~~~~~~~~~~~~~*`~~: Chapter Twenty Five: ~~`*~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ally smiled as she completed a series of moves for air bending that would normally but her in pain because of her previous injuries. Katara had healed her a few days ago with her healing ability.
Ally yawned, but she was too excited to go to sleep, though the half moon glowed down on their camp site and the forest they were in was dark.
Tomorrow they'd reach the Northern Air Temple; where the other air benders were as well with the Mechanist's people.
Ally was so excited, she just couldn't sleep, heck she couldn't even stay still.
Eventually the sun began to rise and Ally awoke everyone; but Sokka was stubborn to wake up, so she tricked him with a stick, shouting that there was a prickle snake in his sleeping bag.
Aang and Katara laughed.
"Great!" Ally said, a little bemused as to why Katara and Aang were laughing so hard and Sokka was glaring at Aang. "Your up now lets go! Let's go, let's go, and let's GO!" She pushed him into the air and he landed on Snow-fire's saddle.
Snow-fire rolled her eyes and climbed up steadily into the air with a drowsy Appa next to her. "Ally will you quit moving!" Sokka yawned, burrowing deep into his sleeping bag, "I'm trying to catch some sleep."
Aang and Ally shared a glance, Aang grinned with his own excitement now that he was going to see some old faces.
Ally tried to calm down, she missed the group of air benders she had come to see as her family while protecting them with her life. She had spent many nights wondering how they were doing.
Finally they reached the mountains that touched the clouds, the snow caked the tips of the mountains and Ally sat down on Snow-fire and tried (unsuccessfully) to meditate. SO instead she focused on Sophie and willed herself to see what she was doing. Her eyes flashed bright pulsing blue;
Ally detached from her body and zoomed forward, over and around various mountains and clouds, the rush of brown, white and blue sped past her and then she saw the temple. But it was different to the last time she saw it; last time it had various chimneys and black smoke curling out of them, this time there was only one chimney. But just like last time the occupants were gliding around the temple on their gliders.
Ally saw Teo, Jin, Kin, Tom and Tane laughing as they soared around the temple. She raced through into the temple and saw every pipe gone and now there was only a large pipe attached to the roof and the walls repaired with its art repaired to its former glory.
She zoomed through various rooms and up a tower. Then into one last room, she saw Sophie playing with a winged Lemur, the walls decorated with drawings of Ally facing off with fire benders. And scrolls of beginners Air Bending lay scattered on her bed.
Ally snapped back into her body with that same frown then winced as a headache came, she confusedly rubbed her temples. A headache never came on after a concentrated vision. She leaned back and closed her eyes; maybe she could have gotten some sleep. Ally yawned again, maybe she should…
Ally awoke to Aang shaking her awake, "Common Ally! Up and at them! We're here!"
Ally mumbled sleepily and sat up, Sophie was grinning down at her. "Ally!" her little cosine said flinging her arms around her.
Ally laughed and hugged back tightly, "Oh Sophie, I've missed you so much!" She exclaimed, she smiled and stood up, "Have you had a growth spurt? You've grown."
Sophie grinned up at her proudly, "I grew two and a half inches two weeks after you left!"
Ally scooped down and picked her cousin up in a tight hug, "I'm sorry I missed you're birthday," Ally said mournfully. "Here I made you a little something, happy latent birthday."
"Its okay Ally," Sophie said shaking her head, "You know I don't like my birthday."
Ally winced; it was on Sophie's birthday that she lost her parents (Ally's aunt and uncle) to a hurricane not unlike the one Ally had been in a week ago. Sister Malan, head of council for the northern air temple, had taken Sophie under her wing since Ally (only remaining relative) had been too young to look after her.
Though Ally never told anyone nor did she like to think it, her parents had abandoned her the day she turned two, placing her on Sister Iio door step with only a blanket and a note saying her name and her relatives; excluding her parent's names. It hurt to think they'd abandoned her like that, but she couldn't miss what she couldn't remember.
"Here. Happy fifth birthday." Ally said softly, pulling out a hand crafted staff/glider that had a large orange ribbon tied onto it. "I know you're not suppose to have a glider till your around seven and it's suppose to be given to you by your Monk or Sister. But after all that's happened… I wanted the honour of teaching you. And I'm on the front line; I just want to teach you gliding now rather when the milk sours."
Sophie sniffled, taking the glider with a large but watery smile. "Thanks Ally. But don't say that. You're not going to die!" She said fiercely, and then she whispered, "You can't..."
Ally smiled, a little sadly, "No. I won't leave you." She said to her self forcefully. She wasn't going to leave Sophie to mourn her passing, especially if she dies because of the war.
Suddenly Ally was tackled by the other air benders, in a many armed hug Ally tried to answer the babble of questions that came at her every which way.
"Alright give the Head of council some space to breath." Tom laughed. Ally playfully sent a whirl wind to him which blew into him lightly.
"Head of Council?" Aang asked looking at Ally.
Ally was surprised none of the masters had taken up the mantle. Ally grinned at Aang sheepishly.
"No one wanted to take Ally's position; she was just so good at leading us that no one wanted another to take her place." Tane said smiling at Aang. "It's great to see you again Aang."
"You too Tane!" Aang said enthusiastically, "This place has changed a bit." He said looking around the court yard where the occupants were mulling around them.
"Quite a bit," Ally agreed then grinned broadly as she spotted Teo and Sokka talking a little way off and Katara was talking to Lyra.
That night was a wild celebration, complete with fireworks and aerobatic display by the air benders. Ally beamed with pride as her fellow air benders preformed numerous of spectacular air moves; synchronized to perfection.
Then the Air benders landed and moved to the sides, Ally blinked in confused interest as Teo and a few others of the temple occupants stood up on the landing pads and took on air bending stances. Teo, of course, couldn't stand only have his arms in the stance.
Ally fainted.
"But how!" Ally asked in excitement after she had awakened and practically tackled/hugged the newly found out Air benders, Aang and Ally had been running around and jumping off the walls, literally.
"You know how all Air Nomads were benders?" Koiki said after she and Aang had settled down. Ally nodded, "Well, that was not because of the original small population but because of spiritual atmosphere. When Teo's Dad agreed to bring the temple back to its original glory people began to get interested in our way of life… things just started to fall into place, back into balance."
"Flying is more fun then gliding!" Teo said grinning, "Now I can totally kick Tom's but on a glider."
"Bison Polo isn't a bad game either, when you're an Air bender that is." Mathew said; he was the first to become an Air bender out of the refugee group.
Katara and Aang laughed, Ally chuckled; they had, against Sokka's wishes, told Ally when Aang beaten Sokka at Air Ball at the Southern Air Temple. 7 – nil.
Ally could imagine that; Poor Sokka.
Though Aang wasn't the best Air Ball player in the world, a non bender would be no match; Sokka didn't stand a chance.
Ally looked around at the laughing festive people of the Northern Air Temple; she could almost forget her past and the past of those around her. Ally saw Aireon laughing at Tom's joke.
Aireon smiled when he noticed her looking at her, it pained Ally that his gray eyes were haunted with shadows, and it turned out that he was disabled in one leg. He seemed to be the most serious of the whole group, but at least he still liked to play games. Ally smiled in response to his smile.
Sleep came peacefully to Ally when the celebration ended well after midnight.
"That's it! That's it!" Ally shouted ecstatic, tilting her glider the slightest bit to move upwards and next to Sophie, who was now able to move left and right; slowly gaining more confidence after three days of Ally teaching her how to fly on a glider.
"This is amazing!" Sophie laughed, before becoming more daring and swooped directly upwards. "It feels so natural!" she shouted back at Ally, who was circling below.
"Just make sure to keep your mouth closed so you don't swallow a bug!" Ally laughed then swooped up to meet the now five year old, flipping her glider over so she was facing Sophie and the sky.
"But we're so high!" Sophie grinned down at Ally.
Ally smirked, "You'd be surprised. First time on a glider Aang and I hit a swarm of bugs; Aang was laughing at my misfortune and swallowed a bug himself."
Sophie giggled the climbed higher into the air. "You and Aang had so many hilarious adventures." She said after Ally flipped around so she wasn't balancing on her glider.
"Some weren't so hilarious at the time." Ally smiled fondly at the memories.
Ally instructed a few more moves for Sophie, who was quick to master the art of the glider. Finally Ally looked up as the sun reached to the middle of the sky, "We should go down now."
Sophie pouted but nodded with a grin, "How do I land?" she asked over the whispering wind.
"Bend the air under you as you're about ten meters from the landing area," Ally called, "Then twirl the glider into staff mode, natural air bending will lower you slowly to the ground." Ally demonstrated, carefully slowing down each movement and putting empathize on each step.
Sophie landed easily enough, to be promptly surrounded by the younger air benders of the group.
"Ally?" Aang asked coming up and stood next to her.
"Hi Aang," Ally smiled, then she spotted the bag of sugary goods, "may I?" she asked.
Aang grinned and held out the paper bag of Jelly candy, "help you're self."
"Thanks." Ally grinned and took a handful of the sugary rush, putting them in her mouth and savoured the taste she hadn't had in what felt like a life time ago.
"It must have been difficult." Aang said quietly.
"hmmm?" Ally mumbled still lost in the sugar goodness.
"Tom, Lyra and Tane told me everything that happened," Aang clarified, "It must have been so difficult, calling the shots and trying to keep everyone safe all the while teaching air bending."
Ally bit her lip, "Yeah, it was a struggle; I didn't know what I was doing half the time." Ally admitted, "But those days are over now. The Air Benders have survived and are safe; now we rebel against the Fire Nation." Ally smiled at Aang and took a few more lollies.
"We're going to be very hyper when this bag is empty." Aang commented, taking a few more lollies from the bag.
Ally snorted in amused agreement. "All the best to prank someone." She winked, already feeling the sugar rush.
Aang and Ally looked at each other with identical trickster grins of pure mischief. They ran off to commit Ally's revenge on Tom.
Ally and Aang locked themselves in a room and didn't come out until the plan was all thought through. By then mercifully they were no longer on a sugar high. It was night time.
Katara walked up to them looking disappointed, "Aang, Ally, Sokka says that we need to leave in the morning."
Aang's shoulders slumped and Ally sighed. "Cant we stay longer?" Aang pleaded.
Katara put her hands on her hips, "We need to get to the North Pole, Aang."
Ally nodded, "That's true," she sighed. Aang shot her the look with the mouthing of 'traitor,' Ally grimaced, "We can visit again after you master water," she amended, and then she grinned, "We still have time!"
Aang zoomed off to do his part of the prank; Katara looked at Ally, who smirked with a mysterious spark in her stormy blue eyes. "What's going on?" Katara asked nervously.
Ally's smirk only widened, "Ask no questions and I'll tell no lies," with that marvellous piece of wisdom Ally casually stepped out a near by window before twirling her staff into glider mode, she needed feathers and pink paste. Monk Gyasto would be laughing from the spirit world after this.
Katara watched on apprehensively.
Ally ate her breakfast calmly, trying not to look too guilty; she only partly successful, a small smirk twitched across her lips every second minute. Aang was trying to keep in a shout of laughter every third minute.
Ally looked candle cloak, and then it began to spark; Three… Two… One.
"!" Tom's voice echoed around the temple as the booby trap Aang and Ally set was unleashed.
Ally bit her lip as a laugh threatened to cross her mouth. Then Tom raced through the doors; his hair a bright, neon colour, his bald head had a crown of chick-lorikeet feathers.
Ally lost it as the smaller kids began to sing,
"Oldie the Animal had a farm!
E – I – E – I, Oh!
And on this farm he had a Tom-ikeet!
E – I – E – I, Oh!
With an Ahhhhh here and ahhhh there and an ahhhh everywhere
E - I – E – I, Oh!"
Ally slung an arm around Aang and congratulated him as the singing stopped. Tom spotted her and frowned; he walked over to her and sat down.
"I should have known you'd get you're revenge some time on your stay." He sighed, then he smirked, "Oi! Damien!" he called. Damien looked at them, Tom beckoned him and Ally groaned, suddenly remembering.
Damien smiled at Ally "The box contains scrolls of the last level of air bending, so when we meet again I want a mock duel." Ally grinned.
Damien stood before them while Ally gave a heated glare at Tom, who said in a sing song voice, "Oh Damien, I seem to remember that you wanted to fight Ally when you met again!"
Ally and Damien made eye contact; Ally schooled her features to become emotionless while Damien sized her up.
"Wait what?" Aang asked in confusion.
"Nah," Ally and Damien said together.
They smiled at Tom's gobsmacked face. "You aren't getting revenge from me Tom." Damien grinned, "Besides, fair is fair; You pranked her, she pranks you. You should have known better then to play a prank on Ally, she bites back twice as hard."
Tom grumbled something under his breath then he grinned. "Looove song!"
"Ally and Aang sitting in a tree K - I - S - S - I - N - G," All the young ones sang. "First comes love, then comes marriage... Then comes the baby in the baby carriage!"
Aang was blushing bright red and shaking his head, Ally looked dangerously murderous.
"What's wrong is the realization that Ally's your girlfriend struck yet?" Tom laughed at the two blushing red friends.
"His not my boyfriend," Ally objected, "his just a friend who happens to be a boy!"
"She's my best friend!" Aang said nodding. "Who happens to be a girl?"
Ally glared at him, "You seem slightly unsure of my gender, Aang. First in Aunt Wu's village and then just now."
"I'm just following what you said!" Aang said quickly, "But you were talking to fast."
Nice save, Ally thought with a laugh. "Spirit's Aang, you look like I'll rip out your spin beat you to death with it!"
"Well you are intimidating when you are doing 'the look'" Lyra laughed.
"I don't have the look!" Ally objected indulgently.
Katara laughed, "Yeah you do!" she said poking her teasingly, "Especially when you're fighting and when you're angry."
Ally poked out her tongue at her water tribe friend, "You have the look too!"
"Not as scary as Katara's!" Sokka said grinning; only to cower under Katara's glare of doom. "Okay," he squeaked, "I think I see a resemblance!" Ally glared as Katara's glare intensified murderously.
Aang and the others were laughing in the background.
Ally smiled at Snow-fire and tightened the ropes and made sure everything was packed. She jumped down and sighed, she had already said goodbye to everyone now Aang was saying his fair wells.
Walking too the edge of the mountain she sat down and decided to meditate.
Suddenly their was a sharp metal bite as two duo swords placed themselves in front of Ally's neck, Ally jolted out of her deep meditation trance and stilled in an instant as she recognized the broad swords. She readied her arms to move the sword held hands away from her but the swords warningly pressed closer to her a voice of the Blue Spirit growled in her ear, "Don't even think about it."
It was all Ally could do not to insult him, she gritted her teeth and held her tongue. The swords moved up a tad and Ally cautiously stood up, following the Blue Spirit's, a.k.a Prince Zuko's, demands.
Turning her around Ally took in a deep breath, and blew out a large breath, blasting both off the mountain side like a rocket; Unfortunately Ally wasn't anticipating being trapped in a tangle off limbs, so they began to plummet down the mountain, were sharp jagged rocks waiting at the mountain side.
Finally after a heart wrenching twenty seconds Ally was able to free her self and bring out her staff, twirling it above her head and grapping Zuko around the torso with her legs. Ally bit her lip hard as she concentrated on the twirling staff above her.
They hovered the last fifteen feet before dropping onto the grassy ground. Ally groaned as she looked up, only to face a bunch of fire nation soldiers.
She flipped up to her feet and put her staff back in its hoister and pulled out her fans, she flipped them open with a sound of rushing metal.
"The Blue Spirit and the air bender travelling with the Avatar," a familiar voice, Ally looked up at Admiral Zhao, she glared. "This must be my lucky day."
"I'll have you're back if you have mine." Ally whispered to Zuko, he gave a curt nod at the temporary alliance against a common enemy; Admiral Zhao.
"Get them!"
Ally sliced her fans across and blasted most out of the clearing, the Blue Spirit started to weave around them and slashing his swords to cut their weapons, knocking them out with an efficient blow to the head.
Ally ducked behind a fire bender and copied his moves before bumping him in the head, knocking him unconscious. She flipped away from a burst of flames and swept her leg around under a soldier's legs then quickly elbowed his head.
Ducking a sword she circled him lightly before blocking another sword jab, she kicked the sword away and did a front kick to his chest, winding him.
Ally dodged a spear and pushed him into another soldier. She jumped as flames threatened to hit her ankles.
Ally looked around as Admiral Zhao lashed out more fire at her; she blocked it with a shield then blasted the shield into him.
It was just three people conscious now; Ally, Zuko dressed as the Blue Spirit, and Admiral Zhao.
Ally let out a calming breath as she stealthily approached the Admiral, Zuko doing the same.
Snarling in defeat Admiral kicked up a shield of fire around him self and bended it into a sphere. When the fire was gone, so was he.
"Coward," Ally heard Zuko mutter.
Ally watched him carefully as he looked towards her, his face hidden beneath the blue mask, so Ally couldn't see his expression. Not wanting to give her own emotions away she schooled hers into an impassive look.
They stared at each other for a long time. "How'd you find us?"
He didn't reply.
Ally gritted her teeth and tried a different approach, "Look, I am concerned for the safety of my people, how did you find us?"
Suddenly he threw his sword at a near by bush and ran up to it, holding up an angry Zhao who seemed pinned by the sword, he held him up then before the Admiral could attack he knocked him unconscious.
"The women with the Shirshu," he said tensely, then looking around at her while placing his swords away, "That's how I found you."
Ally nodded then crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't understand; why are you trying to capture Aang?"
"I don't need to answer you're questions air nation peasant!" he spat.
"Nomads," Ally said tensely, ignoring the 'peasant' comment.
"What?"
"Air Nomads, not Air Nation," Ally clarified, "Before the war, we were once a peaceful people." Zuko said nothing, it was then Ally noticed a slight cut on his arm. "Are you okay?" Ally asked hesitantly, beginning to walk up to him.
"Fine," He snapped, watching her wearily.
"I can help." Ally offered, though she wasn't sure why, he had tried to capture her as bait for Aang – but then he helped her fight off Admiral Zhao's soldiers; there was no debt.
"I don't need any ones help." He said coldly as she stopped three feet away.
"It's not good to close you're self off from people around you." Ally said, "I just want to help."
"Why would you want to help me?" Zuko growled, he took his swords out. Ally eyed them warily.
"Because I'm sick of others pain and not being able to do much about it." Ally said and she was surprised at how truthful those words were.
"If you can't do much about it why bother?" Zuko said.
"Because I know how to now, I have the power to take the pain away." Ally said, taking a hesitant step closer, "let me help."
Ally had a very strong feeling that he was glaring at her. Ally reached out with a hand and was surprised when he let her move the blade away so she could look at the wound; she noticed that his swords were still pointing in her direction.
Ally put her hand on the wound; the hand glowed bright blue and she could feel Zuko tense before relaxing a little.
Ally grimaced as the wound was replaced onto her arm, it was a shallow cut but Ally concluded that the sword may have been deliberately blunt because of how wide the wound was. It was stinging something horrendous.
It sickened Ally to think of how nasty some fire nation soldiers were.
Ally saw Zuko looking down at the cut on her arm, his emotions shielded behind his blue mask. Ally began to back away, Zuko looked at her face but she had already blocked her emotions from showing, but she did give a slight smile. "If you continue northward you'll reach the edge of the land and meet the ocean. If that helps you to find the people you're travelling with."
"I'm still going to capture the Avatar."
Ally's smile disappeared, "Why?" she asked tiredly.
"So I can go home and reclaim my honour."
Ally gritted her teeth, "Yeah like the honourable thing to do is capture the only hope in for the world so the fire lord can torture him and throw him in a dark prison cell!" she said sarcastically.
"My father isn't like that!" Zuko snarled, "But I guess you wouldn't understand of fathers, being raised by Nuns and Monks!"
That hurt her more then any physical wound ever could. "I understand that you would willingly capture a twelve year old boy and throw him to the mercy of the most dangerous man alive!" Ally shouted. She flipped up onto a tree branch as Zuko sent a fiery inferno at her. She forcefully calmed down. "Think about this Zuko, is honour and morals so different? If you act on your answer and it's the correct one… you'll have a much happier life."
Ally flew away.