Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...
Ashlynn was grateful when Aang landed Appa in a secluded portion of a dense forest. The team unloaded for the day, needing a break from the previous encounters with various enemies. Ashlynn, especially, needed to rest so she didn't tear the wound on her back. After resting for a few hours, Aang noticed the absence of a team member.
"Where'd Momo go?"
As he questioned Momo's disappearance to the group, the cries of the furry companion sounded through the trees from several yards away. Together, the team traced their way to where Momo was being held captive in an animal trap that was hoisted high into the air. Several other animals were caught in identical traps as well.
"Here, I'll cut them down," Sokka said as he withdrew his boomerang. He took a moment to angle it correctly, and then threw the boomerang with a light force. The weapon curved swiftly through the ropes the traps were being held by. Each trap fell down, one after the other, and landed safely on the ground below. Aang and Katara opened the traps and set the captured creatures free.
"Those look like fire nation traps," Sokka said as he replaced his weapon behind his back.
"Well, then we should pack up our things and move to a safer area," Katara said.
"Yeah, and let's not fly this time. Appa is too noticeable," Sokka said. Ashlynn agreed, which put a stop to any protests that Katara and Aang might've had. "Fine, we'll walk," Aang said with a trace of annoyance.
"Sokka, since when do you get all bossy? I mean, it should be Aang's decision, he's the Avatar," Katara protested after a moment. Ashlynn sighed with irritation.
"My instincts just tell me that we should walk. Zuko keeps finding us because they see Appa in the sky, so let's just try it."
"Yeah, walking might be fun anyways!" Aang said positively.
"Ugh, walking stinks," Aang complained after an hour of trotting through the dank, secluded forestry. Katara kept trying to lighten the mood by picking on Sokka and his 'instincts'. Ashlynn got to sit on Appa's back so she wouldn't tear her wound or bandages by exerting too much energy in a hike.
"Alright guys, seriously. Just try and take this a little more seriously. We're doing this so that we don't run into the fire nation," Ashlynn said, trying to defend Sokka's 'instincts'.
Just as she spoke, the group walked through some brush and right into the camp of some fire nation soldiers. Sokka, Katara, and Aang paused for a moment, then scattered after shouting "run!"
Ashlynn hopped off of Appa and ran with towards the way Sokka was running. Each team member circled around to the other side of the camp, but was cut off by a sudden fire in the brush that a fire bender set. On their other side resided the band of soldiers, who were armed and ready to harm anyone who might try and escape.
"Uh… If you let us through, we'll promise not to hurt you," Sokka offered. The captain of the team laughed a thorough laugh, and responded "You? Hurt us?! Hah!"
Just as he said that, an arrow struck him in the back. Ashlynn, Sokka, Katara and Aang stared at him in disbelief. Even the other soldiers looked shocked.
"Up there!" Ashlynn shouted, noticing men hiding in the branches of the trees that loomed over the scene. She pointed at the one who had shot the captain, and every fire soldier looked up in unison.
One of the tree-warriors drew his weapon, and leapt from his tree branch and landed on the dirt floor below. His weapon of choice appeared to be two swords that curved into hooks at the end, instead of a deadly point. Single-handedly, he took out four nation soldiers in under a minute.
Then, more tree-warriors jumped down from the safety of their branches and began to fight alongside the first man. One remained in the tree, and continued to fire arrows at the fire nation men as they scattered, trying to escape their inevitable death.
Katara and Aang used their bending to help as well, while Sokka tried competing with the man who had first descended from the tree branches. They both appeared to be leaders, and competitive.
Ashlynn crawled behind a tree root and took cover. She regretted not having a decent weapon, or a fully healed body. She vowed then to make finding a good weapon her priority.
In a little over five minutes, the boys from the trees had taken out the whole camp. Sokka, Katara, and Aang had almost no other choice than to sit back and watch, since each of the warriors had had faster reflexes and were able to take out the enemies in a much swifter and effective maneuver.
The leader of the group ran right up to Katara after the battle, and Ashlynn rolled her eyes as she read the boy's body language. It was obvious he already had a thing for her.
Ashlynn stood up and joined Sokka and Aang as they walked over to Katara and the leader. "That was amazing! You took out that whole army nearly single-handedly!" Aang applauded.
"Yeah, nice work," Ashlynn agreed with a nod.
"My name is Jet, and these are my freedom-fighters," the leader, Jet, said. He then introduced each of his fellow companions, amounting to five 'freedom-fighters', excluding Jet.
After the introductions, Jet and his team raided through the leftover supplies the army had left behind. Jet and Katara remained off to the side, which Ashlynn assumed would result in some flirting. So, Ashlynn went over and stood next to Sokka, who appeared to be very smug about something.
"What's with you?" Ashlynn said, and playfully punched him in the arm. "That guy," Sokka said with little emotion, ignoring Ashlynn's attempts to cheer him up.
"What's wrong with him? He just saved our lives," Ashlynn said, her eyes popping in surprise.
"There's something about him. He just… I just don't trust him," Sokka said, still with no emotion.
"Well, don't think too hard on it. Your instincts will implode from the concentration," Ashlynn teased, but then frowned when she saw that Sokka still hadn't cheered up.
"Hey Jet," called the smallest of Jet's groups. "These barrels here are filled with blasting jelly, and the crates have jelly candy."
"Great score. We'll take it back to the hideout," Jet replied.
"A hideout," Aang and Ashlynn asked in unison, though Aang had a little more enthusiasm to his voice. "Yeah, we sure do. You want to see it?" Jet offered. "Yes! We want to see it!" Katara said with glee. Jet gave her a soft smile, and then turned around and walked back into the forest.
Jet's 'hideout' was like a fortress built entirely in the trees above. It couldn't be spotted from the ground, so it made a perfect hiding place as well as a sanctuary.
"How do you suppose we get way up there?" Sokka asked.
"Like this. Come here Katara, grab hold of me," Jet said, and pulled Katara into his arms. She blushed as he did this, and then he grabbed hold of a rope that was the only sign that there was anything in the trees above. The rope was then slowly tugged up through the tree leaves, and Jet and Katara went out of sight.
"Wow, that's pretty neat. I can get up there without that though," Aang laughed in Ashlynn and Sokka's direction. Then- he air bended his way up into the treetops.
Sokka sighed. "Come here Ash, I'll carry you up into those trees so you don't tear your bandages…" he said, still smug.
In a less flirtatious manner than Jet's way of holding Katara, Sokka wrapped one arm around Ashlynn as she wrapped both her arms around his waist. Then, as the rope was lowered back down from the trees, Sokka grasped it with his free hand, and together they were tugged back into Jet's fortress.
Ashlynn gaped at the magnificence of Jet's hideout, for it was more spectacular to see than to hear about. There were large buildings, like tree houses, built on the thicker branches of the trees. Each building had narrow bridges connecting them together, giving a simple walkway from one place to another.
The rope brought Sokka and Ashlynn up next to Katara and Jet. "This place is amazing," Ashlynn said, separating herself from Sokka. "Yeah, and most importantly, the fire nation can't find it, or find us. They'd kill to get their hands on me, I'm sure. I give them too much trouble…" Jet said, and began walking across a bridge to another building. Katara, Sokka, Ashlynn, and some of Jet's buddies followed.
"What do you mean?" Katara asked. "Well, like what we did back there. They took over this town we used to live in. So we've been getting back at them with every chance we've had," Jet explained.
"That's so brave!" Katara exclaimed.
"They've totally got the hots for one another," Ashlynn whispered to Sokka, who still looked smug. He gave her a 'no kidding' look, and nodded.
When Katara asked what happened to Jet specifically, he paused in his footsteps. Katara stopped next to him. Sokka made an attempt to stop as well, but Ashlynn grabbed his arm and dragged him along to give Katara and Jet some privacy.
"What, am I not entitled to know what happened to him?" Sokka asked impatiently. "Just let them be," Ashlynn warned. Sokka sighed, and followed her.
Later that evening, supper was served. There were plenty more children hiding within the treetops, so dinner was a hearty meal, filled with laughter and applause. Jet retold their victory to the children who hadn't fought with him that day. Everyone cheered with triumph, and congratulated him.
After his speech, Jet sat down between Katara and Sokka. Ashlynn sat on Sokka's other side, still determined to cheer him up. Aang sat on Katara's other side.
"So I forgot to mention, Aang, Katara… That was some great bending during that battle. Nice work," Jet said with a smile. Ashlynn watched as Sokka's frown turned even smugger when he didn't get a compliment.
"Well, Aang is the Avatar. Of course he's good. I... could use a little more work," Katara blushed.
"That's very cool, being the Avatar. I was actually hoping you two wouldn't mind helping us out in our struggle."
"No, we can't we have to leave tonight," Sokka announced as he stood up, irritated beyond reason.
"Aw Sokka, you got to be joking! I really need you for an important mission tomorrow!" Jet pleaded. Sokka's frown turned to a straight line and his eyebrows rose with interest.
"Well, if you need me THAT bad I guess we can stay for the night…" Sokka said, and sat back down. Jet smiled with a nod, and together the group ate in company without saying another word till they'd finished their food.
"So tell me a little more about yourselves. I haven't even been introduced to her," Jet said, pointing at Ashlynn.
"Oh, this is Ashlynn," Sokka said. Ashlynn gave a small wave, but didn't get too enthusiastic about it so she could avoid a jealous Katara.
"Cool, cool. Nice name," Jet responded.
"Yeah, Ashlynn was part of the fire nation but she's cool she ran away to be with us," Katara explained. Jet didn't say anything to Ashlynn after that.
Jet's very tall and very broad friend Pipsqueak escorted the Avatar's team to a place where they could sleep. It was a building that hadn't been filled up yet, so it was like a personal house for them. Katara thanked Pipsqueak (regretting it hadn't been Jet who had escorted them). When Pipsqueak left, Katara shut the door behind him and turned around to face her friends.
"This is fabulous!" Katara said while clapping her hands together. The corners of her mouth curled up to form a dreamy sigh.
"Whatever. It's not 'fabulous' until I get to do my fair share of work," Sokka said, unfolding his sleeping mat.
"Come on Sokka, lighten up. If we hadn't run into them we'd still be on the dirty floor of the forest, and we'd be more vulnerable to enemies," Aang said, unfolding his sleeping mat as well.
Ashlynn pulled Katara aside while Aang and Sokka conversed to have her look at her wound. She tugged off her shirt, and Katara helped her un-wrap the bandages. "Well, I suppose it could be a lot worse," Katara said as she examined the scabbing. "Just take it easy for another day and that should get rid of any infection threat."
"Is it going to scar you think?" Ashlynn said, turning her head to try and peer over her shoulder at the wound. "It's hard to say, but I'd guess some of it will," Katara responded. Then, Katara helped by applying fresh bandages. When they were finished, they turned back to their sleeping mats and saw that Sokka and Aang had already passed into a weary sleep.
Ashlynn curled up under her own blanket and fell asleep within moments.
Ashlynn awoke in the morning to find that everyone had left. She stood up and departed from the building after a good stretch and some combing through her hair. The smell of breakfast mixed with the smell of dew-dampened trees greeted her outside the building. She trailed back to where supper had been served the previous night, and found some left-over breakfast waiting. No one was in the area, so she sat alone as she listened for the sound of activity.
After she finished eating she tried to guide her way back to where the rope that brought her up into the trees was tied to. During her search she bumped into Katara.
"Hey Katara… Where is everyone?" Ashlynn pondered aloud. "Oh, Jet took Sokka and some of his freedom-fighters out for some fire-nation scouting," Katara said with a dreamy sigh to follow.
"Gee Katara, you really like that kid don't-cha?" Ashlynn teased. Katara blushed. "What? Don't be silly…"
Ashlynn laughed. "Well, where's Aang?"
"Oh… I think he's just off flying through some of the trees," Katara answered. "Well, what do you plan on doing?" Ashlynn inquired. "Just wait till they get back I guess."
Jet and his team returned when the sun was high in the sky. Naturally, Jet went immediately to Katara. Sokka went back to his sulking state, and sat against a building and said nothing to no one.
Ashlynn gave a quick look at Sokka, and then ran after Katara and Jet. "Katara, come with me," Ashlynn ordered subtly. Katara gave Jet a worried stare, and then reluctantly followed Ashlynn, who guided her right to Sokka.
"Talk to him," Ashlynn whispered to Katara. Katara sighed, then walked over to Sokka.
"We're leaving," Sokka said. "What? Why?" Katara and Aang, who'd joined the conversation just as soon as it had stared, asked at the same time.
"Your boyfriend Jet is a thug," Sokka responded.
"What? No he's not!" Katara said, and folder her arms and stared at Sokka angrily. "He's messed up Katara!" Sokka shouted. "I think he just has a different way of life," Aang bumped in.
"I don't know Aang… I don't really like Jet either," Ashlynn input. "Yeah, he is messed up. He beat and robbed a harmless old man!" Sokka explained. Ashlynn's face hardened as she frowned. Even though she'd seen it happen a hundred times, the thought of an old man being beat was almost unbearable to her.
"I want to hear Jet's side of the story," Katara said while tapping her foot impatiently.
Sokka then proceeded to guide them right to Jet, who acted annoyed and disappointed when he had heard that Sokka had spilled what'd happen. "Sokka, did you even mention that the man was fire nation?" Jet said, raising one eyebrow in question. "Well no, but my point wasn't about which nation he was from, it was that he was just a harmless civilian that you abused!" Sokka defended.
"No Sokka, he was an assassin," Jet said, and withdrew a knife that he'd taken from the old man. He unsealed the top of the knife to show that it had a compartment meant for holding a poison that had also been discovered in the knife.
"No," Ashlynn retorted. "Sokka would have noticed if there had been a knife, right Sokka?"
"Yeah, and there was no knife," Sokka said, nodding. "Sokka, I'm sure you just didn't see the knife. I knew this was a misunderstanding, you're being immature," Katara said while raising her voice. "No Katara, there was no knife!" Sokka declared, putting emphasis on each word.
"I'm going back to the hut and I'm packing our bags," Sokka said solemnly, and turned around and exited Jet's cabin. "I'm right behind you," Ashlynn said.
"Figures: fire nation following the fire nation defender. Pathetic," Jet said quietly. Ashlynn shot him a look of resentment, and then followed Sokka.
"Hey Sokka, wait up," Ashlynn called out to him. Sokka slowed down to let her catch up. When she did, she said nothing as they walked in silence.
"Listen, I just want to thank you for sticking up for me," Sokka said, stopping at the door of the hut with their belongings. "Sure- No problem... I don't trust him either," Ashlynn said with a smile. "I also heard what he said about you, and that wasn't right. I'm sorry for however I treated you when you first joined our group," Sokka said without looking at Ashlynn.
"Yeah… sure thing," Ashlynn responded awkwardly. Then, the two of them entered the hut and began packing their bags in silence.
Aang and Katara entered the hut a quarter of an hour later and announced that they simply could not leave Jet and his freedom-fighters yet. "They need our help, Sokka, Ashlynn… The fire nation is about to burn down this forest!" Katara exclaimed.
"No Katara, we need to leave," Ashlynn protested as she finished folding one of the sleeping mats.
"No. You know what this is about? Sokka is just jealous because Jet is a better a smarter fighter," Katara said, and stuck her nose in the air like a snob and gave Sokka the cold shoulder.
"Katara, be reasonable. I'm not jealous of Jet… My instincts just---"
"Well MY instincts say we need to stay here longer. Come on Aang," Katara said, and exited the hut. Aang apologized, and eagerly followed Katara.
"Well, we can't leave without them. Let's just stay for one more night, Sokka," Ashlynn sighed. Sokka's hands curled into tight fists, but he nodded without complaint. Ashlynn gave him a reassuring smile, and helped him set up their sleeping mats again.
Aang and Katara stayed in a different hut that evening. Ashlynn remained loyally by Sokka's side, and didn't leave their original hut. In the midst of a most gloomy night, Sokka shook Ashlynn to wake her up. He put his finger to his lips to signal her to be quiet, but motioned for her to follow.
Ashlynn rubbed her eyes, and awoke quickly. She followed Sokka outside the hut.
"What is it?" Ashlynn whispered. "It's Jet, I heard him and some of his companions walk off," Sokka whispered back. "In what direction," Ashlynn asked, and Sokka responded by pointing up away from Jet's hideout.
Together, Sokka and Ashlynn leapt from tree branch to tree branch, making a descent towards Jet's group.
Jet's group led Ashlynn and Sokka right to a reservoir near a small civilian town outside the forest. Ashlynn and Sokka listened intently to the conversation.
"Now," Jet said, "you guys are not to blow the dam till the reservoir is filled. Otherwise, the fire nation troops could survive," Jet explained. The smallest of his team questioned "what about the civilians?"
"Duke, we have to make sacrifices if we want to rid this world of its evil," Jet said. The Duke nodded regrettably, and looked up at Pipsqueak as Jet ordered him not to blow the dam til' he gave the signal.
"You were right, Sokka," Ashlynn whispered. "Jet is just a thug!"
Sokka nodded, and motioned for Ashlynn to follow him. Just as they moved through the brush, one of Jet's members grabbed them both by their hair and hoisted them into the air. "Hey Jet," said Pipsqueak, whom had been the one to yank them from the floor, "look what I caught."
Jet laughed. "You guys are fools, and you simply don't understand," he said, shaking his head while still chuckling.
Pipsqueak shoved Sokka and Ashlynn to the floor. Ashlynn cried out as she felt some of the scabbing on her shoulder blade tear as she caught herself before her face plummeted into the floor. Sokka put one hand on her shoulder to make sure she was okay, then he looked up at Jet. "We heard your plan to destroy the earth kingdom town. You can't do that Jet, there are innocent people living there!" Sokka pleaded.
"Sokka, didn't you hear that part about sacrifices as well?" Jet asked with joking hint to his tone of voice. "You're insane!" Sokka shouted.
"Jet- You lied to Katara and Aang!" Ashlynn snarled.
"Oh, what would you understand? You're just fire nation scum!" Jet screamed back, and kicked her across the head, forcing her to fall on her side. Sokka watched with horror, and then stood up with a cry of rage and lunged at Jet. Pipsqueak grabbed Sokka by the back of his shirt and forced him back onto the ground.
"This is insane Jet! You can't just abuse her, and you can't up and abuse Aang and Katara either!" Sokka yelled.
"None of them understand the basics of war Sokka. Not like you and I do," Jet sneered.
"No, I understand completely. I understand that you're just a monster, and you'll stop at nothing to have your way," Sokka spat. Jet sighed impatiently. "Well, I was really hoping you'd tag along, but I guess if this is how you want it then so be it," Jet said, and waved a hand.
Ashlynn rolled over onto her back and blinked a few times to try and clear her mind. Just as she did so, she was yanked by one arm back onto her feet by Pipsqueak. She didn't even try resisting someone who was as big as Pipsqueak. Smellerbee, the only female of Jet's group, grabbed Sokka's arms and bent them behind his back. Jet then ordered that they take the two of them to a place far from where the crime scene would happen; far away from Katara and Aang.
Pipsqueak and Smellerbee tied Ashlynn and Sokka's hands, and forced them to march into the forest. After several minutes of silent marching, Sokka spoke.
"How can you just sit back and let this happen?"
"Jet's a great leader. When he plans something, it always works out perfectly," Pipsqueak said firmly.
"Well, if that's how it's got to be, maybe you should rethink the way Jet looks at things," Sokka said, and took off running in a different direction. "Hey!" Smellerbee and Pipsqueak shouted in harmony, and ran after him, leaving Ashlynn behind. Sokka led the two freedom-fighters right across some of their own animal traps. Ashlynn watched as the traps enclosed the two friends and hoisted them high into the air. She smiled with satisfaction, and gave Sokka a look of approval.
"Come here, help untie me," Sokka said. Ashlynn nodded and ran over to him. Sokka and Ashlynn put their backs together, and fumbled with the knots of each other's bindings till they let loose.
"You okay?" Sokka asked as he grabbed Ashlynn's face and turned her head to one side so he could examine the bruise that was forming from the blow to the head Jet had given her.
"I'm fine Sokka, we need to get back to the dam," Ashlynn said, brushing Sokka's hands away from her face. Sokka nodded, and together they took off running in the direction they'd came.
"Sokka, we'll never reach the dam in time! We have to warn the villagers to get out of the town instead," Ashlynn said as they ran over uprooted tree parts and variously scattered pebbles. "You're right, come on!"
Changing their course, Ashlynn and Sokka ran in the direction of the earth nation village. Without stopping, they ran right into the middle of the town.
"Everyone, you need to leave this place! The dam that's stopping all the water from flooding this town is about to be blown up. Please, don't pack your things, just get out of here!" Sokka shouted to all the confused and concerned faces.
"He's lying. He's clearly a spy," one of the fire nation guards shouted back at him. Ashlynn looked at the floor, trying to remain unrecognized by the fire nation.
"No he's not," came a deep and raspy voice. Sokka and Ashlynn turned around to see an old man at the center of the crowd that had formed. "I was beat and robbed by a terrorist living in the forest. This man defended me," the old man vouched. Sokka gave him a thankful smile, and then the town immediately began to bustle out.
Ashlynn and Sokka ran back towards the other end of the river, where Jet and his companions would be. As they were running up the hill they heard an explosion. They stopped dead in their tracks, and watched as the eruption flew up into the sky in a large puff of smoke. Then, following the bang came the sound of rushing water. Together, Ashlynn and Sokka watched with heartbroken expressions as the water flooded and demolished the little town.
"We did a good thing Sokka. All those people were saved," Ashlynn said. He smiled at her, and then they walked together up the remainder of the hill.
At the top of the hill Katara and Aang had Jet chained with ice to a nearby tree. "This was a victory Katara," Jet said triumphantly, "the fire nation is gone, and this valley will be safe!"
"It will be safe… without you!" Sokka said, announcing their arrival.
"Sokka, Ashlynn!" Katara and Aang cried out in surprise.
"We warned the villagers of what you were planning," Sokka explained. Jet's eyes bulged, and his expression turned to a fit of rage as Sokka explained what he and Ashlynn had accomplished.
"You're a fool! You both are! This valley could have been saved!" Jet spat as his eyes grew even bigger as he grew angrier.
"Jet... Who would've been saved? Everyone would have died," Ashlynn said.
"Traitors, all of you," Jet shouted, even louder than before.
"No, Jet. You're the traitor. You stopped protecting innocent people," Sokka said, pleased to have done so well in saving the people.
Aang interrupted a moment and blew his bison whistle to call Appa to them.
"Katara, don't leave. Please, help me," Jet said.
"No. You're a monster, and we're leaving," she retorted.
Then, Appa landed before them, happy as ever, especially since he'd been given several days to rest up. Together, the group mounted on the bison's back and head, and took off. They made one stop at the hideout to gather their belongings, and once again flew off in the direction of the Northern Water Temple.
"I'm really sorry Sokka and Ashlynn, for not believing you," Katara apologized later in the day. "Yeah, me too," Aang followed.
"But, I'm really proud of you Sokka. You really stood up to him," Katara said with a smile.
"Yeah Sokka, I'm proud of you too," Ashlynn grinned at him. Sokka returned Ashlynn's smile, and laid on his back and looked up at the sky, glad that he had been the hero for the day.