Chapter 10:
Freya sat looking over the edge of Appa's saddle as she clicked her fingers, igniting and dousing a small flame on her thumb as Aang sat at the head of the bison with the reins in his hands. Katara was reading through some scrolls as Sokka sharpened his blade. They were flying over a swamp that ran for miles and miles below them and Freya's gaze was taken from her flaming thumb to the trees as the water below seemed to shine and shimmer.
Aang's attention as taken to the swamp as he stared down at the water as though he was in a trance. Sokka glanced up from his sharpening before noticing the bison was loosing altitude and he moved to lean over the edge next to Freya who's thumb was blown out by a bit of wind. She didn't move though as she stared at the ground below.
"Hey, you takin' us down for a reason?" he suddenly asked as Appa continued to lower towards the trees but Aang didn't respond.
"Aang!" the airbender jumped as Sokka looked over the edge of the saddle to him "Why are we going down?" he asked again
"What?" Aang wiped his forehead "I didn't even notice." he confessed as Appa continued to go down.
"Are you noticing now?" Sokka asked
"Freya, are you alright?" The boys turned as Freya was staring at the ground fixated and Aang looked down at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed.
"I've never seen her so fixated on something before." Katara said
"She's not the only one." Sokka confessed as he looked at Aang. "Freya!" she sat bolt right up and blinked before shaking her head.
"Yeah?" she asked and the siblings shared a look as they looked between the two benders.
"Is something wrong?" Katara asked them and Freya rose an eyebrow as she looked at Aang. He turned and looked back down at the swamp seriously.
"I know this is gonna sound weird, but… I think the swamp is… calling to me."
"It is telling ya where we can get something to eat?" Sokka asked as he held his stomach.
"No, I... I think it wants us to land there." Aang said. Freya looked back at the swamp below them confused.
"No offence to the swamp, but I don't see any land there to land on." Sokka admitted
"Then we make some." Freya decided as she stared down at it.
"I don't know… Bumi said to learn earthbending I would have to wait and listen, and now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?" Aang asked
"Yes!" Sokka decided as he, Momo and Katara peered over the edge of the saddle as Appa continued to descend.
"I don't know… There's something ominous about that place." Katara believed
"I think we should land." Freya said and the three looked at her.
"I know why Aang's getting strange vibes, but why is Freya?" Sokka asked looking at Katara
"The swamp is mostly water Sokka." Freya said
"It's not affecting Katara." Sokka pointed to his sister who shook her head.
"No, but I have a different connection to water than Katara does." Freya said "And I think we should land."
Momo ducked away from the swamp and Appa growled as he stared down at it.
"See. Even Appa and Momo don't like it here." Sokka believed
"Okay, since everyone feels so strongly about this... bye swamp." Aang decided. Freya looked down at the trees as Aang flicked the reins.
"Yip! Yip!" They ascended back into the air and Freya sat down slightly disappointed as Katara and Sokka faced Aang.
Sokka however turned around smirking at her as if to say something witty before his attention was taken elsewhere.
"You better throw in an extra "yip"! We gotta move!" Aang peaked over the saddle as Katara and Freya looked up surprised. Chasing the bison was a tornado.
"Where did that come from!?" Freya demanded
"I dunno but it's gaining! Fast!" Sokka worried
"You totally offended the swamp." Freya decided and Sokka looked at her annoyed and dumbfounded as they hung onto the saddle. Aang steered the bison and they weaved in and out and through the tornado to avoid it.
Freya watched as the tornado, no matter what Aang and Appa did, seemed to be chasing them down. The trees were being pulled up as it followed them and Sokka was lifted from his seat before Freya and Katara grabbed him around the wrist. Aang jumped into the saddle and the four of them plus Appa and Momo were encased in a sphere of air as the tornado caught them.
Freya clung onto the saddle as they went whirling around the tornado and Sokka fell back onto the bison. Aang tried to keep the ball around them as he grit his teeth and held his arms up. Appa's foot began to be exposed and the protective air grew thinner and thinner.
"Aang…" Freya worried. She gasped as suddenly the entire sphere of protection vanished. Appa was blown out from under the four and Momo cried out as they were being flung around and around the funnel.
Freya felt herself launch and Katara and Sokka screamed as the four of them went flying from the tornado and into the swamp below with a crash.
Freya spun herself around as she saw the trees and the branches fly past, crashing into some of them herself before the water at the bottom came into view. Freya grit her teeth and she spun her body before the water launched up and surrounded Freya. Katara and Sokka smashed down into the water on either side of her before Freya was lowered into it and Aang airbended himself down into the water beside her.
Sokka sat himself up out of the water with a groan as Freya looked around for the tornado. Aang looked at Katara and Sokka behind him as they stood up covered in water before he glanced around.
"Where's Appa and Momo?" he asked. Freya shrugged before Aang launched himself up into the trees and disappeared high above them. Freya glanced around, taking a few steps as she listened around them before she looked at her own reflection. Freya took a breath and Katara watched her as she released it. Freya was still and silent as Sokka took a few steps and Katara glanced at her brother.
"Sokka! You've got an elbow leech!" Katara pointed
"Where!? Where!?" Sokka screamed as he spun around and the leech hung from his elbow.
"Where do you think?" Katara asked as she crossed her arms.
"Why do things keep attaching to me!" Sokka questioned angrily as he ripped the leech from his arm. Katara ducked as Sokka threw it over his shoulder towards his sister.
Aang swung down on a vine before he lowered himself back into the water.
"You couldn't find them?" Katara asked
"No… and the tornado… it just disappeared." Aang admitted. Katara and Sokka looked around surprised, slightly unnerved by the news.
"Freya?" Aang asked and the girl suddenly shivered.
"This place…"
"What's wrong?"
"It's so quiet and empty, but there's so much life around it." she whispered
"How can you tell?" Katara asked
"It's the skill my mother taught me…" Freya mumbled as she looked around the tree tops "I use the water to feel what's around me remember." she wrapped her arms around her torso. "There's so much energy here though it makes my head spin." she whispered.
"Then let's find Appa and Momo and get out of here." Sokka decided and he began to trek his way through the bushes.
"Didn't you see this place from outside Sokka, it runs for miles. It could take us forever to find them." Freya admitted "We can't just look." Aang walked up a large tree root while Katara and Freya moved after Sokka as he pulled out his machete.
"We better speed things up then!" Sokka decided and he sliced through a heap of vines in the way. Freya bit her lip and glanced around as if expecting someone to tell them off for it.
"Maybe... we should be a little nicer to the swamp." Aang worried
"Aang, these are just plants!" Sokka said as he continued to chop them down "Do you want me to say "please" and "thank you" as I swing my machete back and forth?"
"Maybe you should listen to Aang." Katara thought concerned "Something about this place feels... alive."
"I'm sure there are lots of things that are alive here, and if we don't wanna wind up getting eaten by them, we need to find Appa as fast as we can." Sokka turned and swung his machete again.
"Well I don't know about you but it brought a tornado up on us when we refused to land, I'd hate to see what it'd do when we injure it." Freya admitted "So can you stop chopping?"
"Don't be silly Freya, things like that don't just happen."
"Well it did this time." Freya believed as she walked forwards and Aang jumped to lower himself down beside her.
"Stop being so superstitious Freya." Sokka said mocking her
"Can you blame me?" she asked mumbling as Sokka swung his machete some more and they continued on their trek.
Freya continued to glance around them as they moved, Aang occasionally jumping off to take a better look from up in the trees as the sky began to darken above them.
"Appa! Momo!" Katara shouted through the swamp as a mist set in and their vision began to get clouded.
"There's no way they can hear us and no way we can see them. We'll have to make camp for the night." Sokka decided. Katara and Freya shared a look with Aang as Sokka slapped the side of his face as he was surrounded by bugs. He began to swipe his machete around in annoyance as Katara and Freya moved towards him.
"They're just bugs Sokka." Freya admitted.
Something bubbled and a heap of gas rose up from the swamp below the four making Katara clutch her hands together.
"What was that!?" she questioned
"Nothing. Just swamp gas." Sokka said as the gas swirled towards them. "Look, there's nothing supernatural going on here." The four of them smelt the gas and instantly all groaned at the awful smell. Suddenly a loud shriek split through the air and the four all latched onto one another in fright. They looked up to see a rather plump white bird on a branch and when it opened it's beak the shriek sounded again.
"I think we should build a fire…" Sokka decided as Freya had her eyes looking around, Katara's hands were on her cheeks and Aang hung onto her waist. Sokka released them and quickly ran over to a few broken roots poking out of the giant tree root they were standing on. He took his machete and began to cut roots apart.
"Sokka, the longer we're here the more I think you shouldn't be doing that." Aang said worried
"No, I asked the swamp. It said this was fine." Sokka said sarcastically before he turned to the root standing up beside him. "Right, swamp?" He grabbed the root and shook it as he changed his voice. "No problem, Sokka!" he release the root and slashed at it to cut the top off. "Now Freya, come start this fire will you." Sokka said as he hacked at the root.
"Me?" Freya asked blinking
"You seem to have a knack for it." Katara nodded
"Two guesses why." Aang muttered and Freya sent him an annoyed look before she went to help Sokka.
The four of them found a tree that had broken down and was hollowed out with a large cave opening in it to make their camp fire in. Katara continued to look around them worried before she brought her arms around her knees frowning.
"Does anyone else get the feeling that we're being watched?" she asked
"Yeah." Freya mumbled "There's something." and Aang and Katara shared a worried look
"Please, we're all alone out here." Sokka believed he waved his machete and watched a bug buzzing by his face annoyed. He began to wave the machete around to swipe down the bug before a giant glowing orb appeared from it, causing the four to cover their eyes from the light. It flew off and several eyes were illuminated in the trees above them.
"Yeah, we're totally alone." Freya said worried
"…except for them." Aang added
"Right, except for them." Sokka said as the eyes vanished and the four grabbed hold of one another worried.
"I will never be getting to sleep." Freya believed.