(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Forty-Five

Rana crouches over a pile of berries from which she picks out ones to snack on. They're down to the last of their supplies. She's distracted. Very distracted. Thinking on her dreams of late. It feels different. Not like her usual dreams. She tends not to remember them after the fact, but she's waking and remembering everything. Even smells. And touches. Especially the touches. It never goes anywhere with Zuko in her dreams. They don't even kiss, not after that first almost one. But he holds her hand. He touches her back. Her arms. Her face. It's ridiculous how much a simple lingering touch sets her entire soul on fire. She'd probably die if he actually ever kissed her. Just melt to a puddle on the floor. This is wholly unfair. The way he is with her there. They spend their nights explore that 'dream' place. Spend time with the spirit trees and the pokemon there. Pokemon she's never seen. They swim. And star gaze. They do a lot of things they did when they were children. Simple things. It's a lot more peaceful there than out here in the real world. It's no wonder she chose to dream about it.

"Where's Momo?" Aang asks as he looks around for the lemur. Rana looks at him, pulling herself from her thoughts, and then around. Last she saw, Momo was heading up through the trees. Momo's yowl suddenly echoes through the forest. Aang shoots up to his feet, staring up into the trees. Sokka and Katara appeared worried too from where they sit. They look around, trying to tell where the call came from. Rana moves first, jumping up into the trees with some height before hurrying across the branches.

..........

Rana finds Momo in a snare, tangled up and stuck. She pushes herself up and onto the higher branch, her hands grabbing on before she spins herself up and over, landing in a crouch over the top of the trap.

"Hang on, Momo" She assures him softly as she tries to find a way to free him. 

"Rana!" Katara shouts.

"Up here!" Rana shouts back as Katara appears below her at ground level, Aang and Sokka nearly going into her back when she stops. Rana's eyes land on the tree's trunk where a small winch is attached with the rope going to the snare. She moves to the trunk and grabs the rope, releases a latch on the winch, and carefully feeds more line, lowering the snare down through the trees. Sokka and Katara ease the snare down to the ground between them where Aang then pulls the squeaky slats apart enough to exit. Momo immediately hops out and runs to the foreground to finish a handful of the nuts, his peril forgotten. Sokka and Katara release the snare, and Sokka groans and slaps his forehead at the lack of gratitude. Rana jumps down from above and looks up. Aang, Sokka and Katara also lookup to find two more snares with hog monkeys trapped in them, making pleading sounds at them. The traps are suspended near each other on a different branch.

"Alright, you too" Aang assures them, he crouches, then springs up in a spiralling column of air-bent wind that carries him up through the trees, Sokka reaches behind him to wrap his fingers around his boomerang.

"This is gonna take forever." Sokka throws his boomerang in one fluid move; with a whiz, it zips up and the boomerang cuts the ropes. The ropes fall away; There's the sound of crashes and panicked beast barks echo around them. On the ground, the hog monkeys are loose; their cages open like clamshells. They walk on all fours to the foreground. One disappears between the framing trees, the other climbs up the tree framing the left and disappears. Rana approaches one of the busted snares and kneels to examine it. She doesn't like what she sees. She knows where these are from. Sokka crouches at her side and seems to the same conclusion. The two of them sharing a look, she nods in agreement. "These are Fire Nation traps..." He tells the others as they move closer. "You can tell from the metalwork" He adds.

"We'd better pack up camp and get moving" Rana offers firmly. They need to move now, just in case. 

.......

Sokka is crouched pulling the ropes on his gear tighter, sealing it all up with his bedroll. Behind him, Rana picks up her sword and slides it into place on her back. Katara hands a gear roll up to Aang, who is sitting on Appa's head. Sokka sees this. He leaves his roll and walks over to them.

"Ah-ah...no flying this time." Sokka scolds.

"What?" Katara asks. Aang hands the roll to Sokka, who puts it on the ground.

"Why wouldn't we fly?" Aang counters, confused.

"Think about it. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa—he's just too noticeable" Sokka answers giving Appa a glance.

"What! Appa's not too noticeable!" Katara argues.

"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head—it's kinda hard to miss him!" Sokka points out. Rana nods a little in agreement. Appa turns his head and goans at Sokka. Aang is in the 'driver's seat' holding his reigns.

"Sokka's just jealous 'cause he doesn't have an arrow" Aang offers comfortingly to Appa.

"I know you all want to fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk," Sokka tells them, he glances at each of them as he talks, to make his point.

"Who made you the boss?" Katara asks him.

"I'm not the boss...I'm the leader" Sokka tells them. Katara, Aang and Rana all turn to Sokka.

"You're the leader?" Katara asks. "But your voice still cracks!"

"I'm the oldest and I'm a warrior" Sokka defends and then tries to speak deeper. "So...I'm the leader!"

"If anyone's the leader, it's Rana" Katara argues, Rana makes a distressed noise and looks at her. "I mean, you're the same age...and she is the True Elemental"

"It's okay, he's the boss" Rana argues and pats Sokka's shoulder before she moves to grab her bag from the ground. "I don't want to be the leader" She adds as she picks it up. Sokka motions to Rana and nods.

"See..." Sokka pulls his pack onto his back.

"Why do boys always think someone has to be the leader? I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you kissed a girl" Katara comments.

"I-I've kissed a girl—you...just haven't met her" Sokka argues, offended at the idea.

"Who?" Katara asks. "Gran-gran? I've met Gran-gran"

"No.....besides Gran-gran. Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot and a leader has to trust his instincts"

"Okay, we'll try it your way Oh Wise Leader" Katara comments with a scoff. Aang steps over, now wearing a backpack. Momo is sitting on the top.

"Who knows—walking might be fun," He tells them with a broad smile. Rana smiles softly at him. So young. So naïve. He's going to absolutely hate this.