Author's note: Alright, this is something I've needed to do for the longest time, but haven't gotten around to. Review thank-yous. First off, a general thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed, you insights and opinions are always much appreciated. I'll have you guys know, I check every day to see if I've gotten any more reviews or hits, and it makes me so warm and fuzzy-like to know my material is being read. I would also like to specifically thank the following: Dean, your enthusiasm and wonderful ideas are always an inspiration, and I thank you for being such an avid reviewer; Baby Lobo, that was MEAN. Oh well, you can't please everyone; Gir The Insane Flamin Ninja, hey, I actually got on someone's favorites list. Huzzah! Now, here it is, what you all came here for: the story.

Chapter Eight: The Thousand Scrolls Search

The gang had reached land shortly before nightfall. Tying the boat to the pier, they clambered onto the deck and headed off towards town.

"Sooooo…what now?" Sokka asked the empty air in front of him.

Aang could only grunt in reply. His face was red from crying, and he was having trouble just putting one foot in front of the other. On his shoulder Moo was looking disheartened. The lemur was glad to be back with his friends, free at last. But his sense of victory was crushed by the absence of Appa.

"Well, if we're going to rescue Appa, we're going to need to find out where the boat was heading. I'll bet they keep some sort of record at the library," Katara said, "We should start there."

"A library? What makes you think they'll have that sort of information there?" Sokka asked. He'd never been in a library; they didn't have one in the South Pole. Libraries were rare, usually only in very old cities.

"They're bound to have it," Aang perked his head up, a smile breaking out onto his face, "Libraries have all sorts of useful information!"

The group dashed off towards the library, spirits lifted considerably. They arrived just as a bent old woman was locking up the door.

"Hey, wait, please!" called Aang. He dashed up the stone steps to the woman and puffed, "Please, my friends and I…need in…really important."

"Why, are you okay? You look a mess, poor thing." The lady had long grey hair pulled back in a braid, and was looking at Aang in a motherly fashion.

"I'm fine; I just really need in the library."

Cocking her head, she looked from the lemur on his shoulder to the arrow on his head.

"My goodness…are you-the Avatar?"

"Yeah, yeah that's me," said an impatient Aang, "now can you please open the door?"

A grin broke out on the old lady's face. "Why, of course, dear," reaching into her cloak she pulled out the keys and stuck them in the lock, "What is it your searching for?"

It was Katara that replied, "We're looking for records of ships, and their destinations."

"Any ship in particular?"

"Yeah, The Disaster," Aang said, "It set sail from here just the other day with an entire zoo aboard, and we need to know where it's headed."

The great oak door swung forward. Motioning for them to follow, the librarian set off through the rows and rows of information. Many different items littered the shelves, from scrolls to books to stone tablets, and even an occasional animal skin. The kids looked about them in awe, stunned by the size and amount of the library.

"Here we are," she stopped them by a wall filled with holes. Each hole contained several scrolls, so that the wall itself was a honeycomb of information.

"The library's been a bit disorganized of late, but if there's any information on The Disaster, it's in here somewhere."

"What are we waiting for? Let's get searching!"

Momo watched the humans search the scrolls, bored out of his mind. They had been at it for hours, but had found nothing. The lemur was frustrated. What good was this doing them? They could be here forever, searching the wall. Momo would have gladly helped them, but, well, he couldn't read.

"I can't stand this," grumbled Momo. He decided he might as well go exploring. The little beast trotted off towards the rows, sniffing the air. Mildew tickled his nose, and he sneezed. This whole place was a breeding ground for dust and mold. It wasn't that bad of a smell, actually. Sort of rustic, like an old blanket.

Wandering between the rows, Momo gazed up at the shelves. They reminded him of trees, all tall and wooden. "I wonder if they're any fun to climb on." He glanced back towards where Aang and the rest were searching. Surely they wouldn't mind if he got some exercise?

He clambered up a bookcase, jumping from shelf to shelf. The scrolls made great handholds for his little fingers. Despite himself, Momo was a little curious about the books. Why were they so important? Cautiously, Momo pulled a thin, dusty novel from its perch, wondering what made it so special.

"Aaagh!" Momo dropped the book with a scream of surprise. The volume clattered to the ground, and a few sparse pages fluttered out.

"What kind of deranged sicko would put that on the front cover of the book?" Momo looked down to the floor, where the face of a large animal peered back up at him from the cover. It had blood-covered fangs and large, predatory eyes. It was brightly colored, like a cartoon, but frightful none-the-less.

Even more cautious than before, Momo pulled another book from the shelf. On the cover was a large eagle, a mouse clenched in its talons. In disgust, Momo threw the book to the ground next to the first, yanking out another one at the same time. This one had only words on the front cover. He opened it up to find small, ink-drawn animals doing various things.

This must be the animal section of the library, Momo thought. Hi flipped through the encyclopedia. It was filled with lots and lots of words, but occasionally there was a picture or two. Snakes, bears, penguins, moles, and even a perfectly depicted lemur. Momo briefly wished he could read, it would be cool to know what the book said about him. He continued to flip through the pages, staring at the words written on them. I wonder if Appa can read.

Momo's ears drooped. What was happening to his friend at this very moment? He wished he could help Aang and the others search for clues as to the whereabouts of the bison.

Maybe I can, Momo thought with a flash of inspiration. What was it Tango and Tanya had told him about Grae Jumsho? That's right; he was one of the Four Beasts. Beasts, huh? Well, he was in the beast section of the library. They had to have a book about the Four Beasts somewhere, and somehow, Momo knew that that would be the key to finding Appa. But where to start? He only knew that a Water Lung was one of the Four Beasts.

The lemur began tearing books off the shelves, looking through the pages briefly for a Water Lung, then throwing it to the ground. Soon the floor was covered with books, a few scrolls, and a animal skin or two. No picture of a Water Lung anywhere!

"This is so boring," muttered Momo, tossing a book about subterranean mammals to the ground, "Why can't I find anything? Hello, what's this?" Momo picked up the volume in question, drawn to it as if by magic. There was something about the thick wooden cover that caught his eye, that told him that this was what he was searching for. A tingle shot down his spine as he picked it up, and he swore the pages were whispering to one another, although it could've been his imagination.

There were huge gold letters, and surrounding the title were four…well, beasts. One was obviously a Water Lung, all coiled and blue. Another was a bird all fiery red, the third some thick-skinned rhinoceros thing, and the fourth…

"Appa!"

…a large bison, illustrated as if soaring through the air.

Momo tried to rip open the book, but an arrow-shaped latch kept it stuck fast.

"I'd better take this to the humans; they'll know how to open it."

With that he leapt off the shelf, heading towards his friends.

Sighing, Katara rolled up the scroll. Stoll nothing on The Disaster, and they had been here for hours.

"Can we go already?" Sokka grumbled.

"Sokka, stop being so bull-headed. We're not leaving until we find out where Appa is."

"I don't see what the big fuss is," complained Sokka, after making sure Aang was out of earshot, "He's just a dumb animal."

"Reminds me of someone else I know," Katara's eye's glinted with laughter as her brother snarled at her. Before he could make a comeback, Momo ran up to them, a book clutched in his hands. The little mammal screeched at his friends, chucking the book in their direction. It hit Sokka's head with a thump.

"Ow! Hey, what's the big idea?" Sokka asked, rubbing his head.

Katar bent over and picked up Momo, stroking his fur. "There, there, it's okay," she cooed. Momo continued to squirm about, chattering and pointing at the book.

Still clutching the bruise on his head, Sokka picked it up the projectile. "A Historie of the Four Beasts and Omighta Anima," he read, "Sounds interesting." He tried to open the book, but the latch held the covers firmly in place. :It's-stuck."

"What? Let me see," Katara attempted to pry it apart, but it proved to be too much for her. "I can't get it open, either."

"Hey, guys, what's up?" inquired Aang, drawn over by the noise. As soon as he got near the arrow shaped latch glowed a fierce blue, and the book burst open. All three gasped, and Momo's tail whisked in excitement. Cautiously, Aang picked up the ancient text.

"What does it say?" Katara asked.

Aang hesitated for a second, then began to read aloud.