The Outsider- Avatar Fanfic

Chapter 30 - Fast and...

'I still can't believe she sees with her feet,' Sokka whispered, staring at the small girl sitting on the other side of Appa's saddle. She had her eyes closed, leaning back with a casual smirk on her lips. Gone was the delicate dress her parents had insisted she wear; she had braces on her wrists and ankles, wide pants that wouldn't impede any movement, and a head band to keep her long black hair out of the way.

'I can hear you Sokka,' she called, not moving. 'I'm blind, not deaf.' I chuckled as Sokka blinked, cheeks turning a little pink, before turning to stare out at the ground passing below us.

Snarky for a twelve year old.

Turning my attention to Kai, who was snuggled up against my thigh to shelter from the wind, I fondled his overgrown ears while absentmindedly watching the earth move under us. All in all, it was a pleasant day. The late afternoon sun had a welcoming warmth, and the air didn't hold the same chill it had before. Katara was sitting nearby with some cloth and a thread, humming softly to herself. Aang was up front as always, Momo on his shoulder, not doubt chattering away to each other.

I felt...happy. We had found someone to teach Aang and I earthbending, and now had a plan to move forward and actually get something done. With spring well and truly in motion, we were racing the clock to get in shape by summer's end. There's always a deadline, isn't there? In every story.

Also at school, but we won't go there. Damned research assignments were always the worse; don't even get me started on group projects.

But I digress. It wasn't long before we decided to set up camp for the night in a secluded clearing, next to what had once been a creek bed.

'Oh god that feels good,' I whispered as I stretched my legs, Appa groaning with satisfaction as he relaxed onto the ground. I laughed as Sokka stumbled getting down from Appa, dropping his sleeping bag and mat on the dry earth with a curse. Toph wasn't far behind, landing with a solid thump.

'Oh sweet earth! I've missed you,' she cried dramatically, falling to her knees and planting herself face-first into the ground. We all laughed at her melodrama, remembering her slightly green face when Appa had first taken off. For an earth bender who only saw through seismic waves, it wasn't the best experience to say the least.

As we unpacked slowly, I kept sneezing because of Appa's shedding fur. It littered the ground like soft snow, falling through the air with every movement the giant bison made. Kai was having a wonderful time running through the white fur, spreading it throughout the clearing and just being a general nuisance. Momo certainly wasn't helping, egging the young pup on.

'Appa's fur sure does make a great moustache.'

I had to stop a snort as Sokka turned to us, a glorious white moustache balancing on his upper lip. Hands on his hips, he gave me a wink.

'Oh god, don't do that,' I laughed, wincing. 'You look like a creepy uncle.'

Katara looked less than impressed as Aang joined in, rustling up a bushy beard. I couldn't help but shake me head at the two boys' antics.

'At least Toph has some class,' Katara chuckled, rolling her eyes. Toph, however, as we soon got to know, loved to completely defy any expectations one might expect of her.

'Excuse me,' came her young voice from behind Sokka, 'but has anyone got a razor?' She grinned, revealing some truly unruly white under arms. 'Because I've got some hairy pits.'

The clearing echoed with the sounds of our laughter— everything was finally going right for us.

oOo