Alara's Tale ~ Book I : Water

III : Misalignment

Judging by the map Suki gave me, I was at the edge of the Earth Kingdom. I sat down by a tree leaning on it. I grabbed my water skin but it turned out to be empty. I groaned and leaned down on the tree. "Things couldn't get worse right?" I rested my eyes for a bit drifting off to a nap.

"Aang!" I was chasing him with my air scooter. "I'm going to kill you!"

"But Alara all life is sacred!" Aang yelled trying to get away from.

I tackled him to the ground, giving him a glare. "This is could be an exception."

"Monk Gyatso please help me!" Aang pleaded.

Monk Gyatso just smiled and gave Aang a thumbs up. "Good luck Aang!"

"Ok that's it!" Aang started to tickle me.

I couldn't help but laugh, and now we're in an all out tickle war. "I give up! Ok you won!"

We both sat up and I hit him on the shoulder earning an "ow" from him. "That's for taking my glider."

"Love you too sis." Aang said while rubbing his arm.

I woke up from my nap. I really missed Aang, I just wanted to know what happened. I heard a footsteps approaching and hid behind a tree, unsheathing my katana just incase. I peeked and saw a shirshu and a woman on top. She was beautiful in a dangerous way.

"Easy boy, what are you smelling?" The woman said.

I slowly back away but the shirshu noticed me. I gulped and ran as fast as I could. But the shirshu was too fast and tackled me to the ground. The shirshu snarled at me baring it's teeth. "Now what do we have here?" The woman smirked.

She hopped off the shirshu and approached me. I quickly drew my katana pointing it at her. "One more step and you're going to lose a foot."

She stopped, that playful smirk still on her face. "Feisty aren't we? Maybe you can be helpful."

I didn't lower my katana, her shirshu watching, waiting for his master's command. "With what?"

"See here feisty girl, I'm a bounty hunter and I'm looking for a certain earth bender." She spoke with ease despite a sword aimed at her. "And I think we can help each other."

"How?" I questioned her.

"You seem like you've got a few skills, I could use that, and you seem like you're running low on supplies." She eyed me. "Help me with this I could hand you some of money."

"But you have shirshu, why would you need me?"

She looked at her shirhsu. "Sadly Nyla can't come and interfere that much, it would cause too much attention." She paused, and held out her hand. "So do we have a deal?"

I looked at her and back to the shirshu, weighing the pros and cons. Putting the katana back, I shook her hand. "Deal."

She smirked, "June"

"Alara"

***

"Before this all gets ugly let's see what you can really do, no weapons." June tossed her whip aside and I followed tossing my fan and katana. "Whenever you're ready." She smirked.

I launched towards her throwing a couple of punches. She caught my hand and turned me around. "Good punches but beware they may be stronger than you think."

I groaned and used my head to hit hers. "Be more aware next time."

June rubbed her face, this time it was her to attack me. She is stronger I admit that, but I'm faster. I dodged every attack she made. I was about to strike back when she kneed me in the gut. "What was that for?"

"It's called training, now get back up." She extended a hand and I grabbed it. We continued to spar until sundown, that's when we headed to bar, where June will meet her 'target'.

"So who is he again?" I asked.

She set her drink down. "He's an Earthbender, client tells me he's been trying to set up a revolution to 'tear down the Fire Nation'." She passed me a drink. "Here."

I declined the drink. "I'm thirteen."

"So?" She gave me a look. I shrugged and drank it, coughing a bit afterwards. She gave a slight laugh. "Oh feisty girl you are a light weight." She handed me another drink.

I set the drink aside. "You don't have a side in this war don't you?"

"Listen Fiesty Girl, this war has been going on even before I was born. Even if I wanted to do something I can't, so the best way to survive is having the most money. At least that could get me by." She replied with a cold tone.

I kept silent for the most part. June started arm wrestling with some guys, winning against them. A guy came in and everyone started to become silent. Everyone whispering as he walked by. June motioned her head towards the guy. "That must be him."

I kept on alert in case she needed back up. She started to talk to him but I wasn't close enough to hear them. But then she pointed at me, "She's the girl you're looking for."

"WHAT?" I yelled. He started to the earth around him, throwing chunks at me. I dodged every block thrown at running straight to the door but June blocked it.

She punched me in the gut and I fell to the ground. "Sorry Feisty Girl." She bent down and whispered, "Be patient, and stay alive." Then it was black.

A throbbing pain in my head woke me up. I was in a prison cell. "So you're the Fire Nation scum."

There he was again, the same Earthbender from the bar. "I'm not Fire Nation!"

"Shut it!" He snarked back and left me in the prison cell.

"Never should've trusted a bounty hunter." I face palmed myself and leaned on the walls of the prison. Hours has passed and I was pacing around the cell. Everything seemed quiet, I went to the lock of the cell and got a pin from my hair. I learned this while training with Suki, we were supposed to be training on how to escape if ever we were locked. Long story short and couple of pins later, we were able to get out. "Yes!" The lock opened and I quickly scrambled out of the prison.

"AHHHH!" A man yelled running in front of me, then he just fell paralyzed. It was that Earthbender.

"I told you to be patient." June appeared on top of her shirshu.

"You came to rescue me?" I was shocked.

"No I came to do my job. Fire Nation is on their way, and I just caught the little Earthbender rebellion club." She smirked and extended a hand. "You coming or what?"

I rolled my eyes. "So I was just bait?"

"More or less." She whipped her shirshu and we ran off.

June was in a meeting with her client in a small house, while I waited outside keeping a safe distance from the shirshu. After several minutes June came out with two bags. "A deal is a deal." She handed me one bag.

I thought she was just giving me a small amount, but she gave me one bag. "Isn't this too much for being bait?"

She petted her shirshu. "You complaining?"

I shook my head. June smirked, and hopped on the shirshu. "See you around, feisty girl." With that she was off, probably to another bar.

This was an eventful experience, I ventured off into the forest before deciding to camp. I looked at the sky full of stars, "Wish you were here Aang."