An old flame awaken in the crevice of my heart and longed for Avatar the last airbender, giving Tylee the spotlight she deserve
The sun, a molten orb in the sky, seared the parched earth, turning the Boiling Rock into a furnace. Ty Lee, sweat stinging her eyes, pressed her back against the unforgiving cliff, the heat radiating from the churning lava below a searing counterpoint to the sun's fury. Beside her, Mai stood silent, her stoic facade barely masking the tension gripping her shoulders.
"Zuko..." Ty Lee's voice trembled, a whisper lost in the roar of the elements. She turned to Mai, her eyes pleading for confirmation. "He'll be alright, won't he?"
Mai met her gaze, a flicker of concern softening her usually impassive expression. "He'll find a way," she said, her voice laced with a quiet confidence that belied the doubt in her eyes. "Zuko always does."
But their fragile moment of hope was shattered by the approaching storm. Footfalls, heavy and rhythmic, echoed through the canyon, each step a drumbeat of impending doom. Azula's soldiers marched closer, their armor glinting like predatory insects under the relentless sun. The air crackled with anticipation, a silent scream before the inevitable clash.
Ty Lee's heart raced with a mix of fear and determination. She couldn't let Azula capture them, not after what they had done. Not after betraying their once-beloved friend. They had to escape.
"Stick close, Ty Lee," Mai murmured, her hand twitching towards the comforting weight of her daggers. The air crackled with anticipation, and the sun seemed to beat down with renewed fervor as they waited, breaths shallow, for Azula's inevitable arrival.
Then, it came. A chilling laugh, high and brittle, echoing off the scorched rock walls. Azula emerged from the shimmering haze, a viper emerging from its sunbaked den. Her eyes, once playful embers, now glowed with a cold, predatory fire, her smile a twisted mockery of amusement.
"Mai, my dear traitor," she drawled, her voice dripping with venom. "Always defying me, aren't you? Perhaps a dip in the lake below will remind you where your loyalty truly lies."
The threat hung heavy in the air, a tangible weight that pressed down on Ty Lee's chest. Glancing at Mai, she saw not fear, but a steely resolve burning in her friend's eyes. A silent vow, passed between them in the suffocating heat, a promise to stand together, no matter the cost.
Azula advanced, a predator savoring its prey. Her hand, tipped with blue fire, hovered over Mai, a cruel grin splitting her face. The cliff edge, barely inches from Mai's heels, seemed to beckon with a treacherous whisper. Panic clawed at Ty Lee's throat, but she forced herself to breathe, to think, to search for a flicker of sanity in Azula's manic gaze.
"Please, Azula," Ty Lee's voice quavered, her eyes pleading, glistening with unshed tears. "We've been through so much together. Don't do this."
Azula's laugh cut through the air, a chilling symphony of cruelty. Her eyes narrowed, a sinister glint dancing in their depths. "Friendship is a weakness, Ty Lee. And betrayal? Unforgivable."
With a swift, calculated movement, Azula shoved Mai towards the cliff's edge, a twisted smirk etched on her face. Mai stumbled, her eyes widening in disbelief as she teetered dangerously close to the boiling waters below.
The world seemed to freeze for Ty Lee, a surge of horror and disbelief seizing her very being. In that heart-stopping moment, time slowed to a crawl as she watched her friend's life hang in the balance.
She must do something, she cannot let her friend die, without wasting anymore second she has decided
"No!" Ty Lee's scream tore through the tense air, her heart shattering as she lunged forward, instinct propelling her to try and save Mai. The wind whipped around her in response, a raw gust of energy she was yet to comprehend.
In a miraculous twist of fate, Ty Lee's sudden burst propelled her forward, closing the distance in an impossible leap. With a surge of strength and agility, she reached out, grasping Mai's hand in a desperate bid to prevent her from plummeting into the seething waters below.
Their grip locked, the sensation a fleeting lifeline between life and death. Ty Lee's heart raced with a mixture of fear and excitement, her gaze locked with Mai's, silently promising to fight against Azula's merciless machinations.
she instinctively thrust her body forward and grab her friend's arm, a plea for salvation, for anything to shield them from falling into the scalding waters
Free falling above the boiling waters, Ty Lee felt an unprecedented power coursing through her—a power she had never known, an ability she had never dared to dream of. The air whirled around her in response to her unspoken plea, a manifestation of ancient bending long thought to be beyond her reach—an awakening of dormant airbending.
In that heart-stopping moment, as Ty Lee defied gravity, the world felt tilted. Her feet barely grazed the cliff face, her body an extension of the wind, her limbs moving with a newfound grace she barely comprehended. Below, the Boiling Lake roiled, unbearable scalding heat threatening to swallow them whole. Above, Azula's fire rained down, sizzling streaks of blue that scorched the air and singed her clothes.
With a gasp, Ty Lee launched herself sideways, the wind whipping around her like a living cloak, propelling her through the air. The ground rushed past, a dizzying blur of scorched rock and shimmering water. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the roar of the flames and the whisper of her own unfolding power.
A startled scream tore through the air as Mai, propelled by an unseen force, tumbled backward. Her eyes widened in disbelief, then flickered upwards, catching a glimpse of Ty Lee soaring like a bird against the fiery sky. A flicker of hope, fragile and defiant, sparked in her gaze.
Ty Lee, caught between fear and exhilaration, barely managed to twist and dive, evading a searing blast of blue fire. Her newfound agility was a fragile thing, tested with every gust of wind, every desperate maneuver. Yet, she pressed on, fueled by a raw, primal urge to protect her friend, to defy the impossible fate that loomed below.
"We have to go!" Ty Lee's urgent cry pierced the air, her voice tinged with a fervor that matched the chaos of the moment. She sprinted after Mai, her steps fueled by adrenaline and a desperate need to escape the treacherous situation.
In her peripheral vision, the urge to glance back gnawed at Ty Lee's resolve, a yearning to witness the aftermath of their escape attempt. But Mai's stern command echoed in her ears, a stark reminder to keep moving forward.
"Don't look back," Mai's voice sliced through the urgency, carrying an unspoken weight of caution and survival. Ty Lee fought against the instinct to look over her shoulder, trusting Mai's words as they raced away from the cliff's edge. The echo of their former friend's laughter lingered in the air, a haunting reminder of the treachery they had narrowly escaped.
Reaching the port, Ty Lee's legs trembled beneath her, the adrenaline coursing through her veins slowly ebbing away, leaving exhaustion in its wake. Relief battled with lingering fear in her eyes as they scanned the harbor for Azula's ship, its absence a victory for the prince in their desperate gamble.
Mai, always with the initiatives, assessed the scene with a practiced eye. "Cargo ships," she muttered, her voice a low hum amidst the din. "We need a way onto one, unseen, unheard." Ty Lee nodded, her gaze mirroring Mai's determination. The Boiling Rock may be behind them, but their escape was far from over.
They weaved through the throng of guards and dockworkers, their movements masked by the bustling chaos. Every clattering chain, every shouted order felt like a drumbeat against Ty Lee's nerves. Mai, the calm in the storm, kept her focus sharp, her eyes scanning for the right opportunity.
There, nestled amongst the larger vessels, a smaller ship awaited its cargo, its deck bustling with activity. A flicker of hope ignited in Ty Lee's chest. "That one," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the cacophony. Mai's lips curved into a faint, grim smile, a silent acknowledgement of their shared plan.
With a final glance towards the empty expanse of the horizon, their destination still unknown, they slipped into the throng, their escape a dance against the shadows, their future uncertain but their bond unshaken.