The cavern loomed before them, dark and imposing. Stalagmites and stalactites clustered around the entrance like the sharp fangs of some dangerous predator.
Sokka couldn't help but shift nervously in place, imagining all manner of horrors lying in wait within. Toph was utterly fearless, and in fact relished the idea of some monstrous beast attempting to get the drop on her.
"Ready, Sokka?" She turned her sightless gaze on him.
He swallowed, licking his lips.
"I, ah… Y'know, it looks a little unsafe in there, maybe we shouldn't-"
Toph punched him on the arm and he yelped, rubbing at the injured spot.
"Is the big, tough Water Tribe warrior fwightened of the dark? Don't be such a wuss, there's nothing in there more dangerous than me," Toph declared.
This was probably true, in Sokka's opinion. Restraint was not a word in Toph's dictionary, though collateral damage and friendly fire definitely were.
Still, he was not going to chicken out before they'd even begun. Straightening his back, he strode forward into the gloom, a torch held before him to guide his path.
At his side, Toph walked with all the confidence of a person who was totally bereft of worry or fear. Her bare feet informed her of everything that surrounded them, from the smallest insect to the biggest stalagmite
There was a cool feeling to the cave, like a fine mist hanging in the air. A little waterfall ran in the distance, the rushing water echoing against the walls.
"Remind me again what we're looking for?" Sokka asked, mainly to ease the quiet stillness.
"How should I know? Aang told you that," his companion replied.
"Right. Oh, I think I remember, some kind of flower? A yellow one, maybe," Sokka said, somewhat uncertain.
"Nice to know we're going on a wild turtleduck chase," Toph muttered idly, picking at her nostril.
"Hey, we didn't have to come here! You volunteered," he exclaimed.
Toph grunted disinterestedly.
"Can you detect the flower, do you think?" Sokka inquired.
Toph frowned, pausing mid-step.
"I don't know. Probably not," she said after a moment.
"You don't know?" Sokka persisted.
"No. It's not as easy as you think Sokka, even I have limits. Flowers are difficult - they're not like animals; they don't move, but they're not earth either."
Sokka considered this deeply.
"Really? How come you don't walk into trees and stuff then?"
Toph's grey-green eyes found his, shimmering in the torchlight. Her lip twisted as she shrugged.
"They're bigger, they disturb the earth more. Even if I could find this flower, I wouldn't know if it was the one Aang needs," she stated.
The pair walked on in silence, with only the running water and the smack of flesh on smooth stone as Toph stomped on to interrupt the calm.
It felt like they had been walking forever, the cold black walls surrounded them wherever they went. Something shattered beneath Sokka's shoe. It looked to be the skeleton of some small creature.
Though it was clearly long dead, Sokka was slightly creeped out by the macabre remains, and took a step closer to Toph.
A distant squeaking noise reach Toph's ears, a subtle susurrus was rumbling further ahead in the cave. She halted, slamming her feet harder into the ground.
"What is it?" Sokka turned at the noise, staring at her face. She was concentrating deeply.
"Something else is here. Quite a lot of somethings," she answered.
Sokka blanched, reaching behind his back to grasp his boomerang.
"What kind of somethings? Wolfbats? Please tell me it's not wolfbats, I hate them," he moaned.
"No, not wolfbats. They're too small. Not sure what they are though," she told him.
Sokka relaxed but didn't resheath his boomerang.
"Just as long as they're not wolfbats, we haven't got any badgermoles today,"
"Hey, with me around we don't need badgermoles. But you should be careful, just in case." Toph instructed.
Sokka scoffed, waving his torch around in derision.
"Please, when have you ever known me to be careless?" He asked rhetorically, taking a step forward.
And promptly tripped over a small rock, the torch flying from his hands. It clattered against the ground and went out. The noise rang out across the cave, vibrating deep into its heart.
"Don't answer that," he muttered, face down on the ground.
A piercing screech sounded out, before it was joined by many others. There was a whirring noise, like the flurry of dozens of beating wings.
"I think we're about to have company!" Toph shouted, readying herself into an attack stance.
Sokka scrambled forward, crawling over to the torch. Thankfully it still burned, and he picked it up. Hoisting himself to his feet, he withdrew his bone club from his belt. It was no Space Sword, but it had seen him through enough fights in the past.
Out of the darkness, shapes began to emerge. The winged snakes screeched as they darted through the air, menacing fangs bared.
Viper bats. Sokka vaguely remembered Aang mentioning running into a few while lost. Were they venomous? Sokka hoped he wouldn't find out.
Gripping his club in one hand and torch in the other, he backpedalled closer to his younger companion.
"I bet I take out more than you!" Toph challenged, hefting a rock.
Despite himself, Sokka grinned.
"Loser has to do the other's laundry for a week?" He wagered.
Toph simply nodded, letting her rock fly forward. It slammed into a viper bat, knocking it clean out of the air. The limp beast smashed against the ground.
"One to me," Toph called.
The other viper bats withdrew slightly, clustering together. Sokka couldn't tell how many there were, it could have been ten or a hundred. He swung his club lightly, eying the group. One detached itself from the huddle, rushing towards him.
He charged to meet it, waving his weapon before him. The viper bat just managed to evade his strike, and Sokka was forced to quickly sidestep himself. Emboldened, more jumped into the fray.
Sokka was quickly swarmed but he took it in his stride, striking out with his club and even using the torch to scare away the creatures. One managed to get in close and scratch at him with its wings, latching onto his arm.
Sokka knocked it away with the butt of his club, stunning it before it could bite into him. A small pile of injured viper bats lay at his feet.
A scream caught his attention. Toph was surrounded by the reptilian mammals, they were divebombing her relentlessly, though even more littered the ground. One seemed to have latched onto her head, burrowing into her bun.
"I'm coming, Toph!" He called, sprinting towards her.
More bats sprang up, almost putting a wall of scale and leather beneath them. Sokka did not stop, slamming into it and smashing their ranks asunder. The viper bats scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind.
He reached his best friend who was still heaving pebbles around, striking the cloud that engulfed her. the cave began to shake with her torment, stalactites breaking free and driving into the floor.
The rest of the creatures fled, having had enough of the pair's brutal assaults. The one caught in Toph's hair managed to scramble free, making a dash for freedom.
"Oh no you don't," Sokka muttered, dropping his club and grabbing his boomerang.
He cocked back his arm and let loose, the steel blade flying through the air. It collided with the viper bat,who let out a shriek before collapsing, fluttering down to the ground. Sokka caught his weapon and turned back to Toph.
She was a bit of a mess, her black hair tangled and stirred up, with blood from cuts on her cheeks and forehead running down her chin.
He patted her on the shoulder, rubbing it with his thumb.
"Hey. Looks like you win," he congratulated.
Toph smiled weakly.
"Don't I always? Are you alright?" She asked.
Sokka stared at her.
"Me? I'm fine, only a scratch. What about you? You're covered in blood."
Toph laughed, wiping her forehead.
"Cool. Don't worry, it takes more than this to fell the Blind Bandit. Let's find this flower and get the hell out of here though," she said.
"I second that," Sokka muttered, stepping over a dazed viper bat.
The walked side by side, a little closer than normal after their ordeal. The remaining viper bats kept well out of their way.
It was only a few minutes later that they reached the deepest part of the cave. At the very end, Sokka could see a single flower blooming a bright yellow. He swiftly plucked it from the ground.
"Not much to look at," he told her. "Probably has some magical properties or something."
They returned to the camp without any issues and were greeted by a smiling young bald monk.
"Hey guys! Did you get it?" Aang asked them.
Sokka nodded, holding up the plant for the Avatar to see.
"Sure did. What's it for, anyway?" Toph asked him.
"I'm gonna give it to Katara, actually," said Aang, taking it from Sokka. "I think it would look nice in her hair."
Sokka gawked at him, his mind blank. They had gone through that for no reason at all.
"What?!" Toph shrieked, her voice high.
"Yeah! We nearly got killed by viper bats for a dumb gift?" Sokka growled.
Aang backed away from their fury. Avatar or not, his friends could be scary sometimes.
"H-hey guys… Come on…" He said nervously, shuffling in place.
"You know what I'm thinking, Sokka?" Toph asked.
"What?"
"Aang should be the one to do our laundry. For the next month," she declared.
"Sounds good to me. Now let's go and get those cuts cleaned up," Sokka said, and the pair walked off.
Aang watched them go, still clutching the flower. He gazed at it for a moment, before shrugging and heading off the find Katara.
It turned out in the end that she was allergic to it.