"Why would you let her go alone?" Aang snarled through his gritted teeth. He had a death-grip on his staff, giving Toph and Zuko a look that he meant business.
"It's Katara," said Toph obviously. "She can take care of herself. Besides, she wasn't alone. Jet went with her; I told you that."
"Jet's unarmed," Zuko reminded in an urgent whisper.
"Do you want to make him explode?" Toph hissed at him. Zuko remained silent. "Then I suggest you shut up."
They all stood beneath the cover of trees, Zuko lighting their way with a large flame that flickered in his hand. There were a little less than one hundred cloth dolls all around them in the grass. There was also a net that had clearly been cut open. Zuko frowned and bent over to pick a doll up.
Aang stopped him with a single hand. "They're traps."
"I want to know what that big thing was," said Toph, hawking up some phlegm (much to the disgust of Zuko). "I felt it move...It must have been enormous!" She spat on the ground.
"You're disgusting," Zuko told her, his face simply appalled.
Toph smiled. "Why thank you." She snorted once more and, with extreme care, projected a surprisingly large amount of yellowish mucus onto Zuko's ornate slipper. In response, he roared in fury and practically fell over, his arms whirring like a windmill to keep himself steady.
"You two are going to get us all killed," Aang hissed from where he crouched over a spot in the mud that contained a rather large and unusual footprint. "While you guys are fooling around, Katara could be..." He stopped and shook his head. "They could be dead for all we know. Now come and help me...Be careful to avoid those dolls."
Zuko did as Aang instructed and picked his way through the minefield, holding his flaming hand high above him to get a good look. Toph, however, snorted in laughter and with a small kick in the dirt, the dolls were sent flying...nets and all. There was a large hill of land in front of her and she carelessly flicked her hands and smoothed it out.
"Huh," said Aang, frowning because he hadn't thought of that. "Nice work."
"Yeah, I know," said Toph, shrugging. "Let's go find them."
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"Where is she?" Ty Lee demanded as June coolly leaned against the Shirshu.
"Where's who?" Jet asked innocently, a smile playing at his lips.
"Don't give me crap," said Ty Lee dangerously, though not looking dangerous at all in her flaming pink attire.
"Boy, wouldn't that be unpleasant," said Jet, trying to keep his face straight.
"I'm serious," said Ty Lee in exasperation. "Where is Azula?"
"I couldn't say exactly," said Jet, sighing dramatically. "Seeing as I'm here, and I don't know where here is, I couldn't say where they are. Do you get my problem?"
Ty Lee tweaked his ear in frustration.
"Ow!" Jet cried, pulling away. "Why'd you do that for?"
"I bet they're circling us now," said Ty Lee, ignoring him and crossing her arms, "ready to attack."
"Stop being paranoid," June called lazily. "They aren't that smart. I mean, they did get caught in our traps set by those stupid dolls. Speaking of which, where did you get all of those things?"
Ty Lee blushed, not wanting to admit that she kept her entire doll collection onboard her private ship. "Just found them," she shrugged, ducking her head so June couldn't see her face.
"Yeah, we're all stupid," said Jet sardonically, "and we're not worth your trouble. So can we go?"
"No," said Ty Lee, twirling her braid around her finger. "We all want to know where Azula is and I know that you know!"
"What?" Jet asked, puzzled.
"Tell me, damn it!" Ty Lee cried. "I'm going to knife it out of you sooner or later. You might as well make it sooner. Trust me; I always get what I want."
"And if I still refuse?" inquired Jet, the corners of his lips quirking up in amusement.
"I guess I'll just have to try harder," said Ty Lee, smirking. "Let me see...What's your biggest weakness?" Her eyes slid over to Katara as she tapped her index finger against her chin.
"Don't look at me," said Katara, holding up her hands in defense. Then she added, "Though you could try tickling him."
"I thought you were on my side," said Jet darkly as Ty Lee glanced at him in thought. "Don't even think about it," Jet warned, though he cracked a smile. "You'll be dead before you realize your mistake."
"Ooh, I know," said Katara suddenly. "Why don't you kiss him? That'll gross him out!"
"Ugh, no!" said Jet, covering his face with his tied-up hands.
Ty Lee smiled. "Katara, you aren't as stupid as you look. Perhaps you're on to something." She gracefully skipped over to where Jet lay cowering pitifully. He tried to struggle away from her, but she quickly jabbed him in various pressure points and he fell limp. She pulled his hands away from his face and smiled at him. "This is your last chance," she sang, her mouth curving in laughter. "Either tell me where Azula is or face mortal embarrassment."
"Mortal embarrassment for you, maybe," Jet managed to mutter as Ty Lee's lips came dangerously close. "It's more like a joy ride for me." He smirked at her.
"Ugh!" she cried, rearing back and kicking him in the stomach. "You jerk!" He winced in pain, giving her a dirty look.
"I was only kidding," he told her. "Besides, Katara is the only girl for me."
Katara snorted. "Yeah right. You are a jerk."
"He tried to trick me!" Ty Lee exclaimed to June. "Can you believe that? He actually tried to trick me!"
"How unpredictable," said June dryly from her enormous beast. "Come on, Ty Lee...You have to admit, you aren't that hard to fool."
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As Ty Lee pouted, Katara tried to wriggle closer to the crackling fire to get a little more comfortable. She was preparing for a long and unpleasant night. That was when she heard something crack in the woods behind her. She managed to lift her head and roll over to see what had made the noise. A pale, slender nose protruded between the dark, shadowy bushes. Katara could see one eye clearly in the firelight. Gold.
Zuko silently motioned up above him with an index finger. Katara raised her eyes to the treetops. Aang crouched on an outcropping branch with one hand on his staff and the other on the tree. He remained still, his eyes focused on the campsite before him. Katara looked back at Zuko. He tilted his head to the left. Katara once more followed his directions and found Toph pressed up against the bark of a nearby tree. Her face was expressionless as she slowly lowered down to place a single hand on the ground. She was listening.
Katara returned to her previous position: staring into the fire. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Ty Lee sit next to June and two Fire Nation guards. Jet still was limp, unable to move. Katara managed to roll closer to him in order to frantically whisper their friend's arrival into his ear. His face remained blank as if he hadn't heard a word, though she knew he was frantically thinking of a way he could escape.
"What are we going to do?" Katara muttered, her lips barely touching his ear.
He slightly shook his head, biting his lip in thought. He didn't know.
Katara searched the trees around her. She was almost certain that Zuko, Aang, and Toph were the only ones who had come to rescue them. That would make three against four, considering that her and Jet weren't exactly in the position to fight.
Jet suddenly raised his head. "Are we going to get dinner, or what?" he demanded coyly from Ty Lee.
"You'll starve as long as we're around," said June before Ty Lee could speak.
"Please, tell me, and I'll give you some fish," said Ty Lee desperately, upside-down in a handstand. "Is Azula okay?"
"She's alive, if that's what you mean," said Jet, trying not to watch Aang as the monk crept through the treetops. Jet knew he had to keep Ty Lee and June distracted in order for Aang and the others to circle around undetected. He almost laughed as he realized that Ty Lee had been right to be paranoid.
Katara, meanwhile, edged slowly away. Zuko crouched just outside the light radiating from the fire. His face was obscured by shadows, his scar merely looking like a glow from the campfire. He watched her intently, silently beckoning her with a crook of his finger. Katara smiled in puzzlement as she remembered how it wasn't so long ago that Zuko had been chasing them or constantly trying to kill them. Look how much he's changed, she mused as she inched her way through the dirt, nervously glancing behind her to see if anyone was watching. Jet was doing his duty in keeping the two girls preoccupied with his coy remarks and wry humor, and the two guards had drifted off to sleep, their heads tilted back as they snored. She turned her own head back to Zuko. He still stooped between the trees, his face dreadfully serious. Katara smiled once more at him. His lips flickered as he gave her an inquiring look, cocking his head slightly to the side in what seemed like curiosity.
"What are you doing?" a voice came sharply, dragging her from her thoughts.
Katara and Zuko froze. A hand came down and grabbed Katara up by the back of her shirt. "Did you hear me? I asked what you were doing." It was June, judging by the long, sleek locks of black satin hair streaming over Katara's shoulder.
"I...uh...," said Katara nervously, glancing back to the bushes. Zuko was gone.
"What are you looking at?" June demanded suspiciously, following Katara's gaze.
"Nothing," said Katara quickly. "I just wanted to get away from the fire. It was too hot."
"Don't do that again," June warned. "I don't want to have to chase after your sorry ass in the middle of the night."
"Sorry," Katara apologized, though she meant none of it. "I just want a more comfortable spot...If you don't mind."
"Yeah, yeah...Whatever."
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Zuko's heart pounded as he pressed his back against the tree, his fingers digging into the bark. It took everything he had not to breathe too loudly...That had been way too close. He should have been keeping an eye on the rest of the camp rather than trying to interpret Katara's silent communication. To think! He had almost given them all away. Now he had to try and devise another plan to get Katara and Jet cut loose.
As Zuko thought, he slowly edge back around the tree to get a better look. To the right, the two guards were propped up against a few logs, drool dribbling down through their masks. That was when Zuko came up with an idea.
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Ty Lee's head shot up from where her eyes had been focused on scrutinizing Jet's laughing face. Something had stirred in the bushes. "What was that?" she asked, her voice quivering slightly. "Do you think it is them?"
"Calm down," June ordered as she turned to the snoozing firebenders. She kicked one in the shin, her boot clanking against the armor. "Hey, are you dunderheads going to get up or what?" They were instantly on their feet. She pointed at one. "You, go check it out." The guard obediently exited the small clearing to find the source of the noise. The rest of them waited, listening intently.
There sounded a large thunk and a small shout of surprise. There seemed to be a struggle somewhere amongst the trees. Ty Lee and June remained frozen, their ears perked up.
"What happened?" the other guard called. "Li Xang? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" came a muffled reply. "It was a platypus-bear! Scared me half to death, it did! It ran off down yonder." There was a scuffling sound and the cracking of underbrush. The guard stumbled back into the campsite, looking disheveled. "See?" he murmured. "Nothing to worry about."
"You sound pretty shaken up," said the other guard. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," the guard insisted in a quiet voice as he sat down by the campfire. From where Katara was sprawled out on the grass, it looked as if the guard was staring right at her...his eyes shining gold in the firelight.
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A/N: Ok, I know this was a relatively short chapter and I'm sure some of you are getting tired of me taking a week to update but...school has gotten in the way. Anywho, I plan to put up two more chapters this weekend. Hope you liked it. I have a lot of stuff planned for the upcoming chapters (dun dun dun) and, if you have any suggestions or ideas or whatnot, I would be happy to hear it.