Blended

.Death.

.Part One.
.Katara.

Katara pushed through the undergrowth this forest was insane! How could so many plants grow with so little rain? This question had haunted her for several days now. She had only just arrived on fire nation soil (more like sand!) When the team katara had been assigned to pulled her to their camp. They made sure she was who she said she was. The 16 year old refuses to answer to many personal questions such as

"Did you really kiss the fire lord at ba sing sa?" Which of course she said no to but the thought covered her entire body with a hot fire of embarrassment. Zuko for one was her friend second he had a girlfriend/fiancee thirdly he was Zuko he was older and even if the other two didn't matter there was no way in the name of the yu that he would ever feel the same way about her. But here she was tracking down the rogue fire benders with strangers. It felt weird to be traveling without her brother without her friends. But she pushed the feeling down, she had grown comfortable with the security that they had her back and that they would protect her no matter the cost. Well her friends wernt with her now and as much as she wanted to believe she could, she knew she couldnt rely on these people to protect her at the end of the day it was their duty yes. But they didnt have any emotional connection to katara at all and would do what they believed they should to protect her. Katara had leaned that unlike her not everyone would risk themselves for the good of others. And she had to live with the fact that even though she would risk her life for each and every single person in this team they wouldn't do the same.

"We're here" the teams leader had been tracking the rebels for Miles and had finally traced their camp next to an active volcanic spring. Of course, they were trying to go back to their roots and find the secret of fire bending. She almost laughed and had to force her smile down. How ironic the person their trying go build a rebalian against has the answers to all their questions. A quick snap and crackle caught her attention. Katara spun around and with her she bended a wall of water pushing it to protect herself and her team. Two firebender girls jumped from a near by rock. Katara pushed her hands down her palms facing her attackers. The water fell and pushed them to the grown. She raised her arms her wrists fluid as her hands now faced down as she pulled the water up around their bodies and froze it. She made sure their mouths were covered. a member of her team a young earth bender boy slapped her shoulder 

"Well done Katara" she beamed. She was proud of her bending and her reflexes. The group pushed forward heading in the direction of the camp, a thin grey cloud of smoke spread up through the trees and  disappeared into the air. Katara stopped,  these weren't amateurs. They were fully trained and knew how to defend themselves without bending. Or atleast she assumed, the tireney of lord Ozi entitled fore benders into believing they werre better than the other nations. But had these rogues learned there lesson. Katara had to think quickly she didnt want to warn her team on some gut feeling. But then she continued thinking. The rogues were smart they would know that in order to keep their camp safe they had to have a buck up against their fire bending. That would mean either booby traps or an alarm system. The two rogues she had taken down before had come from no where. No not nowhere they came from the trees!

Instantly katara bended water from the air and created a long wave pushing it upwards into the canopy. at this action a dozen firebender ascended from the trees. Kataras blood ran cold she would not lose anyone today. Katara bended the water that now soaked the rogue firebender freezing them in place. Two more marched in her direction  she placed her feet evenly apart and with a simple flick of her wrists she pushed the advancers away. The group pushed forward detaining more and more rogues. There were more than they thought, a lot more. How many people had actually deserted the fire nation after Zuko took over? How many people now hated their leader. Of course Katara knew it wasnt their fault teo generations of indoctrination had lead to the group of young people before. it was awful, tear jerking and overall a waste of life. All these people had a gift, bending and they had been taught to use it against people as a weapon not as a force of balance and good in the world. Of course not everyone can share her values but how can somone be so filled with hate. A hurried sound filled katara's ears, what happened next almost played in slow motion. For the first time in her life she couldnt react her limbs went stiff and she couldn't scream or shout. A boy no more than 18 jumped from a boulder, his dark hair flying over his eyes his face twisted with venom. And his hands shooting columns of flames, directed at a young earth bender girl that had joing the group only a few months prior. The light danced over katara, but she still couldnt move!

"NO!" The scream ripped itself from her throat and just like that she did the one thing she vowed she would never do. She twisted her right hand at the boy forcing him away and her left at the girl. Once the flames had burst against a tree katara pushed both her hands down and bended the blood inside the almost homicidal teenager. "No one is dying today" she spoke softly her hair had fallen out of its updo and a few strands covered her face.

"What are you doing to me" katara felt her shoulders shake, the hatrid she felt when she performed bloodbending was overwhelming. It suffocated her and eveything she believed in, it made her feel evil.

"I could very easily make your tongue burst, if you dont shut your trap i might loose my hero morals for a moment" she was lying she knew that. But the fire benders did not. And they didnt need to. One of the earth benders restrained the boy and katara left go, they gagged him and put him next to the others. When they approached the camp it was basic yet advanced they had a single large tent at the far side and two tents either side creating a semi circle. A fire pit in the centre and nets covering the clearing trees had clearly been pulled over to cover the net creating the illusion that no one was there. Clever but not clever enough. They had seen the smoke. But if they were smart enough to cover a clearing how could they not need to know how to cover their smoke. They've never had ti hide before.... they were scared eveything they have ever known had been completely turned on its head and suddenly their pride was shame. Their victory was loss, and their power was nothing. They were no longer the most powerful nation. They never were each element was both powerful and weak in it's own individual ways. It just happened that the different nations had different people that would create different weapons medicines or defences. No one was as individually stronger than another. Katara knew that  she had always known that. She knew the only reason ghe fire nation had even achieved their power grab was because they had made a slimy and vicious  genocide of an entire people. If Aang had been at the air temple his avatar state would have kicked in. They wouldn't have won. But these teenagers these children didnt know that. And they needed help. Katara walked in the direction of the large ten bending water in preparation to whip she lushed open the fabric door. Inside was a table a wooden table with a map a fore nation map. It had pins and figures all over in a pattern that made no sense to the young water bender  now she wished Sokka was here, he would know exactly what this meant and what to do she couldn't just move the pieces she would never remember where eveything was.

"KI!"  She called to one of the northern water tribe boys. She heard a rustle as the boy ran behind her.

"Yes master Katara?"

"Do you have a map and some ink?" He looked at her oddly

"Yes?"

"Brillint please bring them to me and also bring one of the reistance" so many people had joined this multi nation campaign they people from eveywhere you could think of. And if anyone was going to help her understand it would be a fighter. Ki returned with a map and ink along with one of the resistance fighters. Her chocolate brown hair was tied in a bun and her green eyes smiled as she entered.

"We found weapons and explosives in one of the tents. It seems they have been here a while"

"And planning something it seemes" she gestured to the map before her. Katara dipped the brush in the ink and began copying the map before her. "I have no idea what this means but it anyone will its you"

The girl looked at katara her jaw open.
"I have no idea it makes no sense." She leaned forward "look you see this" she pointed at the fire nation. Katara nodded. "That seems to have standbys but so does everywhere. The only advancers are the ones that we have captured today look" she was right. Katara could see a distinct difference between the shapes on the map the ones located at their destination were stars and the 'standbys' where dots.

"What does this mean?" Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. And panic set in. "We have to get this to Zuko and my brother."

"Oh I don't think so." A boy in fire nation clothing dropped from the ceiling "that map isn't going anywhere"