A/N I know it's been a while since I updated this, but never fear! I'm probably actually going to finish it this summer. I only have one chapter left, and I'm nearing the end of Annoying, too. My next fic will probably be a sequel to Mary-Sues, and I'm also planning another one of a different section.
Hope you like this chapter, and that the six pages makes up for the wait.
The obvious excitement over the pirates use of the keys died down when they were tied together to prevent escape. Still, it was better than nothing.
To Zuko's chagrin, all of them were taken to see the flying llamas, not just Aang. However, as everyone else seemed excited, and it got them out of his cell, he kept quiet. For once in his life.
The pirate led them down twisting, wet corridors. From the view through the occasional gratings at the top which allowed sun to seep through, they were on a ship, and the weather outside was good.
"Now, be careful," the pirate reminded them, still using his normal voice. "Flying llamas are unusual, so they've been locked away for most of their lives. As a result, they're rather jumpy."
"We'll make sure not to frighten them," Bumi assured him.
The pirate smiled. "I doubt you can frighten them any more than they already are frightened."
"Well, in that case, we'll try to calm them down," Katara suggested.
"That would be nice," the pirate told them, "But I doubt you'll succeed."
"I'm good with animals," Aang replied simply, and the pirate opened the door.
As it was to be expected, there were three llamas in the room. As was also to be expected, the llamas had wings. As was not to be expected, they were making a noise that sounded like 'evil weevil' repetitively.
"They do that when they're afraid," the pirate explained. "Which is pretty much all the time. They seem to think it's funny."
"Hey, so do I!" exclaimed Aang.
"Great," Zuko muttered sarcastically. "You have the same sense of humor as flying llamas."
"That sounded really, strangely normal for us," commented Sokka. Zuko gave him an odd look.
"Hey!" exclaimed Iroh suddenly. "I have an idea!"
Everyone turned to look at him. Iroh seemed pleased with himself, but didn't seem at all inclined to share his idea.
"Well?" demanded Zuko finally.
"Okay," Iroh told them all. "Here's my idea! So, when the llamas are frightened, they say or do things that they think are funny, right?"
Nobody answered.
"Right?" prompted Iroh.
"Right," chorused the group, including the pirate-who-was-originally-a-blacksmith, and not including Momo who wasn't present, and couldn't talk anyways.
"And the llamas have the same sense of humor as Aang, right?"
"Right," chorused the group, including the pirate-who-was-originally-a-blacksmith, and not including Momo who wasn't present, and couldn't talk anyways.
"So, what we have to do to calm them down, is have Aang say something funny, right?"
The group did not reply.
"Come on," Iroh coaxed. "It'll work."
"No, it won't," Zuko snapped.
"What have we got to lose?" asked Katara.
"Our faces, if they get smashed in when the llamas spook and kick us," replied Sokka.
"It's not like you've got much to lose," Zuko retorted.
"Yeah, like you're one to talk," countered Sokka.
Zuko made a fireball on his hand. "What was that supposed to mean?" he demanded.
Aang intervened before things got ugly… er.
"I'll do it," he said suddenly.
Everyone stopped to stare at him. Aang, being Aang, didn't seem to mind.
"But just one thing," he added, turning to the pirate. "Why did you guys kidnap us?"
The pirate shrugged. "The Fire Nation hired us to kidnap you," he told them, looking troubled.
"Do you actually like the Fire Nation?" demanded Sokka.
"Not really," the pirate said.
"Then why don't you let us go?" questioned Zuko.
The pirate hesitated, looking unsure.
"Or at least, have us escape without your knowledge," Iroh suggested.
"We can even knock you out so your friends don't suspect!" offered Bumi happily.
"Or tie you up," remedied Katara. The pirate looked a little happier at Katara's suggestion than Bumi's.
"So will you?" asked Aang.
"Why not?" replied the pirate. But on one condition."
"What's that?" asked Zuko.
"You have to take the flying llamas with you."
"Great," replied Aang. "We'll use them to escape, and then set them free in the wild."
"Perfect," announced the pirate.
"How are you going to calm the llamas down?" asked Katara, feeling very silly.
"I'm not sure…" began Aang, but Bumi interrupted.
"I know!" he exclaimed. "You can sing a funny song that you think that the llamas would like. You're good at that!"
"Any ideas?" asked Sokka.
"Yes," Aang told them. "And you all know it."
And the song began spontaneously, without any parts being assigned.
"Here's a llama," sang Aang.
"There's a llama," Katara pointed at one of the llamas.
"And another little llama," Sokka rushed through his line, trying to get it over with.
"Fuzzy llama," in his haste to end the song, Zuko inadvertently chose the silliest line.
"Funny llama," Bumi cheered.
"Llama, llama," Iroh added.
"Duck!" everyone chorused.
"Llama, llama
Cheesecake llama," was what Aang said.
"Tablet, brick, potato Llama
Llama, llama mushroom, llama," added Katara.
"Llama, llama duck!" sang everyone.
"I was once a Treehouse.
I lived in a cake!" announced Sokka, although he had never been.
"But I never saw the way
The orange slayed the rake," it seemed to be Zuko's lot in life to make no sense whatsoever..
"I was only three years dead.
But it told the tale," Bumi sang.
"And now listen, little child,
To the safety rail," finished Iroh.
"Did you ever see a llama?
Kiss a llama on the llama?" asked Aang.
"Llama's llama, taste of llama," replied Katara
"Llama, llama duck," this time, the pirate chorused with them.
"Half a llama,
Twice a llama," Sokka put in.
"Not a llama
Farmer, llama," sang Zuko.
"Llama, in a cart
Alarm a llama," Bumi added.
"Llama, llama, duck," once again, this was a general chorus.
"Is that how it's told now?
Is it all so old?" asked Aang.
"Is it made of lemon juice?
Doorknob, ankle, cold," wondered Katara.
"Now my song is getting thin.
I've run out of luck," Sokka sang.
"Time for me to retire now," grumbled Zuko, although he was pleased this was his last line.
"And become a duck," chorused the group.
And somehow, the llamas seemed slightly calmed by this, despite it's oddities and unusualness. Well, they had Aang's sense of humor. Anyways, they had calmed down considerably.
Considerably enough for Aang's plan, which was as odd as his sense of humor, to be put into effect.
"Alright, everyone, tie the pirate up and hop on the flying llamas so we can get out of here!" Aang exclaimed as soon as he had finished singing.
"Hop on the llamas?" demanded Zuko. "Why would we want to do that?"
"So we can fly away, duh," retorted Aang, grabbing a rope and helping Katara tie the pirate up.
Unquestioning, Iroh and Bumi scrambled up onto one of the llamas' backs. Seeing that the llamas didn't seem to mind, Sokka commandeered another one, pulling Katara up in front of him as she finished tying the pirate.
"Thanks for everything," Aang told the pirate cheerfully, and got onto the back of the last llama. Zuko, to his horror saw that there was no way out but to climb onto the flying llama with Aang.
"Just my luck. It's like a nightmare," muttered Zuko, getting up behind the Avatar. "In fact, this probably is."
Aang grinned. "Just because your only escape from pirates who were hired by your people to kidnap you is to climb onto the back of a flying llama with your worst enemy doesn't mean it's not real."
"I'm not even going to comment on how stupid that sounded," snapped Zuko.
And so the Avatar, his friends, the banished prince of the Fire Nation, his uncle, and the king of Omashu climbed aboard the flying llamas, and escaped, Aang singing all the way. . Because that's what the Avatar does.