were bitten
"It is harmless," said a twelve-year-old Azula, still seeking a stick.
Ty Lee was not so convinced. She needed Mai. It was completely her job to pick up, touch, possibly pet the spider-snake because Azula was definitely not going to risk her life. Mai would not care, or so Ty Lee told herself. It was comfortable to pretend she would not pass off the task to someone who hated it.
Well, Ty Lee hated spider-snakes, spider-cats, viper-bats…
She did not like things with lethal fangs or gross fur or icky scales.
"I think we should be humane and let him stay in the wild," Ty Lee said, backing away from the beast. No way was she getting tangled in this.
"We need to capture him," Azula replied, at last holding up the stick. "Oh, try not to look so scared. I hate it when people are scared of little, harmless things."
"I'm not, princess," Ty Lee said, but her face told a different story. "I love spider-snakes."
"I know that you're lying, but it's okay to be scared of not little and harmless things like myself," Azula said, smirking. "Now, take this stick, and carefully pick him up."
"What if he doesn't want to be picked up?" Ty Lee inquired, taking the stick uneasily.
"Then he will bite you," Azula said, pointing at the poor animal that got stuck in the courtyard.
Ty Lee closed her eyes and touched the stick to the sleek snake. She heard a hiss and opened her eyes in time to see it coiling to strike. It was not enough time to move, but then it was gone. It suffered a burn and slithered away and Ty Lee turned to Azula.
"Thank you," whispered Ty Lee. "You're the best."
"I am here to protect you," Azula said, pretending she wasn't the one who suggested it.
Ty Lee was happy to pretend that too.