𝑭𝑳𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑺 || 𝑨𝒂𝒏𝒈 (𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 3)

The Headband

Their cloud cover worked much better than expected. No one below seemed to find it suspicious that one cloud was moving a little faster than all the rest, but it worked well in their favor.

The next island they passed was slightly crescent-shaped. Jade didn't understand why so many islands in the Fire Nation were shaped that way, but there were probably better things to think about.

She and her friends scanned the ground for any signs of people or places to hide out. Eventually, Aang stopped bending their cloud so he could point down below them.

"I think I see a cave below."

"Shush!" Sokka waved him off. "Be quiet!"

They lowered down to the entrance of the cave. Upon receiving Sokka's approval, Aang used a big strong gust of air to get rid of their cloud. Jade watched with a blank stare as Sokka was the first to jump down from the saddle and crouch on the ground. He immediately darted over to a nearby rock, pressing his back to it and peering out from behind.

After sharing a glance with Katara, Jade hopped down from Appa's saddle. She tilted her head. "Sokka, what are -- "

"Shush!" He waved her off. After a few more seconds of making sure the coast was clear, he turned back to his friends and crossed his arms. "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut."

As he peered back over the rock again, Aang, Katara, and Toph joined Jade's sides. Toph set one hand on her hip. "Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in."

"Hey, we're in enemy territory." He pointed at the toucan puffins sitting above him. "Those are enemy birds."

One of the birds jumped down to perch on his head. When it squawked, Sokka's warning frown morphed into a scowl. Laughing alongside her friends, Jade stepped forward and gently stroked the bird's head with one finger.

"Okay, okay, we'll be especially careful of the enemy birds." The puffin squawked affectionately. She smiled. "I think you can relax, now."

She jumped when he darted to his feet, startling all the birds into taking off. "You're naive, young Jade. In enemy territory, you should never let your guard down." He scanned the area with narrowed eyes. "You never know who might be lurking around. That's why you always have to be alert."

Jade quirked one eyebrow. "Maybe this is just the naive talking, but unless you're worried about the threat of rocks, I think we should be okay." When Sokka opened his mouth, she rolled her eyes. "Sorry. Enemy rocks."

She turned to follow the rest of their friends into the cave. But upon hearing shuffling behind her, she glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Sokka running right past her. The next thing she knew, he was leaping directly over Aang, Katara, and Toph's heads. They all came to a stop to watch as he hit the ground, then sat up and glanced around suspiciously.

Sokka was one of Jade's favorite people. But she would never deny that he was extremely odd.

Whining curiously, Miko perched herself on Jade's head. The waterbender sighed.

"Let's just not question it, okay, Miko?"

Sokka dashed into the cave, leaving the rest of the group to follow them. The area was spacious; so much so that even Appa could have enough room to run in circles. Of course, Jade wasn't surprised when Miko took the chance to fly off her head do so herself.

"Well," Sokka turned to his friends. "This is it. This is how we'll be living until the Invasion begins; hiding in cave, after cave," His smile fell and his shoulders slumped. "After cave...After cave..."