Chapter 11:
Contrary to what she said all four fell asleep leaning on one another with their heads bowed. The fire went out and was just glowing now as the embers flared and dulled with Freya's breathing.
The four were still silent as a root went crawling it's way up to Sokka and winding it's way around his leg and then his torso.
More moved to Aang, Katara and Freya before the older girl's nose crinkled in confusion.
"Guys," she mumbled as her consciousness slipped back "Stop."
"Stop what?" Aang replied sighing as Katara took a breath and Sokka realised he was drooling.
Freya froze as she felt the vines all over her and her eyes snapped open in shock.
"Oh crap!"
All four of them screamed as they were pulled in different directions away from one another. Sokka stabbed his machete into the ground before he pulled himself onto his other elbow enough to cut the vines from him and get to his feet. Aang, Katara and Freya all vanished into the mist.
Sokka ran his way off from the vines as they plunged into the tree trunk and he ran for the water before splashing his way away from the vines.
Katara struggled before she managed to water bend and slice one of the roots before she did the same to the rest around her and all those that shot at her. The vines stopped and Katara returned her water and ran off through the mist away from the vines.
Freya fidgeted against the vines as her arms were pinned to her sides and she lay on the swamp floor before she huffed angrily and smoke left her nose. Freya took a breath and with a flash of her blue eyes turning amber, fire flamed up from the roots and all were turned to ash as the girl summersaulted back to her feet and launched herself into the air with a jet of fire.
Aang stood trying to remove his arms before he manage to rise them enough to surround himself in air and blow the vines out from him and allow him to jump out through them. He jumped up onto a branch and into the trees as the vines shot off after him. The avatar jumped up over the branches before he was pulled to the water as the plants wrapped around his ankle and pulled him down.
Aang sent himself flying backwards across the water before he went jumping through the tree branches again.
The boy halted and looked around as the mist seemed to clear and the sun began to rise, filling the trees with light.
"Guys?" he called but Freya, Katara and Sokka were gone.
Freya moved through the water glancing around at the tree tops as the silence pressed in on her. She couldn't feel Sokka, Katara or Aang, nor could she hear them. The vines had stopped and Freya found herself wondering aimlessly through the trees trying to find her friends before she saw a shape in the distance. She rose an eyebrow and glanced at the water at her feet but she felt nothing. The two figures turned into one as Freya approached them and she looked confused as she noticed it as a man and a women. Freya stopped short as they looked like they were sharing an embrace and two faces flashed through her mind, one with blue eyes and one with amber.
The water bender shook her head and she began to back up as she placed a hand on her heart and took a breath.
It's an illusion. Just an illusion. They can't be here. she assured herself and she plucked up the courage to move forwards and see that she was right. It was just some vines, a small tree trunk and moss that created the image.
Freya's breath was shaky when she took the next one but she was able to calm down before turning to continue her journey to find the others. She turned around however and came face to face with Zuko.
Freya cried out and she crashed backwards into the water which splashed around her. When she looked up the boy was gone and Freya blinked as her heart hammed from the fright. Freya looked around her, her eyes wide and the water splashed around her from her rapid movements before she determined she was alone.
Freya collapsed into the water letting out a sigh before she frowned at the canopy above her.
"Aang?" Katara sloshed through the water and looked around through the mist for a sign of a person. "Sokka?" she frowned as she looked around "Freya?" Katara stoped when she saw someone standing off through the mist.
"Hello? Hello? Can you help me?" Katara called as she walked towards them smiling. Katara looked at the women who had long brown hair and was wearing blue like Katara was. The girl squinted through the mist at the women confused. "Mom?" she questioned surprised. "Mom!" Katara ran through the swamp, tears pouring from her eyes as she reached the women and grabbed her shoulder. Katara moved around the water tribe women grinning. "I can't believe—" the smile disappeared and Katara gasped as she stepped away. A small tree trunk stood before her and Katara looked around before she sobbed and placed her hands over her eyes, crying as she kneeled in the water.
Sokka rose his machete and smashed at the tree before him.
"Aang!" he shouted angrily. He was surrounded by vines that were hanging and tangled around him. "Freya! Stupid swamp! Dumb, ugly vines!" he grumbled angrily under his breath as he cut his path through the swamp. "Katara!" he shouted. "You think you're so tough, huh?" he snapped at the swamp as he climbed through two vines tangled together. He smashed his machete through them as he got tangled up and fell face first into the water with a cry.
Sokka blew bubbles in the swamp before a light shone before him. A person in white was hovering a little ways before him, ribbons flowing around her like her hair.
"Hello?" Sokka called as he walked forwards and put his machete away. "Yue?" he asked as he looked up at her surprised. Sokka turned his gaze away and he grabbed the sides of his head. "This is just a trick of the light… swamp gas…" He turned his back on the moon spirit. "I… hit my head running away last night. I'm going crazy." he turned back to the moon spirit anyway and walked towards her.
"You didn't protect me." Yue's voice echoed through the swamp and Sokka rubbed his eyes before looking back at the girl. Yue was gone.
Sokka bowed his head and sighed before he turned around only to scream as he came face to face with the Princess. Sokka stumbled backwards and fell into the water and the girl had gone by the time he'd looked up again.
Sokka got to his feet and redrew his machete before setting off.
Aang walked through the water, jumping over some roots in his way as the bugs and animals squawked around him.
"Katara! Appa!" he shouted through the trees before he came to a stop.
A girl stood on top of a mound before him, a winged boar beside her. Aang looked at her confused.
"Hello?" The girl wore a white robe and had black hair done up rather nicely. The boar suddenly took flight aside the girl as she giggled and it echoed through the swamp.
"Who are you?" he asked as the girl laughed into her hands. The boar turned and flew off as the girl turned and jumped away down the other side of the mound.
"Hey, come back!" Aang jumped up to follow the mystery girl. He landed on the mound but she had vanished from the other side. The laughter sounded and Aang turned to see her disappear behind a tree trunk and he jumped onto the branch she'd been on.
Aang swung through the vines, moving his arms to grab the ones in front of him and continue the movement before the girl ran on the ground behind him. She laughed again and Aang turned before he began to swing back the way he'd come. He released the vine and ran after her as she stood on a tree branch behind him. She ran from one tree to the other across it and Aang turned to jump up and follow her.
She poked out from behind a tree trunk and Aang hopped over to her before he dropped down the other side and came to a stop as he looked around. He moved and pushed some moss hanging in front of him and saw a girl standing on a mound a little ways off.
"Who are you?" he wondered and Aang started running at the girl. He reached his hand out and Katara turned to Aang before they screamed as Aang crashed into her. They went flying back through the moss and Sokka took a stance, raising his machete before Aang and Katara hit him and the three went rolling down a tree root to slide to a stop at Freya's feet.
"There you are." she said as Aang blinked up at her surprised and Katara and Sokka sat up.
"What do you guys think you're doing?! I've been looking all over for you!" Sokka snapped at them as he got to his feet, Katara rubbed her head and Aang sat up before Freya helped him to his feet.
"Well, I've been wandering around looking for you!" Katara returned, displeased by Sokka's attitude.
"I was chasing some girl." Aang admitted
"What girl?" Katara wondered as Aang walked over to help her to her feet.
"I don't know. I heard laughing and I saw some girl in a fancy dress." Aang admitted
"A fancy dress? Around here?" Freya asked looking around
"Well, there must be a tea party here and we just didn't get our invitations!" Sokka said sarcastically "Where have you been?" he snapped at Freya
"I could ask you the same question." Freya returned "But I bet you've been cutting down the swamp some more. You know that's probably why we all got separated by those vines in the first place and ended up seeing weird things."
"What did you see?" Aang asked her
"I saw my parents." she admitted before frowning and running a hand through her hair awkwardly "And Zuko…" she mumbled and the three looked at her shocked
"Zuko?" Aang questioned. Freya just turned away as Katara looked down.
"That's not surprising he's been chasing us everywhere." Sokka waved it away.
"And my parents?"
"They're your parents, why wouldn't you see them?"
"Probably because I haven't for a hundred years." she retaliated.
"I thought I saw Mom." Katara interrupted. Freya and Sokka looked at her surprised before Sokka lowered his gaze also.
"Look, we were all just scared and hungry and our minds were playing tricks on us. That's why we all saw things out here.
"You saw something too?" Katara wondered. Sokka turned away from them.
"I thought I saw Yue. But, that doesn't prove anything." he said spinning back to them "Look, I think about her all the time, and you saw Mom, someone you miss a lot."
"What about me? I didn't know the girl I saw. And all our visions led us right here." Aang said as he glanced around. Freya turned to look at the tree that was standing above them.
"Okay... so where's here?" Katara asked gesturing to in front of them. "The middle of the swamp?"
"That'd be my best guess." Freya said and the three glanced at her before turning to look at what she saw.
"Yeh, the centre…" Aang said.
The tree that stood above them was enormous and the four stood on one of it's roots above the water like ants. Lines dropped down all around and the canopy spread for miles above them.
"That's the biggest tree I've ever seen." Freya admitted
"It's the heart of the swamp, it's been calling us here," Aang grinned as he and Freya shared a look. "I knew it."
"It's just a tree. It can't call anyone!" Sokka said frustratedly "For the last time, there's nothing after us and there's nothing magical happening here."
The water beside them shot up and the three cried out as suddenly a giant mass of vines in the shape of a body with a wooden face loomed over the three.
"What were you saying!?" Freya shouted as Aang and Sokka clung to Katara.