~~~~~~~~~~~~~*`~~: Chapter Twenty one: ~~`*~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katara and Sokka, Ally could plainly see, were torn between being angry at her for the frozen frogs and happy that she was alive after all. Aang was just glade to have her back, being just a tiny bit clingy for a few days, as though he thought she might disappear.
Snow-fire followed her everywhere, and Ally didn't mind her Ermine-wolf's company at all, she had missed Snow-fire and she knew that the Ermine-wolf was depressed in her absence, Aang had told her that her animal guide hadn't eaten anything from anyone while she was gone, not even when Appa when he had nudged an watermelon to her.
It all wared off after things had settled down, Ally and Aang hadn't told them about Zuko and the Blue Spirit. Sokka had looked at her weirdly when she mentioned her 'glowy vision,' as Sokka put it, and how she used it to find Aang. She had been practising control over this new type of powerful vision, but it seemed she could only get ten meters away from her body before snapping back into consciousness.
"Are all air benders spiritually weird?" he had asked without thinking when she demonstrated her improved visions.
"Sokka!" Katara had said slapping his arm.
Ally had laughed, "No, that's just me."
Ally sighed, again, since releasing some of her grief and talking to Aang she had felt immensely better afterwards, and it brought Aang and Ally closer.
Sometimes, when Sokka and Katara were asleep, Aang and Ally would sit around the fire and talk about the past. Ally had come close on several occasions at revealing what happened to Monk Afiko, but fear and regret held her tongue.
Right now they were camping by a lake of water; Sokka was trying to catch a green catfish for lunch, Aang was staring at Katara with a dreamy expression on his face from his place on Appa's saddle, "Hey Katara," he said.
"Hi Aang, what's up?" Katara said smiling up at him.
Aang air bended himself down to Katara, "I made you bracelet." He said holding up a woven band with small flowers on it, he had a sheepish smile on his face and his cheeks became a tint of pink.
Ally tried to suppress one of those annoying knowing smiles that would get on anyone's nerves and looked away, giving her two friends privacy. She always had suspected Aang to have feelings for Katara, and she knew the feeling was mutual.
"Smoochie, smoochie, someone's in love," Sokka teased, Ally shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose while Aang stuttered his already pink cheeks stained with red.
"Stop teasing him, Sokka." Katara said, "Aang's just a good friend, a sweet little guy just like Momo and Neo." Neo's ears perked up at his name, Ally groaned and lay down on Snow-fire's head as Aang looked down hearted. "Are you okay, Ally?" Katara asked.
Ally held up her hand and gave her a half hearted thumbs up. Ally stayed like that for a few moments before Aang shouted "Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!"
Ally fell off Snow-fire in shock and used air bending to soften her fall, "Hu?" Ally asked as she raced up to the place where Aang was standing. Ally indeed saw someone being attacked by a platypus bear; the blue dressed man was very nonchalant about it too, easily and calmly sidestepping the ferocious attacks the platypus bear threw at him.
Ally couldn't help but be impressed, he evaded completely with negative Jing and Ally watched his movements with rapt attention, she didn't want to stray too far from negative Jing and this man was flawless at it.
While Katara and Sokka and Aang shouted how to get rid of the angry animal the man simply smiled "No need. It's going to be fine." He twirled around and sat down; where his head use to be seconds before the platypus's claw lashed out and took a chunk of wood out of a tree behind him. Aang jumped forward and got in between the beast and the calm man. The beast roared at him, but Appa roared louder.
Terrified the beast popped out an egg and got away into a river, Snow-fire nudged her snout on Ally's shoulder. Ally smiled at the protective Ermine-wolf and patted her nose.
Walking up to the man she noticed Sokka holding up the egg with a satisfied smile and looked haughtily at the man, "Lucky for you we came along."
"Are you kidding?" Ally asked, "That was amazing!" Sokka looked at her in surprise. But Ally was already asking the man where he learnt to evade with negative Jing.
"In my village there is a place where we learn a little bit about self protection, in these troubled times travelling can be dangerous. But Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey. She is the fortune-teller from my village." He bowed.
"But the fortune-teller was wrong! You didn't have a safe journey, you were almost killed!" Sokka said.
"But I wasn't." said the man, about to walk away, "Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travellers to give them this." He handed Aang a long wrapped up package. "Alright have a good one!"
"You too," Ally smiled after him.
Aang un-wrapped the package to find an umbrella; he opened it with a grin. Maybe it might rain? Ally thought looking up at the dark gray sky.
"Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes. It could be fun." Katara said.
Ally nodded eagerly, "It must be nice to know your future. I can only see what's happening in the present. This is something else entirely."
Sokka slapped his forehead, "Fortune-telling is nonsense." He said in annoyance.
Suddenly the sky rumbled and rain started to poor down hard, Ally chuckled and spun a disk of revolving air then held it above her head.
"That doesn't prove anything!" Sokka said stubbornly as Katara and Ally got under the umbrella with Aang. They started down the path the man had been travelling, Snow-fire and Appa trailing behind them, Momo on Aang's shoulder while Nyx and Neo sat on Ally's shoulders. "I mean common! It's been cloudy for weeks! Alright fine! Look; I'm going to predict the future," he continued with an overly exaggerated voice, "It going to keep drizzling!"
The sun came out.
"Not everyone has gift of visions Sokka." Ally laughed, Aang laughed as well, Katara smirked smugly. "And it doesn't work like that." She added.
When they finally arrived they were greeted by a man at the gate, "Aunt Wu is expecting you." He said.
Katara and Ally shared an awed glance. Ally really wanted to meet this Aunt Wu, she might be a descendent of the Spirit of Destiny. Ally sat down on a cushion in the waiting area next Aang, Sokka on her other side, Katara next to Aang.
A young girl named Mang introduced her self as Aunt Wu's assistant, she seemed very much taken with Aang, and that bothered Ally. She liked Mang, but the girl just wasn't Aang's type. When Mang left Sokka groaned, "I can't believe we came to the house of nonsense."
"Try to keep an open mind, Sokka." Katara said. There are things in this world that just can't be explained. Like how Ally can get visions –"
"Ally gets visions because she's a descendent from the spirit of destiny." Sokka said looking at Ally who nodded.
"Well maybe Aunt Wu is a descendent from a spirit." Aang reasoned.
Sokka 'hummed' in annoyance.
Ally frowned, "She'd also need a great connection to the spirit world as well Aang, like being spiritually related to you has helped me tune into the spirit world and meditation doesn't hurt your connection either."
Sokka rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You two are so normal." He said with heavy sarcasm. Ally and Aang glared at him.
"Welcome young travellers'" said a voice. Ally looked around and saw a woman in about late fifties, wearing a gold kimono. Ally assumed that this woman was Aunt Wu, who smiled at them in a kindly way. She looked at Ally, "Now whose next? Don't be shy."
Ally looked at the boys and Katara, the boys looked uninterested and Katara looked at her knowingly. "I guess that's me then." Ally beamed.
"Come along then dear," Aunt Wu smiled, as Ally walked past Katara she mouthed, 'thanks!'
Katara mouthed 'your welcome' back to her.
Ally sat down on a large orange pillow, and looked at Aunt Wu expectantly. Aunt Wu sat down in front of her; she smiled like a grandmother at her. "It's good to meet a descendent of mine; it's been too long." She said.