Chapter 7: The Encounter
In an old Earth Kingdom tavern, the bounty hunter known as June was having the time of her life. The locals knew this tavern was her favorite place to get a drink after a successful hunt, and June was the bartender's favorite patron. Her favorite bar game was to arm wrestle random men, and the loser would have to take a shot of the bar's strongest liquor. June was only slightly buzzed when everyone else in the bar had either passed out or given up.
Ready to call it a night, June finished her last drink and paid her tab. As June was about to leave the door to the bar burst open. She saw a teenage girl in Fire Nation armor walk through the doorway, observing the drunken men passed out in the bar.
"You just missed Happy Hour," June said.
"I'm not here for a drink," the girl said. "I'm here for you."
"Really?" June said. "I prefer to know the names of potential clients."
"Azula," she answered. That single word shut up everyone in the bar, including the drunken mumblings of the passed out patrons.
"Well it's not every day that a princess asks for humble me," June said.
"I've heard about you," Azula said. "They say you can track down anyone a continent away with just something they own."
"They say correctly," June said.
"You're going to find someone for me," Azula said. She took a Water Tribe necklace out of her pocket and held it up in front of June.
"Breakup gift from your boyfriend?" June asked.
"Cute," Azula said. "I have reason to believe the owner may be traveling with the Avatar."
"Whatever you say," June said.
"Do this little favor, and I'll make it worth your while," Azula said.
"Deal," June said.
After the liberation of the earthbenders, the former prisoners freed Haru's home village from the Fire Nation. They had taken the soldiers by surprise in the middle of the night, and by morning the villagers were able to celebrate their freedom. Haru's mother was overjoyed to see her son and husband return safely. With peace in the village, the people welcomed Aang and his friends with open arms.
Tyro set up a training ground outside of the village to teach Aang earthbending. It was a plain of rock resting between four large hills, hidden from view of the village. He chose this spot to give Aang some privacy while learning earthbending, safe from embarrassment. Only people Aang wanted to watch the training would be allowed to be there.
Aang, Katara, Suki, and Haru arrived at the training ground together. While Haru already knew the techniques Tyro had planned, he wanted to go through it again just to be with his dad. They found Tyro earthbending two boulders out of the ground for the first lesson.
"So what move are you going to teach me first?" Aang asked. "Rockalanche? The Trembler? Oh maybe I can learn to make a whirlpool out of land?"
"One step at a time," Tyro said. "We'll get to those after you've learned the basics."
"Sounds good," Aang said.
"First thing for you to know is your stance," Tyro said. "You have to be steady and strong, like earth itself. To move it, you have to be just as stubborn as the rock."
"Okay got it," Aang said.
"Haru, please demonstrate by moving one of these boulders," Tyro said.
"Of course," Haru said. He stepped in front of one boulder and with a punching motion sent it sliding into a hillside.
"Now you try it," Tyro told Aang.
"I'm ready," Aang said. He repeated the moves Haru used, but instead of moving the boulder he slid backwards and into the opposite hillside.
"What went wrong?" Suki asked.
"Maybe there's another way?" Aang asked as he walked back to Tyro. "What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?"
"It doesn't work that way," Tyro said. "You need to take on the bulk head on, not avoid it like a bumblebee."
"Maybe Aang should try a different technique," Haru suggested.
"Alright, instead of moving rock, try to break rock," Tyro said. "Haru, put some distance between you and Aang, then earthbend a boulder towards him."
While Haru got into position Tyro showed Aang the stance to destroy a moving boulder. When Haru was fifty feet away he earthbended a boulder out of the ground and sent it at Aang. It took a minute to reach Aang, giving him enough time to get ready to stop it. But at the last moment Aang jumped out of the boulder's path, letting it crash into the hillside behind him.
"Again," Tyro said.
"What?" Aang asked.
"Try it again," Tyro said. "If you can't break down a rock you might as well let it do a knock out on you."
"I don't think I can do it," Aang said.
"Alright, take a break until you feel like trying again," Tyro said.
Meanwhile, Azula and June were riding the Shirshu Nyla, following Katara's scent to the Haru's home village. The beast barged through the gates of the village, taking the villagers by surprise. They weren't expecting an attack so soon after freeing the village, and didn't know how to defend against Nyla's paralyzing tongue. Within minutes everyone that tried to fight Nyla were either paralyzed or unconscious.
"We're getting close," June said. She whipped Nyla to get him moving again. Following the scent, the beast ran out of the village and headed for some hills in the distance. When it reached the hills Azula spotted Tyro teaching Haru advanced earthbending with Suki watching. Aang and Katara weren't in sight.
To Tyro it was obvious that the intruders were a threat. With earthbending he raised the ground beneath himself and Haru, lifting them out of harm's way. However the beast jumped and dug its claws into the rock and started climbing it.
Figures it's some kind of cliff jumper Tyro thought. He broke apart the side of the rock, sending the beast falling to the ground and sending its riders tumbling out of the saddle.
Azula got to her feet within seconds, then started shooting blue fire at Tyro and Haru. They were able to block most of the fire with rock walls. But they too distracted by Azula to notice Nyla climbing up the rock again. Once the beast reached the top it attacked with its tongue, hitting their backs and paralyzing them.
June found herself facing Suki, who was using her fans to block June's whip. Suki couldn't get close enough to attack, and could only block June's attacks. Taking a gamble, Suki threw one of her fans at June. It hit June's right hand, forcing her to drop the whip. Suki drew her katana and charged at June, swinging the katana when she got within range. June dodged the blade and grabbed Suki's wrist, then twisted it to make Suki drop the katana. Suki kicked June's legs to distract her long enough to get out of her grip, then readied herself for a fistfight.
Azula interrupted June and Suki's fight by sending a blue fireblast at Suki, forcing her to dodge. June retrieved her whip and used it to command Nyla to attack. Nyla ran towards Suki and attacked with its tongue and paralyzed Suki.
"What do want done with them?" June asked.
"Leave them," Azula said. "We still have prey to catch."
At a nearby pond, Aang and Katara were practicing waterbending. Katara was wearing her bathing suit and Aang in swimming trunks. Together they moved some of the water between them, taking turns bending the water. Katara used the privacy to try to help Aang overcome his problem with earthbending.
"You know this block of yours is only temporary," Katara said.
"I don't want to talk about it," Aang said.
"You do realize that's the problem don't you?" Katara asked. "If you face this issue instead of avoiding it…"
"I know," Aang interrupted, letting the water drop back into the pond. "I need to face it head on like a rock. But I just can't do it. I don't know why I can't, but I can't."
"Well earth is the opposite of air," Katara said. "You're working with your natural opposite. But I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"Thanks Katara," Aang said. "I think I'm ready to give it another try."
Suddenly they heard something moving towards them. In the distance was a shirshu, running directly towards Katara. As it approached the pond Katara bended all of the water into a single large wave and sent it at the shirshu. The beast was caught in the wave and slowed to a stop, allowing Katara and Aang to view the riders.
"So this is your boyfriend," June said. "He's a little young but a few years will fix that."
Azula sent a glare at June that would have killed if it were possible. "Just have your beast attack already," she ordered.
June whipped Nyla, commanding it to attack. Katara waterbended a shield to protect herself and Aang jumped out of the tongue's way. Azula send a blue fireblast at Aang, forcing him to dodge and land right in front of Nyla. The beast charged at Aang, who used airbending to lift it up and over him. Nyla landed on its side, tossing Azula and June out of the saddle.
Katara bended some water and wrapped it around Nyla's nose, then turned it into ice. It couldn't smell through the ice, rendering it blind. It charged towards Aang and Katara, but Aang stood his ground and used airbending to push the beast back. Nyla stumbled and charged in a different direction, unable to tell where it was going.
Despite managing to deal with the shirshu, Aang and Katara could relax just yet. Azula sent twin blue fireblasts at them, which were just barely blocked with waterbended shields. "Since when is fire blue?" Katara asked.
"No clue," Aang said. Then he sent a windblast at Azula which pushed her back a few feet. She retaliated with a fireblast that Aang had to disperse with airbending. While Aang blocked Azula charged a lightning blast and fired it at Aang. He barely saw it coming in time and jumped out of the way. However Katara didn't see the lightning, having been busy avoiding June's whip. The lightning just barely grazed Katara's fingertips, sending a small portion of the energy up her left arm.
"OOOWWW!" Katara screamed. The fingers on her left hand had been burned, and her left arm was completely numb. Distracted by pain, Katara was vulnerable to June's whip, which struck her legs and brought Katara to the ground.
"KATARA!" Aang yelled. As he yelled his eyes and tattoos started to glow. In a mindless rage he shattered the ground, creating a whirlwind with rocks revolving around him. Large pieces of rock slammed into Azula and June, carrying them into the air. Then water from the pond wrapped around them, trapping them in spheres of water. Finally the water was launched away, sending them a quarter of a mile away.
With the threat gone the glow in Aang's eyes and tattoos faded. He fell to his knees, exhausted but still conscious. "Are you alright Katara?" Aang asked.
"It hurts a lot," Katara said, holding her left fingers in her right hand. She slowly walked over to a puddle of water and dipped her burned hand into it. While the pain lessened Katara was surprised to find the water glowing around her hand. It stopped after a minute, and Katara took her hand out of the water and saw that it was healed.
"How did you do that?" Aang asked.
"I don't know," Katara said. "Huu never taught this."
"Maybe he didn't know about it," Aang said.
"I guess so," Katara said. "We better get back to the others."
By the time Aang and Katara got dressed and walked back to the training ground Tyro and the others were recovering from paralysis. Everyone explained what happened to each other, including how Aang had stood his ground against the shirshu.
"I think you're ready to try again," Tyro said. "Stand your ground just like with that beast."
Aang got into position next to a boulder. He made the punching motion, and the boulder moved away from him and crashed into a hillside. "I did it!" Aang yelled.
"You're an earthbender," Tyro said.
"So what will you teach me now?" Aang asked.
"First you need to know the basics" Tyro said. "Then we can move on to make shift road block, digging like a tunnel rat after a pair of snake eyes."
"Great," Aang said.
Meanwhile Azula and June were recovering from their flight the Avatar sent them on. Azula's left arm was broken, as well as June's right leg. Nyla had returned to June after freeing its nose from the ice, and carried June away. Azula was slowly making her way to the nearest area controlled by the Fire Nation.
I can't let this little failure reach the Fire Lord Azula thought. I'll just tell him this happened in a battle with earthbender elites. He'll believe that. As she walked Azula examined her options to deal with the Avatar now that she couldn't do it herself. I need a little talk with Colonel Shinu…
A/N: June is considered the Patron Saint of Zutara, correct? Based on that I would assume that her Beta Couple would be Azulaang.