Hi! It's me again, Sheep :) I am so glad for all the encouraging reviews from the first oneshot on Smellerbee. She is awesome.

Anyway, as promised, here is Longshot's turn. You will cry. Seriously, you'll be Niagra Falls when you're done and need forty thousand tissues.

Jet'll probably be next. Should I do the other Freedom Fighters like Sneers and The Duke? Let me know, I would love to hear what you guys would have to say.

Silence is Golden

Longshot was unique. He was gifted with archery and was clever. Another reason why he was unique was he was the only Freedom Fighter who didn't speak at all. Longshot wasn't born a mute, or had a disease in which his throat became incapable of making any noise.

He just didn't talk. Not a single word at all. He used his eyes, facial expressions and hand gestures to "talk". It was like playing a game of charades just to figure out what he was trying to say. The only person who could pass off as his translator was Smellerbee. Even Jet sometimes took a while to figure out what he was "saying".

He didn't want to be a burden to his fellow cohorts, but he had his reasons.

Silence is golden. It's the key to a painless death. That quote was what Longshot was taught when he was younger.

Too bad that same quote caused him to lose his parents, his will to speak and most of all: his prized bow and arrows.

--

"Katashi!" yelled a woman with her brown-gray hair in a neat bun.

Katashi was throwing rocks in the pond when he heard his mother call. He dropped them and ran to his mother.

"Yes, Mother?" he asked respectfully.

She smiled, early signs of wrinkles crossed her face.

"Your father and I have a surprise for you," she said, leading him into the small house that his father built. It was a good size, not too big or small and had a pond in the backyard. Katashi's own pond.

Katashi's mother led him into the main room, a very plain living room that was part dining room. She pulled out a blindfold and put it infront of Katashi's eyes.

"Mother, what are you doing?" he asked, curious why his mother was blinding him.

"It's a surprise, dear! Juki!" she called for Katashi's father, who he could hear coming through the door.

"So...how's the birthday boy?" Juki said with a big grin.

Katashi tried to take off his blindfold to see his father but to no avail. His mother had it on real tight. All heard for a couple minutes was shuffling of feet, and then he heard Juki carrying something because it hit the wall.

"Can I see?" asked the ten year old, eager to see his present.

"Now Katashi," his mother raised a finger, "your father and I saved a lot of money for this. Please take care of it well."

Juki untied the blindfold as it fell to the ground, revealing eyes that were astonished.

"It's...it's..." he was speechless with joy.

Juki and Katashi's mother grinned at each other and then faced the hyperventilating Katashi.

Katashi ran to his parents and hugged them with the biggest hug he ever did.

"I love it! I promise to keep it in perfect shape! You won't regret it!" Katashi cried for joy and took another glance at his birthday present.

His own bow and and a quiver filled with arrows. The bow was beautifully made from a strong wood and the arrows were crafted perfectly.

"Told you he'd like it more than the parrot-monkey," whispered Juki. Katashi's mother raised a brow.

"The bow and arrows were my idea, Juki," she placed her hand on her hip.

Juki laughed nervously.

"Right, Kita."

--

"Hey! Katashi! Stop shooting arrows in my watermelons!" yelled an elderly man in front of his watermelon cart.

Katashi was shooting arrows in the watermelons, and with each bulls-eye, his skill improved. It had been almost four years since he had gotten his bow and arrows as a birthday present. Over that time, he started to learn how to make handmade arrows, although not as good as the original.

"I'm getting better, no? Ya!" he yelled, as he shot another arrow, missing the watermelon merchant by a foot.

"Katashi! I'll tell your parents!"

He gulped and ran off the roof and landed on his feet. He raised his head, checking his surroundings.

"Katashi? Is that you?" asked a familiar voice.

Katashi turned around. He frowned. It was his father.

"Father, I can explain...I'm getting better and better! See?" he shot an arrow and it got stuck to a small piece of wood, a perfect bulls-eye.

Juki grinned.

"I see. However...you're not being cautious."

Katashi looked confused.

"Cautious?" he asked.

Juki placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Professional archers are swift and nimble, never making a sound. I admit...you are good, but you have one flaw," Juki explained.

"What is it?" Katashi asked.

"You are too noisy. If you were in the real deal, a Fire Nation soldier would barbeque you to a crisp. Archers must be silent."

Katashi didn't understand completely. Juki noticed his befuddled look.

"Here, let me show you. See that bird?" Juki pointed to a small bird on top of a roof.

"Yes?"

Juki whispered,

"Watch closely."

He creeped near the bird, stopping whenever the bird twitched. He continued to a good range and aimed the arrow at the bird. A soft pluck could be barely heard from the bow and the arrow sailed to the bird, killing it right on the spot.

Katashi was amazed.

Juki gave Katashi back his bow and quiver of arrows.

"Silence is golden. It's the key to a painless death," he explained and left him there, going to pick up the dead bird.

Katashi looked at his bow for a long time and muttered,

"Silence is golden."

--

His arrows burned when it hit the wall of fire. Screams could be heard from everywhere, people collapsing and dropping like flies, and children were left alone, crying for their mothers.

Katashi bit his lip. He had to stop the small army from attacking any further into his village. Most importantly, he had to find his mother and father. He ran, not looking behind him as the Fire Nation army advanced bit by bit. The stench of hate, eradication and death was billowing up in the air like dark smoke clouds. Smoke limited Katashi's view as he searched for his parents.

"Kaaa...Katashiiiii!"

Katashi heard the faint yell as he tried to come closer and closer. Inadvertantly, he tripped over something- or somebody- and let go of his bow. He got up, but his bow was gone. He tried to search for it, but it was futile. By now, it was either burning or it was lost for good. He bit his lip in frustration. He at least still had his quiver.

"Kaaaaaaatashi! My son!" yelled Juki.

He couldn't utter a word, a phrase, nothing. He just saw flames and people running here and there. He was knocked down by a person and fell to the bloody and debris covered ground, cutting his arm as he fell.

Rip!

Katashi felt his back. Something was wrong.

No quiver.

"Qui...ver," he said weakly, the smoke crawling up his nostrils and mouth. It was near the wall of fire and Katashi was willing his quiver to not catch fire.

"Katashi! Katashi!" Juki and Kita cried out.

The quiver was kicked into the hungry flames by accident of some panicking person. Katashi felt his eyes well up as his quiver burned, his first quiver. He got angrier and lifted himself off the ground and tried to stand up completely.

It was gone completely.

"...tashi! Ka-," yelled Kita, and Katashi heard no more from her.

What should I do? Is Mother...no! No!

Katashi sprinted, running on the last bits of energy he had left, pushing everyone or anything out of his way. He could hear more shouts, screams and shrieks and saw Fire Nation soldiers show no mercy. He ran on, trying to remember where his mother's voice was.

"Katashi! Katashi!" yelled Juki.

Katashi was in a predicament. To his left, there were two Fire Nation soldiers, surveying the village and looking for run away people and survivors. To the right of him, Juki was yelling for his son. If Katashi yelled back, the two Fire Nation soldiers would kill him. He couldn't utter anything/

"My son!"

Katashi dropped to his knees and looked down in shame. His own father was looking for him and all he was doing was being a coward and avoiding the two Fire Nation soldiers. He ran to a small hole and squeezed in there, observing the pain and mass killings from his small shelter, wiping his eyes and trying to not breathe in the smoke.

He rememebered, unfortunately, the quote his father used months ago, before the Fire Nation attacked their village.

Silence is golden. It's the key to a painless death.

Sadly, his father was right.