Stratus | Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Chapter Ten | The Library

Kumo sighed, scanning the sands once more for the library. It had to exist, the spirits wouldn't lie to her, especially not Lang Yao, their ties ran too deep now for that kind of betrayal. Sweating, Kumo resisted the urge to remove the clay mask from her face, feeling a bead of sweat run from her forehead down to her before dropping onto her lap. She wasn't use to this warmth.

"Down there!" Her attention shot to Sokka, who pointed to something on his right, a telescope gripped firmly in his other hand. The party gazed down at the sands, spotting a small spire or tower below them. Aang's eyes widened and he pulled Appa in it's direction preparing for a landing. "What's that?"

Shielding the sun from her eyes, Kumo grinned underneath the hot mask, a sense of anxious triumph bubble in her chest as her breath hitched momentarily. Appa landed on the searing sands softly, grunting once or twice, and Kumo slid off his back, followed by Aang and the two more cautious siblings. Toph, who couldn't see what everyone had, trailed after them slowly, an air of lacklustre surrounding her. They all stared at the spire, or tower- Kumo wasn't entirely sure- and a silence overcame them.

"Forget it, it's obviously not what we're looking for." Katara sighed, snatching the illustration from Aang's hands as she held it up to the tower. "The building in this drawing is enormous!"

Kumo kept her mouth shut, examining the tower. It had to be something. 

"Wait, somethings moving." Toph exclaimed, pointing over to a dog-like creature that appeared over a dune to their right. It was a sandy-beige colour, and had the stature of a dog. In its mouth, something glinted and as Kumo squinted, she could correctly identify it as a scroll. As it padded closer, it glanced over to them once before heading for the tower.

"What kind of animal even is that?" Sokka breathed, staring in awe as it scaled the building quickly and entering through a dark window. Professor Zei gaped, eyes wide.

"I think that's one of the knowledge seekers." He murmured with child-like curiosity, taking a step forward towards the tower. "Oh! We must be close to The Library."

Kumo itched with anticipation, the urge to propel herself up into the window growing stronger, but blowing her cover was not something she could afford right now, with Aang and his friends already suspicious. She had to find Wan Shi Tong first. Sokka took the drawing carefully from Katara, switching his gaze from the structure down to the wrinkled paper a few times. 

"No, this is The Library, look, that spire is the same as the one on the drawing," he insisted pointing up towards the tower," but it's completely buried."

A heavy silence hung low on the group, before Kumo stalked forward, brandishing her two curved blades. 

"The Library is buried?" Professor Zei shrieked, falling to his knees. "My entire life mission is full of sand."

Katara stared at him for a second before glancing up to 'Yun'.

"Yun, what're you doing?" Cautiously, she narrowed her eyes at the figure, who stared up at the window the dog had entered.

"Those Knowledge Seekers had to be going somewhere, it was bringing back a scroll," stabbing a blade into a crack in the tower, Kumo hoisted herself up, "logic would tell me that The Library is still in use."

Kumo swung her left arm up, raising her body once more as she began the strenuous climb up the side of the tower, ignoring the discussion behind her. She was only briefly startled when Toph slammed her hand into the side of the wall. 

"Excavating won't be necessary," she turned to Zei, who was down on his knees in the sand, spade in hand, "Yun is correct, the insides intact, and huge."

Kumo rolled her eyes as the group began to discuss again, but when glancing down, found Aang's eyes focused on her. Shaking her head, she continued to climb, and after a few minutes, grasped the windowsill and slung her body into the cool exterior, careful not to fall down into the vast cavern below.

"Oi, Yun, could you... grab this?" Sokka yelled up, wiggling the boomerang (now attacked to a rope). Contemplating for a split second, Kumo assumed that rejected now would make her look more suspicious, and if the Avatar needed those books, well, she didn't really want to stop him. He was meant to bring world peace. The boomerang was thrown up, and Kumo made sure to throw it down into the hole, watching it go taught as they began to climb. 

"I don't actually have to wait for these guys, do I...?" She sighed, rubbing her forehead after removing her mask for a moment. Kumo rolled her eyes, throwing herself down into the hole, blasting wind from her hands and feet to slow her landing. The interior was cavernous, beautiful, and still perfectly intact- Wan Shi Tong's doing, she presumed. Dim, green light emitted from neatly placed lanterns. Kumo eyed the owl statues adorning the architecture, and unwillingly cringed, birds were not her favourite. Looking up, she rolled her eyes at the general chatter that came with the group who were slowly moving down the rope, noting that Toph wasn't with them. The four, excluding Momo who was perched on Aang's shoulders, dropped onto the bridge, and gazed around themselves in excitement. Professor Zei launched into some spiel about architecture and mosaics, and Kumo found herself blanching, ignoring him completely. 

However, the group became silent as a rustling on the other side of the room caught their attention. Knowing it could only be Wan Shi Tong, or one of the Knowledge Seekers, Kumo stood her ground in the centre of the library, along with Zei, as the others darted off to hide in a dark corner. Aang snatched Zei's hand and yanked him with him, leaving Kumo alone.  The large, dark form of Wan Shi Tong shuffled easily across the bridge towards her, pitch, black eyes staring into her soul. Fear gripped Kumo, refusing to let go. 

"A brave one? I see." Wan Shi Tong lowered his vast head to face Kumo, and she felt his breath on her cheeks. Reaching up to remove her mask, Kumo braced herself, pulling down her hood a second later. "Unusual..."

"I have been sent by Lang Yao, to learn about the late Fuyu of Shao-Lin Temple." Wan Shi Tong leaned closer, but Kumo stood stiffly, refusing to back away. "I am Kumo, daughter of both Lang Yao and Fuyu."

Kumo winced at gasp behind her, noting the tilt of Wan Shi Tong's head. 

"You're not completely human, but not a spirit either." He leaned back. "I grant you access to the Library, however your acquaintances are human, and humans are not permitted in my Library."

Kumo attached her mask to her hip, brushing a strand of short white hair behind her ear as she rose an eyebrow at the four who crept out of the shadows, Sokka taking the lead. 

"Why aren't humans allowed in your library?" He questioned indignantly, placing his hands on his hips as he came face to face with the infamous Wan Shi Tong. Aang stared at Kumo, confusion clouding his mind as he placed pieces together in his mind. 

"Humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans, like that fire-bender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy ," Kumo moved to the side of Wan Shi Tong, standing back so she could watch him stare Sokka down, "so who are you trying to destroy?"

"What?" She rolled her eyes as Sokka began to deny it, playing act a ridiculous act. "We're not into that!"

"Then why have you come here?"

"Um, knowledge for knowledge's sake." Kumo smacked a gloved hand into her forhead. 

"If you're going to lie to an all-knowing spirit being, you should at least put some effort into it." Wan Shi Tong lectured, unmoving as the avatar was shoved in front of him by Sokka. They bartered for a bit before Wan Shi Tong subsided. 

"Very well, I'll let you peruse my vast collection, on one condition." he hummed, straightening up. "A donation to my library."

As a donation, Zei provided a first-addition tome, Katara, an authentic water-bending scroll, Aang, a poster of himself, and Sokka, a knot, which Wan Shi Tong accepted gruellingly. 

"Now, Kumo, I will show you the information I have on Fuyu of Shao-Lin Temple," he turned, the white-haired girl following as he expected, and Aang and his friends could only watch as the two disappeared into the darkness, "enjoy my library."