Tazia stiffened then relaxed marginally as a boomerang came within an inch of her nose and struck Nina in the head. She offered a grateful nod to the boomerang’s source, loosening her choke hold on her friend’s now-unconscious form. The pink-haired girl supported Nina’s head as she allowed her to slump to the ground.
The relief was short-lived, however, as wisps of blue flame flickered to life, swirling around the campsite. The bodies of Yamato and Nina slowly rose again, as if possessed. “H-hey,” Tazia muttered nervously, half-reaching for Nina. “Cut that out—” She cut off her sentence as Nina moved with liquid grace to stand with the two boys, taking a bending stance with clear hostile intent.
Tazia’s teeth ground together in frustration. What the hell is going on around here? Across the campsite, Yael had been awoken from his evening nap by the whirling blue flames, tail lashing in confusion and fear. Tazia whistled for him, and the tigerdillo bounded over to pace behind her, letting out an occasional hiss in the direction of the three.
The fire in the center of the campsite was a prime target for Tazia’s bending from an unexpected source. Her eyes narrowed further, confusion and anger blending into one emotion in her mind. They had to be contained before they hurt anyone more severely, but Tazia didn’t want to hurt them, either. Actually, she couldn’t care less about Fang, but Yamato seemed tolerable and Nina was kind of fun. She didn’t want to injure those two, at least.
The fire shot up, wrapping itself into a ring around the three benders in the center of the clearing. Tazia hoped it would keep them contained, but wouldn’t be surprised if they broke out fairly quickly. With any luck, though, she and the others would be able to stall them long enough for one of the more intellectually inclined among them to figure out a solution.