"Today's the day!" Aang lands near a sleeping Sokka and a half awake me. "Can you believe it? After all that time searching for a teacher, I'm finally starting earthbending!"
"And this place, it's perfect, don't you think? Sokka? Venus?" Sokka grumbles and glares at Aang with tired eyes. "Oh, you're still sleeping, huh?" Sokka again grumbles and puts his head back down. Aang whispers. "Sorry."
The ground shakes, causing me to turn to look towards the source of the rumbling. An earth tent, slabs of which are tossed in every direction mere moments after. As the dust clears, Toph is standing in the middle with her left hand raised in the air.
"Goooood morning," She puts both her hands on her hips. "Earthbending student!"
I groan in the sleeping bag, Sokka and I were sharing. I get out of it and stretch my back and arms out. I walk towards Appa, taking a seat next to him.
"Good morning, Sifu Toph." Aang bows slightly to Toph.
"Hey," Katara speaks disappointed and tiredly. "You never called me Sifu Katara."
Aang scratches the back of his head. "Well, if you think I should..."
Sokka suddenly sits up, grumbling at Aang.
"Sorry, Snoozles, we'll do our earthbending as," Toph whispers slightly, though with amusement in her voice. "Quietly as we can."
Toph slams her left heel into the ground, creating a crack. Sokka had laid himself back down. An earth pillar rises up right underneath him, catapulting him screaming into the air.
Sokka crashes to the ground in the middle with a loud thud. He immediately jumps to his feet, still in his sleeping bag with only his head visible, and hops toward Aang while grumbling.
He stops in front of the Avatar and grumbles to his face, before jumping toward Toph and doing the same to her. He subsequently hops toward the side, still grumbling angrily. Everyone else turns to watch him go.
Toph stares after Sokka with her hands to her sides. Aang had jumped up and now softly lands beside her.
It was so cute how excited he was to finally learn earthbending.
"V?" Katara softly mumbled, "Can you please do my hair for me? My style fell out while I was sleeping."
"Of course, Kat."
We sat on Appa as I began to do her hair.
"So...you and Aang? Huh?"
"What?" Katara gasped as her shoulders perked up. "What do you mean?"
"Katara, please. It's obvious you have a little crush on that Monk over there." I said pointing to Aang who was watching Toph earthbend.
"Uh-"
"Don't be shy," I said placing my chin on top of her head. "I think it's cute."
"Y-you do?"
"Yeah," I smile as I continue doing her hair. "You two are adorable together."
"I don't know," Katara grimaces. "He's cute, but don't you think...he's a little too young for me?"
I pause for a minute. "Maybe, But it's just like a couple years difference and if you really like him, you should go for it, but not now..maybe after the war since he's the Avatar and he's got a lot of responsibilities. I'm not sure a girlfriend is what he needs right now."
"Is that what you're doing? Waiting until the war is over so you and my brother can get together?"
I finished doing Katara's daily hairstyle. "Uh, no. I'm waiting for your brother to stop being a pussy and ask me out already."
Katara turns around to face me as she giggled.
"I mean.." I continue to rant. "Is it that hard to ask me out?"
Katara hums. "Maybe, you should ask him out?"
I place my hands under my chin and sigh. "Why are boys so difficult?"
Katara pouts her lips. "They really are."
✼ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ✼
During the day, Toph had gotten upset with Aang over the fact that he wasn't able to master earth bending so quickly.
I felt so bad for him. Air is the opposite of earth, so I would find it difficult to catch on to the technique so quickly, but who am I to say. I can't bend at all.
Speaking of not being able to bend, I haven't seen Sokka in a while. I get up and begin searching for him.
At another area of the canyon. I spot Sokka, who seemed to be stuck in a crack in the ground. How did he even manage to get stuck in there?
A small brown animal was on top of Sokka's head as he started talking to it. "You know, I have this friend. Her name's Venus." Sokka let's out a sigh. "She's really cool and pretty."
I smile, listening to the water tribe boy talk to the animal.
Sokka waits for the animal to finish chirping. "Yeah, Foo Foo Cuddlypoops. She is totally out of my league, but I like to think she's like me, I'm not sure. She always checks up on me when no one does and she always lets me lay my head on her when I'm tired."
The animal jumps off Sokka's head and stared at him intensely as it begins mumbling.
I listened as the boy and his pet, had talked sweetly about me. My heart had actually burst from all the sweet talk. Sokka was genuinely such a great guy.
"Whatcha doing?" I squealed, jumping a few inches away from Aang.
"You scared me!"
"Sorry." The boy cheekily smiles, "have you seen, Sokka. He's been missing for hours. It's almost sundown!"
I grab Aang's hand as I lead him to where Sokka was.
"Venus! Aang!" Sokka cries. "Thank goodness. Have you got any meat?"
"Sokka, are you okay?" Aang panics as he tried to pull Sokka out of the crack.
"Aggh, stop, stop! You're going to pull my fingers off and I don't think the rest of me is coming!"
I sit down in front of Sokka as I ran my hand through his messy hair. "Are you okay?"
Sokka's cheeks fluster. "Y-yeah, I'm okay. Are you okay?"
I lightly chuckle. "You're the one who's stuck inside a crack."
Aang rubs the side of his head. "Hmmm... I bet I can airbend you out of here." He blows up a gust of wind but Sokka remains trapped.
"Seriously Aang, I know you're new at it, but I could use a little earthbending here. How about it?"
I slap the side of Sokka's head.
"What?" He groans.
"I can't," Aang says. "I can't do it."
"Well, if you can't earthbend me out of here, go get Toph." Sokka grimaces.
"I can't do that, either."
"You can't? Why not?"
"It would just be really...uncomfortable." Aang answers.
"Uncomfortable," Sokka chokes out. "Well I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable."
"Thanks, Sokka."
Sokka looks at me bewildered from this conversation, all I could do was try to hold in my laugh.
Aang sits beside me as he begins to talk. "This whole earthbending thing really has me confused. There's so much pressure. Everyone expects me to get it right away. It puts me in a really awkward position."
I lay my head on Aang's shoulder as he lays his on top of mine.
"Awkward position," Sokka sighs out. "I think I know the feeling."
"If I try, I fail. If I don't try, I'm never going to get it. I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place."
"Hmmm... how about that." The small brown animal comes from behind Sokka. "Aang, Venus, this is my friend, Foo Foo Cuddlypoops. Foo Foo Cuddlypoops, Aang and Venus."
"Awww, what a cute name for a baby saber-tooth moose-lion cub." Aang coos picking up the small creature.
"Really? He looks nothing like a saber-tooth moose-lion."
I study the creature. "It's hard to tell before their giant teeth and horns grow in. What are you doing out here little guy? Did you lose your mama?"
Suddenly, a large moose-lion appears.
I quickly hid behind the Avatar.
"Hey, there," Aang nervously speaks. "We found your cub."
"Aang, this is bad, you've got to get me out of here!"
The moose-lion charges at Sokka, but Aang sends it over his head with airbending.
"This is really bad! Please Aang, you have to earthbend me out, there's no other way!"
Aang tries, but all his attempts produce nothing.
"Oh no!" Aang gets on top of a rock to try and distract the saber-tooth moose-lion. "Woo-hoo, look at me!"
The moose-lion charges again but is again held off.
"Please, don't leave me again." Sokka cries.
"I won't." Aang stands his ground, and at the last second, throws the moose-lion back with a blast of air. The beast leaves.
Suddenly, slight clapping can be heard. Toph is sitting on a rock nearby.
"What are you doing here?" Sokka asks.
"Just enjoying the show." Toph hollers.
"What?" My right eye begins to twitch. "You were there the whole time?"
"Pretty much."
"Why didn't you do something?" Aang shouts. "Sokka was in trouble! Venus was in trouble! I was in trouble! You could have gotten him out and helped us get away!"
"Guess it just didn't occur to me." Toph throws a nut down and attempts to crack it with Aang's staff.
Aang grabs hold of it. "Enough! I want my staff back!" He takes it away.
"Do it now!" Toph says getting into Aang's face.
"What?"
"Earthbend, Twinkle toes. You just stood your ground against a crazy beast. And even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got stuff."
"But-"
"Do it!" Toph shouts.
Aang slams the ground and sends a rock into the canyon wall.
"You did it! You're an earthbender." I smile.
Aang runs over and hugs me. "I can't believe it."
"Believe it, Aang!"
"Awww," Sokka sarcastically coos. "This is a really wonderful, touching moment. So could you get me out of here so I can give you all a big, snuggly hug?"
Toph kicks up the rock and yanks him out.
I grab Sokka and pull him off the ground, letting him lay is body weight on me.
We walk back to the campsite.
"You found him!" Katara smiles, embracing Sokka.
Sokka turns to me as he rest his hand on my shoulder. "The whole time, I was in that hole, not knowing if I was going to live or die. It makes a man to think about what's really important. I realized–"
Aang interrupts Sokka. "Katara! Look what I can do." He bends a rock and slams it on the ground.
"You did it! I knew you would! " Katara then whispers to Toph. "You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you?"
"Yep, it worked wonders."
Boring chapter but whatever🥱