We landed in a frost. We didn't know We walked towards a roadside kiosk.
"(walking towards a poster on the kiosk, present in the middle of crossroad.) This should give us a good idea of what's around here." Katara said
Sokka flips a small pouch to find it is empty aside from a few crumbs.
"See if you can find a menu, I'm starving." Sokka said
"I bet we'll find something to eat here. (points at the poster) the Fire Day's Festival. Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, benders, magicians… this would be a great place for me to study some real firebenders." Aang said
"You can't learn fire till you have learned water, and earth." I said
Aang nodded his head. I see Sokka looking at a different poster.
"You might wanna rethink that. Look at this." Sokka said
We all move over to him. We see a poster of Aang.
"Hey, a poster of me." Aang said
"A wanted poster! This is bad." I said
Aang removes the poster from the wall and starts reading it. Katara also looks it over.
"I think we better keep moving." Katara said
"I agree." I said
"(Looks at Katara and I) I have to learn firebending at some point and this could be my only chance to watch master's up close." Aang said
"I guess we could go check it out." Katara said
"This is a bad idea." I said
"What? You wanna walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired-up with their…you know, fire?" Sokka asked
Katara heads towards Appa.
"We'll wear disguises and if it looks like trouble, we'll leave." Katara said
"(not convinced) Yeah. Because we always leave before we got into trouble." Sokka said sarcastically
"(to Appa and Momo) You guys stay out of sight here while we go to the festival. (to Katara, Sokka, and I) Ready disguises." Aang said
Sokka and Katara put on their black cloaks while Aang pulls his orange shawl over his head with a smile on his face making him look ridiculous, while I on the other hand actually put on a fire nation outfit.
"It's like you're a whole different person…" Sokka said sarcastically
Katara and I both giggle.
"Let's go." Aang said
We head towards the festival once we arrive we see that everyone is wearing a mask.
"I think we need some new disguises." Katara said
"Where are we gonna get masks like that?" Sokka asked
"Get you genuine Fire Festival masks here." a mask dealer yells
"That was surprisingly easy." Sokka said
We each choose a mask. Katara chooses a lady with makeup, Sokka a blue smiling mask with petals around the rim, I choose a white mask with red around the eyes, and Aang who Chooses a red mask with a frown on it. Katara removes Sokka's mask, revealing him to be frowning, and Aang's mask, revealing him to be the one smiling. She places Sokka's original mask over Aang's face and Aang's over Sokka.
"Hey, there's some food." Aang said
"Finally! (to the shop keeper) What do you have?" Sokka asked
"Flaming fire flakes! Best in town." the shop keeper said
"I'll take'em." Sokka said
"Sokka I wouldn't." I said
But as usually Sokka doesn't listen. He gobbles them down, but has a spasm from the spiciness.
"Aaahhh! Hot! Hot!" Sokka said
"They are called "flaming fire flakes", for a reason. Plus they aren't even that hot." I said
Sokka gives me the Flaming Fire Flakes. I eat them, and nothing happens.
"How come she didn't freak out?" Sokka asked
"Because I'm me." I said
Sokka was about to say something but Aang beat him to it.
"Hey, look at this." Aang said
We walk over and see a puppet show.
"Don't warry loyal citizens! No one can surprise the Fire Lord." the puppet fire lord said
A Earth Kingdom general puppet pops up behind the Fire Lord's puppet, with a rock ready to attack.
"Oh no. Look out." the fire nation kids yell
The puppet breaths fire, burning the other puppet.
Aang turns and starts to walk away.
"Aang, hold on where are we going?" Katara asked
"I don't know, but there's a big crowd so it must be good." Aang said
"Knowing the Fire Nation, it's probably an execution." Sokka said sarcastically
We walk closer to the stage, which has four thin pillars with fire basins at their tops. The performer is a firebender who is manipulating fire for the crowd's delight. He concludes by extinguishing his fire and producing a small flock of white birds who fly off the stage.
"I gotta learn that trick." Aang said
"Thank you. For my next trick I need a volunteer from the audience." the performer said
Aang raises his hand and starts waving it.
"Oh! Oh! Me! Me!" Aang said
"What do you think you're doing?" Sokka asked
"I want to get a closer look." Aang said
"It's better that we don't attract any attention to ourselves." Katara said
The performer points at Katara.
"How about you, little lady?" the performer said
The performer points at Katara, she backs away and shakes her head.
"Uh." Katara said
"Aww, she's shy. Let's give her some encouragement, folks." the performer said
Someone from the audience pushes Katara over to the edge of the stage where the Performer grabs her and hauls her up.
"Awww. That could'a been me." Aang said
The performer, is carrying a chair, ushers Katara to the center of the stage. Once he seats her on the chair.
"This next trick is called "Taming the Dragon." (to Katara) You will be my captured princess.
The performer ties her up with a maroon ribbon and begins to firebend a huge fire comet from the fires at the top of each pillar. He loops it close to Katara and back out. He seems to control it by a flame rope that connects its head to the performer's hand.
"Don't worry, young maiden. I will tame this fiery beast. (he plays with the fire comet for a bit more, then continues) it's too strong, I can't hold it." the performer said
"We gotta help her." Aang said
"No we don't it's part of the show." I said
"Plus, we don't want to make a scene." Sokka said
"The rope, it's breaking." the performer said
The tope breaks and the comet charges right for Katara, who cringes and cries out. Aang airbends himself up and on to the stage, Sokka, a masked man and I fail to restrain him. Aang lands in front of Katara, he turns and creates a whirlwind that dissipates the comet in with a shower of confetti.
"Hey, you tryin' to upstage me, kid?" the performer asked
Aang watches as the confetti rain down on the stage. The crowd starts to boo him. Aang tries to amuse them a lame dance while Sokka unties Katara.
"Hey! That kid's the Avatar!" an audience member yells
Aang freezes, a look of horror on his face. Three Fire Nation guards who turn to face Aang, at the mention of the word Avatar. The guards begin muscling through the crowd to the stage.
"I think it's time to go." Sokka said
"Follow me! I can get ya outta here." a man said
We run behind the stage to see a broken wall. The masked man waves to us, we follow him.
"There they are." We hear a guard yell
We run through the broken wall just as the guards burst onstage. The masked man throws a smoke bomb at the guards feet, obscuring the view. We run through the square and alleys.
"Over there." a different guard yells
"I'm calling Appa." Aang said
Aang pulls out his bison whistle and blows it.
"I hope he can really hear that bison whistle." Sokka said
"(turning into an alley) This way. (it's a dead end) Okay! Not this way!" the masked man said
We turn but the exit is blocked by guards. The masked man throws another exploding smoke bomb and then we run past them into another alley. This one is a dead end as well. It ends in a high wall, on the other side is a huge supply dump of fireworks. I look up to see Appa.
"Appa! Down here!" Aang said
Appa lands between the kids and the guards, with his tail facing the guards, with his tail facing the guards. Appa flaps his beaver like tail on the ground and the gale that results blows the guards out of the alley to land in a confused heap some distance away. As the guards run back into the alley, we are already airborne. The masked man bites the top off some kind of bomb like object, whose fuse is now lit. he throws it at the fireworks supply and it blows up in an awesome display of colors and sounds. The masked man removes his hood.
"Nice touch setting off the fireworks." Aang said
"You seem to really know your explosives." Sokka said
"I'm familiar." the man said
"You're a fire Nation soldier." I said
"Was. My name's Chey." Chey said
- - - - - Time Skip - - - - -
We landed and set up a small camp.
"I serve a man. More than a man really, he a myth, but he's real, a living legend, Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general, or wait, was he an admiral?" Chey asked
"He was very highly ranked, we get it." Sokka said
"Yeh! Way up there! But he couldn't take the madness any more. He's the first person ever to leave the army - an live, I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. That's okay though. Jeong Jeong's a firebending genius. Some say he's mad - but he's not! He's enlightened." Chey said
"You mean there's a firebender out there who's not with the Fire Lord? We've gotta go see him! He can train me!" Aang said
I grabbed Aang wrist and pulled him back down.
"No you don't. You cannot learn fire till you learn water and earth." I said
"We're not gonna go find some crazy firebender." Sokka said
"(Stands up) he's not crazy! He's a genius! And he's the perfect person to train the Avatar! That's why I followed you to the festival." Chey said
"Look, thanks for the help, but we're leaving for the North Pole in the morning." Sokka said
"Sokka's right, Aang. You need to learn water bending." I said
"Sokka, Kida, this could be my only chance to meet a firebending master who would actually be willing to teach me." Aang said
"It can't hurt just to talk to him." Katara said
"With your guys history yes it will." I said
"That's what you said about going to the festival! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me or Kida!?" Sokka yells
He stands up and turns to stalk away from us, but almost runs right into a spear. In less than a second we are surrounded by men wearing straw hats and armor and wielding spears.
We are lead through the forest by the rebels. Appa following behind us.
"Jeong Jeong told you not to look for the Avatar!" one of the rebels said
"Hold on, you know these guys!?" Sokka asked
"Oh yeh! Lin Yi's an old buddy! Right Lin Yi?" Chey asked
"Shut up! Keep moving." Lin Yi said
We continue walking. I don't know how long we walked, but it was for a while. We walk down a hill and see a little shack.
"Go on. He sees you only." Lin Yi said
"Oh that's okay, we can chat later." Chey said
"Is that where Jeong Jeong is? I need to talk to him right away." Aang said
Aang begins to walk forward but I freeze his feet so he can't move. Aang looks down at his feet, then up at me.
"Kida let me go." Aang said
"(to Aang) No! you wait there. (pushes Chey forward) Go now." Lin Yi said
"Don't worry! Everything'll be fine. He's a great man, great man." Chey said
Chey walks towards Jeong Jeong's hut. Once Chey is in Jeong Jeong's thut I unfreeze Aang's feet.
"Come on let's get some sleep." Katara said
We nod are heads Lin Yi shows where we can make camp. It doesn't take us long to set up or fall asleep.
I am woken up by Aang who is talking. I open my eyes to see Chey.
"What happened? Can I see Jeong Jeong now?" Aang asked
"(sits down glumly) He won't see you. He's very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately." Chey said
"(getting up on his elbows) Finally! Let's hit the road." Sokka said
"Why won't he see me?" Aang asked
"He says you're not ready. Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet." Chey said
"Sounds like something I've been saying all day, and most of the night." I said
"Wait, how does he know that?" Aang asked
"He saw the way you walked into camp. He can tell." Chey said
"I'm going anyway." Aang said
Aang gets up and walks towards Jeong Jeong's hut. I get up and follow after him.
"Aang don't go in there. You'll just make things worse." I said
"I'm going in." Aang said
Aang walks in. I stand outside.
"Get out." Jeong Jeong said
"Master, I need to learn firebending." Aang said
"Only a fool seeks his own destruction." Jeong Jeong said
"I'm the Avatar. It's my destiny to…" Aang said
"Destiny? What would a boy know of destiny? If a fish lives its whole life in this river, does he know the river's destiny? No! Only that it runs on and on out of his control. He may follow where it flows, but he cannot see the end. He cannot imagine the ocean." Jeong Jeong said
"Okay, but it's the Avatar's duty to master all of the bending disciplines." Aang said
"To master he bending disciplines, you must first master discipline itself. But you have no interest in this, so I have no interest in you. Now, get out." Jeong Jeong said
"Please, I have to learn. This could be my only chance." Aang said
"(turns around to face Aang in anger) Are you deaf! How can I teach you if you refuse to listen? Before learning firebending you must learn water and earth. Water is cool and soothing, earth is steady and stable, but fire, fire is alive. It breathes, it grows, without a bender, a rock will not throw itself. But fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it. That is its destiny. You are not ready. You are too weak." Jeong Jeong said
I look through a small opening to see that at the final pronouncement the candles flame up around Jeong Jeong to illuminate the entire tent. The flames then go out, the hut is dark. I see one candle is lit in front of Jeong Jeong. The other candles have disappeared. In front of Jeong Jeong stands Avatar Roku.
"You think I am weak?" Avatar Roku asked
"Avatar Roku! No! No! I did not mean that." Jeong Jeong said
"I have mastered the elements a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes. Now, I must do it once again. You will teach the Avatar firebending." Avatar Roku said
The candle in front of Jeong Jeong goes out. A few seconds pass before the hut becomes lite again and sitting where Avatar Roku was is Aang.
"Yes, yes, I will teach you." Jeong Jeong said
"Really? That's great." Aang said
"Ughhhhh." Jeong Jeong said
- - - - - Time Skip - - - - -
It's the morning now. Sokka is sitting on a boulder by the river, Fishing. Katara is down river a little practicing her waterbending. I am just sitting on the edge of the river practicing making my ice move. I look over towards the hut to see Aang and Jeong Jeong. Aang stands, bandy legged, on a flat stone in the river. Jeong Jeong stands a foot or two away on the back.
"Widen your stance. (Aang complies.) Wider! Bend your knees. Now, concentrate. (Aang takes on an expression of concentration.) good, good." Jeong Jeong said
Jeong Jeong begins to walk away.
"Wait. What do I do now?" Aang asked
"(Whipping around, Katara, Sokka, and I visible in the background) Silence. Talking is not concentrating. Look at your friends, are they talking? (points to Sokka) Even the oaf knows to concentrate on what he's doing." Jeong Jeong said
"Hey." Sokka yells from afar
"But what am I concentrating on?" Aang asked
"Feel the heat of sun. It is the greatest source of fire. Yet, it id in complete balance with nature." Jeong Jeong said
Aang looks at the sun then turns around back to Jeong Jeong, a large smile on his face.
"So when do I get to make some fire?" Aang asked
"Concentrate!" Jeong Jeong yelled
I could see Aang breath in deeply, and then flush in embarrassment at hearing Katara and Sokka laughing. A few minutes pass before Jeong Jeong comes to get Aang. They walk away from us. I go back to playing with my ice. I was working on making it move without using my hands, I was getting better at it.
A few more minutes pass before I see Jeong Jeong comes back down, and walks into his hut. A good 2 hours pass before Aang comes back. I was the closet to the hut so I could hear everything that was going on.
"What are you doing here!? I did not tell you to stop." Jeong Jeong yells
"I've been breathing for hours." Aang said
"You want to stop breathing?" Jeong Jeong asked
"I want you to stop wasting my time! I already know how to squat and breathe and feel the sun. I want to know how to shoot fire out of my fingertips." Aang yells
"Ughhhh. I had a pupil once who had no interest in learning discipline. He was only concerned with the power of fire - how he could use it to destroy his opponents and wipe out the obstacles in his path, but fire is a horrible burden to bear. Its nature is to consume and without control it destroys everything around it." Jeong Jeong said
A moment of silence passes.
"Learn restraint, or risk destroying yourself and everything you love." Jeong Jeong said
Aang gets up and exits the tent. He walks away. I get up and walk into Jeong Jeong's hut
"You shouldn't be so hard on him." I said
"Who are you?" Jeong Jeong asked
"Kida." I said
Jeong Jeong nods his head.
"You know fire isn't the only element that can be destructive." I said
"Really? How is water destructive?" Jeong Jeong asked
"You can make a wave and flood a city, you can freeze someone in ice, and then there is water in the body." I said
"Earth?" Jeong Jeong asked
"Earthquakes, opening up the earth and letting swallow up people." I said
"Air?" Jeong Jeong asked
"You need air to breath simply stop the air flow." I said
"I never thought about it like that." Jeong Jeong said
"I thought the same way you did till I meet a firebender who didn't view fire as destruction, but something else." I said
"Who was this firebender?" Jeong Jeong asked
"I think you now him. The Dragon of the West." I said
"Iroh." Jeong Jeong said
"Yes. Like I said when I first came in. Don't be so hard on him. He's 100 hundreds behind where he should be. I know he doesn't listen and he doesn't consternate but he needs to learn this lesson." I said
"How old are you?" Jeong Jeong asked
"13. But I've grown up fast. Since finding Aang I have seen two of the three sides of this war. I've met a fortuneteller who actually knew something, I saw your conversation with Roku. I'm just a little different." I said
"I can tell. Just how different?" Jeong Jeong asked
I looked at him for a second I thought about what Aunt Wu has said. I held my hands out in front of me, palms facing up. I closed each hand and when I opened them I had ice in one hand and my white fire in the other. Jeong Jeong looked at me in surprise. I closed my hands and the ice and fire disappeared.
"You're the girl." Jeong Jeong said
"That's what they keep telling me." I said
Jeong Jeong nodded his head.
"Just remember what I said about Aang." I said
I walked out of Jeong Jeong's hut, and went to find Aang. I found him sitting on a stone by the river bank. I sat down next to him.
"You need to remember that fire is dangerous thing, it can burn and it can kill." I said
Aang nodded his head. A few moments passed Jeong Jeong walked over to us.
"I thought about what you said. I promise I'll be more patient." Aang said
"We're going to work with fire now." Jeong Jeong
"Oh yeh!" Aang said
Aang immediately explodes in excitement. He airbends himself in a few quick loops in the air, then freezes, remembering his promise. He lands back on the stone, puts his hands behind his back and puts a serious expression on her face.
"I mean, let us begin." Aang said
I started to laugh. Jeong Jeong catches one of the falling leaves in his left hand. He holds it between his thumbs and forefinger. He burns a tiny hole in it at the point of contact.
"Concentrate on the fire. I want you to keep this flame from reaching the edges of the leaf for as long as you can." Jeong Jeong said
The hole is spreading with the flame even as Aang assumes his stance and begins to concentrate. One of Jeong Jeong's rebels coming running up to us.
"Master. There is trouble." The Rebel said
"What's going on?" Aang asked
"Concentrate on your leaf." Jeong Jeong said
Jeong Jeong leaves with the rebel. I walk towards Katara who is by the river.
"This is the worst firebending instruction ever. All he does is leave me alone for hours to concentrate or breathe." Aang said
"I'm sure there's a good reason." Katara said
"But I'm ready to do so much more." Aang said
"No you are not." I said
Aang doesn't listen to me. His face lights up. He widens his stance, he starts to breathe. He still holds the leaf, which begins to smoke, the leaf bursts into flame and disintegrates. Aang is now holding a fireball in his hand.
"I did it! I made fire." Aang said
Katara and I take a step closer to him.
"Aang, that great, but you should take it slow." Katara said
Aang face gets annoyed look on it at the comment, the flame instantly gets bigger.
"Aang the fire is connected to your emotions, be careful." I said
Aang retains control and reduces the flame to its former size, but not before almost falling into the river.
"Now that's firebending." Aang said
Aang then shoots a whip of flame, and then begins to juggle his ball of flame happily.
"Aang, you'll hurt yourself." Katara said
"Wonder how that juggler did it?" Aang asked
Aang loops the ball around him. It begins a complete circle around him and pushes it outward. I can feel the heat from the flames, I can see the shockwave of the flame. Katara raises her hands to cover her face, I was closer to him didn't have the chance to heat up or cover my face. We both cry out in pain. Katara with her hands burned, and me with a burn across my throat. I pull my hands up to my throat. I raise my body temperature in hopes that the burn won't be too bad.
"Katara! Kida! I'm so sorry!" Aang said
"Katara, Kida what's wrong? (to Aang) What did you do?" Sokka asked
"It was an accident! I was…Katara, Kida, I'm so -" Aang said
I looked up to see Sokka tackle Aang to the ground just as he was going to touch Katara.
"I told you, Kida told you that you shouldn't mess around with this. Look what you did! You burned my sisters!" Sokka yells
Katara gets up and runs off. I am still on the ground trying to breath I was having a hard time. Sokka gets off Aang and moves over to me.
"You burned my sisters!" Sokka said
I see Jeong Jeong walking up towards us.
"This is all your fault." Sokka said
"I know. Now pack your things. You must leave immediately." Jeong Jeong said
"I'm sorry, I didn't… I'm sorry." Aang said
Jeong Jeong kneeled in front of me.
"Where were you burned?" Jeong Jeong asked
I didn't answer him I just moved my hands. He looked at it, he went to touch the burn but I pulled back.
"Come on let's go find your sister." Jeong Jeong said
I stand up and stand by Jeong Jeong. Aang looks at us, Jeong Jeong has walked over to him. He looks implacable. He turns and walks away with me following behind him. We leave Aang alone. We find Katara crying by the river bank. She looks at her hands, then she puts them in the water. I see her hands glow white underneath the water. She raises them out and they stop glowing. When she raises them out they are no longer glowing, and the burns are gone.
Jeong Jeong moves over to her.
"You have healing abilities. The great benders of the water tribe sometimes have this ability. (he sits next to her) I've always wished I were blessed like you - free from this burning curse." Jeong Jeong said
"But you're a great master. You have powers I'll never know." Katara said
"Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart. But someone pointed out to me that all of the elements can just as savage as fire." Jeong Jeong said
Suddenly the water in front of us is blasted with gouts of flames. Jeong Jeong rises quickly to a defensive bending stance and breaks the flame that wash over us. When it clears we can see Zhao and some riverboats bearing down on us.
"Go get you friends and flee." Jeong Jeong said
I went to follow Katara, but a fire blast that hit right next to me stopped me.
"Not so fast Kida." Zhao said
Katara stopped and looked at me, I nodded my head, she nodded hers and left. I turn and look at Zhao. Jeong Jeong starts to shoot fireballs at him. The land harmlessly all around him. With a few powerful motions, produces an awesome wall of fire perhaps a hundred feet across the entire river in front of the ships.
"Don't worry, men. My old teacher gave up fighting a long time ago." Zhao said
Zhao parts the wall just enough for him to walk through.
"Master Jeong Jeong. Kida." Zhao said
Jeong Jeong drops the wall of fire.
"Look at you. You were once so great. I can't believe my former master has become nothing more than a simple savage." Zhao said
"It is you who have embraced savagery, Zhao." Jeong Jeong said
"It's Admiral Zhao, now." Zhao said
"That title will not help you against the Avatar or this girl. Do not try to fight them! You are no match!" Jeong Jeong said
"I think I can handle some children." Zhao said
"I have never seen such raw power." Jeong Jeong said
"Jeong Jeong. Kida." I hear Aang yell
"We'll see. Men! Take the deserter and the girl." Zhao said
I looked at Jeong Jeong, then over at Aang. I close my eyes, and think about my fire taking the shape of a person. I open my eyes and there stands five figures made completely out of fire. I looked at the five guards that had got off the boats. I flicked my wrist and my fire figures went to work. I looked at Jeong Jeong.
"Go." I said
When I said that it came out broken and cracked and made my throat hurt. Jeong Jeong nodded. He surrounded himself in a massive ball of flame, and when it dissipated he was gone. Zhao's men were still busy with my fire figures. Zhao looks over at with wide eyes, but then looks at Aang.
"Let's find out what my old master has taught you." Zhao said
"YOU were Jeong Jeong's student?" Aang said
"Until I got bored." Zhao said
Zhao launches a fireball at Aang, who dodges that and another.
"I see he taught you how to duck and run like a coward. But I doubt he showed you what a firebender is truly capable of." Zhao said
"If I wanted to see what a true firebender is cable of I look over at Kida." Aang said
He launches another fireball at Aang. It flies over Aang's head as he produces a flat, spinning whirlwind of air underneath him and balances himself on top of it with one finger.
"Whoa! Wild shot!" Aang said
"I'll show you wild!" Zhao said
He fires several more volleys which Aang either dodges or breaks with airbends. Zhao's blasts have torched much of the surrounding forest and the sky fills with smoke.
"No selfcontrol…" I hear Aang whisper
I see Aang look over to the boats.
"Stand and fight, Avatar!" Zhao yells
"Oh, were we fighting? I thought you were just getting warmed up." Aang said
"I was!" Zhao said
Zhao fires many more fire balls, all of which miss.
"Is that all you got? Man, they'll make anyone an admiral these days!" Aang said
Zhao launches another errant fire blast with a dreadful noise of frustration. Aang airbends himself up onto one of the ships.
"Ahoy!" Aang said
Aang thin sticks his butt out at the admiral and wiggles it. I laugh then start to cough due to my throat being burned.
"I'm Admiral Zhao." Aang said
Zhao looks angry and then makes another noise of frustration. He jumps up onto the main deck and launches a blast of fire. It sets the bridge on fire, but Aang jumps off unharmed. He then jumps to the next boat.
"I don't know why, but I thought you'd be better than Zuko. But then Kida told me about how you lost to him." Aang said
Aang looks disappointed when he says this and hangs his arms by his sides, letting them dangle. His eyes go wide and he falls flat on the deck fast, though, as well of fire passes over him. Zhao is visible through it on the deck of the first ship. He has just blasted a hole through the guard rail of both ships with the wall of fire Aang just avoided.
I heard a noise, I looked over the my fire figures.
"Finish it." I said
The fire figures nodded their heads, and quickly knock out the guards they were fighting. I snapped my fingers and the fire figures disappeared.
"Sloppy. Very sloppy." Aang said
Zhao makes a cry of frustration, Zhao follows Aang around the boats, spreading fire each of them on his vain effort to get Aang. I see Aang hide behind one of the deck cabins. Zhao lands behind him, however, having jumped down from the top of the deck cabin. Aang turns to face him.
"Nowhere to run now, you little smart mouth." Zhao said
Zhao launches a fire bolt, which Aang dodges by flipping over Zhao's head to land behind him. The bridge of the third and last ship is now on fire.
"You've lost this battle." Aang said
Aang airbends himself into the air as Zhao sets fire to the third ship's prow.
"Are you crazy? You haven't thrown a single blow!" Zhao said
"No, but you have." Aang said
Zhao looks to his left and grimaces. The first boat is sinking fast into the river.
"Jeong Jeong said you had no restraint." Aang said
Aang hops off the prow of the third ship, and lands next to me. Zhao screams in frustration, the two remaining ships which continue to burn.
"Have a nice walk home!" Aang said
"Aang, Kida, come on." Sokka yells.
Aang and I ran over to them. We get over to them and climb onto Appa. Once we are on him we take off.
"Wait! Where's Jeong Jeong?" Aang asked
"He disappeared. They all did." Sokka said
We fly over Jeong Jeong's compound to see it empty.
"Aang, you're burned." Katara said
Both Aang and I look to where she is looking to see that she is right. His sleeve is torn open and there is a burn.
"Let me help you, Aang. Then I help Kida." Katara said
She opens her water skin, and wraps some water around her hand. It glows white again. She places it over the burned area, breathes and concentrates. When she lets go the wound is healed.
"Wow! That's some good water." Aang said
"When did you learn how to do that?" Sokka asked
"I guess I always knew." Katara said
"Oh… well then thanks for all the first aid over the years. Like when I fell into the grease briar bramble and that time I had two fish hooks in my thumb!" Sokka said
"Two?" Aang asked
"He tried to get the first fish hook out with another fish hook." I said in a broken voice.
They all looked at me.
"Let me heal you." Katara said
She did what she did before. But when she pulled her hand away it was still burned.
"Why did it not work?" Sokka asked
"Because we waited too long." Katara said
"Don't worry my throat does feel a little better, and I don't' sound so bad." I said
My voice cracked twice but I no longer sound as weird.
"Oh, and the time that big snake bit me! Thanks for healing that up. That was great. Really helpful" Sokka said
We smiled because we knew he was trying to lighten the mood. I moved to the back of the saddle. Once I was back there I moved my hand up to my neck. The burn was no longer hot, but I could feel the difference.
