.
Suddenly I See
Chapter Four
"Said there's a few things you should know,
We don't want you to see we come and we go; here today, gone tomorrow."
Sneak Attack
They hadn't been walking long when it happened. Toph had stopped him in his tracks, extending her arm before him in warning, and the pair of them had glanced around, listening intently. "We're being followed," was all she managed before they descended from above in the blink of an eye, landing all around the duo. There had to be at least a dozen of them in the surrounding area and she wouldn't have been surprised if there were even more waiting as 'back-up'. It was a real shame she couldn't feel vibrations as clearly when there were this any opponents.
Sokka stepped in front of her protectively, creating a barrier from the enemies to her. And what was the point in that? She was much strong then him. She could easily take out each and every one of them, ambush or not. Bring it on; this would be a piece of cake!
Or so she had thought.
Before she could slip into her usual fighting position, someone clamped their hand firmly over her mouth and dragged her back. Her eyes flew open both in shock and anger. How could they have sneaked up on her so easily? She hadn't sensed a thing, just like when she'd first fought Twinkle Toes all those years ago. What the hell were these guys; ninjas?
She kicked out, trying to free herself from his firm grasp, trying to land her feet back on the ground, the soft, safe earth that would return her sense of security. But he dragged her on her heels, blinding her almost completely from the swift movements that surrounded her. She could vaguely sense Sokka some feet away from her but there were so many attackers, so many broken vibrations, that she couldn't identify a single one separately. She couldn't believe she had been caught off guard like that! If only she wasn't so blind.
She bit down hard on his hand, earning a painful yelp from her captor and the freedom of her speech once again. She pulled roughly at his hand, keeping it far away from her mouth while she shouted out Sokka's name. Toph made sure to keep her voice clear, without that trace of fear lingering in it. She had no idea what good it would do; heck, calling for him could distract him from a fight and put him in even deeper danger! But what else could she do? She had been rendered helpless.
But his grip around her waist was tight and his grip only turned vice after her cry, so much so that she could feel a slight struggle with breathing begin. What was with that? She was being made weak by this. And she was not weak. This was just pathetic! Pull yourself together, Toph!
Sokka turned at the sound oh his name, eyes darting around in desperation for a glimpse of Toph amongst the sea of black. So far those around him hadn't moved an inch, only covered for the one that had seized Toph and disappeared. And just where to? He spun around, surveying those around him cautiously as he searched for her. They merely watched him, continuously unmoving, as if waiting. For a signal?
Dammit!
He was right in front of her! Why didn't the idiot notice? She tried to find a crack in the wall of warriors, trying to peer through them and catch Sokka's eye (not that she would know if she did but hey, it was worth a try). And she almost did, until she was dragged away and thrown against a tree trunk. Oi, that had hurt! And they'd covered her feet, the little bastards. She was completely helpless now. Sokka…
Another hand on her face. She tried to shrug the person off but hell were the persistent or what? "What do you want?" she snapped, venom dripping in her words, turning her had to the left in the direction the contact had come from. The reply, however, came from her right instead. The voice that spoke was raspy and sent shivers right up her spine.
"You're a friend of the Avatar. We could use you to our advantage."
Only now was she scared. Only now did he feel her heart begin to race rapidly in her chest, unusually faster than normal, uncomfortably faster than normal. Her breathing became unsteady but she masked it with slow and silent breaths, forcefully controlled while she attempted to remain calm, cool, collected. She felt him caress her cheek again and only now did she realise the great advantage that she was at. Only now did she realise that she was in real danger, and he wouldn't necessarily be hurt just physically.
"But I said you and me we don't have honesty, the things we don't want to speak.
I'll try to get out but I never will, this traffic is perfectly still."
.