Open Your Mind

Chapter Thirteen

Aang smiled happily riding Appa alongside Sokka flying on his glider with Xiaodan on her glider next to him while Katara rode on a giant Momo on Aang's others side.

"We need you, Aang." Katara said, her voice ringing out slightly and Aang smiled over at her.

"I need you too." He said then his eyes widened in horror as the clear sky darkened and ugly gray storm clouds surrounded them.

"Be careful, guys!" Aang shouted worriedly, then looked around in confusion, "Guys?"

His heartbeat quickened when he saw that Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan had disappeared. Aang looked towards the rapidly approaching storm clouds and blinked when Gyatso suddenly appeared, floating in front of him.

"Gyatso?" He questioned, his confusion growing as he looked at his old mentor and father-figure.

"Why did you disappear?" Gyatso's voice rang out, the tone questioning and sad.

"I didn't mean too." Aang replied regretfully, dropping Appa's reins and reaching out to Gyatso only for him to dissipate into black smoke and Aang covered his eyes with his arms.

"We need you, Aang." Gyatso's voice rang out again just as Appa flew into the black storm clouds.

Aang screamed as he clutched Appa's reins, his eyes closed tightly against the blinding rain when lightning flashed across the sky. He screamed again as plummeted into the water with Appa, the sound of another screaming blending with his own for a moment before Aang was completely submerged under the roiling ocean. Appa's reins slipped from his hand as blackness crept around his vision as unconsciousness began to drag him under just like the ocean was doing.

"We need you, Aang." Multiple voices that sound like Katara, Sokka, Xiaodan, Gyatso and many others filled his ears as he sank further into the water, "We need you!"

Lighting flashed again, revealing the dark silhouette of the Fire Lord and-'

Aang gasped and jerked awake, sitting up so quickly that he startled Momo into jumping off him and onto Katara then Sokka. Katara sat up with a gasp followed by Sokka who was holding his bone-jaw knife and boomerang.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked sleepily as he looked around, his knife and boomerang in hand, "Did we get captured again?"

"It's nothing." Aang said quickly, trying to reassure his friends as he curled up on the ground with his back to the siblings, "I just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Sokka mumbled as he laid back down.

Katara frowned slightly at her brother before looking over at Aang's back with concern.

"Are you alright, Aang?" She asked softly, her voice compassionate.

"I'm okay." Aang replied, curling up even tighter in a ball.

"You seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately." She persisted, "You want to tell me about it?"

"I think I just need rest." Aang said softly, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again to stare at the sandy ground beneath him.

"You guys wanna hear about my dream?" Sokka asked excitedly as he sat up, only to pout and lay back down when Katara glared at him, "That's okay. I didn't want to talk about it anyway."

Katara looked at Aang worriedly for another moment before lying back down and going to sleep herself. Aang curled into a tighter ball and closed his eyes tightly, desperately wishing Xiaodan was there to comfort him. He could really use one of her hugs right now, especially after thatdream.