Azula watched the flame in her palm heat up and slowly transform from orange to a sickly bluish color. She snapped her fingers into a fist and the flame instantly died. The princess's fingers slowly uncurled and a new flame was born from her open palm. This flame was an ice blue that sent chills down Azula's spine as she stared into the strange and beautiful fire. It licked her fingertips and twisted like liquid heat in Azula's hands when she began to play with it. This new fire was a kind that even her father hadn't discovered, unique and unknown to others Azula's discovery presented her with an interesting opportunity. She had already proved her skills of manipulating her power as princess with the experiment of Akira… Now with this advanced technique of firebending soon Azula would begin reaching her goals. First on the list is to get rid of Zuko… She thought silently. Getting her father to hate his son hadn't been very hard and Azula was quite pleased with the results that it had already produced. A branch snapped and Azula whipped several fire balls into the night air. A small bush caught on fire and a small foxwolf ran in terror. The princess cursed herself for being so jumpy but even several weeks after the incident with Akira she seemed to still be on her guard. I must be insane to think that either the doctor or the guards would betray my secret…. Especially after the bonus of gold I gave them. Azula thought to herself in an attempt to calm her nerves. If word had gotten out that Akira hadn't died here… well I would know about it. Azula looked out into the darkness and remembered her orders to the three men.
"Doctor, if anyone asks you how Akira is; tell them that the wounds were too much for her and that she had lost too much blood to survive. Guards… Your job is to transport her body far into the Earth Kingdom and abandon her in an unpopulated area. If she wakes up on the ship ride over there it is fine… but when you drop her on land I want her unconscious. HOWEVER! Don't kill her. The forest will take care of that… No need for us to soil our hands with murder is there?" Azula shook her head in amazement with herself. There weren't many eleven year olds that were capable of performing a murder that easily and come away completely clean. I guess it just proves that I am the one that is meant to become Firelord after my father… Her lips curved into a smirk as Azula shot a stream of blue fire in front of her. But now is not the time to be dwelling on the past… Now is the time to be planning for the future.
Akira slowly became conscious of cold wind chilling her body and soft, damp earth beneath her. She slowly flexed her fingers and they brushed against a layer of dead leaves. When a catowl screeched Akira slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on something. Blurry images of tall trees and a forest that was lit up by a full moon were transferred to Akira's brain and she instinctively thought that she had been dreaming. Suddenly the chilling call of the owlcat awakened her to full consciousness and Akira's eyes snapped open. She saw tall treetops above and felt the strange soft dirt beneath. Her body felt stiff and broken as she slowly tried to push herself up and when Akira attempted to move her head, her neck erupted in pain. She winced and gave up her struggles to get up with a forced sigh. Slowly, the thirteen year old managed to roll onto her back and she watched the treetops sway back and forth in the powerful gusts of cold wind. Where am I? Akira wondered silently as the chill set into her bones and stiffened her even further. Finally, Akira couldn't take it anymore and she slowly moved each of her limbs. With many waves of pain pulsing through her body, she managed to pull herself into a crouch and drag her damaged body over to a tree. After a minute of rest she pulled herself to her feet and stood by the tree. After a moment to gather her strength, Akira took a step and quickly stumbled over to another tree. She caught it's trunk with her hands and leaned against it for a few heartbeats. Suddenly she pushed off the strange bark and stumbled over to the next giant. Akira continued her struggle until she felt like her legs would give out any second. Falling to her knees in exhaustion, she dug her fingernails into the loose dirt floor. Akira had no idea where she was or how she had ended up here, but somehow all of the sounds and smells were strangely familiar. Suddenly the answer hit Akira and she looked around in shock. The Earth Kingdom! I'm in the Earth Kingdom! She realized. Memories of the forest by the colony where she had lived before rushed back and Akira felt a sense of security among the tall leafy trees and cool temperature. The feeling of safety was quickly replaced with confusion and fright. How did I end up here? She racked her mind for answers, but all she could remember was waking up for a few hours in a cell at the bottom of a small boat. Suddenly an image of Azula consumed Akira's mind and she reeled back with a shout. When the image vanished and Akira caught her breath a voice whispered,
"Azula sent you here. Azula sent you here…" With a snarl, Akira squeezed her eyes shut and cursed Azula. Is this part of my punishment? Banishment? Fine. I'll be better off here anyways… A branch cracked in front of Akira and her eyes snapped open. The young firebender found herself staring at someone's feet and she pushed herself back with a yelp of surprise. When she looked up again, Akira's amber eyes met a pair of dark green eyes and she saw the latter pair of eyes widen as they saw the wound on her neck. A teenage boy who looked not much older than herself stared at Akira. His hookswords were drawn, but they hung harmlessly at his sides. His lighter brown hair was shaggy and uncut, but didn't come past his jaw line. Slowly, as if approaching an injured animal, he crouched next to Akira and looked into her eyes.
"Do you need any help?" He asked softly. Akira nodded slowly and she took his hand. The boy helped her to her feet and allowed her to hold onto his shoulder for support. He slipped his hand around her waist and guided Akira through the trees. "So what's your name?" He asked with a friendly smile.
"Akira." She replied softly, her voice cracked and hoarse. She was still weak from her injuries and this was the first time she had spoken in over a week. The boy gave a small laugh and his eyes sparkled with delight as he introduced himself.
"My name's Jet and don't worry. I'll take you back with me and you'll be better in no time." Akira sighed, content with the fact that someone would take care of her and slowly she started to drift off into unconsciousness again. Jet felt her start to depend on him for more support with each step and he eventually just scooped her up in his arms and continued through the trees. Akira wrapped her arms around his neck and felt her energy quickly fade away.
"Thank you Jet." She whispered softly before falling back into unconsciousness.
"You're welcome Akira." Jet replied softly as he held the limp girl tight to his chest and continued to walk towards his camp. "You're safe now…"
