Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Avatar the Last Airbender or the Avengers (MCU), only the story. Avatar the Last Airbender and its characters belongs to Nickelodeon and Avengers belongs to Marvel. I apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.
A/N: I know that I was away for a little bit, but I do have many a story to work on. But now I'm back and ready to finish Book 2 with a bang.
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Katara: Water, Soldier, Mechanist, God, Earth, Fire, Spy, Archer, Monster, Air
(One by one, eight figures do something to show off their skills: the Waterbender weaves a stream of water from the ground, around him and then thrusts it towards the side, the soldier blocks an attack with his shield before throwing it, the mechanist has armor envelope him and then uses the repulsor on his hand to blast something on the side, the god holds a powerful hammer high to summon a bolt of lightning, the Earthbender kicks the ground bringing up a large rock before he kicks it away, the Firebender twists around as she summons fire from her foot before doing a high kick to the ground and makes the flames spread, the spy drops down from above and displays a few moves, the archer rolls across the ground and fires a few arrows, and finally the monster comes down from a jump and smashes his huge fists on the ground, the Airbender drops down and then with a circle of his arms he creates a blast of wind.)
Katara: Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
(Docked on a shore, five Fire Nation ships with the Hydra insignia released their soldiers. With a jump forward and a palm thrust, the firebenders released a wave of fire as the Hydra soldiers used their advanced technology.)
Katara: Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
(The Avatar, a man with a crown on his head and dressed in robes stands on a pillar of stone as he bent the four elements of water, earth, fire and air to show his skill in the arts of bending. After releasing a powerful disk of wind, he disappears from existence.)
Katara: A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar: an Airbender named Aang and met the team called the Avengers.
(The water tribe siblings find a young Airbender frozen in block of ice. After freeing him, they are then joined by heroes called Captain America, Ironman, Thor, Hulk, Clint, and Natasha.)
Katara: And although with the teams help and his airbending skills are great, hehas a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone.
(At an Air Nomad path, Aang creates an air scooter and starts to have fun with it. But when he expands his circle a little bit, he runs right into a statue. He rolls over onto his back as all six of the Avengers then poke their heads from behind the statue to check on him.)
Katara: But I believe the Avengers and Aang can save the world.
(Aang, Steve, Katara, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Sokka, Clint, Toph and Natasha stand side by side, looking down at the world on a mountain's peak for a moment as the reader's view is turned upwards to the sun.)
Nickelodeon and Marvel
The Avenging Avatar
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Avatar Roku: Previously, on Avenging Avatar…
"I came along because I wanted to make sure that you guys got through the Serpent's Pass safely." Suki said when she departed from the group. She gestured to the path behind her, "But now I need to get back to the other Kyoshi warriors."
Suki then looked to Natasha and asked, "Ready to go?"
"Huh?" The group said and looked to the spy. Natasha turned to them and looked a little nervous about it. Then she said, "Yeah, that was something that I was meaning to talk to you guys about."
"But we just got most of the group back together." Clint argued. Natasha nodded and said, "I know. But I feel like I can do a little good if I went with Suki."
"What do you mean?" Katara asked. Natasha looked to the Waterbender and said, "I mean, I can get intelligence, do a little recon and other things out here. Suki was even telling me that she and the Kyoshi Warriors weren't staying much longer at Full Moon Bay."
"You stole Appa!" Aang angrily said when he stepped up to the Sandbenders. He pointed his staff at them and questioned, "Where is he? What did you do to him?"
"I-I-I traded him." Ghashiun fearfully said, "He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now."
"He's here, I can feel it." Aang said when they finally made it to the big city. A few days later, a saddened Momo was laying in a foot shaped hole in the ground, really missing Appa. It was then Bruce took notice of the hole that Momo was in. It had a bit of an odd shape to it. Deciding that it needed further inspection, Bruce noticed a small stack of crates and went to climb it. When he made it to the top, he looked at the hole. From that height, the shape of the hole became much clearer to him when he said, "Appa."
It seemed to make Momo perk up a little and look up to the Avenger. Bruce came down from the crates and took a look about for any other clues. When he looked to his left, he saw something shiny standing out in the rain and walked over to it. It seemed to be a small object of sorts and when he pulled it out he saw that it looked like a Widow's Bite. He lowered the object as he had a good idea of who it belonged too, "Nat."
A chittering Momo came up to him and he looked to the lemur. Bruce shook his head, "Yeah, it's got me wondering too, buddy."
"I'm Long Feng, head of the Dai Li." The right-hand man to the Earth King introduced himself to Aang at the Earth King's party. Soon in the library and after a quick discussion, Long Feng looked to the group and ominously said, "I understand that you've been looking for your bison.
"It would be quite a shame for you to be unable to complete your quest." He added, making Aang's eyes narrow to this.
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Book Two: Earth
Chapter Eighteen: Appa and Natasha's Lost Days
Four Weeks Ago…
About four weeks into the past, Appa, Thor and the Hulk were up against the Sandbenders while Toph was trying to keep the library from sinking. Toph gave it everything she had to keep the library from going under as she screamed, "No! Stop sinking!"
Meanwhile, while Thor and the Hulk had been dealt with, the Sandbenders were able to get a hold of Appa through a series of ropes. Appa growled as he fought to free himself. The lead Sandbender tried to keep his grip on his rope, but yelped when Appa reared his head back and pulled the man off his feet. Appa started to get more loose as he made two other Sandbenders jump out of the way when he bashed his tail at them. He kept struggling and managed to send another of them flying. But he was having some difficulty with the rest as they managed to keep their grip. Over by the library tower, Toph glanced back and warned them, "Don't make me put this down."
Toph released her hold on the sinking structure and fired a wave of sand at their attackers. But she ended up missing by a few feet and the Sandbenders were still focusing on Appa. Toph quickly turned and jammed her hands against the side of the tower again to prevent it from going any further. Even though she couldn't do much, she did hear one of the Sandbenders shout, "Put a muzzle on it."
One of the Sandbenders twirled another rope before launching it forward. The rope wrapped around Appa's muzzle a few times, but thanks to his strength he was able to break it off with a roar. The man quickly jumped out of the way when Appa turned his head towards him. Another Sandbender threw another rope that wrapped around his right horn and they all pulled down to keep Appa from fighting. But Appa continued fighting when he knocked another Sandbender away with his head. He tried to take off, but the leader of the group twirled another rope and flung it. It wrapped around Appa's back left leg and the leader pulled on the rope. For an extra measure, he twisted his leg to ground himself to the desert. The others who still had a grip on their ropes did the same. Others threw more ropes and they all started to bring Appa back down to the ground. Appa roared as he continued to fight against the Sandbenders. But unfortunately he was outnumbered by them and was brought back down to the ground with a thump. When they were sure he was secure, the leader signaled one of the sand sailors to come forward. It pulled up and the Sandbenders quickly got to work tying Appa to it and another before pulling off. Appa groaned as he was pulled away into the desert. From her spot at the tower, Toph knew that she had failed at one thing while succeeding at another. She closed her eyes when she said, "I'm so sorry, Appa."
As he was being led away from the library, Appa's eyes closed from how tired he was from the struggle.
…
A little later that day, the Sandbenders and Appa had crossed a few miles into desert. When he believed that they had gotten good enough away, the leader removed his facial covering and gestured for the sand sailors to stop. The group came to a stop and the leader, Ghashiun, jumped off of the sand sailor. Pointing to the saddle on Appa's back he ordered, "Ransack his saddle!
"Who knows what treasures are stashed up in there!" He added with a grin, thinking that he had struck a big bounty. Two of the Sandbenders ran forward, but Appa stopped them with an angry growl. They looked back to their leader and Ghashiun assured them by saying, "He's tied up real good. He can't hurt you.
"Now get up there." He ordered and they both nodded. The two Sandbenders proceeded by using their sandbending to launch themselves to the saddle. But the dust they kicked up tickled Appa's nose and he let out a big sneeze. The power of sneeze shot the lead sand sailor towards a large dune and created a large dust cloud in the process. One of the Sandbenders looked to Ghashiun and asked, "What's your father gonna do when he finds out that we lost a sand sailor?"
"Nothing." Ghashiun scoffed, thinking little of it. He gestured to where the sand sailor had come from and said, "It's the one that we stole from the Hami Tribe, remember.
"Did you empty the saddle yet?" He questioned when he turned to the two Sandbenders up in Appa's saddle. The two kept tossing down what the team had kept packed up in there. From Sokka's machete to Aang's umbrella, they didn't find anything that they were hoping for. Ghashiun looked about the tossed items and questioned, "That's it? That's all there is?
"Nothing but garbage!" He angrily kicked Sokka's machete away. He kicked another item away while the Sandbenders came down. Ghashiun didn't think that it was a total loss, "Doesn't matter anyway. We'll still make a bit of a profit from selling him to those beetle-headed merchants."
The Sandbender next to him then leaned down and picked up Aang's umbrella. He opened it up and raised it over his head. The Sandbender seemed to like the shade while Ghashiun looked to him. The leader of the small group then decided, "Round up a few of the items, they may still fetch a small price."
The Sandbenders moved to carry out his orders before they continued on their way.
…
It was a not too much later when the Sandbenders and their captive pulled up to a small camp. The leaders of the beetle-headed merchants watched as the Sandbenders pulled Appa right into the middle of their camp. Appa growled as he looked about the place. The three merhcants walked around to Appa's head and asked Ghashiun, "How's his temper?"
"Uh, pretty good." Ghashiun said, wanting to be able to make the trade. But a roar from Appa made everyone jump back away from the bison. The three looked to the Sandbender with questioning looks. He nervously laughed when he added, "Most of the time."
"I bet that someone will pay a fortune for him in Ba Sing Se." One beetle-headed merchant said to another. The other man looked to Ghashiun with a grin as he accepted, "All right, you've got yourself a deal."
One of the merchants came over with a large box in hand. They handed it to Ghashiun and he opened it to take a look inside. Satisfied with the contents, he nodded to the beetle-headed merchants. They all moved to untie Appa from the sand sailors to a large rhinoceros beetle. The beetle pulled Appa to a sled that had leg like attachments to it. When he was in place, two other merchants closed the legs over him to keep him still. Everyone looked pleased to see that things were going well.
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Not too far from the bison and his captors, Aang and Thor were flying over the desert in search of their missing friend. Aang called out hoping that his bison would hear him, "Appa! Appa!"
When the Airbender didn't hear anything, he took out his bison whistle and gave it a good blow. From behind, Thor looked about to see if he could see anything that Aang may have missed.
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Back over at the beetle-headed merchant's camp, Appa's eyes widened when he heard the sound of Aang's whistle. He looked about to find where it was coming from, but with his limited vision he couldn't see much. Knowing that he needed to get back to Aang, the bison started struggling in his binds to get free.
From the two sand sailors, Ghashiun happened to see what was happening. A big grin formed on his face and he waved, "He's your problem now! Good luck!"
"What?" One of the beetle-headed merchants said in shock while the Sandbenders sailed away. They looked back to see a growling Appa still rocking the sled. Appa then lifted his tail and was able to snap the ropes holding the appendage down. Then with a big slam of his tail, Appa was able to catapult himself into the air. The man on the giant beetle cried out as he and the beetle were turned over. The two merchants were watching the disastrous purchase starting to get away when one of them shouted, "We need the Shirshu spit darts!"
"Got them." The other said while whipping out a small shooter and the darts. He loaded one in while keeping an eye on Appa, "Okay, big fella, time for you to take a nice, little snooze."
The man blew three darts at Appa and they managed to hit him in his front left leg. Appa groaned from the pricks of the dart and immediately felt the effects. He fell from the air with a crash against the sand. Appa fought to stay awake, but he found himself overcome by the darts.
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From his spot in the desert, Aang landed on a dune and closed his glider while Thor landed not too far from him. Aang looked about and shouted again, "Appa!"
He looked about the desert for any sign of his friend and tears welled up in his eyes as he thought that he had lost his beloved bison forever. He tried to deny it when he clenched his eyes shut, "No."
Aang became so angry when he opened them again and jumped over to another dune. He slammed his staff against the sand and it created a large explosion. Thor had to brace himself against the high winds and large amounts of sand that resulted from it. The mushroom dust cloud could be seen for many miles.
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As he started to lose consciousness, Appa could see the explosion created by Aang in the distance. Appa tried to keep fighting, but it was a battle that he was unfortunately losing. The voices of the beetle-headed merchants became a little distorted from the darts as one said, "We've got to get rid of this one. He's way too much trouble."
"We could sell him for parts." The other suggested right as Appa's eyes closed and his world faded to black.
…
Appa didn't know how long he was out for, but when he started to awaken, he noticed a few things that was different about the environment. For one thing, he no longer felt the soft sand underneath him, he could smell fire close by and he heard the noises of other animals. He felt something cold attached to each of his legs. He was suddenly surprised when he heard the sound of a man's sigh. The man then said, "I understand that you've had a rather hard time lately.
"That's too bad." He added right as Appa opened up his eyes. He could see the man standing outside of some iron bars with his arms crossed. The man was wearing a red and yellow outfit with a red hat with a yellow flame symbol in the middle. The man then looked to be thinking when he said, "You probably felt that you had no other choice but to behave outrageously, like a wild animal.
"But don't you worry. You won't be doing that anymore." He said almost reassuringly while walking up to the cage that Appa was in. He petted the bison's head when he said with a dark grin, "Because I'm going to break you so that you behave from now on."
Appa groaned as he knew that this wasn't going to end well.
…
A little later, Appa was starting to feel really hungry. He felt as if he hadn't eaten in at least a few days. He suddenly heard the creaking of wheels and glanced over to see the man from earlier coming in with a cart full of cabbages. The man stopped before the cage of a platypus bear and fed it one of the heads of cabbage. The platypus bear took the vegetable and ate it. The man with the wheel barrow walked past Appa and the bison groaned when he saw the cart full of cabbages. Appa tried to move, but found it difficult with the chains on his legs. Appa growled and tried to get the shackles off by biting them, but couldn't since they were made of metal. The circus man stopped before a vulture-like creature and it squawked, wanting to be fed. The man happened to notice that Appa too was hungry and said while feeding the vulture-lion, "Hungry?
"Don't worry, I'm going to feed you, too, big fella." He said while walking up to the bison with a head of cabbage in hand. He extended it as if to give it to Appa. But when the bison tried to get it, the man pulled his arm back, "But not just yet."
Appa looked confused while salivating at the sight of the cabbage. The man then said while walking back to the vulture-lion's cage, "But first, I'm going to show you how you'll be earning it."
He gave the vulture-lion the head of cabbage before he opened the cage. As if by instinct, the vulture-lion squawked before leaping out of the cage. It took to the air and the circus man stepped to where he had some room. With a flick of his wrist, he created a whip of flames before flicking it at the vulture-lion. The animal squawked in fear before falling in line and started performing a routine. The circus man ran after the vulture-lion to keep it under control. But left Appa alone with the cabbage cart. The bison looked to the cart before sucking in a breath of air and it pulled the cart a little closer to his cage. Thanks to the suction power, he was able to draw a head of cabbage into his mouth. Appa ate it and it tasted so good to him.
The vulture-lion did its routine by flying through a couple of hoops while doing a couple of loopty-loops. On the third hoop, the lion vulture caught it with its mouth before somersaulting through the air. When it was able to right itself again, the lion-vulture threw the ring to the circus man. He caught it in his hand and explained to Appa who was still sucking cabbage heads into his mouth, "Of course, when you're performing, the hoops will be on fire.
"And if you're being careful then you won't get yourself burned." He said, though he really didn't care much for the animals. The man was very shocked when he heard Appa give a loud belch behind him. The man turned to Appa with a glare and threatened, "You're about to be very sorry."
Then with a wave of his arm, he reignited his flaming whip before creating a wall of flames between him and Appa. Appa groaned from the intense heat. The circus man then said with great contempt as he came up to the wall of flames, "It's quite obvious that whoever your previous owner was, he had no idea how to handle you as properly as he should have."
Appa glared at the circus man for the way he was speaking about Aang.
…
The next evening and some rigorous training, the colonials from the Fire Nation started gathering around the circus. Carnival music played as people milled about. By the animal tent, a young Fire Nation boy was walking by the open flaps and saw Appa in the corner of his eye. He moved back to the entrance to see the bison trying to use his suction power on a bale of hay. But couldn't since a bale of hay was a little heavier than cabbages. After a couple more attempts, Appa stopped and noticed the boy. The kid smiled at the bison and thought of helping him when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped a little before turning to face his father. His dad then let him now, "I'm going to go and get a bag of sizzle crisps.
"Stay right here and stay away from that monster." He warned when he pointed at Appa. He walked away and added, "Now behave yourself, or you'll regret it."
The boy watched him go before looking back to Appa. Deciding to do the opposite of what his father had told him, the boy ran into the tent towards the bale of hay. It took a little effort on the boy's part, but was able to push the bale of hay towards Appa's cage. When he made it to where Appa could grab it, the bison gave him a lick of gratitude and the boy chuckled. The kid backed away and Appa started eating the bale of hay. The boy looked as if he were about to say something, but became really nervous when he saw some people walking into the tent. He quickly high-tailed it out of their and moved behind the flap just as the animal keeper and the ring master walked in. They stopped before Appa's cage and the animal keeper tried to warn the ring master, "He's a difficult creature to deal with, very stubborn and willful. I need more time to work with him.
"It's a little too risky right now." He shook his head. The ring master questioned, "Too risky? What are you talking about?
"This is the circus, home of fear and danger." He said while gesturing to the whole place. Pointing to Appa he dramatically ordered, "I want the wind buffalo to perform tonight.
"See that it happens." He added before walking out of the room. The animal keeper turned to Appa with a glare. The boy watched as the man threatened the bison, "If you don't behave yourself tonight…
"You will regret it." He said as he came forward and created a large ball of flame. Appa roared in fear to the fire and the animal keeper seemed to enjoy Appa's torment. Thinking that he had made his point across, the animal keeper put the fire out and walked out of the tent. The boy looked to Appa with a sympathetic look, not liking how the bison was being treated and gave him a kind smile. When Appa looked over to the boy, he felt like he was looking into the smile of Aang. But the boy was pulled away by his father when the man said, "Let's go."
"See ya later, buddy." The boy waved as he walked off. Appa only groaned as he laid down in his cage, grateful to at least know that someone was willing to care about him.
…
Later that evening, the crowds had gathered into the main tent to watch the show. A group of performers had just finished their act and were starting to make their way out. The crowds were applauding the performance. Sitting in the front row was the boy and his father. The boy looked to the bag of sizzle crisps and moved to take one. But the older man noticed and moved to keep his food away from his son. The boy just sighed and placed his head on his hand when the ring master said, "Ladies and gentleman, now for something truly special."
Everyone looked with anticipation as the lights started to dim. The ring master moved to the middle of the tent and created a ball of flame in both hands when he said, "A noble beast, so magnificent and very rare, that it hasn't been seen by human eyes in generations.
"I give you…" He raised the flames high over his head. Then with a flaming sweep of his hands he gestured to one side of the tent he shouted, "The wind buffalo!"
The curtain dropped to reveal Appa wearing a circus getup and his face covered in makeup. He scratched the side of his head as the audience started laughing from how ridiculous he looked. But the boy in the front row only looked to the bison with sympathy and thought it cruel of how they were treating him. The animal keeper moved to meet Appa in the middle of the tent and raised his arms while ordering, "Up."
Appa started spinning around and it made the audience laugh again. But the animal keeper didn't like that when he looked back to the audience. Turning his attention to Appa again he ordered with a glare, "Up, you insolent cow."
He formed his fire whip and struck at Appa. The flames snapped just above him, but it was enough to make Appa roar. From his seat, the boy couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and shouted, "Run away! Get away from him!"
The boy was stopped when his father pulled him back into his seat. The animal keeper continued snapping the whip of fire at Appa in an effort to make the bison do as he commanded. Appa then flew into the air and it amazed the crowds but the boy as he looked in sadness. Appa flew towards a burning ring and was able to make it through without getting burned. He landed on a tall podium and struck a pose with five of his legs sticking out. The boy could only watch and hopped that the bison wouldn't get hurt. Appa then flew towards another flaming ring but the top of his outfit touched the ring and it caught fire. Appa could feel the flames on his back and quickly turned to put them out. As he moved his tail knocked another ring off its perch. The flames immediately went out and ended up hitting the animal keeper on the head. He fell to the ground with a groan as Appa landed. Appa looked about when he heard everyone in the audience laughing from what he just did. But when his gaze fell upon the boy, who was now laughing, it really reminded him of Aang as he laughed.
With a roar, Appa shook his head to get rid of his ridiculous get up. Some of it fell off and it seemed to make him and the boy much happier. The boy then encouraged, "Go on. You can do it."
Appa took off into the air and headed for the top of the tent. The bison was going to break out and get back to Aang, even if he had to make himself an exit. But before he could get too far, a blast of fire made him turn around. An enraged animal keeper shouted at him, "Get back down here, you stupid beast!"
He created his flame whip again and raised it when Appa came at him. But Appa was ready for him when he turned his body and swatted the animal keeper with his tail. The man was sent flying through the fabric of the tent and went sailing through the air. He grunted when he fell in a barrel full of water. The man broke through with a gasp for air. When he had calmed down enough he muttered, "Ugh! Barrel water."
Appa in the mean time made his exit by flying through an opening in the tent. The rest of his getup was torn off and flew on and never looked back. Down in the tent, the boy had a content smile as he saw the bison go.
With new found energy and a goal in mind, Appa made his way from the circus and made a bee-line to get back to the desert, and back to Aang.
…
It was a little before dawn when Appa had reached the Si Wong Desert. He somewhat remembered the way he had come when they found the tower to the library. When he came over the spot where the tower had been, he remembered when it was there and found the area to be the right one. But was surprised to see that there was no tower, only a crater of where it had once been. Appa landed in the crater and sniffed around, trying to find a scent of Aang or any of the others. But he groaned when he couldn't find anything and laid down to rest for a bit.
…
The sun still hadn't risen yet when Appa took off again. He had a feeling that he would eventually find his way back to Aang, but for now he needed to find himself a way. But a growl from his stomach made him side track for a bit. He noticed an egg sitting out in the middle of the desert. He touched down and was about to eat it when a lizard came running through and scooped the egg up in its arms as it kept running. Appa watched the lizard run off before he noticed something to his left. A desert cactus, much different from the one that Sokka and Bruce had drank from, was sitting in the middle of the desert. He flew over and scared away a jackalope and took the cactus in his teeth. But he was unable to enjoy it when he felt the needles pricking his tongue and cried out in pain from it. When the pain finally subsided, Appa groaned and took to the air again.
…
The sun had started to rise and Appa was really starting to feel the effects of the heat. But as he flew over the dunes, his nose caught the smell of something. Deciding to follow it, he came across the large rock structure in the middle of the desert. He noticed the large hive like structure and noticed a few indentions in some places. He also noticed a few rocks tossed here and there and wondered if the group had been here. But another growl from his stomach made his mind drift to eating. He flew into one of the openings of the hive and had surprisingly found himself in what appeared to be a chamber filled with honey. He started to engorge on the sweet, yellow, sticky stuff when a buzzing sound came to his ears. His eyes widened when he saw a few the buzzard-bees flying right at him. He quickly turned tail and flew out of the hive. The buzzard-bees followed the shackled bison from the hive and into the desert. But before going any further, Appa turned and with a swing of his tail, he created a wave of air that knocked his pursuers out of the sky. They all fell down with a shriek and crashed into the sand below. But the buzzard-bees soon got up and started making their way towards the hive while Appa flew off.
Appa landed a good deal away from the hive and landed on the desert floor. He panted from doing so much running and flying, plus the heat of the desert was helping any. He started licking the honey that was coating his fur. But it wasn't enough to satisfy him as he laid there with a groan.
He laid there for a bit as the sun rose a little higher. Appa looked out into the desert and thought he saw something standing a good distance away from him. The bison narrowed his eyes and became delighted when he saw Aang, Steve, Toph, Thor, Sokka, Katara, Natasha and Clint all standing there. They seemed to be waving for him to come to them. Appa wearily stood up on all six legs and flew over to them. But when he was about halfway to them, they vanished from sight. Realizing the desert had been playing tricks on his mind, Appa groaned again before flying to get out of the desert once and for all.
…
Appa flew for the entire day and finally made it back out of the desert. The sun had fully gone down when he found himself over a farm. He saw a barn that would be big enough to house himself. He landed before the entrance of the barn and entered. Appa noticed a water trough and a pile of hay. He helped himself to both and felt a little satisfied from having some food in his belly, or bellies. Deciding to take the time to rest, he laid down with a thump to try and get some sleep. He closed his eyes and tried to think of much happier times.
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Appa's Memory…
He thought of an Air Temple, though this one was greatly different from the Southern and Northern ones. This was the Eastern Air Temple over one hundred years ago. A structure built onto a mountain top with three peaks. A much younger Appa and his four siblings flew through air and moved in a circle when their mother flew up to them. They all cuddled around her and she nuzzled them. Then with a small grunt she sent them down towards the temple. They all flew down to a platform where a female Air Nomad stood with a bunch of children. Watching from on a small flight of stairs were three other lady Air Nomads. In the woman with the kids' hands she held a bowl of apples. Each young Airbender took an apple. The last to take an apple was a much younger Aang. The woman smiled when she said, "Remember to choose well.
"A Sky Bison is a companion for life." She added and they all looked up with smiles to see the Sky Bison coming down. The woman threw the mother an apple while each of the kids walked up to one of the baby bison. Little Aang walked up to Little Appa and the bison cooed at the boy. Aang's grin grew wider when he presented the apple to Appa. Appa took a step forward and sniffed the apple. Aang tossed the apple into Appa's mouth and the baby bison enjoyed it. Aang giggled as he lovingly rubbed the top of Appa's head. Appa responded in kind by lightly nuzzling against the boy. Aang laughed as he was knocked over and Appa followed with a lick to the boys face. When he stopped, Aang petted Appa's nose and he said, "I guess this means that we'll always be together."
Aang started laughing again when Appa started licking his cheek again.
End of the memory…
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From far away on the Serpent's Pass, Aang was remembering that same day as he giggled in his sleep. Watching while sitting up, Natasha happened to hear Aang laughing in his sleep. He looked to the Airbender as Aang calmed down and turned on his side. Aang had a big smile when he said, "Always."
Natasha wondered if he was dreaming about Appa and thought that maybe there was more to Aang and Appa's friendship than she had realized. She turned her gaze to the fire and stared at it. Thoughts ran through her head as she thought about things.
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Back at the barn, Appa was still sleeping peacefully. That is until a scream woke him up. Appa opened his eyes to find an elderly man with a small mustache, orange tinted glasses holding a pitch fork. He held it in a defensive stance as he shouted, "It's some kind of monster!"
Appa roared as he stood up and it made the man step back in fear. The man's wife came walking in with a torch in hand. Seeing the flames made Appa frightened and he stood on his back legs and growled in fear. When his back hit the wall, it caused a few boards to break. Both husband and wife started screaming in fear and they ran out of the barn. Appa gave another roar before leaping into the air. He crashed through the roof and the shockwave knocked the couple down and blew out their torch. They looked back up into the sky just as Appa disappeared into the night. The old man gave a sigh of relief and said, "Well, that happened."
His wife looked to him with an unamused look and he nervously laughed.
…
Appa was soon flying over the Serpent's Pass and passed over the range that went between the north and south shores. He soon came over one of the ferries to Ba Sing Se. On the deck of the ship, a nervous looking Iroh was stroking his beard when a noise made him look up. He gasped when he saw that it was the Avatar's bison. He watched as the bison flew over head and off into the distance. He became a little worried when he heard Zuko ask, "Uncle? What is it you're looking at? Is there something out there?"
"Uh, it's nothing." Iroh shook his head, not wanting Zuko to get all worked up. Then with a gesture of his hands he said, "Just go back to sleep."
Zuko looked to his uncle for a moment before laying his head back down. After a moment, Iroh gave a sigh of relief. He was a little startled to find Wade standing next to him. Wade placed a finger over his mouth to keep him quiet. When Iroh calmed down enough, Wade gave him a thumbs up and quietly said, "Nice job Aku. Keeping Jake Long calm not getting him worked up over the furry clone trooper."
"Uh, wha-" Iroh started to ask. Wade shrugged and said, "Now if you'll excuse me, this R.I.P.D. officer needs some shut eye."
With that said, the merc with the mouth laid back down. Iroh just watched him for a moment before turning in for the night as well.
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It was a new day when Natasha and Suki started to look for a way back across the lake. They had just left the group who were still heading to Ba Sing Se. Suki looked to her friend and asked, "Are you sure that you're okay with coming back with me?"
"I will be." Nat nodded, though she did wish to still be with them. Then she shrugged, "Plus, it's been a while since we've seen each other."
"Hm, yeah." Suki agreed with a small chuckle. Natasha then asked, "Do you think you got a way for us to use the ferry to get back to Full Moon Bay?"
"Well, I do have a passport." Suki nodded. Then she added, "And I think we can come up with a way to get you in."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Natasha asked before the two started hurrying to get where they needed to be.
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Appa flew on for maybe another day or two. He came to another spot in the Earth Kingdom where a forest stretched out for miles. He saw a spot to land by a structure underneath the roots of a tree. The bison drifted to the ground before crashing down on the ground. Seeing some fresh-looking grass, Appa ate a few blades to try and regain some of his strength. But he was interrupted when he heard a high-pitched squeal coming from the structure behind him. Appa looked inside to see a boarcupine charging right at him. Before Appa could move to defend himself, the boarcupine tackled right into him. The two large creatures were sent tumbling down the side of a hill and rolled over and over each other as they went down.
When they reached the bottom of the slope, Appa and the boarcupine managed to get some space. Both large creatures glared at each other and Appa winced when he noticed a some of the enemy animal's quills stuck in his left and right fore and middle legs. The boarcupine gave a loud roar and Appa returned it with a roar of his own and the two entered a turf war. The two started circling each other with glares and bared teeth. The boarcupine made the first move by tackling into Appa. The force was so great that they skidded across the ground and crashed into a tree. The tree fell and separated Appa from his attacker. Looking at the fallen plant, an idea came to Appa. He picked up the tree with his mouth and used what strength he had to chuck it at the boarcupine. The tree crashed into the boarcupine and they landed with a crash. A split second later, the boarcupine jumped over the tree with a roar and rushed towards Appa. Having had enough of this, Appa reared up on his back legs and prepared himself. The boarcupine jumped at Appa and bit into the bison's left foreleg. Appa growled as he started thrashing and managed to throw the boarcupine a great distance. A large dust cloud was kicked up from it and the boarcupine slid a good few yards. When it stopped, the now frightened animal picked itself up, shook itself off and fled into the forest with a whimper.
Appa panted from the fight and felt sore all over. He tried to at least tend to himself by removing one of the quills from his foreleg. But the moment he removed it from his skin, the bison let out a roar of pain that echoed through the forest. Deciding not to bother anymore of his wounds, Appa flew back up to the structure and went inside to lay down. He groaned from the pain he was enduring and tried to get some rest.
Appa didn't leave the safety of the structure for a good few days. The only things he would do is switch how he was laying down. Some of the time he would face out to the world, but on days when it rained, he would be facing into the structure. And during that entire time, he wondered if he truly would see Aang again.
\_|_/
It was a clear day in the forest when the Kyoshi Warriors and Natasha Romanoff found themselves in the forest. They had decided to gather some supplies and spread out to gather what they could. While the others were collecting the best berries, Natasha was walking through the forest. She happened to notice that a tree was not only fallen, but from the way that it was looking, it looked as if it had been thrown. Quirking a brow she asked, "What kind of animals could do this?"
Over with the Kyoshi Warriors, one of the girls noticed something white tangled up in the bushes. She pulled out a wad of fur and looked to see some indentions in the earth. She shrugged when she guessed, "There must have been some fight around here."
"Hm?" Suki asked before walking over. Looking at the clump of fur in her friend's hands she said, "Could I see that, please."
Her fellow Kyoshi Warrior handed her the clump and Suki looked it over. Then she looked up and saw the path that lead up the hill. She placed a hand to her chin and said aloud, "I wonder if…
"Go and get Natasha. Hurry." She ordered one of the other Kyoshi Warriors. One of them ran off to get the spy. It didn't take long for her to return with the Avenger. Suki showed her the clump of fur and asked, "Think that it could be…?"
"I'm thinking it is." Natasha said when she looked it over. She laughed a little when she said, "I should know, the others and I once had to deal with the big guy shedding."
"Let's see if this leads to anywhere." Suki said before going up the trail. Nat followed closely behind her friend. They followed the trail of carnage up to its source and soon came upon the top. When they reached the top, both Natasha and Suki gasped from what they saw. They saw Appa huddled into the structure, looking pretty sore with the quills stuck in him and his legs in chains. Suki shook her head, "Oh, no."
"Poor fella." Natasha said as they both came onto more even ground. The bison got up with a growl and backed away. Both Suki and Natasha kept back to avoid spooking him. Natasha felt really sorry for the bison and said, "He's been through quite a lot."
"We need to help him." Suki said when she looked to the spy and Natasha agreed with her. Natasha then suggested, "Let's at least show him that we mean him no harm."
"Right." Suki nodded and removed what she had gathered and set them on the ground. Looking to the bison she said, "It's going to be okay, Appa. We're going to do what we can to help you."
"We promise." Natasha added with a sympathetic smile. Appa seemed to acknowledge them as not a threat. They slowly backed away as she said, "We have to go, but we won't be gone long."
"We're just going to get a little extra help." Suki added as they started back down the hill. Appa watched them go before looking down at the apple and berries. He cautiously came out of the shelter. He took them without fuss before going back into the shelter.
Natasha and the Kyoshi Warriors came back up the hill when the spy and their leader told them what they had found. Suki then advised them, "No sudden movements. He's been lost for a while and he looks like he's been hurt."
"We need to do all we can to make him feel better. He seems to be cautious around people and he's scared." Natasha said while glancing up the hill. Her gaze turned sympathetic when she added, "Not that I would blame him."
"Stay low and stay quiet." Suki ordered and turned to make her way up. One of the Kyoshi Warrior's then asked, "I can't believe you two were able to find the Avatar's lost bison. Didn't the two of you come back from helping him and the other Avengers just a few days ago?"
"Yep." Both girls said before they made their way up. The other Kyoshi Warriors followed suit. They climbed the hill and Natasha said, "After this, I need to get Appa back to Aang safely as soon as possible."
"And the Kyoshi Warriors will accompany you. It will become our most important mission yet." Suki vouched with the others nodding in agreement. Nat smiled to this as they reached the top.
Appa, who had been sleeping soundly, awoke when he heard them coming. The bison became defensive when he got up and backed away with a growl. Seeing that he was frightened of them, Suki ordered the other Warriors, "Give him some space! Let Nat and me handle this."
"You ready?" Natasha asked her while the others nervously moved back a little. Suki nodded and both of them carefully walked a little closer. Suki then said to Appa, "Appa, it's us. Suki and Natasha."
Appa seemed to perk up at the mention of Natasha's name, but he was still acting defensively. Natasha made a calming motion with her hands and said, "It's okay, big guy. We're your friends. I promise.
"You've been through quite a lot haven't you?" She asked, trying to keep the bison calm. Appa only groaned and they took a small step forward. Suki then said, "We just want to help you feel better. You're hurt."
"In all sorts of ways." Natasha added, though Suki shot her a bit of a look. Natasha looked to her and said, "I know. Not the best choice of words."
Appa scared them a bit when he snorted. Natasha then looked back to the bison and promised, "And we can help you find your way back to Aang."
The sound of Aang's name seemed to put the bison more at ease. Both Natasha and Suki walked up to the bison and gently petted Appa's nose. Their soothing touches were enough to make the bison lay down. When they were sure that he wasn't going to get startled, Suki looked to the other warriors to slowly come forward. As they were about to get started, Natasha rubbed the bison's head and said, "We're going to make you feel like a new bison, Appa. I promise."
A few hours later…
It took some time and effort, but they were able to remove the shackles from Appa's legs, remove the quills from him. They were even able to find a stream to where they gave him a bath. When they were finished, Appa felt like a new bison. He showed his gratitude by licking one of the Kyoshi Warriors. They all giggled from how happy he was feeling.
But the sound of thundering footsteps put him on alert. The others looked about and prepared themselves for a fight. They all moved out of the way when a large burst of lightning struck a tree and made it fall to the ground. They looked up a hill to see Princess Azula, Mai, Ty Lee and the Scarlet Widow coming down on the backs of their lizard mounts. The four stopped before Appa, Natasha and the Kyoshi Warriors while the larger group glared at them. The Fire Nation princess had a clump of fur in hand as she said, "My, my, you're quite easy to find.
"It's really astounding to me that my brother hasn't captured you yet." Azula added and threw the clump away. She then noticed Natasha standing with the Kyoshi Warriors and commented, "And what a surprise to find you here and not with your comrades."
"Yeah, they sure don't need my help putting you guys in your place." Natasha said with a smirk. That just earned glares from the opposing four. Appa growled and the Kyoshi Warriors removed a fan while preparing a shield for each of them. Suki started to ask, "What do you want with us?"
"It's not really you they're after." Natasha said, knowing that they were mostly here for Appa, and now her. The Scarlet Widow then said, "Mostly correct on that part."
"But who are they? The Avatar's fan girls?" Azula asked, asking about the Kyoshi Warriors. It made Ty Lee think about it before she said, "Oh, now I get it. Good one Azula."
"Someone's been taking her blonde pills." Both Natasha and the Scarlet Widow said at the same time. Everyone was a little weirded out by this while Ty Lee threw glares at both spies. Suki then said, "If you've come here looking for the Avatar, then you're out of luck."
"Figures after we just had a run in with them." Azula sarcastically commented. The Scarlet Widow then suggested, "But since Natasha Romanoff is with them and the Avatar's bison.
"Perhaps we can use them to our advantage over him and the other Avengers." She smirked, making all those on Aang and the Avenger's side glare at her. Azula smiled to this and said with a shrug, "A fair point. For any friend of the Avatar and the Avengers…
"Are enemies of ours!" She finished as she jumped off of her mount and fired a blast of blue flames from her finger tips. All the Kyoshi Warriors moved in front of Appa and Natasha to form a shield wall. The flames hit the formation, but the girls were able to stand strong.
Mai, Ty Lee and the Scarlet Widow jumped off of their lizards and all four of them charged for the group. Natasha looked to the Kyoshi Warriors and warned them, "Don't underestimate them! Work in pairs against them!"
Four of the Kyoshi Warriors moved to engage Mai and Ty Lee while Nat and Suki faced off against the Scarlet Widow and Princess Azula. The Scarlet Widow tried to go for a roundhouse kick, but the Black Widow nimbly back flipped just in time. The enemy spy then jumped high into the air, but before she could land a blow to Nat, a tail swipe from Appa created a wave of air that knocked her back. Natasha looked to Appa and said with a grin, "Thanks for the assist, bud."
Meanwhile, the other Kyoshi Warriors stuck to team work as some kept their distance from Ty Lee while others blocked Mai's arrows and daggers. One of the Kyoshi Warriors tried to swing her fan at Mai, but she managed to jump over the warrior's head. When she landed, she prepared four throwing knives and flung them. They managed to catch one of the Kyoshi Warriors by her clothes and stuck her to a tree. The stuck warrior looked about with a confused look, "Huh?"
She gasped when she looked back to Mai who was about to attack again. Mai threw her arm back as she commented, "You're all so colorful, that it's making me nauseous."
The goth girl whipped her arm forward and sent a volley of arrows to the pinned warrior. But luckily, her teammate was there to save her by moving in front of her and using the broad of her sword to block the arrow strikes. Mai glared at her before they both charged forward. On the other side of the battlefield, Ty Lee had to jump out of the way when one of the Kyoshi Warriors threw their fan at her. When she landed, the other came at her with her own sword drawn. Ty Lee jumped back when the warrior swung the blade and tried to come in with a punch. But the warrior was able to narrowly dodge it before swinging again. But after ducking under the second swing, Ty Lee came around behind the Kyoshi Warrior and landed a few well-placed jabs to her back. The warrior fell to the ground with a grunt and Ty Lee leaned forward with her hands on her hips when she commented, "You're not prettier than we are."
"No one said anything about that!" The fallen warrior's partner shouted as she came in with a sword strike. Ty Lee yelped as she jumped out of the way to avoid getting cut in two.
Over with Appa and Suki, the Kyoshi Warrior blocked a fire blast from Azula. They moved back when the Fire Nation princess came forward and spun around before shooting another fire kick at them. Suki managed to block the attack, but some of the fire bounced off of her shield and struck the stump of the fallen tree. The flames grew onto the trunk of the tree and Appa looked at it fearfully with a roar. Azula smirked when she said, "Afraid of fire, I see.
"That's good. You should be." She added right as the Scarlet Widow rejoined her. Natasha rejoined Suki and Appa and was panting from the brawl she just had. Suki kept her eyes focused on the two enemies when she asked, "Are you okay?"
"I will be." Natasha said as she assumed a stance. Suki glanced over to the other warriors and saw that even though they had fought valiantly, they had been overcome by the enemy forces. Deciding to make a hard decision, Suki looked to Natasha and said, "You need to take Appa and go."
"What?" Natasha asked and looked to her friend with a questioning look. Even Appa was shocked from what the Kyoshi Warrior just said. Suki then pointed out, "You and Appa need to get back to Aang and the other Avengers. I can by you both some time."
"I'm not leaving you guys." Nat shook her head. Appa didn't like it as he shook his head. But Suki wouldn't have it as she pushed her friend towards the bison. Looking back she said, "Go, now! We're about to be outnumbered! You need to escape!"
"There is no escape." The Scarlet Widow smirked over to them. Natasha looked between Suki and the approaching enemies. She clenched her eyes as she gave in, knowing that Suki had a point. Placing a hand on Suki's shoulder she said, "I promise that we'll get back to them. And we will make sure that we avenge you guys."
"Thanks." Was all Suki said before drawing her sword and reading her shield to keep fighting. Natasha gave one last look to her friend before quickly moving towards Appa. The Scarlet Widow saw this and fired a Widow's Bite at Natasha. Suki tried to move to stop it, but it ended up flying past her and striking Nat in the leg. Nat cried out as she fell to the ground and Appa moved to shield her. Quickly moving between her friends and their enemies, Suki urged, "Appa, get her out of here! Go! Fly away from here!"
With a saddened and reluctant groan Appa was able to help Nat climb onto his head. When she was holding on to his fur, Appa took off into the air while the Scarlet Widow and Princess Azula rushed to stop them. But Suki ran forward and swung her sword at them. While the Scarlet Widow dropped down to avoid being stabbed, Azula jumped into the air with a spin and managed to slap Suki's sword from her grasp. The Scarlet Widow grabbed the back of Suki's robes before roughly throwing her into the air. She landed on the ground with a grunt and looked up to her two attackers with a gasp.
Up in the air, both Appa and Natasha had seen what had happened. Natasha, though feeling a little weak at the moment, said to Appa, "We can't leave them like this."
Appa was in full agreement with her as he flew back down. One of the Kyoshi Warriors managed to get away from Mai and Ty Lee and quickly came to Suki's rescue. She threw her fans at the princess and the enemy spy. Both bad girls ducked down and Azula retaliated by sending a fiery sweep at the Kyoshi Warrior. She managed to jump over the flames and ran off as both Azula and the Scarlet Widow started chasing her.
Suki started to get back up and noticed Appa and Natasha flying back to them. Knowing what was at stake, she ran towards the burning tree and picked up a burning branch. She waved it back and forth while shouting, "Get out of here, you two! You have to get back to the others! We'll be fine! Go!"
"Suki." Natasha said with a worried look as Appa reluctantly turned tail and flew away. Suki smiled to see them getting away, but she was nearly caught off guard when a blue flame smacked into her shield. Princess Azula was once again her opponent when Suki readied her fan and shield. Azula looked to the weapon with a skeptical smirk and asked, "Don't you know that fans will just make flames much stronger?"
The two glared at each other before rushing forward. But before Suki could hope to land a blow on Azula, a Widow's Bite to her back made her scream in agony before dropping to the ground.
Soon all of the Kyoshi Warriors were defeated and brought together. Princess Azula and her entourage looked down at their captives and the Scarlet Widow asked, "What do you want to do with them?"
"We'll have them separated." Azula decided. She did admit, "Though we were able to defeat them, that doesn't mean that they weren't a formidable group."
She looked to their uniforms and she got an idea. Looking to her friends and ally she said with a smirk, "Plus, they've just given me a brilliant idea."
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In another part of the forest, a disheartened Appa flew on with a saddened Natasha on his head. They flew for most of the day and came over a large river and a large flock of birds heading in the opposite direction of the flowing water. Later that night, it began to rain on the two and they felt miserable during the flight. Natasha happened to look down and noticed a trio of Water Tribe ships sailing towards the Earth Kingdom. Unbeknownst to them, a Water Tribesman happened to notice them flying by and looked up into the sky with wonder.
…
The two friends flew through the night and Natasha fell asleep during the journey. Appa soon found himself in some high mountains and recognized the area. He flew a little faster with a new destination in mind. When he went a little higher, he accidentally jostled a little and it woke Nat from her sleep. She sat up and rubbed her eye when she asked, "What is it, boy?"
Natasha got her answer and became wide eyed when she saw where they were going. It somewhat reminded her of the Northern Air Temple, but this one was greatly different. Then she remembered that they had traveled a good distance to the east and figured that it was the Eastern Air Temple. Appa landed on a large platform and let Natasha slide off of his head. They walked through the temple together and noticed how much this place was starting to fall apart. And as they walked, Appa remembered his time here when he was much smaller. He remembered running through the halls with his brothers and sisters.
The two continued before they came upon another chamber that had a center piece surrounded by a metal ring. Appa remembered that it was a sort of a teething ring that he and his siblings would chew on. He did it again, but coughed up a lot of dust that had gathered on it. Natasha looked at him with a deadpanned look and asked, "What did you expect was going to happen?"
Appa just groaned before continuing through the temple. Nat just shrugged before following after him. They crossed a large bridge to another section of the temple. When they came onto a balcony that overlooked the rising sun, they noticed a man sitting in the middle. Thinking that it was a friend, Appa rushed forward and Nat called out to him, "Hey, wait!"
But her warning didn't reach Appa as he knocked the man onto his back and started licking him. Only when he did stop licking him was when he noticed that it wasn't anyone he knew. Natasha quickly came over and said, "Sorry about that. He can get excited sometimes."
"It's quite alright. And hello to you as well." The man nodded to the both of them. Then gesturing to himself he said with a big smile, "I am Guru Pathik."
Still not knowing who he was, Appa quickly shepherded Natasha away from the man. Natasha protested the whole away and when they were at a distance, Appa stood between her and the guru. He growled as Guru Pathik sat up. Seeing that Appa was disappointed, the guru tried to make amends by saying, "I know that I'm not the person you were expecting.
"And I never really expected to be licked by a giant tongue just now." He added with a chuckle. Natasha looked around the bison and said, "Sorry again. We just didn't think anyone would be here."
"The world is quite full of surprises now, isn't it." Guru Pathik said, his grin never faltering. But it didn't seem to calm Appa down enough as he continued growling at the man. Nat looked between them and said to the guru, "I don't think he's really in the mood for philosophy right now."
"I know. So I will wait." Guru Pathik said before lying flat on his back and closed his eyes.
About an hour or two passed and the sun rose a little. Appa had lowered himself and hadn't growled for quite a while. Natasha looked a little bored as she leaned against the bison while he just continued staring at Guru Pathik. Said guru raised his head to see if the bison had calmed down enough, but it seemed to make Appa only start growling again. Natasha still had her bored look when she shook her head, "Now's not a good time."
Guru Pathik only nodded once before laying his head back down. Natasha sighed and started to walk away when she said, "This is going to be a long day."
It was a bit of a long day as the time went by fast. Sometime around noon is when Natasha returned to see what was happening. She was hoping that Appa hadn't mauled the man, but she was also hoping that the man could explain what he was doing here. When she stood side by side with Appa again, she looked to the guru who had opened an eye and looked to him. Once again, Appa started to growl and Natasha groaned in aggravation. She looked to the bison and said, "Come on! It's been hours now and I think by now he's proven that he's not going to hurt us."
Her words fell on deaf ears as Appa continued growling. Nat comically slumped forward and Guru Pathik closed his eye again and waited a little longer.
Night finally came again and Appa had drifted off to sleep. Natasha sighed when she said, "Finally. He's asleep.
"Okay, you're good." Natasha quietly said to avoid waking the bison. Guru Pathik heeded her words and rolled backwards to where he was once again standing up. He dusted himself off and walked over to the duo. Natasha was quick to say, "Again, I'm sorry that he wasted your day-"
But she was cut off when Guru Pathik raised his hand. With a smile he said, "I understand that the two of you had been through a great deal for a while. So it's not hard to see that he's a little tense around just about everyone."
"Think that you might be able to help him?" Natasha asked. Guru Pathik turned to the bison and gently touched a few spots. He lightly shook his head, "Oh, dear. With all that you've been through recently. Hurt and betrayed. So twisted up on the inside."
"Well, some of it may not have been intentional." Natasha tried to defend Suki if that was what Appa was thinking on. But Guru Pathik only continued when he ran his hand along the underbelly of the bison, and nodded when he said, "You're still full of love.
"But fear has moved in where the trust should be." He added. Looking to Natasha he said, "I've been expecting to meet you and all your friends for quite sometime now. Especially the Avatar."
"Aang? Why?" Nat asked in confusion. Guru Pathik then said, "I can help him on his journey of reaching his full potential. And I can help a few of your other friends of course.
"I could feel imbalances within all three of them." He said, adding to more of her confusion. Natasha then said, "Well, if that's the case, then I need to get Appa back to Aang so he and whoever else can come back here."
"And you will, all in good time." Guru Pathik promised as he knew that much for certain. He smiled when he said, "I had a vision many years ago that I would help the Avatar. And that vision ended up changing a few more times when you and all of your friends arrived.
"But I believed it to be sign that everything is going to drastically change." He added, looking quite serious. A really confused Natasha then asked, "What do you mean?"
"By arriving here, the outcomes of everyone's destinies have been changed forever, whether for good or ill." Guru Pathik cryptically explained. He turned back to Appa and said, "Now for you, my giant, furry friend." He walked up to Appa's head and sighed when he and Natasha saw that he was twitching in his sleep, "Oh, your emotions are so turbulent. Like swirling storm clouds.
"Let the clouds in your mind be gentle, peaceful ones." Guru Pathik said when he placed a hand on Appa's forehead. Natasha was greatly surprised when Appa calmed down as he slept. When the guru removed his hand, Natasha asked him, "How did you do that?"
"I was only able to calm the poor thing's mind." Guru Pathik said with a smile. Turning to her he said, "Now, I suppose that you have many questions. But I'm afraid that we will have to wait until tomorrow."
"True we did just spend the whole day with you nearly getting attacked by a Flying Bison." Natasha just shrugged. Guru Pathik laughed a little before gesturing for her to follow him, "Come, there are a few rooms that will suit your needs for the night."
Natasha glanced to the sleeping Appa a moment before following after the man. From where he was laying, Appa gave content groan as he slept.
…
It was the next morning when he awoke. Appa opened his eyes and became a little worried when he didn't see Pathik or Natasha anywhere. A smell came to his nose and he looked down to see some fruit laying on the ground before him. Feeling hungry, he lapped up the pieces of fruit and at them. Looking to his right, he saw a trail of fruit leading inside the temple. He ate the trail while following it.
It wasn't long until he had followed the fruit trail to its end to another section of the Air Temple. He looked up to see both Natasha and Guru Pathik sitting on top of a platform at the top of a small stair case. Guru Pathik was feeding the animals that lived around the temple while answering one of Natasha's questions, "This was wear a great deal of the women of the Air Nomads would dwell. That and to the Air Temple of the west."
"Huh." Nat said as she never expected that. They both looked down to see Appa coming up to them and Guru Pathik smiled when he greeted, "Someone looks very well rested, judging by your bed head."
"I didn't think you'd go for an anime look." Natasha laughed a bit, though the reference was kind of lost on Appa and the guru. Appa shook his head and it made the fur standing up fall back into place. Both Natasha and Guru Pathik laughed while Appa just huffed.
It was later that evening when Natasha thought it'd be best that they left. Guru Pathik agreed with a nod, "Yes, the sooner you get back to the Avatar and the other Avengers, the sooner you can put an end to this war."
Appa came onto the platform and laid down behind the two with a purr like growl. Guru Pathik smiled as he rubbed the bison's belly for a moment. then stood up and revealed a rolled-up piece of paper in his hands. He bowed to the two and said, "I have prepared a message for Aang, Bruce and Johnny.
"May I attach it to your horn?" He asked Appa. Appa gave a growl that seemed to say he was okay with it. The guru moved forward and tied the note to Appa's horn. When it was securely tied, he stepped back and Natasha climbed up on Appa's head. She looked to the Guru and said, "I promise that Aang and the other two will get your message."
"I have faith that you will." Guru Pathik said with a smile. He gave them hope when he said, "And I can help you on your journey. To get you back to your friends much faster."
"Really? How?" Natasha asked in confusion. Guru Pathik lightly laughed when he said, "The energies of Appa and the Avatar's are mixed. As no doubt the same can be said for you and the other Avengers as well. And between you all you have an unbreakable bond."
"This is sounding to me like what Aang did in the Ban Grove Swamp." Natasha recollected as she thought about it. The guru nodded, "It is quite the same.
"By reading your energies, I can sense where your friends are." Guru Pathik explained and placed a hand on Appa's forehead. Appa gave him a gift of gratitude by licking the guru in the face. Guru Pathik laughed again and wiped his beard when he said, "It's quite funny, what invisible strings that connect us all."
Appa gave a purr-like growl when the guru placed his hand back on his forehead. Everything became silenced around them as Guru Pathik helped Appa to find where to go. Natasha looked down and couldn't tell if she were dreaming or not, but she thought she was seeing a path of light extend from the platform and run its own trail towards their intended destination. When Guru Pathik stopped, he looked to the two and said, "I am glad to have met you. And hope that we can meet again in the future."
"Thank you, Guru Pathik." Natasha nodded to him. Then she said the command, "Yip, yip!"
With a low groan, Appa took off into the skies and flew to where the trail was connecting them to.
…
Appa and Natasha flew fast through the night. They passed over many a terrain before coming up on the walls of Ba Sing Se. They flew high enough to avoid being spotted. They passed over the Inner Wall of Ba Sing Se and were flying over the Lower Ring of the city. Natasha looked about to see if she could think of where the team could be. She knew that Appa was tired and would need to rest soon, but they both knew that finding their friends was the important thing right now. They passed over the roof of a house where they unknowingly passed over a couple of Dai Lee agents who were watching. The two men silently slid down to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
Appa's eyes were starting to droop as he continued flying while Natasha was starting to feel a little sleepy as well. But as they were starting to pass over another section of the city, Appa's eyes opened wide when he heard a familiar sound to him. Natasha was thrown back against Appa's back when he started going faster. She said to him, "Whoa! Take it easy, Appa."
But the bison didn't stop for a moment as he headed towards the sound. The two passed by a roof where three wild looking cats watched them go by. The cats watched for a moment before heading off after Appa and Natasha.
Appa landed in a section of the Lower Ring and started running to where he could hear the sound.
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Unfortunately, it wasn't Aang's bison whistle as the Airbender had it with him. And he and the others were in a totally different section of the city as they slept soundly. Unaware that the last two of their group had finally arrived.
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The person kept blowing the whistle as he waited for the bison to come to where he was hiding. Appa and Natasha came to another part of the city and they started looking about. The whistling suddenly stopped and the two were left in the dark. Natasha started to get a bad feeling when she rubbed Appa's head and said, "I'm not liking the look of this, Appa."
Appa couldn't help but growl in agreement with her. They were surprised when someone stepped out of the shadows. Unbeknownst to the two, this was Long Feng. And in his hand he held a whistle that emitted the same frequency as Aang's bison whistle. Natasha's eyes narrowed when she questioned, "Can we help you?"
"In many ways." Long Feng said with a smirk and he took a step forward. Not liking the sound of his voice, Natasha leaned down and said, "Get ready to fly, boy."
Appa didn't need to be told twice when he took a step back, leaving a foot print in a muddy spot. Natasha fired two Widow's Bites at Long Feng, but he managed to duck underneath both. While one was embedded in the ground where he would see it, Natasha fired the second to a spot where she hoped he wouldn't see it. With a twist of his arms, Long Feng sent him, a roaring Appa and a screaming Natasha down into a secret passage way under the city. The only thing remaining of them ever being there was Appa's foot print left in the mud and a Widow's Bite secured in a safe spot. And from the shadows, the three Pygmy Pumas who had seen the whole thing go down.
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This story's dedication to:
Stan Lee: 1922 – 2018
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Author's Note: And with that, we're on the final five chapters of Book 2. However, and I hope that it doesn't take too long, but I'm going to have chapter 19 of Avenging Avatar be a part of a triple 19 chapter attack special with two other fanfics that I have going on. Make no mistake, I am really excited to finish out Book 2: Earth with you guys, but this is actually something that I've been wanting to do for a while. I look forward to writing the final few chapters of Book 2. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you next time and may God bless your day.