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The next few days, we traveled north, heading for the Northern Water Tribe. Not much had changed between me and the rest of the group. Understandably, they were as distrustful as ever.
Instead of worrying about their whispers and glances, I would always find an escape in a nearby clearing to meditate or practice my bending.
That is how I found myself in my current situation.
Suspended high above the ground in mid-air, ropes surrounding me as I sat cross-legged amongst them. It had been hours since I had been ensnared by the trap, using the time to meditate anyway.
I wonder when they'll notice I'm gone.
Suddenly, I finally heard the voice of the Avatar, "Where's Momo?"
"My name is Sumi, not Momo," I muttered, obviously not heard by the young boy who was standing at least fifty feet below me. Momo's screech is what caught the Avatar's attention.
One moment, Momo was reaching for a lychee nut, the next he too was suspended next to me in the air amongst the other two animals we were caged near.
"Hang on, Momo!" Quickly, Aang hopped from tree to tree using his airbending to reach the top. Jumping from trunk to trunk, he soon finds the mechanisms controlling the traps and undoes them.
Momo is carefully lowered to the ground, finally able to enjoy his lychee nut as Katara and Sokka release him from his cage.
Sadly, I was still in a tree.
Aang notices me and the other animals suspended in the air, moving to lower our cages as well, "All right, you too."
Before Aang could jump upward again, Sokka interjected, "This is gonna take forever." Not even looking up, Sokka threw his boomerang to cut away the ropes.
My eyes widened as I screamed, my cage plummeting to the ground at speeds that I didn't believe possible. I closed my eyes so that I didn't have to see the ground as it got closer and closer to me. My eyes squeezed tight, I continued screaming, but the impact never came.
Nervously, I opened one of my eyes, seeing Katara, Sokka, and Aang staring at me in silence. I looked down: I was suspended a foot above the ground, Aang having airbent me a soft landing.
"Heh, way to go, guys. Never doubted you for a second," I smiled sheepishly as I clambered out of the death trap.
Everyone gathers around me, looking at the trap, Sokka kneeling to get closer to it, "These are Fire Nation traps. You can tell from the metalwork. We'd better pack up camp and get moving."
We quickly trudged back to our camp. It didn't take long for Katara and me to pack away our minimal belongings into our pack rolls, loading them up onto Aang atop Appa's saddle.
Sokka soon took notice of us, "Uh-uh! No flying this time."
"What?" Aang asked, "Why wouldn't we fly?"
Sokka yanked the sleeping bag roll out from Aang's hands, "Think about it: Somehow, Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa; he's just too noticeable."
"What? Appa's not too noticeable!" Katara interjected.
I was startled by the sudden silence around me, pulling me out of my thoughts as I looked at the rest of the group, who were already staring silently at me, "Huh?"
Sokka's annoyed expression only grew before stomping over to Appa and pointing a finger at him, "He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head! It's kind of hard to miss him!"
"Sokka's just jealous 'cause he doesn't have an arrow," Aang consoled Appa as the giant beast yawned from beneath him.
"I'm sorry, Aang, but Sokka's right," I spoke up sheepishly, "Appa always led us straight to you. But, if it makes you feel any better, Prince Zuko lost his main navigator recently, and he sucks at navigating, so you don't have anything to worry about!"
Sokka whipped his head to me, "You don't mean you..."
"Listen!" Sokka moved on, "I know you all wanna fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk."
Katara leaned forward toward her brother, smiling, "Who made you the boss?"
"I'm not the boss, I'm the leader," Sokka announced proudly, pointing a finger to his chest. I stayed silent in the corner, laughing lightly as an amused eyebrow was lifted on my face.
"You're the leader? But your voice still cracks!" Katara laughed.
"I'm the oldest, and I'm a warrior!" Sokka's voice cracking midway through his words caused my giggles to become audible as he sent a glare in my direction, "So I'm the leader!"
In between my laughs, I spoke up, "Definitely not the oldest one here anymore, Ponytail."
Katara rolled her eyes, "If anyone's the leader, it's Aang. I mean, he is the Avatar."
"Are you kidding? He's just a goofy kid!"
We all turned to our left, watching as Aang hung upside down from Appa's horn before speaking up, "He's right."
"Why do boys always think someone has to be the leader?" Katara scoffed, "I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you kissed a girl."
Sokka's eyes glanced at me quickly before speaking again, "I've kissed a girl, you just haven't met her."
"Who? Gran-Gran? I've met Gran-Gran," Katara crossed her arms.
"No!" Sokka yelled, "Besides, Gran-Gran. Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot, and a leader has to trust his instincts."
"Okay, we'll try it your way, oh wise leader."
Aang appeared immediately from behind us, backpack already swung over his shoulders, Momo perched at the very top, "Who knows? Walking might be fun."
"I love walking!" I jumped up, grabbing the other giant pack. Katara sighed at the rest of our antics before walking forward as well.
It didn't take long for the group to regret their decision. I walked peacefully toward the front of our caravan with Sokka by my side. Aang and Katara were right behind us, with Appa pulling up the rear.
"Walking stinks!" Aang exclaimed, "How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?"
"Well, I don't know, Aang," Katara replied sarcastically, "Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts? They seem to know everything."
"Ha ha, very funny," Sokka said dryly.
"Well, I'm having a great time, guys!" I smiled at the group. My smile quickly dropped as I was met with silence.
"I'm tired of carrying this pack," Aang complained.
"You know who you should ask to carry it for a while?" Katara asked, "Sokka's instincts." Sokka turned to his sister, the frustration clear in his eyes.
"That's a great idea," Aang smiled, "Hey, Sokka's instincts, would you mind-"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Sokka interrupted, "Look, guys, I'm tired too. But the important thing is that we're safe from the Fire Nation."
Not seconds later, the group had walked through a bush into a large clearing in the woods. Sokka and I were the first with a view of the giant Fire Nation campsite in front of us, both of our jaws dropping at the sight in front of us.
It seemed to be close to dinnertime as most of the soldiers were seated and crouched around a fire with bowls in their hands. Nearby tents flapped through the gentle breeze, the Fire Nation insignia flowing proudly through the wind.
The moment our group enters the clearing, the soldiers whip their heads up from their meals, noticing us in an instant.
"Run!" Sokka yells, turning to run off before a firebender cuts us off by setting a bush on fire, "We're cut off!"
The soldier who set the bush aflame had also seemed to catch Sokka's shirt, as we slowly noticed the glow coming from the boy's arm.
"Sokka, your shirt!" Aang yells. Sokka yelps, trying to swat at the fire on his arm before Katara uses some water from her pouch to extinguish the flames.
"Come on, Princess, fight fire with fire!" Sokka said nervously, hands resting on her shoulders as he hid cowering behind the girl.
My eyes widened, before I crossed my arms in annoyance, "Using fire with this many trees around is a death wish, Ponytail!"
Slowly but surely, the Fire Nation soldiers surrounded us, pressing us closer into the flame-riddled bush. I could feel the heat starting to lick at my back as we were in a standstill.
Sokka was the first to speak up, "If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you."
"What are you doing?" Katara whispered.
"Bluffing," Sokka whispered back under his breath.
A soldier with an eye-patch covering his left eye laughed in amusement, "You promise not to hurt us?" Before anyone could respond or make a move, the man fell forward unconscious. A tiny, almost impossible to see tranquilizer dart stuck out from his back.
"Nice work, Sokka!" Aang said in excitement, "How'd you do that?"
"Look!" Katara yelled, gaining all of our attention as we looked at a tall tree that stood close by.
In the tree stood a young boy close in age to Sokka and me. He had messy dark brown hair that fell to his shoulders, twin hook swords strapped to his back. He quickly unsheathed the swords, using the blades to swing off the tree and jumping down, immediately taking down two soldiers with him.
He continued to use the hook blades to make quick work of the Fire Nation soldiers, using the hooks to send them flying into heaps.
"Down you go." The boy said, poised in front of the remaining soldiers. One tried to attack him from behind, but he quickly maneuvered around, letting the soldier join the pile of defeat that lay in front of our group.
I looked around at everyone else. Katara and Aang seemed amazed, but Sokka shared the same confusion I did on my face.
Who is he and where did he come from?
"They're in the trees!" A soldier yelled. My attention diverted to the trees once again, landing on a large group of fighters. A young boy landed atop the soldier's head, bashing in his helmet to blind him, before riding him around while laughing.
Again, the group surrounding me did not move. I huffed in annoyance.
We couldn't let this group just take our fight.
I moved quickly from the group, jumping into action. I unsheathed my single dadao, sending a quick kick at one of the soldiers and following it up with a slice of my blade. The rest of the group wasn't far behind me. I could finally see Aang and Katara fighting in the distance as I faced off another soldier.
The soldier disarmed me of my sword, landing too far to reach. My face formed a glare as I stared at the soldier before moving in with my fists. The man began to bend fire, but I expertly dodged and weaved through the flames. As he threw a punch to my side, I caught the side of his helmet with a quick, taking the opportunity to loop my legs around his neck and flip him upside down on the ground.
"That's it?" I looked up from my crouched position above the soldier, looking for a new opponent, before I heard quick footsteps behind me.
In the blink of an eye, I see Sokka holding up his boomerang and yelling as a soldier sneaks up on me from behind. However, before Sokka can land his attack, the boy with messy hair intervenes, kicking the soldier away.
"Hey, he was mine!" Sokka yelled.
"Gotta be quicker next time," the boy replied. Sokka looked at me in dismay, and I could only respond with a light shrug as we continued to take down the remaining soldiers.
Soon enough, the camp was empty. Most soldiers had fled the scene, taking as many of the fallen with them as they could, leaving behind only a few stragglers who lay in silent heaps around us.
"You just took out a whole army almost single-handed," Aang said in amazement, his attention turned toward the mysterious newcomer.
"Army?! Pfft," Sokka interjected, "There were only like twenty guys." I stood close to Sokka, my arms crossed and my head nodding lightly in agreement with him.
We turned to the other group as their leader began to introduce his group, "My name is Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters. Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak."
Katara moved in closer to Jet as the rest of us moved about the camp and spoke softly, "Umm, thanks for saving us, Jet. We're lucky you were there."
"I should be thanking you," he said, "We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning. We just needed the right distraction, and then you guys stumbled in."
"We were relying on instincts," Katara glared at Sokka from where he stood.
"You'll get yourself killed doing that." Sokka huffed in annoyance, looking at Jet and Katara in disdain. We stood not too far off, able to clearly hear the conversation happening in front of us.
"Maybe that's just because your instincts suck, Jet," I glared at the boy from where I stood. He only glanced at me briefly before turning his attention back to Katara.
I felt a gentle hand on my arm, looking up and finding Sokka was the culprit. He gave me a small, awkward smile before mumbling under his breath, "Thanks for that."
"Oh, it's nothing," I waved off. I don't know what it was about the boy, but my instincts were telling me something was wrong. Something was off in the way the boy spoke of his ambush and his Freedom Fighters; I just couldn't put my tongue on it quite yet.
In the distance, two of the Freedom Fighters, The Duke and Pipsqueak, were looking through piles of barrels that were scattered throughout the camp.
"Hey, Jet," The Duke said, "these barrels are filled with blasting jelly."
"That's a great score," Jet responded.
What could you possibly need that for, Jet?
"And these boxes are filled with jelly candy!" Pipsqueak exclaimed.
"Also good," Jet said, "Let's not get those mixed up."
"We'll take this stuff back to the hideout." Pipsqueak began packing barrels away into a cart and pulling it into the tree line before disappearing with The Duke following close behind.
Aang's interest was piqued. "You guys have a hideout?"
"You wanna see it?" Jet asked.
"Yes!" Katara declared, "We wanna see it!" Jet smiles at her in response, ushering the group to follow him along.
Sokka and I eyed each other, unsure about following the Freedom Fighter. After all, we were supposed to be finding Aang a waterbending teacher, not a hideout where he could disappear for another hundred years.
We followed Jet and the rest of his group, soon finding ourselves in a more dense, secluded area of the forest.
"We're here," Jet announced.
"Where? There's nothing here," Sokka asked.
"Hold this," Jet hands Sokka a rope, "You too," he points at me, and I shrug.
Sokka and I skeptically hold onto the rope with one hand each. "Why? What does this do?"
Before Sokka's question can be answered, we are suddenly yanked into the sky, screaming as we go. I soon found myself grasping at Sokka, his arms wrapped tightly around me as I shut my eyes and buried my face into his shoulder, not bearing to look at the ground that we would be approaching soon.
We eventually landed in a heap on some sort of platform in the trees. The collision wasn't as big as I expected, but my head was still reeling as I tried to grasp my bearings. After a few minutes, I realized I still felt Sokka's hands on my waist and my head on his chest as we made eye contact with each other, quickly scrambling away from each other. We faced away from the other, trying to hide the red that had graced our faces.
Before we know it, Aang and Katara have joined us on the treetop with the rest of the Freedom Fighters.
"Nice place you got!" Aang yells excitedly.
"It's beautiful up here!" Katara agreed. I did have to agree with them. The makeshift housing lined the treetops, with the sun shining delicately through the tree cover above us. Canopies lined the trunks of trees as far as the eye could see, sturdy bridges connecting them all together.
And yet, I still couldn't appreciate its full glory. Something was eating inside of me, telling me something was wrong.
"It's beautiful, and more importantly," Jet responded, "the Fire Nation can't find us."
"They would love to find you. Wouldn't they, Jet?" Smellerbee, the young girl with red markings on her face, spoke up from nearby.
"It's not gonna happen, Smellerbee," Jet smirked, watching as Aang zipped around the trees using his airbending and the makeshift ziplines.
I continued to follow the group along the treetops, followed closely by Sokka.
"Why does the Fire Nation want to find you?" Katara asked.
"I guess you could say I've been causing them a little trouble. See, they took over a nearby Earth Kingdom town a few years back," Jet responded. My eyes narrowed quickly at his words. Something still wasn't adding up. A nudge from my side disrupted my thoughts as Sokka looked at me in confusion. I simply shook my head.
We could discuss it later.
As we crossed a bridge, Sokka and I fell into step next to each other once again, the rest of the group ahead of us. Still trying to engage in the conversation, Sokka kept hopping to peek over Pipsqueak, the tall boy's shoulders blocking our view of Jet and Katara. I couldn't help but let out small laughs at the boy's antics.
"We've been ambushin' their troops," Pipsqueak said, "cutting off their supply lines, and doing anything we can to mess with 'em."
"One day, we'll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good and free that town," Jet declared.
"That's so brave," Katara admired.
Sokka finally managed to break past Pipsqueak, pulling me with him to the front of the group, "Yeah, nothing's braver than a guy in a tree house."
"But, what about the civilians living in the town? They've been integrated into the town for years now. It's their home too. You can't possibly kick everyone out." I spoke up, getting frustrated with the Freedom Fighter ahead of me.
"What was that?" Jet turned his head and glared at me. Finally, he took in my appearance for the first time. The boy looked at my outfit, the red shining as clear as day, as his gaze darkened at me.
"You just don't get it," I scoffed, "Most of those people you want to drive out didn't have a choice to move into that town. Women, the elderly, children, they're refugees just like everyone else; forced out of a nation that didn't want to support them unless they moved into the new colonies. Like it or not, it's their home now too."
Jet made his way towards me, pushing my shoulder in anger, "Every one of them I take down, I think of my village burning."
"And when do you stop thinking of the village, and start thinking of the people you're killing?" I spat at the boy.
"You'd know, wouldn't you?"
"Don't pay any attention to my brother or Sumi!" Katara nervously interjected as I kept up my intense eye contact with Jet, my eyes narrowing dangerously as I glared at the boy.
"No problem," Jet muttered, "They probably had a rough day."
Sokka and I snuck our way to the back of the group, not wanting to engage any further with the leader of the Freedom Fighters, both of us skulking for different reasons.
"So, you all live here?" Katara asked.
"That's right," Jet replied, "Longshot over there? His town got burned down by the Fire Nation. And we found The Duke trying to steal our food. I don't think he ever really had a home."
The rest of their conversation drifted out of my ears as we continued forward, leaving Katara and Jet behind on the bridge as we explored our new surroundings. Though dinner would be soon, I needed a moment to rest from the long day of travel.
The rest of the group was exploring the treetops or already at dinner as I sat on the edge of the platform. The bandages that cover my arms lay forgotten in a heap, having been scorched by firebenders in the day's earlier battle.
I still had yet to fully open up to the group. Though Sokka and I were getting along well, I could still see the hesitation he and the others had around me. I was scared of ruining it by showing them my arm full of burning shame.
It hurt to see the rest of the group interacting so easily with the Freedom Fighters. I had only been with the group for a few weeks now, so I knew I still had a long way to go to gain their trust. And yet, in just hours, the entirety of their little group was deemed trustworthy. Even Jet.
I sighed. I was looking for the spare bandages I knew we had packed away somewhere amidst our bundles of items.
"How could you still defend them after everything they have done?" A voice behind me asked as I froze from the surprising voice coming from behind me.
I cursed myself silently for my choice in clothing. My short sleeves did nothing to help me cover up my left side.
I turned around to face the owner of the voice, brown eyes staring into my amber ones, "I'll never defend their violence, but you must understand that not all Fire Nation are culpable for the actions of the Fire Lord and his supporters."
Jet stayed silent, quietly eyeing the burn that enveloped my entire arm, a silent question in his eyes.
"My mother," I said. "She wasn't a firebender, but it still hurt the same."
Jet silently nodded in response, his way of saying a small sorry.
"Here," he said, handing me a fresh roll of bandages, "Sokka figured you were looking for some, and we have plenty to spare."
"Thanks, Jet," I grabbed the roll from him, turning away. "I know we may not see eye to eye, but I share your anger. The Fire Nation has taken everything from me, too. My mother, my father, my self..."
I looked off into the sunset quietly in the distance before I continued, "But, don't let your anger and vengeance change who you are. I don't care if it is Fire Nation you are attacking, I will stop you from hurting innocent people, no matter what you think they are guilty of."
Jet said nothing more. I was next met with the sound of footsteps walking silently away.
Dinner approached far quicker than I had expected. With my fresh set of bandages, I sat between Sokka and Katara. A spread of fresh berries and cooked meat lay in front of us as Jet addressed his Freedom Fighters from atop the table.
Get your shoes away from my food. I glowered as he spoke, an obvious pout on my face as I made sure the boy stepped no closer to the berries I wanted to dive into.
"Today, we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine," everyone cheered for Jet as he rallied everyone together. Even Katara and Aang, while Sokka and I stayed silent in our corner of the table. "I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face when The Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog monkey. Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees. Maybe they're right."
Jet motioned to take a drink from his cup before the rest of the group around us started booing loudly at his words, before he smirked in response, "Or maybe... they're dead wrong."
Boos quickly became cheers as everyone around us erupted into excited chatter and excitement, finally filling up their plates and discussing the day's feats.
Suddenly, the berries didn't seem too appetizing anymore.
"Hey, Jet," Katara got the boy's attention, "nice speech."
"Thanks," Jet sat down next to me, blocking off my view of Katara as he turned to the girl, "By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending I saw out there today."
I scoffed as Katara blushed and responded to Jet, "Well, he's great. He's the Avatar. I could use some more training."
"Avatar, huh? Very nice." I side-eyed Jet suspiciously, taking a sip of my own water, pretending to have tuned out the conversation.
"So I might know a way that you and Aang can help in our struggle." I began to almost choke on my water as Sokka started hitting my back roughly, trying to help me.
To be honest, it just made it worse.
Still in my coughing fit, Sokka spoke, "Unfortunately, we have to leave tonight."
Sokka got up, pulling me up with him as we started to walk away toward Appa.
"Sokka, you're kidding me!" Jet exclaimed, "I needed you on an important mission tomorrow."
That got Sokka's attention, the young Water Tribe boy turning around in unease, but also with an underlying excitement to his voice.
My outlook for the day wasn't great. Sokka left me behind for his secret mission with Jet. Last night, Jet had made it pretty clear he wanted me nowhere near it as he ushered Sokka away to a separate part of the hideout.
I had woken up to Katara and Aang missing, messing about in a different part of the treetops, no doubt.
That left me, myself, and I walking around and exploring the rooftops on my own.
I pulled my things together, getting ready to decide what to do for the rest of the afternoon. I spent most of my days now meditating, but was beginning to grow weary of the mundane and repetitive nature of trying to enter the Spirit World once more. I was down a dadao and could not train as effectively without both at my side.
I sighed before finishing packing my small bag for myself: a small satchel filled with some drinking water, spare bandages, and other small essentials.
I had decided I would find a clearing wide enough to accommodate my bending without burning the whole forest down.
My plans were interrupted as I heard loud stomping coming in my direction. A fuming Sokka approached me as I tilted my head at him in confusion.
"He's insane, Sumi! Pack your things, we're leaving."
"Whoa, Sokka, what's got your ponytail in a twist?" By no means was Sokka ever the calmest member of our small group, but his behavior now was unlike him. The anger emanating from him was too real as he glared at my taunting comments.
"Okay, relax. Just tell me what's wrong." I sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him to the ground so that he would sit and catch his breath.
"It's Jet!" Sokka threw his hands up in the air. The frustration was clear in his tone, "He beat up and attacked an old man, and now he's lying to everyone about it. Something's not right with him, but no one will believe me."
I sat down in front of Sokka, placing a comforting hand on Sokka's knee, "I believe you, Sokka. Ever since we came here, I've had a bad feeling about the Freedom Fighters. Jet just seems... off."
Sokka's eyes lit up, "You believe me?"
I scoffed, "Of course I do, Ponytail. You may be an idiot, but sometimes you're a smart idiot."
"How does that make any-"
"You're welcome, don't mention it."
Sokka and I made quick work of packing up the items we had accumulated on our journey. Even in just a short few weeks of travel, we had accumulated quite a lot to pack away on Appa's saddle, especially after our time with the Freedom Fighters. Space was becoming an issue on the saddle, so I began to consolidate as much as possible while Sokka rolled up some of our sleeping bags.
We were soon interrupted by Aang and Katara making their presence known behind us, "We can't leave now with the Fire Nation about to burn down a forest!"
"I'm sorry, Katara," Sokka apologized, "Jet's very smooth, but we can't trust him."
"You know what I think? You're jealous that he's a better warrior and a better leader!"
I took that as my cue to step in, placing an arm in front of Sokka as I stepped forward, "Katara, you know Sokka is just looking out for us."
I flinched backward at the young girl, taking my place behind Sokka once again. I began fidgeting with my hands to distract myself from the escalating fight in front of me.
"Katara," Sokka said, "I'm not jealous of Jet. It's just that my instinct-"
"Well, my instincts tell me we need to stay here a little longer and help Jet. Come on, Aang." With that, Aang and Katara were gone, off to who knows where, leaving behind a fuming Sokka and dejected Sumi.
"Just one more night, Sokka," I comforted the boy, "then we'll be out of here for good."
It was nearly impossible to get a good night's rest that night. With the sound of crickets chirping around us and the knowledge of Jet and his Freedom Fighters creeping around nearby, I sat awake in the corner of our hut.
I was startled to hear shuffling coming from outside, hushed voices sounding like an alarm in the night. I jolted up from my spot in the corner of our hut.
Next to me, Sokka woke up from his slumber, pulling open the door flap to our hut to be met with the view of Jet and his fighters descending amongst the rope lines. He looked at me, and I gave him a small nod before following behind him.
We had to see what Jet was up to.
After Jet's Freedom Fighters are just out of sight, Sokka grabs a rope line of his own. Grabbing my hand, he pulls us forward into the night, following the others at a discreet distance, trying to stay as quiet as possible.
The air nipped at my skin; the cool night breeze and fog had rolled in, making the hairs on my arms rise. I shivered with adrenaline as we dismounted from the rope line, landing on a nearby tree line, Sokka close behind.
Below us was a simple, worn dirt path where the Freedom Fighters had started rolling a cart of supplies in the opposite direction from their camp.
What were they hauling and where to?
A bad feeling had settled in my stomach as we followed Jet. It wasn't long until we were at the edge of a clearing. I pulled Sokka back close before he accidentally emerged in the open. Putting a finger to my lips, I motioned for him to stay silent as we crouched down in the bushes at the edge of the clearing.
From where we were hiding, we had a clear sight of Jet and his fighters as they pulled their wagon to a stop.
"Now listen," Jet ordered, "you are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive."
The Duke jumped off the wagon and approached Jet, "But what about the people in the town? Won't they get wiped out, too?"
Jet placed a hand on The Duke's shoulder, a lackluster attempt at comfort, "Look, Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation." He then turned to Longshot to give more orders, "Now don't blow the dam until I give the signal. Got it?"
With a nod, Longshot walked away. I let out a quiet gasp at the information, reaching to squeeze Sokka's arm, almost as a quiet "Are you hearing what I am?"
Before we can decide what to do next, we are both seized forward. Smellerbee dragged Sokka out by his wolf-tail while Pipsqueak yanked me forward by my arms. It wasn't too long before he kept a tight hold on my scarred arm, his other hand holding a knife dangerously close to my throat.
I tried turning my hand to look at Sokka, but I could feel the knife piercing slowly and dangerously into my skin, forcing me to stay as still as I could.
They pulled us forward to Jet at the edge of the cliff. I could spot the sun rising slowly in the distance, a small comfort for myself in the tense stand-off.
"Sokka, Sumi," Jet said, "I'm glad you decided to join us."
Smellerbee threw Sokka down to Jet's feet while Pipsqueak kept a strong hold on me.
"I heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town." Sokka looked up at Jet in disgust.
"Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation."
"There are people living there, Jet; mothers and fathers and children."
"We can't win without making some sacrifices." With no more words needed and a simple nod of his head in my direction, Pipsqueak soon had me pressed against the cliff face, knife still pressed dangerously close to my neck.
He moved to suspend me over the open chasm before Sokka intervened, pointing an accusing finger at Jet, "You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!"
"Because they don't understand the demands of war. Not like you and I do."
"I do understand. I understand that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want."
"I was hoping you'd have an open mind," Jet was clearly disappointed. At this point, I could feel the blood beading along my throat in anticipation of what was to come next, my anger nearly reaching its boiling point, "I can see you've made your choice."
"And you can still make yours, Jet," I finally gasped past the pain of the knife searing through my neck, conscious of the pressure being applied to my arm as I spoke.
"What would you know, Fire Nation scum?" Jet sneered in my direction, "We can all see that you are just pretending to have changed to get close to the Avatar. When will you understand that your people never change?"
"People do change, Jet!" I yelled at the boy, my eyes narrowing in his direction, "You are changing into the very thing you hate. Don't you see that?"
The boy stayed silent, huffing in anger, "I've seen your type before. Ignorant. Brash. Stubborn. Caught up in your ideals. I grew up with them. But you can leave it behind and become better, Jet. It's possible, I would know."
Jet made no more moves to address me, instead focusing back in on the boy that lay sprawled at his feet, "I can't let you warn Katara and Aang," the boy spoke darkly, "Take them for a walk, a long walk."
I felt a sense of relief as I was pulled away from the cliff edge. The dagger was still as dangerous a presence as ever, but no longer was I at the mercy of a fall to my doom.
"You can't do this!" Sokka yelled.
"Cheer up, Sokka. We're gonna win a great victory against the Fire Nation today."
We were being pulled along harshly through the woods, the dense bushes' thorns scraping our arms as we were maneuvered to our destination. Our arms had been tied behind our backs with a thick rope, Smellerbee and Pipsqueak pushing us along.
"Come on, move along!" Smellerbee yelled at my companion as he stumbled along. Walking with no hands was harder than it looks.
"How can you stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out a whole town?" Sokka exclaimed.
"Hey, listen, Sokka," Pipsqueak tried leveling with the boy, "Jet's a great leader. We follow what he says, and things turn out okay."
"Don't you think that's how the Fire Nation feels?" I asked. "You follow an order, get rewarded for obedience, and don't second-guess your actions. What makes you think that your actions are above judgment?"
"If that's how Jet leads... then he's got a lot to learn!" Sokka agreed, sprinting off in a random direction in the woods.
I wasn't sure where he was going, but I followed. I trusted he had some sort of plan.
As we ran, I burnt the ropes binding my hands to a crisp, flexing my hands to stretch them out, lighting a small flame in one hand.
"Now, that's more like it," I smirked as we led the two boys further.
I soon spotted what Sokka was leading them toward: the snare leaf-piles that Momo and I had gotten trapped in just days ago.
Pipsqueak and Smellerbee were close on my tail as I closed in on the traps ahead of me. Perfect.
I dodged and weaved through the snares, skidding to a crouched spot at the edge of the clearing once I heard the sharp sound of a trap get activated. Looking above us, Sokka and I could see the two boys in a tangled heap in the trap.
Sokka dropped the ropes that had bound him, having long since unknotted himself, giving me a triumphant high-five, "While you two are up there, you might want to practice your knot work."
"Now, let's go save a village!" With that, Sokka and I stalked out of the clearing.
Time was running out. We had to make a quick detour back to the hideout to pick up Appa and Momo before rushing to the village. Sat atop Appa, I donned my light Fire Nation armor, the shoulder pads' weight resting on my shoulders as a reminder that we were riding into battle. I wasn't sure what fight might approach us, but I was hoping to be prepared.
My armor somehow felt natural. Though I had grown to hate its presence, it felt like home.
The village came into view shortly. With Sokka still at the reins, I grabbed the attention of the villagers nearby. It was clear that the village was filled to the brim with Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation citizens alike, startled by the presence of two newcomers.
We ran to a nearby fountain in the center of the town. Sokka stood atop it like a podium, catching the village's attention, "Listen up, everyone!" Sokka yelled, "The dam upstream is about to burst. It's going to flood the whole valley!"
"If you stay here, the water will wipe everything out. You have to get to higher ground now!" I urged the civilians to leave with us.
A random Fire Nation soldier spoke up, "Don't listen to this boy, it's clear he's a spy sent to trick us."
"That's the young boy who saved me," An elderly man spoke up nearby, "Hear him out!"
"Please, we know it sounds impossible," Sokka begged, "but you're in danger. This isn't a trick; we're trying to save you and your families. You can rebuild your homes later, but you can't rebuild your lives. Pack what you can and move out."
I could still see the skepticism in their eyes. Whispers ran amok throughout the crowd, denial-ridden faces looking me and Sokka head-on. I placed my hand on Sokka's shoulder in comfort, stepping up beside him on the fountain's edge, taking it as my cue to help step in.
"I am Corporal Sumi of the Fire Nation, Future Fire Lady, betrothed to the Crown Prince, and the Phoenix." Hushed voices ran throughout the crowd as I spoke, "I know what I look like to you all: a Fire Nation soldier. Someone who's brought you all nothing but fear and loss."
"If I were you, I wouldn't trust me either." I took a breath, looking at Sokka briefly before I continued, "But right now, this isn't about nations or titles. This is about survival."
I spoke steadily, but urgently, "The dam that borders your valley has been sabotaged. It will break, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. There is a group out there that wants to drive you out, but you live here. This is your home. You have built families here. They don't care who or what the water takes with it."
More mumbling spreads throughout the crowd. I jumped down, walking through them. I kept my voice loud, but clear as I moved through them. I looked into the eyes of the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom citizens. They looked so familiar.
I couldn't leave them here to die.
"I have seen what a flood like this can do. I have fought in wars. I have watched villages burn and wash away in minutes. If you stay here, there won't be anything left. Not your homes, not you."
"You don't have to believe the Water Tribe boy. But, if I'm right, you've got minutes before the valley floods. Move your people now," I commanded.
It only took seconds for people to spring into action.
The Fire Nation citizens were first. They recognized the demeanor I carried, reminding them clearly of their precious princess. The Earth Kingdom civilians were quick to follow, seeing their friends and neighbors in a rush as they packed up their essentials.
Sokka and I helped where we could. We lead the village's inhabitants up to the side of the valley, climbing up the cliff face. Sokka gathered the sick and the elderly atop Appa, carrying them to the ridgeline.
I stayed behind to help the stragglers, pushing people further and helping them climb up to safety.
That's when it happened. I could almost feel it before I could see it.
The explosion from the dam burst, water rushing at phenomenal speeds towards the village and to where I still stood perched on the cliff face.
"Sumi! Hurry!" I could hear Sokka's panicked voice from above me, hand outstretched toward me from the top of the ridge.
I moved swiftly, glancing every couple of seconds to see how close the water was rushing toward me.
Seconds moved slowly as I jumped toward Sokka's hand, meeting it just moments before the water did.
The boy pulled me into him, the two of us tumbling and collapsing into each other at the edge of the cliff, staring at the water that pulsed below our feet.
Arms still around me, Sokka was breathing heavily, adrenaline still coursing through our bodies, "We did it," he breathed out.
"No," I said. "They did. We just reminded them how to live."
We bid farewell to the villagers quickly and hopped aboard Appa with Momo at our side, heading toward where we would hopefully find Aang and Katara.
As we rose above the ridgeline, we could hear a relieved Katara, "Sokka!"
"We warned the villagers of your plan, just in time," Sokka spoke, looking at me with a proud face as we stood off against Jet.
"What?!" Jet was furious, stomping forward toward us.
"At first they didn't believe us," Sokka explained, "The Fire Nation soldiers assumed I was a spy. But one man vouched for me, the old man you attacked. He urged them to hear us out, and Sumi convinced them to listen to us. She got everyone out in time."
"Sokka, you fool! We could've freed this valley!"
Aang lept into Appa's saddle, joining Sokka and me as he took the reins, preparing to leave.
"Who would be free?" Sokka asked, "Everyone would be dead."
"You traitor!" Jet's face was contorted in anger. The betrayal was clear in his face.
"No, Jet," Sokka glared at the boy, "You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people."
Jet turned to his last glimmer of hope, "Katara. Please, help me."
Katara was clearing devastated. Moving away from the boy, she got aboard Appa, closing her eyes, "Goodbye, Jet."
With that, we left the Freedom Fighters behind as a distant memory in our minds as we climbed through the clouds. The wisps surrounding us offered solace as we flew through the bright sky.
"We thought you were going to the damn," Aang said. "How come you went to the town instead?"
"Let me guess, your instincts told you?" Katara asked.
Sokka just shrugged in response, "Hey, sometimes they're right."
"Um... Sokka?" Aang asked, "You know we're going the wrong way, right?"
A look of surprise crossed Sokka's face before he covered it with a nonchalant facade, "And sometimes they're wrong."
I giggled along with Aang as we flew off into the night sky.
Where would our instincts guide us next?
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