THE OTHER AIRBENDER (Book 2)

(XVI) Water

"Everyone single file!" Katara instructs, as she uses her bending to divide the water keeping us from our destiny. "Aang, I need help!"

Together, they bend the water into a big enough bubble to fit all of us and allow us to pass under the water together. Honestly, it's kind of awesome. I never thought I'd catch a glimpse of the underwater world like this.

Perks of having two waterbender friends, I suppose.

However, the awesome part of this experience ends all of a sudden, when we see a shadow of somethingI can't make out dart past us. It isn't long before whatever this thing is decides to break through our protective bubble, making all the water start to fall on us harshly. We all let out gasps before Toph reacts just in time to bend us to the surface from the sea floor.

The shadow quickly joins us out on the surface, revealing itself to be a giant serpent monster, clearly intent on killing us.

"I think I just figured out why they call it the Serpent's Pass! Suki, you know about giant sea monsters, make it go away!" Sokka urges her fearfully.

"Just because I live near the Unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!" Suki retorts.

"Oh great and powerful sea serpent, please accept this humble and tasty offering. Thank you," Sokka holds up Momo, but the serpent seems uninterested in his offering.

"I'll distract it. Katara, get everyone across!" Aang instructs, as he takes off on his glider and Katara creates an ice bridge between us and the other side of the pass.

We all start crossing in a hurry, well, all of us except for Toph, who's clearly confused because of the ice. Sokka is the first to react and he calls to her.

"Toph, come on, it's just ice!"

"Alya, follow me!" Katara calls, as she surfs on the water's surface and charges towards the serpent to try and help Aang. Even though I'm concerned for Toph, I trust that Sokka will get to her and I take off on my glider myself, following Aang's lead and trying not to get snatched by the serpent's fearsome jaws.

"Alya! Keep it busy! I've got an idea!" Aang calls to me, as he and Katara share a knowing look that I can't decipher.

However, I don't hesitate to do as he asks, and I continue to flutter around it, barely missing it's pointed teeth. Below me, Aang and Katara have begun to run in circles around the serpent over the water, creating what appears to be a whirlpool below it. It doesn't take long before the serpent starts to become visibly dazed, probably from all the spinning around.

It suddenly hits its head on a rock and sinks into the sea, nowhere to be seen. Katara and Aang head back to the others together, while I'm left to feel completely alienated by whatever just happened. The others cheer when they see them, and I land a little after them, before Toph joins me sneakily.

"You see why I told you to forget about him now?"

***

"There's the wall!" Sokka says, as he points to a distant wall structure. "Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se."

"Oh no!" Ying groans in pain.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asks, confused.

"The baby's coming!" Ying replies with alarm.

"What? Now? Can't you hold it in or something?" Sokka questions, starting to freak out visibly.

"Sokka, calm down. I helped Gran-Gran deliver lots of babies back home," Katara reassures him.

"This isn't the same as delivering an arctic seal! This is a real... human... thing!"

"It's called a baby and I helped her deliver plenty of those, too. Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water. Toph, I need you to make an earth tent, a big one," Katara instructs calmly. "Suki, come with me."