Ya'll ready for the first chapter? Awesome! A'ight, heeere we-. Oh shit, wait. Disclaimer! Sokka, you're doin' it today. My fingers are too tired.
Sokka: *mumbles*Slave driver.
Me: What was that, you Mexican?
Sokka: N-nothing. And I am not a Mexican!
Me: Sure you aren't. Just do the damn disclaimer.
Sokka: Goldeath doesn't own Avatar, but he wishes he did.
Me: Damn straight. Now on with the story!
Chapter 1: The Labyrinth Pt.1
I woke up for the third time tonight in a cold sweat. Looking around our makeshift camp, I blew out a long sigh. I had been traveling with Aang, Katara, and Sokka for a week now, and I had been having nightmares every night since I was rescued. It wasn't helping the insomnia I've had all my life, so might just give up on sleeping altogether... again. Suddenly, I heard a rustling next to me, and Katara got up, blinking sleep from her eyes. "Are you alright, Loki?" she asked me.
"I'm fine," I replied. "I'm gonna watch the camp for the rest of the night. Just go back to sleep- you need your rest."
Katara smiled. "Alright then," she said, and lied back down.
One white eye and one black eye watched the inky darkness around him until the sun rose.
"Aargh!" I shouted, spitting water out of my mouth.
"You know, you should stop trying to drown yourself and try to catch the fish with the spear," Katara laughed.
I blushed out of embarassment. Picking up the spear, I quickly stabbed three fish and brought them back to camp.
We were heading to Omashu so Aang and I could find an Earthbending teacher. Seeing as Omashu was one of the last Earthbending kingdoms (as well as Ba Sing Se), it would be the ideal place to find an master Earthbender.
As we were walking back, Katara asked me "Why do you need an Earthbending teacher? I thought only Aang could learn all 4 elements."
I wasn't comfortable answering that question fully yet, so I answered in a roundabout way. "I would like to try. After all," I grinned toothily. "I do view myself as special."
Katara smiled, and went to wake Katara and Aang. Putting the fish over the fire, I smiled. According to Aang, I would finally be able to see Bumi, my crazy old friend, again. To say I was excited was an understatement.
Aang walked out of his tent just as the fish were done cooking.
"Are you ready?" he asked, smiling. He looked towards the mountains, beyond which were Omashu. "We finally get to learn Earthbending."
"I've rarely seen you so excited, Aang. But don't let it get to your head. We still have to get through the mountains."
"What do you mean?" asked Aang. "We're going over them."
"That's not what they suggest," I said, pointing behind me. Aang peered over my shoulder, and recoiled instantly. "What the heck-?"
He finally realized that we had hippie musicians for company.
"Hey, don't blame us ," one of them said. He sounded like a stoner. "We just go where the wind takes us."
"Wind my-."
"Oh, hello," Katara said, coming up behind me and slapping me upside the head. Sokka walked out behind her, staring wide-eyed at the travelers. "How can we help you guys?"
"There's no way you can help them, Katara," I said bluntly.
"I agree with Loki," agreed Sokka. "They're too far gone."
"Shut up, both of you!" exclaimed Katara, while Aang and I laughed.
"Naw, man," the 'leader' said. "We just want to go through the mountains. Y'all can't go over 'em because the Fire Nation's waiting for people just like you, with their tankers and their blimps."
"Oh, then so do we! D'you want to come with us?" Aang asked.
"Hell no!" Sokka and I said in unison.
"Sure, man", the leader said, smiling widely.
Sokka facepalmed. "Damnit," I said. "Oh well, we tried."
Fifteen minutes later, we were at the entrance to the tunnels to Omashu.
"It's called the Tunnel of Two Lovers," the hippie musician said.
"Do I even want to know?" I asked.
Ignoring me, the hippie continued. "Legend says that there were two lovers ("Obviously," I grumbled) who used these tunnels to meet in secret. Anybody who was bold enough to follow them were trapped in the tunnels... forever!" He paused dramatically. "Only those who trust in love (I saw Aang secretly glance at Katara) will be able to get through."
"Well, that's not that... wait," I stopped, my suspiscion growing. "Did you just say tunnels?"
"Yeah, a labyrinth of tunnels," he said cheerily. "It's so they could never be found, ya know?"
Sokka nearly threw a fit. "What the hell? There's no way we're going-."
"Come on," Katara said, grabbing Sokka's ear and pulling him towards the tunnel. "Let's get going."
Aang and I looked at each other and shrugged, as everybody started into the giant cave.
And the first thing I noticed was that it was pitch-black.
I stood perfectly still while everybody around me stumbled around, searching for a wall. Suddenly, a fire flared up, and the hippie was seen holding a torch.
A heartbeat later, we heard a loud rumbling near the entrance of the tunnel. Rocks fell over the opening, but not before we saw Fire Nation tankers backing away. Well, at least we know where that problem came from.
Aang soon asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "How many of those torches do you have?"
"About ten. They each burn for about 2 hours so that makes about..." he paused for a couple of minutes. "Twenty hours total."
I snorted. "Took ya long enough. Alright, so we'll split 'em up. You guys," I said, pointing to the group of musicians "will take 4 torches, because y'all are the biggest group. Sokka, you go with them," I smiled at his priceless expression.
"Aang, you go with Katara," I said as Aang's face lit up "and I'll go alone. I'm not entirely defenseless, so I'll take care of myself."
Aang looked around. "Be careful everybody," he said. "We'll meet up at the end of the tunnel." He then turned with Katara and disappeared into the darkness.
Sokka sighed. "Oh well," he said. "Might as well get this shit over with." He gestured towards the musicians, and they also left.
"That's the spirit!" I yelled after him. He flipped me the bird.
I smiled. Turning around, I looked into the tunnel I was going into. "Oooh boy," I sighed, and I walked in.