Tucker was the first to wake up the next day. They'd spent the next couple of hours after the attack, finding a new camp site and scouting for any other soldiers in the area. Aang warned the village of the deserters' presence. Then they set up their new camp and spent the evening talking. Tucker stood up and stretched. He scanned the camp. Sokka and Danny were sleeping in sleeping bags by the fire. Aang was sleeping beside Appa, Momo curled up with him. Katara and Sam were sleeping in a tent that Katara had. And Toph had created a stone tent beside it for herself. Tucker sighed and noticed that their camp fire had gone out. Grumbling, Tucker grabbed a bunch of sticks and fetched his flint. Biting back curses, Tucker eventually hit the stones together without hitting his knuckles or getting burnt by the sparks.
Danny yawned and sat up a few minutes later.
"Morning Tuck. Great job getting the fire going," Danny remarked, nodding to the roaring fire. Tucker smiled and threw a log on the fire.
"Thanks. Feeling better after yesterday?" Tucker replied. Danny nodded and got out of his sleeping bag and rolled it up and stuffed it into his pack.
"So do you know what you're gonna do about this spirit. Isn't it coming back tonight?" Tucker inquired. Danny nodded and sat down beside Tucker.
"Yeah, I have an idea. But I have to get the villagers to agree to it. Still trying to figure out the details," Danny answered. Tucker smiled and poked the fire and tossed a few sticks in. Danny glanced to their pile of firewood.
"Come on. We should get some more wood," Danny suggested and nudged Tucker's arm as he got up. Tucker frowned.
"Sam doesn't like it when you don't tell her where you're going," Tucker reminded him. Danny laughed.
"She's way too protective sometimes. Come on, we'll be back before she wakes up and we need firewood," Danny retorted. Tucker shrugged and followed Danny into the forest.
By the time Danny and Tucker returned, laughing and smiling after some much needed bonding time alone together, everyone else had woken up. Sam stomped over to them.
"Where have you been!?" she demanded. Tucker cowered behind Danny. Sam had a temper worse than most fire-benders.
"Getting firewood. See?" Danny answered, motioning to the large bundle of sticks and logs in his arms. Sam scowled at him.
"You know that you shouldn't go-" Sam began.
"Alone? I was with Tucker. It was fine," Danny interrupted. Tucker carefully edged around Danny and darted away from Sam, busying himself with the fire. Katara and Aang had gone to get water for cooking breakfast and for the camp to drink.
"Tucker didn't have his bow and quiver! How could he protect you if those fire-benders came after you?" Sam pointed out, gesturing angrily at Tucker's bow and quiver. Danny flinched.
"Sam nothing happened. We're fine. Calm down. Besides I'm getting better with my bending," Danny informed her. Sam growled at him.
"That's not the point! You can't just go off like that. You should have told one of us first," Sam snarled. Danny walked carefully around her and dumped the firewood on the ground.
Sokka and Toph watched the exchanged with confused expressions.
"You know, if I didn't know better. I'd think that they were a couple or something," Sokka commented. Tucker smirked.
"Don't say it Tuck. Sam will probably use you for target practice," Danny warned. Tucker paled and nodded, biting his lip. Danny and Tucker glanced at Sam as she returned to preparing the food.
"Why would Sam use Tucker as target practice?" Sokka whispered. Danny shook his head.
"Tucker has been trying to play matchmaker with us for years. Sam gets really angry at him whenever he suggests it. And honestly, Sam's in a bad enough mood already," Danny explained softly.
"So what was that all about?" Toph inquired, changing the subject. Danny smiled grimly.
"A while ago, I went to get firewood alone. We were deep in Fire nation soldier territory and I was captured. They were about to cart me off to the Fire Lord when Sam found me and used her bending to get me away from the soldiers. After that, we all agreed that I'd never go anywhere without one of them in case I got attacked. Two or three people are harder to capture than one," Danny answered. Sokka and Toph nodded knowingly.
A few minutes later Katara and Aang returned with water for everyone and they cooked their meal and ate, mainly in silence since Sam was fuming. Once everyone had finished, Sam volunteered to clean the dishes, despite it usually being Danny or Tucker's chore.
"So, that spirit is coming back tonight, right? What was your idea Danny?" Aang asked. Danny smiled.
"Well, those candles we lit helped that spirit, so I thought that if we made a bigger fire-" Danny began to explain.
"Sam's in trouble!" Toph exclaimed. Danny immediately stopped talking and turned to Toph.
"Where? We have to help her!" Danny retorted worriedly. Toph got to her feet and ran off towards the river.
Aang and Danny followed close behind her and then Katara and finally Sokka and Tucker who had had to gather their weapons first. They arrived at the riverside to see almost fifty deserter soldiers fighting Sam. Sam had risen blockades of earth and threw boulders at any exposed fire-bender but she was outnumbered and overwhelmed. Toph scowled angrily and stomped down on the ground and thrust her hands out and joined the fight. Sokka ran straight into the fight without stopping, sword swinging wildly. Katara sprinted to the river and began to bend the water to her will. Danny stared at the fight before taking a deep breath. Tucker noticed his friend and stood by his side, bow ready and arrow aiming at any soldier that was too close. Danny then raised his fist and created a ball of green light and threw it at the soldier closest to Sam. Aang gasped at the sight of green energy materialising from Danny's fingertips before turning to his friends and began to bend the air around him into strong gusts of wind and separated the fire-benders.
Eventually Aang and Danny were able to make their way through the fighting to Sam's side and grabbed her hand and dragged her into the forest. Sokka, Katara, Toph and Tucker followed shortly afterwards. However the soldiers chased after them and they got spilt up.
Some more action. And some more on Danny bending.
Let me know what you guys think so far.
Poll's closing today at 12:00 Greenwich Meantime.
Until the next chapter.