𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕

𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒓

             Chapter five
Elora

I hummed to myself as I began setting up for a fire, arranging sticks and leaves in the center of the pile. Glancing up, I noticed Sokka approaching with a bag of dinner, his expression somewhat downcast.

"Great, you're back!" Aang exclaimed, springing to his feet with enthusiasm.

"So, what did you find?" Katara inquired, standing up and brushing herself off.

"We've got a few options. First, round nuts, and some kind of oval-shaped nuts, and some rock-shaped nuts that might just be rocks," Sokka listed, pulling handfuls of nuts from his bag.

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Was he serious?

"Seriously? What else have you got?" Katara asked, appearing unimpressed by her brother's scavenging skills. As I picked up some of the nuts Sokka had discarded, a loud bang echoed in the distance, causing me to drop the nuts and prepare for a potential ambush.

"It's coming from over there!" Aang pointed out, leading the way towards the source of another bang in the woods. Katara swiftly jumped up and followed him, leaving Sokka and me at the campsite.

"Shouldn't we run away from huge booms? Not towards them?" Sokka sighed in exasperation as I shrugged, then hurried to catch up with Aang and Katara. Spotting them behind a log, I kneeled next to them, eyes fixed on the earthbender standing in the clearing.

"An earthbender!" I exclaimed softly

"Let's go meet him!" Aang suggested eagerly, but Sokka shook his head in caution.

"He looks dangerous, so we better approach cautiously," Sokka advised Aang, though Katara seemed to ignore her brother's warning.

"Hello there! I'm Katara! What's your name?" Katara called out, startling the earthbender, who looked at us fearfully before dropping the rock and fleeing. As he ran, he triggered an avalanche of rocks, blocking the path behind him.

"He's a charmer," I grumbled sarcastically, eyeing the blocked path.

"He has to be running somewhere. Maybe we're near a village?" Aang speculated aloud, earning a smile from Katara.

"And I bet that village has a market," Katara added excitedly.

"And a market means no nasty nuts for dinner!" I exclaimed, seizing the opportunity for a better meal. The three of us dashed off in the same direction as the fleeing earthbender.

"Hey! I worked hard for those nuts!" Sokka protested, his voice trailing behind us.

"I bet they have meat now. Shut up, nut brain, and let's go," I retorted, prompting Sokka's eyes to light up with the prospect of a more satisfying meal.

"Wait, nut brain?" he shouted, following behind me as we hurried to catch up with Katara and Aang.

✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾

We found ourselves in a small mining Earth Kingdom village, its streets bustling with activity. As we walked through the village, Katara spotted the boy from the woods entering a shop. Curious, we followed behind her, stepping into the small shop and taking in the sight of supplies lining the shelves.

"Hey, you're that kid. Why did you run away before?" Katara inquired, approaching the boy.

"Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid," He replied nonchalantly, attempting to deflect the question.

"No, she doesn't. We saw you earthbending," I interjected, causing his mother's eyes to widen in shock. She hurriedly shut the door and blinds of the shop, clearly alarmed.