The Thief |Sokka

SEVEN

The forests were as vast as she remembered them being. The trees were taller than the walls of the Boiling Rock, the ground of the forest filled with roots of trees that had escaped the confines of the soil, along with smaller plants and mushrooms. Every once in a while, they came across a stream. This was the place Jaya had grown up in. The place she could call home – even though she had left the place she had felt more like herself behind only days ago. They had hidden the airship when they had landed somewhere outside the forest, not so far away, and the company had followed Jaya inside without protest. She had taken care to not lead them close to where her house laid in ashes. Even though she wasn't all that close to the house, every tree and passage of the forest seemed to remind her of a memory.

She could hear the memories playing in her mind as if they had happened yesterday. She could no longer remember how Ceba's voice was like but she could remember the way he looked. She heard laughter and talking wherever she walked, and it had nothing to do with the conversation of the company behind her. If they had noticed the way she had become speechless the moment they had entered the forest, though, they made no mention of it. And so she walked on, until she found a good enough place for them to camp at.

"Here we are," she decided as she let them look around at the campsite she had decided.

It was in the shadow of a particularly large tree, in between its roots. A stream ran close enough she could see the glistening waters and she knew in this area there probably was an abundance of food. She was convinced she couldn't find a better place for them to stay the next few days until the comet. Luckily, the rest seemed to think the same way.

"The forest is the ideal hideout," Hakoda spoke up as he walked forward to reach Jaya. He stood in the middle of the campsite and looked around for a moment before he turned to face her once more. "You know this area really well. Have you spent years hiding here?"

She nodded her head, even though that couldn't have been any further than the truth. She hadn't stepped foot in this forest ever since her house had been burnt to the ground, her family had died and she had killed a man.

"Last time I came here there was a town not too far away," she said as she addressed the rest of the company. "Some of us should go and buy supplies."

"I'll go with you," Haru decided. "We should lay low for a couple of days and I look more like Fire Nation than the rest of you do."

"Any special preferences we should keep in mind?" Jaya asked them as Haru reached her side. There weren't any, and so with a nod at Haru, she turned around and he followed after her.

They walked in silence as Haru attempted to not trip over any roots on their way to the town. Jaya knew her way around even after all these years, barely looked back to ensure he hadn't tripped over the numerous roots and that he was still following after her. As they neared the edge of the forest, the trees got less and less, the absence of as many roots making walking a little bit easier. Soon, they were out of the forest. Haru instantly groaned as they got out.

"The sun – it's so bright!"

Jaya chuckled, "Yeah, it is dark in the forest."

"I was unprepared," he huffed as he reached her side and together they headed to the town. They could see it easily, and Jaya couldn't help but think it had gotten bigger in the while she had been absent.

They got down the hill to the town. There were quite some people walking around, children playing among each other in the streets. They didn't have school that day, and their joy at being able to run and play around with their friends was palpable. Jaya caught Haru smiling at them as they passed by. She was unable to stifle her own smile at his reaction.