I wasn't sure whether or not to raise the rating so I figure I'd just give a warning instead: This chapter contains minor sexual references and inneundo. But if any of you have seen Beauty and the Beast and know what a manwhore Lumiere is, then this shouldn't come as a shock. Just wanted to point that out.
--
Chapter 4: Lost in the Woods
Many hours had passed since Hakoda left town and night had nearly arrived. While he scratched his head trying to read the map, Appa looked anxiously around as the trees became darker and denser.
"We should've been there by now..." Hakoda said looking at the map and around the forest. "Maybe we missed a turn or something..." He then turned the map over a dozen ways trying to figure out where he was. As they continued down the path, Hakoda spotted a fork in the road with a sign that pointed in two different directions. Lighting his lantern, he held it up to the sign but was unable to read the faded print.
"Okay, we'll have to guess here..." he said looking at the map. "But I think we should go this way." Hakoda said pointing toward the left road. Appa looked at the left road and blinked twice when he saw that the path lead into a dark and enclosed branch filled terrain which was barely visible in the distant fog. Looking to his right, Appa saw a much more open pathway and proceeded to turn right.
"Not right, left Appa!" Hakoda said yanking on his reigns. "It's a shortcut. According to the map, it should get us there in no time." Appa growled irritably at his master but had no choice but to go left.
They had only gone a short way down the road before it ended abruptly at a thorn bush with no other road in sight. As Hakoda went to check the map again, Appa was becoming more and more frightened by the array of strange sounds that echoed around them. Just then, he heard footsteps and low growling noises and nervously began to back up near a stone hill.
"Oh this can't be right!" Hakoda said turning the map upside-down. "Where have you taken us Appa? We better turn around...Appa?" But Appa was too scared to listen and kept backing up. He then banged the cart against the wall, causing SnakeBats from a small cavern to fly out and swarm around his head.
"Shoo! Go away! Whoa Appa, hold on!" Hakoda cried as he tried holding onto the reigns while swatting the SnakeBats away. However Appa let out a frightened roar and darted head first off the road and into the woods. Hakoda hung on for dear life while begging Appa to slow down. Finally he did but not before nearly running off the edge of a cliff.
"Back up, back up!" Hakoda screamed as he pulled on the reigns. Appa managed to back away from the cliff but was still nervously fidgeting around. "Steady now! Steady!"
Then a loud howling noise rang through the air causing Appa to freak out. Rearing onto his hind legs, he let out a frightened roar and threw Hakoda off his back causing the lantern to shatter at his feet. Free of a driver, Appa ran full speed into the woods and disappeared.
"Ouch..." Hakoda moaned as he rubbed his backside. Standing back up, he heard another howl and quickly looked. "Appa? Appa!" he called. But there was no response. Getting up, he grabbed his bag that was also thrown off the cart and pulled out his sword. No sooner did he grab it, he heard twigs snapping followed by another loud howling noise.
"That's not a nightingale." Hakoda said nervously holding up his sword. A low growling noise soon followed along with an angry hissing noise. "And definitely not a mating call." Just then out of the bushes appeared an angry looking creature with the sharp teeth, long claws, a bushy tail and a large furry mane.
"LionWolves!" Hakoda shouted in a panicked voice. The LionWolf lunged forward but instant drew back as Hakoda started waving his sword around. "Back! Get back!" It made a low howling noise and was soon joined by five more LionWolves. Seeing he was outnumbered, Hakoda turned and raced back into the woods. The LionWolves followed in pursuit as Hakoda desperately plowed through branches and bushes trying to outrun them. As the LionWolves started to gain, Hakoda fell over a small ledge and rolled down a hill till he was stopped by something hard. Looking up, he spotted an old iron gate and immediately tried opening it.
"Help!" Hakoda yelled as he banged on the gate "Is someone there? Help!" As the LionWolves were about to catch up, the gates opened slightly allowing Hakoda entrance. He then shoved it shut right in the face of the lead wolf and put down the latch to lock it. Thinking it was over, Hakoda stopped to catch his breath but felt something pull sharply on his neck. Looking back, one of the LionWolves had grabbed hold of his scarf, which had caught on the gate. Hakoda tried to pry it away but the LionWolf was too strong and ripped the scarf in half. Seeing that their prey was out of reach, the LionWolves went back to the woods leaving Hakoda sitting behind the gate with the tattered remains of his scarf on the ground.
When Hakoda stood up and turned around, he was amazed by what he saw. At the end of the courtyard towering high above the trees, stood a very large and very dark stone castle. Gargoyles lined every rooftop and the tallest tower stood barely visible against the dense clouds. As Hakoda stared mesmerized at it, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky and heavy rain started pouring down. Seeing he had no choice, Hakoda ran across the courtyard to the front door and banged on it. After a minute the door opened on its own.
Nervously Hakoda stepped inside what he assumed was the main hall and looked around. The entire inside of the castle was as dark and dreary as the outside. Cobwebs lined the ceiling while an inch of dust blanketed the ground. Curtains and tapestries were worn and damaged while outlines of paintings and furniture were completely destroyed. The only sign that someone lived there was a lit candelabra which sat next to a clock on a mantle at the end of the hall.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Hakoda called out as he walked around. As he made his way to the end of the hall, he spotted an open door on the left and went through it. Once he had left the hall, the candelabra on the mantle quivered a little and jumped onto the ground, hopping toward the opened door. It quickly peered inside to make sure Hakoda was gone before hopping back to the mantle.
"All clear!" it whispered. Immediately, the wooden clock stirred and carefully jumped down from the table. Double-checking the door, it made it's way back to candelabra and slapped it in the back of the head.
"Ow!" the candelabra yelped rubbing it head. "What was that for?"
"You've really done it this time Sokka," the girl clock yelled. "Now we have to hide in our own castle!"
"You saw him out there! He would've gotten eaten by LionWolves if I hadn't let him in." Sokka said. "Seriously Suki, your making way too big a deal out of this."
"Too big a deal? You let a stranger into our castle!" Suki yelled back. "Why do you always have to be so problematic?"
"What do you mean problematic? You know I'm bad with math!"
"I mean that you're always being a problem! Like the time you set the masters drapes on fire!"
"I wasn't used to these candles yet!" Sokka said looking at his arms, which were two stubby candle holders "That one doesn't count!"
"Okay what about the time you set the kitchen on fire?"
"I was hungry! And hibachi sounded good at the time..." Sokka said crossing his arms.
"And don't forget when you set ME on fire!" Suki said getting steamed.
"Well that was just funny." Sokka said with wise guy smirk, causing Suki to crossed her arms and angrily turned away. "Look all that aside, you should see the great opportunity here. We get to serve our first visitor in nearly ten years!"
"That is not a visitor!" Suki said pointing toward the open door. "That is a stranger who wandered in from the woods! For all we know he could be a robber or a convicted felon."
"Now that's just ridiculous" Sokka scoffed. "Beside he could also be the milk man."
"Enchanted castles don't get milk!" Suki shouted. Just then they heard footsteps approach the door. "Oh no he's coming! Quick, act natural!" Jumping back onto the mantle, they resumed their stiff positions as Hakoda walked back into the hall.
"Hello?" Hakoda called out. "Is someone in here? Hello!" At first there was no response but as Hakoda made his way around the hall, he heard the faint sound of whispering voices.
"We can't send him back to the woods-"
"Shh! Keep quiet! Maybe he'll just go away."
"Is someone there?" Hakoda called into the darkness. Looking around, the only things he spotted were the worn looking mantle, candelabra and clock.
"Not a word, do you hear me? Not one word!" The voice whispered again.
Thinking he had disturbed something, Hakoda cautiously stepped toward the darkness. "Listen! I don't mean to intrude but I lost my bison and I need a place to stay for the night. I promise I'll be leave first thing in the morning!"
"The poor fellow..." Sokka whispered. "Oh Suki, have a heart for once." Suki responded with a shush and clapped her hand over his mouth.
Getting irritated, Sokka held his candle under Suki's hand till she yelped and pulled away her burning palm. "But of course sir, you are welcome here!"
Jumping at the sound of the unexpected voice, Hakoda backed against the wall and grabbed the candelabra. "Who said that? Show yourself!"
"I'm over here!" Turning around, Hakoda waved the candelabra around but saw no one.
"Where? I can't see you!" Just then he felt something tap his shoulder and turned to see the candelabra looking right back at him.
"Hello!" it said cheerfully. Shocked, Hakoda dropped it to the floor where it landed with a clank.
"Ouch! Now that was unnecessary!" said the candelabra as it stood up and rubbed its bum.
"You talked!" Hakoda said pointing at him.
"Oh great now you've done it! Just peachy!" As Hakoda turned around, he was equally shocked to see the clock jump down to the floor and yell at the candelabra. "Why can't you ever keep your large trap shut?"
"You're a talking clock!" Hakoda said pointing at Suki.
"Really? I hadn't noticed." Suki said sarcastically. "Now would you leave already?" she said pulling his cloak toward the door.
"Suki! Where are your manners?" Sokka said getting between them. "Show some courtesy for the gentleman."
"We have to get him out of here." Suki gritted through her teeth. "Before the- hey what are you doing!" Suki then felt herself being lifted off the ground as Hakoda turn her upside down and looked her over.
"This is incredible! How in the world is this accomplished?" he said as he poked and prodded Suki and messed with her turner. "Must be some new type of scientific gadget or something."
"I am not a gadget!" Suki cried as Hakoda started poking her nose. "Now put me down! Stop this at once!" When he opened up her compartment to play with her pendulum, Suki let out an insulted shriek and slammed her door on Hakoda's finger. "How dare you! That is no way to treat a lady!" she said slapping his cheek. "Have you no decency!"
"Oh I beg your pardon!" Hakoda said setting her back down. "I didn't realize you were female."
"Most people don't" Sokka added snidely, earning a good kick from Suki.
"I truly am sorry." Hakoda said kneeling down to face them. "I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy, it's just that I've never seen a talk- a talking-..." Pausing for a moment Hakoda then let out a huge sneeze, blowing dust from the floor onto Suki's face.
"Sorry again..." Hakoda said wiping his nose on his sleeve as Suki irritably wiped the dust off her face.
"Oh you are soaked to the bone." Sokka said looking at his wet cloths. "Come and warm yourself by the fire."
"Thank you." Hakoda said as Sokka escorted him into the next room.
"No, no, no! I forbid it!" Suki yelled as she tried catching up to them. "You know what the master will do if he finds him here. As head of this household I demand that you stop right there!" She tried grabbing onto Hakoda's cloak but quickly lost her grip and fell.
"Here you go sir. Just sit right down and I'll get the fire started." Sokka said gesturing towards a chair before lighting the fireplace with his candles.
"Oh no... not the master's chair! Oh I'm not seeing this...I am not seeing this!" Suki said covering her eyes as Hakoda sat down in plush armchair.
Just then there was a screeching noise as a small pillow catapult itself into the air and across the room, landed right next to the chair. Hakoda looked curiously at it but backed away when it chirped at him. The pillow turned out to be a footstool with two cushion flaps on both side. Jumping onto his lap, the footstool chirped at Hakoda and licked his cheek with the little fuzzy rope he assumed was its tongue.
"Well, hello there little fellow." Hakoda said petting the footstool. The thing purred then jumped back on the ground where it propped up Hakoda's feet.
"Oh my goodness!" a high girly voice shouted. "Do my eyes deceive me?" As Hakoda turned to see the source of the voice, a feather duster with a pink bow jumped onto his lap and looked up at him with bright brown eyes. "It is! A real man in the castle! Oh welcome sir, it's such a pleasure to meet you! May I sit here?" She then jumped onto Hakoda's shoulder and cozyed up to him, making him blush a little.
"Ty Lee, would leave the gentleman alone?" Sokka said in an annoyed tone. "Your perkiness is scaring him."
"I didn't hear you complaining about my perkiness yesterday in the pantry." Ty Lee said defensively before smiling back at Hakoda. "Forgive him sir. He's just a big hothead. Oh but your so cold! Let me fetch you a blanket."
"Why thank you miss. How kind." Hakoda smiled. Blowing him a kiss, Ty Lee then fled out of the room making sure to stick her tongue out at Sokka as she left.
"Alright!" Suki yelled. "This has gone on far enough! I'm in charge here and I say-" Before she could finish her sentence, a tea cart rolled into the room, running her over.
"Hello there my good sir. My name is Iroh" said a large teapot with a kindly old man voice. "How bout a nice cup of tea? I have five different type here that will warm you up in no time."
"No tea!" Suki mumbled into the carpet. "No tea Iroh! He'll be here all night!"
"But Suki, tea warms the soul as it soothes the body. Exactly what a exhausted traveler needs."
Sokka smirks. "Tea's your solution to everything."
Iroh laughs heartedly. "Because tea IS the solution for everything."
"Thank you. I'll have jasmine if you got it" Hakoda said taking the teacup.
"Excellent choice sir." Iroh said tipping his spout into the cup till it was full to the brim. As Hakoda sipped it, the teacup shook and started to giggle.
"Haha! That tickles!" Looking at the cup, Hakoda saw that it had two very large gray eyes that stared cheerfully back at him. "Hi there! Hope I didn't scare ya."
"Not at all." Hakoda said smiling at the small cup. "What is your name little guy?"
"Aang. Pleasure to meet ya." the teacup smiled back.
Hakoda then felt a blanket drape over him and saw Ty lee jump back onto his lap. "There we are. A nice warm blanket for the handsome gentleman." She said batting her eyelashes.
"Wow, what service." Hakoda said setting Aang down and wrapping himself up in the blanket.
"Yeah that's what all the guys say to her," Sokka said sarcastically.
"Oh hush up." Ty Lee looking at Sokka in annoyance "You're just jealous cause I prefer the company of more mature, older men."
"Well you got the older part right." Sokka scoffed. Ty Lee gasped in shock and opened her mouth to respond but instead stormed out of the room in a huff.
Sokka threw her a satisfied smirk till Suki grabbed his candle and pulled him aside, looking more agitated then usual. "What?"
"We need to talk." Suki said sternly.
"Alright look, I know Ty Lee and I weren't suppose to be in the pantry but the broom closet was a mess and the dining room was taken-"
"I mean about him! This has gone on long enough Sokka!" Suki said pulling him aside. "We need to get him out of here. Do you have any idea what the master will do when he finds out we let a stranger in the castle?"
"Oil your gears and loosen up already Suki. The master doesn't have to know. Besides he spends most of his time in his room brooding anyway."
"You're missing the point!" Suki said anxiously.
As they continued to argue, Hakoda sat comfortably sipping his tea by the fireplace with Iroh and Aang keeping him company.
"So where are you from my good sir?" Iroh asked.
"And how did you end up here?" Aang added.
"Well I'm from a small earth kingdom village many miles away. I was on my way to the science fair when I got lost in the woods and my bison ran away. Then LionWolves chased me till I ended up here."
"How awful!" Iroh said refilling Aang with tea. "You sure had one rough day Mr.-"
"Oh just call me Hakoda." he said sipping his tea.
Hearing his name across the room, Sokka felt something go off in his head and instantly clapped his hand over Suki's mouth as she continued talking. "Hold that thought." He then looked back at Hakoda. "Sir, what did you say your name was?"
"I said its-"
Just then the doors burst open and a huge gust of wind blew in, causing the fireplace to go out. Shaking in his tea cozy, Iroh grabbed Aang and steered the cart to the back of the room, leaving Hakoda sitting nervously in the chair. Turning around to look, he gasped upon seeing a horrifying looking demon standing in the doorway, holding a pair of broadswords. The creature let out an angry growl as it menacingly made its way down the stairs toward Hakoda.
"There's a stranger here..." It said in a dangerously low voice, looking at Sokka who was nervously standing in the middle of the room next to a lump in the rug.
Sokka cautiously stepped forward with a nervous smile on his face. "Master, please allow me to explain. This gentleman was lost in the woods. He was being chased by LionWolves so I thought-" The demon then growled loudly at Sokka, blowing out his candles and causing him to frighteningly retreat against the wall. The demon then looked down at a lump in the rug and pulled it back, revealing Suki who was scared out of her wits.
"Why hello there master! Nice to see you up and about. Let me just start off by saying-" Suki said her voice cracking slightly. "I was against this from the start! It was all his fault! I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen to me and-"
"You dare to disobey me!" The demon shouted, causing Suki to retreat back under the rug. "I will see you both punished for this!"
"Nephew please!" Iroh pleaded as he hopped forward. "They didn't mean anything by it. They were just-"
"I will deal with you later. But right now-"
Sweating heavily, Hakoda turned to look back behind the chair and came face to face with the blue-faced demon. Gasping, Hakoda jumped out the chair and tried backing away from the demon.
"Who are you? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" the demon yelled as he bore down on the man.
"I was lost in the woods and I-" Hakoda stuttered before it back hit the wall.
"YOUR NOT WELCOME HERE!" the demon bellowed.
"I'm sorry, I really am..." Hakoda said as he tried moving sideways against the wall. However, the demon grabbed him by the scruff of shirt and held a sword to his throat. Hakoda's stared fearfully into the demons dark hollow eyes which seemed to make him even madder.
"What are you staring at huh?" He asked getting uncomfortably close. "Come to stare at the blue spirit have you? Well take a good look!"
Knowing he had to act before the demon killed him, Hakoda reached into his belt and took out his sword. He then rammed the hilt against the demons face and swiped at his hand. The demon let out a howl of pain and clutched his wrist, dropping his swords to the ground. As the servants rushed forward to help their master, Hakoda took the opportunity and dashed out into the hall.
However before he could touch the door handle, the demon reappeared and slashed at Hakoda's head. Luckily he managed to duck and parried his sword in defense. The two then started circling each other till the demon was completely blocking the door. Hakoda tried running past him but the demon was too quick.
Suddenly flames engulfed his broadswords and with some very fast spinning movements, he created a wall of flames. Taking Hakoda off guard, the demon burst through the flames and disarmed him in the blink of an eye. Pinning him to the ground, the demon held his sword close to Hakoda's throat, the blood from his cut wrist dripping down onto his sword.
"Please...don't kill me" Hakoda pleaded as he felt the blade press against his jugular. "I have a daughter back home. Just let me go and I promise I wont tell anyone about this place."
"I'm afraid that's not an option," the demon said putting away his swords. "You wanted a place to stay, well you got one!"
"No please! NO!" Hakoda shouted as the demon reached for him, his clawed hands engulfed with flames. From the other room, the servants listened guiltily as Hakoda let out a loud scream that soon dissappeared behind a shut door.
--
--
Oh boy. o_o Not looking good for Hakoda is it?
Stay tuned for the next chapter where we find out just how big Jet's ego is. :P Hint: *whispers*...it's HUGE!!