Orzala had never felt so sick before. Her stomach was churning, her head was spinning, and her body ached as if she had been run over by a komodo rhino or something. Even after Aang had given them those god-awful frozen frogs, she'd only seemed to become more ill. It didn't help that the slimy taste of the creature still lingered on her tongue.
It was for this reason that Sokka had become overly attentive. And that was how Orzala found herself curled up against his side, eyes closed as he ran his fingers through her raven hair. If she had to be honest, she found his actions rather endearing, and she wished in her heart that he would always treat her this way.
At least, she wished that until he let out a shriek, jumping up and leaving her to a face full of sand. Orzala glared at the boy as he eyed a fish that was jumping up from the lake. "Oh, he is taunting us. You are so dinner!" She clutched her head as he screeched, eyeing him angrily once more as he ran by to grab the fishing pole. When he ran back, she thrust her foot out to trip him.
She only smirked when he turned to glare at her, flashing him her middle finger as he stood. Sokka ignored her, turning toward the lake once more and attempting to cast the line. His glower deepened, however, when he realized that the fishing line was missing. "Where's the fishing line?!"
Aangs eyes widened as he glanced at the woven line in his hand. "Um... I didn't think you would need it, Sokka," he told him, showing the older boy the intricately braided necklace he had made with it.
Sokka's eyes widened as he examined it before he leaned back and pulled his hair in frustration. "It's all tangled now!" Aang quickly shook his head, shooting up to correct the boy.
"Not tangled, woven!" His gaze shot to Katara, and he looked away shyly as he began to explain. "I made you a necklace, Katara. I thought since you lost your other one..." the airbender trailed off, holding it up with a wide smile.
Katara lips twitched upward, and she took the object from him to look at it more closely. "Thanks, Aang! I love it!"
Sokka rolled his eyes, interrupting the two. "Great, Aang. Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewelry making business," he bit sarcastically, making Orzala frown. She waved her hand fluidly, sending a jolt of sand into the boy's back that sent him flying face first into the water.
"I don't see why I can't do both!" Aang quipped with a smile, shrugging when he realized he had lost Sokka's attention. The Water Tribe boy was too focused on splashing Orzala now. Or he was, until the giant green fish splashed him. That was all it took to have the boy darting deeper into the lake to chase it.
"So, how do I look?" The airbender turned at Katara's voice, gray eyes bulging as he examined her. His cheeks flushed hot, and he tugged anxiously at the collar of his shirt.
"You mean, all of you or just your neck-- because both look great!"
Sokka raised an eyebrow at the boy's words as he popped out of the water with a fish. He flashed Orzala a smirk before calling to Aang: "Smoochie smoochie! Someone's in loveeee!" He was quickly cut off when the fish whacked him in the face.
Aang turned red at the taunt, rubbing his neck as he looked back at Katara. "I- well..."
"Stop teasing him, Sokka," Katara scolded, approaching the airbender and patting his head. "Aang's just a friend. A sweet little guy, just like Momo." Orzala pursed her lips, her head falling to her hands as Aang frowned.
A sudden, loud growl echoed through the trees, making the kids jump. Orzala shot up, jade eyes darting around wildly to find a source while Aang airbended himself onto a high rock. He gasped when he found the noise. "Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!"
The four wasted no time, sprinting toward the sound. There was, indeed, someone getting attacked by a platypus bear, but the man did not seem to realize his dilemma. He just stood there, a smile on his face as he dodged every attack. When he saw the group, his smile only grew.
"Well, hello there! Nice day, isn't it?"
Orzala shot him a flabbergasted look, motioning to the creature in front of him. "You do realize you're being attacked, right?"
"Make noise! He'll run off!" Aang called.
"No, play dead! He'll lose interest!" Sokka shouted, and Orzala winced as the bear swung his sharp claw deathly close to the man's face.
"Woah, that was a close one!" He called happily, and the princess determined silently that this man was nuts.
"Run downhill, then climb a tree!" Katara interjected, but Sokka quickly shook his head.
"No, punch him in the bill!"
"Then run in zig-zags!"
"Or just stand there like an idiot and let it kill you," Orzala muttered, crossing her arms.
"No need! It's going to be fine!" The kid's eyes widened as the man ducked, barely dodging the bear. The creature left large claw marks in the tree above the man's head. As it let out another roar, Aang jumped in front of it, bending a gust of air into its face and pushing it back.
The platypus bear growled angrily. It glared down at Aang, but Appa came up behind it and let out a roar. The bear's tail dropped, along with an egg, and the creature ran off without another sound. Sokka's eyes landed on the egg, and he licked his lips hungrily.
The boy rushed forward, scooping up the object and holding it close to his chest. "Mm! Lunch!" A smile jumped to his lips as he examined it, but he assumed a frown once again as his gaze drifted to the man. "Lucky for you we came along."
"Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry." Sokka cocked an eyebrow as the man spoke, sharing a disbelieving glance with Orzala. "Aunt Wu predicted that I would have a safe journey."
"Aunt who?"
"No! Aunt Wu! She's the fortune teller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future."
Katara's lips quirked upward. "Wow, it must be. That explains why you were so calm!"
"But the fortune teller was wrong!" Sokka scoffed. "You didn't have a safe journey! You were almost killed!"
"But I wasn't. Alright, have a good one!" The strange man bowed to them before going about his day. But he stopped short, turning back to Aang. "Oh! And Aunt Wu said if I met any travelers to give them this." He presented a wrapped parcel to the boy, turning on is heel and walking off. Orzala glared after him, brows furrowed in confusion.
The princess shifted her gaze back to Aang as he turned the package to examine it, her eyes widening when he began to tear at the thing.
"Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes! It could be fun!" Katara exclaimed, looking to Orzala excitedly. Sokka let out another scoff, shaking his head.
"Oh, come on. Fortune telling is nonsense!" He told his sister, but he was cut off as Aang showed him a bright orange umbrella. As if on cue, thunder clapped overhead and rain began to beat down on them.
"Not again!" Orzala groaned, stomping so that a small piece of earth shot out of the ground, and she quickly maneuvered the rock over her head. She pouted at the others, hugging herself tightly as the rain picked up around them and sent shivers down her spine. Katara only smiled, however, rushing under the umbrella with Aang.
"That proves it!" The girl said happily, but her brother only shook his head.
"No it doesn't! You can't really tell the future!" Sokka exclaimed as he raised the egg above his head for some kind of coverage. It did little to help him, though, and his blue attire darkened with the rain.
"I guess you're not really getting wet then," Katara quipped, and Orzala snorted when the egg slipped from his hands. Her snort erupted into full-on laughter, however, when the egg cracked on the boy's head. His blue eyes shot to her, and he glared, but it didn't last long. A small smile tugged at his lips as he watched her laugh.
When her laughing had ceased, Orzala motioned him over, allowing him to squeeze under the rock with her. She raised an eyebrow as his hand slipped around her waist, and his cheeks flushed red. "I-it's a small rock," the boy stuttered, his grip tightening slightly as anxiousness flooded his chest. "It's hard to fit under." The princess shrugged, not thinking anything of it, but Sokka's eyes bulged when he saw Aang smirk at him.
"Smoochie smoochie!" The airbender whispered, his smirk growing when the red of Sokka's cheeks began to darken. "Someone's in loveeeee." The boy quickly pulled away from Orzala, causing her to look at him in confusion. He began to stutter once more, mumbling something about how the rain felt nice, and sending Aang and Katara into a fit of giggles as they began to walk. Sokka hurried after them, glaring at the two as he went.
"Of course she predicted it was going to rain!" He pouted, crossing his arms and shivering as the rain bore down on him. "The sky has been gray all day!"
Katara rolled her eyes. "Just admit you might be wrong and you can come under the umbrella." Orzala furrowed her eyebrows.
"I thought he was enjoying the rain?"
The boy ignored her, waving a wet finger at his sister. "Look, I'm going to predict the future now." He cleared his throat before waving his arms around in an ominous manner. "It's going to keep drizzling!" He called in a deep voice, making Orzala chuckle. Sokka peered up in the sky, cocking an eyebrow at Katara when the rain persisted. "See?"
No sooner than the phrase had left his lips, the sky cleared and the rain stopped. They all looked up at the sky in wonder until Aang shrugged. "Not everyone has the gift, Sokka," he told him, closing the umbrella and walking on. Orzala lowered the rock she was holding back to the ground. As she walked by, she patted Sokka's shoulder.
The boy only frowned, his blue eyes following her with disappointment. "Couldn't just let me have one moment, huh ,Aang?" He muttered, crossing his arms and pouting.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's note
And there's chapter thrity-five! I hope all of you are enjoying the story so far! We're inching closer and closer to the end (only 6 more episodes to go!). I'm hoping to wrap up book one withing the next couple of weeks, so be expecting lots of updates!
Also, my mom told me last night that she wanted to read what I've been working on and I-
Pray for me. That's all I have to say.
Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic day! As always thank you for your reads, votes, comments, and support!
Love, Liz