ATLA:The Survivor (Water Book 1)

Chapter 10: Winter Solsice Part 2

AANG'S P.O.V.

It was still dark as I sat in the crispy cold morning air on Appa and tried, to no avail, to get him to move.

"Come on Appa! Move boy!" I yelled in frustration and yanked on the reins. He growled in response and sat harder on the ground in defiance.

"Look, Katara, Sokka, and Ling aren't coming with us to the Fire Nation. I could never forgive myself if they got hurt. So move your big butt and let's go!" I growled in annoyance, again pulling at the reins. Why did he have to be so stubborn?

"I think his big butt is trying to tell you something," I jumped then turned to the faces of the three people I really did not wanna see at that moment; Ling, Katara, and Sokka.

"Please don't go Aang. The world can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation, and neither can I." she pleaded, her blue eyes swirling with emotions, ugh, why did they have to be so convincing.

"But I have to speak with Roku's spirit to discover what my vision means." I explained as the fiery comet flashed past my eyes, "I have to get to that Island in the Fire Nation before the sun goes down on the solstice, and that's today!" I reminded them.

"We're not letting you go, Aang," Ling said firmly.

"Well not without your friends. We got your back." Sokka grinned before yelling in disgust as Appa displayed his affection through a sloppy lick,"Ewwwwwww!"

I grinned despite myself and helped them up onto Appa's back while Sokka grabbed some last few supplies from the chief.

"We wish you luck on your trip to Cresent Island. You'll have to fly fast if you are going to have a chance at making it before the sun sets. Good luck." he said.

"Thank you for your..."

"Go!" He yelled and Appa lifted off into the air.

** Somewhere Near Cresent Island **

"Come on Appa! We still have a long way to go! Faster!" I encouraged while pulling on the reins in an attempt to get him to move faster.

"Guys I sense danger," Ling started," Wait, look! Behind us! A boat!" She yelled. Zuko. It had to be him, he was the only person so obsessed as to attempt to follow us at that speed.

"We got incoming!" Sokka suddenly yelled from behind me.

"Fireball!" Ling cried in terror as the ball of deadly heat charged at us.

"I'm on it," I muttered as I pulled on Appa's reins and maneuvered us out of the path of the flame ball then moved us to dodge another.

"We got more hot stinkers," Katara warned.

"I got it!" Ling yelled before the sound of something shattering behind me caught my attention and I watched in awe as Ling's wind whip sliced through another fireball.

"Can't we go any faster?" Sokka asked and I turned back to look at the ocean in front of us.

"Yes, there's just one problem," I informed him," A blockade."

'A What?' Ling yelled in my mind.

"A blockade of Fire Navy ships are just up ahead," I said again while I watched the little black blobs turn into menacing shapes with hundreds of deadly Firebenders on board. The little black ants crawled across the blue of the sea while I began to yank on Appa's reins.

"If we go North we can go around them," I explained going to pull on the reins.

"But then we won't make it in time, we'll have to right through the blockade," Ling argued.