Blazing Crystal (Revised Version)

Chapter 21: The Wilderness

Chapter 21: The Wilderness

Sitting by the fire, I stared into the cave where Zuko and Iroh were still sleeping away. They were exhausted from the previous day, and I decided it was best to let them sleep. The cave we found was much smaller than our first, so we were forced to pack together inside overnight. In the morning, when the sun rose, I was uncomfortable with the tight space and managed to ease my way out of the rocky shelter.

The morning consisted of me gathering wood, catching fish from a stream about a mile from the campsite, and returning to cook the fish over a fire. The fire took me a little effort, especially since I was used to already having fire starter stones back in the South Pole. I had to find some new dry stones that would create the proper friction to ignite the wood. When fire finally began to eat at the logs though, I smiled with delight. Sokka would be proud of my wilderness skills.

Of course, I knew I could've waited for one of the two firebenders to start the fire, but where was the challenge in that?

The fish was cooking well. I'd managed to catch three, and stabbed them through with a stick to hold them over the flames. They were beginning to turn a crisp tint by the time Iroh awoke from his long sleep. When he emerged from the cave, he was puzzled to see me turning the three fish over the fire.

"Crystal... You set all of this up?"

I looked over at his sleepy face with a small smile. "Yeah... I thought we all could use some breakfast after such a long day yesterday." Pulling the fish back, I placed them on the sheet of bark I had yanked off of a tree earlier. The fish steamed and looked done. I'd already taken the skin off the fish and threw it in the fire before I'd begun cooking, so the food was ready to be consumed.

"They're done... I know it's not Jiho's cooking, but hopefully it will fill you-"

He interrupted me. "It's fine, Crystal." He picked up a fish from off the bark and sat on the ground beside me. "Thank you for looking out for us."

I shrugged, reaching for my own fish. The meat was hot, but not burning to the touch. "I'm used to stuff like this. I mean, usually I have pots to use for cooking, but I know how to use a stick and a fire pretty well." I took a bite of my fish, glad it didn't taste too horrible. It was bland without seasoning, but it was edible. "I wish there was more I could do though..."

"You've done plenty already." He looked over at me with compassion. "Why don't you go wash up after you finish eating... I saw a waterfall over the hill yesterday."

Nodding, I decided not to argue with him. A nice wash up would be kind of great. When I finished eating my fish, I told Iroh I'd be back as soon as I was freshened up. Leaving the campsite, I made my way through the forest towards the direction Iroh had pointed out to me. As I walked, I looked down at my dress with a grimace. There was dirt, mud, and grass stains plastered all over my outfit. My rough housing with Azula the other night also caused a few tears in the fabric. My skin also had cuts and bruises from the violent collision with Zuko's crazy sister.

When I finally arrived at the waterfall Iroh spoke of, I saw the area had formed a good sized pool. Water fell from the top of a massive rock, and the water collecting in the pool streamed off into smaller creaks. Rocks jutted out of the water, and swan-geese waded out in the shaded areas. Taking off my shoes, I lightly placed my foot in the water testing the temperature. There was a chill, but I knew once I got in my body would adjust.

Taking off my dress, I immediately grimaced at the pain shooting through my muscles and back. Every part of me felt bruised, and I knew what the best remedy would be. In my white chest wrapping and shorts, I carefully waded out into the pool making sure I kept footing on the rocks beneath me. Once the water was at my shoulders, I shut my eyes concentrating on the cool element around me. The liquid danced against my skin and soaked inside as I allowed the particles to heal my cuts and bruises. The water turned warm as it sunk deeper into my muscles loosening the tightness and giving my aches relief. Opening my eyes, I saw a blue glow was around my lower body as the element eased the damage that Azula had inflicted on me. When the last of my pain faded, I sighed with relief and the glow dimmed away until it was no more.