This is my first try at drama and strange plots! (Isn't that fun?) Enjoy the fic, review please…and don't kill me with flames. TT This is also a test to sharpen my writing skills. NOTE: This story is a drama-mystery, but it also has some Stephen King-ish horror in it at times. Okay then…I will this fic into being! - ZeroSoul
Prologue:
'So she's gone? So what?' Saka thought as he watched Kitara storm off into the woods nearby.
They were brother and sister (boy and girl) so fighting was normal for the two. It wasn't like they were twins and had interests in the same things. A few disagreements here and there would be very normal. The pattern usual went something like this – get along, get along, argue, argue, make peace, get along, get along…and so on.
However, this situation was something different.
'Stupid girl,' Saka thought as he grumbled. He really should do the adult thing and go after her and apologize, but he honestly didn't feel like it. He honestly felt like letting her get lost and letting her find her own way back. 'She can manage,' Saka thought, practically convincing himself. He decided to stop hanging around the woods edge where Kitara had disappeared and walked back to camp.
"You should apologize," was the first thing Aang said to him.
"Apologize for what?" Saka asked, playing innocent.
"You know," Aang said. Saka made no gesture that he understood. Aang tried not to sigh, "Argument. Kitara. About me,"
"It wasn't about you," Saka said as he went to stir the already going fire.
"Yes it was," Aang said, "I could hear you from over here,"
Saka made a face and chose this time to change the subject, "Where's Momo?"
"Off getting food," Aang answered. He then chose to practice his Waterbending skills nearby the lake since it was obvious Saka wouldn't bring up the argument and there was nothing else to talk about between the two boys.
Of course, it was obvious Saka was the one at fault in this argument – Kitara was sure of it. She stepped through the woods, crunching dead leaves under her shoe as she stopped to rest under a tree. She observed the healthy, thick, trees all around her and wondered where they had arrived by Apa now (Earth Kingdom? She wished she had a map). She sighed.
'Maybe I should do the grown up thing and go back. The others will be worried,' Kitara thought. Another part of her mind argued another view, 'And go crawling back to that jerk Saka? No way!'
So she chose to sit there.
Sit there and wait.
And wait.
…and wait…
"Oh, forget it!" Kitara said to herself as she got up, "It's my sole duty as the most mature in this group to make sure Aang fulfills his duties as The Avatar! I'll have to go back to them sometime soon!"
She heard a squeaking noise from behind her. She turned around to see Momo in the tree. Her eyes sparkled as she saw the little creature and she reached out her hands to it, "Momo! I was wondering where you were!"
Momo jumped down the tree and didn't seem to notice her. Kitara ran over to the creature and picked it up, hugging it lovingly. Momo obviously didn't share the same affections and began to claw at her clothes wildly.
"Momo? What's wrong?" Kitara asked it, "You're scared? Of wh–OW!"
Momo savagely bit down on Kitara's hand, drawing blood. Kitara screeched and let go of the lemur. The lemur growled and hissed at her as he watched her try and stop the bleeding. Kitara looked at Momo – it's eyes were dark and feral looking. Momo hissed even more, bearing it's teeth at Kitara. Kitara slowly backed away from it.
"Momo…? What's wrong…?" Kitara gasped.
Momo let out an angry growl and charged at Kitara's face.
Aang suddenly stopped water bending. He turned to Saka, "Do you feel that?"
Saka looked up from the fire, "Feel what?"
Aang's eyes narrowed in concentration, "The wind…it just turned in the opposite way it was blowing before,"
Saka had a blank look on his face, "…so?"
Aang looked like he was on the verge of panic, "…something's wrong…"
Saka shrugged it off, "You're probably bending too much. Why don't you just sit still for a moment? You've been up and around all day?"
Aang shook his head, "I'm an Airbender, Saka. I can tell when something's wrong…and…" He broke off in mid sentence.
"What is it?" Saka asked.
"Sssh," Aang said, his voice barely above a whisper, "…it's coming…"
Saka felt his heart skip a beat, "…it?"
Kitara pushed Momo away from her as it scratched her arm, ripping the cloth and leaving red scratches in it's skin. Momo wasn't through yet and it came for another attack, but Kitara kicked it away with her shoe. She then turned tail and ran back towards camp.
"Aang! Saka!" Kitara yelled as she ran through the trees.
The leaves whirled up around her as she continued running.
"Aang! Something's wrong with Momo!" Kitara yelled again.
The amount of trees she passed seemed to be endless. She kept on running.
"Aang! Saka!"
The woods seemed far too deep to be real. Had she really ran that far away?
"AANG! SAKA!"
She stopped running, skidding in the dead leaves at she ceased and looked around her. She looked at a tree – a familiar tree….She had passed that tree. She knew it. Where had she been going? Was she running around in circles? Was the woods really bigger than they seemed? No, they weren't. She had seen how small they were on Apa when they flew over the area. Then why was she lost? Then why was she–
A scream. A scream ripped through the air and shattered her thoughts.
Kitara turned towards the direction of the scream. It was no woman, it was a young man.
Saka.
She ran. She ran like there was a demon on her trail.
Somehow, the woods ended and she came to a complete halt.
She was at the camp they had set up.
Everyone was gone and ruined by fire.
Kitara's eyes were locked into place as she looked at the destruction and fell to her knees, just staring at the site.
Then she screamed when she looked out and saw a body lying nearby her – covered in blood.
Saka.
Saka's body.
Saka was…was…he was…
Kitara couldn't bring herself to say it. She just cried, as the smoke from the destruction choked her.
What did I tell you about the horror? Don't worry, the next part will be up soon. – ZeroSoul