The First Deathbender (Deathbender Book 1)

Chapter 9

The next morning, we were packing up when Katara burst into the barn. "They took him! They took Haru away!" 

"What?" Aang asked. 

"The old man turned him into the fire nation it's all my fault I forced him into earth bending!" Katara said quickly. 

"Slow down Katara." Sokka said. "When did this happen?" 

"Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight. Katara said. 

"Then it's too late to track him." Sokka reasoned. "He's long gone." 

"We don't need to track him." Katara said boldly. "Because the fire nation is going to take me right to him." 

"And why would they do that?" Aang asked. 

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

* * *

"I thought you were crazy at first," Sokka said as he and Katara moved a huge rock onto an air vent. "But this might work. There are ventilation shafts throughout these mines. All Aang and Kila have to do is send an air current from that vent to this one right here. The bolder levitates and Tada! Fake earth bending. 

"Aang, Kila, did you get all that?" Katara asked. 

"Sure sure, I got it." Aang said, playing with a butterfly and I played with Momo. 

"Do you remember your cue?" Sokka pressed, cleared not impressed. 

"Yeah yeah, just relax." Aang replied. "Your taking all the fun out of it!" I laughed as I used my bending to keep Momo in place as he tried to fly toward me. 

"By this, do you mean intentionally being captured by and army of ruthless fire benders?" Sokka asked. 

"Exactly." I said. 

"That's fun stuff!" Aang agreed. 

"Here they come!" Sokka said, ignoring that. "Get in your places!"

"Get out of my way you pipsqueak!" I hear Sokka yell. 

"How dare you call me pipsqueak you giant eared cretin!" Katara yelled back. 

"What did you call me?" 

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

"You better back off!" 

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

"That's it, your going down!" 

"I'll show you who's boss! Earth bending style!" 

I elbowed Aang and we sent a burst of air through one of the vents. "That lemur!" One guard said. "It's earth bending!" 

"No you idiots, it's the girl!" Sokka said. 

"Oh, right." He said, clearly embarrassed. 

"I'll hold her!" Sokka yelled as me and Aang walked over from our hiding place. 

As they left, Sokka said to Momo, "Momo, you have some big ears!" 

* * *

We followed them on Appa. I left Maya behind so it would give us less of a chance to be spotted. They were going to a big boat. As soon as we saw it, we knew we had our work cut out for us. 

"She'll be fine Aang." Sokka said. "Katara knows what she's doing." 

Aang turned us around without a word and we flew back to the town. 

* * *

"Your twelve hours are up. Where's Haru? We've got to get out of here." Sokka said as we met up with her twelve hours later. 

"I can't." Katara said. 

'We don't have much time, there are guards everywhere!" Sokka said, ignoring her. "Get on!"

"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang asked. 

"I'm not leaving." Katara said. "I'm not giving up on these people." 

We were all on deck now. "What do you mean you're not leaving?" Sokka asked, outraged. 

"I  can't abandon these people!" Katara said. "There has to be a way to help them." 

"I agree with Katara." I said. I wasn't sure why, but I wanted to stay. 

"Maybe she's right." Aang agreed. "What do you say Sokka?" 

"I say your all crazy!" Sokka said. "Last chance, we need to leave, now!" 

"No!" 

"I hate when you get like this." Sokka said. "Come on, we better hide." 

* * *

"We don't have much time." Sokka said. "What do we do?" 

"I wish I knew how to make a hurricane." Aang said. "The warden would run away and we could steal his keys!"

"Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?" Sokka countered. 

"I'm just tossing ideas around." Aang shrugged. 

"Then maybe we could find a giant squid and case all the guards off the ship!" I said. Aang nodded, but everyone else ignored me. 

"I tried talking the earth benders into fighting back, but it didn't work." Katara said sadly. "If there was just a way to help them help themselves." 

"For that they'd need some kind of earth, or rock." Sokka pointed out. "Something they can bend!" 

"But this entire place is made of metal!" Katara said sadly. 

"No it's not!" Aang said, pointing. "Look at the smoke! I bet they're burning coal. In other words.." 

"Earth!" 

* * *

"Ready?" I asked as we were about to start bending. 

"Let's do this!" Aang said, jumping forward, me close behind. We began to bend. 

We followed the coal onto the deck where Katara and Sokka were waiting. 

"Here's your chance earth benders!" Katara yelled, climbing onto the coal. "Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!" 

Nobody moved. Katara's face dropped. 

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The warden laughed. "Foolish girl! You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago! Oh, but you still believed in them. How sweet. They're a waist of your energy little girl. You failed." 

He began to walk away when a rock hit him in the back of the head. Haru was bending the earth, ready to fight. Soon the other earth benders joined in, and so did we, and we sent all of the fire benders off the ship. 

"That was amazing Katara!" I said happily. 

"Kila?" 

The voice from behind me startled me. It was so familiar. I tuned out of Katara's conversion to face the person who had spoke to me. 

I couldn't believe my eyes. Standing there, in the same close as all those years ago, was very shocked friend of mine. My heart beat loudly. All I managed to say was: 

"Kuzon?" 

A/N

DUN DUN DUN! To those of you who saw this coming, good job at catching all the hints! 

For those of you who I took completely by surprise, HAHAHA I GOT YOU!!!! 

I'll explain everything in the next chapter. EVERYTHING WILL BE EXPLAINED I PROMISE!!!! 

Well, at least, how Kuzon is there, why he's still a child, how he ended up in an earth nation prison, and some funny realizations about Kuzon and Zuko XD. 

Bye bye for now!