Sound Waves (Avatar: The Last Airbender) Book 2

Chapter 19 - Reflections

Himoko and Sadem left with Aang and Momo, Momo flying after them before landing on Himoko's shoulder, rubbing his face affectionately against the side of her head. "Hi, Momo." Himoko greets him adoringly as they walk by the multitude of cramped up houses, Aang and Sadem going on either side of the path to put up the posters.

"Have you heard anything, Himoko?" Questions Aang after a few minutes of repeating the same task- Put paste onto the wall, press a lost poster onto it, move a few feet, paste onto the wall, press a poster onto it... and repeat.

"About Appa? No, I haven't heard him since yesterday when I initially went out to find him. Sorry, Aang." Aang takes a deep breath, his shoulders slouching forward, "It's fine, it isn't your fault... I just..."

"...miss him?" Himoko looks to Sadem, blinking in slight shock at the sound of his voice. He hasn't spoken much since they left the Inner Ring.

"Yeah. I dont think we have ever been apart for this long before."

"Not even when, you disappeared?" Sadem asks him curiously.

"He was in the ice with me that day, and for a hundred years." Sadem nods, glancing down at his paintbrush thoughtfully. "I never really had an animal companion like that before, so I can't imagine what you are going through right now." Himoko walks up to Aang, extending her arm to let Momo walk down it and onto Aang's shoulder. "We will find him soon. I promise you that, no matter how long it takes or what we have to do." Himoko tells him, letting Aang confide in them for the moment. Aang nods slowly. feeling a breeze of appreciation for the friends and companions that he does have in his life at the moment. They were there for him, to support him no matter what. Momo chitters, rubbing his face against Aang's cheek, 'And I guess Momo and Appa too' he thinks to himself.

"Thank you, guys." He thanks them, watching Himoko's smile widen softly, and with a nod, goes back to putting up posters.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, it was broken when Himoko suddenly stopped from brushing the paste onto the wall, hand falling down to her side, "-I have changed!" a distant voice yelled, a voice that sounded awfully familiar. She pressed her lips together, releasing air out of her nose, focusing and honing in more on where she heard the voice come from. A loud rush of water rinsed into her ears, and crashed down, the sound of something hard clanging against metal.

"Princess?" Sadem questions, noticing her silence and deep concentration, when it appeared to him that she was barely doing anything at all, just standing there in front of the wall, eyes closed. "..to some other girl, Jet!" Himoko's eyes snap open, dropping the flyers and the paintbrush onto the ground before running past Sadem, not answering his call. 'Jet.' Himoko grits her teeth, running as fast as she can to get to Katara. She was alone, by herself, they shouldn't have left her alone- No, she will be fine.

"What's going on?!" Aang asks Sadem as they run after her, Sadem not being able to provide an answer for him. He briefly looks to Aang, eyes narrowing for a moment to fight against the wind before looking forward again, not wanting to lose sight of the heir.

Himoko rushes into the alleyway, where she can hear Katara bend ice to impale the wall, surrounding Jet's body. Instinctively, she slides in front of Katara, resting her hand on the hilt of the weapon strapped to her thigh cautiously.

"Katara, are you okay?" Questions Himoko, eyeing Jet up and down with harsh narrowed eyes, "I'm fine." Katara grumbles loosely, tapping Himoko's shoulder, letting her know that she can move away from the front of her.

Flurries of footsteps are heard behind them, Sadem, and the others caught up to them after Aang had split off briefly from Sadem to grab Sokka and Toph.