Dragon At Heart

Chapter 15

15. Building Bridges, Destroying Dams

Wow. I was saved by a supposedly extinct, smart, supernatural creature, and I didn't even realize to ask what his name was. Actually, I don't even know if the dragon is a he.

Sokka did not feel like dwelling on the topic of where baby dragons came from. Instead he focused his attention on trying to figure out where he was. He had a vague memory of what the map of the area looked like, and now all he needed was a recognizable landmark. Something that would not have changed in the last hundred or so years.

"Let's see what we have here: trees over there and there, and over here we have... some more trees. That's helpful", Sokka commented to himself. He hated to admit it, but he was officially lost. The scenery around him was beautiful, with trees glowing in autumn tints, but they all looked the same.

I can't believe I made sure Ilya and Ari were going to be okay but totally forgot to consider the possibility that I wouldn't be. Typical.

The sun had risen hours ago, and Sokka had used this to regain a sense of direction. He was heading east and back towards the shore (or at least he hoped that was where he was heading).

Sokka tried to keep up a positive attitude, but he was gradually loosing hope that his friends would find him. Heck, he wasn't even sure that they were looking for him. Katara and Aang would not intentionally leave him behind, but there was the chance that they were in even bigger trouble than he was.

Even presuming that Katara and Aang were okay and actively searching for him, they still would not know where to start looking. They would probably guess that he had been captured by the pirates, which would lead them to a wrong direction.

Katara and Aang might find out that the Earth Kingdom Militia was involved, but that, too, would be a bad thing, because odds were that the Militia would not be glad to see the Avatar or help him find Sokka. Not after the way their previous encounter had ended, and even if the Militia would tell Katara and Aang all that had happened, how could they guess where a dragon had taken him?

And as if hiking in the woods wasn't arduous enough, Sokka was starting to have a headache. More exactly, he was probably having the same headache that the pirates had given him, but now it was back with a vengeance. He should have probably followed doctor's orders and not exert himself in any way.

The bandage the Militia had tied around his head was starting drip with sweat, so Sokka took it off. His forehead was not bleeding anymore, but it still itched uncomfortably.

Sokka sat down. The day was getting hotter and hotter as the sun climbed higher, and Sokka wished he had some water with him.

Seriously though. Why don't I carry a waterskin with me? You don't have to be a bender to appreciate the element.

On the South Pole, it had not made much sense to carry water with him, since snow, fresh water or ice was almost always available, if you simply knew how to melt or boil it.

Something passed in front of the sun, momentarily casting a shadow over Sokka's path. Sokka was immediately on alert and back on his feet. His first thought was that the dragon had returned.

When Sokka peered at the sky to see, he realized that he could see Appa flying in the distance.

Okay, that should have been my first guess, really.

Sokka began to yell and wave his hands to catch his friends' attention, but the distance was too vast. The bison made no move to indicated that they had heard him. Instead Appa was moving slowly but steadily away from Sokka.