Ello, ello ^_^
So, here we are: THE GAMES. I've been pretty excited/anxious about writing this chapter. I'm not sure how I'll set up Aang's plaan being put into effect juuuust yet...
In related news: HUNGER GAMES. H YES.
Enjoy and may the odds be ever in your favor!
"You remember the plan?" Yana Lee asked Ty Lee, re-buttoning the loose button on her clothing.
"Mm-hmm!" she nodded nervously.
"Good."
"...hey, Yana?" the chi-blocker ventured carefully. "Why does our plan have to include the Avatar? I mean, how do we know he's on our side? We've never even spoken to him, or...or..." The youn woman slowly began to hyperventilate.
"Ty Lee, calm down," Yana Lee instructed. "I have a feeling about this. Something in my gut...it tells me this is a game unlike the others. And it's not just te Avatar's presence...it's...I can't exactly explain it but I know what it means. And it's also saying that Avatar Aang is going to stir up the Game one way or another."
The doe-eyed woman still looked confused.
"And if he does stir the Games up, gains the upper-hand, would we want to be with him or against him?"
"With him," Ty Lee whispers confidently.
"Exactly." Yana nods.
"All tributes to the departure deck. All tributes to the departure deck," a voice echoed as its body traveled through the arena halls.
"Good luck in the Games. Watch your back in the blood bath, Ty Lee. We'll meet somewhere safe by sundown."
Ty Lee nodded, understandingly, though her face twisted in thought. "What happens if you or I dont show up."
"...Then we're on our own."
"Kill without remorse," Jet muttered to his group of four others as they marched down the halls towards the departure deck.
"That's the only strategy?" Zuko asked.
"Is there any other strategy?" Jun laughed.
Zuko only grimaced, glancing down at his pale hands. He wanted to turn, to run. He was angry, yes, but killing wasn't he wanted. He didn't even know if he had it in him to kill someone. Until now, all the strategizing had felt like pretend, like a joke. But the plans were real.
The dao swords on his back were real.
Everything about the carefully structured landscape of the arena was real.
The Games were real.
Zuko felt sick to his stomach as they mounted the shallow steps of the wooden departure deck.
"Wood...really?" Toph complained as she slid alongside the departure deck, one hand on the wall of the arena.
No one responded as they stepped into their corresponding spots, marked with the symbol of their nation.
"Remember the truce," Aang whispered to himself as he stood on the only white mark.
He gazed at the arena. It was a large, lush green field that disappeared into a thick and shady forest. The arena itself was made of metal, impenetrable my all elements. It wrapped around the entire length of the arena- a place bigger than the North Pole's tribal hub- and had stadium seating for people to come and watch as they pleased. In the center of the arena, far off beyong the tree line, a metal horn curved into the sky, sleek and unblemished. That was the Cornucopia, where weapons for non-benders, as well as basic supplies, sat scattered. It was used to lure people into encounters with one another.
"Benders and non-benders," a voice boomed. The children's muscles tightened as Fire Lord Ozai's voice echoes above them. "Let the countdown commense. Five..."
The packed crowds joined in.
"Four!"
Zuko clamped his hands into fists, poised to bolt.
"Three!"
Toph exhaled sharply, trying to calm her hidden nerves.
"Two!"
Katara glanced over at Sokka, who nodded reassuringly to her.
"One!"
Aang bent his knees, ready to run.
A loud gong was hit far above their heads, beyond the arena walls, and the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Each tribute leapt off of the wooden platforms, running in different directions. The alliances had been formed, the crowd could see, as they ran into the tangled creepers of the woods.
Aang ran, manipulating the air currents around him, aiding himself in speeding up. He flew by the banished Prince and his cruel pack, the first to hit the woods.
"Hey!" a male voice shouted. He glanced over his shoulder as Chan reached out to grab his robes. The airbender bent himself high into the air, up onto the tree branches that towered overhead. His alliance- the two Watertribe siblings and the Earthbening prodigy- had decided they would run for supplies, maybe a weapon or two, and once the bloodshed became thicker, they would bail, into the woods, and meet up as soon as possible. From there, they would put the plan into motion.
As he leapt from tree to tree, Aang heard the low yell of a girl, followed by the upheavel of the Earth. Internally, he sighed. It's been less than a minute, and already Toph is chucking rocks at people, he thought.
The sounds of pre-bloodbath battle drifted far behind him as the crowd dispersed. He took a moment to stop, to catch his breath.
Crack!
The snapping of twigs split the silent forest air. It left a trail of sound, not on the ground, by enveloping him in the trees. He planted himself firmly on the thick tree trunk, ready to fight, though talking first wouldn't be ruled off. In the Games, you never wanted to be caught off-guard.
"Avatar," a soft voice hissed from behind him.
Aang whirrled around, blasting an accidental gust of air at the voice's owner.
However, the ebony-haired girl avoided it easily.
"Avatar Aang, wait," she said, gracefully landing on a branch a few feet below him.
"...Yana Lee?" he asked, squinting, trying to remember her name.
"Yes," she said quietly. With quick quietness, she leapt to his level. "I need to speak to you."
"About?" he replied, quirking an eyebrow.
"Another tribute and myself have been thinking. I've heard you conspiring," she informed him. "And we want in."
"You heard? Was I really that loud?" he asked, afraid other, more official people had heard as well.
"I'm just a careful listener," she said, shaking her head. "So, what do you say?" Yana Lee stuck her hand out. "Truce?"
He examined her carefully. "Wait...we?"
As if on cue, Ty Lee emerged from behind the tree trunk.
"You two started an alliance?"
Yana Lee nodded. "She's stronger than she looks...and agile."
Aang glanced at her pale hand, still outstreched. He took his cautiously, shaking. "Truce."
The two women noticeably relaxed.
"So, what's the plan?" Ty Lee asked eagerly.
"The plan is to grab weapons and supplies. The other members of the truce will run off from the bloodbath and we'll meet up. From there, we'll begin the plan," Aang told them.
Before much more could be said, the two were departing, darting through the trees, disappearing beyond the branches and foliage. With the swift footsteps of other children approaching, Aang continued his trek through the creepers.
The Cornucopia was a magnificent sight, had it not been a death trap, luring desperate kids into battle with one another. It sat in an open clearing in the center of the woods, literally shimmering gold in the sunlight. Aang leapt from the tree branches, landing gracefully, to find Ty Lee and Yana had already gathered a few supplies and left, seeking solace in the woods. Immideatley, he scooped a weighty canvas bag onto his shoulders, searching for anything else of use.
"Aang!" Katara's shrill voice called as she flew next into the clearing, leaping over the bushes. A smile split her face at the sight of him. "You made it!" Without another word, she began grabbing every pouch of water she could find, hooking them to her waist sash. He watched curiously out of the corner of his eye as the bushes began rustling, before a pack of three emerged from the forest, scraped and bruised.
Teo was accompanied by Haru, both of which had little incisions, presumably from rocky-Earthebending-debris or scratches from twigs. Princess Yue, however, stumbled out on her own, no alliance, her arm already gushing blood. The children avoided killing one another for the time being, watching one another carefully as they collected their supplies. Princess Yue sat herself against the Cornucopia, tearing a piece of cloth from the hem of her leggings, tying a tight not on her arm. Slowly, she gathered herself, slinging a bag over her shoulder, taking a machete into her hand, and sprung off into the woods, panting.
Then came the hoard. Toph broke through the bushes first, the ends of her bangs singed, her fingers caked in soot and dirt. She looked around frantically, before picking up a bag and beginning a sprint for the woods. However, she stopped just before the tree line as the others- Sokka, Jet, Jun, Chan, Hahn, and Zuko- broke into the clearing. Sokka was already in combat with Chan, wrestling on the ground. They rolled around, each trying to claw and punch the day lights out of the other.
"Watertribe mongrel!" Chan coughed.
"Stupid Fire Nation...jerk!" Sokka retorted sharply. Once Sokka had gained the upperhand, pinning Chan underneath him with his weight, he couldn't help but grin, the hatred of the Fire Nation over his mother's death boiling. He unsheathed a knife he held at his side.
"Ahhhh!" Hanh cried, swining a sword, aiming to cleave the non-bender's head clean off.
Just as he let the blade fall, a wall of Earth came arose from the grass, catching the blade.
"Get away from my friend!" Toph shouted, encasing Hanh's body in rock before catapulting him into the nearest tree. He sank to the ground, limp, though Toph didn't pause long enough to be sure his pulse had stopped. Sokka rolled off of Chan, grabbing a heavy pack up into his hands, throwing it over his back. Toph locked Chan's feet and legs to the ground with Earthen cuffs, smirking down at him. Sokka leapt and unstuck Hanh's sword from the wall, quickly admiring the black blade. As the battles waged on behind him, he quickly took Toph's hand, running with her into the woods.
"Let's get out of here!" he shouted.
Aang watched as Toph and Sokka departed, tripping as they sprinted as fast as their legs could carry them away. Aang looked around at the war that was being fought. Children, he noted sadly, were killing one another. Jun had Meng by a braid, a curved blade in her hand teasing the skin of her neck. Meng cried, her sobs drowned out by the rumbling of rocks and clashing of weapons. Aang uncapped a pouch of water on his hip, poised to unarm Jun with a water whip, but by the time the tendril of water was shooting through the air, it was too late. Meng's blood was already spilling onto the grass, tainting the purity of the greenery. Jun grinned maliciously, turning to find her next victim: Teo.
He was a sitting duck, though he held a short sword in each palm, watching intently, beads of sweat forming on his brow. Haru was busy fighting with Jet, hook swords destroying every boulder chucked at him, his agility proving a worthy opponent to Haru's prowress.
A woman grunted to Aang's left and he was drawn away from watching, noticing that it was Katara letting out a cry, as she blasted Jun to her back with a wall of water. Teo, seeing Katara approaching, faltered and panicked, tossing one of the short swords at her. The act surprised her and she narrowly missed it, the sharp point grazing the skin of her cheek and tip of her ear. Instead of attacking, she contemplated battling him. Deciding against it, Katara turned and retreated, yelling for Aang to join her.
As they ran, Prince Zuko ignited the grass around them, encasing them in a ring of fire. He walked through the inferno, hands raised to bend.
"Give me the Avatar," he ordered the girl.
She shook her head furiously. "Never."
Aang bent his knees, poising his staff at the prince.
"Have it your way," he growled angrily, shooting bubls of fire at the pair. Aang and Katara moved in fluid unison, waving their arms rapidly to block the bulbs with a thick shield of water. Steam erupted as consequence, obscuering their vision. Aang bent it all away, slamming a foot into the ground, blocks of dirt hovering in the air before pegging the banished prince in the stomach and chin, sending him flying. Just as he was about to be burnt by his own fire, he flipped, extinguishing the fire. Katara drew water from two nearby trees, the tendrils barreling through the air to keep the prince at bay.
"Aang!" she shouted, cupping her hands over her mouth as he knocked a newly awoken Hanh to the ground. The already dizzy man teetered to the ground, shouting something incoherent. The slight dent in the back of his skull from Toph's launching was laced with splinters of wood and blood dribbled slowly, like a cracked barrel of water.
He took a few steps backed, surprised by the blood that littered the clearing, from the deceased and wounded, before following Katara deep into the woods, leaving the sound of a dying bloodbath behind him.
Ah, the bloodbath. I realize now that I had a lot of people avoid it, so it wasn't too much of a bloodath, but you'll see!
Soon to come: alliances and betrayals, love and loss (of course), and (hopefully) epic battles! ^o^
Peace, L.