Summer Camp

Chapter Fourteen- Toph (No Other Explanation Necessary)

Let's be real. No one likes waking up at seven AM. Especially if you didn't get enough sleep the night before. However, Toph got a full ten hours of sleep and was still a grumpy bear.

Katara, as graceful as a morning glory, rose at 6:55 and floated to the bathroom to do her hair, which she put in a half up half down. After she made sure it looked absolutely fabulous, she returned to the main room of the cabin to get dressed.

Her outfit consisted of light blue skinny jeans, a flowy white blouse, and a darker blue jean jacket. She slipped her gray Nikes on and reached up to touch her necklace. Her mother's necklace.

Katara strode confidently across the room to the window and threw open the curtains (out of which fell a rudely awakened spider). The early morning sun streamed in and landed directly on Toph's closed eyes — not that it would have done anything if her eyes were open, duh.

Katara walked over to her friend's cot and shook the other girl's shoulder gently. "Toph- Toph it's time to wake up."

Toph just grumbled and pulled the blanket over her head.

Katara stood silently for a moment, planning a new strategy.

"TOPH BEIFONG- GET OUT OF THAT BED RIGHT NOW, IT'S TIME TO START THE DAY!"

Outside the window, a few birds rose from a bush and flew into the woods in a panic.

Toph grumbled some more but eventually sat up and glared in Katara's direction. Her hair stuck out around her head in a spiky halo and she looked like one of the walking dead.

Katara recoiled, "Toph... Can we talk about the hair?"

Toph stood and stretched, "Nope." Then she strode past Katara and into the bathroom.

Katara followed, partly to keep an eye on Toph, partly to try to tame her friend's wild head possum.

///

About 20 minutes later, Katara had pulled Toph's hair into two messy space buns and she was dressed in an army green T-shirt under a pair of black overall shorts. She wasn't going to wear shoes, but when Katara insisted, she slipped on a pair of ratty Birkenstocks. Her messy black bangs hung down into her eyes, but — for obvious reasons — she wasn't bothered.

"Come on, Sugar Queen. You said it was time to start the day," Toph kicked open the cabin door and stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips, "Let's go."

Katara sighed and followed Toph out of the cabin and into the morning air, closing the door behind them.

///

Ah, 7 AM. That lovely time of day where the light turns gold and the air is fresh and you're forced to go on a 5 mile hike. Without a guide.

I know, it's my favorite time of day too! Wow, we have so much in common!

The Gaang headed out onto the hiking trails... and quickly got lost. The woods were a confusing maze and soon they didn't even know if they were inside the camp boundaries anymore.

Katara held a map and kept checking it for landmarks, but the woods just went on and on. And on.

Sokka complained loudly about his bruised foot until Zuko gave up and offered him a piggyback ride, which Sokka happily accepted.

"Look Zuko! A tree! Oh my gosh, another tree! Katara! Look at all these trees!" Katara stopped, sighed, and turned around, "Sokka. We are surrounded by trees. And why are you acting so... weird? Weirder than usual, I mean."

Toph grinned, "I found this new thing over the summer, it's called cactus juice."

"Cactus juice, Katara!" Sokka burst into a fit of giggles, flopping sideways on Zuko's back.

Katara glared at Toph and opened her mouth to speak but Aang cut her off, "Katara... He'll be fine."

"We won't be," Katara grumbled, her fists clenched around the map. Aang gently pulled it out of her grasp, "Here, maybe we need to go north."

"We've been going north!" Katara hissed through gritted teeth. Aang frowned and flipped the map upside down, decided it didn't help, and turned it rightside up again, "Well maybe we just need to go south then!"

Toph huffed, "Well maybe you two doofuses shouldn't be leading the way!" Katara turned towards her, fuming, "You think you could do a better job, blind girl?"

Toph shrugged, "Probably a better job than you, Sugar Queen." Sokka laughed hysterically, "Sugar Queen, that's a funny nickname. Katara isn't sweet at all!"

Katara glared at him with a stare that could curdle milk. Sokka just smiled back, fully unaware that his life was in danger.

(Lol, jk. Katara isn't gonna kill him, I promise.)

Aang took Katara's arm and led her a few paces away from the rest of the group before she could commit a federal crime, "Katara, are we actually lost? Like, for real?"

Katara looked at him for a moment before responding, "Yes! Yes we are actually lost in this goddamn forest!"

Sokka giggled, "Lost! Lost in a goddamn forest!" Zuko sighed, "Sokka, you seem to find this unbearably funny." Sokka smiled, "I find you unbearably adorable." He flopped forward and wrapped his arms around Zuko's shoulders in a backwards hug.

Toph rolled her eyes, "And I find you two unbearably cute. It's disgusting." Aang stifled a laugh. And even Katara cracked a small smile, "We're still lost though..."

Aang sighed in frustration, "If only Appa was here. He'd be able to get us out of this." Unfortunately, Holy Trinity had a strict no-pets policy and so the huge, lovable Golden Retriever had to stay home with Aang's aunt.

Katara looked again at the map, "Wait. Here, this fork in the trail. It's on the map. Trail Numbers 40 and 41, right?" Aang knelt down to inspect the small wooden sign at the fork, "Yeah, that looks right."

Katara gave a little jump of happiness, "Oh thank the spirits, come on, we just have to follow Trail 41!" She slid her fingers into Aang's and set off on the trail back to camp, Toph, Sokka, and a very tired Zuko following behind her.