As I Fall: LOK

Chapter Seven

The streets were eerily quiet, the only sound prominent was the rapid thudding contained within Haitana's chest.

It wasn't an easy task to evade the eyes of patrolling chi blockers, and it didn't help that the girl wasn't familiar with the many connecting streets of the expansive city. There was a weight on her shoulders, one that couldn't be excused by the belonging filled bag or tangible objects. It was an invisible pressure, a haunting. It was the knowing of what would happen if she were caught by one of these heinous people— what would happen to her abilities.

Haitana liked to believe that firebending wasn't the most unique, defining characteristic about her, but the idea of loosing it filled her with a feeling of fear she didn't know existed.

Crouching next to a dumpster in an alley way, she kept stealing glances to the street— every once in a while seeing some chi blockers pass by with mock superiority. It made her sick, they were laughing and cheery. How could anyone be so happy about attacking benders? Attacking seemingly innocent people just because they had an ability that made them different.

Holding Siso close to her chest, Haitana tried to slow her breathing. The palpitations of her heart ceased to stop beating so rapidly, and her hands shook at every minuscule sound. Before she knew it, she was pulling her hat down to hide most of her face, and the grip she had on her frog squirrel was so tight that the poor thing couldn't move.

His tail tickled her nose, and he let out a small squeal in fear as he noticed two figures approaching the alley way. Haitana took notice to this as well, trying to duck behind the dumpster but ended up making a whole lot of noise. Between the clattering of items in her bag, and the wheels of the dumpster as it rolled away from the wall, the two people looked over to the girl with surprise.

Sighing, knowing she was going to have to fight then and cause a whole seen, she stood on two legs shakily. This was it, she thought, she was caught, and no matter what she did someone else would surely find her.

With a flick of her right hand, while she held Siso close with her left, thrust a flame out with an explosive burst. The fire bomb broke through the air, traveling rapidly at one of the equalists, but Haitana stood slack-jawed when he deflected the attack.

"Hey, hey," he said quickly, running up to her. "Hold on."

It took her a minute to process the fact that he was a firebender, and unfortunately she didn't do so before delivering another fire stream out of her opened palm. Evading her line of flame, he grabbed her arm suddenly, and pointed it to the ground in a rough motion. "I said hold on," he grumbled, more angrily this time.

The other chi blocker approached her other side, and staring at their mask veiled faces made Haitana shrink in her nervousness. "Please," she almost pleaded. "Please- I need my bending, I—"

"We're not going to take you to Amon," a female voice sounded from under the other mask, before looking around for anyone watching. "Come on," she waved Haitana and the boy to follow.

Making their way, with much haste, down the street, the girl propped open a cover to the storm sewer, and the three jumped in before any real equalists saw them getting away. Jumping to the bottom, the girl and boy both removed their masks, and Haitana shook a little at the realization.

"You're... you're the Avatar!" She exclaimed in a hushed whisper, pointing at the girl with pleasant surprise. "Avatar Korra, it's an honor to meet you," she bowed to the water-tribe girl with modesty, before looking back to her smug smile.

"Yep, that's me," she said proudly, with a fist over her chest— before deflating. Something was obviously bothering her; perhaps it was the fact that balance was being a lot thrown off and Republic City had gone under... but that was just a wild guess.