Storm

Chapter 22

Storm sent them south, into the open waters between the islands and the South Pole. The further they got from their pursuers, the colder it became, and Storm had to slow the ship to avoid icebergs that cropped up with alarming regularity.

She stood atop the masthead, above the open sails, and continued to bend. She'd been at it for hours and her limbs ached with fatigue and cold both. But she couldn't stop yet--she knew Prince Zuko and his soldiers were following. She had to get them far enough ahead to hide in the ice safely.

Despite her best intentions, she couldn't keep going forever, and the cold only got worse after the sun set. Finally, it was Dhatri who dragged her down, finally having awakened and gotten over her shock. No longer held up by her bending, Storm leaned on the earthbender as they went belowdecks to where the crew was gathered in the galley.

Someone had made soup, she could smell it--but no one had much appetite. Kinu, sporting a massive bruise and an expression of intense confusion, was the only one who seemed to be enjoying the provision. Rat was unusually quiet and solemn, matching Kesuk's and Ryuu's expressions. Both older men were slumped at the table, exhausted.

Kesuk had tried to help Storm get the ship away, and truthfully she wouldn't have been able to get them past the reefs without him. But he'd collapsed after the first twenty minutes and she'd ordered him below with the others.

Now they all stared at her as Dhatri helped her sit; Ryuu with a quiet shock and contemplation in his old eyes, Kai and Kinu with confusion and caution. Dhatri just seemed tired, while Rat's expression hadn't changed from the time she entered the room. Kesuk just looked at her tiredly.

Storm pulled a bowl of soup toward herself and smiled down at it, but was almost too tired to lift the spoon. She was sure that if she didn't focus on staying upright, she'd fall over and go to sleep instantly.

"I'm sorry," she said, biting her lip as she lifted cautious eyes to her companions. Her voice was soft, tinged with the tiredness she felt.

"For what?" Dhatri asked, leaning an elbow on the table as she looked over at Storm.

Storm wasn't really sure why she'd apologized. She'd never lied to her friends--though she hadn't corrected their mistaken assumptions, either. It wasn't her fault--well, maybe it was--that they were being chased. She sighed.

"I don't know."

"You're an airbender," Ryuu said, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah," Storm agreed, forcing herself to take a bite of soup. Her arm shook when she lifted the spoon. She'd overworked herself--first she'd run up the mountain, then spent hours racing through the Air Temple. Then she'd run back down the mountain, fought a battle, and pushed them will all her strength for hours on end. By all rights, she should've collapsed ages ago.

Somehow, she was still awake.

"How?" Rat asked, shaking his head. "All the airbenders are dead..."

"Are you the Avatar?" Kinu tried, brows furrowed.

Storm laughed a little. "No, I'm not. I'm looking for him though. I have to find him." She looked over at Rat but didn't answer his question. He frowned at her.

"You said you were friends with a spirit," Kai said, his tone thoughtful. "The... reason for the Avatar?"

Storm nodded, taking another slow bite of the soup. It was good, but eating was a study in effort. "Raava. The spirit of light. She's one of the oldest spirits--she lives inside each Avatar. It's why they can bend all four elements."

Blinks and expressions of surprise greeted her words. Storm felt herself drifting and bit down hard on the spoon to keep herself awake.

"Why didn't you tell us before? You said you were from the Fire Nation..." Kai sounded both frustrated and confused.

"No, I didn't," Storm corrected. "I never said where I was from, just where I had come from, when we met."

"You never say anything," Kesuk said, his tone wry. "You never tell us anything. You're a mystery."

"It makes sense, but seriously Stormy," Rat shook his head again, leaning on his arms to stare at her, "this doesn't make sense."

She shrugged and instantly regretted wasting the energy it took.

"Setting that aside," Ryuu said, dark brown eyes still narrowed, "we have bigger problems."

Kai nodded once, the tired lines in his face deepening. Storm wanted to take away all their pain and make them smile. She never wanted her friends to be this way. But she couldn't.

"Even if you aren't the Avatar--" Storm didn't like that he said if, as if he didn't believe her, "--it's likely that the Fire Nation now thinks you are. They aren't going to stop chasing us any time soon, and I have no idea where we are now. We're also running very low on supplies--we were supposed to restock at Kyoshi Island."

"We're pretty close to the South Pole," Storm said, thinking back on how far they'd come and remembering the maps she'd studied. "We came almost straight south from the islands, so if we go west, we should find the Southern Water Tribe."

"And bring the Fire Nation to their doorstep?" Rat was frowning. "How is that a good idea?"

"We don't even know if they still exist," Kesuk said, brows lowered. "We lost contact with our sister tribe years ago."

"But there might be something, and at least we could get supplies," Storm argued. "At worst, there's nothing there, and at best, we might find more waterbenders who can help us."

"No, at worst we bring the Fire Nation to their doorstep," Rat corrected. "With no idea of whether they're capable of defending themselves."

Storm bit her lip and looked down at her half empty bowl. They were all tired, and some were injured. They would soon run out of food, and they were being chased by the Prince of the Fire Nation. Things didn't look good. They didn't look good at all.

"Let's sleep on it," Kai said, rubbing his face with one hand. "We've come far enough that we should be able to hide in the ice floes, and we'll be able to talk more intelligently in the morning."

Storm thought they were talking plenty intelligently now, but if they were even half as tired as she was, it was a miracle they were talking at all. Sleep sounded wonderful.

So she nodded, and with mumbled goodbyes, she left the others. She vaguely heard Ryuu say something about keeping watch, but she was too focused on the nearness of her bed to pay attention. No sooner had she set her pack--still packed and in good condition, if a bit singed and raggedy--near the closed door of her cabin than she'd collapsed on the mattress.

She didn't even feel her head hit the pillow before sleep closed its arms around her.