Cattails
Chapter Ten
Difficulties
Katara sighed, nudging the curtain aside for another look. The sky was black, with gleaming stars and constellations. It looked like the nighttime sea, sounds moving across in waves while the sky in between was calm, motionless, and as deep as infinity. The stars looked just like the reflections of the moonlight on the rippled surface of the Ocean.
Tonight was a full moon. It was that magical once-a-month event that enhanced her bending three-fold. If any other night you could only move puddles, tonight you could control oceans.
Katara would love to be out there right now, standing next to some pond or river or even the sea, just bending the water and becoming one with it. Unfortunately, cats can't bend.
She settled on staring at the moon and fantasizing about Waterbending.
XOXOXOXOXOX
They were all awake before Iroh, even Sokka. Considering he was a Firebender, that was strange. They had always heard that Fire people, especially benders, rose with the sun. This held true for the rest of the palace; apparently their owner was a black sheep. Aang had woken up energetic, so he went for a walk with Sokka. They had to admit, eavesdropping was much easier now. With the small bodies, they could be right beside a person without their knowledge. Even if the two were discovered, they appeared as regular house cats. Perhaps the person would pet them, but no one had any grief about speaking in the presence of felines.
And so, that is how the boys obtained the knowledge that there would be a war meeting later that day. This was valuable information for someone planning to topple an empire.
An hour later, they'd run back into the room to find the two girls alone. "Katara, Toph! Guess what we found out!"
"What is it, Aang?" Katara replied, much calmer than the excited young Avatar.
"War meeting! Tonight!" Sokka was, if you can believe it, even more excited than Aang.
"Oh, that's good."
"Yeah! They'll probably talk about their strategies and they'll reveal all the Fire Nation's weaknesses to us!"
"Oh my gosh," Toph said breathlessly, "That's amazing!" Sokka smiled, glad someone else understood how awesome an event this was. "This carpeting is so soft!" Realizing her sarcasm, his grin quickly fell into a pout.
"But, guys," Aang said calmly, "This really can help us. We should all try to go."
"Okay. What time?"
"Seven o'clock."
"Got it. So, just follow all the old men in their snooty footsteps there?" Toph certainly had a way of phrasing things.
"Uh," he said, "Yeah…"
"'Kay." She stood and stretched, clawing the carpet a bit. "See you there, Twinkletoes."
"You're leaving?"
"Yup. My nose smells breakfast, and my stomach agrees." She sashayed out the door, mocking their royal surroundings. "Good day, gentlemen and milady." With this last quip, she was gone.
Katara sighed, unintentionally gaining Aang's interest "Hey, Katara. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine. What's wrong?"
"It's just that… Last night was a full moon—the best night of the month for Waterbenders. But cats can't bend."
"Oh. I'm sorry. When we're human again, you can Waterbend all you want with me."
She smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. "Thanks, Aang."
"Hmm… I'll see you two lovebirds later," said Sokka. Aang nearly choked at the word 'lovebirds'.
"Where are you going?" asked his sister.
"We have all day to kill, so," he replied with a grin, "I'm going to go amuse myself."
"Just don't get in trouble!" Sokka would be wise to adhere to this wisdom, but he was already halfway out the door.
She sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. She just knew that whenever something amused Sokka, it usually caused trouble for everyone else.
Getting a good idea, the girl stood up. "I'll see you later, Aang."
"You're leaving, too?"
"Mhm." She saw him get a sad expression. "Why don't you go find Toph and see if she hasn't gotten herself in trouble?"
"Yeah… I'll see you." She left, and the boy sighed; joining Toph on her antics was the last thing he wanted to do. "How'd I end up all alone?"
XOXOXOXOXOX
Toph sniffed the air, fully appreciating her sensitive cat nose. All around her wafted the fragrance--slightly salty, with a hind of lemon spice, and definitely fishy. Her stomach gurgled, aching for the delicacy.
Like a truffle hog, she sniffed her way through the palace, finding herself in the laundry room. Of course, she didn't know this, and the scent of tasty fish was so strong she could have sworn it was the kitchen.
Smelling her way, she crouched down below the table the scent was emanating from. She counted off three, and then pounced, set on stealing the unguarded trout. Her weight landing suddenly on the flimsy folding table caused it to buckle, collapsing towards her. The basket that was atop it slid off, hitting her, and they both fell to the floor.
It was like being hit by a juggernaut, and Toph found herself on the floor with a major headache. She realized she was underneath the overturned basket, and that the table had fallen on top of it. She tried vainly to push it off and free herself, but the weight of the table—however flimsy it was—was still too great for her small body to conquer.
Adding insult to injury, the source of the fishy stench—fisherman's clothes waiting to be washed—lay in a mangled pile next to her, taunting the girl and reminding her that her own gluttony got her here.
"This sucks."
XOXOXOXOXOX
Katara looked down at her reflection, putting a paw up to play with her ears. It took her a while, but at last she found it. A small pond in the courtyard was home to koi and turtleducks, and happened to be the largest body of water on royal grounds. The turtleducks, swimming in a line, quacked in order, one after another. They were enjoying the sunny day by swimming around the pond.
Looking around, Katara made sure she was alone. Waterbending as a cat was an impossible, futile effort, but she was going to try anyway. Rearing up on her back legs, she stood awkwardly upright. Trying one of the basic moves, she attempted gathering some of the water into a ball. Her arms moved just fine, but when the time came that she had to shift her weight, the off-balance girl fell down, landing in a heap on the grass. The turtleducks honked and quacked like they were laughing at her. Still the water had not moved.
She settled on sitting and daydreaming that she could Waterbend.
XOXOXOXOXOX
It took him a few tries, but Sokka managed to find it--Zuko's bedroom, with the door conveniently open a crack. Peeking inside, the Firebender was not there, and Sokka entered. He went over to the closet and nudged the door open. Inside, it was eerily organized, with everything in its place. Seven or eight red outfits, like those he normally wore, hung from coat hangers. After them, a black ceremonial robe came, and then a suit of Fire Nation armour was piled on the floor next to a black pair and a red pair of shoes.
"Boring."
He moved on, searching the room for something exciting. He found a basket of scrolls on a high shelf and knocked it down. He unrolled each a little so he could read. One was on a fancy Firebending move; the rest about Fire Nation history.
"Boring."
Next he found a locked trunk, but he couldn't open it. A drawer in his desk, though, opened right up. Shuffling through, he found a few blank scrolls, a jar of ink, and two pens. The previously organized drawer now looked like a twister had hit it.
Sokka moved on, poking his head under the bed. There was nothing there, not even a dust bunny. He hopped atop the bed, which was already made, and found the pillow. He flipped it over and it fell onto the floor. There was nothing underneath it..
Suddenly a hand grabbed him and tore him off the bed. The other hand grabbed his legs to prevent him from clawing the person.
"Got you!" Sokka could turn his head enough to see Zuko was holding him captive, obviously less than pleased to see his room in such disarray.
Wiggling, he bit Zuko's finger and the boy dropped him. Scrambling, Sokka ran for it. Before he could reach the door, Zuko tackled him, pressing him flat on the ground rather painfully. He choked out, "Mreowl!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zuko holding a burlap sock—the same kind used to carry laundry—and a few moments later it was being used to carry Sokka.
Zuko held it up in the air, satisfied to see the destructive little fur ball twirling around helplessly at the bottom. The cat moaned pitifully, but Zuko wasn't having any of that. He stomped off down the hall, heading to his Uncle's room. Entering, Iroh wasn't inside, so Zuko opened the closet, threw the entire sack inside, and slammed it shut. Then he took a moment to nurse his bitten finger, which was now bleeding.
Inside the sack, Sokka found he couldn't find the way out. He struggled a few moments, attempting to find the exit. Unfortunately, he didn't know that he wouldn't be able to free himself from the sack until an hour later, and then only to find the closet door locked.
XOXOXOXOXOX
At six thirty, Aang left the room to find where the meeting was to take place. No one was going in yet, except a maid to do some last-minute cleaning. The door was shut tightly, with not even a crack to squeeze through. He looked around for his friends, but no one had shown up yet.
XOXOXOXOXOX
Sokka moaned helplessly from the closet. He was hungry, thirsty, had to use the restroom, and worst of all—about to miss the war meeting. He'd been stuck in there for hours, meowing for help the whole time. Apparently, no one else had come inside the room. Desperate, he threw himself against the door, trying to force it open. Aang and Katara had told him the mysterious passage had led to a dead end. The door refused to open, no matter how much he banged against it. The boy was completely trapped.
"Damn it!"
XOXOXOXOXOX
Katara signed, using a claw to cut through the water and send ripples throughout. A few visiting nobles, she guessed they must have been, had come earlier and tossed breadcrumbs to the turtleducks. The foul honked with delight and gobbled the bread up. Those same birds were still there, traversing the pond. The girl almost wished she was a turtleduck instead of a cat, just so she could live a life on the sparkling water.
XOXOXOXOXOX
If Toph were a Firebender, she'd have the palace up in flames in two seconds with how angry she was. She was still trapped, but the situation was even worse now. The basket had started to cave in from the weight of the table on top. Every minute that passed, the roof above her sank, millimetre by millimetre.
"Damn it! Doesn't anyone do laundry here?"
What's worse, the stench of the fisherman's clothing had really started to reek. The smell was even attracting flies. All this was going on not two feet from her head. She grumbled, hungry and nauseous from the rotting-fish stench. Impatient, she meowed as loud as she could, trying to attract help. No one showed up, though, and the girl tried in a futile effort to push against the basket, barely having room left to turn around.
XOXOXOXOXOX
A half hour had passed, and still none of his friends had shown up. Inside, though, the nobles and military had. A pair of guards stood outside the closed door, opening it only for those who were a high enough rank to enter.
He'd tried to sneak in once, but the guard had shooed him away. He couldn't afford to wait any longer. He had to act now. The others would just have to find their own way in.
When a portly man in a trench coat showed up, Aang decided the Spirits must be looking out for him. The back of the coat dangled not an inch above the floor. Timing it perfectly, and watching his tail, the Avatar launched his attack. He dove under the coat and hid between the man's feet just as he was stopping for the guards to verify him. As the man walked forward, he raced to keep in time with his large footsteps. No one noticed as he kept this up until the man took his seat. Having avoided being crushed or spotted, the stowaway darted out under the table as the man plopped down in his chair. Free, he hid beside a table leg, waiting for the war meeting to begin.
XOXOXOXOXOX
Humming, the white-haired woman carried the basket at her side. Stepping into the laundry room, she gasped at the mess. A table had fallen atop one of the baskets, crushing it. Looking closer, she saw something move inside.
"Oh, Agni! You poor kitty!"
She removed the table, which by this point had almost flattened the basket. Taking the crushed thing off, she set it on the table and went to check if the kitten was okay. However, she turned her head just in time to see the thing dart out the door and down the hall.
"War meeting!" Toph gasped breathlessly, sprinting full speed down the hall. "Late!"
She skid around a corner. Knowing the meeting room was just ahead, she turned off and gunned it. The hallways echoed with a loud BANG as the little cat slammed head first into the closed wooden doors.
XOXOXOXOXOX
The turtleducks marched one by one out of the pond and home for the night. Sighing, Katara looked up from her reverie. Seeing the sun low in the sky, she realized what time it was and jolted up.
"Oh, I have to meet Aang!"
She then stood, stretched, and hurried off.
Approaching the room, she found the doors closed. Toph was sprawled out on the floor, moaning a bit.
"Toph! Are we too late?"
"Yeah."
"What happened to you?"
"I found out the hard way."
She didn't know what the girl meant by that. "Are Aang and Sokka inside?"
"No clue. I haven't seen them all day."
"Oh." She took a seat next to her. "Me neither. I hope they made it in time."
XOXOXOXOXOX
In the dark and quiet of the closet, Sokka slept soundly, tired out from his long struggle. Faint sounds of snoring could be heard from just inside the room.
XOXOXOXOXOX
The doors were heavy and thick, allowing no sound to escape. Apparently, the Fire Nation took great precautions against eavesdropping. Both Toph and Katara tried and failed. An hour or so later, Katara was trying again, her ear pressed right up against the wood. She didn't hear talking, but she did hear something else. On the other side, something clicked, and Katara scrambled away just in time. The doors finally opened, and the men streamed out into the hall. Pressing herself against a wall to avoid being crushed, Katara kept watch for Aang and her brother. After all the people had left, Aang came last, looking nervous. Her brother was not in sight.
"Katara, Toph!" He noticed them and went to join the girls. "You didn't make it."
"Sorry, I lost track of time," apologized the older girl.
"I was a victim of the sea trade."
"Huh?" Aang and Katara said in unison.
"Never mind. Where's meathead?"
"Sokka's not with you?" The girls shook their heads. "He wasn't in there with me," said Aang. "I haven't seen him all day."
"That's odd." They started walking, heading back to Iroh's and their room. Katara murmured, "I just hope he's okay."
A short while later, after Aang told the two that no one really said anything useful in the meeting, they stood just in the hall outside their destination. Toph stopped, commanding them to be quiet. She stood, turning her head ever so slightly, ears flicking.
"What is it?"
"I found Sokka."
Nonchalantly she went in to the room with the others following behind her. She approached the closet, and beat a fist against it once. The door opened, sending the boy who had been sleeping against it sprawling.
"Hey!" He looked around at the snickering and confused faces of his comrades. "Oh, the war meeting! Did I…"
"Missed it."
"Damn."
"Sokka," began his sister, and he prepared himself mentally. "Were you trapped in that closet this whole time?"
"Yes…"
"How did you get in there?"
He refused to answer.
"Sokka, the door locks from the outside."
He started to sweat.
Between siblings passed an inaudible message. Call it woman's intuition or telepathy, Katara got it.
"You pissed off Zuko again, didn't you?"
"You know, I think I'm still kind of tired. Goodnight!"
Katara shook her head, wondering why she even worried. "My brother, the idiot."
"Oh!" Said the accused, "How did the meeting go?"
The three shared a grin. "It was amazing!"
"Spectacular!"
"Awesome!"
"There were fireworks and cheerleaders!"
"And meat!"
"Lots of incriminating information on the Fire Nation!"
"Their Achilles' heel, too!"
His face dropped, and Katara could have sworn a tear fell from his eye. "Goodnight!"
Suppressing their laughter, they joined the boy, tired out from their long day. They fell asleep, only faintly aware of a fishy odour coming from Toph.
End Chapter Ten
A/n: Sorry, Toph. I had to do it! Hey, folks, just want you to know I'll be out next weekend. I'm going to Florida to visit my grandpa. This will be my first time to the south! I'll be expecting to get pelted with both bibles and bare boobies (Bible Belt plus Spring break?) Anywho, I'll be there, so I won't be here. Meaning no new chapter next weekend. T.T I know. But, hopefully, this chapter was amusing enough to get you through it.
Thanks for reading. Remember, reviews save the lives of bunnies and kitties.