Open Your Mind

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"No! Stop sinking!" Toph shouted as she tried to hold up the sinking library.

Appa growled threateningly as the Sandbenders continued to tie him with ropes. One of the Sandbenders tugged on the rope tied to Appa's head and the sky bison tossed his head back, sending the Sandbender flying through the air where he then tumbled through the sand when he hit the ground. Appa swung his tail, causing two other Sandbenders to let go of the ropes they were holding and run away to avoid the sky bison's tail. Appa roared and tossed his head again as he became even more annoyed with what was going on.

"Don't make me put this down!" Toph screamed and she let go of the library and sent a slice of sand at the Sandbenders, only to miss completely as she turned to grab the library again.

"Put a muzzle on him!" The lead Sandbender ordered loudly.

One of the other Sandbenders tossed a rope around Appa's mouth, but the enraged sky bison snapped his mouth open and broke the rope then he lunged at the offending Sandbender, knocking him over. A rope was thrown over Appa's horn and the Sandbenders tug on the ropes in an attempt to force Appa's submission while another Sandbender stepped forward to try and muzzle Appa again. Appa growled and tossed his head, sending the Sandbender trying to muzzle him flying through the air then the sky bison attempt to take off into the sky, but one of the Sandbenders threw a rope around Appa's leg, using Sandbending to secure his feet to the ground. The other Sandbenders quickly follow the man's example and secure their feet to the ground, then they all forced Appa to the ground. A sand-sailer sailed up next to Appa's trapped form and the Sandbenders used their bending to drag Appa with the three sand-sailers.

"I'm sorry, Appa." Toph whispered regretfully as she listened to the Sandbenders drag the sky bison away and she closed her eyes, sniffling quietly.

Appa rumbled lowly as he was dragged away, his eyes drifting shut.

When the Sandbenders had traveled far enough away, the lead Bender lowered the mask that kept his mouth covered and held up his arm, signaling the others to stop the sand-sailers.

"Ransack his saddle." The leader ordered as he jumped off the sand-sailer he had been riding on, "Who knows what treasures are stashed in there!"

Two Sandbenders ran up to Appa, only to back away quickly when the sky bison growled and bared his teeth threateningly at them.

"He's tied up good. He can't hurt you." The lead Sandbender snapped with an eye roll and he watched as his two men jumped into the sky bison's saddle, stirring up some sand.

Appa accidently inhaled some of the sand and snorted quietly just before he sneezed, sending the sand-sailer stopped in front of him flying into a sand dune. The lead Sandbender sneered and turned his back on the sky bison while the two men began tossing the saddle's contents onto the ground.

"What's your father gonna do when he finds out we lost a sand-sailer?" One of the Sandbenders demanded as he walked up to the leader of the group.

"Nothing. It's the one we stole from the Hami Tribe." The leader replied with a smirk then he turned to address the men as they continued tossing things from the saddle, "Did you empty the saddle?"

The lead Sandbender didn't wait for a reply as he stomped over to the stuff that littered the ground beside the sky bison.

"That's it? Nothing but garbage!" He snapped with a scowl when he saw nothing of value among the items and he angrily kicked the club that was one the ground, "Doesn't matter. We'll still make a profit selling him to those beetle-headed merchants."

Behind him, the Sandbender that had just climbed out of Appa's saddle picked up the parasol and opened it, ignoring the irritated look his leader gave him as he held it above his head.