The gaang and I were taking another break at a pond with a beautiful waterfall.
As everyone was having fun swimming, I was catching up on my Sun Spirit book that I "borrowed" from the library.
I read over the first sentence over and over; The Sun Spirit is one of the most powerful benders other than the Avatar.
I groan in frustration. How am I supposed to be the most powerful bender when I can barley firebend. I mean yeah I know the basics other than that i'm no master. I was literally the only firebender in the North Pole and you can't forget I was surrounded by waterbenders, how in the world was I going to learn firebending. I usually use my martial arts background in my bending.
"Waterbending bomb!" Katara screams jumping off a large cliff into the pond, splashing a huge amount of the water over Sokka and I.
"Sure, 5,000- year old maps from the spirit library. Just splash some water on them." Sokka mutters.
"Yeah, what he said." I say scrunching the water out my hair.
"Sorry." Katara apologizes, bending the water out my book and the map.
"Soul, your hair is so curly." Katara says as we all gathered around in a circle.
"Yeah, it gets like that when it's really wet."
"So did you figure out what route we're gonna take?" Aang asks.
"Okay, we just got out of the desert, so we must be around here. And we need to go to Ba Sing Se, which is here. It looks like the only passage connecting the South to the North is this silver of land called the Serpents Pass."
"You're sure that's the best way to go?" Toph asks.
"It's the only way. I mean, it's not like we have Appa to fly us there." Sokka exclaims.
"Shush up about Appa," I whisper. "Can't you at least try to be sensitive?"
We all looked at Aang.
"Soul, it's okay. I know I was upset about losing Appa before, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se and telling the Earth King about the solar eclipse."
We all stare shocked. "Oh, we'll okay. I'm glad you're doing better."
"Then to Ba Sing Se we go. No more distractions." Sokka says eyeing me up and down.
"I thought you said no more distractions." Katara smirks, elbowing Sokka as he blushes.
"Hello there, fellow refugees!"
"Are you guys headed to Ba Sing Se too?" Aang asks the man and the two ladies with him, one pregnant.
"Sure are. We're trying to get there before my wife Ying, has her baby." The man says rubbing his wife's stomach.
"Great," Katara says. "We can travel through the Serpent's Pass together."
The group gasped. "The Serpent's Pass? Only the truly desperate take that deadly route."
"Deadly route? Great pick, Sokka!" Toph says punching Sokka's arm.
I smack the back of Toph's head. "Be nice." I scold, walking over to Sokka and rubbing his arm.
He smiles down at me. "Well, we are desperate."
"You should come with us to Full Moon Bay. Ferries take refugees across the lake," the husband says. "It's the fastest, way to Ba Sing Se."
Ying cuts in. "And it's hidden so the Fire Nation can't find it."
"Hm, peaceful ferry ride or deadly pass?"
*ೃ༄ *ೃ༄ *ೃ༄
"I told you already, no vegetables on the ferry! One cabbage slug could destroy the entire ecosystem of Ba Sing Se!" The woman behind the counter yelled at a man. "Security."
A platypus boar breaks the owners cabbage stand.
"Gah, my cabbages!" The man cries as he gets taken away by security.
"Next!"
Aang walked over to the desk nervously. "Um, five tickets for the ferry to Ba Sing Se, please."
"Passports?"
"Uh, no one told us we had to have passports."
Sokka spoke up. "Don't you know who this is? He's the Avatar."
"Ah, I see 50 Avatar's a day. And by the way, not a very impressive costume," the woman says pointing to a group of people dressed as Aang.
"Besides, no animals allowed. Do I need to call security?"
"That won't be necessary."
"Next!"
"We'll take care of this." Toph says grabbing my wrist as she pulled me over the desk.
"We will?"
"My name is Toph Beifong and I need five tickets." Toph slid a paper on the desk.
The lady's eyes widened.
"Ah, the golden seal of the flying boar. It is my pleasure to help anyone of the Beifong family."
"It is your pleasure. As you can see, this is the Princess of The Northern Water Tribe and these three imbeciles are my valets."
"Princess," the lady bows. "But uh the animal-"
"Is my seeing-eye lemur."
"Well normally it's only one ticket per passport, but this document is so official, I guess it's worth five tickets." The lady says stamping the tickets.
"Thank you very much." Toph quickly taking the tickets.
"All right! Sokka says throwing his arms around my shoulder. "We scammed the lady good! Aah!"
I fall back as Sokka gets snatched.
"Tickets and passports, please."
"Is there a problem?" Sokka asked.
"Ugh! Who is this chick." I hiss.
"Yeah, I got a problem with you. I've seen your type before. Probably sarcastic, think you're hilarious. And let me guess, you're traveling with the Avatar."
"Do I know you?" Sokka asks.
The girl grabs him by his shirt. "You mean you don't remember? Maybe you'll remember this," she says kissing Sokka's check.
His face lights up. "Suki!" He says as they hug.
"Sokka, it's good to see you!"
I roll my eyes. "Seriously who is this?" I nag Toph.
"Beats me." She shrugs.
"You look so different without your makeup and the new outfit." Katara says welcoming Suki.
"That crabby lady makes all the security guards wear them. And look at you, sleeveless guy. Been working out?"
"Oh, I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin touches," Sokka lies. "Every now and then. Nothing major."
I roll my eyes. "No, he doesn't," I murmur.
"Someone's jealous."
"What! I'm not jealous."
"I know you're lying." Toph smirks.
"Are the other Kyoshi Warriors around?"
"Yeah, after you left Kyoshi, we wanted to find a way to help people. We ended up escorting some refugees and we've been here ever since," Suki says. "So why are you guys getting tickets for the ferry? Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa."
"Appa is missing," Katara sighs. "We hope to find him in Ba Sing Se."
"I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you doing okay?"
"I'm doing fine," Aang scoffs. "Would everybody stop worrying about me?"
"Avatar Aang, you have to help us!" Ying yells from below us. "Someone took all of our belongings, our passports our tickets. Everything's gone!" She cries.
"I'll talk to the lady for you."
Something tells me she's not gonna like that.
And of course I was right. And we basically were forced to take the Serpent's Pass.
"I can't believe we gave up our tickets and now we're going through the Serpents's Pass." Sokka groans.
"I can't believe you're still complaining about it." Toph scoffs.
"I'm coming too!" Suki says running over to us in full costume.
This isn't the Fire Nation Colonial festival sweetie.
"Oh, great." I roll my eyes.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sokka asks.
"Sokka, I thought you'd want me to come."
"I do, it's just-"
"Just what?" Suki resorts.
"Nothing. I'm glad you're coming." Sokka sighs.
"This is the Serpent's Pass?" Sokka asked once we made it to a long rocky path. "I thought it would be more wind-y. You know, like a serpent. Hm, I guess they misnamed it."
"Look at the writing," Ying says. "How awful."
"What does it say?" Toph asks.
Katara walked over to the sign. "It says, Abandon hope."
"How could we abandon hope? That's all we have." Ying cries.
Damn this lady cries a lot. Okay maybe I'm being a little mean but Suki being here, ticks me off and Sokka has paid zero attention to me since she's been here, like hello.
"I don't know," Aang shrugs. "The monks used to say that hope is just a distraction. So maybe we do need to abandon it."
"What are you talking about?" Katara asks.
"Hope isn't going to get us into Ba Sing Se, and it's not gonna find Appa. We need to focus on what we're doing right now."
"Can we go already." I huff, impatiently walking through the group bumping shoulder with everyone harshly.
I could feel the tension in the air thicken.
Okay, if you guys says so."
We begin to walk along the path.
"The Fire Nation controls the Western Lake. Rumor has it they're working on something big on the other side and they don't want anyone to find out what it
is." Suki says.
She never stops talking does she.
The ground began to shake underneath us as Ying's husband fell off the path but Toph's fast reflexes earthbended him back safely.
"I'm okay!"
We saw a Fire Nation ship. "They spotted us! Let's go! Let's go!" Sokka yells grabbing my arm.
They threw a fireball at us, as Aang jumped in the air, airbending the flame back at the ship.
Rocks came hurling down above me as Sokka pushed me out of the way, taking my place.
Toph then eartbends the rocks away.
"Soul, are you okay?" Sokka asks rushing over to me. "You have to be more careful! Come on!" He says grabbing my wrist.
The sun was starting to set so we decided to camp out for the night.
I grab a blanket, setting it far away from everyone.
"Soul, you shouldn't sleep there. Who knows how stable the ledge is? It could give way at any moment."
"Sokka, I'm fine. Stop worrying!"
"You're right, you're right." He says walking away from me and over to Suki.
"Wait! He jumps over Suki's blanket. "Oh, nevermind. I thought I saw a spider. But you're fine. You okay back there Soul?"
I tried to sleep but I couldn't so I decided to read my book.
"It's a beautiful moon." I hear a voice say from behind a rock. I walk behind the rock noticing Sokka and Suki.
"Yeah it really is." Sokka replies.
I roll my eyes, going back to my book.
"It is you stupid."
"What?" I say peaking behind the rock again. I see Sokka and Suki about to kiss.
Just as I was about to walk away, I saw Sokka pull away before they could kiss. "I can't."
"I'm sorry, I should have known," Suki says.
"What do you mean?"
"You like her don't you?" Suki asks.
Sokka perks up. "Yeah, uh, I do." He says rubbing the back of his neck.
I was still mad at him but I couldn't help but blush. He likes me, I knew it.
"She's really pretty by the way," Suki says.
"Yeah, I know."
"She seems uh, nice, but I don't think she likes me."
"That's Soul for you," Sokka chuckles. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be." Suki says giving him one last kiss on the cheek.
I look away grinning. That's my boy.
The next day Sokka and I made up.
We walked through the ocean as Katara and Aang waterbended a bubble around us.
I saw a dark long figure in the ocean. "What is that thing?"
We all screamed as the creature swam through our bubble.
Toph bends the rocks beneath the ocean rising us all up.
"You're a life savor, Toph."
The sea creature jumped out the ocean shrieking at us. Aang tried to distract the monster as Katara led a path for us.
She waterbends a path for us as we all cross it, well expect Toph. She was slowly gliding through the ice.
"You're doing great!" Sokka yells. "Just follow the sound of my voice."
"It's hard to ignore." Toph replies.
"You're almost there!"
The creature slams his tail against the path making the ice break and Toph fall into the water screaming for help.
"I'm coming Toph." Sokka says but Suki jumped in the water saving her. I saw Toph kiss Suki's cheek.
Katara and Aang joined us on the path once they defeated the sea creature.
"There's the wall. Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se."
Ying gasped holding her stomach in pain. "Oh no!"
"What's wrong?" Sokka asks.
"The baby's coming."
"What? Now?" Sokka shrieks. "Can't you hold it in or something?"
"Sokka, calm down. I helped Gran Gran deliver lots of babies back home."
"This isn't the same as delivering an artic seal! This is a real human being." Sokka yells.
"It's called a baby. Yeah and I've helped her deliver plenty of those too," Katara says. "Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water. Toph, I need you to make a earth tent a big one "
Toph earthbent the tent.
"Soul, Suki, come with me." Katara says as we walk into the tent.
Ying pants heavily as she pushes.
Ugh, this is starting to make me not want kids.
"You're doing great, Ying," I say giving her a thumbs up smiling. "Sokka, where's that water?!" I yell.
"Now get ready to push. One, two, three, push!"
"Ahhh." Ying pushes, I heard a thump on the ground as I turned around and saw Sokka had fainted.
"It's girl." I scream.
"She sounds healthy."
"She's beautiful."
"And so squishy-looking."
"What should we name her?" Ying's husband asks.
I want our daughters name to be unique. I want it to mean something."
"Soul." I cough.
Sokka chuckles wrapping his arms around me from behind as I blush.
"I know what I want to name our baby now, Hope." Ying says.
"That's a perfect name. Hope."
"Soul sounds better, just saying."
Sokka squeezes my side as I jump, hitting his arm.
We walked out the tent as Sokka and I saw Katara and Aang hugging.
"I promise, I'll find Appa as fast as I can." Aang says flying off on his glider.
What just happened? Did Aang just dip on us.
Suki walked over to Sokka as they started talking.
Suki walked over to me. "Hey, I just wanted to say no hard feelings."
I look her up and down. "Uh, sure." I say not really knowing what she's talking about.
She then walked back to Sokka. "I don't think she likes me."
"Eh, she'll be fine." Sokka says patting Suki's shoulder.