Kasai’s simple statement that their friends were gone was devastating. Avani steeled herself though. There would be time to grieve them later, but only if they survived the mess they were currently in. Kasai did her best to fight off the spirits, while Avani attempted to bend the mud nearby.

It was a fairly inefficient way of fighting, as throwing rocks and boulders actually hurt the ones hit, but mud just seemed to make the spirits angrier. She aimed for what she thought were their heads, trying to blind them. However, it gave her an idea for how they may be able to escape to the shore much faster than swimming.

Avani covered herself in the mud, using it as armour instead of projectile weapon. She punched and kicked at the spirits that came for her. Avani heard Kasai scream, but was occupied with fighting off the spirits that were currently attacking her. She dodged instinctively when Kasai shot lightning at the spirits. She hadn’t expected that, and it was a bit too close for comfort.

When Kasai told her to leave her, Avani turned to look at the firebender who was beaten, bleeding and stuck with her leg in the roots. She didn’t want to be the reason someone else perished, but it wouldn’t really be her fault either if Kasai died here like this. She figured what she said was true too, better one returned than no one at all. 

Avani turned her back towards Kasai, and took a couple of steps towards the water while the spirits clawed at her mud armour. She had a strong feeling of regret and loss, a sort of premonition of events she would miss out on if she took another step. A choice between two different futures, one where she may be the sole survivor, and one that may include Kasai, but there were no guarantees and either path could lead to her dying today.

“I apologize, Kasai.” Avani said. “I’d like to say this will hurt me more than it will hurt you, but it really won’t.” 

She dried the mud on her right leg as much as possible, standing still and seemingly hesitating, but then she turned back around to face Kasai. Avani had a faked version of her sly smile plastered on her face. She took the steps over to Kasai, aimed carefully with her leg raised and then slammed it down with all the force she possessed, both the physical prowess and the earth bending. There was a crushing sound as she broke Kasai’s leg and the roots, sending splinters flying. 

Avani bent down and picked up Kasai, throwing her over her shoulder. She would have carried her in her arms if one of them weren’t in such bad shape. The winged spirits kept coming, but she began to enclose Kasai within the mud armour as well. 

She patted Kasai’s behind with her hand. “This is mine, not yours, so back off.”  Avani said to the spirits. 

She went back to the water and was about to jump in when the sun blinded her. One of the spirits noticed the light reflecting in Avani’s eyes and dove for it with precision. Its claws penetrated her left eye, and she felt a sudden temporary blindness combined with a sharp pain when the claw was retracted. When she saw the eye in the claws of the winged spirit she realized what had happened, the blindness wouldn’t be so temporary.

“Take a deep breath, Kasai.” Avani said before plunging into the water.

She made them heavier, and sank towards the bottom. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for them to end up on the bottom of the lake where mud and earth was plentiful. Avani used her favourite trick to quickly get them out of the lake and away from the tree. She made earth cling onto her feet, then surfed toward the shore.

Avani was finding it harder and harder to continue without any air, but they surfed up onto the shore and into the fresh air. She took a couple of deep breaths, then looked in the direction of the tree. The winged spirits were clearly confused about where their prey had disappeared too, but she doubted they would be for long, so she dropped the mud armour and created a rock as large as the one she had used to steal the cache with yesterday.

She laid Kasai down on it, feeling her own adrenaline beginning to fade. The wound in her eye socket began to hurt more with each passing second as the adrenaline faded. She made the rock beneath them move in the direction of the portal, and removed her crop top to tear it in half. One half she put against the wound Kasai had across her cheek and lips, the other she pushed carefully into her own eye. 

“I got you.” Avani said, and the tears began to flow at the thought of those she had lost. “I got you.” She repeated, leaned on Kasai and kissed her lips gently, tasting blood, which was at least a sign they were both alive.

They moved faster across open areas with Avani’s rock, but there weren’t many of those in the forest. The longer she had to move the rock at the same speed, the more exhausted she got, but she tried to get as far as she could move them both, even if it meant collapsing.