The Girl With the Bread

Unbalanced

The impact with the hard-packed earth of the plain knocks the wind out of him. Sokka's backpack does little to soften the blow. Fortunately his quiver has caught in the crook of his elbow, sparing both itself and his shoulder, and his bow is locked in his grasp. The ground still shakes with explosions, but he can't hear them. He can't hear anything at the moment. The apples must have set off through mines, causing debris to activate the others. He manages to shield his face with his arms as shattered bits of daggers, some of it burning, rains down around him. An acrid smoke fills the air, which is not the best remedy for someone trying to regain the ability to breathe.

After about a minute, the ground stops vibrating. He rolls on his side and allows himself a moment of satisfaction at the sight of smoldering wreckage that was recently the pyramid. The Careers aren't likely to salvage anything out of that.

I'd better get out of here, he thinks. They'll be making a beeline for the place.

But once he's on his feet, he realizes escape may not be so simple. He's dizzy. Not the slightly wobbly kind, but the kind that sends the trees swooping around and causes the earth to move in waves under your feet. He takes a few steps and somehow winds up on his hands and knees. He waits a few minutes to let it pass, but it doesn't.

Panic begins to set in. He can't stay here. Flight is essential. But he can neither walk nor hear. He places a hand to his left ear, the one that was turned toward the blast, and it comes away bloody. Has he gone deaf from the explosion? The idea frightens him. Will he end up like Toph, having one of his senses stripped away from him? He relies on his ears as much as his eyes as a hunter, maybe more. But he cannot let his fear show. Absolutely, positively, he is live on every screen in Avatar.

No blood trails, he tells himself, and manages to pull his hood up over his head, tying the cord under his chin with uncooperative fingers. That should help soak up the blood. He can't walk, but can he crawl? He moves forward tentatively. Yes, if he does so very slowly, he can crawl. Most of the woods will offer insufficient cover. His only hope is to make it back to Aang's setup and conceal himself in greenery. He can't get caught out here on his hands and knees in the open, he'll be slaughtered for sure. The thought of Katara having to watch that keeps him doggedly inching his way toward the hideout.

Another blast knocks him flat on his face. A stray mine, set off by some collapsing crate. This happens twice more. He's reminded of those last few kernels that burst when he and Katara pop corn over the fire at home.

To say he makes it in the nick of time is an understatement. He has literally just dragged himself into the gaggle of bushes at the base of the trees when there's Zuko, barreling onto the plains soon followed by his companions. His rage is so extreme it might be comical - so people really do tear out their hair and beat the ground with their fists - if he didn't know it was aimed at him, at what he has done to him. Add to that his proximity, his inability to run or defend himself and the whole thing has him terrified. He's glad his hiding place makes it impossible for cameras to get a close shot of him because he's biting his nails like there's no tomorrow.

The boy from District 3 throws stones into the ruins and must have declared all the mines activated because the Careers are approaching the wreckage. Zuko has finished the first phase of his tantrum and takes out his anger on the smoking remains by kicking open various containers the other tributes are poking around in the mess looking for anything to salvage, but there's nothing. The boy from District 3 has done his job too well.

This idea must occur to Zuko, too, because he turns on the boy and appears to be shouting at him. The boy from 3 only has time to turn and run before Zuko catches him in a headlock from behind. He can see the muscles ripple in Zuko's arm as he sharply jerks the boy's head to the side.