Behind the Flames .:H2OVanoss:.

.:Chapter 14:.

Warning: pure fluff and giggles. Might melt your eyes. If it does, contact your doctor to find eye replacements. If you are dirt poor like me, I hear they sell eyepatches for a buck at the dollar store :)

          Unknown to the group, the days had turned to dusk and dusk turned to night, night turned to dawn, and dawn finally turned to day. A never-ending cycle with an eerie lack of light throughout the hours that passed. Four days flew by as they blindly followed the female voice's guidance. It rarely spoke along with the other hundreds of voices, but it always projected louder than any other, and only sounded when they were way off course.
"We are getting close. I can feel it in the ground now." Brian smiled to the group.
"You're right. I feel it too." Tyler replied while looking around eagerly.
"What exactly does it feel like?" Brock tried to strike up a conversation with the others, while feeling a bit left out since he was the only earth bender who couldn't use their sub skill.
Brian quickly answered first, "Hmm.. well, with seismic sense, you feel the vibrations in the ground, right? With each step I take, it uses sonars that bounce off nearby objects like boulders and trees. Each of these objects send the signal back, like echolocation but with movement instead of sound, and each object has a different feeling of response. Take a tree and a rock for example.
"Your rock is extremely heavy and completely solid, and sends back a deeper and more powerful feeling. The feeling is stronger depending on the size! Then you have a tree, which is solid, but has more air openings and the wood is lighter than the stone. It would send back a lighter, more 'airy' feeling. Do you kind of understand?"
Brock nodded, and Brian continued, "Now we think we have the shrine in reach of our sense. It feels weird, almost really heavy at first but then really light. It doesn't quite feel as heavy as the granite, though.. Maybe it's marble? Or even glass?"
"Something like that." Tyler stomped his foot into the ground and paused once more. "...Damn, there's too much water in the ground to really tell which way it is, though."
"At least we are close! We could probably split up, and leave a trail of something behind us so we know how to get back to each other." Jonathan raised his hand and suggested.
"That's a really good idea, actually." Brock beamed at Jonathan.
"Alright, let's try it; but you are still going to drag that traitor around with you." The leader glared at Evan, who returned it with equal hate.
"Good, I'd love to have him with me!" Jon quickly retaliated with a huff. "He is just as important as any of us!"
Tyler rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. Take David with you, though. Lui, Arlan, your elements probably won't show up when you try to leave a trail, so take Marcel to help with that. Brock and Brian, I won't even try to separate you two dorks. I'll go alone-"
"Uh, like hell you'll go alone!" Marcel glared at him.
"Ya, what if you get hurt or lose your conscience again? No one will be able to help you because we wouldn't know!" Brock persuaded.
"Well I'm not going to let the airbenders go alone and get lost! And I'm not too keen on Jon and Tarak being alone-"
Jonathan groaned. "Oh my spirits, Tyler! It's fine! I told you a million times, Tarak won't hurt us! He's going to be one of us now, so suck it up and accept it! He didn't pull a single move at all in these past hours! It's been a few days, I'm pretty sure, and he's been quiet and respectful to our group. Just give him a chance!"
Tyler turned away while Jonathan was in mid-sentence. "Fine, do whatever you want. David, come with me then. Fuckin' hell." He grumbled and slammed a foot into the ground, creating a large, sharp spike of stone. "We will meet here in an hour. Just guess however long an hour is, and if you aren't back when the rest of us are, we will come find you. If you find the shrine come back here immediately and gather us all together before entering." He spoke quickly and directly to the point, then wandered off in a random direction with David reluctantly in tow.
          Jonathan sighed. "He's been so irritable, lately.."
          "Well, to be honest, if I were in his situation I would be, too." Brock muttered.
          "Why's that? What 'situation' is he in?" Jonathan rolled his eyes. "He shouldn't have that attitude if he wants to be considered a 'leader'. It's childish and immature."
          Brock only sighed and looked to Brian, who spoke up for his comrade.
          "Let's talk later. Just, don't be too hard on the guy."
          "I won't when he does the same. Come on, Tarak." Jonathan tugged on Evan's arm and took off in the opposite direction of Tyler. After a moment of awkwardness, the two airbenders followed Marcel into the trees, leaving Brock and Brian alone to choose a way to go.
          "I'm worried about Tyler." Brock mumbled as they set off.
          "Me too, Brock. Me too." He sighed.