parallel lines

chapter xvi

Word Count: 2,542 words

CHAPTER XVI: 歴史は繰り返す

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How did they end up in a large swamp and instead of continuing flying stayed for the night?

They were flying, the usual. Katara was still on and about waterbending, the usual. Sokka was still complaining, the usual. Nothing that was out of the blue in the state they were in.

"Why are we going down?"

Aang pitched his thoughts of hearing the ground below, which was a swamp, calling to him, but with everyone else telling him to not land there he decided to do just that. Natsuko, however, didn't even realize that she was also entranced with the idea of a non physical form that has been calling to them. She heard voices from anywhere as well before she came to the human world, but it was out of deprivation and lack of sleep that caused her to hallucinate it, this was another scenario where she is definitely awake.

Probably it was hunger, just like Sokka mentioned, but he was always hungry. While the others weren't as hungry as he is at the moment, their intuition tells them to avoid the swamp at almost all circumstances, even Natsuko joined in on the idea. And if things weren't worse than it is, a tornado suddenly appeared from the swamp.

Even with an extra airbender the tornado managed to let them fall to the swamp, at least the two Water Tribe siblings while Aang and his other half floated down nicely using what they had to their advantage. They got separated from Appa and Momo so Aang had to jump up and search the swamp off ground, while Sokka tried to deal with an elbow leech that was attached to him.

"Don't pull it off." Natsuko scolded Sokka and carefully removed it with the tip of her fingernails before hearing Katara talking to Aang who didn't find his animal guide and pet lemur, "And the tornado either."

Sokka began swinging his weapon to cut the vines of the swamp and travel towards where they might see Appa and Momo, even if the others wanted to disagree with what he's doing, "Maybe we should be a little nicer to the swamp."

"These are just plants. Do you want me to say please and thank you as I swing my machete back and forth?" Sokka continued cutting his way out.

"Maybe I'm sorry is a bit appropriate." Natsuko retorted.

"Or maybe you should listen to Aang." Katara side eyed Natsuko, "Something about this place feels... alive."

"I'm sure there are lots of things that are alive here. and if we don't to wind up getting eaten by them we have to find Appa as fast as we can." Sokka looked at them then proceeded to cutting again before seeing Natsuko beside him as she retorted, "Like the elbow leech you were so scared of?"

He didn't pay much attention to the spirit who kept on monstering him whenever she had the chance, but he appreciated the childishness a person could have such as her despite the many years she has been living. But it was already a pain to have a little sister and another little sister and another little brother, acting as if he was the only sane person when everyone else kept talking about how the swamp felt alive.

They kept trudging on until nighttime came, the smell of swamp gas and human-like bird screeches enough to make the three scared while Natsuko was all the while jumpy and thinking of what spirit would actually inhabit the swamp that she wasn't that familiar with. It was a new place for her, or maybe something that was small before she visited or saw, "I think we should build a fire."

With a bit more banter between Sokka and Aang, they did build a fire under a decayed tree using the wood Sokka cut off to start the fire and the banter. It wasn't much of warmth but it was better than staying without any light to come from of it, "Does anyone else get the feeling that we're being watched?"