Not a word was exchanged. Tapeesa had lost track of time, unaware of how long she had spent looking at Aang, waiting for any kind of response. He had taken off the rug preventing him from speaking or bending a while ago along with the rest of his bonds but still, he hadn't said a word. His eyes mainly fell on the dry grass at his feet, to the unconscious bodies a few ways away, to the dead trunks of the trees she had used. His gaze hardly ever left her legs, never looking higher to meet her own. He hadn't attempted to sit up either. He still sat on his knees, attempting to sort his thoughts out. While he took his time processing what had happened, though, he failed to ponder what Tapeesa was thinking about.
The more time passed, the more clarity she had over her thoughts and what she did. The lack of logic while she fought had been unexpected, a mistake she thought she had learnt to not do anymore, although she had just proved herself wrong. She avoided looking at the decay and destruction she had left in the wake of her fight, attempted to not give much thought into her actions and the reason she had been so violent, instead choosing to look over Aang for any injuries. Slowly, she took a step forward, her eyes falling on his wounds around his body, where the ropes holding him still had been. He didn't react to the movement and so she took a step forward, and then another, until she was standing in front of him. And then she kneeled, falling to his height. For the first time that night, he met her gaze.
"You're hurt."
Her voice was soft, as it always was when she was speaking, and Aang couldn't connect the woman kneeling in front of him now to the woman he had watched fight a few minutes ago. There was no hint of anger in her expression or her gaze, her tone betraying no strain. This was more like the woman he knew, considerate but always holding back, not quite showing her worry even though the soft tone she always harboured was a clear indicator of her feelings. He looked at his wound, distracted.
"It seems so."
She didn't say a word as she moved forward and raised her hand, the moisture from the ground rising at her wordless command and curling around her hand to her palm. The water glowed as it got in contact with his wounds and he trained his gaze on the bright water to avoid looking at her. It wasn't until she had healed him completely that she pulled back, and Aang cleared his throat before speaking up.
"Thank you."
She nodded, looked over him once before she stood up. "We should get back. Appa is waiting for us."
He nodded slowly as he pushed himself up and she started walking away. She had hardly taken a step away though when she heard him speak. "What about them?"
Tapeesa stopped, her expression appeared to have been made of stone as she looked at the bodies on the ground and then the Avatar. "They'll wake up at some point."
He frowned. "So we're just going to leave them here?"
She turned to face him properly, an eyebrow raising. "Yes."
Her tone left no room for discussion. Aang could do nothing but nod and with a last look at them, he followed after Tapeesa. He lit a flame in his palm as they walked so he could see, although she didn't appear to need the guidance of light. The night seemed less dark the more they walked and it wasn't until they reached a small opening that he realised the sky was starting to change colour as dawn approached. He let his flame be put out as he caught sight of Appa. The sky bison didn't waste a moment to moan in greeting and jump over to him. He licked him from bottom to top and Aang couldn't help but laugh at the show of affection as he hugged his head.
"I missed you too, buddy."
Tapeesa watched from a few ways away, her guard still up. She took a quick look around before she headed over and stopped on the other side of Appa's head. "We need to go."
Aang frowned as he met her eyes. "We need to rest-"
"You will," she cut him off as she reached for Appa's reins. "I will be our guide. The kidnapping has delayed us. We still have cities we need to go to so you will complete your mission."
He didn't attempt to hide his disappointment but nevertheless, he nodded. "Fine."
Tapeesa didn't waste another moment to take her place on Appa's neck while Aang climbed on the saddle. "Yip yip."
Appa rose in the air and so they flew away, back to the coast of the Earth Kingdom, where they were supposed to be. She stayed quiet as the sun rose more and more, her exhaustion from the last couple of days catching up with her and at points, she fought to keep her eyes open. A glance behind her, however, let her know Aang was asleep. So she moved on, ignored her needs as she kept leading Appa forward until his own exhaustion forced them to land.
They were no longer near a forest when they landed, the hill she had chosen for their resting place having a lone tree they could use for shade, although it wasn't wide enough to shelter all of them. Appa was quick to get under its leaves with her guidance and at the sudden stop, Aang woke up. He stretched before he rolled over, his brows furrowing as he opened his eyes and blinked while looking around. He soon caught sight of Tapeesa as she stood up and climbed off of Appa's back, and slowly, he pushed himself up.
"Where are you going?"
She briefly looked back at the unexpected sound of his voice, although the only reply she offered him was a shrug. He didn't say another word as he only watched her as she moved around, setting down their blankets to sleep. Before she could, though, he stopped her.
"We don't have to stay here for the night." She raised an eyebrow over at him as she looked up, and he took it as encouragement to keep talking. "We could let Appa rest for a couple of hours and then I'll take the reins."
She seemed to be considering his offer for a moment and her decision was taken quickly enough as she nodded and lifted the blankets, leading them back on Appa's saddle with the rest of their supplies. He followed her with his eyes as she placed them down and sat down opposite him.
"There isn't a way to light a fire here anyway," she spoke, mainly to herself, before she leaned her head back and let out a small sigh. She was tense, unmoving, but as the time passed, she seemed to relax more and more, leaning against the saddle the more minutes went by. Aang couldn't help but send her a smile she never noticed.
"You can go to sleep. You must be tired."
She didn't speak. Aang would have wondered whether she had heard him if he weren't the only other person in miles, but he knew he was, so he only waited patiently for her to respond whenever she chose to. He didn't have to wait for long. She let out a small sigh as she nodded and pushed herself up, this time catching sight of his smile, although she didn't pay any mind to it as she laid down on the saddle while facing away from him. A while later, she was asleep.
Aang could do nothing but wait. Appa was asleep, as was Tapeesa, and in the silence, he could do nothing but think back to the last few hours. His gaze shifted to Tapeesa. Everything had started when she had been hit last night.
Aang had lost focus the moment he saw her fall. He had rushed forward in an attempt to protect her even though she was unconscious as Appa attempted to protect him from an attack he hadn't noticed. Appa had gotten burnt in front of his eyes and if anything, that had been enough to trigger his anger and almost at once, he had attempted to get into the Avatar state with a quick look around at the three benders who had hurt his friends. But he hadn't had the chance to strike back when the earthbender had made sure he fell unconscious. He had woken up hours later, tied so tight he couldn't move even his fingers, his mouth and nose covered in case he thought of breathing air or fire. He had had nowhere to go. He hadn't even had the chance to find out what was happening before Tapeesa arrived and set him free.
He was grateful. He really was. He had yet to get over the shock of seeing her defend him so fiercely, using waterbending he had never even seen in his life or he had seen only once in his life. It had been terrifying. Horrifying, even. He had never seen her use her bending that way before even though deep inside, he had known she was capable of it. There was no way she couldn't have been, not when she had led him and herself out of an ocean during a storm and to safety. He had known she yielded power. She had let him know it had been her choice to not use her abilities in an immoral way. He should have seen it coming. But he hadn't. And part of him wondered how much he didn't know about bending when he refused to use it in any way that would kill.
For the first time in his life, he realised water wasn't just life. The destruction Tapeesa had caused with a simple swipe of her arm had rivalled the destruction an army of Fire Nation soldiers could do to a village. And still, he considered the destruction she had left behind worse. Buildings could be remade, the burnt grass would gradually recover. A form of life without water never recovered. It stayed, forever, haunting anyone close by. It was destruction. Death. What the water gave, it could take. And like the water she yielded, she could heal or hurt, save or condemn. She was the embodiment of the ocean. And it was only now he realised he had only been present in her calm days.
Aang was lost in thought for hours and it was only when he caught sight of the moon rising that he realised how much time had passed. He didn't waste any more time. With a last look at Tapeesa still sleeping peacefully, he headed over to Appa and gently woke him up. Soon, the company was rising in the sky once more, heading to the next city of the colonies. Tapeesa didn't stir once in her sleep, the travel quiet, and a couple of hours later, Aang found a good enough place for them to camp. He lead Appa to the ground and didn't hesitate to look around for wood to use for his fire. Everything was the same when he returned, all quiet, Appa having already fallen asleep. He felt guilt as he caught sight of him after all the hours he had forced him to fly. The thought he would let him sleep for as much as he wanted to was comforting and with that in mind he set to build a fire. He curled close to it once he was finished and with its warmth and his eyes stuck on the night sky, he fell asleep, not to wake up until hours later, when dawn was just starting to break, only to see Tapeesa had moved at some point during the night to lay down to sleep opposite him, on the other side of the dying fire. He smiled.