𝑴𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑺 || 𝑨𝒂𝒏𝒈 (𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 2)

The Swamp*

Their flight was so quiet and peaceful that Jade was at risk of dozing off. It didn't help that Miko was napping right next to her. Falling asleep would have been so easy.

But then, out of nowhere, she felt a buzzing in her head. The feeling was familiar to her, and it seemed to be coming from all around them. At first, she thought she was imagining it. But when Miko perked her head up, she understood that it wasn't just a coincidence. They were feeling the same thing.

Jade glanced around until she pinpointed the direction it was coming from. The source of her strange feeling was below them. And when she glanced down, she saw what was below them; a swamp. Everywhere she looked was green. Green trees, green vines, green moss...It didn't look all that special. It looked like a normal swamp. And yet the feeling she got told her it was anything but.

"Hey, you taking us down for a reason?"

Jade snapped out of her thoughts when Sokka broke the silence. Staring down at the swamp, she hadn't noticed Appa slowly getting closer to it. But when Aang didn't reply, she glanced up to see him staring forward. He didn't seem to have heard Sokka at all.

"Aang!" Sokka called. "Why are we going down?"

Aang flinched. "What? I didn't even notice."

"Are you noticing now?"

Katara and Jade walked up to the front of the saddle. "Is something wrong?"

"I know this is going to sound weird, but I think the swamp is...calling to me."

Sokka gripped his stomach. "Is it telling you where we can get something to eat?"

"No. I...I think it wants us to land there."

Sokka frowned as he and Katara glanced down at the swamp. "No offense to the swamp, but I don't see any land there to land on."

Aang hesitated. "I don't know. Bumi said to learn earthbending, I would have to wait and listen. And now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?"

"Yes."

"I don't know..." Katara muttered. "There's something ominous about that place. What do you think, Jade?"

Jade returned to staring at the swamp. Peeking over Jade's shoulder, Miko whined curiously. She was still feeling the buzzing in her head; it reminded her of how she felt at the Spirit Oasis. This was Jade's first time passing a swamp, but she didn't think that was normal. She could see clouds of fog through the gaps between the trees. She had no doubt in her mind that the swamp was...special.

"Jade?" Blinking, she glanced over to see her friends staring at her. "Are you okay?"

She realized she hadn't answered Katara's first question. Returning her gaze to the swamp, Jade hesitated. "...I agree that there's something ominous about it, but...I dunno. If it's calling Aang, then maybe there's a reason. Besides, it feels kind of...spirity to me."

Sokka quirked a brow. "You do realize that still isn't a word, right?"

"Y-You know what I mean." She glanced at Miko, who was still staring down curiously over her shoulder. "See? Miko agrees with me -- and she's the spirit here."

Momo, however, ducked down to hide in the saddle. And Appa groaned loudly -- but Jade could tell it wasn't positive.

"Well, Appa and Momo agree with me. They don't like it here, either." Sokka pointed out. "Face it, Jade; we're more likely to run into trouble if we land."

Hesitating again, Jade glanced back down. "...I guess..."

"Okay, since everyone feels so strongly about this," Aang flicked Appa's reins. "Bye, swamp. Yip yip!"