"So your... Katara?" Asha asked, sitting criss-crossed on the ground facing the Water tribe woman-- who she could tell was from a water tribe based on the betrothal necklace around her neck.
"Yep! And that's my brother, Sokka." Katara smiled, holding a hand for the air nomad; who shook it with a gentle smile of her own.
"I'm Asha, an old friend of Aang's, I suppose you could call it."
"That's great and all, but how do you know Aang? How do we know you didn't just brainwash him into thinking your his friend from over a hundred years ago just to get close and-"Sokka crawled closer and closer with every word, Asha stepping back with a furrowed brows and hands held out defensively.
"I'm gonna stop you right there. First off, Asha is an air nomad name meaning hope. Secondly, my staff is genuine, check the carving. Finally, I have a flying animal, which was the air benders best friend." Asha pushed Sokka by his forehead, the boy landing on his butt with a grunt.
"Relax Sokka, takes more than that to confuse me!" Aang proclaimed proudly, throwing his fist to his chest.
Asha snickered as the siblings deadpanned towards the Avatar.
"What?"
"Nothing there bud. Look we gotta go, nice meeting you and all Asha, but we got places to go; people to see." Sokka started walking away to where the flying bison sat, awaiting his passengers.
Shrugging, Asha stood up and walked over to Appa, patting his head and receiving a giant wet lick as a reward. Then, after a giggle, kiss to his snout and a quick air wave clean, she walked over to Aang giving him a hug.
"I thought you were coming with us." He whispered in her ear, silently killing Sokka for making a bad impression. This was the one other air bender and she was pushed away just because Sokka had trust issues.
"I'll find a way. Maybe run into Gumi, I'll find you. Don't worry." She pulled away, smiling at him with gleaming teeth. A bright red flooded his cheeks at the smile.
Pulling away and walking to the entrance of the shelter, griping her staff. "Have fun with saving the world!" She smiled big and jumped out of the shelter. Gliding away. Katara walked behind her brother, smacking him before he could say anything.
"How could you do that?! Not only was that one of the last air benders alive, but one of the only things Aang has left from before the war!" She yelled, throwing her arms up for emphasis.
"Look, we had no idea where she came from, or who she really was. I mean how could she have survived over a hundred years and still look like a sixteen year old?! Plus she's wearing water tribe clothing!" He yelled back, his own arms raising for emphasis.
Aang looked up from his task-- which was currently saddling Appa-- and remember an old bit of the stories he was told of the Onsra.
'Many Onsra harness both the willpower and sheer power to enter the Avatar state. For most, it happens when the Avatar can sense either them self or the Onsra are in grave danger. Or even when the Onsra is feeling extreme cases of emotion. Subconsciously, the Avatar's greatest goal in life is to protect the only one who will understand them. If separated for too long, the spirit world will guide the Avatar to their Onsra through not only visions when meditating, but feelings of natural navigation. Almost a pulling feeling. If all else fails, their chosen spirit guides will do what they can when dealing with the Avatar and Onsra.'
"Look, it's fine. She told me she'd find us again when the time was right. I trust her." Aang smiled, hearing a grunt come from Appa. Thinking of Asha as his Onsra was a dangerous road to go down, but it was the only one that didn't have that small voice screaming at him.
"See, Aang agrees with me." Sokka smiled, seemingly triumphant.
"I said- you know what? Forget it." Aang rolled his eyes, chucking the last bad onto Appa's saddle. The siblings seemed to gather the message. Climbing onto Appa, occasionally looking out the old entrance.
"Think I was too harsh?" Sokka hung upside down off the saddle. His ponytail barely visible from under his fat head.
"You think?" Katara snapped. She had no idea who this girl was, but like Sokka said; she was wearing water bending clothing and she could air bend. In all honesty, Katara liked her. She was kind to Appa and Momo, even her brother and left with a smile. That's always appreciated. Not to mention the fact that Aang now had someone his own age to hang talk with. Of course, she like talking to Aang, but their worlds were just too different. Two very different sides on different cultures.
"Yip Yip, Appa!" Aang sounded lackluster. Whether it was because he missed her or what, Katara didn't know.
___
They had barely taken off when Appa started descending.
"Appa! Yip yip!" Aang tried pulling the reigns. The bison still descending.
"Aang! What's happening?!" Sokka gripped the side of the saddle as he realized the trees where growing closer and closer, making his heart jump.
"I-I don't know. He's never done this before! He's always listened!" Aang crawled to Appa's snout, checking his eyes. They were wide awake and looked determined on whatever was in front of him. The boy turned to look but by the time he got a chance, Appa landed.
Throwing his head forward, Appa let Aang fly off, landing in front of his snout; snorting in satisfaction.
Aang grunted, sending a glare at the bison. He opened his mouth ready to scold him when an angelic voice spoke up, distracting him.
"I thought the deal was that I would find you. " She laughed again, this time holding a hand to her lips. Aang turned around so fast a gust a wind followed him. There he was met with a small hand. The nails were obviously chewed, but the rest of it was perfectly smooth. He looked up to the smiling girl and grabbed her hand, allowing her to help him up.
"Well, Appa thought differently." He laughed rubbing the back of his neck.
"You broke our bison!" Sokka ran up to the girl. Hands frantically waving in the air.
"I'm sorry?" Asha tilted her head at the boy, furrowing her brows.
"He's never landed without proper permission and always listened to Aang, yet when you show up it all goes down the drain!" He stepped closer to the the girl, who shrunk back and tried to step back. Her teeth started to gnaw on her bottom lip.
Aang recognized this. Before training or games of Air ball, she would bite her lip to the point of bleeding. It showed when she was stressed, mad, frustrated, any negative emotion really. He stepped between the water tribe man and the air bender, hands out reached.
"Relax Sokka. I'm pretty sure Appa just wants to help find Gumi, thats all. " Aang smiled, it was dorky and crooked, but it brought a smile to Asha's own face.
Sokka stomped off, grumbling about two air benders.
"Thanks."
Aang looked to Asha, gently pulling the lip from her teeth with a thumb. "Come with us. Please." He stepped closer. Looking to her, he gently led her to Appa, who attempted to nuzzle into her without knocking the girl over. The girl giggled and held onto his fur as he pushed into her, obviously happy to see the familiar face. Aang had walked up behind her, holding her hips to help steady the brunette as he nuzzled into the bison.
"You coming with us Asha?" Katara smiled as she leaned over the saddle, enjoying the sight of the girl smiling; it seemed contagious.
"Aang wants me too, so I guess I am. At least until I find Gumi." Katara's smile fell a bit. Whoever this 'Gumi' was would take her away from Aang, and poor Appa.
"Well hop on!" Katara held a hand to the girl pulling her up. Katara was bound to take advantage of the air bender while she was still there.
Quickly, Asha settled near the front of the saddle, close to Aang but still close enough to talk with Katara, who sat near the left side and Sokka at the back; Aang of course driving.
"So Asha, why the Water tribe clothes?" Sokka snorted as he eyed the brunette. It's not that he didn't like her. No, it was that it appeared she had no flaws. And every human had flaws.
"I woke up, I guess, in the North pole. They healed me and all that. I have regular air nomad clothing, but my original outfit was burnt to a crisp and my replacements are with Gumi. " She muttered, playing with the fur sleeves that draped off of her arms.
The outfit consisted of a navy blue winter jacket that cut off right under rib cage, pristine white fur trimming the edges of her hood and sleeves (which were large at the wrist and meant to cover her hands). Underneath was a long, lighter blue tunic that cut off at her mid thigh, with black pants below that and finally, knee high boots that matched the tunic with white fur.
"And who is this 'Gumi' you keep speaking of?!" Sokka yelled hands waving about. Asha let out a giggle at the exasperated man.
"Gumi is my flying animal. Every air nomad gets one. Only difference is that I found mine while Aang was given his." She smiled reaching over to pat Appa.
She could tell Aang had rolled his eyes, since he always did when talking about the origin of their pets, and that made her laugh even harder. Katara letting a small giggle slip out too.
"Okay, fine. Why did you wake up then? How did you manage to stay sixteen for over a hundred years, like you claim?" He leaned forward.
"I-I don't know," Asha looked down, scratching her wrist above the fabric, "I just kind of felt this urge, I don't know what for. All I can remember is ice, then I'm coughing and choking up water at the North Pole."
Aang turned, patting Appa and carefully making his way towards the girl. He stepped over onto the saddle and wrapped a careful arm around her shoulder. She looked up with a soft smile, turning to Aang and nodded a silent thanks. She then turned to Sokka.
"I'm really sorry I can't tell you more." She smiled again, showing pearly white teeth behind her lips.
"Ugh, stop it! Your making it literally impossible to dislike you! And I can't keep protecting every woman that tries to befriend us!" Sokka groaned, throwing his head back and rubbing his hands down his face. He looked up only when he heard a laugh, it seemed like she laughed at everything.
"I don't need protection, but thanks! I'm pretty self-sufficient. "
A deep chuckle escaped Aang as he was very well aware.
The group continued flying in comfortable silence. Aang going back to the drivers seat, Asha eventually going to sit beside him. They had their a soft conversation while the siblings did their own thing, either practicing water bending or sharpening blades.
The comfortable buzz of 'silence' was interrupted by a loud, deep groan. Asha's head shooting up as she recognized the sound. Back in the Northern Air temple, where Dragons were not nearly as scarce as they were at the Southern Air temple, Asha helped hundreds of dragons learn to trust humans again, helped the younger nomads learn to ride, overall was a 'dragon whisperer'.
Aang seemed to recognize it too as he started telling Appa to land.
The flying bison hadn't even completely landed before Asha lept off, using air bending to soften the fall. Aang following behind, the siblings barely keeping up to the air benders.
Pushing threw vines and trees, Asha shot through the trees like a bullet. Only stopping when a large, obsidian creature blocked her view. It had bright blue arrows, one pointing to the snout then wrapping around the rest of it's neck. It's wings were tucked in, but anyone could tell that the membrane was a darker blue. The creature had laid his head down on his front paws, letting out another groan. There was a woven saddle on it's back, right above it's wings, that contained packs of unknown things.
And if it's large black claws didn't seem dangerous enough, the tan horns a little longer than the smaller black ears below them were.
"Gumi!" Asha yelled out as she sprinted to the creature, whose head shot up.
It was his human! Gumi quickly stood as the girl stood below him, bowing his head to the girl who wrapped her arms around the dragons head. The two nuzzling into each other. The other three watching in both confusion and contentment.
They stayed like that for a couple of seconds; just embracing each other, after a hundred years of being apart.
Once they separated, Gumi leaned over Asha's shoulder growling at Sokka. If there was one thing all air nomads knew about dragons, it was that they were severely overprotective of their chosen riders. It had taken over two years for Gumi to even let Aang near him, let alone Asha.
"Hey big guy." Aang sauntered over, patting right between Gumi's horns, who huffed at the action.
"W-what is that thing?!" Sokka stumbled backwards, having a growling dragon right in front of him.
"It's kinda cute!" Katara slowly reached. Gumi looking at it skeptically before deeming it safe and allowing Katara to pet his scales.
"Katara! Don't touch it! It's dangerous!" Sokka attempted to grab is sister, only to be stopped by another growl coming from the dragon.
Stroking her pets snout, Asha reached out to Sokka, her hand spread.
"I promise he's not as bad as he seems."
Sokka nervously glanced at the dragon then to the air bender. Raising his hand, he allowed Asha to bring it closer to Gumi; who growled up until Sokka finally made contact.
Feeling brave, Sokka stepped closer. The dragons red eyes following his every move, Sokka then reached his other hand, petting just under the dragons chin.
"Maybe he's okay." Sokka said, finally letting out a smile.
After a quick outfit change, the group was off. Asha now clad in her traditional air nomad outfit (A pastel yellow shirt, similar to her water tribe jacket, orange shorts with darker thigh high socks and yellow bands around her knees. She didn't wear shoes and her socks cut off at her ankle, exposing the blue arrows on her feet. Finally, her brown hair was down, only a braided crown and a red sash around her waist) and seated on top of Gumi, who was flying next to Appa --who seemed happy to have his old friend back as well.