Chapter 6:
They were supposed to have been gone already. Katara grumbled as she tightened the packs that were strapped onto Appa's back. It had been hours since the crack of dawn, which was the time they had originally planned to depart from the Western Air temple.
The day started out as slow as a snail. Toph and Aang took an eternity to wake up, and when they did, they were sluggish and moved in slow-motion. Sokka, surprisingly, awoke before them. He was quite carefree, and didn't seem to mind whether or not they left in the morning or at night. The person who Katara was concerned with was Zuko. He arose early, and began to practice firebending.
"Zuko, why don't you help me get everyone ready?" Katara asked cautiously. "After all, we need to make sure we escape the Fire Nation. Your crazy sister is probably leading a whole fleet of airships here while we speak."
Zuko sent one last fireball whizzing through the air. "I can't explain it," he said, sounding slightly detached. "I really don't think we need to be in such a hurry. I don't feel like we're under a threat."
"And just what do you mean by that?" Katara's voice hardened. "Just the other day that darned Azula nearly killed all of us...she nearly killed you! And you're saying you want to stick around until the entire Fire Nation army comes around the corner to obliterate us all?"
Zuko sighed. "What I'm saying is...I don't think anything of the sort will happen. I feel like we're safe."
"What...?" Katara was exasperated.
"Never mind," Zuko brushed it off. "You wouldn't understand."
Katara glowered after him. She couldn't shake the feeling that Zuko still held allegiances to the Fire Nation. She was deeply concerned that he would turn around and stab their backs again, like he did in Ba Sing Se.
"Well it doesn't matter how you feel," Katara snapped. "We're leaving as soon as possible."
It took nearly an hour to wrap up camp and have everyone's belongings secured to Appa. Just when they were about to leave, they realized that Appa would not wake up. The giant sky bison snored loudly, and every once in a while his thick, heavy lids would lift...and then fall back down.
Katara nearly went mad.
"He's probably just extra-tired," Aang tried to reassure her. He yawned and looked like he was about to drop back to sleep.
"No!" Katara snapped. "Appa hasn't done anything that would cause him to be exhausted like this!"
"How would you know?" Aang murmured. "You don't have to carry a whole load of people every day, mile after mile."
Katara sighed. "It's just...I just want to get out of here, that's all!" Her glare fell onto Zuko, who was nonchalantly sitting at the edge of the saddle with his arms crossed. "Zuko," Katara began with a dangerous voice. "Would you happen to know if anything is wrong with Appa?"
Zuko looked at her seriously. "Let me guess. You think I led Azula to our location yesterday, you think I drugged Appa so that we cannot leave this temple, and you think I'm still a part of the Fire Nation," Zuko sat up straight. "I promise you, I have nothing to do with this! Azula pinpointing our location is just something that she's good at, and as for Appa's lethargy...well...I don't know! But I swear I'm on your side now."
Katara regarded him skeptically, but Toph seemed to believe. Aang yawned. "Whatever. Let's just go to sleep now."
"I hope Appa isn't sick," Sokka grumbled.
"Maybe it was something he ate," Toph leaned back to take a nap.
Katara's eyes widened as something clicked inside her brain. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Zuko carefully inquired.
"I was wondering why today felt a little...off," Katara explained. "First, Sokka woke up before Toph and Aang, who are both feeling tired and sleepy...am I right guys?" Both Toph and Aang yawned in response. "Toph, Aang and Appa were the only ones yesterday who ate the fruit that Aang brought back to us. The rest of us only ate squirrel-rabbits. It must have been something in the fruit that makes you sluggish."
"I told you I didn't do it," Zuko grumbled.
"Well that was great, Katara," Sokka shrugged. "But now the question remains...how do get out of here?"
"We can't," the waterbender said simply. "I hate to say this, but we're stuck here until Appa wakes up." Her brows clenched in worry. It was already afternoon, and they were hanging around like sitting ducks.
Zuko suddenly squinted his eyes at the sky. "Wait a minute...what's that?" He pointed to a faraway orb in the sky. "I've been seeing it for a while now, but I never really noticed it. It's getting closer."
The entire Gaang crowded onto one spot on the saddle, trying to inspect the foreign incoming object. Even Aang were a little more alert now (although Toph stayed in the same exact spot), as their curiosity was spiked.
As the orb floated closer and closer, one could see that it was a scarlet color.
"That...looks at bit like..." Sokka narrowed his eyes. "It's a Fire Nation airship!" he shouted.
"No way!" Toph exclaimed. "Can you be sure?"
"I'm positive! It has the Fire symbol right on its side!"
"Impossible," Zuko seemed shocked. "That's way too small. It's not really a threat to us..."
"Unless that ship is carrying scouts to make sure we're still here!" Katara snapped. The airship (which looked more like an air balloon) that was flying toward them was possibly less than one-tenth the size of the one Azula had taken yesterday. It bobbed unsteadily in the sky. Every once in a while, the balloon would dip downward. After falling for a couple of seconds, it would instantly float back up.
Zuko examined the ship closely, feeling uneasy. The airships needed a firebender to supply it with enough hot air in order for it to rise. It made him wonder if the firebender was not doing their job properly, or if there was a problem with the balloon that caused to not function.
The balloon was close enough so that the Gaang could distinctively see the dark flames emblazoned on the sides.
"What do we do?" Sokka asked, brandishing his boomerang. "Let me slice that thing open, and give them a nice fall down the cliff!"
"No Sokka," Aang said firmly.
"It doesn't matter," Zuko declared. "They're Fire Nation. They've surely seen us now, and we can't let them go back. At least, not until Appa wakes up and can whisk us away from here. But we must make sure that whoever is on that ship does not bring news of us back to Ozai, or worse, Azula."
"So you're saying we have to kill them?" Aang asked fearfully.
"No. But we have to keep them as prisoners until we are free to escape. Then we'll just let them go."
Aang nodded. "Alright."
The moment the airship was a few hundred feet away from them, Zuko mercilessly torched the balloon with fire. It caught, and the contraption almost immediately went up in flames. Just as the ship was about to fall, Toph extended a piece of earth from the side of the cliff to catch it. Aang and Katara then teamed up to use waterbending to wrap the ship in water and drag it into safety.
The smoking craft was not very large; only about twenty feet lengthwise.
"Quick, Toph!" Aang called. "Tell us how many people are on this ship!"
"Only one."
Aang created a huge gust of air that put out the rest of the smoldering mess. Katara engulfed herself in water and then delved in to retrieve the person of the Fire Nation. In the midst of it all, Katara suddenly stiffened, and then froze.
"Katara...are you okay?" Sokka asked.
Katara jumped out of the wreckage like her life depended on it. Her wide eyes filled with fury as she hissed, "It's her!"
The five of them warily edged toward the mass of the burnt airship. Suddenly, a soot covered hand shot out, startling them all. They watched in terror as the Fire Nation princess emerged from the wreckage.
Azula was completely disheveled. Her hair was untied, and instead of wearing her black or red armor, she had on a simple scarlet robe that hung loose over her frame. She staggered a bit as she exited, clutching her ribs. A stream of blood dripped down the side of her face.
Zuko, Toph, and Katara immediately fell into their bending forms. Aang readied his staff and Sokka bared his blade. "What do you want this time, Azula?" Zuko demanded.
"I've never piloted an airship on my own before," Azula's voice was unnaturally high, and lacked her usual sarcastic undertone. "Not bad for a first time, if I do say so myself. I was doing fine until somebody firebended at me."
Zuko glared at his sister. Azula stumbled a few unsteady steps forward, and the uptight avatar and his friends tensed up.
"Tell us, oh-great-Azula," Katara nearly spat. "Are you planning on taking on all of us by yourself?"
"No," the princess replied, seeming a little dazed. "Because I'm feeling...rather generous today." Then Azula's eyes slid to the back of her head and she toppled over, unconscious.
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Sorry if the beginning of this chapter sort of dragged. I just had to find a really good reason for the Gaang to still be hanging around the temple xD