I really hope that this chapter stays up. I don't know what the glitch is all about, but it is annoying. I hope by the time I get the next chapter up, this will all be behind us.
Anyway, I do not own Avatar. It is the property of Nickelodeon and the creation of Michael DiMartino and Brian Konietzko.
Enjoy!
"Uncle? Do you have any advice here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think we can trust him?"
Zuko, Toph, and Iroh were following behind the man named Due. He said that he was leading them to a tree. Whatever that was supposed to mean.
"I sense no deception from him. He is earnest," Iroh said. He then added, "Perhaps not civilized, but he is earnest."
"Shouldn't be too much further now," Due said as they continued to follow him. His Cat-Gator suddenly growled.
"Ah, shoot!" You're right Slim! I should warn them."
Zuko leaned to his uncle. "Is he talking to a Cat-Gator?"
"I believe..."
*Snap*
Zuko looked down at his foot. He noticed that a small hole had started to form around it. The hole then grew in size, until it was large enough to swallow him.
"What the-?!"
Zuko was cut off when he fell through the hole. His body and voiced disappeared as he plunged into the earth. Panicked, Druk immediately flew in after him.
"Zuko!" Iroh yelled as he raced to the hole. He didn't notice the sounds surrounding his own feet. Or Due's warnings.
"Wait a minute Uncle-Man. You should probably wait for..."
Due was cut off when the floor around Iroh broke as well. He fell into a larger hole than the one Zuko fell into. He also disappeared from view.
"Do you know where they are?" Toph asked, surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal.
"Not really. The swamp does that sometimes. Swallow some people up and then spit them out. Happens to Tho every other week, I do believe."
"Who's Tho?"
"A good buddy of mine. Only problem is he thinks he smart," Due said with a chuckle. "By the way, ain't you worried about your buddies?"
"Eh, I know Uncle will be fine," Toph said with a shrug. She then smiled deviously. "I'm just waiting to see what will happen to Sparky. He does tend to get in trouble a lot. I bet it'll either be some spirit shenanigans or some animals that try to eat him."
"What about that Wing-Gecko that went after him? Being honest, I've never seen one of them in red."
"Wing-Gecko?" Toph said with a frown. "Oh right, Druk. He's a dragon actually."
Due's eyes widened. "A dragon? Gosh. Thought those didn't exist no more."
"I'm pretty sure Druk is the last one. Or one of the last. Sparky hasn't really said anything to me about that," Toph added, making a mental note to ask later. "By the way, do you know where I can try to find them? I would try using my feet, but the ground is too mushy. I can barely see anything around here as it is."
Due seemed confused for a moment, but he answered anyway. "I don't think I can. But maybe Slim can." The Gator-Cat only yawned in response. "He got a nose like a Beetle-Hound. He can find them."
In response to that praise, Slim decided to walk into the trees and look for some food. Completely ignoring the people behind him.
"He can do it later," Due said.
Toph wrinkled her nose. "Right. You said something about a tree. You think I can see it?"
"Sure! I'm sure Hu wouldn't mind. And your buddies can meet you there later."
Deciding on what to do, Toph chose to follow the pantsless man towards an apparently important tree. She could find her student and his uncle later. She didn't need to worry, they would be fine. Uncle definitely. Sparky... she would probably laugh when she saw him again.
She'll wait until she sees them again. She'll get a good laugh then.
"Follow me. I can get you to the field where we hide them."
"Them?" Aang asked.
"I told you of this Aang, do you recall?" Gyatso asked. When Aang shook his head, he sighed and explained. "All Avatars throughout history have had animal companions. We are here to see if we can find yours."
"An animal?" Aang's mood suddenly brightened considerably. "Does this mean I get a pet?"
Gyatso chuckled. "In a manner of speaking. Now come. We mustn't waste any time."
Walking through the woods, Suki led Gyatso, Aang, and Katara through the woods. Sokka was still busy being Sokka on a tree. The girls figured he could either get himself down, or they would cut him down later. Either way, it would be funny.
The group of four keep walking until they reached a small cave.
"There is a clearing on the other side of this cave. You'll find them there."
"I see. Aang", Gyatso took hold of the boy's shoulder. "You will need to go alone."
"What? Why?"
"This is something that cannot be interfered with. The choosing of an animal companion is the creation of a lifelong bond. It would best if you did so alone."
"Oh. Ok." Aang wasn't entirely sure why he had to go alone, but he figured that Gyatso knew what he was talking about. And besides, he was just going to see an animal. He probably didn't need to worry about anything.
"You'll need this," Suki said as she reached into something in her armor. She pulled out an apple. "They can sometimes get pretty defensive if you get too close. Not always, but it is good to be safe. Giving them food should calm them down."
Aang took the apple from Suki. "Alright. I guess I'll be back."
Aang crawled inside the small entrance by himself.
"Are you sure he will be alright?" Katara asked.
"I am certain Aang will be fine," Gyatso waved off. "He has always loved animals. He is likely more excited than he lets on."
"You shouldn't worry. They tend to be pretty docile," Suki added.
Meanwhile, Aang had made it to the other side of the clearing. And his eyes widened at what he was now seeing.
Sky Bisons. A whole herd of them. Aang had seen them in illustrations back at the temple, but this was his first time seeing them in real life.
They are definitely more beautiful in real life compared to a drawing. Bigger too, with three sets of legs that had paws big enough to crush Aang's body in one step. Their horns looked pretty sharp, probably to fight back predators. And they looked fuzzy. Really, really fuzzy. And the babies were really cute, with really big eyes and big ears.
Aang wanted one. He really wanted one now.
"Hi."
The bison responded by regarding him for a moment. Each one had their eyes on him. But when the moment was over, they each went back to whatever they were doing. Whether it was napping, eating, or flying.
"Guess I need to get one to notice me."
Aang started walking around. Most of the bison continued to just ignore him. They were more focused on eating the grass or lounging on the grass. A bald kid with an apple wasn't very interesting to them. The newborns were a little more interested (and cuter than Aang was able to describe) but they quickly shifted their attention away from him as well.
Aang was starting to feel disheartened. Until he felt a gust of wind on his neck.
Aang turned around to see a Sky Bison standing directly in front of him. It wasn't as big as the rest, but it was definitely older than a baby. And it looked like a male since the brown fur was darker than on a female. It was staring at him with massive brown eyes. And an open mouth.
"Are you hungry?" Aang asked as he held up the apple. The bison responded by opening its mouth wider.
"Here you go," Aang said as he dropped the apple into the bison's mouth. The fluffy horned animal happily chewed and swallowed the fruit. It then moved closer and licked Aang
"Hey! Stop that, it tickles."
The bison did not stop. He instead pushed Aang to the ground to make it easier to lick him. The massive front legs kept Aang from being able to move.
"Heh, heh. Stop it!"
The bison licked Aang until it decided to pull up its head. Aang started into the animal's eyes. Large eyes that were filled with compassion, joy, and understanding. And all of it was focused on Aang.
And at that moment, he knew.
This was the one for him.
"I cannot believe you guys just LEFT ME THERE!"
Sokka's sudden shout drew Gyatso, Katara, and Suki's attention away from the small clearing. They saw a Water Tribe boy covered in dirt and angrily swinging a boomerang.
In Suki's opinion, it was a far more entertaining sight. Everyone else agreed, though not to the same extent.
"We did not abandon you Sokka," Gatso said calmly. "We merely believed that you could get yourself down. You do always say that you are an expert hunter and warrior. Surely a simple trap would not hold you."
Sokka opened his mouth to shout something, before closing it again. There really was no good response he could give to that.
"Well played old man." Sokka sent a stink eye to the old man, whose only response was a small chuckle. The girls shared the humor, giggling to themselves.
"Stop Laughing!" Sokka yelled. His breathing was starting to heave in frustration. When he calmed down, he spoke again. "Oh yeah, where's Aang?"
"I'm up here guys!"
The party of four looked up to see Aang. Riding a giant fuzzy buffalo. Sokka stared with wide eyes as Aang led the big thing to the ground.
Katara was the first person to comment. "Um, Aang? Who is this?"
"This is Appa. He's a Sky Bison. And he's my new friend."
Gyatso smiled when he heard that. After all the changes that Aang had been forced to endure in the past few months, it made Gyatso happy to see a change that made Aang smile. And a Sky Bison would certainly be useful for their journey.
Sokka, on the other hand, had had enough at that point. He passed out on the floor.
Zuko's eyes opened when he felt something wet moving on his cheek. It wasn't wet like the mud. It was wet in a different way.
It was Druk. The growing dragon was licking the left side of his face in an attempt to get him up. And it apparently worked.
"Ugh. I'm up Druk. You can stop now."
Zuko spits mud out of his mouth as he lifted himself from the dirty ground. The area looks basically the same as the one he had just left. Muddy floor, wet vines, and moist-looking trees. The only difference is that now it's just him and Druk.
"Do you know where anyone is Druk?"
The dragon tried sniffing the air. Only to immediately shake his head and blow smoke from his nose. The scents in the air must have been too strong for him. Meaning that Zuko couldn't use him to try and find his uncle and Toph.
"We're going to have to look the old-fashioned way then. Let's see if we can find them Druk."
With Druk by his side, Zuko set out to find his travel companions. Unaware of the surprises that the Swamp had in store for him.
I said in the last chapter that an important character would be showing up now. I'm honestly surprised that no one guessed Appa.
Anyway, Aang has his Sky Bison now. You all know that that will be useful. And fluffy. Also, Appa is still young, not fully grown yet. An adult Sky Bison is about ten tons. Appa is currently around eight. Just letting you all know.
The next chapter will focus on the Chaos Crew (I think I'll stick with that name) having their little misadventure in the swamp. And Zuko will meet a rather important person. So will Iroh. Though his meeting will not be so fun for him. And Toph will just stick around being Toph. Which is already fun enough on its own.
This will be the last short update I intend to do. I've just been busy the past couple of weeks, and this is the best I could do for now. But I promise I'll be back to regular length soon enough. Most likely by the next chapter. There's a lot of information and plot I need to pack into the next chapter, so it will most certainly be longer.
Anyway, please leave reviews, tell me what you think, and I will see you all next time.
Bye!