The Lost Waterbender (Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction)

New Life

I woke up feeling groggy, sleepy, and with no clue as to where I was. Then I remembered the previous day's events and wondered what was in store for me.

The room I was in wasn't really a room. From what I could see it was one really long, low cavern with dividers set up in even intervals. All that was in my space was the mat I'd slept on, a small pillow and the blanket. Other than that, the room was bare.

I pulled aside the curtain that served as the door. I found myself in a hallway, lit by torches lining the roughly carved stone walls.

I didn't know where to go, so I just picked a direction and began walking. I chose correctly, for I came to the large cavern I'd been in with Koza yesterday. My stomach was rumbling, but I didn't know where to go. There weren't as many people there as there had been, but I spotted one person whom I could ask. I ran after them and asked them the directions to where I could get something to eat. He kindly pointed me to the dining area.

I followed his instructions and came to a fairly large cavern full of people. There were several tables, most of which full. On the far side of the room was the longest table of them all, and on that was a buffet of food. It didn't look any worse than the food at Seeka's. I scooped myself a generous portion of porridge and grabbed a hunk of bread. I turned to sit down, but every table had at least two occupants, and I wasn't really someone who made new friends easily. When new people came to Seeka's for refuge, I would avoid them until I was practically forced to meet them.

I was about to just eat in the hall, when I felt a huge hand clamp down on my shoulder. "Glad to see the Badger made her way around the underground."

I sighed in relief at the familiar voice. "Hi, Koza. You wouldn't happen to have a place for me to sit, would you?"

"Of course!" He gestured to the entire room. "You are welcome to sit wherever you desire."

I smiled shyly. "I know, but it'd be fun to sit with a familiar face."
He laughed. "I'm glad that's what you consider me."

"Well, when someone kindly knocks out the guy attempting to take me who-knows-where and brings me to a safe place, yes, I consider you a familiar face."

"Well then I suppose I should accompany you during your meal. Come, I was just about to join some friends over there."

He led me to a large round table occupied by six other people. The oldest looked to be in his fifties, and the youngest, surprisingly, seemed to be around my age.

I sat myself down next to Koza, who had a breakfast plate piled so high I wondered how even he could fit it inside himself. Koza made quick introductions that I almost immediately forgot. The only names I remembered were Kuzira, the young woman I had met yesterday, and Raiko, the boy my age.

"So what should we call you?" He asked.

"Badger," I replied nervously. This was an awful lot of new people, and it was pretty overwhelming.

Raiko laughed. He had eyes the color of honey, and thick black hair that fell in his face. He wore brown pants and boots with a red shirt. He was pretty scrawny, not unlike myself, and had a mischievous look on his face. I decided instantly I liked him.

"Badger?" He said. "No offense, but how'd you end up with a name like that?" He didn't say it in a mean way, but in a genuinely curious and friendly manner.

I shrugged. "I didn't have a name when I first came to my former home. I guess I used to bump into things a lot when I crawled and reminded the woman who watched me, Seeka, of a badger-mole. I don't know my actual name."

Raiko smiled sympathetically. "That's okay. Here, you don't actually need one. Come on, I'll give you the grand tour!"

"Now?" I said, my mouth full of bread.