The Girl With Golden Hair

Chapter 14: The Earth Kingdom

 The forest was a nice place to camp, we were covered and away from people. The only issue was food. Zuko and I had to fish in a small stream to find any food. Zuko fished with a haphazardly made spear, and I caught them with my waterbend. Today was fruitless for use though. All I heard was grumbling on the way back to camp. As soon as we emerged from the brush. Zuko started ranting to Iroh.

"I didn't find anything to eat! I can't live like this! I wasn't meant to be a fugitive." He raised clenched fists to the sky, "This is impossible!" He shouted be following my gaze to where Iroh sat, hunched over a white lily-like and red center.

"Whatcha doing there Iroh?" I asked him, walking up and peering over his shoulder.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious, it's heartbreaking. That, or it's a white jade plant, which is poisonous."

"We need food, not tea. I'm going fishing, again." Zuko grumbled once more before wandering back off into the bushes.

"Zuko might have point, Iroh. It may nit be a good idea to make tea out of that if your not sure." I said to him, and then followed where Zuko had left to.

The sun was starting to beat down on us as it hung high in the clear blue sky. I managed to catch three good sized fish, Zuko managed to catch... one small white fish. We wandered back to base camp.

Iroh had his back turned towards us, "Zuko, Ayaka, Rember that plant I thought might be tea?"

Zuko's eyes grew, and I clamped a hand over my moth, hiding my dropped jaw, "You didn't..." Zuko said.

Iroh nodded, "I did," He turned around reveling red hives and swollen limbs and face. Zuko screamed from the shock, "When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing." then he smiled wide, and picked up a branch of berries, "But look what I found! Bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade." Then he got serious once more, "That, or maka'ole berries that cause blindness.

Zuke grit through his teeth and ripped the berry branch out of Iroh's hands and threw it off into the bushes,
"We're not taking anymore chances with these plants! We need to get help."

"But where are we going to go?" asked Iroh, while scratching at the rash, "We are enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives of the Fire Nation"

"If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed," Zuko added.

Iroh stood upright from scratching at his kegs, "But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula."

We all looked at each other, "Earth Kingdom?" I interjected.

Zuko nodded, "Earth Kingdom it is."

We found the closest village, it was small and the building were made out of mostly wood, some had stone foundations. Iroh was getting treated at the small doctor's office in the village. The was only on room with sections marked by wooden dividers. A brunette was treating Iroh with lotion, and me and Zuko sat on a bench in the section with him. The nurse rung out the cloth she was using to apply lotion, "You three must not be from around here. We know better than to touch the White Jade, much less make it into a tea and drink it." She told us, and flicked one of Iroh's hands when he tried to scratch at his rash. "So where are you travelling from?"

Zuko started fiddling with his hands, and his response was delayed, "Yes, we're travelers."

I rolled my eyes, "We're traveling from Aunt Wu's village, she told us it was imperative for us to see the world." I told her.

"Do you have names?"

"Names? Of course we have names. I'm, uh-" he paused, "Lee, and this is my Unckes, uh- Mushi?"