Daughter of War❟ ZUKO

𝟬𝟬𝟱 Waterbending Scroll

Chapter Five
WATERBENDING SCROLL

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FEIFEI'S stomach churns uncomfortably, and she feels queasy. This is her first time riding a flying bison; she's more accustomed to the gentle sway of the sea. Two days of constant flight haven't made it any easier for her.

She's been fighting the urge to vomit onto the saddle, burping incessantly as she feels the liquid rising in her throat. But she swallows it back like a champion, enduring the cycle for over an hour. Meanwhile, she drifts in and out of focus as Aang paces around the saddle, his breath heavy with worry etched on his face.

Aang can't seem to stop talking about his encounter with Avatar Roku in the Spirit World, just days before they arrived in Ch'uan. He's under pressure to master all four elements before Sozin's comet arrives. He then continues to express his frustration about the people of Ch'uan, lamenting their selfishness and loss of humanity. He criticizes the Moon Warriors, except for those who aided in the war, describing them as a once formidable organization now reduced to a scared and ineffectual group.

Feifei can't deny that bit. The Moon Warriors, as she read in library books since they do not teach it in the academy anymore, were once a worldwide organization, aimed to aid those in need, especially the Avatar. But now, they are nothing but guardians to their home island. They used to be fearsome, sending shivers down anyone's spine whenever they heard their names, like the Dai Li of Ba Sing Se. Moon Warriors used to be seekers of peace, aiming to stop any conflict that arose. It was what Avatar Suijin envisioned for the warriors, for the world.

"I haven't even started waterbending and we're still weeks away from the North Pole," Feifei can hear Aang's frantic voice while she struggles to combat her airsickness. "What am I gonna do?"

Everyone already know that Feifei couldn't teach Aang waterbending; it had something to do with Avatar Suijin in the past. The girl recently found out, from the books she stole from Ruyi's reading room, that the Avatar was exiled due to her romantic relationship with an enemy, a ruthless tyrant. This caused the whole world to turn against her, leading to her exile on the Island of the Cursed, which is now Ch'uan.

Their sole chance to help Aang master waterbending lies with Katara, even though she hasn't mastered her own element yet.

"Katara can teach you──" Feifei starts, but her face drains of color, and she lurches forward over the saddle, emptying her stomach. Some of it splatters onto Appa's fur, eliciting a displeased growl from him, while Momo emits a disappointed chitter and the others yelp in surprise.

"Spirits, Feifei!" Sokka groans, casting a disapproving glance at the Moon Warrior before moving toward her. He gently places a hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly as she continues to vomit. "Now Appa smells like rotten fish!"

Appa lets out a low moan of displeasure, echoed by Momo's chitters.

After Feifei finishes vomiting, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and turns to face Sokka. She looks a bit unsteady, like someone who has had too much to drink. Before Sokka can speak, she silences him by pressing her finger to his lips, using the same hand she just wiped her mouth with.

Sokka recoils. "Gross! Don't touch me with that hand!" he yells, crawling away from Feifei, who burps loudly and unladylike, despite wearing an elegant ocean blue hanfu. "Get away from me, woman!"

"Not cool, Sokka," Katara scolds, shooting a disapproving look at her brother. He's busy wiping his lips with Momo's tail, of all things. "Anyway, I'm going to teach Aang waterbending. But first, we need to find a good source of water. And let's give Feifei a break from her . . . uh, queasiness."