Silence | Zuko

.3 Imprisioned

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Birds sang amongst the tall trees, the sun creaking through each branch as it slowly set behind the large mountains.

After travelling on Appa, Aangs flying bison, for a day they decided to stop in a forest that was covered from potential threats of the fire nation.

Katara folded her sleeping bag up gently, smoothing out the creases calmly whilst Aang leaned against a large rock, hands behind his head as he relaxed happily. Sokka left to find dinner an hour ago and now returned with a small sack in his rough hands.

"Great your back! What's for dinner?" Aang asks cheerfully jumping down to his friends.

"We're got a few options," Sokka smiles as he reaches into the sack, pulling out a single nut. "First, round nuts and some kind of oval shaped nuts and some rock shaped nuts, that might just be rocks. Dig in."

He sighs, throwing away the rock shaped nut that turned out to be just a rock.

Thinking he was joking Katara furrows her brows and asks. "Seriously, what else you got?"

"It's not my fault okay, why doesn't she just grow a apple tree for us?" Sokka points to Iskra.

Aang asked Iskra to join them again once they left the palace. She had no reason to stay, no one to stay for so Iskra packed up, nothing, and came with them.

Momo picks up one of the rocks Sokka threw and sniffed it, attempting to crack it open on a rock. When momo banged the rock against the ground a loud boom and grumble of the earth took over their senses.

"Good job, nice standing up for yourself," Katara smiles at Iskra, thinking she did that because of what Sokka said.

Iskra smiled sheepishly before shaking her head and pointing to the distance. The vibration of the loud bang tingled at her finger tips, she knew it was an earthbender.

Another boom rang through the forest and leaves dropped from the trees.

"It's coming from over there," Aang points to where Iskra pointed and Katara and him run towards it.

"Shouldn't we run away from the huge booms, not towards them?" Sokka groans.

Iskra grabs his arm, pulling him to his feet and offering a smile as she gestures calmness with her hand, signally the booms aren't threatening.

Running after Aang and Katara, Sokka and Iskra joined them; hiding behind a fallen log as they watched an earthbender bend large rocks in a valley.

"Another earthbender," Katara narrates.

"Let's go meet him," Aang smiles.

"He looks dangerous, so we better approach cautiously-,"

"Hello there! I'm Katara, what's your name?" Katara runs towards the earth bender, cupping her mouth so her voice projects louder.

The earth bender ran away at the sound of her voice, crumbling the valley behind him so they couldn't follow him.

Iskra jumped forward, striking her feet on the ground and bending the rocks out of the way so her friends could get past.

"That guys got to be running somewhere, maybe we're near a village, and I bet that village has a market!" Aang realises.

"Which means no nuts for dinner!" Katara cheers as they all ran after him.

Eventually they came across a small village and the earth bender slipped into the alleys, running away desperately. Iskra could feel the impact of his foot prints and knew exactly where he was, but she stayed silent.