A/N: (edit: 7/1/07) Hey guys, here's that update I promised! I want to thank everyone that has read and reviewed for my story I also want to thank the few people that have helped me with my whole 'Toph situation' you guys have really helped, and a special thanks to 'A Great And Terrible Beauty' You've been a big help here and I really appreciate it. I may consider using some of your material in either later chapters or in my next sequel, either one. I'll make sure to give you credit for anything of yours I use Thanks again!
Mkay! On with Chapter Eleven. Enjoy!
Book Two – Water and Air
Chapter Eleven - Earthbound
Katara groggily opened her eyes, suddenly feeling a massive headache come upon her whole entire head. She stifled a small groan and remained in her laying down position. She felt as if she had no feeling in her entire body, the only thing present was the migraine that was now getting worse. Katara closed her eyes slowly before she could gradually feel a slimy, sticky sensation all over her body, covering her feet and parts of her legs along with some splattered on her back and even some in her hair.
Katara quickly opened her eyes and stared ahead only to see that she was lying in a wide open mud field surrounded by dark, eerie forest in all directions. Katara took a deep breath and felt as if moving was the worst thing to do at this moment. Suddenly, memories of what had just taken place came flying back to her and in attempt to gather her thoughts; she blinked a couple times and tried to recall all that had happened.
She remembered falling the most, her fear of heights quickly over came her and forced her out of her own Vyntresser form faster than she could remember. From then on, everything was a blur, falling to the earth happened so fast, she wasn't even sure if all of this even took place. She also remembered so suddenly plunging into Aang in mid-air, only causing the both of them to crash towards the earth without help.
With the thought of Aang, Katara quickly pushed herself up slightly, using her hands in attempt to find Aang. She jumped in shock slightly as she looked down, only to find that she was completely laying on top of him, he being fully unconscious. Katara stared at Aang for a few moments, shocked that any of this even happened. She instantly began to feel guilty for even thinking of flying at the height that she did and putting Aang through something he didn't need to go through.
Katara gasped slightly as her protective instincts immediately took over, she quickly rolled off of Aang and knelt close to him in preparation to fondle and care for the unconscious airbender covered with mud but she was suddenly stopped by noticing something on both her arms. Katara quickly held both arms out in front of her, only to see a few, random long, black, muddy feathers sticking out of her skin, as if it were normal. Katara raised one eyebrow and continued to examine the odd sight. Her fingers were slightly webbed and small, black feathers almost completely covered just the back of her hand, although the palms of her hands, as well as everything else of her body, were completely normal.
Katara shook her head and shrugged it off for the time being, she being more concerned about Aang than about her feathery state. Katara quickly knelt closer to Aang in a worried manner as she gently slid her hands around his head and shoulders. She brought him into an upright position before pulling him close to her; she hugged him tight before she began to whisper in his ear and shake on him slightly in high hopes of waking him from his unconsciousness.
After awhile of desperate attempts of waking Aang up, she sighed softly in frustration before she fully examined her surroundings. She instantly noticed an enormous skid mark in the mud leading up to where Katara and Aang were laying. Evidentially they had fallen and slid through the mud, Katara almost felt thankful that the sticky, groggy mud was here in the first place to somewhat cushion their fall, but another thought quickly came to mind. The two were stranded somewhere in the middle of the large island with no idea on how to get back to Sokka, Appa, Kaimah and Momo. Katara sighed shakily and quickly averted her gaze to the young monk still pulled closer to her chest in her arms.
"Aang," Katara urged softly, feeling a bit overwhelmed and now getting scared that Aang wasn't waking up, "Please, Aang...Wake up," Katara whispered softly before she shook her head in sadness and hugged Aang tight. She sighed softly and ever so gently kissed his shoulder with a small frown, she then thought of something.
"Maybe if I just splash him with some water..." Katara said a loud to herself ever so softly, she then slowly reached out before her with one hand in attempt to draw some water away from the slimy substance she sat on, knowing very well that water and dirt make mud. Katara continued to do a simple hand motion to waterbend water up out of the ground but nothing was happening. Katara stopped and stared at the mud in utter frustration and confusion. She then continued to do the simple waterbending move over and over until she quickly let out a breath she was subconsciously holding in.
"Why can't I waterbend?" Katara questioned herself as she examined the arm that wasn't holding Aang close to her. She shook her head in confusion and took the time to wonder why she still had feathers on her, "I can't waterbend because..." Katara paused for a moment and continued to examine the muddy black feathers that lined her arm, "-because I'm still in a Vyntresser form," Katara stated, not knowing if it were fully true.
She shook her head slowly and peered up to the morning sky through the dark forest trees above her. She wondered if she wasn't fully scared out of her hawk form, but she figured falling from such a great distance in the air HAD to have scared her completely out of any form, no matter which one she was in. She began to grow confused before she remembered back to the split second of having Aang to hold onto while falling. She had to admit, even though she was scared half to death at the speed they fell towards the earth, she felt almost safe in the arms of the airbender while falling like that.
Katara sighed softly in slight relief before she slowly peered down to the young monk she held close to her in her arms. She stared at him for a moment, wondering how she was going to be able to wake him. She knew for a fact that he was alive, while she was laying on him, the sound of a steady, slightly dull heartbeat could be heard as her head lay on his chest. Katara inched Aang closer to her and gently shook on his shoulders.
"Aang, come on..." Katara said softly as she stared at the seemingly lifeless monk she held, she suddenly began to feel tears sting her eyes, "I'm so sorry, Aang I..." Katara stopped herself and basically glued her eyes to Aang, whom she still held close to her in a tight and loving embrace. She frowned and began to wipe his face and the top of his head clear of the sticky mud they were surrounded by. She gently made sure he was somewhat free of mud as she leaned down and placed a small, tender kiss on his cheek. She then took a deep, wary breath and let it out before she looked up to examine her surroundings.
The first thing she saw basically shocked her clear out of her skin. She instantly noticed, standing a couple yards away, a large, tiger like beast, glaring at the two. It's teeth were grit and showing, it's eyes basically penetrated through Katara like the sharpest of knifes and it began to growl once Katara noticed it's presence. Almost to the point of where it was foaming at the mouth.
Katara stared at the beast in awe but mostly shock. It continued to growl and snarl and blink it's slit cat like eyes at Katara in a taunting manner, it's fur stuck on end with every tense second that went by. Katara slowly shook her head and attempted to remain calm as she quickly and instinctively hugged Aang tight in a protective manner. She knew that whatever happened, she needed to make sure Aang was safe, he being unconscious and all.
All was calm as Katara began to quickly think. She gently let go of her grip around Aang and laid him down in the mud where he was, she then ever so slowly began to lean forward as if to huddle Aang underneath her. She pretended to play dead in high hopes of getting the large creature disinterested in preying on them. All was calm as Katara held her breath, that is until the creature was suddenly aggravated, it let loose a loud, deep cat like screech that echoed into the forest beyond in an endless chant.
Katara could feel her whole body jump as she gasped and huddled herself closer to Aang although as she did this, she could feel vibration in the earth. Footsteps rapidly began to get closer to her and Aang, Katara was forced to look up only to find the huge creature charging at them, hate was in it's eyes and it's teeth were grit as it continued to growl and foam at the mouth in an angry chaotic manner.
Katara gasped and without much thinking, she quickly stood and jolted to her left, catching the animal off guard. It seemed to have not even noticed Aang; it being more interested in catching its prey, which was now running from him. Katara continued to run and pant and scream, knowing all too well that waterbending was out of the question, as was flying. Katara felt as if she were stuck between two forms and at the moment, she was as normal as a non-bender human being.
Katara attempted to run faster and turn in sharp turns, knowing that mud was hard to run in anyways. She knew for a fact that once she took her first sharp turn in order of getting away from the creature chasing her that this beast wasn't too good on it's feet. It stumbled and slipped about, snarling and showing it's claws and teeth as it desperately attempted to keep a firm footing on the loose, sticky mud.
Katara, after a good couple minutes of dodging the beast, came to find that running from it wasn't so hard. The only problem she had was stopping. She knew that if she stopped, she's be eaten and if she were to keep going, she'd run out of breath and energy and eventually fall to her defeat. Katara desperately began to run through many ideas in her mind such as climbing a tree, making loud noises to scare it off, running straight to Sokka and Appa, wherever they were.
All was going okay, that is until something large forced her to fall face first into the sticky mud both predator and prey ran on. The beast, which was directly behind Katara, attempted to stop, only to find itself skidding towards a few trees farther off down the field. It eventually stopped itself and got back on its feet slowly, it still snarling and whatnot. Katara slowly kneeled in the soft mud she had fallen in; she sighed loudly in worry and frustration as she peered to her left to see what had tripped her.
There, lying in the mud, was a large, pointy broken tree branch. Katara stared at it for a moment before she desperately scrambled to it and picked up the heavy stake-like shard of a branch. She then immediately stood with a devious smile and looked over to the large beast that was still attempting to regain footing as it stood. Katara held the sharp object out in front of her before she suddenly noticed Aang, lying in the mud a little to the right of her. Katara frowned as loud growls and snarls could be heard from the beast as it began to make it's way over to the two.
Within split seconds, Katara looked up to see the angry, blood thirsty beast now making it's way over to Aang, it all of the sudden having such a big interest in the, what looked to be, dead human being. Rather than chasing Katara, it figured the food was already set out there for him. Katara quickly began to run over to Aang in a hurried manner, adrenaline shooting through her body as she made it to Aang before the beast did.
She immediately stepped over Aang and took a deep breath before reaching her arm back and literally chucking the stake, she once held, directly towards the hungry beast clawing it's angry way to them. Within split seconds, the stake penetrated the beasts' forehead. The creature crashed to the mud with one last painful snarl, teeth showing, eyes open with anger and a tinge of fear. It skid in the mud for a few seconds before stopping literally feet away from Katara and Aang, blood ran down it's face as the stake remained stuck in the center of it's forehead, just between the eyes.
Katara was shell-shocked. She stared at what she had done for minutes on end, scared to take her eyes away from the bloody creature, it's eyes still wide open, even after death, as well as it's full of razor sharp teeth mouth. Katara panted, both mud and sweat gently trickled down the side of her head as she stared at the horrific sight before her. Katara sighed shakily and quickly moved away from her protective position above Aang. She instantly pulled Aang up into a sitting position before picking him up in her now shaking arms and hands.
She instantly began to move from one end of the mud field to the other. Once far away from the beast she had killed, she gently set Aang down in the soft mud they were on. Tears quickly began to form in her eyes, although she didn't really know why. She whimpered slightly before stealing a quick glance at the dead creature across the way. She forced herself to look away from the hellish sight as she quickly brought Aang up to a sitting position again. She hugged him tight and began to sob over his shoulder, wishing that he were awake, praying that he'd come back from his deep sleep sometime soon.
Katara felt as if killing the beast was one of the most horrid things to do, but she felt as if it were either killing the predator or becoming its prey. Katara shook her head and took a deep breath in Aang's shoulder before she continued to cry, she prayed a thousand prayers, feeling as guilty as ever, having no idea why she felt this way.
- - -
"Sheesh, where did they go? I'm starting to get hungry..." Sokka said softly to little Kaimah who had made herself comfortable in his lap, Sokka just sighed before continuing, "It's almost sundown...and I'm going to make dinner here sometime soon with or without you guys!" Sokka hollered over his shoulder, not entirely certain if the two teens could hear him. He just continued to drown in the sounds of his sighs and his stomach grumbling.
After a good ten more minutes of waiting, Sokka became impatient. He quickly made himself dinner, setup a large campfire and passed out in sleep before he could even think about going into the forest to search for his two traveling companions.
- - -
A twig snapped, Katara's eyes instantly shot open. Soft, yet bright sunshine gently gleamed through the branches of the dark treetops above. Katara groaned slightly and rolled over onto her back, she sighed in pain, having slept on her neck wrong in the cold, now hardening mud underneath her. Plus on top of that, she felt as if she had only gotten two hours of sleep, three tops. The night hours seemed so long and scary, having a rotting beast from hell just down the field from her.
Katara continued to squint her eyes and stare up at the early morning sun. Her heart instantly skipped a beat once Aang's name came to mind. She instantly sat up and looked about, getting somewhat confused. Katara frowned and quickly placed her hand over the large imprint in the mud where Aang lay next to her during the cold night. She quickly sat up further, eyes darting about her surroundings before something at the end of the mud field caught her eyes. There stood Aang, staring at the tiger-like rotting beast with a stake in its forehead, he rubbed the back of his head in confusion.
Katara sighed softly with relief and slowly pushed herself to her feet before she all at once began to run over to Aang, who had his back turned from Katara, he was busy attempting to figure out hat had happened the day before. Once Katara got close, she shakily uttered his name and slowed her running to a walk. With this, Aang turned around with a baffled look on his face as Katara came near and just as he thought she'd stop before him, she dove into his arms, embracing him in a big, loving hug.
Aang quickly returned the hug with a frown, getting more confused by the second. Katara buried her face into Aang's chest and began to cry, she sobbed for a little while as Aang soothingly rubbed her back for comfort. All was calm until Katara began to utter words, almost as if in a startled manner. Aang listened attentively.
"A-Aang I'm-I'm so sorry I didn't mean to..." Katara stopped to take a couple deep breaths as she pulled her face away from Aang's warm chest, she stared at him in sadness, sticky tears streaming her face, "I-I was just trying to protect you and--th-this...this THING had seriously gone MAD and I-I--"
"What are you talking about, Katara?" Aang asked as he slightly pulled away from her but quickly held her hands in his, "Y-you mean...You did this?" Aang questioned as he pointed to the large, now bad smelling corpse behind him, Katara slowly nodded and looked down to the mud, she gently tightened her grip on his hands.
"I-I'm so sorry, I was just--" Katara was interrupted.
"Why are you sorry?" Aang said with a small laugh as he slowly stepped away from Katara and over to the creature in the mud. He then placed his hand on the dull tip of the stake, opposite of the point in it's forehead, he continued, "Well, I'm impressed, Katara...Not many people go through a tiger bear attack and live to tell the tale," Aang said with a small smile, "Good work,"
"Wh-?" Katara started as she sniffled and quickly wiped tears away from her cheeks and chin, "Y-you mean...you're not mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad at you?" Aang questioned, Katara stood and pondered for a moment, wondering why she had gotten so worked up about killing a rabid beast that was out to get her for no reason. After a few seconds, Katara shrugged and shook her head.
"I-I don't know...Actually," Katara said softly with a frown, she then sighed and looked about, "We should...probably head back so we can uh..." Katara stopped her self and examined her watertribe kimono. It was filled with all sorts of mud and dirt stains along with some rips and tears towards the end, "So we can clean up a bit,"
"Yeah...But if only we knew where to go...I've been searching for my glider all morning," Aang said with a small frown, Katara sighed softly, suddenly remembering the nightmare of falling the day before. She sighed softly and looked down. If it weren't for her stupid decision to fly as high as she could possibly go, the two wouldn't be in this mess. Katara slowly began to fiddle her fingers, feeling hot tears sting her eyes.
"Sorry about...yesterday, Aang, I-I..." Katara stopped herself to heave, yet another, long drawn out sigh before continuing, "I kind of got carried away and...My fear of heights kicked in," Katara said softly as she could hear Aang begin to step closer to her, "I was just so caught up...Flying is so much fun you know? I-I should've never..." Katara stopped as Aang ever so gently slipped his hands into hers, Katara frowned and stared into his brilliant eyes.
"It was just a mistake," Aang explained softly, " Don't worry about it...I'm okay, you seem fine...The only problem now is on how we're going to get back to camp, we've been gone for how long now?" Aang questioned with a small smile, Katara shrugged, feeling Aang's good mood slowly begin to cheer her up.
"About a day," Katara said softly, Aang sighed and glanced about.
"Well, we better get going if we want to get anywhere before sundown," Aang paused for a moment and glanced down at his airnomad clothes, noticing them too were dirtied up and ripped, he chuckled softly and rubbed the back of his head, "Uh...We should probably use our waterbending to clean us off a bit before we go," Aang smiled before he slowly began to bend slightly dirty water from the mud underneath. Katara nodded in agreement before she quickly stopped herself and peered down at her arms, noticing that she STILL had long, black muddy feathers growing out of her forearms and hands.
"Uh, I can't waterbend...Aang," Katara said softly as Aang stopped what he was doing, he quickly looked at Katara to see her holding her arms out to him. He slowly dropped the water he was bending and gently grabbed both of Katara's hands; he then quickly began to inspect Katara's arms with much confusion.
"Why do you have feathers growing out of your arms?" Aang asked as he raised one eyebrow and glanced up at Katara, she shrugged with a frown before staring up at the bright, morning sky.
"I-I'm not quite sure but...I think it's because I wasn't fully scared out of my Vyntresser form...The hawk," Katara said as she averted her gaze to Aang. "I think...when I fell into you on the way down from the sky...it gave me a sense of comfort and safeness...When I fell into you I don't think I was fully out of the hawk form, therefore leaving me with just a few simple feathers and...No bending ability," Katara explained, Aang frowned and nodded in understanding.
"That's so strange," Aang said softly as he too looked up to the morning sky, Katara nodded.
"Tell me about it," she sighed.
"Well, don't worry," Aang said with a smile as he re-bended up the water he had dropped, "I can help you out."
- - -
The two spent a good half an hour cleaning themselves free of mud. Aang slowly bended water up from the ground before he moved it up above his head and released the water from his control. The water slowly trickled down his bald head, to his shoulders and chest. He did this in a playful manner; he smiled and continued his boyish happiness.
Katara slowly began to unravel her sticky, muddy braid. Her hair gently fell out of the tightness of the braid and spread down her back and shoulders. She frowned and gently began to run her fingers through the stiff layer of her hair; she moved her fingers about methodically and undid any knots or tangles. With time, she felt somewhat satisfied as her hair became unsticky and less stiff. Katara smiled and hummed a little tune to herself before the young airbender across the way got her attention.
"Need some help?" he called softly, Katara stopped what she was doing and stared at Aang, who was slowly making his way over to her, he held bended water out in front of him with a small smile, Katara just stared at him in slight confusion before he continued as he gradually made his way over to her, "Come on, it won't hurt, try it," Aang said with a small laugh as he quickly bended the water, he controlled, over Katara's head. Katara instantly grew flustered and just as she was about to protest at the thought of him pouring water all over her, she just smiled with a small sigh.
"Fine," she said softly before Aang let the cold water go, it splashed down onto Katara gently as it quickly slid down her long hair and to her shoulders, Katara suddenly shivered with a small laugh.
"It's c-cold," She smiled; she then began to quickly run her fingers through her now wet hair. She smiled with how smooth her hair suddenly was and in time, she slowly began to work her hair into the braid it was once in. After a few seconds of doing so, she glanced up to see Aang, staring at her without saying a word. Katara giggled softly and looked about before she stared back at Aang with a smile.
"What are you staring at?" Katara asked bashfully as she gently pulled her long hair over her shoulder, she continued braiding from there. Aang shook himself out of his trance and rubbed the back of his head, a light blush quickly appeared across his face.
"Nothing, y-your hair is just pretty that's all," Aang said softly as he glanced about Katara, she smiled a happy smile and quickly finished her braid. She then slowly made her way over to Aang before leaning forward and planting a little kiss on his cheek.
"Thanks," She smiled, Aang nodded as he nervously looked about, he could feel his face heat up even further. Katara shook her head with a small laugh before slipping her hand into his.
"Should we get going?" Katara questioned as she began to pull Aang in a random direction. He seemed confused as he stared in one direction down the field, Katara laughed softly and tugged on Aang, thinking he was playing some sort of game, "A-Aang," she giggled, Aang quickly looked at her, a confused expression on his face and with this, Katara frowned and stared at him before continuing, "Aang, what's the matter?"
"W-Where did the tiger bear go?" Aang questioned as he pointed down the field. Katara stopped and quickly began to examine the whole entire mud field around the two. There was no tiger bear in sight.
Katara shivered slightly and stepped closer to Aang, the two were silent as they looked about the eerie field, desperately wondering where the dead tiger bear went.
"It-it was just over there, right?" Katara said softly as she pressed herself closer to Aang, he nodded before gently slipping his hand into hers.
"Come on," He whispered as he slowly began to make his way over to where the tiger bear once laid, Katara instantly pulled back with a small whimper.
"No Aang, I-" Katara stopped herself as Aang turned around and looked her in the eyes in a caring manner.
"I'm right here, nothing's going to happen...I just want to see where it went," Aang said softly as he slowly began to pull Katara in the direction he wanted to go. Katara quickly followed, she basically glued herself to Aang as they walked, she looked about warily, not really wanting to know where the tiger bear went.
"Aang, it's a trick, w-we should leave," Katara urged in a soft whisper, Aang didn't reply. He kept a steady pace in the mud, headed over to where he could've sworn the dead tiger bear laid.
The two slowly approached the area where Katara had killed the beast; the tiger bear was literally no where in sight. The two stood in the bloody mud for a moment, looking about, wondering how a giant, dead creature could just pick up and leave without so much the slightest noise. Katara, after a few couple minutes, slowly let go of Aang's hand and began to stray from him. She searched around, looking for any signs of footprints or anything indicating where the beast went.
"Where did it go?" Aang asked aloud, Katara just shrugged and shook her head.
"I don't know but I-I don't like this at all...We need to leave, Aang," Katara urged as she turned and glanced at Aang, who was a bit away. He nodded as he rubbed the back of his head and looked about.
Katara sighed softly and slowly began to make her way over to him in the sticky, bloody mud but just as she was about to take another step, she came to find that she couldn't move. Katara instantly looked down; noticing her whole entire left foot had sunk into the messy mud. Her eye's widened with much fear as she attempted to get free of the trap but nothing helped.
"Aang I-I'm stuck," Katara worried as she stared at the young airbender across the way. He instantly ran over to her and took both of her hands in his. He then began to pull on her, hoping her foot would be able to get free. Nothing worked, though. All was slightly calm, that is until Katara noticed something, "...I'm sinking," she said in a worried tone, she quickly gripped both of Aang's hands tight as she desperately stared into his eyes.
"You're sinking?" Aang questioned shakily as he looked down to see that now both of Katara's feet were basically glued under the red mud.
"Yeah, help me," Katara whimpered, her grip on Aang's hands becoming stronger with every plea. Aang continued to pull on Katara, praying that the mud would let loose its unforgivable grip on Katara's feet but nothing seemed to work. After about five minutes of pulling, Katara was now up to her knees in mud, although Aang stood on solid ground, his feet not sinking even an inch below the muddy surface.
"Aang please," Katara begged, feeling tears sting her eyes, "Use your earthbending...w-waterbending, any bending, please Aang," Katara whimpered, knowing very well that she was completely helpless, seeing that she couldn't waterbend.
Aang nodded and quickly let go of Katara's hands, he then attempted to move the sticky mud away from Katara using his bendings. Aang frowned once he noticed not even the mud would budge, although he continued to throw his arms out in a rage, praying that somehow his bendings could help him out but nothing worked. Aang sighed impatiently as he wiped sweat from his brows; he then quickly made his way over to Katara, who was now looking more than worried.
"Aang please don't let me go," Katara whispered shakily as she quickly gripped his hands, Aang shook his head quickly as he panted.
"I-I won't," Aang said softly as he searched the ground, praying that more ideas would come to mind, "I promise,"
Aang slowly began to look around, his hands still firmly gripping Katara's. He stood close to her, close enough to be standing on the same ground as her, although Aang was confused as to why he wasn't sinking with her. All was calm, that is until he suddenly felt Katara sink dramatically into the mud. Aang quickly looked down to see that Katara was now up to her waist in mud. Katara let out a soft scream as she looked about.
"I-I can't move, Aang, please... do something!" Katara begged, hot tears began to sting her eyes as she stared up at Aang. He grew flustered as he quickly turned around, fists tightened in an angry way, he could feel the rage burn through his heart.
"Who's out there!" Aang hollered, thinking maybe someone was playing a dirty earthbending tricks on the two, "Show yourself!" Aang yelled to nothing but the forest around him. No one answered; there wasn't even the slightest hint of life around them.
"Aang!" Katara yelled shakily as she began to sink even further faster. Aang turned around and instantly gripped her hands in his, he looked down at her, eyes filled with worry. Katara uttered his name once more as he kneeled before her, he gradually came closer. He shook his head quickly and gently brushed loose hair from out of her face to behind her ear.
"I won't let go," Aang said softly yet shakily, he bit his bottom lip and looked about, he too feeling tears threatening to fall, "I-I promise,"
Katara continued to sink, Aang couldn't find anything else to do than keep the waterbender in his arms calm from what was happening. He whispered loving words to her and in time, Aang began to utter things he'd thought he'd never have to say, swaring that he'd never see Katara again. He prayed that that fact wasn't true. Katara continued to struggle and attempt to get free of her muddy prison but nothing at this point in time could help, not even the Avatar himself.
All was slightly calm, that is until Katara was up to her shoulders in mud, her arms were now fully under the mud and she was going fast. At this point in time, tears streamed the worried waterbender's cheeks. Aang, on the other hand, attempted to stay calm for her sake, he held back tears which have been threatening to fall for quite some time now.
Aang stared down at Katara in fear, he quickly began to say his last words to her, and when the simple three words that he truly meant fell from his lips, tears instantly trickled down his face. Katara agreed just the same before the last of her voice had vanished. She had fully sunk down into the mud, leaving Aang kneeling before the bloody mess.
Aang stared down at where Katara once was, feeling the rage in his heart go ballistic. He could feel that feeling rise higher and higher, the one feeling he had failed to control, he could feel his Avatar spirit quickly begin to overcome, but he desperately attempted to hold it back. He prayed that maybe he could calm himself down and worry about trying to free Katara. He angrily stared down at the red mud before him, rage burning through his very essence.
"Katara..." he uttered as he slowly stood, "No!" he then hollered as he quickly threw his hands down on the mud, only to cause the earth and mud all around him to harden and crack, although the mud where Katara had sank remained the red, slushy mud it has always been.
Aang slowly fell on his knees, his hands gripped the messy mud before him, and he let the tears fall like rain as he basically forced his inner spirit away. He held it back for Katara's sake, he knew he always caused devastation when in the Avatar state, and he knew Katara wouldn't want that. He took a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly, multiple tears slid down his cheeks and dripped in the mud below him.
"I'm so sorry, Katara," he whispered shakily before he slowly held his head in his muddy hands.
- - -
"Stupid--BUSHES!" Sokka hollered, Kaimah, who was calmly perched on his shoulder, began to chirp and murmur in her little language, one that only Katara could truly comprehend, Sokka just rolled his eyes and pretended to understand her, "Tell me about it, you leave the two lovebirds alone and what happens?! They end up running away, leaving me worried and with no one to talk to!" Sokka yelled as he quickly swung his machete, causing a bunch of vines in his way to slice in half, Sokka continued to walk before Kaimah chirped happily, Sokka heaved a long sigh before continuing, "Okay okay, I have YOU to talk to..."
Sokka continued on through the forest for quite some time, wondering where on earth the two teens had gone and why they had been gone for a day and a half now. Sokka continued to lash his long machete back and forth, Kaimah kept still on his shoulder, that is until Sokka cut straight through some vines, revealing a large, open mud field. Sokka sighed impatiently and stepped out of the murky forest and into the now hardened mud.
"Now where did they go--" Sokka stopped himself once he noticed Aang further down the cracked mud field, he was knelt before something, his head in his hands, whimpering and saying hateful words to himself. Sokka frowned as Kaimah happily chirped and hopped off of Sokka's shoulder. She then began to make her way over to the young monk across the way, Sokka just followed.
"Aang?" Sokka questioned as he came closer, Aang gasped softly and quickly looked up, eyes red from tears and he sniffled a couple times, Sokka grew confused and knelt next to the young Avatar, "Aang what's the matter? Where's Katara?" With this, Aang took a sharp, deep breath and glared down at the red mud he sat on.
"It took her, Sokka, it's ALL my fault, if I wouldn't have wanted to see where that stupid tiger bear went, she wouldn't be gone, if it weren't for my dumb idea to go flying with her, we wouldn't have fallen, if I just wouldn't have kissed her, she wouldn't be in this mess and I--!"
"Aang, Aang! Calm down, what are you talking about?" Sokka said with a small laugh as he carefully placed a warm hand on Aang's shoulder; Aang shook his head slowly and quickly wiped away a few tears that rested on his cheeks and chin.
"It doesn't matter...Everything is my fault, this is ALL my fault," Aang said softly as he stared down at the mud, he then grew angry, "I can't believe I'm just sitting here like this, letting this happen!" Aang hollered before he all at once began to throw his hands into the bloody mud before him; he began to dig like crazy where Katara had sunk. He dug a small hole before Sokka spoke.
"Aang! Stop! What are you doing?!" Sokka yelled as he quickly pulled Aang's arms away from the hole he had created, mud harshly splattered Aang in the face, along with down his chest and stomach. Sokka chuckled softly as he held onto Aang's arms, "S-Sorry,"
Aang sighed softly as Sokka let go of him; he then began to free himself of mud from his face slowly and calmly. The red mud slowly began to drip down his face as new tears trickled down his cheeks; Sokka sighed softly and shook his head.
"You're a mess," Sokka said with a small laugh before he slowly began to take his shirt off, he then handed the young airbender his folds to clean himself off with, Aang gratefully took Sokka's shirt and cleaned himself off a bit.
"Thanks," Aang mumbled before he heaved a long, dry sigh and stared down at the mud.
"Aang, where is Katara?" Sokka asked carefully, hoping he wouldn't cause Aang to get angry again, and thankfully, he didn't. Aang continued to drown himself in sighs before he spoke up.
"She sank," Aang said plainly as he gestured towards the mud, Sokka grew confused.
"Wha-?"
"She sank," Aang said loudly as he gave Sokka an angry look, Sokka shook his head.
"I don't understand, she sank in mud?" Sokka questioned softly, Aang nodded and looked about, "-but this is mud, not quicksand,"
"Yeah but she sank so fast I-I...couldn't help her, it was so strong, it's like the mud turned into quicksand," Aang frowned as he stared down at the dreaded mud.
"Hey wait, why is the mud all...red like this?" Sokka questioned as he placed his hand in the mud, Aang just sighed.
"It's full of tiger bear blood," Aang stated, Sokka let out a loud squeal and quickly pulled his hand away in a frantic manner.
"Now you tell me!!" Sokka yelled, causing a small smile to spread across Aang's face, but it soon disappeared as Aang heaved yet another sigh.
"It all started yesterday..." Aang began.
- - -
"Hey Aang, how high can you go?" Katara questioned with a tinge of excitement in her voice. Aang chuckled softly and quickly darted upwards, causing Katara to follow him. They shot upwards for awhile, Katara was beginning to notice the clouds around them become thicker and in time, she could barely see the ground. All was calm, that is until Aang quickly stopped flying up and kept a steady speed at the height he was comfortable with. Katara flapped about in a confused manner as she made her way over to Aang.
"What's the matter?" Katara questioned over the calm wind, Aang turned to look at her with a smile, he then shrugged.
"Nothing, I-I just don't like to go any higher than this," Aang said softly as he looked about, Katara raised one eyebrow and let out a small laugh.
"You? The last airbender doesn't want to go any higher...than THIS?" Katara teased, Aang let out a small laugh.
"I'm just not comfortable with it," Aang smiled plainly, Katara continued to give Aang weird looks, she felt as if he were playing a game on her and with this, she quickly began to flap her wings, causing her to go higher than where Aang was.
"Come on, Aang, this is nothing!" Katara called as she continued to go higher.
- - -
"-Her fear of heights kicked in evidently and then she--" Aang was interrupted.
"Wait...Katara has a fear of heights?" Sokka questioned, a baffled look on his face, Aang shrugged but then nodded.
"I guess so, because her fear of heights forced her out of her Vyntresser form when she was high in the air. She came crashing into me and we both fell in this here mud field," Aang explained as he looked about, Sokka fingered his chin and nodded before he stared down at the red mud under him.
"-But then why is there tiger bear blood right here?" Sokka questioned, Aang frowned.
"While I was unconscious, evidently Katara was attacked by a tiger bear...She wasn't fully scared out of her Vyntresser form therefore she had no bending ability...she drove a stake right through the tiger bear's forehead...Right between the eyes," Aang said in amazement as to how well her aim was, he continued. "We woke up the day after and cleaned ourselves off but just as we were about to go look for you and Appa...We noticed that the tiger bear wasn't here anymore, we had no idea where it went...I insisted we come over here and check it out but...that's when Katara got stuck in the mud and began to sink...I had no way of helping her, I tried everything," Aang said shakily as he glared at the ground. Sokka nodded slowly before shaking his head.
"Wow...my assumption was WAY off," Sokka said with a small laugh, Aang shrugged.
"How do we get her back?" Aang questioned as little Kaimah moseyed into his lap; she then began to purr.
"We should keep digging," Sokka suggested, Aang shrugged but then nodded, knowing that was the only thing they could do at this time. The started to dig, the only tools they used were their hands and some of Aang's earthbending, Kaimah helped some too.
- - -
Katara was rudely awoken to a sour, slimy taste in her mouth. She instantly lifted her head and began to spit out whatever it was that had made a thick, bitter layer over her tongue. She shook her head and coughed slightly before opening her eyes and looking around. Blackness. Nothing but utter darkness not even the greatest of eyes could see through. Katara squinted and looked about, hoping to see any shapes or figures in the dark but nothing came to her. She sighed impatiently and slowly pushed herself to her feet, only to find herself crashing back down to the slimy earth.
Katara yelped and shook her head free of the filth underneath her before she started again. She then realized she wasn't in her human form after the second attempt of standing normally. She felt as if this form was familiar, the four legged animal she used to be in for about a week, torturing her brother with and befriending the playful cheetah cub she had come to know and love. Katara heaved a long sigh and squinted through the darkness, yet again, she then shook herself somewhat clean before heading out into the nothingness, cheetah form and all.
In time, Katara came to find that walking on the slushy unknown became harder and harder for her, even with the greatly structured padding she had on the bottoms of all four of her paws. She felt her way around, stumbling over hard, yet slightly lightweight objects; they clunked about, making all sorts of eerie noises that echoed through the space around her. Katara sighed softly as she could feel all four of her paws get cut and bloodied up, she shook it off, she now being more worried on where she was going than that of a few simple cuts on her paws. Katara became impatient; she took a quick, deep breath before speaking.
"Hello?" Katara said loudly before there slowly came a dim, blue light far away from her, it lit up her surroundings just enough to see where she was going. Katara instantly smiled before she began to bound towards whatever the little light was, it drew her near to it and in time, she felt as if she were in a trance. She continued to stumble over sharp objects, not wanting nor willing to stop to make sure her paws were okay, but in time, she could feel the pain take over, causing her paws to go numb. She felt as if she didn't care at the moment.
"Who's there?" Katara called as she came closer and closer to the blue light which was now getting brighter and brighter. Katara skid to a stop in the slush that she ran on, only to find herself standing in front of what looked to be a tall, older woman. Katara panted slightly and winced as the feeling gradually returned to her paws. Katara stood for moments on end examining the older woman before her. She noticed that this woman was wearing an airbender uniform, the bright oranges and yellows looking so familiar. Katara cocked her head slightly, also noticing strange, delicate arrows on this woman's forehead, hands and feet, she stood for quite sometime, that is until Katara got impatient.
"Who are you?" Katara questioned, the woman continued to angrily stare her down, that is until a large, horse like creature took its place next to the older woman. Katara stared at it in confusion, never have seen such an animal such as this one before. It had the largest of wings, sharpest of claws, and it grit it's teeth in utter anger, a loud, deep growl coming from the very pit of it's soul. Katara began to worry a bit, that is until the old woman before her spoke up.
"You must pay," she said deeply, a more than angry look on her face, "You have killed those of which that roam this earth," she continued, the creature next to her snarled and growled angrily, only causing Katara's fur to stick on end even further, the woman's voice echoed on, "You're earthbound until you learn what's right."
"What?" Katara questioned softly as she could feel her ears droop in sadness and confusion. Katara jumped slightly as the creature next to the older woman reared up, letting loose a loud noise, one almost similar to that of a neigh and a loud eagles cry. It then came back down, snarling and foaming at the mouth. Katara worried at how much it resembled the large tiger bear she had killed just yesterday. Katara quickly averted her gaze from the wild creature to the older woman next to it. She instantly lifted her hand and snapped her fingers before all at once, Katara's surroundings instantly brightened. Katara squinted and glanced around, noticing the once dark and eerie place around her white and clear for miles, nothing but white was what she could see. She blinked a couple times as her eyes adjusted.
"Get used to suffering," the woman said harshly before vanishing into thin air right before Katara. The only thing that remained was the large, white winged creature before Katara. Katara shook her head before she quickly began to scramble about, slipping and sliding about in the slush under her. She immediately lost footing only to plummet face first into the goop below, she coughed loudly and shook her head before she opened her eyes and looked down only to see that what she had been walking in for quite some time now was blood. Nothing but blood.
Katara gasped and quickly stood up straight, eyes widening by the second as she stared down at he red element before her, she shook her head and quickly glanced all about her sticky body, noticing that it too was completely covered in blood, no cheetah spots were visible at all. Katara let out a soft yelp and attempted to remain calm. All was quiet, that is until the large creature, she had forgotten about, let out yet another strange noise. Katara clumsily turned around, only to find that the creature was now charging towards her. The only thing running through Katara's mind at the moment was the word run.
Her feet quickly began to move as she turned around and took off down the blood field. She noticed, as she sped off, that little, sharp pieces of bones passed her by, she then realized that those bones were causing her paws to slice in half, pain to shoot clear from her feet to her head. Katara didn't stop to examine her hellish surroundings, she continued to run, knowing very well that the demon creature behind her was catching up fast. She kept a fast, steady pace going literally nowhere, although she could hear the animal behind her catching up. No matter how fast she ran, she knew this odd beast could catch up and sure enough, it did.
With a simple swing of its paw, it hit Katara square in the side of the head, sending her flying across blood and bones. She skid to a slow stop, now feeling her own warm, sticky blood run down her brow and cheek. She panted softly and shook her head; her vision was clouded but clear enough to tell that the creature chasing her was not giving up anytime soon. It charged at her, teeth showing, claws boasting its power. Katara instantly attempted to run in a different direction, but dizziness, confusion and fatigue quickly began to take over, causing her speed to slow dramatically.
She slowed down, knowing very well that this thing chasing her wasn't going to give up anytime soon. It immediately made it's way over to Katara, hissing and snarling in her face, pawing and batting at her wounds, also causing new ones to appear. Katara hung her head and slowed her slow trot to a stumble before falling to the ground. She could hear the creature above her slowly become disinterested in torturing something that looked to be dead. It, in time, made one last angry grunt towards Katara before trotting away.
Katara heaved a small, painful sigh, blood was everywhere, the only thing she knew at the moment was blood. She lifted her head slowly before letting loose a raspy cry for help, but no one was within hearing distance, she didn't even know if where she was even existed. She sighed in defeat and let her head fall to the cold, sticky mess underneath her, now having a huge understanding of what she had done wrong. She opened her mouth to speak, apologize, cry but nothing came out. Just a raspy little whisper of nothing.
A/N: SORRY…. I keep leaving cliffhangers, don't I. -shrugs- it's what makes the world go 'round x)
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed it, I'll have chapter 12 to you all sometime soon here. Please R&R! No flames I'd appreciate it greatly.
-Katara-
Mohalo ;)