The Thief |Sokka

PROLOGUE - PART I

TW: Death, murder, implied arson.

"Ceba! That was my fish-"

The girl reached forward to grab the fish she had previously gotten from the stream, the biggest one she had ever caught, only for her older brother to raise it out of arm's reach with a wide smile.

"That's too bad, I didn't see you get it, it was just there-"

"In my basket!"

"Such a pity you didn't guard your fish better, Jaya," he mused with a laugh. The girl let out a huff, jumped to catch her fish but she was a lot shorter. Her hand barely touched his elbow. Ceba chuckled, let her struggle a few moments longer. Then lowered his hand. She grabbed her fish at once and with a pout dragged her feet to her basket.

"That was my fish," she muttered under her breath, and even though he couldn't see her, he could still tell she was pouting.

"Come on, I gave it back to you," he laughed as he reached for his own basket, almost filled with fish, a great contrast to Jaya's half-filled one.

Her pout still seemed present when she next spoke. "But you made me jump for it."

He shook his head, "Stop sulking, let's go back home."

This time, he encountered no resistance and so he started walking away, stealing a look behind his back as he went to ensure she was still following. When it seemed clear she did, he turned back ahead.

"Grandma and mum will be really pleased once they see your fish."

"I thought so too," she agreed, and even though she was still upset her brother had attempted to steal her fish, her excitement at the thought that her family would like the fish she had caught made her talkative. "How do you think she'll cook it? Maybe she'll make a soup-"

"Seriously, what's with you and soups," Ceba half-chuckled, half-groaned.

"What about them?" she demanded right before she jumped over a branch. Ceba turned back to fix her with a disapproving look – they had told her not to jump over that branch countless of times. He was ignored. "They are delicious and soft-"

"Ew."

"Hey!"

Ceba laughed, reached back with that wide smile he always seemed to offer to her, ruffled her dark hair even though she protested. She still sent him a small smile before they turned back to their front.

The forest was quiet this early in the morning, the birds having woken up maybe less than an hour ago. Jaya always loved the forest in the morning and it showed in the little jump in her step, her jumping over the branches and big rocks more usual than most times despite her brother's occassional looks of disapproval. She was rather pleased with the place she was in. The smell of smoke didn't phase her.

"Do you think they decided to put the fire for the food earlier today?"

She was completely oblivious to her brother's frown. "Isn't it too early for that?"

"Maybe grandma wanted to burn the dry grass around the house?"

Ceba let out a hum of agreement, but his steps became urgent. In the distance, he could make out grey smoke. He walked quicker.

"Why are you running – Ceba?"

"Just – wait, Jaya."

He ran off to the direction of their home. Jaya didn't listen.

"Wait for me!"

She ran after him, jumped over any low branches she encountered so that she would be quicker – Ceba was already ways ahead of her. A fish fell off her basket and she stopped to put it back inside with a huff.

"Ceba, wait!"

Jaya let out another small huff as she lost her brother from her sight. She ran off as fast as she could, careful to ensure her fish stayed in her basket. The smell of smoke had grown unbearable by now and she was starting to worry, the sky around her was getting darker and darker. There was a scream. She reached the end of the forest, looked up.

Jaya froze, the basket slipped from her fingers, the fish fell off to the ground. Her house was burning.

"Where's Aden and mum?"

Ceba was yelling a few ways away, standing right next to his grandmother who was on her knees by the house.

"No, Ceba-"

He rushed inside the house.

Jaya thought she screamed but no sound came out. Her grandmother's cries mixed with the crackling of wood burning were too loud. The smoke was getting darker and darker it seemed but she could pay no attention when the Fire Nation soldier appeared from behind her house. He hadn't noticed her, his gaze only on her grandmother as he got behind her. Jaya saw the twinkle of the sword when it was too late.

Her grandmother gasped as she fell and finally Jaya found voice and motion. She screamed out for her grandmother, rushed forward as if to help but tripped on a root. She didn't let that be an obstacle to her advance. The soldier turned her way as she crawled over, desperate, almost blind to the danger. He raised his weapon. She yelled, raised a hand as if to push him. The gust of air that followed sent him flying, right towards her burning house where he crashed. The fire spread.

Jaya watched, her face contorted from rage to horror as the soldier screamed and fell to the ground, rolled around to extinguish the flames in vain. She leaned back and finally stopped crawling forward as her grandmother's words echoed in her mind.

We never use airbending to hurt others. Always to protect.

Jaya blinked as the soldier twitched one last time and remained still. Her mind refused to process the truth. She looked over to her grandmother, lying in a pool of her blood, eyes still open. She made to move her way before screams from inside her house caught her attention.

"Ceba!" she called out, changed her direction towards the house just as the front door surrendered to the fire, denying her entry and those inside exit. And like a chain reaction, the pillars of the house started to give away, the fire crackling louder and louder as the wood gave away, her shelter ruined in front of her eyes. She thought her eyes filled with tears – or maybe it was the smoke that didn't let her see.

"Ceba! Mum! Aden!"

No sound came from the ruined house that had long now surrendered to the flames. In the distance, coming closer, she could hear people walking, their armour clanking after each step. She glanced the way the people were coming from, then back to her house.

She ran back to the forest, jumped over her basket of fish. And didn't look back.

-

A/N

Welcome to "The Thief"!

This is a story that I first thought of during quarantine, years ago, but I never got around to writing it until a few months ago. It is set in the same universe as "The Pawn" and from some point on, the plot of the two is interlinked although you don't have to read both stories to make sense of things.

This is probably the most intense prologue I have written and there is quite the timestamp between this scene and the actual story. I hope you are looking forward to it!

I will be looking forward to seeing your reactions to this chapter as well as the other chapters following. Don't be scared or afraid to comment, every little thought is appreciated. Updates will be every Sunday!

Love,
Olga.