Sorry it's late. But I think this one is worth the wait. It is one of my personal favorites of the whole book. I won't say much but it gets emotional and tense, very much so. This one and the next chapter are my top chapters for book 1. They are in my opinion my best writing. Please enjoy :D

Chapter 31

Taruk Crosses the Line

School had been going on for two weeks. On the week break, I was playing a strategic game of air ball. I lost but not by much. My friends and I were hanging out in the jungle where it wasn't so thick, and we could see the sunset.

"Ah…it feels nice and cool now that the sun is setting. Sometimes I can't stand the heat here," Hana said,

I got an idea and splashed some water on her.

She screamed, "Hyriu!"

"How's that for cool?" I said.

She pushed me then started laughing. The rest of us joined in her laughter. I made a snowball with water bending and threw it at Koluk.

"Oh you're going to start that now, huh?" He laughed before splashing mud in my face.

We all began fighting. Mud, snow, water, and wind bombarded all of us. Fai and Lina double teamed me and pushed me into a mud puddle face down. I started to push myself up when time slowed. The water dripping from my hair and face took several seconds to hit the ground. I could feel a familiar cold sensation. His voice entered my head.

"He is coming…The bold one…the one named Taruk…" the Robed Man said. "This will show you that I am trying to help you."

Even though time seemed to slow, I realized that I had been lying on the ground for far too long. My friends weren't laughing anymore. Lamara was kneeling next to me.

"Hyriu, are you alright?" she asked.

I pushed myself into a sitting position.

"Yeah, I uh…"I started to say, then I saw Lina rub her arms as if she was cold. Cold. I remembered what the Robed Man had said; Taruk was coming.

I heard someone walking through the jungle. For some reason, I knew it was him and that I should hide. I jumped up into a tree and put a finger to my lips. Thankfully, my friends seemed to understand. Taruk emerged from the bushes.

"Well look who we have here, the whole gang. Oh, except you seem to be leaderless," Taruk sneered.

"What do you want, Taruk?" Koluk demanded.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. You're Taruk? The one that harasses Hyriu? The idiotic scumbag who doesn't know when to stop pushing the boundaries? You are that Taruk?" Lamara said fiercely.

"Well, now I see Hyr-o comes here to complain about me," Taruk smugly replied.

"Why don't you complain about this!" Lamara shouted and punched him in the face.

He fell to one knee then stood back up enraged, his nose bleeding. I saw Daminao pull Lamara back; hopefully stopping her from hitting him again, even though he deserved it.

"Sorry, but I'm not a little baby that goes running to his friends," Taruk said.

I could see anger in all of my friends faces; I half wanted Daminao let go of Lamara and let her at him.

"And to answer your question, I am here to find out what Hyriu is hiding. I know he is hiding more than his water bending skills. And I know you all know what he is hiding." He looked straight at Lina. "And I know what you two are hiding from everyone."

The others looked at Lina, and she glanced around nervously.

"I also know that he is hiding from me right now. You can probably hear me, can't you, Hyr-o? Oh and I almost forgot, I spoke to Monk Yami; he said that you all were down by this air ball field and were just relaxing after training. What training are you receiving from the air benders? Do you really come here every day to swing your sword and learn some fancy new moves? If you did, you wouldn't be hiding, now would you? Is that how you defeated all those soldiers on the scouting mission? I know you didn't beat them with just a sword; the swordsmen perhaps, but what about the archers? The fire benders? I don't think so." Taruk said while looking around the area.

"Taruk, you're wasting your time. Hyriu isn't even here. Yes, we all come here, and Hyriu did train, but with his sword only, and some hand-to-hand combat. That is all. Daminao, how about you show Taruk here where Hyriu learned his skills?" Hana said.

I had to give it to her; she was very convincing and good at making things up on the spot.

Daminao drew his swords and did a few forms to show Taruk. Just then, one of the branches my foot was on snapped and fell to the ground loudly. I quickly jumped to another tree, making a lot of noise in the process.

Taruk snapped his head up then looked at my friends, "I must admit, you almost had me fooled."

My friends stood there, trying to think of something to do. Taruk scanned the nearby trees, then his eyes centered in on me.

"You say Hyr-o isn't even here, that he's what, at his house?" Taruk asked Lina. She stammered, then quickly nodded. "Well let's prove you're all liars." He charged toward me.

I knew he had spotted me, and I had to run because if I got home in time, he wouldn't be able to call our bluff.

I jumped from tree to tree, never staying in the open for more than a few seconds, but also not being very quiet. I raced by air benders and temples. Taruk some how managed to keep me in sight. I headed for the Shui Temple to go through the tunnel.

I got to the porch area; Monk Yami was there with Monk Seng and Monk Dadao. They saw me coming

"Ah, Hyriu-" Monk Yami started to say, but I didn't stop running.

Taruk soon raced by him as well. I arrived at the top of the Mountain Pass. I wasn't going to waste my time with it. I made an ice sled and rode it down the mountainside. I heard a voice cry out behind me, and I looked back to see Taruk also riding an ice sled. It some how looked familiar; then it hit me all at once. He said he knew what Lina and I were hiding and how he knew I was a good water bender. And how it wasn't Hana the night a hooded water bender saw me training Lina, it was Taruk.

It all made sense, but I still needed to get home. The sudden revelation distracted me, and I realized Taruk was launching attacks at me. I started blocking them. We were nearing the bottom; I looked towards the nearing houses trying to decide which way to go. That was when Taruk took his chance. I felt something grab my leg and pull it. I fell off my ice sled and rolled down the mountain. Fortunately, I was already close to the bottom; unfortunately, a house was close to the Mountain Pass entrance. I slammed into one of its walls. My side exploded in pain, and I tried to get up but stumbled. I saw a group of people run over.

"Oh Spirits! Are you okay?" One of them said.

My vision focused, and I saw Huan, Da-Xia, and Gen Li. I stood, and they all had looks of shock.

"What happened to you, Hyriu?" Gen Le said.

"Uh, I, um," I saw Taruk getting close.

They looked and saw Taruk also.

"Who is that?" Da-Xia asked me.

"Taruk," I replied, stumbling backwards.

Huan looked back at me; I realized I must have looked terrible since I pretty much flew through bushes and trees and rolled into a house. He looked like he could see enough of what happened.

"We'll hold him off. Go," he said.

I looked at him, then the others. I realized that they really were going to help me. I nodded, then ran as fast as I could to my house. I could hear them and Taruk yelling. I kept running and stumbling. I couldn't run fast because I hurt my leg going down the mountain. I ran into an alley only to see it was a dead end. I tripped and fell. I struggled back to my feet and turned around to see Taruk blocking the entrance.

"Well…well…well, look who we have hear, Hyriu Jingshen," he sneered. "I thought you were at home."

"You never thought that," I challenged, still out of breath.

"You're right, I didn't as soon as you snapped that twig. I knew I was being fed more lies to hide and protect you. But no one is here." He held up a hand and looked around, "Humph, no one is here to help you. No Pakku. No Wei. No one. Only us for a change, and I will not protect you. In fact, I intend to do the opposite." He punched me in the stomach; I fell to my knees, and he kicked my face. "Oh, you have seen better days. You've also seen worse, but that hasn't stopped you from humiliating me at every turn. No, people always get what they deserve, even you. Especially you. Every time something bad happened to you, something great happened after. Well now I am going to give you what you deserve for everything you've done to me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, spitting out blood from my bloody lip.

"'What do I mean?' I mean you've always had good things in your life. Your parents die, and one of the most legendary water benders adopts you. You were an outcast, but now everyone's your friend, and you have a girlfriend you used to hate. Now I'm the outcast; now everyone gives me weird looks! You've ruined my life!" He started to punch and kick me; as his anger grew, the force of his hits did as well. "You get to go to the palace! You get to be buddy-buddy with the Royal Court. You get the greatest water bender in our time to help you up and humiliate me! I try my hardest in practice every day, yet I always get yelled at while you laugh, sitting on your butt. You are horrible at warrior training, then Instructor Chen gives you heart warming advice while he glares at me disapprovingly. I lead the scouting mission; you get to be the hero leaving me to look like a foolish coward who ran away and nearly got killed. You get congratulated by Chief Arnook himself, while I get the disappointed look from my father. I am the first rookie in history to make it into two final rounds, but the crowd yells your name! I win a final round, and you make me look like a fool so everyone forgets. You get to travel to the capital, something that almost no one gets to do, and you meet the Avatar! You get sick, and Princess Yue herself delivers a get-well basket to your bedside."

He stopped hitting me, and I saw tears streaming down his face; he turned away from me. I had never thought about what it was like from his point of view. I have been humiliating him at every turn. I would almost feel sorry for him if he hadn't been hitting me. I knew I must look even worse now, I could feel blood all over my face. Then something occurred to me.

I struggled to get on my feet, "How did you know I got sick and that Yue sent me a basket?"

"Oh yeah, about that," Taruk said turning back toward me, his face looked darkly triumphant with the usual hint of suspicious curiosity, "You just so happened to get bed ridden as soon as you arrive, but you're suddenly cured when you're about to leave. This happens every time you visit the capital. Only once or twice a year, so if no one were paying to much attention, they wouldn't notice; but if someone is looking, they will easily see the pattern. And you also get bed ridden right after a ship leaves for the Earth Kingdom, but when a boat returns, you're suddenly cured and well again. Would you like to explain that?"

"How about you explain how you know all that?" I asked, spitting out more blood.

"I have a cousin who lives in the capitol, and I have been writing to him," he said simply.

I remembered the letter Taruk had given a guy on the raft just before we left ,and the water bending kid who was glaring at me, "I won't explain anything to you, but I will say this-" my voice softened, "About humiliating you-"

"Shut up! You think I want you to be sorry?! Keep your sympathy for your dead parents!" He said then spat in my face.

I slowly wiped the saliva from my face. My anger was sky rocketing. I clenched my fists. I felt a rush of power fill me; I had entered Stage One. I closed my eyes so Taruk wouldn't see. I felt another wave of energy, Stage Two. I was loosing control. My anger was still rising. I clenched my head and stumbled backwards. I felt an even bigger rush of power. I had entered Stage Three, the full on Avatar State. I fell to my knees, panicking. I couldn't stop the rush of energy, and I couldn't control it. It was all I could do to stay still. I remembered Pakku saying that if I lost my temper it would be catastrophic; he wasn't exaggerating, and it was happening right then. I had to get out of there, but I realized I couldn't move. I was paralyzed by my own power. I felt the fourth and final wall starting to give way. My head felt like it was literally going to explode because of all the energy that was in it. I opened my eyes; I could see the blue light reflecting back from the ice. I saw Taruk take a step back. Snow was swirling around me, and the ice under me began to crack. I struggled with all my might to stop the flow of energy or at least guide it. I tried to calm down, but nothing was working. It was like my mind and thoughts weren't even mine any more, like someone had taken control and made it theirs.

"What are you doing?" Taruk asked fearfully.

I knew the wall was about to break and there was nothing I could do about it. I began to cry, all of everyone's hard work to keep me a secret was all for nothing. I was about to reveal myself in the worst way possible.

BOOM.

The world stopped. All the power and anger drained out of me.

BOOM.

There it was again. The deep booming noise.

BOOM.

BOOM.

It was getting more frequent now. I looked up and saw Taruk looking in the direction of the noise; shock and fear on his face and mine as well.

BOOM.

I had never heard the sound before, but I knew what it meant; everyone in the Northern Water Tribe knew what it meant. An impending attack.

BOOM.

Taruk and I looked at each other for a moment then left the ally going in different directions. The beat of the drum continued. They city was swarming with people who were screaming. I headed for my house; on the way, I saw Hiko.

"Hyriu, what's going on? What happened to you?" he asked, seeing my face.

"I'll explain later, go to the house and hide. And if neither Wei or I comes and gets you in the next five minutes, go to the Shui Temple and stay there. Do you understand?" I ordered.

He nodded fearfully. I fought through the crowd and found my friends.

"Hyriu, we've been looking for you every-" Hana began saying. "What happened to you?"

"Taruk- he-" I said.

"I'll kill that little-" Lamara began.

"It doesn't matter. Right now, I need to find Wei," I said.

"There he is," Fai said and pointed.

I looked and made my way to him.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I - What happened to you? Who did this?!" he demanded fiercely.

"Never mind right now. What is going on?" I asked again.

"Where is your brother?" he asked, ignoring my question.

"At home," I answered quickly.

"Go get him and bring him to the Grand Hall. Go!" he shouted.

I ran to the house and found Hiko; we went outside. By then, everyone was going to the Hall. A few people questioned what happened to me, but I just pushed it off. I found Lamara, and we struggled through the crowd together. Once everyone had entered the Hall, Wei got up on stage; since he was the head water bender in the Hydronia Court, he usually addressed the town on important matters.

"First," he began, "I want to make it very clear: the drum beats mean an impending attack, yes, but the threat is not on Hydronia, but the capital itself. Our scouts in the Atarashi Mountains spotted the entire Fire Nation Armada heading that way two days past. The fleet has likely made it past the Flat-Ice Peninsula and will land in the Capital in about two days from now. I will not rush to send an unprepared team to reinforce the capital. Instead, I will assemble a team of Hydronia's finest and leave in exactly twenty-four hours. That means we will arrive in the capital one day after the Fire Nation arrives. I am confident that the defenses will hold for at least that long. The Fire Nation timed their attack for three days from now. The full moon will rise, when water bending is at its strongest. Now I will not order anyone to accompany me, I will only ask you to. May the Ocean and Moon Spirits be with us in the coming battle."

Well do you understand why I like this one so very much? Please continue reading, leave a follow or favorite if you want and please review. The next chapter is probably one of the most long awaited chapters, Chapter 32: The Tragedy of the Lok Wa Isles. Where you will finally see what exactly happened to Hyriu's parents. It will be up tomorrow March 21, 2014 since prom is this weekend and I will be very busy with that. Chapter 33 will go up Wednesday.