A Moment, Please.

Chapter 14

Following a series of gasping breaths, a round of sneezes shot off from my nose. When the fit finally ended, I found myself gasping to catch my breath.

"This is really soft grass."

Toph stood and rubbed her feet along the ground. I sneezed again, this one being so strong I was knocked off my feet. Standing,  and brushing fur from my butt, I shook my head.

 
"That's not grass, it's Appa's fur."

Up on Appa, Sokka removed my stuff from his saddle. Reaching up, he dropped the bag into my arms. Beside me, Toph smiled, as Katara’s lips turned down in a frown.  As I released another sneeze, I dropped my bag. Picking it back up, I couldn’t stop from sneezing again.

"Uh, guys, I think I'm-I'm-I'm-I-I-achoo-achoo… to Appa.”

Using a leaf I had taken from a tree, I wiped my nose. I went to toss the leaf down but it stuck to my hand. With a little shake, it flung from my hand.

"Well, I think it's gross."

Nodding my head, I sneezed in an agreement with Katara. Moving away from Appa and his horrible hair, I dropped my bag and let out a horrible sniffle. As Katara moved away from the fallen hair, Sokka and Aang chose to play in it. She stuck her nose up, in a little snobbish move.

"It's so nice to finally outnumber the boys."

Her face soon dropped as Toph started to join the boys in playing in the hair. The boys let out loud laughs, and Katara let a giggle slip out of her lips. I laughed along with them, though my laughing fit ended in a sneezing fit.

~~~

I spent the day working hard on sweeping my bed area clean of any and all Appa fur. Even the smallest piece sent me into a sneezing fit. I wasn’t quite sure how the hair on the ground vs the hair on appa was different- but something was. So I was taking no chance of having any hair near my sleeping area. As I was bent over my bed, my back to the group, I could hear Toph and Katara fighting. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head, and sneezed. Wiping my nose with the back of my hand, I stood, and faced the group. Sokka was back in Appa’s saddle, and was grabbing something.

 
"Oh Amaya, here's a tent for you."

"Sokka, wait- no!"

My nose-clogged voice came out too late, as Sokka tossed the bundle over to me, and it landed right in the big pile of Appa's fur I had taken so much time to clear away. The fur flung up into the air, surrounding me. It floated down around me like snow, and before I could even glare at Sokka, I was sent into a sneeze fit.

"Sok-ahcoo!-ka! You-choo, I'm go-ahcoo- get-ahcoo- this! Achoo, ahcoo, ACHOO!" 

~~~

Opening my eyes to only have them close again, I battled the sleep that was desperately pulling back in. Rolling over to face the group, I sat up, my eyes closing again. Toph’s voice filled my ears, as the darkness begun to claim me again.

"Guys, something’s coming at us, and fast!" 

Forcing my eye open, I shook my head.  Jumping up, I joined in packing, even though I was only half awake. Toph stood still, seeing the motions.

"It feels like an avalanche, but also not like an avalanche."

I nodded, and yawned, as I climbed up onto Appa and in the saddle. Sneezing a few times, I was soon claimed back by the darkness.

"Ahhhh, soft Bison. Achoo!"

~~~

I went in and out of sleep for a good while, and right when I thought I would stay asleep, yelling woke me up. I didn’t want to wake up but the noise kept the darkness at bay. Rubbing my hands into my hair, I slowly begun to wake up again.