Hello all! I would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit an OC. I never expected to get so many! I hope you enjoy my story.
~Fightingchance~
CHACHACHA
Kira steps out into the frigid air of what once home to the Northern Water Tribe, but has since become the Dark Avatar's stronghold. Kota, her brother, is standing in the middle of the street barking orders at the underlings and looking more than pleased with himself. Her stomach turns sour, nothing good can come of him being this happy. She takes in a deep breath and goes to greet him.
"Hello brother," she offers timidly. "What's going on here?"
He looks down at her as if being subject to her very presence is below him, but he can't resist the change to brag. "A thief was caught trying to steal our supplies, but of course I apprehended him," he tells her before adding spitefully, "it does not concern you."
Just one? Seems like a lot of trouble over one person, she wants to say, just to patronize him, but holds her tongue. He walks away from her before she can say anything anyway. The large palace gates suddenly open just big enough for the Dark Avatar to stride out of. A fearful stillness falls over the crowd as he looks over his subjects. Kota immediately kneels and though Kira wishes she had the gall to outwardly defy the Avatar she kneels too, as does everyone else in the vicinity.
The Avatar's current reincarnation is barely eighteen years old and has all the muscles of an earth bender, but the severity and cruelness always present in eyes overshadows anything that might have made him attractive. In truth, Kira wants to disappear back inside her house at the sight of him.
"Is there a reason you have all gathered outside my Palace?" the Avatar booms.
Of course it's Kota who speaks first. "I apologize for the uproar, Avatar, and it is a trivial matter, the thief was captured, nothing more."
"I will decide what is worth my time or not, boy." The Avatar hisses calmly and Kota blanches as if he'd been slapped physically not just with words. "Bring the prisoner forward!"
The thief is a young man older than Kira, but about the same age as Kota. His hair is short and messy, but even held by two thugs he seems genuinely unconcerned about everything. The man smirks as if he finds the whole situation funny. "My goal was simply to humbly spread chaos, Avatar, isn't that what you wanted?" No one says a word. "Well, apparently not. You know I'm just not sure how dedicated you are to bringing darkness and chaos to the world."
Kira can see the subtle hints that the Avatar is furious, there's just the slightest clench of a jaw. She wishes the idiot hadn't said that. "Do not speak to the Avatar that way!" Kota snarls and slaps the man's face so hard his head snaps back.
"Enough!" The Avatar orders. "If you cannot control your temper than remove yourself."
Kota bows apologetically. "Of course Avatar." He doesn't leave completely, though, he just goes to watch from the edges and nurse him injured pride.
"And you!" The Avatar says turning his attention back on the prisoner. "What is your name?"
That smirk returns to the man's face. "Li Xin."
"Well then, take Li Xin to the dungeons so he can be around to see what he inspired," the Avatar says darkly.
"Don't bite off more than you can chew just to impress me-"
"Get him out of my sight!" The Avatar roars.
Kira watches as they drag Li Xin away. He'd made enemies of both her brother and the Dark Avatar, but there's no doubt his time is running out. She's going to have work fast if she's going to save this one.
CHACHACHA
Pain shoots up Yara's arm as she peels herself off the ground. She moans, it's worse than anything she's ever felt before. She'd managed to wrestle free from the dark spirit's tentacle-like talons only to fall from a lethal height and crash into the ground. She's counting herself lucky, though, if she'd been in her body she'd be dead.
She looks around where she'd landed. The canopy of leaves overhead is so thick that no light can shine through, the only light is emitted by the eerie fruit which flow a dark orange.
The pain of getting to her feet makes her eyes water. She leans heavily against on the trunks holding her ribs then grinds her teeth and takes a step forward. She almost falls back to the ground. The invisible line that connects her to her body isn't there anymore, it's been severed somehow. She's going to have to wait until someone finds her. That isn't a very encouraging since most of the trips she's made looking for lost spirits weren't successful and then there's what happened to Don-Lee... She shakes the negative thoughts out of her head, she can handle this.
"Company?" She jumps at the sound.
The voice is shrill and squeaky and sets her nerves on edge. Fear squeezes at her heart so violently it makes her muscles twitch. She digs her nails into her palms. This place is just messing with her head. No big deal. She starts trembling despite herself.
"Company?" the little voice squeaks again.
Yara stays quiet willing her heartbeat to slow. "Food?" another of the voices answers.
More voices start up until there seem to be hundreds crying over each other. "Company?"
"Food."
The buzz of insect wings fills the forest. Then the first one latches on her arm and bites. "Food."
"Food? Food."
"Food."
More of the bugs start covering her skin and biting. She smacks at them, but any shred of bravado she had dissolves. She takes off in blind panic.
CHACHACHA
Both Aku and Creo are silent during the entire trek back to camp. More than a couple of times the boy had tripped and Creo had thought the kid was going to collapse in exhaustion but, somehow he'd always gotten back up. Yara remains a dead weight in his arms, he keeps hoping that she'll suddenly move; she never does. She must not be able to find her way back but, at least she's still alive. He'd checked again.
The kid stumbles over himself again. "Camp is just around that corner," Creo promises, breathing heavily, "just a little further okay?"
Aku doesn't answer. Sentries had spotted them and race out, which is a relief. They stop short when they realize it's Yara in Creo's arms.
"What happened?" someone asks but, Creo's beyond answering.
"Get Gran," he says quietly and one of the sentries rushes off.
The rest of the way goes by in a blur but, even once inside the camp Creo refuses to relinquish his sister's body to anyone else despite the never ending stream of voices telling him that he needs to sit down. Aku, however, does allow himself to be led off.
Gran is waiting outside her cave as he approaches. Her wrinkled face is set deep with worry and sadness, though it's always been that way. He follows her into the gloom. Most people stay away from this place, Creo included but, not Yara He forces himself to look straight ahead and not at any of the makeshift beds on the floor. It doesn't do him any good, though, he knows what's there. Aligned in neat rows are all the bodies belonging to the spirits lost in the Spirit World.
"Lay her down here," Gran orders as they come to an empty bed.
Creo does as she asks. The old woman already looks so tired from a day of searching but, she sits down and lays a gentle hand on Yara's forehead and then exhales deeply as her own spirit disappears into the Spirit World.
No one says so but, Creo knows there isn't much of a chance of finding Yara anytime soon. This is what hopelessness feels like. His mother races in then; she's always been such a quiet woman and when Creo looks up there's no trace of tears in her eyes, just grim determination.
CHACHACHA
Despite being a spirit the bugs had left nasty bites on her skin. What part of her had been spared the biting was now scratched raw from her headlong crash through the trees. The bugs had stopped their assault after a while but, every time she'd stopped to catch her breath something sends her off running again and again and again. She knows she should stay in one place so someone could find her but, she just can't.
She's been running forever. Exhaustion has begun to replace the fear and slow her down. She stops again. Every breath is agony against the ribs she'd injured in her fall. How long until she collapses in fatigue? A twig snaps. She takes off again, everything else forgotten.
Yara makes it maybe twenty feet before her legs give out and send her sprawling. She scrambles to turn and face the offender. She doesn't have the strength to flee which means she doesn't have the strength to fight either. Another wave of panic sweeps over her, she's finished.
It looks human to her decked out in black and dark-green clothing with a scarf tied around it's face so only a little bit of skin around the green eyes is visible. It studies her curiously, unsure what to make of her. Yara doesn't know what to make of it either. "Hello," it-he offers awkwardly, there's nothing obviously threatening in the tone.
"Hi," she says back warily.
She struggles her feet the adrenaline had worn off and now winces as the rugged pain from her fall demands her attention. He takes a step towards her. "Are you hurt?"
"Fine," she hisses glaring at him like he might bite her.
He takes another step towards her, she clenches her fists. "It's alright," he assures her and offers his hand.
It's like she's looking back on her encounter with Aku but, through Aku's eyes. If he really is trying to help her she'll seem like a scared half-wit if she doesn't take his hand but, what if he isn't just being nice? Then again, if he means her harm she's toast anyway. She takes his hand. He gently pulls her arm around his neck so she can lean on him for support. "I'm Yara, by the way," she says, trying to sound friendly.
"Burke," he tells her.