A/N: Chen seems a little familiar doesn't he? ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or its characters.
I was extremely glad to find out that we are in fact very close to the Earth Kingdom. My previous prison, Pohuai Stronghold, is a Fire Nation fortress just on the outskirts of the western Earth Kingdom. Barely twenty miles, according to Chen. I'll be able to make it back to Aang even sooner than I thought.
Chen and I walked the first five miles or so in complete silence, until I just couldn't do it anymore. I was too hungry and tired to even take another step.
The outskirts of the Fire Nation have trees scattered sparsely along its border. Not like the rest of the nation, that's only covered in charred earth and grassy plains. So we set up camp beside a few of the trees. I guess you could call it camp, though neither of us really has any belongings. Except for Chen's drawstring bag, we've got nothing. Which is incredibly disappointing, because I'd really like to send a messenger hawk for Aang, just to let him know that I'm alright and that I'll be meeting him as soon as I can. And I've yet to discover any water. My throat is really starting to ache from the deprivation. I'd already tried bending the water from the trees around us, but they had next to nothing to offer. They're already on the verge of death, nothing useful inside of them.
I turn over on the grass, which does little to give me any sort of comfort. I'd hardly consider the tough yellow spurts sticking up from the ground here as grass anyway. I didn't even bother trying to bend any water from them. I can hear Chen returning to our site and I prop myself up on my elbow.
He stops a few feet away from me, holding out a rabbit for me to see. "Dinner." He says.
I sigh with relief as my stomach gives an audible growl. Dinner sounds nice. To my dismay, I realize that without Chen here, I wouldn't have been able to secure food for myself. I'm used to using my bending to catch fish, and Sokka and my father were always the hunters. But here in the Fire Nation, with no water for miles, I would've been way out of luck.
I try to tell myself that I would've easily made it the next fifteen miles without food, but I'm starting to become more and more grateful that I'd decided to enlist Chen's help after all. Although I hate to admit it. I really should learn how to hunt.
Under Chen's left arm are a few chunks of wood, that I assume he's gonna use to start a fire. What did he do, chop down a tree? I don't see any firewood around here. Something tells me that's precisely what he did.
He sets the wood down on the ground, arranging it in a circle. He rises to his feet once more, still holding the rabbit by its feet. "I need more timber."
"I can skin the rabbit while you go." I offer, sitting up from my place on the ground.
"Do you know how to skin animals?"
I narrow my eyes at the boy. I don't like what he's implying. "Yes, I know how to skin an animal." I huff.
Chen raises an eyebrow in amusement when he sees my reaction. "Alright, then." He bends down and yanks a knife out of his boot. It's a four inch blade, with a brown wooden handle. Chen's starting to remind me of a boy scout. Always prepared. Although lacking in water, so atleast I don't have to say that he's thought of everything. Atleast that's one thing he'll be needing my help for.
He places the knife in my hand and holds out the rabbit for me to take. I sit back down in the dirt and start to work, quickly skinning the rabbit of its fur. This is the part of hunting that I did learn how to do. My father taught me before he left for battle years ago.
Chen returns a few moments later, arms full of twigs and branches. He glances down at me and then to the furless rabbit. For some reason the look of impression on his face bothers me. As if he thought I wouldn't be able to do it.
I watch as he adds the twigs to his fire pit. Then, using a flat rock and the dagger he'd let me borrow, he quickly gets a fire going. I've made fires before, sure, but never that quickly. It's pretty difficult when the ground is made of ice.
Chen rips handfuls of the dead grass from the ground and tosses them into the fire, causing the flames to grow larger. He then spears the rabbit with a stick and holds it over the embers.
I stare hard into the red flames, growing drowsier by the second as I watch them flicker. I wonder where Aang is. And I really hope that he's alright. Maybe he's already made it to Ba Sing Se by now. Maybe he even already found someone to teach him how to earthbend. I can hope.
I knew the Fire Nation was looking for the Avatar, I had no idea that they were already this close to finding him. After all of our cautionary preventions; obscuring our trail, not traveling with Appa, Aang not using any sort of airbending unless it was absolutely necessary- none of that mattered. They still found us. And somehow, they'd even managed to figure out exactly who I was and what I did. That's the worst part, knowing that they've probably had spies throughout different cities.
The juices from the rabbit meat manage to briefly subdue the ache in my throat. I'm just relieved to have something to eat. I swallow the remainder of my dinner and look over across the fire at Chen, who seems to have been done for a while. "Thankyou. For the food."
His eyes flick over to me. "No problem."
"I can take first watch." I offer. We'd both agreed that after our dramatic escape, and our proximity to the Pohuai Stronghold that we'd better have turns taking watch while the other sleeps. Especially when I'm unable to use any water to protect us. I imagine that it'd be terrible for the both of us, particularly Chen, if Zhao were to get his hands on us. It makes me feel incredibly guilty that he keeps risking his life like this to aid me. But then I remind myself that it isn't really me that he's trying to help, but the Avatar. And aren't I doing the same thing? Haven't I been for the past year?
"No. You need sleep." Chen answers, scooting back so that he's against a tree.
I don't protest. I've been fighting to keep my eyes open for the past hour. I think to say thankyou again, but I've already said it so many times today. I'm sure he gets it by now.
I watch the dimly burning embers until sleep takes over me.
When I wake, a dim gray light fills the forest. It must be almost six in the morning. I sit up slowly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Why hadn't Chen woken me already? For a fleeting second, the terrible thought that we've been captured again floods my mind. But as I look around and see the woods, I calm down.
Chen is sitting against the same tree he had been when I'd fallen asleep. Only now, he's using a rock to sharpen one of his dao swords. His eyes meet mine upon hearing me stand.
"You should've woken me." I say softly, walking over to him.
He shrugs. "There was no reason to."
"Well, sleep now. I'll take watch." I tell him, raising my arms above my head to stretch. My back is awfully stiff and my throat aches for water.
Chen hands me his other dao sword, which I neither expected nor anticipated. "Wake me before noon, will you? I don't want to stay in the same spot for too long." I nod to him and return to my side of the site. I hear Chen shifting around on the ground, probably trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. It's no use, I want to tell him.
After stretching my back out, I attempt to pull the dead grass out of my hair. I have a lot of hair, that's what Sokka is always saying, so things tend to get stuck in the strands. I try my hardest to brush through the ruffled clumps with my fingers before pulling all of it back in a messy braid. Atleast now it won't be in my face. But I could really go for a bath.
I take a seat at the base of a tree and set Chen's sword across my lap. I search the area around me for a sharp rock and start to sharpen its edges. I've never actually sharpened a sword before. Only the spears that Sokka and my father would use for hunting. But I think I'm doing a pretty decent job.
When I can't get the blade any sharper, I finally hear the sound of Chen's slow, labored breaths from across the site. It's so quiet in these woods. Not many creatures can survive without water, not even the bugs that would usually be humming during this time of day.
I get up slowly and try to stay as quiet as possible as I start to clear away the remnants of our fire pit. I spread the charred branches throughout the woods, never straying far enough to leave Chen out of my sight. I'm actually surprised that a warrior like Chen is able to sleep under my protection. He's certainly done enough to earn my trust, but what have I done to earn his? I suppose just being Aang's instructor is enough for him. I return to our original site and use my foot to rearrange the dirt that I'd slept on to make it look as it had when we'd arrived.
I practice my swordsmanship for a while before taking a seat at the base of the tree once again. The hours pass slowly and I'd estimate it to be a quarter past eleven when Chen starts to stir. He sits up abruptly and yawns, managing to startle me as he does.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" I ask. Although I don't see how I could've, because I've been silently watching the trees for the last hour.
He widens his eyes at me and then blinks before answering, "Um, no. I just have a hard time sleeping when the sun is up."
"I feel the same way about the moon." I tell him as he stands. I hold his sword out to him. "I sharpened it…"
"Thanks." He smiles and tucks it back behind his shoulder. He swings his drawstring over his shoulders and glances around. "Did you get rid of the fire pit?"
"Yeah."
He nods. "Good. Then I guess we can just get going." He shuffles away his indentation in the dirt and we start our journey deeper into the forest.
My thirst grows stronger as the day drags on. The sparse trees offer nothing in means of protection against the hot sun burning down on us. I wonder if Chen is as hot as I am right now. Although I highly doubt it, because he was built for this kind of weather. And besides, there isn't even a drop of sweat anywhere on his face or arms.
As the Blue Spirit, he'd been wearing a long sleeve black shirt that looked shiny and flexible in material. But that shirt must be tucked away in his drawstring now, because he's sporting only a plain black t-shirt with black pants that look to be the same material as the long sleeve shirt.
I glance down at my own shirt. It's covered in dirt and there's a tear in the left side. I pull the shirt off, leaving me in only my white tank top and black leggings. I don't know why I hadn't thought to take it off sooner.
"Do you want me to put that in my bag?" Chen asks, still staring straight ahead. I hadn't realized that he'd seen me.
"Um, sure." I pause to hand him the shirt and he tucks it into his bag, pulling the strings tight before slipping the bag back onto his shoulders. I wipe away the sweat that's formed on my brow. "So, um, Chen… what made you become a 'crusader'?"
The question had been on the tip of my tongue since he'd first told me. What makes a person turn on their nation? Although, I probably would, too, if my nation was run by a leader as cruel as Lord Ozai.
"I don't like Ozai." He says simply.
Uh, well, yeah. I was hoping for a more in depth answer. Anything to distract me from my thirst. "Okay… well, I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. My brother Sokka is the chief there. We found Aang, um, that's his name…the Avatar I mean, his name is Aang. He was trapped in an ice sphere. "
Chen stops and turns to look at me, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration for a moment. I'm taken back by the gesture. "Interesting." He answers. I can't tell if he means it or not. We continue along in silence for a good ten minutes before Chen speaks again. "I don't like what Ozai stands for. War and oppression and all that. So I left home and joined the team of crusaders. They're the ones who trained me."
"Where are they now?" I ask. My foot catches on a creeper and Chen reaches out, catching me easily by the arm.
"In the Earth Kingdom. In the town just outside of Ba Sing Se."
Interesting. Well, it's certainly a huge relief to know that Aang and Sokka and I have such skilled fighters on our side. "I'd like to meet them."
Chen pauses again, just for a second, and then shrugs. "Um, sure."
"Hey, how old are you?" I ask, only because I'm too curious not to.
"I'm nineteen. How old are you?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Seventeen. My brother is your age." I wipe the newly formed sweat from my brow again. Man, the sun is just relentless today. I don't know how much longer I can go before I start to really dehydrate.
"Really…well how old is, um, Aang?"
"He's fifteen." Not nearly old enough to be dealing with all of the burdens of the world. I sometimes wonder about the other Avatars before Aang. How did they react when they found out? What did they have to give up?
Chen runs a hand through his shaggy hair. "So, when you found him in the ice-"
"Wait." I hold my hand up, stopping dead in my tracks. I can feel the familiar pull in my body that I've been so longing to feel for the past two days.
"What?" Chen draws his swords from his back. "What is it?" He asks, searching the area.
A huge grin spreads across my face. "Water!" I shout as I run to find the source.
The first thing I do when I see the small, swampy bog in front of me is jump into it face first. Ah…I sigh loudly as I let the water cool my hot skin. I can practically feel myself getting physically stronger as the water flows into my pores. I roll over onto my back, well aware that my once white shirt is now covered in mud. Oh well, I'll bend it off. For now, I just want to lay here and soak up as much as I can.
When I finally open my eyes again, I have to shield my gaze from the ever searing sun that is now high in the sky. I spot Chen, standing a few feet away from me. He's watching me with a hand on his hip, his headed tilted to the side and an eyebrow raised.
"It's a water tribe thing." I explain, swirling my arms around in the gloopy mixture of water and dirt. I don't expect him to understand. Just like I'll never understand his ability to spend long hours in the hot sun without so much as breaking a sweat.
Chen shrugs. "Looks like mud to me."
"Yes and what do you think mud is made of?" I retort.
I see a hint of a smirk playing on Chen's lips.
The entire swamp is rather small. Maybe only twelve feet in length and width. The edges around it are surrounded by tall, wispy blades of grass. Real green grass, too, not the dead yellow kind that frequents the Fire Nation.
I bend a stream of muddy water in front of me and carefully separate the dirt from the water until all that I have left is a clear blue fountain.
Chen frowns. "You're gonna drink that? Don't you know what kind of bacteria it could have?"
I deadpan. "Yes. I think I'm well qualified enough to know the danger of bacteria." I flick a string of water at Chen's head, where it slaps his right temple. His eyes narrow in anger. "Do you want a drink or not?"
"Not." He scowls, folding his arms over his chest.
I can't suppress the smirk that covers my face. "Suit yourself." I taunt him. Chen may be from the Fire Nation, but no one can survive without water. And I know for certain that he hasn't had any since our daring escape from Pohuai Stronghold yesterday afternoon. With his arms still crossed in defiance, Chen takes a seat a few feet away; under what little shade one of the shrively Fire Nation trees has to offer.
He pretends not to watch as I boil the stream of crystal clear water, ridding it of all the bacteria that he's so worried about. Like I don't know the risks of unpurified water. I am from the Water Tribe after all. Steam starts to rise from my stream of water and I quickly bend the temperature back down, as cold as it can possibly go without starting to freeze. I can feel Chen's gaze on me as I gulp down huge mouthfuls of the stuff.
When my belly starts to feel too full and my throat is well quenched, I climb out of the bog. I use the leftover water to clean my face and arms, finally working way through my tangled hair. I can't even put into words how much better I feel. Before long, I'm mud-free and shiny and dry again.
"Um…Katara?" Chen asks. He's standing about a yard in front of me now, fiddling with the straps of his drawstring.
And I know what he wants. "Yes?" I answer, drawing out the word teasingly.
He kicks a rock by his left foot, still staring at the ground. "Do you think I could…"
"Mhmmm?" I press him further, enjoying his obvious discomfort.
His eyes meet mine and he huffs loudly. "Oh, Agni, can I just have some water?"
I smile at him. "What's the magic word?"
His eyes flick off to the side before he faces me again, much like an eye roll. "Please?"
"Well of course you can have some water, princess." I taunt him. Chen's head jerks up and all of the amusement has faded from his face as he stares back at me. Somehow, I must have struck a nerve. "Just…here."
I brush off the awkward tension that has formed between us and bend a stream of water in front of him. He leans forward to take sips as if it were a fountain. After a long moment, he dunks his head into the stream and uses the water to wash his face. I drop the stream of water back into the pond.
Chen runs his fingers through his black hair and then shakes it out, the way I've seen animals do. I step back to avoid the flinging droplets. "Uh, I could've just dried it for you."
"I'm fine." He shrugs, "Thanks for the water."
"No problem." I whisper. It's still early in the afternoon. It'd be a waste of daylight for us to stop here, I know. But I really can't stand the idea of parting with my new found water source. Who knows how many miles it could be before I find another? "I… I think we should set up camp here."
Chen tilts his head to the side, clearly disapproving of my idea. "We've only gone four miles today." He protests. My eyes glance down at the bog and I chew the inside of my lip. Chen follows my gaze and sighs. "We're almost in the Earth Kingdom. I guarantee we'll find more water by the end of the day."
Now it's my turn to sigh. "Alright." There's no sense in wasting daylight. It's imperative that we put as much distance between us and Pohuai Stronghold as quickly as possible. And Chen is right. The Earth Kingdom will definitely have more water sources. And if anything, they'll atleast have living plants that I could actually pull water from. But it would be nice if I had my water skin.
Chen starts along his path again and I follow closely behind him.