Tougher Than Stone

Chapter 10

I sighed in relief and nearly collapsed when the boat docked at Kyoshi Island. It had taken nearly all my willpower not to vomit every single time the boat hit a wave. Note to self: if at all possible avoid boats in the future. The cabbage merchant put a hand on my shoulder and led me over to where his cart had been secured to the ship's deck.

The cabbage merchant turned to me with a smile and whispered, "Once we disembark, I'll go set up the cart in the market. Follow the path that leads into the forest and follow it straight into the clearing. Don't make any turns." I nodded and walked quickly to the gangplank, breathing in the salty sea air.

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The market had been noisy and the air had been choked with the voices of merchants haggling with customers and the smell of smoke and spices, but the forest was quiet. Or at least... it had been. There was a slight breeze but the tree branches weren't making as much noise as I would expect. I decided to stop and listen to see if I could tell why the trees were quiet.

I stopped in the middle of the path and dug around in my bag for a map. If I had to guess, the Kyoshi Warriors were likely spying on me. I have never been to Kyoshi Island before now and the warriors do not know my intentions. As I held the map, I noticed that one of my bracelets was reflecting the trees above my head. I began turning the map, hoping to conceal what I was doing. I was about to give up when I saw a tiny piece of gold and green. I could tell that it wasn't sunlight and leaves because the green was too dark and the gold was in the shape of the Earth Kingdom insignia. I was right. The Kyoshi Warriors are following me.

I rolled up my map, stuck it in my sash, and bent down to pick up a rock from the ground. I tossed it in my hands a couple of times before turning and lobbing it into the tree where I had seen the reflection.

"OW!" the tree screamed and a Kyoshi Warrior dropped out of it, followed by five more warriors dropping out of the surrounding trees.

Maybe I should have thought this through a little more before hitting an armed woman in the face. We all stood still for a moment, staring at each other, before I threw a punch at the nearest warrior. She immediately hit me in the stomach with her gold fan sending me crashing to the ground. Two warriors pounced on me and tried to pin me to the ground by my shoulders. A couple of strong kits got them off of me. The only problem was that I was thrown into a tree. I stumbled forward to throw another punch, or even a kick, but the world just faded to black and I could feel myself fall to the forest floor.

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"I wonder who has the audacity to attack my warriors in their own home." I blinked my eyes a few times and shook my head. I was no longer unconscious on the forest floor. I was now tied to a tree and surrounded by what I assumed was every single Kyoshi Warrior on the island. All of them were fuming.

The girl who had spoken couldn't have been much older than Liena. She was dressed in the same uniform and face paint as the others but the headdress tied around her short reddish-brown hair was much more elaborate than the others. She's likely the leader.

"Well, I wonder who has the audacity to attack an innocent person because she was defending herself from people who were following her like she's Fire Nation scum!"

"I suppose that's a fair point. Since we've taken all your belongings and 'weapons' I think we can safely untie you." the girl nodded to two of the warriors and they seemed to glide across the clearing towards me. Despite the harsh treatment I was currently receiving, I was still determined to join the Kyoshi Warriors today if possible.

"Now," the girl walked over to a pile of all my belongings, "tell me. What brings you to Kyoshi Island?"

I was about to respond but the girl pulled something from the pile and began twirling it in her hands. I couldn't see what it was, but when she turned around it took all of my will not to immediately kill her. She had taken Guozhi's pendant.

"Before I tell you that, tell me why you took that necklace!" I tried to lunge for it but two warriors caught me by the shoulders.

"I told you we took all of your belongings. Why are you getting so worked up over a necklace? It looks rather cheap if you ask me."

"How. Dare. You. That necklace is all I have left of my favorite person in the entire world."

"Wow, they must be very special."
"He was." as I stared at my necklace in the girl's hand, Guozhi's smiling face appeared in the back of my mind.

I must have been smiling because the girl raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you sure he was 'just a friend'?"
"How would I know?" I let my voice soften, "The Fire Nation took him away from our village when we were both nine."

The girl nodded and motioned for the warriors holding me to let me go. She walked up to me, took my hand, and pressed the pendant into my hand.

"I came here to join your group of warriors. I know in my bones that my friend is alive and I know that if I can just find him we can take back to our village." I said.

"We don't normally train outsiders. However I think we can make an exception if you do something for me. Come with us. You can at least rest for awhile." she put a hand on my shoulder and began leading me out of the clearing.

"What's your name? What village are you from?"
"I'm Nakia from Shoa. What's your name?"
"Suki."

Written by AmericanPopsicle