The next day, Aang, Sokka, Katara, Suki, Toph, Ty Lee, and Mai were on Appa as they flew west following the map to the remote rainforest that Iroh has spoke of. Zuko had to be dropped back off at the Fire Nation as Suki left her second-in command in charge of the Kyoshi Warriors. And Zuko promised to join them if things changed and they need extra help.
They have flown for most of the day as Sokka looked over the map.
"You sure we're going the right way?" Mai asked.
"Hey, finding remote places isn't much of our thing." Sokka said.
"There it is." Toph exclaimed pointing ahead.
They all looked to where she was pointing, but saw nothing but plain landscape for miles. And they turned to Toph with narrowed gazes for fooling them.
"That's what it will sound like when one spots it." Toph said.
She then turns to them with a smile and waves her hand in front of her face.
"Why do you feel the need to do that?" Sokka inquired.
"How and why do we keep forgetting she's blind?" Ty Lee asked.
"No idea." Katara said honestly.
Appa grunts as they continued flying.
Later towards night, they stopped to rest in a forest of a swampland, one of many areas of land populated by dinosaurs. So far they have only seen herds of Triceratops and Edmontosaurus.
A small group of Edmontosaurs were close by to them resting, and feeding as well as they slept. And they feel relatively safe as the Edmontosaurs act as lookouts to warn them of any danger.
But where there are large numbers of plant eaters... there are great hunters.
Nearby, a pair of hunting T. Rex silently stalks the herd watching them. And through the past year, they have proven to be the most powerful land predators on the planet.
Tyrannosaurus have the largest eyes of any dinosaur, which gives them superb-low light vision. And the odds are in the predators' favor, and Edmontosaurus are good prey for them. They may lack armor, but they're as big as T. Rex and twice as fast.
To catch one needs cunning.
The T. Rex pair begins to split up, and spread out to launch an ambush on the herd. If they succeed, an Edmontosaur will never see the light of day again. And Aang and the others were still asleep, unaware that a hunt was being place. Toph's seismic sense usually warns her and the others of approaching danger, but the Tyrannosaurs have cushioning pads in their feet that muffle their footsteps and allowing them to walk quietly when they needed to.
And the group sleeps while the Edmontosaurs graze, and as the predators quietly move around them just several yards away.
Each of the hunters carefully moves into position.
The herd still unaware of the danger, continues grazing and resting as the male T. Rex moves into position just 40 yards away from them.
Then one deliberately makes a noise.
The male Tyrannosaurus then snaps a branch as the sound rings through the trees, and an Edmontosaurus rears up hearing it and lightly rumbles. And Toph gasped waking up hearing it as well.
"Wait! Guys, did you hear that?" Toph asked alarmed.
Startled as they woke up, Aang, Katara, Momo, Sokka, and Ty Lee quickly clutch onto each other fearfully.
"I hear something close by." Toph said standing alertly. "Real close."
"Pfft! Nice try." Sokka scoffed assuming she was joking and relaxes his grip.
"No, I'm serious." Toph said. "I hear something."
"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories..." Katara said as they were telling some stories earlier.
"Yeah, g-g-ghost stories." Ty Lee nervously stuttered looking around through the ominous trees.
"It just... stopped." Toph said as everything was silent.
Close by, the female Tyrannosaurus quietly moves into position.
The Edmontosaurs are just as alarmed.
"All right, now I'm getting scared." Aang said as he, Katara, Momo, and Ty Lee hugged each other nervously.
The female T. Rex got into position just behind them by some bushes keeping low as the group was nervous and felt something was wrong. And an Edmontosaurus nervously feeds unaware of the hiding Tyrannosaur just several yards away.
They know hunters are close, but they don't know exactly where they are.
"Uh... Anyone else getting the feeling we're being watched?" Suki asked nervously.
The female Tyrannosaur watches waiting for the perfect moment.
Time to spring the trap.
Then, the female Tyrannosaurus charges at full speed as the Aang and the others soon saw and screamed in terror upon seeing her and ran for their lives.
One T. Rex rushes out.
The females roars as she nears an Edmontosaur and bites it on the right hind leg of the Hadrosaur, and it struggles her grip but pulls free as the herd flees as well as Aang's group as they found themselves in the middle of the hunt. And the male T. Rex gets ready as he watches the herd flees and waits for one to come to him.
The herd panics and bolts to where the other T. Rex is waiting in ambush.
Then a stroke a luck as he spots one Edmontosaur fleeing towards him. And the Aang and the others were also coming towards unaware of his presence. Once close enough, the male T. Rex lunges forward.
"BANK RIGHT!" Sokka yelled.
They quickly saw him charging as they dodged him as the Edmontosaur tries to escape, but the male Tyrannosaurus bites down on the duckbill's neck. The Edmontosaurus struggles in his bone-crushing jaws but manages to pull free, but the hunter bites down on the herbivore's neck again before it had the chance to run. And then the female rushes in and rams the Edmontosaur off it's feet, and the helpless Hadrosaur on it's back desperately kicks the female's face, but the male moves in and bites down on the neck of the duckbill.
The Edmontosaurus struggles in vain as the female then pins down the herbivore under her foot as her partner keeps a firm grip on their victim's neck as it's struggles slowly weakens.
Nearby, a fleeing Edmontosaur bellows out as disappears into the forest.
And close by, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Momo, Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, and Mai hiding behind a log peers out seeing the Tyrannosaurus pair as they begin to feed on their prize. And have witness a hunt not seen for millions of years.
A perfectly executed plan... by one of the greatest land predators that have ever lived... in the swamps of their former prehistoric planet.
"How about we try somewhere else to sleep?" Sokka nervously suggested.
"Agreed." They all said.
The next day, they were back in the air after getting some sleep and beginning to feel they were close.
"See anything, yet?" Suki asked.
"I sure do." Aang declared.
They all looked and saw they were flying over a lush primordial-like rainforest as ancient as any could be with a layer of mist over the tall immense trees. And they all knew where they were.
Pandora.
"Whoa." Aang said in awe.
They flew over the rainforest almost finding it hard to believe that this forest is the most hostile environment known to man. Yet it seems the true secrets of the forest lie within it's depths.
Soon, they were flying over a river as they flew alongside with a flock of strange two-legged, purple four-winged flamingo-like aerial creatures called Tertapterons as one turns to them and squawks.
"That's weird." Mai said.
Momo cocked his head chittering.
Later, they flew over the tree canopy and flew by countless trees and some stood hundreds of feet tall. And some stood taller than the others, and they flew over the forest as Aang noticed something.
"We got something on the right." Aang called out.
They all looked and they saw a large of orange and indigo six-legged hefty animals with a hammerhead-like structure on their hips, and a horn-like structure on the lower jaw as well as a larger one on the forehead.
They were Sturmbeest, large buffalo-like herbivores of Pandora's wetlands.
The herd was made of a dozen females, four juveniles and a big male as he roars out, the group soon left the herd and flew over another river and over a waterfall.
"Whoo!" Sokka cheered out.
Aang then chuckled.
Eventually, they found a big-enough clearing in the forest for Appa to land as a herd of strange deer-like animals called Hexapedes rushed off from the sight of the giant bison.
Appa soon touches down, and they jumped down to the forest floor.
"Wow." Ty Lee said amazed.
"This is beautiful." Katara said astonished.
They begin to wander into the forest's green depths as soft animal calls echoes through the trees. As they wandered, an alien-looking critter crawls on a tree called an Arachnoid. And the group wanders through the forests' undergrowth as distant yowling was heard as they remained silent unsure what they will come across.
Then suddenly animals cooing close by was heard as they looked up seeing a group of strange primate-like creatures with six limbs with a light bluish color. They watched as they swung across the branches above them as one hangs on a branch and picks a fruit and chitters turning to them.
As they were revealed to be a clan of Prolemuris.
Momo on Aang's shoulder chittered tilting his head as if he was seeing strange bizarre versions of himself.
"They don't look aggressive." Suki said.
"I guess they don't." Sokka agreed.
"They're kinda cute." Ty Lee said.
The Prolemuris clan soon swings away disappearing amongst the canopy, and the group carries on through the forest floor.
An hour later, they were still exploring the forest seeing if they can find a place to set up camp for the night.
As Toph, Mai, and Ty Lee looked in one area. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki looked elsewhere making sure they weren't too far from each other.
As they wandered, an insect buzzed around them as they came across a grove of salmon-colored spiral-shaped plants called Helicoradian.
"Whoa, those are interesting." Katara said.
They approached the Helicoradian plants as birds were heard chirping overhead. And still unsure of what to make of them, Sokka reaches out near one and touched it and it quickly tucks into a tube as they stepped back as Sokka gasped.
"Hmm, they tuck in if touched." Suki observed.
"So, here I go." Toph said from nearby as the group of four turn to their direction.
The trio's voices continues chattering as the group of four looked at the plants. And Aang reaches out at another and touches it as it tucks in and lightly laughs.
And then he touches another as it tucks in, and then all the other Helicoradian plants tucked swiftly one by one as they watched. But then there was trouble as as the last of them tucked in, a large six-limbed animal was seen with a hammerhead and purple appendages on it's head making a kind of crest and armored back as they turn to each other.
And the creature lets out a trumpeting bellow as they saw they were in trouble.
The creature was a Hammerhead Titanothere, the largest land animal in the Pandoran rainforest. This one is just a youngster, a teenage male, his eyesight is poor, but he can still hear and smell them.
"Whoa." Aang said tensely.
The Titanothere stood it's ground and roars at the four teenagers. And the four stood still unsure what to do.
Toph, Mai, and Ty Lee quickly rushed over to them by some trees.
"He doesn't look happy." Ty Lee said peeking over the tree she was behind.
The Titanothere trumpets as he swung his massive hammerhead against a tree knocking it down with his brute strength.
"It's already ticked off." Sokka said.
"Guys, that armor looks too thick." Suki said observing the Titanothere's armored back. "Trust me."
Even Mai withdrew her blade seeing that even her sharpest blade won't pierce his skin.
Aang and Katara knew that their bending abilities may not even scratch him. Even through the vibrations, Toph can sense that even a boulder attack could barely put a bruise on him.
And the Titanothere swung his head knocking another tree down and grunts and paws the ground.
"It's a territorial threat display." Suki explained. "Do not run, or he'll charge."
She, Aang, Sokka, and Katara stood still as the Titanothere roars extending his frill out trying to intimidate them.
"So, what do we do, dance with it?" Sokka asked.
"Just hold your ground." Suki said.
Toph, Mai, and Ty Lee watch from their hiding spots as the four's best chance is to hope the Titanothere is lose interest and leave.
But the Titanothere paws the ground like a rhino with no interest of turning away from his opponents as he growls. He then trumpets out and charges like them like a runaway bulldozer.
The group of four stood still, but then Sokka gritted his teeth and then screams out loudly charging at the mega beast with his arms out wide holding his club trying to look and sound as intimidating as possible. The Titanothere then abruptly stops just a few yards from Sokka. The Titanothere then screeches out with his crest extended out, and then steps back looking nervous.
Sokka laughs nervously but relieved that he wasn't trampled.
"Yeah? Come on!" Sokka taunted the cowering Titanothere. "What you got? It's a bad day for you! You dealing with Sokka, now! And my man Aang, here!"
"You tell him, Sokka!" Toph said.
"Oh, yeah. Who's bad?" Sokka asked. "That's right."
But they were unaware that it wasn't Sokka that the Titanothere was nervous of. As appearing from behind a tree was a six-limbed Black Panther-like predator with frill-like appendages and row of 10 quills.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, sucker." Sokka taunted.
The Titanothere whimpers and then quickly turns and hightails it back to the herd nearby feeding.
"That's right, get your punk rear-end back to Mommy." Sokka mocked. "Begone hammerhead freak! Adios. Andiamo. That's right. Boo-hoo! You hightail it back to your mama!"
"How did he do that?" Suki asked bewildered.
"Don't make me come in the herd." Sokka continues taunting. "I'll come after your friends. Yeah? Yeah, you got nothing. You keeping running. Yeah, and why don't you bring back some of friends, huh?"
The predator meanwhile took little notice of the four and then silently snarls as flaps of skin on it's upper lips flip up giving it a baring gnarl and snarls softly. And Momo was the first to notice looking back as his ears perked up and chirped in a panicked tone. He then flies off Aang as he looks back seeing the predator as well as Katara and Suki.
"Uh... Sokka?" Katara nervously said. "It's not you."
Sokka looked back and then his eyes widen in fear seeing the ferocious creature.
The Thanator, Pandora's top predator and the most fearsome predator in the forest. And it was so ferocious and monstrous-looking, that it would make the T. Rex look cuddly. And could probably even challenge one.
The Thanator then roars loudly flashing it's sharp canine-like fangs and leaps over them.
"Oh, shoot." Sokka exclaimed.
The Thanator lands on the ground confronting the herd as the young Titanothere rushes back to the safety of the herd as the adults confront the hunter roaring out loudly as Toph, Mai, and Ty Lee with frighten looks as Momo clings to Toph tightly.
The Titanotheres stood shoulder-to-shoulder holding ranks with extended crests out as the Thanator roars out knowing it's no match for such a large armored herd. It then looks back to Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki with full interest.
"So what about this one?" Sokka asked Suki. "Run? Don't run? What?"
The Thanator turns to the four growling as they stepped back looking like it would prefer a smaller, but easier meal.
"Run! Definitely run!" Suki yelled.
They instantly grew nervous as Katara opens her pouch, and then sends a stream of water out as Aang shots a burst of flames hit the water stream creating a cloud of steam as they immediately took off running and panting.
The Thanator was momentarily blinded by the steam cloud, but quickly spots them and chased after them snarling.
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki quickly flee through a gap in a tree as the Thanator snaps at them. The group quickly as the grove of trees slowed the Thanator down as it claws through the bamboo stalks, the group ran for their lives with the Thantor right behind them. Suki nearly dodges the predator as it bites a bamboo stalk as they ran. And then they ducked under a tree root as the Thanator manages to briefly trip Katara but she got up as the Thanator forcefully squeezes through the gap of the root.
The four quickly cleared the bamboo stalks.
"In there!" Aang yelled as they rushed to a tree.
They quickly dove between the roots of the trees seeking cover. And the Thanator leaps forward roaring as Aang and Sokka barely avoiding the Thanator's sharp claws as it's arm reaches through as they crawled away as the hunter's head reaches in snapping at them.
The Thanator moves over above them and then claws the roots trying to dig them out and bites off a piece of root. And then Aang unleashes a burst of flames in an attempt to drive the Thanator away as they flew by it's face. The hunter roars moving aside not deterred by the fire attack, and as Aang unleashes another flame attack, the Thanator's head reaches in nearly biting his arm off.
The Thanator breaks through the roots, as the group quickly crawls out of the hunter's reach and out of the tree.
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki quickly made a run for it through the undergrowth and under a tree. And as soon as they cleared it, the Thanator leaps on it, and then lunges forward roaring loudly with it's claws out and manages to trip Sokka off his feet and hits the ground. The Thanator hissed as Sokka desperately tries to crawl away but the Thanator then snatches him by his backpack in it's jaws, and Sokka screams as the ravenous Thanator then shakes him violently trying to disembowel him.
"Sokka!" Katara yelled.
The voracious Thanator continues shaking Sokka, but then a stroke of luck occurred as the right strap of Sokka's pack rips loose and he fell as his left hand got caught on the other strap. But the Thanator's shaking soon got him free as Sokka hits the ground hard with a grunt.
Sokka quickly scrambles to his feet as Suki helps him up as the Thanator was briefly distracted with the backpack as they run off as it turns back to them hissing. And the Thanator charges after them.
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki ran through the forest and then quickly towards the edge of a cliff and then made a leap of faith as they jumped. And the Thanator growled stopping at the edge just missing them and roars as they fell. The group of four fell towards the river below and hit the water, and they struggled for a little in the torrent by the waterfall and soon surfaced gasping for air.
The Thanator on the cliff stood at the edge and roars out loudly as the cliff was too steep for it to follow them.
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki swam towards the riverside and soon cling onto a branch panting catching their breath from the chase. The Thanator's roaring echoes out as they looked back seeing the hunter on the cliff edge by the waterfall seeing it won't pursue after them.
And the four rest on the branch catching their breath having escape with their lives.
Author's Note:
And with that, their new adventure begins.
And I must say, James Horner did good with the soundtrack of the Thanator chase, I especially that section of music of where Jake unstraps himself from his backpack in the Thanator's jaws. And I liked that it was reused for the Akula attack in The Way of Water. I hope it might be reused again in the Avatar film. And I can see why James Cameron had a good partnership with Horner for so long like with Spielberg and John Williams. Real sad that Horner died in a plane crash back in 2015.
I also like how they gave some roars of the Jurassic Park T. Rex for the Thanator, quite fitting.
I am sad to hear that Season 8 is the final season of Dragons: The Nine Realms. I honestly thought the series would have one or two seasons left. And all of the Hidden World's realms are now known: Crystal, Fire, Ice, King's, Nature, Giant, Desert, Dark, and Gods Realms.
And I'm sad to say that the series may not show surviving Night Furies liked I thought it might. I would've loved if the Riders found living Night Furies that have escaped Grimmel's onslaught, even just one.
Guess Season 8 will now show how they'll stop Buzzsaw, Sledkin, and the Jörmungandr.
But I now wonder if Jun may finally do what Astrid did once after punching Hiccup. And after seeing the new trailer, it seems like Tom found Valka's old dragon staff, and that the Sky Torcher is alive but with scars left by the Jörmungandr's attack when released.
Guess we'll all find out in 1 week.
And here's to the dedication for 82 years of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Next is the meeting.