Chapter 21- Coming To Terms
"Come on, get up. We need to go," You rubbed your eyes as everyone started to wake up, other than Aang, who didn't sleep at all.
"Yesterday my mouth tasted like mud. Now it just tastes like sand. I never thought I'd miss the taste of mud so much," Toph said while smacking her lips.
You just stood up and grabbed the sleeve of Toph's shirt, making her pat your back.
"Appa!" Aang suddenly shouted with a smile, making you look up in the sky.
"Appa? But why would Princess Yue need him? She's the moon! She flies by herself! Am I right (Y/N)?" He smiled at you, making you nod a little
"It's just a cloud, wait... A cloud!" Katara said and handed Aang her pouch.
"Here, fly up and bend the water from that cloud into my pouch," Aang swiped the pouch with anger and flew up to catch any water from the cloud.
"Wow, there's hardly any in here," Katara mumbled while holding the pouch.
"I'm sorry, okay! It's a desert cloud, I did all I could! What's anyone else doing?! What are you doing?!" Aang shouted with anger.
"Not even (Y/N) is looking for Twig or Appa!! Do you even care for your tiger monkey?! Why aren't you doing any-"
SMASH
Everyone looked in shock as you smashed the cactus on top of Aang's head, with no prediction that you were gonna do it. Even Aang looked shocked, and you just stared at him with lost eyes. They were slightly red from you crying, and the bags under your eyes for more visible.
"Twig... wants me to be calm... so shut up," You muttered, finally saying something after the whole library incident.
Turning, you slumped away and grabbed onto Katara's sleeve, making her look at you and Aang, before sighing. Aang slowly pushed the cactus form his head, and walked with everyone else, but then Toph tripped over something hard.
"Ow! Crud! I am so sick of not feeling where I'm going! And what idiot buried a boat in the middle of the desert?!" She growled and kicked the object.
"A boat?" Mataram said and felt the wood.
"Believe me, I kicked it hard enough to feel plenty of vibrations," Toph muttered, and Aang shot a gust of wind to reveal the entire thing.
"It's one of the gliders the sandbenders use! And look! It's got some kind of compass on it! I bet it can point us out of here!" Katara smiled as you tapped the compass.
"Aang, you can bend a breeze so we can sail it. We're going to make it!" Everyone got on the glider and Aang sailed throughout the desert, where you also laid against the floorboard.
"The needle on this compass doesn't seem to be pointing north according to my charts," Katara mumbled.
"Because it's not..." You mumbled, tracing a finger against the floor while still holding onto Katara's clothes. As Katara was about to ask you what you meant, in front of the glider was a giant Boulder like structure.
"That's what the compass is pointing to! That giant rock! It must be the magnetic center of the desert," Katara said and pulled you up.
"A rock?! Yes! Let's go!" Toph cheered.
"Maybe we can find some water there!" Katara hoped as Aang glared down.
"Maybe we can find some sandbenders," He hissed, and continued to move forward until you all made it to the side of the rock.
"Finally! Solid ground!" Toph said with relief and laid on the rock while making a rock angel. You picked up some rocks and tucked it in your pockets. There were tunnels on top of the rock, and the Gaang started to move forward into tunnels.
It was filled with wax and honey, and while walking Sokka took a deep breath.
"I think my head is starting to clear out the cactus juice. And look!" Sokka swiped some honey off the side and started to eat it with Momo, but then spat it out in disgust.
"Tastes like rotten penguin meat!" He shouted with Momo sticking his tongue out.
"Of course it's bad... buzzard wasps' honey taste bad..." You muttered, which made everyone look at you.
"How'd you know that?" Katara asked.
"The way the tunnels are shaped... hexagons shaped like this naturally are made by one thing..." You shrugged, and the ground started to shake.
"She's telling the truth, they're coming this way!!" You all started to run, though Sokka was dragging you with them as buzzard wasps started to come out to attack. Toph shot rock pillars to whatever she felt near.
Sokka tried to help, but his mind wasn't fully cleared from the cactus juice.
"We have to get out of here! I'm completely out of water to bend!" Katara yelled, but then one of the buzzard wasps grabbed Momo and flew off.
"Momo! I'm not losing anyone else out here!" Aang scowled and followed pursuit.
"Come on, we're going down!" Katara motioend everyone to go down the rock, and she grabbed Toph to face a buzzard wasp.
"Toph, shoot a rock right there!" Toph got ready to fire and Katara shouted.
"Fire!" Toph hit the buzzard wasps and suddenly, one was right in front of you.
"(Y/N)!" Sokka shouted, but you just raised your hand and a huge geyser of sand hit the creature, knocking it out.
"You could do that?!" Sokka shouted as you tilted your in in acknowledgment.
"I hate sand... never said I couldn't bend it..." You said, as more started to swarm you all, but then pillars of sand hit the swarm of buzzard wasps, causing them to retreat into their hive.
"That was amazing (Y/N)!" Katara smiled, but you shook your head slowly.
"Not me..." You pointed to the sandbenders in front of you all, glaring down as Aang came back with Momo, with a standoff.
"What are you doing in our land with a sandbender sailer? From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami tribe," The man who presumed to be the leader said to you all.
"We found the sailer abandoned in the desert. We're traveling with the Avatar. Our bison and tiger monkey were stolen and we have to get to Ba Sing Se," Katara explained, and you looked up from the ground to eye them.
"You dare accuse our people of theft while you ride in on a stolen sand sailer?!" One young sandbender shouted and pointed at you.
"Quiet, Ghashiun. No one accused our people of anything. If what they say is true, we must give them hospitality," The leader scolded the boy.
"Sorry, father," The boy said, and that made Toph widen her eyes.
"I recognize the son's voice. He's the one that stole Appa and Twig," That made you snap your eyes towards the son, checking his appearance.
"Are you sure?" Katara asked her, and Toph nodded.
"I never forget a voice," That made Aang point his staff towards them.
"You stole Appa and Twig! Where are they? What did you do to them?!" He demanded, and you spotted something on the boy's leg.
"They're lying! They're the thieves!" He defended himself, but you spoke up with a dead tone.
"Those bite marks..." You said, staring at them.
"Those are the marks of a tiger monkey... and only one tiger monkey I know had three claws on each paw..." You stared straight into the wounded bender's eyes, and he shivered in fear at the strong emotions in your eyes.
"Twig only attacks when someone is threatened..." You said, and Aang sent a gust of wind to destroy of their gliders.
"What did you do?" The leader demanded his son.
"I-It wasn't me!" The boy stammered.
"You said to put a muzzle on him and to skin the monkey!" Toph accused, and it made your eyes break even more. Aang glared at them even more hatred and hissed.
"You hurt our friends?!" He shouted, and his eyes and tattoos started to glow and he entered his Avatar state.
Wind surrounded him as some sandbenders tried to escape, but you crushed their last gliders with lava formed from the sand.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know that it belonged to the Avatar!" The boy pleaded, but Aang did not listen as he pointed his staff at him.
"Tell me where Appa is!" He demanded with distorted voices.
"I traded him! To some merchants! He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now! They were going to sell him there! Please! We'll escort you out of the desert! We'll help however we can!" The sandbenders took steps back as Aang started to levitate, sand going everywhere.
"Just get out of here! Run!" Sokka pulled Toph to run, and he tried to pull you too, but you stayed put, staring at Aang with blank and lost eyes.
Katara watched as you slowly walked towards Aang, and before he could fully lift off the ground, you went behind him and wrapped your arms around his waist. Aang's head snapped towards to face you, and you leaned your head against his back, you started to shake and tears falling down.
Aang slowly landed, and you hugged him tighter as he faded from his Avatar state, tears in his eyes, collapsing into the sand. Katara walked forward and hugged you two, as you and Aang broke down crying.
"Mark my word Aang..." You muttered and squeezed him a little.
"Whoever bought them... they'll pay a horrible price..."
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Wow... this be sad...
How about some light hearted stuff.
What if: your brother was not a murderous psycho and just a dorky jerk,
Stay healthy and stay tune!