0342: Wild At Heart Chapters 65-71

Wild At Heart (Zuko) 

Title: Wild At Heart (Zuko) 

Author: Lone-wolf-fanfics

Topic: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Genre: Hurt/Comfort (emphasis on hurt)

Critiqued by: Linstar

Hello all. I’m Linstar, and I’ve calmed down. I’m alone this week, and we’ve only got two more to go, so… thanks for small mercies. Anyway, last time Death Kermit and Zuko ended the naturebender village arc abruptly so they could go off and regurgitate some more. The counters and bingo board:

Sunrise Scene Change: 4

Be Original!: 47

Get… to… the… point!: 247

Sentenced. To. Death: 378

Chapter Sixty-Five                           

The sun is setting 

Yeah, I’m counting it.

Sunrise Scene Change: 5

when Kali swings down from the tree, a vine wrapped around her wrist to keep her safe and secure. Sokka jumps slightly when she drops down at her side, but he offers her a smile. No harm done. Despite her love for Zuko, Sokka has grown to like her. She’s bright and hard to hate. 

STOP SAYING THAT IT JUST MAKES ME HATE HER MORE.

Which he has easily discovered. She’s too bubbly to hate. 

NO SHE ISN’T AND BY THE WAY I HATE HER

No matter who she loves. They’ve also come to see her as a great compassion measure. 

She’s a standard reference for compassion?

Sentenced. To. Death: 379

She’s morally good. If she wouldn’t do it, then they don’t do it. 

Though she and Toph have clashed on a couple of things, but even Toph knows that she means well. Kali wants to protect everyone, even the Fire Nation.

Blaaaargh dA sUe Iz Da BeStEsT amiriiiiiiiight every1?!//??1/11/1.?!/1/?!?!??!?!??!?

“Don’t do that” Sokka scolds weakly as he hands over the food bowl in his hand. Kali chuckles as she takes it.

“I thought you were supposed to be a mighty warrior that could see danger coming from miles away” She teases, repeating words he has said to her. 

Such lolz. Many laughter.

Katara laughs from across the fire, earning a glare from her brother. Aang smiles watching the three of them. It could have been awkward. 

It’s beyond awkward.

It could have been. With Kali being loyal to Fire Nation exiles, it could have been a lot harder for them to blend together, but she’s sort of a balm. She can be a barrier between clashing personalities that takes some of the tension away from them. 

Aang, that’s your job. 

Sokka turns that look on Kali but it softens when he sees her smiling softly at her food. It’s hard to stay mad at her for anything. 

Categorically false.

He nudges her and she chuckles, showing that she meant no harm in her statement. 

Which we’ve gone right past so the canon characters can shill to us how great she is.

She never means anything by it. It’s just the way that she is. Sokka thinks she is incapable of being mean.

I certainly am not, however.

……….

Later, after the sun has set 

Yeah, I might just change the name to Sunny Scene Change.

Sunny Scene Change: 6

and dinner has been eaten and enjoyed, the small group of teenagers sit in front of the campfire together. Their small tents are set up. Katara pushed them to allow Kali a night off from bending them comforts for a few days, she feels bad when Kali goes out of her way and pushes her bending to give them these elaborate campsites. They don’t need them. But maybe they can come up with some happy medium where they are safe and warm and dry but she isn’t pushing herself so much. She doesn’t need to show off for them. 

Please, don’t.

Aang is far too attached to her for them to ever kick her out 

I hate the way this thinking goes.

and he does need a naturebender. 

Untrue.

Plus they’ve all grown really fond of her and her cheery personality. 

Are we going to go back to shilling? Is that all this fic is, brief snippets of plot regurgitation in between long uninterrupted thoughts on how Kermit is the bestest character evar?

They are currently telling ghost stories, though for Kali that’s not really a thing she knows. Obviously, she didn’t grow up with scary stories, in fact, she was pretty much living her own ghost story.

…how?

And then they tell some regurgitated ghost stories. *SNIP!*

Be Original!: 48

“What is the point of these stories?” Kali asks, turning to Katara slightly.

“They are meant to be fun” Katara answers. “Scary fun” Kali frowns at her.

“Oh” She whispers.

“Did you not like them?” Katara inquires. Kali shrugs a little in response, she’s not sure how she feels about them. They don’t scare her and whilst entertaining, there are better stories that can do that too.

Shut up, you pretentious compost pile.

“It was….different” Kali offers softly. “But not bad” She assures Katara who gives her a soft smile. Suddenly, Toph straightens up and places her hands on the ground.

Toph hears screaming. *SNIP!* 

Be Original!: 49

Get… to… the… point!: 248

“I feel it too” Kali assures her. “But there is something else too….I think we’re being watched”

“You’re probably just jumpy from the ghost stories….” Katara counters, Kali hums but shakes her head. She’s sure of it. The trees are unnerved and scared. 

*eyeroll*

Ohh nooo, the trees are scared. It’s probably a giant beaver, coming to chop them down!

Get… to… the… point!: 249

Too scared to even voice what it is that is actually scaring them. 

I want to burn these trees.

And then an old lady named Hama shows up in more regurgitation, Kali is wary of her because she’s seen the episode this is from, The Puppetmaster. *SNIP!*

Be Original!: 50 

Chapter Sixty-Six 

Hama is a peculiar woman. Of that, Kali is sure. She’s never met anyone that has affected her as much as this woman does and she supposes that says something when she’s lived with actual slavers. But this woman makes her skin crawl far more than it ever did. 

We get it, you’ve seen the episode and know that Hama is evil.

She holds Bing and Ran-Ya in her arms, 

I love how these guys have the same narrative weight as a stuffed animal. They are literally just props for the Sue.

clutching to them as the group follows the old woman up a hill towards a local inn that is perched atop it. Kali glances around. The woods are far behind them now, and it is almost as if nature doesn’t want to grow any closer to the inn. 

Staaahhp.

The ground beneath their feet is almost barren, with only the smallest blades of grass. Something is wrong here.

Yes, Kermit, and that something is you.

……

The inside of the inn is just as barren as the outside. Kali can’t feel any living plant life. 

No planted pots potted plants? True evil!

She shudders slightly as she sits next to Katara and Toph. Sokka and Aang sit across from them as Hama pours out some tea into a set of cups. Kali glances at Hama, trying to figure her out. She doesn’t trust anyone that wouldn’t have plant life in their home. 

Fic, I WAS JOKING! Curse you, Murphy’s Riffer’s Law!

She doesn’t know why she feels that way, 

Because she’s insane?

but perhaps experience. There have been a number of people she has met over the years, bad people, and one of the things that they had in common was the lack of nature in their lives. 

Fic, now you’re just being silly.

Good people take care of plants, even if they are terrible at it. 

So even if you are terrible at taking care of plants, which Kermit can speak with, and you consistently do things that cause them to die, it’s okay? Even though you’re effectively torturing them? The things Kali can talk to? Do you realize how screwed up that is? 

They try and that counts. 

PLANTS DO NOT EQUAL MORALITY AAAARGH

It also doesn’t help that she’s really missing Zuko right now. Being away from him is proving to be difficult, perhaps made worse by her unease and her growing fear. She knows he would listen to her about her fear and suspicion, but these guys haven’t known her long enough to trust her on this. She’s sure of it. 

Nobody cares.

We learn that people disappear in the woods. *SNIP!* 

Be Original!: 51

……

In the upper rooms, Kali sits in an open window, her legs swinging outside. She didn’t like how stuck she felt in the room. With no nature around her. She thought opening the window and reaching out to the woods would make her feel better, but she can’t feel it from here. She’s too far away. She lets out a breath and closes her eyes. The only comfort she has comes from the animals they brought with them. Momo, Ran-Ya, and Bing are all curled around one another as they sleep on the bed that was meant for her. 

Stop reducing Momo to the same pitiful status as your other toys.

She’s probably not going to use it though. It felt too scratchy, too uncomfortable for her to fall asleep.

“This place is creepy” Sokka mumbles as he leans against the wall next to her, she hums in agreement. He glances at her as she opens her eyes. “You’ve been quiet” He admits softly.

There’s been so much regurgitation, she can barely get a word in edgewise!

“Like you said” She starts and looks at him. “This place is creepy” She agrees. He wrinkles his nose a little and turns to look out the window.

“And you can’t feel it from here” He realises, she shrugs a little. 

You’re a rebel just for kicks, yeah?

It is not for them to worry about. But it does get to her. Even if she can make her own, even if she has the animals, it still feels like a loss when she can’t feel the trees and flowers and bushes of the woods.

“You should try and get some sleep,” She tells him, he hums a little and moves across the room to the second bed, but scoffs a little.

“I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to fall asleep!” He complains, flopping back against the bed. Kali glances over at him and finds that he has already fallen asleep. She rolls her eyes fondly and smiles, turning back to look out the window, relaxing against the frame.

Eh, that was a decent scene, aside from the plant nonsense.

…….

Hoo boy, we’ve got ourselves quite the brick up next.

In the Fire Nation capital, Zuko rests his head back against the wall of an alley. It’s not the more pleasant of circumstances that he has found himself in. 

As opposed to what other circumstances? You mean “most”.

He’s sneaking around the city. Sleeping where he can, tonight, it’s an alley. He thought about leaving. About going after Kali and the Avatar. He yearns to do so but he feels like there is more for him to do here. 

Which is… ?

And he can’t leave until he figures out what it is. 

Just ignore the stupid authorial puppeteering and go find Kermit like you logically should!

He wants to leave. He wants to go and find Kali. 

Then do so.

But there is this block. 

Well, yeah, you’re in a city. I’d expect there to be a lot of them.

Unless you mean the block of text you’re currently in?

He looks down at the crown prince headpiece that Iroh had given him which he clasps in his hand. It’s a promise, he supposes, or something. He scoffs at his own stupidity. 

As he should! Why is he still here, in the place where Azula is most likely to find him–

WAIT.

WHY DIDN’T YOU FREE IROH?

…in canon, he tries to break Iroh out of jail when he turns against Ozai. Here, he has already done so, and has no logical reason to not break Iroh out, especially since he had to break into the prison to meet with him?

If he did break Iroh out, then why wouldn’t Iroh be here too?

This is why plot regurgitation should not be spewed while ignoring context; Zuko’s actions in this new plot are completely insane.

It’s nothing. 

So much nothing.

It’s just a headpiece that means nothing now. Zuko is not the prince any longer. He hasn’t been since he made the choice to stand with Iroh and Kali in those catacombs. This isn’t him anymore. He glances at a bird as it lands next to him, watching him. He frowns a little. It’s not a Fire Nation bird, it shouldn’t be here. The bird hops closer to him and he sees a message attached to its leg. He leans forward and takes it from the bird, who then decides to stay, flying up to sit on the antlers of the hart who makes an indigent noise. 

How  can a noise be poor?

Zuko unrolls the note and instantly relaxes, smiling as he sees the smiley face drawn onto the corner. It’s a note to tell him who it is from. Kali. No one else would know to do that. No one else would know to use that as a way to ease his worry about a strange letter reaching him. She hasn’t written the rest of the note, obviously, but someone with the Avatar has written it for her. 

And she told the bird to find Zuko, which it did… *mumble* somehow. *mumble*

At least he knows she found him. That she’s safe with them. They are informing her of their plans. Of them wanting to use the coming eclipse as an advantage. Perhaps this is why he couldn’t leave. 

The author was using her hand to physically restrain him until she can make this bird fly in.

They will be coming here. Invading during an eclipse. 

Sentenced. To. Death: 380

It’s a smart plan actually. They firebenders will be powerless to stop them, but they won’t have long. Eclipses never last very long. He could stay. Maybe sneak around the palace. See if he can’t help in some way. He can listen for any signs that they know it is going to happen. He can sabotage from the inside without being seen. 

Because for some reason none of the Fire Nation soldiers are at all capable of even noticing him.

Perhaps this is a chance for him to prove himself to them. If he does this for them. If he does something to aid their victory. Then maybe it is enough to start redeeming himself to them. He folds the letter away and tucks it into his pack along with the headpiece. He’ll stay then. Wait for the invasion to come then be reunited with Kali then.

Yay, we get the idea. You’ll reunite during the invasion–

Except that’s stupid, because how would the invasion force know that you’re on their side? Author, think your changes through! Ugh.

Chapter Sixty-Seven                             

Kali finds it hard to sleep without some natural connection to nature. 

As opposed to all those artificial connections to nature that normally help you sleep.

This fic just keeps going further off the rails.

She could make something but it wouldn’t feel the same. Like Toph noted, it feels different. Not wrong, but not entirely right either. 

What are you going on about, Kermit?

Sleeping far from any connection is difficult for her. 

She can’t sleep without a Xillien USB cable or something? 

…is Kermit secretly a Xillien? That would explain her wearing a “human skin”!

So she decides to go out to watch the sunrise through the trees. 

Eh, close, but not quite.

Just a few hours among nature. Just to herself. 

Why should I care about this?

Sentenced. To. Death: 382

Because as great as her new friends are, they are very different from the people she is used to living with. 

I mean, yeah, they’re cool and all, but they aren’t slavers, you know?

Iroh and Zuko are great, they truly are amazing to her, but quieter and reserved and less likely to scream and shout and act childish in the same way that Aang or Sokka or Toph might be, Katara is slightly more mature than them, more so for her age, but it is a lot to adjust to. 

Holy run-on sentence, Batman!

I don’t think it’s accurate either, Zuko is definitely inclined towards acting childish when angered. He has quite a temper, and this inaccurate statement of characterization is just so the fic can further infantilize the Gaang.

Aang rubs his eyes as he sits up, watching Kali as she passes him.

“Where are you going?” Aang asks her, Kali glances at him and then gives him a soft smile.

“I just need some time in the trees” She answers as she crouches in front of him. 

A weird sentence, to be sure.

He still appears half-asleep and she was trying to be quiet so as not to disturb any of them. She was hoping to slip out for a few hours and then come back before any of them woke up.

“Do you want me to come with you?” He counters, yawning into his hand. She chuckles softly and shakes her head.

“No, just go back to sleep” She assures him softly. “I will be back soon” He mumbles something under his breath that sounds like okay 

In reality, it was several obscene insults.

as he falls back on his bed to go back to sleep. She smiles and gently taps her fingers on his tattoo, 

Kinda creepy of you to do that.

humming lightly before she stands and leaves the room.

…..

Out in the trees, a fair distance from the Inn, 

Which is Capitalized for Some Reason.

Kali finds a nice spot up in the trees, far away enough from the footpaths that she won’t be disturbed by anyone passing by. This way she can remove the bending from her skin and revert to her natural green. 

Ah, now I see why she’s green. Naturebenders have evolved to have camouflage in the trees! It all makes complete and utter sense.

It is easier to switch back and forth now and with Aang and the others she mostly keeps her ‘normal’ appearance when they are travelling, she would stand out way too much otherwise and they need to keep a low profile now to keep the Avatar being alive a secret. She leans back against the tree trunk and lets out a happy sigh. That feeling of warmth and belonging floods her. 

Just thinking about this alleged bond you have?

…was pee-drinking involved?

The only thing that would make her feel better is if Zuko were here too and if there was no war and her people were free to come out of hiding, 

That’s three separate things, though.

but it is a start. Bing suddenly drops himself into her lap and she chuckles, wrapping an arm around it. He must have followed her out of the inn. 

Glad he got his chapterly mention.

She glances down at the ground because she knows that with Bing being here, Ran-Ya won’t be far behind him, and she is right. Ran-Ya bounces around the base of the tree, yapping away to himself. 

One day Ran-Ya will eat that search engine. Then only he can generate horrifying AI images!

Kali smiles and lets out a breath. Her peace has been disturbed by animals. Not that she really minds. 

As long as we don’t get more obnoxious “reflection”, I’m cool with it.

She holds up her hand and a vine grows from the branch above her and wraps around her wrist, allowing for her to swing down to the ground with Bing.

“We can sit down here together for a while” She comments as she gets comfortable on the ground, letting the two animals curl up with her. She doesn’t want to stay out here too long, not with the uneasy feeling still sitting in her stomach regarding Hama. There is still something that doesn’t feel right. 

Yup, you already said that.

The way that nature is reacting in this area adds to it. She’s never really felt nature feel fear in this way before. Nervous, yes, but never scared. Never terrified.

I said stop the meaningless “reflection”. Bad fic!

Sentenced. To. Death: 384

Something else is going on here and she wants to know if it is a threat to her new friends, if it is a threat to her, if it is a threat to the land itself. If nature is scared, then it is a threat to them. 

Can I just threaten all of you idiots so we can do something for once?

It has to be for them to react that way to some scary unknown force that they don’t even want to tell Kali about. They are too scared to even talk. 

…who?

But right now she wants to focus on relaxing and drawing comfort from nature and her animals. She will worry again when she gets up.

……

In the Fire Nation, the hart follows along behind Zuko as he wanders a market stall, a hood up to hide his face. He knows it will be harder for him to hide in the capital. 

Duh.

These people will be more familiar with the royal family than anyone else in the Fire Nation. The hart makes a sound behind Zuko who sighs. Because he knows why it is making that noise. Zuko’s hungry and if he is hungry then so is the hart that is following him. It’s hunger. 

WE KNOW!

*Hungry Hungry DRD Agents who are Hungarian hungrily hunger in hanger, wandering around the room while wandering around the room, looking for food. They search for food, finding none. When no food is found, the Hungry Hungry DRD hungrily hungers its way back to Hungary in hanger.*

He owes it to Kali to keep it alive. He can imagine the look on her face if he returned to her without it and that’s not a look he wants to see on her. He’s seen her looking upset and hurt and he hated it. And he hated the times that he made her feel that way. 

Must every motivation revolve around Death Kermit?

He looks over a stall of fruits and sighs as his stomach grumbles. It’s not like he has much in the way of currency at the moment but he needs food. His supplies from Tian Tang ran dry days ago, he should have paced it out better but he didn’t really think he’d be sticking around this long. He could leave and go and find Kali now but he feels like there is something unfinished here. He doesn’t know what it is yet, but spending time around Kali has taught him to embrace certain feelings, as if the ‘universe’ is trying to tell him something. 

That would be the author.

Kali relies on listening to the world around her, and yes, through her visions when she gets them. 

Oh, right, those. Have we even had any of those recently? When was the last one, in Ba Sing Se?

He’s seen it work for her. And maybe it will work for him. So he will stay until he figures out just what the universe is trying to tell him. Even if it keeps him away from Kali.

Go away.

Sentenced. To. Death: 385

Chapter Sixty-Eight         

In the market of the small village, Kali wanders around glancing at the stalls set up. Even here, there is an aura of weirdness. 

It might just be you.

That feeling from the forest is here as well. An unnerving and fearful aura. Everyone looks terrified. Haunted even. Sokka suddenly drops his arm around her shoulder causing Kali to look at him surprised, jumping slightly. She didn’t know he was going to be here. He smiles at her, seeing the question in her eyes.

“Katara” He explains and nods across at where Katara is walking with Hama, the two of them looking around the market stalls. Kali hums a little. “You feeling better?” He asks her, Kali shrugs a little. She’s not sure she will feel better until she leaves this place, or Zuko finds her. There is just something off here. This whole place feels wrong.

Spoopy regurgitation is afoot. *SNIP!* 

Be Original!: 52

Sentenced. To. Death: 387

Kali smiles a little listening to them. Because they are willing to so quickly jump in to help. Sokka touches Kali’s arm and raises an eyebrow.

“You want to help?” He asks her, she nods in agreement. This is part of why she came to them. To find them. To help. To put things right. 

Leaving would do that, I imagine.

Sentenced. To. Death: 390

She then narrows her eyes and gives Sokka a look.

“This is because you think Katara will listen to me” She points out. Sokka opens his mouth to argue with her but then thinks better of it. He pulls a face and nods.

Huh?

“You do have an aura about you” Toph agrees. 

Toph! Toph, my man, you are not Ty Lee! You would not say that.

“Makes people believe anything you say” Aang nods in agreement. Kali sighs a little but nods in understanding. They do seem more willing to listen to her. Perhaps because she doesn’t have a history with them. 

What? As opposed to who? Zuko? Yeah, he’s done a bunch of terrible things to them that you haven’t.

Sentenced. To. Death: 391

That they know each other too well, that they are too comfortable with one another. It’s easier to ignore facts. 

Kali is new. She also feels older than them. 

I thought she was older than them!

That brings a new perspective.

No. No, this is stupid. If Em told me something, I’d trust it much more than some random commenter I’ve never talked to before. Your logic is terrible.

…….

Back at the Inn, Sokka walks over to a counter and sets his basket down looking rather pensive. Kali sets a second basket down next to Sokka’s before she starts to take the items from within it out. Sokka glances at her and she sighs knowing the look he’s giving her. He’s wanting validation that she agrees with him. Hama is still being weird and creepy. Even when she sent them back to the inn with the shopping. She looked rather sinister. 

Hey, maybe she’s just left-handed?

And it just made Kali even more suspicious of her. And maybe it is her. Maybe it is these kids that are bringing that out in her. She doesn’t remember feeling this suspicious of anyone whilst she was with Zuko and Iroh and there were a few she should have. 

I… who is suspicious of whom? We’ve got three women, and the antecedents are all over the place.

She glances at Sokka who raises an eyebrow at her. Katara, Aang and Toph walk into the room. Aang holds out the flower to Kali who smiles as she takes it from him. It is a sweet gesture. Because they know how much she hates that this inn has no plant like in it. Kali lifts the flower and slides it behind her ear before she goes back to unpacking the items from the baskets.

Sokka thinks Hama is suspicious. *SNIP!*

Be Original!: 53

……

At the bottom of the stairs, Katara watches Sokka at the top, going through the dresser drawers. Rifling through Hama’s belongings. Kali, Toph, and Aang join Katara who sighs exacerbated by her brother and his behaviour.

Pretty sure you mean “exasperated”, which is what I am.

Sentenced. To. Death: 392

They snoop around, find a comb, Hama is Southern Water Tribe. *SNIP!*

Be Original!: 54

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Nice.

Actually, is this the highest we’ve ever got in a riffed fic’s chapter count?

In the barn behind the inn, Kali sits cross-legged among the small menagerie they are travelling with. Appa happily munches on a large pile of cabbages. A pile of berries and nuts sit in front of Momo who chitters as he eats. Ran-Ya is curled up against Kali’s side 

What does he eat, hmm? Meat, maybe?

and Bing is playing with a ball of string. Kali is going to be sleeping out here with these guys for now. She really cannot spend another night in the inn. Whatever is going on here is making her incredibly uncomfortable. Plus she is really missing Zuko and sleeping alone isn’t helping. Being around the animals helps alleviate some of that. 

Raise your hand if you’re even mildly interested.

*No one raises their hands.*

She drops her hand on Ran-Ya’s head softly to scratch at his fur. It’s calming. Being with them and away from that building. She just wishes that the trees were willing to explain to her what is going on, what has them so scared, so she can help them. She hates feeling like she is failing them. She sighs and then leans back on her hands as she closes her eyes. Basking in the better aura in here. 

Whatever that means.

It’s almost enough to forget about the uncomfortable aura outside. 

I don’t think an “aura” is an established element of the Avatar universe. Yeah, Ty Lee mentions it on occasion, but I thought those were just jokes about her being a bit weird, as you would laugh at anyone who comments on someone’s aura in real life.

Almost. Appa grumbles, sounding disappointed. Kali chuckles as she leans up. Appa grumbles again. He’s asking for more food. But she doesn’t know if giving him more is a good idea. She’s given him exactly as much as he needs, asking for more is an ask of greed.

Oh, shut up! Let Appa eat more if he wants to. 

“I don’t know” She starts with a small smile. She finds it hard to say no to the animals when they ask her for anything, but Appa is their mount, his health is important to their journey. If he eats too much, he might get sick. 

And that’s for Appa to understand, thank you. I think he knows much more about how much he can eat than you.

And then they get stuck. She sighs a little and then pushes herself to her feet to approach Appa. She can give him something, a little more. But that will be it. “One more” She warns him as she drops the cabbage onto the floor in front of the bison. “Alright?” She pats his head before she goes back to her spot on the floor with Ran-Ya.

How generous of you.

….

Later, Kali sleeps against Appa’s side, a blanket thrown over her. Ran-Ya, Bing, and Momo are all curled up with her, sleeping soundly. It was much easier for Kali to sleep in here with them than it was for her in the inn. She hopes that they are not going to be spending too much longer here. Hopefully, they can figure out what is going on before they leave. It would feel worse if they left everything feeling like this.

That added so much.

…..

The next morning, Sokka leads the way as he, Toph, Kali, and Aang wander around the outside of the village, trying to uncover any signs of disruption that would anger the spirits. To try and figure out just what is going on here. 

Really bland plot regurgitation is what’s going on.

Sentenced. To. Death: 393

Which is exactly what Kali wanted. And they all seem to be agreeing with her, well, mostly. Katara is still hung up on Hama and that was just made worse by the reveal that the woman herself is a waterbender. 

Yup, Hama’s a waterbender. I think that was revealed in one of the snipped portions.

Sentenced. To. Death: 394

It’s like it forced Katara closer to her. Which isn’t helpful when everyone else finds something off about her. 

Not anything clear (yet), mind you, but something.

Kali doesn’t know them well enough to push the matter with Katara. But it seems the others aren’t willing to do it that way either. Kali suddenly shivers, 

Shut up, Ed Sheeran.

an entire shudder running through her as the trees echo a message of pain to her. 

Ooh, is that an echo of the pain that MIL kept throwing around?

She stops in her steps and closes her eyes. Feeling it all. Something is pushing them into action enough that they are pushing to warn her about something. They are still too afraid to tell her exactly what it is. Which doesn’t really help them. It’s okay though. If they are afraid, she isn’t about to blame them for it. 

I am so lost by this utterly confusing and infuriatingly vague prose.

Sentenced. To. Death: 395

It does scare her though. She’s never seen plants acting like this. She glances over at Aang as he stands with his hands on his hips, glancing around.

Someone named Old Man Ding saw this spoopy spirit, allegedly. *SNIP!*

Be Original!: 55

…………

Back in the Fire Nation capitol, 

*headdesk*

Wrong. Word.

Zuko lets out a breath as he rests his forehead against the nearest wall to him. Today is a bad day for him. 

That’s rough, buddy.

He’s missing Kali and feeling very paranoid. Everyone he passes on the street knows him. He is sure of it. They know who he is, which means that his father is going to figure out that he is here any minute now. He can’t stop those thoughts from swirling around in his head. Today is a day in which he wants to just leave. 

By all means, go ahead.

To go off and find Kali. Being away from her, being alone is agonising. 

Sentenced. To. Death: 396

He closes his eyes and lets out a long breath. He’s done. Whatever that feeling was, that pressure pushing him to stay here….it’s gone. He just wants to get back to Kali. He pushes away from the wall, 

Stupid wall. You should probably shoot it on the off chance that it’s actually a demon.

and like that, there is something that settles in his chest. His choice. He could stay here and try and figure out whatever it is that he thinks might be here, but he feels like that might be him chasing his past. That staying here was those last slivers of the old him seeking his father’s approval and his honour and this place. He just wants Kali. 

Doesn’t everyone in this fic?

Sentenced. To. Death: 397

Behind him, the hart is lying on the ground, curled up slightly watching Zuko. The hart doesn’t belong here. 

Yeah, because it’s a Dragon Age animal.

It doesn’t belong in a crowded place. It should be able to roam and frolic or whatever it is that they do in grass. 

Eat it, I presume?

He crouches in front of the creature, raising his hand to rest it on its snout.

“Time to go” He tells the hart who makes a noise of agreement, leaning into Zuko’s touch. He is grateful to the animal, more than it will likely ever know, for its companionship in the face of loneliness.

Well, that was dull, pointless, and very Void-y.

….

A/N – Do you guys think it will change much if Zuko joins the group before the invasion, or if it should still be after? Like how do you think Zuko being directly involved in the invasion would change things??

Why don’t you think through this, author? It’s your fic.

Chapter Seventy

On the outskirts of the village, Kali follows along behind Aang, Sokka and Toph. She’s not as used to the running around as they are. 

Is this a callback to the whining about not running around when she was a kid in the prologue or whenever?

She’s barely done anything like that in her life. Raya only moved them around a few times and Kali was not allowed to go off by herself. 

And that means she never worked out or anything?

And even since being freed. There was a lot of travel before Ba Sing Se, but that was it. Travelling. Not talking to people. 

Um, as opposed to what?

Sentenced. To. Death: 399

It’s strange for her that they are going out of their way like this. It’s not that she doesn’t want to help people, it’s just that she didn’t really think about it taking this many steps. 

There is a hut at the far end of the path where there is an old man boarding up his windows.

The missing villagers are under the mountain. *SNIP!*

Be Original!: 56

……

As the group of teenagers rush towards the mountain, Kali can’t help but think this feels all rushed. 

Maybe because it literally is, as per the first part of your sentence?

I wouldn’t call the fic overall rushed, though. It’s far too drawn out and excessively tedious; in fact the opposite of rushed.

She expected them to have a real plan, but they really are just running around and hoping that it works out for the best. She thought the Avatar would be more strategic.

What should they do then, genius? 

“Wait, wait” Kali stops them with a frown. “We don’t know what this thing is, how are we going to stop it?” She asks them. Sokka stops and turns to face her.

“Urm we kind of make it up as we go along” He admits. “Don’t worry, it always works out”

That sounds like Sokka.

“Okay,” She whispers to herself and frowns harder. This is one thing, but that attitude isn’t going to work if they truly are planning on stopping this war. “You are expecting to beat the Fire Lord and stop the war with….dumb luck?” She counters.

“We will have a plan” Aang assures her. “For the big stuff, Sokka’s good at big plans” Sokka stands up taller with the praise, even if at the same time he looks surprised that those words came out of Aang’s mouth.

This is true.

Get… to… the… point!: 250

“Things like this” Sokka offers. “You have to just react to…” Kali lets out a breath and glances around. “You have to trust us on this, Kali” Sokka adds, she looks at him. She then nods softly. “You came to find us because you wanted to help people, right?”

“I found you to teach Aang nature-bending, which by the way, we haven’t even started yet”

No one cares about your stupid “element”. 

Get… to… the… point!: 251

“Okay, but you want to help people too” 

Herself, mostly.

Aang pushes, knowing her enough to know that she wants to be a good person and wants to help people that need help. Help people like her. 

Again, mostly just herself. She is after all the one most like herself.

Sentenced. To. Death: 400

She went years without anyone helping her, so of course, she is the sort of person who wants to make sure it isn’t like that for anyone else.

“Yes” She agrees and sighs. “Okay” 

Great. Ok. I love this story’s elements and ideas!

She moves forward, implying that she is ready to get back to it. She is still not feeling great about the way they are doing this, but if it works then it works. Toph crouches and touches the ground.

“I can hear them. They’re this way” She states and then rushes off, leaving Aang, Sokka, and Kali to race after her as she heads towards the mountain ahead of them.

…….

At the mouth of a cave at the base of the mountain, the group of teenagers come to a stop with Kali lingering back a little. The thought of going into somewhere so dark has her hesitating. It brings up memories she would rather not relive. Moments in which her sight would be taken from her. 

Huh? What do you mean by that?

She takes a deep breath and reaches forward, her fingers lacing with Sokka’s. He frowns and glances at her. Sees that fear in her eyes. He might not understand why, but he can see that she is scared of going in there. He squeezes her hand.

That’s kinda nice of Sokka.

Toph can hear the voices, Sokka can’t. *SNIP!*

Be Original!: 57

Sentenced. To. Death: 401

Chapter Seventy-One

Kali clutches tightly to Sokka’s hand as they manoeuvrer the dark cave. 

Still not how you spell that word.

She can hear her heartbeat in her ears. Loud enough to drown out the noises around them. The sounds of their footsteps disappear into nothing. She feels herself sinking, her eyes rolling backwards as she struggles with the darkness all around her. Suddenly, Aang’s hands are on her face, gently keeping a hold of her as she takes sharp and uneven breaths. She’s freaking out. Terrified of being submerged in such darkness.

Sentenced. To. Death: 404

“It’s okay” He whispers. “It’s Aang. You’re okay” She reaches up and clutches his wrists, taking in deep breaths. “You’re free” He assures her, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. She and Aang are friends. He knows more about her than any of the others. When she’d wake in the middle of the night and he’d find her sitting in a tree. They’d talk. When they’d be foraging together. When he’d sit with her at a river as she fished. They talked. 

Fic, you never showed us any of this! Aaagh!

And whilst they could have used those moments to actually get started on his naturebending, she just didn’t want to push it. She’s the new girl and she’s not very demanding. 

That’s not her personality. He doesn’t judge her for Zuko in the same way that the others do. Toph’s not so bad. Kali has no issue with the Earthbender, but Sokka and Katara are very vocal about the Fire Nation and Zuko. 

He did try to burn their village down.

And yeah, I can understand this. Aang is naturally very forgiving, and Toph never really had to fight Zuko. I can see why Sokka and Katara would feel this way.

She’s never had that from Aang. He would just listen to her, holding her hand when the conversation turned to Raya, smiling as she talked about Zuko. Perhaps that is why she likes Aang so much. Suddenly, Sokka and Toph both hug her tightly and Kali lets out a small noise of surprise. They might not understand why she is freaking out, but they know that she is and that is enough for them to reach out and try and comfort her.

And if someone doesn’t like physical contact, then that might not help.

“Are you okay?” Sokka asks her, she nods but then realises that he can’t actually see her.

“Yes,” She voices and pats Aang on the top of his bald head in thanks. He chuckles and tugs on her braid in response. “I just…I don’t like the pitch dark” She explains to Sokka.

Get… to… the… point!: 252

“Then why did you let me pull you down here?” Sokka asks, scolding her for letting him bring her in here.

“People need us” She whispers sadly and proudly at the same time. She came down here because she thought she could help. Regardless of how she feels about the dark. “I’ll be okay” She assures them, trying to sound braver than she feels right now. Because she still feels scared. That feeling of dread it clawing at her throat, but this is more important.

Honestly, this is a common fear, and I like using it for conflict. I think it might make more sense as claustrophobia, though. And it does make me wonder why she was so okay with going underground back in the regurgitated Season Two finale.

“Are you sure?” Toph asks her. Kali hums in agreement.

“It’s nothing” She adds softly. “Just a fear of the dark” 

I already posted the song!

She knows it is not that simple, but she can’t let it affect what they are doing. And she knows that that part of her life is so far behind her now. She knows that. This is just some lingering thing. A lingering part of her past that she is trying so hard to escape. 

Not everyone with a fear of the dark has a Twajeck past, you know.

Sentenced. To. Death: 405

Sokka keeps an arm around her shoulders as Toph pulls him forward. Aang holds tightly to Kali’s other hand to both comfort her and keep track of his friends. Torches illuminate the area ahead of them, revealing a metal door. Toph releases her hold on her friends and reaches out to touch the door. Her fingers glide over the metal. Then using metalbending, Toph breaks it down, like it was made of paper. 

That’s metalbending for you!

Aang and Sokka take the torches from the side of the door but Kali steps up to the doorway and takes a deep breath. Remembering how she felt when she set that hut on fire. That anger she’d felt. 

Yeah, it was silly and overblown and a waste.

Sentenced. To. Death: 407

She turns slightly and throws out her hand. The torches all along the path suddenly light up. Showing them the way forward. Aang and Sokka both stare at Kali who turns a proud smile on them. Considering this is only the second time she has done any firebending, she is proud of herself.

And of course she’s great at it.

“Well, that works” Sokka mumbles and heads past her with Toph. Kali sinks a little knowing that at that moment, he saw a firebender and not Kali. 

I… what?

Aang gives her a sad smile and takes her hand to follow after the others.

At the end of the hallway, they find several villagers chained to the walls of the cave. Snapping the four of them back to reality. A reminder of why they are here in the first place.

They free the imprisoned people, who were kept here by Hama. *SNIP!*

Be Original!: 58

Sentenced. To. Death: 409

“I’ll help” Kali offers. Toph goes to argue about not needing help but that is not what this is about. “It will just be faster if we do it together” Kali assures her. “I am also sure that they would be happy with something to eat or some healing. Both of which I can offer whilst you free them” 

Because your powers are so broad and absurd.

Toph lets out a breath and then nods. Kali makes a very good point. Aang and Sokka then flee, leaving the two girls to rescue Hama’s prisoners.

Buh-bye!

Anywho, that’s it for this segment. It was… not great. The random paragraphs of boring thoughts and excessive shilling were no fun, and the plot regurgitation seemed to increase sevenfold here. The ellipses and sentence fragments were at least more tolerable here. Zuko’s actions were entirely insane and took place mostly in the Void. Some of the Kali sections aren’t completely terrible, and the fear of the dark was neat in theory, though very confusingly implemented. 

Here are our counters:

Sunny Scene Change: 6

Be Original!: 58

Get… to… the… point!: 252

Sentenced. To. Death: 409

Oh, and WaH may have updated yesterday (as I type this, it’ll be like two weeks ago when this is public), but I still hope to finish it in one more riff. For great justice!