Book Four: Air

"Well, this is a weird guy that says he can track Toph somehow. I didn't catch his name. The big one is one of Toph's friends," Sokka explained.

((Just so I'm caught up and know what's going on. Could I get a summary?))

Jerrel had been tracking Toph for awhile, but it seem he was always a few days behind the gAang, looks like Jerrel stills needs some trainning. "If I don't find Toph and bring her soon, Master Fong will skin me alive."

OOC: Well, there has been a council held on Whale-Tail Island. Leaders of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation have been trying to come to a compromise on what to do with the Fire Nation colonies on Earth Kingdom soil. The representative of the Colonies, however, threw a wrench in the works. The Colonies wish to declare their independence, and intend on seceding from the Fire Nation. They want this because Ozai would have wiped them out on the Day of the Comet. If the Colonies are not allowed to secede, they will declare war on the Fire Nation. Things are made worse when there was a riot.

A decision was reached that there would be another meeting in the Colonies, to try and reach a compromise.

Meantime, Aang and Katara were attacked by a strange animal. They escaped. Iroh was captured by strange Fire Nation soldiers, but he too managed to escape. He is now on the run. Sokka was the target of an assassination attempt by an unknown party. Toph found him in time for him to be saved. Now Toph has been captured by a group of mercenaries, who want to use her to find a treasure.

And that is about it.

***

IC: Toph

She thought she heard someone in the room with her. Toph remembered that the leader of the group had asked someone named "Jing" to stay behind and keep an eye on her. Whoever "Jing" was, then, she had to be very quiet. She hadn't heard a word out of this person.

Toph, newly energized, began to fight and struggle again.

She believed in her friends, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to escape on her own.

IC: Azon

The Sage bowed his head to Katara, his blindfolded eyes staring towards her feet.

"I am Azon. You must be Lady Katara; it is a honor to meet the legendary Waterbender. As your brother informed you, I will be helping track Lady Toph. Her energy stands out quite well incidently."

He walked past Katara and towards Appa. The Sky Bison gave him a loud yawn and Azon placed his palm atop his head.

"It is nice to meet you as well, Great Beast....Appa."

He climbed up the side and took a sitting position in the sattle.

Sokka grinned and followed Azon, eager to get going so he could rescue Toph. He hoped she was okay.

Katara

"Nice to meet you too," Katara said, a little off-put by the sharp contrast between the two, as well as what Azon said. She had some questions, but they could wait. "Let's get going then," she said, climbing up on to Appa.

IC: General Narrative

Appa moaned. Once everyone was seated in the saddle, the sky bison thumped his tail against the ground and lifted into the air. He flew off and away from the island, heading towards the northern waters.

***

IC: Toph

The same thing happened as last time. Toph wore herself out in her attempts to free herself from the mithril chain. Whoever had tied her up had done a very good job.

Groaning with frustration, she thumped her forehead against the wooden floorboards.

Darnit...

Aang ran up to the back of the stables as he saw Appa fly away, now too far and too high for the airbender to have even a hope of catching up to them. The young Avatar sighed in defeat as he turned around and began walking away, trying to ignore the servants and guards around him for now. "Maybe it's better that I missed them, it'll keep my head clear and give me time to think...." He tried to use as a weak excuse to make himself not feel too bad.

"She's just eager to rescue Toph, that's why they couldn't wait. Or maybe she just wanted to get away from you......" Aang combated back and forth as his mind went to an unpleasant place. Somehow the Avatar knew that his dreams tonight would not be pleasant.
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Mai groaned as she woke up in a small wagon. Oddly enough her plan not show her weaponry had worked and she was still armed with all of her blades, unfortunately she was also tied up at the moment. The Fire Lady realized that there was someone else in the wagon at this point, though she couldn't see who and at this point didn't care.

"I'm going to smell like horse after this trip, perfect." She complained to herself after taking a whiff of the air and detecting the foul odor. "I suppose now I'll just have to wait until I'm saved or killed, that shouldn't be too hard."

Eventually though the Fire Lady did grow bored of just staring up at the ceiling and feeling the wagon bump up and down every few seconds. And thus she sighed as though someone had just told her something very stupid and turned to look at the man who was most likely there to make sure Mai didnt escape somehow. "Do you have any idea where we're going, and how long it's going to take this piece of crap to get there?" She asked in a tone that revealed just how bored she was with what was going on.

Jerrel was in the middle of the water on a small speed boat when he noticed something flying over head. "Huh, that's.....Toph!" Jerrel said aloud excitedly. Of course he had no idea that Toph had been captured by mercenaries.

Sokka felt himself smiled in relief as he saw a wooden boat beneath them. He spoke to Azon, "Is that it?"

Jerrel slowed the boat down and and began to turn the direction he saw the sky bison flying. Don't worry Master Bei Fong, I shall get your daughter and return her safely to the main house. Jerrel thought as he followed Appa and the others.

IC: Azon

Azon was silent for a moment.

"Ah, yes, there we are..."

He did not move from his sitting position, not even looking over the side to see the boat.

"They are not expecting people to find them, Sokka, but make no mistake, they are not incapable of defending themselves. I trust your skill with a blade as not lessened. Lady Katara, I have completely faith in your skills for this matter. And you, my large friend..."

Azon turned to look up at Samanya.

"I trust your large size is good for something."

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IC: Ozai

"Ah, my new daughter is awake," came Ozai's voice.

The former Fire Lord opened the flaps of the wagon and entered to take a place next to Drakon, leaving The Voice handling the reigns.

"You are as dissapointing as my son, Mai. My family requires no more traitors destroying its honor."

Sokka grinned and stirred Appa towards the ship, unsheathing his sword as he did so. He was eager to make them pay for kidnapping his Toph. He frowned. His? Where'd that come from?

Ersher saw appa dive toward a large ship in the distance. "Huh, wonder what's going on? Oh well, atleast I'll be able to accomplish my mission now." Jerrel turned the egine to full power hoping it would last long enough for him to reach the ship.

IC: Mercenaries

Chan was keeping a steady watch on the waters. It was no fluke that his sharp eyes caught the sign of something approaching them from the skies. The former soldier knew the Avatar and his friends made us of a sky bison, and that was the conclusion his equally sharp mind came to.

He called attention to the probable threat.

Maku frowned. "Who would have thought they would discover us so quickly?" he said. He gestured at Kara. "You have your pouches filled?" She nodded. "Good. Get below. You and Jing guard our bender. Chan and I will handle things on this end."

Kara darted below. She saw Jing and smiled grimly.

"We've got company. Maku wants us to make sure whoever it is doesn't take back what's ours."

***

IC: Toph

She jerked her head up when she heard the voices. They were muffled, and probably behind a door, but Toph heard them well enough.

They're here! she thought. If the gag was not there, she would have smiled. I knew they'd come!

Her thoughts suddenly revolved around Sokka bursting through the door to save her. Which was stupid. Toph didn't like saving, but somehow it was okay when Sokka was doing the saving. At least when she really needed it.

As Appa landed on the ship, Sokka jumped off the sky bison and looked around. He didn't know who kidnapped Toph, but he had a feeling they were strong. They had to be in order to imprison Toph.

"Here now! What is the meaning of this!"

A Fire Nation man approached Sokka. He looked none too happy, too. Glaring at Appa, and then at the sky bison's passengers, and finally Sokka, the man shook his head.

"What right do you have to just... just land on our ship? Eh? You pirates?" he demanded. "We don't aid nor abet no pirates, see?"

Sokka scratched the back of his head, "Oh, um. Sorry." He looked around the ship to see if anyone else was there. He spoke, "Um... We were tracking a ship just like this. Someone kidnapped a friend of ours using a ship like this." He looked over at Azon angrily.

"Oh dear. Then I apologize," said the man, with an understanding smile. "We thought you were... Oh, goodness, you already know!" He laughed, then shook his head. "No, no, this is no laughing matter. Again, I apologize."

The man's companion, an Earth Kingdom bloke, spoke up.

"We saw a ship."

"Oh, yes, yes, we did!" The Fire Nation man nodded. "A sloop, just like this one. It passed us a few hours ago in an awful hurry. It was headed... Ah... West. Towards the Fire Nation." He colored, now angry. "Almost ran us over, they did."

Sokka frowned a bit when he noticed something, "What is an Earth Kingdom man doing so far from the Earth Kingdom." He looked at the people up and down. He was about to leave them be, but he still felt suspicious. He continued, "Anyway. I'd like to check your ship to make sure this isn't the right one."

"You doubt us?" The Fire Nation man looked offended. "What's so wrong with an Earth Kingdom man spending some time with an old pal?" he said. "Chan?" he added, asking for further explanations.

The Earth Kingdom man in question shrugged. "I like to travel."

"There you have it. But if you insist, I guess I can't stop you." He shuddered when he looked at Sokka's sword. "You fellas have weapons, we don't."

***

"Guess we'll have to move her, then," said Kara.

She had overheard everything from her spot in the bilge. The intercom system worked quite nicely, and for just this sort of reason.

She turned and lugged up the girl, and roughly at that. Kara heard her grunt painfull, and smiled.

"Not so tough, are you, when you don't have any metal or earth to bend."

She carried Toph deeper into the ship. There she came across a seeming dead-end. It smelled horrible here. Kara ignored the stench and tapped a certain board in the tiny, cramped area.

A hidden compartment revealed itself. Smugglers would use it to hide valuables. They would use it to hide their little friend.

"In you go," she said, shoving the girl into the cubby.

The girl's eyes widened and she squirmed, obviously off-put and frightened by the tight space. Kara put an end to that but shoving a cloth, drenched in sleeping draught, into the girl's face.

Toph was out like a light. She didn't make another sound.

Kara shut the door. The compartment vanished into thin air. It was as if it were not there at all.

She returned to her in her own rooms aboard the ship.

Sokka frowned and turned to Azon, "You say you can find her?" He was really depending on this person. He did say Toph was on this ship and if this was true, she could be hidden.

IC: Azon

"Your eyes are still not open, Sokka," said Azon, hopping down from Appa and walking up beside the warrior.

His hands were folded behind his cloak, his blindfolded eyes staring down towards the deck of the small ship.

"You are to be fooled by the same ruse a second time; you must look and listen beyond what is on the surface to truely understand. The one we are seeking is below deck; I can see her clearly."

"Whatever you say. I just want to find her," Sokka told Azon as he headed into the ship's hull, gripping the sword as he did so. If these really were the kidnappers, then they'd have to fight. He sighed. Whatever Azon said he had to do, he'd do it.

Well, this could not be good. Maku, for it was Maku, could recognize trouble when he saw it. Somehow, the boy and his friends had tracked them down, and this man seemed able to sense the girl.

He had seen stranger things in this day and age.

But... He smiled.

Perhaps this could work after all.

He snapped his fingers at Chan, who nodded. The Earth Kingdom man slipped below decks.

"Feel free to search, gentlemen," he said, in a stronger voice than he had before.

He tailed after Sokka.

~~~

"I just put her there!"

The soldier shrugged. "They know, somehow. Hiding's not gonna work. We'll have to be a little more direct."

Kara scowled. "Whatever."

"Just do it, Kara." Chan left, perhaps to stand with Maku.

The waterbender returned to the bilge where they had hidden Toph. She dragged the unconscious girl out, and immediately held out a hand over her head.

It was frightfully easy to find the blood-vessels in her little brain.

Kara sat back, and waited.