their fault! My eyes narrowed as I heard her voice in my ears. Don't think about her. Stay focused, Tora. Focus on what you're doing. For some reason, this voice came in the form of my dad's. It sounded like it had when he was teaching me.
I snapped out of my thoughts when a pair of feet and a cane came into my vision. I looked up through the bushes and saw an old man walking past me, his back crooked with old age. He was wearing a simple red robe.
"False alarm. It's just an old guy." I whispered to Moro. She nodded, looking uncomfortable. Suddenly she darted out of the bushes, blocking the old man's path. Kui snarled ferociously, his fur bristling. The old man gave a shout in panic, backing up. He backed up into Pipsqueak, who had come up behind him silently. How does he do that?
"What are you doing in our forest, you leech?" Jet's snarling voice entered the conversation.
The old man tried to reason with Jet, saying he was just a traveler, and walked forward, only to have his cane knocked out of his hand as Jet hit it with his hook swords. Kui growled, and I got the feeling this time he was growling at Jet. His bright yellow eyes were trained on the rebel leader, his fangs bared.
I wanted to get to my feet. I wanted to stop this. But I was too horrified. Why hadn't I seen this coming? It was too obvious.
Jet advanced on the man, yelling furious words at him. He asked the Old Man if he "liked" destroying towns and families. The Old Man was now on the ground, cowering, with Pipsqueak's foot on his back, trying to not look at Kui's sharp fangs and think the worst.
"Please, have mercy!" The Old Man pleaded, shielding his hands with his head.
This only seemed to fuel Jet's rage. "Why should I?! Does the Fire Nation have mercy?! Does the Fire Nation let people go?!" He yelled. He moved his leg like he was about to give a kick.
That's when I found my voice.
"STOP IT!" I screamed, scrambling to get to my feet before tackling the rebel leader to the ground. Sokka was frozen in a position behind Jet, holding his club out like he was planning on snagging Jet's foot before I had suddenly darted out of the bushes and tackled him.
"What the hell, Tora? What was that for?" Jet demanded, pushing me off him. I got to my feet, glaring at him. I heard Kui give a small growl of approval, but I didn't think much of it.
"He's just an old guy, Jet!" I exclaimed, planting my hands on my hips.
"He's Fire Nation! Search him!" Jet ordered, getting to his feet as well. Moro jumped off of Kui and joined me at my side, glaring at Jet as well. Sokka stood on the other side of me.
"He's not hurting anyone, Jet! He's just passing through!" Moro said, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, look at him! How could he do any harm?" Sokka asked, gesturing to the Old Guy.
"Have you two forgotten the Fire Nation killed your mothers?" Jet demanded, glaring at both me and Sokka. "Remember why you fight!"
I stared at him. "How do you know my mother's dead?" I demanded.
"Katara told me!" He snapped.
"She what?!"
He suddenly rounded on Moro. "And you! Have you forgotten what the Fire Nation did to you? How they killed your family and left you to die?"
Moro's face went white, and I saw a her normally neutral expression falter for a moment, revealing a pained look. She quickly composed herself and looked coolly at him. "I'd rather be dead right now than attack the innocent." She said scathingly, eyes narrowed.
"We got his stuff, Jet!" Smellerbee yelled, lifting a small red bag in her hand.
"This doesn't feel right." Sokka said, still looking angry.
"That's because it's not right!" I yelled, clenching my fists.
"It's what has to be done. Let's go." Jet said coldly, before he rushed past us, followed by the others. "Come on, you guys!"
Moro glared after him. Sokka looked back at the old guy, then turned around and followed Jet. Moro turned to me. "Are you coming?"
"I'll be there in a sec. Just... tell Jet I had to investigate something." I promised. She nodded, and hopped onto Kui and rode off without looking back.
I turned my attention back to the old man, who was still on his hands and knees. I felt my anger leave my body.
"Don't be afraid." I whispered, seeing him flinch at my gaze. "I'm sorry." I got down on my knees in front of him. "I didn't know this would happen… If I had, I would have-" I cut myself off mid sentence, shaking my head. What would I have done if I had known? "I'll find your cane for you." I went off and looked through the bushes for a moment, before returning with his walking stick in my hand. "I found it." I placed it in the old man's hands and helped him stand up. "Do you want an escort to the town over there?"
The man's eyes narrowed in suspicion. I already knew what he was thinking - how could he not? "I'm not a part of Jet's group. I'm just passing by with my friends, and I have a debt to pay to him. He saved us from some soldiers." I shifted, crossing my arms. "He's a bastard. I don't like him. And I don't agree with what he's doing."
The old man still looked cautiously at me, before slowly bowing his head. "Do what you want, miss."
And so I escorted the old man to the village. I left him on the outskirts of the forest, because I couldn't let anyone see me. One of the soldiers there might have seen me when we met Jet.
"May the Spirits bless you, miss." The old man said to me, bowing Fire Nation style.
"The same to you." I replied, bowing back. Then I ran back into the forest, hoping to Spirits I wouldn't get caught by the Freedom Fighters. Or get lost in the forest. But mostly caught. When I was far enough into the forest, I glanced around for a moment, before letting out a "whoop" and punching the air, letting fire explode from my fists and into the air. Take that, Jet!
I didn't see the mute archer hidden in the tree branches far above me.
~~Water~~
"Sokka, you told them what happened but you didn't mention the man was Fire Nation?" Jet asked, staring at Sokka in disbelief. Katara instantly scowled and turned on her brother, glaring at him as she said that he had left that part out, putting an emphasis on the word "conveniently".
"Fine! But even if he was Fire Nation, he was just a harmless civilian." Sokka said, crossing his arms. He knew Katara would take Jet's side. She had taken his side over her best friend's. Neither Sokka nor Aang knew what had happened between the girls, but whatever happened, it had been bad. Very bad. Bad enough for Tora to not sleep in the same room as them, and bad enough for Tora to refuse to even look at Katara once at dinner the night before.
"He was an assassin, Sokka." Jet fired back, suddenly pulling out a knife and stabbing it into a block of wood. It was a scary looking blade. It had four spikes along the grip, so that the attacker could hold onto the hilt and have the spikes poking out from between his fingers. There was also a small ring on the end of the butt of the knife. Tora would like it. Sokka thought instantly, staring at it. She tended to like things that looked both cool and scary. She didn't like boomerang for that reason. Boomerang is cool, and it is scary!
"See this?" Jet asked, pulling on the ring and showing a small vile of light green liquid. "There's a secret compartment for the poison. He was sent to eliminate me. You and Tora helped save my life."
"I knew there was a reason." Katara said, relieved.
"I didn't see any knife!" Sokka said, narrowing his eyes.
"That's because he was hiding it - it was in his robes." Jet insisted.
"See, Sokka? You just didn't notice the knife. There's nothing to worry about." Katara said soothingly.
"There was no knife!" Sokka exclaimed. He was sure of it. When Tora got back, she would vouch for him. "I'm going back to the hut and packing my things. We're leaving tonight." Katara and Aang watched them go, but turned back to Jet when he suddenly spoke.
"Tell me you guys aren't leaving yet. I really need your help." Jet said, getting to his feet.
"What can we do?" The Avatar asked.
Jet explained. Apparently, the Fire Nation was planning on burning down the Freedom Fighters forest the very next day. Jet told both the Avatar and the waterbender that they could save the forest, if they both used their waterbending to fill the reservoir, so they could fight the fires. "But if you leave now, they'll destroy the whole valley. I'd ask Tora to help myself, but I get the feeling she doesn't like me at all. Could you ask her for me?"
Katara looked horrified. Then she became determined. "We won't leave. We'll help you, I promise. I'll go and try to get Sokka to see reason." She turned around and left the hut, following Sokka's path, with Aang following her. Jet heard her mutter, "Aang, you're talking to Tora. She'll listen to you. I'm not going to talk to her."
Jet smirked as he watched them leave. He poked his head out the door, looking for something. He noticed Smellerbee walking toward him. "Have you seen her?"
"Longshot did. She's a firebender. Just like you said." Smellerbee answered.
Jet growled. "I knew it. Moro's been lying to us this whole time."
~~Water~~
I walked back to the hideout, feeling better than ever. I don't know why, but helping that old man had given me the uplift of a lifetime. I felt higher than the heavens.
The feeling came crashing down in less than a minute.
"Tora!" It was Moro. She appeared a second later, tearing through the trees. Kui followed, close at her heels.
"Moro, what is it?" I asked, immediately concerned for my friends wellbeing.
"Run! Get out of here! I'll hold them off!" She yelled, grabbing my shoulders and shoving me in the other direction.
"What are you talking about?!" I demanded, stumbling slightly over the sudden shove.
"It's Jet! He found out that I lied to him about you being a firebender, and he's coming to get you!" She yelled, shoving me again. "Go!"
There was suddenly a small thump. Then an arrow whizzed past us, nearly scratching my shoulder. I jumped back as the arrow hit the ground.
"Longshot." I muttered, spinning around.
Jet suddenly emerged from the trees, glaring at us. He was followed by Smellerbee, Longshot, and Pipsqueak. They all had their weapons ready, and pointed at me. Moro immediately took a protective stance in front of me.
"Moro, get away from her." Jet ordered, his expression calm, but his eyes murderous.
"Why should I?" Moro asked, not moving from her position.
She's a damn ash-maker!" Jet snarled.
"She's my friend. I can't let you hurt her just because you're trying to fill the void in your heart." Moro spat. Kui circled us, snarling at the Freedom Fighters and their leader.
"I have no choice, then." Jet snapped his fingers. Suddenly there was a blur, and then Moro was lying on the ground, unconscious. Kui gave a roar and lunged at Jet. Something flew past me, and suddenly there was an arrow stuck in Kui's back left leg. He fell, struggled to get back on his feet, before he collapsed next to Moro's body, unconscious as well.
"What did you just do?" I demanded in horror, getting down on my knees and placing a hand over them, protecting their bodies.
"They're just unconscious. Arrows dipped in a liquid that tranquilized the enemy. They'll be fine." Jet said, looking as if he was disgusted to just be talking to me. "You, on the other hand, won't be."
I, since I had nothing left to lose anymore, lit my hands on fire. Jet's face became bathed in the light my fire gave off. He looked murderous. I shot a fireball at him, but he dodged just in time, hitting the ground, and my fire hit a tree instead.
"See?!" He yelled, pulling out his swords and advancing on me. "This is why we attack the Fire Nation! They're nothing but murderers! You're mother wasn't even killed by the Fire Nation, was she?"
"Oh, give the little boy a prize." I mocked. "Pretty smart, aren't ya? No she wasn't! But even if she had been, I wouldn't have let my rage drive me, like you do!"
"I've been on my own since I was eight!" Jet bellowed, his eyes flashing. I shot another fireball toward him. "Because of you!"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" I screamed. "JUST BECAUSE I'M FIRE NATION, DOESN'T MEAN THAT I'M EVIL, OR HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH STARTING THE WAR! I'M TRYING TO STOP THE WAR BEFORE HUMANITY DESTROYS ITSELF!"
Behind me, out of my notice, Sneers appeared. He had a slingshot in his hand and twirled it around for a moment, before he threw a small rock out of it. It collided with the base of my skull, and the world went black.
~~Water~~
Sokka rested on his back, staring at the ceiling of the hut. It was dark out. He couldn't leave without Katara or Aang, and Aang was pretty much on Katara's hook. Katara refused to leave until they could help them put out the fire that the soldiers were supposedly going to cause.
There was suddenly a noise from outside. Jet's voice whispered, "Let's go."
Sokka pulled back the curtain hanging over the doorway, and saw Jet's followers disappearing to the ground on long ropes.
"Sokka."
He jumped and turned his head, only to see that girl that had served him dinner last night. What was her name again? "Hey, um..."
"Amaya." She said, pointing at herself.
"Right. What are you doing here?" He whispered.
"I'm worried. Tora hasn't come back to the hut yet. And I haven't seen Moro since noon." Her green eyes were wide in worry.
Sokka stared at her for a moment, before turning back to look at where Jet had disappeared. "I bet he knows where they are."
~~Water~~
"Okay, you hide in the trees. I'll go and check it out from the ground." Sokka said to Amaya, before he disappeared into the darkness, sliding down on a rope.
"Be careful." The Healer whispered, watching him go. She then carefully crawled along a tree branch that extended over the place where Jet was with the rest of the Freedom Fighters. Thankfully, it was sturdy, so it wouldn't break - not unless it was sawed off.
"You can't blow the dam until I give you the signal, okay?" Jet was speaking. "If the reservoir isn't completely full, the soldiers could survive." Amaya's eyes widened as she heard this. What is he doing?
"What about the people in the town?" The Duke asked, coming forward. "Won't they get wiped out too?" Amaya smiled. Bless that kid. He's so sweet.
Jet placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Look, Duke, that's the price of freeing the valley." He turned to Longshot. "Don't fire until I give the signal. Got that?" He repeated. The silent boy nodded. Jet smirked suddenly. "Bring her out."
Pipsqueak suddenly picked something out of the wagon. When Amaya looked closer, she saw with horror that it was Tora, with her hands tied behind her back and a gag in her mouth. Her eyes were a little glazed over, and she had a cut on her cheek. Other than that, she looked fine. She was screaming behind her gag, her eyes wild, and her cheeks flushed red with anger.
Jet grabbed the Fire Nation girl by her hair and dragged her over to Sneers. "Make sure she is put directly at the beginning of the dam. That way she'll get the worst affect."
Tora's gag slipped off her face, and she glared at him. "Where are they, Jet?" There was no humor in her voice. "Moro and Kui! What did you do with them?"
Jet rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about them. I wouldn't hurt one of my own. I tied them up and left them in the forest. When they wake up, the dam will have burst, and you and the Fire Nation soldiers will be dead."
Suddenly, Amaya heard Smellerbee say, "Where do you think you're going, ponytail?"
They found Sokka!
"So glad you decided to join us, Sokka. You too, Amaya."
Amaya froze when she heard Jet say this. There was suddenly a flash of silver shooting past her, and this startled her so much she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Before she hit the ground, however, she fell into Pipsqueak's arms, and he held her tightly.
"Let her/them go, Jet!" Tora and Amaya both yelled at the same time. Amaya had been talking about Tora, while Tora was talking about both Amaya and Sokka.
Sokka, on the other hand, stayed silent and glared at Jet. "We both heard your plan to wipe out that Earth Kingdom village."
"Our plan is to destroy the Fire Nation soldiers. The villagers just happen to be there." Jet retorted.
"There are people living in there, Jet. Mothers and fathers and children!" Sokka exclaimed.
"We can't win this war without making sacrifices." Jet stated calmly.
There was suddenly a snort. Then a giggle. Both Jet and Sokka turned towards Tora, who stared back at them. "Hey, don't look at me." She said. If her hands had been free, she would have raised them in innocence.
Then the giggles turned into full-blown laughter. They all turned to Amaya. Her hair had fallen out of her bun in the process of her laughter and was hanging over her face in curly strands.
"Oh my Spirits!" Amaya laughed. "We can't win without making some sacrifices? There are no winners in war! We can only lose less badly than the other side."
"You're wrong, 'Maya." Jet said, taking his twig out of his mouth. "If we do this, this forest will be free."
Amaya glared. "Don't call me that. Forget about the Fire Nation. This forest needs to be freed from you."
Jet glared back at her. He turned back to Sokka, who yelled that Jet had lied to his sister and Aang about the forest fire. Jet's response was that Katara and Aang didn't understand the 'demands of war'. "Not like you and I do." Jet said, giving Sokka a look that made it seem like he wanted Sokka to agree with him and join their side.
"The - the - the demands of war? We're talking about killing innocent people, Jet!" Amaya yelled, tears forming in her eyes. "Please, don't do this! You're my friend, I know you! Please!"
"I was hoping you'd have open minds about this. But I can see you've both made your decisions." Jet sighed. Pipsqueak let go of Amaya, only so Smellerbee could grab her, before the silent giant grabbed Sokka's hands and twisted them behind his back.
"Smellerbee! Stop it!" Amaya yelled as her arms were twisted behind her back. "You're hurting me! Don't make me hurt you back!"
Jet scoffed. "You couldn't hurt Smellerbee. You couldn't hurt a spider-beetle. There's a reason you've never gone on missions before."
Amaya's eyes blazed with cold fury. "What happened to you, Jet?!" She yelled at him. "What happened to the eight year old that used to value all life? What happened to the eight year old that cried with me when our parents were slaughtered right in front of us? What happened to my friend?"
"He grew up." Jet responded coldly. "Take them for a walk. A long walk."
Amaya's eyes narrowed. She suddenly snapped her head back, crashing it into Smellerbee's nose. When the war-painted girl let go and held the injured part of her face, Amaya took this as her chance. She whipped out a knife tied to her leg, concealed by her skirt, and pointed it directly at Jet. "I'm not afraid to kill anybody." She spat, before turning around, and darting off into the forest, somehow managing to avoid Sneers as he moved to grab her.
"COWARD!" Jet yelled after her.
Sneers glanced at him. "Should we go after her?"
Jet shook his head. "No. By the time she finds Moro - which is probably where she's going - the town will have been destroyed." He noticed that Smellerbee was still clutching her nose, drops of blood dripping out between the cracks in her fingers. "Longshot, look at Bee's nose. Pipsqueak, get going."
The silent giant nodded and disappeared into the forest, Sokka walking in front of him, and Sneers walking beside him.
"SOKKA!" Tora screamed, still struggling against her bonds. She had been silent for most of this, which was a little surprising. "Let me go! Don't you dare hurt him!"
Jet glared at her. "Don't worry about him. Worry about you."
~~Water~~
"MORO! KUI! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?" Amaya screamed, racing through the forest. "MORO!"
There was no reply other than the bird calls and the animal noises.
Amaya sighed and fell to her knees. She felt like she had been running for hours, when in truth, it had only been a few minutes. It was the gravity of the situation that made it seem like time was going slower than it was.
"Someone help me." She whispered, tucking her hands into fists. The grass around her hands turned brown and died as she accidentally pulled the water out of the plants. She didn't even notice. "Help me find my friend and stop this massacre. Please help me. Please. Please. Please."
The sound of a twig snapping made her look up. Before Amaya stood a woman, looking middle aged. Her hair was a light brown colour and reached her shoulders, her eyes were blue, exactly the same colour as Sokka and Katara's eyes. She wore a long, dark green tunic, with no sleeves, but a dark blue long sleeved shirt underneath, long black pants, and a white belt tied around her waist.
Amaya stared at the woman for a moment, before finally speaking. "Are you a Spirit?"
The woman laughed - loudly and slightly obnoxiously. "Spirit? Me? Of course not, girl! I'm just a traveler - and your friends are that way." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder, towards the middle of the forest. "They're not hurt, but hurry up will you? Or my plans will go to waste."
Amaya got to her feet, and began to run. Then she stopped and turned around. "Wait, how'd you know-" Then she stopped talking, and stared in disbelief.
The woman had disappeared. There was no trace that she had ever been there.
Okay, enough of that! Amaya yelled at herself mentally. Forget her, save Moro!
~~Water~~
"MORO WAKE UP!"
As Moro shot up, her forehead slammed into something hard. She promptly let out a cry in pain, holding her head. She glanced up and saw Amaya kneeling on the floor, doing the same.
"What the hell, Amaya? What was that for?" She moaned. Then she remembered what had happened. "Tora! She's in danger! Where's Kui?"
"Have a one track mind, don't you?" Amaya asked sarcastically. "Tora's been captured by Jet. He's gonna try and drown her and the Earth Kingdom town! Kui's over there!" Amaya pointed over to the side, where Kui was standing, looking concerned for her.
"What?!"
"He's gonna try and drown the Earth Kingdom town to get rid of the Fire Nation troops!" Amaya repeated, rubbing her forehead. It had taken a red tint due to the hit, but it was slowly fading.
"I KNEW IT!" Moro yelled, jumping to her feet. "I knew Jet was going to do something like that! But he didn't tell me! He was gonna do it behind my back! Well, what's he gonna do? Is he planning on drowning the townspeople too?"
Amaya nodded.
Moro's scowl deepened. This despicable war! Not even a shred of decency, or even questionable righteousness... can't they see that they're just rushing down the path to self destruction?
"We have to help Tora!" Amaya said, grabbing Moro by her shoulders. "Jet's gone mad - or maybe he went mad ages ago - and he won't listen to reason!"
"What about that Water Tribe boy? Sokka? Where's he?"
"Last time I saw him, Pipsqueak was leading him into the forest!"
"What about the other two - Katara and the Avatar?"
"Jet has them filling up the reservoir!"
~~Water~~
As the two girls were speaking wildly with one another, Katara and Aang were just finishing up with the job Jet had given them.
Aang said, "I think that's good enough - and I'm not just saying that to be lazy."
"We should catch up with Jet at the reservoir." Katara suggested, blushing slightly. Not that she would ever admit it, but she had a slight crush on the rebel leader.
"I thought we agreed with Jet to meet back at the hideout." Aang said in confusion.
"Yeah, well, we finished early, so lets meet him at the reservoir instead. I have a feeling he'll be happy to see us." Katara replied. She couldn't help but think of Tora. Looks like you were wrong, Tora. Jet's not what you said he is.
~~Water~~
"I'm not going to be able to stop Jet and free Tora!" Moro panicked as she and Amaya rode on Kui. Because Moro was very protective of her wolf, no one else had ever rode on Kui before - but because it was an emergency, Moro decided to break her own rule, and let Amaya ride on him. Kui was faster than any ostrich-horse that Amaya had ever ridden before, and he would most likely would be the fastest animal she ever would ride.
"I'll free Tora! You stop Jet!" Amaya yelled over the wind.
"But you won't be able to get to Tora without Kui, and I won't be able to get to Jet without Kui!" Moro yelled back.
Kui suddenly skidded to a halt, nearly throwing the girls off his back. Moro righted herself, before her eyes narrowed as she smelled a very familiar scent in the air.
"What is it?" Amaya asked, peering over Moro's shoulder.
"Wolves." Moro muttered, her upper lip curling back into a snarl. Suddenly, a large black wolf and a slightly smaller brown wolf appeared from behind a tree. The black wolf had bright yellow eyes that had a steely glint to them, while the brown wolf had dark blue eyes that held a sort of gentleness to them.
"Alright, what do you want here?" Moro demanded, glaring at them. The black wolf snarled.
Suddenly, a new voice joined the noise. Dogs of the Northern Tribe!* How dare you show such disrespect to our clan?Amaya glanced around, looking for the source of the voice. It sounded like it was coming from Kui. But that was impossible... wasn't it?
How dare I? How dare I?! How dare you? How dare you call us dogs, while you let that human ride you like a common pack mule?! How dare you call yourself a clan, when you are only a mighty wolf that has succumbed to the will of a human?! That voice was male, and it sounded like it was coming from the black wolf. Amaya looked around nervously, starting to panic and think that she was losing her mind. The black wolf was looking directly at the waterbender.
"Human's are everywhere these days. This one is my friend. She is apart of our clan!" Moro said angrily.
The black wolf snarled and snapped its jaws. Kui started doing the same.
This is our forest! Go, before my fangs find you! The Kui sounding voice said.
The Northern Tribe is no more. We wish to join you. Please, excuse my mate.This voice was softer and kinder than the other one. It was probably coming from the brown wolf, who had its ears down and was humble looking.
Moro's expression became softer. "The Northern Tribe has been destroyed? How is this possible?" She asked.
The fire-people came. Many of us died. We escaped. Nanu is dead. We have come here to live in peace.The brown wolf said, stepping past its mate.
Moro looked at them sadly. "I'm so sorry for your loss. But-" She continued. "I will not let you join our clan unless you help us!"
The black wolf snarled. We never asked for your pity, human!
How should we help you? The brown wolf asked quickly, shoving past the black wolf.
"Moro, what's going on?" Amaya whispered to her friend.
"Our friend is in danger, and neither of us can reach where we need to go without Kui! Let one of us ride one of you!" Moro yelled, ignoring Amaya completely.
Let a loathsome human ride on our back like we are dogs?! Is this what the Northern Clan has been reduced to?! Slavery to a human?! The black wolf roared, its teeth flashing in the sunlight.
Fenris! The brown wolf snapped. They have let us join their tribe. If one of them is in danger, we must help. The pack law is the law, after all.
The black wolf still looked like it wanted to argue, but lowered its ears. The waterbender can ride on you, Accalia. I refuse to let her ride on me.
You will go look for a human that has the hair of a wolf. Kui's voice was back. He will need help freeing himself from the clutches of humans that wish to do him harm. You will help him find the human village. Is that clear - Fenris, if I'm not mistaken?
Fine! Fenris snapped.But he will not ride on me.
"He'll ride on you if he needs to!" Moro snapped. She turned back to Amaya, who looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. "Go. I'll explain all of this later. I promise."
Amaya stared at her friend for a moment, before slowly nodded. She dismounted Kui and slid to the ground, before walking towards Accalia as fast as she could, trying not to look at Fenrir or his fangs.
Get on.Accalia ordered. Amaya pulled herself onto the brown wolfs back, and in a flash, the wolf and the waterbender disappeared into the forest.
~~Water~~
"How can you just stand by and do nothing while Jet kills an entire Earth Kingdom town and Tora? She's trying to help the Avatar!" Sokka asked Pipsqueak and Sneers furiously. Sneers had been ordered to follow the two other males by Jet.
Pipsqueak tried to calm the Water Tribe boy down, saying that Jet was a great leader, and that when they followed his orders things always turned out alright.
Sokka rolled his eyes, and in the process noticed some of those snares that had caught Momo the other day. "If that's how Jet leads, then he's got a lot to learn!" He suddenly darted to the side. The Freedom Fighters ran after him. As Sokka leapt over the traps, the other two weren't as lucky and got caught, shooting into the air, peering out between the bars.
Sokka smirked up at the two of them, and held up his now loose bindings. He had undone them as soon as the boys had stepped onto the traps. "You should work on your knot-tying while you two are up there!" Then he sprinted away from them.
The two Freedom Fighters were silent for a moment as they watched the Water Tribe boy run off, until Pipsqueak suddenly said, "Hey Sneers - are you gonna eat your leechee nuts?" A nut struck him in the head and landed in his hands. The silent giant let out a quite unmanly squeal before picking up the nut and eating it.
Sokka took off running in the direction of the town. If he got there in time, he could get everyone out before the dam blew.
One problem. He had absolutely no idea how to get there.
He ran aimlessly for a few minutes, then stopped. He saw a black wolf standing in his path. It stared at him, then gestured with it's snout to follow. For a moment, it looked like it had glared at him. Sokka, not having any other idea, decided to follow. He started running after the wolf, jumping over rocks and tree roots the whole way there.
After a few more minutes, he was met with the sight of the town. He turned his head toward the wolf, and waved at it. "Thank you, black wolf!" he shouted. The wolf bowed its head, and took off sprinting into the woods.
~~Water~~
Of course, while all this was happening, Tora was having one of the worst days of her life.
She felt she had never been in a worse situation. Not only Jet had been smart enough to put her in a position where she couldn't use her bending, he put her wrists in chains. Fireproof chains. Damn the people who made those things! There was a very, very small chance she would survive the explosion, but with her hands tied, and no way to get the chains off, she would surely drown. She was screwed.
Jet approached the girl, while the other Freedom Fighters stacked the barrels of blasting jelly against the dam wall. Katara and Aang were far away, filling the reservoir.
"There's no use struggling. You'll never get free." The Rebel leader said.
The look Tora gave him was enough to make a braver man than Jet quell under her gaze. However, Jet stayed strong.
"I'm sure you're wondering how I figured it out. Well, I had my fighters spying on you ever since you got here, hoping that you would firebend so I could have some proof. And I got my proof - Longshot caught you firebending after you helped that Fire Nation leach."
Tora screamed at him through her gag.
"Oh, shut up."
~~Water~~
As Katara and Aang approached the dam, they came upon the edge of a cliff. They could see the Freedom Fighters stacking the barrels they had found the other day against the dam.
"What are they doing?" Katara asked.
Aang noticed something. He turned to Katara, pointing out to her that the barrels the Freedom Fighters were stacking against the dam were the ones they had stolen from the Fire Nation. Katara frowned, wondering out loud what they were going to do with it.
The final piece of the puzzle clicked into place in Aang's mind. His eyes widened in realization. "Jet's going to blow the dam."
Katara turned to him, her eyes widening in panic. Jet wouldn't do that. If he did that, he would destroy the town. He wouldn't do that. She voiced her thoughts out loud, still looking worried.
Jet wouldn't do that. She was sure of it... wasn't she?
Aang suddenly noticed a person tied to the dam with chains. "They've got Tora tied to the dam! They're going to…" Aang swallowed, not daring to finish either his sentence or his thought. "I've got to stop them!" He lifted his glider and ran to the edge of the cliff, ready for take off.
"Jet wouldn't do that..." Katara repeated, but she was less sure of herself. The evidence was against him. He was piling blasting jelly against the dam. He had Tora tied to the dam.
Right before Aang reached the edge of the cliff, Jet suddenly ran in front of him and snatched the glider from the Avatar's hands with his hook swords, tearing the fabric, where he had caught it. The two of them stared as the seventeen year old slowly stood up. "Yes, I would."
"Why, Jet?" Katara whispered. She was wrong. Tora was right. Oh, Spirits, Tora! Katara hadn't apologized for their argument the other day! And if Jet's plan came through, she never would be able to.
"Katara, you would do it too! Just stop to think about it carefully!" Jet said, looking directly at her. "Remember what the Fire Nation did to your mother - and to Aang's people! We can't let them do that to anyone ever again! And Tora would just turn on you in a second! It's in her blood!"
"Tora's not her people. She would never turn on us." Aang said, glaring at Jet. He couldn't believe he had ever thought Jet was cool.
"This is not the answer!" Katara pleaded.
"I really do want you two to understand, Katara." Jet said, glancing down. "I thought your brother would understand, Amaya too, but-"
"Where is Sokka?" Katara demanded, tears falling from her eyes. She couldn't believe she had chosen this... this monster over Tora, her best friend, and Sokka, her brother!
Jet reached out to her, placing a hand on her cheek. "Katara..."
Katara looked down, her eyebrows narrowing in anger. Right when she was about to whip Jet with her water, a howl broke through the air. They all turned to look where the noise had come from, and were surprised to see Moro and Kui charging through the forest toward them.
Moro looked terrifying. Her eyes were murderous. Her face was contorted with fury. Her long knife was in her hand, her other hand clutching Kui's fur.
Kui slid to a stop right on the outskirts of the forest. As soon as he stopped, Moro leapt off him gracefully and charged toward Jet, her knife pointed directly at him, her mouth open and a fierce battle yell exploding from her lips. Katara and Aang quickly jumped out of her way, giving her space to run her path.
Jet quickly pulled up his own sword, and Moro's knife clashed against his, the sharp tip only inches away from piercing his skin. Jet then lifted his other sword and slashed it toward her. However, Moro saw it in time and leapt out of the way, so the sword only sliced off a centimetre of her hair, and landed in a crouch. Jet came forward and attempted to hit her again, but she dodged. She used her dagger to block two more hits, and then thrust her dagger at his head, which Jet dodged. Moro would make a yell whenever she stabbed at the boy who had once been her friend, or whenever their weapons made contact. Her hair was flying, and there was a feral glint in her eyes.
They were both ready to kill the other.
"You- clank - tried to - stab - kill me, you - slash - bastard!"
"You - stab - were - slice - helping - slash - the enemy - clank -!"
Katara quickly realized she had to stop them from killing each other - no matter how much she was on Moro's side. She quickly pulled out the cork of her waterskin and thrust it at Jet with enough force to send him back and slam him against a tree. As Jet was slightly stunned, Katara blew... and the water started freezing over, trapping Jet against the tree.
Moro started forward again, but Aang stood in her way, his arms spread.
"Get outta my way, kid!"
"No. I don't want my friend to hurt you. And she will if you kill him without letting her get some punches in." Aang stated simply, not moving.
Kui came forward and pushed his large nose under Moro's arm. She glared at Jet for a moment, before she glanced back at Aang. "Fine."
~~Water~~
"There she is!" Amaya yelled, pointing at where Tora was, her black hair streaming back in the wind.
I see her!Accalia replied, rushing down into the path of the dam. Amaya quickly jumped off Accalia and rushed toward the Fire Nation girl, who was still struggling against her chains.
"Tora!"
Tora looked up. Her eyes shone with relief. As Amaya reached her, the healer immediately yanked the gag off Tora's mouth - something Tora was thankful for.
"What can I do?" Amaya demanded.
Tora glanced at Accalia. "Who's that?"
"Never mind! Just tell me what to do!"
"Uh... try and get my hands free?"
And so Amaya froze the chain with some water in her pouch, and it snapped easily under pressure.
Suddenly, the sound of a bird call echoed through the sky.
~~Water~~
"Why, Jet? I trusted you! You lied to me. You're sick, and I trusted you! I trusted your word over my best friends and my brothers!" Katara yelled at Jet, advancing.
Jet didn't say anything. Then, a bird call broke through the air.
Moro gasped as Jet replied the call. "NO!" She rushed to the edge, only to see something horrible.
Amaya and Tora were still in the path of the dam, with Accalia standing nearby.
"JET! AMAYA'S IN THE RESERVOIR!"
Jet's face immediately became a look of horror. It disappeared as soon as it had come. "It's too late. Amaya chose her path."
"NO!" Katara screamed, rushing to the edge of the cliff.
Aang attempted to fly off on his glider, but couldn't, as the wing had been torn when Jet had yanked it out of his hands. "Sokka's still out there." Aang said, staring at the dam and the girls still standing in the pathway. "He still has a chance to save them."
"Please, Sokka. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. You have to do this - not just for the town, but for Tora too. Please." Katara whispered.
~~Water~~
Amaya suddenly screamed and pointed at the sky. Tora looked, and saw a flaming arrow shooting out from the trees. Longshot...
We won't get out of the way in time... Accalia said, her voice sad. Tora didn't even bat an eye when the wolf spoke. She was too focused on the fact that they were going to die to really think about it. In all honesty, she thought that she was imagining things.
"GET BEHIND ME, NOW!" Amaya yelled. Accalia quickly ducked behind the two humans, though Tora stood by her friends side.
The arrow hit the blasting jelly.
~~Water~~
The dam burst. The water came rushing out, washing over the two girls and the wolf and heading towards the town. Katara, Moro, and Aang all stared in horror as the water flooded through the village.
"Sokka didn't make it." Aang said softly.
"All those people..." Katara whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "Tora..." She brought her hand up to her face, covering her mouth, as the tears began to run down her cheeks.
"Amaya... and Accalia. Oh, Fenris, I'm sorry..." Moro whispered as well. Her sadness disappeared, only to be replaced with rage as she turned toward Jet. "HOW COULD YOU JET?! AMAYA WAS YOUR FRIEND! SHE-" Moro stopped herself from yelling anything else, though she looked like she was wanted to explode and cry at the same time.
"She chose her own path." Jet repeated his words from earlier. "And this was a victory. The Fire Nation is gone, and now this forest and the valley will be safe!"
"It will be safe." Sokka's voice appeared. He suddenly rose up from over the side of the edge of the cliff, sitting on Appa's head, the reins in his hands. His expression was sadder and more serious than Katara had ever seen from him. "From you."
"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed, her eyes momentarily lighting up at the sight of her brother. The light disappeared almost instantly.
"I warned the village of your plan just in time." He said.
"What?!" Jet yelled.
Sokka explained. He said that he had found the village just in time, excluding the part about the black wolf. (He still wasn't sure if that was a hallucination, if it really happened, or a Spiritual intervention. Though he was going with a hallucination caused by the stress of the moment.) He explained that when he told the villagers about Jet and his plan, the soldiers in the village thought that he was a spy for the Freedom Fighters. They were going to take him in for questioning, when the old man - the old man that Jet had attacked and Tora had helped - vouched for the Water Tribe boy, and told everyone to trust him. They had managed to get everyone out just in time. Sokka let a small smile appear on his face as he remembered the look on one little girl's face as her doll had floated down the river (caused by the dam) and into her arms.
"Sokka, you're a fool! We could have freed this valley!" Jet yelled at him, his brown eyes flashing in fury.
Moro turned on him again. "WHO WOULD BE FREE, JET?! EVERYONE WOULD BE DEAD! YOU'RE LUCKY I DON'T KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!"
"You're both traitors to your people." Jet spat. "You and Moro both."
"No, Jet. You're the one who's the traitor. As soon as you stopped protecting innocent people, you became the traitor." Sokka said, looking at the rebel leader sadly.
"Katara, help me." Jet pleaded. His body was beginning to go numb because of the ice pinning him to the tree trunk.
"Goodbye, Jet." Katara spoke coldly.
The Avatar and the waterbender both crawled onto Appa's saddle. Moro and Kui watched them get on.
"Would you like to come with us?" Aang asked the Wolf Girl.
Moro shook her head. "I have too much here."
Katara stared at her for a moment. "I'm sorry about that wolf. And Amaya."
Moro bowed her head slightly. "It's not your fault. I'm sorry about Tora. I could have saved her."
Sokka nodded at her. "Yip, Yip!" He yelled, snapping the reins. Appa flew off, away from Jet, away from Moro, and away from the place Tora had died.
~~Water~~
The former quartet - now a trio - sat around the firepit. Maybe it was their imaginations, but the fire seemed to be blazing a little less brighter than it normally did. Katara had grown even more depressed when they had found Tora's sword in the middle of the forest. Aang had seen it from the air, spotting the sunlight gleaming off of it from his place in Appa's saddle. Jet had left it with Moro and Kui, but neither Amaya or Moro hadn't noticed it in their panic.
Katara was clenching the sword to her chest, her head down. She looked inconsolable. Aang had draped a blanket around her shoulders at some point after they had stopped for the night.
"It's my fault." Sokka suddenly said. He was staring at the ground, with his legs crossed under him. His face was dark. "I should have been quicker. I might have been able to save them."
"No, it's my fault." Aang disagreed. "I should have gotten to the dam. I should have gotten out of Jet's way when he came charging after me - I could have-."
"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" Katara suddenly screamed, making them turn to look at her. Appa groaned, a little startled. Momo hissed. "I SHOULDN'T HAVE TRUSTED JET! IF WE HADN'T HAD STAYED FOR SO LONG, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"
Katara finally broke down crying. Aang was immediately at her side, Sokka at her other side. "I never got to apologize for everything I said to her..." Katara whispered, tears streaming down her face.
Neither of the boys asked her what she meant. Finally, Aang started crying as well, and although Sokka would deny it, his eyes started tearing up a little too.
Aang was crying, because he had lost both his friend, and someone who he had been beginning to look up to like the older sister he never had. He felt like he had lost Gyatso all over again. Only, the difference was that, while he had spent his whole life with Gyatso, he had only known Tora for a few weeks, and he was already close to her. In a way, it was both better and worse than when he had lost Gyatso.
Sokka was crying (he wasn't crying, damn it!) because he had lost someone who was as close to him as Katara was. For all their banter and bickering, Tora and Sokka were incredibly close. It was hard for them to not be close, given how they were so similar. Sure, Sokka was more sarcastic, and he was a leader, and knew how to use boomerang, while Tora was sarcastic only when it suited her, and she was more of a bystander some of the time, and she knew how to use a sword better than he did, but still. They were both quite similar when it came down to it - they were both fiercely protective of anyone they cared about, and both protective of their respective Nations, and both just… Like a brother and sister.
So, the group cried on each other, none of them even close to falling asleep. Other people would have said they were holding each other up - they would have said they were trying to keep from crumbling completely.
~~Water~~
Moro had her face buried in Kui's fur, crying silently. Both Kui and Fenris were howling at the moon, mourning their losses. Kui had lost the members of his pack. Fenris had lost his mate.
Moro had lost her friends.
"I'm so sorry, Fenris." She apologized over and over. "I tried to stop Jet. But..."
Stop apologizing. Fenris said. He had stopped his howling for a moment. We'll take our revenge. We'll kill Jet and his fighters. We'll-
"No." Moro interrupted. "We won't. Amaya and Accalia wouldn't want that. Amaya would want us to go on living. And although I don't know Accalia very well, I know that's what she would have wanted."
Fenris opened his mouth. But- He suddenly stopped. He lifted his muzzle and sniffed the air. Kui did the same. Moro watched them both do this with a small sense of confusion. She was even more confused when Fenris suddenly leapt to his feet. It looked like he was smiling.
"What is it?" She asked.
Accalia! She's alive! I can smell her!Fenris answered. He suddenly darted away, running toward the river the dam had made.
Kui and Moro stared after him for a moment, before Moro jumped to her feet and sprinted after him, Kui following a second later.
"What about Amaya and Tora? Are they alive?" Moro asked, dodging branches and rocks as she ran through the trees.
I can't tell! Accalia's the only one I can sense right now!He sounded so happy, Moro felt like her heart would burst. The Alpha of the pack was always happy when one of their pack members was happy like this.
They soon reached the bank of the river. It was slowly draining out, but it was still very full.
Lying unconscious on the side of the river were the forms of Accalia, Amaya, and Tora.
Accalia! Fenris shouted, sprinting to her side. He started nuzzling her gently, and her eyes fluttered open.
Am I dead?
No, you're alive. Oh, you're alive! Fenris replied, as he licked her face with joy. Accalia slowly lifted her head and they touched noses.
What about the humans? Are they alright? They protected me.
Moro and Kui ran to the girls. Moro checked to make sure they were breathing, and was relieved to hear the steady beats of their heart. She sighed, finally relaxing. "Yes, they're fine. Unconscious, but fine."
Good.Accalia said, before her head fell back onto the ground. She was so exhausted she had fallen asleep.
Yay, Tora's alive, Amaya's alive, Accalia's alive, and the chapter is over!
*Dogs are distantly related to wolves, aren't they? But they were domesticated by humans, who wolves see as inferior to them. So, the wolf tribe sees them as inferior as well. So being called a dog by another wolf is a very low insult.
Next chapter will be explaining about Moro and Amaya's past. Yay.
BYE FOR NOW!
PLEASE REVIEW! THEY MAKE ME SMILE!
Edit: So, how'd you all like this version? Personally, I liked it a little bit better than the old version, and I'm not just saying that because the old version could help in getting my story deleted.
Also, you guys – don't worry. If this story is deleted (and I'm working hard to make sure it isn't) I'll change some things around and repost it. So don't you guys worry, alright?
So my plan is to work on a chapter a day. First I'll work on this story, and then I'll move onto my other stories – but I'm going to work on working on both stories very fast.
Edit Edit: CHANGED some stuff that bugged me. I'll probably be doing this a lot.