Behind the Flames .:H2OVanoss:.

.:Chapter 15:.

The swamp was serene and in a blissful sleep. A couple of strange animal sounds were heard from a distance, but not close enough to be of any concern. The paranormal voices were surprisingly calm and quiet as the nine men slipped through the cold slush and mud of the swamps. Jonathan and Evan were in the lead, after having returned to gather the others and persuading them that the shrine may have been found.
          "Watch out for the cliffside! It comes up quickly-" Jonathan shouted from the lead and rounded the corner of the path. There again was the steep slope that slanted into a deep watery pit. He failed to stop, again, but took on the dip by leaping right over it and catching himself with a rapid twirl of his arms to draw the mucky water to his feet. Balancing himself, he struck a victorious pose.
          "Show off." David laughed from his spot on the ledge. The others had barely made it to a halt just before the drop.
          Jon giggled and pointed into the fog. "We think the shrine is down here, but we aren't sure if what we found actually is the shrine since we didn't go in."
          "If it's a random building in the middle of a deserted, haunted swamp, I'm pretty sure it's going to be the shrine. Unless someone decided to build their humble abode in this spirit forsaken place." Marcel sassed.
          "Let's just go and check it out, whatever it is." Tyler splashed down into the knee-high waters and shivered. "You guys are sure there aren't any deadly creatures in here?"
          Jonathan lowered himself into the water as the others descended the marshy slope. He and Evan shared a quick glance before Jon replied, "When we were here last time, we didn't see signs of anything living here, but we didn't exactly look around to see-"
          "I'm pretty sure it's safe." Evan butted in rudely.
          Tyler glared through the fog and towards the fire bender. Thankfully, though, he didn't give some authoritative retort. "Just show us where it is."
          Jonathan sighed and led the way. They wandered into the tall grasses and trees that shielded the house from view, and nervously peered through them at its wooden frames. They approached slowly, and upon closer inspection, noticed that the floors were completely submerged in the mud and water. The roof was only a few feet from the surface, like the whole building had sunk down into the mud.
          "...This is it?" Brian scoffed as they looked into the opening of where a door should have been. "Doesn't look like much."
          "No.. no it doesn't." Tyler placed a hand on the moldy wooden pillars that held the porch roof up. "Somethings not right.." He muttered.
          "It's probably not the main part of the shrine! Maybe it's like, an extra add-on building for taking care of their iguana-parrots or something?" Brian grinned optimistically.
          "Whatever it is, let's figure it out as fast as we can. Marcel, David, Brock, Brian and I will go in. The rest of you stay out here and explore the area. Warn us if you find anything dangerous." Tyler pointed a finger towards Arlan. "You're in charge."
          "What?!" Lui slouched and complained childishly.
          Tyler snickered, "Well I'm not going to leave Jonathan in charge since he is watching Evan. And no offense Lui," he raised an eyebrow, "you are the type of person to go ballistic and warn us about the finding of a smashed beetle carcass that looks like your great grandfather. It's not that I don't trust you." He smiled while wading through the waters and into the building. "-but seriously, don't come running to me explaining in deep detail about what I just brought up."
          "That was one time, Tyler! And it was scary as hell!! I felt like I was looking into the very same eyes of a man who could take hours to explain the importance of skinning an animal with the incisor teeth of a rabbit! To this day I'm still not sure how he accomplished such a task without dying first!"
          "You should have listened to him, then. That sounds like some pretty crucial information for surviving in the wild." David giggled and flicked Lui's ear.
          Lui continued to rant but nobody bothered to listen. Tyler and his group waded into the thick waters inside, while the others dispersed to check the surrounding area. Jonathan and Evan stuck together once more, but not because they were told, just because the presence of one another was all the comfort they needed from the voices that continued to prod at their heads.
          "Tarak, I have a question." Jonathan turned back to Evan. He looked up with an eyebrow raised.
          "I just.. I wanted to know. If this spirit won't help you get your memories back and show you where your destiny lies, what would you do? I mean, would you stay with us or..?"
          Evan stared blankly at Jonathan for many long moments. Then, he shrugged. "To be completely honest, I'd probably go on a killing spree and murder you all, then decide then if I want to go back to the Fire Nation or become a rogue warrior." A sly smile crept up on his lips and his eyes flashed with evil.
          'Well that escalated quickly.' Jonathan thought as he stared with his mouth agape. "..So you aren't even considering coming back with us?"
          "As of now, no. I can tell I'm not going to be welcomed either way." He pushed past Jonathan with squinted eyes. "Even if I got my memories back, I don't think that will change. Whatever happened in our pasts, say they did cross and I happened to know some of you, I can't just back down on all that I've accomplished. And if Tyler tries to kill me.. I'll just have to kill him first."
          Jon's heart throbbed. "Y-you know I won't let you do that-"
          "I figured." He turned and began to trudge around the building.
          'I just don't get it. How could he be so honest? Is he really THAT arrogant and suicidal?!' Sighing, Jonathan followed after. 'I wish I could tell you this, but I'll always accept you. No matter who or what you are.'