Heimat | Aang

SIXTEEN

Tapeesa didn't stop. She didn't rest. She kept flying on Appa's back for the duration of the day. It wasn't until the evening that she was forced to stop as the sky bison started losing height, Appa's exhaustion too great to be ignored. She had no other choice but to find a place for them to rest for a couple of hours. 

"Come on, Appa," she muttered softly, and momentarily, she wasn't certain he had heard her over the wind. She spoke again. "We'll rest soon."

He seemed to hear that as he let out a moan in response and it could have been her imagination, but for a moment, she truly believed he had pushed himself to go faster. 

She was silent for the rest of their travel, her eyes sharp as they scanned the ground below her for any sign of those who had taken Aang, but there was none. In the end, though, she noticed a place she and Appa could stay at, a clearing in the forest they had started flying above of a couple of hours ago. She directed the sky bison that way. The moment they had landed, she jumped off. 

"There you are," she muttered and raised a hand to pet his head. Appa seemed to lean into her touch momentarily but she didn't pay him much mind. Her eyes soon were focused on their surroundings, scanning the area for any danger. When she deemed it was safe enough, she straightened up, let her hand fall from Appa's head as she started moving away.

"I'll find us something to eat." There was a small moan of agreement from the sky bison and with that, she headed deeper into the forest.

There was still some light, the evening sun weak but still visible over the treetops. Tapeesa looked around for any food, paying no heed to the beautiful scenery around her, the way the few droplets of water on the plants seemed to glow golden as the rays of light caressed them. The ground of the forest seemed to be glowing, its humidity creating a sight that would bring many to stare in awe at the beauty of nature. Tapeesa, though, didn't. She was too troubled to pay any mind to the beauty around her, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of the Avatar, captured by bounty hunters who wouldn't hesitate to hurt him should it come down to that. Her worries could only allow her mind space for her troubling thoughts and not appreciation of the nature. The moment she found some berries, she retrieved them and headed back to the camp. 

Appa was where she had last left him. He was sitting now, his head laying on the ground but at the sight of her it lifted, a small moan breaking the silence. Tapeesa couldn't help but send him a small smile as she walked forward and stopped just next to him. She sat down next to his head and placed most of the berries in front of him. Appa started eating while she did the same. 

The sun was starting to set by now and even though she couldn't see it, she could feel the pull of the moon as it rose, suddenly finding it hard to sit back and relax against the sky bison even though she desperately needed to rest. It was the full moon tonight. 

Little by little, she could feel her strength being replenished as the moon rose more and more, but even with its pull, Tapeesa's eyes gradually closed and without even attempting to start a fire and keep herself warm, she fell asleep against Appa.

She woke up hours later, disoriented, shivering, the moon still up in the sky. Appa was laying against her, fast asleep, but Tapeesa couldn't fall back to sleep. She was a lot more rested now and her worries returned. Aang was still in danger. She couldn't allow herself to sit back and wait for someone else to get to him—she was that someone else, she had been asked to take care of him—and soon enough, she found herself standing up. There was hardly any light around but with her senses heightened, she didn't need the light much to see around. 

The full moon had risen in the sky and she could now see it clearly over the treetops, the bright sphere reminding her of her power and all the time she had lost. She couldn't go back to sleep now.