After their adventure in Omashu, the group finds themselves in a forest. Katara and Aang are on a raised, grassy plateau. A gentle stream is running out beneath it. Katara is folding one of their sleeping blankets. Aang is lying on the root of a tree while Jolee was meditating on the Force. Momo screeches and lands on the plateau as Sokka approaches.
Aang: Great, you're back!
Aang leaps off the root with his Airbending, landing beside the Water Tribe siblings as Sokka digs in his bag.
Aang: What's for dinner?
Sokka pulls out several nuts from the bag.
Sokka: 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. Dig in!
Katara: Seriously...what else you got?
Momo coos, and sniffs the rock-shaped nut, before taking it with one of his paws and slapping it against a stone twice. Attempting to break it, he takes it with both paws and slams it down on the big rock. The moment he does so, however, the entire earth quakes, making Momo shriek and his hair stand up on end. It was at this point that Jolee stopped meditating.
Sokka: What was that?
Aang: It's coming from over there!
Aang and Katara began running towards where the shaking was felt.
Sokka: Shouldn't we run away from huge booms? Not toward them?
Jolee: Always on the move.
The four, joined by Momo, hide behind a fallen tree and spy on a young boy bending boulders into the air and punching them into the side of the ravine.
Katara: An Earthbender!
Aang: Let's go meet him!
Sokka: He looks dangerous, so we better approach cautiously.
Jolee: Or perhaps we should wait a moment before we do anything that might....
Before Jolee could finish his sentence, Katara is suddenly a few feet in front of them, excitedly addressing the Earthbender.
Katara: Hello there! I'm Katara! What's your name?
The young boy gasps in surprise, dropping the boulder he was bending to the ground. He flees quickly, bringing down an avalanche of boulders with his bending to block his exit. Jolee sighs as he finishes his sentence.
Jolee: .....do anything rash.
Katara: I just wanted to say hi.
Aang: Hey! That guy's gotta be running somewhere. Maybe we're near a village? And I bet that village has a market!
Katara: Which means no nuts for dinner!
With that, the group make their way to a nearby village. As they walk the streets of the village, Katara notices the Earthbender entering a shop. Jolee joins her as they follow him. Meanwhile, the Earthbender enters the building.
Earthbender: Hi, Mom.
???: Where have you been, Haru? You're late! Get started on your chores.
It was at this moment that Jolee and Katara entered the shop.
Katara: Hey. You're that kid. Why did you run away before?
Haru: Uh....you must have me confused with some other kid.
It was at this moment that Aang and Sokka entered the shop.
Aang: No, she doesn't. We saw you Earthbending.
Haru and his mother gasp in horror at his secret being revealed and both the door and window to the small shop are promptly slammed shut.
Haru's Mother: They saw you doing what?!
Haru: They're crazy, Mom! I mean, look at how they're dressed.
Haru's Mother: You know how dangerous that is! You know what would happen if they caught you Earthbending!
Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door.
Sokka: Fire Nation! Act natural!
Haru's mother opens the door, allowing the Fire Nation tax collector to walk inside. He stares awkwardly at the four children in front of him. Haru grasps his chin and stares toward Katara, cross-eyed. Sokka eyeballs an apple. Katara hunches forward with her eyes wide open, having stuffed her mouth with berries. Aang has his hand atop a barrel, beaming an immense toothy smile. His pose is short-lived as the barrel's lid spins, dunking Aang's hand into the barrel of water and causes him to fall down. Jolee keeps his composure.
Haru's Mother: What do you want? I've already paid you this week!
Tax Collector: The tax just doubled. And we wouldn't want an accident, would we? Fire is sometimes so hard to control.
Haru's mother and the tax collector approach the store's counter, where she opens a small chest and passes a meager handful of Earth Kingdom currency to the tax collector. Haru leans against the counter, staring with contempt toward the Fire Nation man.
Tax Collector: You can keep the copper ones.
As the Tax Collector walks away, everyone takes a minute to catch their breath.
Sokka: Nice guy. How long has the Fire Nation been here?
Haru's Mother: Five years. Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships.
Haru: They're thugs. They steal from us. And everyone here's too much of a coward to do anything about it.
Haru's Mother: Quiet, Haru! Don't talk like that.
At this point, it was clear to Jolee that the Fire Nation had a firm grip on the village. Katara then speaks up.
Katara: But, Haru's an Earthbender? He can help!
Haru's Mother: Earthbending is forbidden. It's caused nothing but misery for this village! He must never use his abilities.
Katara: How can you say that? Haru has a gift! Asking him not to Earthbend is like asking me not to Waterbend. It's a part of who we are.
Haru's Mother: You don't understand.
Katara: I understand that Haru can help you fight back. What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?
Haru's Mother: They could take Haru away! Like they took his father.
It was at this point that Jolee steps in to try and calm the situation.
Jolee: That's quite enough, Katara. My apologies, ma'am. My student is....headstrong. We simply wish for food and comfort for the night.
With that, Haru and his mother allowed Jolee and the others to stay in for the night. What no one realized was that this would have unintended consequences.
YOU ARE READING
The Legend Of The Jedi (KOTOR X Avatar: The Last Airbender)
ActionAfter helping the redeemed Revan save the Galaxy from Darth Malak, Jolee Bindo returned to his solitary lifestyle. But by the will of the Force, the wise Jedi Master makes his way to an unknown world far out in the fringes of known space. There he f...
