A/N;

No reviews :(

-is sad-

Oh well, I like writing this story so I'mma update anyways! :)

-Rain

"You moose-lion turd!" Smellerbee shouted, hurling a rock down at Jet from high in the trees. She leapt nimbly from branch to branch, growling angrily at him. "Who the hell do you think you are!?"

"I'm- ow! Sorry Smellerbee!" he called up, wincing as a rock hit him in the head. Min just giggled, swinging her legs back and forth over a branch.

"You shouldn't have insulted our gender, Jet!" she chastised playfully, braiding her hair. Jet winced again, barely dodging another rock. Geez, were girls always this defensive?

He hadn't even done anything! He'd just told Smellerbee that she couldn't come hunting because it was a guy's job!

"I didn't mean it!" he cried. Smellerbee glared at him.

"I'm as good as you, and you know it!" she yelled defiantly. Jet frowned, and nodded. Smellerbee was good, but he wouldn't admit that she could equal him in talent. As a twelve year old, he had his boyish morals to keep intact.

Smellerbee felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to find Longshot staring calmly down at her. She scowled up at him, shrugging off his hand. He sighed, his eyes telling her to follow him. She threw one last rock down at Jet before following the silent archer.

Jet watched them leave, rubbing his bruised head.

"How come you're not crazy like that?" Jet asked, going to sit beside Min. She shrugged, popping another nut into her mouth.

"I've known you too long to be oversensitive around you, Scowlers." Min replied, "Bee wants to be tough and strong. She is tough and strong. You basically told her she wasn't. Great job." She patted Jet's cheek and got to her feet.

"But I didn't mean to." Jet grumbled. "Now what?"

"Leave her and Longshot to do their thing. It's weird- the loud, arrogant tomboy and the silent fourteen year old. Opposites, and yet they understand each other." Min started walking away, "You want to be a good leader? Learn to understand what we each want from you."

Jet caught her hand. "Help me understand." Min smiled.

"Was that an offer to share the leadership, Scowlers?" she playfully poked him in the shoulder as she sat down again.

"For now." He replied with a smile. "What do they want, Mami?" Smellerbee had taken to calling Min 'Mami', because she 'acted so much like a Mom'. At first it had been just 'Mom', but Min hadn't like that. After a few tries, Mami became acceptable, because it didn't sound too much like 'Mom', but had the same effect.

"Longshot wants someone to lead. He wants acceptance. He wants a place to call 'home'." Min began, swinging her legs back and forth again, "Bee wants to be just like you, Jet. She's the strongest girl I know, even though she is small for our age. You forget that she's our age sometimes, I think. She's not helpless. She works too hard so that she isn't."

Jet frowned, thinking it over. "So I have to lead and accept Longshot, and let Smellerbee hunt with me and Longshot?" Min nodded.

"But not just that. You've got to think of them as family, not as followers."

"I do think of them as family-"

"I know." Min nodded, "I'm just reminding you. You're a good leader- you've kept us free for four years now. Just keep doing what you're doing, and don't set Smellerbee off again."

"But Min... what about you?" Jet asked. He watched as her eyebrows furrowed, and she gave him a wry smile.

"I've got my best friend," she said finally, "I guess that's what I want from you. I've got it, so-"

"Thanks, Mami." Jet said, letting her hug him.

"Geez, a 'thank you', and a hug? It must be my lucky day!" Min laughed, standing up once more. "Now, I've got a hideout to clean- and so do you. Smellerbee and Longshot aren't going to be back for a while, so get your butt in here and help me!"

Jet shook his head, smiling, as his best friend dragged him after her.

--

"I felt so... helpless." Smellerbee said gruffly, kicking a stone in their path and sending it flying. "I hated it." She looked up at Longshot. "Is it bad for a girl to want to be tough?" He smiled and shook his head.

"I mean- aren't girls supposed to like bright colours and pretty things? I like knives and swords. I like hunting. I hate feeling weak. I hate Jet for thinking I am!" Without warning, she whipped her knife from its holder and hurled it into a tree with deadly precision.

Longshot shook his head again as she went to retrieve it. Smellerbee scoffed. "Yeah, right Longshot. He thinks I'm just as tough as he is! Whatever you say." He raised an eyebrow. "I just want to smush his stupid face in!"

Longshot grabbed her arm and shook his head again. Smellerbee sighed. "I know. That's not going to help. I just want to do more. I'm not useless, and I'm not going to be-" she cut herself off and stalked away angrily. Longshot sighed and followed, knowing she'd rant again when she was ready.

A few moments of walking in silence later, she did just that.

"When my village was burnt down, I was taken by one of the soldiers." Her voice was small, terrified... "He said I was pretty, and might just take me home to the Fire Nation with him... I was so scared, and so angry and hurt all at the same time. Because I was a girl, because I was in a dress, because I looked weak, he wanted me." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"So I'm not going to be weak anymore. I'm strong, and if I ever see him again-" she stopped in surprise as Longshot pulled her into a hug. They stood there for a few moments, and finally she wrapped her arms around him.

Eventually he pulled away, and they kept walking. Smellerbee smiled. "Thanks Longshot."

Longshot grabbed his bow and grinned, nodding towards the forest. Bee caught on quickly, and her hands flew to her sword.

This'll show Jet! She thought with a smirk, before following her friend.

--

"I'm impressed," Jet said with a grin, seeing Smellerbee dragging a big animal carcass into camp, "That's a great kill." She blinked at him in surprise.

"Really?" she asked. Jet nodded.

"Bee, I'm sorry about before. This just proves what I've been thinking. You're a great fighter. You're a great hunter, and I didn't mean what I said." Jet said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're here, Smellerbee."

The girl's eyes lit up and she smirked, trying not to show her pride. "Thanks, Jet."

"No problem. Now let's fry this thing up! I'm starved!" he laughed, picking up one end while Smellerbee got the other.

"Wanna help us, Mami?" Bee called. Longshot watched the three of them carry the animal up the pulley they had built to be cut up and cooked, and he smiled. Suddenly, he heard a noise from behind him, and he whirled around, whipping his bow out as he did. Poised at the ready, he waited for the slightest movement.

None came.

Frowning slightly, sure that he heard something, Longshot lowered his bow, and turned to follow his family.

Whack!

Longshot stumbled forward as something hit him in the back of the head. Something warm dribbled down his neck- blood. Slightly dizzy from the impact, Longshot turned around and narrowed his eyes, arrow ready to fly through the air as soon as he twitched his fingers slightly...

"You've got two seconds to tell me your name," a deep voice said, someone stepping into the clearing, "If you're Fire Nation, you got half a second."

Longshot didn't drop his stance, although the teen was big. Shaggy dark hair framed his face, and Longshot realised a little boy was hiding behind his legs. He looked about four or five, give or take.

The big guy was holding a bigger rock, and Longshot didn't think he'd hesitate to try and use it against him.

"I said two seconds, archer boy." He growled. Longshot pointed to his throat, then at the platform which would take them up to the hideout.

"Pipsqueak," the little boy said, "Look!" 'Pipsqueak' craned his neck up, seeing three figures dropping down from above.

"Friends of yours?" he muttered, "Sorry, the Duke. We gotta scram."

"Wait!" Jet called, landing beside Longshot. "We're friendly!"

"Yeah, don't leave." Min protested.

"Who are you all?" Pipsqueak demanded. Jet stepped forward.

"I'm Jet, this is Mami, or Min," he amended, seeing the look Min was giving him, "Longshot and Smellerbee. Our villages were burnt down by the Fire Nation."

"It's just you four, all on your own?" Pipsqueak asked in surprise. "Aw, hell. Sorry about that, buddy. The Duke here and I are on our own too! We don't like strangers- never know who's out to get you, right?" Pipsqueak laughed loudly.

"We're the Freedom Fighters." Jet continued, his tone a tiny bit proud, "We raid Fire Nation camps, and take whatever we want."

"You're welcome to stay here." Min offered with a warm smile. Jet nodded.

"Thanks, that'd be great. We've been hiding from the Fire Nation for weeks. I can't believe we never found you before now!" Pipsqueak grinned.

"Yeah!" The Duke chimed in, clambering onto Pipsqueak's shoulders. "Great!"

A/N;

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my take on why Smellerbee looked and acted much like a boy in the series.

-Rain