Zuko stood for a moment longer, chest rising up and down aggressively. Absent-mindedly staring at the spot she once stood. The forest slowly stilled. Acting like nothing ever happened. But something did, and he didn’t understand just how much it would affect him. And that alone bothered him more than he would like to admit.
Toph tilted her head as he approached the group a while later. “You catch her?”
“No.”
Sokka groaned. “Fantastic. Love that. Mystery plant wizard swoops in and saves the day and then just goes ‘POOF’. Super reassuring."
Katara glared his way.
“I’m just saying! This is new! Like, we had a system. Fire, water, earth, air. That’s it! And now? We got someone that can bend plants? Plants Katara! What’s next? Emotional damage bending?”
Toph snorted. Aang smiled slightly despite the rising tension within the group.
“Hey,” he stepped toward Zuko. “What did you see exactly?”
Zuko glanced up, almost hesitant before:
“She’s not a threat.”
Katara’s shoulders eased slightly.
“She’s protecting a child.”
That softened the group's expressions completely.
“And?” Sokka pressed further.
“She’s terrified.”
“Then we need to find her,” Aang stepped forward. “And not as her enemies.”
Back in the forest, YN didn’t stop running until her legs went numb. The child slipped off her back once she finally stopped.
“Why did we run?”
YN stilled, unsure of how to answer the child's question. “I don't know.”
“Were they bad people?”
“I don’t know”
“Then why did we run?” The child pressed again.
“BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW IF THEY CAN BE TRUSTED!” YN snapped.
“My promise to you was to keep you safe.”
YN took a deep breath and looked down at her hands.
Small traces of green still clung to her skin. Like they always have.
“And sometimes being seen is more dangerous than being alone.”
The forest around them continued to shift.
Not threateningly.
Just… present.
Somewhere deep within the soil - something stirred.
Not the earth. Never the earth.
But something older.
YN felt it.
And for the first time in years. She wasn’t sure if she was the one controlling it.
Far away, a map laid stretched across a table.
Lines. Circles. Everywhere looked as if to be marked in ink.
A figure leaned over the table. A slow smile curved their lips.
“I found you,” they murmured.
Fingers pressed into the map.
Right where she had been.
“And this time… you won’t run.”
SUPER SHORT AND I AM SO SORRY!!!
I had some family events that happened that took up a LOT of my time and I didn't realize I only posted the first 2/3 of the first chapter so I wanted to provide the rest before hoping into Chapter 2!
She stood out in the training grounds since dawn. Covered in a thick layer of sweat that never seemed to dry no matter how much she wiped it off. Her father and siblings stood before her as she tried and tried again.
But the ground never answered her. Not the way it did for everyone else.
“Again.”
Her father’s voice stern, but not cruel - just not kind in the way you’d treat your only daughter. It carried expectations, ones that hit heavier than most.
YN centered herself once more. Just as she had been taught. Wide stance, sturdy, feet rooted to the ground. Mind reaching out and downward into the earth.
Nothing. Not even a tremor.
“You’re supposed to feel it, it's not that hard. So either you’re doing it wrong…” Her eldest brother stood before her. Though there was no helpfulness in his tone. “Or maybe you can’t… do it at all.” Her two younger siblings snickered under their breath at the eldest comment. You could even see the smallest smirk on her fathers face before it quickly disappeared.
It was hard, it had always been for her. Her jaw tightened as she pushed harder. Pulling and searching for the very thing that seemed to always evade her call. Everyone said that it was there. That it would answer if she just listened. So, she listened.
Nothing.
No shifting of the earth. No rumble. No whispers through the soil.
Just… Nothing…
“You’re not trying hard enough.” her brother muttered.
So she pushed - harder and harder. Pushing inward and forcing herself deeper into the empty space where something should have been waiting. “I -” she swallowed. “I AM trying.”
A sharp crack echoed through the courtyard. But from her father as he stamped his foot to the ground. “You either bend or you don’t. There is no trying.”
YN flinched. Then something moved out of the corner of her eye. Not beneath her. But from around. Blades of green leaned towards her. Curling gently through the wind but the distinct bend was there. The vines from the marigolds grew towards her slow but steadily.
Her heart stuttered. Because she hadn’t moved the earth. But the living things that came from it.
“Stop.”
Her mother’s voice cut through the air. Not relieved. But in panic. The plants contorting themselves back to the way they originally were. YN jerked her hands like the act burned her. “That’s not bending.” her father said, quieter, which somehow made it worse.
Years later, the memory still clung to her like roots that refused to pull free. YN adjusted the straps of her worn through satchel, eyes scanning the tree line as she moved. Forest dense - trunks towering above and the undergrowth made the travel long. But provided enough coverage to keep them safe.
Well, as safe as they can get.
“Can we stop soon?” a small voice said.
YN looked down.
The child walked closely behind her, clutching the edge of her sleeve like it was the only thing tethering them to the world.
“Soon,” She said gently. “Just a bit farther. There should be a clearing with a creek we can rest at.” The child squinted, “I call bluff, you always say that.” A faint smile tugged at YN’s mouth. The child huffed, but never letting go of her sleeve.
YN shifted her gaze to the forest around them. It was quiet. Too quiet.
“Stay close”
“I’m always close”
“Well stay closer”
The child pressed into her side. YN inhaled slowly, reaching—not down, but outward. She felt the plants around her, the quiet pulse of life in roots and leaves and vines. They responded faintly, brushing against her awareness like cautious animals.
Nothing aggressive.
Nothing threatening.
But—
A tremor.
Not natural. Her head snapped up. Too late. The first blast of fire tore through the trees.
Elsewhere, the world was not so quiet.
“Left!”
Sokka ducked just in time as a blast of fire streaked past his head, singeing the edge of his hair.
“HEY! Watch the hair! That’s a limited resource!”
“Focus!” Katara snapped, water swirling around her arms as she deflected another attack.
The clearing had erupted into chaos. Aang moved like wind itself, redirecting attacks before they could land, pushing enemies back without striking harder than necessary.
But there were too many.
And they weren’t disorganized.
They moved like a unit.
Zuko moved like a controlled flame—precise, efficient, each strike calculated.
But something was wrong.
“They’re too coordinated!” Aang called, landing lightly beside Katara. “They’re working together!”
“No kidding!” Sokka shot back, blocking a strike with his boomerang. “They’ve got a whole plan thing going on!”
Another wave of attackers surged forward.
Katara stepped back, water lashing outward—but her footing slipped slightly on disturbed earth. Time slowed. She raised her hands—
But she knew.
She wouldn’t be fast enough.
“Katara!” Aang shouted.
Too late.
Then—
The ground didn’t crack.It tore.
Roots exploded upward from beneath the surface, thick and violent, ripping through dirt and stone alike. Vines lashed outward, snapping around attackers and yanking them off their feet with brutal force.
The spike aimed her way shattered before it left the opponent's hand.
Katara stumbled back, breath catching. Mass of green coiled around her—protective, alive.
The battlefield froze. “What…” Sokka blinked. “What is that?!”
More movement.
Trees groaned as their branches bent unnaturally, leaves whipping through the air in controlled arcs. The forest itself seemed to surge forward, responding to something unseen.
The forest itself had come alive.
And in the center of it—
Her.
Barefoot, standing in the churned earth. Body moving like a water bender would when churning the tides. Swaying her arms once more before they came to a slow stop. The plants responded to her like they were a direct extension of her physical and spiritual body.
Her eyes lifted.
Locked with Katara’s.
There was no triumph there.
No pride.
Just calculation. Then fear. She stepped back slowly. The entire forest reacting to her movement and retracting with her. “Wait!” Aang called. But she turned and ran before he got a response.
Zuko’s body moved before anyone could register.
“Stay here!”
“Zuko—!” The gang called after him.
The forest swallowed him quickly.
Branches closing behind him as he pushed forward. The path twisted unnaturally, like the land itself was warping the path before him.
But Zuko had spent years chasing things that evaded him.
He threw a controlled burst ahead of him, cutting off her path.
The mystery woman skid to a stop.
“You’re fast,” he said, stepping into view.
She turned her head to look back at him out of the corner of her eye.
He noticed that.
Not fear.
Calculation.
Then she faced him.
Up close, she looked… younger than what's to be expected.
But her eyes, they said a different story.
They were sharp, guarded. A child clung to her back, peeking over her shoulder.
Zuko’s gaze flicked to them briefly.
Noted.
Filed away.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said.
“Everyone says that,” she replied instantly.
Her stance shifted.
Subtle.
Like she was bracing for something.
“You saved my friend,” he said. “I wanted to thank you.”
Her expression didn’t soften.
“That wasn’t for you.”
A beat.
“You’re the Fire Lord.”
Zuko’s jaw tightened slightly. “Yes.”
Everything changed.
Her shoulders tensed, her weight shifting back slightly—not retreating, but preparing.
Fear.
There it was.
He’d seen that reaction before.
Too many times.
“Listen—”
She attacked.
Vines shot forward, fast and sharp, aiming for his arms, his legs, his throat. Zuko reacted instantly, flames bursting outward in controlled arcs, slicing through them.
But more replaced them.
Thicker.
Stronger.
Relentless.
He stepped forward through the chaos, closing the distance before she could create more space.
She didn’t expect that.
He caught her wrist and pulled her forward a little bit.
Everything stopped.
For just a brief moment, the world narrowed to the space between them.
Her breath hitched.
His grip tightened.
She could smell the charcoal on his clothes from the very fire he bends.
He could feel the way her hands shook, and could vividly see how her shoulders were tense. Like she was waiting for a moment where things could turn sideways. Like she was preparing to run.
But she didn’t.
Her free hand came up, pressing against his chest—not striking, not pushing hard enough to break away.
Just there.
Grounding.
Or maybe steadying herself.
“Why are you running?” he asked, quieter now.
Her eyes flicked up to his.
There was no anger in his expression.
No accusation.
Just confusion.
Concern.
It caught her off guard.
“I don’t belong in your world,” she said.
Something in his chest tightened at that.
Before he could respond—
The ground surged.
Roots tore upward between them, forcing him back as she twisted free. Vines lashed out, not to harm—but to block, to obscure.
Summary: In a world that’s rebuilt by the Avatar and his friends, a young woman turns to live in hiding after discovering that she could not bend the traditional four elements. Instead, she wields something rare and true raw power. A new form of bending; Plant bending. Feared and misunderstood, she protects a mysterious child while evading those that threaten them both.
When saving a member of the Avatar Gang, she reveals her power. After being faced with dealy attacks, she is faced with a dislodged moral compass and an uneasy alliance with Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Fire Lord Zuko.
As tension rises and trust being fragile, it becomes clear that she isn’t the only thing being hunted. Will bonds form and deepen or will the constant threat of betrayal break the only thing that she had to a support system.
Years later, the memory still clung to her like roots that refused to pull free. YN adjusted the straps of her worn through satchel, eyes scanning the tree line as she moved. Forest dense - trunks towering above and the undergrowth made the travel long. But provided enough coverage to keep them safe.
Well, as safe as they can get.
“Can we stop soon?” a small voice said.
YN looked down.
The child walked closely behind her, clutching the edge of her sleeve like it was the only thing tethering them to the world.
“Soon,” She said gently. “Just a bit farther. There should be a clearing with a creek we can rest at.” The child squinted, “I call bluff, you always say that.” A faint smile tugged at YN’s mouth. The child huffed, but never letting go of her sleeve.
YN shifted her gaze to the forest around them. It was quiet. Too quiet.
“Stay close”
“I’m always close”
“Well stay closer”
The child pressed into her side. YN inhaled slowly, reaching—not down, but outward. She felt the plants around her, the quiet pulse of life in roots and leaves and vines. They responded faintly, brushing against her awareness like cautious animals.
Nothing aggressive.
Nothing threatening.
But—
A tremor.
Not natural. Her head snapped up. Too late. The first blast of fire tore through the trees.
......
The ground didn’t crack.It tore.
Roots exploded upward from beneath the surface, thick and violent, ripping through dirt and stone alike. Vines lashed outward, snapping around attackers and yanking them off their feet with brutal force.
The spike aimed her way shattered before it left the opponent's hand.
Katara stumbled back, breath catching. Mass of green coiled around her—protective, alive.
The battlefield froze. “What…” Sokka blinked. “What is that?!”
More movement.
Trees groaned as their branches bent unnaturally, leaves whipping through the air in controlled arcs. The forest itself seemed to surge forward, responding to something unseen.
The forest itself had come alive.
And in the center of it—
Her.
Barefoot, standing in the churned earth. Body moving like a water bender would when churning the tides. Swaying her arms once more before they came to a slow stop. The plants responded to her like they were a direct extension of her physical and spiritual body.
Her eyes lifted.
Locked with Katara’s.
There was no triumph there.
No pride.
Just calculation. Then fear. She stepped back slowly. The entire forest reacting to her movement and retracting with her. “Wait!” Aang called. But she turned and ran before he got a response.
Hi! before I posted the sneak peak I wanted to clear up any type of confusion.
My blog does say "MDNI, you will be blocked" for one specific reason alone. I am extremely uncomfortable of my work being something that those underage read. not for anything explicit! (I myself and super uncomfortable writing that) but for the fact that the characters I write/will write for are ADULTS. While fan bases are made up of all ages, and I get that, there is just a line that I will not cross no matter what. Again, while my writing will NEVER be explicit, it will still include adult themes that should not be consumed by minors!!! I shouldn't have to explain this honestly.
My blog is extremely new! I am learning as I go, so if you like my work and follow me you may see a complete re-brand of my blog here within the month. meaning that everything should look smoother and things will come together. I just want to go ahead and get a few posts on here while the ideas are fresh before I loss them.
That's really it! I hope this clears up any possibly confusion! Sneak peak is still set to go up today! I am finishing Chapter 1 and working on 2-4 this week. Hoping to get a schedule up for everyone!
