silver soul | avatar, the last air bender

chapter seventeen

"I think I just figured out why they call it the Serpent's pass!" Sokka said nervously. He turned to Suki. "Suki! You know about giant sea monsters. Make it go away!"

Suki frowned and pointed her finger at him. "Just because I live near the Unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!" She hollered.

Naia touched Katara's shoulder. "You lead everyone to safety on the other side. Aang and I will distract the serpent."

Katara started to make a bridge out of ice and lead everyone across. Aang opened his glider and started to fly away. Naia stepped out onto the lake, freezing the water underneath her with each step she took. She ran around the serpent, who's eyes followed her every movement. Naia knew she had to be quick and light on her feet, so that the serpent couldn't predict where she was going next. Naia ran by it and tried to freeze the side of its body. However, it was unsuccessful as the serpent immediately broke free. It screeched again and lunged it's head straight at Naia. Naia didn't have any time to attack. She simply dove beneath the water, swam underneath of its body, and emerged on the other side. She sent sharp icicles, aiming for the serpent's eyes. It's head was moving a little too fast so she couldn't get the best angle.

"Princess Naia! Go back to the shore!" Aang shouted. Naia didn't have to be told twice. She created a large wave and rode it back to the shore. Aang used his air bending and water bending to create a whirlpool, causing the monster to spin around in circles. Eventually, it's long neck hit the rock and caused it to lose consciousness. Naia sighed of relief and jumped back onto the rocky trail.

Sokka pointed ahead. "There's the wall! Nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se," He sighed. Ying let out a distressed cry, holding her stomach. "What now?"

"The baby's coming," She said, gritting her teeth.

"Can't you just...hold it in or something?!" Sokka yelled.

Katara rolled her eyes. "I helped Gran Gran deliver lots of babies back home. Aang, get some rags. Sokka, grab some water. Toph, make a big earth tent. Naia, Suki, come with me," She ordered.

Naia helped Ying lay down. Naia's never seen a woman give birth before, but she knew she could help. To ease her pain, Naia used some of her healing abilities and held her hands over Ying's belly. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for Ying to push the baby out. Although, Sokka did faint during the process.

Ying held her newborn baby in her arms. It was a baby girl. As much as Naia tried to not act soft, she had to admit the baby was pretty cute. "What are you going to name her?" Naia asked Ying.

"I want our daughter's name to mean something," Ying said, pondering on what to name the baby.

Out of the corner of her eye, Naia saw Aang wipe away a few tears. He walked forward. "I've been going through a hard time lately. But you've made me hopeful again."

Ying gasped. "I want to name our baby Hope."

Naia smiled. She was glad Ying had an relatively easy birth with no complications. The group said their goodbyes to the people they were escorting and stepped outside of the tent. Naia watched from afar and Aang and Katara hugged. It looked like Aang was making progress with his feelings, and starting to accept them.

Naia looked towards Sokka again. Their eyes met briefly but both of them looked away at the same time. Naia's stomach fell. She crossed her arms and sighed lightly, trying to keep herself from looking upset. It was painful. It reminded her of how awful she felt when she fought with Yue. Naia didn't only have feelings for Sokka, but she also viewed him as a friend. She lost both of that in one fell swoop. She knew she really messed things up with him. I deserve this she thought.