A/N: As promised, a quicker update. I leave for college tomorrow, and then things get a little crazy as the new semester starts up, so I thought I'd give you a new chapter before that happened.
Thanks to all who reviewed! Your feedback is appreciated and means so much to me. Another thank you to those who subscribed or favorited. Your support also means a lot to me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I only own Mira and a handful of original concepts.
Read and enjoy!
Chapter Seven
Things Fall Apart
After two days of straight traveling, the group decided it was time for an afternoon pit stop. The loudest proponent of this plan was actually Toph, who couldn't stand flying. It seemed that she would not have as much trouble meshing with the group as Mira had.
Appa landed in a large, dried up creek bed with an explosion of fur. It seemed that the arrival of spring also brought the arrival of shedding season.
Toph leaped off Appa's back quickly and landed in a pile of bison fur. She wiggled her toes and smiled. "Hey, you guys picked a great campsite. The grass is so soft."
"That's not grass," Sokka said. "Appa's shedding."
Katara hopped off Appa gingerly. "That's gross." She carefully picked her way across the ground, making sure not to step on any clumps of fur.
"It's not gross; it's just a part of spring," Aang said, rubbing Appa's head affectionately. "You know, rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat!"
"It may be a part of spring, but I'm not cleaning it up," Mira said, eyeing the fur distastefully.
"It's not that bad, Mira," Sokka said, his back turned and his hands working frantically at something. He straightened up and turned around to reveal a wig made from bison fur. "It makes a great wig!"
"You're actually putting that stuff on you?" Mira muttered, her mouth twisted in a grimace.
"And a great beard!" Aang said, laughing as he joined in, wearing a beard and moustache.
"At least we've got another girl here to balance out those two," Katara muttered to Mira.
"Excuse me," Toph drawled, appearing between the two boys,"does anyone have a razor?" She lifted up her arms to reveal masses of fur erupting from her sleeves. "Because I've got some hairy pits!"
Mira turned to Katara and lifted an eyebrow.
"Well, at least I've got you."
That afternoon passed by slowly. After two days in the saddle, no one was very eager to hop back on. It was agreed that after they spent the night in the clearing, they would pack up and leave the next morning. So the hours until twilight were passed frivolously. It seemed that everyone wanted to enjoy any few hours of respite that they could.
Mira, of course, spent the time training. She didn't believe in taking breaks. She needed to be at her best, all the time. Since Aang didn't seem to hold his life in high regard, Mira had to make sure he made it to the end of summer in one piece. She took a momentary break from her dagger forms to contemplate this. Since when did she care so much about Aang? She had been indebted to him when she joined their group, but surely her debt had been repaid by now. She'd taken a shuriken in the shoulder for him. That made them even.
She knew she wasn't in the group out of some obligation to a debt. If she had, she would have been long gone by now. No, it was something deeper than that. She'd been traveling alone for so long when they found her. She remembered Ba Sing Se, when she'd become a little more attached to a family she was trying to help. She missed that connection, that feeling of being cared about. That feeling that someone would miss you if you didn't come back one day.
She shook her head like a wet dog, trying to get rid of thoughts that were becoming more and more depressing.
I'm getting too sentimental.
"So…what's your deal?" A young, high-pitched voice cut through her musings, and she turned to find Toph leaning against a tree, her milky eyes fixed at a point somewhere beyond Mira's left shoulder.
"'Scuse me?" she asked, mopping the sweat from her brow.
"I mean, Aang and Katara and Sokka told me about themselves, but you didn't open your mouth once. I want to know who I'm traveling with."
"They weren't telling you about me just now?" Mira asked, eyebrow raised skeptically.
"Well…maybe they were, but I want to hear it from you."
"Whatever they told you is probably true," Mira said, slipping her dagger back into her belt.
"I want to hear it from you," Toph repeated stubbornly.
Mira gave a short, barking laugh. "I can play this game far better than you," she said. "You'll lose."
Toph looked slightly taken aback. "What?"
"We're too much alike, you and I. Stubborn, proud, excellent fighters, daddy issues…want me to keep going?"
"I get the point," Toph said sourly.
"Look," Mira sighed. "I don't want to make you mad. I'm not your enemy. I just don't like to talk about my past."
"I just want to know who you are," Toph insisted. "I've barely heard you speak, but we're traveling together. Don't I get a little more than that?"
Mira found her mouth opening before she'd even decided to give in. "Mom died in childbirth, lost my father in the war. I've been on my own ever since. I'm a thief, so I stole to help others. Got caught, Aang saved me, and now I travel with them."
"See, was that so hard?" Toph said sweetly.
Mira scowled at her for a few moments before she realized that Toph couldn't see her. "Very funny," she said dryly.
Toph turned to leave, but hesitated at the last second. "You really think we're similar?" she asked curiously.
"Not identical, but I see a lot of the twelve-year-old me in you," Mira answered.
Toph nodded thoughtfully and left, leaving Mira to wonder what exactly had just transpired.
The inevitable clashing of personalities came that night. Sokka was gathering wood for the fire, Aang was setting up the tents, and Katara was preparing the water to boil for dinner. Mira was setting out ingredients and spices for supper, and was on standby to start the fire once Sokka was done with the firewood. Toph, however, was lounging on her pack and chewing on a bit of straw. Mira didn't care much, but she could see a muscle twitching in Katara's jaw. She was not happy with the situation. Finally, she stood up and walked over to Toph. "So, Toph, usually when setting up camp we try to divide up the work," she said, trying to drop a hint.
"Hey, don't worry about me, I'm good to go," Toph said casually.
Katara tried a different tact. "Well, actually, what I'm trying to say is, uh, some of us might fetch water while someone else might set up the fire pit or put up the tent." As if he'd been called, Momo swooped through the air and deposited a handful of nuts in her hand. "Even Momo does his fair share," she added.
"Katara, I'm fine," Toph asserted. "I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire, I've already collected my own food, and look." Toph slammed her hands into the ground and a tent of earth sprang up. "My tent's all set up."
"Well, that's great for you," Katara said, her tone curt and abrupt. "But we still need to finish..."
Toph cut her off. "I don't understand. What's the problem here?"
Katara opened her mouth to reply angrily, but decided against it at the last second. "Never mind," she muttered, turning back to rejoin the others.
"You really think subtle hints will work on her?" Mira asked.
"Not anymore," Katara sighed. She switched topics. "You're a lot like her, Mira. How come you didn't do that when you joined us?"
Mira shrugged. "I'm used to hard work. I don't mind doing a little extra. Toph, however, is lazy. You're going to need a little more poking and prodding to get her to do what you want."
Katara looked at Toph thoughtfully, biting her lip. "I'll keep that in mind," she muttered, and the topic didn't come up until later that night.
Mira was all in favor of Katara just dropping the matter altogether. It wasn't that much work anyway. If Toph didn't want to help, then so be it. But when Mira brought this up to Katara, she started shaking her head before Mira was even finished. "It's the principle of the thing," she insisted.
Mira just shrugged and watched apprehensively as Katara approached Toph later. "Hey, Toph, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I think we're all just a little tired and getting on each other's nerves."
That's not going to work… Mira thought in a sing-song tune.
"Yeah, you do seem pretty tired," Toph said nonchalantly.
"Again with the subtlety, Katara," Mira mumbled. "Just spit it out."
"I meant all of us," Katara said curtly.
But Toph still didn't understand. Though Mira was beginning to suspect that she was just choosing to be ignorant. "Well, goodnight," she said abruptly, crawling into her tent.
Katara's shoulders tensed up, signaling an imminent explosion. But she stopped, forced a deep breath out, and merely said, "Goodnight."
"At this point, she's just purposely misunderstanding you," Mira said as Katara passed her.
"What am I supposed to do, accuse her of that?" Katara asked tiredly. "I just—I'm going to bed."
The others quickly followed her, but no more than a few precious hours of sleep were stolen. All too soon, Mira woke suddenly to Toph's frantic cry. "There's something coming toward us!"
"What is it?" Aang asked groggily, his eyes barely open.
"It feels like an avalanche," Toph said. She paused and frowned, leaning closer to the earth. "But also not like an avalanche."
"How specific," Mira said dryly, standing up with the others.
"Your powers of perception are frightening," Sokka added sarcastically.
"Should we leave?" Katara asked, ignoring Mira and her brother.
"Better safe than sorry," Aang said. Mira heaved an internal sigh of relief. Finally, her words were penetrating that thick skull of his.
It took less time to pack camp than usual, due to the threat of whatever was coming toward them. Within ten minutes they were airborne.
"What is that thing?" Katara asked in wonder, gazing behind them. Mira turned around to see a large, distant dust cloud trailing them. She squinted, and was only able to make out a metal tank-type machine. Whatever it was, it moved remarkably fast for its size.
They flew throughout the night, not even attempting to make conversation. Mira took advantage of their relative safely and took a quick sparrow-cat nap. She wanted to be alert for when the others weren't.
Finally, it was decided that they'd outrun the tank, and it was safe to land. Toph leaped off as soon as Appa's legs were on the ground. "Ahh, land, sweet land!" she cried in relief. "See you guys in the morning!"
"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asked. Mira had come to recognize the tone she was using. When Katara asked you to do something in that tone, you did it, no questions asked. Unfortunately, Toph didn't know that (though, it was highly doubtful she would listen if she did).
"Really? You need me to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?" Toph asked, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.
"No one touches that thing," Mira said as Sokka sniffed at his sleeping bag and recoiled at the smell. "There're other things to do."
"You're a part of our team now and—" Katara started.
"Look," Toph interrupted. "I didn't ask you to help unload my stuff. I'm carrying my own weight."
"So am I," Mira cut in. "I'm carrying all my supplies. I could just stand around and do nothing and still be carrying my own weight." She paused for effect. "But I don't."
"Good for you," Toph snapped.
"I think you're missing the point," Katara said, following Toph to the edge of the campsite. Mira could feel a serious argument brewing, and decided to stay out of it. She'd contributed her piece. "Ever since joining us you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful."
Oh, that was a bad idea…
"What?!" Toph cried indignantly. "Look here, Sugar Queen, I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending, so don't you talk to me about being selfish!" She sat abruptly and brought up a stone tent, signaling the end of the conversation.
Mira had to admit, Toph had a point. She had given up everything to travel with them. Sniping at her regarding responsibilities was not the best way to pay her back.
"Sugar Queen?" Katara spluttered angrily. Before she could get out another word, Toph brought up a fourth side to her tent, effectively sealing herself inside. "D-Did you just slam the door in my face?"
She pounded on the sides of the tent, hoping to get a response from inside. "How can you be so infuriating?" she yelled irately.
"Should we…do something?" Aang asked hesitantly. The three of them were watching from the center of the clearing, but had yet to intervene.
"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show," Sokka said, shaking his head.
"You want me to get involved in that?" Mira asked, jerking her head at the grumbling Katara. "No way in hell."
"Besides, aren't you the Avatar?" Sokka pointed out. "This should be easy for you."
Aang gulped and made his way uncertainly to Katara. "Okay, okay, you both need to calm down," he said hesitantly.
"Both?" Katara asked, her voice quiet and dangerous. She whirled around to face Aang. "I'm completely calm!" Her shrill voice and the bulging vein in her temple said otherwise.
"I... can see that," Aang said, terrified. He quickly scooted away, his face white.
"That went well," Mira deadpanned.
"Oh, ha ha," Aang said. "I think that was scarier than the Unagi."
"I don't doubt it," Sokka said with relish. "I just try to leave her alone when she's like this."
"Maybe some sleep will help," Mira suggested. "Oi! Katara! Get some sleep, why don't you?" Katara opened her mouth to protest, but a yawn erupted instead. She nodded resignedly and retrieved her sleeping bag. Mira turned back to the others. She breathed on her nails and polished them on her shirt, smirking at the others while she did so.
"Impressive," Sokka said. "But I think I'm going to follow her example."
Five minutes later, silence filled the clearing as everyone settled down at catch up on sleep. At least, that was the hope. Katara, however, couldn't seem to put her argument with Toph to rest.
"The stars sure are beautiful tonight," she said.
I don't care…
"Too bad you can't see them, Toph!" she added.
Now that was uncalled for.
Toph apparently thought the same thing, if the column of rock she sent Katara's way was any indication. The water tribe girl was sent flying into the air before she came crashing down on her brother, who immediately started protesting. But his grumbling was ignored after what Toph said next. "That thing is back!"
Oh, for the love of…
"Well, how far away is it?" Sokka asked desperately, flopping over until his face was squashed into his sleeping bag. "Maybe we can close our eyes just for a few minutes…" he suggested, his voice muffled.
"I don't think so, Sokka," Aang said urgently, pointing to the tree line. A thick, black cloud of smoke rose lazily through the air, betraying the tank's position.
Pack up was even quicker the second time around. As they flew through the air, Katara leaned out from the saddle, squinting at the horizon. "Seriously, what is that thing?"
"And how does it keep finding us?" Toph asked. There was no animosity between them now. They were united in the danger they were both in. Mira knew it was only temporary. But she decided to enjoy it while it lasted.
"I don't know, but this time I'm going to make sure we lose 'em," Aang said, his eyes steely with determination.
Mira let the issue of navigation remain in Aang's capable hands and settled herself into a relatively comfortable position. She'd take her sleep where she could get it.
She woke what felt like minutes later to the sensation of gentle falling. She cracked open an eyelid to find that Appa was descending. She blinked wearily as they touched down, and followed the others off.
"Okay, forget about setting up camp. I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep," Sokka said tiredly, stuffing himself in his sleeping bag.
"That's good, because Toph wasn't going to help anyway," Katara said snippily.
"Oh, for Daichi's sake, Katara. Let it go!" Mira snapped, her nerves wearing thin.
"Oh, I didn't realize Baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed," Toph mocked.
"Come on guys, there's something after us and we don't even know what or who it is," Aang said desperately, pulling his shirt up over his face as a sleep cover.
"It could be Zuko. We haven't seen him since the North Pole," Katara suggested.
Mira pursed her lips in thought. "You said he was always right behind you. You think he'd have just found you now? After so many weeks?"
Katara sighed. "You may have a point."
"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked.
"Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world," Sokka said casually.
"What's wrong with ponytails, ponytail?" Katara jibed.
"This is a warrior's wolf tail," Sokka defended.
"Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky!" Apparently, lack of sleep made Katara snarky.
Sokka chose to ignore her. "Anyway, whoever's chasing us, they couldn't have followed us here. So... now would everyone just—shhh!"
Mira lay back, her eyes closed before she even hit the ground. She may have been able to function a little better without sleep than most of the group, but that didn't mean that she liked going without it. She was sluggish and slower while sleep deprived, and she didn't like it.
Momo's chittering led her to crack open an eyelid. Please let it be because he's hungry. Not…
"Aww, don't tell me..." Sokka began.
Mira squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. Why does everything that can go wrong have to go wrong?
"That's impossible," Aang said despairingly. "There's no way they could have tracked us."
"I can feel it with my own two feet!" Toph insisted, and Mira knew better than to argue with Toph's senses. She pushed herself up and joined the others in watching the tank approach.
"Let's get out of here," Katara said.
"Maybe we should face them," Aang suggested. "Find out who they are. Who knows, maybe they're friendly."
That'll be the day.
"Always the optimist," Sokka said, shaking his head.
As if on cue, the tank shuddered to a stop. The side of the final compartment swung open to reveal three giant lizards, each carrying one rider. As the dust kicked up from the tank cleared, the figures became more visible.
Azula, Mai and Ty Lee were astride the lizards.
"You were saying?"
"Now I'm wishing it was Zuko," Katara groaned. "Those three are much worse." By that time, everyone had already sunk into battle stances.
"We can take 'em," Toph said eagerly. "Three on four."
"Actually, Toph, there's five of us," Sokka pointed out obviously.
"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't count you. You know, no bending and all," Toph said, a mean grin plastered on her face.
"I can still fight!" he cried shrilly. "Besides, Mira's not a bender either!"
"Okay. Three on four plus Sokka."
Sokka growled in fury while Mira smirked. "That's not fair," he hissed at her.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I can't hear you over the sound of my badassery."
His only reply was a strangled snarl.
"Don't worry, guys," Toph said confidently, stretching her arms out and cracking her knuckles. "I got this." She jabbed her arms out three times, and three columns of rock shut up from the ground right in front of the three girls. But their mounts were nimble, and simply swarmed up and over them.
"Well, we wanted to find out who they were. We found out." Sokka stowed his boomerang away and turned away. "Now let's get out of here!"
Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Mira hurried for Appa, but stubborn Toph couldn't leave well enough alone. She brought up a thick, solid wall of stone to try and cut off, or at least slow down, their pursuers. Azula merely circled her arms around in a rhythmic motion, blue sparks flying from her hands as she did so. She extended her left arm sharply, and a blast of lightning shattered the wall, leaving a large hole for the girls to pass through.
"Toph!" Mira yelled. "Get your ass up here!"
But Toph remained on the ledge, lips twisted into a stubborn scowl, and the hesitation very nearly cost her her life. Mira saw Mai draw her arm back, and she knew immediately what was to come. In a flash, she had a throwing knife in her hand, but she paused. Mai was in her debt. Mira had saved her life back in Omashu, and she knew the Fire Nation girl would settle her balance. It was a matter of honor, and no loyal Fire Nation citizen went back on an obligation. If Mira threw her knife at Mai, that would vanish. She held a valuable resource, and she wanted to save it for a more dire situation. Besides, she was sure Toph could handle herself…
Just in the nick of time, Toph summoned another column from the ground to push her through the air and into Appa's saddle. Four miniature arrows thunked into the stone, right where Toph had been standing moments before. Mira heaved a sigh of relief. She'd taken a huge risk by hesitating. Thankfully, it had paid off.
Azula shot a blast of blue fire up at them, but Appa was already too high in the air. They were safe. Mira allowed herself to relax against the side of the saddle.
"I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu," Katara muttered unhappily.
"Believe it," Mira muttered darkly.
"Do you know them or something?" Toph asked curiously.
"Unfortunately," Mira said. Despite Toph's raised eyebrow, she didn't elaborate.
"Well, I think we could've taken them," she grumbled, crossing her arms.
"I don't know if you know this, but you almost became a pincushion," Mira pointed out. "Fighting those girls without sleep is a bad idea."
"Besides, one of them can block your chi," Katara explained. "How do like your chances with no bending?"
Toph's eyes widened, and she gulped.
Sokka's moan interrupted them. "Oh no, the sun is rising!" Mira turned around and saw that the sun was indeed peeking above the horizon. "We've been up all night with no sleep."
"It's one night, Sokka," Mira said.
"We'll be okay," Aang added.
"Are you sure!? I've never not slept before!" Sokka said frantically. "What if I fall asleep now and something happens? And something always happens!" Mira reached out and tugged on his ear in an attempt to rein him in. "Stop that!" he snapped.
"Calm down," she muttered. "You're fine."
"I guess we'll just have to keep flying," Katara said. "Every time we land, those girls are there."
"We can't keep flying forever," Aang pointed out.
"That's the best we've got," Katara said softly, staring at the rising sun.
Mira stole another few minutes of sleep as Appa slowly drifted through the clouds. The chill of the high altitude made her shiver, and she wrapped her cloak tightly around her body. This was why she never wanted to go to the poles. She couldn't stand the cold. But she knew they would have to land eventually, so she endured it as they flew.
"So what's the plan?" Aang asked, yawning.
"Don't know…too tired to think," Toph said drowsily.
"I'm sure we'll come up with something after a short nap," Katara said. It seemed that the others were discovering Mira's idea of sleeping while flying. She decided to forgo rest while the others napped. Someone needed to be alert, in case something happened.
…Something like Appa falling from the sky. Mira suddenly felt lighter, and she looked down to see herself slowly floating off the saddle. "Hold on!" she yelled, grabbing onto the leather. "Aang! Do something!"
"What's going on?" shouted a panicked Toph. She clung to the saddle with all her might, her sightless eyes wide and frightened.
"Appa fell asleep!" Aang yelled as he crawled down the side of the bison. "Appa! Wake up buddy!"
He awoke slowly, but once the bison had realized what was going on, he abruptly slowed their descent. Mira was no longer floating in the air above the saddle, but was resting on it. But that wasn't the end of it. They'd slowed just above the tree line, and they started crashing through the canopy as Appa continued to go lower. Mira ducked and threw up her hands in an effort to protect her face. Branches smacked against her arms and pulled at her cloak. Finally, they exploded from the forest as Appa slid along the ground and skidded to a stop. Mira gingerly clambered off the bison and fell onto the ground in relief. She didn't mind flying, but experiences like that didn't make her like it any more.
"Appa's exhausted," Aang said unnecessarily.
"Okay, we've put a lot of distance between us and them," Sokka said. "The plan now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep."
Not enough distance, Mira thought, but Katara was talking before she could voice it. "Of course, we could have gotten some sleep earlier if Toph didn't have such issues," she said meanly.
"What?" Toph shrieked, and Mira had to agree with her. Katara was taking this too far.
Aang, ever the pacifist, tried to calm them down. "Alright, alright! Everyone's exhausted. Let's just get some rest."
"No! I want to hear what Katara has to say. You think I have issues?" Toph demanded.
"I'm just saying, maybe if you helped out earlier we could've set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep, and then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation!" Katara said, annoyed.
"Daichi, Katara! Let it go!" Mira said, joining in. "We're talking a few minutes here."
"You're blaming me for this?" Toph asked incredulously.
"No, no! She's not blaming you!" Aang said, still trying to intervene.
"No, I'm blaming her," Katara said, hands on her hips.
"And I'm blaming you!" Mira said, jabbing her finger in Katara's face. She ignored the shocked look on the other girl's face and plowed on. "Maybe if you hadn't been so focused on rubbing it in Toph's face, we could have gotten some sleep tonight. But you just can't let anything go, can you?"
"I just wanted her to help out!" Katara defended.
"And I get that! But for Daichi's sake, Katara, learn to pick your battles."
"That's rich, coming from you."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"OI!" Toph yelled, breaking up the brewing argument. "If we're going to blame anyone, it should be Appa."
All peace flew from Aang in that moment. "What? You're blaming Appa?!"
It hit Mira then. The fur. Appa had started shedding the day before. Of course it was easy to follow them. They were leaving a blazing trail for Azula.
"You wanna know how they keep finding us?" Toph asked. She reached out a pulled a clump of Appa's hair from his side. "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go!"
Aang exploded. "How dare you blame Appa! He saved your life three times today! If there's anyone to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not!" Aang ranted. "He is! Appa's carrying your weight! He never had a problem flying when it was just the four of us!"
Toph stiffened, and despite her blasé attitude, Mira knew Aang had struck a nerve. She wanted to speak out, but she knew nothing she could say would convince her to stay.
"I'm outta here," she mumbled. She kicked the ground, sending her bag flying into the air. She caught it and walked away, leaving the others staring after her.
"Way to go, idiots," Mira said sternly. "And yes, I'm talking to both of you," she said as she shot Katara a dark glare.
"What did I just do?" Aang moaned desperately, throwing his hands up to the sky. He sat down with a thump and stared disconsolately at the ground. "I can't believe I yelled at my earthbending teacher. Now she's gone," he said quietly.
"I know. We're all just trying to get used to each other, and I was so mean to her," Katara said regretfully.
"Yeah, you two were pretty much jerks," Sokka added.
"I'm with him," Mira said.
"Thanks," Katara said sarcastically.
"No problem," Sokka said cheerfully.
"We need to find Toph and apologize," Katara resolved.
"Okay, but what are we going to do about the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us?" Sokka pointed out.
Aang absently tugged at the fur on Appa's side and watched as it floated gently through the air. "I have a plan…"
"This is your plan?" Mira asked, her lip curled in disgust.
"What's wrong with it?" Aang asked defensively, summoning another wave to douse Appa. Sheets of white air washed off him and floated in the nearby river they'd found.
"Nothing," she said. "I just imagined a little more action, a little less cleaning."
"Appa's fur was leaving a trail right to us. But now that he's clean, no more trail!" Aang explained.
Mira raised an eyebrow. "That's it? I was expecting something a little more grand…"
"I'm not done yet," Aang said impatiently. He gathered a large pile of dry fur from the riverbank and stuffed it in a bag. "I'm going to use Appa's fur to make a fake trail and lead the tank off course."
"I have to admit, I like this plan better now," Mira conceded.
"You guys will fly off on Appa that way," Aang said, pointing into the forest next to the river. "I'll take the fur this way." He pointed in the opposite direction. "Once I've laid the trail, I'll join back up with you."
"Are you sure that he's okay to fly?" Katara asked, looking concerned as she eyed Appa.
"As long as we leave our stuff here, he'll be fine," Aang answered confidently.
Mira, Katara, and Sokka climbed up onto the saddle before taking off. A shuddering crack echoed through the air as he collided with a group of trees, but his flight steadied once they were clear of the forest. As they flew, Mira leaned against the side of the saddle as she scanned the forest for Toph. She knew the young earthbender was tough, but Mira was still concerned for her. She knew from experience that there was nothing worse than being alone with your thoughts, especially when they were less than desirable ones.
"Toph couldn't have made it too far," Sokka murmured as he craned his neck around. Momo started chittering anxiously, and Sokka looked around to see what was wrong. "What is it, Momo…oh no! Katara!"
Mira turned around to see Mai and Ty Lee astride two lizards, hot in pursuit.
"How did they find us?" Katara asked, frustrated.
"I don't know, but we need to get out of here," Mira said anxiously.
Appa, however, didn't seem to be listening. He was slowly drifting lower and lower. "Appa, come on! We need to go faster!" Sokka urged.
"He's too tired!" Katara cried desperately.
"Not good," Mira muttered. She looked ahead to see a river snaking through the forest. It was a longshot, but if they could cross the river in time, maybe they would be safe.
"We just need to make it across that river!" Sokka cried, his thoughts the same as Mira's.
A jerking blow sent Mira sprawling across the saddle. Appa was drifting so low now that he was breaking the tops off trees. Mira grabbed the side of the saddle and pulled herself back up. "Come on, Appa, just a little further!" Katara urged.
Mira peered over the edge of the saddle to try and judge the distance between them and the river. But she'd forgotten the skill set of the girls following them. She was forced to jerk her head back as Mai unleashed a flurry of arrows into the air. But before she could throw more, Appa landed in the river and plowed through to the other side. He was asleep before he stopped moving.
"We made it!" Sokka crowed in triumph. "We're safe!"
"You did it, Appa!" Katara cried, rubbing his side affectionately.
Mira, though, believed it was best not to count your pig-chickens before they hatched. She remained silent as she watched the approaching girls. She would only feel relieved when she saw them stop. And they didn't seem to be slowing…
As they reached the water, the lizards lifted themselves onto two legs and ran furiously across the water. The river did nothing to keep them apart.
"Dammit," Mira growled. She made sure her hood was tugged all the way down, pulled her rods from her belt and prepared for a fight.
Katara swept her arms out and summoned a large wave to try and knock the girls over. Ty Lee's mount was swept out from under her, but she merely leaped off before she was dragged down with it. Mai, however, reached the bank safely. Sokka threw his boomerang at her, but Mai jumped off her mount before it could reach her.
"Go help Katara," Mira barked. "I've got this." Sokka looked unsure, but nodded anyway.
"Couldn't get enough?" Mai drawled, pulling a shuriken from her sleeve.
"Oh, I'm just getting started," Mira said, a wicked grin spreading over her face.
Mai curled her lip and threw her shuriken with a flick of her wrist. Mira tilted her head slightly, and the blade went whizzing by her ear. "Gonna have to be quicker than that," she said, launching herself forward. She swung the rod in her right hand with all her might at Mai's left hand, which was already halfway through an underhand throw. The rod caught her on the wrist and forced her hand off to the side, and the arrows shot off harmlessly into the air.
Well, not harmlessly. There was an indignant, "Hey!" from Sokka as he was forced to dodge the unexpected projectiles.
"Sorry!" Mira called over as she kept up a volley of blows. She kept knocking Mai's hands away, much to her opponent's chagrin. Finally, she managed to lift her hand up in a throw, but Mira's rod hit the exact center of her elbow, and Mai's hand went numb. The shuriken went clattering to the ground.
"Problem?" Mira smirked, relishing the fury on Mai's face.
"I don't know. You tell me," she said, all emotion wiped from her features. Mira was startled by her change in mood. But then she saw the glint of metal, heard the thunk of blade digging into wood, and looked down to find her cloak and sleeves pinned to the tree behind her. Mira ground her teeth in frustration. She'd forgotten about Mai's other hand, and now she was stuck. She couldn't pull the cloak free without tugging off her hood, and showing her face meant facing Azula. She'd take being pinned to a tree any day.
Another set of whizz-thunks announced the presence of Katara on the next tree. "What about Sokka?" Mira asked desperately. Katara jerked her head over to him, and Mira looked around just in time to see him pathetically hop over, three out of his four limbs numb. He collapsed in a heap in front of them.
"Fat lot of good you were," Mira mumbled.
"Hey, you were the one who thought she could take the knife-thrower on her own," Sokka defended weakly.
"You were double-teamed against Ty Lee," Mira muttered at Katara. "How exactly did she win?"
"She's quick, alright?" Katara snapped. "Not all of us are as good as you."
"I thought when Ty Lee and I finally caught you guys, it would be more exciting," Mai droned, standing with Ty Lee in front of the three captured teens. "Oh well. Victory is boring."
No sooner had she finished speaking then a blast of air sent the two girls spiraling into the river. Mira turned her head in surprise, expecting Aang to be standing there. But their savior was none other than Appa, who had awoken from his nap.
"Thanks Appa. I don't know what we'd do without you," Sokka said in relief as he shakily stood up.
"Are you ok?" Katara asked as Sokka gingerly poked at his formerly numb limbs.
"I think so," he said, stretching them out and moving them around.
"Good, 'cause I need you to pull out these damn shurikens," Mira said, swiveling her forearms (which weren't pinned to the tree) in an attempt to fumble with the blades trapping her.
"Yeah, don't worry about me, Mira," Sokka grumbled under his breath as he yanked out the shurikens. "I'm perfectly fine."
"Oh, calm down, you big baby," Mira dismissed, but she tweaked his ear affectionately.
"Ow," he muttered, but it didn't have any real meaning behind it.
"Shouldn't Aang have found us by now?" Katara asked, her brow furrowed in concern.
"He's gone all hero-complex and waited to confront Azula, hasn't he?" Mira asked, dread trickling into her veins.
"Probably," Sokka confirmed.
Mira sighed. "Well, then, I hope you're all recovered, because this is not going to be easy."
Mira thought it would take a long time to find where Aang had led Azula, but the streaks of blue fire lighting up the sky were a good indicator of his position. Mira started rubbing her fingers together in anxiety. Aang's odds against Azula were not very high. She could only hope that they would get there in time.
Aang had led Azula to an abandoned ghost town, and was currently trying to keep Azula from burning him to a crisp. He was dodging spurts of blue fire, while firing off the occasional blast of air. He wouldn't last long at this rate, though, sleep deprived as he was.
Appa landed behind the buildings on one side of the street, and his three passengers quickly hopped off. Mira saw Aang clinging desperately to one rooftop before Azula sliced off one section and sent him toppling into the building. She slowly walked in, and Mira turned to Katara. "You go help Aang," she said urgently. "Sokka, you and I'll hide in the alleys for when she comes out."
They both nodded and split up. Sokka crept into one alley to the right of the building, and Mira took the one on the left. As she slipped into position, she gave her hood another cursory tug. It would be just her luck for it to fall down in front of Azula.
She heard a cry of frustration, and she peeked out of her alley to see Azula running after Katara. Sokka, however, popped out of his alley and cut her off. She turned to run the other way (and possibly find another way around), but Mira stepped out, a dagger hanging easily from her hand. Azula stopped short, and began to back up as the four started to close in on her. After only a few steps, she lashed out. She launched herself at Aang, who nimbly dodged out of the way. She turned quickly and sent a fireball each at Sokka, Katara, and Mira. They all dodged, and the fire dissipated into the dry, afternoon air. The four quickly closed ranks again, and started pushing Azula back. The Fire Nation princess swept out her arm and sent a wave of blue fire out, but everyone was easily able to duck the blast. Azula paused, and her cold, calculating gaze scanned her attackers. Mira could see her brain working, trying to figure out the best plan of attack. But before she could do anything, the earth moved beneath her feet, and she went tumbling to the ground.
Toph was standing in the alley behind her, arms out in an earthbending stance and a grin on her face. "I thought you guys could use a little help."
"Thanks," Katara said warmly, and Toph's grin got a little wider.
Azula snarled and backed up slowly as she sent more blue fire to cover her retreat. She reached a side alley and abandoned her attack as she turned tail and ran. She looked back to smirk at her pursuers when a rotund, old man with gray hair appeared from nowhere. Azula bounced off him and stumbled back as she tried to regain her balance. Mira and the others were joined by the old man and a younger one around Mira's age. She gave him a quick glance, only to do a double take. She knew him. The scarred young man joining them in their attack on Azula was none other than the Fire Nation's Prince Zuko. Mira's eyes widened. He was cooperating with them. He wasn't trying to capture Aang. From the stories she'd heard from the others, this was quite a miracle indeed.
Mira pushed these thoughts from her mind as she turned back to Azula. Now was not the time for any errant thoughts. Even outnumbered seven to one, Azula was not someone to underestimate.
"Well, look at this," Azula drawled. "Enemies and traitors all working together." She shot a dirty look at Zuko as she said this, but he only narrowed his eyes and tightened his fists. "I'm done. I know when I'm beaten." She raised her hands in surrender. "You got me. A princess surrenders with honor."
Her eyes slid quickly to her left, and in the infinitesimal moment before she acted, Mira stomach dropped. And then Azula spun, extended her left arm, and loosed a shot of fire that hit the old man in the chest.
Mira didn't think. She reacted. She flicked her wrist, and her knife was spinning through the air. It joined Sokka's boomerang, Aang's air, Katara's water, Toph's earth, and Zuko's fire in a straight path toward Azula. The princess quickly spun, creating a shield of blue flames. The elements combined with the shield proved a deadly mix, and an explosion ripped through the air. Mira threw her hands up to protect her head, and by the time she brought them down and the smoke had cleared, Azula was gone without a trace.
Mira quickly looked over to see Zuko kneeled over the old man, his fists clenched in anger and pain. She took a few steps forward, along with the others, but Zuko turned and yelled, "Get away from us!"
Katara took another step and extended her hand in an offer of peace. "Zuko, I can help!"
He turned in fury and swung out his arm in a flash, sending a wave of fire over their heads. "Leave!" he shouted, his voice cracking.
The others immediately backed up, but Mira stood her ground. She thumbed open one of the larger pouches on her belt and pulled out a rudimentary first aid kit. It wasn't much, but it had bandages and enough herbs to make a poultice. She wouldn't need it now that she was traveling with Katara. And spirits knew Zuko needed it more than her, despite his antagonistic tendencies.
Mira stepped slowly and quietly, making her way toward the two Fire Nationals. She was adept at silent movement, and Zuko remained unaware to her presence. When she was a mere six feet away from him, she crouched down and placed the first aid kit on the ground. She could have just gotten up and left after that, but something kept her from doing that. Instead, she opened her mouth and whispered, "There is no honor in refusing help."
He jerked his head around, a startled snarl on his lips, but she was already running in the opposite direction. "C'mon," she said to the others as she went past. "Let's get out of here before he gets really pissed."
A/N: Bit of a shorter chapter this time. Next one's going to be similar in length; maybe even a little shorter than this. Then we'll get back into longer chapters.
Please review and tell me what you think!