Avatar: The Last Airbender: Double Trouble

Chapter 7

"Those clouds look so soft, don't they?" Katara asks, looking down at the clouds below us. I'm currently riding on Appa. Olla does not approve if the nips she keeps taking at Appa's tail are any indication. She's been in a bad mood ever since the fight at the firenation prison. I think she knows I'm hurt. I haven't told anyone. I'd had some bandages on hand and have been regularly cleaning and wrapping the wound. "Like you could just jump down and you'd land in a big, soft, cottony heap."

   "Maybe you should give it a try," Sokka says. 

   "You're hilarious," Katara says sarcastically. 

   "I'll try it!" Aang jumps off Appa, laughing, and I roll my eyes. Katara and Sokka stare over the edge he'd jumped from. I don't bother. I know he'll be fine and don't much care about the softness of the clouds. He comes back up the other side and lands behind them a few seconds later, soaking wet. I make a face. "Turns out, clouds are made of water." I turn away from him and look ahead of us. My brow furrows as I see a big, black jagged line going through the land ahead of us. I crawl up to sit on Appa's head as if that would give me a better view. I put little weight on my injured arm, but try not to show it.

   "Hey, what is that?" Katara asks, noticing what I had. The guys take notice and we all stare.

   "It's like a scar," Sokka says and I have to agree. As we get closer, we see that it's from where part of the forest had been burnt to the ground. I guide Appa to land and we climb down. "Listen. It's so quiet. There's no life anywhere."

   "Aang, are you okay?" Katara asks and my gaze jerks over to Aang. He was looking out over the burnt down forest. 

   "Fire Nation!" Sokka exclaims and I glance over at him. He's kneeling in front of some footprints. "Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for-" Katara shh's him. "What? Am not allowed to be angry?" Sokka whispers. She points to where Aang is. He's slumped and collapses to the ground on his knees.

   "Why would anyone do this?" he asks. "How could I let this happen?" I walk over and kneel beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. 

   "Aang, you didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you. Either of you."

   "Yes it does." Aang moves to sit with his legs crossed. "It's the Avatar's job to protect nature, but I don't know how to do my job." He buries his face in his hands. I sigh and move to sit in front of my with my own legs crossed. Our knees touch and I grab his wrists, pulling his hands away from his face.

   "Aang, this isn't your fault. Or mine. We can't be everywhere. You're wrong that you don't know how to be the Avatar. I see it in you every day. Every time you help someone. Every time you fight for what's right. That's you doing your job. Don't ever think you aren't doing it. We have to be doing something right, yeah? Mon Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help us. If we needed help yet, don't you think he'd give it to us?"

   "The Avatar before you?" Sokka asks. I nod. "He died over a hundred years ago. How are you supposed to talk to him?"

   "We don't know," Aang says, looking down. 

   "I'm sure if he thought we needed him, he would find a way," I say, shooting a glare in Sokka's direction. I look back to Aang. "Don't blame yourself. It's no one's fault but the idiots that burned it in the first place." I get up and walk over to Olla. I run my fingers through her fur, trying to soothe her and tell her that I'm alright. She growls slightly and I turn to see Sokka walking up behind me. I swat her cheek and turn to face him fully. 

   "Hey, can we talk?" he asks and I nod.

   "What's up?" I ask, going back to petting Olla so that she hopefully wouldn't bite Sokka's arm arm off.