𝐂𝐇 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈
//𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐗𝐈𝐕
"YOU HAVE NO idea what you're doing. Do you?" Sokka crosses his arms at Aang.
He turns to face him ignoring Katara and me in the middle.
"Well. I know it's near." He defends. In which Sokka reply's flatly, "I guess we're getting close then."
I scoff at him being impatient and childish. I fiddle with my fingers, letting my mind take me places. In my case, that's a bad idea. I have so many memories, and just things I would do anything to forget. It seems as if the most traumatic things in your life stick with you more then the happiest. It's backwards.
Even though the raid happened six years ago, I can still close my eyes and that's all I see. Watching my dad fighting for his life, for my life. I was always confused about why they killed kya right on the spot, and they dragged my father away. Was he special? Was he different? Did he have something or know something?
But as soon as those ship doors closed I knew he was as good as dead. I knew I would never see him again. I remember him still fighting in the net, still not giving up. I remember him screaming at the top of his lungs to let him go, and to leave the village alone. I remember all those things. But the funny part is, I can't remember what I was doing before the raid started, or even after really. It's a haze.
☁️
"Dad! Dad!" I scream. "Come back." A whimper escapes me, followed by loud sobs. I watch the ships sail away, leaving our village in awful conditions.
I sink to the ground. My knees hit the soft cold snow.
"Saki?" A familiar voice asks.
"Saki. You have to get up." His tone is sharp but laced with sadness and pain.
I ignore his demand.
"Saki. Please." His hand meets my shoulder.
"I'm all alone," I say watching the ships disappear into the sea.
"No, you're not. You have Katara, Sokka and I." He argues.
"But you're leaving. Aren't you. You're leaving for war." I finally look at him. Regretting it instantly.
He doesn't answer which I conclude as a yes.
Silence fills our company. Tears are still in the brim of my eyes. I'm trying everything in my power to not just let them fall. Let everything fall.
"I'm sorry. About kya." I can feel his pain and it physically hurts me.
He ignored my last words, "Ren told me before you were born if anything ever happened to him I was to always protect you and watch over you as if you were my own." He speaks, "I plan to do that."
☁️
Thinking of those memories is the worst thing I can do for myself. I can never forget the pain on gran grans face when they dragged my father away. I'll never forget the defeat and the will to give up I felt. I'll never forget feeling lonely and pathetic. I always balled up my emotions. Keeping them Inside and never talking about them unless Katara nagged me too.
It's unhealthy I know.
But it was my way of coping until it wasn't.
By that I mean I would take all of that grief and transfer it into anger.
One time, I didn't speak to anybody for two weeks, bottling everything up inside, not wanting to talk. I avoided Katara and Sokka. I was never home. I ignored anyone and everyone who tried to talk to me. Intel...intel I broke. I bent ice and destroyed Sokka's old watch towers creating a scene in front of my whole tribe. It was so powerful and dangerous. Back then I thought it was just out of rage. But that's not where waterbending comes from. I was acting as if a fire bender just bending ice and snow. I had no idea I was an avatar back then.
Thankfully I'm interrupted from my dark thoughts.
"Hey, Katara! Check out this new airbending trick!" Aang is suspending these marbles between his hands and makes it whirl around in mid-air. He his grinning happily at Katara, desperately trying to get her attention. But she's too preoccupied with sewing Sokka's ripped pants.
Katara reply's absentmindedly, "That's great, Aang."
"You didn't even look." He says, crushed she didn't notice.
Katara stops sewing and finally looks up at him.
"That's great!" She tried to sound enthusiastic, but Aangs not even doing anything.
"But I'm not doing it now." He slumps. I couldn't help but quietly giggle at how cute this is. Yet again I feel bad for Aang that Katara has yet to notice him.
Sokka waves his hand dismissively in our direction, "stop bugging her airhead. You need to give girls space when they do their sewing."
"What does Katara being a girl have anything to do with sewing!" I ask defensively, taking the words right our of kataras' mouth.
"Simple: Girls are better at fixing pants then guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that. It's just the natural order of things." He shrugs.
"All done with your pants! Look what a great job I did!" Katara chucked the pants at Sokka, exaggerating her happiness. I snort at the sight.
"Wait! I was just kidding! I can't wear these!" Sokka sticks his arm through the gaping hole.
"Katara please!" His voice cracks. I start laughing at Sokka freaking out. He shoots me a glare which I reply with laughing harder.
"Don't worry Sokka. Where we're going, you won't need pants." Aang pulls on the reigns, making Appa swoop down from the sky, we land on a crescent-shaped island with a beach.
We all jump down letting our feet hit the sand. I've never been to a beach before. Considering I've lived in a frozen tundra my whole life, I guess that's not totally surprising.
"We just made a pit stop yesterday. Shouldn't we get a little more flying done before we camp out?" Sokka asks.
"He's right," I agree, "at this rate, we won't get to the North Pole until spring," I add.
Aang has his hands shading his eyes from the bright sun. "But Appa's really tired. Aren't you boy?" Appa doesn't react, "I said, aren't you boy." Aang nudges his bison. Appa then yawns but it's very obvious he's not actually tired. Momo scurries up my body and lands on my shoulder, I find the urge to pet him, so I scratch under his chin. "Are you 'tired' too buddy," I say quietly.
"Yeah. That was really convincing. But, it's still hard to argue with a ten-ton magic monster." Sokka shrugs. A few moments later Aang gasps, and points towards the water, "look!"
A giant koi fish leaps out of the water, splashing as it hits the surface again.
"That's why we're here." Aang begins to strip down to his underwear, "... elephant koi. And I'm going to ride it! Katara you gotta watch me." I look over at Katara who has a worried/shocked expression written all over her face.
"Uh, Aang-" I try to reach for him, but he already dived in the water. Seconds later he jumps up, "cold!" He yells. I put my hand over my mouth trying to stop myself from laughing, while Sokka just lets his out.
Aang swims out into the bay, soon enough he disappears underwater only to reappear, riding the koi's back. It dives back into the bay and up again with Aang holding on tight.
Katara watches Aang with an excited, and interested look on her face. She's clearly enjoying his current antics.
Katara cheers as she watched him, now joined by a few more koi fish.
I notice momo jumping up and down intently, making me suspicious.
"He looks pretty good out there." Katara smiles. "Are you kidding? The fish is doing all the work!" Sokka crosses his arms in disapproval. "You and you're talent to ruin things." I copy Sokka, crossing my arms as well.
"You know what Saki!" He begins, I smirk, feeling satisfied I'm getting on his nerves.
I hear Katara yell at Appa, making us both distracted.
"No Appa! Don't eat that!" She hurries over to him, ripping the plant out of his mouth.
Sokka and I continue to watch Aang, he's doing quite well. But something catches our eye. A dark figure swims underneath him, pulling the koi's underwater.
Momo is now frantically jumping up and down, and quite honestly I want to join him.
"What's wrong?" Katara asks after hearing all the commotion. "Aangs in trouble!" I answer.
"Aang!" We all start to scream.
"Aang get out of there!"
He waves back at us, misinterpreting our frantic gestures. The koi fish he is riding bucks, sending him headlong into the bay. He comes up seconds after going under.
He is breathing too heavily, he's going to tire himself out. As he's gasping for air an enormous serrated fin rises ominously from the water behind him. We hear Aangs scream in fear, causing us all to panic more.
I. Have. Never. Seen. Someone. Swim. That. Fast.
The fin begins to chase him, but before it could reach him, Aang's head fist and full force runs into Sokka now on the shore. They both go hurdling into a tree.
Katara and I run back to where Aang and Sokka are.
Aang is now up putting his clothes on while Sokka sits lumped up against the tree they skidded into. I put my hands over my mouth, muffling my giggles. In which Sokka glares at me.
"What was that thing?" Katara asks.
"I don't know." Aang shrugs.
Sokka gets up wiping his hands together, "well let's not stick around to find out. Time to hit the road."
Before I could blink, four green-clad warriors fall on Aang, Sokka, Katara, And I, even momo. I feel a set of hands grab my wrist pulling it behind my back, but I resist which is really hard. Whoever this is, they're very strong. With a fight I put on they still managed to tie me up and throw me next to everyone else.
"... or we could stay awhile."
.