Long (-er than usual) Note: Well, I meant to have this chapter out, like, two weeks ago, but real life decided to make its presence known with an onslaught of family crises and midterms. Anyway, I hope you enjoy a much longer than intended chapter four, which was originally meant to be part of chapter three, which is why there is no introduction. (Sorry!) There will be one for the next chapter though, I promise!
Aang the Brave
Chapter Four
Yuka closed his eyes and was quiet, sorting his thoughts and gathering his words. A breeze coasted off the ocean and the small fire flared at intervals. Li poked at it with a twig. The tinder shifted, popping and sending sparks flying. Finally Yuka spoke.
"You've probably heard guys telling these bizarre stories before. You know, about people who eat their children and use their skin to make clothes." Jinju threw Aang a knowing glance. "I mean, really deranged stuff."
"He means guys like him. Stories like this one," Li said, tossing the twig into the fire.
"My story's different," Yuka paused for effect, "because it's true."
Li snorted. Yuka shot him a glance, but continued, turning to Aang and Jinju. "You ever been to the Kwita seaport?"
"Yeah. I was just there a few months ago." Aang answered because he doubted that Jinju had traveled far from the Air Temple. Aang, however had been to the Kwita seaport countless times. It was best to go in the late spring when the trading ships came in. If you had enough money, you could get some really weird stuff.
"Kwita seaport...What comes to mind? Big ships, big crowds, fish stands, lots of yelling. Sound familiar?" Aang nodded. "Then you've only seen half of it. The back of the seaport is a completely different world. The slums. It's darker there, gray. The air smells dingy. There's trash on the streets, whores with missing teeth around every corner."
He paused again, as if to let the picture sink in. The fire spat and crackled, and in the distance the tide breathed steadily. Jinju's reproving voice was thunderous in comparison. "What were you doin' in a place like that?"
Before he could answer, Li piped up. "You probably don't want to know. And if you have to ask, then you don't need to know anyway."
"I was looking for a certain bar. Specifically," he glared at Li, as if daring him to interrupt, "the old man outside the bar. The one slouched on a rotting barrel, with a tattered hat hiding his face. A small tin sat between his feet. I dropped three coins in slowly, just as I was instructed. One." He took two stones from the ring encircling the fire and tapped them together sharply. "Two." Tap. "Three." Tap. "The man turned his to me. He lifted his hat so I could see his face. His eyes were closed and swollen, and covered with dark, crooked lines." As he spoke, Yuka raked his fingers across his own face, from temple to temple. "More than I could count. Old scars."
"He was blind." Aang said.
"No. Blinded. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse like he hadn't used it in a while. He said, 'I've been here for years waiting to die. I've got nothing left but the past.' You see, this man tells stories and, for the right price, he'll tell you the story of the last thing he ever saw."
Jinju leaned closer to Aang and whispered in his ear, "This isn't so scary. What's it got to do with cannibals?" Aang shrugged.
"I'll never forget what he told me," Yuka said thoughtfully. "He used to be a sailor, years ago. An explorer. He'd been everywhere. He told me about the month he spent hunting whales with the Water Tribe. He said he once spent two years tracking down rare treasures, and hand delivered them to Fire Lord Sozin. He even claimed to have been to the Air Temple. I didn't believe him at first, but he could describe it to me in perfect detail.
"Finally, his travels led him to a lonely, beautiful island. On the island, there was a woman." Yuka turned his face upwards. "Her skin was as dark as the night, and her eyes were like two stars in the sky. She wore a skirt made of grasses and palm fronds, and she stood barefoot on the sand, waiting for him. But when he approached her, she ran into the forest. He chased her, but she was too quick, and he lost her in the trees.
"He told the rest of the crew about the dark-skinned woman, and he told them that he was going to find her. They warned him not to go. They said it was too dangerous. But he convinced three men to join him, and that night the four of them crept into the forest, guided only by the faint moonlight.
"Time passed as they searched for any sign of the woman or her people. A flicker of firelight. The sound of voices. But there was nothing, and the hours slipped away. The men began to grow tired. They decided to return to the camp. But looking around at the tall, dark trees, twisted branches silhouetted against the sky, they realized that they were lost.
"The man – the sailor – felt that it was his responsibility to get his friends to safety. So, feigning bravery, he began to lead them through the darkness." Aang glanced at the faces around him, glowing like gold in the firelight. They were transfixed. Even Li had shed his usual aloof expression and was attentive. Yuka stared into the fire as if the sleek flames were words.
"Too much time had passed. They were only going deeper and deeper into the jungle. He knew it would be useless to continue wandering, so he decided to stop and wait until morning. But, just as he was about to tell the other men, he paused. Something was wrong." Yuka's voice fell to just above a whisper. "Something was wrong. Standing motionless, he felt the presence of his three friends, and another presence. Something hidden, watching, waiting. They were not alone.
"Slowly, he turned. To the right – nothing but darkness. To the left – nothing. Behind him. There, hovering between the trees were two points of white light. Two eyes, like stars, growing brighter, growing closer, larger. Suddenly, something grabbed him. He fought, but it was too strong, and he was forced to the ground. He felt rough hands grab him and flip him onto his back. Above him, the eyes like stars, gleaming, murderous, so close he could feel the hot breath on his face. He saw the eyes, he saw the glint of the knife. Then he saw nothing. He heard himself scream. He heard the screams of his friends." Yuka's voice trailed off. The fire popped. The ocean sighed.
"Then what?" Aang breathed.
"Then?" Yuka echoed. "Somehow he managed to survive. No trace of the other three. He was half dead when the crew found him. It's hard to find work for a blind sailor, so he ended up on a barrel in front of a bar in Kwita, telling his story to anyone who will listen. He gave me some advice, though, and I'll share it with you." He leaned forward and when he spoke his voice held low tone of warning. "If you're out there at night, and you see those eyes hanging in the darkness, close your eyes and stay still. Close your eyes so you can't see what they do to you. Stay still because running is pointless. It's already too late."
Aang had time to let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding before Li began to scream, pointing wildly towards the trees, "THERE THEY ARE! THERE THEY ARE!"
Aang jumped, and felt the same sensation of wild propulsion he felt when sneezing. Young, unskilled Airbenders were often prone to uncontrollable sneezes. There was nothing funnier than to be walking along peacefully when suddenly you hear "ah-choo!" and someone goes flying into the air. Aang was known around the temple for his enormous, fantastic sneezes. He made sneezing into an art form. Sure, he usually faked it, but what was really important was the timing. It was best to plan a sneeze when you were somewhere relatively quiet and with a good sized audience. For instance, the dining hall. That sneeze had nearly launched him through the high domed ceiling with enough time to do two somersaults and three full twirls before landing. On his feet, of course. Dishes and food had flown everywhere, and he had received a lashing to remember, but it was definitely worth it.
Now, when Li screamed "THERE THEY ARE!" Aang felt himself fly almost as high as the dining hall sneeze. At least, he went high enough to vault over the campfire, which was a good thing because if he hadn't jumped over it Jinju, in his own frantic panic, would have pushed him right into the flames. As he floated back to the ground he could see Jinju beneath him sprinting down the beach, long limbs flailing. Aang was just about to follow suit when he heard a sound behind him. Laughter.
He kicked himself mentally. He didn't turn around, but instead watched Jinju who, having reached the surf, had turned back and was now stomping his feet childishly while yelling, "That ain't funny!"
"Ain't funny!" his voice bounced off the trees. Li and Yuka laughed even harder at his outburst, and the echoes mixed and bounced back in a weird blend. "Ain't...Ha!...Funny!...Ha! Ha!...Ain't...!"
Aang forced himself to smile as he finally turned to face the two teenagers. "Alright, you got us. Nice joke, guys."
"You jumped right over it!"
"What was he gonna do, swim to safety?"
Aang sat down again as Jinju returned, squelching in his wet shoes. Smiling innocently, Yuka said, "I could've sworn I told you to stay still."
"You made up that whole story just to scare us," Aang groaned.
"No. I told you the story's true," Yuka said, suddenly defensive. "You don't believe me, ask Tabari next time you see him. He was with me. Ask him about the blind sailor at Kwita."
"Okay, okay, calm down. If you say it's true, it's true." Li spoke as if Yuka was a tantrum-throwing child, or aggravated animal. He raised his arms above his head, stretching. "I think that's quite enough excitement for one night."
"Yeah," Aang said, eager to change the subject. "It's getting late. We want to get an early start tomorrow."
They began to roll out the sleeping mats in silence, save the cracking fire, the waves, and Yuka's voice periodically insisting, "It's true. Every word."
---
Aang woke twice during the night. The first time was in the middle of a dream. In his dream a woman took him by the hand and led him to the beach. Appa was waiting for them in the water, and they climbed onto the saddle together. Appa's great tail heaved up and down, filling the air with crystal droplets of the ocean. They rose, higher and higher, until the entire island was visible below. When he looked back, Aang saw the other small islands on which they had rested and, far in the distance, the Southern Air Temple sitting proud and elegant. There was the Northern Air Temple, too, waiting for him almost impatiently. And in between, the dark, mountainous shape of the Fire Nation.
The woman came nearer to him as they flew higher. She stood above him with her dark face so close to his that it blocked out the sky. Her face became the sky, and her eyes were sad stars above the crescent moon of her teeth. She began to weep, and her cool tears fell on his face and hands. "Help," she cried. "Help...Help...Damn it, wake up and help!"
He woke to a sky that was dark and devoid of stars. The fire fizzled as it was bombarded by fat raindrops, and Yuka yelled at him to help set up the tent and tarp. They threw their packs inside, and Aang guided Appa to what little protection was offered by the treeline. By the time they had all crawled inside the tent, the fire had dissolved into a wet, smoldering mess.
Aang tried in vain to shift the packs under his head and legs in order to sleep comfortably. The tent was simply not designed to hold four boys and all their gear, and there was a lot of arguing, name calling, and kicking before they finally settled down. Aang was just thankful that he wasn't the one stuck in the middle. The cloth wall of the tent was on one side, which he lifted occasionally for some air. Jinju was on the other side, and he fell asleep rather quickly.
Jinju, Aang learned, was a restless sleeper. Finally growing frustrated with being kicked and poked in the eye, Aang stood carefully and opened the flap, bringing to life a chorus of groans and curses. He jogged into the rain, grabbed one of the melons left by the dead fire, and dove back into the tent. Situating the melon between himself and Jinju he instructed, "Stay on your side!"
---
After tossing and turning for what felt like hours, he finally fell asleep. After what felt like minutes he woke for the second time. Jinju, having breached the melon barrier, shook him roughly by the shoulder whispering, "Ew! Aang, wake up! Gross! Aang, wake up!"
He opened his eyes to the darkness inside the tent and groggily pushed Jinju's hand away. "What? What is it?"
"I told you, I told you! But would you listen to me? No!" Jinju groaned pathetically.
"Told me what?" It'd better not be something stupid...
"Not to eat all that melon. I knew you were gonna wet the bed!"
"I didn't wet the bed!" he cried instantly. At the same time he reached downward, patting his legs and the ground beside him, not because he believed there was any truth to Jinju's ridiculous accusation, but out of instinct. He jerked his hand back when he felt something wet. His whole side was soaked! Aang's mind raced for a terrified moment. Was it possible that he could have wet the bed without noticing? No! Pushing the thought aside, he reached blindly above him. Maybe the tent was leaking. His fingers touched the fabric. Completely dry.
Beside him, Jinju was still complaining. "You peed all over the place. What's wrong with you?"
"Maybe you did it and you're trying to blame me!" Aang retorted, annoyed.
"Come on, Aang," he huffed. "I wouldn't wake you up to tell you I wet the bed."
Suddenly, Aang thought of something. He dropped his hand to the melon, still separating himself and Jinju. He ran his hand along the side and, just as he had suspected, felt a long crack in the rind dripping with melon juice. "It's the melon, Jinju."
"That's what I've been telling you!"
"No. I mean it's the melon leaking."
"Oh, sure, blame it on the melon. Look, you don't hafta be embarrassed."
"Will you keep it down, please?" Li's voice rang out of the darkness. "Some of us are trying to sleep."
"Aang wet the bed," Jinju informed, to Aang's horror. Reflexively, he thrust his hand out to cover Jinju's mouth before he could ruin his life any more. His aim was off, and instead of covering his mouth Aang's palm hit the boy's nose hard. The next few minutes were chaos.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Wetting the bed at your age? Are you feeling okay?" Li asked, sounding concerned.
"It was the melon, not me!"
"The melon hit me? First it peed on me, and now it hit me? Give it up, Aang!"
"Please tell me I'm not hearing this," Yuka joined the menagerie of voices.
"It's not what you think!" Now Yuka had the wrong idea. Just what Aang needed. He was never going to live this down.
"I heard that can be a sign of stress or mental anguish. Aang, are you feeling mentally anguished?"
"Yes, I am feeling anguished. Thanks for noticing."
"I'm feelin' grossed out."
"Shut up, Jinju!"
"All of you shut up." It sounded like Yuka was speaking through his teeth. "Are you just gonna sit in it all night?"
"It's just melon juice," Aang clarified.
Yuka made a low growling sound. Aang imagined he was clutching his head thinking, Why am I stuck with these morons?
Li spoke up. "You remember the creek where we got water? Go wash off there."
"Fine," he relinquished. Aang stood as best he could in the cramped space, grabbing his staff and the stupid melon. He stomped outside, vaguely noticing that the rain had stopped and the moon again bathed the beach in milky light.
From within the tent he heard Jinju say, "But that's all the way in the forest."
"Get out!" Yuka screamed. An instant later Jinju stumbled out. Aang glared at him. Without a word he shoved the melon close to Jinju's face. Jinju inspected it for a moment.
"Hey, it's cracked."
"Hey, it's cracked!" Aang mocked acidly. He turned, lifted the fruit above his head, and hurled it as far as he could. It exploded on the sand. Yellow melon bits flew into the air, bounced, rolled away. "Hey, it's cracked!" he spat. "Hey, it's cracked!"
"Sorry, Aang."
Sorry? Aang bit his tongue as he stalked into the trees, untucking his wet shirt as he went. Here he was, stripping his way through the jungle in the middle of the night, completely humiliated, and all Jinju could say was sorry?
It was bad enough to be accused of something so shameful, so mortifying, but even worse to be accused in front of Li and Yuka. Especially Yuka, who Aang had never imagined would even talk to him, much less want to fly to the tournament with him. Any hopes he had of befriending the best prankster in the history of the Southern Air Temple were dashed. In fact, he would probably be a target now. That was a scary thought. He knew the kind of things Yuka did to people he didn't like, and he had to admit that some of his jokes were cruel. Brilliant, yes, but cruel. He didn't want to be on that list. But even if he could explain the situation to Yuka, the damage had been done.
These thoughts preoccupied Aang's mind as he stumbled through the dark woods. Like the fingers of curious children, twigs and branches scraped at his exposed stomach and tugged at the buttons and straps of the shirt he struggled to pull over his head. "Stupid shirt!" He clawed at the shirt's cape, pulling hard and finally breaking free. "What is the point of this dumb thing?"
"Um, I think it's for Airbending," Jinju offered timidly.
"I know what it's for!" Aang snapped.
The creek gurgled over itself as they approached. Jinju's voice took on a defensive tone. "You're the one who asked. You don't hafta yell."
"Me?" Aang clenched his jaw. He kicked out of his shoes and pants and dropped his staff on the bank. "You're telling me not to yell?" Glaring at Jinju he screamed, "You're the one who needs to keep his big mouth shut!"
Barefoot, in his underwear, entire scrawny body shivering in rage, Aang would be the first to admit that he did not make an intimidating figure. Even worse, Jinju stood a good three or four inches taller than him. So Jinju shouldn't have been scared, but even in the faint light it was obvious that Aang's outburst had made the boy nervous. What really surprised Aang, though, was that he was glad that Jinju was scared. He wanted him to be scared. Aang rarely lost his temper, so maybe Jinju was more stunned than anything else.
Jinju's mouth trembled. He tried to speak, faltered, then managed to squeak out, "Th-they'll hear you."
"It was just a dumb story," Aang growled. "Yuka made it up. Forget it." Gathering his clothes, Aang waded to the opposite shore, taking cautious steps on the pebbly creek bed. He captured Jinju with the fiercest gaze he could muster. "This time, stay on your side."
The creek was really little more than a wide ditch fed by a freshwater spring somewhere on the island. The water barely reached Aang's knees, so he sat cross legged on the cool stones and scooted himself into deeper water until the gentle current swirled around his chest.
He scrubbed his clothes, the repetitive movement calming him the tiniest bit. Jinju splashed quietly behind him. He drew deep breaths, trying to slow his mind and wishing that the night would end. Maybe with the morning light things would return to normal. They'd all wake up refreshed, they'd stretch, eat, pack and be on their way. Li would remind them of morning meditation, and this time Aang wouldn't ignore him. Maybe no one would even remember this night.
Yeah. Sure.
Silence forced him from his wishful thinking. Jinju had stopped splashing. Curious, Aang turned around. He could barely make out Jinju's tense form sitting in the water, neck stretched long like a startled mountain mole.
"What's the matter?"
"I thought I heard somethin'."
Aang rolled his eyes. "Not again. Come on, let's go." He stood and started to move towards the bank, but Jinju halted him with a hiss.
"There it is again!"
Aang looked into the woods, squinting, but his eyes could not pierce the darkness. He listened. Something rustled in the trees. "Hear it?" Jinju asked.
"It's probably -" More movement. Did it sound closer this time? "It's probably just -"
"Aang," Jinju's voice was barely audible. He didn't need to finish, though. Aang had already seen it. Directly in front of him twin orbs, gently glowing, floated in the darkness. And he was frozen to the spot, as if his toes had taken root in the mud and anchored themselves on the stones and sprouted a terrified little boy.
Close your eyes and stay still.
"Can you reach my staff?" he asked Jinju, shocked at how steady his voice sounded. He heard Jinju stand and creep toward the bank, felt the little waves he created. He clutched the wet clothes to his stomach, sending a rivulet of water snaking around his hips. The other hand reached behind him, searching for the weight of his staff. He stretched his fingers. "Come on, come on," he urged.
Close your eyes so you can't see what they do to you.
Smooth wood touched his fingers. Jinju's hand clasped his shoulder almost painfully. Aang tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. He spoke in a whisper. "Listen, Jinju. When I count to three, we're going to run as fast as we can back to camp. Don't stop for anything. Just run." Some plan, Aang. "Got it?"
"Okay."
"One..."
Stay still because it's already too late.
"Two..."
Following Yuka's advice would get them killed for sure. At least by running they had a chance. Unless, of course, they were surrounded. Aang looked only at the starry eyes in front of him, imagining a heaven of eyes behind them, waiting. He crouched low and felt Jinju move with him.
"Three!" The pressure left Aang's shoulder and Jinju splattered madly out of the creek. At the same time Aang lifted his staff, leaned forward and swung. The force of the gale was so great that he teetered back and fell into the water. He scurried to his feet and was running through the trees mere paces behind Jinju, so fast that he barely realized that the eyes had disappeared, barely heard the shush and clatter of his wind exciting leaves and severing boughs.
Aang and Jinju saw only darkness, heard only each other's panting breaths and footfalls, knew only run run now run faster!
"Aang," Jinju gasped.
He didn't have the breath for words. "Uh!"
"Where's...the...camp?"
"Uh!" His heart sank. They should have been there by now, especially since they were running so fast. That's how it happened, they got lost in the jungle. He tried not to panic for Jinju's sake. There was no way Jinju could handle himself out here if Aang lost it, so he had to take charge. Best to stop and get my bearings.
"Jinju, wait." They slowed to a stop. "I think we're going the wrong way." He turned in circles, searching for any hint of the beach, but the night curtained thickly. He looked up. Through the leafy branches he could see swaying patches of sky.
"I have an idea. Follow me," He bent his knees then jumped, spinning as he bended himself to the lowest branch. He slid closer to the trunk to make room for Jinju. "Okay, come up."
Jinju craned his neck to look at him, but didn't move. "I can't," he wined.
"What do you mean? Just do what I did."
"I can't do it," he said with a sort of sob. "Leave me here to die, I'll just slow you down anyway." Jinju sounded so pathetic that Aang almost cried for him. He was only ten years old, too young for all this pressure and certainly too young to die by the hands of bloodthirsty cannibals. And so was Jinju.
"I'm not going to let you die. Stay there. Here, hold my clothes." He tied the wet clothes into a bundle and dropped them to Jinju. "I'll be right back." He climbed to the next branch and moved higher, carefully testing his weight as he reached the smaller limbs of the canopy. Finally he was high enough to see above the leaves. He held tightly to the branch beside him and used his staff to balance.
From this angle, the forest didn't seem nearly as immense or menacing. In the moonlight, the treetops looked like shadowed green baubles. The black ocean spread before him too, dark and rippling. They were farther from the beach than they should've been, but much closer than he'd expected. It would be so easy to open his glider and simply fly back to the camp, skimming the canopies. But he couldn't leave Jinju behind. Renewed by the serenity of the scene, he lowered himself back to the ground.
"Well?" Jinju asked anxiously as he jumped from the branch.
"We're close to the beach," he said taking the bundle of clothes. As his eyes readjusted to the darkness of the forest floor, he felt his confidence dampen. He began to walk with Jinju close behind. Aang moved quickly but carefully. Their panicked, mindless fleeing had almost gotten them completely lost. This time he would take his time, even if it meant every snapping twig or stirring leaf sounded threateningly close.
The minutes passed achingly slow, but there was no attack from the trees, no eyes shining hungrily. Soon Aang could hear the ocean in the distance. He smiled. "Come on, Jinju. We're almost there." He began to jog toward the beach, eager to get as far away from that forest as possible. As the trees grew sparser and the ocean louder, his previous fear seemed so silly. Cannibals? Yeah, right. Later he was sure he would laugh at this, as long as Jinju didn't blab everything to Yuka and Li.
Aang breathed a sigh of relief when the beach came into view. The sand, the waves crashing on big rocks, the endless sky. Unfortunately, it wasn't the part of the beach where they had camped, but Aang had never seen anything so beautiful.
He ran towards the oceanfront, the bristly grass a welcome change to his bare feet. Just as he reached the sand he stopped so suddenly that Jinju rammed into him from behind. He began to protest, but quieted abruptly and Aang knew that they were seeing the same thing.
A group of boulders, some of them three times Aang's size, rested in the shallow water, sloped by the constant battering of waves. Beside the formation a figure stood, thigh deep in the water. Her long skirt danced on the surface, pulled by the tide. Her skin was dark. He couldn't make out the features of her face, but her eyes reflected the light of the moon.
She took a slow, water dragged step towards them.
Jinju ran first, forgetting his own warning and hollering at the top of his lungs. Aang paused only a second longer, waiting for feeling to return to his legs before he fled. He propelled himself forward using Airbending to move as fast as possible. He passed Jinju, and kept running. The forest and ocean were whirlwind blurs. His feet barely touched the earth. He hoped Jinju could keep up.
Within moments the campsite was in view. The little tent, the dead fire, Appa by the trees. "Li! Yuka!" he screamed. "Get up! Get up!" He had just passed the tent, still screaming, when Li stepped out looking dazed. Aang skidded to a halt when he reached Appa's sleeping form. He stood on tiptoes to grab Appa's horn and shook as hard as he could while yelling, "Come on, buddy, wake up!"
"Aang, what's going on?" Li called. "Where are your clothes?"
Begrudgingly the lid lifted and the wet eye glared at him with disdain. "Sorry, but this is important," Aang apologized while lifting himself onto Appa's head. He pulled on the reins. "Yip-yip!" Appa lurched forward.
Li's questioning grew frantic. "Hey, what are you doing? Yuka, get out here! Stop!" He leaped forward and wrapped his arms around Appa's horn as if he could halt the beast with his own strength. Appa continued to traipse down the beach with Li dangling from his head. "Where do you think you're going?"
"We have to get off this island now! They're right behind us!"
"What's behind you? Where's that other kid?" As if on cue Jinju careened into the camp, shrieking. He dashed up Appa's tail and joined in Aang's chorus of "Yip-yip! Yip-yip!"
Whether their cries motivated Appa or simply annoyed him Aang didn't know. But he gave in to their desperate request. His tail pumped, sending a shower of sand into the air; the unmistakable sign of a bison preparing to soar. Li released the horn and sprung to the saddle, his bending graceful as ever despite his confusion and rising panic. "Yuka, hurry up!" Aang had nearly forgotten about the other teenager, who had yet to join them. Just as Yuka's sour face emerged from the tent, Appa lifted from the ground.
"Come on! Hurry!" they urged, because once a bison began to take off he wasn't coming down until he wanted to. Yuka's head disappeared and, a moment later, he came out again holding his staff. The glider snapped open with a flash of orange. He made a running start, tearing down the beach and gaining speed with every step. He reached the water and leaped; his feet skimmed the surface before he gained balance.
Appa was moving fast, but rising slowly. With a burst of speed, Yuka rocketed into the air, a tangerine smear on the black night. He flew high, circled above the bison once and dropped, stumbling as he landed on the moving saddle.
As if the added weight was to great for him, Appa moaned and Aang's stomach bounced to his throat as the bison's ascent petered out. They hurtled toward the waves. Aang pulled uselessly on the reins, but Appa was exhausted. They were plummeting from the sky and there was nothing he could do about it. "Hold on!" He clutched the reins, bracing himself against Appa's head.
Appa belly flopped, his six thick legs outstretched. Shocks of cold water barraged them and Aang held his breath, preparing to go under. The water was up to his thighs before Appa's head surfaced. With a snort and flared nostrils, the bison blew forth a spray of seawater that fell with a sound of rain.
Behind him, the saddle was a madhouse. Jinju's breath came in short, strained spurts. Li tried to calm him while Yuka angrily demanded an explanation.
Shivering, Aang only heard a voice chanting, over and over, "It's okay. We're safe. We're okay." It was his voice.
P.s. Did you know that there's a scientific name for bed wetting? It's enuresis.
P.p.s. I'm thinking I could really use a beta-reader for this story. I'd be happy to beta-read for you, too. If anyone's interested, have your people contact my people. We'll do lunch.
P.p.p.s. I found a fun way to edit your stories in a book called The Pocket Muse. If you want, you can check it out on my profile page.
Ciao, and thanks for reading.
