Hope Returned (Water)

Chapter 8

Imprisoned Pt 2

The girls ran to the barn in a frenzy.

" They took him," Katara exclaimed, " They took Haru away!"

" What?" Aang asked, shocked.

" The old man turned him into the Fire Nation," Nikomi explained.

"It's all my fault," Katara said, " I forced him into earth bending."

" Slow down Katara. When did this happen?" Sokka tried calming his sister down, wrapping his arm around her.

" Haru's mother said they came for him at night," Katara informed.

Sokka frowned. "Then it's too late to track him, he's long gone."

Katara turned away from her brother to look back outside the open barn door. " We don't need to track him. The Fire Nation is going to take me right to Haru."

" Why would they do that?" Nuikomi questioned, furrowing her brows.

" Because they're going to arrest me for earth bending."

***

Sokka and Katara worked together to roll a boulder onto the air vent they had found while Aang and Jade sat behind a large rock nearby. +

" I thought you were crazy at first, Katara, but this might work," Sokka admitted as he and his sister roll a boulder on top of an air vent they had found. " There are ventilation shafts throughout these mines. All Aang has to do is send an air current from that vent, " He pointed to the vent behind a rock. " To this one right here. The boulder levitates and ta-da! Fake earth bending!"

 " Aang? Did you get all that?" Katara asked, turning to the boy.

Aang leaned casually against the boulder right by the vent. He was bending puffs of wind at a fluttering butterfly above his head while Nikomi was sitting next to him.

" Sure, sure I got it," Aang replied distractedly.

" Do you remember your cue?" Sokka quested.

" Yeah, yeah, just relax." The air bender dismissed. " You're taking all the fun out of this."

" By 'this', do you mean intentionally being captured by an army of ruthless fire benders?" Sokka narrowed his eyes at Aang.

"Exactly!" Aang grinned That's the fun stuff!"

Nikomi side-eyed the boy beside her, what part of this is fun?

" Here they come, get in your places," Sokka instructed. Sokka Nikomi and Aang  got into positions.

Nikomi hid behind the rook, and Momo ran after the butterfly.

The Fire Nation soldiers began approaching, and the kids began there acting.

Katara and Sokka ran straight and bumped into each other.

" Hey! Get out of my way pipsqueak!" Sokka yelled in a deep voice, putting on a show for the soldiers.

" How dare you call me pipsqueak, you... giant-eared cretin!" Katara shouted, voice equally as dramatic.

" What did you call me?" Sokka asked.

" A giant-eared cretin!" Katara exclaimed, "Look at those things! Do herds of animals use them for shade?"

Sokka glared at his sister, and Nikomi and Aang were trying not to laugh.

" You better back off!" Sokka warned. He then lowered his voice. "Seriously, back off."

"I will not back off!" She declared. "I bet elephants get together and make fun of how large your ears are!"

Immature as it was, Nikomi still struggled to hold in her giggles. Aang turned to her grinning holding his finger to his lips.

" That's it you going down," Sokka said.

" I'll show you who's boss!" His sister raised a fist in the air. " Earth bending style!"

Nothing happened. There was an awkward silence as Katara was still in her stance with her fist in the air.

The water bender looked over to the bolder that Aang and Nikomi were hiding behind. " I said, earth bend style,"

Aang, who had been playing with a butterfly gasped and quickly bent a large gust of air into the vent.

The boulder on the other vent lifted into the air. Momo was revealed to be sitting behind it the bolder, licking beneath his own arms.

One of the soldiers pointed at Momo in astonishment. "That lemur!" One of the soldiers pointed at Momo in astonishment. " He's earth bending!"

Nikomi, facepalmed.

"No, you idiot! It's the girl!" Sokka gestured to Katara.

"Oh...Of course." The soldier looked a little embarrassed.

Sokka grabbed his sister by the shoulders. "I'll hold her!"

The soldiers came up and grabbed Katara by the shoulders a began leading her away.

Once the cost was clear, Aang and Nikomi walked over to join Sokka as he watched the soldiers lead his sister away. Katara glanced over her shoulder at them one more time before they turned the corner and she was out of site.

" I hope shell be ok." Nikomi said, worried. Aang put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

Sokka then began to tug on his ears self-consciously. He glanced at the lemur perched on Aang's shoulder. "Momo, you have some big ears!"