The glade was a perfect place to make camp. It was large and clear with a small brook running through it. Plenty of dead wood for a fire and trees to sit under should it rain.
David began setting up the cook fire and spreading his bedroll with practiced movements. He had been on the road for several days.
It was getting dark. David gathered several dead branches and some twigs to use as kindling. After a few minutes with his flint and steel he had merrily crackling bonfire.
Now for the hard part. He had tried it every time he stopped for the night. He wasn't always successful, but it was worth a try. David took a deep breath, steadying himself. He began searching for the unfamiliar well of power within him. It was like waterbending but… not. It was harder, more solid. Feeling the ground beneath him, David channeled what Katara called his chi into it, pulling it toward him. Accompanied by a loud grunt of effort, a small, round plateau of stone emerged from the forest floor. Sighing and relaxing his muscles, David sank down onto it. Despite many days of practice, earthbending didn't seem to come to him as easily as waterbending had.
Ready to try again, David rose to his feet and fell into a basic earthbending stance he had learned from a traveling instructor at a steep price. Too steep in David's opinion, but it was the only way he could learn anything about this new style of fighting.
David practiced for over an hour, getting used to the grounded stance and the sensation of manipulating the earth around him.
When the fire had died down into a bed of red hot coals David stopped practicing and began tending to his dinner. Wiping the sweat from his brow, David extracted a stream of water from the brook and directed it into his small cooking pot. After the water was boiled, vegetables and arctic hare meat were thrown in. Soon enough, the heady smell of rich stew filled the clearing. Filling a bowl, David began eating with gusto. The practice had taken a toll on him.
"How rude of you. Eating before your guest." A sharp voice called out from the edge of the glade.
David's dinner almost spilled onto his lap as he whipped his head up. A stately young woman strode towards him, head held high, an imperious glint in her eyes. She was obviously accustomed to getting what she wanted. And fast.
One of the first things David had learned in the Earth Kingdom was that the noble class tended to be pushy even in the best of cases. It was best to give them what they wanted before they called out to a passing officer of the law and demanded they beat you for "insubordination" or "insolence".
It was best to play along. "My apologies, ma'am. I was unaware you wished to join me."
What immediately struck David after a second glance was that, while her bearing was aristocratic, her clothes were decidedly less so. Worn and rough, they looked as if they had seen vigorous use lately. Despite their state, however, she still cut a striking figure.
"Your apology is accepted," she said with a gracious nod, her raven hair briefly obscuring her face. "You may make it up to me by serving my meal."
She didn't seem to be much trouble. "Gladly, ma'am."
She watched him fill another bowl with an amused twinkle in her eye. David couldn't fathom what she found so funny.
"Are you always this gullible?" David froze. The timbre of her voice had shifted. The aristocratic accent was gone and she no longer sat as if she was at a formal dinner party. She wasn't even sitting, really. She lounged. No self-respecting noblewoman would be caught dead in that position.
David's thunderstruck expression caused the girl to burst out into peals of bell-like laughter. She was a lot younger than he had originally assumed. Probably around his age.
"Well, since you already have a full bowl you might as well give it to me," the imposter noblewoman said, wiping tears of merriment from her eyes.
Unable to think of an appropriate response, David acquiesced to her demand. "Do you do this often?" David asked, handing the bowl over. "Put on a big act and fleece travelers of their supper?"
"Oh, don't be like that," she said, grinning. "It was just a little fun. Besides, I never take from anyone who can't afford it. Think of this as a compliment."
"Some compliment."
"It's the most you're likely to get from me," she said, chuckling.
Despite his initial irritation, David found her laughter infectious. He began to grin along with her.
"I believe this is the point at which we introduce ourselves," said the young woman. "I'm Mei Kun"
David had learned from his past mistakes and had carefully chosen an alias before arriving at the Earth Kingdom. "Ping."
"Charmed, I'm sure," said Mei Kun, once again imitating the stuffy noble accent.
David had to laugh. He assumed she had had her fair share of unfortunate encounters with the Earth Kingdom nobility. The accent was spot-on.
"So, I see you're an earthbender," said Mei Kun through a mouthful of stew, eying his earthen stool.
"Just a beginner. I only discovered I was a bender recently. I'm trying to find someone to teach me."
"You only found out now?" Mei Kun asked, frowning. "I'm no bender, but I'm pretty sure the signs show up pretty early."
"Really? How early?" David realized belatedly that this question would seem strange coming from an Earth Kingdom native. "I mean…I just…haven't known any benders," he stammered out. "My village doesn't have any of them."
Mei Kun's eyes narrowed slightly. Were benders really so pervasive that a village without any of them would seem strange? David waited for her reaction, tense as a bowstring.
Mei Kun laughed.
Her reaction was so unexpected that David joined in, laughing nervously. She laughed a lot, David noticed. She had a nice laugh.
"Good one! You almost had me convinced there."
"Yeah," said David, fidgeting nervously. "I bet I could give up being a bender and take acting classes."
"You have to work on your delivery though. You sounded too sincere. That's always a sure way to tell if someone's lying."
By then, they had both finished their meals. David set his bowl down and yawned, stretching his arms. He began to head towards his bedroll.
"Would you mind terribly if I camped here for the night?" Mei Kun asked. "There is safety in numbers, after all."
"I would, probably, but I'll try to contain my disappointment."
Smiling, she gathered up an assortment of leaves to sleep on.
Seized by a sudden sense of gallantry, David offered Mei Kun his blanket to sleep on. She hesitated, taken aback, but accepted it with a nod of thanks.
"So, who were you planning on going to train under, Ping?"
"Toph Beifong."
There was a moment of silence. "Wow. You don't aim low do you?"
"You have to reach for the stars. That way even if you fail, you can reach the moon."
"I suppose there's some truth to that."
They lapsed into silence again.
"Where are you from?" asked Mei Kun softly, a touch of wistfulness coloring her voice.
"A small village to south." David lied quickly. "It doesn't even have a name. What about you?"
"Oh, here and there." Mei Kun's voice cracked slightly. "Haven't really lived in one place long enough recently to call it home."
"Do you travel alone? Or do you have your family with you?"
There was no answer. Mei Kun's breathing was deep and slow. She must have fallen asleep in the middle of their conversation.
David felt strangely disappointed. He had enjoyed talking to her.
If the maps David had were accurate, the city of Yu Dao, where the Academy was located, couldn't be more than a few days away. He wondered if Mei Kun would come with him. She seemed nice enough. Maybe she could provide some respite from the monotony of the open road.
With that encouraging thought in mind, David closed his eyes and surrendered himself to sleep's open arms.
A/N: Sorry about the delay. My friends and I are working on the next project in the saga. It will be coming out very soon. If you want to be notified when we upload it you can follow the profile.
Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.