The Origin of Roh-Shan

Woods

The leaves around her rustled. Gently at first, but getting stronger. The branches shook and Roh slipped from the crook she'd landed in. Two figures far below, looking up at her, shook the tree hard trying to get her out. Still foggy, she reached out to grab the branch but she didn't have her grip strength back yet, and she slipped through the branches, plummeting to the ground.

She struck a few branches on the way down, breaking her fall, but the last fifteen feet were freefall, and she landed hard.

"Hnnffff..." She mumbled, and looked up at the two figures standing over her.

"Tie her up." Iden instructed.

"Why do I have to do it?" Ara whined.

"You have the rope!"

"You told me to carry it!"

"Holy shit Ara, it's amazing you can get yourself dressed in the morning." Iden snatched the rope away and started to tie up Roh's wrists behind her back.

But Roh wasn't as helpless as she let on. Just as Iden was about to secure the knot, Roh launched her feet off the ground and flipped herself over, landing on top of Iden, wrists tied around her neck. Roh pulled it tight. "Cut this rope or she dies." She demanded.

Ara shrugged lazily and pulled out a pocketknife, easily slicing the rope on the other side of her wrist.

"THIS ONE!" Both girls shouted at him.

"Oh." Ara cut the right rope this time.

Roh braced her foot on Iden's back and launched off the second she was free, taking off into the woods. A second later, she felt a familiar pinch in her shoulder. "Shit!" She reached back and pulled the green feathered dart from her flesh but it was already too late. Blackness seeped back in and her legs gave out. She tried another air punch to get herself into a tree again but of course, her airbending is still spotty and completely unreliable.

Iden stepped through the brush and tied the remaining rope around her wrists again. "She really thought she'd done something there, huh?"

"Cute." Ara agreed.

"I can't believe Suley's dumbass officers lost her in a tree. It's a miracle his incompetent gang of fuckheads get anything done." Iden finished bounding Roh completely with rope. "You're carrying her."

"Ugh." Ara threw Roh over his shoulder and started back toward the city.

~

Kota took a deep breath, forcing the same thought through her head over and over.

Roh is alive. She's okay.

Whatever injury that blood came from, it wasn't significant because she'd just seen Roh do a backflip over a girl who was tying her up.

"When are we gonna ambush them?" Haider itched with impatience.

"Shh. Wait till they get to a clearing or something. Ennis can't really squeeze through the trees so easily if they run, and he's our upper hand."

"Better do it soon, we're only about a half mile from the road."

Kota looked ahead. "I'll get ahead and distract them, you and Ennis come up from behind."

Haider gave a curt nod, and Kota dashed ahead.

~

"No, a vegetarian is someone who chooses not to eat meat."

"Then what's an herbivore?" Ara challenged

"An animal that can't eat meat. Only eats plants."