The Stone Cold Bender *ATLA Fanfic*

*Chapter 17*The Flood*

"Come on, move along!" Smellerbee says as they shove Sokka forward. Both Sokka and my arms are tied behind our backs with Smellerbee and Pipsqueak walking behind us. Even though there is the threat of innocent people dying, my mind is preoccupied with the fact that I had ingested real poison. But it doesn't make any sense, sure I feel slightly more sluggish then normal and my head is pounding. But that is all, it doesn't feel like I'm dying. 

I am pulled from my thoughts as Sokka speaks. "How can you stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out a whole town?" He questions. 

"Hey, listen, Sokka. Jet is a great leader." Pipsqueak defends the tree king. "We follow what he says, and things always turn out okay." 

"For you, maybe." I cut into the conversation. "You guys don't have to deal with the aftermath that affects other people." I scoff, rolling my eyes. I make eye contact with Sokka as he jesters to two traps. I give a quick nod to acknowledge his plan.

"If that's how Jet leads, then he's got a lot to learn!" Sokka exclaim as he runs in the direction of the traps, I follow him.

"HEY!" Smellerbee shouts as they and Pipsqueak chase after us. We jump over the traps while the tree people fall right into them. They cry out as the traps are raised into the trees. 

"While you two are up there, you might want to practice your knot work." Sokka says as he holds up the rope that had once been around his wrists. I slip my arms free from my ropes and drop it onto the ground. 

"Let's go, we need to stop Jet." I say walking back in the direction of the dam. Sokka stops me by putting a hand on my shoulder. As I turn to face him, I am met with concern filled eyes. "Kim, are you alright?" He questions.

"I'm fine." I shrug off his hand, ignoring the pounding of my head. "We need to save the town." I say as I turn my back to him. 

"We won't make it in time." He states. "We should evacuate the town." 

"Right." I nod my head, following Sokka in the direction of the small village. 

We walk in silence for a few minutes before Sokka once again asks me if I'm okay. "Sokka, it's great to know that you care. But right now, I just want to focus on saving those people. If I'm going to die, I at least want it to be on a positive note." I give him a forced smile. "And hey, I guess you won't have to worry about me ratting you guys out to Zuko." And with that I pick up my pace, going at a jog.

While I haven't known them for too long, I really care about the people I have meet here. Sokka, Aang, Katara, Iroh and... Zuko. Sighing, I run my hand through my hair. 

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"Everyone, you must evacuate!" I exclaim as Sokka and I run into to the village. "The village is going to be flooded." Sokka says, backing me up.

A few Fire Nation soldiers approach us. "How can we trust you?" One of them question with a raised brow. "For all we know, you kids could be spies." A crowd grows to watch.

"Just trust us, we are only trying to help." I reply, struggling to stand from the pounding of my head. "The dam is going to be blown up."

"I trust them." The voice of an old man reaches my ears. I turn to see a man in Fire Nation robes, recognition shines in Sokka's eyes as he sees the old man. "This young man had saved me from the kids in the trees." He says as he points at Sokka. "And if this young lady is with him, she must be trustworthy as well."

"Thank you." I give him a close-eyed smile. "Alright." I turn my attention to the soldiers and crowd, taking on a stern tone. "Everyone, grab your necessities and evacuate. We must get everyone out of the valley." Even the soldiers comply with my command. 

Sighing, I rub my temple. "My head is killing me." I mutter. Turning to look at the dam. 'Hopefully we get everyone out of here in time.' I hug my arms around me as I watch a young girl running over to who I assume to be her father. The man picks her up and holds her, along with a leather bag. The father smiles at his daughter as she shows him a flower.

'Such a caring father.' I smile with a longing gaze before turning my head. 'If only I could've had that. But I guess that doesn't matter now.'

I walk over to a fountain in the middle of the plaza. Dipping my hands into the water, I pull them back out and drink the water to try and dull the pounding. It only works slightly, making it bearable enough to get everyone out of here.

"Kim, we've got everyone!" Sokka exclaims, waving me over.

"Alright, let's blow this popsicle stand." I say as I walk to the front of the group. "I'll lead, Sokka you hold up the rear. And you." I say turning to the group of soldiers "I'll need you guys to make sure we don't lose anyone." They nod stiffly in response. 

"Good, now let's go." With that I turn on my heel and start leading the villagers out of the valley. 'I'm not letting anyone die on my watch.'

Luckily, our trek out of the valley isn't too long or hard. A few children ran up a head, playing a game of tag or chasing butterflies.

Both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom kids frolicking in the beautiful morning light.

While the sun is nice on my skin, chasing away the chilly breeze. It does nothing to help my aching head, only making it worse. But I mustn't let it bother me. I can give in to its pounding once we are out of the valley. And everyone is safe.

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"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"Nope."
"Are we there yet?"
"Yes."
"Really?!"
"No."

For the last ten minutes, a child had been harassing me. If they don't stop soon, I will kill someone. Possibly the child. 

"Are we there yet?"

"No- actually, yes." I sigh as we make it to the top of a cliff. 'We made it, now Sokka just needs to make sure that everyone makes it up.'

Just as I am about to go back to help Sokka, my head starts pounding again. This time, worse. The low light of the sun becoming blinding, my head feels as though it is getting split open. 

"What's happening?"

A panicked voice cuts through the buzzing in my ears. 

"Her vitals seem to be dropping." Another voice replies.

"Wha?" I mutter as my vision grows blurry. The last thing I see is the hard ground crashing towards me.

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1181 words

See, I finished the chapter. Now you can stop bugging me about it. You know who you are.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed.
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Psycho_Innocent out!

12/14/2021