The water moved through the air in a serpent motion, its flow following the movement of my hands. I could feel the rising sun beginning to make its presence known, and I tried my best not to think about the others who would be waking up soon. Instead, I concentrated fully on the water, trying to keep it steady in the air for as long as I could.
Since I'd woken up so early compared to everyone else, I decided to go seek out some water and practice my bending. I'd watched my sister bend yesterday as she did her evening practice, and when I did I realized one thing: I was a total amateur compared to her.
Katara had been able to train for weeks in the North Pole with an actual waterbending master. As much as I appreciated the training spars Zuko and I had together, I realized just how much I still had to learn. Katara could do so many amazing things with her waterbending. She was able to use one hand and create a powerful whip. She could throw her water so much further than I'd ever been able to. She barely broke a sweat as she created swirls in the air just for the fun of it. She never seemed to strain at all as she placed all focus on the element she had become one with.
The only time I could ever bend to my fullest power was when adrenaline set in. Apart from that, I was nowhere near the skill level that Katara had acquired.
I wanted so much to be like her.
"There you are," Aang suddenly said, causing me to gasp and drop my water back in the small puddle I had found under a rocky overhang. My heart pounded from his abrupt interruption. "I woke up and you weren't there. Are you practicing waterbending?"
I stared down at the water, dropping my arms to my side. "I was..." Turning to Aang, I asked, "Shouldn't you be getting ready for earthbending training?"
He grinned. "Yeah. Everyone else is still asleep. I thought I'd wake them up in a few minutes." He looked me over, and then smiled. "I thought maybe I'd see some of Sokka in you since you two are twins, but I don't really see any similarities despite your hair and skin color."
His words surprised me. However, I couldn't help but smile. "Thank goodness for that."
A laugh escaped him as he understood what I meant. "Yeah. One Sokka's enough." He then glanced over at the puddle again. "You know... Katara would probably be thrilled if you asked to train with her today. Toph and I will probably be earthbending a majority of the day, so you two might get bored."
I nodded, letting him know I was listening to his suggestion.
Aang continued. "Also, I wanted to tell you that I'm really excited to have you onboard the team. Now Katara and Sokka can both stop worrying so much. I told them you would be fine, but they would always stress about it. We can all finally relax now."
With a deep sigh, I spoke softly, feeling both embarrassed and ashamed. "Can I ask a question?"
Aang wasn't expecting it, but he overcame his surprise and nodded. "Sure Crystal... Anything."
I grimaced. "How angry were Sokka and Katara back at the North Pole...? I mean, after they found out about my betrayal and everything..."
The young airbender seemed to contemplate my question for a moment. He then met my gaze with more maturity than I expected from the twelve-year-old. "They were hurt that you chose the path you did, but they both calmed down and got to their senses. Katara never once stopped worrying about you, and Sokka did all he could to make sure he was strong enough to fight the Fire Nation and get you back." Aang suddenly placed a hand on my arm for comfort. "Your family never once stopped loving you, Crystal. Not even after the battle at the North Pole. Nothing you do will ever make them stop caring about you." He dropped his hand from my arm. "What's the past is the past. All we can do now is look forward."
I nodded, smiling in gratitude at his reassurance. I then bowed to show him my sincerest gratitude. "Thank you for keeping my family safe while I was away, Avatar Aang. I will never be able to repay you for watching over them."
When I stood back up straight, Aang was blushing from my compliment and rubbing the back of his neck. "There's no need to thank me.... Just being a good friend," he modestly spoke. "If anything, I should be apologizing to you." His statement took me of guard, and puzzle filled my expression. "I should've tried harder to get you back... I was honestly a little scared though... To tell you the truth, I'm not that great at fighting unless I go into the Avatar state."
I was surprised by his honesty, and I couldn't help but brush his apology aside. "You have nothing to be sorry for Aang. I wanted you to stay away from Zuko... That was the whole point of me attacking him back at the South Pole. The world needs you, and if you were captured on account of me I would feel awful."
He sighed heavily. "I get why you would think that way... But I can't get over the fact that I was too scared to try. What's the point in me being an Avatar, if I don't have the courage to fight? I should've gotten you back on day one, but I didn't have enough confidence I could do it."
I smiled. "I'll tell you something Iroh once told: It's better to be wise and live to fight another day, than to be a fool and die before tomorrow."
The words I quoted from Iroh seemed to cheer Aang up. He nodded in agreement. "This Iroh dude sounds really cool... I can see why Zuko and you were so worried about him after he was hit by Azula."
At the mention of Iroh, I felt concern come back to me. Was he okay? Had he woken by now?
Aang noticed. "Don't worry, Crystal. You healed him up pretty good. I'm sure he's fine."
I gave him small thanks, but I was still very worried. As Aang turned to head away, another thought hit my head, and I spoke again making him stop. "By the way Aang... Crys is just fine. Since your practically family, I don't mind."
He looked back at me with surprise, and then a grin spread across his face. "Alright! Crys it is!" He added. "I'm going to wake everyone for earthbending practice. Want to come?"
Staring back at the water, I debated what I wanted to do. I then let out a heavy breath, and nodded. "Sure. I'm right behind you."
When Aang and I got back to camp, the sun was up at last. Momo, Appa, Sokka, and Katara were still asleep at the campfire where I'd left them earlier, while Toph was still inside her rock made tent. As soon as we got into the camp, Aang was jumping with excitement.
"Today's the day! Can you believe it? After all that time searching for a teacher, I'm finally starting earthbending! And this place... i-it's perfect! Don't you think, Sokka?" He practically skipped over to Sokka, and was leaning over him. Sokka rolled over and gave Aang a sleepy irritated look. I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh. "Oh. You're still sleeping, huh?" My brother grunted and rolled back over pulling the sleeping bag over his head. "Sorry."
The earth began to shake only a second later, and Toph's tent burst into hundreds of pieces. At this point, Momo was jolted from his sleep and screeched running over to Appa. Appa didn't seem at all disturbed by the noise as he slept on. Katara was waking as well, and seemed just as irritated as Sokka for being woken up. I loved that about my brother and sister: they were not morning people, and would most likely never be.
"Good morning, earthbending student!" Toph exclaimed, walking over to Aang appearing excited to teach him as well.
Aang bowed slightly in respect. "Good morning, Sifu Toph!"
For some reason, this statement roused Katara from her sleep. She sat up with a pout, and whined, "Hey... you never call me Sifu Katara!"
Aang grimaced and scratched his head embarrassed. "Well... If you think I should..."
Sokka groaned and yanked his sleeping bag over his head burying himself deeper inside. Toph seemed amused. "Sorry, snoozles. We'll do our earthbending as quietly as we can." As soon as she finished, she slid her foot forward shooting a crack straight towards Sokka. The crack went under and sent him flying up in the air for a second, only to fall back to the ground with a thud.
Toph and Aang laughed. I couldn't help but feel entertained. Sokka was irritated. Managing to stand in his sleeping bag, he hopped over to Aang and Toph, grumbling incoherently. He then bounced away from us to go sleep near Appa and escape the commotion.
As Aang and Toph walked off to start training, I walked over to Katara who was rolling up her sleeping bag for the day.
"Katara... Um... Can I ask you something?" I stood beside her, my hand running through my hair with both embarrassment and uncertainty.
She looked up at me with question, and then stood to match my height. "Sure. Anything sis."
Taking in a heavy breath, I looked at the ground too nervous to meet her eyes. "This should be the other way around... I'm the older sister and should've been your guide.... But our paths didn't work out quite that way... What I'm trying to say... I mean what I'm trying to ask..." I bit my lip, hesitant.
"Crystal... Just ask the question. I'm not going to judge you."
Her kindness brought it out of me. Bowing, I hung my head with eager plea. "Will you be my waterbending teacher?"
My question hung in the air, and I waited for an answer. I knew Katara probably still felt sour towards me keeping my abilities a secret from her for so long. I didn't deserve to be taught by her for lying to her for so many years.
"Crys..." Her voice softened. "I'd be honored to have you as a student."
Relief flooded through me. Lifting my head, I gave her a smile of gratitude.
"One condition though," Katara began. "You have to forgive me for yesterday."
"Yesterday...?" I was puzzled. "What about yesterday?"
She grimaced, and this time hung her own head in shame. "I don't know what came over me. I was wrong to snap at you for the feelings you have towards Zuko... The first time I actually get to talk to you fully in so many months, and all I do is criticize you for things you can't control... You were right yesterday... I shouldn't jump to conclusions about Zuko and his Uncle. I don't know them the way you do." She crossed her arms. "I guess I just can't figure out how such a thing could happen... A waterbender and a firebender falling in love... It's like something from a crazy bedtime story."
I smiled weakly. "My life has felt like a wild story..." I then placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to apologize for yesterday though. I understand why you said the things you did. I was prepared for it before I even left Zuko." I took a moment, and then continued. "Nothing you say can ever make me think of you as anything less than my sister. I love you so much... Let's forget about yesterday, and just focus on today. Even though I know I'll miss and worry about Zuko, I'm happy to finally be reunited with my family. Being back with you and Sokka fills me with joy."
She seemed relieved by these words. "I'm glad... I was worried you'd be mad at me and want to leave..."
I shook my head. "This is where I want to be."
She nodded. Composing herself, she stated, "Well then. It's time to start your training."
After we ate some breakfast to energize us, which consisted of some fruit called a moonpeach, Katara and I ventured out to find a good source of water. The one I'd been using earlier would've worked, but Katara was convinced we could find more.
To my surprise, she was right.
After walking through the quarry for a few minutes, we came across a large area with a pool of water. I assumed the water was from collected rain that had fallen overtime. Katara thought for a second on where she should start, and eventually told me to show her what I could do. I knew she wanted to see what experience I had, and what else she could teach me.
As Katara stood aside and watched, I pulled some water out of the pool and let it hand in the air. My arms strained as I moved the water with both my hands in a serpant like manner. Katara told me to try and freeze the water in the air in the shape it was currently in. I attempted to do just that, but only half of the stream froze before my arms burned to their limit. Dropping the water, I felt embarrassed by my fail.
She told me then to make a wall of water, and she said to make one as high as I could. When I did just that, I couldn't help but feel my wall of water was probably pathetic compared to one she could make. I could only hold the wall up for thirty seconds before I was forced to drop it from strain.
She made me do a few more things, and each time I felt myself grow more and more ashamed. I was such a wimp compared to her.
"I think before we start learning new motions, you need to build your strength." Katara walked over to me and lifted my arm. "You won't be able to improve if you don't have the stamina to do so. We need to build your endurance first, and then we can move on to other things."
When Katara said she was going to help me build my endurance, I was uncertain what she meant. After a few minutes of waiting for her instruction though, I soon found out. Katara had me doing exercises I'd never thought to try. She froze blocks of ice, and had me lift them in the air. Each block she made weighed more than the last, and she would only let me move on to the next when I could hold the block in the air longer than a minute.
For an hour, I did all I could to show her I was eager for her teaching. As she watched, I did all I could to keep the heavy blocks in the air. My arms were killing me, but I didn't want to disappoint her. Whenever I would drop the block from pain, I would take a moments breath and try again.
I wanted to be stronger. I wanted to be able to protect the people I loved.
After failing for the thirtieth time at keeping the block in the air, I was covered in sweat and exhausted. Katara could tell, and told me I'd done enough for the day and we would continue tomorrow. In the meantime, she told me to wash up while she went to find me some clothes. She had some back on Appa that she had gotten from the Northern Water Tribe.
While Katara disappeared from the pool, I sighed heavily and wiped sweat from my brow. Then I managed to take off my light blue dress that the kind nomad named Lily had given me some time ago, and stepped into the cool spring. My shifts were still on covering me up, so I wasn't concerned about Aang or Sokka suddenly showing up. As I stepped deeper into the pool, I let my hands float on the water as my thoughts carried me away.
Katara POV
Getting back to camp, I let out the deep sigh I had been trying to suppress. Sokka was still crouched in his sleeping bag, sitting against a rock when I came into the area. He heard me sigh, and looked over with question.
"What's wrong with you? Where's Crystal?"
His worry wasn't surprising. I answered him to cool his worries. "She's just washing up. We were training together."
He seemed to take in my words. Then he asked, "I thought that would make you happy?"
Crossing my arms, I looked away from him. "I'm more than happy to get to train with her... I'm thrilled to finally be with her again... It's just... Crys is different..."
"What do you mean... different how?"
Meeting Sokka's worried gaze, I answered, "She's got this spark in her eyes, Sokka... One I haven't seen before. After mom died, Crys had been so distant from everyone and she always looked like one wrong move would break her into a million pieces." I ran fingers through my hair, and then pulled at my braid. "She's not like that anymore though. She's stronger and more determined than I've ever seen her. She looks so alive... Her transformation from the time we've been apart is huge."
Sokka frowned. "Yeah... I noticed that yesterday when she told us about her feelings for Zuko. That weak and scared little sister I once tried so hard to protect has gone through a complete change... She definitely has grown into a confident person... In a way, she reminds me of mom..."
Nodding, I walked over to the bags by Appa and grabbed the pair of clothes I'd mentioned to Crystal I'd snatch for her. "Do you think she'll be okay...? I mean... Do you think we were wrong to encourage her to leave Zuko?"
The sleeping bag came off finally as Sokka walked over to me. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he reassured, "Crystal needed to come back to us, Katara. This is a good thing for her. Some distance from the enemy will remind her that the Fire Nation are all savages. She's been misguided for too long, and when she sees the horrible things the Fire Nation has done, she'll be reminded of who the true enemy is."
Another sigh escaped me. "I just want her to be happy to be with us, and not feel like she has to."
"If she wasn't happy to be with us, she would've never gotten on Appa in the first place," Sokka stated. "She didn't fight me when I told her it was time to go... She came without any resistance. I'm confident she's okay. Don't worry so much."
Nodding again, I turned and started to head back to Crystal. Sokka muttered something about finding some food as I walked off. I told him not to go far, and he told me to stop being a mom. Rolling my eyes, I headed out of camp once more.
When I got back to the pool of water I'd left Crystal at, I was about to let her know my return. However, I stopped and dropped the clothes with a gasp. Crystal was standing with her back to me, and I was horrified by the sight I saw. The explosion she had been in with Zuko had done more damage than she said. She had burn marks on her shoulders and shoulder blades. Below her chest bindings, I saw more burn marks extend down her back.
She'd heard my gasp, and turned towards me with question. When she saw my eyes, she immediately understood. Walking towards me, she managed to step out of the water. Crossing her arms self-consciously, she stated, "They didn't hurt that bad, Katara. No need to worry."
I calmed down, but I took a moment as thoughts ran through my head. If her back was that scarred from the explosion, she must've been in pain for days.
"I guess I owe Zuko a thanks..." I muttered, hugging the clothes to me and dropping my gaze from her. "If he hadn't been there to save you, there's no telling what would've happened..."
I couldn't even imagine the thought of losing my sister. We'd already lost mom to the Fire Nation... If Zhao had been successful in his attempt to kill Crystal, we would've lost her too.
Crystal managed to bend the water off of herself, and throw it back into the pool. Once she was dry, she stepped up to me and pinched me in the arm. I jumped at her sudden gesture.
"Quit worrying about me. I can fight my own battles, Katara." She took the clothes from me with a smile. "We need to worry more about the other three. Who knows what trouble they'll get into in the future."
I couldn't help but smile at her reassurance. "Yeah... We have a busy future ahead with those three."
Crystal POV
Wearing Water Tribe clothing again felt so odd to me, but I honestly was happy to be back in the colors of my people. For the first time in months I felt like I was part of my people once again. Of course, that would never truly happen again because the Southern Water Tribe would banish me as soon as I stepped foot on land. I'd betrayed my people by falling in love with a firebender. I was positive that erased all ties I had to my people. My brother and sister may have forgiven me, but I knew the tribe wouldn't be so kind.
"The key to earthbending is your stance." Toph stood next to Aang, while Katara and I sat on a boulder to the side. We'd gotten back to camp after washing up, and found Toph and Aang were about to start actually bending. There were two giant boulders in front of them that waited to be lifted. Turns out, during the time Katara and I had been away all Toph had Aang do was jog around a bunch of boulders.
As Aang stood in a stance, I heard Sokka snicker beside me at how ridiculous the stance looked. Giving him a shove, he almost slid off the boulder beside me but managed to catch himself. He was still in his sleeping bag, which I told him to put away already. He argued that he was too comfortable to leave his warm cocoon. He gave me a playful shove and turned back to the show before us.
"You've got to be steady and strong. Rock is a stubborn element." Toph continued her teaching. She walked over to Aang and gave him a shove. He stumbled to the side frazzled. "If you're going to move it, you've got to be like a rock yourself."
Aang quickly recovered his stance and nodded. "Like a rock. Got it."
"Good. Now the actual motion of this one is pretty simple." Toph lunged forward and punched the air, causing one of the boulders to shoot off and hit the side of the canyon we were in. She turned back to Aang and gestured to his boulder. "Okay, you ready to give it a try?"
Aang took a wider stance and nodded. "I'm ready."
Aang shot his hand forward, but instead of earthbending he used aribending. The blast of air shot him backward and he flew into Appa's side who was chilling a few yards away. I grimaced at the impact, but calmed when I saw Aang recover.
"Rock beats airbender," Sokka muttered.
Toph sighed in dismay, and walked over to Aang who was brushing fur off of him. "This is earthbending, Aang, not airbending! You can't just blow the rock off the ground!"
He rubbed the back of his neck and walked back over to the rock. "Sorry... I'll try again."
He did try again. Again, and again, and again. After the thirteenth try, he finally let out a grunt of frustration. Katara walked over at this point confused.
"I don't understand what went wrong," Katara said, looking over at Toph. "He did it exactly the way you did."
"Maybe there's another way." He took up another fighting stance and began to walk toward the boulder. "What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?"
Toph shook her head. "No, that's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an airbender." She knocked her fist lightly against the side of Aang's head. He winced. "There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickity trick that's going to move that rock." She shoved Aang, and he cried out as he stumbled to the side. "You've got to face it head on. And when I say head on, I mean like this!"
Toph took a run and jump, smashing head on into the rock and breaking it into tiny pieces. We were amused... All of us except Katara that is.
Taking a step forward, Katara intervened. "I've been training Aang for a while now. He really responds well to a positive teaching experience. Lots of encouragement and praise. Kind words. If he's doing something wrong, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction."
Toph seemed irritated. "Thanks, Katara. A gentle nudge. I'll try that." She stomped over to Aang grabbing his shirt collar. "Come on Twinkletoes. We're just getting started." As she dragged Aang off, Katara followed with disapproval. Momo chattered and ran behind them to catch up and watch.
While they went off in the distance, Sokka spoke. "How's about we go find some dinner for later?"
I nodded. "Sure. If you think it's okay to leave these three alone."
He nodded. "They'll be fine. They always act like this." He kicked off his sleeping back, and then slid off the rock. His boomerang was already in his hand, and I watched him walk off puzzled. Was he seriously sleeping with it?
A few minutes later we were walking off from camp keeping eyes peeled for anything to eat. As we walked, Sokka fell quiet beside me. I could see he wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to.
"You can ask me anything Sokka... I won't get mad..."
He was surprised, and then he sighed with defeat. "Katara and I were talking earlier... Something she said just got to me a little." He met my eyes as we continued trekking forward. "Are you happy to be back with us?"
His question took me off guard. I gave him a small smile of encouragement. "Of course, Sokka. You and Katara are my family. I'm so happy to be with you two again." I looked down at the ground in front of me kicking a loose rock as I did. "Besides... It's nice not having to worry about you and Katara possibly getting into trouble and me having no ability to help."
He rolled his eyes. "We don't get into that much trouble."
"That can be argued." I nudged him with my elbow. "It's good to be back with you two though... You've all grown up so much."
He grimaced. "Look who's talking. A year ago you were so weak and fragile... Now you look like you could even beat me in a fight."
"Doubt that, Mr. Water Tribe Warrior. You trained with the Northern Water Tribe. I've just started my training... I have so much to learn from you and Katara."
He looked up at the sky taking in what I said. "Don't sell yourself too short. Anyone who survives being under Fire Nation custody for six months is a true warrior. You're definitely stronger than any other girl I've met."
I smirked. "You've changed too. Your actually complimenting people. I didn't think you knew how to do that."
He grimaced and looked down at the ground. "Well... I... I was in love..."
I frowned. I hung my head as I knew what he meant. "I'm sorry about Yue... Katara told me you two really loved each other... I wish there was something I could've done..."
He shrugged. "I miss her and still think about her all the time... But I know she did what she felt she had to... She saved the world with her sacrifice..." He looked up at the sky again. "Every time I see the moon I'm reminded that she is still watching over me." A tear fell, and he quickly wiped it away.
Grabbing the crystal of my necklace, I knew what he meant. Anything to remember that the people we love never leave our hearts is an important thing to have.
"He gave that to you, didn't he...?"
I looked over to see Sokka was staring at the necklace clutched in my hand. Nodding, I looked down at the crystal with an ache in my heart. "He wanted to give me something to show he cared about me... He found it at a market. One of the soldiers who was with him told me he spent forever trying to figure out which one to get me... He was so nervous..."
"The Fire Prince being nervous... I can't even imagine it..."
"There's a lot of things about Zuko people don't understand... He reminds me of you sometimes."
Sokka was surprised and looked at me with question. "Me?"
Nodding, I explained. "He was always protective of me... and all he ever wanted to do was make his father proud and one day become a strong leader..." I frowned, at the sudden thought of my own father. "Dad would be so proud of you, Sokka... You're a good son... Looks like when we were born you got the better of our blood."
My brother stopped walking. I stopped with him, but didn't meet his eyes. "Crys... If you think for one second father will stop loving you for what you did at the North Pole, you're wrong. Dad loves you... He'll forgive you..."
Quickly, I decided I didn't want to talk about it anymore. "We should go look for food... It will get late soon."
Walking ahead, I heard Sokka let out a deep sigh from behind.
We searched for about an hour, and Sokka didn't bring back up father again. He could see I doubted his words, which I truly did. The leader of the South Pole would never forgive his daughter for betraying her people.
"There!" Sokka suddenly pointed at something in the distance. I followed his finger and immediately saw what he had seen. A baby mooselion was walking around, sniffing the ground as it went.
My eyes widened. "Sokka! We can't kill a baby!"
He held up his hand to silence me. "Meat is meat, Crys. You'll thank me later tonight." He inched forward and over to a tree. I watched with disbelief as he climbed up and managed to position himself onto the edge of a tree limb. The mooselion cub continued to wander around below, not seeming to have a care in the world.
"You're awfully cute, but unfortunately for you, you're made of meat. Just a bit closer..." He inched some more, and the mooselion walked below him. Holding the sword, he kept on his side, ready to attack, I knew immediately my brother wasn't going to succeed.
"Got ya!" Sokka jumped down and landed in a crevice beside the mooselion. Half his body was stuck in the ground. He went to the strike the mooselion with his sword, but the movement only sent him falling deeper into the ground. He dropped his sword in the process and his hands were stuck to him. His boomerang also landed a few feet beside him too, falling from his back.
The mooselion wagged its tail and stepped over to Sokka sniffing his hair.
"You're a lucky little meat creature..."
Walking over to him, the mooselion cub looked over at me with caution. Kneeling down, I held my hand out and the baby walked up to me. It pressed its snout against my hand, and made a happy squeak of delight.
"Great! Get it Crys!"
Ignoring my brother, I pet it on the head and said, "What are you doing out here all alone little guy? You should be with your momma."
"Don't coax it! Kill it!"
Looking back at Sokka, I could see he was struggling to escape the hole he'd put himself in. Leaving the cub, I walked over to him and grabbed his hands. Trying to pull him out of the hole, he yelped in pain. I quickly released him.
"Uh... I think I need an earthbender."
"Toph... Go get Toph!" He struggled some more. "While you do that, I'll try and wiggle out."
Rolling my eyes, I resisted the urge to tell him I didn't have much faith in his technique. Looking back at the mooselion, I asked, "You wouldn't mind keeping an eye on my brother for a little bit would you? I have to go find someone to help get him out of his mess."
The mooselion cub blinked at me, and then walked over to Sokka licking his hands.
I smiled. "Thanks. I'll be back soon."
Turning, I went to walk off. "Wait! What if momma shows up?"
I stopped and looked back at Sokka. "Then you'll have to explain to her why you tried to eat her baby." I started to walk again. "I'll be back soon."
He called after me as I headed farther away. "Grab me some food when you get back to camp. I'm starving."
Rolling my eyes, I couldn't help but smile. "You're always hungry, Sokka."
He said something else, but I didn't hear him. Walking off, I quickly made my way in the direction we'd come hoping Toph and Aang were at camp and not off somewhere destroying a canyon. As I walked, I was alone once more to my thoughts.
Walking through the quarry, I couldn't help but picture Iroh bandaged up and in pain. I'd healed him, but I was certain he was still sore from Azula's attack. At the thought, I wondered how Zuko and Iroh were doing... I knew worrying about them was ridiculous, but I couldn't help it. Iroh was like an uncle to me, and Zuko was...
Shaking my head, I bit my lip and tried not to think about it. If I thought about how much I missed him I'd only be an obsessed girl who couldn't get her head out of the clouds. My hand went up to the necklace, and I clutched it letting the crystal dig into my skin.
I'd see him again... I just had to be patient...
But what if I never saw him again... What if we were separated for good?
Stopping in my step, I looked down at the crystal in my hand. My heart ached as I thought about the one who gave it to me.
Zuko...
With a deep sigh, I rubbed a hand over my brows to try and break free from my thoughts. "Come on Crys... Focus..."
Just as I released my necklace, and went to take another step forward, a growl sounded before me. A gasp escaped me as I looked up and came face to face with momma saber-tooth mooselion.
Stopping abruptly in my step, I could see the very tall saber-tooth mooselion did not appear thrilled by my sudden presence. The animal's massive antlers that looked extremely sharp bobbed up and down as it stepped toward me. The eyes of the animal stared directly at me, and I could tell from its barred fangs it thought I'd done something to its baby.
Taking a slow step back, I thought maybe if I gained distance it might leave me alone. However, I was wrong. With a growl, the beast stalked toward me and I knew there was no time to convince it. The sharp fangs that looked ready to impale me convinced me not to stick around. Looking for any place I could go, I saw an area of rock on the side of the quarry I stood in that looked possible to climb up. The saber-tooth mooselion blocked my path to the others, but I knew I had to get past it somehow to tell everyone about Sokka.
Silently I cursed Sokka for not listening to me and trying to slaughter an innocent little moose-lion cub.
"Easy girl..." I took a step to the side, worried I'd only quicken my fate if I moved too fast. "Your baby's okay... promise."
The animal growled once more, and then charged. I gasped at its sudden movement, and took off towards my only hope. Rushing to the rise of rocks, I grabbed the side and managed to pull myself up. My upper body strength sucked, but I had enough to climb high so mama couldn't reach me. I could hear the animal growl from below as I climbed higher. Somehow I attempted to reach a flat layer of rock, and I pulled my body onto it. Catching my breath, I looked down to see mama saber-tooth mooselion jumping up at the rocks trying to get to me. Its paws weren't designed for climbing though, and so it dropped back to the earth in defeat.
Mama paced back and forth for what felt like a lifetime, and I wondered if she would ever leave. After a while though, she took off in the direction I'd come and I sighed with relief.
Managing to slide down from my platform on the quarry's wall, I looked back at the direction mama had run. That was a close call... At least I could get to the others now...
As I turned to head in the direction of camp though, my eyes widened with sudden realization.
"Sokka!"
Twisting on my heel, I ran back towards the direction I'd just come. The sun was starting to lower, and shadows began to fall over me. As I ran, I managed to find some water under a rocky overhang that had been caught in the crevice of a rock. Pulling it out, I raced back the way I came ready to physically stop mama sabertooth moose-lion this time.
When I arrived back at the open area where Sokka was still buried in the ground, I saw to my surprise he was still alone with baby sabertooth mooselion. Mama was nowhere to be seen. His hair was also out of its ponytail and loosely hung around him. I assumed the cub was the cause of his new hairdo.
"Crystal? You're back! Did you get help?" Sokka could see me from where he was still buried in the ground. He caught sight of my water hovering in the air, and looked puzzled. "What's going on?"
Baby sabertooth mooselion plopped down beside Sokka staring at my water with curiosity.
I let out a heavy sigh of relief. "You're okay... I was worried mama showed up."
His brows furrowed. "Mama?"
"Crystal! Sokka! There you two are!" Aang suddenly shouted from behind. I jumped and turned to see him running over to us. He stopped when he saw my water still in the air. "Uh... Crys... What are you-"
Sokka cut him off. "Aang! Thank goodness! Have you got any meat?"
Rolling my eyes, I snapped. "Really! That's the first thing you ask?!"
Aang walked over to Sokka and looked at his situation. "Sokka... Are you okay?" He bent down and grabbed Sokka's hands to pull him out.
Sokka yelped in pain at the tugging. "Stop, stop! You're going to pull my fingers off and I don't think the rest of me is coming!"
Aang stopped, backing up with uncertainty. "Hmm... I bet I can airbend you out of here." He suddenly shot a blast of air into the cracks around Sokka, but all his attempt did was cause Sokka's hair to blow up in the air. The boomerang had flown up in the process and landed with a thud on Sokka's head. When the air stopped, Sokka looked annoyed.
"Seriously, Aang, I know you're new at it, but I could use a little earthbending here. How about it?"
Aang grimaced. "I can't. I can't do it..."
Sokka seemed desperate. "If you can't earthbend me out of here, go get Toph."
"I can't do that either."
"You can't? Why not?"
Aang pouted and answered, "It would just be really... uncomfortable."
Sokka didn't look amused. "Uncomfortable?" He muttered. "Well, I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
Aang was oblivious to his sarcasm. "Thanks, Sokka. 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 frowned, surprised by Aang's words. The poor kid had so much weight on his shoulder...
"Awkward position..." Sokka wiggled a little to try and give Aang the hint. "I think I know the feeling."
"If I try, I fail. But 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."
"Hmm. How about that." Sokka seemed like he was ready tell Aang to get over it. He stopped though when the mooselionwalked around his head giving a squeak. "Oh Aang, this is my friend Foo Foo Cuddlypoops. Foo Foo Cuddlypoops, Aang."
Aang was surprised by the baby animal in front of him. "Aww, what a cute name for a little baby sabertooth mooselion cub." He picked up the animal holding it out at his eye level.
"Really?" Sokka seemed surprised. "He looks nothing like a sabertooth mooselion."
"It's hard to tell before their giant teeth and horns grow in. Whatcha doin' out here, little guy? Did you lose your mama?"
I finally spoke up, still holding my water in the air. "No... Mama's here. I just don't know exactly where."
Aang looked over at me with question. "You saw mama?"
Nodding, I answered, "She definitely is protective. She had me cornered. I had to climb up on some rocks to get away from her."
Sokka turned anxious. "Oh no! If she shows up I'm dead! Aang! You have to earthbend me out of here."
Aang groaned. "I can't Sokka!"
I had a suggestion. "Maybe if I try and break some of the dirt u-"
A growl sounded cutting me off, and my eyes widened knowing just who it belonged to. Looking over at a line of shrub nearby, I saw my old friend. Mama emerged into the opening, her teeth barred as she stared at Aang who still held her baby.
Aang was surprised. "Hey, there... we found your cub!" He smiled and raised the baby in the air, who yawned in reply. The mama growled in rage and Aang slowly placed the baby to the ground. The baby raced over to its mother and darted into the bushes. "See? We have no problem with you! We're friendly."
The mooselion didn't look convinced. It growled and stepped forward.
"Aang, this is bad! You gotta get me outta here!" Sokka started to squirm faster.
The mooselion roared and charged forward towards Sokka. I gasped and whipped my water forward so the stream smashed into the mother. The animal was knocked back and fell on its side momentarily stunned. As it lied there, I grabbed what water I could save from drying up into the dirt. It was less than before, but enough to attack again.
"Great job, Crys!" Sokka's praise wasn't exactly what I needed at the moment.
The mama scrambled back to its feet and darted towards me. I gasped and threw what water remained at the beast. She was smarter than before. She managed to dart to the side and continued to charge at me. Aang suddenly landed beside me and wrapped an around my waist. I shrieked as he used airbending to jump us both over mama mooselion. We landed clumsily a few yards away.
Aang released me and turned back to the animal. The mooselion roared with rage.
Sokka was terrified. "This is really bad! Please, Aang! You have to earthbend me out, there's no other way!"
Aang tried to do just that as mama mooselion raced forward. He was unsuccessful. "Oh no!" Aang leaped on a rock away from Sokka to get the mooselion away from my brother. He called to it to distract the animal. "Whoo-hoo! Look at me!"
The mooselion growled and ignored Aang stalking toward my brother. Aang leaped off the rock and shot a gust of air at the mooselion causing her to be forced away from Sokka. It managed to land a few feet away and spin towards Aang. Aang landed near Sokka, ready to protect him again.
I felt concerned for both Aang and my brother's safety. "This isn't working!"
The mooselion charged again towards the two. Aang got into his defensive stance, ready to blow more air at the animal. He shot air as the animal got within a few feet of him, and the beast was forced backward. It hit the ground with shock, and then decided it had enough. Scrambling to its feet, it raced away from Aang back in the direction its baby headed.
After a good minute of staring at the spot which the animal had disappeared, the danger was over. All three of us sighed with utter relief.
A clapping sound suddenly echoed from somewhere nearby though, making the three of us jump. We all shot our eyes over to Toph who was suddenly seen seated on a rock a good distance away.
Sokka wasn't amused. "What are you doing here?"
Toph smirked. "Just enjoying the show."
"What?" Aang was bewildered and irritated. "You were there the whole time?"
She grinned. "Pretty much."
Aang pointed accusingly at her. "Why didn't you do something? Sokka and Crystal were in trouble! I was in trouble! You could've gotten him out and helped us get away!"
She shrugged. "I guess it just didn't occur to me." She suddenly pulled a nut out of her pants pocket and tossed it on the ground. Pulling out a familiar looking staff from behind her, I was surprised to see her with Aang's precious possession. She slammed the staff down on the nut, breaking it open.
"Enough! I want my staff back!" He stomped over to her and grabbed it from her hands.
She stood as soon as he did and ordered, "Do it now!"
Aang was still irritated. "What?"
"Earthbend, twinkletoes. You just stood your ground against a crazy beast, and even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got the stuff."
Aang was shocked. I was bewildered by Toph's praise.
"But..."
She cut him off. "DO IT!"
Aang glanced at her with confusion, and then stomped down shoving his fist forward. To my surprise and his, he caused a large rock to shoot off and crash into a ridge.
Toph was thrilled by the results. "You did it! You're an earthbender."
His eyes lit up with joy. "I can't believe it!"
"Great job, Aang!" I stepped over and squeezed his arm. "You were great!"
Sokka's voice suddenly broke through our praise. "Aww, this is really a wonderful, touching moment. So, could you get me out of here so I can give you all a big, snuggly hug?"
Aang confidently exclaimed, "No problem, Sokka!" He turned to assist my brother, but Toph quickly stepped in.
"Actually, you should probably let me do that... You're still a little new to this. You might accidentally crush him."
Both Sokka and I grimaced. Sokka said with plea, "Yeah... no crushing please."
Toph walked over to him, and then lifted her foot. Stomping down, Sokka popped slightly out of the hole. Toph stepped over and grabbed his hair pulling him out completely. As Sokka struggled to stand because his legs were asleep from being trapped for so long, I walked over and let him put an arm around my shoulders for support.
About an hour later, just as the sun was beginning to fade and night approached, we managed to make it back to camp.
Katara was thrilled to see us, and raced over crying, "You found them!" She ran over to Sokka and I, and hugged us both. "I was worried sick about you two!"
When she pulled away, Sokka spoke. "The whole time that I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die, it makes a man think about what's really important. I realized..."
Aang interrupted his long thoughtful speech. "Hey Katara! Look what I can do!"
We all turned to see him fling his hand towards a boulder which broke it in half. Katara was thrilled. "You did it! I knew you would!"
As Aang went over to show Appa and Momo his skills, I asked the others, "Are your days always like this?"
Sokka and Katara looked at one another and then nodded to me. Toph spoke up. "I just joined the team and already have gray hairs."
I grimaced. "This is going to be a long journey then."
Sokka nudged me in the arm. "You know you're having fun."
I shoved him off. "Yeah... Almost getting trampled on for messing with a baby moose-lion cub was a blast."
Aang suddenly shouted, "Hey guys! I'm going to move this boulder! One of you stand on it so I can practice lifting you!"
Toph's brows rose. "Wait twinkletoes! You're rushing way too into this!" She rushed over to stop her pupil.
Katara sighed heavily. "I'm going to start dinner. We have some rice and vegetables still."
"No meat though," Sokka pouted.
"I'll catch you some fish tomorrow if I can," I promised. "There's bound to be a pond or creek around here somewhere."
Sokka beamed and hugged me. "I'm so glad to have you back!"
My face was pressed into his shirt. Trying to wiggle from his hold, I said, "Sokka! Can't breathe!"
Katara laughed somewhere in the background.