The Earth Speaks

by Im.never.writting.fanfics

It's been 3 years since the gang has been together. Toph Beifong has built a new life for herself, one of independence and of teaching earthbending. But Toph and her students get flung into an unexpected adventure when she begins having nightmares and an old friend turns up on her door step. Really, it's just an excuse to have a little Tokka

Authors Note:

Ok, Hi guys call me Sonora. So, this is the first time I've ever actually written a Fanfiction, and also the first time I've ever shared anything I've written with someone besides my sister. So if you actually take the time to read this I would love to get your feedback. I don't know how often I'll be able to update this story (because life happens), but Ill try to stay on top of it. Thanks guys for reading you're the best!

And if you're wondering about my user name; I actually swore to myself years ago that I would never write a fanfiction, but here I am. So kids, never swear anything because you will watch yourself eat your words.

Now, on to the story

Chapter 1: Nightmares and Surprises

I breathed in the cool crisp morning air, so cold the frost burned my lungs. I imagined the landscape was icy with snow and that there were glaciers jutting out, forming cliffs out of frozen water. I could feel the sun coming over the horizon, probably making everything blinding white. "Blinding white" I had always found that term humorous. Blindness was not white. It was dark, I would know because I had been blind all my life.

I heard laughing in the distance and knew it was Aang and Katara. We were here visiting the southern water tribe, and while I had enjoyed the people I hated being here. I couldn't see here. I couldn't bend here I was helpless.

"Hey Toph, come here! I want to show you something." It was Aang and I could tell that he was running towards me, Katara was probably not far after him. And then I heard them stop in their tracks.

"No" Katara whispered, "It can't be"

"Run!" Aang yelled

"Wait, guys, what's happening?" But they had already bolted and I had no idea where to go or what to do. Then I heard Katara screaming Aang's name. I cursed my stupid blindness. I wish I could see, I wish I could bend. I wish I could help. Then I felt a burst of searing pain, my skin felt like it was about to melt off.

I woke up with a jolt my hands running down my arms and torso, making sure that I was alright, that I didn't have any burns. My heart was still racing from my dream, no, my nightmare. That was the 4th day this week I had had nightmares about Katara and Aang. They were never the same, but every time there was fire, people were getting hurt, and I couldn't do anything to help Katara or Aang. These reoccurring dreams were beginning to scare me. What if they actually meant something? What if Katara and Aang really were in trouble? It had been three years since FireLord Ozie had been overthrown, and it had been three years too long since "Team Avatar" had been together. Things had really changed for me since then. After the war was over we had stayed in the fire nation capitol to reinstate Zuko as the Fire lord. The Avatar had to be there to make it clear to the world that with this new Fire lord the Fire Nation was entering a time of peace. But when we had finished our last task as a team we all went our separate ways, Katara back to the southern Water Tribe, Aang off to help the nations stabilize once the fire nation pulled out, Sokka went to the Kyoshi Island with Suki to train as an honorary Kyoshi warrior, and I had gone back to my family.

I rolled out of bed, glad to have my feet on solid ground where I could feel, where I could see. I walked over to a chair and began to put my clothes on, preparing for my day of bending. I pulled on the green pants and white shirt, wrapping the brown sash around my waist. The customary clothes of an earthbending master and teacher. When I said things had changed since the war, I really meant that things had changed.

When I had come home from the war I was different. My parents knew that I had fought for my country. They understood that I was not a helpless little girl, but that I had come home a proud strong warrior.

A few days after I had returned from the war my parents spoke with me.

"Toph" my mom had said "We want you to know how very proud we are of you. We have heard how strong you have been and how hard you have fought. People from all over talk of your fearsome earthbending skills."

"Yes" my father began, "we know that because of your independence you don't have to be here. You could be living by yourself, but you chose to come back. Toph, we can't express how much that means to us. But we want to apologize to you. All your life we have loved you and tried to do what's best for you. We tried to protect you from the evils of this world. But know we've realized that it is you who has protected us from the evils of this world. Toph, because we love you we understand, no, I understand, that you can protect yourself. Because we love you, we understand that we have to let you go."

"Toph" my mother interjected, "you are a young lady now, and you can make your own decisions in life."

My dad began to speak a bit hesitantly like he was having hard time coming to grips with what he was about to say.

"We want you to know that in whatever endeavor you decide to pursue, we will give you the freedom to do it. And wherever you decide to go we will still love you support you."

I had stared at then dumbfounded. I wasn't entirely sure what to say. They had just given me what I had always wanted in life, freedom. At first I didn't know what to do with my new found freedom, but that bewilderment didn't last long. About a month after my parents gave me my independence I found out exactly what I would do with my time.

I finished putting my hair up, pulling it away from my face and I grabbed my knapsack filled with supplies to teach earth bending. With my knapsack in tow I headed to our meeting place for the day.

My answer to the question of what to do with my life came in the form of a boy. In the form of Taro.

I had been lounging around the house that day, I was incredibly bored. I was missing Aang, Katara, and Sokka. I was even missing Zuko for heaven's sake! When one of the servants came to me, bowing his head.

"Lady Beifong, there is a visitor who requests an audience with you."

Who whould want to see me?

"Sure" I sighed, "go ahead. Bring them in."

The servant made a small bow and exited. A few minutes later a young man walked in, no a boy. He was tall, but he didn't have the build of a boy over the age of 15. Spirits he was a gangly thing. He walked towards me and bowed his head out of respect.

"Are you Toph Beifong, the Earthbending master?"

'Earthbending master', I liked the sound of that.

"Yes, I am." I said sitting up straighter in my chair.

By the way he paused, I could tell that he was having a hard time believing me.

"What, do you think im lying? Do you not think I am Toph Beifong?"

He paused for a moment

"Well, no I don't think your lying. I'm just surprised that you're so young, and so small, and you really are blind."

Did this guy really come to my house just to stand in my presence and tell me I was a little helpless blind girl? I had just come back from a war, and people were still calling me that? I was tired of people treating me like I was useless and worthless. With a flick of my wrist I had his body encased in rock up to his neck. It was tight around him, almost tight enough to crush his ribs, but I didn't care. I could feel his heart beating a mile per minute, the rock he was in pulsing with fear. I got up out of my chair and began to circle him.

"Yes, I am Toph Beifong, the master Earthbender. I am 13, so maybe I am young. I am blind, so maybe I can't see. I am small, so maybe I'm not that strong. But I dont need to be strong to fight. I dont need to see to win. And I definitely don't have to be old to be a master."

With that I let go of my grip on him and he toppled to the floor.

"Is that clear, toothpick?"

He scrambled into a bow, his nose pressed to the stone floor.

"I am so sorry Master Beifong, I did not come here to insult you. My words were careless and inconsiderate. Would you please accept my humble apologies?"

I could tell that he was sincere. He hadn't meant to offend me, and now I was feeling a little guilty for reacting like I had.

"I accept your apology, but if you didn't come here to offend me, why did you come?"

He picked his face up off the floor so he was now kneeling in front of me. With him kneeling I was only a head taller than him, gosh he was tall.

"Master Beifong, word of your mastery and skill with Earthbending have traveled far and wide, I have even heard rumors that you are able to bend metal. I have traveled from a village near Ba Sing Se to speak with you today. I have come to ask you to teach me Earthbending."

I stood there at a loss for words. He wanted me to teach him? To be his master? I mean sure, I had taught the Avatar. But that was different. He hadn't been older than me. He hadn't left his family and home to come just to learn earthbending, from me.

"I'll think about it,"

I said as I walked away from his kneeling form. But in my heart I had already decided.

"You can go now."

And with that he scrambled out of the room. I knew what I would do know. I would teach Earthbending to those who sought me out.

It had been 2 years and 8 months since I had been teaching Taro. I had three pupils total Taro, Mira, and about a year ago we added Jing. We were known as the Jinshu benders. We had taken odd jobs here and there escorting important government officials and apprehending rough bands of criminals. I loved doing it. But sometimes I felt like I was trying to fill the hole left from leaving my friends after the war. Sometimes I felt like I had created this group of students to relive my glory days. Toph, why do you have to think so much? I hated it when I was being sentimental.

As I walked the worn path my thoughts went back to Aang, Katara, Sockka, and Zuko. Since the war I had seen them only a handful of times, Zuko once when the Jinshu and I had escorted the king of Ba Sing Se to meet him. I had seen Katara for a couple days on new years, for her birthday, and a surprise visit one summer. Aang had dropped in a few times between the chaos of restoring peace to the world, and Sokka, well I hadn't seen at all. He was probably too busy playing warriors and makeup with Suki to make time to see me. It didn't bother me though, sure I had been a bit smitten on him when we were traveling together, but I had bigger problems to worry about than my adolescent crushes. Problems like my nightmares, problems like Katara and Aang. My thoughts kept returning to them and my worry was beginning to put a permanent gloom on my mood. I was was still thinking about them when I got to the gorge. I had picked this location as our training spot because of what was at the bottom of the gorge, sand. We hadn't worked with sand much, but it was earth and it was bendable. It was important to have my students work with different terrains and different types of earth, you never knew where your adventures would take you and what you would need to know. I had been working with bending sand for a while now, ever since I had gotten stuck out in the desert with the Avatar and the rest of the gang. Then I had had trouble bending the sand, it was slippery and and hard to handle. The first time bending sand had been like trying to fight someone with a handful of confetti. But now, I found bending sand as easy as manipulating rocks. All of my students were waiting at the gorge for me when I got there, greeting me with a bow out of respect.

"Toph"

I bowed back Acknowledging their greeting. They no longer called me "Master Beifong" I had made them drop the formality long ago. While being called a master was cool, it hadn't felt right. I wanted them to be my friends, not just my students.

"Alright ladies,"

I heard Jing groan, and Taro was probably glowering at me. They hated it when I called them ladies, so I did it as often as I could.

"Can anyone tell me what we are standing on?"

"uh, sand?" Jing said flatly

"Jing, your really are my star student. Yes, sand. Today we are going to work on bending sand and we're going to start out with a little sparing."

"Alright, something new. Who's butt do I get the pleasure of kicking today?"

Mira stood popping her knuckles and cracking her neck.

"Mira, Jing I want you two to spar and work on the forms I taught you last week. Mira, don't rush into your fight and Juro, don't be afraid to fight her."

"Yeah!" Mira said, "would you actually try this time we fight? I'd probably get more action from a brick wall than from yo-"

But before Mira could finish her sentence Jing had pulled the sand right from under her feet and she fell flat on her behind.

"That's more like it." She said jumping up and just like that they began their fight.

I observed their fight for a moment, feeling their forms when then I froze. I thought I felt something, or someone coming towards us, above us on the cliffs of the gorge. Was it the people who had been after Katara and Aang? They had already killed them and now they were coming for me. But then I realized it was just a horse and his rider, he didn't even seem like a bender. Gosh, these nightmares really had me on edge.

"Master Beifong, did you hear me?"

"Huh, what?"

My head turned in the direction of Taro's voice.

"And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Master?"

I could tell he was smiling

"Well, for some reason you respond faster to 'Master Beifong' than Toph."

I glowered at him and he started to laugh.

"Gosh Toph, even though you're blind you can give glares that could cut through rocks."

"That's because they can"

I smirked. There was a moment of silence, and my thoughts wondered back to Katara and Aang.

"So, are we going to train, or are we just going to stand here?"

His words snapped me out of my thoughts

"Oh, right, sorry. Ready when you are"

We both took ten paces away from one another and got into the bending stance. We slowly began to circle each other. We were both waiting for the other to strike, or for a break in the others concentration. I had to admit, while Taro had only been my student for a short time he had learned quickly, even Faster than Aang. Aang, I needed to figure out how he was doing. Maybe I could send a message or-

My train of thought was broken as a got a mouthful of sand, pushing me onto the ground. Taro had probably been aiming at my torso with the fist of sand hoping to throw me to the ground, but he overshot slamming me in the face, which threw me to the ground all the same. Now I was literally biting the dust. I quickly propelled myself back onto my feet, chastising myself for letting my concentration break. As soon as my feet hit the ground I could feel the blow he was about to deliver to the side of my body. I waited a split second longer before I acted, and I felt the vibrations of the bended sand coming my way. I could feel him trying with all his concentration to hold the pillar of sand together and to keep it coming toward me. When the blow was almost upon me I shifted the direction of the sand and before Taro could neutralize it. The sand barreled right into him knocking him to the ground. I quickly hardened the sand around him pimming him down. I walked over to him bending over him.

"Good job, Toothpick. But next time remember when you bend with sand you have to hold tight to all of it, or you find out very quickly just how easy it is to beat yourself up."

I let go of my hold and he quickly picked himself out of the sand grinning emphatically.

"Well, on the bright side I did get one good jab in. By the way, how does sand taste."

We spared a few more times and Taro kept getting the best of me, winning the next two matches which was a new record for him. After we were done sparing I called them all before me. They were all standing before me, wondering what strange exercise I would throw at them today, and I rummaged in my bag until I found exactly what I was looking for. I tossed an object, roughly the size of my palm, to each of them.

"Metal?" Jing asked to no one in particular.

Mira was completely mesmerized by the chunk of refined earth in her hand.

"Are you going to teach us metal bending?"

The way she said it sounded as if this was almost too much for her to hope for.

"I think you guys are finally ready to work with this."

Taro finally spoke turning the metal over in his hands.

"Are you sure we are all ready to begin this? Can we really learn to bend this?"

He held out his rock as if showing it to me. He seemed to always forget that I was a blind girl.

"Well sunshine, don't doubt your ability too much. I have seen you master just about every type of earth there is: stones, rock, gravel, dirt, and you almost got sand down. For some reason I think you can master metal. Not that any of you are that good or anything"

And with that I bent my metal meteor bracelet off my wrist showing them the ease with which I did it. I didn't normally metal bend in front of people, I still felt like I was an amateur. But I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that I could teach them how to bend metal.

"I have no idea why I think any of you are good enough to learn this, it's not like you guys are the Jinshu benders or anything."

My voice was laced with my trademarked sarcasm. I made the metal twist and turn, like liquid floating between my hands. I had owned the bracelet for three years now. It had been given to me by Sokka, when he had made his fighting sabers. I didn't even know why I still kept it. The stupid bracelet reminded me of the boy who had hurt me. The boy who had tossed me aside for someone who was more beautiful and more sophisticated, for Sukie. I guess I couldn't really blame him. He had known Suki before me, and she was flawless. He had loved her before he knew I even existed; and now, he was with her, thousands of miles away from me, and had probably forgotten that I existed.

I stopped bending my bracelet putting it back on my wrist, and I turned my thoughts away from Sokka. My students were gaping at me, all mesmerized by the way I had so effortlessly bent my bracelet. Since I didn't metal bend in front of them much they regarded it more like a magic than an actual bending ability. Taro began meticulously examining his metal as if just by staring at it he could learn its secrets and become a fully realized Metalbender.

"We started with sand today for a special reason"

My words brought their attention away from the metal and back to me.

"Sand is a lot like metal. It is many different pieces but you move it as one."

I could feel their confusion, so maybe it did sound a little stupid to compair sand to metal. I took a deep breath searching for the words to help them understand.

"Well, you realize that metal is simply refined earth. While it feels unresponsive as a whole you can find the points in it that are still earth. When you find those points you move them all together, as one. Just like sand."

They all nodded their heads as if it finally made since

"But" Taro began "how do you find those points in the metal? You make it sound so simple, but it can't be that easy. Nobody else has ever done this before."

I smirked, he was right maybe I was making it sound simpler than it really was.

"You have to feel it." I replied "You have to hold it and understand how it works. Because it's not easy. I want you to spend the rest of the day becoming familiar with your metal. I want you to experiment with it. I want you to feel for the earth in it, and when you find it you'll know."

I sat back and watched them become acquainted with their metal, all of them with their ridiculous antics. Taro was experimentally tasting his metal, Mira was wacking a stone with hers, and Jing was whispering to his metal, something about the metal bending for him because he had defeated a platypus bear with his teeth.

I kept watching but it wasn't long before my thoughts were back with Katara and Aang. I was not normally a worrier, but the last time I had recuing dreams like this was before I met the avatar. For days, no, weeks before I met Aang I had dreams of a boy coming out of a frozen sea his head glowing with a blue arrow, and in my dream I had taught him to earthbend. It wasn't long after that dream that it became a reality. I guess my dreams had been one of the reasons I had refused to teach him. I didn't want my life to be so predictable. It scared me to think my dreams could be real, that they could anything more than dreams. But I had realized that running away with the avatar and being his teacher was the most unpredictable thing I could do.

"Master Beifong, I asked if we were through for the day."

I jumped with a start, caught in day dreams, again. I was being a very lousy master today. I need to pay more attention. While I could see fairly well with earthbending I couldn't see shadows with it and I couldn't tell the passage of time without paying attention. But judging by the heat of the sun it was probably late afternoon.

"Yeah, let's break for the day." I stood up off the ground "I want you to keep the metal, keep getting to know it."

"We actually know each other pretty well know."

Jing said nonchalantly

"She told me her name was Min Lee"

"Spirits above!" Mira exclaimed "next time we see Jing he's going to be married to the dumb thing!"

Jing looks at us in mock surprise.

"Don't talk about Min Lee like that!"

"Oh shut up" I said punching him in the arm

"Don't get too attached to her or I'll have to tell her boyfriend."

Jing glowered at me rubbing his hurt arm.

"We'll train here again in 3 days, I'll see you guys then."

"Woah guys," Jing joked "Toph said she's going to be able to see us in three days!"

I did my best to glare on his direction and tried to punch his arm, but he was expecting it and jumped out of the way.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

"Come on" Mira grabbed Jing by the arm, jerking him along with her. "Let's get going, before Toph decides to wack you for your cheekiness. Taro, are you coming?"

"No, I've got work in the stables today."

Mira nodded at him

"Ok, we'll see you at the house tonight."

And then they were gone, Mira still dragging an apologetic Jing behind her.

Taro and I started off back to my house. Taro used to work in our stables regularly. When he had first come to learn earthbending he had lived on our estate. He had hated the thought of living in our house without giving us any pay, as if we needed money, but he insisted on working. He was placed as a stable boy by the overseer of the house, and it turned out that he had a knack for working with horses. After Jing had joined they decided to get a real house and real jobs in the outlying city. Mira worked with the merchant Fei, Jing as grunt work for a cabbage farmer, and Taro worked with the local black smith, but he still came every other day to work in the stables. We had been quietly walking for some time when Taro broke the silence.

"Toph, what's wrong?"

Some days it annoyed me that I was so easy to read. Or maybe it was just that Taro was really good at reading me.

"Nothing's wrong"

I tried to say it as naturally as I could, but even I could hear the lie in my voice.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine!"

I snapped. He stopped walking and I slowed stopping a few paces ahead of him. I was feeling a little bad about being so harsh, but he wanted to talk and I wasn't sure if I was ready yet. He placed a hand on my shoulder turning me around to face him. He brushed my bangs away so he could look at me in the eyes.

"Toph, I'm worried about you. You don't ever tell anyone how you feel. People aren't meant to live their lives with their feelings bottled up inside. So don't lie to me about being fine. You haven't been right today, you've been so distant. You slipped up during sparing, you spaced out during training, and you forgot to keep time. This isn't like you Toph."

I thought about shrugging his accusation off, but It probably wouldn't stop him from trying to get the truth out of me. And with his concern so evident in his voice I didn't think I could refuse him. No, I needed to tell him. This had been eating me up inside for far too long, and he knew just as well as I that if something bothered me enough to show then it was bad.

I let out a long sigh turning my head away from him. When I faced people I could feel their gaze. I knew that they were reading my face, and that made it harder to talk.

"It's stupid" I said breaking away from him

"If it was stupid you wouldn't be worried about it."

And he was right, I didn't get worried about stupid stuff. I probably didn't even worry about half the important stuff I should worry about.

I felt a rock bench being bent up from the ground and Taro sat down, patting the space next to him.

"Let's talk"

I hesitated, second guessing the idea of talking. Maybe if I put him in a rock box and ran I wouldn't have to spill my guts to him.

"Toph, if you run I am going to hunt you down and sit on you until you talk, so help me."

I slowly trudged over to him, he knew me too well. I flopped down on the bench beside him.

"It's stupid dreams."

I said angrily. He paused looking at me, I could tell he was confused.

"What do you mean, dreams?"

I bit my lip, my anger was melting into worry and anxiety.

"Well, I've been having nightmares, every night this week. And they've only been getting worse. Katara and Aang are in them, every night. They get hurt, or captured, or even worse. And the whole time I'm helpless, useless. I can't stop them from getting hurt. I can't see the enemy or fight them off. I feel this terror like I've never felt before and it's killing me."

I tried not to cry, I really did. But all I could think of was the screams of pain, the helplessness of the people around me, and the utter terror I felt at the core of my being. Taro put an arm around me pulling me towards him, and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"It's not stupid. Even though it's not real, your feelings are real."

"But that's it."

I said pulling away from him I dropped my head in my hands.

"I can't help but think that they are real. I know it's not rational, but the last time I had recurring dreams like this they came true."

There was a long pause and finally Taro spoke

"Listen, I can't explain why you have your dreams. I can't tell you that they are not going to happen, but I can assure you one thing. Katara is one of the most skilled water benders of all the water bending tribes. Aang is the avatar, he is the master of all four elements. I think it would take a whole lot of guts for anyone to capture or kill them, and if there was a fight that big, or even a band of rebels strong enough and organized enough to capture them we would have heard about it."

I slowly nodded my head, he was of course right again. They were skilled, powerful benders. If there was a group of people strong enough to capture the famous waterbender or the Avatar, everyone would know about them.

"And look, when we get back to the estate I'll help you write a letter to both Katara and Aang, and we'll send it to them through a messenger bird."

"Ok"

I said wiping my tears with the palm of my hand.

"I wish there was something I could do about the nightmares. Maybe we could go to the apothecary and see if they have any herbs that will help you sleep soundly."

"Ok, but maybe tomorrow. I want to get home and get those messages sent."

"Ok, then tomorrow it is."

Taro stood up offering me his hand, and pulling me off the bench. We stood facing each other for a moment and then I hugged him. He stiffened for a second, surprised that my display of affection did not come in the form of a punch and a sarcastic comment. But it wasn't long before his shock faded and his strong arms wrapped around me, like holding on to me could ward off all the bad dreams.

"Thank you so much."

I said into his chest. He sighed

"I just wish there was more I could do."

"No, you've done so much already."