Storm Divided

By Rarothi

Brief Summary: A storm tears Katara, Aang and Sokka apart. They find themselves in some very strange places, with some very interesting people… and at the mercy of Zuko and his Firebenders.

Disclaimer and all that fun stuff: I still don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. But, you all get to meet my characters now.

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Chapter 2: Lost and Found

A pounding headache and aching limbs tugged Sokka into wakefulness. The crackle of a fire broke through his grogginess, making him suddenly aware. 'Firebenders!' His mind immediately jumped to the conclusion that he had somehow been taken captive and he jolted upright, blankets spilling from him. Only then did he realize that his clothes were gone. The teenager let out a littlie shriek of surprise as he fumbled with the blankets and wrapped them over his bare skin.

Then, much to Sokka's horror, someone giggled. A girl giggled.

Sokka reeled around – nearly dropping what little covering he had scrounged up. Now, this mystery girl – who could not have been much older than Sokka – was doubled over laughing. Sokka went beet red with embarrassment. There was a pause in the laughter and the girl looked up at him. Her green-brown eyes swept over him again and she snorted, and then burst out laughing again.

"Kaede?" Another female voice called in a harsh whisper. "What are you laughing at? You'll wake our…" A head appeared from the next room and brown eyes met with Sokka's blue ones. "Oh." The girl stepped into the room. She too, was about Sokka's age.

The other girl, who Sokka could only assume was Kaede, stopped laughing long enough to address her friend. "You should have been here when he woke up," she giggled. "He's got a cute…"

"Excuse me," Sokka piped up, flushing even more – if that were possible. "Where are my clothes?"

"I'm afraid they're still wet," the brown-eye girl replied matter-of-factly, nodding toward a nearby window. Rain was coming down in sheets. "But I'm sure we can find some for you."

Sokka gave an inward shutter at the thought of having to wear girl's clothes… again. If Aang saw him… Sokka's brain suddenly clicked. "Aang," he blurted. "Where's Aang… and Katara, tell me you know where she is!"

The two girls stared at him blankly. "Who's Aang?" Kaede asked, looking at him from under raised eyebrows. "You're the only one we found."

Sokka's heart plummeted. The others were gone. Who knows where they were, or what condition they were in. Where they alone? Injured? Worse?

Suddenly, wind poured into the small room. It subdued the flames in the fireplace to a small glow before disappearing again, allowing the fire to roar to life once more. A door slammed in the next room, followed by a male voice, "I finally got the big guy brushed down and dried off," it said with a sigh. "Aki, how's our guest?"

"He's awake," Aki replied.

Kaede snickered. "And he needs some clothes… badly."

Sokka scowled. This Kaede character was beginning to remind him of Aang.

Another head peered around the corner – this one belonged to a young man, and was covered in a mop of soaking wet black-brown hair. "He's about Mieko's size," he replied. "I'll go raid his closet." With that, he disappeared from whence he came.

"That's Katashi," Aki said, following Sokka's bewildered gaze. "He takes care of our animals. Your… um… animal is in our stables."

"My…?" Sokka paused. He didn't have any animals… Unless. "Wait. Do you mean a big, furry white thing with six legs and a big tail?"

Aki and Kaede nodded in unison. Sokka merely stared at the ceiling. Appa. He got stuck with Appa.

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A sharp pain cut into Aang's side and his eyes fluttered open. The Avatar was barely conscious and exhausted from his fight with the storm. Tree branches clawed at his clothes and flesh, but managed to stop his fall. Aang looked down. He was suspended at least thirty feet – maybe more – in the air by a cluster of tree branches. Momo, in the meantime, had hidden himself in the boy's now ragged shirt to escape the scratching trees and falling rain. The Airbender shifted his weight ever so slightly. That tiny movement was more than enough for the trees and the branches gave way beneath him, and the half-conscious boy plummeted to the forest floor.

Chittering wildly, Momo scrambled out of Aang's shirt. The little lemur tried everything within its power to wake the falling boy. It was useless – fatigue had an iron grip on Aang and it wasn't letting go. Dejected, Momo released Aang's shirt and spread his arms to drift down.

With a painful crash, the Avatar hit the ground.

White-hot pain shot up the boy's arm like lightning and exploded in his head. Suddenly awake, Aang's eyes snapped open and, painfully, he sat up. Momo clambered onto his shoulder. "Hey boy," Aang said with more cheer than he felt. He had no idea where he was, or where the others were. Momo seemed to be his only company now – even Appa was gone.

Suddenly, the flying lemur gave a petrified shriek and disappeared down the back of Aang's shirt.

"Momo?" Aang craned his neck to try and get a look at his little friend.

"On your feet, boy."

The sheer power in the voice was enough to make Aang flinch. Very, very slowly, the twelve-year-old looked up. The man towered over him, in one huge hand he held an ax at the ready, and a bow and quiver of arrows were slung over his shoulder. On the ground beside him lay the rain-soaked, bloodied carcass of some poor animal.

"I said, on your feet," the hunter boomed again, surveying Aang with sharp, pine-colored eyes.

Aang bit his lip as he struggled to stand. Pain pulsed through his arm and pounded in his head.

"Ken," a second voice sounded. "He's only a boy. Leave him alone." Another man stepped through the trees. He wore a sword at his belt, and he had a bow and quiver on his shoulder as well.

The one called Ken – and whether this was his full name or not, Aang was unsure – half-turned to his companion, careful to keep one eye on his findings. "Huo, you would know Firebender trickery better than I. Come take a look at him."

Huo sauntered over to Aang, rolling his eyes at his overly serious friend. "He's too young to be a Firebender," he stated. "I'll bet you he's not even into his teens yet."

"I'm twelve," Aang said, almost irritably. He didn't enjoy being talked about as if he weren't there.

"Ha-ha!" Huo said triumphantly. "What did I tell you?"

"And I'm not a Firebender," the twelve-year-old continued. "My name is Aang, and I'm the Avatar."

There was a brief silence, and for a moment Aang wondered if telling them was a good idea. Then, much to his surprise, Ken started laughing. "You? The Avatar?" he bellowed.

Huo, on the other hand, did not look amused in the least. He landed his big friend a sound blow on the back of the head. "Shut up will you?" he snapped. To Aang, he said, "That's not funny. Don't you know it's dangerous to go around playing Avatar?"

Aang looked up at him crossly. "I'm not playing," he said in all seriousness. "Watch." With a wave of his arms, the boy went shooting off of the ground in a gust of wind. White-hot pain shot up his arm again, and darkness seeped into his vision, threatening him with unconsciousness. Aang dropped to the ground and sunk to his knees, clutching his left arm. His face was distorted in pain. He felt dizzy, and sick, and light headed all at once.

Ken was at his side in an instant. He steadied the boy with one big arm. "Easy there lad," he said calmly, while Huo inspected the boy's arm.

"I think it's broken," he stated. "We'd better get him to Roka."

---

She was on the abandoned ship again… It was dark, and cold. The air was rank with fear. "Aang, we should go back," she said, her voice echoing through the cold, lifeless halls. There was no reply fro the Airbender… she was alone. "Aang?" she called. "Sokka?" But, she received only her echo by way of reply. Now she was beginning to panic. She didn't know where to go, or what to do. She was alone… Very, very alone.

A hand rested on Katara's shoulder as the girl tossed and turned in her nightmare. The touch was enough to remind Katara of the waking world, and her mind bubbled into consciousness. The first thing she saw were a pair of kind, steel-gray eyes, looking down at her with concern. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't come out of it," her rescuer said softly.

A small, choked gasp escaped Katara's lips and she pulled away from the stranger. It took her a moment to gain her bearings, but then she remembered… the storm, falling from Appa, the trees, she even vaguely remembered this man carrying her. Her eyes swept over her surroundings. She was in a cave, a fire burned nearby, and rain poured outside. A longbow was tilted against the far cave wall, and the quiver of arrows sat nearby. "Where am I? Where are Sokka and Aang?" she demanded.

Her rescuer held up his hands. "Easy," he said. His voice was soft, like his eyes. His hair, like his wardrobe, was black. "Who are Sokka and Aang?" He seated himself by the fire, where Katara's coat and his own black cloak hung to dry.

"My brother and my… my friend," Katara replied. "They were with me when the storm hit."

The man shook his head. "You fell from the sky," he replied. "Right on top of me. I found no others."

Katara sunk further into the sleeping bag. 'They can't be gone,' she assured herself. 'They're out there… somewhere.' Quiet quilted the cave. Katara drifted into her own thoughts – both good and bad, while her rescuer merely watched her with interest. "I'm Katara," she blurted suddenly. "Who are you?"

"I have no name," was the reply, as the man turned to face the fire.

Katara's eyebrows went up. What kind of person didn't have a name? "I have to call you something," she said at length.

Her rescuer gave a small grin and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Very well. You may call me Shadow."

Shadow. Somehow that seemed fitting. With a sigh, Katara leaned against the cave wall and stared out into the pouring rain.

Shadow followed her gaze. "When the storm clears, we can search for your brother and your friend. I know this forest like the back of my hand. With luck, they won't be far."

Katara smiled. "Thank you," she replied. 'Aang, Sokka… wherever you are, I'm going to find you.'