Carved In Rock || ATLA

Fiction

The Swamp Continued

"I hope it's worth it, what's left behind me, yeah. I know you'll find your own way when I'm not with you." - Avenged Sevenfold

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Due had never seen a footprint like this in his swamp anywhere before. The thing was bigger than his dang head and that was saying something. "What'd you reckon made a track like that, Tho?" The tall beanpole of a man asked his much shorter and chubbier friend.

"Don't know, Due." Tho shrugged his bare shoulders, his loincloth made of tattered animal skins flowing in the breeze. Tho was dressed similarly and both men were barefoot, large leaves on their heads to work as hats blocking out the morning sun. "Some'in with six legs." He said as he noticed more of the large three-toed tracks stamped along the muddy grounds. "Pretty big'uns too."

"Leaves a nice, wide trail to folla." Due drawled slowly. He always talked slowly.

"You know what's at the end of that trail?" Tho asked. When his friend nodded in confusion the man smiled. "Dinner."

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"Aang! Sokka!" Katara called through cupped hands as she waded through the murky water. "Aelita!" She hadn't seen anyone or anything even for that matter since those creepy, possessed vines attacked their camp. She had been walking through the swamp for hours now hoping to find anyone, the eerie silence starting to get to her. She was amazed when ahead in the distance she swore she saw another person, a woman with her back to the girl. "Hello? Hello?" She shouted. She did a double-take when she realized the woman was dressed in Water Tribe clothes. Hope surged through her chest. "Can you help me?" She pressed forward when the woman didn't respond. As she moved forward Katara squinted her eyes and her whole world stopped. "Mom?" Could this be real? "Mom!" She took off running now with tears of joy falling from her eyes. When she was close enough to touch her mother Katara reached out for her mother's shoulder. "I can't believe..." It was too good to be true. The sun in the trees above shifted and the illusion of her mother faded away. It was just a tree stump. Devastated Katara fell to her knees and continued to cry.

Sokka was struggling as much as his sister. "Aelita! Aang!" He shouted as he slashed and hacked through the thick vegetation. "Stupid swamp! Dumb, ugly vines! Katara!" He didn't notice the branch that had snared itself around his boot until he was nearly toppling over. He grunted and groaned as he tried to cut himself free. "You think you're so tough, huh?" He asked the plant. Unfortunately, when the boy finally freed himself he lost his balance and planted face-first into the mud. Sokka slowly rose out of the muck with his eyes squeezed tightly shut. He wiped away the mud and when he opened his eyes he felt his stomach drop. In front of him was Princess Yue floating softly in the air, her face just as angelic as the last time he saw it. He couldn't bring himself to speak as he sheathed his machete and stepped toward the beautiful girl with flowing white hair. "Hello? Yue?" He asked aloud. No. This couldn't be real. She was dead. He clutched his head in his hands and turned away from the Princess. "This is just a trick of the light...swamp gas... I...hit my head running away last night. I'm going crazy." He told himself everything he could to rationalize how the hell he could be seeing her right here right now. Almost fearfully he turned around slowly to face her once more.

"You didn't protect me." Yue sadly accused.

Sokka rubbed his eyes in disbelief. This wasn't real. Dammit, this wasn't real. Fuck. He had tried so damn hard to save her. So damn hard to pick up all of his broken pieces. He couldn't do this. When he opened his eyes again he wasn't sure if he was more sad or relieved to find Yue gone. He sighed and turned to set off looking for his friends again but he was startled right off his feet when he found the Princess inches from his face once more. She looked so hurt, so disappointed. Had he done that to her? The vision of the girl he had once loved - the girl part of him still did and always would love - slowly faded away. Sokka pulled his machete out again no longer trusting this fucking swamp.