Flow [Sokka - Book Two]

⚝Chapter Two⚝

Konno hadn't seen the direct sunlight since she started trekking through the forest, and that was at least three hours ago. The swamp was farther inside the forest than she thought. She didn't know how the swamp could get water if it was so far away from the ocean. 

Sweat dripped down her spine. Even though the sunlight didn't reach the forest floor, the leaves and branches held the heat in. She swiped at her brow and stopped next to a tree. She leaned against it and guzzled the water from her canteen. However, she needed to save her water if she got lost in the forest. It would be the only thing keeping her alive.

Konno started up again. She glanced at the map and made her way through the forest. She had to be close to the swamp. The grass had dwindled down to mud, so that meant that water was nearby. Her feet squelched through the mud, but her eyes were trained forward. She knew she was close. 

The smell of the swamp overwhelmed her as she grew nearer. She had never smelled something quite like it, and it was throwing her off. She wished she chose a different place to go to first, but she felt like she needed to come here because of Navrek. He would've died if he smelled how bad the swamp was. That would've been funny if he wasn't already dead.

Konno clenched her teeth together. She wasn't going to breakdown. She wasn't going to cry. She needed to find a place to stay. Her eyes scanned the area in front of her, but all she could see was roots to a large tree. Vines hung from branches, and she stooped lower so her head wouldn't hit them. Her feet almost got stuck in the mud, and Konno groaned. She wished she could've told Navrek this was the worst place to go. Why had he wanted to come here in the first place? Her feet froze when she remembered. He believed that he would be able to see his father again. He had said that there was something in the Foggy Swamp that produced hallucinations about people long gone.

Maybe she could see Yue again. She hoped to see Yue again. If she did, then she could feel at peace with herself. If she could get one last glimpse of her, she'd be fine. Maybe she could finally move on after that.

However, Konno didn't think she would ever move on from the death of her sister. She would never forget the moment when the light left her eyes. She would forever be scarred from the trauma.

Maybe she could move through it. She wouldn't have to move past her sisters death, but she could get through it. Konno would never forget her. She would always be sad that her sister wasn't alive, but, in time, she could get better. One day, she might even think about her and smile. Tears would still come but only after reminiscing about Yue. Konno looked forward to the day where she could think of Yue without crying and being sad. 

Konno stepped up onto one of the larger roots, pulling her feet out of the mud. For a second, she thought her shoe got stuck in the mud, but she realized it was still on her foot. The mud had covered all of it. She flicked some of the mud off with a sigh. She was really starting to hate Navrek for choosing this place.

She didn't know where she was going next, so she needed to find a place to stay. However, there weren't any houses here in the swamp. She would have to find something to stay in because she had no idea how to build a house. And if she didn't find any place to stay, she would have to survive out in the open during the night. Nothing scared her more than that.

Konno pulled some food out of her bag and took a bite out of the seal jerky. It was the last that she had bought from some traders near the Northern Water Tribe. It reminded her of home. 

She sighed as she finally found a small hole in the base of a tree to her right. That was where she had to stay, she decided. She was here indefinitely. It would have to do. She crossed to the tree and threw her bag into it before crawling in. It was small, about the size of her height. It was tall so she could stand up if she needed to. The downside was that it was very dark in there. But she didn't need to see anything. She just needed to rest. 

Using Sokka's parka as a pillow, she laid her head down on it. Unfortunately, it didn't smell like him anymore. She wished it did smell like him. It was hard for her to admit, but she missed him a lot. Even if they didn't have much time together, he still proved to be different than anyone else she had ever met. He noticed her. He noticed her pain. He didn't judge her for her pain, either. 

She shifted slightly and faced the hole in the tree. It was starting to get dark out there, too, so she closed her eyes. The Girl wanted to find someone here, to have a real conversation. She hadn't had a conversation with a single person in so long. She missed that connection with humans. However, the Warrior wanted to stay away from people for as long as she could. It wanted to protect the Girl from harm. And it would continue to do that for the rest of her life if she let it.